Search

Highlights In this work, silicone polymer (PSOL)/glass fiber (GF)/epoxy (EP) composites were prepared by employing PSOL as interfacial modifier into GF/EP composites. The mechanical and dynamic mechanical properties of the composites were investigated to determine the optimal PSOL content. The effect of PSOL on the wettability of EP on GF was investigated. The micromorphology of the GF/EP composites was also examined by scanning electron microscope. The results demonstrate that the interfacial bonding between GF and epoxy resin was improved significantly by the addition of PSOL. Specifically, the interlaminar shear strength, tensile strength, elongation at break, and blending strength of the PSOL/GF/EP composites increased by 9.28%, 13.61%, 12.66%, and 19.22%, respectively. Moreover, the original thermal stability of the composites was improved by the incorporation of PSOL. This study highlights the effectiveness of PSOL as an interfacial modifier, enhancing the overall performance of GF/EP composites while improving their thermal stability. Silicone polymer (PSOL)/glass fiber (GF)/epoxy (EP) composite material is made of glass fiber and epoxy resin by hand paste molding. Silicon polymers as interface modifiers can improve the interface between glass fiber and epoxy resin. PSOL/GF/EP composites have good mechanical properties. The glass transition temperature of GF/EP composites was increased by silicon polymer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Aims: Data on the safety and effectiveness of tenofovir alafenamide (TAF) plus peginterferon-alpha (Peg-IFN-α) in children with chronic hepatitis B (CHB) are lacking. The current study aimed to present the characteristics of four pediatric CHB patients who obtained a functional cure by using TAF and Peg-IFN-α. Methods: In this case series study initiated in May 2019, ten children who had no clinical symptoms or signs received response-guided (HBV DNA undetectable, hepatitis B e antigen [HBeAg] loss or seroconversion, and hepatitis B surface antigen [HBsAg] loss or seroconversion) and functional cure-targeted (HBsAg loss or seroconversion) TAF (25 mg/d, orally) plus Peg-IFN-α-2b (180 µg/1.73m2, subcutaneously, once weekly) in combination (9/10) or sequential (1/10) therapy. The safety and effectiveness of these treatments were monitored. Results: As of April 2024, four out of ten children obtained a functional cure after a mean of 31.5 months of treatment, and the other six children are still undergoing treatment. These four cured children, aged 2, 4, 8, and 6 years, were all HBeAg-positive and had alanine aminotransferase levels of 80, 47, 114, and 40 U/L; HBV DNA levels of 71200000, 93000000, 8220, and 96700000 IU/mL; and HBsAg levels of 39442.8, 15431.2, 22, and 33013.1 IU/mL, respectively. During treatment, all the children (10/10) experienced mild or moderate adverse events, including flu-like symptoms, anorexia, fatigue, and cytopenia. Notably, growth retardation (8/10) was the most significant adverse event; and it occurred in three cured children (3/4) treated with combination therapy and was present to a low degree in the other cured child (1/4) treated with sequential therapy. Fortunately, all three cured children recovered to or exceeded the normal growth levels at 9 months posttreatment. Conclusions: TAF plus Peg-IFN-α-2b therapy is potentially safe and effective for pediatric CHB patients, which may provide important insights for future clinical practice and study designs targeting functional cures for children with CHB. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work, carbon nitride (C3N4) powder was oxidized by the Hummers oxidation method, and oxidized carbon nitride (O‐C3N4) was obtained. Epoxy (EP) was modified with O‐C3N4, and then carbon fiber fabric/epoxy (CF/EP) composites were prepared by hand‐pasting molding. The O‐C3N4 greatly improves the wettability of EP resin, enhances the interface properties of CF/EP composites, and makes the composites have better mechanical properties. The interlaminar shear strength (ILSS) is increased from 51.75 to 59.68 MPa, the tensile strength is increased from 564.54 to 635.39 MPa, the bending strength is increased from 809.64 to 938.81 MPa, and the impact strength is increased from 73.48 to 84.84 kJ/m2. Meanwhile, the dynamic mechanical properties of composites are also significantly improved. The energy storage modulus is increased from 14.9 to 21.4 GPa, with an increase of 43.6%. Highlights: Developing carbon fiber composites is conducive to industrial applications.O‐C3N4 effectively improves the mechanical properties of the composite.O‐C3N4 has the advantages of simple synthesis, low costs, and light color.O‐C3N4 is rich in oxygen‐containing functional groups. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Interleukin (IL)‐17A is pro‐inflammatory cytokine which has been identified as a noninvasive marker of the pathogenesis of non‐alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH). However, the underlying role of IL‐17A in NASH progression remains unclear. This study was designed to investigate the biological function and molecular mechanism of IL‐17A in the induction of NASH. The results showed that IL‐17A was highly expressed in high‐fat diet (HFD)‐induced NASH mouse model. Intravenous injection of IL‐17A exacerbated steatohepatitis process via promoting hepatocyte apoptosis. Furthermore, IL‐17A‐induced apoptosis was mediated by ERK1/2/p65 signaling pathway. In conclusion, we demonstrated that IL‐17A‐mediated ERK1/2/p65 signaling pathway was a promising target for the treatment of NASH. © 2018 IUBMB Life, 71(3):302–309, 2019 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The medicinal plant, Catharanthus roseus (C. roseus), accumulates a wide range of terpenoid indole alkaloids (TIAs). Ethylene (ET) and methyl-jasmonate (MeJA) were previously reported as effective elicitors for the production of various valuable secondary metabolites of C. roseus, while a few ET or MeJA induced transcriptomic research is yet reported on this species. In this study, the de-novo transcriptome assembly of C. roseus is performed by using the next-generation sequencing technology. Results: The result shows that phenolic biosynthesis genes respond specifically to ET in leaves, monoterpenoid biosynthesis genes respond specifically to MeJA in roots. By screening the database, 23 ATP-binding cassette (ABC) transporter partial sequences are identified in C. roseus. On this basis, more than 80 key genes that encode key enzymes (namely TIA pathway, transcriptional factor (TF) and candidate ABC transporter) of alkaloid synthesis in TIA biosynthetic pathways are chosen to explore the integrative responses to ET and MeJA at the transcriptional level. Our data indicated that TIA accumulation is strictly regulated by the TF ethylene responsive factor (ERF) and bHLH iridoid synthesis 1 (BIS1). The heatmap, combined with principal component analysis (PCA) of C. roseus, shows that ERF co-expression with ABC2 and ABC8 specific expression in roots affect the root-specific accumulation of vinblastine in C. roseus. On the contrast, BIS1 activities follow a similar pattern of ABC3 and CrTPT2 specific expression in leaves, which affects the leaf-specific accumulation of vindoline in C. roseus. Conclusions: Results presented above illustrate that ethylene has a stronger effect than MeJA on TIA induction at both transcriptional and metabolite level. Furthermore, meta-analysis reveals that ERF and BIS1 form a positive feedback loop connecting two ABC transporters respectively and are actively involved in TIAs responding to ET and MeJA in C. roseus. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Japanese dodder ( Cuscuta japonica) is a flowering, parasitic weed that causes major yield losses on crop and forest production. In the present field study, the influence of Cuscuta on the growth and secondary metabolite of its host medicinal shrub Madagascar periwinkle ( Catharanthus roseus) was investigated. Vegetative and reproductive growth of the host plant Catharanthus was measured at intervals from 0 to 60 days after inoculation (DAI), and content of three alkaloids, naturally produced by the host, in the host and parasite were measured by HPLC at intervals from 15 to 45 DAI. Dodder infection significantly inhibited biomass accumulation and reproductive growth of Catharanthus, and aerial parts of the host died by 60 DAI. Levels of alkaloids vinblastine, vindoline and catharanthine in the inoculated Catharanthus were lower than in uninoculated control plants, both in immature leaf and in mature leaf, except the alkaloids contents were elevated in host immature leaf compared with uninoculated control plants immature leaf at 15 days. The host plant thus actively responded to dodder infection by accumulating alkaloids acts as a defense molecule at 15 DAI. The alkaloids produced by host plants accumulated in dodder at 15-45 DAI, and the alkaloid content in dodder reached a maximum at 45 DAI. The alkaloids transported from host to parasite act as a sink, the