Sustained activation of c-Jun N-terminal and extracellular signal-regulated kinases in port-wine stain blood vessels

BACKGROUND: Port-wine stain (PWS) is a congenital, progressive vascular malformation but the pathogenesis remains incompletely understood. OBJECTIVE: We sought to investigate the activation status of various kinases, including extracellular signal-regulated kinase, c-Jun N-terminal kinase, AKT, phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase, P70 ribosomal S6 kinase, and phosphoinositide phospholipase C γ subunit, in PWS biopsy tissues. METHODS: Immunohistochemistry was performed on 19 skin biopsy samples from 11 patients with PWS. RESULTS: c-Jun N-terminal kinase, extracellular signal-regulated kinase, and P70 ribosomal S6 kinase in pediatric and adult PWS blood vessels were consecutively activated. Activation of AKT and phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase was found in many adult hypertrophic PWS blood vessels but not in infants. Phosphoinositide phospholipase C γ subunit showed strong activation in nodular PWS blood vessels. LIMITATION: Infantile PWS sample size was small. CONCLUSION: Our data suggest a subsequent activation profile of various kinases during different stages of PWS: (1) c-Jun N-terminal and extracellular signal-regulated kinases are firstly and consecutively activated in all PWS tissues, which may contribute to both the pathogenesis and progressive development of PWS; (2) AKT and phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase are subsequently activated, and are involved in the hypertrophic development of PWS blood vessels; and (3) phosphoinositide phospholipase C γ subunit is activated in the most advanced stage of PWS and may participate in nodular formation

Facile Pretreatment of Three-Dimensional Graphene through Electrochemical Polarization for Improved Electrocatalytic Performance and Simultaneous Electrochemical Detection of Catechol and Hydroquinone

Three-dimensional graphene (3DG) with macroporous structure has great potential in the field of electroanalysis owing to a large active area, excellent electron mobility and good mass transfer. However, simple and low-cost preparation of 3DG electrodes with high electrocatalytic ability is still a challenge. Here, a fast and convenient electrochemical polarization method is established to pretreat free-standing 3DG (p-3DG) to offer high electrocatalytic ability. 3DG with monolithic and macroporous structure prepared by chemical vapor deposition (CVD) is applied as the starting electrode. Electrochemical polarization is performed using electrochemical oxidation (anodization) at high potential (+6 V) followed with electrochemical reduction (cathodization) at low potential (−1 V), leading to exposure of edge of graphene and introduction of oxygen-containing groups. The as-prepared p-3DG displays increased hydrophilicity and improved electrocatalytic ability. As a proof of concept, p-3DG was used to selective electrochemical detection of two isomers of benzenediol, hydroquinone (p-BD) and catechol (o-BD). In comparison with initial 3DG, p-3DG exhibits increased reversibility of redox reaction, improved peak current and good potential resolution with high potential separation between p-BD and o-BD. Individual or selective determination of p-BD or o-BD in single substance solution or binary mixed solution is realized. Real analysis of pond water is also achieved

Equipment of Vertically-Ordered Mesoporous Silica Film on Electrochemically Pretreated Three-Dimensional Graphene Electrodes for Sensitive Detection of Methidazine in Urine

Direct, rapid, and sensitive detection of drugs in complex biological samples is essential for drug abuse control and health risk assessment. In this work, an electrochemical sensor was fabricated based on equipment of vertically-ordered mesoporous silica film (VMSF) on an electrochemically pre-treated three-dimensional graphene electrode (p-3DG), which can achieve direct and sensitive determination of methylthiopyridazine (TR) in urine. Three-dimensional graphene (3DG) with a continuous and interpenetrating graphene network was used as the supporting electrode and simple electrochemical polarization was employed to pre-treat 3DG to improve surface hydrophilicity and electrocatalytic performance. VMSF was easily grown using an electrochemical assisted self-assembly method within 10 s and was stably bound to the p-3DG surface. The nanochannel array on the as-prepared VMSF/p-3DG sensor enriched positively charged TR, leading to significantly improved electrochemical signal. Combined with the high electric activity of p-3DG and the enrichment of nanochannels, VMSF/p-3DG realized sensitive determination of TR ranging from 50 nM to 10 μM with a low detection limit (DL, 30 nM). Owing to the anti-fouling and anti-interference performance of VMSF, the common electroactive molecules including ascorbic acid (AA) and uric acid (UA) did not interfere with the detection. In addition, the detection of TR in buffer and urine exhibited similar sensitivity. Accurate detection of TR in urine was realized

Compatibility with Panax notoginseng and Rehmannia glutinosa Alleviates the Hepatotoxicity and Nephrotoxicity of Tripterygium wilfordii via Modulating the Pharmacokinetics of Triptolide

