Search

Atrazine is one of the most used herbicides, posing non-neglectable threats to ecosystem and human health. This work studied the performance and mechanisms of surface-modified biochar in accelerating atrazine biodegradation by exploring the changes in atrazine metabolites, bacterial communities and atrazine degradation-related genes. Among different types of biochar, nano-hydroxyapatite modified biochar achieved the highest degradation efficiency (85.13 %), mainly attributing to the increasing pH, soil organic matter, soil humus, and some enriched indigenous bacterial families of Bradyrhizobiaceae, Rhodospirillaceae, Methylophilaceae, Micrococcaceae, and Xanthobacteraceae. The abundance of 4 key atrazine degradation-related genes (atzA, atzB, atzC and triA) increased after biochar amendment, boosting both dechlorination and dealkylation pathways in atrazine metabolism. Our findings evidenced that biochar amendment could accelerate atrazine biodegradation by altering soil physicochemical properties, microbial composition and atrazine degradation pathways, providing clues for improving atrazine biodegradation performance at contaminated sites., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Stress urinary incontinence (SUI) is a common disease that seriously affects the quality of life of patients. In recent years, studies have shown that apolipoprotein E (ApoE) plays a role in neuroprotection and repair, but its specific role in SUI remains unclear. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of macromolecular protein ApoE related markers on the prognosis of rats with SUI treated by modified Buzhong Yiqi Decoction (MBZYQD), in order to provide a new target for the treatment of SUI. Healthy rats were selected to establish a SUI model and divided into groups. The levels of ApoE related metabolites in blood of rats were detected by Metabolomics analysis and Lipidomics analysis. The urine leakage point pressure (LPP) were compared in each group, and the therapeutic effect of MBZYQD was evaluated. Compared with the model group, the LPP of rats in MBZYQD supplemented group was significantly higher. Compared with the control group, the LPP of MBZYQD was not statistically significant before and after treatment. The macromolecular protein ApoE may plays a key role in the treatment of SUI by MBZYQD, which can improve symptoms by regulating lipid metabolism repair., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

This study aims to predict bone metastasis in lung cancer patients using radiomics and deep learning. Early prediction of bone metastasis is crucial for timely intervention and personalized treatment plans. This can improve patient outcomes and quality of life. By integrating advanced imaging techniques with artificial intelligence, this study seeks to enhance predictive accuracy and clinical decision-making., Methods: We included 189 lung cancer patients, comprising 89 with non-bone metastasis and 100 with confirmed bone metastasis. Radiomic features were extracted from CT images, and feature selection was performed using Minimum Redundancy Maximum Relevance (mRMR) and Least Absolute Shrinkage and Selection Operator (LASSO). We developed and validated a radiomics model and a deep learning model using DenseNet-264. Model performance was evaluated using the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC), accuracy, sensitivity, and specificity. Statistical comparisons were made using the DeLong test., Results: The radiomics model achieved an AUC of 0.815 on the training set and 0.778 on the validation set. The DenseNet-264 model demonstrated superior performance with an AUC of 0.990 on the training set and 0.971 on the validation set. The DeLong test confirmed that the AUC of the DenseNet-264 model was significantly higher than that of the radiomics model (p < 0.05)., Conclusions: The DenseNet-264 model significantly outperforms the radiomics model in predicting bone metastasis in lung cancer patients. The early and accurate prediction provided by the deep learning model can facilitate timely interventions and personalized treatment planning, potentially improving patient outcomes. Future studies should focus on validating these findings in larger, multi-center cohorts and integrating clinical data to further enhance predictive accuracy., Competing Interests: This research is supported by the Fujian Provincial Natural Science Foundation of China (2023J01895) and the Science and Technology Program of Quanzhou (2021CT0010)., (© 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier GmbH.)

