Free Cell Research Articles

The influence of acute lifestyle changes on NAFLD evolution in a multicentre cohort: a matter of body composition.

Unhealthy lifestyles represent a key element fueling Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) onset and worsening. We aimed to evaluate the effects of forced acute lifestyle changes on NAFLD evolution. 187 NAFLD patients were followed two years pre- and two years during the lockdown social restrictions in three Italian medical centers. For each patient, biochemical, clinical, non-invasive liver fibrosis, nutritional, and body composition data were collected. An increase in fats and carbohydrate intake associated with impaired weekly physical activity during the lockdown was demonstrated as well as an increase in body mass index and waist-hip-ratio (p < 0.0001 for all). Total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein, high-density lipoprotein, triglycerides, glucose, insulin, homeostatic model assessment for insulin resistance, and transaminases worsened during the lockdown (glucose: p = 0.0007; p < 0.0001 for the others). Moreover, NAFLD fibrosis score, liver stiffness, and controlled attenuation parameter were also impaired during the same period (p < 0.0001 for all). The bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA) evidenced an increase of fat mass (FM), and a reduction of free fat mass (FFM) and body cell mass (BCM) (p < 0.0001 for all). The lockdown overall hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and Milan-out HCC occurrence revealed Hazard Ratio (HR): 2.398, 95% Confidence Interval (CI):1.16-5, p = 0.02, and HR:5.931, CI:2-17.6, p = 0.008 respectively. A liver disease stage and comorbidities independent association between both the assessed outcomes and body composition analysis in terms of mean values and variation (T1-T2 Δ) was demonstrated. The acute lifestyle changes impacted NAFLD evolution via body composition modifications negatively influencing the HCC occurrence.

Garciyunnanones A–R: Caged polycyclic polyprenylated acylphloroglucinols decorated with a lavandulyl substituent from Garcinia yunnanensis

Garciyunnanones A–R (1–18), eighteen undescribed caged polycyclic polyprenylated acylphloroglucinols, two undescribed biogenetic congeners (19–20), and nineteen known analogues (21–39), were isolated from the stem barks of Garcinia yunnanensis Hu. All of these isolates are decorated with a C-5 lavandulyl substituent. Their structures and absolute configurations were confirmed by HRESIMS, 1D & 2D NMR spectroscopic analysis, quantum chemical calculations of electronic circular dichroism data, and single-crystal X-ray diffraction analysis. The X-ray crystallographic data of ten isolated caged compounds ascertained the absolute configuration of C-23 in the lavandulyl as S. The cytotoxicity on three cancer cell lines and the anti-nonalcoholic steatohepatitis activity of the isolates were tested. In a free fatty acid-induced L02 cell model, compounds 33 and 39 decreased intracellular lipid accumulation significantly.

Exposure to low-concentration fipronil impairs survival, behavior, midgut morphology and physiology of Aedes aegypti larvae

The Aedes aegypti mosquito is a vector for various arboviruses, including dengue and yellow fever. Insecticides, such as pyrethroids and organophosphates, are widely used to manage and control these insects. However, mosquitoes have developed resistance to these chemicals. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the effects of the commercial formulation of fipronil (Tuit® Florestal; 80% purity) on the survival, behavior, morphology, and proteins related to signaling pathways of the midgut in A. aegypti larvae under controlled laboratory conditions. Significant reductions in immature survival were observed in all concentrations of fipronil tested. Low insecticide concentration (0.5 ppb) led to decreased locomotor activity in the larvae and caused disorganization of the epithelial tissue in the midgut. Moreover, exposure to the insecticide decreased the activity of detoxifying enzymes such as catalase, superoxide dismutase, and glutathione-S-transferase. On the other hand, the insecticide increased protein oxidation and nitric oxide levels. The detection of LC3, caspase-3, and JNK proteins, related to autophagy and apoptosis, increased after exposure. However, there was a decrease in the positive cells for ERK 1/2. Furthermore, the treatment with fipronil decreased the number of positive cells for the proteins FMRF, Prospero, PH3, Wg, Armadillo, Notch, and Delta, which are related to cell proliferation and differentiation. These findings demonstrate that even at low concentrations, fipronil exerts larvicidal effects on A. aegypti by affecting behavior and enzymatic detoxification, inducing protein oxidation, free radical generation, midgut damage and cell death, and inhibiting cell proliferation and differentiation. Thus, this insecticide may represent a viable alternative for controlling the spread of this vector.

