Curcumin-Loaded Mixed Micelles: Preparation, Characterization, and In Vitro

The objective of this study was to prepare curcumin-loaded mixed Soluplus/TPGS micelles (Cur-TPGS-PMs) for oral administration. The Cur-TPGS-PMs showed a mean size of 65.54 ± 2.57 nm, drug encapsulation efficiency over 85%, and drug loading of 8.17%. The Cur-TPGS-PMs were found to be stable in various pH media (pH 1.2 for 2 h, pH 6.8 for 2 h, and pH 7.4 for 6 h). The X-ray diffraction (XRD) patterns illustrated that curcumin was in the amorphous or molecular state within PMs. The In vitro release test indicated that Cur-TPGS-PMs possessed a significant sustained-release property. The cell viability in MCF-7 cells was found to be relatively lower in Cur-TPGS-PM-treated cells as compared to free Cur-treated cells. CLSM imaging revealed that mixed micelles were efficiently absorbed into the cytoplasm region of MCF-7 cells. Therefore, Cur-TPGS-PMs could have the significant value for the chronic breast cancer therapy

Alkali burn induced corneal spontaneous pain and activated neuropathic pain matrix in the central nerve system in mice

Purpose: To explore whether alkali burn causes corneal neuropathic pain and activates neuropathic pain matrix in the central nerve system in mice. Methods: A corneal alkali burn mouse model (grade II) was used. Mechanical threshold in the cauterized area was tested using Von Frey hairs. Spontaneous pain behavior was investigated with conditioned place preference (CPP). Phosphor extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK), which is a marker for neuronal activation in chronic pain processing, was investigated in several representative areas of the neuropathic pain matrix: the two regions of the spinal trigeminal nucleus (subnucleus interpolaris/caudalis ,Vi/Vc; subnucleus caudalis/upper cervical cord , Vc/C1), insular cortex, anterior cingulated cortex (ACC), and the rostroventral medulla (RVM). Further, pharmacologically blocking pERK activation in ACC of alkali burn mice was performed in a separate study. Results: Corneal alkali burn caused long lasting damage to the corneal subbasal nerve fibers and mice exhibited spontaneous pain behavior. By testing in several representative areas of neuropathic pain matrix in the higher nerve system, phosphor extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) was significantly activated in Vc/C1, but not in Vi/Vc. Also, ERK was activated in the insular cortex, ACC, and RVM. Furthermore, pharmacologically blocking ERK activation in ACC abolished alkali burn induced corneal spontaneous pain. Conclusion: Alkali burn could cause corneal spontaneous pain and activate neuropathic pain matrix in the central nerve system. Furthermore, activation of ERK in ACC is required for alkali burn induced corneal spontaneous pain

Cytokine concentration in peripheral blood of patients with colorectal cancer

IntroductionThe role of tumour secretory cytokines and peripheral circulatory cytokines in tumour progression has received increasing attention; however, the role of tumour-related inflammatory cytokines in colorectal cancer (CRC) remains unclear. In this study, the concentrations of various cytokines in the peripheral blood of healthy controls and patients with CRC at different stages were compared.MethodsPeripheral blood samples from 4 healthy participants and 22 colorectal cancer patients were examined. Luminex beads were used to evaluate concentration levels of 40 inflammatory cytokines in peripheral blood samples.ResultsIn peripheral blood, compared with healthy controls and early stage (I + II) CRC patients, advanced CRC (III + IV) patients had increased concentrations of mononuclear/macrophage chemotactic-related proteins (CCL7, CCL8, CCL15, CCL2, and MIF), M2 polarization-related factors (IL-1β, IL-4), neutrophil chemotactic and N2 polarization-related cytokines (CXCL2, CXCL5, CXCL6, IL-8), dendritic cells (DCs) chemotactic-related proteins (CCL19, CCL20, and CCL21), Natural killer (NK) cell related cytokines (CXCL9, CXCL10), Th2 cell-related cytokines (CCL1, CCL11, CCL26), CXCL12, IL-2, CCL25, and CCL27, and decreased IFN-γ and CX3CL1 concentrations. The differential upregulation of cytokines in peripheral blood was mainly concentrated in CRC patients with distant metastasis and was related to the size of the primary tumour; however, there was no significant correlation between cytokine levels in peripheral blood and the propensity and mechanism of lymph node metastasis.DiscussionDifferent types of immune cells may share the same chemokine receptors and can co-localise in response to the same chemokines and exert synergistic pro-tumour or anti-tumour functions in the tumour microenvironment. Chemokines and cytokines affect tumour metastasis and prognosis and may be potential targets for treatment

