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Background: The concurrent effects of particulate matter (PM) on both blood pressure (BP) and short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) are insufficiently explored, with limited research on the potential mediating roles of SCFAs. Methods: In this prospective panel study with 4 follow-ups, we recruited 40 college students in Hefei, China, to assess the impacts of short-term exposure to PM (aerodynamic diameter ≤10 μm (PM10), ≤2.5 μm (PM2.5), and ≤1 μm (PM1)) on BP and SCFAs, along with potential mechanisms. Real-time PM data, urinary SCFAs levels, and BP indicators were systematically collected. Linear mixed-effects models assessed the relationships between PM, SCFAs, and BP. Mediation analyses explored SCFAs’ mediating role in the PM-BP association. Results: PM exposure was positively linked to BP and negatively associated with SCFAs. For a 10 μg/m3 rise in PM10 at lag 0–72 h, there were notable reductions of 0.0019 % (95 %CI: −0.0028, −0.0010) in Acetic acid, 0.0262 % (-0.0369, −0.0155) in Propionic acid, and 0.0702 % (-0.1025, −0.0378) in Butyric acid. Systolic BP, diastolic BP, and mean arterial pressure (MAP) increased by 2.60 mmHg (0.96, 4.25), 2.24 mmHg (1.18, 3.31), and 2.36 mmHg (1.20, 3.53), respectively, per 10-μg/m3 rise in PM1 at lag 0–24 h. Decreased SCFAs levels explained significant portions (24.69–31.80 %) of the elevated MAP due to PM10. Stronger associations were found in females and individuals with abnormal BMI. Conclusions: Our study shows that PM exposure decreases urinary SCFAs levels, which partially mediate the impact of PM on elevated BP. These findings enhance our comprehension of the pathways linking PM exposure to BP changes.

IntroductionSmall bowel capsule endoscopy is a first-line examination method for small bowel diseases, which can find small intestinal lumen and mucosal lesions.MethodsWe retrospectively assessed patients who underwent small bowel capsule endoscopy between September 2020 and May 2023 to examine their clinical and small bowel capsule endoscopic data, aiming to provide insights into the application of this technique in pediatric patients with small intestinal diseases.ResultsAll instances of capsule retention were successfully resolved through enteroscopy. Of the 1140 children who completed the capsule endoscopy, 97.46% (1111/1140) underwent a comprehensive examination of the entire small intestine without experiencing any discomfort. Capsule endoscopy yielded abnormal findings in 672 cases, with a positive detection rate of 58.95%. Among the positive results, intestinal mucosal inflammatory lesions were the most prevalent, occurring in 292 cases (43.45%), followed by ulcerative or erosive lesions in 236 cases (35.12%), diverticulum in 54 cases (8.04%), and vascular lesions in 30 cases (4.46%). Lymphangiectasis was observed in 16 cases (2.38%). The distribution of positive lesions did not exhibit significant gender-based differences, but there were variations among different age groups. Among all children who completed the small bowel capsule endoscopy, the most frequently reported symptom was abdominal pain (815/1140 cases, 71.49%), followed by 130 cases (11.40%) of bloody stools or melena.DiscussionSmall bowel capsule endoscopy is well-tolerated and safe in children, carrying significant clinical importance for diagnosing abdominal pain and obscure gastrointestinal bleeding in pediatric patients.

Recently, rapid economic development of the Yangtze River Economic Belt region in China and the growing problem of regional habitat quality have seriously threatened the process of biodiversity conservation in the Yangtze River Basin. Studying the impact of changes in landscape pattern indexes on habitat quality in the Yangtze River Economic Belt can provide policy insights for biodiversity conservation in the Yangtze River Basin. However, existing studies are still lacking in exploring the effects of changing landscape pattern indices on habitat quality under future scenarios. Based on the land use data of the Yangtze River Economic Belt from 2000 to 2020, this study simulates the land use situation in 2030, and analyzes the landscape pattern indexes and habitat quality during the 30 years, to investigate the impact of landscape pattern indexes on habitat quality at global and local scales through various methods. The results show that landscape patterns were significantly affected by human activities and land use types, with the Yangtze River Economic Belt experiencing increased levels of land use and structural stabilization during the three decades (Shannon Diversity Index increased from 0.90 in 2000 to 0.94 in 2030), fragmentation of the landscape (Landscape fragmentation index increase from 0.094 in 2000 to 0.102 in 2030), and weakened connectivity (contagion index decrease from 48.213 in 2000 to 45.437 in 2030). The Habitat Quality has a large variation in spatial distribution at the county scale, with an average change in habitat quality of 1.04 % from 2000 to 2030, and an overall downward trend. There is a strong localized spatial autocorrelation between landscape pattern indices and habitat quality, with significant spatial heterogeneity and some form of variability at time scales. The results of this study help to further understand the eco-environmental problems of the Yangtze River Economic Belt, and provide theoretical references for the formulation of ecological environmental protection policies and ecological functional area planning.

The Yangtze and Yellow River basins (YYRB) are renowned for possessing the capacity to provide ecological protection. Rapid socioeconomic development poses severe threats to the ecosystem health. Therefore, scientific exploration of the regional differences in the ecosystem health driving factors is important to achieve healthy urbanization, ecological civilization construction, and high-quality regional development in the YYRB. However, existing literatures lacked an in-depth exploration of the differences in the driving factors of ecosystem health in the YYRB. Based on multi-source data, this study measured the spatiotemporal patterns and analyzed the spatiotemporal variation characteristics, and examined regional differences of ecosystem health in the YYRB. The results indicated that during 2000–2020, the overall ecosystem health index (EHI) of the Yangtze River Basin (YTRB) was higher than that of the Yellow River Basin (YLRB). The middle YLRB were considered the main areas for ecosystem health recovery. The EHI of both basins exhibited significant spatial dependence. The spatial imbalance of EHI in YLRB was greater than that in YTRB. The spatial regression models can better explain the spatial relationship between driving factors and EHI, and the geographically weighted regression model demonstrated the spatial heterogeneity of influence factors. This study can provide a scientific decision-making reference for improving the ecosystem protection of the YYRB. It also serves as a basis for formulating macro-control strategies and differentiated control measures.

ABSTRACT: Quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa) has earned special attention worldwide due to its higher nutritional value and its adaptive ability to contrasting environments. Here, it was explored how quinoa seed germination is regulated. CqNLP1 gene was identified and cloned due to its higher expression level in quinoa seeds. The role of CqNLP1 in seed germination was studied based on model species as Arabidopsis sp. The function of NO3 - during seed germination of quinoa was analyzed. The results showed CqNLP1 gene can restore the germination rate of Arabidopsis mutant nlp8-1 and nlp8-2 strains, suggesting that CqNLP1 gene plays an important role in promoting seed germination. Appropriate level of NO3 - could improve the germination rate of quinoa seeds, promote the decomposition and utilization of soluble protein and ABA, increase the expression level of CqNLP1 and CYP707A2 during germination. The optimal NO3 - concentration to promote seed germination is 1mM.

