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Green tea residues are the by-product of tea processing and they contain a large number of bioactive ingredients. Steam explosion has been recognized as one of the most innovative pretreatments for modifying the physicochemical characteristic of polysaccharides from lignocellulosic materials. However, the comparison of biological activity of steam exploded (SE-GTR) and unexploded (UN-GTR) green tea residue polysaccharides was still unclear, which prompted the determination of the efficacy of steam explosion in tea residue resource utilization. In this study, the effects of two extracted polysaccharides UN-GTR and SE-GTR on human gut microbiota in vitro fermentation were conducted. The results showed that after steam explosion pretreatment, SE-GTR displayed more loose and porous structures, resulting in higher polysaccharide content (2483.44±0.5 μg/mg) compared to UN-GTR (1903.56±2.6 μg/mg). In addition, after 24 h fermentation, gut microbiota produced more beneficial metabolites by SE-GTR. The largest SCFAs produced among samples was acetic acid, propionic acid and butyric acid. Furthermore, SE-GTR could regulate the composition and diversity of microbial community, increasing the abundance of beneficial bacteria, such as Bifidobacterium. These results revealed that steam explosion pretreatment could be a promising and efficient approach to enhance the antioxidant activity and bioavailability of polysaccharides isolated from tea residues., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that there are no conflicts of interest., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Metabolic syndrome (MetS) includes cardiovascular risk factors like obesity, dyslipidemia, hypertension, and glucose intolerance, which increase the risk of overactive bladder (OAB), characterized by urgency, frequency, urge incontinence, and nocturia. Both MetS and ovarian hormone deficiency (OHD) are linked to bladder overactivity. Nitric oxide (NO) is known to reduce inflammation and promote healing but its effect on bladder overactivity in MetS and OHD is unclear. This study aimed to investigate NO's impact on detrusor muscle hyperactivity in rats with MetS and OHD. Female Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into seven groups based on diet and treatments involving L-arginine (NO precursor) and L-NAME (NOS inhibitor). After 12 months on a high-fat, high-sugar diet with or without OVX, a cystometrogram and tracing analysis of voiding behavior were used to identify the symptoms of detrusor hyperactivity. The MetS with or without OHD group had a worse bladder contractile response while L-arginine ameliorated bladder contractile function. In summary, MetS with or without OHD decreased NO production, reduced angiogenesis, and enhanced oxidative stress to cause bladder overactivity, mediated through the NF-kB signaling pathway, whereas L-arginine ameliorated the symptoms of detrusor overactivity and lessened oxidative damage via the NRF2/HIF-1α signaling pathway in MetS with or without OHD-induced OAB.

Objective: To investigate the risk factors of postoperative delirium in elderly patients undergoing spine surgery., Methods: The basic case data of 566 patients who underwent spine surgery under general anesthesia from January 2021 to January 2023 were retrospectively analyzed. There were 296 males and 270 females with an average age of (71.58 ± 4.21) years old. There were 195 cases of cervical spine surgery, 26 cases of thoracic spine surgery and 345 cases of lumbar spine surgery.According to the occurrence of postoperative delirium, the patients were divided into postoperative delirium group(41 patients) and non-delirium group (525 patients). Univariate analysis was used to analyze the possible influencing factors such as gender, age, weight, smoking history, drinking history, surgical site, preoperative anxiety, intraoperative hypotension times, blood loss and so on, and binary Logistic regression was used to analyze the univariate factors with P <0.05., Results: A total of 41 patients developed postoperative delirium. Univariate analysis showed that age ( P =0.000), duration of surgery ( P =0.039), preoperative anxiety ( P =0.001), blood loss ( P =0.000), history of opioid use ( P =0.003), history of stroke ( P =0.005), C-reactive protein ( P =0.000), sodium ion( P =0.000) were significantly different between delirium group and non-delirium group. These factors were included in the binary Logistic regression analysis, and the results showed that age [ OR =0.729, 95% CI (0.569, 0.932), P =0.012], opioid use [ OR =21.500, 95% CI (1.334, 346.508), P =0.031], blood loss [ OR =0.932, 95% CI (0.875, 0.993), P =0.029], C-reactive protein [ OR =0.657, 95% CI (0.485, 0.890), P =0.007], preoperative anxiety [ OR =23.143, 95% CI (1.859, 288.090), P =0.015], and sodium [ OR =1.228, 95% CI (1.032, 1.461), P =0.020] were independent risk factors for the development of delirium after spinal surgery in elderly patients., Conclusion: Age, opioid use, blood loss, preoperative anxiety, elevated c-reactive protein, and hyponatremia are independent risk factors for the development of postoperative delirium in elderly patients undergoing spinal surgery.

This study explores low-intensity extracorporeal shock wave therapy (LiESWT)'s efficacy in alleviating detrusor hyperactivity with impaired contractility (DHIC) induced by ovarian hormone deficiency (OHD) in ovariectomized rats. The rats were categorized into the following four groups: sham group; OVX group, subjected to bilateral ovariectomy (OVX) for 12 months to induce OHD; OVX + SW4 group, underwent OHD for 12 months followed by 4 weeks of weekly LiESWT; and OVX + SW8 group, underwent OHD for 12 months followed by 8 weeks of weekly LiESWT. Cystometrogram studies and voiding behavior tracing were used to identify the symptoms of DHIC. Muscle strip contractility was evaluated through electrical-field, carbachol, ATP, and KCl stimulations. Western blot and immunofluorescence analyses were performed to assess the expressions of various markers related to bladder dysfunction. The OVX rats exhibited significant bladder deterioration and overactivity, alleviated by LiESWT. LiESWT modified transient receptor potential vanilloid (TRPV) channel expression, regulating calcium concentration and enhancing bladder capacity. It also elevated endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress proteins, influencing ER-related Ca 2+ channels and receptors to modulate detrusor muscle contractility. OHD after 12 months led to neuronal degeneration and reduced TRPV1 and TRPV4 channel activation. LiESWT demonstrated potential in enhancing angiogenic remodeling, neurogenesis, and receptor response, ameliorating DHIC via TRPV channels and cellular signaling in the OHD-induced DHIC rat model.

