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In order to investigate the quality differences of cigar tobacco leaves from Yunnan production areas, microbial community structure, free amino acids and volatile flavor compounds of cigar tobacco leaves produced in Yunnan province were analyzed by high-throughput sequencing and metabolomics. O2PLS analysis and correlation analysis were used to systematically reveal the relationship between microorganisms of origin and tobacco flavor quality, and to identify functional microorganisms and synergistic taxa in tobacco. The results showed that there were differences in the microbial community structure of cigar tobacco leaves produced in Yunnan province, in which the dominant bacteria were mainly Aerococcus, Staphylococcus and Corynebacterium, and the dominant fungi were mainly Aspergillus, Cladosporium and Alternaria. 17 free amino acids were detected, and the overall amino acid content showed that Asp was the highest and Met was the lowest, with higher TAV Asp and Glu contributed more to its flavor presentation. The free amino acid flavor profiles of Lincang Yunxue No. 2 and Pu'er Yunxue No. 2 cigar tobacco leaves was more prominent. A total of 65 volatile flavor compounds were detected, mainly ketones, among which 16 different flavor compounds, including 6-Methyl-5-hepten-2-one, ß-Damascone, Phenylethyl alcohol, Decanal, and Dihydroactinidiolide, played an important role in the formation of its flavor. The overall flavor characteristics of Pu'er No. 2 were more prominent. Sphingomonas, Staphylococcus, Pseudomonas, and Oceanobacillus acted synergistically to contribute to cigar tobacco leaves flavor formation, while the relative abundance of Penicillium was negatively correlated with tobacco quality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Passive smoking is extensively studied because of its harmfulness to human health. In this study, the effects of fermented green tea waste extract gels (GTEG) on oxidative damage in mice exposed to short-term cigarette smoke (CS) were investigated. The GTEG is prepared from green tea waste extract and microbial transglutaminase (MTGase). The lung injury model of mice was established through passive smoking for 5 days. The experimental results revealed the following findings. (1) The GTEG induced by MTGase has obvious gel properties; (2) GTEG has strong biological activity and antioxidant properties in vitro; (3) The passive smoking model was established successfully; specifically, the lung tissue of the model mice exhibited inflammatory symptoms, oxidative stress response appeared in their bodies, and their inflammatory indicators increased; (4) Compared with the passive smoking model group, the mice, which were exposed to CS and received GTEG treatment, exhibited increased food intake and body weight; increased total superoxide dismutase and glutathione peroxidase activity in serum; significant decreases (p < 0.05) in the content levels of the inflammatory factors malondialdehyde, interleukin (IL)-6, and tumor necrosis factor α (TNF-α); and inhibited expression of IL-6, IL-33, TNF-α, and IL-1β inflammatory genes. The results indicated that taking GTEG can relieve the oxidative stress injury of mice caused by short-term CS and has antioxidant properties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to study the relationships between ash integrity of lit cigarettes and chemical components in cut filler, ash color value, ash crack rate, ash shrink rate, burn line width, burn line uniformity and burning rate of 84 cigarette samples were measured by a cigarette ash detector under the ISO smoking regime. The relationships of ash integrity indexes and burning rate of lit cigarettes with the chemical components in cut filler were investigated via statistical analyses. The results showed that: 1) The mass fraction of potassium (αK), the mass ratio of potassium to chlorine (mK/mCl), the mass ratio of potassium to sulfur (mK/mS) and the mass ratio of potassium to the sum of sulfur and chlorine [mK/(mCl+mS)] significantly negatively correlated with ash crack rate, ash shrink rate and burn line width. These parameters were significantly positively correlated with burning rate, except for mK/mCl. The mass fraction of nicotine (α Nicotine) and mass fraction of sulfur (αS) significantly negatively correlated to ash color value, while significantly positively correlated to ash crack rate, ash shrink rate and burn line uniformity. 2) The ash integrity of lit cigarettes deteriorated with the increase of αNicotine and the ratio of sugar to alkali, and promoted with the increase of mK/mCl, mK/mS and mK/(mCl+mS). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Many concerns were raised about the outcome of non‐vitamin K antagonist oral anticoagulants compared with warfarin in subjects with atrial fibrillation and liver disease. However, the reported relationship between their efficacy and safety was variable. This meta‐analysis was performed to evaluate this relationship. Methods: A systematic literature search up to July 2020 was performed and six studies included 50 074 subjects with atrial fibrillation and liver disease at the baseline with 32 229 non‐vitamin K antagonist oral anticoagulant consumers and 18 920 warfarin consumers. They were reporting relationships between non‐vitamin K antagonist oral anticoagulants and warfarin in subjects with atrial fibrillation and liver disease. Odds ratio (OR) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) was calculated to evaluate the prognostic role of the efficacy and safety of non‐vitamin K antagonist oral anticoagulants compared with warfarin in subjects with atrial fibrillation and liver disease subjects using the dichotomous method with a random or fixed‐effect model. Results: Non‐vitamin K antagonist oral anticoagulants consumption was significantly related to lower all‐cause mortality in subjects with atrial fibrillation and liver disease (OR, 0.90; 95% CI, 0.81‐0.99, P =.03); lower intracranial haemorrhage (OR, 0.67; 95% CI, 0.55‐ 0.82, P <.001) and low stroke and system embolism (OR, 0.76; 95% CI, 0.68‐0.86, P <.001) compared with warfarin consumption. However, non‐vitamin K antagonist oral anticoagulants consumption was not significantly related to lower major bleeding in subjects with atrial fibrillation and liver disease (OR, 0.73; 95% CI, 0.52‐1.02, P =.06); and gastrointestinal bleeding (OR, 0.93; 95% CI, 0.58‐1.49, P =.77) compared with warfarin consumption. Conclusions: Based on this meta‐analysis, non‐vitamin K antagonist oral anticoagulant consumption may have an independent lower risk relationship with all‐cause mortality, intracranial haemorrhage, and stroke and system embolism compared with warfarin consumption in subjects with atrial fibrillation and liver disease. This relationship forces us to recommend non‐vitamin K antagonist oral anticoagulant use in subjects with atrial fibrillation and liver disease for better outcomes and to avoid any possible complications. Further studies are required. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to reveal the effects of cigarette burning rate on its ash integrity, ash color value, ash crack rate, ash shrink rate, burn line width, burn line uniformity, burning rates of 46 cigarette samples were measured using machine vision technology under the ISO smoking regime. Statistical analyses were employed to investigate the correlation between the ash integrity and burning rate of the cigarettes. The results showed that: 1) Puffing was an important factor affecting the ash integrity of the test cigarettes, and the shrink rate and crack rate of ash column also increased. The burn line became wider and more irregular and the ash color was whiter during puffing. The seam of cigarette paper improved the ash integrity of the ash column, and effectively reduced the large increase of the ash crack rate of the section with single layer cigarette paper caused by puffing. 2) The variations of ash color value and the burn line uniformity were small, the variations of the burn line width, burning rate and ash shrink rate were medium, and the variation of ash crack rate was large. 3) The burning rate significantly positively correlated with ash color value and significantly negatively correlated with ash crack rate, ash shrink rate and burn line width. However, its correlation with the burn line uniformity was not significant. 4) With the increase of cigarette burning rate, the value of ash color increased first and then tended to be stable, the ash crack rate decreased first and then increased, and the ash shrink rate and burn line width decreased gradually. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sepsis is a severe system inflammatory response syndrome in response to infection. The vascular endothelium cells play a key role in sepsis-induced organ dysfunction. The heat shock protein 70 (HSP70) has been reported to play an anti-inflammatory role and protect from sepsis. The present study is aimed at finding the function of HSP70 against sepsis in vascular endothelium cells. Lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and HSP70 agonist and inhibitor were used to treat HUVEC. Cell permeability was measured by transepithelial electrical resistance (TEER) assay and FITC-Dextrans. Cell junction protein levels were measured by western blot. Mice were subjected to cecal ligation and puncture (CLP) to establish a sepsis model and were observed for survival. After LPS incubation, HSP70 expression was decreased in HUVEC. LPS induced the inhibition of cell viability and the increases of IL-1β, IL-6, and TNF-α. Furthermore, cell permeability was increased and cell junction proteins (E-cadherin, occludin, and ZO-1) were downregulated after treatment with LPS. However, HSP70 could reverse these effects induced by LPS in HUVEC. In addition, LPS-induced elevated phosphorylation of p38 can be blocked by HSP70. On the other hand, we found that inhibition of HSP70 had similar effects as LPS and these effects could be alleviated by the inhibitor of p38. Subsequently, HSP70 was also found to increase survival of sepsis mice in vivo. In conclusion, HSP70 plays a protective role in sepsis by maintenance of the endothelial permeability via regulating p38 signaling. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background/Aims: Recent studies have indicated that exosomes play an important role in adipose-derived stem cell (ADSC) transplant-mediated ischaemic heart disease therapy. However, the treatment effect is not obvious. The aim of this study is to investigate whether ADSC-derived exosomes enriched with microRNA (miR)-126 have a more protective effect on acute myocardial infarction (AMI). Methods: Exosomes were characterized by transmission electron microscopy, and the exosome particles were further examined using nanoparticle tracking analyses. A rat model of myocardial infarction and in vitro model of hypoxia-induced H9c2 myocardial cell injury were established to study the protective mechanism of exosomes from miR-126-overexpressing ADSCs. Results: The in vitro results showed that exosomes derived from miR-126-overexpressing ADSCs decreased H9c2 myocardial cell injury by reducing inflammation factor expression during hypoxia induction. The miR-126-enriched exosomes also decreased the expression of fibrosis-related proteins of H9c2 cells under hypoxic conditions. Matrigel® and Transwell® assays showed that miR-126-enriched exosomes significantly promoted microvascular generation and migration, respectively. In vivo studies confirmed that exosomes derived from ADSCs significantly decreased the myocardial injury area of infarction, especially after miR-126-enriched exosome treatment. Cardiac fibrosis and inflammatory cytokine expression were also decreased after treatment with miR-126-enriched exosomes. However, blood vessel formation was promoted in the infarction region of AMI rats. Conclusions: The results suggested that the expression of miR-126-enhanced ADSC-derived exosomes prevented myocardial damage by protecting myocardial cells from apoptosis, inflammation, fibrosis, and increased angiogenesis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Glycosidically bound aroma compounds in flue-cured tobacco were estimated by capillary gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). After a fast isolation of extracts obtained by HP-20 solid-phase extraction and methanol elution, glycosides were treated with enzymatic hydrolysis and trifluoroacetylation (TFA) before GC-MS analysis. A totall of 21 bound aglycones, mainly consisting of aliphatic alcohol, aromatic components, C13-norisoprenoids, sesquiterpenoids and polyphenols, were identified by enzymatic hydrolysis. In addition, with the aid of enzymatic hydrolysis, 14 glucosides, one rutinoside and three vicianosides were identified by TFA derivatization. The three vicianosides were identified for the first time in flue-cured tobacco. The norisoprenoids group made up >40% of the total level of aglycons in ripe tobacco, followed by polyphenol and aromatic derivatives (27 and 19%, respectively). Generally, levels of bound compounds increased significantly and the content of total glycosides increased by 36% with maturation. Among the glycosides detected, 3-oxo-α-ionol-glucoside was the most sensitive to maturity and increased the maximum degree. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Sepsis-induced cardiomyopathy (SIC) is a common complication of sepsis accompanied by high prevalence and mortality in sepsis patients. Mesencephalic astrocyte-derived neurotrophic factor (MANF) is a neurotrophic factor, and it exerts critical functions in various diseases, including heart diseases, while its effect on SIC remains elusive. Hence, we aimed to investigate the action of MANF on SIC., Methods: This study was under the guidance of Gongli Hospital, Shanghai, China from January 2021 to December 2021. H9c2 cells and mice were induced by LPS to establish SIC in vitro and in vivo models. qRT-PCR and Western blot were used to determine gene and protein expressions. The levels of MANF, Interleukin-1β (IL-1β), Interleukin 18 (IL-18), creatine kinase-MB (CK-MB), and cardiac troponin I (cTn I) were detected using ELISA assay. Cell pyroptosis determination was performed by flow cytometry. The DCFDA assay kit was used to determine ROS production., Results: In SIC in vitro model, LPS induced cell pyroptosis ( P <0.001) and ROS accumulation ( P <0.001). Besides, MANF was decreased in LPS-induced H9c2 cells ( P <0.001) and SIC patients ( P <0.001). In addition, overexpression of MANF ameliorated SIC-induced injury in H9C2 cells ( P <0.001). Furthermore, inhibition of NLRP3 rescued the function of MANF on SIC-induced injury in H9C2 cells ( P <0.001). Moreover, enforced MANF suppressed the SIC-induced injury in vivo model ( P <0.001)., Conclusion: MANF was down-regulated in SIC. Overexpressed MANF ameliorated the SIC injury by inhibiting NLRP3-mediated pyroptosis., (Copyright© 2023 Liu et al. Published by Tehran University of Medical Sciences.)

