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Pathological cardiac hypertrophy, a common feature in various cardiovascular diseases, can be more effectively managed through combination therapies using natural compounds. Harmine, a β‐carboline alkaloid found in plants, possesses numerous pharmacological functions, including alleviating cardiac hypertrophy. Similarly, Selenomethionine (SE), a primary organic selenium source, has been shown to mitigate cardiac autophagy and alleviate injury. To explores the therapeutic potential of combining Harmine with SE to treat cardiac hypertrophy. The synergistic effects of SE and harmine against cardiac hypertrophy were assessed in vitro with angiotensin II (AngII)‐induced hypertrophy and in vivo using a Myh6R404Q mouse model. Co‐administration of SE and harmine significantly reduced hypertrophy‐related markers, outperforming monotherapies. Transcriptomic and metabolic profiling revealed substantial alterations in key metabolic and signalling pathways, particularly those involved in energy metabolism. Notably, the combination therapy led to a marked reduction in the activity of key glycolytic enzymes. Importantly, the addition of the glycolysis inhibitor 2‐deoxy‐D‐glucose (2‐DG) did not further potentiate these effects, suggesting that the antihypertrophic action is predominantly mediated through glycolytic inhibition. These findings highlight the potential of SE and harmine as a promising combination therapy for the treatment of cardiac hypertrophy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rehmannia glutinosa is widely recognized as a prominent medicinal herb employed by practitioners across various generations for the purpose of fortifying kidney yin. Within Rehmannia glutinosa, the compound known as catalpol (CAT) holds significant importance as a bioactive constituent. However, the protective effects of CAT on kidneys, including ameliorative effects on chronic kidney disease — most prominently renal anemia and renal fibrosis — have not been clearly defined. In this study, the kidney injury model of NRK-52E cells and C57BL/6N male mice was prepared by exposure to aristolochic acid I (AA-I), and it was discovered that CAT could ameliorate oxidative stress injury, inflammatory injury, apoptosis, renal anemia, renal fibrosis, and other renal injuries both in vivo and in vitro. Further treatment of NRK-52E cells with Nrf2 inhibitors (ML385) and activators (ML334), as well as NF-κB inhibitors (PDTC), validated CAT's ability to target Nrf2 activation. Furthermore, the expression of phosphorylated NF-κB p65, IL-6, and Cleaved-Caspase3 protein was inhibited. CAT also inhibited NF-κB, and then inhibited the expression of IL-6, p-STAS3, TGF-β1 protein. Therefore, CAT can regulate Nrf2/NF-κB signaling pathway, significantly correct renal anemia and renal fibrosis, and is conducive to the preservation of renal structure and function, thus achieving a protective effect on the kidneys. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and purpose: Intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) is a widely used radiotherapy technique in whole breast irradiation. Therefore, planning target volume (PTV), with appropriate margins from clinical target volume (CTV), would adequately account for the setup uncertainty. However, it is still controversial regarding whether the protocol-required margin around the CTV adequately accounts for setup inaccuracies. The aim of this study was to determine the impacts of patient characteristics on the magnitude of geometric setup errors in patients with breast cancer and to obtain individualized PTV margins. Methods: A total of 97 patients treated with IMRT after breast-conserving surgery in Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center from January 2019 to December 2019 were reviewed. Cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) scan records were used to analyze setup errors. The impacts of patient characteristics on setup errors were also analyzed, including age, tumor location, body mass index (BMI), chest circumference and breast volume. Population in the two groups was compared in terms of distribution of the median patient characteristics, and individualized PTV margins were obtained. Results: The BMI, chest circumference and breast volume showed moderate positive correlation with superior-inferior (Pearson=0.40, P

In order to explore the status of soil heavy metal pollution and environmental quality in west Hunan, relevant areas of Phoenix County were selected as the study area. Using data from 440 soil samples collected in the study area from June to August 2022, the pH value of the soil and contents of eight heavy metal elements, namely, As, Cd, Cr, Cu, Hg, Ni, Pb, and Zn, were analyzed. The PMF model was used for traceability analysis and geochemical evaluation of soil environmental quality. The results showed that the average values of soil heavy metals ω (Zn), ω (Cr), ω (Pb), ω (Ni), ω (Cu), ω (As) , ω (Cd), and ω (Hg) were 81.02, 64.67, 31.63, 29.27, 25.52, 9.93, 0.28, and 0.13 mg·kg -1 , respectively. The soil in the study area was mainly weakly acidic, and the contents of the Cd and Hg elements were relatively high compared to the national soil background values and were highly variable. The contents of the Hg and Cd elements in forest land were higher than that in other land uses. The PMF model results showed that the contribution rates of heavy metal pollution sources in the study area were mining sources (37.4%), atmospheric sedimentation sources (7.7%), natural sources (41.1%), and agricultural activity sources (13.8%) and provided suggestions on pollution control measures according to the spatial distribution of the four types of pollution sources. Through the comprehensive assessment of soil environmental geochemistry, the study area was divided into three types of plots, namely, non-risk areas (94.27 km 2 ), accounting for 76.38%; risk-controllable areas (27.45 km 2 ), accounting for 22.24%; and high-risk areas (1.7 km 2 ), accounting for 1.38%. This study provided data support for the prevention and control measures of land pollution in the research area, as well as the delineation of the prevention and control scope.

The naturally high background value region of Cd derived from the weathering of carbonate has received wide attention. Due to the significant difference in soil physicochemical properties, soil Cd content, and bioavailability of different parent materials in the karst area, there are certain limitations in using the total soil Cd content to classify the environmental quality of cultivated land. In this study, surface soil and maize samples of eluvium and alluvial parent material in typical karst areas were collected systematically; the contents of maize Cd, soil Cd, pH, and oxides were analyzed, the Cd geochemical characteristics of different parent soils and the influencing factors of their bioavailability were revealed, and scientific and effective arable land use zoning suggestions based on the prediction model were suggested. The results showed that the physicochemical properties of different parent material soils in the karst area were obviously different. The alluvial parent material soil had low Cd content but high bioavailability, and the maize Cd exceeding rate was high. The maize Cd bioaccumulation factor was significantly negatively correlated with soil CaO, pH, Mn, and TC, and the correlation coefficients were -0.385, -0.620, -0.484, and -0.384, respectively. Compared with the multiple linear regression prediction model, using the random forest model to predict the maize Cd enrichment coefficient had higher accuracy and precision. Furthermore, a new scheme for the safe utilization of cultivated land at the plot scale based on soil Cd and predicted crop Cd content was proposed in this study, making full use of arable land resources to ensure crop safety.