Jujubae Fructus (
ZJF
) called Dazao (
大枣
) in Chinese, the fruit of
Ziziphus jujuba
Mill. (
ZJ
), is utilized as a food and traditional medicine in China. In TCM use,
ZJF
is traditionally used to ...treat and nourish the stomach, tonify the spleen, and nourish the blood, as well as for overall nourishing and strength. According to the available literature from 1974 to March 2019, more than 278 compounds have been isolated and identified from
ZJ
. Local books, papers and dissertations were also searched. The aim of this review was to examine this plant’s traditional uses, botany, phytochemistry, pharmacological effects, toxicity, pharmacokinetics, quality control and economically important uses. In vivo and in vitro scientific investigations have initially confirmed its pharmacological potential by showing anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, antimicrobial, gastrointestinal protective, cardiovascular, neuroprotective, anticancer, anti-HIV, sedative-hypnotic and anxiolytic effects. Bioactive metabolites belonging to different classes are responsible for these activities, including triterpenoid acids, saponins, cyclopeptide alkaloids, flavonoids and neo-lignans, which are considered the characteristic and active components of
ZJ
. The TCM use of
ZJF
, including tonifying and replenishing the middle Qi and nourishing the blood to tranquilize, is based on its gastrointestinal protective, cardiovascular, neuroprotective, sedative-hypnotic and anxiolytic properties. Its detoxification effects are attributed to its anti-inflammatory, antiviral, anticancer and antibacterial activities. Moreover, the TCM characteristics of
ZJF
(sweet flavour; warm nature; and spleen, stomach, and heart meridian effects) support its traditional uses and pharmacological effects. We encourage more studies to further clarify the relationship between modern applications and traditional uses in the future. Furthermore, no one has studied
ZJ
blossoms, and researchers should allocate more time to the study of
ZJ
blossoms. Additionally, unsolved problems include the scientific principle of the Chinese material medica processing CMMP (中药炮制) in Chinese of
ZJF
, the molecular mechanisms of the biological activity of
ZJ
and its other medicinal parts, the overall pharmacokinetics rather than single molecule pharmacokinetics, the efficacy and the toxicology. All of the unsolved problems noted above require further study.
Introduction. Postoperative delirium can increase cognitive impairment and mortality in patients with Parkinson’s disease. The purpose of this study was to develop and internally validate a clinical ...prediction model of delirium after deep brain stimulation of the subthalamic nucleus in Parkinson’s disease under general anesthesia. Methods. We conducted a retrospective observational cohort study on the data of 240 patients with Parkinson’s disease who underwent deep brain stimulation of the subthalamic nucleus under general anesthesia. Demographic characteristics, clinical evaluation, imaging data, laboratory data, and surgical anesthesia information were collected. Multivariate logistic regression was used to develop the prediction model for postoperative delirium. Results. A total of 159 patients were included in the cohort, of which 38 (23.90%) had postoperative delirium. Smoking (OR 4.51, 95% CI 1.56–13.02, p<0.01) was the most important risk factor; other independent predictors were orthostatic hypotension (OR 3.42, 95% CI 0.90–13.06, p=0.07), inhibitors of type-B monoamine oxidase (OR 3.07, 95% CI 1.17–8.04, p=0.02), preoperative MRI with silent brain ischemia or infarction (OR 2.36, 95% CI 0.90–6.14, p=0.08), Hamilton anxiety scale score (OR 2.12, 95% CI 1.28–3.50, p<0.01), and apolipoprotein E level in plasma (OR 1.48, 95% CI 0.95–2.29, p=0.08). The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) was 0.76 (95% CI 0.66–0.86). A nomogram was established and showed good calibration and clinical predictive capacity. After bootstrap for internal verification, the AUC was 0.74 (95% CI 0.66–0.83). Conclusion. This study provides evidence for the independent inducing factors of delirium after deep brain stimulation of the subthalamic nucleus in Parkinson’s disease under general anesthesia. By predicting the development of delirium, our model may identify high-risk groups that can benefit from early or preventive intervention.