Numerical interface optimization of lead-free perovskite solar cells (CH3NH3SnI3) for 30% photo-conversion efficiency using SCAPS-1D

In this study lead free methyl ammonium tin iodide MASnI3 perovskite solar cell was studied and optimized using SCAPS-1D simulator. Different potential materials were assessed to determine their suitability as HTLs and ETLs. Results revealed that among the investigated materials the combination of V2O5 as HTL and IGZO as ETL is most suitable for the performance of MASnI3 solar cell. In an attempt to find the most appropriate material for back contact for further enhancement in performance of solar cell, gold has been found to stand out as the best choice among the examined metals. The wavelength range of 400–900 nm of sun light corresponds to highest quantum efficiency which falls off rapidly beyond this range. Increase in defect density of active layer has been found to have detrimental influence on the performance of solar cell. Above the room temperature cell performance has been found to decline and optimized thickness of active layer has been found to be 0.6 µm at 300 K for which the maximum PCE (30.35%) has been observed. The optimized device Glass/ITO/IGZO/MASnI3/V2O5/Au shows Voc, Isc and FF values of 1.08 V, 33.48 mA/cm2 and 81.53% respectively.

A New Solution of Drag for Newtonian Fluid Droplets in a Power-Law Fluid

Understanding flow behaviors of multiple droplets in complex non-Newtonian fluids is crucial in many science and engineering applications. In this study, a new and improved analytical solution is developed based on the free surface cell model for the flow drag of swamp of Newtonian fluid drops through a power-law fluid. The developed solution is accurate and compares well to the numerical solutions. The improvement involves a new quantification of shear stress boundary condition at the interface and a more consistent approximation in linearizing the power-law fluid flow governing equation. The Newtonian fluid solutions can be reasonably used to linearize the flow governing equation. The approximation of the boundary conditions at the interface, however, has a major impact on the model prediction. The main improvement in the new solution is observed under the condition of comparable viscosities of the Newtonian drops and the outside power-law fluid when the results are sensitive to the interface boundary condition. Under the two extreme conditions of high viscosity ratio (approaching particles) and low ratio (approaching bubbles), the present and existing solutions converge.

Double-layer microcapsules based on shellac for enhancing probiotic survival during freeze drying, storage, and simulated gastrointestinal digestion

Probiotics are susceptible to diverse conditions during processing, storage, and digestion. Here, shellac (SC), sodium alginate (SA), coconut oil (CO), soybean oil (SO), and trehalose (AL) were used to prepare microcapsules aiming to improve the survival of Lactiplantibacillus plantarum KLDS1.0318 during freeze-drying, storage process, and gastrointestinal digestion. The results showed that for SA/AL/SC/CO and SA/AL/SC/SO, the survival loss decreased by 51.2 % and 51.0 % after a freeze-drying process compared with microcapsules embedded by SA; the viable bacteria count loss decreased by 4.36 and 4.24 log CFU/mL compared with free cell (CON) during storage for 28 d under 33%RH at 25 °C, respectively; while for simulating digestion in vitro, the survival loss decreased by 3.05 and 2.70 log CFU/mL, 0.63 and 0.55 log CFU/mL after digestion at simulated gastric fluid for 120 min and small intestine fluid for 180 min, respectively (P < 0.05). After microcapsules were added to fermented dairy stored at 4 °C for 21 d, the viable bacteria count of SA/AL/SC/CO and SA/AL/SC/SO significantly increased by 2.10 and 1.70 log CFU/mL compared with CON, respectively (P < 0.05). In conclusion, the current study indicated that shellac-based probiotic microcapsules have superior potential to protect and deliver probiotics in food systems.

CsRAXs negatively regulate leaf size and fruiting ability through auxin glycosylation in cucumber.