Introduction: Clostridium perfringens sepsis is a rare but serious clinical syndrome that is typically triggered by gastrointestinal disorders. We present a case of bloodstream infection caused by Clostridium perfringens in a liver cancer patient after comprehensive multicourse treatment. Case presentations: The patient, a 68-year-old male, experienced nausea, decreased appetite, and abdominal distension on the 15th day after receiving comprehensive multicourse treatment and transcatheter arterial chemoembolization (TACE). During admission, he developed fever, and blood culture results confirmed the presence of Clostridium perfringens. The patient was discharged with improved symptoms. Conclusion: Our findings underscore the rarity of Clostridium perfringens sepsis. For liver cancer patients, particularly those who have undergone TACE or radiofrequency ablation and who experience post treatment fever, vigilance for Clostridium perfringens bloodstream infection is crucial. Timely diagnostic assessments and proactive treatment can significantly enhance the survival prospects of these patients.

Abstract Background Complement component 3a and its receptor (C3a/C3aR) and the nucleotide-binding oligomerization domain-like receptor protein-3 (NLRP3) inflammasome contribute to epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT). However, the relationship between C3a/C3aR and the NLRP3 inflammasome in EMT remains unclear. This study aimed to elucidate the roles of C3a/C3aR and the NLRP3 inflammasome involved in TGF-β-induced EMT. Method Mouse renal tubular epithelial cells (TCMK-1) were exposed to C3a and TGF-β for 48 h. C3aR antagonist, MCC950, an inhibitor of the NLRP3 inflammasome and PD98059, an inhibitor of ERK signaling, were respectively applied to pretreat the cells at 30 min before C3a and TGF-β administration.The cells were collected for western blot, immunofluorescence staining and ELISA. Unilateral ureteral obstruction (UUO) models were established using male C57BL/6 wild-type (WT) mice and age-matched C3aR-deficient mice. MCC950 was intraperitoneally injected in UUO mice. Kidney samples were collected for immunohistochemistry staining. Results In vitro, C3a synergized with TGF-β to promote EMT and the activation of the NLRP3 inflammasome. Inhibition of C3aR attenuated EMT and the activation of the NLRP3 inflammasome. Inhibition of the NLRP3 inflammasome alleviated EMT but didn’t affect the expression of C3aR. Inhibition of ERK signaling inhibited the activation of the NLRP3 inflammasome. In vivo, the expression of IL-1β was significantly higher in UUO mice compared to the sham-operated mice. C3aR deficiency and inhibition of the NLRP3 Inflammasome contributed to decreased IL-1β in UUO mice. Conclusion Our data revealed that C3a/C3aR synergies with TGF-β to activate the NLRP3 inflammasome to promote epithelial-mesenchymal transition of renal tubular epithelial cells through ERK signaling, and the way in which C3aR activates the inflammasome is to promote the assembly of the NLRP3 inflammasome.

The redistribution of cropland to areas of higher elevation in China has long affected agricultural development and could seriously threaten national food security. However, there is currently little research reported on this phenomenon, which may limit the improvement of cropland protection policies. To fill this gap, we analyzed the spatiotemporal characteristics and driving mechanisms of increased cropland elevation in China during the period 1980–2020. The average cropland elevation in China increased by 17.38 m from 1980 to 2020. The gravity center of the cropland area and average cropland elevation in China moved to the northwest by 81.00 km and 51.47 km, respectively. The amount of newly added cropland in eastern China was less than that in occupied regions; however, the average elevation of newly added cropland was greater than that of occupied cropland, though the opposite phenomenon was observed in western China. Slope, temperature, land-use intensity, population, economic density, and distance to main roads were the main factors affecting the redistribution of cropland to areas of higher elevation. The effects of these major driving factors exhibited significant spatial and temporal variations in China. This study has important implications for improving existing cropland protection policies and developing more effective cropland management systems in China.

Urban agglomerations (UAs), which play a significant role in socioeconomic development and urbanization, are confronted with mounting ecological stress and a profound global imbalance in ecosystem services (ES). Understanding the conflict and coordination of knowledge about ES supply and demand (ESSD) can facilitate more efficacious guidance on the ecological sustainable development of UAs. Nevertheless, the characteristics of the conflict and coordination relationship between ESSD in Chinese UAs remain unclear, and further investigation into the interactive coercive relationship between ESSD is warranted. Consequently, we employed spatial regression and coupled coordination models to elucidate the conflict and coordination relationship between ESSD, utilizing multi-source data on Chinese UAs from 2000 to 2020. We found that ES supply in the UAs decreased, while ES demand increased. Furthermore, the coupling coordination degree between ESSD demonstrated an increase trend. The overall coupling coordination degrees between ESSD in UAs were 0.260, 0.285, and 0.311 in 2000, 2010, and 2020, respectively. The central UAs were identified as stress areas, whereas the peripheral areas were classified as non-stress areas. This study offered valuable insights into the interactive relationship between ESSD in UAs and provided a basis for formulating differentiated policies for the sustainable development of ecosystems and human activities.

Cancer, with its diversity, heterogeneity, and complexity, is a significant contributor to global morbidity, disability, and mortality, highlighting the necessity for transformative treatment approaches. Photodynamic therapy (PDT) has aroused continuous interest as a viable alternative to conventional cancer treatments that encounter drug resistance. Nanotechnology has brought new advances in medicine and has shown great potential in drug delivery and cancer treatment. For precise and efficient therapeutic utilization of such a tumor therapeutic approach with high spatiotemporal selectivity and minimal invasiveness, the carrier-free noncovalent nanoparticles (NPs) based on chemo-photodynamic combination therapy is essential. Utilizing natural products as the foundation for nanodrug development offers unparalleled advantages, including exceptional pharmacological activity, easy functionalization/modification, and well biocompatibility. The natural-product-based, carrier-free, noncovalent NPs revealed excellent synergistic anticancer activity in comparison with free photosensitizers and free bioactive natural products, representing an alternative and favorable combination therapeutic avenue to improve therapeutic efficacy. Herein, a comprehensive summary of current strategies and representative application examples of carrier-free noncovalent NPs in the past decade based on natural products (such as paclitaxel, 10-hydroxycamptothecin, doxorubicin, etoposide, combretastatin A4, epigallocatechin gallate, and curcumin) for tumor chemo-photodynamic combination therapy. We highlight the insightful design and synthesis of the smart carrier-free NPs that aim to enhance PDT efficacy. Meanwhile, we discuss the future challenges and potential opportunities associated with these NPs to provide new enlightenment, spur innovative ideas, and facilitate PDT-mediated clinical transformation.

It is crucial to scientifically assess China's rural revitalization and grasp its evolution laws. This paper constructs an indicator system to measure the level of rural revitalization in China from 2011 to 2021 using the entropy weight method. Then, we explore the spatial and temporal divergence and dynamic evolutionary characteristics of rural revitalization using the Dagum Gini coefficient and Kernel density. We found that the level of rural revitalization in China is low but fluctuating and increasing. Regionally, eastern China scores higher than central, western and northeastern China. In terms of dimensions, ecological livability scores are higher than prosperous industry, effective governance, affluent living and civilized countryside in that order. The regional differences in the level of rural revitalization are mainly reflected between regions, especially between eastern and western China, but the gap between regions is narrowing year by year. And the results of the Kernel density show that the level of rural revitalization in China shows a slow and balanced growth, but the eastern China shows a polarization growth. These findings can provide a comprehensive and objective outline of the advantages and shortcomings of rural revitalization development in China, and provide a policy reference for the comprehensive and stable promotion of rural revitalization construction.

