Search

The biodegradable film, as an ideal substitute for plastic film, has broad application prospects. However, it is uncertain in maize actual evapotranspiration (ETac) components, yield, and water use efficiency (WUE) of biodegradable and plastic films during the different rainfall seasons. Therefore, a 4-year field trial with three mulching patterns (FNM: flat planting with non-mulching, RPM: ridge-furrow with plastic film mulching, and RBM: ridge-furrow with biodegradable film mulching) and two N-fertilization levels (0 and 180 kg N ha–1) was conducted. The results showed that the machine-learning models could accurately estimate maize ETac and its partitioning, and the random forest and artificial neural networks models had the highest accuracy and the least input variables after optimization. Compared to FNM, RBM and RPM increased Et by 10.8 mm, 14.0 mm in the dry season, 9.1 mm, 11.2 mm in the normal season, and 4.0 mm, 7.5 mm in the wet season, respectively, but decreased Es by 75.8 mm, 82.7 mm in the dry season, 48.6 mm, 56.7 mm in the normal season, 67.1 mm, and 74.9 mm in the wet season, respectively. Therefore, RBM and RPM decreased ETac by 65.0 mm, 68.8 mm in the dry season, 39.5 mm, 45.6 mm in the normal season, and 53.1 mm, 67.5 mm in the wet season, respectively, compared to FNM. Nitrogen application had a similar effect on Es and Et but only increased ETac by 13.3 mm in the dry season, 2 mm in the normal season, and 4.3 mm in the wet season, respectively, compared to N0. Furthermore, RBM and RPM under different nitrogen-fertilizations increased maize yield by 4.0 %, 3.6 % in the dry season, 3.0 %, 3.3 % in the normal season, and 5.3 %, 5.9 % in the wet season, respectively, also increased maize WUE by 23.3 %, 24.1 % in the dry season, 12.9 %, 15.0 % in the normal season, and 21.1 %, 23.4 % in the wet season, respectively, compared to FNM. This study proved that RPM could be replaced by RBM under 180 kg N ha–1 in the different rainfall seasons in terms of reducing ETac, increasing maize yield, and improving WUE. The optimized machine learning models in this study also provided a low-cost method for computing regional maize ETac.

Abstract Pyroptosis plays a crucial role in sepsis, and the abnormal handling of myocyte calcium (Ca2+) has been associated with cardiomyocyte pyroptosis. Specifically, the inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate receptor type 2 (IP3R2) is a Ca2+ release channel in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER). However, the specific role of IP3R2 in sepsis-induced cardiomyopathy (SIC) has not yet been determined. Thus, this study aimed to investigate the underlying mechanism by which IP3R2 channel-mediated Ca2+ signaling contributes to lipopolysaccharide (LPS)—induced cardiac pyroptosis. The SIC model was established in rats by intraperitoneal injection of LPS (10 mg/kg). Cardiac dysfunction was assessed using echocardiography, and the protein expression of relevant signaling pathways was analyzed using ELISA, RT-qPCR, and western blot. Small interfering RNAs (siRNA) and an inhibitor were used to explore the role of IP3R2 in neonatal rat cardiomyocytes (NRCMs) stimulated by LPS in vitro. LPS-induced NLRP3 overexpression and GSDMD-mediated pyroptosis in the rats’ heart. Treatment with the NLRP3 inhibitor MCC950 alleviated LPS-induced cardiomyocyte pyroptosis. Furthermore, LPS increased ATP-induced intracellular Ca2+ release and IP3R2 expression in NRCMs. Inhibiting IP3R activity with xestospongin C (XeC) or knocking down IP3R2 reversed LPS-induced intracellular Ca2+ release. Additionally, inhibiting IP3R2 reversed LPS-induced pyroptosis by suppressing the NLRP3/Caspase-1/GSDMD pathway. We also found that ER stress and IP3R2-mediated Ca2+ release mutually regulated each other, contributing to cardiomyocyte pyroptosis. IP3R2 promotes NLRP3-mediated pyroptosis by regulating ER Ca2+ release, and the mutual regulation of IP3R2 and ER stress further promotes LPS-induced pyroptosis in cardiomyocytes.

