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Acetaminophen (APAP) overdose is one of the most common inducements of drug-induced liver injury (DILI) in the world. The main purpose of this paper was to investigate the liver protection activity of saponins (ginsenosides) from the leaves of Panax quinquefolius (PQS) against APAP-induced hepatotoxicity, and the involved mechanisms were demonstrated for the first time. Mice were pretreated with PQS (150 and 300 mg/kg) by oral gavage for 7 days before being treated with 250 mg/kg APAP. Severe liver injury was exerted at 24 h post-APAP, and hepatotoxicity was assessed. Our results showed that pretreatment with PQS significantly decreased the serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate transaminase (AST), tumor necrosis factor (TNF-α), and interleukin-1β (IL-1β) levels in a dose-dependent manner as compared to the APAP administration. Meanwhile, compared with that in the APAP group, PQS decreased hepatic malondialdehyde (MDA) contents and 4-hydroxynonenal (4-HNE) expression and restored reduced glutathione (GSH) content and superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity in livers of mice. PQS inhibited the overexpression of pro-inflammatory factors cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) and inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) in the liver tissues. Furthermore, Western blotting analysis revealed that PQS pretreatment inhibited the activation of apoptotic signaling pathways via increase of Bcl-2 and decrease of Bax and caspase-3 protein expression levels. Liver histopathological observation provided further evidence that PQS pretreatment significantly inhibited APAP-induced hepatocyte necrosis, inflammatory cell infiltration, and congestion. Biological indicators of nitrative stress such as 3-nitrotyrosine (3-NT) were inhibited after PQS pretreatment, compared to the APAP group. The present study clearly demonstrates that PQS exerts a protective effect against APAP-induced hepatic injury because of its antioxidant, anti-apoptotic, and anti-inflammatory activities. The findings from the present investigation show that PQS might be a promising candidate treatment agent against drug-induced ALI.

Simultaneous collections of non-methane hydrocarbons (NMHCs) were carried out at 15 sampling sites including urban, suburb and potential pollution areas in Cangzhou City in spring 2015. The results showed that NMHCs were generally higher in urban areas than those in suburb and rural areas; the highest concentration of NMHCs was observed at Cangzhou High-tech zone (urban area); the concentrations of NMHCs were significantly lower at rural sites than in most urban sites except Hejian site; vehicular emissions were the main sources of NMHCs in Cangzhou; Cangzhou chemical fertilizer plant and Cangzhou oil refinery had no significant influence on urban NMHCs during their shutdown period; Dagang Oilfield, with better oil and gas recovery systems, did not have a significant impact on urban NMHCs. In general, alkanes, alkenes and aromatics accounted for 65%, 16% and 19% of NMHCs in Cangzhou City, respectively; xylene (19%), ethylene (14%), toluene(11%), propylene (5%), isopentane (5%) and isopentene (5%) were the most dominant contributors to ozone formation potential; aerosol formation potential was mainly derived from toluene (28%), pinene (28%), xylene(16%), ethylbenzene (9%) and benzene (9%).

Background : Frequent overdosing of acetaminophen (APAP) has become the major cause of acute liver injury (ALI). The present study aimed to evaluate the potential hepatoprotective effects of black ginseng (BG) on APAP-induced mice liver injuries and the underlying mechanisms of action were further investigated for the first time. Methods : Mice were treated with BG (300, 600 mg/kg) by oral gavage once a day for seven days. On the 7th day, all mice were treated with 250 mg/kg APAP which caused severe liver injury after 24 h and hepatotoxicity was assessed. Results : Our results showed that pretreatment with BG significantly decreased the levels of serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartate transaminase (AST) compared with the APAP group. Meanwhile, hepatic antioxidant including glutathione (GSH) was elevated compared with the APAP group. In contrast, a significant decrease of the levels of the lipid peroxidation product malondialdehyde (MDA) was observed in the BG-treated groups compared with the APAP group. These effects were associated with significant increases of cytochrome P450 E1 (CYP2E1) and 4-hydroxynonenal (4-HNE) levels in liver tissues. Moreover, BG supplementation suppressed activation of apoptotic pathways through increasing Bcl-2 and decreasing Bax protein expression levels according to western blotting analysis. Histopathological examination revealed that BG pretreatment significantly inhibited APAP-induced necrosis and inflammatory infiltration in liver tissues. Biological indicators of nitrative stress like 3-nitrotyrosine (3-NT) were also inhibited after pretreatment with BG, compared with the APAP group. Conclusions : The results clearly suggest that the underlying molecular mechanisms of action of BG-mediated alleviation of APAP-induced hepatotoxicity may involve its anti-oxidant, anti-apoptotic, anti-inflammatory and anti-nitrative effects.

The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of 5-hydroxymethyl-2-furfural (5-HMF) on liver fibrosis induced by carbon tetrachloride (CCl 4 ) and alcohol. Male ICR mice were treated with CCl 4 dissolved in olive oil (10% v/v, 2.5 μg/L) intraperitoneally (i.p.), and given at a dose of 2.5×10 -5 mg/kg B.W. twice a week for 7 wk. Concurrently, mice received drinking water with or without alcohol. The mice in treatment groups and positive control group were gavaged with 5-HMF (7.5, 15, and 30 mg/kg B.W.) or Huganpian (350 mg/kg B.W.) daily starting in the fourth week and lasting for 4 wk. The blood samples were analyzed for biochemical markers of hepatic injury and tissue samples were subjected for estimation of liver antioxidants and histopathological studies. The concentrations of HA (hyaluronic acid), LN (laminin), CIV (collagen type IV), and MDA (malondialdehyde), as well as the serum levels of ALT (alanine aminotransferase) and AST (aspartate aminotransferase) were markedly reduced by 5-HMF. On the other hand, enzymatic antioxidants SOD (superoxide dismutase), CAT (catalase) and GSH-Px (glutathione peroxidase) were markedly elevated in liver tissue treated with 5-HMF. Histopathological examination revealed that 5-HMF treatment noticeably prevented hepatocyte apoptosis, fatty degeneration and inflammatory cell infiltration on liver fibrosis induced by CCl 4 and alcohol. Hoechst 33258 staining also revealed hepatocyte apoptosis. 5-HMF could exert protective effects against liver injury and reduce liver fibrosis induced by CCl 4 and alcohol in mice.

A new drug delivery system, based on mesoporous silica nanoparticles gated by carboxylatopillar[5]arene-modified gold nanoparticles, has been fabricated, which demonstrated good responses to competitive binding and temperature variation. This multifunctional nanosystem combines the excellent characteristics of two kinds of nanoparticles and utilizes a supramolecular host-guest approach for on-demand cargo release.

Proanthocyanidins have been shown to effectively protect ischemic neurons, but its mechanism remains poorly understood. Ginkgo proanthocyanidins (20, 40, 80 mg/kg) were intraperitoneally administered 1, 24, 48 and 72 hours before reperfusion. Results showed that ginkgo proanthocyanidins could effectively mitigate neurological disorders, shorten infarct volume, increase superoxide dismutase activity, and decrease malondialdehyde and nitric oxide contents. Simultaneously, the study on grape seed proanthocyanidins (40 mg/kg) confirmed that different sources of proanthocyanidins have a similar effect. The neurological outcomes of ginkgo proanthocyanidins were similar to that of nimodipine in the treatment of cerebral ischemia/reperfusion injury. Our results suggest that ginkgo proanthocyanidins can effectively lessen cerebral ischemia/reperfusion injury and protect ischemic brain tissue and these effects are associated with antioxidant properties., Competing Interests: Zhejiang Conba Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. provided financial support.

In this study, three GDI (gasoline direct injection) and one PFI (port fuel injection) light-duty gasoline vehicles were characterized for their particle emission (number concentration and size distributions). Two condensation particle counters (CPC) with different activation efficiencies (50% cut off diameter) were used. It was found that the number concentration of particles emitted by GDI gasoline vehicle was approximately one order of magnitude higher than that from PFI gasoline vehicle. High emission of particles occurred within the first 200 s of cold start. The number concentration of particles emitted from GDI vehicle was largely influenced by the vehicle working condition, while that of PFI vehicle was relatively stable despite of varying working conditions. The size distributions of particles emitted from GDI and PFI vehicles had both nucleation mode and accumulation mode. The peak diameter of nucleation mode particles was in the range of 20-27 nm, while that of accumulation mode particle was in the range of 80-95 nm. The number concentrations measured by the UCPC (50% cut off diameter of 2.5 nm) were 35% (GDI) and 50.4% (PFI), respectively, higher than those measured by the CPC (50% cut off diameter of 23 nm) used by the regulation.