Dry eye disease (DED) is a prevalent ocular disorder with a multifactorial etiology. The pre-angiogenic and pre-inflammatory milieu of the ocular surface plays a critical role in its pathogenesis. DZ2002 is a reversible type III S-adenosyl-L-homocysteine hydrolase (SAHH) inhibitor, which has shown excellent anti-inflammatory and immunosuppressive activities in vivo and in vitro. In this study, we evaluated the therapeutic potential of DZ2002 in rodent models of DED. SCOP-induced dry eye models were established in female rats and mice, while BAC-induced dry eye model was established in female rats. DZ2002 was administered as eye drops (0.25%, 1%) four times daily (20 μL per eye) for 7 or 14 consecutive days. We showed that topical application of DZ2002 concentration-dependently reduced corneal neovascularization and corneal opacity, as well as alleviated conjunctival irritation in both DED models. Furthermore, we observed that DZ2002 treatment decreased the expression of genes associated with angiogenesis and the levels of inflammation in the cornea and conjunctiva. Moreover, DZ2002 treatment in the BAC-induced DED model abolished the activation of the STAT3-PI3K-Akt-NF-κB pathways in corneal tissues. We also found that DZ2002 significantly inhibited the proliferation, migration, and tube formation of human umbilical endothelial cells (HUVECs) while downregulating the activation of the STAT3-PI3K-Akt-NF-κB pathway. These results suggest that DZ2002 exerts a therapeutic effect on corneal angiogenesis in DED, potentially by preventing the upregulation of the STAT3-PI3K-Akt-NF-κB pathways. Collectively, DZ2002 is a promising candidate for ophthalmic therapy, particularly in treating DED., (© 2023. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences and Chinese Pharmacological Society.)

A series of activated biochar (KBBC-700, KBBC-800 and KBBC-900) which were modified by KOH and pyrolysis at various temperatures from ball-milling bamboo powder were obtained. The physicochemical properties and pore structures of activated biochar were investigated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), fourier transform infrared spectoscopy (FT-IR), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and N 2 adsorption/desorption. The adsorption performance for the removal of methylene blue (MB) was deeply studied. The results showed that KBBC-900 obtained at activation temperature of 900 °C exhibited a great surface area which reached 562 m 2 /g with 0.460 cm 3 /g of total pore volume. The enhancement of adsorption capacity could be ascribed to the increase of surface oxygen-containing functional groups, aromatization and mesoporous channels. The adsorption capacity was up to 67.46 mg/g under the optimum adsorption parameters with 2 g/L of adsorbent dose, 11 of initial solution pH and 298 K of the reactive temperature. The adsorption capacity was 70.63% of the first time after the material was recycled for three cycles. The kinetics indicated that the adsorption equilibrium time for MB on KBBC-900 was of about 20 min with the data fitted better to the pseudo-second-order kinetics model. The adsorption process was mainly dominated by chemical adsorption. Meanwhile, the adsorption isotherm showed that the Langmuir model fitted the best, and thermodynamic parameters revealed that the adsorption reaction was the endothermic nature and the spontaneous process. Adsorption of MB mainly attributed to electrostatic interactions, cation-π electron interaction and redox reaction. This study suggested that the activated biochar obtained by KOH activation from bamboo biochar has great potentials in the practical application to remove MB from wastewater., (© 2023. The Author(s).)

Postmenopausal women who have ovary hormone deficiency (OHD) may experience urological dysfunctions, such as overactive bladder (OAB) symptoms. This study used a female Sprague Dawley rat model that underwent bilateral ovariectomy (OVX) to simulate post-menopause in humans. The rats were treated with platelet-rich plasma (PRP) or platelet-poor plasma (PPP) after 12 months of OVX to investigate the therapeutic effects of PRP on OHD-induced OAB. The OVX-treated rats exhibited a decrease in the expression of urothelial barrier-associated proteins, altered hyaluronic acid (hyaluronan; HA) production, and exacerbated bladder pathological damage and interstitial fibrosis through NFƘB/COX-2 signaling pathways, which may contribute to OAB. In contrast, PRP instillation for four weeks regulated the inflammatory fibrotic biosynthesis, promoted cell proliferation and matrix synthesis of stroma, enhanced mucosal regeneration, and improved urothelial mucosa to alleviate OHD-induced bladder hyperactivity. PRP could release growth factors to promote angiogenic potential for bladder repair through laminin/integrin-α6 and VEGF/VEGF receptor signaling pathways in the pathogenesis of OHD-induced OAB. Furthermore, PRP enhanced the expression of HA receptors and hyaluronan synthases (HAS), reduced hyaluronidases (HYALs), modulated the fibroblast-myofibroblast transition, and increased angiogenesis and matrix synthesis via the PI3K/AKT/m-TOR pathway, resulting in bladder remodeling and regeneration.

In this study, we extracted the polysaccharides from Hizikia fusiforme (HFPs) and evaluated their effects on the immune response of the mud crab Scylla paramamosain. Compositional analysis revealed that HFPs were composed mainly of mannuronic acid (49.05%) and fucose (22.29%) as sulfated polysaccharides, and the sugar chain structure was β-type. These results indicated that HFPs have potential antioxidant and immunostimulation activity in vivo or in vitro assays. Through this research, we found that HFPs inhibited viral replication in white spot syndrome virus (WSSV)-infected crabs and promoted phagocytosis of Vibrio alginolyticus by hemocytes. Quantitative PCR results showed that HFPs up-regulated the expression levels of astakine, crustin, myosin, MCM7, STAT, TLR, JAK, CAP, and p53 in crab hemocytes. HFPs also promoted the activities of superoxide dismutase and acid phosphatase and the hemolymph antioxidant activities of crabs. HFPs maintained peroxidase activity after WSSV challenge, thereby providing protection against oxidative damage caused by the virus. HFPs also promoted apoptosis of hemocytes after WSSV infection. In addition, HFPs significantly enhanced the survival rate of WSSV-infected crabs. All results confirmed that HFPs improved the innate immunity of S. paramamosain by enhancing the expression of antimicrobial peptides, antioxidant enzyme activity, phagocytosis, and apoptosis. Therefore, HFPs have potential for use as therapeutic or preventive agents to regulate the innate immunity of mud crabs and protect them against microbial infection., (Copyright © 2023 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Inspired by insect compound eyes (CEs) that feature unique optical schemes for imaging, there has recently been growing interest in developing optoelectronic CE cameras with comparable size and functions. However, considering the mismatch between the complex 3D configuration of CEs and the planar nature of available imaging sensors, it is currently challenging to reach this end. Here, we report a paradigm in miniature optoelectronic integrated CE camera by manufacturing polymer CEs with 19~160 logarithmic profile ommatidia via femtosecond laser two-photon polymerization. In contrast to μ-CEs with spherical ommatidia that suffer from defocusing problems, the as-obtained μ-CEs with logarithmic ommatidia permit direct integration with a commercial CMOS detector, because the depth-of-field and focus range of all the logarithmic ommatidia are significantly increased. The optoelectronic integrated μ-CE camera enables large field-of-view imaging (90°), spatial position identification and sensitive trajectory monitoring of moving targets. Moreover, the miniature μ-CE camera can be integrated with a microfluidic chip and serves as an on-chip camera for real-time microorganisms monitoring. The insect-scale optoelectronic μ-CE camera provides a practical route for integrating well-developed planar imaging sensors with complex micro-optics elements, holding great promise for cutting-edge applications in endoscopy and robot vision., (© 2022. The Author(s).)

