Exploring the Potential Pharmacologic Mechanism of Heterophyllin B in the Treatment of Esophageal Cancer by Network Pharmacology

This study used the method of network pharmacology to preliminarily predict the mechanism of Heterophyllin B(HB) inhibiting Esophageal Cancer(EC). We found the HB targets in the TCMSP and PuChem databases, and searched all EC-related targets in the GeneCards database. Taken the intersection of HB and EC as potential targets for inhibiting EC, and used Cytoscape 3.7.1 software to perform topological analysis on potential targets to obtain core targets. Used the start Analysisi function in the DAVID database to analyzed the biological process of the core target, and visualized it with the the R language tool. As a result, 75 potential targets for inhibiting EC were obtained, of which MMP9, MMP2, CCND1, STAT3, CXCR4, BDKRB1and PTGS2 were the main core targets. HB inhibits the occurrence of EC through Pathways in cancer, TNF signaling pathway, Bladder cancer, Small cell lung cancer, Rheumatoid arthritis related pathways, mainly involving proteolysis, collagen catabolic process, extracellular matrix disassembly, positive regulation of cell proliferation, positive regulation of cytosolic calcium ion concentration biological processes. This study initially revealed the molecular mechanism of HB inhibiting EC, and provided a reference for HB to expand new indications

Establishment of porcine and human expanded potential stem cells.

We recently derived mouse expanded potential stem cells (EPSCs) from individual blastomeres by inhibiting the critical molecular pathways that predispose their differentiation. EPSCs had enriched molecular signatures of blastomeres and possessed developmental potency for all embryonic and extra-embryonic cell lineages. Here, we report the derivation of porcine EPSCs, which express key pluripotency genes, are genetically stable, permit genome editing, differentiate to derivatives of the three germ layers in chimeras and produce primordial germ cell-like cells in vitro. Under similar conditions, human embryonic stem cells and induced pluripotent stem cells can be converted, or somatic cells directly reprogrammed, to EPSCs that display the molecular and functional attributes reminiscent of porcine EPSCs. Importantly, trophoblast stem-cell-like cells can be generated from both human and porcine EPSCs. Our pathway-inhibition paradigm thus opens an avenue for generating mammalian pluripotent stem cells, and EPSCs present a unique cellular platform for translational research in biotechnology and regenerative medicine

Mechanism study and numerical simulation of Uranium nitriding induced by high energy laser

The gradients of interfacial tension induced by local heating led to Marangoni convection, which had a significant effect on surface formation and the process of mass transport in the laser nitriding of uranium. An experimental observation of the underlying processes was very difficult. In present study, the Marangoni convection was considered and the computational fluid dynamic (CFD) analysis technique of FLUENT program was performed to determine the physical processes such as heat transfer and mass transport. The progress of gas-liquid falling film desorption was presented by combining phase-change model with fluid volume function (VOF) model. The time-dependent distribution of the temperature had been derived. Moreover, the concentration and distribution of nitrogen across the laser spot are calculated. The simulation results matched with the experimental data. The numerical resolution method provided a better approach to know the physical processes and dependencies of the coating formation

Mechanism study and numerical simulation of Uranium nitriding induced by high energy laser

The gradients of interfacial tension induced by local heating led to Marangoni convection, which had a significant effect on surface formation and the process of mass transport in the laser nitriding of uranium. An experimental observation of the underlying processes was very difficult. In present study, the Marangoni convection was considered and the computational fluid dynamic (CFD) analysis technique of FLUENT program was performed to determine the physical processes such as heat transfer and mass transport. The progress of gas-liquid falling film desorption was presented by combining phase-change model with fluid volume function (VOF) model. The time-dependent distribution of the temperature had been derived. Moreover, the concentration and distribution of nitrogen across the laser spot are calculated. The simulation results matched with the experimental data. The numerical resolution method provided a better approach to know the physical processes and dependencies of the coating formation

Fabrication of glycerol functionalized silica nanoparticles via pickering emulsion for durable, superhydrophobic fabrics