Urban agglomerations (UAs) are the main battlefield of urbanization and the most concentrated areas of carbon emissions (CEs). Nevertheless, limited studies have examined the impact of urbanization level (UL) on CEs in UAs in China. This study aimed to identify the spatial relationship between UL and CEs in Chinese UAs and to conduct a comprehensive analysis of the differences in CEs caused by urbanization. The findings would provide scientific support for the China’s dual-carbon goals and the achievement of green and low-carbon urban development. Spatial variations in UL and CEs in 19 Chinese UAs were assessed in 2000, 2010, and 2020 using distribution dynamics and spatial regression models. The results indicated that the UL of UAs in China evidently increased over time, and UAs contributed approximately 80% of the national CEs. Significant spatial dependence was identified between urbanization factors and CEs. The regression results indicated that an increase in UL promoted the growth of CEs, and the form of the urban land had a significant and highly variable impact on CEs. Our findings provide a valuable case study for exploring relationships between UL and CEs in other UAs worldwide.

Lytic polysaccharide monooxygenases (LPMOs) are copper-dependent enzymes that catalyze the oxidative cleavage of recalcitrant polysaccharides. There are limited reports on LPMOs capable of concurrently catalyzing the oxidative cleavage of both cellulose and chitin. In this study, we identified and cloned a novel LPMO from the newly isolated bacterium Chitinilyticum aquatile CSC-1, designated as CaLPMO10. When using 2, 6-dimethylphenol (2, 6-DMP) as the substrate, CaLPMO10 exhibited optimal activity at 50 °C and pH 8, demonstrating good temperature stability at 30 °C. Even after a 6 h incubation at pH 8 and 30 °C, CaLPMO10 retained approximately 83.03 ± 1.25% residual enzyme activity. Most metal ions were found to enhance the enzyme activity of CaLPMO10, with ascorbic acid identified as the optimal reducing agent. Mass spectrometry analysis indicated that CaLPMO10 displayed oxidative activity towards both chitin and cellulose, identifying it as a C1/C4-oxidized LPMO. CaLPMO10 shows promise as a key enzyme for the efficient utilization of biomass resources in future applications.

Globally, natural habitats have suffered tremendous damage from human activities, a phenomenon that is increasingly evident in basin regions. The management of natural habitats in basin regions is dependent on understanding of the various impacts of human activities on these ecosystems. Despite the various studies that have been conducted on the effects of human activities on habitats in basin regions, there is still a lot of doubt regarding the impact of these activities on the quality of basin ecosystems. To fill this gap, this study employs a series of spatial analysis methods and logistic regression modeling to delve into the spatial and temporal patterns of human activities and habitat quality in the Yangtze River Basin (YRB) as well as the differences in the impacts of human activities on habitat quality in the sub-basins of the YRB. The findings indicate a 0.408% decline in the overall environmental quality of the YRB area from 2000 to 2020, accompanied by a 15.396% surge in human activities. Notably, the southeastern Qilian Mountains and the mountainous regions in the northwestern sector of the Sichuan Basin emerge as pivotal areas for habitat quality restoration. Conversely, the southwestern Qilian Mountains and the urban clusters in the Yangtze River Delta (YRD) face significant habitat quality deterioration. Spatial regression analyses reveal a noteworthy trend: the burgeoning human activities in the Yangtze River region pose a substantial threat to habitat recovery efforts. Further differential analyses focusing on the upper, middle, and lower basin segments underscore that human activities exert the most pronounced impact on habitat quality within the lower basin region, while the upper basin experiences the least influence. The implications of this study are manifold. It furnishes valuable policy insights for the comprehensive management and targeted preservation of habitats across the YRB. By delineating areas of habitat restoration and degradation and highlighting the differential impacts of human activities across basin segments, this research lays a solid foundation for informed decision making in habitat conservation and ecosystem management within the YRB.

Abstract China's agricultural civilization had left numerous traditional villages (TVs) containing rich historical information and cultural landscape. Exploration the spatial agglomeration characteristics of TVs and their influencing factors is essential for the sustainable development, utilization, and protection of TVs in China. However, previous studies lacked a comprehensive analysis of the spatial distribution of TVs and their driving factors, especially at the national scale. To fill this gap, this study analyzed the spatial agglomeration characteristics and influencing factors of five batches of TVs in China during 2012–2019. The results show that TVs in China were mainly located east of the Hu Line, that is, in the southern and eastern regions of China. The spatial distribution of TVs had significant clustering characteristics, and the gravity center was mainly distributed in central China, and the compactness of the spatial distribution of TVs increased from the first to the fifth batches. The TVs were mainly located at low elevations, northern slope aspect, warm and humid areas. Ferralisol and cultivated vegetation were the main soil and vegetation types in most TVs. TVs tended to be more numerous in the vicinity of low economic development levels, low population density, and rivers. In addition, TVs had a significant correlation with intangible cultural heritage. The results of this study could provide scientific guidance for heritage protection and sustainable development of TVs.

Conclusion: Our findings suggest that the CASP1 and LYZ genes may serve as potential diagnostic biomarkers for diabetic tubulointerstitial injury. Furthermore, NRGs involved in diabetic tubulointerstitial injury could emerge as prospective targets for the diagnosis and treatment of DKD.

Abstract The Yangtze River Basin (YRB) is the birthplace of Chinese civilization and is rich in traditional village resources. Studying their spatial distribution characteristics and influencing factors can guide the protection, inheritance, and development of traditional villages in YRB. This study takes 5 batches of 3346 traditional villages in YRB since 2012 as the research object. Using the nearest neighbor index, kernel density analysis, standard deviation ellipse, and Geodetector model, we analyzed the spatial distribution characteristics of traditional villages in YRB and detected their influencing factors. The results show that the distribution of traditional villages in YRB exhibited a spatial pattern of cohesive clusters, forming a high-density area and development center in the junction zone between Guizhou and Hunan provinces and southeast of Anhui Province, and secondary-density areas in Northeast Yunnan Province and east Jiangxi Province. The results of the Geodetector show that the formation of the spatial distribution pattern of traditional villages in YRB is affected by the combined effects of natural and socio-economic factors, among which elevation and NDVI were the main factors, and the interaction of multiple factors showed an enhanced trend. The findings of this study can provide scientific decision-making support for the development and protection of traditional villages in YRB.

Quinoa saponins are pentacyclic triterpene compounds composed of one triterpenoid glycoside and two different sugar chains. Previous studies have showed that natural quinoa saponins showed little or no antifungal activity, and there are few reports about their antifungal effects in recent decades. Fusarium wilt caused by Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. lycopersici (FOL) is the most serious for tomatoes in the field and under greenhouse conditions. The main objective of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of different concentrations and application modes of crude saponins from quinoa bran against the causal pathogen of tomato wilt under a greenhouse experiment. The results showed that the anti-FOL activity of quinoa saponins was weak in vitro, but significantly enhanced in vivo. Tomato seeds and seedlings treated with solution of quinoa saponins at 0.5 and 1.0 g/L significantly reduced the disease incidence (%) of tomato Fusarium wilt. The treatment types of saponin solution have influence on the preventive effects (%) of tomato seedlings against Fusarium wilt, among them, root soaking > foliar spray > seed soaking. The treatment of seed soaking with quinoa saponins inhibited germination of tomato seeds to some extent. However, the germination rate of tomato seeds after saponin soaking was comparable to the chemical pesticide (thiram carboxin); therefore, it could be used to control tomato wilt disease. This is due to the fact that the antifungal activity of quinoa saponins in vivo was much higher than that in vitro when the saponin concentration was between 0.5–1.0 g/L, indicating that the antifungal activity of quinoa saponins may be achieved mainly by inducing resistance. This investigation supports the potential use of quinoa saponins as a supplier of antifungal compounds, and could be the foundation for a future study examining the use of quinoa bran as a new resource against FOL.

