The Therapeutic Effects and Mechanisms of Salidroside on Cardiovascular and Metabolic Diseases: An Updated Review

The increasing incidence of metabolic and cardiovascular diseases has severely affected global human health and life safety. In recent years, some effective drugs with remarkable curative effects and few side effects found in natural compounds have attracted attention. Salidroside (SAL), a phenylpropane glycoside, is the main active ingredient of the plateau plant Rhodiola. So far, many animal experiments proved that SAL has good biological activity against some metabolic and cardiovascular diseases. However, most of these reports are scattered. This review systematically summarizes the pharmacological progress of SAL in the treatment of several metabolic (e. g., diabetes and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease) and cardiovascular (e. g., atherosclerosis) diseases in a timely manner to promote the clinical application and basic research of SAL. Accumulating evidence proves that SAL has beneficial effects on these diseases. It can improve glucose tolerance, insulin sensitivity, and β-cell and liver functions, and inhibit adipogenesis, inflammation and oxidative stress. Overall, SAL may be a valuable and potential drug candidate for the treatment of metabolic and cardiovascular diseases. However, more studies especially clinical trials are needed to further confirm its therapeutic effects and molecular mechanisms.

Facile one-pot synthesis of carbon self-doped graphitic carbon nitride loaded with ultra-low ceric dioxide for high-efficiency environmental photocatalysis: Organic pollutants degradation and hexavalent chromium reduction

In the present study, an innovative carbon self-doped g-C₃N₄ (CCN) loaded with ultra-low CeO₂ (0.067-0.74 wt%) composite photocatalyst is successfully synthesized via a facile one-pot hydrothermal and calcination method. The CeO₂/CCN exhibits superior photocatalytic performance for tetracycline degradation (78.9% within 60 min), H₂O₂ production (151.92 μmol L^-1 within 60 min), and Cr(VI) reduction (99.5% within 40 min), which much higher than that of g-C₃N₄, CCN, CeO₂, and CeO₂/g-C₃N₄. The enhanced photocatalytic performance is originated from the fact that the doping of C can efficaciously broaden the utilization range of solar light and improve the reduction ability of photogenerated electrons. Meanwhile, the ultra-low loading of CeO₂ can effectually promote the migration of photogenerated electrons and enhance the specific surface area. Besides, the experiments of pH effect and cycle ability indicate that CeO₂/CCN has excellent durability and stability. Finally, the photocatalytic mechanism of CeO₂/CCN is systematically discussed. This work proves that combining element doping and semiconductor coupling is a promising strategy to design high-efficiency g-C₃N₄-based photocatalysts.

Is routine frozen section analysis necessary in patients with non-endometrioid cancer or grade 3 endometrioid cancer?

Objective

To explore the accuracy related to type and subtype between frozen section (FS) results and final pathology results in patients with endometrial cancer and to suggest whether it should be routinely performed.

Methods

Retrospective data were collected from 184 patients with endometrial cancer who underwent surgery at a single center (January 2014–December 2018). FS results were compared with the final pathology results with respect to histotype, tumor grade, and depth of invasion to define the accuracy of FS analysis.

Results

Frozen section analysis was performed in 141 (76.6%) patients. The accuracy rates and κ values between the FS and final pathology results with respect to histotype, tumor grade, and depth of invasion were 87.23%, 81.15%, and 98.2% and 0.41, 0.7, and 0.9, respectively (P < 0.001). Among the 18 patients with preoperative non‐endometrioid cancer (non‐EC), six underwent FS analysis, and final pathology confirmed EC in three, of whom 75% were detected by FS analysis. Eight of 19 patients with preoperative grade 3 EC underwent FS analysis and the accuracy rate was 87.5%.

Conclusion

Intraoperative FS analysis is a reliable method that can help intraoperative decision making. It should be performed routinely in patients with non‐EC and grade 3 EC.

