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To some extent, stock prices can reflect national economic development and residents’ living standards. However, current stock forecasts are mainly analyzed using the stock’s own price. It is found that the exchange rate and technical indicators are closely related to the fluctuations of stocks and stock indexes. In this study, a generative adversarial network (GAN) financial forecasting method based on multi-model fusion is proposed, which introduces the exchange rate and technical indexes of stock and stock index into the input data, and combines the characteristics of its own highest and lowest price, the closing price of stock or stock index is predicted by using the generated antagonistic network. The methods are as follows: firstly, the exchange rate features are de-noised by wavelet transform technology, the overall trend of exchange rate features is extracted, and the dimensionality of technical indicators is reduced by Principal Component Analysis (PCA). Then, a convolutional neural network (CNN) is used in the generator to extract the local features of the input data, and the attention mechanism is used to improve the prediction effect of the model. Finally, the prediction was made by long short-term memory network (LSTM). Convolutional neural network and multilayer fully connected neural network are used in the discriminant, and gelu is used as activation function in the hidden layer. This study selects the data of Zhuhai Port (000507.SZ), Xiamen International Trade (600755.SH), Orient Venture (600278.SH) and Shanghai Stock Exchange Index (SSE, 000001.SH) in the export industry from January 1, 2013 to December 31, 2019 as the experimental data set. The exchange rate price between RMB and US dollar at the corresponding time is selected as the exchange rate feature. Compared with the best in-depth learning financial prediction comparison model, the results show that the generation confrontation network proposed in this paper has improved by 3% to 15% in each experimental data set. &nbsp

Two functionalized metal–organic frameworks based on azobenzene and azine groups were synthesized and characterized. The ability of these materials as luminescent probes towards quinones was investigated and compared.

Herein, we report the rapid fabrication of Ti3C2Tx LC media in multiple co-solvents including DMSO-H2O, CH3OH-H2O, DMF-H2O, and acetone-H2O, facilitating the accurate RDC measurement of organic molecules with different solubilities.

Background: Genotoxic impurities (GTIs) are produced during the synthesis of active pharmaceutical ingredients and pharmaceutical excipients. L-malic acid, an important active pharmaceutical ingredient and excipient, is widely used in the pharmaceutical industry. However, the detection of potential GTIs in L-malic acid has not been reported. Objective: This study aims to establish a rapid and sensitive liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) method to determine the concentration of potential GTIs in L-malic acid, including N-nitroso-aspartic (NASP) and 2-chlorosuccinic acid (CSA). Methods: In this work, GTIs were separated by a reverse-phase Accucore C18 column (100 mm × 2.1 mm, 2.6 μm), with gradient elution using methanol and 0.05% ammonia. The multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) negative mode was used to detect GTIs, with transitional ion pairs of m/z from 131.6 to 88.0 for NASP, and from 150.9 to 70.9 for CSA. Results: The limit of detections (LODs) of NASP and CSA were 2 ng/mL (0.02 ppm) and 5 ng/mL (0.05 ppm), respectively. Both the limit of quantifications (LOQs) of NASP and CSA were 20 ng /mL (0.2 ppm). Good linearity of calibration curves in the concentration ranging from 10 to 500 ng/mL was obtained. The precision was less than 5%, and the intermediate precision was less than 10%. The accuracy ranged from 95.4% to 102.4%, with a relative standard deviation (RSD) of less than 5%. Also, the solution's stability and robustness were acceptable. Conclusion: Compliant with requirements from (International Council for Harmonization) ICH guidelines, this method can be used for routine analysis and stability studies for GTIs’ levels in pharmaceutical quality control.

Aim: Study the influence of calcineurin inhibitors (CNI) and genetic polymorphisms of transporters on enterohepatic circulation (EHC) of mycophenolic acid (MPA) in Chinese adult renal allograft recipients and estimate the effect of various covariates on prediction performance of MPA AUC0-12h. Method: MPA concentrations of 125 Chinese patients were collected 0-12 hours after administration. Genotypes of transporters were determined in 64 patients. The influence of type of CNI and genetic polymorphisms on MPA exposure was studied. Shapley additive explanations method was used to study the impact of sampling times and covariates related to EHC on AUC0-12h. Extreme gradient boosting (XGboost) machine learning-based model was established to predict AUC0-12h. Results: Dn-AUC6-12h was significantly lower in patients co-administered with CsA (P

