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Background There remains controversy over the relationship between serum magnesium levels and obesity in type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Therefore, the aim of this study was to assess whether there is any association of serum magnesium levels with obesity and abdominal obesity in T2DM. Methods This cross-sectional, real-world study was conducted in 8,010 patients with T2DM, which were stratified into quintiles according to serum magnesium levels. The clinical characteristics and the prevalence of obesity and abdominal obesity were compared across serum magnesium quintiles in T2DM. Regression analyses were used to evaluate the relationship of serum magnesium with obesity and abdominal obesity in T2DM (clinical trial registration number: ChiCTR1800015893). Results After adjustment for age, sex, and duration of diabetes, the prevalence of obesity and abdominal obesity was significantly declined across magnesium quintiles (obesity: 51.3%, 50.8%, 48.9%, 45.3%, and 43.8%, respectively, P

Wheat grain yield is generally sink-limited during grain filling. The grain-filling rate (GFR) plays a vital role but is poorly studied due to the difficulty of phenotype surveys. This study explored the grain-filling traits in a recombinant inbred population and wheat collection using two highly saturated genetic maps for linkage analysis and genome-wide association study (GWAS). Seventeen stable additive quantitative trait loci (QTLs) were identified on chromosomes 1B, 4B, and 5A. The linkage interval between IWB19555 and IWB56078 showed pleiotropic effects on GFR1, GFRmax, kernel length (KL), kernel width (KW), kernel thickness (KT), and thousand kernel weight (TKW), with the phenotypic variation explained (PVE) ranging from 13.38% (KW) to 33.69% (TKW). 198 significant marker-trait associations (MTAs) were distributed across most chromosomes except for 3D and 4D. The major associated sites for GFR included IWB44469 (11.27%), IWB8156 (12.56%) and IWB24812 (14.46%). Linkage analysis suggested that IWB35850, identified through GWAS, was located in approximately the same region as QGFRmax2B.3-11, where two high-confidence candidate genes were present. Two important grain weight (GW)-related QTLs colocalized with grain-filling QTLs. The findings contribute to understanding the genetic architecture of the GFR and provide a basic approach to predict candidate genes for grain yield trait QTLs.

Abstract Background Visual impairment (VI) seriously affects the quality of life of the older adults. It is important to formulate appropriate health management strategies for the older adults with VI to help delay the disease development and progression, and improve life quality. The aim of this study was to understand the demand preference for health management services of the older adults with VI, and to provide a reference for the development of future health management strategies in this population. Methods The conjoint analysis method was used to analyze demand preferences for health management services of the older adults with VI. 11 keywords were extracted after literature analyzed, 6 keywords were selected as the attributes of health management strategy after expert discussion and the level of each attribute was determined. Then 18 representative virtual health management strategies were formed by combination of different attribute levels through orthogonal design, and older adults with VI were asked to score. A total of 334 older adults with VI who attended the ophthalmology department of the First Affiliated Hospital of China Medical University and the Fourth People's Hospital of Shenyang from February 27, 2021 to June 30, 2021were enrolled in this study by stratified sampling. Of the 334 included people, 80 had grade 1 VI, 80 had grade 2 VI, 84 had grade 3 VI, and 90 had grade 4 VI. Results The relative importance of health management services ranked by older adults with VI was continuing care (24.033%), visual aid application (19.61%), health education (16.241%), preventive healthcare (15.667%), safety management (12.757%), and rehabilitation training (11.392%). The utility values of each level of continuing care, safety management and preventive healthcare were positive, whereas the utility values of each level of visual aid application, health education and rehabilitation training were negative. The relative importance and utility values of health management services were different for the older adults with different grades of VI. Conclusions From the whole group, the older adults with VI have a higher preference for continuing care and a lower preference for rehabilitation training. The preference of the older adults with different grades of VI is different, so medical workers can formulate corresponding health management strategies according to their different demand preferences, and carry out hierarchical health management. Services that they preferred should be satisfied as much as possible in the health management strategy, while the reasons for the services with lower preference can be explored and make targeted improvement to meet the demand preferences of them.