Endophytic microorganisms are indispensable symbionts during plant growth and development and often serve functions such as growth promotion and stress resistance in plants. Therefore, an increasing number of researchers have applied endophytes for multifaceted phytoremediation (e.g., organic pollutants and heavy metals) in recent years. With the availability of next-generation sequencing technologies, an increasing number of studies have shifted the focus from culturable bacteria to total communities. However, information on the composition, structure, and function of bacterial endophytic communities is still not widely synthesized. To explore the general patterns of variation in bacterial communities between plant niches, we reanalyzed data from 1499 samples in 30 individual studies from different continents and provided comprehensive insights. A group of bacterial genera were commonly found in most plant roots and shoots. Our analysis revealed distinct variations in the diversity, composition, structure, and function of endophytic bacterial communities between plant roots and shoots. These variations underscore the sophisticated mechanisms by which plants engage with their endophytic microbiota, optimizing these interactions to bolster growth, health, and resilience against stress. Highlighting the strategic role of endophytic bacteria in promoting sustainable agricultural practices and environmental stewardship, our study not only offers global insights into the endophytic bacterial communities of terrestrial plants but also underscores the untapped potential of these communities as invaluable resources for future research., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Soy yogurts present challenges, including absence of tender and slipperiness mouthfeel, and poor stability. This study aimed to investigate the impacts of carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) with degrees of substitution of 0.7 (CMC0.7) and 1.2 (CMC1.2) at concentrations ranging from 0 % to 1.1 % on the stability, microstructure, rheology, tribology, and mouthfeel of soy yogurts. As the CMC concentration increased from 0 % to 0.3 %, soy yogurts displayed a coarser microstructure, decreased stability, and increased gel strength. As the concentration of CMC further increased from 0.5 % to 1.1 %, soy yogurts exhibited trends of a smoother microstructure, increased stability, and softer gel strength. Notably, soy yogurts with CMC0.7 demonstrated a superior water holding capacity (WHC) than soy yogurts with CMC1.2. Tribological measurements indicated that soy yogurts with CMC0.7 at a 0.7 % concentration had the lowest coefficient of friction (COF) value among most sliding speeds, showing a 23 % reduction compared to soy yogurts without CMC at a sliding speed of 10 mm/s. Moreover, sensory evaluation showed that soy yogurts with CMC0.7 at a 0.7 % concentration had the highest total score in mouthfeel evaluation. Therefore, the addition of CMC0.7 within the concentration range of 0.5 % to 1.1 % may produce stable and delicate yogurts., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest All authors declare that there are no conflicts of interest associated with this manuscript., (Copyright © 2023 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) represent a category of persistent and hazardous organic pollutants extensively prevalent across aquatic environments. The combination of adsorption and photocatalytic degradation has been identified as an effective approach for removing trace amounts of PFASs from water. Among the various materials explored for this purpose, metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) have structural solid tunability, and suitable modification methods could endow them with rich adsorption capabilities and excellent photocatalytic performance, which has potential for applications involving the treatment of trace, multi-chain-length PFASs in water. The research within this realm is currently in its nascent phase, and a holistic knowledge of modification methods can provide a comprehensive framework for future studies. Therefore, this review intends to (1) summarize the mechanism underlying the adsorption and photocatalytic removal of PFASs by MOFs; (2) present various modification methods aimed at enhancing the adsorption and photocatalytic performance of MOFs in alignment with the goal mentioned above; (3) provide an outlook on the prospects of utilizing MOFs for PFASs removal based on current trends and data. Ultimately, the findings from these studies will contribute to advancing knowledge in this area and facilitate the development of effective strategies for addressing PFASs contamination in water systems., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2023 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: Hypospadias is one of the most common anomalies of the human genitourinary system. The prevalence of hypospadias varies considerably by region, ethnicity, and clinical practice., Objective: This research was designed to investigate the prevalence and related influencing factors of neonatal hypospadias in Hangzhou from 2011 to 2020 in order to provide a scientific basis for the clinical prevention and treatment of hypospadias., Study Design: This study retrospectively analyzed the Hangzhou Maternal Child Information System and Birth Defect Monitoring System and included data from a total of 1,008,754 pregnant women between October 2010 and September 2020. The chi-square test was adopted to compare the prevalence of hypospadias at different maternal ages and different years., Results: The prevalence of neonatal hypospadias in Hangzhou, China, was 2.89 per 10,000, with a total of 292 newborns diagnosed with hypospadias from 2011 to 2020. The prevalence of hypospadias in Hangzhou showed temporal, regional, and age distribution characteristics: from 1.08/10,000 in 2011 to 7.03/10,000 in 2020; the prevalence was higher in suburban areas than that in the urban area and the counties, with statistically significant differences (P < 0.001); the prevalence of hypospadias was lowest in maternal age < 25 years (1.20/10,000) and highest in maternal age ≥ 40 years old (14.59/10,000). The difference was statistically significant (P < 0.001). The risk factor for hypospadias in the offspring of advanced pregnant women was 3.86 times higher than that of younger pregnant women., Conclusions: The overall prevalence of neonatal hypospadias in Hangzhou from 2011 to 2020 was 2.89/10,000 and showed temporal, regional, and age distribution characteristics., (Copyright © 2023 Journal of Pediatric Urology Company. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Tetracycline pollution is common in Chinese arable soils, and vermicomposting is an effective approach to accelerate tetracycline bioremediation. However, current studies mainly focus on the impacts of soil physicochemical properties, microbial degraders and responsive degradation/resistance genes on tetracycline degradation efficiencies, and limited information is known about tetracycline speciation in vermicomposting. This study explored the roles of epigeic E. fetida and endogeic A. robustus in altering tetracycline speciation and accelerating tetracycline degradation in a laterite soil. Both earthworms significantly affected tetracycline profiles in soils by decreasing exchangeable and bound tetracycline but increasing water soluble tetracycline, thereby facilitating tetracycline degradation efficiencies. Although earthworms increased soil cation exchange capacity and enhanced tetracycline adsorption on soil particles, the significantly elevated soil pH and dissolved organic carbon benefited faster tetracycline degradation, attributing to the consumption of soil organic matter and humus by earthworms. Different from endogeic A. robustus which promoted both abiotic and biotic degradation of tetracycline, epigeic E. foetida preferently accelerated abiotic tetracyline degradation. Our findings described the change of tetracycline speciation during vermicompsiting process, unraveled the mechanisms of different earthworm types in tetracycline speciation and metabolisms, and offered clues for effective vermiremediation application at tetracycline contaminated sites., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2023. Published by Elsevier B.V.)

Di-2-ethylhexyl phthalate (DEHP) is a widespread persistent organic pollutant in the environment. As an ultimate barrier preventing pollutant entry into the ocean, mangrove plays an important role in coastal ecosystem. However, little information is known about DEHP degradation in mangrove rhizosphere. In this study, a rhizobox was used to separate four consecutive rhizosphere compartments with distance of 0-2, 2-4, 4-6, and > 6 mm to the rhizoplane of Kandelia obovata and investigate DEHP gradient degradation behavior in rhizosphere. Sediments closer to the rhizoplane exhibited higher DEHP degradation efficiencies (74.4 % in 0-2 mm layer). More precisely, mangrove rhizosphere promoted the benzoic acid pathway and non-selectively accelerated the production of mono(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate, phthalic acid and benzoic acid. Higher sediment organic matter content, lower pH and less humus in rhizosphere benefited DEHP hydrolysis. In addition, rhizosphere significantly increased microbial biomass and activities comparing to bulk sediments. Some bacterial lineages with potential DEHP degradation capability exhibited a distance-dependent pattern that decreased with the distance to the rhizoplane, including Bacillales, Acidothermaceae, Gammaproteobacteria, and Sphingobacteriales. Our findings suggested that mangrove rhizosphere could accelerate DEHP degradation by altering sediment physicochemical properties and microbial composition, showing positive effects on coastal ecosystem services for eliminating phthalate acid ester contamination., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2023. Published by Elsevier B.V.)