Stable oil-in-water Pickering emulsions were successfully developed via the simplest approach: amine-terminated polydimethylsiloxane with very high viscosity and low surface free energy was encapsulated by glycerol functionalized silica NPs using a rotor-stator device. The factors affecting the Pickering emulsions performance were investigated. At a certain process (silica NPs concentration: 3 wt%, Oil/water ratio: 1:20, emulsifying speed: 15,000 rpm, emulsifying time: 5 min), it gave smaller and more stable emulsions. Then the Pickering emulsion was applied on plain weave cotton and polyester fabrics through conventional pad-dry-cure method. The coated substrates showed superhydrophobicity and maintained good water-repellency even after 30 standard laundering cycles, which are attributed to the synergistic effect of low surface free energy composite and hierarchical roughness. By contrast, fabrics coated with classical emulsifiers stabilizing Pickering emulsion adopting the same recipes were quickly wetted by liquid droplets

Effective Remediation of Arsenic-Contaminated Soils by EK-PRB of Fe/Mn/C-LDH: Performance, Characteristics, and Mechanism

Arsenic is highly toxic and carcinogenic. The aim of the present work is to develop a good remediation technique for arsenic-contaminated soils. Here, a novel remediation technique by coupling electrokinetics (EK) with the permeable reactive barriers (PRB) of Fe/Mn/C-LDH composite was applied for the remediation of arsenic-contaminated soils. The influences of electric field strength, PRB position, moisture content and PRB filler type on the removal rate of arsenic from the contaminated soils were studied. The Fe/Mn/C-LDH filler synthesized by using bamboo as a template retained the porous characteristics of the original bamboo, and the mass percentage of Fe and Mn elements was 37.85%. The setting of PRB of Fe/Mn/C-LDH placed in the middle was a feasible option, with the maximum and average soil leaching toxicity removal rates of 95.71% and 88.03%, respectively. When the electric field strength was 2 V/cm, both the arsenic removal rate and economic aspects were optimal. The maximum and average soil leaching toxicity removal rates were similar to 98.40% and 84.49% of 3 V/cm, respectively. Besides, the soil moisture content had negligible effect on the removal of arsenic but slight effect on leaching toxicity. The best leaching toxicity removal rate was achieved when the soil moisture content was 35%, neither higher nor lower moisture content in the range of 25–45% was conducive to the improvement of leaching toxicity removal rate. The results showed that the EK-PRB technique could effectively remove arsenic from the contaminated soils. Characterizations of Fe/Mn/C-LDH indicated that the electrostatic adsorption, ion exchange, and surface functional group complexation were the primary ways to remove arsenic

Exploring the Potential Pharmacologic Mechanism of Heterophyllin B in the Treatment of Esophageal Cancer by Network Pharmacology

This study used the method of network pharmacology to preliminarily predict the mechanism of Heterophyllin B(HB) inhibiting Esophageal Cancer(EC). We found the HB targets in the TCMSP and PuChem databases, and searched all EC-related targets in the GeneCards database. Taken the intersection of HB and EC as potential targets for inhibiting EC, and used Cytoscape 3.7.1 software to perform topological analysis on potential targets to obtain core targets. Used the start Analysisi function in the DAVID database to analyzed the biological process of the core target, and visualized it with the the R language tool. As a result, 75 potential targets for inhibiting EC were obtained, of which MMP9, MMP2, CCND1, STAT3, CXCR4, BDKRB1and PTGS2 were the main core targets. HB inhibits the occurrence of EC through Pathways in cancer, TNF signaling pathway, Bladder cancer, Small cell lung cancer, Rheumatoid arthritis related pathways, mainly involving proteolysis, collagen catabolic process, extracellular matrix disassembly, positive regulation of cell proliferation, positive regulation of cytosolic calcium ion concentration biological processes. This study initially revealed the molecular mechanism of HB inhibiting EC, and provided a reference for HB to expand new indications

MiR-193-3p inhibits the malignant progression of atherosclerosis by targeting WDR5

