Chemical composition of n-BuOH extract of Potentilla anserina L. and its protective effect of EAhy926 endothelial cells under hypoxia

The protective role of n-BuOH extract of Potentilla anserina roots was measured by MTT method and colorimetric method on human umbilical vein endothelial cells (EAhy926) under hypoxia injury. The extract tested (3 mg/mL, 1.5 mg/mL) remarkably increased cell viability, the activity of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and the concentration of nitrogen monoxidum (NO), and at same time reduced the release of lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) and endothelin (ET-1) in cells during hypoxia injury. From this extraction, five compounds were isolated and determined as adenosine (1), daidzin (2), puerarin (3), 3'- methoxypuerarin (4) and daidzein 8-C-apiosyl glucoside (5) on the basis of physico-chemical properties and spectroscopic analysis, including 1D- and 2D-NMR spectral data. Compound 2-5 were isolated from genus Potentilla for the first time. Compound 1 was first isolated from the title plant.Colegio de Farmacéuticos de la Provincia de Buenos Aire

Malignant Catatonia Mimicking Pheochromocytoma

Malignant catatonia is an unusual and highly fatal neuropsychiatric condition which can present with clinical and biochemical manifestations similar to those of pheochromocytoma. Differentiating between the two diseases is essential as management options greatly diverge. We describe a case of malignant catatonia in a 20-year-old male who presented with concurrent psychotic symptoms and autonomic instability, with markedly increased 24-hour urinary levels of norepinephrine at 1752 nmol/day (normal, 89–470 nmol/day), epinephrine at 1045 nmol/day (normal, <160 nmol/day), and dopamine at 7.9 μmol/day (normal, 0.4–3.3 μmol/day). The patient was treated with multiple sessions of electroconvulsive therapy, which led to complete clinical resolution. Repeat urine collections within weeks of this presenting event revealed normalization or near normalization of his catecholamine and metanephrine levels. Malignant catatonia should be considered in the differential diagnosis of the hypercatecholamine state, particularly in a patient who also exhibits concurrent catatonic features

Study on correlation between coal spontaneous combustion characteristic temperature and physical and chemical characteristic parameters

The fine division of coal spontaneous combustion characteristic stage is the premise for the establishment of early warning system of coal fire disaster. The physical and chemical properties of coal and their variation laws are the key to determine the characteristic temperature and divide the spontaneous combustion stages. In order to explore the correlation between the characteristic temperature of coal spontaneous combustion and the physical and chemical properties, the long flame coal samples of Chenjiagou Coal Mine in Gansu Province were selected to prepare oxidized coal at different temperature conditions (40 ℃, 60 ℃, 80 ℃, 100 ℃, 120 ℃, 140 ℃, 160 ℃, 180 ℃, 200 ℃). Industrial analysis, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) were carried out to study the changes of physical and chemical parameters of coal samples with temperature in different oxidation stages. The characteristic temperature of coal spontaneous combustion in Chenjiagou coal sample was determined. Combined with the grey correlation analysis method, the correlation between the key physical and chemical parameters and coal temperature was further clarified. The results show that the spontaneous combustion process of coal samples in Chenjiagou Mine can be divided into three stages according to the characteristic temperature, namely, the critical stage (40-80 ℃), the pyrolysis stage (80-120℃) and the fission stage (140-180 ℃). The physical and chemical structure parameters of coal have different effects on the change of characteristic temperature in the process of coal spontaneous combustion. The correlation degree of hydroxyl group and methylene group in the micro group of coal sample to the characteristic temperature stage is high, and the correlation degree is 0.6753 and 0.6926 respectively. In the critical and pyrolysis stages, the surface active structure of coal body is physically and chemically adsorbed with oxygen molecules. The hydroxyl group first reacts with oxygen to store heat. As the temperature increases, a small amount of side chain breaks, resulting in an increase in the content of methylene. The hydroxyl group is also continuously consumed due to other functional groups. The reaction continues to generate. In the pyrolysis stage, the free water in the coal evaporates, the bound water begins to evaporate, the intramolecular association hydrogen bond is accelerated, the porosity of the coal becomes larger, the gas adsorption capacity is enhanced, the reactivity of various functional groups with oxygen is improved, and the coal spontaneous combustion process is accelerated. In addition, the stacking height and lamellar diameter are related to the volume, surface morphology and stability of coal accumulation. The stacking height and lamellar diameter always have a high correlation degree (0.668 9) between the initial stage of coal spontaneous combustion process and the characteristic temperature stage