Leaves are the main photosynthesis organ that directly determines crop yield and biomass. Dissecting the regulatory mechanism of leaf development is crucial for food security and ecosystem turn-over. Here, we identified the novel function of R2R3-MYB transcription factors CsRAXs in regulating cucumber leaf size and fruiting ability. Csrax5 single mutant exhibited enlarged leaf size and stem diameter, and Csrax1/2/5 triple mutant displayed further enlargement phenotype. Overexpression of CsRAX1 or CsRAX5 gave rise to smaller leaf and thinner stem. The fruiting ability of Csrax1/2/5 plants was significantly enhanced, while that of CsRAX5 overexpression lines was greatly weakened. Similarly, cell number and free auxin level were elevated in mutant plants while decreased in overexpression lines. Biochemical data indicated that CsRAX1/5 directly promoted the expression of auxin glucosyltransferase gene CsUGT74E2. Therefore, our data suggested that CsRAXs function as repressors for leaf size development by promoting auxin glycosylation to decrease free auxin level and cell division in cucumber. Our findings provide new gene targets for cucumber breeding with increased leaf size and crop yield.

Millimeter and Submillimeter Spectroscopy of the Deuterated Molecular Ion SD+

Seven rotational and fine-structure transitions of the deuterated molecular ion SD+ in the X 3Σ− ground electronic state have been measured in the 271–863 GHz region in the laboratory. This ion has been produced by direct-current glow discharge using a mixture of D2S and argon in a free space cell in a temperature range of −140°C to −160°C. The rotational, centrifugal distortion, spin–spin interaction, and hyperfine constants have been determined; the standard deviation of the residuals in the fitting is 109 kHz. The set of obtained spectroscopic parameters provides a list of accurate submillimeter rest frequencies of SD+ for astronomical detection. We have investigated lines of SD+ toward the quasar PKS 1830-211 using the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array archive, as the z = 0.89 molecular absorber exists in front of this quasar. A data set covering the 297 GHz region includes the N J = 23–12 transition at 561 GHz due to redshift, providing an upper limit of the column density N tot = 3 × 1012 cm−2 for SD+.

Investigation of Single-step Fabrication of a Cathode-supported Planar Single-chamber Solid Oxide Fuel Cell and Its Performance

This study presents a cathode-supported planar solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) fabrication made via a single step co-sintering method and investigation of its performance. The materials used are NiO-CGO, CGO and CGO-LSCF for anode, cathode, electrolyte, respectively. Our study shows that increasing the cell size has a detrimental effect on cell single step co-sinterability. Increasing cathode thickness and reducing electrolyte thickness led to curvature decrease at the edges, however these adjustments were not enough to achieve a curvature-free cathode-supported cell. Thus, three porous alumina cover plates (total mass of 49.35 g) placed on the top of the cell during sintering were utilized to suppress curvature formation, and as a result, a nearly curvature- free cathode-supported cell was obtained. Performance of the cells were investigated. The results showed that increasing cathode thickness and decreasing electrolyte thickness had negative effects on cell performance despite enhanced single step co-sinterability of the cell. The maximum power density and OCV of the final planar cell (thickness 60-40-800 µm, anode-electrolyte-cathode) were found to be 1.71 mW cm-2 and 0.2 V, respectively, in a fuel rich condition (R:1.6). Additionally, the maximum OCV and power density among the all cells were measured from the cell (thickness 60-40-400 µm, anode-electrolyte-cathode) as 0.56 V and 24.79 mW cm-2, respectively, in a fuel rich condition (R:2.4).

Abstract 5038: Validation of a comprehensive next-generation sequencing liquid biopsy assay for clinical diagnostics and clinical trial applications