Abstract Background The older population is increasingly utilizing professional healthcare services, while the requirements for caregivers are becoming more demanding. Therefore, it is important to be mindful not only of the service needs of older people but also to consider the training needs of their care workers. The present study aimed to investigate the care service needs for older people and the training needs of their care workers. Methods A cross-sectional questionnaire was used to survey 589 residents of 6 nursing homes and 2 geriatric hospitals, 415 medical staff from 7 geriatric hospitals, 5 nursing homes, and 1 community institution, and 372 nursing assistants from 21 nursing institutions in northeast China. Results The service with the greatest demand and that with which users were most satisfied was regular visits by healthcare personnel, which was the case for 87.27% of the care recipients. Of the medical staff, 75.42% had training needs related to geriatric healthcare, while the most requested training content was the comprehensive assessment of old people. The most requested method for the delivery of training was by self-study online video courses. Of nursing assistants, only 53.4% had obtained the relevant practicing certificate. While 83.6% participated in relevant training, 86% expressed the need for additional training. The majority of this category of staff wished to receive training in everyday care routines, and the majority wanted to learn by way of practical training. Conclusions The care needs of the older population are diverse, and the work performed by healthcare personnel is increasing in scope. The existing training system for such care personnel is not perfect, and the demand for training is high. Existing training methods and content require improvement.

Background The association of serum retinol-binding protein (RBP) levels with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) remains controversial. Furthermore, few studies have investigated their relationship in type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) patients. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to explore the association between serum RBP levels and NAFLD in Chinese inpatients with T2DM. Methods This cross-sectional, real-world study included 2,263 Chinese T2DM inpatients. NAFLD was diagnosed by abdominal ultrasonography. The subjects were divided into four groups based on RBP quartiles, and clinical characteristics were compared among the four groups. The associations of both RBP levels and quartiles with the presence of NAFLD were also analyzed. Results After adjustment for sex, age, and diabetes duration, there was a significant increase in the prevalence of NAFLD from the lowest to the highest RBP quartiles (30.4%, 40.0%, 42.4%, and 44.7% for the first, second, third, and fourth quartiles, respectively, P

Abstract Aim Chronic skin disease (CSD) often has devastating effects on the physiological, psychological and social aspects of patients, who must adapt to them. However, it is not clear how patients adapt, especially with regard to their psychosocial adaptation (PSA). This research explored a theoretical model of PSA among people with CSD. Design Following constructivist grounded theory methodology, a qualitative study was undertaken between August 2018 and June 2019. Methods Observation and semi‐structured interview were conducted with included participants (n=19). Data were iteratively coded and analyzed by constant comparison following the key stages of initial, focused, axial and theoretical coding until saturation was achieved. Results When individuals face the impacts of disease, they try to adjust to adapt it. The findings showed the core category (self‐cognitive) and the contributing categories (impacts of chronic skin disease, contextual factors, physiological experiences, psychological experiences, social experiences, and positive and negative psychosocial adaptations) of the PSA among people with CSD. The process of PSA among people with CSD was not linear throughout the disease and was instead entwined within a set of complexes (contextual factors‐experience) interactions. The consequences of PSA included positive and negative aspects. The theoretical model of PSA among people with CSD will provide us with information needed to develop accurate assessment and effective intervention strategies. Understanding that PSA among people with CSD is a complex, dynamic, and interactional process may provide evidence for further assessing and meeting the needs of people.

Abstract Background DNA methyltransferase (DMT) genes contribute to plant stress responses and development by de novo establishment and subsequent maintenance of DNA methylation during replication. The photoperiod and/or temperature-sensitive genic male sterile (P/TGMS) lines play an important role in hybrid seed production of wheat. However, only a few studies have reported on the effect of DMT genes on temperature-sensitive male sterility of wheat. Although DMT genes have been investigated in some plant species, the identification and analysis of DMT genes in wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) based on genome-wide levels have not been reported. Results In this study, a detailed overview of phylogeny of 52 wheat DMT (TaDMT) genes was presented. Homoeolog retention for TaDMT genes was significantly above the average retention rate for whole-wheat genes, indicating the functional importance of many DMT homoeologs. We found that the strikingly high number of TaDMT genes resulted mainly from the significant expansion of the TaDRM subfamily. Intriguingly, all 5 paralogs belonged to the wheat DRM subfamily, and we speculated that tandem duplications might play a crucial role in the TaDRM subfamily expansion. Through the transcriptional analysis of TaDMT genes in a TGMS line BS366 and its hybrids with the other six fertile lines under sterile and fertile conditions, we concluded that TaCMT-D2, TaMET1-B1, and TaDRM-U6 might be involved in male sterility in BS366. Furthermore, a correlation analysis showed that TaMET1-B1 might negatively regulate the expression of TaRAFTIN1A, an important gene for pollen development, so we speculated regarding an epigenetic regulatory mechanism underlying the male sterility of BS366 via the interaction between TaMET1-B1 and TaRAFTIN1A. Conclusions Our findings presented a detailed phylogenic overview of the DMT genes and could provide novel insights into the effects of DMT genes on TGMS wheat.

