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One year seedlings of Ziziphus jujuba var. spinosa were used as test material, the pot water control method was used, and 4 treatments including 80% (suitable water, CK), 60% (light stress, L), 40% (moderate drought, M), and 20% (severe drought, S) soil moisture content were set up to simulate different levels of drought stress. The relative water content, peroxidation product content, antioxidant enzymes activities and chlorophyll fluorescence parameters and other physiological characteristics of Z. jujuba var. spinosa seedlings under different drought stresses were investigated. The results showed that with the increase of drought stress level, the relative water content of leaves of Z. jujuba var. spinosa seedlings generally showed a decreasing trend; the malondialdehyde (MDA) content of Z. jujuba var. spinosa seedlings showed an increased trend; the free proline (Pro) content increased, as well as the activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD), peroxidase (POD) and catalase (CAT). The photosynthetic fluorescence characteristics of Z. jujuba var. spinosa seedlings were influenced by drought stress significantly. Under the drought stress, the initial fluorescence (Fo) and non-photochemical quenching coefficient (qN) increased significantly, while the maximum fluorescence (Fm), photochemical quenching coefficient (qP), maximum photochemical efficiency PSII (Fv/Fm) and actual photochemical efficiency (ΦPSII) were significantly reduced. Drought stress had significant effects on the physiological indexes of Z. jujuba var. spinosa seedlings. The physiological indexes including activities of antioxidant enzymes and osmotic adjustment substances content of Z. jujuba var. spinosa seedlings were regulated in response to the drought stress. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights Natural fiber/resin composites exhibit poor fiber–matrix compatibility and easy combustion. In this study, jute‐fiber‐reinforced epoxy resin was used to prepare composite materials by adding marine shell powder, which is a natural non‐combustible inorganic filler that originates from a variety of sources. The morphology, composition, thermal stability, combustion performance, and mechanical properties of the prepared composites were tested using several characterization methods. The results show that the marine shell powder was evenly distributed in the epoxy resin and did not affect the adhesion between the epoxy resin and the jute fiber. When 20% marine shell powder (SMJF20) was added to the jute‐fiber‐reinforced epoxy resin composite, the pyrolytic residual content was 21.88% (60.2% higher than that without), and the maximum heat release rate was 350.75 kW/m2 (22.8% lower than that without). The total heat release and total smoke release of SMJF20 were also 13.9% and 30% lower than that of MJF, respectively. The addition of marine shell powder did not significantly affect the tensile strength, whereas the tensile modulus of SMJF20 increased by approximately 13.9%, the fracture strain decreased by approximately 13.4%, and the bending strength and modulus decreased by approximately 12.9% and 13.0%, respectively. Marine shell powder is an ideal biomass filler for jute‐fiber‐reinforced epoxy resins. Jute‐fiber‐epoxy composites fortified with non‐combustible marine shell powder. Effective filler distribution without compromising epoxy‐jute fiber adhesion. 20% marine shell powder significantly reduces heat release and smoke release. Tensile strength unaffected; tensile modulus and residual content increased. Marine shell powder proves ideal for enhancing epoxy resin with jute fibers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: The management of patients with low-grade cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN1) remains controversial. We analyzed the pathological upgrading rates of patients with CIN1 undergoing conization, identifying influencing factors, and compared their outcomes to those of patients with CIN1 receiving follow-up only., Methods: This retrospective study included 466 patients with CIN1 confirmed by histopathology and treated with conization. Postoperative pathological upgrading was determined and its influencing factors were identified. We also analyzed post-conization outcomes, examining the rate of persistent/recurrent CIN1 and its influencing factors, and comparing these results to those of patients receiving follow-up only., Results: The pathological upgrading rate of patients with CIN1 after conization was 21.03% (98/466), and the influencing factors were preoperative high-risk human papillomavirus (HR-HPV) infection and cytological results. The upgrading rates of HR-HPV positive and negative patients were 22.05% and 0.00%, respectively ( χ 2 = 5.03, P =0.03). The upgrading rate of patients with cytological results negative for intraepithelial lesion malignancy was 10.94%, while the upgrading rates of atypical squamous cells, cannot exclude high-grade lesion(ASC-H) and high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesion(HSIL) groups were 47.37% and 52.94%, respectively ( χ 2 = 22.7, P =0.03). Persistent/recurrent CIN1 rates in the conization group were 21.24%, 15.97%, and 6.67% at 6, 12, and 24 months, respectively, significantly lower than those in the follow-up only group. The CIN2 progression rate in the conization group (0.26%) during the 24-month follow-up period was also significantly lower than that in the follow-up only group (15.15%; χ 2 = 51.68, P <0.01). The only factor influencing postoperative persistent/recurrent CIN1 was preoperative HR-HPV status. No patients who were HR-HPV negative preoperatively exhibited persistent/recurrent CIN1, compared with 25.55% of those who were HR-HPV positive preoperatively ( χ 2 = 4.40, P =0.04)., Discussion: The risk of progression to CIN2+ in the medium term is higher in patients with CIN1 receiving follow-up than in those undergoing conization. Doctors should refer to the guidelines but comprehensively consider age, fertility requirements, preoperative HR-HPV and cytological results, follow-up conditions, and other factors to select the most appropriate treatment strategy for patients with CIN1., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted without any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as potential conflicts of interest., (Copyright © 2024 Guo, Cai, Peng, Wang, Li, Zou, Guo, Wang, Wu and Ma.)

Chronic enteritis can produce an excess of reactive oxygen species resulting in cellular damage. Stanniocalcin-1(STC-1) reportedly possesses anti-oxidative activity, the aim of this study was to define more clearly the direct contribution of STC-1 to anti-oxidative stress in cattle. In this study, primary intestinal epithelial cells (IECs) were exposed to hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) for different time intervals to mimic chronic enteritis-induced cellular damage. Prior to treatment with 200 µM H2O2, the cells were transfected with a recombinant plasmid for 48 h to over-express STC-1. Acridine orange/ ethidium bromide (AO/EB) double staining and trypan blue exclusion assays were then performed to measure cell viability and apoptosis of the cells, respectively. The expression of STC-1 and apoptosis-related proteins in the cells was monitored by real-time PCR and Western blotting. The results indicated that both STC-1 mRNA and protein expression levels positively correlated with the duration of H2O2 treatment. H2O2 damaged the bovine IECs in a time-dependent manner, and this effect was attenuated by STC-1 over-expression. Furthermore, over- expression of STC-1 up-regulated Bcl-2 protein expression and slightly down-regulated caspase-3 production in the damaged cells. Findings from this study suggested that STC-1 plays a protective role in intestinal cells through an antioxidant mechanism.