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Background: Cognitive impairment (CI) is common in older adults, especially those with renal dysfunction. We aimed to investigate the complex relationships among renal function, nutritional status, and CI in older people free from late chronic kidney disease (CKD) and severe CI., Methods: A study of older people (≥60 years old) with an estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) of >30 mL/min/1.73 m 2 and Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) scores of >10 (n = 237) was conducted at Beijing Tongren Hospital. Their eGFR was determined using the CKD-EPI-cr-Cysc equation. Cognitive function was evaluated with the MoCA. We tested the relationship between eGFR and MoCA scores using Spearman correlation analysis and multivariate logistic regression analysis. We then conducted a mediation analysis to figure out the mediating roles of nutritional indicators (Mini Nutritional Assessment-Short Form (MNA-SF) scores, albumin (ALB), and haemoglobin (HGB)) between the eGFR and MoCA scores., Results: The incidence of CI was 48.5% (115/237) in older people. Spearman correlation analysis revealed that the better the kidney function, the better the cognitive function (R = 0.297, P < 0.001). Multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed that eGFR decrease per 15 mL/min/1.73 m 2 (OR: 1.415, 95% confidence interval: 1.055-1.896, P = 0.020) was related to CI after adjusting for age and sex. However, the eGFR was not associated with cognitive decline after adjusting for nutritional indicators, behavioural risk factors, other biomarkers, and chronic conditions, suggesting that eGFR is not independently associated with CI. Mediation analysis revealed that the MNA-SF scores (a*b = 0.006 (0.0002-0.012)) and HGB (a*b = 0.008 (0.001-0.017)) were mediating factors between the eGFR and MoCA scores., Conclusions: A decline in renal function can directly lead to CI and can also exacerbate cognitive deficits through intermediary factors such as MNA-SF scores and HGB. Therefore, correcting anaemia and improving nutritional status are significantly important for enhancing cognitive function in older patients, especially those with renal dysfunction., (© 2024 The Author(s). Psychogeriatrics published by John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd on behalf of Japanese Psychogeriatric Society.)

The occurrence of metastasis is a major factor contributing to poor prognosis in colorectal cancer. Different stages of the disease play a crucial role in distant metastasis. Furthermore, m6A has been demonstrated to play a significant role in regulating tumor metastasis. Therefore, we conducted an analysis of transcriptome data from high-stage and low-stage colorectal cancer patients in The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) to identify genes associated with m6A-related regulation. We identified SYNPO2L as a core gene regulated by m6A, and it is correlated with adverse prognosis and metastasis in patients. Additionally, we demonstrated that the m6A writer gene Mettl16 can regulate the stability of SYNPO2L through interaction with YTHDC1. Subsequently, using Weighted Gene Co-expression Network Analysis (WGCNA), we discovered that SYNPO2L can regulate COL10A1, mediating the actions of Cancer-Associated Fibroblasts. SYNPO2L promotes the secretion of COL10A1 and the infiltration of tumor-associated fibroblasts, thereby facilitating Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition (EMT) in tumor cells and making them more prone to distant metastasis., Competing Interests: Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interest exists., (© The author(s).)

Berberine (BBR) is widely used as a botanical pesticide due to its broad-spectrum antibacterial and antifungal activities. However, BBR degradation pathway in soil microorganisms, which determines its impact on soil environment, remains poorly understood. Herein, a novel BBR-degrading bacterium Agrobacterium sp. V1 was isolated and characterized. Agrobacterium sp. V1 was able to utilize BBR as the sole carbon source for cell growth, and 50 μg/mL of BBR was completely degraded within 48 h. To reveal the possible BBR degradation pathway, whole genome sequencing of Agrobacterium sp. V1 was conducted, and proteins in Agrobacterium sp. V1 were aligned with enzymes involved in BBR biosynthesis in Rhizoma Coptidis. The results indicated that more than 60% of enzymes in BBR biosynthesis pathway had orthologs in Agrobacterium sp. V1. Combined with the primary mass spectra of BBR metabolites, a novel BBR degradation pathway in this bacterium was proposed. In summary, the proposed BBR degradation pathway offered new insights into the impact of BBR to the environment and also provided a reference for studying BBR metabolism in microorganisms., (© 2024. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.)

Chiral atomically precise metal clusters, known for their remarkable chiroptical properties, hold great potential for applications in chirality recognition. However, advancements in this field have been constrained by the limited exploration of host-guest chemistry, involving metal clusters. This study reports the synthesis of a chiral Cu 16 (C 2 B 10 H 10 S 2 ) 8 (denoted as Cu 16 @CB 8 , where C 2 B 10 H 12 S 2 H 2 = 9,12-(HS) 2 -1,2- closo -carborane) cluster by an achiral carboranylthiolate ligand. The chiral R -/ S -Cu 16 @CB 8 cluster features chiral cavities reminiscent of cyclodextrins, which are surrounded by carborane clusters, yet they crystallize in a racemate. These cyclodextrin-like cavities demonstrated the specific recognition of amino acids, as indicated by the responsive output of circular dichroism and circularly polarized luminescence signals of Cu 16 moieties of the Cu 16 @CB 8 cluster. Notably, a quantitative chiroptical analysis of amino acids in a short time and a concomitant deracemization of Cu 16 @CB 8 were achieved. Density functional tight-binding molecular dynamics simulation and noncovalent interaction analysis further unraveled the great importance of the cavities and binding sites for chiral recognition. Dipeptide, tripeptide, and polypeptide containing the corresponding amino acids (Cys, Arg, or His residues) display the same chiral recognition, showing the generality of this approach. The functional synergy of dual clusters, comprising carborane and metal clusters, is for the first time demonstrated in the Cu 16 @CB 8 cluster, resulting in the valuable quantification of the enantiomeric excess ( ee ) value of amino acids. This work opens a new avenue for chirality sensors based on chiral metal clusters with unique chiroptical properties and inspires the development of carborane clusters in host-guest chemistry.

Malnutrition is a common and serious issue that worsens patient outcomes. The effects of dietary provision on the clinical outcomes of patients of different nutritional status needs to be verified. This study aimed to identify dietary provision in patients with eaten quantities of meal consumption and investigate the effects of dietary provision and different nutritional statuses defined by the GLIM criteria on clinical outcomes based on data from the nutritionDay surveys in China. A total of 5821 adult in-patients from 2010 to 2020 were included in this study's descriptive and Cox regression analyses. Rehabilitation and home discharge of 30-day outcomes were considered a good outcome. The prevalence of malnutrition defined by the GLIM criteria was 22.8%. On nutritionDay, 51.8% of all patients received dietary provisions, including hospital food and a special diet. In multivariable models adjusting for other variables, the patients receiving dietary provision had a nearly 1.5 higher chance of a good 30-day outcome than those who did not. Malnourished patients receiving dietary provision had a 1.58 (95% CI [1.36-1.83], p < 0.001) higher chance of having a good 30-day outcome and had a shortened length of hospital stay after nutritionDay (median: 7 days, 95% CI [6-8]) compared to those not receiving dietary provision (median: 11 days, 95% CI [10-13]). These results highlight the potential impacts of the dietary provision and nutritional status of in-patients on follow-up outcomes and provide knowledge on implementing targeted nutrition care.

Objective: This study aimed to investigate whether the VCA0560 gene acts as an active diguanylate cyclase (DGC) in Vibrio cholerae and how its transcription is regulated by Fur and HapR., Methods: The roles of VCA0560 was investigated by utilizing various phenotypic assays, including colony morphological characterization, crystal violet staining, Cyclic di-GMP (c-di-GMP) quantification, and swimming motility assay. The regulation of the VCA0560 gene by Fur and HapR was analyzed by luminescence assay, electrophoretic mobility shift assay, and DNase I footprinting., Results: VCA0560 gene mutation did not affect biofilm formation, motility, and c-di-GMP synthesis in V. cholerae , and its overexpression remarkably enhanced biofilm formation and intracellular c-di-GMP level but reduced motility capacity. The transcription of the VCA0560 gene was directly repressed by Fur and the master quorum sensing regulator HapR., Conclusion: Overexpressed VCA0560 functions as an active DGC in V. cholerae , and its transcription is repressed by Fur and HapR., (Copyright © 2023 The Editorial Board of Biomedical and Environmental Sciences. Published by China CDC. All rights reserved.)

Background: Orthostatic hypotension (OH) is a common blood pressure abnormality in older adults that makes them prone to balance disorders and falls. The maintenance of balance relies on a complex regulatory system. The use of computerized dynamic posturography (CDP) can provide a quantitative evaluation of balance function. The objective of this study was to utilize CDP to measure balance indicators in older individuals with OH., Methods: A total of 303 older adults were divided into an OH group of 91 and a non-OH group of 212. Various factors, including chronic diseases, medication history, laboratory tests, and balance indicators, were compared between the two groups., Results: ① Participants with OH had more chronic diseases, including coronary heart disease ( p = 0.049) and a history of falls ( p < 0.001), than those without OH. A history of multiple medications in the OH group was significantly more likely than in the non-OH group ( p = 0.006). ② There was a significant reduction in the composite equilibrium score (SOT-COM) ( p < 0.001), vision ratio score (VIS) ( p < 0.001), vestibular ratio score (VEST) ( p < 0.001), and directional control (DCL) ( p = 0.028) in the OH group. ③ A logistic regression analysis revealed that SOT-COM was a significant independent factor associated with OH. The area under the curve (AUC) of SOT-COM was 0.833 (95% confidence interval: 0.778-0.887, p < 0.001), with a sensitivity of 0.826 and a specificity of 0.759., Conclusions: This study demonstrates that older individuals with OH are more prone to falls, due to decreased sensory integration for balance.