Proteins and low-molecular-weight (LMW) surfactants are widely used for the physical stabilization of many emulsion-based food products. This study investigated the oil-water interfacial behavior between pea protein isolate (PPI) and phospholipid (PL). The emulsions prepared with different concentrations of PPI and PL were stabilized by their synergetic or competitive adsorption at the oil-water interface. In addition, the quantitative proteomics results could illustrate the displacements of proteins by PL. The result showed that the vicilin (7S) could be preferentially displaced by PL. Meanwhile, the results of quartz crystal microbalance with dissipation (QCM-D) indicated the high affinity of legumin (11S) with PL, suggesting that the legumin possessed higher interfacial affinity to prevent interfacial displacement. This research could help us to understand the interaction and competitive adsorption between plant proteins and LMW surfactants profoundly, which could promote the development of plant protein-based emulsion beverage with improved stability., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2023 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Biochar and earthworms can accelerate di-(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP) degradation in soils. However, little is known regarding the effect of biochar-assisted vermicomposting on soil DEHP degradation and the underlying mechanisms. Therefore, the present study investigated DEHP degradation performance and bacterial community changes in farmland soils using earthworms, biochar, or their combination. Biochar-assisted vermicomposting significantly improved DEHP degradation through initial physical adsorption on biochar and subsequent rapid biodegradation in the soil, earthworm gut, and charosphere. Burkholderiaceae, Pseudomonadaceae, and Flavobacteriaceae were the potential DEHP degraders and were enriched in biochar-assisted vermicomposting. In particularly, Burkholderiaceae and Sphingomonadaceae were enriched in the earthworm gut and charosphere, possibly explaining the mechanism of accelerated DEHP degradation in biochar-assisted vermicomposting. Soil pH, soil organic matter, and humus (humic acid, fulvic acid, and humin) increased by earthworms or biochar enhanced DEHP degradation. These findings imply that biochar-assisted vermicomposting enhances DEHP removal not only through rapid physical sorption but also through the improvement of soil physicochemical characteristics and promotion of degraders in the soil, earthworm gut, and charosphere. Overall, biochar-assisted vermicomposting is a suitable method for the remediation of organic-contaminated farmland soils., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2022 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

As a widely present vesicle, exosome plays an important role in lots of biological processes due to its inclusive cargos. In particular, exosome glycan cargo is attracting attentions since its aberrant alteration is closely related to many progressions in diseases. In this work, a novel carbonized packing capillary trap column for urinary exosomal N-glycan enrichment was proposed. The carbonized packing exhibited large specific surface area, mesoporous structure with narrow pore size distribution and abundant carbon for specially interacting with oligosaccharides. Benefitting from all these advantages, the N-glycans deriving from standard glycoproteins or complex human urine exosomes could be identified with high sensitivity and selectivity. Finally, from the glycans identified in healthy volunteers and patients with bladder carcinoma, we observed that 10 of glycans shared by two groups were obvious downregulation and the 18 were upregulation. These results show great potential of capillary trap column as a tool for the enrichment and detection of glycans in exosomal, attracting more attention on disease progression monitoring and biomarker discovery., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2022 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Introduction: Abnormal placental trophoblast function is the main cause of missed abortion (MA). Src kinase-associated phosphoprotein 2 (SKAP2) indirectly affects actin reunion, which is significantly associated with cell migration., Methods: Twenty women with MA and 20 healthy women who underwent voluntarily induced abortion were included in this study. Immunohistochemistry, qRT-PCR, and western blotting were used to determine SKAP2, WAVE2, and ARP2 expression in the villous tissues. We investigated the effects of SKAP2 and the W336K mutant (blocked SKAP2 Src homology 3 function) on growth and migration in HTR8/SVneo cells using the CCK8 assay, flow cytometry, and transwell assay. The effects of SKAP2 on the WAVE2-ARP2/3 signaling pathway in HTR8/SVneo cells were evaluated by western blotting and immunofluorescence., Results: Compared to the women in the voluntary abortion group, SKAP2 and WAVE2 expression levels were downregulated in the villous of patients with MA. In HTR8/SVneo cells, SKAP2 siRNA silencing regulated the growth and migration, while SKAP2 overexpression promoted growth and migration, and inhibited apoptosis. Additionally, SKAP2 regulated the expression of WAVE2 and ARP2, as well as the colocalization of actin with WAVE2. The SKAP2 W336K mutant could not alter WAVE2 and ARP2 expression, nor HTR8/SVneo cell growth and migration, with or without SKAP2 siRNA transfection., Discussion: SKAP2 could activate the WAVE2-ARP2/3 pathway resulting in an increase of growth and migration in trophoblasts. SKAP2 probably played an important role in MA by affecting the growth and migration of trophoblasts., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper, (Copyright © 2022. Published by Elsevier Ltd.)