Ridge-furrow film mulching (RFFM) and nitrogen (N) fertilization have been widely used in semi-arid regions, it is particularly important to clarify the mechanism of crop physiological indicators in response to RFFM. A two-year (2018 and 2019) field experiment was conducted on summer maize under RFFM (including biodegradable film mulching (B) and plastic film mulching (P)) at N fertilizer application rate of 0 (N0), 90 (N1), 180 (N2) and 270 (N3) kg N ha–1. The aims of this research were to 1) explore the effects of different film mulching and N application rates under RFFM on photosynthesis, water utilization, and yield; 2) identify key factors and their contribution to yield. The results showed that RFFM and nitrogen application significantly improved net photosynthesis rate (Pn), stomatal conductance (Gs), transpiration rate (Tr), intrinsic water use efficiency (WUEi) (grain-filling stage), the maximum quantum yield of PSII photochemistry (Fv/Fm), energy transformation potential activities of PSII (Fv/Fo), the effective quantum yield of PSII photochemistry (ΦPSII), photochemical quenching of variable chlorophyll fluorescence (qP), non-photochemical chlorophyll fluorescence quenching (NPQ), chlorophyll ab (Chl ab), evapotranspiration (ET) and yield, but decreased chlorophyll a/b (Chl a/b) and soil water storage (SWS). The maximum Pn, Tr, Gs, WUEi, Fv/Fm. Fv/Fo, ΦPSII, qP, and Chl ab (anthesis stage) all appeared in N2. At the same N application rate, the positive effects on photosynthetic and chlorophyll fluorescence (ChlF) of the plastic film were better than biodegradable film, especially in water use efficiency (WUE). Nitrogen deficiency had significantly negative effects on various parameters (Photosynthetic parameters, ChlF, Chl ab, grain yield), while nitrogen application (N > N1) had strong positive effects. Photosynthetic parameters, Fv/Fm, Fv/Fo, NPQ, Chl ab, ET, and WUE had strong positive effects on yield. The grain yield of the plastic film were slightly better (5.03% on average) than biodegradable film, but from the perspective of sustainable development, we recommend that biodegradable film and N2 should be used in the semi-arid regions of China.

Anti-corrosion performance of a vinyl ester resin coating was enhanced by intercalation of MXene nanosheets in the resin matrix through wet transfer method. Open circuit potential and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy tests was executed to evaluate the barrier and corrosion protection performance of the VER and MXene/VER composite coatings. The results revealed significant enhancement of the corrosion protection performance of the MXene/VER composite coating samples compared with that of the VER coating samples. The real impendence values of VER and MXene/VER composite coatings was 1.83 and 5.87 MΩ cm2, and the coating resistance was 1.72 and 5.74 MΩ cm2 after 40-days soaking in the 3.5 wt % of NaCl solution, respectively. The results indicate that the 0.1 wt % MXene/VER composite coating exhibited a significant improvement of coating resistance and real impendence by up to 320% and 330%, respectively. The impermeability makes the 2D MXene nanosheets acting as a good barrier to corrosive electrolyte, leading to a more tortuous diffusion pathway and enhanced corrosion protection performance.

Objective Serum N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) and cystatin C (sCysC) are available clinically and beneficial in diagnosing acute kidney injury (AKI). Our purpose is to identify the performance of their combined diagnosis for AKI in critically ill patients.Design A prospectively recruited, observational study was performed.Setting Adults admitted to the intensive care unit of a tertiary hospital in China.Participants A total of 1222 critically ill patients were enrolled in the study.Main outcome measures To identify the performance of the combined diagnosis of serum NT-proBNP and sCysC for AKI in critically ill patients. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC-ROC), category-free net reclassification index (NRI) and incremental discrimination improvement (IDI) were utilised for comparing the discriminative powers of a combined and single biomarker adjusted model of clinical variables enriched with NT-proBNP and sCysC for AKI.Results AKI was detected in 256 out of 1222 included patients (20.9%). AUC-ROC for NT-proBNP and sCysC to detect AKI had a significantly higher accuracy than any individual biomarker (p