Background: Cognitive decline in older adults may affect balance function, but the relationship between the two is not fully understood, especially in the early stages of cognitive impairment. Mild to moderate cognitive impairment can be assessed with the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MOCA)., Aim: This study quantitatively analyzed balance function in older adults with mild to moderate cognitive impairment using computerized dynamic posturography (CDP) testing., Methods: 248 older patients were divided into a cognitive impaired group (MOCA <26, n = 126) and a normal group (MOCA ≥26, n = 122) based on the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MOCA) Beijing Version. Patients underwent CDP testing, which included the sensory organization test (SOT) and the limits of stability test (LOS)., Results: The cognitive impaired group had significantly lower SOT composite and visual scores, as well as reaction time (RT), movement velocity (MVL), endpoint excursion (EPE), maximum excursion (MXE), and directional control (DCL) of the LOS test. Binary logistic regression analysis revealed that RT and MXE were independent factors significantly associated with MOCA, even after adjustment for age and sex., Conclusions: Older patients with mild to moderate cognitive impairment may have reduced sensory integration and balance stability limits, mainly manifested as prolonged motor reaction time and shortened maximum movement distance., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest All authors have contributed significantly to the manuscript and declare that the work is original and has not been submitted or published elsewhere. None of the authors have any financial disclosure or conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2023 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

With the rapid development of science, technology, and engineering, large amounts of data have been generated in many fields in the past 20 years. In the process of medical research, data are constantly generated, and large amounts of real-world data form a "data disaster." Effective data analysis and mining are based on data availability and high data quality. The premise of high data quality is the need to clean the data. Data cleaning is the process of detecting and correcting "dirty data," which is the basis of data analysis and management. Moreover, data cleaning is a common technology for improving data quality. However, the current literature on real-world research provides little guidance on how to efficiently and ethically set up and perform data cleaning. To address this issue, we proposed a data cleaning framework for real-world research, focusing on the 3 most common types of dirty data (duplicate, missing, and outlier data), and a normal workflow for data cleaning to serve as a reference for the application of such technologies in future studies. We also provided relevant suggestions for common problems in data cleaning., (©Manping Guo, Yiming Wang, Qiaoning Yang, Rui Li, Yang Zhao, Chenfei Li, Mingbo Zhu, Yao Cui, Xin Jiang, Song Sheng, Qingna Li, Rui Gao. Originally published in the Interactive Journal of Medical Research (https://www.i-jmr.org/), 21.09.2023.)

Background: Fear of falling is a potential consequence for older adults who have experienced a fall. Whether such psychological concerns related to falls, in turn, affect physical function? Especially those who have a history of falling but have not been diagnosed with anxiety, depression, or both. This study aimed to clarify the effects of early psychological changes on the physical function of older patients., Methods: The 111 participants with falling history were divided into the poor physical function (PPF) group with the Short Physical Performance Battery (SPPB) ≤ 9 and the good physical function (GPF) group with SPPB > 9. Their physical function was assessed through 4-m gait speed (4MGS), five times sit-to-stand test (FTSST), grip strength, and Timed Up and Go tests TUGT. Their mental state was assessed by the self-rating anxiety/depression scale (SAS/SDS)., Results: (1) SAS/SDS scores were negatively correlated with the SPPB score, gait speed, and maximum grip strength (males). (2) Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that the SPPB score was subject to such independent influence factors: cerebrovascular disease (OR = 11.805; P = 0.005), normal ratio of grip strength (OR = 0.046; P = 0.016), TUGT (OR = 1.717; P < 0.001), and SDS score (OR = 1.154; P = 0.008). (3) The area under the ROC curve was 0.699 (0.601, 0.797) for SAS score, with a sensitivity of 0.776 and a specificity of 0.547; the AUC was 0.694 (0.596, 0.792) for SDS score, with a sensitivity of 0.586 and a specificity of 0.755., Conclusions: In older adults with a history of falls without a diagnosis of anxiety or depression, higher SAS/SDS scores were associated with worse fall-related physical function, and there was a statistically significant correlation between the two. This may indicate a risk of falling again in the future., (© 2023. BioMed Central Ltd., part of Springer Nature.)

Tuberculosis (TB) is an important infectious disease suffered by many countries, including China. In this stage, accurate diagnosis and treatment are key measures for the prevention and control of TB. Stenotrophomonas maltophilia is a global emerging Gram-negative, multidrug-resistant (MDR) organism characterized by its high contribution to the increase in crude mortality rates. By single cell preparation and strain identification, we isolated S. maltophilia from stored cultures of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb). We found that S. maltophilia could not be removed from sputum by alkali treatment or inhibited by antibiotic mixture added to MGIT 960 indicator tubes. When co-cultured with Mtb on a Löwenstein-Jensen (L-J) slant, it could inhibit the growth of Mtb and liquefy the medium. More seriously, it was resistant to 10 of the 12 anti-TB drugs, including isoniazid and rifampin, and made the mixed samples display multidrug-resistant Mtb (MDR-TB) results in the drug sensitivity test, which might change a treatment regimen and increase disease burden. Following, we conducted a small-scale surveillance which showed that the isolation rate of S. maltophilia in TB patients was 6.74%, but these patients had no special characteristics and the presence of S. maltophilia was hidden. The effect of S. maltophilus on TB and its mechanism are unclear and require more attention. IMPORTANCE China is a high-burden country for tuberculosis (TB), multidrug-resistant/rifampicin-resistant tuberculosis (MDR/RR-TB), and HIV-associated TB. Increasing the positive rate of culture and the accuracy of antibiotic susceptibility testing (AST) are important for diagnosis, treatment, and control of TB. In our study, we found that the isolation rate of Stenotrophomonas maltophilia in TB patients was not neglectable and that this bacterium affects the isolation and AST results of TB. Due to a lack of relevant research, the impact of S. maltophilia on the course and outcome of TB is unclear. However, the characteristics of S. maltophilia that increase disease mortality require attention. Therefore, in the clinical testing of TB, in addition to mycobacteria, it is recommended to increase the detection of co-infected bacteria and improve the awareness of TB clinicians of these bacteria., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Background: The mirror neuron system (MNS) plays a key role in the neural mechanism underlying motor learning and neural plasticity. Action observation (AO), action execution (AE), and a combination of both, known as action imitation (AI), are the most commonly used rehabilitation strategies based on MNS. It is possible to enhance the cortical activation area and amplitude by combining traditional neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES) with other top-down and active rehabilitation strategies based on the MNS theory., Objective: This study aimed to explore the cortical activation patterns induced by NMES synchronized with rehabilitation strategies based on MNS, namely NMES+AO, NMES+AE, and NMES+AI. In addition, the study aimed to assess the feasibility of these three novel rehabilitative treatments in order to provide insights and evidence for the design, implementation, and application of brain-computer interfaces., Methods: A total of 70 healthy adults were recruited from July 2022 to February 2023, and 66 of them were finally included in the analysis. The cortical activation patterns during NMES+AO, NMES+AE, and NMES+AI were detected using the functional Near-Infrared Spectroscopy (fNIRS) technique. The action to be observed, executed, or imitated was right wrist and hand extension, and two square-shaped NMES electrodes were placed on the right extensor digitorum communis. A block design was adopted to evaluate the activation intensity of the left MNS brain regions., Results: General linear model results showed that compared with the control condition, the number of channels significantly activated ( P FDR  < 0.05) in the NMES+AO, NMES+AE, and NMES+AI conditions were 3, 9, and 9, respectively. Region of interest (ROI) analysis showed that 2 ROIs were significantly activated ( P FDR  < 0.05) in the NMES+AO condition, including BA6 and BA44; 5 ROIs were significantly activated in the NMES+AE condition, including BA6, BA40, BA44, BA45, and BA46; and 6 ROIs were significantly activated in the NMES+AI condition, including BA6, BA7, BA40, BA44, BA45, and BA46., Conclusion: The MNS was activated during neuromuscular electrical stimulation combined with an AO, AE, and AI intervention. The synchronous application of NMES and mirror neuron rehabilitation strategies is feasible in clinical rehabilitation. The fNIRS signal patterns observed in this study could be used to develop brain-computer interface and neurofeedback therapy rehabilitation devices., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2023 Cui, Cong, Huang, Zeng and Yan.)

Objective: This study aims to explore the effects of aquatic strength training on the postural balance and walking function of stroke patients., Methods: A total of 56 chronic stroke patients more than 6 months post-stroke with walking and balance impairments were included in this study. After baseline evaluations, patients were randomly assigned to either the experiment group (n = 29) or control group (n = 27). Patients in the control group underwent conventional hydrotherapy, whereas patients in the experiment group received conventional hydrotherapy combined with aquatic lower extremity strength training. After six weeks of rehabilitation, all patients were evaluated by a blinded assessor, and the functional assessments including: Berg Balance Scale (BBS); Timed Up and Go Test (TUG and mTUG); 2 Minute Walk Test (2MWMT); and Gait analysis., Results: There were no significant differences (P > .05) between the two groups in all evaluation indexes before rehabilitation. Six weeks after treatments, the results from both groups showed significant improvements compared with those in the baseline evaluations (P < .05). Notably, compared with the control group, BBS, TUG and mTUG, 2MWMT, and Gait analysis including stride length in the non-hemiplegic side, stride length, as well as walking speed and stride frequency in the hemiplegic side in experiment group were markedly improved (P < .05)., Conclusion: Aquatic strength training can improve postural balance and lower extremity motor functions in chronic stroke patients.

