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Abstract Background Subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH), a severe subtype of stroke, is characterized by notably high mortality and morbidity, largely due to the lack of effective therapeutic options. Although the neuroprotective potential of PPARg and Nrf2 has been recognized, investigative efforts into oroxin A (OA), remain limited in preclinical studies. Methods SAH was modeled in vivo through filament perforation in male C57BL/6 mice and in vitro by exposing HT22 cells to hemin to induce neuronal damage. Following the administration of OA, a series of methods were employed to assess neurological behaviors, brain water content, neuronal damage, cell ferroptosis, and the extent of neuroinflammation. Results The findings indicated that OA treatment markedly improved survival rates, enhanced neurological functions, mitigated neuronal death and brain edema, and attenuated the inflammatory response. These effects of OA were linked to the suppression of microglial activation. Moreover, OA administration was found to diminish ferroptosis in neuronal cells, a critical factor in early brain injury (EBI) following SAH. Further mechanistic investigations uncovered that OA facilitated the translocation of nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf-2) from the cytoplasm to the nucleus, thereby activating the Nrf2/GPX4 pathway. Importantly, OA also upregulated the expression of FSP1, suggesting a significant and parallel protective effect against ferroptosis in EBI following SAH in synergy with GPX4. Conclusion In summary, this research indicated that the PPARg activator OA augmented the neurological results in rodent models and diminished neuronal death. This neuroprotection was achieved primarily by suppressing neuronal ferroptosis. The underlying mechanism was associated with the alleviation of cellular death through the Nrf2/GPX4 and FSP1/CoQ10 pathways.

Diabetic nephropathy (DN) is a severe complication of diabetes, characterized by changes in kidney structure and function. The natural product rosmarinic acid (RA) has demonstrated therapeutic effects, including anti-inflammation and anti-oxidative-stress, in renal damage or dysfunction. In this study, we characterized the heterogeneity of the cellular response in kidneys to DN-induced injury and RA treatment at single cell levels. Our results demonstrated that RA significantly alleviated renal tubular epithelial injury, particularly in the proximal tubular S1 segment and on glomerular epithelial cells known as podocytes, while attenuating the inflammatory response of macrophages, oxidative stress, and cytotoxicity of natural killer cells. These findings provide a comprehensive understanding of the mechanisms by which RA alleviates kidney damage, oxidative stress, and inflammation, offering valuable guidance for the clinical application of RA in the treatment of DN.

Abstract Ratios of glycerol dialkyl glycerol tetraethers (GDGT), which are membrane lipids of bacteria and archaea, are at the base of several paleoenvironmental proxies. They are frequently applied to soils as well as lake‐ and marine sediments to generate records of past temperature and soil pH. To derive meaningful environmental information from these reconstructions, high analytical reproducibility is required. Based on submitted results by 39 laboratories from across the world, which employ a diverse range of analytical and quantification methods, we explored the reproducibility of brGDGT‐based proxies (MBT′5ME, IR, and #ringstetra) measured on four soil samples and four soil lipid extracts. Correct identification and integration of 5‐ and 6‐methyl brGDGTs is a prerequisite for the robust calculation of proxy values, but this can be challenging as indicated by the large inter‐interlaboratory variation. The exclusion of statistical outliers improves the reproducibility, where the remaining uncertainty translates into a temperature offset from median proxy values of 0.3–0.9°C and a pH offset of 0.05–0.3. There is no apparent systematic impact of the extraction method and sample preparation steps on the brGDGT ratios. Although reported GDGT concentrations are generally consistent within laboratories, they vary greatly between laboratories. This large variability in brGDGT quantification may relate to variations in ionization efficiency or specific mass spectrometer settings possibly impacting the response of brGDGTs masses relative to that of the internal standard used. While ratio values of GDGT are generally comparable, quantities can currently not be compared between laboratories.

Tris (2-ethylhexyl) phosphate (TEHP) is a frequently used organophosphorus flame retardant with significant ecotoxicity and widespread human exposure. Recent research indicates that TEHP has reproductive toxicity. However, the precise cell mechanism is not enough understood. Here, by using testicular mesenchymal stromal TM3 cells as a model, we reveal that TEHP induces apoptosis. Then RNA sequencing analysis, immunofluorescence, and western blotting results show that THEP inhibits autophagy flux and enhances endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress. Moreover, the activation of the ER stress is critical for TEHP-induced cell injury. Interestingly, TEHP-induced ER stress is contributed to autophagic flux inhibition. Furthermore, pharmacological inhibition of autophagy aggravates, and activation of autophagy attenuates TEHP-induced apoptosis. In summary, these findings indicate that TEHP triggers apoptosis in mouse TM3 cells through ER stress activation and autophagy flux inhibition, offering a new perspective on the mechanisms underlying TEHP-induced interstitial cytotoxicity in the mouse testis.