Microglia-associated neuroinflammation plays an important role in the pathophysiology of ischemic stroke. Microglial activation and polarization, and the inflammatory response mediated by these cells play important roles in the development, progression and outcome of brain injury after ischemic stroke. Currently, there is no effective strategy for treating ischemic stroke in clinical practice. Therefore, it is clinically important to study the role and regulation of microglia in stroke. In this review, we discuss the involvement of microglia in the neuroinflammatory process in ischemic stroke, with the aim of providing a better understanding of the relationship between ischemic stroke and microglia.

Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) are the leading cause of death worldwide. Previous studies have shown that inflammatory chemokines are involved in the physiological functions of cytoskeletal reorganization, cell migration, adhesion and immune responses. However, in the past decade, there have been studies showing that inflammatory chemokines play a key role in CVD. Importantly, CXC motif chemokine ligand 2 (CXCL2) has been shown to be involved in the pathogenesis of cardiovascular disease. CXCL2 exerts its effects on the cardiovascular system by mediating inflammatory responses, but the specific signaling pathways by which CXCL2 exerts its effects in CVD remain unknown and need to be further investigated. This review aims to investigate the expression changes of CXCL2 in acute myocardial infarction (AMI), atherosclerosis (AS), obesity, diabetes and ischemic stroke (IS) and its potential key role in cardiovascular disease in order to provide new ideas for the prevention and treatment of cardiovascular diseases.

Abstract Objective Despite the proven benefits of adjuvant endocrine therapy, adherence to oral endocrine therapy in breast cancer treatment is a substantial problem. The aim of this study was to assess adherence to adjuvant endocrine therapy by women in China for the first 5 years, and to identify its influencing factors. Methods Stratified sampling method was adopted to select 1875 cases of breast cancer patients for cross‐sectional telephone follow‐up. Compliance to medications was assessed using the Morisky Medication Adherence Scale. Status of endocrine therapy was assessed using nine additional questions. Binomial regression was used when assessing the factors associated with persistence, multinomial regression models were used to assess factors associated with compliance. Results Of 888 patients who started adjuvant endocrine therapy, 769(86.6%) persisted and 119 (13.4%) discontinued. 760 patients who completed Morisky Medication Adherence Scale, the compliance was 7.4% low, 42% medium, and 50.6% high. The type of medication, duration of medication and side effects had an impact both on persistence and compliance. Age, history of radiotherapy and caregivers only had an impact on persistence. Conclusions Medication adherence was affected by many factors. Special attention and interventions should be given to women taking tamoxifen in the 2nd to 3rd year of medication, and aromatase inhibitors in the 1st to 2nd year. Further prospective design studies are needed to explore effective measures to improve medication adherence of women with breast cancer treated by endocrine therapy.

Abstract In this study, the synthesis and biological evaluation of a variety of benzoheterocyclic-containing benzamide derivatives were described. Some of these compounds were proved to inhibiting the activity of histone deacetylase 1 (HDAC1) with IC50 values below the micromolar range, retarding proliferation of several human cancer cells, and surprisingly, not possessing toxicity to human normal cells and hERG K+ ion channels. Among those compounds, 3c was the most potent and efficacious derivative. Compound 3c was orally active and displayed excellent in vivo antitumor activity in a HCT-116 xenograft mice model.

The dynamic balance of cardiomyocytes and neurons is essential to maintain the normal physiological functions of heart and brain. If excessive cells die in tissues, serious Cardio-Cerebrovascular Diseases would occur, namely, hypertension, myocardial infarction, and ischemic stroke. The regulation of cell death plays a role in promoting or alleviating Cardio-Cerebrovascular Diseases. Ferroptosis is an iron-dependent new type of cell death that has been proved to occur in a variety of diseases. In our review, we focus on the critical role of ferroptosis and its regulatory mechanisms involved in Cardio-Cerebrovascular Diseases, and discuss the important function of ferroptosis-related inhibitors in order to propose potential implications for the prevention and treatment of Cardio-Cerebrovascular Diseases.