Aim: To investigate the anticancer effect of a recombinant adenovirus-mediated p53 (rAd-p53) combined with 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) in human colon cancer resistant to 5-FU in vivo and the mechanism of rAd-p53 in reversal of 5-FU resistance., Methods: Nude mice bearing human colon cancer SW480/5-FU (5-FU resistant) were randomly assigned to four groups (n = 25 each): control group, 5-FU group, rAd-p53 group, and rAd-p53 + 5-FU group. At 24 h, 48 h, 72 h, 120 h and 168 h after treatment, 5 mice were randomly selected from each group and sacrificed using an overdose of anesthetics. The tumors were removed and the protein expressions of p53, protein kinase C (PKC), permeability-glycoprotein (P-gp) and multidrug resistance-associated protein 1 (MRP1) (Western blot) and apoptosis (TUNEL) were determined., Results: The area ratios of tumor cell apoptosis were larger in the rAd/p53 + 5-FU group than that in the control, 5-FU and rAd/p53 groups (P < 0.05), and were larger in the rAd/p53 group than that of the control group (P < 0.05) and the 5-FU group at more than 48 h (P < 0.05). The p53 expression was higher in the rAd/p53 and the rAd/p53 + 5-FU groups than that of the control and 5-FU groups (P < 0.05), and were higher in the rAd/p53 + 5-FU group than that of the rAd/p53 group (P < 0.05). Overexpression of PKC, P-gp and MRP1 was observed in the 5-FU and control groups. In the rAd/p53 + 5-FU group, the expression of P-gp and MRP1 was lower that of the control and 5-FU groups (P < 0.05), and the expression of PKC was lower than that of the control, 5-FU and rAd/p53 groups at more than 48 h (P < 0.05). In the rAd/p53 group, the expression of P-gp and MRP1 was lower that of the control and 5-FU groups at more than 48 h (P < 0.05), and the expression of PKC was lower than that of the control and 5-FU groups at more than 120 h (P < 0.05)., Conclusion: 5-FU combined with rAd-p53 has a synergistic anticancer effect in SW480/5-FU (5-FU resistance), which contributes to reversal of 5-FU resistance.

Plant polyphenols showed useful biochemical characteristics in vitro; however, the assessments of their clinical applications in vivo are restricted by their limited bioavailability due to their strong resistance to 1st-pass effects during absorption. In order to improve the bioavailability of quercetin (QU), the ester derivative of QU (3,3',4',5,7-pentahydroxy flavones, TAQU) was synthesized, followed by examining the oil-water partition coefficient as well as the transport mechanisms of QU and its ester derivative (TAQU) using human Caco-2 cells. The transport characteristics of QU and TAQU transport under different conditions (different concentrations, time, pH, temperature, tight junctions, and potential transporters) were systematically investigated. Results showed that QU had a lower permeability coefficient (2.82 × 10(-6) cm/s) for apical-to-basolateral (AP-BL) transport over 5 to 50 μM, whereas the transport rate for AP to BL flux of TAQU (5.23 × 10(-6) cm/s) was significantly greater than that of QU. Paracellular pathways were not involved during the transport of both QU and TAQU. QU was poorly absorbed by active transport, whereas TAQU was mostly absorbed by passive diffusion. Efflux transporters, P-glycoproteins, multidrug resistance proteins were proven to participate in the transport process of QU, but not in that of TAQU. These results suggested that improving the lipophicity of QU by esterification could increase the transport of QU across Caco-2 cells., (© 2016 Institute of Food Technologists®)

Ginsenoside Rh2 is a potential pharmacologically active metabolite of ginseng. Previously, we have reported that an octyl ester derivative of ginsenoside Rh2 (Rh2-O), has been confirmed to possess higher bioavailability and anticancer effect than Rh2 in vitro. In order to better assess the possibility that Rh2-O could be used as an anticancer compound, the underlying mechanism was investigated in this study. The present results revealed that lysosomal destabilization was involved in the early stage of cell apoptosis in HepG2 cells induced by Rh2-O. Rh2-O could induce an early lysosomal membrane permeabilization with the release of lysosomal protease cathepsins to the cytosol in HepG2 cells. The Cat B inhibitor (leu) and Cat D inhibitor (pepA) inhibited Rh2-O-induced HepG2 apoptosis as well as tBid production and Δφm depolarization, indicating that lysosomal permeabilization occurred upstream of mitochondrial dysfunction. In addition, Rh2-O induced a significant increase in the protein levels of DRAM1 and Bax (p < 0.05) in lysosomes of HepG2 cells. Knockdown of Bax partially inhibited Rh2-O-induced Cat D release from lysosomes. Thus it was concluded that Rh2-O induced apoptosis of HepG2 cells through activation of the lysosomal-mitochondrial apoptotic pathway involving the translocation of Bax to the lysosome.

Little is known about the combined effect of personality and social support on trajectories of depressive symptoms among youth. This study aims to investigate the influence of social support in different contexts on the development of depressive symptoms during adolescence and whether the association is moderated by adolescents' personality. The data using in this study is selected from the Taiwan Educational Panel Survey (TEPS), a longitudinal panel study since the year 2000 (at age 13) and three more waves (at ages 15, 17, and 18). A total of four waves of students' data (N = 4163) are analyzed using the latent growth models. The results indicate that the depressive symptom trajectory of Taiwan adolescents gradually grows in a quadratic curve. Social support in family context rather than school context was associated with depressive symptoms, while only a positive association is found between maternal support and depressive symptoms at the start. Meanwhile, increased extroversion personality is associated with the decreased initial level, increased linear changes, and decreased non-linear quadratic changes of adolescents' depressive symptoms. Further analyses show that a significant interaction between maternal support and extroversion personality is associated with increased non-linear quadratic growth curve of adolescents' depressive symptoms. In conclusion, adolescents' extroversion personality might moderate the effect of maternal support on developmental trajectory of depressive symptoms. Intervention that improves social support should take account for adolescent's personality, which may alter trajectory of psychological distress during adolescence., (Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Our previous research had indicated that the octyl ester derivative of ginsenoside Rh2 (Rh2-O) might have a higher bioavailability than Rh2 in the Caco-2 cell line. The aim of this study was to investigate the cellular uptake and antitumor effects of Rh2-O in human HepG2 cells as well as its underlying mechanism compared with Rh2. Results showed that Rh2-O exhibited a higher cellular uptake (63.24%) than Rh2 (36.76%) when incubated with HepG2 cells for 24 h. Rh2-O possessed a dose- and time-dependent inhibitory effect against the proliferation of HepG2 cells. The IC50 value of Rh2-O for inhibition of HepG2 cell proliferation was 20.15 μM, which was roughly half the value of Rh2. Rh2-O induced apoptosis of HepG2 cells through a mitochondrial-mediated intrinsic pathway. In addition, the accumulation of ROS was detected in Rh2-O-treated HepG2 cells, which participated in the apoptosis of HepG2 cells. Conclusively, the findings above all suggested that Rh2-O as well as Rh2 inducing HepG2 cells apoptosis might involve similar mechanisms; however, Rh2-O had better antitumor activities than Rh2, probably due to its higher cellular uptake.

Ginsenoside Rh2 is a potential active metabolite of ginseng that has antitumor activity against a variety of tumor cells. Previously, we reported that Rh2-O, an octyl ester derivative of ginsenoside Rh2, had a higher anticancer activity than Rh2 through activating the intrinsic apoptotic pathway. In this study, we found that the extrinsic apoptotic pathway was also involved in Rh2-O-induced HepG2 cells apoptosis as evidenced by the up-regulation of Fas, FasL, TNFR1, and TNF-α as well as the cleavage of caspase 8. Moreover, flow cytometric analysis demonstrated that Rh2-O induced G1 cell cycle arrest in HepG2 cells. Rh2-O-induced G1 phase arrest was accompanied by the down-regulation of cyclin D3 and cyclin E and cyclin-dependent kinases (CDK) 4 and 6 and the up-regulation of p21 WAF1/CIP1 and p27 KIP1 . In addition, Rh2-O down-regulated the phosphorylation of Akt, and its inhibitor LY294002 promoted Rh2-O-induced G1 phase arrest. Rh2-O treatment also activated p38 MAPK, JNK, and ERK expression. Inhibitors of p38 MAPK (SB203580), but not those of JNK (SP600125) or ERK (PB98095), promoted Rh2-O-induced G1 phase arrest in HepG2 cells. These results indicated that the disruption of Akt and p38 MAPK cascades played a pivotal role in Rh2-O-induced G1 phase arrest.