high content of alkaloids in dodder be cytotoxic and accelerated the onset of senescence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We selected different concentrations of ethephon, to stress C. roseus. We used qRT-PCR and HPLC followed by PCA to obtain comprehensive profiling of the vinblastine biosynthesis in response to ethephon. Based on our findings, the results showed that the high concentration of ethephon had a positive effect at both transcriptional and metabolite level. Meanwhile, there was a remarkable decrease of hydrogen peroxide content and a promoted peroxidase activity in leaves. The loading plot combination with correlation analysis suggested that CrPrx1 could be regarded as a positive regulator and interacts with ethylene response factor (ERF) to play a key role in vinblastine content and peroxidase (POD) activity. This study provides the foundation for a better understanding of the regulation and accumulation of vinblastine in response to ethephon. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many plants in the family Apocynaceae have been used for medicinal purposes.Catharanthus roseusandVinca minorare the most important medicinal plants that belong to the Apocynaceae family. A procedure is reported for the determination of the bioactive alkaloids tabersonine, serpentine, vindoline, catharanthine, tryptamine, and vincamine in Apocynaceae plants (C. roseusandV. minor) by liquid chromatography electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry. Quantitation was performed from positive multiple reactions at 161.4 → 144.2, 349.4 → 263.0, 457.6 → 188.0, 337.5 → 168.3, 337.4 → 144.2, 355.4 → 337.2, and 854.5 → 286.4 for tryptamine, serpentine, vindoline, tabersonine, catharanthine, vincamine, and paclitaxel (the internal standard), respectively. The optimized method was employed for the determination of the active alkaloids in the leaves ofC. roseusandV. minorby liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Introduction: Data on the management of patients aged more than 85 years with chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) and severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) sequential infections are lacking., Methods: The current study described the management of an older couple aged more than 85 years with these above-mentioned two diseases treated with 12 weeks of sofosbuvir/velpatasvir (Epclusa ® ) and 5 days of nirmatrelvir/ritonavir (Paxlovid ® ) sequentially. The effectiveness and safety profiles were closely monitored during therapy and till 9 months posttreatment., Results: In late March 2023, the husband with the main complaint of repeated gingival bleeding and asymptomatic wife were 86 and 85 years old, and had HCV RNA levels of 91,800 and 6,630,000 IU/mL, respectively. On the fourth day of sofosbuvir/velpatasvir treatment, the husband had a moderate headache, and the wife had severe headache and moderate fever and dizziness. We then found that their SARS-CoV-2 test results were positive. After careful consideration, the expert panel decided to treat the couple with oral nirmatrelvir/ritonavir (300 mg/100 mg, twice daily) beginning on the fifth day of sofosbuvir/velpatasvir treatment for 5 days. During the 5 days of nirmatrelvir/ritonavir treatment, the patient's symptoms and signs gradually improved, and the patient was negative for SARS-CoV-2 RNA on the fifth day of nirmatrelvir/ritonavir therapy. Meanwhile, the husband's HCV RNA was not detectable after one week of sofosbuvir/velpatasvir treatment till posttreatment month 9, and his ALT level was normal beginning at week 1 of sofosbuvir/velpatasvir treatment. Moreover, the wife's HCV RNA was not detectable after week 4 of sofosbuvir/velpatasvir treatment till posttreatment month 9. Notably, no other symptoms or signs occurred during the treatment or follow-up period, and other serum biochemical parameters remained stable until 9 months after the discontinuation of sofosbuvir/velpatasvir treatment., Conclusion: The older couple aged more than 85 years with chronic HCV and SARS-CoV-2 sequential infection were safely cured by the sofosbuvir/velpatasvir and nirmatrelvir/ritonavir sequential treatment., Discussion: This study suggested that old age should not be a barrier to HCV/SARS-CoV-2 treatment. Given that the proportion of older HCV-infected patients is increasing, clinical trials of direct-acting antiviral agents should include older HCV-infected individuals., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2024 Zeng, Lv, Chen and Pan.)

