Characteristic Compounds Identification and Authenticity Evaluation of Heptapleurum Honey

In order to clarify the characteristic compounds and establish the authenticity evaluation method of heptapleurum honey, high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with quadrupole-time-of-flight tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC-Q/TOF-MS/MS) was used to qualitative and quantitative analysis of characteristic compounds in heptapleurum honey. Five compounds were identified including 4-(1'-cyclodiethyl ether-3'-butanediol)-3,5,5-trimethyl-2-cyclohexenone (Unedone B), 3,4,5-trimethoxy cinnamyl alcohol, 4-(1'2'-dihydroxy-3'epoxypropane) -3,5,5-2-cyclohexenone (Unedone C), trans, trans abscisic acid, and cis, trans abscisic acid. Notably, 3,4,5-trimethoxy cinnamyl alcohol was first found in honey, and it could be a marker of heptapleurum honey. Moreover, 10 raw heptapleurum honey samples with different geographic origins were collected to establish HPLC fingerprint. The authenticity of six commercial heptapleurum honey samples were evaluated by combining characteristic compound with HPLC fingerprint. The results demonstrated that three brands of sample were genuine pure heptapleurum honey, two brands of sample might be mixed with other honeys. A brand sample did not contain characteristic compound and were significantly different with the standard fingerprints of heptapleurum honey. It was inferred that the sample was not heptapleurum honey. This study provides theoretical reference for the authenticity evaluation of heptapleurum honey

Depression Involved in the Chemotherapy Induced Event-based Prospective Memory Impairment in Breast Cancer Survivors

The aim of this study was to investigate the relationships between depression and occurrence of chemotherapy induced prospective memory impairment in patients with breast cancer (BC).The 63 BC patients before and after chemotherapy were administered with the self-rating depression scale (SDS) and a battery of cognitive neuropsychological tests including event-based and time-based prospective memory (EBPM and TBPM, respectively) tasks. The changes in their prospective memory and cognitive neuropsychological characteristics before and after chemotherapy were compared. Compared with the scores before chemotherapy, the EBPM score exhibited a statistically significant difference after chemotherapy (t = 6.069, P 0.05). Further, compared with the patients without depression, the patients with depression exhibited a statistically significant difference in the EBPM score (t = -4.348, P 0.05). Post-chemotherapy, EBPM and overall cognitive functions in BC patients merged with depression were found to decline, while TBPM did not show a significant change, suggesting that the combination of chemotherapy and depression might be related with the occurrence of post-chemotherapy EBPM impairment

Effect of quercetin on the transport of ritonavir to the central nervous system in vitro and in vivo

The aim of this study was to identify an effective flavonoid that could improve the intracellular accumulation of ritonavir in human brain-microvascular endothelial cells (HBMECs). An in vivo experiment on Sprague-Dawley rats was then designed to further determine the flavonoid’s impact on the pharmacokinetics and tissue distribution of ritonavir. In the accumulation assay, the intracellular level of ritonavir was increased in the presence of 25 mmol L–1of flavonoids in HBMECs. Quercetin showed the strongest effect by improving the intracellular accumulation of ritonavir by 76.9 %. In the pharmacokinetic study, the presence of quercetin in the co-administration group and in the pretreatment group significantly decreased the area under the plasma concentration-time curve (AUC0-t) of ritonavir by 42.2 % (p < 0.05) and 53.5 % (p < 0.01), and decreased the peak plasma concentration (Cmax) of ritonavir by 23.1 % (p < 0.05) and 45.8 % (p < 0.01), respectively, compared to the control group (ritonavir alone). In the tissue distribution study, the ritonavir concentration in the brain was significantly increased 2-fold (p < 0.01), during the absorption phase (1 h) and was still significantly higher (p < 0.05) during the distribution phase (6 h) in the presence of quercetin

Overexpression of Sterol Carrier Protein 2 in Patients with Hereditary Cholesterol Gallstones

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Lithogenic bile is the major cause of cholesterol gallstone, but its pathogenesis is not well understood. The hypersecretion of biliary cholesterol is believed to be an important cause of lithogenic bile. Sterol Carrier Protein 2 (SCP2) participates in cholesterol trafficking and lipid metabolism in hepatocytes and may play a key role in cholesterol gallstone formation.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>21 cholesterol gallstone genealogies were studied to investigate the expression of SCP2 gene in liver tissue of hereditary and non-hereditary cholesterol gallstone patients as well as non-gallstone patients. The mRNA expression of liver SCP2 in 28 hereditary patients, 30 non-hereditary cholesterol gallstone patients and 32 non-gallstone patients was measured by Reverse Transcription Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-PCR). The protein expression of liver SCP2 was also detected in all the patients by Western blotting. At the same time, the bile was also analyzed with biochemical techniques and the Cholesterol Saturation Index (CSI) was calculated.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The mRNA and protein expression of SCP2 was significantly increased in cholesterol gallstone patients compared to those of non-gallstone patients. Moreover, SCP2 was expressed at higher levels in hereditary cholesterol gallstone patients than that of non-hereditary cholesterol gallstone patients. There was significant difference observed in CSI between cholesterol gallstone patients and non-gallstone patients, but not in CSI between hereditary and non-hereditary cholesterol gallstone patients.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>SCP2 was overexpressed in hereditary cholesterol gallstone patients compared to non-hereditary cholesterol gallstone patients. This finding indicated that SCP2 might be one of the genetic factors contributing to cholesterol gallstone formation, which was always accompanied by the increase of bile lithogenicity.</p