The majority of previous studies on hereditary neuropathy with liability to pressure palsies (HNPP) were focused on peripheral nerves, whereas cerebral alterations in HNPP have been less attended to. In this work, Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) was used to detect the changes in WM, especially in the normal-appearing white matter (NAWM) in HNPP patients for its sensitivity in probing the microstructure of WM, the sensitive metric was searched for probing cerebral alterations and the regional distribution of cerebral abnormalities was identified. Twelve HNPP patients and 12 age- and gender-matched healthy controls underwent the conventional MRI, DTI scan, and electrophysiological examination. The conventional MRI images were first analyzed to identify abnormal intense regions and the NAWM regions. NAWM refers to the white matter regions that do not include the lesions on conventional MRI. The apparent diffusion coefficient and fractional anisotropy (FA) values of the NAWM were then measured and compared between patient and control groups. The sensitivity and specificity of 3 methods and the cerebral regional distribution of MR signal abnormalities were further analyzed. Hyperintense foci were observed on T2 weighted image and fluid attenuated inversion recovery images in 6 patients. Compared to the controls, FA values of the patients were significantly lower in bilateral frontal, orbitofrontal, and temporal NAWMs; whereas the electrophysiological examination results of patients and controls exhibited no statistically significant difference. The sensitivity of FA value was higher than that of electrophysiological examination and conventional MRI. The majority of abnormal signals on conventional MRI images and abnormal FA values were located in the frontal and temporal lobes. The results of our study show cerebral WM changes in HNPP patients. FA value in DTI has been shown to be sensitive to the cerebral microstructural changes in HNPP. The frontal lobe is the predilection site that is most involved in HNPP.

Aim: To determine whether the combination of platelet count (PLT) with spleen volume parameters and right liver volume (RV) measured by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) could predict the Child-Pugh class of liver cirrhosis and esophageal varices (EV)., Methods: Two hundred and five cirrhotic patients with hepatitis B and 40 healthy volunteers underwent abdominal triphasic-enhancement MRI and laboratory examination of PLT in 10(9)/L. Cirrhotic patients underwent endoscopy for detecting EV. Spleen maximal width (W), thickness (T) and length (L) in mm together with spleen volume (SV) and RV in mm(3) were measured by MRI, and spleen volume index (SI) in mm(3) was obtained by W × T × L. SV/PLT, SI/PLT and RV × PLT/SV (RVPS) were calculated and statistically analyzed to assess cirrhosis and EV., Results: SV/PLT (r = 0.676) and SI/PLT (r = 0.707) increased, and PLT (r = -0.626) and RVPS (r = -0.802) decreased with the progress of Child-Pugh class (P < 0.001 for all). All parameters could determine the presence of cirrhosis, distinguish between each class of Child-Pugh class, and identify the presence of EV [the areas under the curve (AUCs) = 0.661-0.973]. Among parameters, RVPS could best determine presence and each class of cirrhosis with AUCs of 0.973 and 0.740-0.853, respectively; and SV/PLT could best identify EV with an AUC of 0.782., Conclusion: The combination of PLT with SV and RV could predict Child-Pugh class of liver cirrhosis and identify the presence of esophageal varices.

Isobolographic analysis was used to assess the antioxidant interactions (synergism, addition, and antagonism) of 4 common vegetables (tomato [T], carrot [C], eggplant [E], and purple potato [P]). The lipophilic (L) extracts of T and C (main carotenoids), the hydrophilic (H) extracts of E and P (main phenolics) were mixed by the certain ratios (1:9, 3:7, 1:1, 7:3, 9:1, w/w) and their antioxidant activities were investigated by 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and 2,2'-Azinobis-(3-ethylbenzthiazoline-6-sulphonate) (ABTS) radical scavenging assays, respectively. Most of the binary mixtures (LC-HE, LC-HP, HE-HP, LT-HE, and LT-HP combinations) showed the synergistic antioxidant effects. In DPPH assay, the greatest antioxidant activity of vegetable combinations was 1:9 LT-HP (EC50 : 2.45 ± 0.13 mg/mL), followed by 9:1 HE-HP (EC50 : 3.62 ± 0.12 mg/mL) and 1:9 LC-HE (EC50 : 3.74 ± 0.47 mg/mL). In ABTS assay, the greatest antioxidant activity of vegetable combinations was 9:1 HE-HP (EC50 : 4.20 ± 0.10 mg/mL), followed by 7:3 HE-HP (EC50 : 4.41 ± 0.63 mg/mL) and 1:1 HE-HP (EC50 : 5.35 ± 0.85 mg/mL). Among these combinations, 1:1 LC-HE combination showed the highest synergistic antioxidant effects in DPPH assay (synergistic rate: 87.4%), and 7:3 LC-HE combination showed the highest synergistic antioxidant effects in ABTS assay (synergistic rate: 87.0%). The mixtures of phenolics and carotenoids with suitable ratios in vegetables effectively enhanced the synergistic antioxidant effects., (© 2015 Institute of Food Technologists®)

Aim: To investigate whether liver lobe volume and albumin (ALB) could predict the presence and severity of liver cirrhosis, and esophageal varices., Methods: Seventy-one cirrhotic patients with hepatitis B and 21 healthy individuals were enrolled in this study. All the participants underwent abdominal enhanced magnetic resonance imaging to measure each liver lobe volume, and biochemical workup for testing ALB and Child-Pugh class. All cirrhotic patients underwent upper gastrointestinal endoscopy to show the presence of cirrhotic esophageal varices. Right liver lobe volume (RV), left medial liver lobe volume (LMV), left lateral liver lobe volume (LLV), and caudate lobe volume (CV) were measured using enhanced magnetic resonance imaging. The ratios of RV to ALB (RV/ALB), LMV to ALB (LMV/ALB), LLV to ALB (LLV/ALB) and CV to ALB (CV/ALB) were calculated. Statistical analyses were performed to determine whether and how the combination of liver lobe volume measured using magnetic resonance imaging and albumin could predict the presence and severity of liver cirrhosis, and the presence of esophageal varices., Results: RV, LMV, LLV and CV decreased (r = -0.51-0.373; all P < 0.05), while RV/ALB increased (r = 0.424; P < 0.05), with the progress of Child-Pugh class of liver cirrhosis. RV, LMV, CV, LLV/ALB and CV/ALB could identify presence of liver cirrhosis; LLV and LMV could distinguish Child-Pugh class A from B; RV, LMV, LLV, CV, RV/ALB and LLV/ALB could distinguish class A from C; RV and LLV/ALB could differentiate B from C; and RV, RV/ALB and CV/ALB could identify presence of esophageal varices (all P < 0.05). Among these parameters, CV/ALB could best identify the presence of liver cirrhosis, with an area under receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) of 0.860, a sensitivity of 82.0% and a specificity of 83.0%. LLV could best distinguish class A from B, with an AUC of 0.761, a sensitivity of 74.4% and a specificity of 73.1%. RV could best distinguish class A from C, with an AUC of 0.900, a sensitivity of 90.3% and a specificity of 84.5%. LLV/ALB could best distinguish class B from C, with an AUC of 0.900, a sensitivity of 93.8% and a specificity of 81.5%. RV/ALB could best identify esophageal varices, with an AUC of 0.890, a sensitivity of 80.0% and a specificity of 83.5%., Conclusion: The combination of liver lobe volume and ALB has potential to identify presence and severity of cirrhosis, and presence of esophageal varices.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the hepatoprotective effect of maltol, a food-flavoring agent, on alcohol-induced acute oxidative damage in mice. Maltol used in this study was isolated from red ginseng (Panax ginseng C.A Meyer) and analyzed by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and mass spectrometry. For hepatoprotective activity in vivo, pretreatment with maltol (12.5, 25 and 50 mg/kg; 15 days) drastically prevented the elevated activities of aspartate transaminase (AST), alanine transaminase (ALT), alkaline phosphatase (ALP) and triglyceride (TG) in serum and the levels of malondialdehyde (MDA), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), interleukin-1β (IL-1β) in liver tissue (p < 0.05). Meanwhile, the levels of hepatic antioxidant, such as catalase (CAT), superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) were elevated by maltol pretreatment, compared to the alcohol group (p < 0.05). Histopathological examination revealed that maltol pretreatment significantly inhibited alcohol-induced hepatocyte apoptosis and fatty degeneration. Interestingly, pretreatment of maltol effectively relieved alcohol-induced oxidative damage in a dose-dependent manner. Maltol appeared to possess promising anti-oxidative and anti-inflammatory capacities. It was suggested that the hepatoprotective effect exhibited by maltol on alcohol-induced liver oxidative injury may be due to its potent antioxidant properties.

