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Introduction: Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is a prominent lung cancer disease worldwide. Currently, commonly used methods, such as surgery and radiotherapy, have significant side effects. Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) has become a research hotspot because of its safe and effective characteristics. The branches and leaves of Taxus media are abundant in antitumor active compounds, and there has been no research conducted as yet regarding its anti–lung cancer molecular mechanism. Objective: The aim of this study is to investigate the antitumor activity of two samples before and after fermentation of T. media , and to research the molecular mechanism of its inhibitory effect on NSCLC. Methods: The chemical composition of pre-fermentation T. media (TM) and post-fermentation T. media qu (TMQ) were investigated using UHPLC-Q-Qrbitrap HRMS and high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). The anti-lung cancer activities of TM and TMQ were compared using an A549-induced tumor mouse model. An enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) staining, immunohistochemistry, and immunofluorescence were used to determine the of TMQ mechanism of action. Results: The results indicated that TM and TMQ contained 83 compounds, consisting primarily of flavonoids, organic acids, and taxanes. Both taxanes and flavonoids in TMQ were higher than that in TM. Both TM and TMQ effectively inhibited the tumor growth in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), and the inhibition rate was greater in TMQ (57.24%) than in TM (49.62%). TMQ administration downregulated the tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), interleukin-6 (IL-6), and the glutathione (GSH) level and upregulated interferon-γ (IFN-γ), reactive oxygen species (ROS), and malondialdehyde (MDA) levels in the serum of tumor mice. TMQ treatment also increased the protein expression of Bax, Caspase-3, and Beclin-1 in tumor tissues. In contrast, the bcl-2, PI3K, Ki67, ULK1, and mTOR protein levels were suppressed by TMQ. Protein assay analyses reemphasized the superior antitumor effect of TMQ over TM. These cumulative findings demonstrated that the mechanism of action of TMQ was closely related to the activation of transcriptional misregulation in the cancer pathway that inhibited the cholinergic synaptic, AMPK, and PI3K/Akt/mTOR signaling pathways. Conclusion: This study demonstrated that fermentation increased the active ingredient contents and antitumor effects of T. media. In addition, post-fermentation TMQ was superior to TM as a herbal medicine for NSCLC treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is characterized by persistent airway inflammation, with cigarette smoke being a major contributor to epithelial injury. Recent studies have shown that abnormal mitochondrial function is closely linked to the onset and progression of airway inflammation. This study aims to explore the role and underlying molecular mechanisms of mitochondrial dynamics in cigarette smoke-induced airway inflammation. Materials and Methods: Human bronchial epithelial (HBE) cells were exposed to cigarette smoke extract (CSE) to assess the expression of mitochondrial fusion markers MFN2 and OPA1, the fission marker DRP1, and the glucose-regulated protein GRP78. The siRNA and pharmaceutics targeting DRP1, MFN2, and GRP78 were employed. Both cells and supernatants were analyzed for inflammatory factor levels and the related signaling pathways. Results: In this study, HBE cells exposed to CSE showed a significant decrease in the proteins MFN2 and OPA1 and an increase in DRP1. The inhibition of DRP1 expression mitigated inflammation while silencing MFN2 exacerbated it. This was similarly corroborated by the use of the DRP1 inhibitor mdivi-1 and the MFN2 activator leflunomide. Additionally, we proved that GRP78 played an important regulatory role as an essential endoplasmic reticulum protein, regulating the mitochondrial fusion/fission process and subsequently activating the NF-κB pathway to regulate airway inflammation. Discussion and Conclusion: Taken together, these results suggested that the GRP78-mediated mitochondrial fusion and fission process played a vital role in cigarette smoke-induced airway inflammation and might be a potential therapeutic target in this regard. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The response of β-amylase in early stage germination of wheat seeds to Bacillus subtilis QM3 was mainly focused on to elucidate the promotion mechanism of B. subtilis QM3. The results showed that the changes in apparent activity of amylase and endosperm liquefaction after the strain QM3 treatment were much more obvious than that of the control group; the activity of β-amylase treated with the different concentrations of the strain QM3 increased significantly (P < 0.05) by 4% (107 CFU/mL) and 18.5% (106 CFU/mL) at the germination 6 h. Moreover, after presoaking with α-cyclodextrin, the activity of β-amylase increased significantly (P < 0.05) by 18.5% (107 CFU/mL) and 23.4% (106 CFU/mL) at the same stage of germination; the electrophoretogram of β-amylase isoenzymes showed that there is a growing trend in brightness and width of the band during the early germination from 3 to 6 h of wheat seed treated by the strain QM3 (106 CFU/mL). The increase in activity and isoenzyme expression of β-amylase may be one of the important reasons to promote the germination of wheat seeds after being treated by B. subtilis QM3.