Cardio-Cerebrovascular Disease is a collective term for cardiovascular disease and cerebrovascular disease, being a serious threat to human health. A growing number of studies have proved that the content of inflammatory factors or mediators determines the stability of vascular plaque and the incidence of cardio-cerebrovascular event, and involves in the process of Cardio-Cerebrovascular Diseases. Interleukin-6 is a widely used cytokine that causes inflammation and oxidative stress, which would further result in cardiac and cerebral injury. The increased expression of interleukin-6 is closely related to atherosclerosis, myocardial infarction, heart failure and ischemic stroke. It is a key risk factor for these diseases by triggering inflammatory reaction and inducing other molecules release. Therefore, interleukin-6 may become a potential target for Cardio-Cerebrovascular Diseases in the future. This paper is aimed to discuss the expression changes and pathological mechanisms of interleukin-6 in Cardio-Cerebrovascular Diseases, and to provide a novel strategy for the prevention and treatment of Cardio-Cerebrovascular Diseases.

Abstract Background Skin disease is a global public health problem that often has physiological, psychological and social impacts. However, it is not very clear how to adapt to these impacts, especially psychosocial adaptation of patients with skin disease. Methods We searched EMBASE, PubMed, CINAHL and PsycINFO from 2009 to 2018. The following themes were extracted from the included articles: the concepts, related factors, and interventions for psychosocial adaptation of patients with skin disease. Two reviewers independently screened and analyzed. Results From 2261 initial records, 69 studies were identified and analyzed. The concept of psychosocial adaptation in patients with skin disease was referred to under an assortment of descriptions. The related factors for psychosocial adaptation in patients with skin disease included the following: demographic factors (sex, age, education level, ethnicity, BMI, sleep quality, marital status, exercise amount, family history, the use of topical treatment only, personality and history of smoking); disease-related factors (disease severity, clinical symptoms, localization and duration); psychological factors (anxiety/depression, self-esteem, body image, stigma and suicidal ideation); and social factors (social support, social interaction, sexual life, economic burden and social acceptance). Despite being limited in quantity, several studies have clarified the benefits of adjuvant care in the form of cognitive behavioral training, educational training and self-help programs, all of which have become common methods for dealing with the psychosocial impacts. Conclusions Based on the previous literatures, we constructed a protocol of care model for psychosocial adaptation in patients with skin disease. It not only provided the direction for developing new instruments that could assess psychosocial adaptation statue, but also a basis for helping patients adjust to changes in skin disease.

Abstract Background To investigate the prevalence and clinical characteristics of hypertension (HTN) and metabolic syndrome (MetS) in newly diagnosed diabetes with ketosis-onset. Methods A cross-sectional study was adopted in 734 newly diagnosed diabetics including 83 type 1 diabetics with positive islet-associated autoantibodies, 279 ketosis-onset diabetics without islet-associated autoantibodies and 372 non-ketotic type 2 diabetics. The clinical characteristics of HTN and MetS were compared across the three groups, and the risk factors of them were appraised in each group. Results The prevalence of HTN and MetS were substantially higher in the ketosis-onset diabetics (34.4% for HTN and 58.8% for MetS) than in the type 1 diabetics (15.7% for HTN, P = 0.004; 25.3% for MetS, P

Pulmonary hypertension (PH) is a critical and dangerous disease in cardiovascular system. Pulmonary vascular remodeling is an important pathophysiological mechanism for the development of pulmonary arterial hypertension. Pulmonary artery smooth muscle cell (PASMC) proliferation, hypertrophy, and enhancing secretory activity are the main causes of pulmonary vascular remodeling. Previous studies have proven that various active substances and inflammatory factors, such as interleukin 6 (IL-6), IL-8, chemotactic factor for monocyte 1, etc., are involved in pulmonary vascular remodeling in PH. However, the underlying mechanisms of these active substances to promote the PASMC proliferation remain to be elucidated. In our study, we demonstrated that PASMC senescence, as a physiopathologic mechanism, played an essential role in hypoxia-induced PASMC proliferation. In the progression of PH, senescence PASMCs could contribute to PASMC proliferation via increasing the expression of paracrine IL-6 (senescence-associated secretory phenotype). In addition, we found that activated mTOR/S6K1 pathway can promote PASMC senescence and elevate hypoxia-induced PASMC proliferation. Further study revealed that the activation of mTOR/S6K1 pathway was responsible for senescence PASMCs inducing PASMC proliferation via paracrine IL-6. Targeted inhibition of PASMC senescence could effectively suppress PASMC proliferation and relieve pulmonary vascular remodeling in PH, indicating a potential for the exploration of novel anti-PH strategies.

