Search

Abstract Chronic non-communicable diseases (CNCDs) pose a significant public health challenge. Addressing this issue, there has been a notable breakthrough in the prevention and mitigation of NCDs through the use of antioxidants and anti-inflammatory agents. In this study, we aim to explore the effectiveness of Eupatorium adenophora Spreng leaves (EASL) as an antioxidant and anti-inflammatory agent, and its potential applications. To construct a cellular model of oxidative damage and inflammation, Caco-2 cells were treated with tert-butyl hydroperoxide (t-BHP). The biocompatibility of EASL-AE with Caco-2 cells was assessed using the MTT assay, while compatibility was further verified by measuring LDH release and the protective effect against oxidative damage was also assessed using the MTT assay. Additionally, we measured intracellular oxidative stress indicators such as ROS and 8-OHdG, as well as inflammatory pathway signalling protein NFκB and inflammatory factors TNF-α and IL-1β using ELISA, to evaluate the antioxidant and anti-inflammatory capacity of EASL-AE. The scavenging capacity of EASL-AE against free radicals was determined through the DPPH Assay and ABTS Assay. Furthermore, we measured the total phenolic, total flavonoid, and total polysaccharide contents using common chemical methods. The chemical composition of EASL-AE was analyzed using the LC–MS/MS technique. Our findings demonstrate that EASL-AE is biocompatible with Caco-2 cells and non-toxic at experimental levels. Moreover, EASL-AE exhibits a significant protective effect on Caco-2 cells subjected to oxidative damage. The antioxidant effect of EASL-AE involves the scavenging of intracellular ROS, while its anti-inflammatory effect is achieved by down-regulation of the NFκB pathway. Which in turn reduces the release of inflammatory factors TNF-α and IL-1β. Through LC–MS/MS analysis, we identified 222 compounds in EASL-AE, among which gentianic acid, procaine and L-tyrosine were the compounds with high antioxidant capacity and may be the effective constituent for EASL-AE with antioxidant activity. These results suggest that EASL-AE is a natural and high-quality antioxidant and anti-inflammatory biomaterial that warrants further investigation. It holds great potential for applications in healthcare and other related fields.

BackgroundSame-visit bidirectional endoscopy (esophagogastroduodenoscopy and colonoscopy) is widely performed under sedation. At present, the optimal sedation regimen remains unclear. This study aims to test the hypothesis that a low-dose esketamine added to propofol sedation reduces hemodynamic and respiratory adverse events in these procedures.MethodsIn this multicenter, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial, 660 adult patients scheduled for same-visit bidirectional endoscopy under sedation from 3 teaching hospitals in China will be recruited. Patients will be randomly allocated, in a 1:1 ratio, to an esketamine group or a normal saline group (n = 330 in each group), stratified by study center. All patients will receive intravenous propofol 0.5 mg/kg and sufentanil 0.1 μg/mL for induction of sedation, followed by intravenous esketamine 0.15 mg/kg or the same volume of normal saline. Propofol will be titrated to the target sedation levels during the procedures. The primary endpoint is a composite of desaturation (peripheral oxygen saturation < 90%) and hypotension (systolic blood pressure 30% of baseline). Secondary endpoints include desaturation, hypotension, total dose of propofol, pain scores and fatigue scores on the 0-10 numerical rating scale, dizziness or headache, hallucination or nightmare, nausea or vomiting, endoscopist satisfaction, and patient satisfaction. All analyses will be intention-to-treat.DiscussionWe expect that a low-dose esketamine adjunct to propofol-based sedation will improve cardiorespiratory stability in patients undergoing same-visit bidirectional endoscopy, providing reference for clinical sedation practice during these procedures.Trial registrationChinese Clinical Trial Registry (Identifier: ChiCTR-ChiCTR2200055938).