Biological remediation of toxic oxygen-containing anions such as nitrate that are common in the environment is of great significance. Therefore, it is necessary to understand the specific role of ...nitrate and nitrite reductase in the bioremediation process.
LJ01, which was isolated from traditional Chinese soybean paste, effectively degraded nitrite (such as NaNO
) at 0-15 mmol L
in LB medium. Moreover, the nitrite-degrading active substance (ASDN) was isolated and purified from
LJ01. The nitrite-degrading activity of nitrite reductase (named LJ01-NiR) was 4004.89 U mg
. The gene encoding the assimilation of nitrite reductase in
LJ01 was cloned and overexpressed in
The purified recombinant LJ01-NiR has a wide range of activities under temperature (20-60 °C), pH (6.5-8.0) and metal ions (Fe
, Fe
, Cu
, Mn
, and Al
). Kinetic parameters of LJ01-NiR, including the values of
and
were 1.38 mM and 2.00 μmol g
min
, respectively. The results showed that LJ01-NiR could degrade nitrite with or without an electron donor. In addition, sequence analysis revealed that LJ01-NiR was a ferredoxin-dependent nitrite reductase given the presence of conserved Fe4-S4 cluster and heme-binding domain. The nitrite ion binds to the LJ01-NiR active site by forming three hydrogen bonds with the residues ASN72, ALA133 and ASN140. Due to its high nitrite-degrading activity, LJ01-NiR could potentially be used for environmental pollution treatment.
The one-dimensional (1D) ABX3-type perovskite (CH3)3PCH2FCdCl2Br (1) has been obtained on the basis of the design of an organic–inorganic hybrid. Strikingly, it experiences sequential phase ...transitions at around 295 and 336 K, respectively. Given the noticeable steplike dielectric anomalies in the vicinity of 295 K, 1 is identified as a promising dielectric-switchable material. According to the single-crystal structure analysis, the order-to-disorder transformation of the (CH3)3PCH2F+ cation is the main reason for the phase transitions and the change of space group from the orthorhombic Pnma (No. 62) to the hexagonal P63/m (No. 176). This design of a perovskite structure will inspire more advances in the ever-growing field of switchable functional materials.
Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is one of the most lethal types of cancer with highly infiltrating. Chemotherapy is far from satisfactory, vasculogenic mimicry (VM) and angiogenesis results in ...invasion, migration and relapse.
The objective of this study was to construct a novel CPP
modified vinorelbine and dioscin liposomes by two new functional materials, DSPE-PEG
-MAL and CPP-PVGLIG-PEG
, to destroy VM channels, angiogenesis, EMT and inhibit invasion and migration.
The targeting liposomes could be enriched in tumor sites through passive targeting, and the positively charged CPP was exposed and enhanced active targeting via electrostatic adsorption after being hydrolyzed by MMP2 enzymes overexpressed in the tumor microenvironment. We found that CPP
modified vinorelbine and dioscin liposomes with the ideal physicochemical properties and exhibited enhanced cellular uptake. In vitro and in vivo results showed that CPP
modified vinorelbine and dioscin liposomes could inhibit migration and invasion of A549 cells, destroy VM channels formation and angiogenesis, and block the EMT process. Pharmacodynamic studies showed that the targeting liposomes had obvious accumulations in tumor sites and magnificent antitumor efficiency.
CPP
modified vinorelbine plus dioscin liposomes could provide a new strategy for NSCLC.
Nanofluidic biosensors have been widely used for detection of analytes based on the change of system resistance before and after target–probe interactions. However, their sensitivity is limited when ...system resistance barely changes toward low-concentration targets. Here, we proposed a strategy to address this issue by means of target-induced change of local membrane potential under relatively unchanged system resistance. The local membrane potential originated from the directional diffusion of photogenerated carriers across nanofluidic biosensors and gated photoinduced ionic current signal before and after target–probe interactions. The sensitivity of such biosensors for the detection of biomolecules such as circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) and lysozyme exceeds that of applying a traditional strategy by more than 3 orders of magnitude under unchanged system resistance. Such biosensors can specifically detect the small molecule biomarker in the blood sample between prostate cancer patients and healthy humans. The key advantages of such nanofluidic biosensors are therefore complementary to traditional nanofluidic biosensors, with potential applications in a point-of-care analytical tool.
