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The Lamiaceae family is widely distributed worldwide. In this study, we investigated the insecticidal activity of five Lamiaceae essential oils against Thrips flavus Schrank and the phytotoxic activity against Glycine max (L.) Merr., Zea mays L., Portulaca oleracea L., and Echinochloa oryzoides (Ard.) Fritsch. Then, the chemical composition of the five essential oils was analyzed by using gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC-MS). The five Lamiaceae essential oils were melissa, basil, rosemary, negundo chastetree, and salvia. The main constituents of the five Lamiaceae essential oils were preliminarily determined to be as follows: α-pinene and 1,8-cineole in the rosemary essential oil; β-pinene, γ-terpinene, and d-limonene in the negundo chastetree essential oil; β-cadinene and isolongifolen-5-one in the melissa essential oil; 5-allylguaiacol in the basil essential oil; and isopropyl myristate, linalyl acetate, and linalool in the salvia essential oil. Using a bioassay, it was found that, among the five essential oils, the melissa essential oil exhibited the lowest LC50 value, which was 0.18 mg/mL, and the salvia essential oil exhibited the highest LC50 value, which was 0.42 mg/mL. The control efficacy of the five essential oils significantly increased with time and concentration in pot experiments. The negundo chastetree, basil, rosemary, and salvia essential oils at 900.00 g a.i.·hm−2 showed high control efficacy against T. flavus, with values higher than 90%. Female thrips were attracted to the negundo chastetree essential oil. The five essential oils were also tested for their effects on the germination rate, germination potential, germination index, and shoot length of G. max, Z. mays, P. oleracea, and E. oryzoides. The basil essential oil significantly inhibited the germination of P. oleracea, with germination at a concentration of 1.0 mg/mL being only 11.11 ± 5.09%. This study provides a reference for the development of botanical pesticides to control T. flavus, crops, and weeds.

Plant essential oils are important alternatives in green integrated pest management. This study examined the chemical composition, bioactivity, and control efficacy of four Lamiaceae essential oils (EOs) against Thrips flavus Schrank in laboratory conditions with the goal of exploiting plant-derived insecticides to control Thrips flavus. The four EOs tested were marjoram oil (Origanum majorana L.), clary sage oil (Salvia sclarea L.), perilla leaf oil (Perilla frutescens (L.) Britt.), and spearmint oil (Mentha spicata L.). All these EOs exhibited a certain degree of insecticidal activity against Thrips flavus. The median lethal concentration (LC50) was determined after treatment by the leaf-dipping method in laboratory bioassays, and its values were 0.41 mg/mL for marjoram oil, 0.42 mg/mL for clary sage oil, 0.43 mg/mL for perilla leaf oil, and 0.54 mg/mL for spearmint oil. In the pot experiment, the number of dead insects was recorded at 1, 3, and 7 days post-application, and the control efficacy of EOs against Thrips flavus was calculated. The concentration of 900.00 g a.i.·hm−2 of spearmint oil was 100% lethal against Thrips flavus after treating potted plants for seven days. The Y-tube olfactometer method was used to test for the attraction or repellent response of EOs against Thrips flavus. The spearmint oil significantly attracted female adults in the olfactory test. Furthermore, gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC–MS) was used to examine the chemical composition of the EOs. Linalool (24.52%), isopropyl myristate (28.74%), (+)-limonene (32.44%), and (+)-carvone (70.3%) were their primary ingredients. The findings suggest that all four EOs are highly effective against Thrips flavus and may be a possible alternative in the management of Thrips flavus, especially when considering reducing the use of synthetic pesticides.

Abstract Pathogens or danger signals trigger the immune response. Moderate immune response activation removes pathogens and avoids excessive inflammation and tissue damage. Histone demethylases (KDMs) regulate gene expression and play essential roles in numerous physiological processes by removing methyl groups from lysine residues on target proteins. Abnormal expression of KDMs is closely associated with the pathogenesis of various inflammatory diseases such as liver fibrosis, lung injury, and autoimmune diseases. Despite becoming exciting targets for diagnosing and treating these diseases, the role of these enzymes in the regulation of immune and inflammatory response is still unclear. Here, we review the underlying mechanisms through which KDMs regulate immune-related pathways and inflammatory responses. In addition, we also discuss the future applications of KDMs inhibitors in immune and inflammatory diseases.

