Evaluation of iron transport from ferrous glycinate liposomes using Caco-2 cell model

Background: Iron fortification of foods is currently a strategy employed to fight iron deficiency in countries. Liposomes were assumed to be a potential carrier of iron supplements.Objective: The objective of this study was to investigate the iron transport from ferrous glycinate liposomes, and to estimate the effects of liposomal carriers, phytic acid, zinc and particle size on iron transport using Caco-2 cell models.Methods: Caco-2 cells were cultured and seeded in DMEM medium. Minimum essential medium was added to the basolateral side. Iron liposome suspensions were added to the apical side of the transwell.Results: The iron transport from ferrous glycinate liposomes was significantly higher than that from ferrous glycinate. In the presence of phytic acid or zinc ion, iron transport from ferrous glycinate liposomes and ferrous glycinate was evidently inhibited, and iron transport decreased with increasing phytic acid concentration. Iron transport was decreased with increase of particle size increasing of ferrous glycinate liposome.Conclusion: Liposomes could behave as more than a simple carrier, and iron transport from liposomes could be implemented via a mechanism different from the regulated non-heme iron pathway.Keywords: Ferrous glycinate liposomes, iron transport, phytic acid, particle siz

Evaluation of iron transport from ferrous glycinate liposomes using Caco-2 cell model.

Background: Iron fortification of foods is currently a strategy employed to fight iron deficiency in countries. Liposomes were assumed to be a potential carrier of iron supplements. Objective: The objective of this study was to investigate the iron transport from ferrous glycinate liposomes, and to estimate the effects of liposomal carriers, phytic acid, zinc and particle size on iron transport using Caco-2 cell models. Methods: Caco-2 cells were cultured and seeded in DMEM medium. Minimum essential medium was added to the basolateral side. Iron liposome suspensions were added to the apical side of the transwell. Results: The iron transport from ferrous glycinate liposomes was significantly higher than that from ferrous glycinate. In the presence of phytic acid or zinc ion, iron transport from ferrous glycinate liposomes and ferrous glycinate was evidently inhibited, and iron transport decreased with increasing phytic acid concentration. Iron transport was decreased with increase of particle size increasing of ferrous glycinate liposome. Conclusion: Liposomes could behave as more than a simple carrier, and iron transport from liposomes could be implemented via a mechanism different from the regulated non-heme iron pathway

Observing the air-sea turbulent heat flux on the trajectory of tropical storm Danas

Tropical cyclones constitute a major risk for coastal communities. To assess their damage potential, accurate predictions of their intensification are needed, which requires a detailed understanding of the evolution of turbulent heat flux (THF). By combining multiple buoy observations along the south-north storm track, we investigated the THF anomalies associated with tropical storm Danas (2019) in the East China Sea (ECS) during its complete life cycle from the intensification stage to the mature stage and finally to its dissipation on land. The storm passage is characterized by strong winds of 10–20 m/s and a sea level pressure below 1 000 hPa, resulting in a substantial enhancement of THF. Latent heat (LH) fluxes are most strongly affected by wind speed, with a gradually increasing contribution of humidity along the trajectory. The relative contributions of wind speed and temperature anomalies to sensible heat (SH) depend on the stability of the boundary layer. Under stable conditions, SH variations are driven by wind speed, while under near-neutral conditions, SH variations are driven by temperature. A comparison of the observed THF and associated variables with outputs from the ERA5 and MERRA2 reanalysis products reveals that the reanalysis products can reproduce the basic evolution and composition of the observed THF. However, under extreme weather conditions, temperature and humidity variations are poorly captured by ERA5 and MERRA2, leading to large LH and SH errors. The differences in the observed and reproduced LH and SH during the passage of Danas amount to 26.1 and 6.6 W/m2 for ERA5, respectively, and to 39.4 and 12.5 W/m2 for MERRA2, respectively. These results demonstrate the need to improve the representation of tropical cyclones in reanalysis products to better predict their intensification process and reduce their damage

Quantitative analysis of contrast-enhanced ultrasound in neoadjuvant treatment of locally advanced rectal cancer: a retrospective study