After acute myocardial infarction (AMI), intercellular communication is crucial for maintaining cardiac homeostasis and patient survival. Exosomes secreted by cardiomyocytes serve as carriers for transporting microRNA(miRNAs), participating in intercellular signaling and the regulation of cardiac function. This study aims to investigate the role of exosomal microRNA-30a(miR-30a) during AMI and its underlying mechanisms. AMI was induced by permanent ligation of the left anterior descending (LAD) artery in C57BL/6 mice. The expression of miR-30a in mice was respectively enhanced and inhibited by administering agomiR-30a and antagomiR-30a. Using HL-1 cardiomyocytes and RAW264.7 macrophages for in vitro experiments, HL-1 cardiomyocytes were cultured under hypoxic conditions to induce ischemic injury. Following isolation and injection of exosomals, a variety of validation methods were utilized to assess the expression of miR-30a, and investigate the effects of enriched exosomal miR-30a on the state of cardiomyocytes. After AMI, the level of exosomal miR-30a in the serum of mice significantly increased and was highly enriched in cardiac tissue. Cardiomyocytes treated with agomiR-30a and miR-30a-enriched exosomes exhibited inhibition of cell autophagy, increased cell apoptosis, mice showed an larger myocardial infarct area and poorer cardiac function. Exosomes released from hypoxic cardiomyocytes transferred miR-30a to cardiac resident macrophages, promoting the polarization into pro-inflammatory M1 macrophages. In conclusion, murine exosomal miR-30a exacerbates cardiac dysfunction post-AMI by disrupting the autophagy-apoptosis balance in cardiomyocytes and polarizing cardiac resident macrophages into pro-inflammatory M1 macrophages. Modulating the expression of miR-30a may reduce cardiac damage following AMI, and targeting exosomal miR-30a could be a potential therapeutic approach for AMI., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Aim: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of a modified technique [trocar opening (TO)] for silicone oil removal (SOR) in combination with phacoemulsification and intraocular lens (IOL) implantation., Methods: A total of 60 eyes of 60 patients with cataract and silicone oil-filled eyes were enrolled in this study. The patients were divided into two groups: the patients in the control group underwent 23-gauge pars plana active SOR surgery with phacoemulsification and IOL implantation, while the patients in the TO group underwent TO methods during surgery. Best corrected visual acuity (BCVA), surgery time, intraocular pressure, and operative complications were observed 6mo after surgery., Results: There was no significant difference between the two groups in terms of age, gender, preoperative, intraocular pressure, or time of silicone oil stay. Prior to surgery, the mean BCVA for the control and TO groups was 1.34±0.44 and 1.36±0.42. At 6mo following surgery, the mean BCVA improved to 0.74±0.36 and 0.77±0.32, respectively ( P <0.001). There was no significant difference between the two groups. The mean SOR time was 6.9±2.3min and 4.8±1.2min in the control and TO groups ( P =0.008). The total operation time was 28.2±8.5min and 24.6±6.4min, respectively ( P =0.035). Posterior capsule rupture occurred in four eyes of control and none of TO group ( P <0.01). Late recurrent retinal detachment occurred in one eye in the control group (2mo after surgery) and in one eye in the TO group (4mo after surgery)., Conclusion: TO is a simple, effective, time-saving, and safe method for SOR combined with phacoemulsification and IOL implantation., (International Journal of Ophthalmology Press.)