Abstract Acute lung injury (ALI) is a potentially life-threatening, devastating disease with an extremely high rate of mortality. The underlying mechanism of ALI is currently unclear. In this study, we aimed to confirm the hub genes associated with ALI and explore their functions and molecular mechanisms using bioinformatics methods. Five microarray datasets available in GEO were used to perform Robust Rank Aggregation (RRA) to identify differentially expressed genes (DEGs) and the key genes were identified via the protein-protein interaction (PPI) network. Lipopolysaccharide intraperitoneal injection was administered to establish an ALI model. Overall, 40 robust DEGs, which are mainly involved in the inflammatory response, protein catabolic process, and NF-κB signaling pathway were identified. Among these DEGs, we identified two genes associated with ALI, of which the CAV-1/NF-κB axis was significantly upregulated in ALI, and was identified as one of the most effective targets for ALI prevention. Subsequently, the expression of CAV-1 was knocked down using AAV-shCAV-1 or CAV-1-siRNA to study its effect on the pathogenesis of ALI in vivo and in vitro. The results of this study indicated that CAV-1/NF-κB axis levels were elevated in vivo and in vitro, accompanied by an increase in lung inflammation and autophagy. The knockdown of CAV-1 may improve ALI. Mechanistically, inflammation was reduced mainly by decreasing the expression levels of CD3 and F4/80, and activating autophagy by inhibiting AKT/mTOR and promoting the AMPK signaling pathway. Taken together, this study provides crucial evidence that CAV-1 knockdown inhibits the occurrence of ALI, suggesting that the CAV-1/NF-κB axis may be a promising therapeutic target for ALI treatment.

Abstract Objective The aim of this study was to explore the longitudinal associations between baseline quadriceps strength and knee joint structural abnormalities in knee osteoarthritis (KOA). Methods This study is a longitudinally observational study based on Osteoarthritis Initiative (OAI) cohort, including men and women aged 45–79. Quadriceps strength was measured by isometric knee extension testing at baseline. Knee joint structural abnormalities, including cartilage damage, bone marrow lesions (BMLs), effusion-synovitis and Hoffa-synovitis, were evaluated by Magnetic Resonance Imaging Osteoarthritis Knee Score (MOAKS) at baseline and 1-year follow-up. Generalized estimating equations were employed to examine the associations between quadriceps strength and knee structural abnormalities. All analyses were stratified by sex. Results One thousand three hundred thirty-eight participants (523 men and 815 women) with a mean age of 61.8 years and a mean BMI of 29.4 kg/m2 were included in this study. For men, no significantly longitudinal association of quadriceps strength with structural abnormalities was detected. In contrast, quadriceps strength was significantly and negatively associated with changes in cartilage damage and BMLs in lateral patellofemoral joint (PFJ) (cartilage damage: OR: 0.91, 95% CI 0.84 to 0.99, P = 0.023; BMLs: OR: 0.85, 95% CI 0.74 to 0.96, P = 0.011) and effusion-synovitis (OR = 0.88, 95% CI 0.78 to 0.99, P = 0.045) among females longitudinally. Higher quadriceps strength was significantly associated with less progression of lateral PFJ cartilage damage, BMLs and effusion-synovitis in females. Conclusions Higher quadriceps strength was associated with changes in cartilage damage and BMLs within the lateral PFJ and effusion-synovitis among females, suggesting the potential protective role of quadriceps strength on joint structures in women.

ObjectiveThis study examined whether sleep disturbance was a mediator between alexithymic traits and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) COVID-19 pandemic-related stress symptoms, and explored whether self-esteem moderated the alexithymic contribution to poor sleep and PTSD symptoms.MethodA representative sample of young adults (N = 2,485) from six universities in Southwest China completed online self-report surveys on alexithymia, sleep, PTSD, self-esteem, sociodemographic information, and health-related behaviors.ResultsHigh alexithymic young adults were found to be more likely to have higher sleep problems and higher PTSD symptoms. The moderated mediation model showed that sleep problems mediated the associations between alexithymia and PTSD symptoms. Alexithymic people with lower self-esteem were more likely to have elevated PTSD symptoms and sleep problems than those with higher self-esteem.ConclusionTargeted psychological interventions for young people who have difficulty expressing and identifying emotions are recommended as these could assist in reducing their post-traumatic psychophysical and psychological problems. Improving self-esteem could also offer some protection for trauma-exposed individuals.

Background: Ischemic stroke, the most common stroke type, has threatened human life and health. Currently, intravenous thrombolysis and endovascular thrombectomy are the mainstream treatment methods, but they may cause cerebral ischemia-reperfusion injury (CIRI), which aggravates brain injury. Consequently, it is worthwhile to start with a study of CIRI mechanism to identify better prevention and treatment methods. Applying single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) technology to further understand the biological functions of various cell types in CIRI will facilitate the intervention of CIRI. Methods: This study aimed to establish a rat middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) model to simulate cerebral ischemia-reperfusion, perform enzymatic hydrolysis, and suspend cerebral cortex tissue edema. Single-cell transcriptome sequencing was used, combined with cluster analysis, t-distributed stochastic neighbor embedding (t-SNE) visualization, and other bioinformatics methods to distinguish cell subgroups while using gene ontology (GO) function enrichment and Kyoto encyclopedia of genes and genomes (KEGG) pathway enrichment to reveal the biological function of each cell subgroup. Results: We identified 21 brain clusters with cell type-specific gene expression patterns and cell subpopulations, as well as 42 marker genes representing different cell subpopulations. The number of cells in clusters 0–3 increased significantly in MCAO group compared to that in the sham group, and nine-cell subpopulations exhibited remarkable differences in the number of genes. Subsequently, GO and KEGG analyses were performed on the top 40 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in the six cell subpopulations with significant differences. These results indicate that biological processes and signaling pathways are involved in different cell subpopulations. Conclusions: ScRNA-seq revealed the diversity of cell differentiation and the unique information of cell subpopulations in the cortex of rats with acute ischemic stroke, providing novel insight into the pathological process and drug discovery in stroke.