An improved LSSVM model for intelligent prediction of the daily water level

Daily water level forecasting is of significant importance for the comprehensive utilization of water resources. An improved least squares support vector machine (LSSVM) model was introduced by including an extra bias error control term in the objective function. The tuning parameters were determined by the cross-validation scheme. Both conventional and improved LSSVM models were applied in the short term forecasting of the water level in the middle reaches of the Yangtze River, China. Evaluations were made with both models through metrics such as RMSE (Root Mean Squared Error), MAPE (Mean Absolute Percent Error) and index of agreement (d). More accurate forecasts were obtained although the improvement is regarded as moderate. Results indicate the capability and flexibility of LSSVM-type models in resolving time sequence problems. The improved LSSVM model is expected to provide useful water level information for the managements of hydroelectric resources in Rivers

MicroRNA-145 Suppresses Osteosarcoma Metastasis via Targeting MMP16

Background: Metastasis is a leading cause of mortality for osteosarcoma (OS) patients, and its molecular pathological mechanisms remain to be elucidated. Previous studies have suggested a significant role of microRNAs (miRNAs) in the control of cancel cell migration and invasion. Methods: Real-time PCR was used to screen the differentially expressed miRNAs between OS with or without metastasis, and miR-145 underexpression was observed in metastatic OS. Luciferase assay was performed to validate the target gene. Results: Further, we identified three genes, MMP16, ADAM17 and metadherin, as possible targets of miR-145. We identified MMP16 as a target gene of miR-145 and ruled out ADAM17 and metadherin as targets in OS using a dual luciferase reporter system. Subsequently, we determined and compared the expression level of MMP16 in human OS samples and showed that the mRNA and protein levels of MMP16 were significantly up-regulated in primary OS with metastasis compared with those without metastasis. We also altered miR-145 expression by transfecting OS cells with miR-145 mimics or inhibitors. MMP16 expression was similarly downregulated in the cells transfected with miR-145 mimics or MMP16-specific siRNA, and the invasive and migratory capability of those cells was significantly suppressed compared with negative controls. MMP16 expression was consistently significantly upregulated in the cells transfected with miR-145 inhibitors, and the invasive and migratory capability of those cells was significantly promoted compared with negative controls. Conclcusion: Our results suggest that miR-145 functions as a tumor metastasis suppressor gene by down-regulating MMP16 and may be a potential target in osteosarcoma treatment

An Improved LSSVM Model for Intelligent Prediction of the Daily Water Level

Daily water level forecasting is of significant importance for the comprehensive utilization of water resources. An improved least squares support vector machine (LSSVM) model was introduced by including an extra bias error control term in the objective function. The tuning parameters were determined by the cross-validation scheme. Both conventional and improved LSSVM models were applied in the short term forecasting of the water level in the middle reaches of the Yangtze River, China. Evaluations were made with both models through metrics such as RMSE (Root Mean Squared Error), MAPE (Mean Absolute Percent Error) and index of agreement (d). More accurate forecasts were obtained although the improvement is regarded as moderate. Results indicate the capability and flexibility of LSSVM-type models in resolving time sequence problems. The improved LSSVM model is expected to provide useful water level information for the managements of hydroelectric resources in Rivers

An Improved LSSVM Model for Intelligent Prediction of the Daily Water Level

Daily water level forecasting is of significant importance for the comprehensive utilization of water resources. An improved least squares support vector machine (LSSVM) model was introduced by including an extra bias error control term in the objective function. The tuning parameters were determined by the cross-validation scheme. Both conventional and improved LSSVM models were applied in the short term forecasting of the water level in the middle reaches of the Yangtze River, China. Evaluations were made with both models through metrics such as RMSE (Root Mean Squared Error), MAPE (Mean Absolute Percent Error) and index of agreement (d). More accurate forecasts were obtained although the improvement is regarded as moderate. Results indicate the capability and flexibility of LSSVM-type models in resolving time sequence problems. The improved LSSVM model is expected to provide useful water level information for the managements of hydroelectric resources in Rivers

Effect of quercetin on the transport of ritonavir to the central nervous system in vitro and in vivo

The aim of this study was to identify an effective flavonoid that could improve the intracellular accumulation of ritonavir in human brain-microvascular endothelial cells (HBMECs). An in vivo experiment on Sprague-Dawley rats was then designed to further determine the flavonoid’s impact on the pharmacokinetics and tissue distribution of ritonavir. In the accumulation assay, the intracellular leve l of ritonavir was increased in the presence of 25 mmol L−1 of flavonoids in HBMECs. Quercetin showed the strongest effect by improving the intracellular accumulation of ritonavir by 76.9 %. In the pharmacokinetic study, the presence of quercetin in the co-administration group and in the pretreatment group significantly decreased the area under the plasma concentration-time curve (AUC0–t) of ritonavir by 42.2 % (p < 0.05) and 53.5 % (p < 0.01), and decreased the peak plasma concentration (cmax) of ritonavir by 23.1 % (p < 0.05) and 45.8 % (p < 0.01), respectively, compared to the control group (ritonavir alone). In the tissue distribution study, the ritonavir concentration in the brain was significantly increased 2-fold (p < 0.01), during the absorption phase (1 h) and was still significantly higher (p < 0.05) during the distribution phase (6 h) in the presence of quercetin