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Protecting the ecological environment of the Yellow River Basin (YRB) is the key to promoting high-quality development of the whole YRB. Based on the information on environmental governance and the ecological environment in the YRB from 2016 to 2020, we constructed the regional eco-environment index (ECI) of the YRB, measured the government's environmental governance capacity, and used the entropy weight method and relevant spatial statistical tools to reveal the spatial distribution characteristics of the ECI in the YRB. In addition, we used the method of configuration qualitative comparative analysis to explore the adaptation path of environmental governance for improving the ECI. The study showed that the regional ECI of the YRB was obviously heterogeneous, showing a spatial pattern of "good in the upstream, middle in the downstream, and depressed in the midstream." There are three appropriate paths for environmental governance to improve the ecological environment: the government efficiency-oriented, rule of law-oriented, and pressure-oriented paths, among which the government efficiency-oriented path is the most common path. The findings propose the governance path of the ecological environment in the YRB from the perspective of configuration, reveal the configuration relationship among the factors affecting the government's environmental governance, broaden ideas for solving ecological environment improvement problems in the YRB, and enrich the research methods of the government's environmental governance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Simvastatin (Sim), a hydroxy-methylglutaryl coenzyme A (HMG-CoA) reductase inhibitor, has been widely used in prevention and treatment of cardiovascular diseases. Studies have suggested that Sim exerts anti-fibrotic effects by interfering fibroblast proliferation and collagen synthesis. This study was to determine whether Sim could alleviate silica-induced pulmonary fibrosis and explore the underlying mechanisms. Methods: The rat model of silicosis was established by the tracheal perfusion method and treated with Sim (5 or 10 mg/kg), AICAR (an AMPK agonist), and apocynin (a NOX inhibitor) for 28 days. Lung tissues were collected for further analyses including pathological histology, inflammatory response, oxidative stress, epithelial mesenchymal transformation (EMT), and the AMPK-NOX pathway. Results: Sim significantly reduced silica-induced pulmonary inflammation and fibrosis at 28 days after administration. Sim could reduce the levels of interleukin (IL)-1β, IL-6, tumor necrosis factor-α and transforming growth factor-β1 in lung tissues. The expressions of hydroxyproline, α-SMA and vimentin were down-regulated, while E-cad was increased in Sim-treated rats. In addition, NOX4, p22pox, p40phox, p-p47phox/p47phox expressions and ROS levels were all increased, whereas p-AMPK/AMPK was decreased in silica-induced rats. Sim or AICAR treatment could notably reverse the decrease of AMPK activity and increase of NOX activity induced by silica. Apocynin treatment exhibited similar protective effects to Sim, including down-regulating of oxidative stress and inhibition of the EMT process and inflammatory reactions. Conclusions: Sim attenuates silica-induced pulmonary inflammation and fibrosis by downregulating EMT and oxidative stress through the AMPK-NOX pathway. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To compare the effect of fermentation on the chemical constituents of Gastrodia Tuder Halimasch Powder (GTHP), to establish its fingerprinting and multicomponent content determination, and to provide a basis for the processing, handling, and clinical application of this herb. Methods: Ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography-quadrupole-Orbitrap high-resolution mass spectrometry (UHPLC-Q-Orbitrap HRMS) was used to conduct a preliminary analysis of the chemical constituents in GTHP before and after fermentation. High-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) was used to determine some major differential components of GTHP and establish fingerprints. Cluster analysis (CA), and principal component analysis (PCA) were employed for comprehensive evaluation. Results: Seventy-nine compounds were identified, including flavonoids, organic acids, nucleosides, terpenoids, and others. The CA and PCA results showed that ten samples were divided into three groups. Through standard control and HPLC analysis, 10 compounds were identified from 22 peaks, namely uracil, guanosine, adenosine, 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (5-HMF), daidzin, genistin, glycitein, daidzein, genistein, and ergosterol. After fermentation, GTHP exhibited significantly higher contents of uracil, guanosine, adenosine, 5-hydroxymethylfurfural, and ergosterol and significantly lower genistein and daidzein contents. Conclusions: The UHPLC-Q-Orbitrap HRMS and HPLC methods can effectively identify a variety of chemical components before and after the fermentation of GTHP. This study provides a valuable reference for further research on the rational clinical application and quality control improvement of GTHP. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Galli gigerii endothelium corneum (GGEC) is a traditional Chinese medicine commonly used in clinical practice to treat various conditions such as indigestion, vomiting, spermatorrhea, and enuresis. In this study, the volatile components of different concoctions of GGEC were examined by gas chromatography-ion mobility spectrometry (GC-IMS), and the changes of the components were compared by fingerprinting, combined with principal component analysis (PCA) and orthogonal partial least squares-discriminant analysis (OPLS-DA) to analyze the main volatile components and find out the different markers that can distinguish the different concoctions of GGEC. In the result, the GC-IMS fingerprints of GGEC and its different concoctions showed differences in their volatile components, of which 49 volatiles were clearly characterized, with some components including monomers and dimers. The characteristic volatile components of raw GGEC (SP) were n-nonanal, (E)-2-octenal, beta-ocimene, 2-ethyl-1-hexanol, etc. The characteristic volatile components of stir-fried GGEC (QC) are heptanal, 2-octanol, (E)-2-heptenal, etc. The characteristic volatile components of sand ironing GGEC (ST) are isoamyl acetate, decanal, cyclohexanone, 2-ethyl pyrazine, etc. The characteristic volatile components of stir-fried GGEC with vinegar (CZ) are thiazole, linalool, 2,3,5-trimethylpyrazine, etc. The characteristic volatile components of stir-fried GGEC with milk (FH) are 2-methylbutanoic acid, ethyl acetate, ethyl 2-hydroxypropanoate, butyl acetate, etc. By chemometric analysis, components such as n-nonanal, (E)-2-octenal, 2-pentyl-furan, butanal, 1,4-dioxane, and 2-methylpropanoic acid could be used as difference markers to distinguish different concoction products of GGEC. Furthermore, by analyzing different volatile compounds, we can examine the changes in volatile components during processing of GGEC, which can provide experimental data for the identification and establishment of quality standards. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Promoting the development of China's digital economy and the level of urban disaster reduction and governance is of great significance for accelerating the improvement of China's urban resilience and promoting the coordinated development of regional cities. This paper analyzed the spatial and temporal distribution characteristics and driving paths of urban resilience in 31 Chinese provinces, autonomous regions, and municipalities directly under the central government and proposed relevant measures to promote urban resilience. First, the urban resilience evaluation system was constructed and the entropy value method was applied to calculate the urban resilience index of each region. Second, the spatial distribution of urban resilience was explored based on the urban resilience index of each region. Finally, a qualitative comparative analysis method was used to explore the driving paths of urban resilience enhancement. The study showed that there were large regional differences in the urban resilience index, with an overall spatial pattern of "good in the east, middle in the center, and low in the west" and an overall trend of gradual increase. There are five configuration paths to generate a high urban resilience index, which can be specifically digital industry-driven path, technology factor-driven path, government input- and talent pool-driven path under market factors, technology factor- and government factor-driven path, and government investment- and infrastructure-driven path under market factors, and it is found that the digital industry-driven path is a more common path of digital economy-driven urban resilience improvement in China. The finding of this study reveals the nature of complex interactions among drivers in the process of urban resilience enhancement in China, which breaks through the limitations of traditional statistical analysis methods and provides a new perspective for the study of urban resilience issues. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To detect the chemical constituents in Jianqu samples under different fermentated states by using UPLC-QTOF-MS/MS technology, to conduct preliminary analyses, and to establish an HPLC method for the simultaneous determination of hesperidin and naringenin in Jianqu, and the variation of the two components during fermentation were compared. Methods: Waters ACQUITYTM UPLC HSST3 column (2.1 mm × 100 mm, 1.8 μm) was used; the mobile phase was 0.1% formic acid aqueous solution (A)-0.1% formic acid acetonitrile (B); The flow rate was 0.4 mL·min−1 with gradient elution; the column temperature was 45 °C; injection volume was 5 μL. The mass spectra of the samples were collected by negative ion mode under the electrospray ion source, and the data were screened and matched by UNIFI software. Hypersil gold C18 column (100 mm × 2.1 mm, 1.9 μm) was used; the mobile phase was acetonitrile (A)-0.1% acetic acid (B);; the flow rate with gradient elution was 0.3 mL·min−1; the column temperature was 30 °C; the injection volume was 2 μL. The content changes of hesperetin and naringenin in Jianqu at different fermentation time were detected. Results: A total of 54 compounds were identified, including flavonoids, amino acids, organic acids, terpenoids, coumarins, lignans, and other compounds. Under the selected HPLC conditions, the linear relationship between hesperidin and naringenin was discovered (r2 = 0.9996). The content of hesperidin and naringenin changed significantly in the whole fermentation process. The highest concentration of content was observed at 36 h of fermentation and then decreased to varying degrees. Conclusion: This experiment can effectively identify various chemical components in Jianqu during different fermentation periods, and determine the content of the characteristic components, so as to provide a scientific basis for further study of Jianqu fermentation processing technology as well as a sound pharmacodynamic material basis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the third most common cancer worldwide. However, limited effective biomarkers are associated with the tumorigenesis and prognosis of CRC.Methods: The present study identified potential signatures from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database and further validated the identified biomarkers in CRC tissues by immunohistochemistry (IHC).Results: The expression of insulin-like growth factor 1 receptor (IGF-1R) and Livin gene was significantly upregulated in CRC samples compared to the adjacent