Lymph node metastasis can independently predict oral squamous cell carcinoma patients' survival. This study would investigate the genetic and cellular differences between oral squamous cell carcinoma with positive and negative lymph node metastases.We gathered single-cell RNA sequencing and bulk gene expression data from the Cancer Genome Atlas and Gene Expression Omnibus databases. Sixty lymph node-metastasis-related genes were discovered with refined single-cell RNA sequencing data analysis, and consensus clustering provided three molecular subtypes of oral squamous cell carcinoma. Least absolute shrinkage and selection operator analyses were then utilized to establish a five-gene risk model. CIBERSORT analysis revealed the immune infiltration profile of different risk subgroups.Oral squamous cell carcinoma patients were classified into three subtypes based on the 60 lymph node-metastasis-related key genes identified by single-cell RNA sequencing data. Patients in Subtype 3 showed a tendency for lymph node metastasis and poorer prognosis. Moreover, five biomarkers were selected from the 60 genes to construct a five-gene risk model evaluating the risk of lymph node metastasis. A lower probability of lymph node metastasis and a better prognosis was observed in the low-risk group. The immune infiltration of three different risk groups was explored with CIBERSORT. Besides, further analysis implied different sensitivities of anticancer drugs, including immunotherapy drugs and targeted compounds, in the three risk groups.In view of intratumoral heterogeneity, we found 60 genes associated with lymph node metastasis of oral squamous cell carcinoma. Subsequently, we constructed a five-gene signature that could improve the prediction of lymph node metastasis, clinical outcome, and promote individualized treatment strategies for oral squamous cell carcinoma.

More accurate source analysis of potentially toxic elements (PTEs) in atmospheric fallout that endanger biodiversity and human health remains needed. This study determined the concentrations of seven PTEs, including Pb, Cd, As, Cu, Zn, Ni, and Cr, by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS), and the sources of PTE pollution were quantified using multivariate statistical analysis, including principal component analysis (PCA), cluster analysis (CA), and Pearson correlation analysis, and Moran index was applied for mutual verification and supplementation. PCA and CA revealed that the same mixed sources of Pb, Cd, As, Cu, and Zn were found in the atmospheric dust fall in the study area, while Ni and Cr had the same source of pollution. Pearson correlation analysis provided that there were strong correlations between Pb-Cd, Pb-As, Pb-Cu, Cd-As, Cd-Cu, As-Cu, and Ni-Cr, indicating commonality between the two sources of heavy metal pollution. Additionally, the Moran index showed that strong spatial correlations were observed between Pb, Cd, As, Cu, and Zn, whose sources were mainly related to non-ferrous metal processing smelter smelting slag sites and an environmental company in the study area. However, no spatial correlation was found between Ni and Cr, which mainly originated from the local geological background.

Doxorubicin is a type of effective antitumor drug but can contribute to cardiomyocyte injuries. We aimed to dissect the mechanism of the HMOX1/CTGF axis in DOX-induced cardiomyocyte injury, mitochondrial dysfunction, and ferroptosis.Bioinformatics analysis was conducted to retrieve differentially expressed genes in a DOX-induced mouse model. Mouse cardiomyocytes, HL-1 cells, were induced with l µM DOX, after which gain- or loss-of-function assays were applied. CCK-8, fluorescent probe assay, flow cytometry, and corresponding kits were employed to detect cell viability, ROS levels, mitochondrial membrane potential and cell apoptosis, and GSH and FeBioinformatics analysis showed that HMOX1 and CTGF were highly expressed in DOX-induced mice and correlated with each other. Also, HMOX1 and CTGF expression was high in HL-1 cells after DOX treatment, along with an obvious decrease in cell viability and GSH and GPX4 expression, an increase in ROS levels, apoptosis, and FeIn conclusion, HMOX1 silencing decreased CTGF expression to alleviate DOX-induced injury, mitochondrial dysfunction, and ferroptosis of mouse cardiomyocytes.