Bamboo contains abundant hemicellulose, cellulose, and lignin, which are a high-quality insoluble dietary fiber (IDF) raw material. To investigate IDF- induced changes in the production of short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) and the composition of human gut microbiota, IDF was extracted by alkaline hydrogen peroxide (named BIDF), complex enzymatic hydrolysis method (named OIDF) from bamboo, and commercial bamboo fiber BF90. The in vitro fecal fermentation characteristics of BIDF, OIDF, BF90 and its impacts on human gut microbiota were studied for the first time. Results showed that BIDF, OIDF, and BF90 could promote the production of total SCFAs after 24 h fermentation. Additionally, BIDF could alter the composition and microbial diversity of gut microbiota, especially increase the relative abundance of Bacteroides and decrease the ratio of Firmicutes to Bacteroidetes (F/B) value. These results revealed that the IDF from bamboo could be partially utilized by specific bacteria in human intestines and provide a reference for the study of the effects of IDF fermentation on SCFAs production and microbial composition., (Copyright © 2022 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Self-healing materials (SHMs) with unique mechanical and electronic properties are promising for self-reparable electronics and robots. However, the self-healing ability of emerging two-dimensional (2D) materials, for instance, MXenes, has not been systematically investigated, which limits their applications in self-healing electronics. Herein, we report the homogeneous self-healing assembly (homo-SHA) of MXene and the heterogeneous self-healing assembly (hetero-SHA) of MXene and graphene oxide (GO) under moisture treatments. The self-healing mechanism has been attributed to the hydration induced interlayer swelling of MXene and GO and the recombination of hydrogen bond networks after water desorption. The multiform hetero-SHA of MXene and GO not only enables facile fabrication of free-standing soft electronics and robots, but also endows the resultant devices with damage-healing properties. As proof-of-concept demonstrations, free-standing soft electronic devices including a generator, a humidity sensor, a pressure sensor, and several robotic devices have been fabricated. The hetero-SHA of MXene and GO is simple yet effective, and it may pioneer a new avenue to develop miniature soft electronics and robots based on 2D materials., Competing Interests: Conflict of interest The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2021 Science China Press. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Objectives: To study the molecular epidemiological characteristics of the virus in children with acute viral diarrhea in Changdu of Tibet, China., Methods: Fecal specimens were collected from 96 children with acute diarrhea who visited the People's Hospital of Changdu, Tibet, from November 2018 to November 2020 and were tested for adenovirus, norovirus, astrovirus, sapovirus, and rotavirus. Gene sequencing was performed for the genotypes of these viruses., Results: The overall positive rate of the five viruses was 39% (37/96), among which astrovirus had the highest positive rate of 17%, followed by norovirus (9%), rotavirus (8%), adenovirus (7%), and sapovirus (5%). There was no significant difference in the positive rate of the five viruses among different age groups ( P >0.05). Only the positive rate of astrovirus was significantly different among the four seasons ( P <0.05). For adenovirus, 6 children had F41 type and 1 had C2 type; for norovirus, 6 had GⅠ.3 type, 1 had GⅠ.7 type, 1 had GⅡ.3 type, and 2 had GⅡ.4 Sydney&#95;2012 type; HAstrV-1 type was observed in all children with astrovirus infection; for sapovirus, 1 child each had sporadic GⅠ.2, GⅠ.6, and GⅡ.1 sapovirus and 2 children had unknown type; 6 children had rotavirus G9[P8]., Conclusions: Astrovirus and norovirus are important pathogens in children with acute diarrhea in Changdu, Tibet. The positive rate of adenovirus, norovirus, astrovirus, sapovirus, and rotavirus is not associated with age, and only the positive rate of astrovirus has obvious seasonality. F41 type is the dominant genotype of adenovirus; GⅠ.3 is the dominant genotype of norovirus; HAstrV-1 is the dominant genotype of astrovirus; sporadic GⅠ.2, GⅠ.6, and GⅡ.1 are the dominant genotypes of sapovirus; G9[P8] is the dominant genotype of rotavirus.

Graphene oxide (GO), which has many oxygen functional groups, is a promising candidate for use in moisture-responsive sensors and actuators due to the strong water-GO interaction and the ultrafast transport of water molecules within the stacked GO sheets. In the last 5 years, moisture-responsive actuators based on GO have shown distinct advantages over other stimuli-responsive materials and devices. Particularly, inspired by nature organisms, various moisture-enabled soft robots have been successfully developed via rational assembly of the GO-based actuators. Herein, the milestones in the development of moisture-responsive soft robots based on GO are summarized. In addition, the working mechanisms, design principles, current achievement, and prospects are also comprehensively reviewed. In particular, the GO-based soft robots are at the forefront of the advancement of automatable smart devices., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflict of interest., (© 2021 The Authors. Advanced Science published by Wiley‐VCH GmbH.)

Paclitaxel, a tetracyclic diterpenoid compounds, was firstly isolated from the bark of the Pacific yew trees. Currently, as a low toxicity, high efficiency, and broad-spectrum natural anti-cancer drug, paclitaxel has been widely used against ovarian cancer, breast cancer, uterine cancer, and other cancers. As the matter of fact, natural paclitaxel from Taxus species has been proved to be environmentally unsustainable and economically unfeasible. For this reason, researchers from all over the world are devoted to searching for new ways of obtaining paclitaxel. At present, other methods, including artificial cultivation of Taxus plants, microbial fermentation, chemical synthesis, tissue and cell culture have been sought and developed subsequently. Meanwhile, the biosynthesis of paclitaxel is also an extremely attractive method. Unlike other anti-cancer drugs, paclitaxel has its unique anti-cancer mechanisms. Here, the source, production, and anti-cancer mechanisms of paclitaxel were summarized and reviewed, which can provide theoretical basis and reference for further research on the production, anti-cancer mechanisms and utilization of paclitaxel., (Copyright © 2020 China Pharmaceutical University. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

The surface wettability of plants exhibits many unique advantages, which enhances the environmental adaptability of plants. In view of the rapid development of responsive materials, smart surfaces have been explored extensively to regulate surface wettability through external stimuli. Herein, we summarized recent advancements in bioinspired surfaces with switchable wettability. Typical bioinspired surfaces with switchable wettability and their emerging applications have been reviewed. In the end, we have discussed the remaining challenges and provided perspective on future development., (Copyright © 2020 Han, Cai, Chen, Li, Mao, Lv and Gao.)