A herbal prescription in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) has great complexity, with multiple components and multiple targets, making it extremely challenging to determine its bioactive compounds. Yinchenhao Tang (YCHT) has been extensively used for the treatment of jaundice disease. Although many studies have examined the efficacy and active ingredients of YCHT, there is still a lack of an in-depth systematic analysis of its effective components, mechanisms, and potential targets—especially one based on clinical patients. This study established an innovative strategy for discovering the potential targets and active compounds of YCHT based on an integrated clinical and animal experiment platform. The serum metabolic profiles and constituents of YCHT in vivo were determined by ultra-performance liquid chromatography–quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (UPLC-Q-ToF-MS)-based metabolomics combined with a serum pharmacochemistry method. Moreover, a compound–target–pathway network was constructed and analyzed by network pharmacology and ingenuity pathway analysis (IPA). We found that eight active components could modulate five key targets. These key targets were further verified by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), which indicated that YCHT exerts therapeutic effects by targeting cholesterol 7α-hydroxylase (CYP7A1), multidrug-resistance-associated protein 2 (ABCC2), multidrug-resistance-associated protein 3 (ABCC3), uridine diphosphate glucuronosyl transferase 1A1 (UGT1A1), and farnesoid X receptor (FXR), and by regulating metabolic pathways including primary bile acid biosynthesis, porphyrin and chlorophyll metabolism, and biliary secretion. Eight main effective compounds were discovered and correlated with the key targets and pathways. In this way, we demonstrate that this integrated strategy can be successfully applied for the effective discovery of the active compounds and therapeutic targets of an herbal prescription.

ABSTRACT Sepsis-associated encephalopathy (SAE) is common in septic patients and is associated with adverse outcomes. The gut microbiota has been recognized as a key mediator of neurological disease development. However, the exact role of the gut microbiota in regulating SAE remains elusive. Here, we investigated the role of the gut microbiota in SAE and its underlying mechanisms. Cecal ligation and puncture (CLP) was conducted to induce sepsis in mice. Neurological scores were recorded to distinguish SAE-resistant (SER) (score of >6 at 36 h postoperatively) from SAE-susceptible (SES) (score of ≤6 at 36 h postoperatively) mice. 16S rRNA gene sequencing and metabolomics analyses were used to characterize the gut microbiota in the two groups. Fecal microbiota transplantation was performed to validate the role of the gut microbiota in SAE progression. The gut microbiota was more severely disrupted in SES mice than in SER mice after sepsis modeling. Interestingly, mice receiving postoperative feces from SES mice exhibited more severe cortical inflammation than mice receiving feces from SER mice. Indole-3-propionic acid (IPA), a neuroprotective molecule, was more enriched in feces from SER mice than in feces from SES mice. IPA alleviated CLP-induced anxiety and spatial memory impairment in septic mice. Moreover, IPA markedly inhibited NLRP3 inflammasome activation and interleukin-1β (IL-1β) secretion in lipopolysaccharide-stimulated microglia. These responses were attenuated after antagonizing the aryl hydrocarbon receptor. Our study indicates that the variability in sepsis-induced gut dysbiosis mediates the differential susceptibility to SAE in CLP-induced experimental sepsis mice, and microbially derived IPA is possibly involved in SAE development as a neuroprotective compound. IMPORTANCE The bidirectional interactions between the gut microbiota and sepsis-associated encephalopathy (SAE) are not well characterized. We found that the gut microbiota was more severely disturbed in SAE-susceptible (SES) mice than in SAE-resistant (SER) mice after sepsis modeling. Mice gavaged with postoperative feces from SES mice exhibited more severe neuroinflammation than mice gavaged with feces from SER mice. The gut microbiota from SER mice enriched a neuroprotective metabolite, IPA, which appeared to protect mice from SAE. The potential underlying mechanism of the protective effect of IPA may be mediated via the inhibition of NLRP3 inflammasome activation and IL-1β secretion in microglia. These anti-inflammatory effects of IPA may be regulated by aryl hydrocarbon receptors. These results enhance our understanding of the role of the intestinal microbiota in sepsis. In particular, gut microbiota-derived IPA may serve as a potential therapeutic agent to prevent neuroinflammation in SAE.