Potential probiotics Lactobacillus casei K11 combined with plant extracts reduce markers of type 2 diabetes mellitus in mice

AIMS

Probiotics and plant extracts have been used to prevent the development of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). The study aimed to explore the effect of the interaction between potential probiotics and bitter gourd extract (BGE) or mulberry leaf extract (MLE) on T2DM.

METHODS AND RESULTS

Potential probiotics were tested for their gastrointestinal tract viability and growth situation combined with BGE and MLE in vitro. The diabetes model was constructed in C57BL/6 mice, and the potential effect and mechanism of regulating blood glucose were verified. Hematoxylin-eosin staining (HE), gas chromatography (GC), ELISA, and RT-PCR were also used for analysis. The results showed that Lactobacillus casei K11 had outstanding gastrointestinal tract viability and growth situation with plant extracts. Administration of L. casei K11 combined with BGE and MLE significantly reduced blood glucose levels and ameliorated insulin resistance in diabetic mice than the administration of Lactobacillus paracasei J5 combined with BGE and MLE. Moreover, in L. casei K11 combined with BGE and MLE groups, lipid metabolism, oxidative stress, and proinflammatory cytokine levels were regulated. Furthermore, the results indicated that L. casei K11 combined with BGE and MLE improved free fatty acid receptor 2 (FFAR2) upregulation, glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) secretion, and short-chain fatty acid (SCFA) levels.

CONCLUSIONS

These findings showed that L. casei K11 combined with BGE and MLE modified the SCFA-FFAR2-GLP-1 pathway to improve T2DM.

SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY

This study identified a new modality for evaluating interactions between potential probiotics and plant extracts. Our findings revealed that L. casei K11 combined with BGE and MLE significantly promoted the SCFA-FFAR2-GLP-1 pathway to inhibit T2DM.

Properties of Heavy Secondary Fluorine Cosmic Rays: Results from the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer

Precise knowledge of the charge and rigidity dependence of the secondary cosmic ray fluxes and the secondary-to-primary flux ratios is essential in the understanding of cosmic ray propagation. We report the properties of heavy secondary cosmic ray fluorine F in the rigidity R range 2.15 GV to 2.9 TV based on 0.29 million events collected by the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer experiment on the International Space Station. The fluorine spectrum deviates from a single power law above 200 GV. The heavier secondary-to-primary F/Si flux ratio rigidity dependence is distinctly different from the lighter B/O (or B/C) rigidity dependence. In particular, above 10 GV, the F/Si/B/O ratio can be described by a power law R^{δ} with δ=0.052±0.007. This shows that the propagation properties of heavy cosmic rays, from F to Si, are different from those of light cosmic rays, from He to O, and that the secondary cosmic rays have two classes.

Properties of Iron Primary Cosmic Rays: Results from the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer

We report the observation of new properties of primary iron (Fe) cosmic rays in the rigidity range 2.65 GV to 3.0 TV with 0.62×10^{6} iron nuclei collected by the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer experiment on the International Space Station. Above 80.5 GV the rigidity dependence of the cosmic ray Fe flux is identical to the rigidity dependence of the primary cosmic ray He, C, and O fluxes, with the Fe/O flux ratio being constant at 0.155±0.006. This shows that unexpectedly Fe and He, C, and O belong to the same class of primary cosmic rays which is different from the primary cosmic rays Ne, Mg, and Si class.

Vertically stacked RGB LEDs with optimized distributed Bragg reflectors

The design and fabrication of a vertically stacked red-green-blue (RGB) light-emitting diode (LED) with novel, to the best of our knowledge, wavelength-selective distributed Bragg reflectors (DBRs) are demonstrated. The two DBRs are optimized to achieve selective reflectance in the RGB spectral region through theoretical calculations and simulation modeling. The insertion of optimal DBRs into the stack structure can effectively reflect downward emission from the upper chip without filtering the emission from the lower chips, thereby increasing the luminous efficiency for white emission with a color temperature range of 3000-8000 K by 1.6-7.4%. The optical performances of stacked devices with and without DBRs are thoroughly studied, verifying the effectiveness of the proposed wavelength-selective DBR structure.