PurposeTo explore the clinical value of contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) quantitative analysis in the evaluation and prognosis of neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy for locally advanced rectal cancer (LARC).MethodsEighty-three consecutive patients undergoing neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy and total mesorectal excision for LARC were retrospectively included. According to pathological results, patients were categorized into complete or incomplete response groups. Differences in ultrasonic parameters, pathological results, and clinical data between groups were evaluated. The cutoff point for a complete response as determined by quantitative analysis of CEUS was assessed using a receiver operating characteristic curve; additionally, overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS) were analyzed.ResultsOf the 83 patients, 12 (14.5%) achieved a complete response and 71 (85.5%) did not. There were significant between-group differences in carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) levels, differentiation degree, proportion of tumor occupying the lumen, anterior-posterior and superior-inferior diameters of the lesion, and intensity of enhancement (P<0.05). CEUS quantitative analysis showed significant between-group differences in peak intensity (PI) and area under the curve (AUC) values (P<0.05). The OS and PFS of patients with high PI, high AUC value, and poorly differentiated cancer were significantly worse than those with low PI, low AUC values, and moderately to highly differentiated cancer (P<0.05). High CEA levels (hazard ratio: 1.02, 95% confidence interval: 1.01–1.04; P=0.002) and low differentiation (2.72, 1.12–6.62; P=0.028) were independent risk factors for PFS and OS.ConclusionsCEUS can predict the response to neoadjuvant treatment in patients with LARC. CEUS quantitative analysis is helpful for clinical prognosis

Calculations of 6^{6}He+p elastic scattering cross sections using folding approach and high-energy approximation for the optical potential

Calculations of microscopic optical potentials (OP's) (their real and imaginary parts) are performed to analyze the $^6$He+p elastic scattering data at a few tens of MeV/nucleon (MeV/N). The OP's and the cross sections are calculated using three model densities of $^6$He. Effects of the regularization of the NN forces and their dependence on nuclear density are investigated. Also, the role of the spin-orbit terms and of the non-linearity in the calculations of the OP's, as well as effects of their renormalization are studied. The sensitivity of the cross sections to the nuclear densities was tested and one of them that gives a better agreement with the data was chosen.Comment: 13 pages, 11 figures, to be published in Eur. Phys. J.

Free testosterone value before radical prostatectomy is related to oncologic outcomes and post-operative erectile function

Abstract Purpose To investigate whether free testosterone (FT) prior to radical prostatectomy was related to post-operative oncologic outcomes, erectile function and continence. Methods The data of 586 patients with available information underwent treatment in our center was retrospectively reviewed. Total testosterone (TT) was tested by chemiluminescence immunoassay, and FT value was calculated using Vermeulen’s formula. Post-operative continence and erectile function were evaluated by the requirement of pad and the IIEF-5 score at 12 months. Results The median TT and FT value was 344 ng/dL (interquartile, IQR 314–374) and 6.9 ng/dL (IQR 6.4–7.3), and 106 patients (18.1%) and 152 patients (25.9%) were evaluated as having low TT and low FT based on current guidelines. Low TT and FT value were both related to older age (both p < 0.001), concomitant diabetes (p = 0.018 & 0.049), higher possibility of pre-operative erectile dysfunction (ED, both p < 0.001), higher pre-operative PSA value (both p < 0.001), higher clinical stage (both p < 0.001) and higher Gleason score in biopsy (both p < 0.001). Low FT was related to higher risk for pT3 (p = 0.020) and high Gleason score (p = 0.011) in logistic regression. The median follow-up duration was 52 moths (IQR 29–67) and FT was found to be an independent risk factor for biochemical recurrence (p = 0.005). In logistic regression TT was related to pre-operative ED (p = 0.010) and FT was related to post-operative ED (p = 0.001). Conclusion Low FT value before radical prostatectomy was related to adverse pathological outcomes, biochemical recurrence and post-operative ED

The suppressing role of miR-622 in renal cell carcinoma progression by down-regulation of CCL18/MAPK signal pathway

Abstract Background MicroRNAs have emerged as critical modulators of carcinogenesis and tumor progression including renal cell carcinoma (RCC). MiR-622 plays as a tumor inhibitor in some types of cancer, however, its role in kidney cancer is unknown. The purpose of the present work is to investigate the functional behaviors and regulatory mechanism of miR-622 in RCC. Results We examined the expression of miR-622 in RCC and adjacent normal tissues and then explored the roles of miR-622. The results of this analysis indicated that miR-622 activity was significantly downregulated in RCC tissues compared with the corresponding normal tissues, so did in RCC cell lines. MiR-622 was associated with RCC aggressiveness. MiR-622 in RCC cells decreased CCL18 expression and suppressed CCL18 activated MAPK signal pathway. Using Western blot and luciferase reporter assays, it was verified that CCL18 was a direct target of miR-622. A specific and inverse correlation between miR-622 and CCL18 expression was found in human RCC samples. Conclusions The results demonstrated that miR-622 acted as a tumor-promoting miRNA by targeting CCL18 in RCC