Cambodia has exhibited great progress in achieving high coverage in nationally recommended immunizations. As vaccination program managers plan interventions to reach last-mile children, it is important to consider issues of equity immunization priority setting. In this analysis, we apply the VERSE Equity Tool to Cambodia’s Demographic and Health Survey for the years 2004, 2010, and 2014 to evaluate multivariate equity in vaccine coverage for 11 vaccination statuses, emphasizing the results of the 2014 survey for MCV1, DTP3, fully immunized for age (FULL), and zero dose (ZERO). The largest drivers of vaccination inequity are socioeconomic status and the educational attainment of the child’s mother. MCV1, DTP3, and FULL exhibit increasing levels of both coverage and equity with increasing survey years. The national composite Wagstaff concentration index values from the 2014 survey for DTP3, MCV1, ZERO, and FULL are 0.089, 0.068, 0.573, and 0.087, respectively. The difference in vaccination status coverage between the most and least advantaged quintiles of Cambodia’s population, using multivariate ranking criteria, is 23.5% for DTP3, 19.5% for MCV1, 9.1% for ZERO, and 30.3% for FULL. By utilizing these VERSE Equity Tool outputs, immunization program leaders in Cambodia can identify subnational regions in need of targeted interventions.

Previous studies have shown that Huangqi glycoprotein (HQGP) has an anti-inflammatory effect in vitro, and suppressed experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE), an animal model of multiple sclerosis; however, the mechanism underlying its effect is largely unknown. In this manuscript we investigated the mechanisms by which HQGP protect mice from EAE. HQGP was extracted from Astragalus membranaceus and purified by anion-exchange and gel filtration chromatography. HQGP delayed disease onset, reduced disease severity and alleviated inflammation and demyelination in the central nervous system (CNS). Moreover, HQGP reduced the infiltration of pathogenic immune cells and increased the expression of microtubule-associated protein 2 (MAP-2) and neuronal nuclei (NeuN) in the CNS. HQGP treatment also reduced the expression of chemokines such as CCL2 and CCL5 and the production of tumor necrosis factor α (TNF-α), interleukin (IL)-1β, IL-6, but increased the level of IL-10. These results demonstrate that HQGP suppressed EAE development by modulating the immune system and the infiltration of leukocytes to the CNS as well as promoting axon and neural repair.

Host plants play an important role in affecting insect development and reproduction. Understanding the host plant preferences is important for pest control. Thrips flavus Schrank (Thysanoptera: Thripidae) is a worldwide phytophagous pest in Palearctic Asian and European countries. We used a life table analysis to study the development duration, population parameters, and population growth of T. flavus on five plant species, including Solanum melongena (Solanaceae), Capsicum annuum (Solanaceae), Glycine max (Leguminosae), Brassica rapa var. glabra (Cruciferae), and Cucumis sativus (Cucurbitaceae). The results showed that T. flavus can survive and reproduce on Cu. sativus and G. max, which were two potentially suitable host plants. T. flavus preferred to oviposit on Cu. sativus with a shorter duration of development (17.8 days) at 25 °C. Therefore, the host plant was an important factor influencing the development and fecundity of T. flavus populations. These results will improve our understanding of the population dynamics of T. flavus and facilitate the development of more scientific and efficient measures to control thrips.