Four vegetable oils with typical fatty acid compositions were chosen to determine their indicators of lipid oxidation under the conditions of accelerated oxidation. Good linear correlations were observed between the total nonpolar carbonyl amount and the total oxidation value (TOTOX, R(2) = 0.89-0.97) or peroxide value (POV, R(2) = 0.92-0.97) during 35 days of accelerated oxidation. Additionally, nonanal in camellia oil (oleic acid mainly) increased significantly, and correlated linearly with TOTOX (21.6 TOTOX - 595, R(2) = 0.92); propanal increased significantly in perilla oil (linolenic acid mainly) and correlated linearly with TOTOX (8.10 TOTOX + 75.0, R(2) = 0.90). Hexanal (9.56 TOTOX + 913, R(2) = 0.90, and 7.10 TOTOX + 342, R(2) = 0.78, respectively) and nonenal (10.5 TOTOX + 691, R(2) = 0.95, and 6.65 TOTOX + 276, R(2) = 0.84, respectively) in sunflower oil (linoleic acid mainly) and palm oil (palmitic and oleic acids mainly) also had good linear correlations with TOTOX. Considering the change patterns of these four aldehydes, it was found that the oxidation stability was in the order sunflower oil < camellia oil < perilla oil < palm oil, which was same as POV, TOTOX, and total nonpolar carbonyls. It was concluded that the four aldehydes nonanal, propanal, hexanal, and nonenal could be used as oxidation indicators for the four types of oils.

In China, most of the studies of vehicular greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions have been focused on CO2 emissions. The investigation of non-CO2 GHGs, e.g. CH4 and N2O, are mainly carried out based on models developed in Europe and the US, and there are few vehicle emission tests for CH4 and N2O. In this study, 22 light-duty gasoline vehicles (LDGVs) were selected for tailpipe CH4 and N2O tests using chassis dynamometer, and their emission factors were obtained based on the NEDC driving cycle. The results showed that the CH4 emission factors of China I to China IV LDGVs were 0.048 g x km(-1), 0.048 g x km(-1), 0.038 g x km(-1) and 0.028 g x km(-1), respectively. For N2O, the emission factors of China I to China IV were 0.045 g x km(-1), 0.039 g x km(-1), 0.026 g x km(-1) and 0.021 g x km(-1), respectively. In the GHGs emissions (in terms of CO2 Eq.) per LDGV, the percentage of CH4 and N2O emissions decreased gradually with tightening of emission standards. The contribution of CH4 emissions was lower than 0.5% in the total emissions, and N2O share rate was between 3.03% and 6.35%. Therefore, tightening emission standards can effectively reduce the CH4 and N2O emissions, to mitigate the greenhouse effects caused by vehicle emissions.

In the present study, a human milk fat substitute (HMFS) enriched in medium-chain fatty acids (MCFAs) was synthesized through acidolysis reaction from Cinnamomum camphora seed oil (CCSO) with oleic acid in a solvent-free system. A commercial immobilized lipase, Lipozyme RM IM, from Rhizomucor miehei, was facilitated as a biocatalyst. Effects of different reaction conditions, including substrate molar ratio, enzyme concentration, reaction temperature, and reaction time were investigated using response surface methodology (RSM) to obtain the optimal oleic acid incorporation. After optimization, results showed that the maximal incorporation of oleic acid into HMFS was 59.68%. Compared with CCSO, medium-chain fatty acids at the sn-2 position of HMFS accounted for >70%, whereas oleic acid was occupied predominantly at the sn-1,3 position (78.69%). Meanwhile, triacylglycerol (TAG) components of OCO (23.93%), CCO (14.94%), LaCO (13.58%), OLaO (12.66%), and OOO (11.13%) were determined as the major TAG species in HMFS. The final optimal reaction conditions were carried out as follows: substrate molar ratio (oleic acid/CCSO), 5:1; enzyme concentration, 12.5% (w/w total reactants); reaction temperature, 60 °C; and reaction time, 28 h. The reusability of Lipozyme RM IM in the acidolysis reaction was also evaluated, and it was found that it could be reused up to 9 times without significant loss of activities. Urea inclusion method was used to separate and purify the synthetic product. As the ratio of HMFS/urea increased to 1:2, the acid value lowered to the minimum. In a scale-up experiment, the contents of TAG and total tocopherols in HMFS (modified CCSO) were 77.28% and 12.27 mg/100 g, respectively. All of the physicochemical indices of purified product were within food standards. Therefore, such a MCFA-enriched HMFS produced by using the acidolysis method might have potential application in the infant formula industry.

Objective: This meta-analysis aimed to compare the diagnostic accuracy of diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (DW-MRI) and fluorodeoxyglucose-positron emission tomography (FDG-PET) or FDG-PET/computed tomography (CT) in evaluating and predicting pathological response to preoperative neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy (NCRT) in patients with rectal cancer., Methods: A comprehensive literature research was conducted to identify the relevant studies for this meta-analysis. Combined sensitivity, specificity, positive (PPV) and negative predictive values (NPV) were calculated., Results: A total of 33 studies including 1564 patients met the inclusion criteria. The pooled sensitivity (81% [95% CI 74-86%] vs 85% [95% CI 75-91%]) and NPV (80% [95% CI 68-89%] vs 91% [95% CI 80-95%]) for FDG-PET or FDG-PET/CT were significantly lower than those for DW-MRI (P < 0.05). No differences were observed in pooled specificity and PPV between DW-MRI and FDG-PET or FDG-PET/CT. Further subgroup analyses showed that DW-MRI had higher sensitivity on adenocarcinomas alone than on those including mucinous-type adenocarcinomas (92% [95% CI 83-99%] vs 76% [95% CI 63-90%], P = 0.00)., Conclusions: DW-MRI is superior to FDG-PET or FDG-PET/CT in predicting and evaluating pathological responses to preoperative NCRT in patients with rectal cancer. However, its relatively low specificity and PPV limit its application in clinic, making it currently inappropriate to monitor such patients, especially those with mucinous-type rectal adenocarcinomas., (© 2014 Chinese Medical Association Shanghai Branch, Chinese Society of Gastroenterology, Renji Hospital Affiliated to Shanghai Jiaotong University School of Medicine and Wiley Publishing Asia Pty Ltd.)

Akebia trifoliata var. australis seed oil (ASO) was used as an edible oil in China. However, in-depth research studies on ASO have yet to be conducted for production of plastic fats in food industry. In this work, an immobilized lipase from Thermomyces lanuginosus (TL IM) was employed to catalyze palm stearin (PS) with different ratios of ASO in a laboratory-scale operation at 60 °C. The physical properties [e.g., fatty acid profile, slip melting point (SMP), solid fat content (SFC), polymorphic form, and microstructure] of physical blends (PBs) were analyzed and compared with those of the interesterified products (IPs). Results showed that SMPs of IPs (33.20-37.60 °C) decreased compared with those of PBs (48.03-49.30 °C). Meanwhile, IPs showed a good SFC range from 16.11% to 28.29% at 25 °C with mostly β' polymorphic forms determined by X-ray diffraction analysis. It should be mentioned that no trans fatty acids (TFAs) were detected in any products, suggesting much more health-benefits of IPs. Texture tests showed that PBs (3318.19 ± 86.67 g) were markedly harder than IPs (557.02 ± 12.75 g). Conclusively, our study demonstrated that ASO can be utilized to produce trans-free plastic fats with good qualities through lipase-catalyzed interesterification.

Ginsenoside Rh2 and its octyl ester derivative (Rh2-O) were investigated for their transcellular transport in the Caco-2 cell system and their protective effect against oxidative stress in human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs). Results showed that the transport rates for apical-to-basolateral (AP-BL) flux of Rh2 (0.21 × 10⁻⁶ cm/s) was enhanced by the synthesis of its esterified derivative Rh2-O (1.93 × 10⁻⁶ cm/s) over the concentrations of 10-50 μM. In addition, both Rh2 and its esterified derivative Rh2-O exhibited similar protective effects against oxidative damage induced by H₂O₂. Pretreatment of Rh2 and Rh2-O significantly decreased the activation of caspase-3 known to play a key role in H₂O₂-induced cell apoptosis. These results were consistent with that of a flow cytometry assay analyzing HUVECs apoptosis. The present study demonstrated that the absorption of ginsenoside Rh2 in vitro can be significantly enhanced by synthesis of its ester derivative. Meanwhile, no significant discrepancy between Rh2 and Rh2-O on their bioactivities against the oxidative damage induced by H₂O₂ was observed, which means that esterification of Rh2 might have a higher bioavailability than Rh2 in vitro without impacts on pharmaceutical actions.