Ditch-buried straw returning with ridge-furrow plastic film mulch (RP+S) is a novel tillage measure in semiarid regions, but it is unclear whether RP+S can increase maize yield while reducing the carbon footprint (CF). Therefore, a six-year continuous experiment was conducted from 2016 to 2021 to quantify the effect of four straw returning and film mulching measures [conventional flat cultivation (CK), conventional flat cultivation with ditch-buried straw returning (CK+S), ridge-furrow plastic film mulch (RP), and RP+S] on soil organic carbon sequestration (SOC S ), greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, CF, and economic benefits. Straw returning and film mulching measures significantly increased total GHG emissions across the six seasons. For all treatments, nitrogen fertilizer was the most important source of GHG emissions (≥73%), followed by diesel (8-11%) and plastic film (8%, RP and RP+S only). RP+S significantly increased yield and partial factor productivity of nitrogen fertilizer by 8.7-59.1%, and net economic benefit by 7.37-57.76%, but decreased CF by 34-61% and CF per net return by 33-61% relative to the other treatments. RP+S had the highest GHG emissions, increasing by 6.11-16.47% relative to the other treatments. However, compared with the initial 0-40 cm SOC S in 2016, RP+S had the highest carbon sequestration rate (678.17 kg·ha -1 ·yr -1 ), increasing by 2.29% after six years, followed by CK+S (1.78%), CK (0.89%), and RP (-0.49%). Thus, RP+S had the lowest CF and CF per net return in four treatments. This comprehensive analysis of agronomic and environmental benefits revealed that RP+S is a high-yielding, economically and environmentally friendly measure in semiarid areas., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2022 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Objective: We aimed at comparing the efficacy of intravenous and oral iron supplementations for the treatment of iron deficiency (ID) in patients with heart failure (HF)., Methods: We searched the PubMed, Cochrane, and Embase databases from inception to January 15, 2022. We included randomized controlled trials enrolling patients with HF who were treated for ID with intravenous iron supplements, oral iron supplements, or placebo. The primary outcomes were all-cause death, cardiovascular mortality, and hospitalization for heart failure. The secondary outcomes were evaluated through the six-minute walking test (6MWT) and the Kansas City Cardiomyopathy Questionnaire (KCCQ)., Results: The network meta-analysis included sixteen studies. Compared to placebo/control groups, intravenous iron supplements did not decrease all-cause death (0.69, 0.39-1.23) or cardiovascular mortality (0.89, 0.66-1.20). After 12 weeks, a reduced hospitalization for heart failure was associated with the administration of intravenous iron supplementations (0.58, 0.34-0.97). The most significant improvements regarding 6MWT (44.44, 6.10-82.79) and KCCQ (5.96, 3.19-8.73) were observed with intravenous iron supplements. Oral iron supplements reduced hospitalization for heart failure (0.36, 0.14-0.96) and all-cause death (0.34, 0.12-0.95), but did not influence the 6MWT (29.74, -47.36 to 106.83) and KCCQ (0.10, -10.95 to 11.15)., Conclusions: Administering intravenous iron supplements for ID in patients with HF improves their exercise capacity and quality of life. In order to reduce hospitalizations for heart failure, the supplementation should be administered for more than 12 weeks. Although oral iron supplements did not improve exercise capacity and quality of life, they could reduce all-cause death and hospitalizations for heart failure., (Copyright © 2022 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Atrazine accumulation in agricultural soil is prone to cause serious environmental problems and pose risks to human health. Vermicomposting is an eco-friendly approach to accelerating atrazine biodegradation, but the roles of earthworm cast in the accelerated atrazine removal remains unclear. This work aimed to investigate the roles of earthworm cast in promoting atrazine degradation performance by comprehensively exploring the change in atrazine metabolites and bacterial communities. Our results showed that earthworm cast amendment significantly increased soil pH, organic matters, humic acid, fulvic acid and humin, and achieved a significantly higher atrazine removal efficiency. Earthworm cast addition also