A Sensor Fused Rear Cross Traffic Detection System Using Transfer Learning

Recent emerging automotive sensors and innovative technologies in Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) increase the safety of driving a vehicle on the road. ADAS enhance road safety by providing early warning signals for drivers and controlling a vehicle accordingly to mitigate a collision. A Rear Cross Traffic (RCT) detection system is an important application of ADAS. Rear-end crashes are a frequently occurring type of collision, and approximately 29.7% of all crashes are rear-ended collisions. The RCT detection system detects obstacles at the rear while the car is backing up. In this paper, a robust sensor fused RCT detection system is proposed. By combining the information from two radars and a wide-angle camera, the locations of the target objects are identified using the proposed sensor fused algorithm. Then, the transferred Convolution Neural Network (CNN) model is used to classify the object type. The experiments show that the proposed sensor fused RCT detection system reduced the processing time 15.34 times faster than the camera-only system. The proposed system has achieved 96.42% accuracy. The experimental results demonstrate that the proposed sensor fused system has robust object detection accuracy and fast processing time, which is vital for deploying the ADAS system

A Sensor Fused Rear Cross Traffic Detection System Using Transfer Learning

Recent emerging automotive sensors and innovative technologies in Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) increase the safety of driving a vehicle on the road. ADAS enhance road safety by providing early warning signals for drivers and controlling a vehicle accordingly to mitigate a collision. A Rear Cross Traffic (RCT) detection system is an important application of ADAS. Rear-end crashes are a frequently occurring type of collision, and approximately 29.7% of all crashes are rear-ended collisions. The RCT detection system detects obstacles at the rear while the car is backing up. In this paper, a robust sensor fused RCT detection system is proposed. By combining the information from two radars and a wide-angle camera, the locations of the target objects are identified using the proposed sensor fused algorithm. Then, the transferred Convolution Neural Network (CNN) model is used to classify the object type. The experiments show that the proposed sensor fused RCT detection system reduced the processing time 15.34 times faster than the camera-only system. The proposed system has achieved 96.42% accuracy. The experimental results demonstrate that the proposed sensor fused system has robust object detection accuracy and fast processing time, which is vital for deploying the ADAS system

A Sensor Fused Rear Cross Traffic Detection System Using Transfer Learning

Recent emerging automotive sensors and innovative technologies in Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) increase the safety of driving a vehicle on the road. ADAS enhance road safety by providing early warning signals for drivers and controlling a vehicle accordingly to mitigate a collision. A Rear Cross Traffic (RCT) detection system is an important application of ADAS. Rear-end crashes are a frequently occurring type of collision, and approximately 29.7% of all crashes are rear-ended collisions. The RCT detection system detects obstacles at the rear while the car is backing up. In this paper, a robust sensor fused RCT detection system is proposed. By combining the information from two radars and a wide-angle camera, the locations of the target objects are identified using the proposed sensor fused algorithm. Then, the transferred Convolution Neural Network (CNN) model is used to classify the object type. The experiments show that the proposed sensor fused RCT detection system reduced the processing time 15.34 times faster than the camera-only system. The proposed system has achieved 96.42% accuracy. The experimental results demonstrate that the proposed sensor fused system has robust object detection accuracy and fast processing time, which is vital for deploying the ADAS system

A stochastic model for DNA translocation through an electropore

AbstractA 1D Fokker–Planck simulation of DNA translocation through an electropore under finite pulses is presented. This study is motivated by applications relevant to DNA electrotransfer into biological cells via electroporation. The results review important insights. The translocation may occur on two disparate time scales, the electrophoretic time (~ms), and the diffusive time (~s), depending on the pulse length. Furthermore, a power-law correlation is observed, F-PST~(Vmtp)a/Nb, where F-PST is the final probability of successful translocation, Vm is the transmembrane potential, tp is the pulse length, and N is the DNA length in segments. The values for a and b are close to 1 and 1.5, respectively. The simulated results are compared with previous data to interpret the trends. In particular, the diffusive time scale is used to explain the frequency dependence observed in electroporation experiments with uni- and bi-polar pulse trains. The predictions from the current model can be harnessed to help design experiments for the further understanding and quantification of DNA electrotransfer