Therapeutic effect of berberine on metabolic diseases: Both pharmacological data and clinical evidence

The increased incidence of metabolic diseases (e.g., diabetes and obesity) has seriously affected human health and life safety worldwide. It is of great significance to find effective drugs from natural compounds to treat metabolic diseases. Berberine (BBR), an important quaternary benzylisoquinoline alkaloid, exists in many traditional medicinal plants. In recent years, BBR has received widespread attention due to its good potential in the treatment of metabolic diseases. In order to promote the basic research and clinical application of BBR, this review provides a timely and comprehensive summary of the pharmacological and clinical advances of BBR in the treatment of five metabolic diseases, including type 2 diabetes mellitus, obesity, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, hyperlipidemia, and gout. Both animal and clinical studies have proved that BBR has good therapeutic effects on these five metabolic diseases. The therapeutic effects of BBR are based on regulating various metabolic aspects and pathophysiological procedures. For example, it can promote insulin secretion, improve insulin resistance, inhibit lipogenesis, alleviate adipose tissue fibrosis, reduce hepatic steatosis, and improve gut microbiota disorders. Collectively, BBR may be a good and promising drug candidate for the treatment of metabolic diseases. More studies, especially clinical trials, are needed to further confirm its molecular mechanisms and targets. In addition, large-scale, long-term and multi-center clinical trials are necessary to evaluate the efficacy and safety of BBR in the treatment of these metabolic diseases.

Visible to near-infrared photodetector with novel optoelectronic performance based on graphene/S-doped InSe heterostructure on h-BN substrate

van der Waals heterostructures of two-dimensional (2D) materials have attracted considerable attention due to their flexibility in the design of new functional devices. Despite numerous studies on graphene/2D semiconductor heterostructures, their optoelectronic applications are significantly hindered because of several disadvantages, such as large band gaps and chemical instability. In this work, we demonstrate the fabrication of graphene/S-doped InSe heterostructure photodetectors with excellent photoresponse performance, and this is attributed to the moderate band gap and band gap engineering by element doping of InSe as well as the high carrier mobility of graphene. In particular, the graphene/InSe0.9S0.1 device achieves an ultrahigh photoresponsivity of ∼4.9 × 106 A W-1 at 700 nm and an EQE of 8.7 × 108%, and it exhibits broadband photodetection (visible to near-infrared). More importantly, by virtue of the interaction between n-type graphene arising from the influence of h-BN as a dielectric layer and S-doped InSe with a high work-function, our devices always exhibited positive photocurrent when the polarity of the gate voltage is adjusted, and is different from that the previously reported graphene/2D semiconductor photodetectors. This work not only provides a promising platform for highly efficient broadband photodetectors but also sheds light on tuning the optoelectronic performance through band gap engineering and designing novel heterostructures-based various 2D materials.

Strategy to improve gold nanoparticles loading efficiency on defect-free high silica ZSM-5 zeolite for the reduction of nitrophenols

Catalytic reduction of toxic and aqueous stable nitrophenols by gold nanoparticles (Au NPs) is hot issue due to the serious environmental pollution in recent years. But the expensive price and poor recycling performance of Au NPs limit its further application. Defect-free high silica zeolite is suitable support for Au NPs due to its cheaper price, higher stability and stronger adsorbability, but the low alumina content and defect sites usually lead to poor Au NPs loading efficiency. Herein, we reported the improved Au NPs loading efficiency on defect-free high silica ZSM-5 zeolite through the additional surface fluffy structure. The fluffy structure was created through the addition of multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) and ethanol into synthesis gel. Highly dispersed ca. 4 nm Au NPs on zeolite surface are prepared by the green enhanced sol-gel immobilization method. The Au NPs loading efficiency on conventional ZSM-5 zeolite is 10.7%, in contrast, this result can arrive to 82.6% on fluffy structure ZSM-5 zeolite. The fluffy structure ZSM-5 zeolite and Au NPs nanocomposites show higher efficiency than traditional Au/ZSM-5 nanocomposites towards catalytic reduction of nitrophenols. Additionally, the experiments with different affecting factors (MWCNTs dosage, aging time, catalysts dosage, pH, initial 4-NP concentration, storage time and recycling times) were carried out to test general applicability of the nanocomposites. And the degradation of nitrophenols experiment was operated to explore the catalytic performance of the prepared nanocomposites in further environmental application. The detailed possible relationship between zeolite with fluffy structure and Au NPs is also proposed in the paper.