Trade-offs in carbon-degrading enzyme activities limit long-term soil carbon sequestration with biochar addition

We would like to thank all the authors whose data and work are included in this meta-analysis. This study was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (32071595, 41830756 and 42177022). We also thank the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities (Program no. 2662019QD055). We acknowledge Cunbin Gao, Qianqian Zhao and Qin Liu for their assistance in data collection. J.C. received funding from Aarhus Universitets Forskningsfond (AUFF-E-2019-7-1), EU H2020 Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (839806), Danish Independent Research Foundation (1127-00015B), and Nordic Committee of Agriculture and Food Research (https://nordicagriresearch.org/2020-5/). The authors declare no competing interests.Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Exploring the pathogenesis of colorectal carcinoma complicated with hepatocellular carcinoma via microarray data analysis

Background: Despite the increasing number of research endeavors dedicated to investigating the relationship between colorectal carcinoma (CRC) and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), the underlying pathogenic mechanism remains largely elusive. The aim of this study is to shed light on the molecular mechanism involved in the development of this comorbidity.Methods: The gene expression profiles of CRC (GSE90627) and HCC (GSE45267) were downloaded from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database. After identifying the common differentially expressed genes (DEGs) of psoriasis and atherosclerosis, three kinds of analyses were performed, namely, functional annotation, protein‐protein interaction (PPI) network and module construction, and hub gene identification, survival analysis and co-expression analysis.Results: A total of 150 common downregulated differentially expressed genes and 148 upregulated differentially expressed genes were selected for subsequent analyses. The significance of chemokines and cytokines in the pathogenesis of these two ailments is underscored by functional analysis. Seven gene modules that were closely connected were identified. Moreover, the lipopolysaccharide-mediated signaling pathway is intricately linked to the development of both diseases. Finally, 10 important hub genes were identified using cytoHubba, including CDK1, KIF11, CDC20, CCNA2, TOP2A, CCNB1, NUSAP1, BUB1B, ASPM, and MAD2L1.Conclusion: Our study reveals the common pathogenesis of colorectal carcinoma and hepatocellular carcinoma. These common pathways and hub genes may provide new ideas for further mechanism research

Biosynthesis, production and application of Kefiran in food industry: A review

Kefiran is a water soluble exopolysaccharides produced by lactic acid bacteria and mostly synthesized during bacterial growth. Although the information regarding the biosynthesis of exopolysaccharides produced by lactic acid bacteria is still insufficient, nonetheless, the mechanism suggested for capsular polysaccharides and exopolysaccharides from gram-negative bacteria probable can also be accepted for gram-positive kefiran producer as they come from the same Lactobacilli sp. The production of kefiran by Lactobacilli sp. is significantly affected by the medium formulation where different types of nutrient (carbon, nitrogen and phosphorous) gave different results towards the ability of the cells to produced kefiran. Moreover, the pH of medium and incubation temperature also give great impact on kerafin production. The used of kefiran has received intense attention recently in food industries besides pharmaceutical industries due to its ability to provide the desired rheological properties for the dairy products. It can be used as gelling agent, water binding agent, food packaging, thickener as well as improve self-supporting gels in food industries. The present review discusses the literature on biosynthesis, production and applications of kefiran in food industry

Mechanisms of tumor-associated macrophages affecting the progression of hepatocellular carcinoma

Tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) are essential components of the immune cell stroma of hepatocellular carcinoma. TAMs originate from monocytic myeloid-derived suppressor cells, peripheral blood monocytes, and kupffer cells. The recruitment of monocytes to the HCC tumor microenvironment is facilitated by various factors, leading to their differentiation into TAMs with unique phenotypes. TAMs can directly activate or inhibit the nuclear factor-κB, interleukin-6/signal transducer and signal transducer and activator of transcription 3, Wnt/β-catenin, transforming growth factor-β1/bone morphogenetic protein, and extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1/2 signaling pathways in tumor cells and interact with other immune cells via producing cytokines and extracellular vesicles, thus affecting carcinoma cell proliferation, invasive and migratory, angiogenesis, liver fibrosis progression, and other processes to participate in different stages of tumor progression. In recent years, TAMs have received much attention as a prospective treatment target for HCC. This review describes the origin and characteristics of TAMs and their mechanism of action in the occurrence and development of HCC to offer a theoretical foundation for further clinical research of TAMs

Regulation of Na+,K+-ATPase activity by protein phosphatase-1 and protein kinase C : studies in infant and adult renal tissue and on vascular smooth muscle cells

Na+, K+-ATPase is short-term modulated by hormones, involving activation of signal transduction system. The present study was designed to elucidate the role of the signaling molecules PP-1, PKC and arachidonic acid (AA) metabolites in the regulation of Na+, K+-ATPase by reversible phosphorylation, the final step of the signal transduction, and to examine the ontogeny of the signaling system. In situ hybridization and immunoblotting showed that PP-1 is present in the kidney. Inhibition of PP-1 with OA or CL-A phosphorylated Na+, K+-ATPase [alpha]1 subunit. Activation of PKC by PDBu phosphorylated Na+, K+-ATPase at Ser23 of the [alpha]1 subunit in vivo. Na+, K+-ATPase phosphorylation mediated by PP-1 inhibition or PKC activation was associated with inhibition of activity. PDBu and OA had synergistic effects on Na+, K+-ATPase phosphorylation and inhibition of Nat, K+-ATPase activity. PKC is regulated by lipid second messengers. We found that in contrast to PLC pathway, the PLA2-AA pathway activates Ca2+-dependent conventional PKCs at low levels of [Ca2+]i. The AA metabolite 20-HETE synergized with phosphatidylserine and a DAG analog to activate PKC. 20-HETE phosphorylated Na+, K+-ATPase at the PKC consensus site, Ser23. Atypical PKC is engaged in IGF-I signaling. We found that IGF-I stimulated VSMC Na+, K+-ATPase activity in a tyrosine kinase- and P13K-dependent manner. Atypical PKC was required for IGF-I action. Regulation of renal Na+ excretion is known to change postnatally. We showed here that PLA2-AA intracellular signaling pathways modulating renal Na+, K+-ATPase are age-dependent. AA dose-dependently inhibited PCT Na+, K+-ATPase activity in both infant and adult rats via different AA metabolites; in infant rats the lipoxygenase pathway and in adult rats the CYP450 pathway. Lipoxygenase mRNA was only detected in infant rats. In contrast, renal isoforms of CYP450 mRNA were detected in both infant and adult cortex, but the expression was much more prominent in adult cortex. In conclusion, the level of Na+, K+-ATPase phosphorylation is determined by the balance between protein kinases and phosphatases. Both PP-1 and PKC play important roles for the modulation of the level of phosphorylation and activity of Na+, K+-ATPase in rat renal tissue. Conventional PKCs, that modulate Na+, K+-ATPase, can be activated via lipid signaling pathway in a Ca2+-independent manner. Different isoforms of PKC may have different effects on Na+, K+-ATPase activity in different tissues. There are developmental changes in the intracellular signaling systems that regulate rat renal Na+, K+-ATPase. This may have an impact on the regulation of Na+ metabolism in infancy