Proteasomes are overexpressed in multiple myeloma (MM) and proteasomal inhibitors (PIs) have been widely used for the treatment of MM. PIs are reported to induce MM cell apoptosis but impair necroptosis. In the present study, we found that PIs MG132 and bortezomib induce MM cell pyroptosis, a novel type of cell death, in a GSDME-dependent manner. Lack of GSDME totally blocks PI-induced pyroptosis. Interestingly, we found that Caspase-3/6/7/9 are all involved in pyroptosis triggered by PIs because the specific inhibitor of each caspase ablates GSDME activation. PIs markedly reduce mitochondrial membrane potential. Moreover, PIs disrupt the interaction of Bcl-2 and BAX, induce cytochrome c release from mitochondria to cytosol and activate GSDME. Furthermore, we found that overexpression of an N-terminal portion of GSDME suffices to release cytochrome c from mitochondria and to activate Caspase-3/9, suggesting N-GSDME might penetrate the mitochondrial membrane. Consistent with Bcl-2 inhibition, BAX can induce MM cell pyroptosis in a GSDME-dependent manner. In accordance with these findings, inhibition of Bcl-2 synergizes with PIs to induce MM cell pyroptosis. Therefore, the present study indicates that PIs trigger MM cell pyroptosis via the mitochondrial BAX/GSDME pathway and provides a rationale for combined treatment of MM with Bcl-2 and proteasome inhibitors to increase therapeutic efficiency via induction of pyroptosis., (© 2023. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences and Chinese Pharmacological Society.)

Background: Lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) is the leading histological subtype of lung cancer worldwide, causing high annual mortality. Tsvetkov et al. recently found a new form of regulated cell death, termed cuproptosis. The prognostic value of cuproptosis-related gene signature in LUAD remains uncertain., Methods: A training cohort is identified by the TCGA-LUAD dataset, whereas validation cohorts one and two are identified by GSE72094 and GSE68465, respectively. GeneCard and GSEA were used to extract genes related to cuproptosis. Cox regression, Kaplan-Meier regression, and LASSO regression were used to construct a gene signature. The model's applicability was evaluated by Kaplan-Meier estimators, Cox models, ROC, and tAUC across two independent validation cohorts. We examined the model's connections with other forms of regulated cell death. The immunotherapy ability of the signature was demonstrated by applying TMB, immune relevant signatures, and TIDE. The GSEA and immune infiltration analysis offer a better understanding of how the signature functions and the role of immune cells in its prognostic power., Results: A ten-gene signature was built and demonstrated owning prognostic power by being applied to the validation cohorts. The GSEA uncovered that the unfolded protein response, glycolysis/gluconeogenesis, and MYC were highly related to the gene signature. The ten-gene signature is closely related to related genes of apoptosis, necroptosis, pyroptosis, and ferroptosis. Our signature may have utility in predicting immunotherapy efficacy in LUADs. Mast cells were identified as key players that support the predicting capacity of the ten-gene signature through the immune infiltrating analysis., Conclusions: The novel ten-gene signature associated with apoptosis in cuproptosis that we obtained may contribute to improved LUAD management strategies and the ability to predict response to LUAD immunotherapy. It is suggested that mast cell infiltration might be related to the prognostic power of this signature., Competing Interests: None., (AJTR Copyright © 2023.)

Background: Minimally invasive or noninvasive, sensitive and accurate detection of colorectal cancer (CRC) is urgently needed in clinical practice., Aim: To identify a noninvasive, sensitive and accurate circular free DNA marker detected by digital polymerase chain reaction (dPCR) for the early diagnosis of clinical CRC., Methods: A total of 195 healthy control (HC) individuals and 101 CRC patients (38 in the early CRC group and 63 in the advanced CRC group) were enrolled to establish the diagnostic model. In addition, 100 HC individuals and 62 patients with CRC (30 early CRC and 32 advanced CRC groups) were included separately to validate the model. CAMK1D was dPCR. Binary logistic regression analysis was used to establish a diagnostic model including CAMK1D and CEA., Results: To differentiate between the 195 HCs and 101 CRC patients (38 early CRC and 63 advanced CRC patients), the common biomarkers CEA and CAMK1D were used alone or in combination to evaluate their diagnostic value. The area under the curves (AUCs) of CEA and CAMK1D were 0.773 (0.711, 0.834) and 0.935 (0.907, 0.964), respectively. When CEA and CAMK1D were analyzed together, the AUC was 0.964 (0.945, 0.982). In differentiating between the HC and early CRC groups, the AUC was 0.978 (0.960, 0.995), and the sensitivity and specificity were 88.90% and 90.80%, respectively. In differentiating between the HC and advanced CRC groups, the AUC was 0.956 (0.930, 0.981), and the sensitivity and specificity were 81.30% and 95.90%, respectively. After building the diagnostic model containing CEA and CAMK1D, the AUC of the CEA and CAMK1D joint model was 0.906 (0.858, 0.954) for the validation group. In differentiating between the HC and early CRC groups, the AUC was 0.909 (0.844, 0.973), and the sensitivity and specificity were 93.00% and 83.30%, respectively. In differentiating between the HC and advanced CRC groups, the AUC was 0.904 (0.849, 0.959), and the sensitivity and specificity were 93.00% and 75.00%, respectively., Conclusion: We built a diagnostic model including CEA and CAMK1D for differentiating between HC individuals and CRC patients. Compared with the common biomarker CEA alone, the diagnostic model exhibited significant improvement., Competing Interests: Conflict-of-interest statement: We declare that we have no financial or personal relationships with other individuals or organizations that can inappropriately influence our work and that there is no professional or other personal interest of any nature in any product, service and/or company that could be construed as influencing the position presented in or the review of the manuscript., (©The Author(s) 2023. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.)

Introduction/aims: Oxaliplatin is a commonly used platinum chemotherapy drug, whereas peripheral neurotoxicity is a widely observed adverse reaction lacking a satisfactory therapeutic strategy. Different adenosine receptors underlying the common neuropathic phenotype play different roles through varied pathophysiological mechanisms. In this study, we investigated the role of adenosine receptor A1 (A1R) in oxaliplatin-induced neuropathic pain and its potential use in an effective therapeutic strategy., Methods: We established an oxaliplatin-induced neuropathic pain model simulating the mode of chemotherapy administration and observed the related neuropathic behavioral phenotype and implicated mechanisms., Results: Five weekly injections of oxaliplatin for 2 weeks induced a severe and persistent neuropathic pain phenotype in mice. A1R expression in the spinal dorsal horn decreased during this process. Pharmacological intervention against A1R verified its importance in this process. Mechanistically, the loss of A1R expression was mainly attributed to its decreased expression in astrocytes. Consistent with the pharmacological results, the oxaliplatin-induced neuropathic pain phenotype was blocked by specific therapeutic interventions of A1R in astrocytes via lentiviral vectors, and the expression of glutamate metabolism-related proteins was upregulated. Neuropathic pain can be alleviated by pharmacological or astrocytic interventions via this pathway., Discussion: These data reveal a specific adenosine receptor signaling pathway involved in oxaliplatin-induced peripheral neuropathic pain, which is related to the suppression of the astrocyte A1R signaling pathway. This may provide new opportunities for the treatment and management of neuropathic pain observed during oxaliplatin chemotherapy., (© 2023 Wiley Periodicals LLC.)

Objective: Many stroke victims have severe swallowing problems. Previous neuroimaging studies have found that several brain regions scattered in the frontal, temporal, and parietal lobes, such as Brodmann's areas (BA) 6, 21, and 40, are associated with swallowing function. This study sought to investigate changes in swallowing function and resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI) in stroke patients with dysphagia following action observation treatment. It also sought to detect changes in brain regions associated with swallowing in stroke patients., Methods: In this study, 12 healthy controls (HCs) and 12 stroke patients were recruited. Stroke patients were given 4 weeks of action observation therapy. In order to assess the differences in mfALFF values between patients before treatment and HCs, the fractional amplitude of low-frequency fluctuations (fALFF) in three frequency bands (conventional frequency band, slow-4, and slow-5) were calculated for fMRI data. The significant brain regions were selected as regions of interest (ROIs) for subsequent analysis. The mfALFF values were extracted from ROIs of the three groups (patients before and after treatment and HCs) and compared to assess the therapeutic efficacy., Results: In the conventional band, stroke patients before treatment had higher mfALFF in the inferior temporal gyrus and lower mfALFF in the calcarine fissure and surrounding cortex and thalamus compared to HCs. In the slow-4 band, there was no significant difference in related brain regions between stroke patients before treatment and HCs. In the slow-5 band, stroke patients before treatment had higher mfALFF in inferior cerebellum, inferior temporal gyrus, middle frontal gyrus, and lower mfALFF in calcarine fissure and surrounding cortex compared to HCs. We also assessed changes in aberrant brain activity that occurred both before and after action observation therapy. The mfALFF between stroke patients after therapy was closed to HCs in comparison to the patients before treatment., Conclusion: Action observation therapy can affect the excitability of certain brain regions. The changes in brain function brought about by this treatment may help to further understand the potential mechanism of network remodeling of swallowing function., Competing Interests: No conflicts of interest exist, according to the authors, with the publishing of this article., (Copyright © 2023 Ming Zeng et al.)