Soil microorganism studies are crucial in ecological and biological research. However, the lack of standardized analytical methods for sampling makes it challenging to compare studies and obtain consistent results. Therefore, it is essential to establish standardized sampling methods in the field. Our study used a stratification method to collect 120 soil samples from various altitudinal ranges on Cangshan Mountain in China, with an altitude of 4122 m, and incredible microorganism biodiversity. This site provides an ideal landscape for studying elevation patterns in microorganisms. We conducted analyses on the variations of depth and stratification used in the sampling process, as these factors have been found to impact microbial diversity, elevation patterns, and community assembly mechanisms. We found that increasing the sampling depth provided more valuable research results by revealing elevation patterns of soil microorganisms. We therefore recommend sampling to a depth of 35 cm with stratification to determine the overall soil microbial diversity. A depth of 25 cm is suitable for studying elevation patterns with stratification. For investigating community assembly mechanisms without stratification, a depth of 15 cm is recommended. When exploring a specific taxon, the sampling depth can be adjusted accordingly. For studying the elevation pattern of archaea, a depth of 20 cm is appropriate. In the case of fungi, a depth of 40 cm is recommended, while a depth of 20 cm is suitable for studying elevation patterns. This study emphasizes the importance of standardization in sampling methods, particularly along the soil profiles, when studying soil microbiomes in montane areas. These recommendations should be adopted in future research to achieve more consistent and reliable results in the field.

A new cladosporol derivative xylophilum A (1), together with 10 known compounds (2–11), were isolated from the rice fermentation of the fungus Cladosporium xylophilum. Their structures were established by extensive spectroscopic methods and comparison of their NMR data with literatures. The antimicrobial activity of compound 1 against 11 kinds of pathogenic microbial was evaluated, but no significant activity was found (MIC >100 μg/ml). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT Purpose: To explore the effect of different gastrointestinal reconstruction techniques on laparoscopic distal gastrectomy of gastric cancer on the nutritional and anemia status, and quality of life (QoL) of patients. Methods: Eligible patients were randomly divided into three groups (n=36/group): Billroth I anastomosis group, Billroth II combined with Braun anastomosis group, and Roux-en-Y anastomosis group. Related indicators were compared and analyzed. Results: The general data were comparable among the three groups (all P>0.05). Among the surgical-related indicators and postoperative recovery indicators, only the comparison of the operation time was statistically significant (P=0.004). The follow-up time was 5~36 months (average 27.9 months). In terms of nutritional and anemia indicators, only the differences in the levels of prealbumin, hemoglobin and serum ferritin in 24 months after operation showed significant differences (P=0.015, P=0.003, P=0.005, respectively). There were no significant differences in hospital readmission rate, overall survival, and QoL among the three groups (all P>0.05). Conclusions: In laparoscopic gastrectomy for stage II~III distal gastric cancer, Billroth I anastomosis has shorter operation time than Billroth II combined with Braun anastomosis and Roux-en-Y anastomosis and advantages in the improvement of nutritional status and anemia recovery.

BACKGROUND During rapid urbanization of cities in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei Region, the extensive economic development mode of 'high energy consumption, high pollution and high emission' has caused a series of atmospheric pollution problems. It is crucial to coordinate the relationship between economic development and atmospheric environmental quality. OBJECTIVES To investigate the relationship between the urbanization and the atmospheric environmental quality of the three cities of Beijing, Tianjin and Shijiazhuang. METHODS Based on the data of various indicators of atmospheric environmental quality and urbanization in Beijing, Tianjin, and Shijiazhuang from 2004 to 2017, the entropy method was used to study the evolution of atmospheric environmental quality in the process of urbanization in multiple dimensions. The annual average concentration of urban atmospheric pollutants SO2, NO2, PM10, and the number of days better than level 2 were 4 atmospheric environmental quality indicators, and 10 development indicators including regional GDP, per capita GDP, proportion of tertiary industries, and built-up area were selected to construct comprehensive index models and regression fitting. RESULTS The impact of urbanization on atmospheric environmental quality was the result of the combined effect of various factors. The relationship between comprehensive urbanization index and comprehensive atmospheric environmental pollution index in Beijing, Tianjin and Hebei was 'inverted U-shaped', 'positive U-shaped' and 'inverted N-shaped', respectively. The 10 urbanization indicators were classified into structural effects, scale effects and activity effects, and further analyze the impact of various effects on the atmospheric environmental pollution index. For Beijing, the dependent variables of the three types of effects all had negative impacts on atmospheric environmental quality. For Tianjin, the built-up area in the structure effect and scale effect, and the per capita GDP, GDP, resident consumption level and the total retail sales of consumer goods in the activity effect had negative correlations with atmospheric environmental quality. The impact of each dependent variable of the three effects on atmospheric environmental quality was unclear for Shijiazhuang. CONCLUSIONS The EKC hypothesis can reflect the relationship between the urbanization and atmospheric environmental quality to a certain extent. For the cities like Beijing that have basically completed the transformation of economic development, the EKC hypothesis is established obviously. But for the cities like Tianjin and Shijiazhuang that have not completed the economic restructuring, the relationship between urbanization and atmospheric environmental quality is uncertainty. Further study should be necessary.