Abstract Liquid biopsy next generation sequencing (NGS) provides a powerful non-invasive approach to detect solid tumor derived somatic variants in a massively parallel manner. Liquid biopsy NGS has rapidly become an invaluable choice of testing technologies for clinical utility where invasive tissue biopsy is inaccessible and/or inadequate for molecular characterization. We present here a targeted NGS gene panel assay designed and validated specifically for liquid biopsy characterization. The assay was designed to test cell free DNA and cell free RNA from blood plasma for detection of single nucleotide variants (SNV), insertion/deletion (Indel), copy number variants (CNV), and gene fusions present in 52 most commonly mutated genes in cancers. The validation was performed to assess assay accuracy, specificity, sensitivity, repeatability, and reproducibility, with including pre-characterized reference controls, retrospective plasma samples from cancer patients, and prospectively-collected clinic blood specimen. Triplicates were included and testing was performed at different times and by different operators to assess the assay precision. Over 100 clinic blood specimens were collected in Streck cfDNA tubes from multiple trial centers, including treatment naïve phase III-IV patients with solid tumor (lung cancer, breast cancer, brain cancer, prostate cancer, kidney cancer, melanoma, etc) as well as heathy donors, processed within 7 days for plasma separation and total nucleotide acid (TNA) extraction, and assessed by the NGS assay for mutation detection. The identified mutations and wild-types were verified with orthogonal ddPCR. Assay sensitivity as low as 0.1% for SNV and Indel, 1.3 fold change for CNV, and 10 copies for gene fusion were observed, with near-perfect assay specificity (&amp;gt;99.99%) at these sensitivity levels. In conclusion, a targeted NGS liquid biopsy assay was analytically validated under medical oversight, with a demonstrated rigor of the test by its high sensitivity/specificity and robust reproducibility. The validated assay has been utilized for clinical diagnostics and to support research and development efforts in clinical trials. Citation Format: Xin-Xing Tan, Tricia Peters, Meredith Berry, Kimberly Barber, Kristyn Jeter, Brigitte Lovell, Paula Elizondo, Yanglong Mou, Brad Thomas, Heng Xie, Jiannan Guo. Validation of a comprehensive next-generation sequencing liquid biopsy assay for clinical diagnostics and clinical trial applications [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2024; Part 1 (Regular Abstracts); 2024 Apr 5-10; San Diego, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2024;84(6_Suppl):Abstract nr 5038.

The correlation between serum free light chain levels and plasma cell ratio in bone marrow biopsy in multiple myeloma

Aims: MM (Multiple myeloma) is the second most common hematological malignancy. In addition to the recent advances in treatment, new parameters are used in clinical practice in diagnosis and follow-up. sFLC (free chain kappa and lambda) shows the activation of the disease depending on the rate of MM malignant cell secretion in serum. However, the plasma cell (PC) ratio in bone marrow biopsy is still the gold standard in diagnosis. We examined the dynamic correlation between the PC ratio and the number of sFLC-related cells and the secretion rate. We aimed to examine whether a low PC ratio could be in a more aggressive form with a higher sFLC secretion with too much activity, thus examining the correlation between them.&#x0D; Methods: A total of 62 newly diagnosed MM patients admitted to Başkent University Faculty of Medicine İstanbul Hospital were included in the study. At the time of diagnosis, sFLC values were requested simultaneously with bone marrow biopsy. Radiological images were obtained with PET CT/MRI or CT.&#x0D; Results: In all MM groups, bone marrow PH percentages were not correlated with sFLC regardless of subtype. IgG kappa type MM had the highest sFLC values despite the lowest number of PHs, while Lambda light chain MM had the lowest sFLC despite the highest PH rates. &#x0D; Conclusion: These results showed us that sFLC rates are independent of the percentage of PC in MM. We believe that the two are not correlated and should be followed up together in the follow-up of the disease.

Thermophilic combined bioproduction of ethanol and hydrogen utilizing sugarcane bagasse

Research addressing investigation of environment-friendly and efficient fuel reservoirs substituting depleting fossil fuels is at-work worldwide. For this purpose, it is of ultimate requirement to establish cost-effective biofuel fermentative processes using renewable lignocellulosic bio-wastes as feedstock. The present investigation compacts the employment of Clostridium thermocellum DSMZ1313, for bench-scale co-production of bioethanol and biohydrogen (bioH2) under non-aseptic thermophilic conditions. In our previous study, the fermentation kinetics have been studied aseptically in bench-scale stirred-tank bioreactor with same fermentative bacterium under optimized levels of the key fermentation factors employing sugarcane bagasse (SCB) in the fermentation medium. In the current investigation, for co-production of bioethanol and bioH2, batch fermentation was carried as free cell approach in subsequent bioreactor’s modifications that resulted in enhanced biofuels’ yields aseptically. These include the incorporation of immobilized cells fibrous bed bioreactor (FBB) that caused 20.465% enhanced ethanol and 27.27% higher level of hydrogen, followed by substrate addition (fed-batch fermentation) resulted in 61.79% increased ethanol and 74.074% better hydrogen production. Selective stripping of the inhibitory metabolites by in-situ gas-stripping was also performed that resulted in 94.58% increased ethanol and 105.38% elevated hydrogen level. Finally, under non-aseptic thermophilic fermentation conditions, 16.07% reduced ethanol whereas 14.7% elevated hydrogen levels were obtained in comparison with aseptic fermentation conditions. The simultaneous formation of bioethanol and bioH2 by SCB usage as biofuels’ feedstock from C. thermocellum-DSMZ1313 under non-aseptic settings has appeared a potentially sustainable recourse to produce environmentally friendly energy sources. To overcome the non-sterile fermentation processes’ inefficiencies, further studies might prove useful for active large scale deployment of waste biomass-to-biofuel.