Solar interfacial evaporation has been recognized as a versatile energy conversion protocol for cutting-edge applications such as water treatment and power generation (e.g., hydro voltaic effect). Recently, to enhance water evaporation rates, water temperature and evaporation area have been considered as essential ingredients, and thus photothermal materials and three-dimensional hierarchical structures have been developed to promote light-to-heat conversion efficiency and enhance interfacial evaporation. However, less attention has been paid to the airflow effect, because the interfacial floatability of photothermal membranes should be considered under air blast. Here, inspired from the stable interfacial floatability of lotus leaves, we report the airflow enhanced solar interfacial evaporation approach using a graphene-based Janus membrane. Laser-induced graphene (LIG) film was treated unilaterally by O 2 plasma, forming a LIG/oxidized LIG (LIG-O) Janus membrane with distinct wettability on two sides. Higher water evaporation rate of 1.512 kg m -2 h -1 is achieved. The high solar interfacial evaporation performance can be attributed to the two advantages: (i) the combination of microscale capillary water transporting and nanoscale light trapping; (ii) hydrophobic/hydrophilic Janus membrane for stable interfacial floatability under airflow. Our approach is feasible for developing high-performance solar interfacial evaporation devices for practical clean energy utilization.

The etiology and pathogenesis of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), including ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease, are not fully understood so far. Therefore, IBD still remains incurable despite the fact that significant progress has been achieved in recent years in its treatment with innovative medicine. About 20 years ago, selective granulocyte and monocyte apheresis (GMA) was invented in Japan and later approved by the Japanese health authority for IBD treatment. From then on this technique was extensively used for IBD patients in Japan and later in Europe. Clinical trials from Japan and European countries have verified the effectiveness and safety of GMA therapy in patients with IBD. In 2013, GMA therapy was approved by China State Food and Drug Administration for therapeutic use for the Chinese IBD patients. However, GMA therapy has not been extensively used in China, although a few clinical studies also showed that it was effective in clinical and endoscopic induction of remission in Chinese IBD patients with a high safety profile. This article reviews past history, present clinical application as well as the future prospective of GMA therapy for patients with IBD., Competing Interests: Conflict-of-interest statement: The authors have no conflicts of interest to declare., (©The Author(s) 2020. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.)

Speech emotion recognition often encounters the problems of data imbalance and redundant features in different application scenarios. Researchers usually design different recognition models for different sample conditions. In this study, a speech emotion recognition model for a small sample environment is proposed. A data imbalance processing method based on selective interpolation synthetic minority over-sampling technique (SISMOTE) is proposed to reduce the impact of sample imbalance on emotion recognition results. In addition, feature selection method based on variance analysis and gradient boosting decision tree (GBDT) is introduced, which can exclude the redundant features that possess poor emotional representation. Results of experiments of speech emotion recognition on three databases (i.e., CASIA, Emo-DB, SAVEE) show that our method obtains average recognition accuracy of 90.28% (CASIA), 75.00% (SAVEE) and 85.82% (Emo-DB) for speaker-dependent speech emotion recognition which is superior to some state-of-the-arts works.

Graphene-based actuators featuring fast and reversible deformation under various external stimuli are promising for soft robotics. However, these bimorph actuators are incapable of complex and programmable 3D deformation, which limits their practical application. Here, inspired from the collective coupling and coordination of living cells, we fabricated a moisture-responsive graphene actuator swarm that has programmable shape-changing capability by programming the SU-8 patterns underneath. To get better control over the deformation, we fabricated SU-8 micropattern arrays with specific geometries and orientations on a continuous graphene oxide film, forming a swarm of bimorph actuators. In this way, predictable and complex deformations, including bending, twisting, coiling, asymmetric bending, 3D folding, and combinations of these, have been achieved due to the collective coupling and coordination of the actuator swarm. This work proposes a new way to program the deformation of bilayer actuators, expanding the capabilities of existing bimorph actuators for applications in various smart devices., (© The Author(s) 2020. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of China Science Publishing & Media Ltd.)

Moisture-responsive actuators based on graphene oxide (GO) have attracted intensive research interest in recent years. However, current GO actuators suffer from low mechanical strength. Inspired by the robustness of nacre's structure, moisture-responsive actuators with high mechanical strength and self-healing properties were successfully developed based on GO and cellulose fiber (CF) hybrids. The hybrid paper demonstrated significantly improved tensile strength, ∼20 times higher than that of pure GO paper, and self-healing properties. A broken paper can be well cured under moist conditions, and the mechanical properties of the self-healed hybrid paper can still maintain similar tensile strength to the pristine one. After controllable ultraviolet light photoreduction treatment, a hybrid paper with a photoreduction gradient along the normal direction was prepared, which can act as a moisture-responsive actuator. A maximum bending curvature of ∼1.48 cm -1 can be achieved under high relative humidity (RH = 97%). As a proof-of-concept, a butterfly-like actuator that can deform itself with moisture actuation was demonstrated. Our approach may pave a new way for designing robust and self-healable graphene actuators.

Graphene is promising for developing soft and flexible electronic skin. However, technologies for graphene processing is still at an early stage, which limits the applications of graphene in advanced electronics. Laser processing technologies permits mask-free and chemical-free patterning of graphene, revealing the potential for developing graphene-based electronics. In this minireview, we overviewed and summarized the recent progresses of laser enabled graphene-based electronic skins. Two typical strategies, laser reduction of graphene oxide (GO) and laser induced graphene (LIG) on polyimide (PI), have been introduced toward the fabrication of graphene electronic skins. The advancement of laser processing technology would push forward the rapid progress of graphene electronic skin.