remarkably changed soil microbial communities by enriching potential soil atrazine degraders (Pseudomonadaceae, Streptomycetaceae, and Thermomonosporaceae) and introducing cast microbial degraders (Saccharimonadaceae). Particularly, earthworm casts increased the production of metabolites deethylatrazine and deisopropylatrazine, but not hydroxyatrazine. Some bacterial taxa (Gaiellaceaea and Micromonosporaceae) and humus (humic acid, fulvic acid and humin) were strongly correlated with atrazine metabolism into deisopropylatrazine and deethylatrazine, whereas hydroxyatrazine production was benefited by higher pH. Our findings verified the accelerated atrazine degradation with earthworm cast supplement, providing new insights into the influential factors on atrazine bioremediation in vermicomposting., (Copyright © 2021 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

The intensive and long-term use of atrazine in agriculture has resulted in serious environmental pollution and consequently endangered ecosystem and human health. Soil microorganisms play an important role in atrazine degradation. However, their degradation efficiencies are relatively low due to their slow growth and low abundance, and manure amendment as a practice to improve soil nutrients and microbial activities can solve these problems. This study investigated the roles of goat manure in atrazine degradation performance, metabolites and bacterial community structure. Our results showed that atrazine degradation efficiencies in un-amended soils were 26.9-35.7% and increased to 60.9-84.3% in goat manure amended treatments. Hydroxyatrazine pathway was not significantly altered, whereas deethylatrazine and deisopropylatrazine pathways were remarkably enhanced in treatments amended with manure by encouraging the N-dealkylation of atrazine side chains. In addition, goat manure significantly increased soil pH and contents of organic matters and humus, explaining the change of atrazine metabolic pathway. Nocardioides, Sphingomonas and Massilia were positively correlated with atrazine degradation efficiency and three metabolites, suggesting their preference in atrazine contaminated soils and potential roles in atrazine degradation. Our findings suggested that goat manure acts as both bacterial inoculum and nutrients to improve soil microenvironment, and its amendment is a potential practice in accelerating atrazine degradation at contaminated sites, offering an efficient, cheap, and eco-friendly strategy for herbicide polluted soil remediation., (Copyright © 2021 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

This study explored the change of tetracycline degradation efficiency, metabolic pathway, soil physiochemical properties and degraders in vermiremediation by two earthworm species of epigeic Eisenia fetida and endogeic Amynthas robustus. We found a significant acceleration of tetracycline degradation in both earthworm treatments, and 4-epitetracycline dehydration pathway was remarkably enhanced only by vermiremediation. Tetracycline degraders from soils, earthworm intestines and casts were different. Ralstonia and Sphingomonas were potential tetracycline degraders in soils and metabolized tetracycline through direct dehydration pathway. Degraders in earthworm casts (Comamonas, Acinetobacter and Stenotrophomonas) and intestines (Pseudomonas and Arthrobacter) dehydrated 4-epitetracycline into 4-epianhydrotetracycline. More bacterial lineages resisting tetracycline were found in earthworm treatments, indicating the adaptation of soil and intestinal flora under tetracycline pressure. Earthworm amendment primarily enhanced tetracycline degradation by neutralizing soil pH and consuming organic matters, stimulating both direct dehydration and epimerization-dehydration pathways. Our findings proved that vermicomposting with earthworms is effective to alter soil microenvironment and accelerate tetracycline degradation, behaving as a potential approach in soil remediation at tetracycline contaminated sites., (Copyright © 2021 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Talatisamine, as the efficacy ingredient of Aconitum, was known as a novel specific blocker for the delayed rectifier K + channels in rat hippocampal neurons. In this study, a rapid, selective and reproducible UPLC-MS/MS separation method was established and fully validated for the quantitative determination of talatisamine levels in ICR (Institute of