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Curcumin is a lipophilic anti-cancer compound extracted from turmeric. Our previous study demonstrated that the curcumin-loaded nanostructured lipid carrier (Cur-NLC) exhibits superior anti-cancer activity in inhibiting proliferation as well as inducing apoptosis of human HepG2 cells compared to native curcumin. This study aims to unveil the mechanisms underlying the pro-apoptotic effect of Cur-NLC on HepG2 cells. Evidence indicates that low expression of death receptors (DRs) on cancer cell membranes leads to attenuated apoptosis signaling. This study showed that Cur-NLC significantly increased total expression of DR5 protein while simultaneously upregulated cell membrane expression of DR5. Cur-NLC significantly increased caspase-8 and caspase-3 activities, accompanied by increased apoptosis. Furthermore, enhanced apoptosis was inhibited in the presence of a pan-caspase inhibitor, Z-VAD-FMK. Therefore, Cur-NLC induced activation of the extrinsic apoptosis pathway via modulating the DR5/caspase-8/-3 mediated apoptosis pathway in HepG2 cells, suggesting that Cur-NLC is a promising therapeutic agent or supplement for the treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma.

Background: Biliary atresia (BA) is a severe neonatal progressive cholangiopathy of unknown etiology. A timely Kasai portoenterostomy (KPE) improves survival of the native liver in patients with BA, although liver transplantation remains the ultimate treatment for most (60%– 80%) patients. However, postoperative adverse effects of liver transplantation may be significant. In addition, patients require lifelong immunosuppressive therapy after liver transplantation. Case Summary: Here, we report a case of a newborn female baby (birthday: 10– 03-2018) with congenital BA (confirmed at 76 days of life) who survived KPE (first surgery at 85 days of life) and underwent successful living-related liver transplantation (LRLT) (second surgery at 194 days of life). Additionally, we reviewed the existing literature on BA. After KPE (at 85 days of life), the liver function of the baby did not improve, and the indicators of liver and kidney function showed a trend of aggravation, indicating that the liver function had been seriously damaged before KPE (at 85 days of life), demonstrating the urgent need for liver transplantation surgery. The female baby survived after part of her father's liver was successfully transplanted into her body (at 194 days of life). The patient recovered successfully. No other diseases were found at the 4-year follow-up, and all indices of liver and kidney functions tended to be normal. Conclusion: This case highlights the following. Postoperative alkaline phosphatase was consistently above the normal range, although the reason for this was unclear; neither tacrolimus nor cyclosporine A has formulations designed specifically for infants, which does not meet the needs of clinical individualized medication, suggesting that these anti-rejection drugs are future development directions. Only one case of congenital BA has been found thus far in Hefei, and this case has extremely important reference significance for the prevention, treatment, and diagnosis of BA in Hefei, Anhui province. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The use of caffeine in treating various liver diseases has made substantial progress in the past decade owing to advances in science, technology, and medicine. However, whether caffeine has a preventive effect on hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and its mechanism are still worth further investigation. In this review, we summarize and analyze the efficacy and safety of caffeine in the prevention of HCC. We conducted a review of articles published in PubMed and Web of Science in the past 2 decades until December 6, 2023, which were searched for using the terms "Caffeine" and "Hepatocellular Carcinoma." Studies have found that coffee intake is negatively correlated with HCC risk, especially caffeinated coffee. Recent studies have found that caffeine has beneficial effects on liver health, decreasing levels of enzymes responsible for liver damaging and slowing the progression of hepatic fibrosis and cirrhosis. Caffeine also acts against liver fibrosis through adenosine receptors (ARs), which promote tissue remodeling by inducing fibrin and collagen production. Additionally, new studies have found that moderate consumption of caffeinated beverages can decrease various the levels of various collagens in patients with chronic hepatitis C. Furthermore, polyphenolic compounds in coffee can improve fat homeostasis, reduce oxidative stress, and prevent liver steatosis and fibrosis. Moreover, many in