In this study, a simple and effective strategy for the enrichment of total steroidal saponins (TSS) from the fibrous roots of Ophiopogon japonicus (L. f.) Ker-Gawl. (FROJ) using macroporous adsorption resin was systematically developed. XAD-7HP resin was selected from six macroporous resins for further study because of the highest static adsorption and desorption capacities. The static adsorption of TSS on XAD-7HP resin fitted well to the Langmuir isotherm model and pseudo second-order kinetic model; the thermodynamics test showed that the adsorption process was spontaneous and exothermic. The dynamic tests on XAD-7HP resin columns demonstrated that the breakthrough volume was 16 bed volume (BV), and 6 BV of 80% ethanol was suitable for dynamic desorption. In a lab scale-up separation under optimal dynamic conditions, the content of TSS in the resin-enrichment fraction increased from 1.83% in the crude extracts to 13.86% by 7.59-fold with a recovery yield of 82.68%. Three steroidal saponins were obtained from the resin-enrichment fraction, and showed protective effects against oxidized low-density lipoprotein (ox-LDL) induced human umbilical vein endothelial cell (HUVEC) injury. Overall, these results suggested that XAD-7HP resin chromatography was an effective strategy for the large scale enrichment of TSS from FROJ, which showed the potential for functional food and pharmaceutical application., Competing Interests: We declare that we have no conflict of interest., (This journal is © The Royal Society of Chemistry.)

Nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) is a common cancer found in the nasopharynx, which plagues countless NPC patients. MicroRNA-372 (miR-372) has been reported to be involved in various tumors. Here, we explored the important role of miR-372 in radiosensitivity, invasion, and metastasis of NPC. Microarray analysis was conducted to search the NPC-related differentially expressed genes (DEGs) and predict the miRs regulating PBK, which suggested that miR-372 could influence the development of NPC via PBK and the p53 signaling pathway. Importantly, miR-372 was observed to target PBK, thus down-regulating its expression. Then, NPC 5-8F and C666-1 cells were selected, and treated with ionization radiation and alteration of miR-372 and PBK expression to explore the functional role of miR-372 in NPC. The expression of miR-372, PBK, Bcl-2, p53, and Bax as well as the extent of Akt phosphorylation were measured. In addition, cell colony formation, cell cycle, proliferation, apoptosis, migration, and invasion were detected. At last, tumor growth and the effect of miR-372 on radiosensitivity of NPC were evaluated. Besides, over-expressed miR-372 down-regulated Bcl-2 and PBK expression and the extent of Akt phosphorylation while up-regulated the expression of p53 and Bax. Additionally, miR-372 over-expression and radiotherapy inhibited cell clone formation, proliferation, tumor growth, migration, invasion, and cell cycle entry, but promoted cell apoptosis. However, the restoration of PBK in NPC cells expressing miR-372 reversed the anti-tumor effect of miR-372 and activation of the p53 signaling pathway. In conclusion, the study shows that up-regulated miR-372 promotes radiosensitivity by activating the p53 signaling pathway via inhibition of PBK., (© 2019 The Authors. Cancer Medicine published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

We study the pair dynamics of two self-propelled sphere dimers in the chemically active medium in which a cubic autocatalytic chemical reaction takes place. Concentration gradient around the dimer, created by reactions occurring on the catalytic sphere surface and responsible for the self-propulsion, is greatly influenced by the chemical activities of the environment. Consequently, the pair dynamics of two dimers mediated by the concentration field are affected. In the particle-based mesoscopic simulation, we combine molecular dynamics (MD) for potential interactions and reactive multiparticle collision dynamics (RMPC) for solvent flow and bulk reactions. Our results indicate three different configurations between a pair of dimers after the collision, i.e., two possible scenarios of bound dimer pairs and one unbound dimer pair. A phase diagram is sketched as a function of the rate coefficients of the environment reactions. Since the pair interactions are the basic elements of larger scale systems, we believe the results may shed light on the understanding of the collective dynamics., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflict of interest.

We reported here a facile fabrication of flexible graphene-based field effect transistors (FETs) by sunlight reduction of graphene oxide (GO) as channel material. As a mask-free and chemical-free method, sunlight photoreduction of GO without the use of any complex equipments is simple and green. The resultant FET demonstrated excellent electrical properties (e.g., an optimized I on /I off ratio of 111, hole mobility of 0.17  cm 2   V -1  s -1 ), revealing great potential for development of flexible microelectrics. Additionally, since the reduced GO channel could be fabricated by sunlight treatment between two pre-patterned electrodes, the process features post-fabrication capability, which makes it possible to integrate graphene-based devices with given device structures.

Autophagy modulation has been considered a potential therapeutic strategy for oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC). A previous study confirmed that baicalein might possess significant anti-carcinogenic activity. However, whether baicalein induces autophagy and its role in cell death in OSCC are still unclear. The aim of this study was to investigate the anticancer activity and molecular targets of baicalein in OSCC in vitro. In this study, we found that baicalein induced significant apoptosis in OSCC cells Cal27. In addition to showing apoptosis induction, we also demonstrated baicalein-induced autophagic response in Cal27 cells. Moreover, pharmacologically or genetically blocking autophagy enhanced baicalein-induced apoptosis, indicating the cytoprotective role of autophagy in baicalein-treated Cal27 cells. Importantly, we found that baicalein triggered reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation in Cal27 cells. Furthermore, N-acetyl-cysteine, a ROS scavenger, abrogated the effects of baicalein on ROS-dependent autophagy. Therefore, we found that baicalein increased autophagy through the promotion of ROS signaling pathways in OSCC. These data also suggest that a strategy of blocking ROS-dependent autophagy to enhance the activity of baicalein warrants further attention for the treatment of OSCC.

Localization of the epileptogenic zone (EZ) is essential for the successful surgical treatment of medically intractable epilepsy. In the present study, stereo-EEG (SEEG) recordings were obtained from seven patients underwent presurgical evaluation for treatment of intractable epilepsy. Partial directed coherence (PDC) analysis was applied to construct peri-ictal effective connectivity networks. The graphic measures, in-degree, out-degree and betweenness centrality, were evaluated to localize the EZ. A receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis was used to quantify the localization accuracy. We found that the in-degree coincided well with the EZ identified by epileptologists' visual inspection in all seven patients who had a significant improvement in seizure outcomes, however, the other two measures were effective only in some cases. Furthermore, in all seven patients the electrode contact with the highest in-degree was always located within the EZ identified by epileptologists' visual inspection. These results indicate that the graph theory is an effective method to localize the EZ when suitable graphic measures were chosen. Furthermore, the in-degree was the most effective measure among the three graphic measures in localizing the EZ when the PDC method was used., (Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Objectives: Accurate localization of epileptogenic zones (EZs) is essential for successful surgical treatment of refractory focal epilepsy. The aim of the present study is to investigate whether a dynamic network connectivity analysis based on stereo-electroencephalography (SEEG) signals is effective in localizing EZs. Methods: SEEG data were recorded from seven patients who underwent presurgical evaluation for the treatment of refractory focal epilepsy and for whom the subsequent resective surgery gave a good outcome. A time-variant multivariate autoregressive model was constructed using a Kalman filter, and the time-variant partial directed coherence was computed. This was then used to construct a dynamic directed network model of the epileptic brain. Three graph measures (in-degree, out-degree, and betweenness centrality) were used to analyze the characteristics of the dynamic network and to find the important nodes in it. Results: In all seven patients, the indicative EZs localized by the in-degree and the betweenness centrality were highly consistent with the clinically diagnosed EZs. However, the out-degree did not indicate any significant differences between nodes in the network. Conclusions: In this work, a method based on ictal SEEG signals and effective connectivity analysis localized EZs accurately. The results suggest that the in-degree and betweenness centrality may be better network characteristics to localize EZs than the out-degree.