Anti-Diabetic Effects of Berberis kansuensis Extract on Type 2 Diabetic Rats Revealed by 1 H-NMR-Based Metabolomics and Biochemistry Analysis

The dried stem bark of Berberis kansuensis C.K.Schneid. (Berberidaceae) was widely used to treat diabetes in traditional Tibetan medicine system. However, its anti-diabetic mechanisms have not been elucidated. In this study, ¹ H-NMR-based metabolomics combined with biochemistry assay was applied to investigate the anti-diabetic activities as well as underlying mechanisms of B. kansuensis extract on type 2 diabetic rats. The results showed that after 30 days treatment with B. kansuensis extract, the levels of FBG, GSP, INS, TNF-α, IL-1β and IL-6 were significantly decreased in B. kansuensis group compared with the model group. Besides, a total of 28 metabolites were identified in rat serum by ¹ H-NMR-based metabolomics method, 16 of which were significantly different in the normal group compared with the model group, and eight of them were significantly reversed after B. kansuensis intervention. Further analysis of metabolic pathways indicated that therapeutic effect of B. kansuensis might be predominantly related to their ability to improve glycolysis and gluconeogenesis, citric acid cycle, lipid metabolism, amino acid metabolism and choline metabolism. The results of both metabolomics and biochemical analysis indicated that B. kansuensis extract has a potential anti-diabetic effect on type 2 diabetic rats. Its therapeutic effect may be based on the ability of anti-inflammation, alleviating insulin resistance and restoring several disturbed metabolic pathways.

Traditional Tibetan Medicine in Cancer Therapy by Targeting Apoptosis Pathways

Cancer is a leading cause of death around the world. Apoptosis, one of the pathways of programmed cell death, is a promising target for cancer therapy. Traditional Tibetan medicine (TTM) has been used by Tibetan people for thousands of years, and many TTMs have been proven to be effective in the treatment of cancer. This paper summarized the medicinal plants with anticancer activity in the Tibetan traditional system of medicine by searching for Tibetan medicine monographs and drug standards and reviewing modern research literatures. Forty species were found to be effective in treating cancer. More importantly, some TTMs (e.g., Ophiocordyceps sinensis, Phyllanthus emblica L. and Rhodiola kirilowii (Regel) Maxim.) and their active ingredients (e.g., cordycepin, salidroside, and gallic acid) have been reported to possess anticancer activity by targeting some apoptosis pathways in cancer, such as Bcl-2/Bax, caspases, PI3K/Akt, JAK2/STAT3, MAPK, and AMPK. These herbs and natural compounds would be potential drug candidates for the treatment of cancer.

Non-precious molybdenum nanospheres as a novel cocatalyst for full-spectrum-driven photocatalytic CO2 reforming to CH4