vitro studies have shown that caffeine can protect liver cells and inhibit the activation and proliferation of hepatic stellate cells. Taken together, we describe the benefits of caffeine for liver health and highlight its potential values as a drug to prevent various hepatic diseases. As a protective agent of liver inflammation, non-selective AR inhibitor caffeine can inhibit the growth of HCC cells by inhibiting adenosine and AR binding to initiate immune response, providing a basis for the future development of caffeine as an adjuvant drug against HCC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to investigate the potential of nanostructured lipid carriers for efficient and targeted delivery of curcumin, the pharmacokinetic parameters of curcumin-loaded nanostructured lipid carriers (Cur-NLC) were evaluated in rats after a single intraperitoneal dose of Cur-NLC. In addition, the anticancer activity of Cur-NLC against human lung adenocarcinoma A549 cells was verified by a cellular uptake study, and a cytotoxicity and apoptosis assay. Bioavailability of Cur-NLC was better than that of native curcumin (p > 0.01), as seen from the area under the plasma concentration-time curve (AUC), maximum plasma concentration (Cmax), mean residence time (MRT) and total plasma clearance (CLz/F). Cur-NLC has a more obvious lung-targeting property in comparison with native curcumin. Cur-NLC showed higher anticancer activity in vitro against A549 cells than native curcumin (IC50 value of 5.66 vs. 9.81 mg L−1, respectively). Meanwhile, Cur-NLC treated A549 cells showed a higher apoptosis rate compared to that of native curcumin. These results indicate that NLC is a promising system for the delivery of curcumin in the treatment of lung adenocarcinoma.

We develop an average bit error probability (BEP) expression for binary differential phase shift keying (BDPSK) signal in log-normal single-input-single-output laser free-space optical (FSO) communication system by treating the BEP under particular atmospheric turbulence as random variable and changing the integral form. By using this average BEP expression and successive polynomial approximations, we obtain an explicit three-term approximate expression of the average BEP, while the existed approximate BEP expressions are implicit. The three-term approximate BEP expression can be used to intuitively analyze the relationship between BEP and system parameters such as signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) and Rytov standard deviation. In addition, the three-term approximate BEP expression works well when the Rytov standard deviation is no larger than 0.15. In this range of Rytov standard deviation, this approximate BEP expression can accurately predict the performance of FSO communication system with the transmission distance of up to 3.9 km and the laser at a wavelength of 1550 nm. The three-term approximate BEP expression can be used directly to derive the closed-form SNR expression as a function of Rytov standard deviation. The maximum loss between closed-form and theoretical SNR expressions is only 0.50 dB. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Albumin is the main component of the protein of corn germ meal (CGM). In this study, we first optimized the CGM albumin extraction condition at a 1:11 mass ratio of CGM to water, 2.5 hr extraction time, and 35°C extraction temperature, from which 38.05% of the extraction rate was achieved. FTIR analysis showed that the extracted CGM albumin contained typical amide A, B, I, II, and III protein bands. Functional properties showed that the CGM albumin exhibited a relatively high water‐holding capacity of 2.0 ml/g and a low oil‐holding capacity of 0.6 ml/g. The CGM albumin has higher lysine content (5.6) than whole maize grain (2.73), and its nutritional composition is more in line with FAO/WHO standards. The DPPH and hydroxyl radical scavenging activity of the CGM albumin at 2 mg/ml were 91% and 92%, respectively. Our study demonstrated that CGM albumin has potential use as a food ingredient. Practical application: Corn germ meal (CGM) is the by‐product of the oil industry. It is rich in protein and has often been considered as a disposal waste in food processing. Albumin is the main component of the protein of CGM, and its extraction condition was first optimized in this study. The CGM albumin showed low oil‐holding capacity, high antioxidant activity, and good water‐holding capacity, emulsifying capacity, foaming capacity, and stability. We believe the results of this study will be a good guide for using CGM albumin as a food ingredient. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Quantification of the uncertainty associated with stormwater models should be analyzed before using modelling results to make decisions on urban stormwater control and management programs. In this study, the InfoWorks Integrated Catchment Modelling (ICM) rainfall-runoff model was used to simulate hydrographs at the outfall of a catchment (drainage area 8.3 ha, with 95% pervious areas) in Shenzhen, China. The model was calibrated and validated for two rainfall events with Nash-Sutcliffe efficiency >0.81. The influence of rainfall, model parameters and routing methods on outflow hydrograph of the catchment was systematically studied. The influence of rainfall was analyzed using generated rainfall distributions with random errors and systematic errors (± 30% offsets). Random errors had less influence than systematic errors on peak flow and runoff volume, especially for two rainfall events with larger depths and longer durations. The Monte Carlo simulations using 500 parameter sets were used to verify the equifinality of the nine model parameters and determine the prediction uncertainty. Most of the monitored flows were within the uncertainty range. The influence of two routing methods from rainfall excess to hydrograph was studied. The InfoWorks ICM model incorporating double quasilinear reservoir routing was found to have a larger effect on the simulated hydrographs for rainfall events having larger depths and longer durations than using the U.S. EPA's Storm Water Management Model nonlinear reservoir routing method did. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Curcumin (diferuloylmethane), the active constituent of turmeric extract has potent anti-cancer properties have been demonstrated in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). However, its underlying molecular mechanism of therapeutic effects remains unclear. Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and its receptors (VEGFRs) have crucial roles in tumor angiogenesis.Purpose: The goal of this study was to investigate the role of the VEGF/VEGFRs mediated angiogenesis during the proliferation and apoptosis of human HepG2 hepatoma cell line and the effect of curcumin-loaded nanostructured lipid carriers (Cur-NLC).Materials and Methods: The proliferation of HepG2 cells was determined by methyl thiazolyl tetrazolium after exposure to Cur-NLC and native curcumin. Apoptosis was quantified by flow cytometry with annexin V-fluorescein isothiocyanate and propidium iodide staining. Cellular internalization of Cur-NLC was observed by fluorescent microscope. The level of VEGF was detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay kits. The expression of VEGFRs was quantified by Western blotting.Results: Cur-NLC was more effective in inhibiting the proliferation and enhancing the apoptosis of HepG2 cells than native curcumin. Fluorescent microscope analysis showed that HepG2 cells internalized Cur-NLC more effectively than native curcumin. Furthermore, Cur-NLC down-regulated the level of VEGF and the expression of VEGFR-2, but had a slight effect on VEGFR-1.Conclusion: These results clearly demonstrated that Cur-NLC was more effective in anti-cancer activity than the free form of curcumin. These studies demonstrate for the 1 st time that Cur-NLC exerts an antitumor effect on HepG2 cells by modulating VEGF/VEGFRs signaling pathway. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Li–CO2 batteries are attractive electrical energy storage devices; however, they still suffer from unsatisfactory electrochemical performance, and the kinetics of CO2 reduction and evolution reactions must be improved significantly. Herein, a composite of ruthenium–copper nanoparticles highly co‐dispersed on graphene (Ru–Cu–G) as efficient air cathodes for Li–CO2 batteries is designed. The Li–CO2 batteries with Ru–Cu–G cathodes exhibit ultra‐low overpotential and can be operated for 100 cycles with a fixed capacity of 1000 mAh g−1 at 200 and 400 mA g−1. The synergistic effect between Ru and Cu not only regulates the growth of discharge products, but also promotes CO2 reduction and evolution reactions by changing the electron cloud density of the surface between Ru and Cu. This work may provide new directions and strategies for developing highly efficient air cathodes for Li–CO2 batteries, or even practical Li–air batteries. Ruthenium–copper nanoparticles highly co‐dispersed on graphene are designed that endow Li–CO2 batteries with low overpotentials and excellent cyclability through their synergistic combination. The synergistic effect between Ru and Cu not only regulates the growth of the discharge products, but also affects Li–CO2 batteries by changing the electron cloud density of the surface between Ru and Cu during electrochemical process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]