Objective The most used drug for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) remains methotrexate (MTX). Unfortunately, up to 50% of patients do not achieve a clinically adequate outcome. Here we study whether the gut microbiota patterns can aid in the prediction of MTX efficacy for RA. Method To dissect gut microbiome profiles of RA patients (n = 145), 16S rRNA gene sequencing was performed. Dirichlet multinomial mixture (DMM) clustering was used to identify enterotypes at genus level. The relationships between enterotypes and clinical measures (such as lymphocyte subsets and cytokines detected by flow cytometry) were explored. Then, enterotype stability was evaluated by the stratification of the RA patient cohort (n = 66) in Shanghai, China, using the same method. Finally, the enterotype-based gut microbial human index classifier was applied to another independent RA patient cohort (n = 27) to identify the factors associated with MTX clinical response. Results Our analysis revealed that the RA patients always displayed two different dysbiotic microbiota patterns: RA E1 comprised predominantly Prevotella and RA E2 comprised predominantly Bacteroides. Among all of the lymphocyte subsets and cytokines, only the number of CD8+ T cells showed a significant difference between RA E1 and RA E2. These results were validated in the RA patient cohort in Shanghai, China. Significant associations of RA E1 with clinical response to subsequent MTX treatment were confirmed by another independent RA patient cohort. Conclusion Together, the enterotype-based gut microbial human index (EGMI) classifier was useful to precisely and effectively identify enterotypes of individual RA patients, which could effectively evaluate MTX clinical responses.

In response to the demand for short-range detection of anti-smoke environment interference by laser fuzes, this study proposes a smoke environment simulation of non-uniform continuous point source diffusion and investigates an experimental laboratory smoke environment using an ammonium chloride smoke agent. The particle size distribution, composition, and mass flow distribution of the smoke were studied. Based on a discrete phase model and a k - e turbulence model, a numerical simulation was developed to model the smoke generation and diffusion processes of the smoke agent in a confined space. The temporal and spatial distribution characteristics of the smoke mass concentration, velocity, and temperature in the space after smoke generation were analyzed, and the motion law governing the smoke diffusion throughout the entire space was summarized. Combined with the experimental verification of the smoke environment laboratory, the results showed that the smoke plume changed from fan-shaped to umbrella-shaped during smoke generation, and then continued to spread around. Meanwhile, the mass concentration of smoke in the space decreased from the middle outward; the changes in temperature and velocity were small and stable. In the diffusion stage (after 900 s), the mass concentration of smoke above 0.8 m was relatively uniform across an area of smoke that was 12 m thick. The concentration decreased over time, following a consistent decreasing trend, and the attenuation was negligible in a very short time. Therefore, this system was suitable for conducting experimental research on laser fuzes in a smoke environment. Owing to the stability of the equipment and facilities, the setup could reproduce the same experimental smoke environment by artificially controlling the smoke emission of the smoke agent. Overall, this work provides a theoretical reference for subsequent research efforts regarding the construction of uniform smoke environments and evaluating laser transmission characteristics in smoky environments.

Zearalenone is a mycotoxin produced by fungi of the genus Fusarium, which has severe toxicity on animal and human health including reproduction. Previous study showed that zearalenone exposure inhibited oocyte polar body extrusion, while in present study we found that high dose zearalenone disturbed oocyte meiosis resumption. Our results showed that a high concentration of 100 μM zearalenone reduced the rate of germinal vesicle (GV) breakdown in mouse oocytes. Further analysis indicated that zearalenone caused the decrease of Cyclin B1 and CDK1 expression, indicating MPF activity was affected, which further induced G2/M arrest, and this could be rescued by the inhibition of Wee1 activity. We found that the oocytes under high concentration of zearalenone showed lower γ-H2A.X expression, suggesting that DNA damage repair was disturbed, which further activated of DNA damage checkpoints. This could be confirmed by the altered expression of CHK1 and CHK2 after zearalenone treatment. Moreover, the organelles such as mitochondria, ribosome, endoplasmic reticulum and Golgi apparatus were diffused from germinal vesicle periphery after zearalenone exposure, indicating that zearalenone affected protein synthesis, modification and transport, which further induced the arrest of G2/M transition. Taken together, our results showed that high dose of zearalenone exposure induced G2/M transition defect by affecting organelle function-related CHK1/2-Wee1-MPF pathway.

