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The essential oils from four Eucalyptus species (E. spathulata, E. salubris, E. brockwayii and E. dundasii) have been previously confirmed to have stronger inhibitory effects on germination and seedling growth of silverleaf nightshade (Solanum elaeagnifolium Cav.). The aqueous volatile fractions (AVFs) were the water soluble volatile fractions produced together with the essential oils (water insoluble fractions) during the steam distillation process. The aim of this study was to further assess the phytotoxicity of AVFs from the four Eucalyptus species and their chemical composition. The fresh leaves of the four Eucalyptus species were used for the extraction of AVFs. The AVFs were tested for their phytotoxic effects on the perennial weed, silverleaf nightshade under laboratory conditions. The chemical compositions of the AVFs were determined by gas chromatograph–mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Our results showed that the AVFs had strong inhibition on the germination and seedling growth of silverleaf nightshade. The inhibition index increased with the increasing concentrations of AVFs. The inhibitory effects of the AVFs varied between different Eucalyptus species. The AVF from E. salubris demonstrated the highest inhibitory activity on the weed tested, with complete inhibition on germination and seedling growth at a concentration of 75%. The GC-MS analysis revealed that 1,8-cineole, isopentyl isovalerate, isomenthol, pinocarvone, trans-pinocarveol, alpha-terpineol and globulol were the main compounds in the AVFs. These results indicated that all AVFs tested had differential inhibition on the germination and seedling growth of silverleaf nightshade, which could be due to the joint effects of compounds present in the AVFs as these compounds were present in different quantities and ratio between Eucalyptus species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Underground coal gasification (UCG) can convert coal resources to high-calorific value syngas, which is important for the exploration of resources and the application of clean coal technology. This study investigated the gasification process of lignite in Heilongjiang Province through an oxygen enrichment approach and examined the impact of the oxygen concentration on the gasification efficiency. Furthermore, a high-fidelity Aspen Plus process model was designed to predict the gasification products of lignite. These findings indicate that the abrupt increase in the gasification temperature and pressure is governed by the concentration of oxygen in the gasification agent. An increased concentration of oxygen results in a higher gasification temperature, thereby influencing the thermodynamic reaction processes within the gasifier. The combustion reaction of lignite transitions into a coke reaction when the oxygen concentration is elevated to 90%. At this time, the relative concentration of CO 2 generated from lignite combustion progressively diminished from 78.33%, while the relative concentrations of H 2 and CO produced through coke reactions gradually increased from 3% and 2.07%, respectively. When the oxygen concentration reaches 100%, the relative contents of H 2 and CO generated through gasification reach their respective maxima, measuring 18.90% and 23.91%. The calorific value attained a peak of 6.65 MJ N -1 m -3 simultaneously. Furthermore, the ash yield of lignite may be a critical factor influencing the process of underground coal gasification. The gasification efficiency of lignite near T 6 is suboptimal when the oxygen concentration falls below 100%, potentially attributable to the influence of ash. In summary, lignite in Heilongjiang Province can be effectively developed through underground gasification technology via an oxygen enrichment process. Furthermore, the Aspen Plus model we developed can effectively assist in predicting the products of lignite gasification in Heilongjiang Province., Competing Interests: There are no conflicts to declare., (This journal is © The Royal Society of Chemistry.)

Background: Parkinson's disease (PD) is a neurodegenerative disorder, and the main clinical characteristics are bradykinesia and muscle stiffness. Cognitive impairment (CI) is a prevalent non-motor manifestation observed in individuals with PD. According to disease severity, it can be divided into PD with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and PD dementia. CI in PD patients may precede motor symptoms, and the gut microbiota plays an important role in PD pathogenesis. Therefore, gut microbiota may be one of the diagnostic targets for PD-CI. Methods: This study compared the gut microbiota of 43 PD-CI patients [Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) score < 26] and 38 PD patients without CI (MoCA ≥ 26). Patients' neuropsychological conditions, depression scale, and brain structure scanned by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) were also recorded. The fecal metagenomic datasets of patients with PD, PD-CI, and CI only were retrieved from public databases for reanalysis to explore the relationship between PD, CI, and gut microbiota. Results: We found that the cortical thickness and the volume of the hippocampus, gray matter, and thalamus were significantly reduced among patients with PD-CI compared to PD without CI ( P < 0.05). Moreover, the gut microbiome in patients with PD-CI had fewer short-chain fatty acid (SCFA) producing bacteria and more pathogenic bacteria. There were also alterations in patterns of metabolic pathway-encoding genes. Additionally, PD affected gut microbiota more than CI. Conclusion: CI may aggravate the severity of PD, but it did not drastically alter subjects' gut microbiota. This study reveals the relationship between gut microbiota, PD, and CI., Competing Interests: All authors declared that there are no conflicts of interest., (© The Author(s) 2024.)

