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Induction of hypothermia during hibernation/torpor enables certain mammals to survive under extreme environmental conditions. However, pharmacological induction of hypothermia in most mammals remains a huge challenge. Here we show that a natural product P57 promptly induces hypothermia and decreases energy expenditure in mice. Mechanistically, P57 inhibits the kinase activity of pyridoxal kinase (PDXK), a key metabolic enzyme of vitamin B6 catalyzing phosphorylation of pyridoxal (PL), resulting in the accumulation of PL in hypothalamus to cause hypothermia. The hypothermia induced by P57 is significantly blunted in the mice with knockout of PDXK in the preoptic area (POA) of hypothalamus. We further found that P57 and PL have consistent effects on gene expression regulation in hypothalamus, and they may activate medial preoptic area (MPA) neurons in POA to induce hypothermia. Taken together, our findings demonstrate that P57 has a potential application in therapeutic hypothermia through regulation of vitamin B6 metabolism and PDXK serves as a previously unknown target of P57 in thermoregulation. In addition, P57 may serve as a chemical probe for exploring the neuron circuitry related to hypothermia state in mice.

Objective To investigate the effect of sugammadex for reversal of neuromuscular blockade postoperatively in the patients with CT guided radiofrequency ablation of hepatic carcinoma under general anesthesia. Methods The clinical data of 220 patients with radiofrequency ablation of hepatic carcinoma under general anesthesia from November 2019 to February 2022 in our hospital were retrospectively analyzed. Patients were divided into sugammadex group (group S) with 108 patients and neostigmine group (group N) with 112 patients based on choice of neuromuscular blockade reversal. All was by intravenous anesthesia in two groups with same anesthesia induction and maintenance. Group S received intravenous sugammadex 2 mg/kg at the end of the surgery and group N neostigmine 2 mg combined with atropine 0.5-1.0 mg. Time to spontaneous breathing, time of tracheal extubation, period of postanesthesia care unit(PACU) stay and postoperative hospital stay between 2 groups were compared combined with rate of atelectasis examined by CT scan within 10 min after extubation, liver function 24 h postoperatively and pulmonary complication. Results The time to spontaneous breathing, time of extubation, and period of PACU stay in group S decreased significantly compared with those in group N (P0.05). Conclusions Sugammadex could reverse neuromuscular blockade more quickly and lowering the rates of early postoperative atelectasis and pulmonary complication of the patients with hepatic radiofrequency ablation.

Benzoxazolinones (BXs) are a group of natural compounds with biological activity. In recent years, benzoxazolinones have been identified in cereal grains and bakery foods. The most common BXs are 6-methoxy-benzoxazolin-2-one (MBOA) and 2-benzoxazolin-2-one (BOA). In this study, the contents of MBOA and BOA in 13varieties of wheat harvested in Henan Province were analyzed by LC-MS technology. Meanwhile, the inhibitory effects of MBOA and BOA on α-glucosidase and α-amylase were evaluated. The results showed that the contents of MBOA and BOA in wheat varied from 4.30 to 5.02 ng/g and 1.62 to 7.98 ng/g respectively. Interestingly, the contents of MBOA and BOA in whole wheat flour increased significantly after hot drying and germination by 1.5~2.0 and 500~1 000 times, respectively. In the aspect of hypoglycemic activity, MBOA and BOA showed reversible competitive inhibition on α-glucosidase and α-amylase. The IC50 of MBOA and BOA to α-glucosidase were 13.73 and 73.9 mg/mL, the IC50 to α-amylase were 64.98 and 17.68 mg/mL. These results revealed that BXs have the potential contribution to the hypoglycemic activity associated with whole wheat consumption. Food processing technologies such as germination can be used to enhance the concentration of BXs in the cereal food products that allow the intake of higher amounts of BXs. This study provides a new theoretical basis for the research on the health effects of whole wheat and its processed products.

With the surrounding environment of Inner Mongolia lead (Pb) ore as the research background, the germination and physio-biochemical effects of Pb stress on alfalfa were discussed to employ this species for the remediation of Pb contaminated soil. Research has shown that a low Pb stress concentration could improve the biological resistance of alfalfa seeds, while a high Pb stress concentration cannot be tolerated. Interestingly, when the Pb concentration was 5 mg/L, the germination rate of the seed was promoted, and the chlorophyll content was especially increased. As the Pb content and stress increased, the amount of malondialdehyde (MDA), H2O2, catalase (CAT) increased; while the root cell viability, chlorophyll and soluble protein content decreased. In consequence, alfalfa was tolerant to Pb stress of 5 mg/L, inversely, its growth was inhibited at levels higher than 5 mg/L, and it was poisoned at 500 mg/L. Based on the principal component analysis (PCA), the H2O2, O2-, chlorophyll total, chlorophyll a, CAT and proline content explicitly reflected the change in the physiology on the alfalfa and its tolerance under Pb stress.

Background: Systemic inflammation stands as a pivotal factor tightly interwoven with the progression of COVID‐19. This study endeavors to elucidate the significance of three key inflammatory molecules, that is, heparin‐binding protein (HBP), interleukin‐6 (IL‐6), and C‐reactive protein (CRP), in assessing the severity and prognostic implications of COVID‐19. Methods: The demographic, clinical, and laboratory data were retrospectively collected from a cohort of 214 adult patients diagnosed with COVID‐19. Patients were divided into two groups: nonsevere (n = 93; 43.5%) and severe (n = 121; 56.5%). Additionally, based on their organ function, patients were categorized into nonorgan failure (n = 137) and organ failure (n = 77) groups. The levels of inflammation‐related cytokines were then compared among these defined groups. Results: The severe group was characterized by a higher proportion of males, older age, and longer hospital stays compared to nonsevere cases. Additionally, severe cases exhibited a higher prevalence of underlying diseases and organ failure. Statistical analysis revealed significantly elevated levels of HBP, IL‐6, and CRP in the severe group. HBP, IL‐6, and CRP were identified as independent risk factors for severe COVID‐19. Furthermore, a combined assessment of these biomarkers demonstrated superior diagnostic sensitivity (85.10%) and specificity (95.70%) for predicting COVID‐19 severity. A positive relationship between elevated HBP, IL‐6, and CRP levels and impaired organ function was also observed. The predictive efficiency significantly increased (hazard ratio = 3.631, log‐rank p = 0.003) when two or more of them were combinedly used. Notably, elevated levels of HBP, IL‐6, and CRP were associated with an increased risk of mortality. Conclusions: In conclusion, the combined assessment of HBP, IL‐6, and CRP offers enhanced accuracy and specificity in predicting the severity, organ failure, and mortality risk associated with COVID‐19. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study proposes a guidance strategy based on human–machine transition (HMT) for cooperative adaptive cruise control (CACC) truck platoon actuator failures. Existing research on the CACC platoon mainly focuses on upper-level planning and rarely considers platoon planning failures caused by actuator failures. This study proposes that the truck in the platoon creates sufficient space on the target lane through HMT when the actuator fails, thereby promoting lane changes for the entire team. The effectiveness of the proposed strategy is evaluated using the Simulation of Urban Mobility (SUMO) simulation. The results demonstrate that under conditions ensuring the normal operation of traffic flow, this guidance strategy enhances the platoon's lane-changing capability. In addition, this strategy exhibits stronger robustness and efficiency in different traffic densities. This guidance strategy provides valuable insights into improving the driving efficiency of CACC truck platoons in complex road environments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]