The Impact of Free Cell Area in Asymptomatic Patients Undergoing CAS: Results from a Multicentre Registry

The Impact of Free Cell Area in Asymptomatic Patients Undergoing CAS: Results from a Multicentre Registry

Single-End Half-Select Free Static RAM Cell Based on BWG CNFET Tri-value Buffer Gate Applicable in Highly Efficient IoT Platforms

Single-End Half-Select Free Static RAM Cell Based on BWG CNFET Tri-value Buffer Gate Applicable in Highly Efficient IoT Platforms

Nicotinamide mononucleotide alleviates seizures via modulating SIRT1-PGC-1α mediated mitochondrial fusion and fission.

Both human and animal experiments have demonstrated that energy metabolism dysfunction in neurons after seizures is associated with an imbalance in mitochondrial fusion/fission dynamics. Effective neuronal mitochondrial dynamics regulation strategies remain elusive. Nicotinamide mononucleotide (NMN) can ameliorate mitochondrial functional and oxidative stress in age-related diseases. But whether NMN improves mitochondrial energy metabolism to exert anti-epileptic effects is unclear. This study aims to clarify if NMN can protect neurons from pentylenetetrazole (PTZ) or Mg2+ -free-induced mitochondrial disorder and apoptosis via animal and cell models. We established a continuous 30-day PTZ (37 mg/kg) intraperitoneal injection-induced epileptic mouse model and a cell model induced by Mg2+ -free solution incubation to explore the neuroprotective effects of NMN. We found that NMN treatment significantly reduced the seizure intensity of PTZ-induced epileptic mice, improved their learning and memory ability, and enhanced their motor activity and exploration desire. At the same time, invitro and invivo experiments showed that NMN can inhibit neuronal apoptosis and improve the mitochondrial energy metabolism function of neurons. In addition, NMN down-regulated the expression of mitochondrial fission proteins (Drp1 and Fis1) and promoted the expression of mitochondrial fusion proteins (Mfn1 and Mfn2) by activating the SIRT1-PGC-1α pathway, thereby inhibiting PTZ or Mg2+ -free extracellular solution-induced mitochondrial dysfunction, cell apoptosis, and oxidative stress. However, combined intervention of SIRT1 inhibitor, Selisistat, and PGC-1α inhibitor, SR-18292, eliminated the regulatory effect of NMN pre-treatment on mitochondrial fusion and fission proteins and apoptosis-related proteins. Therefore, NMN intervention may be a new potential treatment for cognitive impairment and behavioral disorders induced by epilepsy, and targeting the SIRT1-PGC-1α pathway may be a promising therapeutic strategy for seizures.

Thickness dependent numerical investigations of lead free perovskite/CIGS bilayer solar cell using SCAPS-1D

Due to the toxicity and the complex fabrication process lead-based perovskite solar cells are difficult to fabricate commercially though the power conversion efficiency has reached 25.2 ​%. In the current scenario, lead free perovskite solar cell devices are gaining interest among the researchers and the bilayer structure is showing significant improvement in the efficiency. In this work, with the help of SCAPS 1D, a lead free single-layer perovskite (CH3NH3SnBr3) solar cell and a bilayer structure (CH3NH3SnBr3/CIGS) have been investigated to compare the photovoltaic performance by using PCBM ([6,6]-phenyl-C61-butyric acid methyl ester) and SnTe as an electron transport layer (ETL) and hole transport layer (HTL) respectively. Different device parameters i.e. thickness, defect density, doping concentration and series-shunt resistance of the device was optimized to obtain the best performance. In the case of a single absorber layer, power conversion efficiency (PCE), open circuit voltage (Voc), fill factor (FF) and the short circuit current density (Jsc) were achieved 20.58 ​%, 0.931 ​V, 64.95 ​% and 34.03 mA.cm−2 respectively. However, it is observed that bilayer structure (FTO/PCBM/CH3NH3SnBr3/CIGS/ZnTe/SnTe/Au) obtains 22.68 ​% of PCE, 0.916 ​V of Voc, 71.46 ​% of FF and 34.66 mA.cm−2 of Jsc. This study suggests that a proper bilayer structure is beneficial to improve the device performance in terms of Jsc and FF by increasing the carrier generation and reducing the back surface field recombination.