New urbanization is the fundamental approach to achieve the healthy, stable, and sustainable development of the Chinese economic society. It is also the basic outlet to eliminate the "dual economic structure" in urban and rural areas. Based on the connotation of new urbanization, we constructed an evaluation system using population development, economic development, quality of life, infrastructure, resources and environment, and urban and rural harmonious development. The entropy and weighted summation methods were used to measure the level of new urbanization for 11 provincial capital cities from 2005 to 2018, and policy implications were analyzed correspondingly. The results show that there are significant differences in the development levels of new urbanization in these cities, with infrastructure construction being the primary driver. These developments have placed the economy and environment under great pressure. The quality of urban life and the level of infrastructure construction need to be improved because of the expanding economic gap between urban and rural areas. These cities with poor internal coordination also have apparent differences amongst individual factors. Overall, the policies on these factors play a positive role in the process of new urbanization. In the future, provincial capital cities need to consider the weak links and provide more focus on employment and education.

In this study, the walnut flowers were fermented using five different probiotics, including two Lactobacillus plantarum, one Lactobacillus bulgaricus, one Lactobacillus casei, and one Lactobacillus rhamnosus. The chemical compositions, antioxidant capacities, and α‐glucosidase inhibitory abilities of walnut flowers during fermentation processes were evaluated. The results showed that all the active compounds and bioactivities of the walnut flowers were significantly decreased after 7 days of fermentation, whereas a short‐term fermentation (1–3 days) enhanced their bioactivities. Compared to the unfermented sample, L. plantarum (ATCC 8014) and L. rhamnosus (ATCC 53013) increased the ABTS (1.22 and 1.30 times higher) and DPPH radical scavenging activities (up to 1.23 and 1.04 times), respectively. L. plantarum (SWFU D16), L. plantarum (ATCC 8014), and L. rhamnosus (ATCC 53013) improved the ferric reducing antioxidant power which was 110.98%, 133.16%, and 104.76% of the unfermented sample. All five probiotics promoted the α‐glucosidase inhibitory ability of walnut flowers (maximum 2.18‐fold increase). Three phenolic acids and five flavonoids in the fermentation broth were identified by HPLC, where catechin, epicatechin, and catechin gallate were the dominant components. HPLC results demonstrated that these compounds were degraded and transformed in varying degrees under the effects of probiotics. Taken together, a short‐term probiotic fermentation could change the active compounds of the walnut flowers and improve their bioactivities. L. plantarum (ATCC 8014) and L. rhamnosus (ATCC 334) are suggested as suitable strains in producing the fermented walnut flowers. The research findings could further support the development and utilization of walnut flowers as a fermented functional food. Practical applications: Walnut flowers have been used as fermented food in southwestern China, but their active components and functional activities during fermentation processes are still unclear. This study found that different probiotic fermentation exerted a strong and varied influence on the chemical composition and biological activities of the walnut flowers. A short‐term fermentation has significantly improved their antioxidant capacities and α‐glucosidase inhibitory abilities, whereas the longer period of fermentation, caused a significant loss of both their active compounds and bioactivities. These findings are useful as a reference for the manufacturers of fermented walnut flowers in selecting suitable strains and fermentation time for their products. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The synergistic anti-tumor effect of schisandrin B (Sch.B) and apatinib was investigated in vitro. The CCK-8 assay revealed that Sch.B enhanced the inhibition of apatinib on cell proliferation by arresting cell cycle in G0/G1 phase. Sch.B also potentiated the suppression of apatinib on cell migration and invasion, by means of wound-healing and transwell invasion assay. Flow cytometry results showed that Sch.B enhanced apoptosis induced by apatinib. The results were confirmed by western blot analysis of the proteins MMP-9, and Bax caspase-9, and -12. These results suggest that combining apatinib and Sch.B is an effective therapeutic strategy for preventing GC progression. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]