Background/Aims: Ischemic stroke is still one of the leading debilitating diseases with high morbidity and mortality. NADPH oxidase (NOX)-derived reactive oxygen species (ROS) play an important role in cerebral ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury. However, the mechanism underlying the regulation of ROS generation is still not fully elucidated. This study aims to explore the role of transforming growth beta (TGF-β) signals in ROS generation. Methods: Sprague–Dawley rats were subjected to I/R injury, and PC-12 cells were challenged by hypoxia/reoxygenation (H/R) and/or treated with activin receptor-like kinase (ALK5) inhibitor Sb505124 or siRNA against ALK5. Brain damage was evaluated using neurological scoring, triphenyl tetrazolium chloride staining, hematoxylin and eosin staining, infarct volume measurement, TUNEL staining, and caspase-3 activity measurement. Expression of TGF-β and oxidative stress-related genes was analyzed by real-time polymerase chain reaction and Western blot; NOX activity and ROS level were measured using spectrophotometry and fluorescence microscopy, respectively. Results: I/R contributed to severe brain damage (impaired neurological function, brain infarction, tissue edema, apoptosis), TGF-β signaling activation (upregulation of ALK5, phosphorylation of SMAD2/3) and oxidative stress (upregulation of NOX2/4, rapid release of ROS [oxidative burst]). However, Sb505124 significantly reversed these alterations and protected rats against I/R injury. As in the animal results, H/R also contributed to TGF-β signaling activation and oxidative stress. Likewise, the inhibition of ALK5 or ALK5 knockdown significantly reversed these alterations in PC-12 cells. Other than ALK5 knockdown, ALK5 inhibition had no effect on the expression of ALK5 in PC-12 cells. Conclusions: Our studies demonstrated that TGF-β signaling activation is involved in the regulation of NOX2/NOX4 expression and exacerbates cerebral I/R injury.

Background/Aims: The aim of this study was to determine the anti-psoriasis effects of α-(8-quinolinoxy) zinc phthalocyanine (ZnPc-F7)-mediated photodynamic therapy (PDT) and to reveal its mechanisms. Methods: HaCaT cells were used to observe the influence of ZnPc-F7-PDT on cell proliferation in vitro. The in vivo anti-psoriasis effects of ZnPc-F7-PDT were evaluated using a mouse vagina model, a propranolol-induced cavy psoriasis model and an imiquimod (IMQ)-induced nude mouse psoriasis model. Flow cytometry was carried out to determine T lymphocyte levels. Western blotting was performed to determine protein expression, and a reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction test was performed to determine mRNA expression. Results: The results showed that ZnPc-F7-PDT significantly inhibited the proliferation of HaCaT cells in vitro; when the light doses were fixed, changing the irradiation time or output power had little influence on the inhibition rate. ZnPc-F7-PDT significantly inhibited the hyperproliferation of mouse vaginal epithelium induced by diethylstilbestrol and improved propranolol- and IMQ-induced psoriasis-like symptoms. ZnPc-F7-PDT inhibited IMQ-induced splenomegaly and T lymphocyte abnormalities. ZnPc-F7-PDT did not appear to change T lymphocytes in the mouse vagina model. ZnPc-F7-PDT down-regulated the expression of proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA), B-cell lymphoma-2 (Bcl-2), interleukin (IL)-17A mRNA and IL-17F mRNA, and up-regulated the expression of Bax. Conclusion: In conclusion, ZnPc-F7-PDT exhibited therapeutic effects in psoriasis both in vitro and in vivo and is a potential approach in the treatment of psoriasis. Potential mechanisms of these effects included the inhibition of hyperproliferation; regulation of PCNA, Bcl-2, Bax, IL-17A mRNA and IL-17F mRNA expression; and immune regulation.