Aims: The study aims to find a new functional additive for diabetic liver injury., Background: It is well-established that type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is a metabolic disease with multiple complications and places a significant health and economic burden on modern society. Linarin is a natural flavonoid isolated from Asteraceae and Lamiaceae, which has beneficial effects in preventing and treating metabolic diseases such as nonalcoholic steatohepatitis and diabetes., Objective: We aimed to investigate the pharmacological effect and underlying mechanism of linarin on T2DM-associated liver injury in vivo and in vitro., Methods: Using a high-glucose and high-palmitic acid-induced hepatocyte injury model and a type 2 diabetic rat model. Following linarin treatment, serum biochemical parameters, liver histology, and lipid profiles of rats were examined. Oxidative stress index and inflammatory response were detected in vivo and in vitro. The expression level of AKR1B1 in rat liver tissues and in vitro cells was detected by western blot and by real-time fluorescent quantitative PCR., Results: The present study found that linarin could prevent oxidative stress and inflammation. In high-fat-fed diabetic rats, linarin administration (15, 30, and 60 mg/kg/day) reduced hepatic lipid accumulation, oxidative stress, and inflammation. Linarin (20 μM) significantly alleviated oxidative stress, inflammation, and apoptosis induced by high glucose combined with palmitic acid in LX-2 cells. Western blotting and overexpression experiments showed that these effects were related to AKR1B1 inhibition in vivo and in vitro., Conclusion: This study indicated that linarin could protect against liver injury in T2DM by alleviating oxidative stress and inflammation mediated by AKR1B1 and may be a promising additive for diabetic liver injury therapy., (Copyright© Bentham Science Publishers; For any queries, please email at epub@benthamscience.net.)

Cordyceps militaris is a famous traditional edible and medicinal fungus in Asia, and its fruiting body has rich medicinal value. The molecular mechanism of fruiting body development is still not well understood in C. militaris . In this study, phylogenetically analysis and protein domains prediction of the 14 putative chitinases were performed. The transcription level and enzyme activity of chitinase were significant increased during fruiting body development of C. militaris. Then, two chitinase genes ( Chi1 and Chi4 ) were selected to construct gene silencing strain by RNA interference. When Chi1 and Chi4 genes were knockdown, the differentiation of the primordium was blocked, and the number of fruiting body was significantly decreased approximately by 50% compared to wild-type (WT) strain. The length of the single mature fruiting body was shortened by 27% and 38% in Chi1- and Chi4- silenced strains, respectively. In addition, the chitin content and cell wall thickness were significantly increased in Chi1- and Chi4- silenced strains. These results provide new insights into the biological functions of chitinase in fruiting body development of C. militaris.

Background: The competing endogenous RNA (ceRNA) network plays an important role in the occurrence and development of a variety of diseases. This study aimed to construct a ceRNA network related to exosomes in diabetic retinopathy (DR)., Methods: We explored the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database and then analyzed the RNAs of samples to obtain differentially expressed lncRNAs (DELs), miRNAs (DEMs) and mRNAs (DEGs) alongside the progress of DR. Next, Gene Set Enrichment Analysis (GSEA) analysis of DEGs, Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) analysis of up-DEGs were performed. In addition, a ceRNA network related to exosomes in DR was constructed on the base of DELs, DEMs and DEGs. Finally, the function of the ceRNA network was explored by GO and KEGG enrichment analysis., Results: Through our analysis, 267 DELs (93 up and 174 down), 114 DEMs (64 up and 50 down) and 2368 DEGs (1252 up and 1116 down) were screened. The GSEA analysis results show that these genes were mainly related to cytokine-cytokine receptor interaction, hippo signaling pathway and JAK-STAT signaling pathway. The GO and KEGG results show that these up-DEGs were mainly enriched in viral gene expression, components of ribosomes, mineral absorption, Wntprotein binding, and TGF-β signaling pathway. Besides, a ceRNA network, including 15 lncRNAs (e.g., C1orf145, FGF14-IT1, and PRNT), 3 miRNAs (miR-10a-5p, miR-1297 and miR-507) and 11 mRNAs (NCOR2, CHAC1 and LIX1L, etc.) was constructed. Those 5 lncRNAs were up-regulated, 1 miRNA was down-regulated and 5 mRNAs were up-regulated in DR, while 10 lncRNAs were downregulated, 2 miRNAs were up-regulated and 6 mRNAs were down-regulated in DR., Conclusion: The novel ceRNA network that we constructed will provide new insights into the underlying molecular mechanisms of exosomes in DR., (Copyright© Bentham Science Publishers; For any queries, please email at epub@benthamscience.net.)

Owing to the complex anatomical structure and biomechanics, the current standard palliative treatments for cervical spinal metastases are associated with a high risk of recurrence and complications. Stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT) can provide radical dose to tumors while protecting normal organs to the maximum extent. However, the efficacy and safety of SBRT for cervical spinal metastases is not well characterized. Data from 71 patients with cervical spine metastases who were treated with SBRT using CyberKnife between 2006 and 2021 were obtained from our prospectively maintained database. Primary endpoint was pain response at 12 weeks following SBRT completion; secondary endpoints included local control (LC), overall survival (OS), and adverse events. Standard-risk patients were planned to receive 30 Gy (range 21-36) with median fractions of 3 (range 1-3) and high-risk patients 35 Gy (range 24-50) with median fractions of 5 (range 4-5) according to the spinal cord and esophagus dose constraints. The median follow-up time was 17.07 months (range 3.1-118.9). After 12 weeks of SBRT completion, 54 (98.2%) of 55 patients with baseline pain achieved pain response and 46 (83.6%) achieved complete pain response. LC rates were 93.1% and 90% at 1 year and 2 year, respectively. The 1-year and 2-year OS rates were 66.2% and 37.4%, respectively. Eight patients experienced grades 1-4 adverse events (six vertebral compression fracture [VCF], five of them had VCF before SBRT; and two hemiparesis). No grade 5 adverse events were observed. Therefore, risk-adapted SBRT for cervical spine metastases achieved high pain control and LC rates with acceptable adverse events., (© 2022 The Authors. Cancer Science published by John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd on behalf of Japanese Cancer Association.)

We evaluated the effects of ultrasound (US) and ultrasound combined with nisin (NUS) treatments on the properties of chestnut lily beverages (CLB) using conventional thermal pasteurisation (TP) as a control. After CLB samples were treated with US and NUS for 20, 40, or 60 min, the polyphenol oxidase activity (PPO), microbial inactivation effect, colour, pH value, total phenolic content, and antioxidant capacity of the CLB were observed. It was found that the inactivation rate of PPO in CLB after NUS treatment was higher than that in the US, indicating that NUS treatment aggravated PPO inactivation. Treatment time was important in the inactivation of microorganisms by US and NUS; NUS had a lethal synergistic lethal effect on microorganisms in CLB and when compared with US, NUS reduced changes in the CLB colour value. Notably, the total phenolic content and antioxidant capacity of the US- and NUS-treated CLB significantly increased relative to the TP group. These results that suggest NUS has a potential application value in the development of CLB because it reduces the risk of microorganism contamination and helps improve the quality of CLB. This study provides technical support and a theoretical basis for the improved production of CLB.

The processing parameters have a crucial influence on the stability and sensory quality of beverages. The focus of this study is to observe the rheological behavior, particle size distribution, stability, color change, and sensory evaluation of chestnut lily beverages (CLB) at different rotational speeds (0~20,000 rpm) using a high-shear homogeneous disperser. The CLB system exhibited non-Newtonian shear-thinning behavior. As the homogenization speed increased (0~12,000 rpm), the viscosity increased (0.002~0.059 Pa.s). However, when the rotational speed shear continued to increase (12,000~20,000 rpm), the viscosity decreased slightly (0.035~0.027 Pa.s). Under all homogeneous conditions, the turbidity and precipitation fractions were the lowest when the rotational speed was 12,000 rpm: the sedimentation index was lowest at this point (2.87%), and the relative turbidity value of CLB was largest at this point (80.29%). The average beverage particle diameter and ascorbic acid content showed a downward trend at the homogenization speed from 0 to 20,000 rpm, whereas the total soluble solids (TSS) content followed the opposite trend. The results show that these physical properties can be correlated with different rotational speeds of homogenization. This study explained the effect of homogenization speed on CLB properties, which needs to be considered in beverage processing, where high-speed shear homogenization can serve as a promising technique.