BackgroundThe prevalence of food allergy (FA) is increasing. Decreases in the diversity of gut microbiota may contribute to the pathogenesis of FA by regulating IgE production of B cells. Intermittent fasting (IF) is a popular diet with the potential to regulate glucose metabolism, boosting immune memory and optimizing gut microbiota. The potential effect of long-term IF on the prevention and treatment of FA is still unknown.MethodsTwo IF protocols (16 h fasting/8 h feeding and 24 h fasting/24 h feeding) were conducted on mice for 56 days, while the control mice were free to intake food (free diet group, FrD). To construct the FA model, all mice were sensitized and intragastrical challenged with ovalbumin (OVA) during the second half of IF (day 28 to day 56). Rectal temperature reduction and diarrhea were recorded to evaluate the symptoms of FA. Levels of serum IgE, IgG1, Th1/Th2 cytokines, mRNA expression of spleen T cell related transcriptional factors, and cytokines were examined. H&E, immunofluorescence, and toluidine blue staining were used to assess the structural changes of ileum villi. The composition and abundance of gut microbiota were analyzed by 16srRNA sequencing in cecum feces.ResultsThe diarrhea score and rectal temperature reduction were lower in the two fasting groups compared to the FrD groups. Fasting was associated with lower levels of serum OVA-sIgE, OVA-sIgG1, interleukin (IL)-4 and IL-5, and mRNA expression of IL-4, IL-5, and IL-10 in the spleen. While no significant association was observed in interferon (IFN)-γ, tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, IL-6, IL-2 levels. Less mast cell infiltration in ileum was observed in the 16h/8h fasting group compared to the FrD group. ZO-1 expression in the ileum of the two fasting groups was higher in IF mice. The 24h/24h fasting reshaped the gut microbiota, with a higher abundance of Alistipes and Rikenellaceae strains compared to the other groups.ConclusionIn an OVA-induced mice FA model, long-term IF may attenuate FA by reducing Th2 inflammation, maintaining the integrity of the intestinal epithelial barrier, and preventing gut dysbiosis.

BackgroundMaize (Zea maysL.) is one of the most important crops worldwide. Although sophisticated maize gene regulatory networks (GRNs) have been constructed for functional genomics and phenotypic dissection, a multi-omics GRN connecting the translatome and transcriptome is lacking, hampering our understanding and exploration of the maize regulatome.ResultsWe collect spatio-temporal translatome and transcriptome data and systematically explore the landscape of gene transcription and translation across 33 tissues or developmental stages of maize. Using this comprehensive transcriptome and translatome atlas, we construct a multi-omics GRN integrating mRNAs and translated mRNAs, demonstrating that translatome-related GRNs outperform GRNs solely using transcriptomic data and inter-omics GRNs outperform intra-omics GRNs in most cases. With the aid of the multi-omics GRN, we reconcile some known regulatory networks. We identify a novel transcription factor,ZmGRF6, which is associated with growth. Furthermore, we characterize a function related to drought response for the classic transcription factorZmMYB31.ConclusionsOur findings provide insights into spatio-temporal changes across maize development at both the transcriptome and translatome levels. Multi-omics GRNs represent a useful resource for dissection of the regulatory mechanisms underlying phenotypic variation.

BackgroundSkin diseases of the nipple and areola complex (NAC) are numerous and difficult to diagnose, which is a great challenge for clinicians. A better understanding of the clinical features of NAC skin diseases is of great value for the correct diagnosis.MethodsTo investigate the clinical characteristics of skin diseases of the NAC, we retrospectively analyzed the demographic data, disease constitution, rash characteristics, inconsistency between the clinical and pathological diagnosis from 260 patients with NAC lesions that were confirmed by histopathology at Peking Union Medical College Hospital, China from 2012 to 2022.ResultsThe patients’ average age was 43.6 (8 to 82) years, and the ratio of females to males was 13.4:1. Out of the 260 patients biopsied, the most common diseases were eczema, Paget’s disease (PD), adenoma of the nipple (AN), seborrheic keratosis (SK), cutaneous metastasis of breast cancer, wart, soft fibroma, and hyperkeratosis of the nipple and areola. There were 77 (29.6%) patients with inconsistency between the clinical impressions and pathological diagnoses. AN was the most clinically misdiagnosed condition, most commonly presumed to be PD or eczema.ConclusionEczema and PD are the most common biopsied NAC skin diseases. Late onset, unilateral involvement, and predilection for the nipple are several characteristics of PD, which are different from eczema. NAC skin diseases are easily misdiagnosed clinically, especially AN.

