Increasing salinity in freshwater environments is a growing problem due both to the negative influences of salts on ecosystems and their accumulation and persistence in environments. Two major sources of increased salinity from sodium chloride salts (NaCl) are saline wastewaters co-produced during energy production (herein, wastewaters) and road salts. Effects of road salts have received more attention, but legacy contamination from wastewaters is widespread in some regions and spills still occur. Amphibians are sensitive to contaminants, including NaCl, because of their porous skin and osmoregulatory adaptations to freshwater. However, similarities and differences between effects of wastewaters and road salts have not been investigated. Therefore, we investigated the relative influence of wastewaters and NaCl at equivalent concentrations of chloride on three larval amphibian species that occur in areas with increased salinity. We determined acute toxicity and growth effects on Boreal Chorus Frogs (Pseudacriswastewaters may be context-, species-, and trait-specific and require further investigations. The negative influence of salts on imperiled amphibians underscores the need to restore landscapes with increased salinity and reduce future salinization of freshwater ecosystems.

Regular HIV-1 viral load monitoring forms an essential part of any successful HIV-1 treatment programme. Abbott Molecular recently released the Alinity m HIV-1 assay to be run on the Alinity m System, a fully automated, continuous and random access analyser using ReadiFlex™ technology.

Our study investigated the performance of the Alinity m HIV-1 assay in comparison to the cobas® HIV-1 test in a high-throughput molecular laboratory.

We compared the performance of the Alinity m HIV-1 assay with the cobas® HIV-1 test, performed on both the cobas® 4800 and cobas® 6800 systems at three clinically relevant thresholds (50, 200 and 1000 cp/mL).

Excellent correlation (r = 0.98) and agreement (mean bias -0.004 Log

cp/mL) was achieved between the cobas® 4800 and Alinity m HIV-1 assay. While there was good correlation between the Alinity m HIV-1 assay and the cobas® 6800 (r = 0.99), Bland-Altman analysis indicated that the cobas® 6800 on average measured 0.22 Log

cp/mL higher than the Alinity m HIV-1 assay across the dynamic range. Percentage agreement was excellent at the 200 cp/mL and 1000 cp/mL thresholds and was slightly lower at 50 cp/mL in comparison with the cobas® systems.

The Alinity m HIV-1 assay compared well with the cobas® HIV-1 test on both the cobas® 4800 and cobas® 6800 systems in a high-throughput molecular laboratory in South Africa, a low- to middle-income country.

The Alinity m HIV-1 assay compared well with the cobas® HIV-1 test on both the cobas® 4800 and cobas® 6800 systems in a high-throughput molecular laboratory in South Africa, a low- to middle-income country.

Curcumin (CUR) is a natural diarylheptanoid with marked anti-tumor activities. Recent investigations demonstrate that CUR combines with some other phytochemicals exerts advantages over its single application manifested as lower toxicity, higher efficacy or more significant reversal of multidrug resistance.

This study aimed to elucidate a new biflavonoid (wikstroflavone B, WFB) isolated from Wikstroemia indica and to assess the synergistic inhibition of combined CUR and WFB (CUR/WFB) on human nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) cell lines proliferation and metastasis.

WFB was obtained through sequential chromatographic methods including silica gel, Sephadex LH-20 and preparative HPLC. Its structure was determined by HRESIMS, 1D and 2D NMR spectroscopic analysis. The absolute configuration of WFB was assigned through comparison of experimental and calculated optical rotation (OR) values. Changes in cellular viability, migration and invasion were assessed by MTT, colony formation, wound healing and Transwell ascts of CUR on NPC cells proliferation and metastasis, and these findings may afford a rational approach for developing the antitumor medications.

The results indicate that WFB can synergistically increase the inhibitory effects of CUR on NPC cells proliferation and metastasis, and these findings may afford a rational approach for developing the antitumor medications.

Multidrug resistance (MDR) is the major barrier to the successful treatment of chemotherapy. Compounds from nature products working as MDR sensitizers provided new treatment strategies for chemo-resistant cancers patients.

We investigated the reversal effects of nuciferine (NF), an alkaloid from Nelumbo nucifera and Nymphaea caerulea, on the paclitaxel (PTX) resistance ABCB1-overexpressing cancer in vitro and in vivo, and explored the underlying mechanism by evaluating drug sensitivity, cell cycle perturbations, intracellular accumulation, function and protein expression of efflux transporters as well as molecular signaling involved in governing transporters expression and development of MDR in cancer.

NF overcomes the resistance of chemotherapeutic agents included PTX, doxorubicin (DOX), docetaxel, and daunorubicin to HCT-8/T and A549/T cancer cells. Notably, NF suppressed the colony formation of MDR cells in vitro and the tumor growth in A549/T xenograft mice in vivo, which demonstrated a very strong synergetic cytotoxic effect between NF and PTX as combination index (CI) (CI<0.1) indicated. Furthermore, NF increased the intracellular accumulation of P-gp substrates included DOX and Rho123 in the MDR cells and inhibited verapamil-stimulated ATPase activity. Mechanistically, inhibition of PI3K/AKT/ERK pathways by NF suppressed the activation of Nrf2 and HIF-1α, and further reduced the expression of P-gp and BCRP, contributing to the sensitizing effects of NF against MDR in cancer.