Background The aberrantly increased proliferation and migration of vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) was critically associated with atherosclerosis (AS) progression. MiR-197-3p has been confirmed to regulate various biological processes, such as tumorigenesis; however, whether miR-197-3p is involved with the pathological development of AS remains largely unknown. Methods The serum levels of miR-197-3p in AS patients and healthy donors were determined by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay. The transfection efficacies of miR-197-3p mimic or inhibitor in VSMCs were evaluated by PCR assay. The effects of miR-197-3p on VSMC proliferation and migration were determined by EdU cell proliferation and Traswell migration assays. Western blotting was conducted to evaluate the effect of miR-197-3p on WDR5 expression in VSMCs. Results In the present study, we found that the expression of miR-197-3p was decreased in the serum of AS patients compared to healthy donors. Overexpression of miR-197-3p inhibited the proliferation and migration of VSMCs, while silencing miR-197-3p showed opposite effects. Mechanistical study revealed that WD Repeat Domain 5 (WDR5) was a target of miR-197-3p. Moreover, miR-197-3p was downregulated in VSMCs upon IL6 treatment and inhibited IL6-induced proliferation and migration in VSMCs. Conclusions These findings indicate that miR-197-3p could serve as a promising diagnostic marker for AS and that targeting IL6/miR-197-3p/WDR5 axis might be a potential approach to treat AS

Albumin Reduces Oxidative Stress and Neuronal Apoptosis via the ERK/Nrf2/HO-1 Pathway after Intracerebral Hemorrhage in Rats

Background. Albumin has been regarded as a potent antioxidant with free radical scavenging activities. Oxidative stress and neuronal apoptosis are responsible for its highly damaging effects on brain injury after intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH). Here, the present study investigated the neuroprotective effect of albumin against early brain injury after ICH and the potential underlying mechanisms. Methods. Adult male Sprague-Dawley rats were subjected to intrastriatal injection of autologous blood to induce ICH. Human serum albumin was given by intravenous injection 1 h after ICH. U0126, an inhibitor of extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK1/2), and ML385, an inhibitor of nuclear factor-E2-related factor 2 (Nrf2), were intraperitoneally administered 1 h before ICH induction. Short- and long-term neurobehavioral tests, western blotting, immunofluorescence staining, oxidative stress evaluations, and apoptosis measurements were performed. Results. Endogenous expression of albumin (peaked at 5 days) and heme oxygenase 1 (HO-1, peaked at 24 h) was increased after ICH compared with the sham group. Albumin and HO-1 were colocalized with neurons. Compared with vehicle, albumin treatment significantly improved short- and long-term neurobehavioral deficits and reduced oxidative stress and neuronal death at 72 h after ICH. Moreover, albumin treatment significantly promoted the phosphorylation of ERK1/2; increased the expression of Nrf2, HO-1, and Bcl-2; and downregulated the expression of Romo1 and Bax. U0126 and ML385 abolished the treatment effects of albumin on behavior and protein levels after ICH. Conclusions. Albumin attenuated oxidative stress-related neuronal death may in part via the ERK/Nrf2/HO-1 signaling pathway after ICH in rats. Our study suggests that albumin may be a novel therapeutic method to ameliorate brain injury after ICH

Experimental study on the effects of light intensity on energy conversion efficiency of photo-thermo chemical synergetic catalytic water splitting

Hydrogen production from water using a catalyst and solar energy was an ideal future fuel source. In this study, an elaborate experimental test rig of hydrogen production from solar water splitting was designed and established with self- controlled temperature system. The effects of light intensity on the reaction rate of hydrogen production from solar water splitting were experimentally investigated with the consideration of optical losses, reaction temperature, and photocatalysts powder cluster. Besides, a revised expression of full-spectrum solar-to-hydrogen energy conversion efficiency with the consideration of optical losses was also put forward, which can be more accurate to evaluate the full-spectrum solar-to-hydrogen energy of photo-catalysts powders. The results indicated that optical losses of solar water splitting reactor increased with the increase of the incoming light intensity, and the hydrogen production rate increased linearly with the increase of effective light intensity even at higher light intensity region when the optical losses of solar water splitting reactor were considered