Abstract In order to explore the effects of thymol on the antimicrobial activity, structure, physical properties and fresh-keeping application of starch/PBAT composite films, different contents of thymol (0, 1%, 3% and 5%) were used to prepare antimicrobial composite films by extrusion blow molding. The results indicated that tourier transform infrared spectroscopy showed there was intermolecular hydrogen bonding force among starch/PBAT and thymol. The inhibition effect on Botrytis cinerea and the preservation effect of cherry tomato of the composite film were significantly improved, the hardness and nutritional characteristics of cherry tomato were maintained, and the fruit decay rate was reduced. The addition of thymol increased the water vapor permeability of the starch based composite films, but reduced the interaction between the composite film and water. Although thymol reduced the mechanical properties of the composite film, high concentration of thymol further improved the mechanical properties. In conclusion, the high concentration of thymol improved the comprehensive properties of starch composite film, and proved the application prospect of the film as active food packaging material.

Abstract The physicochemical properties and structure changes of pregelatinized Waxy rice starch (PWRS) were studied by measuring the thermodynamic properties, crystal structure, texture properties, dynamic rheology, freeze-thaw stability, microstructure and sensory analysis of PWRS. The results showed that when carrot powder was added, the initial gelatinization temperature of PWRS increased, the crystallinity increased first and then decreased, the crystal structure presented no changes, the pores in the microstructure increased, the water holding capacity increased, the weak binding water content also increased, and the water separation rate decreased under different freezing-thawing cycles. Compared with pure glutinous rice starch, when the addition of carrot powder was controlled within 10%, the gel strength and solid properties of glutinous rice starch would be increased, and the elasticity and hardness could also be increased. When the additive amount was more than 10%, the starch gel tends to be liquid, the hardness decreased, and the gel structure was difficult to form. Therefore, adding carrot powder can improve the gel properties of glutinous rice starch, which is expected to provide a theoretical basis for delaying the aging of glutinous rice starch.

RESUMO OBJETIVO Há relatos de que o NBAT1 está associado à progressão do câncer. Contudo, o significado clínico do NBAT1 no câncer de pulmão de células não pequenas (NSCLC) ainda não está claro. O objetivo da nossa pesquisa foi explorar se NBAT1 serve como biomarcador para o prognóstico de NSCLC. MÉTODOS A expressão de NBAT1 foi examinada por RT-PCR em amostras de tecido de 162 pacientes com NSCLC e comparada a amostras adjacentes não tumorais de pulmão. Em seguida, a associação entre a expressão do NBAT1 e os parâmetros clínico-patológicos foi avaliada. A análise de sobrevivência foi realizada utilizando o método Kaplan-Meier. A significância prognóstica da expressão do NBAT1 em pacientes com NSCLC foi explorada através de análises univariadas e multivariadas. RESULTADOS A expressão do NBAT1 foi claramente diminuída nos tecidos de NSCLC em comparação aos espécimes normais dos pulmões (p<0,01). Além disso, as análises de sobrevivência indicaram que pacientes com baixa expressão apresentavam uma diminuição drástica da sobrevivência global em cinco anos (p=0,008). CONCLUSÃO A expressão do NBAT1 pode contribuir para a progressão tumoral e um prognóstico negativo do NSCLC e pode ser um novo alvo de terapia no NSCLC.

SUMMARY OBJECTIVE Long noncoding RNA neuroblastoma-associated transcript 1 (NBAT1) has been reported to be involved in cancer progression. However, the clinical significance of NBAT1 in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is still unclear. Our present research aimed to explore whether NBAT1 serves as a biomarker for NSCLC prognosis. METHODS The expression of NBAT1 was examined by RT-PCR in tissue samples of 162 NSCLC patients and was compared with the adjacent non-tumor lung specimens. Then the association between NBAT1 expression and clinical-pathological parameters was further evaluated. Survival analysis was performed using the Kaplan-Meier method. The prognostic significance of NBAT1 expression in NSCLC patients was explored by the use of univariate and multivariate analyses. RESULTS NBAT1 expression was prominently decreased in NSCLC tissues compared with matched normal lung specimens (p < 0.01). Moreover, survival analyses indicated that patients with low expression displayed dramatically decreased 5-year overall survival (p = 0.008). CONCLUSIONS NBAT1 expression might contribute to tumor progression and poor prognosis of NSCLC and might be a new therapeutic target in NSCLC.

Abstract Strand tension control is essential in suspension bridge safety. However, few quantitative studies have examined the bending rigidity and boundary condition behavior of strands in the anchor span of suspension bridges because of their special structure and complex configuration. In this paper, a new calculation method for strand tension is explored by using dynamic balance theory to determine the effect of bending rigidity and boundary conditions. The accuracy and effectiveness of the proposed method are tested and confirmed with verification examples and application on Nanxi Yangtze Suspension Bridge in China. The results indicated that only low-order frequency calculation could be used to calculate the strand tension without considering the effect of bending rigidity to ensure control accuracy. The influence of bending rigidity on the control precision is related to the tension and the length of the strands, which is significantly determined by the specific value between the stress rigidity and the bending rigidity. The uncertain boundary conditions of the anchor span cable, which are fixed between consolidated and hinged, also have a major effect on the control accuracy. To improve the accuracy of strand tension control, the least squares method is proposed during the tension construction control of the anchor span. This approach can significantly improve the accuracy of the tension control of the main cable strand. Some recommendations for future bridge analysis are provided based on the results of this study.