Industry-generated trans-fatty acids (TFA) are detrimental to risk of CHD, but ruminant-originated TFA have been reported as neutral or equivocal. Therefore, the total TFA amount should not be the only factor considered when measuring the effects of TFA. In the present study, we addressed whether a version of the TFA index that unifies the effects of different TFA isomers into one equation could be used to reflect CHD risk probability (RP). The present cross-sectional study involved 2713 individuals divided into four groups that represented different pathological severities and potential risks of CHD: acute coronary syndrome (ACS, n 581); chronic coronary artery disease (CCAD, n 631); high-risk population (HRP, n 659); healthy volunteers (HV, n 842). A 10-year CHD RP was calculated. Meanwhile, the equation of the TFA index was derived using five TFA isomers (trans-16 : 1n-7, trans-16 : 1n-9, trans-18 : 1n-7, trans-18 : 1n-9 and trans-18 : 2n-6n-9), which were detected in the whole blood, serum and erythrocyte membranes of each subject. The TFA index and the 10-year CHD RP were compared by linear models. It was shown that only in the erythrocyte membrane, the TFA isomers were significantly different between the groups. In the ACS group, industry-generated TFA (trans-16 : 1n-9, trans-18 : 1n-9 and trans-18 : 2n-6n-9) were the highest, whereas ruminant-originated TFA (trans-16 : 1n-7 and trans-18 : 1n-7), which manifested an inverse relationship with CHD, were the lowest, and vice versa in the HV group. The TFA index decreased progressively from 7·12 to 5·06, 3·11 and 1·92 in the ACS, CCAD, HRP and HV groups, respectively. The erythrocyte membrane TFA index was positively associated with the 10-year CHD RP (R 2 0·9981) and manifested a strong linear correlation, which might reflect the true pathological severity of CHD.

Trans fatty acids (TFA) have been considered as an independent risk factor of coronary heart disease, sudden death and insulin-resistance, and different TFA isomers may have different effects on the progression of cardiovascular diseases such as atherosclerosis. The aim of the study was to investigate the effects of two major TFA, elaidic acid and linolelaidic acid which have the same number of carbons but a different number and configuration of trans bonds, on the proliferation of human umbilical vein smooth muscle cells (HUVSMC). Methyl thiazolyl tetrazolium and flow cytometry assays showed that the cell proliferation rose to 115.37 ± 0.39 and 117.5 ± 0.57 % and the cell number in the S phase of the cell cycle reached 27.7 ± 0.7 and 25.8 ± 2.8 % when treated with 50 μM elaidic acid and 20 μM linolelaidic acid, respectively. Quantitative real-time reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction and Western blotting analyses showed that the two TFA increased the mRNA and protein expression levels of PCNA, CDK2 and Cyclin E in HUVSMC. Moreover, gas chromatography analysis showed that the total PUFA level of HUVSMC was lower after treatment with the two TFA, especially n-3 PUFA. These results suggested that linolelaidic acid exhibited a stronger proliferative effect on HUVSMC than elaidic acid, and regulation of CDK2 and Cyclin E may be important for the effect of the TFA on atherosclerosis.

The aim of this research was to evaluate the oxidative stabilities and qualities of different vegetable oils (almond, blend 1-8, camellia, corn, palm, peanut, rapeseed, sesame, soybean, sunflower, and zanthoxylum oil) based on peroxide value (PV), vitamin E content, free fatty acid, and fatty acid composition. The vegetable oils with different initial fatty acid compositions were studied under accelerated oxidation condition. It showed that PV and n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) changed significantly during 21 d accelerated oxidation storage. Based on the changes of PV and fatty acid composition during the oxidation process, mathematical models were hypothesized and the models were simulated by Matlab to generate the proposed equations. These equations were established on the basis of the different PUFA contents as 10% to 28%, 28% to 46%, and 46% to 64%, respectively. The simulated models were proven to be validated and valuable for assessing the degree of oxidation and predicting the shelf life of vegetable oils., (© 2013 Institute of Food Technologists®)

In the present study, zero-trans α-linolenic acid (ALA) and medium-chain fatty acids (MCFA)-enriched plastic fats were synthesized through enzymatic interesterification reactions from highly hydrogenated soybean oil (HSO), Cinnamomum camphora seed oil (CCSO), and perilla oil (PO). The reactions were performed by incubating the blending mixtures of HSO, CCSO, and PO at different weight ratios (60:40:100, 70:30:100, 80:20:100) using 10% (total weight of substrate) of Lipozyme TL IM at 65 °C for 8 h. After reaction, the physical properties (fatty acids profile, TAG composition, solid fat content, slip melting point, contents of tocopherol, polymorphic forms, and microstructures) of the interesterified products and their physical blends were determined, respectively. Results showed that the fatty acid compositions of the interesterified products and physical blends had no significant changes, while the content of MCFA in both interesterified products and physical blends increased to 8.58-18.72%. Several new types of TAG species were observed in interesterified products (SSL/SLS, PLO/LLS, and OLLn/LnLO/LOLn). It should be mentioned that no trans fatty acids (TFA) were detected in all products. As the temperature increased, the solid fat content (SFC) of interesterified products was obviously lower than that of physical blends. The SFCs of interesterified products (60:40:100, 70:30:100, and 80:20:100, HSO:CCSO:PO) at 25 °C were 6.5%, 14.6%, and 16.5%, respectively, whereas the counterparts of physical blends were 32.5%, 38.5%, and 43.5%, respectively. Meanwhile, interesterified products showed more β' polymorphs than physical blends, in which β' polymorph is a favorite form for production of margarine and shortening. Such zero-trans ALA and MCFA-enriched fats may have desirable physical and nutritional properties for shortenings and margarines.

Trans fatty acids (TFA) are reported to contribute to inflammation and coronary heart disease. The study aim was to investigate the proapoptotic effects of two double bond TFA (TDTFA) on human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC). The HUVEC were grown in media supplied with linoelaidic acid (9t,12t-C18:2) at 50, 100, 200, 400 μmol/l for 24 or 48 h to examine the effects of TDTFA on the viability and apoptosis of these cells. Flow cytometry analysis and confocal scanning were used to measure apoptosis, cell binding of Annexin V and propidium iodide uptake. Colorimetric assay and RT-PCR were used to analyze enzyme activities and mRNA expression of caspase-3, -8 and -9 in HUVEC. Results showed that 9t,12t-C18:2 inhibited the viability of HUVEC in a dose-dependent and time-dependent manner. The percentages of 9t,12t-C18:2 induced apoptotic and necrotic cells significantly increased compared with that of the control. The activities and mRNA expression of caspase-8, -9 and -3 were significantly increased in 9t,12t-C18:2 treated cells compared to that of the control. Addition of specific inhibitors of caspase-8 (z-IETD-fmk) and caspase-9 (z-LEHD-fmk) to HUVEC was found to completely inhibit 9t,12t-C18:2-induced activation of caspase-3, and z-IETD-fmk inhibited the activation of caspase-9. Meanwhile, it was found that mRNA expression of Bid, Smac/DIABLO and the release of mitochondrial cytochrome c were significantly elevated by 9t,12t-C18:2 treatment. These results suggest that 9t,12t-C18:2 may induce apoptosis of HUVEC through activating caspase-8, -9 and -3. Both the death receptor pathway and the mitochondrial pathway may be involved in the apoptosis induced by 9t,12t-C18:2.

Ginsenoside compound K (CK) is a bioactive compound with poor oral bioavailability due to its high polarity, while its novel ester prodrugs, the butyl and octyl ester (CK-B and CK-O), are more lipophilic than the original drug and have an excellent bioavailability. The aim of this study was to examine the transport mechanisms of CK, CK-B, and CK-O using human Caco-2 cells. Results showed that CK had a low permeability coefficient (8.65 × 10(-7) cm/s) for apical-to-basolated (AP-BL) transport at 10-50 μM, while the transport rate for AP to BL flux of CK-B (2.97 × 10(-6) cm/s) and CK-O (2.84 × 10(-6) cm/s) was significantly greater than that of CK. Furthermore, the major transport mechanism of CK was found as passive transcellular diffusion with active efflux mediated by P-glycoprotein (P-gp). In addition, it was found that CK-B and CK-O were not the substrate of efflux transporter since the selective inhibitors (verapamil and MK-571) of efflux transporter had little effects on the transport of CK-B and CK-O in the Caco-2 cells. These results suggest that improving the lipophilicity of CK by acylation can significantly improve the transport across Caco-2 cells.