Comparison of the efficacy and safety of Transarterial chemoembolization with and without Apatinib for the treatment of BCLC stage C hepatocellular carcinoma

Abstract Background Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a common cancer worldwide, with a poor prognosis. Most patients are diagnosed at advanced stages and are only eligible for palliative therapy. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the safety and efficacy of transcatheter arterial chemoembolization (TACE) combined with apatinib (TACE-apatinib) treatment and TACE-alone treatment for Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer stage C HCC. Methods We retrospectively reviewed 80 consecutive patients with BCLC stage C HCC who received TACE-apatinib or TACE-alone as the initial treatment. We compared the clinical and laboratory outcomes, imaging findings at 1 and 3 months after TACE, tumor response, time to progression (TTP), overall survival (OS), and adverse events between both groups. Results The overall response rate was higher in the TACE-apatinib group than in the TACE-alone group at 1 and 3 months after treatment (66.7% vs 39.6%, respectively, P = 0.020; 45.8% vs 17.6%, respectively, P = 0.021). The median TTP and OS in the TACE-apatinib group were longer than those of the TACE-alone group (TTP: 6.3 months vs 3.5 months, respectively, P = 0.002; OS: 13.0 months vs 9.9 months, respectively, P = 0.041). Apatinib-associated side effects such as hypertension, hand-foot syndrome, oral ulcers, proteinuria, and diarrhea were more prevalent in the TACE-apatinib group than in TACE-alone group (P < 0.05). Conclusion Compared to TACE-alone treatment, TACE-apatinib increased the TTP, OS, and tumor-response rate at 1 and 3 months after treatment of BCLC stage C HCC without any significant increase in severe adverse events

Effect of deviation of welding parameters on mechanical properties of X80 steel girth weld

Tensile tests were carried out on X80 steel girth welds with four different parameters (no deviation of welding parameters, inadequate number of welding layers, inadequate preheating temperature and inadequate interpass temperature) under automatic welding technology. The strain distribution behavior, strain hardening law and the influence of welding parameter deviation on mechanical properties were studied during tensile deformation. The results show that the strain localization occurs at the interface of the weld filler layer when the preheating temperature of the weld is inadequate and the interpass temperature of the weld is inadequate, and the strain localization occurs at the maximum thickness of the filler layer when the number of welding layers is inadequate. The deviation of welding parameters significantly reduces the strength of girth weld. The yield strength and tensile strength are the lowest when the interpass temperature is inadequate. When the interpass temperature is inadequate, the strain hardening ability deteriorates rapidly. When there is no deviation of welding parameters, the fracture is dimple shaped, which is typical ductile fracture. When the welding parameters deviate, the fracture of the girth weld is a mixed fracture of toughness and brittleness; When the number of welding layers is inadequate, it is mainly brittle fracture; When preheating temperature and interpass temperature are inadequate, ductile fracture is the main mechanism

Adlay (<i>Coix lachryma-jobi</i> L. var. <i>ma-yuen</i> Stapf.) Hull Extract and Active Compounds Inhibit Proliferation of Primary Human Leiomyoma Cells and Protect against Sexual Hormone-Induced Mice Smooth Muscle Hyperproliferation

Uterine leiomyomas, also known as fibroids, are benign neoplasms of the uterus and have a high incidence rate in women of reproductive age. Hysterectomy or myomectomy is the initial treatment, but fibroids will recur if the patient is still exposed to similar risk factors. Therefore, developing new therapeutic strategies are urgently necessary. In this study, the anti-proliferation effects of each fraction of adlay seeds were evaluated in uterine leiomyomas, and we identified the potential phytochemical compounds. We found that the ethyl acetate fraction of adlay hull (AHE-ea) appeared to be highly efficient in the anti-proliferation of rat uterine leiomyoma ELT3 cells and primary human uterine leiomyoma (hUL) cells. The proliferation of primary human normal uterine smooth muscle (UtSMC) and normal uterine myometrial (hUM) cells were also suppressed by AHE-ea. Two phytosterols, stigmasterol and &#946;-sitosterol, were identified from AHE-ea fraction. Mice treated with AHE-ea and stigmasterol alone demonstrated reduced diethylstilbestrol/medroxyprogesterone 17-acetate (DES/MPA)-induced uterine myometrial hyperplasia, which is the critical step for the development of leiomyoma. Taken together, our results suggest that the AHE-ea fraction could be considered as a natural plant-based medicine in the prevention or treatment of uterine leiomyoma growth