Intestinal mucosal barrier dysfunction is closely related to liver diseases, which implies impaired gut-liver axis may play a role in the pathogenesis of NAFLD. In our study, rats were divided into three groups: normal chow diet (NCD) group, high-fat diet (HFD) group and TNBS-induced colitis with high-fat diet (C-HFD) group. Liver tissues were obtained for histological observation and TNF-α, IL-6 mRNA determination and blood samples were collected for liver enzymes and LPS analysis. Ultrastructural changes of jejuna epithelium, SIBO and amounts of CD103(+)MHCII(+)DCs and CD4(+)CD25(+)FoxP3(+)T-regs in terms of percentage in mesenteric lymph nodes (MLN) were observed by electron microscope, bacterial cultivation and flow cytometry, respectively. The results demonstrated the pathological characteristics accorded with nonalcoholic simple fatty liver (NAFL) and NASH in HFD group by week 8 and 12, respectively. Besides, the degree of hepatic steatosis and steatohepatitis was more severe in C-HFD group compared with HFD-group at the same time point. NAFLD activity score (NAS), liver enzymes, concentration of LPS and mRNA expressions of TNF-α, IL-6 were higher significantly in C-HFD group compared with HFD and NCD group at week 4, 8 and 12, respectively. In HFD group, epithelium microvilli atrophy, disruptive tight junctions and SIBO were present, and these changes were more severe in NASH compared with NAFL. The percentage of CD103+MHCII+DCs and CD4+CD25+FoxP3+T-regs decreased significantly in NAFL and NASH compared with NCD group. Our conclusion was that gut-liver axis was impaired in NAFLD, which played crucial role in the pathogenesis of NAFLD.

Philadelphia chromosome positive (Ph+) acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) cells are insensitive to BCR-ABL tyrosine kinase inhibitor imatinib, the underlying mechanisms remain largely unknown. Here, we showed that imatinib treatment induced significant upregulation of miR-21 and downregulation of PTEN in Ph+ ALL cell line Sup-b15. Transient inhibition of miR-21 resulted in increased apoptosis, PTEN upregulation and AKT dephosphorylation, whereas ectopic overexpression of miR-21 further conferred imatinib resistance. Furthermore, knockdown of PTEN protected the cells from imatinib-induced apoptosis achieved by inhibition of miR-21. Additionally, PI3K inhibitors also notably enhanced the effects of imatinib on Sup-b15 cells and primary Ph+ ALL cells similar to miR-21 inhibitor. Therefore, miR-21 contributes to imatinib resistance in Ph+ ALL cells and antagonizing miR-21 demonstrates therapeutic potential by sensitizing the malignancy to imatinib therapy., (Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Chitosan was prepared by alkaline N-deacetylation of β-chitin from squid pens, and N-(2-hydroxy) propyl-3-trimethyl ammonium chitosan chloride (HTCC) derivatives, with different degrees of quaternization (DQ) ranging from 0.77 to 1.06, were synthesized. It was identified by FT-IR, 1H NMR and XRD analysis. All of the HTCC showed good water solubility in a wide pH range. The moisture absorption and retention abilities of all the HTCC were much better than that of the chitosan. The moisture absorption and retention values of all the HTCC at 43% RH for 24 h were above 49% and 92%, respectively. The scavenging ability of HTCC against hydroxyl and ABTS radicals improved with increasing concentration. The effectiveness of HTCC against hydroxyl radicals was lower than that of chitosan. These results indicated that HTCC, which has a much better moisture absorption and retention capacity, may act as a potential moisturizer in vitro., (Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Effects of extraction temperature, extraction time and ratio of water to material as well as their interactions on the yield of total polysaccharide from Herba lophatheri were studied by response surface methodology (RSM). The optimal conditions for the extraction of polysaccharides were determined to be the ratio of liquid to solid of 39.01, extraction time of 2.11h and extraction temperature of 97.09°C. Under these optimal conditions, the yield of polysaccharides obtained was 5.73±0.10%, which was well matched with the value predicted by the model. In vitro antioxidant assays showed that the polysaccharides HLP possessed significant inhibitory effects on superoxide radical. It also exhibited strong 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging activities, hydroxyl radical scavenging activities and its reducing power, ferrous ions chelating effect was also strong. These results suggested that H. lophatheri polysaccharides could be a suitable natural antioxidant and may be the functional foods for humans., (Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Chitosan was prepared by alkaline N-deacetylation of β-chitin and hydroxypropyl derivatives with different degrees of substitution (DS) were synthesized. It was characterized by Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) and elemental analysis. The DS of hydroxypropyl chitosan (HPCS) calculated by an element analyzer were 0.42, 0.75, 1.20, 1.82 and 2.25. HPCS showed better foam capacity and stability than that of chitosan, and the effectiveness correlated well with the DS of HPCS. The highest bile acid-binding capacity of all five HPCS reached 56.02 mg/g, which was 4.0-fold higher than that of chitosan. The scavenging ability of HPCS against hydroxyl and ABTS radicals improved with increasing concentration. The correlation between the hydroxypropyl content (DS) of HPCS and scavenging ABTS radical ability was positive. The hydroxyl radicals scavenging activity of HPCS correlated well with its increasing concentration, and EC50 values were below 12.5 mg/mL. These results indicated that hydroxypropylation is a possible approach to obtain chitosan derivatives with desirable physiochemical properties., (Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Background: Pine needle oil from crude extract of pine needles has anti-tumor effects, but the effective component is not known., Methods: In the present study, compounds from a steam distillation extract of pine needles were isolated and characterized. Alpha-pinene was identified as an active anti-proliferative compound on hepatoma carcinoma BEL-7402 cells using the MTT assay., Results: Further experiments showed that α-pinene inhibited BEL-7402 cells by arresting cell growth in the G2/M phase of the cell cycle, downregulating Cdc25C mRNA and protein expression, and reducing cycle dependence on kinase 1(CDK1) activity., Conclusion: Taken together, these findings indicate that α-pinene may be useful as a potential anti-tumor drug.