Berberine (BBR), a Chinese herbal medicine used in intestinal infection, has been applied as a botanical pesticide in the prevention of fungal disease in recent years. However, its degradation in the environment remains poorly understood. Here, we investigated BBR's degradation in soil water from different sources accompanied by its effect on bacterial diversity. Our results indicated that BBR was only degraded in soil water, while it was stable in tap water, river water and aquaculture water. Bacterial amplicon results of these samples suggested that the degradation of BBR was closely related to the enrichment of Methylotenera . To reveal this special relationship, we used bioinformatics tools to make alignments between the whole genome of Methylotenera and the pathway of BBR's degradation. An ortholog of Tetrahydroisoquinoline N-methyltransferase from plant was discovered only in Methylotenera that catalyzed a crucial step in BBR's degradation pathway. In summary, our work indicated that Methylotenera was an essential bacterial genus in the degradation of BBR in the environment because of its Tetrahydroisoquinoline N-methyltransferase. This study provided new insights into BBR's degradation in the environment, laying foundations for its application as a botanical pesticide.

Due to the emergence of multi-drug resistant microorganisms, the development and discovery of alternative eco-friendly antimicrobial agents have become a top priority. In this study, a simple, novel, and valid green method was developed to synthesize Litsea cubeba essential oil-silver nanoparticles (Lceo-AgNPs) using Lceo as a reducing and capping agent. The maximum UV absorbance of Lceo-AgNPs appeared at 423 nm and the size was 5-15 nm through transmission electron microscopy result. The results of Fourier transform infrared and DLS showed that Lceo provided sufficient chemical bonds for Lceo-AgNPs to reinforce its stability and dispersion. The in vitro antibacterial effects of Lceo-AgNPs against microbial susceptible multidrug-resistant Escherichia coli (E. coli) and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) were determined. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) of Lceo-AgNPs against E. coli were 25 and 50 μg/ml. The MIC and MBC of Lceo-AgNPs against MRSA were 50 and 100 μg/ml, respectively. The results of scanning electron microscopy showed that the amount of bacteria obviously decreased and the bacteria cells were destroyed by Lceo-AgNPs. In vivo research disclosed significant wound healing and re-epithelialization effects in the Lceo-AgNPs group compared with the self-healing group and the healing activity was better than in the sulfadiazine silver group. In this experiment, Lceo-AgNPs has been shown to have effects on killing multidrug-resistant bacteria and promoting wound healing. This study suggested Lceo-AgNPs as an excellent new-type drug for wound treatment infected with multidrug-resistant bacteria, and now expects to proceed with clinical research., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2022 Wang, Li, Peng, Li, Xiang, Chen, Hao, Wang, Nie, Cui, Lv, Wang, Wu, Guo and Si.)

In view of the traditional branch line end express delivery centralized mode cannot adapt to the growing demand of high-speed rail (HSR) express, resulting in poor connection between trunk and branch line, high cost and poor timeliness. In this paper, the problem of scheduling optimization of branch-line flexible distribution vehicles relying on intermodal transportation of trunk and branch lines is proposed. Considering the number of vehicles, vehicle capacity, customer service time window and other constraints, an integer linear programming mathematical model with the minimum total cost of vehicle transportation cost, usage cost and time window penalty cost as the optimization objective is established. A two-level nested heuristic algorithm with two-level coding structure is proposed to solve the problem. Finally, a simulation example is given to verify the effectiveness of the model and the algorithm. The results show that the vehicle scheduling optimization problem studied in this paper can effectively improve the timeliness and accuracy of HSR express delivery, and can significantly reduce the total vehicle delivery cost., (© 2022. The Author(s).)

The purpose of this experiment was to investigate the effects of different sources of calcium on immune performance, diarrhea rate, intestinal barrier, and post-intestinal flora structure and function in weaned piglets. A total of 1,000 weaned piglets were randomly assigned to five groups 10 replicate pens per treatment, 20 piglets per pen and fed calcium carbonate, calcium citrate, multiple calcium, and organic trace minerals of different concentrations of acidifier diets. The results of the study showed that the replacement of calcium carbonate with calcium citrate and multiple calcium had almost no significant effect on immune indexes (IL-1β, IL-6, IL-10, TNF-α) of piglets compared with the control group ( p > 0.05). The five groups did not show a change in the diarrhea rate and diarrhea index ( p > 0.05). The diet containing multiple calcium dramatically decreased the TP compared to the C and L diet ( p < 0.05). No significant difference in HDL was noted in the five groups ( p > 0.05). However, the concentration of LDL in blood in the multiple calcium group was significantly higher than that in groups L and D ( p < 0.05). Moreover, the concentration of Glu in blood in the multiple calcium group was significantly higher than that in group C ( p < 0.05). Compared with the control group, calcium citrate plus organic trace minerals diet markedly increased UCG-005 abundance in the colon ( p < 0.05). In addition, the relative abundance of Prevotellaceae&#95;NK3B31&#95;group had an upward trend in the colon of the M group compared to the D group ( p = 0.070). Meanwhile, calcium citrate plus organic trace minerals diet markedly increased Clostridium&#95;sensu&#95;stricto&#95;1 abundance in the colon ( p < 0.05). Metagenomic predictions by PICRUSt suggested that the colonic and fecal microbiota was mainly involved in carbohydrate metabolism, amino acid metabolism, energy metabolism, and metabolism of cofactors and vitamins., Competing Interests: JZ was employed by Nanning Zeweier Feed Co., Ltd. The remaining authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2022 Wang, Yang, Peng, Lv, Wang, Cui, Wang, Zhou and Si.)

Despite a well-documented effect of calcium on the piglet's intestinal microbiota composition, it is less known about changes in microbial function or the effect of different sources of calcium. The experiment was designed to study the effects of dietary calcium from different sources on production, immune indexes, antioxidant capacity, serum biochemical indexes, and intestinal microflora of weaning piglets. A total of 1,000 piglets were randomly assigned to five groups (10 replicate pens per treatment with 20 pigs per pen) and fed diets supplemented with calcium carbonate, calcium citrate, multiple calcium, organic trace minerals, and different concentrations of acidifier. The results showed that the replacement of calcium carbonate with calcium citrate and multiple calcium had almost no significant difference in the growth performance of pigs compared with the control group, and only the diet of multiple calcium dramatically decreased the average daily feed intake (ADFI) compared to the calcium citrate diet on days 15-28 ( p < 0.05). The five groups did not change the content of MDA, SOD, and GSH-Px ( p > 0.10). A similar situation occurs in the immune function of the blood. There was no significant effect in immune indexes (IgA, IgG, and IgM) among different treatments after weaning at 6 weeks for piglets ( p > 0.10). The 16S rRNA sequencing of ileal and cecal microbiota revealed that only the relative abundance of Actinobacteriota at the phyla level was significantly greater in the ileum of the A group compared to the other treatments ( p < 0.05). There was a clear effect on seven bacteria in the top 30 genera of ileum and cecum for five groups ( p < 0.05). The result of PICRUSt predicted that the intestinal microbe was mainly involved in carbohydrate and amino acid metabolism, membrane transport, and metabolism of cofactors and vitamins. Besides, adding calcium citrate to a weaned piglet diet is better than other choices from the third week to the fourth week. In conclusion, diets with different calcium sources changed ADFI and some intestinal microbial composition of weaned piglets but had little effect on intestinal microbial function., Competing Interests: JZ is employed by Nanning Zeweier Feed Co., Ltd. The remaining authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2022 Yang, Wang, Peng, Lv, Wang, Cui, Wang, Qu, Zhou and Si.)

Background: The effectiveness of regorafenib plus programmed cell death-1 (PD-1) inhibitor in treating microsatellite stable (MSS) metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC) remains controversial., Aim: To investigate the benefits of regorafenib combined with PD-1 inhibitor in treating MSS mCRC and explore indicators predicting response., Methods: This retrospective study included a total of 30 patients with microsatellite stable metastatic colorectal cancer treated with regorafenib combined with programmed cell death-1 inhibitor at Henan Provincial People's Hospital between December 2018 and December 2020. During a 4-wk treatment cycle, regorafenib was performed for 3 continuous weeks. PD-1 inhibitor was intravenously injected starting on the first day of the oral intake of regorafenib. We reviewed tumor response, progression-free survival (PFS), overall survival, and treatment-related adverse events (TRAEs) and evaluated association between platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR) and outcomes in this retrospective study., Results: Stable disease and progressive disease were found in 18 (60.0%) and 12 (40.0%) patients, respectively. The disease control rate was 60.0%. The median follow-up time was 12.0 mo, and median PFS was 3.4 mo [95% confidence interval (CI): 2.2-4.6 mo]. Of the 12 patients with progressive disease, 10 (83.3%) had liver metastasis before starting the combined treatment. Among the 18 patients with SD, 10 (55.6%) did not have liver metastases. One patient without liver metastases at baseline was found with a substantially prolonged PFS of 11.2 mo. The liver metastasis, the choice of programmed cell death-1 inhibitor other than nivolumab or pembrolizumab and previous exposure to regorafenib was't associated with treatment outcome. The median PFS in the low-PLR group was 4.2 mo (95%CI: 3.5-4.9 mo), compared with 2.8 mo (95%CI: 1.4-4.2 mo) in the high-PLR group ( P = 0.005). The major TRAEs included hand-foot syndrome (33.3%), hypertension (23.3%), malaise (20.0%), and gastrointestinal reaction (16.7%). The incidence of grade 3 TRAEs was 13.3% (4/30), which comprised abnormal capillary proliferation ( n = 1), transaminase elevation ( n = 1), and hand-foot syndrome ( n = 2). No grade 4 or higher toxicity was observed., Conclusion: Regorafenib combined with PD-1 inhibitor could lead to a longer PFS in some patients with MSS mCRC. The PLR might be a prediction of the patient response to this therapy., Competing Interests: Conflict-of-interest statement: The authors declare no conflict of interest., (©The Author(s) 2022. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.)