A lens antenna (LA) with the characteristics of ultrawide band and high aperture efficiency is proposed in this letter. Moreover, the proposed lens is automatically designed by the genetic algorithm ...(GA) and finite-different time-domain method, which provides a convenient solution for lens designing. Compared to the feeding ridged horn, the measured gains of the LA are enhanced by 4.4-7.4 dB in the 6-18 GHz band, and the measured aperture efficiencies are also increased by 10%-33% in the band. The maximum aperture efficiency is 92.4% at 6 GHz. Moreover, the 1 dB steady gain band is 13-18 GHz (up to 32.3%). The all-dielectric structure can be easily manufactured using three-dimensional printing technology, which endues the lens with the advantages of low cost, light weight, and easy fabrication.
Inter-shaft bearings, critical components within aero-engine dual-rotor systems, are susceptible to localized faults due to their unique installation locations. This research delves into a ...distinctive dynamic phenomenon termed “paroxysmal impulse vibration”, which is subjected to localized faults in the outer ring of inter-shaft bearings. The vibration behavior of this phenomenon differ significantly from those of traditional continuous impulse vibrations. The mechanical mechanisms and analytic requirements governing the emergence of paroxysmal impulse vibrations are systematically studied. Three analytic prediction formulas are derived to anticipate these vibrations. A systematic prediction process is summarized, offering standardized guidance for forecasting paroxysmal impulse vibrations under various working conditions. Furthermore, the established prediction formulas and process forecast all specific frequency components of paroxysmal impulse vibrations. Experimental vibration tests on defective inter-shaft bearings align well with simulation outcomes, confirming the efficacy of the proposed prediction methods for paroxysmal impulse vibration. Additionally, a significant correlation between the frequency components in paroxysmal and continuous impulse vibration is revealed. This identified correlation provides a novel method for elucidating the presentation laws of all specific frequency components within traditional continuous impulse vibrations under different parameter conditions. The research of paroxysmal impulse vibration introduces novel perspectives on inter-shaft bearing vibration mechanisms, offering promising implications for the inter-shaft bearing failure diagnosis.
l-lactic acid is an important material widely used in the food industry. Bacillus coagulans BCS13002 was used to produce l-lactic acid through simultaneous saccharification and fermentation (SSF) ...using two types of carbon source, including corn starch and gelatinized corn starch. The levels of l-lactic acid in B. coagulans BCS13002 culture were 11.75 ± 0.20 and 0.26 ± 0.02 g/L when gelatinized corn starch and corn starch were used as carbon sources, respectively. In addition, proteomics showed differential expression of a number of key enzymes in the HIF-1signaling pathway, starch and sucrose metabolism, glycolysis/gluconeogenesis, TCA cycle, pyruvate metabolism, and carbon metabolism between the corn starch and gelatinized corn starch groups. The expression of l-lactate dehydrogenase and pyruvate kinase in the glycolysis/gluconeogenesis metabolic pathway was down-regulated in the corn starch group compared with the gelatinized corn starch group. In addition, the expression of pyruvate dehydrogenase (acetyl-transferring) in the citrate cycle metabolism was up-regulated in the corn starch group compared with the gelatinized corn starch group. The comparative proteomics of metabolic pathways involved in l-lactic acid production in B. coagulans are useful for understanding the molecular mechanisms of l-lactic acid metabolism with different carbon sources as well as improving yield.
•BCS13002 produced high optical purity l-lactic acid (LL) of 99.5%.•BCS13002 use gelatinized corn starch (GCS) and corn starch (CS) to produce LL.•3.The LL yield with GCS was significantly higher than CS.•4.The SSF reduced material consumption in LL production.•5.Some enzymes played critical roles in LL production based on proteomic analyses.