Tripterygium wilfordii (TW) and the representative active component triptolide show positive therapeutic effect on the autoimmune disorders and simultaneously ineluctable hepatotoxicity and nephrotoxicity. Combinational application of Panax notoginseng (PN) and Rehmannia glutinosa (RG) weakens the toxicity of TW according the clinical application of traditional Chinese medicine. This article was aimed at the mechanism of decreasing toxicity of TW by the combinational application of PN and RG. Biochemical and pathohistological analysis were utilized to assess the toxicity on liver and kidney in rats administrated with TW, TW-PN, TW-RG and TW-PN-RG for 3 and 7 days. Meanwhile, the pharmacokinetics profiling of triptolide and wilforlide A was determined based on the plasma concentration analyzed by ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS/MS). TW-induced alkaline phosphatase (ALP), the marker for liver injury, was enhanced from 22.83 ± 1.29 to 40.73 ± 1.42 King’s unit/100 mL (p < 0.01) at day 7. TW-PN-RG decreased the serum ALP of TW-treated rats at 30.15 ± 1.27 King’s unit/100 mL (p < 0.01). For nephrotoxicity, TW pronouncedly elevated serum creatinine (SCr) in rats from 20.33 ± 1.77 to 49.82 ± 2.35 μmol/L (p < 0.01). However, rats treated with TW-PN-RG showed lower SCr at 30.48 ± 1.98 μmol/L (p < 0.01). Moreover, TW-PN-RG significantly decreased the TW-induced elevation of total bilirubin (T-BIL), alanine amino transferase (ALT), aspartate amino transferase (AST), blood urea nitrogen (Bun), and reversed the TW-resulted pathohistological characteristics of liver and kidney. The delayed time to reach Cmax (Tmax) and reduced maximum concentration (Cmax) and area under plasma concentration-time curve (AUC) of triptolide and wilforlide A were explored in rats with combinational formulas. Synergism of PN and RG obviously prolonged the half-life (t1/2) and apparent volume of distribution (Vd), but exerted no action on the clearance rate. The compatibility of TW, PN and RG influences intracorporal process of both triptolide and wilforlide A on the steps of absorption and tissue distribution contributing to less toxicity of TW on liver and kidney

Research on Speed Control Methods and Energy-Saving for High-Voltage Transmission Line Inspection Robots along Cable Downhill

To ensure the safe operation of high-voltage transmission line inspection robots during downhill descents without power and extend their range after a single charge, this paper proposes an energy-saving speed control method for the inspection robot’s walking wheel motor on downhill slopes by integrating feedback braking and fuzzy PID control. By combining the parameter equation of the overhead catenary line and the structural characteristics of the overhead transmission line, this paper analyzes the relationship between the driving torque of the inspection robot’s wheels and the horizontal displacement along the transmission ground wire before and after descending. Based on this analysis, a speed control and energy recovery scheme is developed for the inspection robot, which combines front-wheel feedback braking with rear-wheel regenerative braking. The fuzzy PID method is utilized to adjust the PWM duty cycle to achieve energy-efficient speed control of the inspection robot’s rear walking wheels. Additionally, to improve the energy density and specific power of the robot’s energy storage unit, a composite power source consisting of lithium batteries and supercapacitors is employed to recover energy from the front walking wheels through feedback braking. The combined simulation results indicate that, compared to fuzzy control and PID control, fuzzy PID control better regulates the robot’s speed under varying slopes, wind resistance, and cable roughness. A downhill speed control system for the inspection of the robot’s walking wheel motor was designed, and its effectiveness was validated through simulated high-voltage line experiments. The fuzzy PID control was demonstrated to effectively maintain the rear walking wheel speed within the targeted range during downhill descents. When descending along a fixed 30° angle cable, the fuzzy PID control resulted in an increase of 5.28% and 14.26% in the state of charge (SOC) of the supercapacitor compared to PID control and fuzzy control, respectively. Moreover, when descending along fixed angle cables of 10°, 20°, and 30°, as well as a variable angle cable ranging from 30° to 0°, the SOC of the supercapacitor increased by 17.55%, 26.25%, 38.45%, and 31.29%, respectively. This demonstrates the effective absorption of regenerative braking energy during the robot’s downhill movement

Immune-enhancing effects of polysaccharides MLN-1 from by-product of Mai-luo-ning in vivo and in vitro

In this study, a typical Chinese medicine injection (Mai-luo-ning, MLN) was chosen to study the transformation possibility of its by-products (polysaccharides). What’s more, the basic properties of polysaccharides were also detected and its immunoprotect and anti-inflammatory activity were both proved in vivo and in vitro. The experiment determined that MLN-1 significantly increased the level of anti-inflammatory-related factors and the number of lymphocytes. Acute oral toxicity study established that MLN-1 has a non-toxic effect. The present work successfully showed that MLN-1 has the potential to be developed as a food additive