The protective effects of polysaccharides from Abrus cantoniensis Hance (ACP) on antioxidant capacity, immune function, the hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis balance, the intestinal mucosal barrier, and intestinal microflora in heat stress (HS)-induced heat-injured chickens are rarely reported. The purpose of this study was to investigate the protective effects of ACP on HS-injured chickens by enhancing antioxidant capacity and immune function, repairing the intestinal mucosal barrier, and regulating intestinal microflora. A total of 120 native roosters in Guangxi were randomly divided into 5 groups to evaluate the protective effect of ACP on chickens injured by HS (33 ± 2°C). The results showed that ACP increased the body weight and the immune organ index of heat-injured chickens, regulated the oxidative stress kinase secretion, and restored the antioxidant level of heat-injured birds. ACP significantly inhibited the secretion of corticotropin releasing hormone (CRH), adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH), and corticosterone (COR) and reversed the disorder of hormone levels caused by HS. ACP significantly regulated the secretion levels of immune cytokines and restored the immune function of the body. ACP significantly improved the intestinal morphology and increased the expression levels of tight junction proteins, which had a positive effect on protecting intestinal health. The results of high-throughput sequencing of the 16S rRNA gene showed that HS led to an increase in the abundance of harmful bacteria and an abnormal increase in the abundance of intestinal microflora and that ACP restored the HS-induced intestinal microflora imbalance. In conclusion, this study provides a scientific basis for ACP as an antioxidant activity enhancer to reduce liver injury, regulate intestinal microflora, and protect intestinal mucosal damage in chickens., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2022 Wang, Sun, Wu, Wang, Chen, Cui, Zhang, Lv, Wang, Peng and Si.)

The protective effects of Caulis Spatholobi polysaccharide (CSP) on immune function, intestinal mucosal barrier, and intestinal microflora in cyclophosphamide (CY)-induced immunosuppressed chickens have been rarely reported. This study was designed to investigate the cecal microbiota in chickens and to elucidate the immune mechanism involved in the CSP effect on CY induced-immunosuppressed chickens. A total of 288 cocks were equally divided into six groups and used to evaluate the immune effect of CSP. Results showed that the CSP increased the body weight and immune organ index of immunosuppressed chickens, significantly increased the secretion of cytokines (IL-4, IL-10) and immunoglobulins (IgG, IgM) in sera of chickens, and restored the body immune function. The CSP reduced intestinal injury of the jejunum and ileum, increased the ratio of the intestinal villus height to crypt depth (V/C), improved the expression of tight junction protein, and protected intestinal health. The CSP activated the toll-like receptor (TLR)/MyD88/NF-κB pathway and enhanced the expression of TLR4, MyD88, NF-κB, Claudin1, and Zo-1, protecting the intestinal tract. High-throughput sequencing of the 16S rRNA gene showed that CSP increased species richness, restored CY-induced intestinal microbiome imbalance, and enhanced the abundance of Lactobacillus in the intestinal tract. In conclusion, our study provided a scientific basis for CSP as an immune enhancer to regulate intestinal microflora and protect intestinal mucosal damage in chickens., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2022 Cui, Sun, Li, Wang, Wang, Lv, Chen, Peng, Wang, Li and Si.)

Gegen Qinlian Decoction is a long-established Chinese herbal compound for the treatment of diarrhea and dysentery, while Magnolia officinalis has been demonstrated to have some anthelmintic activity. The preliminary screening of this study showed that the addition of Modified Gegen Qinlian Decoction has some effective on the prevention and treatment of coccidiosis in chickens. However, the mechanism of its treatment of chicken coccidiosis is not clear. The network pharmacology study was based on the screening of chemical components and related targets from TCMSP and PharmMapper server databases. Genes related to chicken coccidiosis were obtained from the SRA database, and those genes that intersected with the target genes of Modified Gegen Qinlian Decoction were screened. By exploring the target interactions through the String system and enrichment analysis by the Metascape system, the mechanism of action of Modified Gegen Qinlian Decoction in chicken coccidiosis was identified. Using real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) to analyze the mRNA levels of the relevant factors in chicken coccidiosis, molecular docking was used to reveal the extent of binding of the key target genes predicted in the network pharmacology by the action of Modified Gegen Qinlian Decoction. Compound and target screening suggested that the 99 chemical targets of Modified Gegen Qinlian Decoction were involved in chicken coccidiosis, and the enrichment results of KEGG pathway suggested that Modified Gegen Qinlian Decoction was significantly associated with PI3K/AKT signaling pathway in chicken coccidiosis. The Hubba gene module in Cytoscape&#95;v3.7.1 software was used to analyze the network topology to obtain the Hubba gene SRC, STAT3, and PPARG, etc. The molecular docking results showed that SRC, STAT3, and PPARG were key targets in the treatment of coccidiosis in chickens by Modified Gegen Qinlian Decoction, which was in agreement with the RT-qPCR results. Through network pharmacology, molecular docking and in vitro experiments, it was confirmed that Modified Gegen Qinlian Decoction fights against chicken coccidiosis through key targets such as SRC, STAT3, and PPARG., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2022 Peng, Wang, Wang, Lu, Lv, Cui, Wang and Si.)

We investigated the effect of photoperiod on ileal morphology, barrier function, short-chain fatty acid (SCFA) contents, microbial flora, melatonin expression, and synthesis in laying ducks. After adaption, a total of 180 Jinding laying ducks (252 days old) were randomly divided into three treatments, receiving 12L (hours of light):12D (hours of darkness), 16L:8D, or 20L:4D. Each treatment had six replicates with 10 birds each. The formal experiment lasted 58 days. Compared with 12L:12D, the significantly higher values of villus height and goblet cell percentage (GCP) were observed in 16L:8D treatment, accompanied with the higher mRNA relative expression of zonula occludens-1, zonula occludens-2, zonula occludens-3, claudin-1, occludin, and mucin 2 ( P < 0.05). Besides, significantly higher values of acetate and propionate, butyrate and total SCFA concentrations were simultaneously observed in ileal chyme of 16L:8D treatment ( P < 0.05). For the ileal microbial community, the results of principal coordinate analysis (PCoA) visually presented that three photoperiod groups were mainly scattered into three clusters, indicating that the microbiota composition in different photoperiod treatments were quite dissimilar. Lower values of Shannon indicators were observed in the 20L:4D treatment ( P < 0.05), meaning that the microbiota α-diversity decreased in the 20-h photoperiod. The relative abundance of Actinobacteria, Fusobacteria, and Proteobacteria at phylum level and Fusobacterium , Clostridium&#95;sensu&#95;stricto&#95;1 , and Pectobacterium at genus level kept an appropriate balance in the 16L:8D photoperiod. Melatonin level in serum decreased with the increasing photoperiods at 6:00 and 12:00, which was consistent with melatonin receptor expressions in the hypothalamus and ileal tissue. Meanwhile, the adenosine 3',5'-cyclic phosphate (cAMP) contents were significantly downregulated in the pineal gland ( P < 0.05), in response to the increase in photoperiod. In conclusion, an appropriate photoperiod could improve ileal morphology, barrier function, SCFA profile, and microbial flora, which may be attributed to the appropriate regulation of the circadian rhythm through melatonin as well as its receptor expression, and 16 h could be an adequate photoperiod for laying ducks., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2022 Cui, Wang, Zhang, Qi, Qiao, Gan and Wu.)

Berberine (BBR) is a promising botanical pesticide that can reduce the enzyme activity of secreted cutinase from fungal pathogens. However, only less than 15% of total activity was prohibited. Herein we researched BBR's self-aggregation in water via molecular dynamics simulations, and further investigated the effect of dispersant on blocking the aggregation together with the impact on cutinase. Strong hydrophobic interactions were found between adjacent BBR molecules, and these molecules formed clustered conformations at different BBR concentrations. Interestingly, one of the tested dispersants, sodium stearate (ST), is able to insert into BBR clusters and form stable interaction until the end of simulation, resulting in decreased hydrophobic strength in the BBR-ST cluster. More importantly, supply of ST with BBR resulted in BBR's reinforced hydrophobic interactions between BBR and the catalytic center of cutinase, which led to the inactivated mode of cutinase. Finally, wet experiments demonstrated that combined application of BBR and ST indeed resulted in a synergy-like effect on reducing the activity of cutinase. Overall, our findings revealed the mechanism of the reinforced effect of BBR against cutinase when supplying ST as dispersant, suggesting an undiscovered role of ST in enhancing the efficiency of this botanical pesticide.

