Evaluation of protective effect of cyclodextrin glucanotransferase-treated Gastrodia elata Blume extract on ultraviolet B-induced premature skin aging

Purpose: To investigate the protective effect of Gastrodia elata Blume (G. elata, GE) and cyclodextrin glucanotransferase (CGTase) enzyme-treated G. elata extract (EGE) against premature skin aging using ultraviolet B (UVB)-exposed normal human dermal fibroblasts (NHDFs).Methods: The extract was characterized by liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS), ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (UPLC–QToF–MS) and nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (NMR). The expression of matrix  metalloproteinases (MMP-1,3), interleukin-6 (IL-6), transforming growth factor (TGF-β1) and procollagen type I was assayed using ELISA kits. Safety evaluation of EGE’s dietary administration and topical application was performed by in vivo acute oral toxicity and local lymph node tests.Results: Lower MMP-1 and IL-6 and higher procollagen type I and TGF-β1 levels were observed after treatment with EGE than with GE, indicating that EGE was more effective than GE in treating UVBinduced photoaging. With respect to phenolic composition, EGE had lower 4-hydroxybenzaldehyde (4- HBA) level and higher α-gastrodin level than GE. In UVB-irradiated NHDFs, α-gastrodin exhibited higher anti-aging activity than 4-HBA and β-gastrodin based on the expression of MMP-1, MMP-3, and procollagen type I. The in vivo data indicate that EGE was safe at concentrations of up to 2000 mg/kg for dietary administration and 0.1 % for topical application.Conclusion: EGE protects UVB-induced photoaged human skin better than GE owing to its higher α- gastrodin content. Thus, EGE may be potentially useful agent in anti-aging cosmetic products.Keywords: Gastrodia elata, α-Gastrodin, Anti-aging, CGTase, Ultraviolet B (UVB) irradiation, Matrix metalloproteinase, Procollagen, Normal human dermal fibroblast

Global Retinoblastoma Presentation and Analysis by National Income Level

Importance: Early diagnosis of retinoblastoma, the most common intraocular cancer, can save both a child's life and vision. However, anecdotal evidence suggests that many children across the world are diagnosed late. To our knowledge, the clinical presentation of retinoblastoma has never been assessed on a global scale. Objectives: To report the retinoblastoma stage at diagnosis in patients across the world during a single year, to investigate associations between clinical variables and national income level, and to investigate risk factors for advanced disease at diagnosis. Design, Setting, and Participants: A total of 278 retinoblastoma treatment centers were recruited from June 2017 through December 2018 to participate in a cross-sectional analysis of treatment-naive patients with retinoblastoma who were diagnosed in 2017. Main Outcomes and Measures: Age at presentation, proportion of familial history of retinoblastoma, and tumor stage and metastasis. Results: The cohort included 4351 new patients from 153 countries; the median age at diagnosis was 30.5 (interquartile range, 18.3-45.9) months, and 1976 patients (45.4) were female. Most patients (n = 3685 84.7%) were from low-and middle-income countries (LMICs). Globally, the most common indication for referral was leukocoria (n = 2638 62.8%), followed by strabismus (n = 429 10.2%) and proptosis (n = 309 7.4%). Patients from high-income countries (HICs) were diagnosed at a median age of 14.1 months, with 656 of 666 (98.5%) patients having intraocular retinoblastoma and 2 (0.3%) having metastasis. Patients from low-income countries were diagnosed at a median age of 30.5 months, with 256 of 521 (49.1%) having extraocular retinoblastoma and 94 of 498 (18.9%) having metastasis. Lower national income level was associated with older presentation age, higher proportion of locally advanced disease and distant metastasis, and smaller proportion of familial history of retinoblastoma. Advanced disease at diagnosis was more common in LMICs even after adjusting for age (odds ratio for low-income countries vs upper-middle-income countries and HICs, 17.92 95% CI, 12.94-24.80, and for lower-middle-income countries vs upper-middle-income countries and HICs, 5.74 95% CI, 4.30-7.68). Conclusions and Relevance: This study is estimated to have included more than half of all new retinoblastoma cases worldwide in 2017. Children from LMICs, where the main global retinoblastoma burden lies, presented at an older age with more advanced disease and demonstrated a smaller proportion of familial history of retinoblastoma, likely because many do not reach a childbearing age. Given that retinoblastoma is curable, these data are concerning and mandate intervention at national and international levels. Further studies are needed to investigate factors, other than age at presentation, that may be associated with advanced disease in LMICs. © 2020 American Medical Association. All rights reserved

Nonisotopic immunoassay/ Edit.: T.T. Ngo

xi, p. 495.: ill.; 26 c

Feeding ecology of the common sun skink, Eutropis multifasciata (Reptilia: Squamata: Scincidae), in the plains of central Vietnam

Ngo, Chung D., Ngo, Binh V., Hoang, Thuong T., Nguyen, Thi T.T., Dang, Hai P. (2015): Feeding ecology of the common sun skink, Eutropis multifasciata (Reptilia: Squamata: Scincidae), in the plains of central Vietnam. Journal of Natural History 49 (39): 2417-2436, DOI: 10.1080/00222933.2015.102187

Figure 2 in Feeding ecology of the common sun skink, Eutropis multifasciata (Reptilia: Squamata: Scincidae), in the plains of central Vietnam

Figure 2. Expected prey-taxon accumulation curves from the data of (A) stomach contents and (B) food item counts consumed by Eutropis multifasciata in the plains of central Vietnam. Circles represent the expected mean values, and the graphs show the 95% confidence intervals for male (filled circles) and female (open circles) skinks.Published as part of Ngo, Chung D., Ngo, Binh V., Hoang, Thuong T., Nguyen, Thi T.T. & Dang, Hai P., 2015, Feeding ecology of the common sun skink, Eutropis multifasciata (Reptilia: Squamata: Scincidae), in the plains of central Vietnam, pp. 2417-2436 in Journal of Natural History 49 (39) on page 2427, DOI: 10.1080/00222933.2015.1021876, http://zenodo.org/record/400016

Hybridization of MOFs and graphene: A new strategy for the synthesis of porous 3D carbon composites for high performing supercapacitors

A novel porous 3D-structured carbon composite material with a unique architecture by combining graphene and carbonized metal-organic framework (C-MOF) (HKUST-1) microrods for high performing supercapacitors has been synthesised and characterised. The HKUST-1 microrods were prepared by a new method, converting their diamond-like shape into microrods via mechanical shear mixing in an aqueous solution. Grinding of HKUST-1 and graphene oxide (GO) resulted in the formation of a 3D GO-MOF composite with intercalated HKUST-1 microrods between GO sheets. The composite film was treated by a laser scribing method and created a highly porous, a high surface area (>600 m2/g) and conductive 3D nanostructured composite film (L-rGO-C-MOF) used as electrodes for supercapacitor applications. The prepared film showed a high capacitance of 390 F/g at 5 mV/s, and a cyclic stability of 97.8% at 10 A/g after 5000 cycles. The symmetrical supercapacitor delivered an excellent power density of 8037.5 W/kg with an outstanding energy density of 22.3 Wh/kg confirming a new pathway to design new 3D porous graphene-MOF composites for high-performance energy storage devices.Truc Van Ngo, Mahmoud Moussa, Tran Thanh Tung, Campbell Coghlan, Dusan Losi