Microwave and infrared–thermal radiation-compatible shielding fabrics represent an important direction in the development of wearable protective fabrics. Nevertheless, effectively and conveniently integrating compatible shielding functions into fabrics while maintaining breathability and moisture permeability remains a significant challenge. Here, we take hydrophilic PVA-co-PE nanofibrous film-coated PET fabric (NFs/PET) as a flexible substrate and deposit a dielectric/conductive (SiO2/Al) bilayer film via magnetron sputtering. This strategy endows the fabric surface with high electrical conductivity, nanoscale roughness comparable to visible and infrared waves, and a dielectric–metal contact interface possessing localized plasmon resonance and Mie scattering effects. The results demonstrate that the optimized SiO2/Al/NFs/PET composite conductive fabric (referred to as S4-1) possesses favorable X-band electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding effectiveness (50 dB) as well as excellent long-wave infrared (LWIR) shielding or IR stealth performance (IR emissivity of 0.60). Notably, the S4-1 fabric has a cooling effect of about 12.4 °C for a heat source (80 °C) and an insulating effect of about 17.2 °C for a cold source (−20 °C), showing excellent shielding capability for heat conduction and heat radiations. Moreover, the moisture permeability of the S4-1 fabric is about 300 g/(m2·h), which is better than the requirement concerning moisture permeability for wearable fabrics (≥2500–5000 g/(m2·24 h)), indicating excellent heat and moisture comfort. In short, our fabrics have lightweight, thin, moisture-permeable and excellent shielding performance, which provides novel ideas for the development of wearable multi-band shielding fabrics applied to complex electromagnetic environments.

Abstract Understanding future variations and trends of heatwave events has critical implications for the ecosystem and human health. However, the diverse metrics of heatwave affect the comparable assessment of heatwave evolution at regional scales. The inadequate consideration of the enhanced warming trend and local antecedent heat conditions at different climate zones undermines the comprehensive understanding of future heatwave changes. Here, we systematically assess variations and trends in duration, frequency, and intensity of heatwave events in China from 1961 to 2100, using historical observations and climate model simulations from Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 6. The increased rates and trends in the duration and frequency are more evident than those in intensity and severe heatwave days. Regionally, the northern and western regions are projected to suffer longer and more frequent consecutive heatwaves, while southern regions are likely at greater risk of severe heatwave days. A comparison among four scenarios shows that the future heatwave characteristics projected by the high forcing Shared Socioeconomic Pathway (SSP5‐8.5) exhibit substantial intensification than those in other three experiments, imposing intractable dangers to numerous organisms and ecosystems. Under the SSP1‐2.6, the acceleration of all heatwave characteristics is projected to slow down in all regions after 2040. In addition to maximum temperature, temperature advections are projected to contribute to heatwave intensification in western regions. Our results provide a comprehensive assessment of future variations and trends in heatwave events. The comparable future changes across unevenly developed regions are necessary for improving regional adaptive capacity to extreme heat risk.

Abstract The highly accurate and stable pressure sensors with anti‐interference from varying sensing environments (temperature and humidity) are essential and a challenge in practical applications. However, real‐time electrical resistance fluctuation or even sensing inaccuracy are widely existed due to the sensibility of conductive materials towards varying temperatures, humidity, and sweat circumstance. Here, for the first time, the hydrophobic, non‐fluoride, titanium dioxide nanoparticle (TiO2‐ODI) modified carbon nanotube (CNT)/carbon black (CB) pressure sensors are introduced to achieve anti‐interference from temperature, droplets, and humidity. The sensors with a near‐zero temperature coefficient of resistance (near‐ZTC) effect (≈ −10 to 70 °C). The anti‐interference from moisture benefits from the effective isolation effect of the hydrophobic TiO2‐ODI layer. Meanwhile, the TiO2‐ODI/CNT/CB pressure sensors obtain a favorable sensitivity of 1.57 kPa−1, a fast response time of 20 ms, a negligible hysteresis ratio of 1.9%, prominent air permeability, and a facile scalable strategy. Hence, the TiO2‐ODI/CNT/CB pressure sensors are feasible for accurately and stably sensing under varying sensing environments by efficiently suppressing interferences from varying temperatures, high humidity, and sweat.

Quinoa bran is a by-product during quinoa processing, which is not well used due to its high content of antinutritional factors. The nutritional, antinutritional, antioxidative and mineral content were analyzed in quinoa bran from five producing areas (Hebei, Shanxi, Qinghai, Inner Mongolia and Gansu Province) in China. The results showed that the mean values of protein, starch, fat, fiber, reducing sugar, ash, moisture and energy in quinoa bran were 9.35%, 47.37%, 8.26%, 10.74%, 3.68%, 6.25%, 9.29% and 360.2 kcal/100 g, respectively. Although the protein content in quinoa bran is lower than that in quinoa grain, it is comparable to that in other grains (rice, corn, millet and sorghum) and brans (wheat, oat and rice), so it has the commercial potential to be processed into animal feed or other edible food. The contents of antioxidant flavonoids (460.9 mg/100g) and polyphenols (477.8 mg/100 g) in quinoa bran were higher than those in quinoa grain, suggesting that quinoa bran had better antioxidant capacity. The contents of saponins, tannins and phytic acid in quinoa bran were 18.65, 0.30 and 0.73%, respectively. The content of saponins was nearly one times higher than that in quinoa grain, the contents of tannins and phytic acid, however, were lower than those in quinoa grain. Therefore, the removal of saponins is the key to eliminate the antinutritional properties of quinoa bran. The contents of macroelements (sodium, potassium, calcium, magnesium, phosphorus) and microelements (iron, manganese, copper, zinc, cobalt, molybdenum, selenium, barium) in quinoa bran were generally higher than those in quinoa grain, which was consistent with the results of ash determination. In summary, quinoa bran was found to be a rich source of nutritional and bioactive components and minerals. If the antinutritional problem can be overcome, quinoa bran has great potential for application in the food industry.

GS-441524, an RNA‐dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp) inhibitor, is a 1′-CN-substituted adenine C-nucleoside analog with broad-spectrum antiviral activity. However, the low oral bioavailability of GS‐441524 poses a challenge to its anti-SARS-CoV-2 efficacy. Remdesivir, the intravenously administered version (version 1.0) of GS-441524, is the first FDA-approved agent for SARS-CoV-2 treatment. However, clinical trials have presented conflicting evidence on the value of remdesivir in COVID-19. Therefore, oral GS-441524 derivatives (VV116, ATV006, and GS-621763; version 2.0, targeting highly conserved viral RdRp) could be considered as game-changers in treating COVID-19 because oral administration has the potential to maximize clinical benefits, including decreased duration of COVID-19 and reduced post-acute sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 infection, as well as limited side effects such as hepatic accumulation. This review summarizes the current research related to the oral derivatives of GS-441524, and provides important insights into the potential factors underlying the controversial observations regarding the clinical efficacy of remdesivir; overall, it offers an effective launching pad for developing an oral version of GS-441524.