Backgroud: Chronic restraint stress (CRS) induces depressive-like behaviors in rodents, which involves dysregulation of hippocampal synapse formation and excessive autophagy. Adiponectin has antidepressant activity. Hydrogen sulfide (H2S) is a novel gasotransmitter. The present work was to investigate whether H2S antagonizes CRS-induced depressive-like behaviors in rats and to explore whether its potential mechanism involves ameliorated synaptic and autophagic dysregulation by upregulation of adiponectin.Methods: Depressive-like behavior was analyzed by the tail suspension test (TST), novelty suppressed feeding test (NSFT), and open field test (OFT). The structure of autophagy was observed under transmission electron microscopy. The expressions of adiponectin, beclin1, and sequestosome 1 (p62/SQSTMI) protein in hippocampus were measured by Western blot. The levels of synapsin1 (SYN1) in the hippocampus were calculated by Western blot and immunofluorescence technique.Results: The behavior experiments, including TST, NSFT, and OFT, showed that NaHS (a donor of H2S) reduced CRS-induced depressive-like behaviors. NaHS decreased the loss of hippocampal synapse as evidenced by increased the level of SYN1 in the hippocampus of CRS-exposed rats. NaHS rescued CRS-induced excessive hippocampal autophagy as evidenced by declines in the number of autophagosomes and the expression of beclin1 as well as increase in the expression of P62 in the hippocampus of CRS-exposed rats. NaHS upregulated hippocampal adiponectin expression in the CRS-exposed rats. Furthermore, neutralizing adiponectin by Anti-acrp30 reversed the protective response of NaHS to CRS-produced depressive-like behaviors as well as hippocampal synaptic disruption and excessive autophagy.Conclusion: H2S mitigates CRS-induced depressive behavior via upregulation of adiponectin, which in turn results in amelioration in hippocampal synapse formation dysfunction and excessive autophagy.

Cichorium endivia. L, consumed either cooked or eaten raw in salads, is a popular kind of vegetable cultivated all around the World. Its components have been widely used in folk medicine in anti-inflammatory therapy. However, the anti-cancer activity of the components has never been reported. In this study, (3S)-1,2,3,4-tetrahydro-β-carboline-3-carboxylic acid (1), an amino acid isolated from C. endivia. L, was found for the first time to show cytotoxic activity in colorectal cancer cell line HCT-8. Compound 1 at concentrations of 0.5–4 μM induced apoptosis of HCT-8 cells in a dose-dependent manner. The compound 1-induced apoptosis in HCT-8 cells was accompanied by the loss of mitochondrial membrane potential, the activation of caspase-3, caspase-8 and caspase-9, the up-regulation of Bax and the down-regulation of Bcl-2. In addition, compound 1 suppressed the activation of NF-κB, which acts as an inhibitor of apoptosis. Taken together, these results suggested that compound 1 could significantly induce apoptosis of HCT-8 cells through the suppression of NF-κB signaling pathway, and thus can be considered as a potential candidate for developing chemotherapeutic drugs against cancer.

The objective of the present study was to investigate the in vitro and in vivo hepatoprotective properties of Cichorium endivia L. extract (CEE), and to identify its chemical constituents. CEE significantly blocked the oxidative stress and cytotoxicity induced by tert-butyl hydroperoxide (t-BHP) in HepG2 cells. Meanwhile, oral administration of CEE to mice before the treatment of t-BHP exhibited a markedly protective effect by lowering serum levels of ALT and AST, inhibiting the changes in liver biochemistry including MDA, SOD, GSH and GST, as well as ameliorating the liver injuries according to the histopathological observations. According to the acute oral toxicity test, the LD50 of CEE was greater than 5,000 mg/kg, which demonstrates that the CEE can be considered practically non-toxic. Phytochemical analysis of CEE showed the presence of five compounds identified as 2-furanmethanol-(5'→11)-1,3-cyclopentadiene-[5,4-c]-1H-cinnoline, which is a new cinnoline derivative derived from a natural source but not synthesis, 2-phenylethyl-β-D-glucopyranoside, kaempferol-3-O-β-D-glucoside, kaempferol, and adenosine. In the ORAC assay, CEE and its constituents kaempferol and kaempferol-3-O-β-D-glucoside had considerable antioxidant potency. Taken together, CEE protects hepatic tissue from oxidative damage in vitro and in vivo, potentially due to its phenolic substances, and does not cause acute oral toxicity, which suggests that CEE may be a valid and safe remedy to cure liver disease.

