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This article discusses effective strategies for creating self-compatible Brassica rapa (Chinese cabbage) plants by introducing mutated SRK and SCR/SP11 genes from Brassica napus (rapeseed). Self-incompatibility (SI) is a common trait in Brassica vegetable crops, but it hinders the development and propagation of inbred lines. The manipulation of SI genes, such as SRK and SCR/SP11, can lead to the creation of self-compatible materials. The researchers used CRISPR/Cas9 technology to mutate the BnSRK-1 gene in B. napus and then employed distant hybridization to introduce the mutated gene into B. rapa, resulting in the generation of self-compatible materials. This research has important implications for improving the breeding process of Brassica vegetable crops. [Extracted from the article]

The rapidly evolving landscape of biomarkers for colorectal cancer (CRC) necessitates an integrative, updated repository. In response, we constructed the Colorectal Cancer Biomarker Database (CBD), which collected and displayed the curated biomedicine information for 870 CRC biomarkers in the previous study. Building on CBD, we have now developed CBD2, which includes information on 1569 newly reported biomarkers derived from different biological sources (DNA, RNA, protein, and others) and clinical applications (diagnosis, treatment, and prognosis). CBD2 also incorporates information on nonbiomarkers that have been identified as unsuitable for use as biomarkers in CRC. A key new feature of CBD2 is its network analysis function, by which users can investigate the visible and topological network between biomarkers and identify their relevant pathways. CBD2 also allows users to query a series of chemicals, drug combinations, or multiple targets, to enable multidrug, multitarget, multipathway analyses, toward facilitating the design of polypharmacological treatments for CRC. CBD2 is freely available at http://www.eyeseeworld.com/cbd. Highlights: CBD2 integrates biomarkers derived from diverse biological sources and clinical applications, employing a standardized approach for annotation and classification.CBD2 facilitates precision medicine in colorectal cancer by providing abundant data, including drug–target information and visualized network analysis functions.With its user‐friendly interface, CBD2 aids in the identification and development of biomarkers for colorectal cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Urbanization is a human‐induced process of rapid habitat change that can affect the reproductive success of animals. The occurrence of extra‐pair paternity (EPP) may be sensitive to changes in urban ecological conditions. In this study, the Chinese blackbird Turdus mandarinus, a common breeding bird in southern Chinese cities, was selected as the focus species to explore the EPP patterns of monogamous birds in developing cities and the relationship between pairs. Over four breeding seasons, 316 Chinese blackbird nestlings and 20 adults in both urban and rural areas were monitored and genotyped for 11 microsatellite loci to determine progeny affinity. We confirmed that both the brood size and hatching rate of EPP nests were significantly larger than those of within‐pair paternity (WPP) nests. The body mass, beak length, head length, and body length of 12‐day age extra‐pair offspring (EPO) were significantly greater than those of within‐pair offspring (WPO), suggesting important benefits of EPP. However, in accordance with the analyses of nest ecological variables, we concluded that EPP occurs most often in areas with low urbanization levels, indicating some constraints for this reproductive strategy in cities. Our findings provide new insights about how this growing human‐induced landscape change affects mating behaviour in birds, an important aspect in avian ecology and evolution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract The residue of Camellia seeds after oil extraction contains many bioactive ingredients, including tea saponin. Tea saponin has many pharmacological effects and is an excellent nonionic surfactant. The development of natural surfactants has become a hot topic in food research. This review gathers the applications of tea saponin as a surfactant in food. It focuses on the application of tea saponin in emulsions, delivery systems, extraction and fermentation, as well as the challenges and development prospects in food applications. Tea saponin shows great potential as a surfactant in food applications, which can replace some synthetic surfactants. The full utilization of tea saponin improves the comprehensive utilization value of Camellia seed residue, contributes to the sustainable development of Camellia industry and avoids resource waste. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The venting of methane from coal mining is China's main source of methane emissions. Accurate and up-to-date methane emission factors for coal mines are significant for reporting and controlling methane emissions in China. This study takes a typical coal mine in Shanxi Province as the research object and divides the coal mine into different zones based on the occurrence structure of methane in Shanxi Province. The methane emission characteristics of underground coal mine types and monitoring modes were studied. The emissions of methane from coal seams and ventilation methane of six typical coal mine groups in Shanxi Province were monitored. The measured methane concentration data were corrected by substituting them into the methane emission formula, and the future methane emissions were predicted by the coal production and methane emission factors. The results show that the number of methane mines and predicted reserves in Zone I of Shanxi Province are the highest. The average methane concentration emitted from coal and gas outburst mines is about 22.52%, and the average methane concentration emitted from high-gas mines is about 10.68%. The methane emissions from coal and gas outburst mines to the atmosphere account for about 64% of the total net methane emissions. The predicted methane emission factor for Shanxi coal mines is expected to increase from 8.859 m3/t in 2016 to 9.136 m3/t in 2025, and the methane emissions from Shanxi coal mines will reach 8.43 Tg in 2025. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The R2R3-MYB genes in plants play an essential role in the drought-responsive signaling pathway. Plenty of R2R3-MYB S21 and S22 subgroup genes in Arabidopsis have been implicated in dehydration conditions, yet few have been covered in terms of the role of the S21 and S22 subgroup genes in poplar under drought. PdMYB2R089 and PdMYB2R151 genes, respectively belonging to the S21 and S22 subgroups of NL895 (Populus deltoides × P. euramericana cv. 'Nanlin895′), were selected based on the previous expression analysis of poplar R2R3-MYB genes that are responsive to dehydration. The regulatory functions of two target genes in plant responses to drought stress were studied and speculated through the genetic transformation of Arabidopsis thaliana. PdMYB2R089 and PdMYB2R151 could promote the closure of stomata in leaves, lessen the production of malondialdehyde (MDA), enhance the activity of the peroxidase (POD) enzyme, and shorten the life cycle of transgenic plants, in part owing to their similar conserved domains. Moreover, PdMYB2R089 could strengthen root length and lateral root growth. These results suggest that PdMYB2R089 and PdMYB2R151 genes might have the potential to improve drought adaptability in plants. In addition, PdMYB2R151 could significantly improve the seed germination rate of transgenic Arabidopsis, but PdMYB2R089 could not. This finding provides a clue for the subsequent functional dissection of S21 and S22 subgroup genes in poplar that is responsive to drought. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: To evaluate the intra-cavity left ventricular (LV) blood flow kinetic energy (KE) parameters using four-dimensional (4D) flow cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) in patients with hypertension (HTN). Methods: Forty-two HTN patients and twenty age-/gender-matched healthy controls who underwent CMR including cines, pre-/post-T1 mapping, and whole-heart 4D flow imaging were retrospectively evaluated. HTN patients were further divided into two subgroups: with preserved ejection fraction (HTN-pEF) and with reduced ejection fraction (HTN-rEF). KE parameters were indexed to LV end-diastolic volume (EDV) to obtain averaged LV, minimal, systolic, diastolic, peak E-wave, peak A-wave, E-wave, and A-wave KEiEDV, as well as the proportion of in-plane LV KE (%), the time difference (TD). These parameters were compared between the HTN group and healthy controls, also between two subgroups. The correlation of LV blood flow KE parameters with LV function and extracellular volume fraction (ECV) were analyzed in the HTN group using multivariate regression analysis. Results: Peak E-wave KEiEDV in the HTN group was significantly lower (p = 0.01), while in-plane KE and TD were significantly higher (all p < 0.01) than those in healthy controls. Compared to the HTN-pEF subgroup, the proportion of in-plane KE and TD was significantly increased in the HTN-rEF subgroup (all p < 0.01). Only the proportion of in-plane KE demonstrated an independent correlation with ECV (β* = 