Cancer Research) mouse blood. A total of 24 healthy male ICR mice were divided into four groups that was administered talatisamine via intravenous at a dose of 1 mg/kg and oral administration of three doses (2, 4, 8 mg/kg). All blood samples were protein precipitate by using acetonitrile with an internal standard (IS) deltaline. The effective chromatographic separation was carried out through an UPLC BEH C18 analytical column (2.1 mm × 50 mm, 1.7 μm) with an initial mobile phase that consisted of acetonitrile and 10 mmol/L ammonium acetate aqueous solution (containing 0.1% formic acid) with a gradient elution pumped at a flow rate of 0.4 mL/min. Also, an electrospray ionization (ESI) was applied to quantify the talatisamine in the positive ions mode. The method validation demonstrated good linearity over the range of 1-1000 ng/mL (r 2  ≥ 0.9993) for talatisamine in mouse blood with a lower limit of quantification (LLOQ) at 1 ng/mL. The accuracy values of the method were within 89.4% to 113.3%, and the matrix effects were between 103.2% and 106.3%. The mean extraction recoveries for talatisamine obtained from four concentrations of QC blood samples were exceeded 71.7%, and the relative standard deviation (RSD) both of intra- and inter-day precision values for replicate quality control samples did not exceed 15% respectively for all analytes during the assay validation. This method was successfully applied to the evaluation of the pharmacokinetic of talatisamine, regardless of intragastric or intravenous administration in mice. Based on the pharmacokinetics data, the bioavailability of talatisamine in mice was >65.0% after oral administration, exhibiting an excellent oral absorption., (Copyright © 2019 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

This study adopted the method of quantitative proteomics to analyze the adsorbed proteins in oil-in-water emulsions stabilized by pea protein isolate (PPI). Adsorbed proteins were precipitated by an optimized precipitation method and precipitates were labeled and subjected to a reversed-phase high performance liquid chromatography coupled to tandem mass spectrometry (RPLC-ESI-MS/MS) for protein identification and quantification. In total, 77 proteins were identified, of which 49 proteins with significant differences were observed. There were 25 upregulated proteins (fold change > 1) and 24 downregulated proteins (fold change < 1). The interfacial adsorption abilities of these proteins were compared according to the classification of protein families. The results showed that all isoforms of vicilins exhibited high adsorption abilities at the oil-water interface. Compared with vicilin, convicilin showed opposite adsorption capacity. Different legumin families showed significantly different affinities on the oil-water interface. In contrast to albumin-1, albumin-2 was preferentially adsorbed to the interface. The amino acid sequence alignment and hydropathy profile analysis of these proteins showed that the proteins well-balanced between hydrophobic and hydrophilic amino acid groups displayed high interfacial activity. In contrast, a long hydrophilic or hydrophobic fragment could adversely influence protein interfacial activity. This study provides an insight into the interfacial behaviors of proteins by supplying detailed quantitative information of interfacial layer., (Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

In this study, bovine serum albumin (BSA) and chitosan (CS) were used to prepare BSA-CS nanogels by a simple green self-assembly technique. Then the nanogels were successfully used to entrap doxorubicin hydrochloride (DOX) with an entrapment ratio of 46.3%, aiming to realize the slow-release effect and lower the cytotoxicity of DOX. The IC50 values of DOX-loaded BSA-CS (DOX-BSA-CS) and free DOX obtained by MTT assay in SGC7901 cells were 0.22 and 0.05μg/mL, respectively. The cytotoxicity of DOX significantly decreased within 24h after encapsulation by the nanogels, indicating that the loaded drug could slowly release within 24h and the BSA-CS was a good slow release system. The cellular uptake experiments indicated DOX-BSA-CS diffused faster into the cancer cell than the bare drug. The flow cytometry and TUNEL assay proved DOX-BSA-CS could induce a larger apoptosis proportion of gastric cancer cells 7901 than the bare drug and it is promising to be used for curing gastric cancer., (Copyright © 2016. Published by Elsevier B.V.)