ABSTRACT The effects of using gut microbiota metabolites instead of live microorganisms to modulate sepsis-induced gut dysbiosis remain largely unknown. We assessed the effects of microbiota metabolite indole-3-propionic acid (IPA) on gut microbiota in mice during sepsis. Sepsis models were constructed by cecal ligation and puncture (CLP) methods. Fecal microbiota composition analysis was performed to characterize the gut microbiota composition. Fecal microbiota transplantation was performed to validate the roles of gut microbiota on sepsis progression. IPA-treated mice exhibited lower serum inflammatory mediator levels and a higher survival rate than those of saline-treated mice after modeling of sepsis, which were negated in the presence of antibiotics. Compared with saline-treated mice after modeling, IPA-treated mice showed a markedly different intestinal microbiota composition, with an enrichment of Bifidobacteriaceae family and a depletion of Enterobacteriaceae family. Mice gavaged with postoperative feces from IPA-treated animals displayed better survival than mice gavaged with feces from saline-treated animals. Overall, these data suggest that IPA offers a microbe-modulated survival advantage in septic mice, indicating that some microbiota metabolites could replace live microorganisms as potential options for regulation of sepsis-induced gut dysbiosis. IMPORTANCE The role of gut microbiota in the pathophysiology of sepsis is gaining increasing attention and developing effective and safe sepsis therapies targeting intestinal microorganisms is promising. Given the safety of probiotic supplementation or fecal microbiota transplantation in critically ill patients, identifying an abiotic agent to regulate the intestinal microbiota of septic patients is of clinical significance. This study revealed that IPA, a microbiota-generated tryptophan metabolite, ameliorated sepsis-induced mortality and decreased the serum levels of proinflammatory cytokines by modulating intestinal microbiota. Although IPA did not increase the abundance and diversity of the microbiota of septic mice, it significantly decreased the number of Enterobacteriaceae family. These findings indicate that a specific microbiota metabolite (e.g., IPA) can mediate the intestinal microbiota apart from FMT or probiotics.

Abstract Background Glucocorticoids may impact the accuracy of serum cystatin C (sCysC) in reflecting renal function. We aimed to assess the effect of glucocorticoids on the performance of sCysC in detecting acute kidney injury (AKI) in critically ill patients. Methods A prospective observational cohort study was performed in a general intensive care unit (ICU). Using propensity score matching, we successfully matched 240 glucocorticoid users with 960 non-users among 2716 patients. Serum creatinine (SCr) and sCysC were measured for all patients at ICU admission. Patients were divided into four groups based on cumulative doses of glucocorticoids within 5 days before ICU admission (Group I: non-users; Group II: 0 mg 150 mg). We compared the performance of sCysC for diagnosing and predicting AKI in different groups using the area under the receiver operator characteristic curve (AUC). Results A total of 240 patients received glucocorticoid medication within 5 days before ICU admission. Before and after matching, the differences of sCysC levels between glucocorticoid users and non-users were both significant (P 0.05). Simultaneously, we did not find significant differences in the AUC between any two groups in the matched cohort (P > 0.05). Conclusions Glucocorticoids did not impact the performance of sCysC in identifying AKI in critically ill patients.

Objective Changes in thyroid function will be accompanied by changes in urinary N-acetyl-β-D-glucosaminidase (uNAG) levels. Therefore, whether thyroid hormones interfere the ability of uNAG in detecting acute kidney injury (AKI) has raised concern in patients with critical illness.Design A prospectively recruited, observational study was performed.Setting Adults admitted to the intensive care unit of a grade A tertiary hospital in China.Participants A total of 1919 critically ill patients were enrolled in the study.Main outcome measures To investigate the variations of the ability of uNAG to detect AKI in patients with critical illness under different thyroid hormones levels (differences in area under the curve (AUC) for uNAG diagnosis and prediction of AKI with different thyroid hormones levels).Results The bivariate correlation analysis revealed that FT3 and TT3 levels were independently associated with uNAG levels (p0.05).Conclusions Even if uNAG levels varied with FT3 and TT3 levels, these hormones did not interfere with uNAG’s ability to detect AKI in patients with critical illness.