0.59, p < 0.01). Conclusions: The decreased peak E-wave KEiEDV and the increased proportion of in-plane KE, TD reflected the alterations of LV blood flow in HTN patients, and the proportion of in-plane KE was independently associated with ECV. Key Points: • 4D flow CMR demonstrated that the peak E-wave KEiEDV was decreased, while the in-plane KE and time difference (TD) were increased in hypertensive (HTN) patients. • The proportion of in-plane KE and TD was further increased in HTN patients with reduced ejection fraction than in HTN patients with preserved ejection fraction, and the proportion of in-plane KE was independently associated with extracellular volume fraction in HTN patients. • 4D flow CMR intra-cavity blood flow KE parameters might reveal the LV hemodynamic status in preclinical HTN patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Motivation Many ophthalmic disease biomarkers have been identified through comprehensive multiomics profiling, and hold significant potential in advancing the diagnosis, prognosis, and management of diseases. Meanwhile, the eye itself serves as a natural biomarker for several systemic diseases including neurological, renal, and cardiovascular systems. We aimed to collect and standardize this eye biomarkers information and construct the eye biomarker database (EBD) to provide ophthalmologists with a platform to search, analyze, and download these eye biomarker data. Results In this study, we present the EBD < http://www.eyeseeworld.com/ebd/index.html >, a world-first online compilation comprising 889 biomarkers for 26 ocular diseases and 939 eye biomarkers for 181 systemic diseases. The EBD also includes the information of 78 "nonbiomarkers"—the objects that have been proven cannot be biomarkers. Biological function and network analysis were conducted for these ocular disease biomarkers, and several hub pathways and common network topology characteristics were newly identified, which may promote future ocular disease biomarker discovery and characterizes the landscape of biomarkers for eye diseases at the pathway and network level. The EBD is expected to yield broader utility among developmental biologists and clinical scientists in and outside of the eye field by assisting in the identification of biomarkers linked to eye disorders and related systemic diseases. Availability and implementation EBD is available at http://www.eyeseeworld.com/ebd/index.html. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recurrent neural networks (RNNs) are widely utilized in time series forecasting tasks. In practical applications, there are noises in real-life time series data. A model's generalization capacity will be diminished by model uncertainty with regard to input noises. However, the robustness of RNNs with respect to input noises has not been well studied yet. The localized stochastic sensitivity (LSS), which measures output disturbances with respect to input perturbations of learning models, has been successfully applied to improve the robustness of different neural networks on tabular and image data. But its effectiveness on time series data has not been explored. Therefore, we extend the idea of LSS and apply it to the robust RNNs training for time series forecasting problems. With the minimization of LSS, output sensitivities of RNNs with respect to small perturbations are reduced. So, the proposed robust RNNs will not be affected by slight input noises. We have used the LSTM as an example for theoretical analysis and analyzed the effectiveness of LSS on several RNN variants including the vanilla RNN, the gated recurrent unit (GRU), the long-short-term memory (LSTM), and the bi-directional long short-term memory (Bi-LSTM) in empirical studies. Experimental results confirm the efficiency of applying LSS to enhance the robustness of RNNs for time series data. For example, the robust RNNs outperform their counterpart by 53.26 % and 49.45 % on average in terms of Root Mean Squared Error and R-Square on five datasets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

R2R3-type MYB transcription factors are implicated in drought stress, which is a primary factor limiting the growth and development of woody plants. The identification of R2R3-MYB genes in the Populus trichocarpa genome has been previously reported. Nevertheless, the diversity and complexity of the conserved domain of the MYB gene caused inconsistencies in these identification results. There is still a lack of drought-responsive expression patterns and functional studies of R2R3-MYB transcription factors in Populus species. In this study, we identified a total of 210 R2R3-MYB genes in the P. trichocarpa genome, of which 207 genes were unevenly distributed across all 19 chromosomes. These poplar R2R3-MYB genes were phylogenetically divided into 23 subgroups. Collinear analysis demonstrated that the poplar R2R3-MYB genes underwent rapid expansion and that whole-genome duplication events were a dominant factor in the process of rapid gene expansion. Subcellular localization assays indicated that poplar R2R3-MYB TFs mainly played a transcriptional regulatory role in the nucleus. Ten R2R3-MYB genes were cloned from P. deltoides × P. euramericana cv. Nanlin895, and their expression patterns were tissue-specific. A majority of the genes showed similar drought-responsive expression patterns in two out of three tissues. This study provides a valid cue for further functional characterization of drought-responsive R2R3-MYB genes in poplar and provides support for the development of new poplar genotypes with elevated drought tolerance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To systematically reevaluate the role of psychological factors in functional gastrointestinal disorders (FGIDs) and thus provide a scientific basis for the psychological treatment of FGIDs. Methods: A literature search was conducted using the PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, and Cochrane Library databases from January 2018 to August 2022 for researches on psychological factors affecting patients with functional gastrointestinal disorders. Meta-analysis was carried out with Stata17.0 after the screening, extraction, and evaluation of article quality. Results: The search included 22 articles with 2430 patients in the FGIDs group and 12,397 patients in the healthy controls. Meta-analysis showed anxiety [(pooled SMD = 0.74, 95%CI: 0.62 ~ 0.86, p < 0.000) (pooled OR = 3.14, 95%CI: 2.47 ~ 4.00, p < 0.000)], depression [(pooled SMD = 0.79, 95%CI: 0.63 ~ 0.95, p < 0.000) (pooled OR = 3.09, 95%CI: 2.12 ~ 4.52, p < 0.000)], mental disorders (pooled MD = −5.53, 95%CI: −7.12 ~ −3.95, p < 0.05), somatization (pooled SMD = 0.92, 95%CI: 0.61 ~ 1.23, p < 0.000), and sleep disorders (pooled SMD = 0.69, 95%CI: 0.04 ~ 1.34, p < 0.05) are risk factors for functional gastrointestinal disorders. Conclusion: There is a significant association between psychological factors and FGIDs. Interventions such as anti-anxiety drugs, antidepressants, and behavioral therapy are of great clinical significance in reducing FGIDs risk and improving prognosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Herein, we constructed the first sepsis biomarker knowledge database, MetaSepsisBase (http://sysbio.org.cn/sbd/), which contains biomedical information on 320 biomarkers collected from PubMed. Despite numerous studies published and many biomarkers identified, there exists an urgent need for a comprehensive database to collect, annotate, and display the information on human sepsis biomarkers [[3]]. Our goal is to collect and integrate all the reported sepsis biomarkers to provide users with comprehensive biomarker information, and assist critical care physicians in finding specific biomarkers or combined biomarkers to improve the rapid diagnosis and treatment effectiveness of human sepsis. [Extracted from the article]

• Multiple discriminative bacterial taxa were identified among the MDD subgroups. • Fecal Streptococcus was highly correlated with both HAMD and HAMA scores. • Fecal indole-3-carboxyaldehyde proved useful to discriminate depressive symptoms. Major depressive disorder (MDD) is a heterogeneous mental disorder for which the precise assessment of symptom severity remains challenging. Studies have consistently found that the microbiota–gut–brain (MGB) axis is profoundly altered in MDD, but whether MGB-relevant clinical parameters are applicable to depression subphenotyping remains largely unexplored. In this prospective study, we assessed the taxonomic and metabolic signatures of fecal microbiota from 45 unmedicated MDD patients and explored their associations with the severity of depression and anxiety symptoms as measured by Hamilton depression scale-17 (HAMD-17) and Hamilton anxiety scale-14 (HAMA-14), respectively. The global microbial compositions of MDD patients with mild, moderate and severe symptoms were largely similar. Nevertheless, multiple discriminative bacterial taxa could be identified among the subgroups across the genus to species level. The abundance of fecal Streptococcus was highly correlated with both HAMD and HAMA scores. Patients with severe depression symptoms showed significantly higher abundance of Phascolarctobacterium and Akkermansia , while enrichment of Akkermansia , Coprococcus and Streptococcus were observed with severe anxiety symptoms. In addition, fecal microbial metabolite indole-3-carboxyaldehyde proved useful to discriminate the severity of depression or anxiety symptoms. Together, our results support the utility of microbial taxa and metabolites as potential MGB-based biomarker panel for stratifying the symptom severity of MDD patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The temporal activation of siRNA provides a valuable strategy for the regulation of siRNA activity and conditional gene silencing. The bioorthogonal bond-cleavage reaction of benzonorbonadiene and tetrazine is a promising trigger in siRNA temporal activation. Here, we developed a new method for the bio-orthogonal chemical activation of siRNA based on the tetrazine-induced bond-cleavage reaction. Small-molecule activatable caged siRNAs were developed with the 5′-vitamin E-benzonobonadiene-modified antisense strand targeting the green fluorescent protein (GFP) gene and the mitotic kinesin-5 (Eg5) gene. The addition of tetrazine triggered the reaction with benzonobonadiene linker and induced the linker cleavage to release the active siRNA. Additionally, the conditional gene silencing of both exogenous GFP and endogenous Eg5 genes was successfully achieved with 5′-vitamin E-benzonobonadiene-caged siRNAs, which provides a new uncaging strategy with small molecules. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: The identification of effective novel biomarkers is emergently needed in colon cancer patients. In the present study, firstly we predicted that CHGA could be a biomarker for colon cancer based on the protein–protein interaction network of all the reported biomarkers that were collected from our colorectal cancer biomarker database (CBD). Then we verified our results using a diagnostic test in gene expression data and an immunohistochemistry test. The results of this study suggest that a loss of CHGA expression from the normal colon and adjacent mucosa to colon cancer may be used as a valuable biomarker for early diagnosis of colon cancer patients. Background. The incidence of colorectal cancers has been constantly increasing. Although the mortality has slightly decreased, it is far from satisfaction. Precise early diagnosis for colorectal cancer has been a great challenge in order to improve patient survival. Patients and Methods. We started with searching for protein biomarkers based on our colorectal cancer biomarker database (CBD), finding differential expressed genes (GEGs) and non-DEGs from RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) data, and further predicted new biomarkers of protein–protein interaction (PPI) networks by machine learning (ML) methods. The best-selected biomarker was further verified by a receiver operating characteristic (ROC) test from microarray and RNA-seq data, biological network, and functional analysis, and immunohistochemistry in the tissue arrays from 198 specimens. Results. There were twelve proteins (MYO5A, CHGA, MAPK13, VDAC1, CCNA2, YWHAZ, CDK5, GNB3, CAMK2G, MAPK10, SDC2, and ADCY5) which were predicted by ML as colon cancer candidate diagnosis biomarkers. These predicted biomarkers showed close relationships with reported biomarkers of the PPI network and shared some pathways. An ROC test showed the CHGA protein with the best diagnostic accuracy (AUC = 0.9 in microarray data and 0.995 in RNA-seq data) among these candidate protein biomarkers. Furthermore, immunohistochemistry examination on our colon cancer tissue microarray samples further confirmed our bioinformatical prediction, indicating that CHGA may be used as a potential biomarker for early diagnosis of colon cancer patients. Conclusions. CHGA could be a potential candidate biomarker for diagnosing earlier colon cancer in the patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Little is known regarding life-course trajectories of important diseases. We aimed to identify diseases that were strongly associated with mortality and test temporal trajectories of these diseases before mortality.Methods: Our analysis was based on UK Biobank. Diseases were identified using questionnaires, nurses' interviews, or inpatient data. Mortality register data were used to identify mortality up to January 2021. The association between 60 individual diseases at baseline and in the life course and incident mortality was examined using Cox proportional regression models. Those diseases with great contribution to mortality were identified and disease trajectories in life course were then derived.Results: During a median follow-up of 11.8 years, 31,373 individuals (median age at death (interquartile range): 70.7 (65.3-74.8) years, 59.4% male) died of all-cause mortality (with complete data on diagnosis date of disease), with 16,237 dying with cancer and 6702 with cardiovascular disease (CVD). We identified 37 diseases including cancers and heart diseases that were associated with an increased risk of mortality independent of other diseases (hazard ratio ranged from 1.09 to 7.77). Among those who died during follow-up, 2.2% did not have a diagnosis of any disease of interest and 90.1% were diagnosed with two or more diseases in their life course. Individuals who were diagnosed with more diseases in their life course were more likely to have longer longevity. Cancer was more likely to be diagnosed following hypertension, hypercholesterolemia, CVD, or digestive disorders and more likely to be diagnosed ahead of CVD, chronic kidney disease (CKD), or digestive disorders. CVD was more likely to be diagnosed following hypertension, hypercholesterolemia, or digestive disorders and more likely to be diagnosed ahead of cancer or CKD. Hypertension was more likely to precede other diseases, and CKD was more likely to be diagnosed as the last disease before more mortality.Conclusions: There are significant interplays between cancer and CVD for mortality. Cancer and CVD were frequently clustered with hypertension, CKD, and digestive disorders with CKD highly being diagnosed as the last disease in the life course. Our findings underline the importance of health checks among middle-aged adults for the prevention of premature mortality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background. Fructus mume pills (FMPs) have been clinically proven to be effective for treating ulcerative colitis (UC). However, the therapeutic and protective mechanisms have not been fully studied. Aim. We aimed to explore the mechanism of FMPs in an acetic acid (AA)-induced ulcerative colitis rat model. Methods. The targets, GO terms, and KEGG pathways for the FMPs and UC were screened and constructed using network pharmacology. A possible mechanism was verified in a 4% AA-induced colitis rat model. Colitis activity and state were evaluated using the disease activity index, and colon ulceration and intestinal mucosal damage were determined by histopathological observation through HE, AB-PAS, and Masson pathological staining. The concentrations of TNF-α, IL-6, IL-8, IL-10, MPO, MMP9, CXCR1, eNOS, and VEGF were measured to evaluate vascular permeability effects. Results. The network pharmacology results showed 108 active compounds, and 139 FMP-related targets were identified. Twenty-nine targets were identified for FMPs against UC, which included MMP9, MMP3, ESR1, PTGS1, PPARA, MPO, and NOS2. A total of 1,536 GO terms and 41 pathways were associated with FMP treatment of UC. The pharmacological evaluation showed that FMPs attenuated inflammation in AA-induced colitis by reducing the serum concentrations of TNF-α, IL-6, IL-8, and IL-10 and the colonic concentrations of MPO, MMP9, and CXCR1. FMPs ameliorated hyperpermeability by reducing the colonic VEGF and eNOS concentrations. FMPs also significantly decreased the VEGFA, VEGFR2, Src, and eNOS protein expressions in colon tissue through the VEGF-PI3K/Akt-eNOS signaling pathway. Conclusion. These results suggest that FMPs control UC inflammation by regulating inflammatory cytokine concentrations. FMPs alleviate AA-induced UC by regulating microvascular permeability through the VEGF-PI3K/Akt-eNOS signaling pathway. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Glycosylation, one of the most important post-translational modifications of proteins, plays an irreplaceable role in the whole process of spermatogenesis, sperm-egg recognition, and fertilization. Herein, we mapped the first bovine sperm N-linked glycoproteome and a total of 1188 N -glycosylated sites on 626 proteins were identified. Bioinformatics analysis revealed that bovine sperm N- glycosylated proteins were classified into "extracellular region" and "lysosome" groups based on cellular component annotation and enrichment of glycoproteins with proteolytic and reproductive functions. Notably, cysteines were highly enriched in the canonical N -glycosylation motifs N-!P-[S/T/C] and the conservative motifs N–C-[S/T] were also significantly enriched, indicating these modifications play extraordinary roles in bovine spermatogenesis and maturation. The percentage of cysteine at the second position relative to modified asparagine was 7.5%, much higher than that of the previously reported N-linked glycoproteome. A total of 120 cysteine enriched N -glycoproteins were identified, which had significantly upregulated metalloendopeptidase activity and metal ion binding compared with the whole bovine sperm glycoproteome. Strikingly, 15 of 58 N–C-[S/T] motif-containing glycoproteins had a disintegrin and metalloproteinase (ADAM) protein domain. Thus, we hypothesized that ADAM-containing conserved free cysteine residues in N-linked glycoprotein motifs may be key cysteine-switches and may have extraordinary roles in bovine spermatozoa. In conclusion, almost all bovine sperm glycoproteins have enzyme activity, participate in proteolysis, and play indispensable roles in spermatogenesis, sperm-egg recognition, and eventual fertilization. The mapping of N -glycosylation on bovine sperm may provide a new means to explore potential biomarkers for improving sperm quality and fertility. - The first bovine sperm N-glycoproteomic was mapped with identification of 1188 N-glycosylated sites on 626 proteins. - Motifs N–C-[S/T] are significantly enriched in bovine sperm N-glycoproteins and the percentage of cysteine in motifs N-!P-[S/T/C] is extremely high. - ADAM containing conserved free cysteine residues in N-glycoprotein motifs may be the key cysteine-switch and have extraordinary roles in bovine spermatozoa. - Mapping of bovine sperm N-glycoproteomic is useful to explore potential biomarkers for improving sperm quality and fertility [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background. Fructus mume pills (FMPs) have been clinically proven to be effective for treating ulcerative colitis (UC). However, the therapeutic and protective mechanisms have not been fully studied. Aim. We aimed to explore the mechanism of FMPs in an acetic acid (AA)-induced ulcerative colitis rat model. Methods. The targets, GO terms, and KEGG pathways for the FMPs and UC were screened and constructed using network pharmacology. A possible mechanism was verified in a 4% AA-induced colitis rat model. Colitis activity and state were evaluated using the disease activity index, and colon ulceration and intestinal mucosal damage were determined by histopathological observation through HE, AB-PAS, and Masson pathological staining. The concentrations of TNF-α, IL-6, IL-8, IL-10, MPO, MMP9, CXCR1, eNOS, and VEGF were measured to evaluate vascular permeability effects. Results. The network pharmacology results showed 108 active compounds, and 139 FMP-related targets were identified. Twenty-nine targets were identified for FMPs against UC, which included MMP9, MMP3, ESR1, PTGS1, PPARA, MPO, and NOS2. A total of 1,536 GO terms and 41 pathways were associated with FMP treatment of UC. The pharmacological evaluation showed that FMPs attenuated inflammation in AA-induced colitis by reducing the serum concentrations of TNF-α, IL-6, IL-8, and IL-10 and the colonic concentrations of MPO, MMP9, and CXCR1. FMPs ameliorated hyperpermeability by reducing the colonic VEGF and eNOS concentrations. FMPs also significantly decreased the VEGFA, VEGFR2, Src, and eNOS protein expressions in colon tissue through the VEGF-PI3K/Akt-eNOS signaling pathway. Conclusion. These results suggest that FMPs control UC inflammation by regulating inflammatory cytokine concentrations. FMPs alleviate AA-induced UC by regulating microvascular permeability through the VEGF-PI3K/Akt-eNOS signaling pathway. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ulcerative colitis (UC) is a chronic idiopathic inflammatory disorder of the large intestine. Fructus mume (FM), a natural food with nutritive and pharmaceutical value, has demonstrated therapeutic efficacy against UC. In this study, we investigated the protective effects and mechanisms of FM against UC. We induced UC in rats with 4% (v/v) acetic acid (AA), orally administered 0.7 or 0.325 g/kg FM and 0.3 g/kg sulfasalazine (SASP) for 7 days, and explored the responses the drugs elicited in the rats. We assessed the general conditions of the rats by the disease active index. We evaluated colon tissue damage macroscopically and by Hematoxylin & Eosin, Alcian Blue–periodic acid–Schiff, and Masson's staining, and explored the potential mechanisms of FM on inflammation, oxidative stress, and neuropeptides by measuring TNF-α, IL-6, IL-8, IL-10, MMP9, CXCR-1, SOD, GSH-px, MDA, ROS, SIRT3, SP, VIP, ghrelin, and 5-HT. FM treatment significantly attenuated colon damage and submucosal fibrosis compared with the model. It lowered serum proinflammatory TNF-α, IL-8, and colonic MMP9 and CXCR-1, and raised serum anti-inflammatory IL-10 levels. FM upregulated the antioxidant enzymes SOD, GSH-px, and SITR3 protein but inhibited ROS and MDA production. It downregulated colonic SP, VIP, ghrelin, and 5-HT. The beneficial effects of FM might be dose dependent. Around 0.7 g/kg FM and SASP displayed similar efficacy for treating AA-induced colitis in rats. Our results provide empirical evidence that FM protects against AA-induced UC in rats via anti-inflammatory and antioxidant mechanisms, and regulates neuropeptides; thus, FM may be a promising, safe, and efficacious alternative therapy for UC, if its efficacy can be confirmed in human trials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • A complete and compact DAP-4@CS core–shell composite was successfully prepared via in situ synthesis. • The thermal decomposition temperature of DAP-4@CS-1 decreased significantly, the activation energy decreased. • The H 50 value of the sample DAP-4@CS-1 is increased by 19.9 cm, the friction sensitivity is increased by 10 N. • The mechanism of thermal decomposition and desensitization of DAP-4 by CS is proposed. In this study, DAP-4@copper stearate (CS) core–shell composites were fabricated by an in situ synthesis and liquid deposition using CS as the catalyst. In addition, a comprehensive characterization was conducted on the morphology, structure, thermal decomposition, and safety performance of the acquired samples. The results revealed that DAP-4@CS composites with a complete, compact core–shell structure. During thermal analysis experiments, DAP-4@CS (5, 10, 15, and 20 wt%) resulted in a reduction in the thermal decomposition peak temperatures (Tp) by 35.22, 55.02, 68.22 and 73.76 °C respectively when compared with DAP-4, and their corresponding activation energy values decreased by 61.22, 87.3, 63.62, and 69.54 kJ/mol. Notably, the DAP-4@CS composites with 5 wt% and 10 wt% CS exhibited increased heat release by 1291.03 and 1546.8 J/g, respectively. The H 50 value for DAP-4 increased from an initial value of 44.67 cm to an improved value of 64.57 cm, while its friction sensitivity increased from 30 N to 40 N during safety experiments. Moreover, we propose the principle of thermal decomposition catalysis and desensitization of CS for DAP-4. The above research results provide a new solution to the contradictions and obstacles in the application of DAP-4 as an oxidizer in fuel. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The limited application of garlic essential oil (GEO) is attributed to its pungent taste, poor water solubility and low bioavailability. Liposomes are nontoxic, biodegradable and biocompatible, and β-cyclodextrin can inhibit undesirable odors and improve the stability and bioavailability. Thus a promising dual-layer GEO β-cyclodextrin inclusion compound liposome (GEO-DCL) delivery system with both advantages was designed and prepared in this study. Experimental results indicated that the encapsulation efficiency of GEO-DCLs was 5% higher than that of GEO liposomes (GEO-CLs), reaching more than 88%. In vitro release experiment showed that the release rate of GEO in GEO-DCLs was 40% lower than that of GEO-CLs after incubation in gastric juice for 6-h, indicating that the stability of GEO-DCLs was better than GEO-CLs. Evaluation of the effects of GEO-DCLs on lowering blood lipid levels in hypercholesterolemia mice. GEO-DCLs could reduce the weight and fat deposition in hypercholesterolemia mice. Inhibiting the increase of TC, LDL-C, and decrease of HDL-C in mice. The degree of liver injury was decreased, the number of round lipid droplets in liver cytoplasm was reduced, and the growth of fat cells was inhibited. The lipid-lowering effects of GEO-DCLs were dose-dependent. GEO-DCL can improve the bioavailability of GEO and improve dyslipidemia. Based on GEO's efficacy in lowering blood lipids, this study developed a kind of GEO-DCL compound pomegranate juice beverage with good taste, miscibility and double effect of reducing blood lipids. This study lays a foundation for the application of GEO in the field of functional food. [Display omitted] • Cyclodextrin liposome encapsulation way was first use in garlic essential oil (GEO). • GEO β-cyclodextrin inclusion liposomes (GEO-DCLs) can release GEO slowly. • GEO-DCLs has better simulated gastric fluid stability. • GEO-DCLs could intervene dyslipidemia caused by high fat diet. • A compound GEO-DCLs beverage with double effect of lowering blood lipid was prepared. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chitosan (CTS) plays an important role in delaying fruit ripening and extending fruit shelf life when used as an eco-friendly and edible coating. However, there is still limited understanding about the molecular mechanisms and effects of chitosan on the quality of postharvest kiwifruit. In this study, firmness, total soluble solid, acid, phenolic content, flavonoid content, starch and ascorbic acid concentration, ethylene production, and cell-wall components were determined after CTS treatment. Fruit treated with CTS maintained higher firmness, starch and flavonoids (3.85-, 1.78-and 2.08-fold higher, respectively, after 6d compared to the control). Widely targeted metabolome analysis revealed flavonoids (dihydrokaempferol-7- O -glucoside, eriodictyol-3′- O -glucoside) and lipids (LysoPC 16:0 (2 n isomer)), and punicic acid (9 Z ,11 E ,13 Z -octadecatrienoic acid) were the main differential metabolites. KEGG pathway enrichment analysis showed 'metabolic pathways (ko01100)' and 'biosynthesis of secondary metabolites (ko01110)' were the main KEGG pathways. Integrated metabolomic and transcriptomic analyses revealed that the expression of five key structural genes, including three starch degradation genes (AcBAM3L , AcBAM3.1 , Acc31818 (PHS)), one cell-wall modification gene (AcPG1), and one flavonoids biosynthesis gene (Acc18331 (F3 ' H)), and 12 transcription factors (AcNAC083 , AcRAP2–10 , AcERF14 , AcERF64 , Acc27131 (bZIP), AcHSFB2a , Acc12589 (IAA), AcMYB13 , Acc20159 (bHLH), AcBEL1 , AcbHLH149 , AcWRKY75) were different. Real-time PCR analyses verified that the expression of AcBAM3L , AcBAM3.1 , AcPG1 and most of the 12 transcription factors were suppressed by CTS treatment, while the expression of Acc31818 (PHS), Acc18331 (F3'H) and AcBEL1 were enhanced by CTS treatment. Together, these CTS-responsive genes may play critical roles in determining the rate of ripening and quality change of postharvest kiwifruit. • Chitosan (CTS) can delay 'Taishan No.1′ kiwifruit ripening and softening. • Flavonoids and lipids were the main differential metabolites in control vs. CTS. • 292 DEGs responding to CTS treatment were identified by integrated analyses. • 5 DEGs and 10 TFs may be involved in controlling kiwifruit ripening and quality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Gut microbial changes have been causally associated with metabolic diseases, triggering huge interest in designing gut microbiome-based therapy. Here we discuss the open questions and challenges of translating ongoing gut microbiome-based intervention strategies to safe and efficacious clinical therapies. We also consider how the accumulating insights into host–microbe interactions in metabolic regulation could be harnessed as new dimensions to strengthen the translational prospect. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Previous studies have reported controversial results about the association between rs6296 and alcoholism. Thus, a meta-analysis was performed to further explore this association. A comprehensive search was conducted to identify relevant case-control or cohort studies (up to December 1, 2017). A fixed- or random-effect model was selected as a pooling method depending on the heterogeneity among studies. The heterogeneity was measured by Q test and I2 statistic. The Harbord and Peters test was used to estimate publication bias. Fifteen English articles with 16 outcomes and 5,429 participants were included in this meta-analysis. A fixed-effect model was chosen, and the pooled result showed that rs6296 was not related to alcoholism (z = 1.93, p =.053). The Harbord and Peters test showed that there was no publication bias. This meta-analysis indicated that rs6296 may be not be significantly associated with alcoholism, which needs to be further confirmed by future research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Currently, the 25th solar activity peak has commenced, driving frequent geomagnetic storms and causing irregular disturbances in the global ionosphere, leading to the scintillation of Global Positioning System (GPS) signals, consequently decreasing the accuracy of GPS positioning. Analyzing the patterns of global ionospheric scintillation and changes in GPS positioning accuracy caused by geomagnetic storms is crucial to mitigate the adverse effects of GPS positioning. Current research has primarily concentrated on analyzing the effects of geomagnetic storms on ionospheric scintillation disturbances and GPS positioning interference. However, there is a notable gap in studying the holistic impact of coronal mass ejections (CMEs)-driven geomagnetic storms on GPS performance as an integrated event complex. This study investigates the conditions under which a CME drives a severe geomagnetic storm to elucidate the space weather phenomena associated with CME-driven geomagnetic storms. The ionospheric scintillation induced by the geomagnetic storm is analyzed, while we also examine the accuracy variability in kinematic precision point positioning (PPP) and its possible leading reasons. The research findings suggest that factors such as a high-speed full-halo CME, a southward interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) Bz, and high-speed solar wind contribute to the onset of this geomagnetic storm. Ionospheric scintillation and the decrease in positioning accuracy in low-latitude regions are less pronounced compared to mid- and high-latitude areas. Geomagnetic-storm-induced scintillation increases cycle slips, leading to a decrease in PPP accuracy. Even in the cases where geomagnetic storms do not induce ionospheric scintillation, positioning accuracy can still be affected by cycle slips, deterioration of the precision of the GPS measurements, data outages, and the decrease in the number of available satellites. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Photoreduction of CO2 into value‐added chemicals and fuels is a promising green technology for solar‐to‐chemical conversion. Owing to the atomic utilization, unique metal‐support interaction, and unsaturated coordination active sites, single‐atom catalysts (SACs) have been attracting great attention in achieving high activity and selectivity of CO2 photoreduction reactions. On the other hand, carbon nitride (C3N4) with abundant periodically unsaturated coordination of nitrogen atoms can serve as an excellent support for anchoring metal single atoms. In this context, extensive research efforts have been paid in C3N4‐based SACs for CO2 photoreduction in recent years. In this review, we report the recent advances in C3N4 supported SACs for CO2 photoreduction. We start from the introduction of synthetic strategies of various C3N4 supported metal SACs. Secondly, the main advanced characterization techniques and calculation methods for identifying the single‐atoms and their coordination environments of C3N4‐based SACs are summarized. Thirdly, some state‐of‐the‐art works on the rational design of C3N4‐based SACs and their applications in CO2 photoreduction are introduced. Lastly, we briefly summarize the main challenges and propose important perspectives of C3N4‐based SACs in CO2 photoreduction. This review is expected to provide some useful guidelines for the development of efficient and stable C3N4‐based SACs for CO2 photoreduction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: This study aimed to develop and validate a predictive model for osteoporotic vertebral fractures (OVFs) risk by integrating demographic, bone mineral density (BMD), CT imaging, and deep learning radiomics features from CT images. Methods: A total of 169 osteoporosis-diagnosed patients from three hospitals were randomly split into OVFs (n = 77) and Non-OVFs (n = 92) groups for training (n = 135) and test (n = 34). Demographic data, BMD, and CT imaging details were collected. Deep transfer learning (DTL) using ResNet-50 and radiomics features were fused, with the best model chosen via logistic regression. Cox proportional hazards models identified clinical factors. Three models were constructed: clinical, radiomics-DTL, and fusion (clinical-radiomics-DTL). Performance was assessed using AUC, C-index, Kaplan–Meier, and calibration curves. The best model was depicted as a nomogram, and clinical utility was evaluated using decision curve analysis (DCA). Results: BMD, CT values of paravertebral muscles (PVM), and paravertebral muscles' cross-sectional area (CSA) significantly differed between OVFs and Non-OVFs groups (P < 0.05). No significant differences were found between training and test cohort. Multivariate Cox models identified BMD, CT values of PVM, and CSAPS reduction as independent OVFs risk factors (P < 0.05). The fusion model exhibited the highest predictive performance (C-index: 0.839 in training, 0.795 in test). DCA confirmed the nomogram's utility in OVFs risk prediction. Conclusion: This study presents a robust predictive model for OVFs risk, integrating BMD, CT data, and radiomics-DTL features, offering high sensitivity and specificity. The model's visualizations can inform OVFs prevention and treatment strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The involvement of CISD1 in LPS-induced acute lung injury was assessed. • CISD1 levels were increased in LPS-induced acute lung injury. • Inhibiting CISD1 reduced the in vivo / in vitro signs of LPS-induced acute lung injury. • Inhibiting CISD1 reduced mitochondrial damage/ferroptosis in LPS-induced acute lung injury. • CISD1 is a potential target to treat LPS-induced acute lung injury. The NET family member, CDGSH iron-sulfur domain-containing protein 1 (CISD1), is located in the outer membrane of mitochondria, where it regulates energy and iron metabolism. CISD1 has vital functions in certain human diseases; however, its function in acute lung injury (ALI) is unknown. ALI pathogenesis critically involves mitochondrial dysfunction and ferroptosis, which might be regulated by CISD1. Therefore, we investigated CISD1′s function in mitochondrial dysfunction and ferroptosis regulation in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced ALI. We found that CISD1 was upregulated in LPS-induced ALI,and silencing Cisd1 prevented cell apoptosis and increased cell viability. When CISD1was inhibited by mitoNEET ligand-1 (NL-1) there was a significant mitigation of pathological injury and lung edema, and reduced numbers of total cells, polymorphonuclear leukocytes, and a decreased protein content in the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF). Moreover, inhibition of CISD1 markedly decreased the interleukin (IL)6, IL-1β, and tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) levels in the lungs and BALF of ALI-model mice. Silencing of Cisd1 prevented LPS-induced mitochondrial membrane potential depolarization, cellular ATP reduction, and reactive oxygen species (ROS) accumulation, suggesting mitochondrial protection. ALI activated ferroptosis, as evidenced by the increased lipid-ROS, intracellular Fe2+ level, reduced Gpx4 (glutathione peroxidase 4) expression, and the glutathione/glutathione disulfide ratio. Interestingly, inhibition of CISD1 reduced LPS-induced ferroptosis in vivo and in vitro. In conclusion, inhibition of CISD1 alleviated mitochondrial dysfunction and ferroptosis in LPS-induced ALI, identifying CISD1 as possible target for therapy of LPS-induced ALI. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In conjunction with least squares method and generalized hat functions, we propose a new algorithm for stochastic Itô-Volterra integral equations. Firstly, the original problem is turned into solving a linear system of equations. Further, an efficient strategy is constructed to figure out the relevant coefficients of the linear system of equations. For computation purposes, throughout this paper, stochastic Itô integrals are transformed into conventional integrals using integration by parts formula. We also theoretically examine the convergence of the proposed approach. In the end, we provide two related examples to verify the reliability and accuracy of our proposed method. And in comparison with their numerical errors of the traditional block pulse method, the error of our presented approach is smaller. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of boiling water treatments on the properties of different dragon fruit peel pectin films. The physicochemical properties of pectin films derived from red and white dragon fruit peel treated with and without boiling water were studied for this purpose. The performance of dragon fruit peel pectin films and commercial citrus pectin films was compared. There was no significant difference in the performance of pectin films from the peel of different dragon fruit (Hylocereus undatus and Hylocereus polyrhizus) species. The mechanical, color, microstructure, and antioxidant capacity of pectin films were all strongly impacted by the boiling water treatment; however, the barrier, water sensitivity, and thermal stability of the films were hardly modified. To ensure the quality of pectin, boiling water treatment before extraction may be necessary. The dragon fruit peel pectin films showed similar properties to commercial citrus pectin films, and could be another candidate for commercial pectin. [Display omitted] • Pectin was extracted from dragon fruit peel. • Enzyme inactivation treatment affected the pectin and film properties. • Properties of film and pectin from red and white dragon fruit peel were compared. • Pectin from red dragon fruit peels was more sensitive to inactivation treatment. • Inactivation treatment affected mechanical properties and color of pectin film. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study evaluated the effects of an edible bilayer containing polyphenols from the Euryale ferox seed shell on ready-to-eat cooked beef products, including the physical, mechanical, antioxidant, and antibacterial capabilities. Here, the bilayer films were prepared by layer-by-layer solution pouring using hydrophobic ethyl cellulose (EC) as the outer layer, and hydrophilic gelatin/carboxymethyl chitosan (GC) as the inner layer. By adjusting the proportion of gelatin to carboxymethyl chitosan, the optical, mechanical, and barrier characteristics of bilayer films were markedly enhanced. Extracted polyphenol (EP) from shell of the Euryale ferox seed performed potent antibacterial property against Listeria monocytogenes (L. monocytogenes). The addition of EP to the inner layer of the optimized bilayer film further improved the mechanical and barrier properties of films, and as expected, the film exhibited antioxidant and antibacterial abilities. Additionally, cooked beef and cooked chicken preservation tests indicated that the active bilayer film showed good inhibition of L. monocytogenes and delayed lipid oxidation in ready-to-eat meat products, and significantly delayed the pH, moisture loss, color and texture changes. This study developed multifunctional bilayer active edible films, which has a great potential in the preservation ready-to-eat cooked meat products. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Doctors play an important role in smoking control. This study aimed to assess doctors' smoking control knowledge, attitudes and practices to help doctors raise awareness of smoking control assistance.Methods: This cross-sectional study recruited 1046 doctors from Shandong Province, China, by using multistage sampling. Participants' information was collected by questionnaire. Pearson's χ2 test and Fisher's exact probability method were used to compare the distributions of categorical variables between/among groups.Results: Among the participants, 14.7% were current smokers. Approximately 50.3% of participants had heard of smoking cessation drugs and 59.2% of participants thought that low-tar and low-nicotine cigarettes were as harmful to health as common cigarettes. Approximately 98.2 and 60.9% of participants agreed that smoking was related to lung cancer and male sexual dysfunction, respectively. Although 72.0% of participants believed that doctors should actively provide smoking cessation assistance, only 58.1% of participants considered that doctors should be responsible for providing smoking cessation assistance. Similarly, 85.2% of participants often asked about the smoking history of patients or their family members, while only 4.9% of participants had prescribed smoking cessation drugs for patients. Pediatricians had a higher proportion of "Agree" responses to the assessment items than doctors in other departments.Conclusions: The results showed that doctors in Shandong Province did not have sufficient knowledge of smoking control. Slightly more than half of doctors thought that providing smoking cessation assistance was their responsibility. Only a few participants had prescribed smoking cessation drugs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Revealing the aggregation and fibrillation process of variant amyloid proteins is critical for understanding the molecular mechanism of related amyloidosis diseases. Here we characterized the fibrillation morphology and kinetics of type 2 diabetes (T2D) related human islet amyloid polypeptide (hIAPP 1-37) fibril formation process using negative staining transmission electron microscopy (NS-TEM), cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM) analysis, and 3D cryo-electron tomography (cryo-ET) reconstruction, together with circular dichroism (CD) and Thioflavin-T (ThT) assays. Our results showed that various amyloid fibrils can be observed at different time points of hIAPP 1−37 fibrillization process, while the winding of protofibrils presents in different growth stages, which suggests a synchronous process of hIAPP 1-37 amyloid fibrillization. This work provides insights into the understanding of hIAPP 1-37 amyloid aggregation process and the pathogenesis of Type 2 diabetes disease. • Various size and shaped amyloid fibrils were observed at different time points of hIAPP 1−37 fibrillization process. • Cryo-ET 3D analysis reveals winding of protofibrils in the hIAPP 1−37 fibril assembly. • hIAPP 1−37 amyloid fibrillation is a synchronous process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