Embora a farmacocinética (PK) do cloridrato de diltiazem nas formas de comprimidos de liberação imediata e cápsulas de liberação modificada em ensaios clínicos já tenha sido relatada, a pesquisa da PK do cloridrato de diltiazem na forma de cápsulas com peletes de liberação retardada e sustentada ainda é muito importante. Neste trabalho, propusemos avaliar a farmacocinética do cloridrato de diltiazem administrado através desta nova forma farmacêutica em voluntários chineses sadios, assim como a influência da ingestão de alimentos neste perfil farmacocinético. Foi realizado um ensaio clínico aberto, randomizado e paralelo em 36 voluntários, que receberam dose oral única de 90 mg, 180 mg ou 270 mg e dose múltiplas (90 mg/d × 6 d) pela mesma via de administração. Para avaliar o efeito da ingestão de alimentos sobre a PK do diltiazem foi realizada a administração de dose única (360 mg) em 24 voluntários chineses sadios. A concentração plasmática do diltiazem foi determinada por Cromatografia Liquida de Alta Eficiência em fase reversa (CLAE-FR) e os principais parâmetros farmacocinéticos foram analisados através do emprego do software PKSolver (Ver 2.0). O ensaio de farmacocinética clínica foi conduzido na clínica Pharmacological Center (No.JDX1999064) do Hospital de Xiangya, Central South University, China. Os parâmetros PK obtidos indicaram que a nova formulação de cápsulas de liberação retardada e sustentada de cloridrato de diltiazem possue marcantes características de liberação retardada e controlada do fármaco.

The pharmacokinetics (PK) of ordinary tablets and sustained release capsules of diltiazem hydrochloride in human clinical trials had been studied. The PK of diltiazem hydrochloride delay-onset sustained-release pellet capsules, a new dosage form, has not been reported, although it is very important to clinical use. In this paper, we investigated the PK of diltiazem hydrochloride delay-onset sustained-release pellet capsules and the food influence in Chinese healthy volunteers. The PK parameters indicated that the diltiazem hydrochloride delay-onset sustained-release pellet capsules appeared marked characteristics of delayed and controlled release. An opened-label, randomized and parallel clinical trial was conducted in 36 Chinese healthy volunteers with single oral dose (90 mg, 180 mg or 270 mg) and a multiple oral dose (90 mg d-1×6 d) administration. The effect of food on the PK of one single oral dose (360 mg) was investigated in 24 healthy Chinese volunteers. Plasma diltiazem concentration was determined by reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography (RP-HPLC) and the main pharmacokinetic parameters were analyzed by PKSolver (Ver 2.0). All clinical studies were conducted in the Clinical Pharmacological Center (No. JDX1999064) of Xiangya Hospital Affiliated Central South University, China. The PK parameters suggested that the new formulation had marked characteristics of delayed and controlled release of diltiazem, and food intake did not alter significantly diltiazem pharmacokinetic parameters.

Um complexo misto de manganês(II), [Mn(sal)(phen)2]ClO4 (1) (sal = salicilaldeído, phen = 1,10-fenantrolina), foi sintetizado e caracterizado por análise elementar e difração de raio-X de monocristais. A análise dos difratogramas revelou que o complexo 1 cristaliza no grupo espacial monoclínico P2(1)/n. A unidade assimétrica do complexo é composta do cátion complexo [Mn(sal)(phen)2]+ e do ânion perclorato não coordenado. O manganês(II) está num ambiente de coordenação MnN4O2 de geometria octaédrica bem distorcida. Quatro tipos de empilhamento π-π envolvendo ligantes fenantrolina e salicilaldeído estão envolvidos na auto-montagem supramolecular. Estas interações de empilhamento aromático cooperam com ligações de hidrogênio para a montagem de uma fascinante arquitetura supramolecular 3D com o complexo. Estudos de espectroscopia de absorção eletrônica e de titulação monitorando-se a fluorescência de 1 com DNA de timo de bezerro sugerem a ligação do complexo por intercalação com uma constante de formação igual a 7,97×10³ L mol-1 e uma constante de supressão de Stern-Volmer de 1,34×10(4) L mol-1

A mixed ligand manganese(II) complex, [Mn(sal)(phen)2]ClO4 (1) (sal = salicylaldehyde, phen = 1,10-phenanthroline), has been synthesized and characterized by elemental analysis and single crystal X-ray diffractometry. The structural analysis revealed that complex 1 crystallizes in the monoclinic space group P2(1)/n. The asymmetric unit of the complex is comprised of [Mn(sal)(phen)2]+ complex cation and uncoordinated perchlorate anion. The manganese(II) is located in a seriously distorted octahedral MnN4O2 coordination environment. Four types of π-π stacking modes involving phenanthroline and salicylaldehyde ligands are involved in the supramolecular self-assembly. These aromatic stacking interactions cooperate with hydrogen bonding to assemble the complex into a fascinating 3D supramolecular architecture. Electronic absorption spectroscopy and fluorescence titration studies of the interaction between complex 1 and calf thymus DNA suggest an intercalative binding mode with a constant of 7.97×10³ L mol-1 and a Stern-Volmer quenching constant of 1.34×10(4) L mol-1.