Background To investigate the potential role of immune-related genes (IRGs) and immune cells in myocardial infarction (MI) and establish a nomogram model for diagnosing myocardial infarction. Methods Raw and processed gene expression profiling datasets were archived from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database. Differentially expressed immune-related genes (DIRGs), which were screened out by four machine learning algorithms-partial least squares (PLS), random forest model (RF), k-nearest neighbor (KNN), and support vector machine model (SVM) were used in the diagnosis of MI. Results The six key DIRGs (PTGER2, LGR6, IL17B, IL13RA1, CCL4, and ADM) were identified by the intersection of the minimal root mean square error (RMSE) of four machine learning algorithms, which were screened out to establish the nomogram model to predict the incidence of MI by using the rms package. The nomogram model exhibited the highest predictive accuracy and better potential clinical utility. The relative distribution of 22 types of immune cells was evaluated using cell type identification, which was done by estimating relative subsets of RNA transcripts (CIBERSORT) algorithm. The distribution of four types of immune cells, such as plasma cells, T cells follicular helper, Mast cells resting, and neutrophils, was significantly upregulated in MI, while five types of immune cell dispersion, T cells CD4 naive, macrophages M1, macrophages M2, dendritic cells resting, and mast cells activated in MI patients, were significantly downregulated in MI. Conclusion This study demonstrated that IRGs were correlated with MI, suggesting that immune cells may be potential therapeutic targets of immunotherapy in MI.

Yi-ting Luo,1 Jin Wu,1 Fang-yuan Zhu,1 Jia-qian Wu,1 Pei Wu,1 Ying-chao Liu2 1The Second Clinical Medical College, Zhejiang Chinese Medical University, Hangzhou, People’s Republic of China; 2Academic Affairs Office, Zhejiang Chinese Medical University, Hangzhou, People’s Republic of ChinaCorrespondence: Ying-chao Liu, Zhejiang Chinese Medical University, 548 Binwen Road, Hangzhou, 310053, People’s Republic of China, Tel +86-057318661190, Email jcjsylyc@163.comPurpose: Ulcerative colitis (UC) is a chronic inflammatory bowel disease that starts with mucosal inflammation of the rectum and extends proximally in the colon in a continuous manner over a variable distance. Although it is more common in North America and Western Europe, its incidence is also increasing in Asia. Despite the introduction of several different classes of medications, the treatment options for UC may be insufficiently effective and burdened with significant side effects. In the present study, the therapeutic effects of Gancao Xiexin decoction (GCXX) were investigated on mice with dextran sulfate sodium (DSS)-induced colitis with exploration of the underlying mechanisms.Methods: Colitis was induced in C57BL/6 mice by administering 3% DSS in drinking water for 7 days. GCXX and (or) the standard of care anti-inflammatory drug, mesalazine (5-aminosalicylic acid) were then administered for 7 days. The gut microbiota was characterized by 16S rDNA high-throughput gene sequencing and gut metabolites were detected by untargeted metabolomics. Germ-free mice were subsequently used to determine whether GCXX ameliorated UC principally through modulation of the gut microbiota.Results: GCXX treatment was demonstrated to significantly reduce disease activity index (DAI) scores, prevent colonic shortening, ameliorate colonic tissue damage and reduce the levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines. Furthermore, analysis of the gut microbiota showed that GCXX-treated mice had higher relative quantity of Dubosiella (P< 0.05) and lower relative quantity of Escherichia-Shigella (P< 0.05). Metabolomics analysis indicated that GCXX could reduce the level of linoleic acid (P< 0.05) and regulate its metabolism pathway. Moreover, in germ-free mice, GCXX failed to increase body weight, reduce DAI scores, or alleviate either colonic shortening or colonic damage.Conclusion: The present study demonstrated that GCXX ameliorated DSS-induced colitis principally through modulating the gut microbiota and metabolites. This information should be integrated into the overall mechanisms of GCXX treatment of UC.Keywords: gancao xiexin decoction, ulcerative colitis, gut microbiota, metabolomics, germ-free mice, dubosiella, Escherichia-Shigella, linoleic acid

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a heterogeneous autoimmune disorder characterized by disturbed cellular and humoral immune responses. Dysregulations of immune system and immunosuppressive medications predispose SLE patients to infection. This study aims to investigate the alterations and absolute concentrations of lymphocyte subpopulations in SLE patients with different infection and their responses of low-dose IL-2 therapy. A total of 333 patients with SLE without recent infection, 162 patients suffering infection, and age and sex-matched 132 healthy controls (HCs) were recruited. Of them, 54 SLE patients (including 41 non-infected group and 13 infected group) received a 5-day course of low-dose IL-2 administration at a dose of 0.5 million IU per day. Lymphocyte subpopulations were analyzed by flow cytometry. Patients with SLE had lower levels of lymphocyte subpopulations in peripheral blood such as T, B, NK, CD4 + T, CD8+ T, Th1, Th2, Th17, and Treg cells, and the reduction in these cells was more obvious in patients with infection (p p <.01). Low-dose IL-2 effectively expanded T (p p p p p p p