normal samples in the TCGA dataset. IHC indicated that IGF-1R and Livin protein levels are increased in CRC and adenoma tissues compared to normal tissues. Notably, the IGF-1R protein levels differed significantly between adenoma and CRC. The elevated IGF-1R and Livin expression was associated with CRC clinicopathological features, including age, gender, histological subtype, individual cancer stages, nodal metastasis, and TP53-mutant in TCGA. Additionally, the IGF-1R promoter methylation level was closely related to CRC. Consistent with the TCGA study, IHC indicated that overexpressed IGF-1R and Livin proteins were independent risk factors for stage and metastasis. A marked correlation was established between IGF-1R and Livin expression in CRC, while the survival map showed no significant correlation with CRC. Kaplan-Meier survival curves showed that CRC patients with high IGF-1R or Livin expression had a prolonged overall disease-free survival than those with low expression in TCGA.Conclusion: IGF-1R and Livin are associated with CRC tumorigenesis and might be valuable for novel biomarker identification and targeted therapeutic strategy development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Silicosis is a systemic disease characterized by chronic persistent inflammation and incurable pulmonary fibrosis with the underlying molecular mechanisms to be fully elucidated. In this study, we employed tandem mass tag (TMT) based on quantitative proteomics technology to detect differentially expressed proteins (DEPs) in lung tissues of silica-exposed rats. A total of 285 DEPs (145 upregulated and 140 downregulated) were identified. Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) analyses were performed to predict the biological pathway and functional classification of the proteins. Results showed that these DEPs were mainly enriched in the phagosome, lysosome function, complement and the coagulation cascade, glutathione metabolism, focal adhesion and ECM-receptor interactions. To validate the proteomics data, we selected and analyzed the expression trends of six proteins including CD14, PSAP, GM2A, COL1A1, ITGA8 and CLDN5 using parallel reaction monitoring (PRM). The consistent result between PRM and TMT indicated the reliability of our proteomic data. These findings will help to reveal the pathogenesis of silicosis and provide potential therapeutic targets. Data are available via ProteomeXchange with identifier PXD020625. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Two marine heat wave events along Western Australia (WA) during the alternate austral summer periods of 2010/2011 and 2012/2013, both linked to La Niña conditions, severely impacted marine ecosystems over more than 12° of latitude, which included the unprecedented bleaching of many coral reefs. Although these two heat waves were forced by similar large‐scale climate drivers, the warming patterns differed substantially between events. The central coast of WA (south of 22°S) experienced greater warming in 2010/2011, whereas the northwestern coast of WA experienced greater warming in 2012/2013. To investigate how oceanic and atmospheric heat exchange processes drove these different spatial patterns, an analysis of the ocean heat budget was conducted by integrating remote sensing observations, in situ mooring data, and a high‐resolution (∼1 km) ocean circulation model (Regional Ocean Modeling System). The results revealed substantial spatial differences in the relative contributions made by heat advection and air‐sea heat exchange between the two heat wave events. During 2010/2011, anomalous warming driven by heat advection was present throughout the region but was much stronger south of 22°S where the poleward‐flowing Leeuwin Current strengthens. During 2012/2013, air‐sea heat exchange had a much more positive (warming) influence on sea surface temperatures (especially in the northwest), and when combined with a more positive contribution of heat advection in the north, this can explain the regional differences in warming between these two La Niña‐associated marine heat wave events. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this study is to investigate the effects of subchronic exposure to chlorpyrifos on reproductive toxicology of male rats. Forty healthy male rats were divided into four groups: three exposure groups and a control group. Chlorpyrifos was administered orally to male rats at 0, 2.7, 5.4, and 12.8mg/kg for 90 days to evaluate the toxic alterations in testicular histology, testicular marker enzyme activities and related genes expression levels, sperm dynamics, and testosterone levels. The body weight and the testis weight of animals did not show any significant changes. Chlorpyrifos brought about marked reduction in testicular sperm counts, sperm motility, and significant growth of sperm malformation rate in exposed males. Histopathological examination of testes showed mild to severe degenerative changes in seminiferous tubules at various dose levels. The levels of testosterone (T) showed a decreasing tendency, and there was a statistical difference between the 5.4, 12.8 mg/kg groups, and the control group. The levels of follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) were significantly increased in 5.4 and 12.8 mg/kg groups, but there were no obvious effects on the levels of luteinizing hormone (LH) and estradiol (E2). A significant increase in the activities of LDH and LDH-x was observed in chlorpyrifos exposed rats in 5.4 and12.8 mg/kg groups, but the expression levels of related genes had no significant differences between chlorpyrifos exposure groups and the control group. These results suggest that chlorpyrifos has adverse effects on reproductive system of male rats. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Environ Toxicol 29: 1083-1088, 2014. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]