Antifungal Activity Enhancement of Cell-Free Streptomyces griseus Extract Obtained by Fermentation with Magnetic Manganese Ferrite Nanoparticles.

The present study aims to obtain manganese ferrite nanoparticles functionalized with chitosan (C-MNP) or ethylenediamine (E-MNP) by coprecipitation and polyol one-step methods, characterize their interaction with S. griseus demonstrating cell immobilization, and evaluate the antimicrobial activity of the free cell extracts obtained from immobilized S. griseus fermentation in the presence of different concentrations of MNP. The adsorption isotherms were analyzed mathematically using Langmuir and Freundlich models. The highest coefficient of determination (R2) for the S. griseus cell adsorption isotherm with C-MNP was observed with a linear function of the Langmuir model. The adsorption isotherm of S. griseus cells with E-MNP was better fitted to the Freundlich model. Cell immobilization by adsorption on magnetic nanoparticles was demonstrated in both cases. Different concentrations of C-MNP and E-MNP were used in fermentations to prepare cell-free extracts with antifungal activity. The best results were obtained with E-MNP, with a 91.5% inhibition of radial fungal growth. Magnetic nanoparticles offer potential applications in different fields and easy biomass separation.

Phytochemical analysis, radical scavenging and glioblastoma U87 cells toxicity studies of stem bark of buckthorn (Rhamnus pentapomica R. Parker)

BackgroundDuring the past two decades, the correlation between oxidative stress and a variety of serious illnesses such as atherosclerosis, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), Alzheimer disease (AD) and cancer has been established. Medicinal plants and their derived phytochemicals have proven efficacy against free radicals and their associated diseases. The current work was aimed to evaluate the phytochemical constituents of Rhamnus pentapomica R. Parker via Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (GC–MS) and its antioxidant and anti-glioblastoma potentials.MethodsThe bioactive compounds were analysed in Rhamnus pentapomica R. Parker stem bark extracts by GC–MS analysis, and to evaluate their antioxidant and anti-glioblastoma effects following standard procedures. The stem bark was extracted with 80% methanol for 14 days to get crude methanolic extract (Rp.Cme) followed by polarity directed fractionation using solvents including ethyl acetate, chloroform, butanol to get ethyl acetate fraction (Rp.EtAc), chloroform fraction (Rp.Chf) and butanol fraction (Rp.Bt) respectively. Antioxidant assay was performed using DPPH free radicals and cell viability assay against U87 glioblastoma cancer cell lines was performed via MTT assay.ResultsIn GC-MS analysis, thirty-one compounds were detected in Rp.Cme, 22 in Rp.Chf, 24 in Rp.EtAc and 18 compounds were detected in Rp.Bt. Among the identified compounds in Rp.Cme, 9-Octadecenoic acid (Z)-methyl ester (7.73%), Octasiloxane (5.13%) and Heptasiloxane (5.13%), Hexadecanoic acid, methyl ester (3.76%) and Pentadecanoic acid, 14-methyl-, methyl Ester (3.76%) were highly abundant.. In Rp.Chf, Benzene, 1,3-dimethyl- (3.24%) and in Rp.EtAc Benzene, 1,3-dimethyl-(11.29%) were highly abundant compounds. Antioxidant studies revealed that Rp.Cme and Rp.EtAc exhibit considerable antioxidant potentials with IC50 values of 153.53 μg/ml and 169.62 μg/ml respectively. Both fractions were also highly effective against glioblastoma cells with IC50 of 147.64 μg/ml and 76.41ug/ml respectively.ConclusionPhytochemical analysis revealed the presence of important metabolites which might be active against free radicals and glioblastoma cells. Various samples of the plant exhibited considerable antioxidant and anti-glioblastoma potentials warranting further detailed studies.

