Determination of troxerutin in rabbit plasma by LC-ESI-MS and its application to a pharmacokinetic study

A sensitive and selective liquid chromatography/electrospray mass spectrometry (LC-ESIMS) method for determination of troxerutin in rabbit plasma was developed. After addition of paeoniflorin as internal standard (IS), protein precipitation by methanol: acetonitrile (3:1, v/v) was used as sample preparation. Chromatographic separation was achieved on an Allure (TM) PFP Propyl (2.1 mm × 100 mm, 5 μm) column with methanol-water as mobile phase with gradient elution. Electrospray ionization (ESI) source was applied and operated in positive ion mode; selected ion monitoring (SIM) mode was used to quantification using target fragment ions m/z 765 for troxerutin and m/z 503 for the IS. Calibration plots were linear over the range of 10-5000 ng/mL for troxerutin in rabbit plasma. Lower limit of quantitation (LLOQ) for troxerutin was 10 ng/mL. Mean recovery of troxerutin from plasma was in the range 92.6-98.1 %. RSD of intra-day and inter-day precision were both less than 11 %. This method is simple and sensitive enough to be used in pharmacokinetic research for determination of troxerutin in rabbit plasma.Colegio de Farmacéuticos de la Provincia de Buenos Aire

The Safe Use of a PTEN Inhibitor for the Activation of Dormant Mouse Primordial Follicles and Generation of Fertilizable Eggs

Primordial ovarian follicles, which are often present in the ovaries of premature ovarian failure (POF) patients or are cryopreserved from the ovaries of young cancer patients who are undergoing gonadotoxic anticancer therapies, cannot be used to generate mature oocytes for in vitro fertilization (IVF). There has been very little success in triggering growth of primordial follicles to obtain fertilizable oocytes due to the poor understanding of the biology of primordial follicle activation.We have recently reported that PTEN (phosphatase and tensin homolog deleted on chromosome ten) prevents primordial follicle activation in mice, and deletion of Pten from the oocytes of primordial follicles leads to follicular activation. Consequently, the PTEN inhibitor has been successfully used in vitro to activate primordial follicles in both mouse and human ovaries. These results suggest that PTEN inhibitors could be used in ovarian culture medium to trigger the activation of primordial follicle. To study the safety and efficacy of the use of such inhibitors, we activated primordial follicles from neonatal mouse ovaries by transient treatment with a PTEN inhibitor bpV(HOpic). These ovaries were then transplanted under the kidney capsules of recipient mice to generate mature oocytes. The mature oocytes were fertilized in vitro and progeny mice were obtained after embryo transfer.Long-term monitoring up to the second generation of progeny mice showed that the mice were reproductively active and were free from any overt signs or symptoms of chronic illnesses. Our results indicate that the use of PTEN inhibitors could be a safe and effective way of generating mature human oocytes for use in novel IVF techniques

Effect of intrathecal injection of γ-Oryzanol on motor function in mice after spinal cord injury

Objective: Spinal cord injury (SCI) is usually caused by compression of spinal cord tissue. The main manifestations are the loss of motor or sensory functions. Because injured individuals are usually relatively young and have no effective treatment measures, there is a heavy economic burden on their families and society. Rice was the most abundant source of GORZ. This compound exhibits both antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. γ-Oryzanol has been shown to cross the blood–brain barrier intact and benefit brain function. This study is the first time the effect of γ-Oryzanol on the recovery of motor function after SCI in mice. Therefore, we injected γ-Oryzanol into SCI mice in different ways to observe the effect on motor function recovery of mice. Materials and methods: The mice were randomly divided into 4 groups. In one group, only lamina was opened without damaging the spinal cord tissue (sham group); One group was left untreated after the injured spinal cord tissue (injured group). In the other two groups, mice were given 100 mg/kg of γ-Oryzanol every 2 days through the intraperitoneal or intrathecal for 42 days after injuring the spinal cord. Behavioral tests were performed using the Basso Mouse Scale (BMS) scores and gait analysis. Hematoxylin and Eosin (H&E) and immunofluorescence staining were used to observe changes in the lesion area, demyelination, axonal regeneration, and scar tissue formation. Results: 1. Behavioral experiments showed that the γ-Oryzanol-treated mice showed better exercise capacity than those in the injured group. 2. The pathology and demyelination at the injury site were improved in γ-Oryzanol-treated mice. 3. γ-Oryzanol-treated mice had more M2-type macrophages at the site of injury. At the same time, γ-Oryzanol-treated mice retained more axons associated with motor function and less scarring. Conclusions: Studies have shown that γ-Oryzanol can promote the recovery of motor function in mice after SCI. And the change was even more pronounced in mice treated with intrathecal injection methods. Although more intensive studies are needed, we suggest that γ-Oryzanol has potential clinical value as a recognized inexpensive dietary phytochemical