The immunoregulation between dendritic cells (DCs) and regulatory T cells (T-regs) plays an important role in the pathogenesis of ulcerative colitis (UC). Recent research showed that Fms-like tyrosine kinase 3 (Flt3) and Flt3 ligand (Flt3L) were involved in the process of DCs regulating T-regs. The DSS-induced colitis model is widely used because of its simplicity and many similarities with human UC. In this study, we observe the disease activity index (DAI) and histological scoring, detect the amounts of DCs and T-regs and expression of Flt3/Flt3L, and investigate Flt3/Flt3L participating in the process of DCs regulating T-regs in DSS-induced colitis. Our findings suggest that the reduction of Flt3 and Flt3L expression may possibly induce colonic immunoregulatory imbalance between CD103(+)MHCII(+)DCs and CD4(+)CD25(+)FoxP3(+)T-regs in DSS-induced colitis. Flt3/Flt3L participates in the process of regulating DCS and T-regs in the pathogenesis of UC, at least, in the acute stage of this disease.

The cytotoxicities of two oxovanadium complexes, VOI [VO(satsc)(phen)] (satsc = salicylaldehyde thiosemicarbazone, phen = 1,10-phenanthroline) and VOII [VO(3,5-dibrsatsc)(phen)](3,5-dibrsatsc = 3,5-dibromosalicylaldehyde thiosemicarbazone), were studied by performing MTT assays on human hepatoma cell lines BEL-7402, HUH-7 and HepG2. The results showed that both the VOI and VOII complexes possess significant anti-proliferative effects. In addition, the anti-proliferative mechanism of the complexes was analyzed by cell cycle analysis and an apoptosis assay and by detecting the mitochondrial membrane potential (delta psi m). The experimental results showed that the complexes can cause a G0/G1 phase cell cycle arrest and can significantly decrease delta psi m, causing depolarization of the mitochondrial membrane. Notably, the two complexes induced apoptosis in BEL-7402 cells and displayed typical morphological apoptotic characteristics. The cytotoxicities of the VOII complex are significantly stronger than that of the VOI complex, suggesting that the cytotoxic effects of oxovanadium complexes may be associated with the electronic effects of the complexes.

Four polysaccharides (BLF80-A, BLF80-B, BLF80-C and BLF80-D) were isolated by hot-water extraction and purified from the leaves of Herba Lophatheri by DEAE-Sepharose fast flow. Their chemical and physical characteristics were determined and antioxidant activities were investigated on the basis of DPPH radical assay, hydroxyl radical assay and superoxide radical assay. The results showed that four polysaccharides exhibited antioxidant activities in a concentration-dependent manner, and the higher molecular weight, the stronger antioxidant activities of polysaccharides. Besides, the monosaccharide compositions of polysaccharides also influence their antioxidant activities. BLP80-D showed the strongest scavenging ability, followed by BLP80-C, BLP80-B and BLP80-A., (Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Objective: To evaluate the efficacies of treating osteonecrosis of the femoral head (ONFH) with percutaneous retaining catheterization., Methods: A total of 85 patients (106 hips) of ONFH underwent percutaneous retaining catheterization with self-made instrument. There were stage I (n = 32, 40 hips), stage II (n = 41, 50 hips), stage III (n = 7, 9 hips) and stage IV (n = 5, 7 hips) by Ficat and Arlet classification. The selection criteria include bone marrow edema (BME) of the femoral head and neck and joint fluid on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).The percent method(%) of Orthopedics Branch of Association of Chinese Medical Association was used for evaluating the efficacies of ONFH with retained femoral head. A follow-up period of 2-10 years was conducted with plain radiograph.The standard was as follows: >90, excellent; 75-89, good; 60-74, passable; <60, bad. The combination of excellent and good denoted obvious effect rate; passable for valid rate; bad for invalid rate.The historical core decompression was used as control group.And χ(2) test was used for statistical analysis (P < 0.05)., Results: The obvious effect rate was 88%(35/40), 74%(37/50), 22%(2/9), 14%(1/7), the valid rate 7%(3/40), 12% (6/50) , 22% (2/9), 14%(1/7) and the invalid rate 5%(2/40), 14% (7/50) , 56% (5/9), 72% (5/7) respectively in Ficat I, II, III and IV stage. No statistically significant differences existed between Ficat I and II stage (P > 0.05) .But there were statistically significant differences in other groups (P < 0.01) ., Conclusion: Percutaneous retaining catheterization is efficaciously treating ONFH in Ficat I and II stage and it may also be used for ONFH in Ficat III and IV stage.

The title compound, C20H47NO6Si4, was synthesized by per-O-tri-methyl-silylation of N-acetyl-d-glucosa-mine using chloro-tri-methyl-silane in the presence of hexa-methyl-disiloxane. The tri-methyl-silyl group and acetamido group are located on the same side of the pyran ring, showing an α-configuration glycoside. One of the tri-methyl-silyl groups is disordered over two orientations, with site-occupancy factors of 0.625 (9) and 0.375 (9). In the crystal, N-H⋯O hydrogen bonds link the mol-ecules into supra-molecular chains along the a-axis direction.

The objective of this study was to evaluate in vitro antioxidant capacities of polysaccharides extracted from Moso Bamboo-Leaf (BLP). The molecular weight of the polysaccharides were obtained by SEC-LLS and their molecular masses were 13.4×10(4)Da, 2.8×10(4)Da and 1.9×10(4)Da, respectively. Available data obtained with in vitro models suggested WB1 (precipitated by 30% ethanol) showed significant inhibitory effects on superoxide radical, hydroxyl radical, DPPH radical and ferrous metal-chelating capacities. These results clearly establish the possibility that polysaccharides extracted from Moso Bamboo-Leaf could be effectively employed as ingredient in health or functional food, to alleviate oxidative stress., (Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Aim: The aim of this study is to explore the underlying molecular mechanism of curcumin-induced apoptosis in human hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) Huh7 cells., Main Methods: Fas and FasL mRNA expression was analyzed by reverse transcription PCR. Western blot was applied to detect the protein expression of Bcl-2 family members, MAPK family members, c-Jun, c-Fos, ATF-2, caspase-3, PARP, TNF receptor family members and the respective ligands. Apoptotic cells were assayed with annexin V/PI double staining and flow cytometry., Key Findings: Curcumin treatment resulted in a fast and significant increase of Fas and Fas ligand (FasL) along with activation of caspase-3 and cleavage of PARP in Huh7 cells. Inhibition of caspase-3 activity by the specific inhibitor Z-DEVD-FMK rescued Huh7 cells from curcumin-induced apoptosis. Neutralization of FasL significantly protected the cells from curcumin-induced caspase-3 activation and apoptosis in a dose-dependent manner. Moreover, p38 was rapidly activated in response to curcumin, and inactivation of p38 by pharmacologic inhibitor SB203580 dramatically suppressed curcumin-induced FasL expression and apoptosis., Significance: Our results demonstrated that curcumin induces apoptosis through p38-denpendent up-regulation of FasL in Huh7 cells., (Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