Short packed silica gel column chromatography has been performed to optimize the production of phosphatidylethanolamine (PE) and phosphatidylcholine (PC) from hen egg yolk with very low or no toxic solvents. The effects of silica type, sample loading amount, dimension of the glass chromatotube, and mobile phase compositions were investigated and high separation efficiency was achieved: gradient elution as 200 mL ethanol followed by 300 mL 95% ethanol to fractionate PE and PC after neutral lipids (NL) removed by 120 mL ethyl acetate, 40 mm silica gel (54 to 74 μm) bed height of the chromatotube with 22 mm inner dia (ID), and 0.25 g sample loading amount. By this procedure, 3.69 g PE and 2.88 g PC per 100 g egg yolk lipids were obtained, respectively. The refined PE and PC were identified by high-performance liquid chromatography/ultraviolet detector (HPLC-UV) with purity over 96%. The fatty acids in egg yolk revealed that PE and PC characterized higher ratios of n- 6/n- 3 (PE, 7.41; PC, 8.99). 18:2 n- 6 of PC (15.21%) predominated over PE (10.29%), whereas the level of 20:4 n- 6 of PC (8.78%) was lower than PE (15.67%)., (© 2012 Institute of Food Technologists®)

Clinical evidence regarding the value of MRI for therapy responses assessment in breast cancer is increasing. The objective of this study is to compare the diagnostic capability of diffusion-weighted MR imaging (DW-MRI) and contrast-enhanced MR imaging (CE-MRI) to evaluate and predict pathological response in breast cancer patients receiving neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC). We performed a meta-analysis of all available studies of the diagnostic performance of DW-MRI or CE-MRI to evaluate and predict pathological response to NAC in patients with breast cancer. We determined sensitivities and specificities across studies, calculated positive and negative likelihood ratios (LR+ and LR-), diagnostic odds ratio (DOR) and constructed summary receiver operating characteristic curves using hierarchical regression models. Methodological quality was assessed by QUADAS tool. Thirty-four studies met the inclusion criteria and involved 1,932 pathologically confirmed patients in total. Methodological quality was relatively high. DW-MRI sensitivity was 0.93 (95 % CI 0.82-0.97) and specificity was 0.82 (95 % CI 0.70-0.90). Overall LR+ was 5.09 (95 % CI 3.09-8.38), LR- was 0.09 (95 % CI 0.04-0.22), and DOR was 55.59 (95 % CI 21.80-141.80). CE-MRI sensitivity was 0.68 (95 % CI 0.57-0.77) and specificity was 0.91 (95 % CI 0.87-0.94). Overall LR+ was 7.48 (95 % CI 5.29-10.57), LR- was 0.36 (95 % CI 0.27-0.48), and DOR was 20.98 (95 % CI 13.24-33.24). Our study confirms that DW-MRI is a high sensitive and CE-MRI is a high specific modality in predicting pathological response to NAC in breast cancer patients. The combined use of DW-MRI and CE-MRI has the potential to improve the diagnostic performance in monitoring NAC. Further large prospective studies are warranted to assess the actual value of this combination in breast cancer preoperative treatment screening.

Objective: We aimed to explore the role of diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) in combination with T2-weighted imaging (T2WI) in detecting prostate carcinoma through a systematic review and meta-analysis., Materials and Methods: The MEDLINE, EMBASE, Cancerlit, and Cochrane Library databases were searched for studies published from January 2001 to July 2011 evaluating the diagnostic performance of T2WI combined with DWI in detecting prostate carcinoma. We determined sensitivities and specificities across studies, calculated positive and negative likelihood ratios, and constructed summary receiver operating characteristic curves. We also compared the performance of T2WI combined with DWI with T2WI alone by analyzing studies that had also used these diagnostic methods on the same patients., Results: Across 10 studies (627 patients), the pooled sensitivity of T2WI combined with DWI was 0.76 (95% CI, 0.65-0.84), and the pooled specificity was 0.82 (95% CI, 0.77-0.87). Overall, the positive likelihood ratio was 4.31 (95% CI, 3.12-5.92), and the negative likelihood ratio was 0.29 (95% CI, 0.20-0.43). In seven studies in which T2WI combined with DWI and T2WI alone were performed, the sensitivity and specificity of T2WI combined with DWI were 0.72 (95% CI, 0.67-0.82) and 0.81 (95% CI, 0.76-0.86), respectively, and the sensitivity and specificity of T2WI alone were 0.62 (95% CI, 0.55-0.68) and 0.77 (95% CI, 0.71-0.82), respectively., Conclusion: T2WI combined with DWI may be a valuable tool for detecting prostate cancer in the overall evaluation of prostate cancer, compared with T2WI alone. High-quality prospective studies of T2WI combined with DWI to detect prostate carcinoma still need to be conducted.

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of glutamate (Glu) and citrate (Cit) on the absorption and distribution of aluminum in rats. In the in vitro experiment, 18 adult male Sprague-Dawley rats (average weight of 250 ± 15 g) were randomly divided into three groups. The entire intestine was rapidly removed and cultured in prediction samples of 20 mmol AlCl(3), 20 mmol AlCl(3)+20 mmol Cit, and 20 mmol AlCl(3)+20 mmol Glu, respectively. Liquid in different intestines and the intestines were obtained for Al determination. In the in vivo chronic study, 24 adult male Sprague-Dawley rats (average weight of 127 ± 10 g) were divided into four groups fed with the following diets: no Al and Glu added (control), AlCl(3) (1.2 mmol), AlCl(3) (1.2 mmol) + Cit (1.2 mmol), and AlCl(3) (1.2 mmol) + Glu (1.2 mmol) daily for 50 days, respectively. After rat sacrifice, blood samples were obtained for biochemical analyses, and organ samples like the brain, kidney, liver, and bone were rapidly taken for Al determination. The results showed that the absorption rate of Al with the following order: duodenum > jejunum > ileum in the in vitro study and the administration of AlCl(3)+Cit or AlCl(3)+Glu resulted in significant increases in Al absorption in the three parts of the gut (duodenum, jejunum, and ileum) compared to the AlCl(3) alone group based on wet weight (P < 0.05). There were no differences between the AlCl(3)+Cit and AlCl(3)+Glu groups. In the in vivo chronic study, supplementing either AlCl(3) alone or AlCl(3)+Glu decreased food consumption significantly (P < 0.05) compared with the control group. Compared with the control group, animals fed with the AlCl(3) diet monitored for red blood cell, kidney, and liver showed a higher level (P < 0.05), but did not significantly increase Al retention in the brain and bone (P > 0.05); animals fed with AlCl(3)+Cit diets were monitored for higher Al retention in the brain, kidney, bone, and liver (P < 0.05), while animals fed with AlCl(3)+Glu diets were monitored for red blood cell, brain, and kidney (P < 0.05). Compared with the AlCl(3) group, simultaneous administration of AlCl(3) and Glu led to a significant increase in Al retention in red blood cell, brain, and kidney (P < 0.01) while AlCl(3) and Cit in the kidney and bone (P < 0.01). Simultaneous administration of AlCl(3) and Cit significantly increases plasma malondialdehyde level (P < 0.05); both simultaneous administration of AlCl(3) and Glu or AlCl(3) and Cit led to significant decreases in superoxide dismutase level in the plasma (P < 0.05), while AlCl3 alone did not. The results indicated that both Cit and Glu enhanced Al absorption in the intestine in vitro, and Glu increased Al deposition in red blood cell, brain, and kidney in vivo.

Background and Aim: To obtain diagnostic performance of diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (DWI) and fluorine 18 fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) in the detection of pancreatic malignancy., Methods: We performed a meta-analysis of all available studies of the diagnostic performance of DWI and PET/CT for pancreatic malignancy. MEDLINE, EMBASE, Cochrane library and some other databases were searched for initial studies. We determined sensitivities and specificities across studies, calculated positive and negative likelihood ratios (LR+ and LR-), and constructed summary receiver operating characteristic curves (SROC) using hierarchical regression models., Results: Across 16 studies with 804 patients, PET/CT sensitivity was 0.87 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.82, 0.81) and specificity was 0.83 (95% CI, 0.71, 0.91). Overall, LR+ was 5.84 (95% CI, 4.59, 7.42) and LR- was 0.24 (95% CI, 0.17, 0.33). DWI sensitivity was 0.85 (95% CI, 0.74, 0.92) and specificity was 0.91 (95% CI, 0.71, 0.98). LR+ was 9.53 (95% CI, 2.41, 37.65) and LR- was 0.17 (95% CI, 0.09, 0.32). In subgroup analysis, the sensitivity of enhanced versus unenhanced PET/CT in the detection of pancreatic cancer was 0.91 (95% CI, 0.86, 0.96) versus 0.84 (95% CI, 0.78, 0.90) (P > 0.05), the specificity 0.88 (95% CI, 0.73, 1.00) versus 0.81 (95% CI, 0.69, 0.94) (P > 0.05)., Conclusion: Positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) was highly sensitive and DWI was a highly specific modality in diagnosing patients with pancreatic malignancy. PET/CT and DWI could play different roles in diagnosing pancreatic carcinoma. Enhanced PET/CT seems to be superior to unenhanced PET/CT. Further larger prospective studies are needed to establish its value for diagnosis in pancreatic cancer., (© 2012 Journal of Gastroenterology and Hepatology Foundation and Blackwell Publishing Asia Pty Ltd.)