Bone Metastasis in Renal Cell Carcinoma Patients: Risk and Prognostic Factors and Nomograms

Background. Bone metastasis (BM) is one of the common sites of renal cell carcinoma (RCC), and patients with BM have a poorer prognosis. We aimed to develop two nomograms to quantify the risk of BM and predict the prognosis of RCC patients with BM. Methods. We reviewed patients with diagnosed RCC with BM in the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database from 2010 to 2015. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to determine independent factors to predict BM in RCC patients. Univariate and multivariate Cox proportional hazards regression analyses were used to determine independent prognostic factors for BM in RCC patients. Two nomograms were established and evaluated by calibration curve, receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve, and decision curve analysis (DCA). Results. The study included 37,554 patients diagnosed with RCC in the SEER database, 537 of whom were BM patients. BM’s risk factors included sex, tumor size, liver metastasis, lung metastasis, brain metastasis, N stage, T stage, histologic type, and grade in RCC patients. Currently, independent prognostic factors for RCC with BM included grade, histologic type, N stage, surgery, brain metastasis, and lung metastasis. The calibration curve, ROC curve, and DCA showed good performance for diagnostic and prognostic nomograms. Conclusions. Nomograms were established to predict the risk of BM in RCC and the prognosis of RCC with BM, separately. These nomograms strengthen each patient’s prognosis-based decision making, which is critical in improving the prognosis of patients

AP Shadow Net: A Remote Sensing Shadow Removal Network Based on Atmospheric Transport and Poisson’s Equation

Shadow is one of the fundamental indicators of remote sensing image which could cause loss or interference of the target data. As a result, the detection and removal of shadow has already been the hotspot of current study because of the complicated background information. In the following passage, a model combining the Atmospheric Transport Model (hereinafter abbreviated as ATM) with the Poisson Equation, AP ShadowNet, is proposed for the shadow detection and removal of remote sensing images by unsupervised learning. This network based on a preprocessing network based on ATM, A Net, and a network based on the Poisson Equation, P Net. Firstly, corresponding mapping between shadow and unshaded area is generated by the ATM. The brightened image will then enter the Confrontation identification in the P Net. Lastly, the reconstructed image is optimized on color consistency and edge transition by Poisson Equation. At present, most shadow removal models based on neural networks are significantly data-driven. Fortunately, by the model in this passage, the unsupervised shadow detection and removal could be released from the data source restrictions from the remote sensing images themselves. By verifying the shadow removal on our model, the result shows a satisfying effect from a both qualitative and quantitative angle. From a qualitative point of view, our results have a prominent effect on tone consistency and removal of detailed shadows. From the quantitative point of view, we adopt the non-reference evaluation indicators: gradient structure similarity (NRSS) and Natural Image Quality Evaluator (NIQE). Combining various evaluation factors such as reasoning speed and memory occupation, it shows that it is outstanding among other current algorithms

The health effects of Low-carbon Province Pilot Policy in China: an empirical evidence based on China Family Panel Studies (CFPS) from 2010 to 2016

AbstractSince 2010, the Chinese government has developed several batches of low-carbon pilot provinces and cities continuously. And in the backdrop of carbon peak and carbon neutralisation recently, the carbon emission reduction policies and achievements of China have attracted more and more worldwide attention. In the field of human health, this paper investigates whether the Low-carbon Province Pilot Policy of China has positive effects on residents’ health based on the micro data of China Family Panel Studies (CFPS) from 2010 to 2016. Using the time-varying difference-in-difference model to solve the endogeneity problem commonly faced in the literature, we find that Low-carbon Province Pilot Policy has a positive impact on public health through air quality improvement and the unemployment level alleviation mainly. And in urban areas, the policy effect is more obvious than that in rural regions. This paper expands the content of national low-carbon governance effects to residents’ health further and contribute to China’s low-carbon development. Specifically, it reminds us to focus on the dynamic adjustment and effective continuation of the policy, and also the all-round support for ‘the disadvantaged’ in environmental governance process

Xenon lamp control signal and drive circuit design of Er: YAG laser

When the Er: YAG laser pumped by a xenon lamp emits laser light, the energy, frequency and pulse width of the emitted light are closely related to the discharge of the xenon lamp. This article uses the 8MHz external crystal oscillator that comes with the STM32F4 development board, generates a clock source through frequency division and frequency multiplication, and configures a pulse width modulation (PWM) signal to control the laser. Since the signals sent by the development board are weak signals, it is necessary to design a corresponding drive circuit to amplify the power of the signal. Finally, the voltage of the pulsed xenon lamp is adjustable from 0 to 1400V, and the pulse width is adjustable from 50 to 300μs to achieve stable laser output