TEMPO (2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidine-1-oxyl radical)-mediated 6-carboxy β-chitin derivatives (T-chitin) with different carboxylate content were successfully synthesized by controlling the addition level of NaClO as the primary oxidant. The structural and biochemical properties of the derivatives were investigated. The carboxylate contents of the derivatives calculated by electrical conductivity titration were 1.33, 1.68, 1.80, and 2.08 mmol/g, respectively. The yield of T-chitin with carboxylate content of 2.08 mmol/g reached 74.55%. T-chitin exhibited stronger bile acid binding capacities than that of β-chitin. The scavenging ability of T-chitin against hydroxyl radicals improved with increasing concentration, and EC(50) values were below 1.2 mg/mL. All T-chitin exhibited a strong ferrous ion chelating effect. At 8 mg/mL, the chelating effects of T-chitin with carboxylate content of 0.81 mmol/g reached 80.15%. These results showed that T-chitin had good bile acid binding capacity and antioxidant activities and it may be a potential antioxidant in vitro., (Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Aim: To evaluate the protective role of AE-941, a matrix metalloproteinase (MMP) inhibitor, on ulcerative colitis (UC) in rats., Methods: Sprague Dawley (SD) rats were randomly divided into three groups: a control group, an AE-941 treatment group, and an UC model group. Rats were sacrificed on days 7, 21, or 56 following administration of treatment by enema and the disease activity index (DAI), colonic mucosa damage index (CMDI) and colonic expression of MMP-2 and MMP-9 were assessed., Results: DAI and CDMI scores in the UC model group increased significantly compared to the control group at all timepoints (P < 0.001), and also increased significantly at the 21- and 56-d timepoints compared to the AE-941-treated group (DAI: 21- and 56-d = 2.09 ± 0.25, 1.52 ± 0.30 vs 1.55 ± 0.28, 0.59 ± 0.19, respectively, P = 0.040 and 0.007, CMDI: 21- and 56-d = 3.03 ± 0.42, 1.60 ± 0.35 vs 2.08 ± 0.46, 0.86 ± 0.37, respectively, P = 0.040 and 0.005). Furthermore, the colonic expression of MMP-2 and MMP-9 in the UC model group increased significantly compared to the control group (P < 0.001), and also increased compared to the AE-941-treated group on the 21- and 56-d timepoints (MMP-2: 21- and 56-d = 0.6048 ± 0.0522, 0.4163 ± 0.0330 vs 0.3983 ± 0.0218, 0.1093 ± 0.0072, respectively, P = 0.010; MMP-9: 21- and 56-d = 0.6873 ± 0.0472, 0.4328 ± 0.0257 vs 0.5179 ± 0.0305, 0.2673 ± 0.0210, respectively, P = 0.010 and 0.040)., Conclusion: Expression of MMP-2 and MMP-9 increased significantly in rats with UC. AE-941 can reduce colonic mucosal damage by downregulating the expression of MMP-2 and MMP-9.

The aim of this study was to determine the disease activity index (DAI) and the colonic mucosa damage index (CMDI), and to detect the colonic mucosal expression levels of matrix metalloproteinase-2 (MMP-2) and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) in rats with ulcerative colitis (UC). We also aimed to investigate the protective role of Etiasa in UC. Sprague Dawley (SD) rats were randomly divided into three groups: the control, an Etiasa-treated group and a UC model group. Rats were sacrificed on days 14, 21, 35 or 56 following the administration of treatment by enema and the DAI, CMDI and colonic expression levels of MMP-2 and TNF-α were assessed. In the UC model group, the DAI and CDMI scores and the colonic expression levels of MMP-2 and TNF-α increased significantly compared with the control at all timepoints, and were also significantly higher than those in the Etiasa-treated group. In conclusion, the expression levels of MMP-2 and TNF-α increased significantly in rats with UC. Etiasa reduces colonic mucosal damage by downregulating the expression of MMP-2 and TNF-α.

In the title dinuclear complex, [Cu(2)(C(14)H(20)ClN(4)O)ClO]·3H(2)O, one Cu(II) cation assumes a distorted square-planar coordination geometry and the other a distorted square-pyramidal coordination geometry. Both Cu(II) cations are N,N',O-chelated by one arm of the 2,6-bis-[(2-amino-eth-yl)imino-meth-yl]-4-chloro-phenolate anion, and one oxide anion bridges the two Cu(II) cations, forming a dinuclear complex. One of the Cu(II) cations is further coordinated by an Cl(-) anion in the apical direction. In the crystal, lattice water mol-ecules are linked with the complex mol-ecule via O-H⋯Cl hydrogen bonds while O-H⋯O hydrogen bonding occurs between lattice water mol-ecules , forming three-dimensional network structure.

In the solvated title complex, [Ni(C(46)H(47)N(6)O(2))]ClO(4)·2CH(4)O, the coordination sphere around the Ni(II) ion can be described as distorted cis-NiO(2)N(4) octa-hedral defined by two phenolate O atoms and four N atoms from the hexa-dentate ligand. An intra-molecular bifurcated N-H⋯(N,O) hydrogen bond helps to establish the conformation of the complex mol-ecule. In the crystal, the components are connected by O-H⋯O and C-H⋯O hydrogen bonds.

In the unsymmetrical title complex, [Ni(C(20)H(23)N(4)O(4))]ClO(4), the coordination geometry for the Ni(II) atom can be described as square planar. The aromatic rings in the two ligands are almost vertical, with a dihedral angle of 85.3°. In the crystal, cations and anions are linked by weak C(N)-H⋯O hydrogen bonding.

In the title solvated mol-ecular salt, [CuCl(C(28)H(30)N(4))]ClO(4)·CH(3)OH, the Cu(2+) ion is coordinated by the N,N',N'',N'''-tetra-dentate ligand and a chloride ion, generating a very distorted square-based pyramidal CuN(4)Cl coordination geometry with the Cl(-) ion in the basal position. In the crystal, the solvent mol-ecules and anions are linked by weak O-H⋯O hydrogen bonding.