Endothelial cell injury caused by reactive oxygen species (ROS) plays a critical role in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis. Therefore, phytochemicals or antioxidants that inhibit the production of ROS have clinical value for the treatment of atherosclerosis. Rhein is one of the most important active components of rhubarb (Rheum officinale), a famous traditional Chinese remedy that possesses potent antioxidant properties through undefined mechanism(s). The aim of the present study was to determine whether rhein inhibits hydrogen peroxide (H2O2)-induced injury in human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs). The oxidative injury model was established with H2O2. HUVECs were treated with different concentrations of rhein in the presence/absence of H2O2. The protective effects of rhein against the injury caused by H2O2 were evaluated. HUVECs incubated with 200 µmol/l H2O2 had significantly decreased cell viability, which was accompanied by cell apoptosis and upregulated Bid and caspase-3, -8 and -9 mRNA expression. Meanwhile, H2O2 treatment induced a marked increase in malondialdehyde (MDA) and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) content and decreased the nitric oxide (NO) content and nitrogen oxide synthase (NOS), superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-PX) activity. However, pre-treatment with different rhein concentrations (2, 4, 8 and 16 µmol/l) significantly increased the viability of H2O2-injured HUVECs, decreased the MDA and LDH content, increased the NO content and NOS, SOD and GSH-PX activity in a dose-dependent manner and resulted in significant recovery from H2O2-induced cell apoptosis. In addition, the results of the qRT-PCR indicated that pre‑treatment with rhein downregulates the expression of Bid and caspase-3, -8 and -9 mRNA, which plays a key role in H2O2-induced cell apoptosis. The present study shows that rhein protects endothelial cells against oxidative injury induced by H2O2, suggesting that rhein is a potential compound for the prevention and treatment of atherosclerosis.

It is known that Cinnamomum camphora seed oil (CCSO) is rich in medium-chain fatty acids (MCFAs) or medium-chain triacylglycerols (MCTs). The purpose of the present study was to produce zero-trans MCTs-enriched plastic fat from a lipid mixture (500 g) of palm stearin (PS) and CCSO at 3 weight ratios (PS:CCSO 60:40, 70:30, 80:20, wt/wt) by using lipase (Lipozyme TL IM, 10% of total substrate) as a catalyst at 65 °C for 8 h. The major fatty acids of the products were palmitic acid (C16:0, 42.68% to 53.42%), oleic acid (C18:1, 22.41% to 23.46%), and MCFAs (8.67% to 18.73%). Alpha-tocopherol (0.48 to 2.51 mg/100 g), γ-tocopherol (1.70 to 3.88 mg/100 g), and δ-tocopherol (2.08 to 3.95 mg/100 g) were detected in the interesterified products. The physical properties including solid fat content (SFC), slip melting point (SMP), and crystal polymorphism of the products were evaluated for possible application in shortening or margarine. Results showed that the SFCs of interesterified products at 25 °C were 9% (60:40, PS:CCSO), 18.50% (70:30, PS:CCSO), and 29.2% (80:20, PS:CCSO), respectively. The β' crystal form was found in most of the interesterified products. Furthermore, no trans fatty acids were detected in the products. Such zero-trans MCT-enriched fats may have a potential functionality for shortenings and margarines which may become a new type of nutritional plastic fat for daily diet., (© 2012 Institute of Food Technologists®)

Background and Aim: We aimed to explore the role of the diagnostic accuracy of (18) F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography ((18) F-FDG PET) in detecting recurrent gastric cancer through a systematic review and meta-analysis., Methods: The MEDLINE, EMBASE, Cancerlit, and Cochrane Library database, from January 2001 to July 2011, were searched for studies evaluating the diagnostic performance of (18) F-FDG PET in detecting recurrent gastric cancer. We determined the sensitivities and specificities across studies, calculated positive and negative likelihood ratios (LR+ and LR-), and constructed summary receiver operating characteristic curves. We also compared the performance of (18) F-FDG PET with computed tomography (CT) by analyzing studies that had also used these diagnostic methods on the same patients., Results: Across nine studies (526 patients), the overall sensitivity of (18) F-FDG PET was 0.78 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.68-0.86), and the overall specificity was 0.82 (95% CI: 0.76-0.87). Overall, LR+ was 3.52 (95% CI: 2.68-4.63) and LR- was 0.32 (95% CI: 0.22-0.46). In studies in which both (18) F-FDG PET and other diagnostic tests were performed, the sensitivity and specificity of (18) F-FDG PET were 0.72 (95% CI: 0.62-0.80) and 0.84 (95% CI: 0.77-0.90), respectively; of contrast CT, they were 0.74 (95% CI: 0.64-0.83) and 0.85 (95% CI: 0.78-0.90), respectively; and of combined PET and CT, they were 0.75 (95% CI: 0.67-0.82) and 0.85 (95% CI 0.79-0.90), respectively. Study sensitivity was not correlated with the prevalence of recurrent gastric cancer., Conclusion: (18) F-FDG PET has good diagnostic performance in the overall evaluation of recurrent gastric cancer, but still has some limited performance compared with contrast CT. (18) F-FDG PET combined with CT might improve the diagnostic performance in detecting recurrent gastric cancer., (© 2011 Journal of Gastroenterology and Hepatology Foundation and Blackwell Publishing Asia Pty Ltd.)

Although TFAs (trans fatty acids) do have effects on many endothelial functions, systemic inflammation and immune disorders, only limited experimental evidence is available that TFAs participate in the pathogenesis of endothelial cell apoptosis. HUVEC (human umbilical vein endothelial cells) were grown in medium with elaidic acid (9t-C18:1) at 50, 100, 200 and 400 μmol/l for 24 h. Apoptosis was measured by flow cytometry, and caspase 3, 8 and 9 activities by colorimetric assay and their mRNA expression by qRT-PCR (quantitative real-time PCR). Results showed that 9t-C18:1 induced apoptosis of HUVEC in a dose-dependent manner. The activities and mRNA expression of caspases 8, 9 and 3 were significantly increased compared with that of the control. Z-IETD-FMK and Z-LEHD-FMK inhibited the activation of caspase 3 and apoptosis induced by 9t-C18:1. Also Z-IETD-FMK inhibited the activation of caspase 9. mRNA expressions of Bid and Smac (second mitochondria-derived activator of caspase)/DIABLO [direct IAP (inhibitor of apoptosis)-binding protein with low pI] were also significantly elevated. We conclude that 9t-C18:1 induces apoptosis of HUVEC through activating caspases 8, 9 and 3. The death receptor pathway and the mitochondrial pathway both participated in the apoptosis course induced by 9t-C18:1.

The fatty acids (FA) compositions and positional distributions in triacylglycerols (TAG) and phospholipids (PL) of five wild freshwater fish (Squaliobarbus curriculus, Erythroculter ilishaeformis, Pseudobagrus fulvidraco, Bostrichthys sinensis, and Siniperca kneri Garman) from Poyang Lake (the largest freshwater lake of China) were studied. For TAG, S. kneri German had the highest content (13.59%) of n - 3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) and E. ilishaeformis had the lowest ratio of (n - 6)/(n - 3) (0.65). PL had a high content of PUFA, which declined in the order of phosphatidylethanolamine (PE) > phosphatidylcholine (PC) > TAG. 9c11t-18:2 accounted for 6.38-50.77% of total conjugated linoleic acids (CLA). The highest level of odd-branched chain fatty acids (OBCFA) was 26.7% in B. sinensis. The study revealed that the distribution of FA among the sn positions was not random: monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFA) and PUFA preferred positions 1 and 3 and saturated fatty acids (SFA) position 2 of TAG, while SFA and MUFA predominated over sn-1-PL and PUFA over sn-2-PL.

Medium-chain triacylglycerol (MCT)-enriched oil was extracted by supercritical fluid extraction of carbon dioxide (SFE-CO(2)) from Cinnamomum camphora seeds. The SFE-CO(2) process was optimized using the Box-Behnken design (BBD). The maximum oil yield (42.82%) was obtained under the optimal SFE-CO(2) conditions: extraction pressure, 21.16 MPa; extraction temperature, 45.67 °C; and extraction time, 2.38 h. Subsequently, the physicochemical characteristics, fatty acid composition, triacylglycerol (TAG) composition, tocopherol content, and DSC profile as well as oxidative stabilities of C. camphora seed oil (CCSO) were studied. Results showed that CCSO contained two major medium-chain fatty acids, capric acid (53.27%) and lauric acid (39.93%). The predominant TAG species in CCSO was LaCC/CLaC (ECN 32, 79.29%). Meanwhile, it can be found that CCSO had much higher oxidative stabilities than coconut oil due to the higher content of tocopherols in CCSO (α-tocopherol, 8.67 ± 0.51 mg/100 g; γ-tocopherol, 22.6 ± 1.02 mg/100 g; δ-tocopherol, 8.38 ± 0.47 mg/100 g). Conclusively, CCSO with such a high level of MCTs and high oxidative stabilities could be potentially applied in special food for specific persons such as weak patients and overweight persons because oils enriched in MCTs can be rapidly absorbed into body to provide energy without fat accumulation.