The accumulation of large amounts of sediment in Yellow River has posed a threat to the local ecological environment. In this study, Yellow River sediment was used as the main raw material to prepare lightweight ceramsite and masonry mortar. The effects of pulverized coal addition, calcination time, and calcination temperature on the microstructure of ceramsite were investigated. The effects of the amount of raw materials, concentration of glutinous rice slurry, and substitution amount of ceramsite (as opposed to standard sand) on the properties of masonry mortar were then studied. For a pulverized coal addition of 10%, the calcination temperature was 1125 ℃, calcination time was 30 min, bulk density of the ceramsite was 879 kg m−3, water absorption was 5.9%, and cylinder pressure strength was 9.1 MPa. When the mass ratio (hydrated lime: Yellow River sediment: standard sand) was 3:4:2, glutinous rice slurry with a concentration of 3% was added and then cured in a curing box at a temperature of 25 ± 2 ℃ and humidity of 95 ± 2% for 28 days. The surface hardness of the obtained masonry mortar was 97 HA, and the unconfined compressive strength was 1.1 MPa. After 28 days of curing with ceramsite instead of standard sand, the surface hardness of the masonry mortar was 94.5 HA and the unconfined compressive strength was 0.91 MPa; this indicated that the standard sand can be completely replaced by ceramsite, thereby effectively increasing the utilization rate of Yellow River sediment. This work provided a feasible method for efficient utilization of Yellow River sediment resources.

The antitumor drug doxorubicin is widely used in clinical practice. However, the low yield and high cost of this drug highlight the urgent need for cost-effective processes to rapidly manufacture antitumor drugs at scale. In the biosynthesis pathway, the multi-functional cytochrome P450 enzyme DoxA catalyzes the last three steps of hydroxylation. The final conversion of daunorubicin to doxorubicin is the rate-limiting step. In our work, the DoxA has been expressed with the ferredoxin reductase FDR2 and the ferredoxin FDX1 and purified to homogeneous. The reduced carbon monoxide difference spectroscopy, heme concentration, and enzymatic characteristic were characterized. These studies suggest an approach for engineering Streptomyces P450s with functional expression for mechanistic and structural studies.

Objective This study aims to systematically evaluate the effects of Baduanjin on motor function, balance and gait in patients with Parkinson’s disease (PD).Design Systematic review and meta-analysis.Study selection All eligible randomised controlled trials (RCTs) published in the English and Chinese language were included.Data sources Ten electronic databases were systematically searched, from inception to 17 March 2022: PubMed, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, Embase, EBSCOhost, OVID, SinoMed, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, Wanfang Data and China Science Journal Database (VIP).Review methods Methodological quality assessment and meta-analysis were performed for the included studies using the Cochrane Review Manager V.5.4 software.Results Ten RCTs with 804 participants were included. The results revealed the following: (1) Baduanjin significantly improved the motor function of patients with PD, based on the Unified Parkinson’s Disease Rating Scale Part III (mean difference, MD −5.37, 95% CI −8.96 to −1.78, p=0.003) and Fugl-Meyer Assessment of Lower Extremity (MD 5.39, 95% CI 2.71 to 8.07, p

N-acetylglucosamine (GlcNAc) is widely used in nutritional supplement and is generally produced from chitin using chitinases. While most GlcNAc is produced from colloidal chitin, it is essential that chitinases be acidic enzymes. Herein, we characterized an acidic, highly salinity tolerance and thermostable chitinase AfChiJ, identified from the marine fungus Aspergillus fumigatus df673. Using AlphaFold2 structural prediction, a truncated Δ30AfChiJ was heterologously expressed in E. coli and successfully purified. It was also found that it is active in colloidal chitin, with an optimal temperature of 45°C, an optimal pH of 4.0, and an optimal salt concentration of 3% NaCl. Below 45°C, it was sound over a wide pH range of 2.0–6.0 and maintained high activity (≥97.96%) in 1–7% NaCl. A notable increase in chitinase activity was observed of Δ30AfChiJ by the addition of Mg2+, Ba2+, urea, and chloroform. AfChiJ first decomposed colloidal chitin to generate mainly N-acetyl chitobioase, which was successively converted to its monomer GlcNAc. This indicated that AfChiJ is a bifunctional enzyme, composed of chitobiosidase and β-N-acetylglucosaminidase. Our result suggested that AfChiJ likely has the potential to convert chitin-containing biomass into high-value added GlcNAc.

FlAlyA, a PL7 alginate lyase with industrial potential, is widely applied in the preparation the alginate oligosaccharide because of its high activity of degradation the alginate. However, heat inactivation still limits the industrial application of FlAlyA. To further enhance its thermostability, a group of mutants were designed, according to evaluating the B-factor value and free energy change via computer-aided calculation. 25 single-point mutants and one double-points mutant were carried out by site-directed mutagenesis. The optimal two single-point mutants H176D and H71K showed 1.20 and 0.3°C increases in the values of Tm, while 7.58 and 1.73 min increases in the values of half-life (t1/2) at 50°C, respectively, compared with that of the wild-type enzyme. Interestingly, H71K exhibits the comprehensive improvement than WT, including expression level, thermal stability and specific activity. In addition, the mechanism of these two mutants is speculated by multiple sequence alignment, structural basis and molecular dynamics simulation, which is likely to be involved in the formation of new hydrogen bonds and decrease the SASA of the mutants. These results indicate that B-factor is an efficient approach to improves the thermostability of alginate lyase composed of β-sheet unit. Furthermore, the highest yield of the mutant reached about 650 mg/L, which was nearly 36 times that of previous studies. The high expression, excellent activity and good thermal stability make FlAlyA a potential candidate for the industrial production of alginate oligosaccharides.

In the Sanjiang Plain, agricultural drainage ditches effectively alleviate agricultural non-point source nitrogen pollution. However, limited information is known about the characteristics of bidirectional trans-ports of nitrogen between sediment and overlying and pore water in different patterns of ditches undergoing seasonal freezing-thawing cycles. It is vital to better understand nitrogen interception and purification by ecological ditches. In order to clarify the interception of ecological ditches on internal and external nitrogen, overlying water and sediment samples of two typical agricultural ditches were collected and analyzed in Sanjiang Plain during the growing seasons of 2015–2017. The results indicated that the N-NO3− in overlying water, which was higher than N-NH4+, was the dominant inorganic nitrogen, whilst, in the sediment, N-NH4+ was much higher than N-NO3−, which should be attributed to the soil’s adsorption of N-NH4+. In contrast to the dryland ditch, the paddy ditch had a more significant amount of inorganic nitrogen both in overlying water and sediment, which means that the non-point source nitrogen pollution caused by paddy fields was more severe than that of drylands. Compared with dryland ditches, N-NH4+ in the sediment of pad ditches seemed to be much easier to migrate to a deeper layer, which may cause a greater risk of nitrogen pollution to groundwater. Both in the overlying water and the sediment of ditches, nitrogen content fluctuated during different periods, and inter-annual variation was noticeable, which results means that estimation or prediction of the non-point source pollution output needs to extend the monitoring period and increase sampling frequency to reduce the great uncertainty. The findings may provide a foundation for forecasting agricultural nitrogen pollution and guide best management practices (BMPs) of non-point source nitrogen pollution control in seasonally frozen areas.