Enhanced proliferation of pulmonary arterial vascular smooth muscle cells (PASMCs) is a key pathological component of vascular remodeling in hypoxia-induced pulmonary hypertension (HPH). Mammalian targeting of rapamycin (mTOR) signaling has been shown to play a role in protein translation and participate in the progression of pulmonary hypertension. Eukaryotic translation initiation factor-2α (eIF2α) is a key factor in regulation of cell growth and cell cycle, but its role in mTOR signaling and PASMCs proliferation remains unknown. Pulmonary hypertension (PH) rat model was established by hypoxia. Rapamycin was used to treat rats as an mTOR inhibitor. Proliferation of primarily cultured rat PASMCs was induced by hypoxia, rapamycin and siRNA of mTOR and eIF2α were used in loss-of-function studies. The expression and activation of eIF2α, mTOR and c-myc were analyzed. Results showed that mTOR/eIF2α signaling was significantly activated in pulmonary arteries from hypoxia exposed rats and PASMCs cultured under hypoxia condition. Treatment with mTOR inhibitor for 21 days attenuated vascular remodeling, suppressed mTOR and eIF2α activation, inhibited c-myc expression in HPH rats. In hypoxia-induced PASMCs, rapamycin and knockdown of mTOR and eIF2α by siRNA significantly abolished proliferation and increased c-myc expression. These results suggest a critical role of the mTOR/eIF2αpathway in hypoxic vascular remodeling and PASMCs proliferation of HPH.

An amino acid, 3S-1,2,3,4-tetrahydro-β-carboline-3-carboxylic acid, was isolated for the first time from the leaves of Cichorium endivia. The complete assignment of its 1H and 13C NMR spectroscopic data was carried out also for the first time based on extensive 1D and 2D NMR experiments. Cytotoxicity of this isolated compound against HCT-8 and HepG2 human cancer cell lines was evaluated for the first time, with moderate activities being found.

BACKGROUND: Sterile larvae--maggots of the green bottle blowfly Lucilia sericata are employed as a treatment tool for various types of chronic wounds. Previous studies reported that excretions/secretions (ES) of the sterile larvae could prevent and remove the biofilms of various species of bacteria. In the present study we assessed the effect of ES from the larvae pretreated with Pseudomonas aeruginosa on the bacteria biofilms. METHODS AND FINDINGS: We investigated the effects of ES from the maggot pretreated with P. aeruginosa on the biofilms using microtitre plate assays and on bactericidal effect using the colony-forming unit (CFU) assay. The results showed that only 30 µg of the ES from the pretreated maggots could prevent and degrade the biofilm of P. aeruginosa. However, the CFU count of P. aeruginosa was not decrease when compared to the ES from non pretreated maggots in this study condition. It is suggested that the ES from the pretreated maggot was more effective against biofilm of P. aeruginosa than sterile maggot ES. CONCLUSIONS: Our results showed that the maggot ES, especially the bacteria-pretreated larva ES may provide a new insight into the treatment tool of the bacterial biofilms.

The application of hyperspectral remote sensing technology to soil environment monitoring is a cost-effective and time-saving methodology. Owing to the complex multidimensional and nonlinear relationships of hyperspectral data, traditional machine learning models are limited in their ability to deal with such complex multidimensional and nonlinear relationships. Deep learning models have been proven to effectively handle this complex multidimensional and nonlinear relational data. We took 183 soil samples from Mojiang Hani Autonomous County, Pu’er City, Yunnan Province and selected them as the research subjects, and the concentration of arsenic in the soil was predicted on the basis of the results of visible and near-infrared (Vis– NIR) spectroscopy, and proposed a lightweight convolutional neural network (CNN) model, LMetal-ResNet, aiming to predict soil arsenic concentration quickly and accurately. In addition, we also constructed two traditional machine learning models, partial least squares regression and support vector regression, and a CNN model, GoogleNet7, to predict arsenic concentration. In all the models, the data obtained by Vis–NIR spectroscopy with Savitzky–Golay convolution smoothing, min-max normalization preprocessing, and Pearson correlation coefficient feature band selection were used as input, and the output was soil arsenic concentration. Finally, the modeling accuracies of these four models were compared and analyzed. The experimental results showed that the modeling accuracies of the CNN models were higher than those of the traditional machine learning models, and LMetal-ResNet achieved the highest prediction accuracy using 68.59% of the parameters of GoogleNet7. LMetal-ResNet in the validation dataset had a root mean square error of 106.8862 mg/kg, a coefficient of determination of 0.8744, and a relative analytical error of 2.8221. In addition, we also analyzed the top 20 characteristic bands that contribute to LMetal-ResNet in predicting arsenic concentration using soil Vis–NIR spectroscopy data. This study provides scientific theoretical guidance and technical support for the prediction of concentration in soil using deep learning CNNs combined with hyperspectral remote sensing technology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]