Photocatalytic CO₂ reforming is considered to be an effective method for clean, low-cost, and environmentally friendly reduction and conversion of CO₂ into hydrocarbon fuels by utilizing solar energy. However, the low separation efficiency of charge carriers and deficient reactive sites have severely hampered the efficiency of the photocatalytic CO₂ reforming process. Therefore, cocatalysts are usually loaded onto the surface of semiconductor photocatalysts to reduce the recombination of charge carriers and accelerate the rates of surface reactions. Herein, molybdenum (Mo) nanospheres are proposed as a novel non-precious cocatalyst to enhance the photocatalytic CO₂ reforming of g-C₃N₄ significantly. The Mo nanospheres boost the adsorption of CO₂ and activate the surface CO₂via a photothermal effect. The time-resolved fluorescence decay spectra reveals that the lifetime of photo-induced charge carriers is prolonged by the Mo nanospheres, which guarantees the migration of charge carriers from g-C₃N₄ to Mo nanospheres. Unexpectedly, Mo loaded g-C₃N₄ can effectively utilize a wide spectral range from UV to near-infrared region (NIR, up to 800 nm). These findings highlight the potential of Mo nanospheres as a novel cocatalyst for photocatalytic CO₂ reforming to CH₄.

Purification of Paclobutrazol-Free Steroidal Saponins and Flavonoids from the Fibrous Roots of Ophiopogon japonicas

In the current study, a convenient approach was developed to isolate and purify active ingredients, including total steroidal saponins and total flavonoids, while simultaneously removing the toxic component - paclobutrazol - from the fibrous root of Ophiopogon japonicas. The separation performance of eight macroporous resins (D101, AB-8, DM301, DA201, H103, HPD100, D3520, and HP20) were evaluated using static and dynamic experimentation. The results showed that the D101 resin had the optimal capacity of adsorption and desorption to total steroidal saponins and total flavonoids. The static adsorption of D101 resins to total steroidal saponins and total flavonoids conformed to the Langmuir isotherm model and pseudo-second-order kinetic model. Under optimal purification parameters, the recovery rates of total steroidal saponins and total flavonoids were 86.49% and 87.89%, respectively. The total steroidal saponins and total flavonoids's purities increased from 16.67% to 47.58%, and from 3.82% to 12.29%, respectively. Furthermore, paclobutrazol's content decreased from 16.902mg/kg to 1.106mg/kg with a removal rate of 93.45%.

Removal of microplastics via drinking water treatment: Current knowledge and future directions

The occurrence of microplastics in drinking water systems has increasingly become a major environmental challenge. Although the potential impacts of microplastics in drinking water on humans are not yet fully understood, microplastics attract the public health concern when they are consumed by humans through drinking water systems. Current drinking water treatment plants constitute an obstacle to the entry of microplastics from raw water into daily drinking water. Therefore, understanding the behaviors of drinking water treatment process and the fates of microplastics in drinking water treatment plants are very important. We systematically reviewed the available knowledge on the global existence of microplastics in raw water, treated water and tap water in this paper. This will offer a new perspective for the threat of microplastics in drinking water to human health and help to formulate effective strategies for microplastic monitoring. The existing knowledge of microplastic removal by different treatment processes was also thoroughly discussed. Additionally, the potential challenges of microplastic removal from treatment processes and remediation strategies of microplastics in drinking water were also put forward. The relationship between the properties and behavior of microplastics during different treatment processes is suggested to explore in the future.

Water-Based Dual-Cross-Linked Polymer Binders for High-Energy-Density Lithium-Sulfur Batteries

High-mass-loading electrodes with long-term stability have long been a great challenge for lithium-sulfur batteries (LSBs), since the conventional binders are unable to cope with the shuttling of lithium polysulfides and the structural damage in an electrode. Here, a novel water-based polymer, polyphosphate acid cross-linked chitosan ethylamide carbamide (PACEC), is developed as a binder to construct high-energy-density sulfur cathode and flexible LSBs. With a dual-cross-linked network, the PACEC shows excellent affinity with lithium polysulfides to relieve the shuttle effect and robust mechanical properties to stabilize the electrode. The sulfur cathode based on PACEC demonstrates a high sulfur loading of 14.8 mg cm^-2, the areal initial capacity of 17.5 mAh cm^-2, and Coulombic efficiency of 99.3%, while the amount of electrolyte is strictly limited to 6 μL mg^-1. More importantly, a robust pouch cell with an area of 6 cm² and only 177% oversized lithium can successfully integrate the energy density of 6.5 mAh cm^-2 with the cycling retention per cycle of 99.74% during 270 cycles and flexibility at a curvature of 3 mm. This study provides inspirations for the design of eco-friendly polymer binders and paving new ways for the development of LSBs.