The devastating COVID-19 pandemic has caused more than six million deaths worldwide during the last 2 years. Effective therapeutic agents are greatly needed, yet promising magic bullets still do not exist. Numerous natural products (cordycepin, gallinamide A, plitidepsin, telocinobufagin, and tylophorine) have been widely studied and play a potential function in treating COVID-19. In this paper, we reviewed published studies (from May 2021 to April 2022) relating closely to bioactive natural products (isolated from medicinal plants, animals products, and marine organisms) in COVID-19 therapy in vitro to provide some essential guidance for anti-SARS-CoV-2 drug research and development.

Anthracyclines are an important class of natural antitumor drugs. They have a conservative aromatic tetracycline backbone that is substituted with different deoxyglucoses. The deoxyglucoses are crucial for the biological activity of many bacterial natural products after the proper modification from glycosyltransferases (GTs). The difficulty in obtaining highly purified active GTs has prevented biochemical studies on natural product GTs. In this paper, a new Escherichia coli fusion plasmid pGro7′, which introduces the Streptomyces coelicolor chaperone genes groEL1, groES and groEL2, was constructed. The glycosyltransferase DnmS from Streptomyces peucetius ATCC 27952 was co-expressed with the plasmid pGro7′, and unprecedented high-efficiency and soluble expression of DnmS in the E. coli expression system was realized. Subsequently, the reverse glycosylation reaction characteristics of DnmS and DnmQ were verified. We found that DnmS and DnmQ had the highest enzyme activity when they participated in the reaction at the same time. These studies provide a strategy for the soluble expression of GTs in Streptomyces and confirm the reversibility of the catalytic reaction of GTs. This provides a powerful method for the production of active anthracyclines and to enhance the diversity of natural products.

Safer and more-effective drugs are urgently needed to counter infections with the highly pathogenic SARS-CoV-2, cause of the COVID-19 pandemic. Identification of efficient inhibitors to treat and prevent SARS-CoV-2 infection is a predominant focus. Encouragingly, using X-ray crystal structures of therapeutically relevant drug targets (PLpro, Mpro, RdRp, and S glycoprotein) offers a valuable direction for anti–SARS-CoV-2 drug discovery and lead optimization through direct visualization of interactions. Computational analyses based primarily on MMPBSA calculations have also been proposed for assessing the binding stability of biomolecular structures involving the ligand and receptor. In this study, we focused on state-of-the-art X-ray co-crystal structures of the abovementioned targets complexed with newly identified small-molecule inhibitors (natural products, FDA-approved drugs, candidate drugs, and their analogues) with the assistance of computational analyses to support the precision design and screening of anti–SARS-CoV-2 drugs.

Background: Evidence is limited on the potential health effects of Ox (sum value) and Oxwt(weighted value), the two surrogates for ozone (O3) and nitrogen dioxides (NO2). Objectives: To investigate the impacts of Ox and redox-weighted oxidant capacity (Oxwt) on blood pressure (BP). Methods: A panel study was conducted with four repeated follow-up visits among 40 healthy college students in Hefei, Anhui Province, China from August to October, 2021. We measured BP by using an automated sphygmomanometer and obtained hourly data of air pollutants at a nearby site. The sum of O3 and NO2 (Ox) and their weighted average (Oxwt) were obtained as exposure variables. We applied linear mixed-effect models to evaluate the effects of Ox and Oxwton systolic BP (SBP), diastolic BP (DBP), mean arterial pressure (MAP) and pulse pressure (PP). Results: Totally, 160 pairs of valid BP values were obtained. The 24-h mean levels of Ox and Oxwt were 64.38 μg/m3 and 110.28 μg/m3, respectively. Overall, both Ox and Oxwt were significantly linked with SBP, DBP and MAP at most lag periods, whereas non-significant with PP. A 10-μg/m3 increase in Oxwt at lag 0–24 h was linked to increases of 2.43 mmHg (95% CI: 0.96, 3.91) in SBP, 2.31 mmHg (95% CI: 1.37, 3.26) in DBP and 2.35 mmHg (95% CI: 1.35, 3.36) in MAP, while the corresponding effect estimates for Ox were 1.51 mmHg (95%CI: 0.60, 2.43), 1.43 mmHg (95% CI: 0.85, 2.02) and 1.46 mmHg (95%CI: 0.83, 2.09). In two-pollutant models, our results were almost unchanged after controlling for simultaneous exposure to other pollutants. The effects were more pronounced among males and those with physical activity. Conclusions: The findings provide first-hand evidence that short-term exposure to Ox and Oxwt was associated with BP increases in young adults.

We describe a modified progressive photon mapping (PPM) method applied with sample elimination, referred to as progressive photon elimination, to pursue accurate results and accelerated iterations. Meanwhile, an elimination status tree is proposed for progressive photon elimination, which retains the information used in the elimination and can be updated along with the multi-pass process to solve the challenge of the accuracy of local parameters. By using the status tree, our method can obtain a uniform photon distribution at each iteration by eliminating a certain number of photons. The tree is also improved to adapt to the complicated photon distributions. This strategy also facilitates the parallel elimination with a priori elimination ratio in the status tree, making the algorithm further accelerated. In parallel block processing, the equilibrium and edge problems are resolved. The experimental results show that our method requires about half of the number of iterations to achieve the same visual effect compared with progressive photon mapping.

Complement C3 plays a prominent role in inflammatory processes, and its increase exacerbates ischemia reperfusion injury (IRI)-induced acute kidney injury (AKI). Infiltrated neutrophils can be stimulated to form neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs), leading to renal injury. However, the relationship between the increase of C3 and the release of NETs in AKI was not clear. Here we found that IRI in the mouse kidney leads to increased neutrophils infiltration and NET formation. Furthermore, neutrophils depletion by anti-Ly6G IgG (1A8) did not reduce C3 activation but reduced kidney injury and inflammation, indicating a link between neutrophils infiltration and renal tissue damage. Pretreatment with 1A8 suppressed ischemia-induced NET formation, proving that extracellular traps (ETs) in renal tissue were mainly derived from neutrophils. Renal ischemia injury also leads to increased expression of C3. Moreover, C3 KO mice (C3 KO) with IRI exhibited attenuated kidney damage and decreased neutrophils and NETs. In vitro, C3a primed neutrophils to form NETs, reflected by amorphous extracellular DNA structures that colocalized with CitH3 and MPO. These data reveal that C3 deficiency can ameliorate AKI by reducing the infiltration of neutrophils and the formation of NETs. Targeting C3 activation may be a new therapeutic strategy for alleviating the necroinflammation of NETs in AKI.