Biochar’s underlying biochemical and physiological mechanisms in reducing irrigation and salinity stress are elusive. This paper investigates the effects of two types of biochar (wood biochar and poultry biochar) on the growth and physiology of tomato seedlings exposed to the combined effects of drought and salinity stress. Two types of biochar, wood biochar (WB) and poultry biochar (PB), were added to the soil separately, with three salinity gradients of 0, 100, and 200 mmol/L and two water supply conditions of full irrigation (FI) and deficit irrigation (DI). Results showed that biochar addition effectively improved the root water potential and osmotic potential of tomato plant under drought and salinity stress. Biochar application also mitigated leaf relative water content by 9.86% and 24.37% under drought and salinity stress, respectively. Furthermore, biochar application decreased abscisic acid concentrations in xylem sap under drought and salinity stress. Biochar altered the soil structure and increased field water holding capacity, indirectly increasing the soil water supply. While water use efficiency did not increase significantly after biochar application, a synergistic increase in seedling growth and water consumption occurred. In conclusion, biochar addition shows promise for promoting seedling growth to help mitigate the adverse impacts of drought and salinity stress on plant growth and physiology.

Backgrounds: The plasma colloid osmotic pressure (COP) values for predicting mortality are not well-estimated. A user-friendly nomogram could predict mortality by incorporating clinical factors and scoring systems to facilitate physicians modify decision-making when caring for patients with serious neurological conditions.Methods: Patients were prospectively recruited from March 2017 to September 2018 from a tertiary hospital to establish the development cohort for the internal test of the nomogram, while patients recruited from October 2018 to June 2019 from another tertiary hospital prospectively constituted the validation cohort for the external validation of the nomogram. A multivariate logistic regression analysis was performed in the development cohort using a backward stepwise method to determine the best-fit model for the nomogram. The nomogram was subsequently validated in an independent external validation cohort for discrimination and calibration. A decision-curve analysis was also performed to evaluate the net benefit of the insertion decision using the nomogram.Results: A total of 280 patients were enrolled in the development cohort, of whom 42 (15.0%) died, whereas 237 patients were enrolled in the validation cohort, of which 43 (18.1%) died. COP, neurological pathogenesis and Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation II (APACHE II) score were predictors in the prediction nomogram. The derived cohort demonstrated good discriminative ability, and the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) was 0.895 [95% confidence interval (CI), 0.840–0.951], showing good correction ability. The application of this nomogram to the validation cohort also provided good discrimination, with an AUC of 0.934 (95% CI, 0.892–0.976) and good calibration. The decision-curve analysis of this nomogram showed a better net benefit.Conclusions : A prediction nomogram incorporating COP, neurological pathogenesis and APACHE II score could be convenient in predicting mortality for critically ill neurological patients.

This study numerically investigates the limitations of structural hot-spot stress (SHSS) methods and proposes a guideline for the calculation of hot-spot stresses, which can be used for the better evaluation of fatigue-related problems. Four different SHSS evaluation methods have been applied to the rib-to-deck (RD) welded joint in orthotropic steel deck (OSD). These methods are used to calculate SHSS at this critical joint utilizing finite element analyses (FEA) based software Siemens NX.12. The limitations and the accuracy of these methods have been observed under different element types and meshing techniques. Moreover, the effect of the nodal-averaging feature is being studied. Two types of governing stresses are produced by the application of Eurocode fatigue load model-4. Essentially, the bending in deck-plate produces highly non-linear stress at the deck-toe, and the membrane effect in rib-plate generates linear stress at the rib-toe. Guidelines are proposed considering different parameters on these two stress states by applying SHSS evaluation methods. In comparison to other SHSS approaches, the International Institute of Welding (IIW) quadratic stress extrapolation (QSE) method shows better results for solid single-element, and the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) through thickness stress linearization (TTSL) method stands out in solid cubic-mesh technique. In general, shell elements have more consistent SHSS results as compared to solid elements for both stress states.

