Search

Thecocrystals and salts of an antiallergic drug, tranilast, were synthesizedto improve its solubility and photostability. Two tranilast cocrystalswith urea (1) and nicotinamide (2), as wellas two salts with cytosine (3) and sodium ion (4), were obtained and characterized by infrared spectra, thermogravimetricanalyses, differential scanning calorimetry, and powder and singlecrystal X-ray diffractions. The results of single crystal structureanalyses of 1–3indicate that tranilastcombines amide groups in coformers via R22(8) synthon, resulting in a 1:1 stoichiometry.The complexes showed advantages in terms of solubility and photostabilityin comparison to pure tranilast. The maximum solubility values of 1–3in phosphate buffer of pH 6.8 areapproximately 1.6, 1.9, and 2.0 times as large as that of tranilast,and the residual of tranilast is 79.5, 92.9, 88.5, 86.2, and 87.4%for tranilast and 1–4, respectively,under the fluorescent lamp irradiation for 96 h. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Estuarine habitats are a critical zone of the Earth with strong land-sea interactions, that are strongly influenced by human activities. Microplastics (MPs) pollution in the Yellow River Delta (YRD) wetland, a typical young warm-temperate estuarine wetland, has not been comprehensively studied. The morphology, abundance, particle size, and polymer composition of MPs in the surface sediments of the YRD wetland were determined, and the pollution status and ecological risk in the study area were evaluated using the pollution load index (PLI) and potential pollution risk index (PRI). The results showed that the abundance of MPs in the YRD wetland was 20-520 n·kg -1 , with a median value of 150 n·kg -1 . The MPs were primarily fibers in shape and black in color, with particle size over 1 mm. The polymer components were primarily rayon, polyethylene, polyester, and polyethylene terephthalate. The PLI and PRI values of the MPs in the area were between 0.04-0.96 and 0.00-171.60, respectively, indicating that the pollution of MPs in the YRD wetland was at a slightly polluted level with low ecological risk.

Cell death and inflammation are intimately linked during mastitis due to Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus). Pyroptosis, a programmed necrosis triggered by gasdermin protein family, often occurs after inflammatory caspase activation. Many pathogens invade host cells and activate cell-intrinsic death mechanisms, including pyroptosis, apoptosis, and necroptosis. We reported that bovine mammary epithelial cells (MAC-T) respond to S. aureus by NOD-like receptor protein 3 (NLRP3) inflammasome activation through K + efflux, leading to the recruitment of apoptosis-associated speck-like protein (ASC) and the activation of caspase-1. The activated caspase-1 cleaves gasdermin D (GSDMD) and forms a N-terminal pore forming domain that drives swelling and membrane rupture. Membrane rupture results in the release of the pro-inflammatory cytokines IL-18 and IL-1β, which are activated by caspase-1. Can modulate GSDMD activation by NLRP3-dependent caspase-1 activation and then cause pyroptosis of bovine mammary epithelial cells., (© 2022. The Author(s).)

A green and-easy to operate method, the microwave technology, was developed to promote the desulfurization process of phosphate rock, systematically investigates the strengthening effect of microwave, and uses XRD, BET, SEM, XRF, ICP, and EDS to characterize the reactants. The results show that the main reason for the desulfurization efficiency is improved by microwave heating under microwave conditions, different thermal stress phosphate rock materials lead to the destruction of each microstructure, and a specific surface area increased 40.25% phosphate rock. In addition, after microwave irradiation, the pore size of the phosphate rock at 2-5 nm is significantly increased, and the number of mesopores is significantly increased, thereby increasing the desulfurization efficiency of the phosphate rock. By investigating the effects of temperature, oxygen content, flow rate, and solid-liquid ratio on desulfurization efficiency, the paper concludes that the optimal conditions for desulfurization of phosphate rock after microwave irradiation are C(SO 2 ) is 2500 mg·m -3 , temperature is 40 °C, φ(O 2 ) is 5%, solid-liquid ratio is 3.5 g:200 ml, and flue gas flow is 500 ml·min -1 ., (© 2021. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.)