Abstract: Aflatoxins, which are produced by Aspergillus flavus, Aspergillus nomius, and Aspergillus parasiticus, are a group of pentacyclic natural products with difuran and coumarin skeletons. They mainly include aflatoxin B1, B2, G1, G2, M1, and M2. Biologically, aflatoxins are of concern to human health as they can be present as contaminants in food products. The unique skeletons of aflatoxins and their risk to human health have led to the publication of nine remarkable total syntheses (including three asymmetric syntheses) and ten formal total syntheses (including four asymmetric formal syntheses) of aflatoxins in the past 55 years. To better understand the mechanism of the biological activity of aflatoxins and their presence in samples from the food industry, this review summarizes progress in the total synthesis of aflatoxins.

Experimental evidence suggests that people are more sensitive to losses than gains by a factor of about two. Researchers have drawn implications from loss aversion to understand various aspects of individual decisions and asset prices in financial markets. At the current stage, some ancillary assumptions have been made in deriving these implications. Loss aversion affects financial markets through affecting the risk attitudes of market participants. Taken as a whole, loss aversion is a useful ingredient in helping us understand financial markets.

Myelodysplastic syndromes (MDSs) are a group of heterogeneous hematopoietic stem/progenitor cells clonal diseases, characteristic features with myeloid dysplasia, leading to abnormality of neutrophils. Recent studied have showed that neutrophils act not only as professional killers, but also as regulators of innate and adaptive immune in infection and inflammatory condition. The CD54highCD181low neutrophils are a kind of reverse-transmigrated neutrophils characterized proinflammatory phenotype. We investigated the frequency and functional properties of circulating CD54highCD181low neutrophils in patients with untreated MDS. Frequency of CD54highCD181low neutrophils was significantly increased in MDS patients and related to the severity of the disease. Furthermore, CD54highCD181low neutrophils suppressed CD8+ T cells functions in vitro. CD54highCD181low neutrophils lead to upregulation of PD1 on CD8+ T cells. Higher CD54highCD181low neutrophils were related to poor prognosis and more infections. The frequency of CD54highCD181low neutrophils decreased in high risk MDS patients who had response after treatment with decitabine. Overall, we identified CD54highCD181low neutrophils expanded in MDS. The exact mechanisms of increased CD54highCD181low neutrophils and its effect on immune function remain to be elucidated.

Background. This study is aimed at assessing the subsets of bone marrow macrophages in patients with myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) and exploring the role of macrophages in the pathogenesis of MDS. Methods. Thirty-eight newly diagnosed MDS patients were enrolled in the Department of Hematology of General Hospital of Tianjin Medical University from June 2015 to June 2016. Bone marrow monocytes and macrophage subsets (M1/M2) were detected in patients with MDS and normal controls by flow cytometry. M1 macrophages were cultured in vitro, and the expression of IL-1β and TNF-α mRNA was measured using real-time polymerase chain reaction. Results. Compared with the normal control group, the proportion of bone marrow monocytes was higher (2.11±0.93% vs. 3.66±3.38%), and the mean fluorescence intensity of surface molecule CD14 was lower in the higher-risk (HR) MDS group (639.05±359.78 vs. 458.26±306.72, p

BackgroundFerroptosis is a form of iron-dependent non-apoptotic cell death, with characteristics of loss of the activity of the lipid repair enzyme, glutathione (GSH) peroxidase 4 (GPX4), and accumulation of lethal reactive lipid oxygen species. The mechanism of ferroptosis in myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) is unclear.MethodsCell viability assay, reactive oxygen species (ROS) assay, GSH assay, and GPX activity assay were performed to study the regulation of ferroptosis in MDS cells obtained from MDS patients, the iron overload model mice, and cell lines.ResultsThe growth-inhibitory effect of decitabine could be partially reversed by ferrostatin-1 and iron-chelating agent [desferrioxamine (DFO)] in MDS cell lines. Erastin could increase the cytotoxicity of decitabine on MDS cells. The level of GSH and the activity of GPX4 decreased, whereas the ROS level increased in MDS cells upon treatment with decitabine, which could be reversed by ferrostatin-1. The concentration of hemoglobin in peripheral blood of iron overload mice was negatively correlated with intracellular Fe2+ level and ferritin concentration. Iron overload (IO) led to decreased viability of bone marrow mononuclear cells (BMMNCs), which was negatively correlated with intracellular Fe2+ level. Ferrostatin-1 partially reversed the decline of cell viability in IO groups. The level of GSH and the activity of GPX4 decreased, whereas the ROS level increased in BMMNCs of IO mice. DFO could increase the level of GSH. Ferrostatin-1 and DFO could increase the GPX4 activity of BMMNCs in IO mice. Ferrostatin-1 could significantly reverse the growth-inhibitory effect of decitabine in MDS patients. Decitabine could significantly increase the ROS level in MDS groups, which could be inhibited by ferrostatin-1 or promoted by erastin. Ferrostatin-1 could significantly reverse the inhibitory effect of decitabine on GSH levels in MDS patients. Erastin combined with decitabine could further reduce the GSH level. Erastin could further decrease the activity of GPX4 compared with the decitabine group.ConclusionFerroptosis may account for the main mechanisms of how decitabine induced death of MDS cells. Decitabine-induced ROS raise leads to ferroptosis in MDS cells by decreasing GSH level and GPX4 activity.

During mitosis chromosomes reorganise into highly compact, rod-shaped forms, thought to consist of consecutive chromatin loops around a central protein scaffold. Condensin complexes are involved in chromatin compaction, but the contribution of other chromatin proteins, DNA sequence and histone modifications is less understood. A large region of fission yeast DNA inserted into a mouse chromosome was previously observed to adopt a mitotic organisation distinct from that of surrounding mouse DNA. Here, we show that a similar distinct structure is common to a large subset of insertion events in both mouse and human cells and is coincident with the presence of high levels of heterochromatic H3 lysine nine trimethylation (H3K9me3). Hi-C and microscopy indicate that the heterochromatinised fission yeast DNA is organised into smaller chromatin loops than flanking euchromatic mouse chromatin. We conclude that heterochromatin alters chromatin loop size, thus contributing to the distinct appearance of heterochromatin on mitotic chromosomes.

Overexpression of PTBP3, a factor involved in alternative splicing, may inhibit the differentiation of leukemia cells. However, its role in gastric cancer differentiation and the specific pathways involved are unclear. In this study, we found that PTBP3 was upregulated in the poorly differentiated gastric cancer tissues. Patients with high levels of PTBP3 expression had significantly shorter survival than those with low PTBP3 expression. In gastric cancer cells, the regulatory effect of PTBP3 on alternative splicing of the Id1 gene was investigated. Following sodium butyrate-induced differentiation of MKN45 cells, the expression of Id1a decreased, but the expression of Id1b increased. RNA interference and overexpression experiments showed that PTBP3 upregulated Id1a expression and downregulated Id1b expression. RNA immunoprecipitation (RIP) assays indicated PTBP3 could interact with Id1. UV cross-linking assays indicated that PTBP3 interacted with the CU rich region of the Id1 gene. Two-hybrid experiments and a gel mobility shift assays found that Id1b had a more potent affinity for Hes1 than Id1a. Chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) assays verified the association of Hes1 and the promoter of PTBP3 gene. Luciferase assays revealed that Hes1 bound the N-box sequence in the PTBP3 promoter. After silencing or overexpression of Hes1, PTBP3 protein expression remained unchanged. Thus, the loss of feedback regulation among PTBP3, Id1, and Hes1 in gastric cancer cells may be one of the causes of inhibited differentiation and malignant proliferation of these cells.