The value of Agarwood increases with time due to the gradual release of its major components, but the mechanism behind this remains unclear. Herein we reveal that the potential driving force of this process is the degradation of cellulose in Agarwood by its saprophytic Bacillus &nbsp; subtilis . We selected 10-year-old Agarwood from different places and then isolated the saprophytic bacteria. We confirmed these bacteria from different sources are all Bacillus and confirmed they can degrade cellulose, and the highest cellulase activity reached 0.22 U/mL. By co-cultivation of the bacterium and Agarwood powder, we found that three of the strains could release the effective components of Agarwood, while they had little effect in increasing the same components in living Aquilaria sinensis . Finally, we demonstrated that these saprophytic Bacillus &nbsp; subtilis have similar effects on Zanthoxylum bungeanum Maxim and Dalbergiaod orifera T. Chen, but not on Illicium verum Hook. f, Cinnamomum cassia Presl and Phellodendron chinense Schneid. In conclusion, our experiment revealed that the saprophytic Bacillus release the effective components of Agarwood by degrading cellulose, and we provide a promising way to accelerate this process by using this bacterial agent.

Purpose: The aim of this study was to explore the feasibility and clinical value of computed tomography (CT)-guided trans-sternal puncture to implant 125 I seeds to treat masses in the anterior or middle mediastinum., Material and Methods: From September 2017 to December 2019, twenty patients with masses in the anterior or middle mediastinum were enrolled and treated with CT-guided trans-sternal 125 I seeds implantation. Dosimetry parameters were compared between post-operative and pre-operative plans. Satisfaction rate of 125 I seed distribution, complications, and local efficacy were evaluated., Results: A total of 22 lesions were treated with 125 I implantation in twenty patients, all procedures being successfully completed. The dosimetry parameters of the 20 patients immediately after surgery were as follows: mean D 90 = 134.30 ±14.53 Gy; mean V 90 , V 100 , V 150 , and V 200 were 96.10 ±1.55%, 92.69 ±1.93%, 66.86 ±7.53%, and 42.95 ±9.11%, respectively; mean conformity index (CI), external index (EI), and homogeneity index (HI) were 0.65 ±0.06, 40.79 ±13.72%, and 27.90 ±7.53%, respectively. The satisfaction rate of 125 I seed distribution was 90%. The mean follow-up duration was 12 ±4.75 months (range, 4-24 months). The local control rates of 2 months, 6 months, and 1 year after surgery were 65.0%, 64.7%, and 53.8%, respectively. One patient had a small degree of pneumothorax, and one had hemoptysis after surgery., Conclusions: CT-guided trans-sternal puncture plant 125 I seeds for the treatment of masses in the anterior or middle mediastinum might serve as an alternative approach for treating specific mediastinal metastatic tumors., Competing Interests: The authors report no conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2022 Termedia.)

Solid supports functionalized with molecular metal catalysts combine many of the advantages of heterogeneous and homogeneous catalysis. A (NNN)Ru-incorporated porous organic polymer (POP-bp/bbpRuCl 3 ) exhibited high catalytic efficiency and broad functional group tolerance in the C-C cross-coupling of secondary and primary alcohols to give β-alkylated secondary alcohols. This catalyst demonstrated excellent durability during successive recycling without leaching of Ru which is ascribed to the strong binding of the pincer ligands to the metal ions.

Background and Objectives: NutritionDay is a yearly global point-prevalence study of malnutrition or nutritional risk in hospitals. We aimed to provide a comprehensive nutritional survey of hospitalized patients and analyze the risk factors of malnutrition and prolonged hospitalization in Chinese inpatients., Methods and Study Design: The international daylong cross-sectional survey was performed on November 07th, 2019. Ten hospitals were invited to participate in this NutritionDay survey. Nutritional risk was identified by nutritional risk screening 2002, and malnutrition was identified by the ESPEN criteria. We measured the incidence of malnutrition and nutritional risk. And we analysed risk factors for malnutrition and length of stay in Chinese hospitalized patients., Results: 875 hospitalized patients from 6 departments were included in the analysis. The malnutrition rate was 11.6% and the incidence of nutritional risk was 17.8%. It was analyzed that tumor load, end-stage disease, motility, self-rated health, types of oral medicine, and food intake during the past week were independent risk factors for malnutrition or nutritional risk. 56.2% (118/210) of patients at nutritional risk or malnutrition received extra nutritional support, whereas 22.5% (88/391) well-nourished patients did. Moreover, nutrition status, ever stayed in ICU and self-rated health were associated with prolonged length of stay., Conclusions: In a word, the prevalence of malnutrition or nutritional risk was about 29.4%. Patients with malnutrition or nutritional risk had a higher transfer rate, lower rehabilitation rate and longer hospital stays. The attention to malnutrition patients needs to be further strengthened.

Cyclophosphamide (CTX), a common anticancer drug, can cause a variety of side effects such as immunosuppression and intestinal mucosal injury. Polysaccharides are the major bioactive components of the roots of Millettia Speciosa Champ and have gained attention for their immunomodulatory activity. This study was designed to evaluate the immunomodulatory effect of Millettia Speciosa Champ polysaccharide (MSCP) on CTX-induced mice and the possible mechanism. The results showed that MSCP attenuated the CTX-induced decrease in body weight and immune organ indices in mice and promoted the secretion of immune-related cytokines (IL-2, IL-4, IL-10, TNF-α, and IgG). Meanwhile, MSCP restored intestinal morphology, increased the ratio of villus height/crypt depth (V/C), and improved the number of goblet cells and mucins expression. At the mRNA level, MSCP activated the TLRs/MyD88/NF-κB p65 pathway and enhanced the expression of genes related to intestinal mucosal integrity (Occludin1, Claudin1, and MUC-2). In addition, MSCP as a prebiotic improved microbial community diversity, regulated the relative abundance of dominant microbiota from the phylum level to the genus level, restored CTX-induced gut microbial dysbiosis, and promoted short-chain fatty acid production in mice. Based on the present findings, MSCP may modulate the immune response depending on enhancing intestinal health, suggesting that MSCP holds promise as a promising immunostimulant in functional foods and drugs., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2021 Chen, Sun, Xu, Wu, Cui, Hao, Zhang, Zhou, Xu, Li and Si.)

We investigated the effect of photoperiod on eggshell quality, bone quality characteristics and bone metabolism related enzymes and factors in laying ducks. After adaption, 300 Jinding laying ducks (252-day-old) were randomly divided into 5 treatments, receiving 12L (hours of light):12D (hours of darkness), 14L:10D, 16L:8D, 18L:6D or 20L:4D, respectively. Each group had 6 replicates of 10 birds each. The feeding experiment lasted 8 wk. Compared with 12L:12D, the higher values of eggshell breaking strength occurred in ≥18 h photoperiods at the end of 6 wk, and in ≥16 h photoperiods at the end of 4 wk, with the common highest values in 18 h photoperiod (P ˂ 0.05). Besides, 18L:6D had higher values of ultimate load Fu and cortical cross-sectional area A in tibia, femur, and ulna (P ˂ 0.05), compared with 12L:12D. The higher values of proximal bone mineral content (BMC; tibia), distal BMC (ulna), total Ca (tibia), and cortical volumetric bone mineral density (vBMC; tibia and ulna) were observed in 16L:8D and 18L:6D treatments (P ˂ 0.05). Meanwhile, 18 h photoperiod group had the higher proximal BMC (femur) and total Ca in ulna (P ˂ 0.05). In serum, compared with 12L:12D group, the higher ALP activity occurred in ≥16 h photoperiods (0:00 and 18:00), with the highest values in 18L:6D treatment (P ˂ 0.05); the higher values of TGF-β (6:00) and OC (6:00 and 18:00) were simultaneously observed in 18 h photoperiod (P ˂ 0.05). Moreover, values of trACP activity, TNF-α and IL-6 contents decreased in ≥18 h photoperiods at 0:00 (P ˂ 0.05), compared with 12L:12D group. To sum up, an appropriate photoperiod could improve eggshell quality, bone strength and mineral content through increasing osteogenesis during the light time and decreasing resorption activity during the dark, and 18 h is an adequate photoperiod for the eggshell and bone quality of laying ducks., (Copyright © 2021 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Augmented renal clearance (ARC) can cause underexposure to vancomycin, thereby increasing the risk of treatment failure. Our objective was to evaluate population pharmacokinetics and optimize the dosing regimen of vancomycin in a pediatric population with ARC. Sparse pharmacokinetic sampling and therapeutic drug monitoring (TDM) data were collected from pediatric patients with ARC treated with vancomycin. A pharmacokinetic model was developed using NONMEM 7.2. The dosing regimen was optimized using Monte Carlo dose simulations. A total of 242 vancomycin serum concentrations from 113 patients (age range, 0.4 to 14.9 years; 49 females and 64 males) were available. The mean vancomycin dose was 58.8 mg/kg body weight/day (13.6 mg/kg/dose), and the mean vancomycin serum trough concentration was 6.5 mg/liter. A one-compartment pharmacokinetic model with first-order elimination was developed. Body weight and age were the most significant and positive covariates for clearance and volume of distribution. For the pediatric population with ARC, the current recommended vancomycin dose of 60 mg/kg/day was associated with a high risk of underdosing. To reach the target area under the concentration-time curve over 24 h in the steady state divided by the MIC (AUC/MIC) ratio of 400 to 700 in these pediatric patients, the vancomycin dose should be increased to 75 mg/kg/day for infants and children between 1 month and 12 years of age and 70 mg/kg/day for adolescents between 12 and 18 years of age. In conclusion, a one-compartment pharmacokinetic model with first-order elimination was established with body weight and age as significant covariates. An optimal dosing regimen was developed in pediatric patients with ARC aged 1 month to 18 years.