Solution mediated halide exchange engineering for the fabrication of a thick CsPbCl3 film and its application in photovoltaics with outstanding performance.

It is a big challenge to prepare thick CsPbCl3 films using traditional solution processed approaches owing to the low solubility of precursors of PbCl2 and CsCl in common solvents. Here, we propose an indirect solution process to prepare thick CsPbCl3 films. In this new approach, a mother film of CsPbBr3 is first prepared through a solution process, and then it is dipped into a diluted HCl/methanol solution. During the dipping process, it triggers a halide exchange reaction between Br- and Cl-, and it eventually produces a thick CsPbCl3 film (∼400 nm) with high quality and purity. Afterwards, a carbon based hole transportation layer (HTL) free solar cell with a configuration of FTO/TiO2/CsPbCl3/carbon is constructed, and it delivers an average PCE of 1.23% and an outstanding PCE of 1.39% in a batch of PSCs. Meanwhile, the solar cell maintains its 82% initial PCE after storage in open air for 31 days. This work overcomes the obstacle of the traditional solution approach for the preparation of CsPbCl3 films, which makes it promising for preparing various CsPbCl3 film-based devices via a solution process.

YinChen WuLing powder attenuates non-alcoholic steatohepatitis through the inhibition of the SHP2/PI3K/NLRP3 pathway.

YinChen WuLing Powder (YCWLP) has been recommended by consensus for the treatment of non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH); nevertheless, its specific pharmacological mechanisms remain to be elucidated. This study aims to dissect the mechanisms underlying the therapeutic effects of YCWLP on NASH using a hybrid approach that encompasses network pharmacology, molecular docking, and in vitro experimental validation. We compiled the chemical constituents of YCWLP from the Traditional Chinese Medicine System Pharmacological Database and Analysis Platform (TCMSP), while potential targets were predicted using the SwissTargetPrediction database. To identify NASH-related candidate targets, comprehensive retrieval was carried out using five authoritative databases. Protein-Protein Interaction (PPI) networks of direct targets of YCWLP in NASH treatment were then constructed using the String database, and functional enrichment analyses, including Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway, were conducted through the Database for Annotation, Visualization, and Integrated Discovery (DAVID) database. Core targets were discerned using the Molecular Complex Detection (MCODE) and cytoHubba algorithms. Subsequently, molecular docking of key compounds to core targets was conducted using AutoDock software. Moreover, we established a free fatty acid-induced HepG2 cell model to simulate NASH in vitro, with YCWLP medicated serum intervention employed to corroborate the network pharmacology-derived hypotheses. Furthermore, a combination of enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), and Western blotting analyses was employed to investigate the lipid, hepatic enzyme, SHP2/PI3K/NLRP3 signaling pathway and associated cytokine levels. The network pharmacology analysis furnished a list of 54 compounds from YCWLP and 167 intersecting targets associated with NASH. Through analytic integration with multiple algorithms, PTPN11 (also known as SHP2) emerged as a core target of YCWLP in mitigating NASH. The in vitro experiments validated that 10% YCWLP medicated serum could remarkably attenuate levels of total cholesterol (TC, 1.25 vs. 3.32) and triglyceride (TG, 0.23 vs. 0.57) while ameliorating alanine aminotransferase (ALT, 7.79 vs. 14.78) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST, 4.64 vs. 8.68) leakage in NASH-afflicted cells. In addition, YCWLP significantly enhanced the phosphorylation of SHP2 (0.55 vs. 0.20) and downregulated the expression of molecules within the SHP2/PI3K/NLRP3 signaling axis, including p-PI3K (0.42 vs. 1.02), NLRP3 (0.47 vs. 0.93), along with downstream effectors-cleaved Caspase-1 (0.21 vs. 0.49), GSDMD-NT (0.24 vs. 0.71), mature interleukin-1β (IL-1β, 0.17 vs. 0.48), pro-IL-1β (0.49 vs. 0.89), mature interleukin-18 (IL-18, 0.15 vs. 0.36), and pro-IL-18 (0.48 vs. 0.95). Our research reveals that YCWLP exerts therapeutic effects against NASH by inhibiting lipid accumulation and inflammation, which involves the attenuation of pyroptosis via the SHP2/PI3K/NLRP3 pathway.