Background: To determine the protective role of mesencephalic astrocyte-derived neurotrophic factor (MANF) in regulating sepsis-associated acute kidney injury (S-AKI)., Methods: A total of 96 mice were randomly divided into the control group, control+MANF group, S-AKI group, and S-AKI+MANF group. The S-AKI model was established by injecting lipopolysaccharide (LPS) at 10 mg/kg intraperitoneally. MANF (200 μg/kg) was administered to the control+MANF and S-AKI+MANF groups. An equal dose of normal saline was administered daily intraperitoneally in the control and S-AKI groups. Serum and kidney tissue samples were obtained for biochemical analysis. Western blotting was used to detect the protein expression of MANF in the kidney, and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was used to determine expression of MANF in the serum, pro-inflammatory cytokines (tumor necrosis factor-α [TNF-α] and interleukin-6 [IL-6]). Serum creatinine (SCr), and blood urea nitrogen (BUN) were examined using an automatic biochemical analyzer. In addition, the kidney tissue was observed for pathological changes by hematoxylin-eosin staining. The comparison between two groups was performed by unpaired Student's t -test, and statistics among multiple groups were carried out using Tukey's post hoc test following one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA). A P -value <0.05 was considered statistically significant., Results: At the early stage of S-AKI, MANF in the kidney tissue was up-regulated, but with the development of the disease, it was down-regulated. Renal function was worsened in the S-AKI group, and TNF-α and IL-6 were elevated. The administration of MANF significantly alleviated the elevated levels of SCr and BUN and inhibited the expression of TNF-α and IL-6 in the kidney. The pathological changes were more extensive in the S-AKI group than in the S-AKI+MANF group., Conclusion: MANF treatment may significantly alleviate renal injury, reduce the inflammatory response, and alleviate or reverse kidney tissue damage. MANF may have a protective effect on S-AKI, suggesting a potential treatment for S-AKI., Competing Interests: Conflicts of interest: The authors declare no conflict of interest., (Copyright: © World Journal of Emergency Medicine.)

BACKGROUND Sepsis-induced lung injury is associated with high mortality. The present investigation evaluated the protective effect of hesperidin against sepsis-induced lung injury and also postulates the possible mechanism of its action. MATERIAL AND METHODS Lung injury was induced by sepsis in all animals, in which sepsis was produced by cecal ligation and puncture (CLP). Animals were treated with hesperidin 10 and 20 mg/kg i.v. 30 min after the surgery. Oxygenation index and lung injury score were determined and levels of pro-inflammatory mediators and markers of oxidative stress were also estimated in the lung tissues. Moreover, expression of caspase-3, B-cell lymphoma (Bcl-2), Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4), heat-stable protein 70 (Hsp70) and myeloid differentiation primary response 88 (MyD88) protein was estimated by Western blot assay and immunofluorescence assay. RESULTS Hesperidin attenuated the partial pressure of arterial oxygen/fraction of inspired oxygen (PaO2/FiO2) ratio and lung injury score in CLP-induced lung injury mice. There was a significant (p<0.01) decrease in the level of pro-inflammatory mediators in the lung tissue of CLP-induced lung injury mice. Moreover, markers of oxidative stress were attenuated in the hesperidin-treated group. Treatment with hesperidin attenuated the expression of caspase-3, Bcl-2, TLR4, Hsp70, and MyD88 protein in the lung tissue of CLP-induced lung injury mice. CONCLUSIONS Hesperidin protects against lung injury by attenuating the Hsp70/TLR4/MyD88 pathway in CLP-induced lung injury mice.

Male Dorysthenes granulosus (Thomson, 1860) (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae: Prioninae) were caught in traps baited with racemic 3,5-dimethyldodecanoic acid (prionic acid) during field screening trials in China that tested known cerambycid pheromones. This species is an important pest of sugarcane (Saccharum officinarum L.). In follow-up dose-response trials, plastic sachets loaded with 1 or 0.1 mg of prionic acid were equally attractive to male beetles, whereas lower doses were no better than controls. Two commercial prionic acid lures also were attractive, suggesting that traps baited with prionic acid can be rapidly incorporated into integrated pest management programs targeting this major pest. It is likely that this compound is a major component of the female-produced sex pheromone of D. granulosus because this species is in the same subfamily as Prionus californicus Motschulsky, 1845, the species from which prionic acid was originally identified., (© The Authors 2015. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Entomological Society of America. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.)

Objective: To evaluate the association between central pulse pressure level and cardiovascular diseases (CVD) in patients receiving maintenance peritoneal dialysis., Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted in 234 patients on maintenance peritoneal dialysis. Central pulse pressure levels were measured using a SphygmoCor analyzer, and cardiovascular diseases were defined as diagnosed ischemic heart disease, heart failure, stroke or peripheral vascular disease., Results: The central pulse pressure levels of patients with CVD were significantly higher than those without CVD (51.7 ± 22.5 vs 43.7 ± 17.8 mmHg, P=0.004), while the brachial pulse pressure levels were comparable between the two patient groups. After adjusting for brachial pulse pressure and other relevant risk factors, central pulse pressure level was found to independently associate with CVD (adjusted OR=1.33, 95% CI 1.01-1.73, P=0.04 )., Conclusion: High central pulse pressure level may serve as a risk factor for CVD in patients on maintenance peritoneal dialysis.