Inhibitory effect and mechanism of action of tanshinone IIA on human bladder cancer cell J82

Purpose: To investigate the therapeutic influence of tanshinone IIA on human bladder cancer cell J82, and the possible signal route involved. Methods: Cell proliferative potential was measured using MTT assay, while the expressions of associated genes were determined by quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) and immunoblot assays. Results: Tanshinone IIA decreased J82 cell survival rate by > 42 % and inactivated apoptosis by suppressing PI3K/AKT/mTOR signal route. Moreover, it decreased Bcl-2, but upregulated caspase and Bax (p < 0.05). Conclusion: The inhibitory effect of TIIA on human bladder cancer suggests that TIIA can be developed into an anti-tumor agent

Experiment Study of a Water Injected Twin Screw Compressor for Mechanical Vapor Compression System

The mechanical vapor compression (MVC) system is a promising way for energy saving among energy intensive industries such as desalination, food and beverage, chemistry and waste water concentration etc. In practical its application is limited by the vapor compressor technology which is demanded to have high pressure ratio for large saturation temperature difference and low discharge steam temperature. Due to the ability of wet compression, twin screw compressor can overcome the technical limitation above by the injection of liquid water into the working chamber. In this paper a test rig of a MVC system with water injected twin screw compressor has been designed and built. Compressor performance of flow rate, power consumption and discharge temperature was measured. Moreover, operation characteristics of the water injected twin screw compressor were studied by the measurement of its working process p-V diagram. Volumetric efficiency and adiabatic efficiency of the compressor variation under different operation conditions were calculated. The mass flow rate and temperature of injected water was also measured and adjusted for optimization. The results of the experiment study can provide some design guidances of water injected twin screw compressor for mechanical vapor compression system

Phytochemical Profiles and Antioxidant and Antimicrobial Activities of the Leaves of Zanthoxylum bungeanum

The ethanol crude extracts (ECE) and their subfractions from Zanthoxylum bungeanum leaves were prepared and their phytochemical profiles and antioxidant and antimicrobial activities were investigated. Moreover, the effective HPLC procedure for simultaneous quantification of twelve compounds in Z. bungeanum leaves was established. The correlation between the phytochemicals and antioxidant activity was also discussed. The ethyl acetate fraction (EAF) had the highest total phenolic (97.29 mmol GAE/100 g) and flavonoid content (67.93 mmol QE/100 g), while the greatest total alkaloid content (4.39 mmol GAE/100 g) was observed in the chloroform fraction (CF). Twelve compounds were quantified by RP-HPLC assay. EAF exhibited the highest content of quercitrin, kaempferol-3-rhamnoside, quercetin, sesamin, and nitidine chloride (125.21, 54.95, 24.36, 26.24, and 0.20 mg/g); acetone fraction (AF) contained the highest content of chlorogenic acid, rutin, hyperoside, and trifolin (5.87, 29.94, 98.33, and 31.24 mg/g), while kaempferol-3-rhamnoside, xanthyletin, and sesamin were rich in CF. EAF and AF exhibited significant DPPH, ABTS radical scavenging abilities and reducing power (FRAP), whereas CF exhibited significant antifungal activity. Moreover, EAF also showed stronger antibacterial activity. In conclusion, Z. bungeanum leaves have health benefits when consumed and could be served as an accessible source for production of functional food ingredients and medicinal exploration

The influence of cultural exchange on international trade: an empirical test of Confucius Institutes based on China and the ‘Belt and Road’ areas

With the implementation of the Belt and Road initiative, the development of trade governance between China and countries along the line has expanded. Firstly, this paper analyzes the impact of cultural exchanges through Confucius Institutes on regional trade cooperation from three dimensions: improving cultural identity, reducing trade costs and sharing information. Secondly, we utilise data trade data from the 64 countries along the line from 2004 to 2015 to examine the effects of Confucius Institutes in regional trade cooperation with China. Overall, we found that Confucius Institutes have significantly promoted the trade growth of China and those countries. Compared to exports, Confucius Institutes promote greater growth imports to the Belt and Road countries from China. Compared to countries in the Road, Confucius Institutes better promoted trade growth between China and countries in the Belt. This empirical conclusion stands under various robustness tests. Forth, after the 12th five-yearplan, the promoting effects of the Confucius Institute has been strengthening. Fifth, the smaller the cultural distance, the stronger the promoting effects of the Confucius Institute on the trade in BRI countries. However, the effect of language similarity is not significant. This study indicates that the Chinese government should pay more attention to the economic effects of cultural factors, such as the Confucius Institute, in policy design