In this work, we investigated the effect of thin film encapsulation on Vth shift in a-IGZ0 TFTs. The result shows that decreasing the NH3 flow rate of deposited SiON films, the trend of Vth shift under the operation mode can vary from negative to positive direction, which can be attributed to lower amount of hydrogen diffused from SiON to the a-IGZO TFTs. Beside, we designed the TFE with stable inorganic-organic-inorganic stack structure, of which the CVD1 deposited with low NH3 flow rate and the CVD2 with high barrier property, and a 16.9-inch high performance flexible OLED panel with controlled Vth shift and RA lifetime over 475 h was achieved at the condition of 85 °C and 85% RH. This study demonstrates the influence of TFE on a-IGZO TFTs, and offers an optimized TFE structure which promises both electrical characteristics and reliability for flexible OLEDs.

Cyclic guanosine monophosphate-adenosine monophosphate adenosine synthetase (cGAS) is a DNA sensor that detects and binds to cytosolic DNA to generate cyclic GMP-AMP (cGAMP). As a second messenger, cGAMP mainly activates the adapter protein STING, which induces the production of type I interferons (IFNs) and inflammatory cytokines. Mounting evidence shows that cGAS is extensively involved in the innate immune response, senescence, and tumor immunity, thereby exhibiting a tumor-suppressive function, most of which is mediated by the STING pathway. In contrast, cGAS can also act as an oncogenic factor, mostly by increasing genomic instability through inhibitory effects on DNA repair, suggesting its utility as an antitumor target. This article reviews the roles and the underlying mechanisms of cGAS in cancer, particularly focusing on its dual roles in carcinogenesis and tumor progression, which are probably attributable to its classical and nonclassical functions, as well as approaches targeting cGAS for cancer therapy.

Nano drug delivery systems are a research hotspot in the field of tumor therapy. In this work, molybdenum disulfide (MoS

Though amorphous carbon films are kinds of most distinguished lubricant materials, the friction coefficients of commercial amorphous carbon films are in the range of 0.05–0.40. To reduce the friction coefficients of those amorphous carbon films from the order of 0.01 to 0.001 range is still a big challenge. In order to solve the problem, in present work, a new strategy, called catalytic superlubricity, is proposed and carried out to achieve superlubricity by in-situ formation of graphene via introducing gold onto hydrogenated amorphous carbon (Au@a-C:H) film during friction. The results show that mulilayer graphene along with oriented polyolefin-like structures are formed due to the catalysis of Au nanoparticles, which is embedded in amorphous carbon matrix. Furthermore, the density functional theory calculations indicates that interlayer binding energy between graphene and the hydrogenated amorphous carbon (a-C:H) films’ surface is comparable to that between graphene layers, resulting in low interfacial interactions between sliding interfaces for low friction. Then, the low interfacial interactions lead to superlubricity with a friction coefficient of 0.003. This study opens up a new routing for facile and scale up fabrication of superlubricant a-C:H films in industrial applications.

ObjectiveCare patterns and Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) constitution affects the emotion and health of patients with systemic sclerosis (SSc) while the prevalence of COVID-19 may aggravate such patients’ emotion and health. We investigated the depression and anxiety levels of patients with SSc during the pandemic to identify the correlation between care patterns, TCM constitution, and patients’ emotion.Materials and methodsThis was a cross-sectional study. Patients with SSc and healthy individuals were surveyed using the patient health questionnaire-9, generalized anxiety disorder-7, and constitution in Chinese medicine questionnaire and a modified care pattern questionnaire. Factors correlated with depression and anxiety were screened using univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses.ResultsA total of 273 patients with SSc and 111 healthy individuals were included in the analysis. The proportion of patients with SSc who were depressed was 74.36%, who had anxiety was 51.65%, and who experienced disease progression during the pandemic was 36.99%. The proportion of income reduction in the online group (56.19%) was higher than that in the hospital group (33.33%) (P = 0.001). Qi-deficiency [adjusted odds ratio (OR) = 2.250] and Qi-stagnation (adjusted OR = 3.824) constitutions were significantly associated with depression. Remote work during the outbreak (adjusted OR = 1.920), decrease in income (adjusted OR = 3.556), and disease progression (P = 0.030) were associated with the occurrence of depression.ConclusionChinese patients with SSc have a high prevalence of depression and anxiety. The COVID-19 pandemic has changed the care patterns of Chinese patients with SSc, and work, income, disease progression, and change of medications were correlates of depression or anxiety in patients with SSc. Qi-stagnation and Qi-deficiency constitutions were associated with depression, and Qi-stagnation constitution was associated with anxiety in patients with SSc.Trial registrationhttp://www.chictr.org.cn/showproj.aspx?proj=62301, identifier ChiCTR2000038796.