This novel finding provides a promising treatment strategy for overcoming MDR and improving the efficiency of chemotherapy by using a multiple-targets MDR sensitizer NF.

This novel finding provides a promising treatment strategy for overcoming MDR and improving the efficiency of chemotherapy by using a multiple-targets MDR sensitizer NF.

Amide alkaloidsare typical constituents in plants of the Piperaceae family. Most of the pharmacological properties of Piper nigrum L. are attributed to the major amide alkaloid, piperine. Piperyline (PIPE) is a further amide alkaloid that has been isolated from P. nigrum.

This study was performed to examine the biological effects of PIPE on pre-osteoblasts and elucidate the underlying mechanisms.

We investigated the effects of PIPE in MC3T3E-1 cells, which are widely used for studying osteoblast behavior in in vitro cell systems.

We evaluated cell viability based on the MTT assay, apoptosis by TUNEL staining, adhesion and migration by cell adhesion and migration assays, and osteoblast differentiation by alkaline phosphatase activity and staining. Western blot and immunocytochemical analyses were used to investigate cell signaling pathways.

We found that at concentrations ranging from 1 to 30 μM, PIPE inhibited cell growth and induced apoptosis in pre-osteoblasts, which was accompanied by the upregulindicate that PIPE has biological effects associated with cell adhesion, migration, proliferation, and osteoblast differentiation, and suggest a potential role for this alkaloid in the treatment of bone diseases.

Lung cancer is the most common and mortal cancer worldwide. Rhodiola rosea L. (RR), a well-known traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), has been turned out to be effective in anti-lung cancer therapy, but its molecular mechanism of action has not been clearly understood.

In this study, we aimed to elucidate the possible molecular mechanism underlying the effect of RR against non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) by systems pharmacology.

The effects of RR on NSCLC were examined in Lewis lung carcinoma (LLC) tumor-bearing mice models. The possible molecular mechanism was unraveled by systems pharmacology, which includes pharmacokinetics evaluation, active compounds screening, target prediction and network analysis. Cell proliferation was examined by cell counting kit-8 (CCK-8) assay; cell apoptosis was detected by flow cytometry; protein and proinflammatory cytokines expression were evaluated by Western blot and qRT-PCR.

In vivo, RR significantly inhibited the tumor growth and prolonged the survival of the tuanti-angiogenic and pro-apoptotic.

Gut microbiota play important roles in insulin homeostasis and the pathogenesis of non-alcoholic fatty liver diseases (NAFLD). Yijin-Tang (YJT), a traditional Korean and Chinese medicine, is used in the treatment of gastrointestinal diseases and obesity-related disorders such as insulin resistance (IR) and NAFLD.

Our aim was to identify the microbiome-mediated effects of YJT on IR and associated NAFLD by integrating metagenomics and hepatic lipid profile.

C57BL/6J mice were fed a normal chow diet (NC) or high-fat/high-cholesterol (HFHC) diet with or without YJT treatment. Hepatic lipid profiles were analyzed using liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry, and the composition of gut microbiota was investigated using 16S rRNA sequencing. Then, hepatic lipid profiles, gut microbiome, and inflammatory marker data were integrated using multivariate analysis and bioinformatics tools.

YJT improved NAFLD, and 39 hepatic lipid metabolites were altered by YJT in a dose-dependent manner. YJT also altered the gut ipid profiles are regulated by YJT, which improved the IR and NAFLD in mice with diet-induced obesity.

Pu’er tea, a type of post-fermented tea made from Camellia sinensis leaves, has long been widely used in East Asian countries. It is mainly produced in southern China and is effective in preventing obesity due to its ability to break down fat. However, the effects of Pu’er tea on cognitive impairment or neuroinflammation by endotoxin have not yet been studied.

Here, we assessed the inhibitory activity of Pu’er tea hot water extract (PTW) on neuroinflammation and cognitive impairment and explored its mechanism.

The ability of PTW to inhibit cognitive impairment was investigated in a mouse model of lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced neuroinflammation and murine microglia BV2 cells.

We examined whether oral administration of PTW prevented cognitive impairment and LPS-induced neuroinflammation using behavioral tests, Nissl staining, immunohistochemistry, western blotting, real-time reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (real-time RT-PCR), Griess assay, and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA)on and is, therefore, a potential candidate for the development of a therapeutic agent for neurodegenerative diseases.

Our results in vivo and in vitro demonstrate that PTW effectively prevents cognitive impairment caused by neuroinflammation and is, therefore, a potential candidate for the development of a therapeutic agent for neurodegenerative diseases.

In Europe, the number of children born by non-Western immigrant women is rising and these women have an increased risk of negative pregnancy and birth outcomes, compared to the host populations. Several individual and system barriers are associated with immigrant women’s access to maternity care. Scientific evaluations of interventions to enhance the health of immigrant women in the maternity setting are lacking, and there is a need for further development of the evidence base on how health care system initiatives may mitigate ethnic inequities in reproductive health. In Denmark, the MAMAACT intervention was developed to improve midwives’ as well as non-Western immigrant women’s response to pregnancy complications and to promote midwives’ intercultural communication and cultural competence. The intervention included a training course for midwives as well as a leaflet and a mobile application. This study focuses on the significance of the antenatal care context surrounding the implementation of the MAMAACT intervention (Id.