α‐glucosidase inhibitors have been used to treat diabetes for many years. Recently, natural products have attracted much attention, because they are kinds of safety source to screen α‐glucosidase inhibitor. In this study, we separated two monomers (quercitrin and afzelin) from Houttuynia cordata with notable inhibitory activity against α‐glucosidase, and evaluated inhibitory kinetics and the binding mechanisms. The 50% inhibitory concentration (IC50) of the quercitrin and afzelin were 0.231±0.033 mg/mL and 0.215±0.004 mg/mL, which were lower than the IC50 of acarbose. The inhibitory type between α‐glucosidase and the two monomers was a competitive inhibition, which is similar to acarbose and could compete binding sites. The fluorescence spectroscopy showed that quercitrin and afzelin statically quenched the fluorescence of α‐glucosidase. Circular dichroism and molecular docking analyses indicated that quercitrin and afzelin changed the alpha‐helix structure of α‐glucosidase and bound with the key amino acids through hydrophobic interactions, hydrogen bonds and salt bridge interaction. This study is the first time to clarify the inhibitory kinetics and binding mechanisms of quercitrin and afzelin on α‐glucosidase. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Homeobox B5 (HOXB5), a member of the HOX gene family, is an important gene in tumourigenesis. However, its role in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) cell proliferation and apoptosis remains unclear. In this study, we investigated the role and regulation mechanism of HOXB5 in HCC cell lines Hep3B and LM6. The data indicated high expression of HOXB5 in HCC tissues and cell lines. In HCC cells, inhibition of HOXB5 by transfection with HOXB5 siRNA significantly constrained cell viability, and Bcl‐2 levels, and it increased cell apoptosis, cytochrome c levels, BAX levels, and caspase‐3 activity. On the contrary, HOXB5 overexpression increased proliferation and Bcl‐2 levels but inhibited BAX levels and caspase‐3 activity in these cells. HOXB5 downregulation attenuated activation of extracellular signal‐regulated kinase (ERK) and expression of the murine double minute 2 (MDM2) oncogene. Incubation with the ERK activator, phorbol 12‐myristate 13‐acetate (40 μmol/L), for 12 hours reversed the effects of HOXB5 inhibition on MDM2 expression, cell proliferation, and apoptosis in HCC cells. Overall, this study demonstrated that HOXB5 inhibition regulated MDM2 expression by controlling ERK activation and that it modulated proliferation and apoptosis in HCC cells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Vegetation restoration was conducted by the Chinese government over the past decades to reduce soil and water loss on the Chinese Loess Plateau. However, vegetation restoration was very blind in plant species selection and had no guidance. Field measurements were conducted from 2009 to 2014 to analyze the influence of land-use conversions from croplands to pastures, native grasslands and planted trees, shrubs and on runoff, soil water dynamics and water stresses in the semi-arid loess hilly area. Our research has led to the following major findings: (1) The soil water stored decreased from 2009 to 2014 among all land cover types. The soil water replenishment by rainfall during rainy seasons was not sufficient to fully recharge the soil water storage. Vegetation restoration by shrub could retain more soil water than other land cover types; (2) The ratio of ET/P (evapotranspiration/precipitation) ranked from high to low was Grassland (1.31) > Shrubland (1.29) > Cropland (1.28) > Alfalfa (1.26) > Woodland (1.20). The ET/P ratio of the pine plantation was the lowest among the five land cover types; (3) Woodlands and shrublands showed the higher infiltration rates and the wetting fronts of croplands and shrublands could reach greater depths than woodland and grassland. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A freestanding and flexible buckypaper modfied with CoP/Co (CoP/Co-BP) is described. It has a sponge-like nanostructure and is shown to enable improved nonenzymatic sensing of glucose. The CoP/Co-BP was prepared by first depositing a uniform layer of ZIF- 67 crystals on BP, followed by two steps of pyrolysis treatment and phosphidation under an argon atmosphere. The morphology and structure of the material were characterized by scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The electrochemical properties were investigated by cyclic voltammetry and amperometric response. The amperometric sensor, best operated at 0.45 V (vs. SCE) at pH 13 has a linear range that extends from 0.5 μM to 1.8 mM of glucose, a 0.2 μM detection limit (at S/N = 3), and a sensitivity of 6427 μA mM−1 cm−2 in alkaline solution. This is mainly attributed to the synergistic effect between the highly active CoP nanostructure and BP which results in excellent conductivity. The uniformly distributed CoP nanoparticles in the network of BP prevent the formation of close-packed structure and facilitate electron transfer. The sensor has good selectivity and excellent long-term stability. It was applied to the determination of glucose in spiked human serum, and satisfactory results were obtained. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• N-desmethyl-olanzapine (DMO) ameliorated weight gain in obese mice. • DMO partially restored insulin sensitivity and thermogenesis potential. • DMO improved inflammatory disturbance in white adipose tissue. • DMO did not alleviate dyslipidemia or hepatic steatosis. Clinical use of the antipsychotic drug olanzapine (OLA) is associated with metabolic side effects to variable degrees. N-desmethyl-olanzapine (DMO) is one major metabolite of OLA, but its potential involvement in the metabolic responses remains unclear. Here we examined whether DMO can directly impact the metabolic, endocrinal and inflammatory parameters under conditions of metabolic disturbance. DMO administration (2 mg/kg, i.g.) to high-fat diet induced obesity mice for 4 weeks induced a remarkable loss of body weight and fat mass. DMO improved insulin resistance and energy expenditure in mice, but had no significant effects on dyslipidemia or hepatic steatosis. Moreover, DMO induced morphological changes in the white adipose tissue, accompanied by reduced interleukin-1β (IL-1β) production and increased UCP1 expression. These findings demonstrate that DMO is devoid of the metabolic side effects commonly observed for OLA during obesity, which suggests that the N-desmethyl metabolism may function to regulate the metabolic responses to OLA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present Porcine circovirus type 2 virus (PCV 2) vaccine adjuvants suffer from numerous limitations, such as adverse effects, deficient cell-mediated immune responses, and inadequate antibody production. In this study, we explored the potential of a novel nanoparticle (CS-Au NPs) based on gold nanoparticles (Au NPs) and chitosan (CS) that modified Viola philippica polysaccharide (VPP) as efficient adjuvants for PCV 2 vaccine. The characterization demonstrated that CS-Au-VPP NPs had a mean particle size of 507.42 nm and a zeta potential value of −21.93 mV. CS-Au-VPP NPs also exhibited good dispersion and a stable structure, which did not alter the polysaccharide properties. Additionally, the CS-Au-VPP NPs showed easy absorption and utilization by the organism. To investigate their immune-enhancing potential, mice were immunized with a mixture of CS-Au-VPP NPs and PCV 2 vaccine. The evaluation of relevant immunological indicators, including specific IgG antibodies and their subclasses, cytokines, and T cell subpopulations, confirmed their immune-boosting effects. The in vivo experiments revealed that the medium-dose CS-Au-VPP NPs significantly elevated the levels of specific IgG antibodies and their subclasses, cytokines, and T cell subpopulations in PCV 2 -immunized mice. These findings suggest that CS-Au-VPP NPs can serve as a promising vaccine adjuvant due to their stable structure and immunoenhancement capabilities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights • Two different MFCs systems were constructed for fermentation wastewater treatment. • The fermentation wastewater treated by MFC met the demand of discharge standard. • The microbial communities of MFCs were analyzed detailly. • Saprospiraceae and Caldilineaceae may contribute to the good performance of MFC. Abstract To explore a sustainable and efficient treatment approach for organic acid fermentation wastewater, two microbial fuel cells (MFCs) systems inoculated with wastewater or domesticated microbial community were constructed in this study. Compared with the MFC inoculated with domesticated microbial community, the MFC inoculated with wastewater not only showed higher power density (543.75 mW m−2) and coulomb efficiency (22.10%), but also exhibited higher removal rates of chemical oxygen demand (75.59%), total nitrogen (76.15%), and ammonia nitrogen (83.23%), meeting the demand of wastewater discharge standard of China. Sequencing analysis revealed that the MFC inoculated with wastewater were richer in microbial community, and some bacteria such as Saprospiraceae and Caldilineaceae were beneficial for its good performance. In contrast, the microbial community of the MFC inoculated with domesticated microbial community was relatively simple. These results indicated that MFCs may be a sustainable method for organic acid fermentation wastewater treatment without any preprocessing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although the role of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) in hepatic ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury remains controversial and confusing, with both harmful and beneficial effects in animal studies, the mechanism of these incongruous actions remains unclear. In the current study, we generated bone marrow chimeric mice with hepatocyte-restricted expression of iNOS. Chimeric mice and primary hepatocytes were subjected to I/R or anoxia/reoxygenation stimulation, respectively. The role of iNOS in liver I/R injury and the underlying molecular mechanisms were investigated. Hepatocyte-derived iNOS resulted in hepatoprotection from I/R injury, as well as in vitro experiments. Mechanistically, iNOS upregulates Heat shock protein (HSP) 70 by augmenting heat shock factor 1 (HSF1) binding to the HSP70 gene promoter. Importantly, inhibition of HSP70 partly reversed the iNOS overexpression-mediated hepatoprotection. The present findings demonstrate that hepatocellular iNOS protects from hepatic I/R injury through the HSF1-dependent activation of the HSP70. The upregulation of hepatocellular iNOS may offer a promising strategy for protecting against I/R injury. • The role of iNOS in hepatic ischemia reperfusion injury remains controversial. • Cellular source strongly modulated the beneficial and detrimental effect of iNOS. • Hepatocellular iNOS protects liver through HSF1-dependent activation of HSP70. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights • Coordinated tissue interplay via metabolic signaling is key to metabolic homeostasis. • Insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes have been associated with amino acids. • Amino acids and their metabolites are signals that integrated into tissue crosstalk. • Targeting amino acid metabolism or signaling has shown pharmacological potential. A systems network that is coordinated in the sensing and management of nutrient signals is paramount to energy homeostasis, and its dysfunction induces metabolic stress and insulin resistance. Amino acids have recently emerged as a collection of signaling metabolites that underlie the metabolic impacts of different dietary patterns and life styles. This relationship is beginning to be understood from the close coupling of immune and metabolic systems, and serves to enrich our understanding of metabolic diseases, such as type 2 diabetes mellitus. In this review, we provide an overview of several amino acids or their metabolites that link nutrients with insulin sensitivity and discuss how they integrate into organ crosstalk pathways to influence physiological or pathological metabolic states. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract The aim of the present study was to purify the natural chlorogenic acid (CGA) monomer from Heijingang potatoes and investigate its interaction with recombinant human serum albumin (rHSA). The potato extract (PE) was purified using macroporous resins and solvent, and the CGA monomer was subsequently isolated using semipreparative liquid chromatography (SP-LC). The purity and structure of the CGA monomer was analyzed by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR). The interaction between the CGA monomer and rHSA was studied using fluorescence spectroscopy and molecular docking. HPLC analysis indicates that the CGA monomer had a retention time of 5.368 min and a purity of 97.9%, the presence of which was confirmed by NMR. The molecular docking and fluorescence spectroscopy demonstrate that CGA had a static quenching effect on rHSA with one binding site, and the range of K values was 7.14 × 103 to 1.56 × 104 M−1. This simple and efficient extract coupled with SP-LC has the potential for use in the extraction and purification of CGA in pilot or large-scale operations. Highlights • The seed coat of Heijingang potato is jet black due to enrichment of anthocynins. • Previous studies on the active ingredients of Heijingang potatoes have mainly concentrated on the natural pigments and the structure of the acyl anthocyanin pigment. • Our research group discovered that there existed another more abundant ingredient than pigment in Heijingang potatoes. • Through separation, purification, and structural characterization of the monomer, this substance was revealed to be chlorogenic acid (CGA). • So far, this is the first report for purification and preparation of CGA from Heijingang potatoes. • The novel discovery from this study was that the simple and efficient extract coupled with semipreparative liquid chromatography has the potential for use in the extraction and purification of CGA in pilot or large-scale operations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Certain types of cancer exhibit downregulated expression of zonula occludens-1 (ZO-1), which serves an important function in tumor progression; however, the underlying molecular mechanisms that lead to this downregulation in cancer remain unclear. In the present study, the expression of ZO-1 in liver cancer (LC) tissues was investigated. Western blot and reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction assays were used to detect the expression of ZO-1 protein and mRNA in LC tissues and paired adjacent non-tumorous tissues. The results indicated that, compared with non-tumorous tissues, the expression of ZO-1 was significantly downregulated at the protein (P<0.001) and mRNA (P=0.006) levels in LC tissue samples. In addition, various cellular and molecular methods were applied, including MTT, colony formation, flow cytometry and Transwell assays. The results indicated that overexpression of ZO-1 inhibited cell viability, proliferation and migration, and induced G0/G1 phase arrest in vitro. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Graphical abstract Abstract Metabolic disturbance is commonly observed in schizophrenia patients, and the metabolic impacts of atypical antipsychotics such as olanzapine (OLA) have received much attention. Drug naive schizophrenia patients display metabolic abnormality to varying degrees, but how this shapes the metabolic responses to chronic OLA exposure is unknown. Using high-fat diet (HFD, 8 weeks) induced obesity, here we explored the metabolic outcome of chronic OLA exposure in conditions of pre-existing metabolic disturbance. OLA treatment (2 mg/kg) for 4 weeks led to markedly reduced body weight and adiposity in obese mice, concomitant with reduced adipose inflammation and hepatic steatosis. No significant change was observed on insulin sensitivity or energy expenditure after OLA exposure. Mechanistically, OLA restored autophagic clearance in the subcutaneous adipose tissue of obese mice, in line with its potentiation of lysosomal function in adipocytes. The metabolic phenotypes induced by OLA were partially reversed by chemical suppression of autolysosome. Together, these data uncover distinct metabolic effects of OLA in obesity involving the regulation of adipose tissue autophagy, and suggest a complicated link between OLA therapy and metabolic disturbance in schizophrenia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Companies are increasingly seeking the route of sustainable growth via green innovation in the wake of environmental catastrophe and global warming. Studying its mechanism of action on green innovation has significant consequences for the green and low-carbon transformation of firms as a green development pointer in the capital market. Based on the panel data of Chinese heavy pollution listed enterprises, we use the negative binomial distribution model to conduct a theoretical mechanism analysis and empirical data validation on this issue. We find that green investments significantly contribute to businesses' green innovation, and this effect is influenced by company age heterogeneity and information disclosure heterogeneity. Further mechanism analysis reveals that this effect works mainly through alleviating corporate financing constraints and reducing corporate agency costs. We provide recommendations for the growth of green innovation and the green low-carbon transformation of firms based on the research results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Tuberculosis(TB) remains a pressing public health challenge, with multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) emerging as a major threat. And healthcare authorities require reliable epidemiological evidence as a crucial reference to address this issue effectively. The aim was to offer a comprehensive epidemiological assessment of the global prevalence and burden of MDR-TB from 1990 to 2019. Methods: Estimates and 95% uncertainty intervals (UIs) for the age-standardized prevalence rate (ASPR), age-standardized incidence rate (ASIR), age-standardized disability-adjusted life years rate (ASR of DALYs), and age-standardized death rate (ASDR) of MDR-TB were obtained from the Global Burden of Disease (GBD) 2019 database. The prevalence and burden of MDR-TB in 2019 were illustrated in the population and regional distribution. Temporal trends were analyzed by using Joinpoint regression analysis to calculate the annual percentage change (APC), average annual percentage change (AAPC) and its 95% confidence interval(CI). Results: The estimates of the number of cases were 687,839(95% UIs: 365,512 to 1223,262), the ASPR were 8.26 per 100,000 (95%UIs: 4.61 to 15.20), the ASR of DALYs were 52.38 per 100,000 (95%UIs: 22.64 to 97.60) and the ASDR were 1.36 per 100,000 (95%UIs: 0.54 to 2.59) of MDR-TB at global in 2019. Substantial burden was observed in Africa and Southeast Asia. Males exhibited higher ASPR, ASR of DALYs, and ASDR than females across most age groups, with the burden of MDR-TB increasing with age. Additionally, significant increases were observed globally in the ASIR (AAPC = 5.8; 95%CI: 5.4 to 6.1; P < 0.001), ASPR (AAPC = 5.9; 95%CI: 5.4 to 6.4; P < 0.001), ASR of DALYs (AAPC = 4.6; 95%CI: 4.2 to 5.0; P < 0.001) and ASDR (AAPC = 4.4; 95%CI: 4.0 to 4.8; P < 0.001) of MDR-TB from 1990 to 2019. Conclusions: This study underscored the persistent threat of drug-resistant tuberculosis to public health. It is imperative that countries and organizations worldwide take immediate and concerted action to implement measures aimed at significantly reducing the burden of TB. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]