Depression is one of the common non-motor symptoms of Parkinson’s disease (PD). In the clinic, botulinum neurotoxin A (BoNT/A) has been used to treat depression. In this study, we investigated the mechanisms underlying the anti-depressive effect of BoNT/A in a PD mouse model. Mice were administered reserpine (3 μg/mL in the drinking water) for 10 weeks. From the 10th week, BoNT/A (10 U·kg−1·d−1) was injected into the cheek for 3 consecutive days. We showed that chronic administration of reserpine produced the behavioral phenotypes of depression and neurochemical changes in the substantia nigra pars compacta (SNpc) and striatum. BoNT/A treatment significantly ameliorated the depressive-like behaviors, but did not improve TH activity in SNpc of reserpine-treated mice. We demonstrated that BoNT/A treatment reversed reserpine-induced complement and microglia activation in the hippocampal CA1 region. Furthermore, BoNT/A treatment significantly attenuated the microglial engulfment of presynaptic synapses, thus ameliorating the apparent synapse and spine loss in the hippocampus in the reserpine-treated mice. Moreover, BoNT/A treatment suppressed microglia-mediated expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines TNF-α and IL-1β in reserpine-treated mice. In addition, we showed that BoNT/A (0.1 U/mL) ameliorated reserpine-induced complement and microglia activation in mouse BV2 microglial cells in vitro. We conclude that BoNT/A ameliorates depressive-like behavior in a reserpine-induced PD mouse model through reversing the synapse loss mediated by classical complement induced-microglial engulfment as well as alleviating microglia-mediated proinflammatory responses.

The utilization of sewage sludge in forests is an important way of recycling. However, the effect of sewage sludge application on woody plant root growth has been rarely reported. The effects of surface application and mixed application of sewage sludge (mass ratio in 10%) on the dynamics in root morphology of a fast-growing tree species (林地利用被认为是污泥资源化利用的重要方式,但施用污泥对林木根系生长的影响报道较少。本研究通过根箱试验,分析表施和混施10%污泥对速生树种团花不同土层根系形态、土壤pH值和电导率动态变化及根系重金属含量的影响,并拟合土壤pH值、电导率和根系重金属含量与根长的关系。结果表明: 与不施污泥(对照)相比,混施污泥显著抑制了团花根长、根表面积和根体积增长,混施污泥120和240 d后,0～20 cm土层总根长分别为不施污泥的76.9%和67.4%;表施污泥对团花根长和根表面积的影响不显著,但显著提高了根体积。混施污泥显著提高了土壤pH值和电导率及根系重金属含量,混施污泥0～20和20～40 cm土层根系镉含量分别是不施污泥的11.5和10.0倍。线性回归拟合分析显示,不同处理0～20 cm土层的电导率与根长均呈显著负相关;表施和混施污泥根系镉含量与根长呈极显著负相关。上述结果表明,混施污泥抑制了团花根系生长,这可能是由于混施污泥提高了土壤电导率和根系镉含量所致,而表施污泥对团花根系生长的作用不明显。.