An investigation was made on the water quality and plant community in 17 urban wetlands in east suburb of Nanjing City, and the spatial heterogeneity of the water quality was analyzed at ecosystem scale, catchment scale, and functional landscape scale. Wetland type and the characteristics of plant community were the main factors affecting the water quality at ecosystem scale. Primitive wetland had the best water quality, followed by reconstructed wetland, and secondary wetland. The higher plant coverage the wetland had, the better the water quality was. Land use type was the main factor affecting the water quality at catchment scale. Constructive land had greater effects on water nutrients content, while woodland mainly affected water dissolved oxygen. Human activity was the main factor affecting the water quality at functional landscape scale, and the effects differed with different water quality indices.

The kinds and contents of surface elements in three-way catalysts of six light-duty in-use taxi cabs, which were mainly operated in Beijing and whose driving mileages were in the range of 34 x 10(4)-59 x 10(4) km, were determined by X-ray fluorescence spectrometry (XRF), and the effect of driving mileage on element content was investigated. Results showed that nearly 30 kinds of elements were present on the catalyst surface. The main elements of different samples were similar. The common elements of the pollutant on the front and rear catalysts were P, Ca, Zn and Mn etc., most of which are from engine oil and gasoline. S was only observed on the rear catalysts, indicating that S tends to deposit on the rear catalysts. After 34 x 10(4) km run, the P content increased very slowly and 40 x 10(4) km run S content reached a saturated value. While the contents of Ca, Zn and Mn still exhibit an increase tendency after 56 x 10(4) km. That means after 40 x 10(4) km driving mileage, the effects of P and S on the catalyst activity are minor, and the continuous deposit of Ca, Zn and Mn will lead to further decrease of the activity.

Criminal responsibility is divided into three types: full criminal responsibility, diminished criminal responsibility and criminal irresponsibility in China. In forensic psychiatric expertise, doctors often have different opinions about the responsibility in a given case because of lacking objective criteria. The evaluation of criminal responsibility is always unresolved problem in forensic psychiatric expertise. Application of these evaluation tools in forensic psychiatric expertise were reviewed in this article. The value of the tools were still controversial in the reliability and validity, but it is clear that these tools have the positive roles in ensuring the standardization and the uniformity of the forensic investigation.

Background: Trans-free interesterified fat was produced for possible usage as a spreadable margarine stock. Rice bran oil, palm stearin and coconut oil were used as substrates for lipase-catalyzed reaction., Results: After interesterification, 137-150 g kg(-1) medium-chain fatty acid was incorporated into the triacylglycerol (TAG) of the interesterified fats. Solid fat contents at 25 degrees C were 15.5-34.2%, and slip melting point ranged from 27.5 to 34.3 degrees C. POP and PPP (beta-tending TAG) in palm stearin decreased after interesterification. X-ray diffraction analysis demonstrated that the interesterified fats contained mostly beta' polymorphic forms, which is a desirable property for margarines., Conclusions: The interesterified fats showed desirable physical properties and suitable crystal form (beta' polymorph) for possible use as a spreadable margarine stock. Therefore, our result suggested that the interesterified fat without trans fatty acid could be used as an alternative to partially hydrogenated fat.

Reports have shown that Delta-5 polyunsaturated fatty acids (-5 PUFA) are enriched at sn-1,3 positions of triacylglycerols (TAG) in pine (Pinus koraiensis) nut oil (Pn). As a major Delta-5 PUFA, pinolenic acid (Pi) is about 14.2% in the oil, while the percentage of Pi at the sn-1 and/or sn-3 positions in TAG was found more than 20%. In this current study, the enhancement of Pi at the sn-2 position has been achieved by acyl migration during the lipase-catalyzed inter-esterification between Pn and palm stearin (Ps). After reaction, the proportion of Pi increased at sn-2 positional fatty acid even is similar to that in total fatty acid; for example, in the inter-esterified product of 50:50 (Pn:Ps), the same amount of Pi (7.1%) present was detected both at the sn-2 and sn-1,3 positions. However, the reduction of phytosterols and tocopherols are observed in the inter-esterified products.

Hypoglycemic effects of malonyl-ginsenosides (MGR), extracted from roots of Panax ginseng, were examined in streptozotocin- (STZ-) induced diabetic mice. Animals received daily intravenous injections of MGR in doses of 30, 60, 120 mg/kg. At a dose of 120 mg/kg, MGR reduced the fasting blood glucose level of diabetic mice by 77.8% (76.7 +/- 8.5 mg/dl versus 345.2 +/- 35.8 mg/dl, P < 0.01). The same dose also showed a marked improvement in glucose tolerance of 80% (75.3 +/- 10.8 mg/dl versus 375.6 +/- 43.3 mg/dl, P < 0.01) in diabetic mice after four days. The alkali hydrolysis productions of MGR, ginseng panaxadiol (PDS), malonic acid and a mixture of malonic acid with PDS, showed no effects on fasting blood glucose levels indicated the hypoglycemic effect of MGR relied on their unique esterified chemical structures. The findings from this study suggest that MGR extracted from Panax ginseng may be prescribed as adjunct to drug treatment for controlling diabetes mellitus., ((c) 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.)

Based on GIS and principal component analysis method, this paper analyzed the relationships between the patch characteristics and the plant community diversity in the patches of wetlands in Naoli River Watershed in 1950, 1967, 1983 and 2000. The results showed that in 1950-2000, the average patch size of the wetlands and the number of the patches that had the capacity of maintaining more than two types of wetland plant community decreased dramatically, and the minimum patch size was 10.1 km2. Both the plant community diversity index and the number of plant community types had significant positive correlations with the patch size of the wetlands. The larger the patch size, the higher maintenance capacity of plant community diversity. With the decrease of patch size, the patch fragmentation index and patch fragmental dimension increased, while the patch shape index and the plant community diversity index in the patches decreased. With the increase of patch spatial separation, the plant community diversity index in the patches decreased. Principal component analysis indicated that patch size was the most important factor affecting the plant community diversity of wetlands, followed by patch fragmentation and separation.

Rice bran oil (RBO) was fractionated into 2 phases, solid (S-RBO) and liquid (L-RBO), using acetone at -18 degrees C and the weight yield of each S-RBO and L-RBO was 45.5% and 54.5%, respectively. Then, trans-free hard fat was synthesized from trans-free substrate of S-RBO and fully hydrogenated soybean oil (FHSBO) at different molar ratios (S-RBO : FHSBO; 1 : 1, 1 : 1.5, 1 : 2, and 1 : 3) with Lipozyme TL IM lipase (10% of total substrate). Conjugated linoleic acid (CLA, 20% of total substrate) was used as functional fatty acids for the production of trans-free hard fat. After fatty acid analysis, CLA (12.2% to 14.2%) was found on the triacylglycerol (TAG) backbone of the interesterified products along with stearic (37.6% to 49%), palmitic (15% to 17.9%), and oleic acids (13.3% to 19.2%). The interesterified product contained higher level of saturated fatty acid (62.6% to 70.1%) at sn-2 position. Total tocopherols (alpha-, gamma-, and delta-; 1.4 to 2.6 mg/100 g) and phytosterols (campesterol, stigmasterol, and beta-sitosterol; 220.5 to 362.7 mg/100 g) were found in the interesterified products. From DSC results, solid fat contents of the interesterified products (S-RBO : FHSBO 1 : 1, 1 : 1.5, 1 : 2, and 1 : 3) at 25 degrees C were 23.1%, 27%, 30.1%, and 44.9%. The interesterified products consisted mostly of beta' form crystal with a small portion of beta form. The interesterified product (S-RBO : FHSBO 1 : 1.5) was softer than the physical blend but slightly harder than commercial shortenings as measured by texture analyzer. Thus, trans-free hard fat stock, which may have a potential functionality could be produced with various physical properties.

In the lipase (Novozyme 435)-catalyzed synthesis of ginsenoside Rb1 esters, different acyl donors were found to affect not only the degree of conversion but also the regioselectivity. The reaction of acyl donors with short carbon chain was more effective, showing higher conversion than those with long carbon chain. Among the three solvent systems, the reaction in tert-amyl alcohol showed the highest conversion rate, while the reaction in the mixed solvent of t-BuOH and pyridine (1:1) had the lowest conversion rate. To allow the increase of GRb1 lipophilicity, we decided to further study the optimal condition of synthesis of GRb1 with vinyl decanoate with 10 carbon chain fatty acids in tert-amyl alcohol. Response surface methodology (RSM) was employed to optimize the synthesis condition. From the ridge analysis with maximum responses, the maximum GRb1 conversion was predicted to be 61.51% in a combination of factors (40.2 h, 52.95 degrees C, substrate mole ratio 275.57, and enzyme amount 39.81 mg/mL). Further, the adequacy of the predicted model was examined by additional independent experiments at the predicted maximum synthesis conditions. Results showed that the RSM was effective to optimize a combination of factors for lipase-catalyzed synthesis of ginsenoside Rb1 with vinyl decanoate.