Background: Patients with acute non-lacunar single subcortical infarct (SSI) associated with mild intracranial atherosclerosis (ICAS) have a relatively high incidence of early neurological deterioration (END), resulting in unfavorable functional outcomes. Whether the early administration of argatroban and aspirin or clopidogrel within 6-12 h after symptom onset is effective and safe in these patients is unknown., Methods: A review of the stroke database of Weihai Municipal Hospital, Cheeloo College of Medicine, Shandong University and Qingdao Center Hospital, Qingdao University Medical College in China was undertaken from May 2017 to January 2020 to identify all patients with non-lacunar SSI caused by ICAS within 6-12 h of symptom onset based on MRI screening. Patients were divided into two groups, one comprising those who received argatroban and mono antiplatelet therapy with aspirin or clopidogrel on admission (argatroban group), and the other those who received dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT) with aspirin and clopidogrel during hospitalization (DAPT group). The primary outcome was recovery by 90 days after stroke based on a modified Rankin scale (mRS) score (0 to 1). The secondary outcome was END incidence within 120 h of admission. Safety outcomes were intracranial hemorrhage (ICH) and major extracranial bleeding. The probability of clinical benefit (mRS score 0-1 at 90 days) was estimated using multivariable logistic regression analysis., Results: A total of 304 acute non-lacunar SSI associated with mild ICAS patients were analyzed. At 90 days, 101 (74.2%) patients in the argatroban group and 80 (47.6%) in the DAPT group had an mRS score that improved from 0 to 1 (P < 0.001). The relative risk (95% credible interval) for an mRS score improving from 0 to 1 in the argatroban group was 1.50 (1.05-2.70). END occurred in 10 (7.3%) patients in the argatroban group compared with 37 (22.0%) in the DAPT group (P < 0.001). No patients experienced symptomatic hemorrhagic transformation., Conclusions: Early combined administration of argatroban and an antiplatelet agent (aspirin or clopidogrel) may be beneficial for patients with non-lacunar SSI associated with mild ICAS identified by MRI screening and may attenuate progressive neurological deficits., Trial Registration: Our study is a retrospectively registered trial., (© 2021. The Author(s).)

Bovine mastitis is a common disease in the dairy industry that causes great economic losses. As the primary pathogen of contagious mastitis, Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) can invade bovine mammary epithelial cells, thus evading immune defenses and resulting in persistent infection. Recently, autophagy has been considered an important mechanism for host cells to clear intracellular pathogens. In the current study, autophagy caused by S. aureus was detected, and the correlation between autophagy and intracellular S. aureus survival was assessed. First, a model of intracellular S. aureus infection was established. Then, the autophagy of MAC-T cells was evaluated by confocal microscopy and western blot. Moreover, the activation of the PI3K-Akt-mTOR and ERK1/2 signaling pathways was determined by western blot. Finally, the relationship between intracellular bacteria and autophagy was analyzed by using autophagy regulators (3-methyladenine [3-MA], rapamycin [Rapa] and chloroquine [CQ]). The results showed that S. aureus caused obvious induction of autophagosome formation, transformation of LC3I/II, and degradation of p62/SQSTM1 in MAC-T cells; furthermore, the PI3K-Akt-mTOR and ERK1/2 signaling pathways were activated. The number of intracellular S. aureus increased significantly with autophagy activation by rapamycin, whereas the number decreased when the autophagy flux was inhibited by chloroquine. Therefore, this study indicated that intracellular S. aureus can induce autophagy and utilize it to survive in bovine mammary epithelial cells.

Anthocyanin is a natural plant pigment that acts as an antioxidant and scavenges free radicals. This study aimed to investigate the potential protective role of nightshade anthocyanin (NA), a natural flavonoid compound, against the arsanilic acid (ASA)-induced cell death of DF-1 cells. DF-1 cells were initially exposed to ASA, and then NA was applied to the treated cells. Cell viability, intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS), mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP), and apoptosis were examined. Results showed that NA inhibited the ASA-induced decrease in cell viability, increase in ROS, and loss of MMP in DF-1 cells. Moreover, caspase-3 activation was inhibited by ASA supplementation and NA attenuated the ASA-induced increase in the percentage of apoptotic cells. In summary, our study suggested that NA can enhance ASA-induced cytotoxicity and apoptosis, thereby providing a basis for the molecular mechanisms of NA-mediated protection.

Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) acts as a kind of widely-applied and non-invasive method in the intervention of some neurological disorders. This prospective, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial investigates the effect of rTMS on 30 cases of Alzheimer's disease (AD) participants, who were classified into mild and moderate groups. Neuropsychological tests were carried out using the AD Assessment Scale-cognitive subscale (ADAS-cog), Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE), Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA), and World Health Organization University of California-Los Angeles, Auditory Verbal Learning Test (WHO-UCLA AVLT) before, immediately after, and 6 weeks after the intervention. In this work, data from 30 AD patients revealed that there was no obvious interaction effect of time-by-group. The ADAS-cog, MMSE and WHO-UCLA AVLT score in the rTMS group was significantly improved compared with baselines at 6 weeks after treatment (all p<0.05). Meanwhile, MoCA scores were also obviously ameliorated in the mild AD patients with rTMS. Besides, subgroup analysis showed that the effect of rTMS on the memory and language of mild AD patients was superior to those of moderate AD patients. In conclusion, our findings suggested that repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation improves cognitive function, memory and language level of AD patients, especially in the mild stage of AD. Thus, rTMS can be recommended as a promising adjuvant therapy combined with cholinesterase inhibitors at the mild stage of AD patients.

Acute stroke and transient ischemic attack (TIA) is a great burden not only during hospitalization but also after hospital discharge. The objective of this meta-analysis was to evaluate the hospital readmissions, causes and risk factors after survival of acute stroke and TIA. Pubmed, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, OVID and EMBASE databases were searched to identify studies reporting hospital readmissions after acute stroke and TIA. The primary outcomes were hospital readmission rates during 30 days and 1 year after discharge. The primary causes and risk factors of hospital readmissions were also identified. Ten studies with 253,680 patients were eligible for inclusion. The pooled 30-day and 1-year hospital readmission rates were 17.4 % (95 % CI, 12.7-23.5 %) and 42.5 % (95 % CI, 34.1-51.3 %), respectively. The three major causes of 30-day hospital readmissions were infection (19.9 %), coronary artery disease (CAD) (17.8 %) and recurrent stroke (16.0 %) successively, while the three major causes were recurrent stroke (19.4 %), infection (19.3 %) and CAD (16.3 %) during 1 year's follow-up. There were more patients with CAD in readmits group than that in control group (p = 0.030). The length of index admission, defined as any eligible admission to an acute care hospital assessed in the measure for the outcome, was longer (p = 0.000) and admission National Institutes of Health Stroke Score (NIHSS) was higher (p = 0.002) in readmits group than these in control group. In conclusion, there is high risk of early and long-term hospital readmissions after survival of acute stroke and TIA. These patients with coronary artery disease, longer length of index admission and higher NIHSS deserve deep attention after hospital discharge.

Objective: To explore the effect of repeated hypoxic preconditioning (RHP) on renal ischemia-reperfusion-induced hepatic dysfunction in rats and the underlying mechanism., Methods: A total of 120 normal SD rats were randomly divided into 4 groups (n=40), namely RHP surgical group, RHP sham-operated (RHPS) group, nonhypoxic surgical group (IRI group), and nonhypoxic sham-operated group (S group). The rats in the hypoxic groups were exposed to hypoxia in a hypoxic chamber for 5 days prior to establishment of renal ischemia-reperfusion model by resection of the right kidney and clamping the left renal hilum. Serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT), IL-17 A, TNF-a, liver superoxide dismutase (SOD) and nitric oxide (NO) were detected at 2, 8 and 24h after reperfusion, and Western blotting was used to determine the expression of p-PI3K and p-AKT;HE staining was used to observe the structural changes in the liver., Results: Compared with IRI group, RHP group showed significantly milder hepatic damage, lower ALT levels and higher NO levels at 2, 8, and 24 after reperfusion (P<0.05); TNF-a levels were lowered at 24 h (P<0.05) and SOD increased at 8 h after the reperfusion (P<0.05). Compared with S group, IRI group and RHP group showed significantly higher IL-17A levels (P<0.05) but without significant difference between the latter two groups (P>0.05). The expressions of p-PI3K and P-Al