In Situ Grown Single-Atom Cobalt on Polymeric Carbon Nitride with Bidentate Ligand for Efficient Photocatalytic Degradation of Refractory Antibiotics

Semiconductor photocatalysis is a promising technology to tackle refractory antibiotics contamination in water. Herein, a facile in situ growth strategy is developed to implant single-atom cobalt in polymeric carbon nitride (pCN) via the bidentate ligand for efficient photocatalytic degradation of oxytetracycline (OTC). The atomic characterizations indicate that single-atom cobalt is successfully anchored on pCN by covalently forming the CoO bond and CoN bond, which will strengthen the interaction between single-atom cobalt and pCN. This single-atom cobalt can efficiently expand optical absorption, increase electron density, facilitate charge separation and transfer, and promote OTC degradation. As the optimal sample, Co(1.28%)pCN presents an outstanding apparent rate constant for OTC degradation (0.038 min^-1 ) under visible light irradiation, which is about 3.7 times than that of the pristine pCN. The electron spin resonance (ESR) tests and reactive species trapping experiments demonstrate that the ¹ O₂ , h⁺ , •O₂^- , and •OH are responsible for OTC degradation. This work develops a new way to construct single-atom-modified pCN and provides a green and highly efficient strategy for refractory antibiotics removal.

[Effects of gut microbiota on five absorbed components of Berberis kansuensis in rat serum by HPLC-QqQ-MS]

To elucidate the absorption and metabolism of alkaloids in Berberis kansuensis in vivo, a high performance liquid chromatography-triple quadrupole mass spectrometry(HPLC-QqQ-MS) method was developed to qualitatively and quantitatively analyze the absorption components in rat serum in multiple-reaction monitoring mode. The mobile phase consisted of 0.1% formic acid and acetonitrile with a gradient elution mode. In addition, to investigate the effects of gut microbiota on five absorbed components of B. kansuensis in rat serum, diabetic rat and pseudo germ-free diabetic rat models were established, and partial least squares discriminant analysis and One-way ANOVA were used to study the content differences of five components among different groups. In this study, a HPLC-QqQ-MS method for quantitative analysis of five components in rat serum after oral administration of B. kansuensis was established for the first time. It was found that there were differences in the five constituents in rat serum between different groups. By comparing the normal group with the diabetic model group, we found that the absorption and metabolism capacities of berberine and magnoflorine were different under the health and pathological conditions. It was also found that the serum levels of berberine, magnoflorine and jatrorrhizine in pseudo germ-free diabetic rats were significantly lower than those in diabetic rats, indicating that gut microbiota plays an important role in the metabolism of alkaloids of B. kansuensis in vivo. These results provide a good reference for clarifying the active ingredients of B. kansuensis in the treatment of diabetes.

Properties of Neon, Magnesium, and Silicon Primary Cosmic Rays Results from the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer

We report the observation of new properties of primary cosmic rays, neon (Ne), magnesium (Mg), and silicon (Si), measured in the rigidity range 2.15 GV to 3.0 TV with 1.8×10^{6}  Ne, 2.2×10^{6}  Mg, and 1.6×10^{6}  Si nuclei collected by the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer experiment on the International Space Station. The Ne and Mg spectra have identical rigidity dependence above 3.65 GV. The three spectra have identical rigidity dependence above 86.5 GV, deviate from a single power law above 200 GV, and harden in an identical way. Unexpectedly, above 86.5 GV the rigidity dependence of primary cosmic rays Ne, Mg, and Si spectra is different from the rigidity dependence of primary cosmic rays He, C, and O. This shows that the Ne, Mg, and Si and He, C, and O are two different classes of primary cosmic rays.