The quality of the oxide barrier in Josephson junctions (JJs) is crucial for devices with it as the core structure. Despite the critical nature of the oxidation process in JJ fabrication, there remains a lack of systematic research on its impact. Our study aims to fill this gap by comprehensively investigating the influence of oxidation parameters and methods on the oxide barrier quality. To achieve this, we evaluate the low-frequency 1 / f noise of JJs produced using various fabrication processes. Our findings demonstrate that a weak oxidation strength (oxygen pressure × exposure time) and a dynamic oxidation method contribute positively to the formation of high-quality oxide barriers. This research provides an important reference for optimizing the oxidation process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A challenge in building large-scale superconducting quantum processors is the precise control and manipulation of the qubit state. However, the crosstalk between the microwave control lines impedes the parallel execution of high-fidelity digital and analog quantum operations. Here, we propose and demonstrate a universal compensation protocol for calibrating the microwave signal crosstalk. We also introduce amplified error sequences to optimize accuracy. Furthermore, we show a definitive improvement in parallel gate operations with crosstalk cancellation, demonstrating the technique's effectiveness. This work paves the way for superconducting hardware that features the automated calibration of microwave crosstalk, leading to enhanced fidelities in multiqubit circuits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The post-fire recovery of soil microbes is critical for ecological conservation, yet the mechanisms behind it are not well understood. Aim: In this study, we examined the recovery patterns of culturable soil microbes following a fire. Methods: A field experiment was conducted in which a forest soil was subjected to surface fire, and the culturable microbial biomass and soil physicochemical characteristics were evaluated 1 day after the fire, and subsequently every 10 days for 90 days. Key results: Microbial biomass significantly reduced post-fire, with varying effects across microbial taxa and soil layers. The recovery patterns of microbial biomass at topsoil (0–10 cm) and subsoil (10–20 cm), and among different microbial taxa were also different and were determined by the residual microbiomes. Heat released during a fire (the combination of heat duration and temperature reached during treatment) was significantly related to the decrease and recovery of microbial biomass, whereas there was no relationship between soil physicochemical properties and microbial biomass recovery. Conclusions: Soil microbial biomass recovered quickly post-fire, which can be mainly due to the rapid attenuation of heat along the soil profile. Heat released during fire was the key factor determining the residual biomass, and the residual microbiomes determined the recovery patterns of the various taxa that comprise the culturable microbial biomass. Implications: Due to the complexity of natural fire, simulated fire experiment and systematic sampling based on space (soil profile) and time are crucial to investigate the dynamics of soil microbes post-fire. Recovery of soil microbes is crucial for the entire forest ecosystem following a fire. Our research, using simulated burns, revealed that soil microbial biomass began to recover only 20 days post‐disturbance, with subsurface soil microbes playing a key role. Heat indicators were found to more significantly influence microbial responses than soil physiochemical properties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]