Arachidonic (ARA), eicosapentaenoic (EPA) and docosahexaenoic (DHA) acids are the most biologically active polyunsaturated fatty acids, but their biosyntheses in mammals are very limited. The biosynthesis of DHA is the most difficult, because this undergoes the Sprecher pathway--a further elongation step from docosapentaenoic acid (DPA), a Δ6-desaturase acting on a C24 fatty acid substrate followed by a peroxisomal chain shortening step. This paper reports the successful heterologous expression of two non-mammalian genes (with modification of codon usage), coding for Euglena gracilis Δ4-desaturase and Siganus canaliculatus Δ4-desaturase respectively, in mammalian cells (HEK293 cell line). Both of the Δ4-desaturases can efficiently function, directly converting DPA into DHA. Moreover, the cooperation of the E. gracilis Δ4-desaturase with C. elegans Δ15-desaturase (able to convert a number of n-6 PUFAs to their corresponding n-3 PUFAs) in transgenic HEK293 cells made a more desirable fatty acid composition--a drastically reduced n-6/n-3 PUFAs ratio and a high level of DHA as well as EPA and ARA. Our findings provide a basis for potential applications of the gene constructs for expression of Δ15/Δ4-desaturases in transgenic livestock to produce such a fatty acid profile in the related products, which certainly will bring benefit to human health.

Secreted protein Reelin is implicated in neuropsychiatric disorders and its supplementation ameliorates neurological symptoms in mouse disease models. Recombinant human Reelin protein may be useful for the treatment of human diseases, but its properties remain uncharacterized. Here, we report that full-length human Reelin was well secreted from transfected cells and was able to induce Dab1 phosphorylation. Unexpectedly, the central fragment of human Reelin was much less secreted than that of mouse Reelin. Three residues in the sixth Reelin repeat contributed to the secretion inefficiency, and their substitutions with mouse residues increased the secretion without affecting its biological activity. Our findings help efficient production of human Reelin protein for the supplementation therapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aiming at hairiness measurement, a digital image acquisition system is constructed, based on which a novel algorithm is proposed in order to measure the number and length of yarn hairiness. The algorithm can be used to make feature analysis of yarn images captured continuously, and yarn hairiness features for quality evaluation of yarn hairiness are determined. With pretreatment of yarn image, including gray-scale transformation, background subtraction, image enhancement, dynamic threshold segmentation, tilt correction, image denoising and image segmentation, yarn hairiness image is obtained. Then the yarn hairiness image is treated by using thinning algorithm, so the thinned yarn hairiness image is obtained. With yarn axis and the margin of trunk as reference, and with proper baseline, yarn hairiness image skeleton is extracted at the pixel level, and the number of yarn hairiness of different length is determined by statistics. Experimental results show that the precision of the new method is consistent with the visual observation method, and its deviation is within 5%. The method can improve the efficiency and accuracy of yarn hairiness feature extraction.

Copyright of Journal of Medical Biochemistry is the property of Society of Medical Biochemists of Serbia and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Human GABAergic interneurons (GIN) are implicated in normal brain function and in numerous mental disorders. However, the generation of functional human GIN subtypes from human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs) has not been established. By expressing LHX6, a transcriptional factor that is critical for GIN development, we induced hPSCs to form GINs, including somatostatin (SST, 29%) and parvalbumin (PV, 21%) neurons. Our RNAseq results also confirmed the alteration of GIN identity with the overexpression of LHX6. Five months after transplantation into the mouse brain, the human GABA precursors generated increased population of SST and PV neurons by overexpressing LHX6. Importantly, the grafted human GINs exhibited functional electrophysiological properties and even fast-spiking-like action potentials. Thus, expression of the single transcription factor LHX6 under our GIN differentiation condition is sufficient to robustly induce human PV and SST subtypes.