The novel and highly pathogenic severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), which causes coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), has become a continued focus of global attention due to the serious threat it poses to public health. There are no specific drugs available to combat SARS-CoV-2 infection. Natural products (carolacton, homoharringtonine, emetine, and cepharanthine) and natural product-inspired small molecules (ivermectin, GS-5734, EIDD-2801, and ebselen) are potential anti-SARS-CoV-2 agents that have attracted significant attention due to their broad-spectrum antiviral activities. Here, we review the research on potential landmark anti-SARS-CoV-2 agents, systematically discussing the importance of natural products and natural-product-inspired small molecules in the research and development of safe and effective antiviral agents.

Secondary metabolites from marine sources have a wide range of biological activity. Marine natural products are promising candidates for lead pharmacological compounds to treat diseases that plague humans, including cancer. Cancer is a life-threatening disorder that has been difficult to overcome. It is a long-term illness that affects both young and old people. In recent years, significant attempts have been made to identify new anticancer drugs, as the existing drugs have been useless due to resistance of the malignant cells. Natural products derived from marine sources have been tested for their anticancer activity using a variety of cancer cell lines derived from humans and other sources, some of which have already been approved for clinical use, while some others are still being tested. These compounds can assault cancer cells via a variety of mechanisms, but certain cancer cells are resistant to them. As a result, the goal of this review was to look into the anticancer potential of marine natural products or their derivatives that were isolated from January 2019 to March 2020, in cancer cell lines, with a focus on the class and type of isolated compounds, source and location of isolation, cancer cell line type, and potency (IC50 values) of the isolated compounds that could be a guide for drug development.

As a public health emergency of international concern, the highly contagious coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has been identified as a severe threat to the lives of billions of individuals. Lung cancer, a malignant tumor with the highest mortality rate, has brought significant challenges to both human health and economic development. Natural products may play a pivotal role in treating lung diseases. We reviewed published studies relating to natural products, used alone or in combination with US Food and Drug Administration-approved drugs, active against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) and lung cancer from 1 January 2020 to 31 May 2021. A wide range of natural products can be considered promising anti-COVID-19 or anti-lung cancer agents have gained widespread attention, including natural products as monotherapy for the treatment of SARS-CoV-2 (ginkgolic acid, shiraiachrome A, resveratrol, and baicalein) or lung cancer (daurisoline, graveospene A, deguelin, and erianin) or in combination with FDA-approved anti-SARS-CoV-2 agents (cepharanthine plus nelfinavir, linoleic acid plus remdesivir) and anti-lung cancer agents (curcumin and cisplatin, celastrol and gefitinib). Natural products have demonstrated potential value and with the assistance of nanotechnology, combination drug therapies, and the codrug strategy, this “natural remedy” could serve as a starting point for further drug development in treating these lung diseases.

As the search for new antibiotics continues, the resistance to known antimicrobial compounds continues to increase. Many researchers around the world, in response to antibiotics resistance, have continued to search for new antimicrobial compounds in different ecological niches such as the marine environment. Marine habitats are one of the known and promising sources for bioactive compounds with antimicrobial potentials against currently drug-resistant strains of pathogenic microorganisms. For more than a decade, numerous antimicrobial compounds have been discovered from marine environments, with many more antimicrobials still being discovered every year. So far, only very few compounds are in preclinical and clinical trials. Research in marine natural products has resulted in the isolation and identification of numerous diverse and novel chemical compounds with potency against even drug-resistant pathogens. Some of these compounds, which mainly came from marine bacteria and fungi, have been classified into alkaloids, lactones, phenols, quinones, tannins, terpenes, glycosides, halogenated, polyketides, xanthones, macrocycles, peptides, and fatty acids. All these are geared towards discovering and isolating unique compounds with therapeutic potential, especially against multidrug-resistant pathogenic microorganisms. In this review, we tried to summarize published articles from 2015 to 2019 on antimicrobial compounds isolated from marine sources, including some of their chemical structures and tests performed against drug-resistant pathogens.

A novel twin drug consisting of nicotinic acid (VB3) and quercetin tetramethyl ether (QTME) has been synthesized as an antihypertensive in a total yield of 79.2% through methylation, hydrolysis, acylation and esterification starting from rutin. The structures of synthesized compounds were elucidated by 1H-NMR, 13C-NMR and elemental analysis. The anti-hypertensive effects of an oral daily dose (15 mg/kg) of the synthesized compounds in spontaneously hypertensive (SHR) rats and normotensive Wistar Kyoto (WKY) rats were analysed. The data demonstrate that the twin drug VB3-QTME both reduces the elevated blood pressure and prolongs the action time in SHR rats without effect on WKY rats. However, definitive evidence of a precise mechanism of action by which VB3-QTME might decrease blood pressure remains elusive. Based on the results, the therapeutic potential of this twin drug is discussed.

The optimization of irrigation schedules is of great significance for saving water resources and ensuring food security. For the downstream of the Songhua River Basin, the key growth stages of crops were determined by the coupling degree between the effective precipitation and crop water requirement and the sensitivity indexes of the crop water production function. A Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) model was used to simulate 16 irrigation schedules in different scenarios. Taking four factors into consideration, Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP)-Gray Interconnect Degree Analysis (GIDA) was used to establish the optimal irrigation schedule. The results showed that the key growth stages of corn and soybean were vegetative, reproductive and pod formation, seed enlargement. Deficit treatments were beneficial to improving crop yield and WUE. The optimal schedules were: the corn was irrigated with four times in key growth stages, and the irrigation quota was 21 mm; irrigation occurred six times in both normal and dry year, with quotas of 84 mm and 134 mm, respectively; the soybean was filled with six times in key growth stages, and the irrigation quotas were 10 mm, 28 mm and 89 mm in wet, normal and dry year, respectively. The evaluation method of irrigation schedule provided a theoretical basis for agricultural management and planting in the basin.

The aim of this work was to explore the potential toxicological effects on rabbits of transgenic poplar (Populus cathayana Rehd.) leaves with binary insect-resistance genes used as feed. Fifty-four 40-d-old weaned New Zealand White Rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus) (live weight 0.98±0.1 kg) were fed for 70 consecutive days with a common pelleted diet and fresh poplar leaves containing a chitinase-BmkIT gene combination or untransformed counterparts (60 g/d). Rabbit body weight and hematological and biochemical data in blood samples were recorded. Organ histological structures were observed and the organ weights in the 2 groups were also measured. The results of the growth study revealed no significant differences (P>0.05) for final mean BW of rabbits, intake of the combined feed and poplar leaves or feed conversion ratio between the 2 groups. No obvious pathological changes were observed in the small intestine, stomach, spleen, kidney, lung, heart, bladder, pancreas, prostate and ovary. Electron microscopic observation of liver cells and renal cells showed they were both normal in the 2 groups. All hematological and biochemical data tested fell within the normal range in the 2 groups after 70 d of feeding. We conclude that the poplar leaves with the chitinase-BmkIT gene combination had no obvious harmful effects on rabbits.