The objective of this scoping review was to synthesize the available evidence and evaluate the effectiveness of chronoradiotherapy interventions in cervical cancer patients. This scoping review was performed by searching in the PubMed, Cochrane Library, Embase, Web of Science, Scopus, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL), China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), Wanfang, Wenpu, and Chinese Biomedical Literature (CBM) databases. Databases were searched for studies published in English or Chinese from inception to 21 May 2021, and reference lists of relevant reports were scanned. Two investigators independently screened eligible studies in accordance with predetermined eligibility criteria and extracted data. The included studies were summarized and analyzed. Five studies including a total of 422 patients with cervical cancer were included in the scoping review; four studies were Chinese, and one was Indian. Main themes identified included the efficiency of chronoradiotherapy and relevant toxic and side effects, including diarrhea toxicity, hematologic toxicity, myelosuppression, gastrointestinal mucositis, and skin reactions. Administration of radiotherapy at different times of the day resulted in similar efficacy. However, the toxic side effects of morning radiotherapy (MR) and evening radiotherapy (ER) differed, with radiotherapy in the evening leading to more severe hematologic toxicity and myelosuppression. There were conflicting conclusions about gastrointestinal reactions with chronoradiotherapy, and further studies are needed. Radiation responses may be associated with circadian genes, through the influence of cell cycles and apoptosis.

Background Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) has been used to treat various diseases for thousands of years. However, the uncertainty of dosage as well as the lack of systemic evaluation of pharmacology and toxicology is one major reason why TCM remains mysterious and is not accepted worldwide. Hence, we aimed to propose an integrated dose–response metabolomics strategy based on both therapeutic effects and adverse reactions to guide the TCM dosage in treatment. Methods The proposed methodology of integrated dose–response metabolomics includes four steps: dose design, multiple comparison of metabolic features, response calculation and dose–response curve fitting. By comparing the changes of all metabolites under different doses and calculating these changes through superposition, it is possible to characterize the global disturbance and thus describe the overall effect and toxicity of TCM induced by different doses. Rhubarb, commonly used for constipation treatment, was selected as a representative TCM. Results This developed strategy was successfully applied to rhubarb. The dose–response curves clearly showed the efficacy and adverse reactions of rhubarb at different doses. The rhubarb dose of 0.69 g/kg (corresponding to 7.66 g in clinic) was selected as the optimal dose because it was 90% of the effective dose and three adverse reactions were acceptable in this case. Conclusion An integrated dose–response metabolomics strategy reflecting both therapeutic effects and adverse reactions was established for the first time, which we believe is helpful to uncover the mysterious veil of TCM dosage. In addition, this strategy benefits the modernization and internationalization of TCM, and broadens the application of metabolomics.

ObjectivesTo investigate the short-term efficacy and radiotoxicity 3.543of chronoradiotherapy in patients with cervical cancer. We also examined the overall symptom score and quality of life (QOL) of patients who underwent morning radiotherapy and evening radiotherapy.MethodsWe conducted a multicenter randomized controlled trial to compare the effects of morning radiotherapy (9:00–11:00 AM) with evening radiotherapy (7:00–9:00 PM) in cervical cancer patients receiving radiotherapy. From November 2021 to June 2022, 114 cervical cancer patients admitted to eight cancer center hospitals in Tianjin, Chongqing, Hubei, Shanxi, Shandong, Shaanxi, Hebei, and Cangzhou were randomly divided into the morning radiotherapy group (MG; N = 61) and the evening radiotherapy group (EG; N = 53). The short-term efficacy of radiotherapy on cervical cancer patients at different time points and the occurrence of radiotoxicity were explored after patients had undergone radiotherapy.ResultsThe total effective response (partial remission [PR] + complete remission [CR]) rate was similar across the two groups (93.5% vs. 96.3%, p > 0.05). However, the incidence of bone marrow suppression and intestinal reaction in the two groups were significantly different (p < 0.05). The patients in the MG had significantly higher Anderson symptom scores than patients in the EG (21.64 ± 7.916 vs. 18.53 ± 4.098, p < 0.05). In terms of physical activity, functional status, and overall QOL, the MG had significantly lower scores than the EG (p < 0.05). No other measures showed a significant difference between the groups.ConclusionThe radiotherapy effect of the MG was consistent with that of the EG. The incidence of radiation enteritis and radiation diarrhea in the MG was significantly higher than that in the EG; however, bone marrow suppression and blood toxicity in the EG were more serious than in the MG. Because of the small sample size of the study, we only examined the short-term efficacy of radiotherapy. Therefore, further clinical trials are needed to verify the efficacy and side effects of chronoradiotherapy.Clinical Trial Registrationhttp://www.chictr.org.cn/searchproj.aspx, Registration Number: ChiCTR2100047140.

Basic requirements for advanced and practical supercapacitors need electrode materials with strong stability, high surface area, well-defined porosity, and enhanced capability of ion insertion and electron transfer. It is worth mentioning that the two-dimensional cluster-based Ni/Co-organic layer (