The clinical mortality of cryptococcal meningitis (CM) is high. There is no report of hypopituitarism associated with HIV negative CM so far. The patients with hypopituitarism complicated with CM are easy to be misdiagnosed and mistreated. A patient with hypopituitarism and HIV negative CM was admitted to Weihai Municipal Hospital on August 27, 2021. The patient was treated for 18 years after craniopharyngioma with headache for more than 2 months, nausea and vomiting for 4 days. MRI showed abnormal enhancement of the right basal ganglia, edema of surrounding tissue, and multiple striated enhancement of the bilateral cerebellar hemisphere. The smear of cerebrospinal fluid showed a large number of fungi and Cryptococcus . Culture of cerebrospinal fluid showed positive in Cryptococcus . The patient's HIV and syphilis antibodies were negative. The condition of the patient was improved after active antifungal therapy. The clinician should make a definite diagnosis and give early treatment as soon as possible.

Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) acts as a kind of widely-applied and non-invasive method in the intervention of some neurological disorders. This prospective, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial investigates the effect of rTMS on 30 cases of Alzheimer's disease (AD) participants, who were classified into mild and moderate groups. Neuropsychological tests were carried out using the AD Assessment Scale-cognitive subscale (ADAS-cog), Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE), Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA), and World Health Organization University of California-Los Angeles, Auditory Verbal Learning Test (WHO-UCLA AVLT) before, immediately after, and 6 weeks after the intervention. In this work, data from 30 AD patients revealed that there was no obvious interaction effect of time-by-group. The ADAS-cog, MMSE and WHO-UCLA AVLT score in the rTMS group was significantly improved compared with baselines at 6 weeks after treatment (all p<0.05). Meanwhile, MoCA scores were also obviously ameliorated in the mild AD patients with rTMS. Besides, subgroup analysis showed that the effect of rTMS on the memory and language of mild AD patients was superior to those of moderate AD patients. In conclusion, our findings suggested that repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation improves cognitive function, memory and language level of AD patients, especially in the mild stage of AD. Thus, rTMS can be recommended as a promising adjuvant therapy combined with cholinesterase inhibitors at the mild stage of AD patients.

Solvothermal synthesis of FeCl(2).4H2O and H2C2O(4).2H2O in methanol at 120 degrees C yielded yellow plate-like crystals of [Fe(C2O4)(CH3OH)]n. Each iron atom is in a distorted octahedral environment, being bonded to four oxygen atoms from two bisbidentate oxalate anions, one O atom of a chelating oxalate anion and one O atom from a methanol molecule as an oxalate group bridging ligand in a five-coordination mode. The neutral layer of [Fe(C2O4)(CH3OH)]n with a [4,4] net along the ac plane. There is no interaction between layers. A long range magnetic ordering with spin canting at TN approximately 23 K was observed and confirmed by AC susceptibility measurements.

The total and extractable contents of 7 heavy metals in cultivated soil in Fujian Province were determined. Statistical results indicated that the cultivated soil in Fujian Province was polluted by heavy metals, but different heavy metals caused different pollution levels. The extractable contents of heavy metals accounted for 10.0 to 52.2% of total contents, varying with different heavy metals. There was a significantly positive correlation between total and extractable content of Cu, Zn, Cd, Pb, and Ni. Besides, Zn, Cd, Pb and As had a significantly positive correlation to each other, while only Zn had a significantly positive correlation to Ni, and Cu and Hg were not significantly correlated to any of other heavy metals.