As an effective drug against acute enteritis diarrhea, Gegen Qinlian decoction (GQD) has a history of 2000 years. However, the potential molecular mechanism through which GQD could protect intestinal barrier from ulcerative colitis (UC) still remains undefined. As an important part of the homeostasis of the colon, gut microbiota is closely related to the dynamic evolution of the surrounding environment and the adjustment of dietary structure. At present, the effectiveness and mechanism of Jiawei Gegen Qinlian decoction against UC in different dietary environments are not clear. Here, the main active components of Jiawei Gegen Qinlian Decoction (PBM), were selected to construct a reasonable and effective compound scheme. We adopted "5% dextran sulfate sodium (DSS)" and "high temperature and humidity + high sugar and high fat + alcohol + 5%DSS" to induce UC rat models in general environment and UC rat models in Lingnan area, respectively. Then, we examined the therapeutic effects of PBM (89.96 mg/kg and 179.92 mg/kg) on two kinds of UC rats. The role of gut microbiota in the anti-UC effect of PBM was identified by intestinal flora consumption and fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) experiments. Subsequently, we monitored the alterations of gut microbiota and fecal metabolism in the rat colon by 16Sr DNA technique and targeted metabonomics, respectively. The colon inflammation of the PBM-treated and the FMT-treated rats both showed significant relief, as evidenced by a reduction in body weight loss, bloody stool, diarrhea, disease activity index (DAI) score, shortening of colon length as well as decreased colon histology damage. Interestingly enough, the depletion of intestinal flora took away the protective effect of PBM, confirming the importance of intestinal flora in the anti-UC effect of PBM. Then our findings suggested that PBM could not only regulate the gut microbiota by increasing Akkermansia and Romboutsia but also decrease Escherichia-Shigella. More importantly, PBM could increase the production of propionate and total short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) in colitis rats, regulate medium and long chain fatty acids (M-LCFAs), maintain bile acids (BAs) homeostasis, and regulate amino acids (AAs) metabolism. The transformation of intestinal environment might be related to the upregulation of anti-inflammation, anti-oxidation and tight junction protein expression in colonic mucosa. In summary, PBM showed potential for anti-UC activity through gut microbiota dependence and was expected to be a complementary and alternative medicine herb therapy., (Copyright © 2021 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Aluminum (Al) toxicity severely decreases plant growth and productivity in acidic soil globally. Ectomycorrhizal (ECM) fungi can promote host plant's Al-tolerance by acting as a physical barrier or bio-filter. However, little information is available on the role of ECM fungus on Al immobilization with respect to Al-tolerance. This present study aimed to screen a promising indigenous ECM fungus with high Al-tolerance and to understand its role in Al immobilization related to Al-tolerance. Two ECM fungal strains (Lactarius deliciosus 2 and Pisolithus tinctorius 715) isolated from forest stands in Southwest China were cultured in vitro with 0.0, 1.0 or 2.0 mM Al addition for 21 days to compare their Al accumulation and Al-tolerance. Meanwhile, fungal mycelia were incubated in 0.037 mM Al 3+ solutions, and then Al 3+ concentrations in the solution were determined at time 2, 5, 10, 20, 40, 60, 120, 180, and 240 min, and the Al 3+ immobilization characteristics were evaluated using the pseudo-first order, pseudo-second order and intraparticle diffusion models. Results showed that 1.0 or 2.0 mM Al 3+ addition significantly increased fungal biomass production by 23% or 41% in L. deliciosus 2, not in P. tinctorius 715. Fungal Al 3+ concentrations in L. deliciosus 2 and P. tinctorius 715 were significantly increased by 293% and 103% under 2.0 mM than under 1.0 mM Al 3+ addition. The pH values in the culture solution were significantly decreased by 0.43 after 21 d fungus growth but no changes between these two fungi under the same Al 3+ addition. Fungal Al 3+ immobilization showed a three-stage trend with initially a rapid rate followed a relatively slower rate until reaching equilibrium. The pseudo-second order model was the best (R 2 = 0.98 and 0.99 for L. deliciosus 2 and P. tinctorius 715) to fit the experimentally observed data among the three models. Compared to P. tinctorius 715, L. deliciosus 2 also had greater intercept value, cation exchange capacity (CEC), and extracellular Al 3+ proportion in fungal mycelia. Additionally, bio-concentration on Al 3+ , active site numbers for Al 3+ , boundary layer thickness, CEC, and immobilization on the cell wall in fungal mycelia were involved in ECM fungal Al-tolerance. These results show that both ECM fungi are Al-tolerant while L. deliciosus 2 is a promising indigenous ECM isolate with higher Al-tolerance in Southwest China, and they can be hence applied to the afforestation and ecological restoration in acidic soil., (Copyright © 2021 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

We investigated the effect of photoperiod on performance, ovarian morphology, reproductive hormones levels, and their receptors mRNA expressions in laying ducks. After adaption, 300 252-day-old Jinding laying ducks were randomly allocated to 5 groups, receiving 12L:12D, 14L:10D, 16L:8D, 18L:6D, or 20L:4D, respectively. Each treatment had 6 replicates of 10 birds each. The feeding trial lasted 8 wk. Egg production, egg mass, and ADFI increased linearly and quadratically with increasing photoperiods (P < 0.05), and the higher values of them occurred in photoperiods ≥ 16 h, compared with 12L:12D (P > 0.05). Initial and bare stroma weight increased quadratically, while total large white follicle (LWF) number and weight increased linearly and quadratically, with increasing photoperiods (P < 0.05). The higher values of them occurred in 16L:8D and 18L:6D treatments as well as the higher total LWF weight also occurred in 20L:4D, compared with 12L:12D (P > 0.05). Besides, 16.93 and 16.93 h were the optimal photoperiods for bare stroma (follicles ≥ 2 mm in diameter removed) weight and total LWF weight, respectively, calculated from reliable regression equations (R 2  ≥ 0.5071). Compared with 12L:12D, the higher levels of estradiol, progesterone, follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) as well as the higher expressions of estrogen, luteinizing hormone (LH) and progesterone receptors were observed in ≥16 h photoperiods (P < 0.05), while the higher LH level and FSH receptor expression only occurred in 16L:8D and 18L:6D (P < 0.05). In the hypothalamus, higher mRNA expression of gonadotropin-releasing hormone occurred in 16L:8D and 18L:6D groups (P < 0.05). Meanwhile, gonadotropin-inhibitory hormone and prolactin increased in 20-hour photoperiod (P < 0.05), and the latter may be due to theup-regulation of vasoactive intestinal peptide expression (P < 0.05). To sum up, an appropriate photoperiod could improve the performance and reproductive organ and ovarian follicles development through reproductive hormones and their receptors, and 16.56 to 10.93 h is an adequate photoperiod for laying ducks., (Copyright © 2021 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Adulterated sesame oil seriously damages the interests of consumers and the health of market. In this paper, a simple, fast and real-time model for identifying adulterated sesame oil (ASO) was proposed by combining 3D fluorescence spectra with wavelet moments (WMs). First, noise and data volume of the experimental data were reduced by wavelet multiresolution decomposition (WMRSD), which improved the stability and real-time of the model. Next, WMs were used to extract the features of the 3D fluorescence spectra and proved to be effective by hierarchical clustering results. Then, the qualitative quality of WMs of the same orders, different orders and the combinations were evaluated by Dunn's validity index (DVI), and the rules were given, respectively. Finally, the target WMs for identifying ASO were determined. This model is simple and fast, and expandable to online measurement, providing a reference for identification and adulteration of vegetable oils., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2020 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Background: Wound infections can lead to high risks of postoperative septic complications. To date, the efficacy of a closed suction irrigation method of wound closure on the rate of postoperative wound infection in patients is poorly understood. Therefore, comparing this new strategy with conventional primary wound closure on the incidence of postoperative wound infection can provide value for clinical treatment., Methods: Our study focused on retrospective research for patients with open abdominal wounds. All patients were referred by tertiary hospitals and registered in our hospital from January 2009 to July 2019. According to wound types, patients were divided into two groups, namely patients with wounds primarily closed as the control group and patients with wounds sutured by closed suction irrigation after primary closure as the study group., Results: A total of 159 patients were collected in our present research, with 86 as study subjects and 73 as control subjects. The wound infection rate was significantly lower in the study group than the control group (P=0.017). The time interval for diagnosing wound infection from the primary operation was 4.895±0.875 days for the study group and 4.509±0.697 days for the control group. The length of hospital stay and the time taken for the wound to heal completely was shorter in patients in the study group compared to patients in the control group (8.046±2.110 vs. 8.983±2.887 days and 8.092±3.258 vs. 10.328±6.074 days, respectively)., Conclusions: The closed suction irrigation method significantly reduced postoperative wound infection rates in patients with a high risk of postoperative septic complications. The discoveries of our investigation should be further validated in large scope randomized controlled trials.

Monomer diffusion models are important in describing the formation mechanism of the volume holographic grating in photopolymers. The most representative of these models is the first-order diffusion model, which neglects the influence of the exposure intensity threshold and dissolved oxygen in a polymer. This model causes a significant deviation between the theoretical simulation and the experimental results. Therefore, we propose a modified monomer diffusion model, which is more consistent with experimental results on refractive index modulation than other models.