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a chronic progressive neurodegenerative disease. Its mechanism is still not clear. Majority of research focused on the central nervous system (CNS) changes, while few studies emphasize on peripheral immune system modulation. Our study aimed to investigate the regulation of the peripheral immune system and its relationship to the severity of the disease after treatment in an AD model of APPswe/PSEN1dE9 transgenic (APP/PS1 Tg) mice. APP/PS1 Tg mice (8 months old) were treated with the ROCK-II inhibitor 1-(5-isoquinolinesulfonyl)-homo-piperazine (Fasudil) (intraperitoneal (i.p.) injections, 25 mg/kg/day), bone marrow stromal cells (BMSCs; caudal vein injections, 1 × 106 BMSCs /time/mouse), Fasudil combined with BMSCs, or saline (i.p., control) for 2 months. Morris water maze (MWM) test was used to evaluate learning and memory. The mononuclear cells (MNCs) of spleens of APP/PS1 Tg mice were analyzed using flow cytometry for CD4+ T-cells, macrophages, and the pro-inflammatory and anti-inflammatory molecules of the macrophages. Immunohistochemical staining was used to examine the expression of ROCK-II in the spleens of APP/PS1 Tg mice. The MWM test showed improved spatial learning ability in APP/PS1 Tg mice treated with Fasudil or BMSCs alone or in combination, compared to untreated APP/PS1 Tg mice. Fasudil combined with BMSCs intervention significantly promoted the proliferation of CD4+/CD25+ and CD4+/ IL-10 lymphocytes, induced the release of cytokine factors, and regulated the balance of the immune system to work functionally. It also shifted M1 (MHC-II, CD86) to M2 (IL-10, CD206) phenotype of macrophages of CD11b and significantly enhanced the anti-inflammatory and phagocytic abilities (CD16/32) of macrophages of CD11b. Immunohistochemical staining showed significantly decreased expression of ROCK-II in mice treated with combination of Fasudil with BMSCs as compared to saline control. Fasudil in combination of BMSCs improved cognition of APP/PS1 Tg mice through the regulation of the peripheral immune system, including reduction of ROCK-II expression and increased proportion of anti-inflammatory M2 mononuclear phenotype and phagocytic macrophages in the spleen of the peripheral immune system. The latter was achieved through the communication between brain and spleen to improve the immunoregulation of CNS and AD disease conditions.

ObjectiveTo determine whether robot-assisted gait training (RAGT) is more effective in improving mobility, endurance, gait performance, and balance in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) compared with conventional walking rehabilitation treatment (CWT).Data sourcesSources included the Cochrane Library, PubMed, Embase, and Science Direct databases.Review methodAll possible articles were retrieved by two independent investigators and relevant articles were gathered. Studies on adult patients (older than 19 years old) suffering from MS were included, regardless the subtype of MS diagnosis. Finally, we identified seven studies that comprised 205 patients with MS.ResultsWe identified seven studies comprising 205 patients with MS in our meta-analysis. The pooled mean difference (MD) for the six-minute walk test (6MWT) was 14.25 [95% confidence interval (CI) 3.19 to 25.32, Z = 2.53, P = 0.01, I2 = 54%], which indicates that RAGT is superior to CWT on improving endurance. No significant improvement on using RAGT was found regarding the Berg Balance Scale (MD = −0.59, 95% CI: −2.7 to 1.52, Z = 0.55, P = 0.58, I2 = 51%), 10-meter walk test [standard mean difference (SMD) = 0.03, 95% CI: −0.26 to 0.31, Z = 0.18, P = 0.86, I2 = 48%] timed up and go (TUG) test (MD = −1.04, 95% CI: −8.68 to 6.60, Z = 0.27, P = 0.79), or stride length (SMD = 0.36, 95% CI: −0.13 to 0.85, Z = 0.73, P = 0.15).ConclusionWe can conclude that RAGT can bring more benefits on improving 6MWT among MS patients, but it is not enough to make a clinically significance conclusion. Considering the limitation of our study, it takes reservations about recommending all MS patients to take RAGT as primary rehabilitation intervention. Unless patients with progressive MS can take conventional rehabilitation in early time, RAGT would be a suitable substitute.

In this study, a novel, rapid and ultrasensitive fluorescence strategy using the three-dimensional (3D) dynamic DNA walker (DW)-induced branched hybridization chain reaction (bHCR) has been proposed for the detection of ampicillin (AMP). The sensing system was composed of an Nt·Bbvcl-powered DNA walker blocked by an AMP aptamer, hairpin-shaped DNA track probe (TP) and four kinds of metastable hairpin probes as the substrates of bHCR, which triggered the formation of the split G-quadruplex as the signal molecule. Due to the reasonable design, the specific binding between AMP and its aptamer activated the DW, and the DW moved on the surface of the gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) with the help of Nt·Bbvcl to produce primer probes (PPs), which induced bHCR. The products of the bHCR gathered two split G-quadruplex sequences together to form one complete G-quadruplex. The formed G-quadruplex emitted a strong fluorescence signal in the presence of thioflavin-T (ThT) to achieve the purpose of detecting AMP. The sensitivity of this method was greatly improved by the use of the 3D DNA walker and bHCR. The split G-quadruplex enhanced the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR). Under the optimal experimental conditions, a good correlation was obtained between the fluorescence intensity of the sensing system and the concentration of AMP ranging from 5 pM to 500 nM with a limit of detection (LOD) of 3.68 pM. Simultaneously, the method has been applied to the detection of antibiotics in spiked milk samples with satisfactory results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]