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BackgroundKnown for its strong diuretic properties, the perennial herbaceous plant Orthosiphon stamineus Benth. is believed to preserve the kidney disease. This study compared the boiling water extract with powdered Orthosiphon stamineus Benth. and used a highly sensitive and high resolution UHPLC-Q-Exactive-Orbitrap-HRMS technology to evaluate its chemical composition.ResultsFurthermore, by monitoring the absorption of prototype components in rat plasma following oral treatment, the beneficial ingredients of the Orthosiphon stamineus Benth. decoction was discovered. Approximately 92 substances underwent a preliminary identification utilizing relevant databases, relevant literature, and reference standards. As the compound differences between the powdered Orthosiphon stamineus Benth. and its water decoction were analyzed, it was found that boiling produced additional compounds, 48 of which were new. 45 blood absorption prototype components and 49 OS metabolites were discovered from rat serum, and a kidney tissue homogenate revealed an additional 28 prototype components. Early differences in the distribution of ferulic acid, cis 4 coumaric acid, and rosmarinic acid were shown using spatial metabolomics. It was elucidated that the renal cortex region is where rosmarinic acid largely acts, offering a theoretical foundation for further studies on the application of OS in the prevention and treatment of illness as well as the preservation of kidney function.SignificanceIn this study, UHPLC-Q Exactive Orbitrap-HRMS was employed to discern OS's chemical composition, and a rapid, sensitive, and broad-coverage AFADESI-MSI method was developed to visualize the spatial distribution of compounds in tissues.

The effects of mother-infant separation (i.e., weaning) on the physiology, psychology and nutrition of mammalian infants have attracted much attention. Forest musk deer (FMD) is a first-class protected species in China and listed endangered in the IUCN Red List. The captive breeding population is not only an important source for restocking of wild resources, but also a necessary way to supply the market with legal musk. So far, there is no scientific basis for the appropriate separation time of FMD females and their infants. Therefore, we used metagenome sequencing and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays to study changes in the fecal cortisol concentration, as well as the intestinal microbiome composition and function of females and fawns at three different separation times, i.e., after 80 days, 90 days and 100 days. The results showed that the increment of the cortisol concentration in female FMD increased with increasing lactation time. The increment of cortisol concentration in infant FMD was highest in the 80 days weaning group, but there was no significant difference between the 90 days and the 100 days separation time. Based on the annotation results of COG, KEGG and CAZy databases, the abundance of different functions annotated by the intestinal microbiome of mothers and fawns of the 90 days weaning group changed slightly after separation. Based on the above results, the separation of mother and infant FMD is recommended after 90 days, i.e., the separation time that triggered the lowest rate of weaning stress and that supported a relatively stable gastro-intestinal physiology.

Musk is a secretion of the forest musk deer (Moschus berezovskii). Normal musk is a brown solid secretion with a light fragrance. In this study, abnormal types of musk, namely, white and black musks, were discovered during the musk collection process. Researchers have long been concerned with the components of musk. Herein, GC-MS, headspace solid-phase microextraction (HS-SPME), and nonmetric multidimensional scaling (NMDS) were used to analyze the nonpolar organic components, volatile organic components, and sample similarities among different musks, respectively. Abundant steroid hormones and proteins were also found in the musk. The steroid hormone concentrations were detected using a radioimmunoassay (RIA). Proteins in the samples were hydrolyzed and the amino acids concentrations were detected. The steroid hormone and amino acid concentrations in white musk were significantly lower than in normal and black musks (p

The scented gland, a musk-secreting organ of male muskrats, shows clear seasonal changes. When entering the secreting season in March, scented glands gradually increase in size and active secretion starts. In September, scented glands become gradually smaller and secretion decreases. By November, scented glands are gradually replaced by adipose tissue. In this study, six healthy adult male muskrats were analysed: three from the secreting season (March) and three from the non-secreting season (November). Using RNA-Seq analysis, gene expression profiles of scented glands from both seasons were determined. Using the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) database, we found that genes involved in calcium and TGF-beta signalling pathways were significantly more expressed in the non-secreting than in the secreting season. These changes in gene expression correlated with alterations in scented gland size. Both calcium and TGF-beta signalling pathways are important regulators of cell apoptosis, which may thus be involved in muskrat scented gland degeneration.

The continued spread of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) viruses of H5 and H7 subtypes and low pathogenic avian influenza (LPAI) viruses of H5, H7 and H9 subtypes in birds and the subsequent infections in humans pose an ongoing pandemic threat. It has been proposed that poultry workers are at higher risk of exposure to HPAI or LPAI viruses and subsequently infection due to their repeated exposure to chickens or domestic waterfowl. The aim of this study was to examine the seroprevalence of antibodies against H5, H7 and H9 viruses amongst duck-related workers in Beijing, China and the risk factors associated with seropositivity. In March, 2011, 1741 participants were recruited from (1) commercial duck-breeding farms; (2) private duck-breeding farms; and (3) duck-slaughtering farms. Local villagers who bred ducks in their backyards were also recruited. A survey was administered by face-to-face interview, and blood samples were collected from subjects for antibody testing against H5, H7 and H9 viruses. We found that none of the subjects were seropositive for either H5 or H7 viruses, and only 0.7% (12/1741) had antibody against H9. A statistically significant difference in H9 antibody seroprevalence existed between the various categories of workers (P = 0.005), with the highest figures recorded amongst the villagers (1.7%). Independent risk factors associated with seropositivity toinfection with H9 virus included less frequent disinfection of worksite (OR, 5.13 [95% CI, 1.07-24.58]; P = 0.041; ≤ twice monthly versus>twice monthly) and handling ducks with wounds on hands (OR, 4.13 [95% CI, 1.26-13.57]; P = 0.019). Whilst the risk of infection with H5, H7 and H9 viruses appears to be low among duck-related workers in Beijing, China, ongoing monitoring of infection with the H9 virus is still warranted, especially amongst villagers who breed backyard ducks to monitor for any changes.