Autophagy has been involved in numerous diseases processes. However, little is known about the role of autophagy in cardiac fibrosis. Thus, whether or not angiotensin II (Ang II)-induced autophagy has a regulatory function on cardiac fibrosis was detected in vitro and in vivo. In rat cardiac fibroblasts (CFs) stimulated with Ang II, activated autophagy was observed using transmission electron microscopic analysis (TEM), immunofluorescence and Western blot. In Ang II-infused mice, increased co-localization of LC3 puncta with vimentin was observed. In rat CFs, co-treated with rapamycin (Rapa), an autophagy inducer, Ang II-induced the upregulation of type I collagen (Col-I), fibronectin (FN) was decreased. Conversely, inhibition of autophagy by chloroquine (CQ), an autophagy inhibitor, or knockdown of ATG5, a key component of the autophagy pathway by specific siRNA, aggravated Ang II-mediated the accumulation of Col-I and FN. Furthermore, in C57 BL/6 mice with Ang II infusion, intraperitoneal administration of Rapa ameliorated Ang II-induced cardiac fibrosis and cardiac dysfunction, while CQ treatment not only exacerbated Ang II-mediated cardiac fibrosis and cardiac dysfunction, but also impaired cardiac function. These findings suggest that autophagy may exert a protective role to attenuate excess extracellular matrix (ECM) accumulation in the heart., (Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

A pH-responsive system by constructing a designable coordination bonding-based metal-tannic acid (TA) architecture on zein nanoparticles (NPs) has been investigated. Film formation was initiated by the adsorption of the polyphenol and directed by pH-dependent, multivalent coordination bonding. The prepared metal-TA coated zein NPs (zein-TA/metal NPs) demonstrated good stability to maintain particle size in cell culture medium at 37 °C. The microstructure of the NPs was revealed by transmission electron microscopy (TEM). To confirm the surface chemical information of the NPs, XPS analysis was performed. Furthermore, in vitro viability studies revealed that the zein-TA/metal NPs showed no significant cytotoxicity against HepG2 cells for 24h. Because of the pH-responsive coordination bonding between TA and metal ions, the functional property of the metal-TA films was tailored for drug delivery. Biocompatible AuNPs were produced using zein-TA/metal NPs as reducing and stabilizing agents which were promising in the photothermal therapy of cancers and other diseases., (Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Nanogels (NGs) were fabricated with lysozyme and carboxymethylcellulose via a green self-assembly method. The prepared NGs were characterized by dynamic light scattering (DLS), zeta potential, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Pyrene and isothiocyanate were introduced as fluorescent probes to research the hydrophobic area of the NGs and cells endocytosis, respectively. Methotrexate (MTX) was used to investigate the drug encapsulation property of the NGs. It turned out to be that the drug loaded NGs were regular spherical shape with a hydrodynamic diameter of about 123 nm. The drug loading efficiency was about 14.2%. The NGs can slowly release the drug and increase the bioavailability of the loaded drug. The NGs are promising carriers for the delivery of drugs and other bioactive molecules., (Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

In this study, a simple and green approach was developed to produce a novel nanogel via self-assembly of low density lipoproteins (LDL) and sodium carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC), to efficiently deliver doxorubicin (DOX) to cancer cells. Under optimal conditions, the stable nanogels were of spherical shape with an average diameter of about 90 nm, PDI<0.3 and a zeta potential -35 mV. Furthermore, the cationic anticancer drug, doxorubicin (DOX) was effectively encapsulated into LDL/CMC nanogels with an exceptionally high encapsulation efficiency of ∼ 98%. The release of DOX from DOX-LDL/CMC nanogels was pH-dependent, and DOX was released at a quicker rate at pH 6.2 than at pH 7.4. Importantly, the DOX-LDL/CMC nanogels were shown to effectively kill cancer cells in vitro. The IC50 of the DOX-LDL/CMC nanogels in HeLa and HepG2 cells was approximately 2.45 and 1.72 times higher than that of free DOX. The slightly reduced antitumor efficacy was primarily due to the less cellular uptake of the DOX-LDL/CMC nanogels, which was confirmed by confocal laser scanning microscope (CLSM) and flow cytometry analysis. The high DOX payload and pH-dependent drug release rendered LDL/CMC nanogels as an efficient carrier for doxorubicin and possibly be used for other cationic drugs in different biomedical applications., (Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Novel nano-particles were developed from lysozyme-pectin through self-assembly, and the nanogels could be used as a carrier for the antitumor agent, methotrexate (MTX). The nanogels exhibited spherical with diameters about 109 ± 2 nm and narrow particle size distribution, as well as negative surface charge. Furthermore, the particle size and morphology of the nanogels hardly changed with the incorporation of MTX. The loading capacity of MTX in nanogels could reach 17.58 ± 0.85%. MTX-loaded nanogels were pH-dependent, accelerated release of MTX at a decreasing pH from 7.4 to 5.3. The MTT assay indicated that encapsulated MTX exhibited higher anticancer activity than free MTX. Meanwhile, MTX-loaded nanogels could be effectively endocytosed by HepG2 cells, resulting in enhanced cancer-cell apoptosis comparing to free MTX. It indicated that the nanogels had good biocompatibility and low toxicity. The obtained nanogels had great potential in the development of a new nanocarrier for anti-cancer drug delivery., (Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)