Abstract It is difficult to predict the surgical effect and outcome of severe traumatic brain injury (TBI) before surgery. This study aims to approve an evaluation method of computed tomography angiography (CTA) to predict the effect of surgery and outcome in severe TBI. Between January 2010 and January 2020, we retrospectively reviewed 358 severe TBI patients who underwent CTA at admission and reexamination. CTA data were evaluated for the presence of cerebrovascular changes, including cerebrovascular shift (CS), cerebral vasospasm (CVS), large artery occlusion (LAO), and deep venous system occlusion (DVSO). Medical records were reviewed for baseline clinical characteristics and the relationship between CTA changes and outcomes. Cerebrovascular changes were identified in 247 (69.0%) of 358 severe TBI patients; only 25 (10.12%) of them had poor outcomes, and 162 (65.6%) patients had a good recovery. Eighty-three (23.18%) patients were diagnosed with CVS, 10 (12.05%) had a good outcome, 57 (68.67%) had severe disability and 16 (19.28%) had a poor outcome. There were twenty-six (7.3%) patients who had LAO and thirty-one (8.7%) patients who had DVSO; no patients had good recovery regardless of whether they had the operation or not. Cerebrovascular injuries and changes are frequent after severe TBI and correlate closely with prognosis. CTA is an important tool in evaluating the severity, predicting the operation effect and prognosis, and guiding therapy for severe TBI. Well-designed, multicenter, randomized controlled trials are needed to evaluate the value of CTA for severe TBI in the future.

Abstract Background Diabetic kidney disease (DKD) is a common and severe complication of diabetes that can lead to end-stage renal disease with no cure. The first-line drugs recommended by clinical guidelines fail to achieve satisfactory effects for people with DKD. A Chinese herbal medicine Tangshen Qushi Formula (TQF) shows preliminary efficacy and safety in preserving renal function for people with DKD, but the effects on comprehensive renal outcomes remain unclear. We will conduct a systematic review and meta-analysis to evaluate the effects of TQF herbs and their compounds identified from ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-MS/MS in diabetic animal models with renal outcomes. Methods This protocol complies with the guideline Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis Protocols. We will include studies investigating the effects of TQF herbs and compounds on diabetic rats or mice with renal outcomes. Six electronic databases will be searched from their inception to February 2023. Quality assessment will be conducted using SYRCLE’s risk of bias tool. Standardized or weighted mean differences will be estimated for renal outcomes (creatinine, urea, proteinuria, histological changes, oxidative stress, inflammation, and kidney fibrosis). Data will be pooled using random-effects models. Heterogeneity across studies will be expressed as I 2. Sensitivity analyses will explore treatment effects in adjusted models and within subgroups. Funnel plots and Egger’s test will be used to explore publication bias. Discussion The results of this review will provide valuable insights into the potential effects of TQF in managing DKD. The limitation is that the included studies will be animal studies from specific databases, and the interpretation of the findings must be cautious. Systematic review registration PROSPERO CRD42023432895. Registered on 19 July 2023 ( https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/PROSPERO/#recordDetails ).

Research on interactions between grazers and toxigenic algae is fundamental for understanding toxin dynamics within aquatic ecosystems and developing biotic approaches to mitigate harmful algal blooms. The dinoflagellate Alexandrium minutum is a well-known microalga responsible for paralytic shellfish toxins (PSTs) contamination in many coastal regions worldwide. This study investigated the impact of the ciliate Euplotes balteatus on cell density and PSTs transfer in simulated A. minutum blooms under controlled conditions. E. balteatus exhibited resistance to the PSTs produced by A. minutum with a density of up to 10,000 cells/mL, sustaining growth and reproduction while eliminating algal cells within a few days. The cellular PSTs content of A. minutum increased in response to the grazing pressure from E. balteatus. However, due to the substantial reduction in density, the overall toxicity of the algal population decreased to a negligible level. Most PSTs contained within algal cells were temporarily accumulated in E. balteatus before being released into the water column, suggesting unclear mechanisms for PSTs excretion in unicellular grazers. In principle, the grazing of E. balteatus on A. minutum promotes the transfer of the majority of intracellular PSTs into extracellular portions, thereby mitigating the risk of their accumulation and contamination through marine trophic pathways. However, this process also introduces an increase in the potential environmental hazards posed by extracellular PSTs to some extent.

There is great demand for the development of novel efficient therapeutic strategies or preventative measures to alleviate the life-threatening complications of type 2 diabetes. Hederasaponin C (PB5), a natural product, has been reported to exhibit significant therapeutic effects in various diseases; however, the possible effects and mechanism underlying PB5 in reducing diabetic renal complications have not been comprehensively reported. Here, we investigated the response of murine diabetic models to PB5 treatment using single-cell RNA-sequencing (scRNA-seq) and proteomics. Our findings revealed the dynamic transcriptional changes of renal cells in response to diabetic nephropathy. PB5 alleviated inflammatory injury by partially reducing pathophysiologic processes. In addition, we observed severe glomerular lesions and functional deficiencies, including GBM thickening and podocyte dysfunction, during the progression of diabetes, which were likewise attenuated by PB5. These results provide insight into how PB5 treatment improves diabetic symptoms and possibly serves as a novel protective measure and therapeutic strategy in the treatment of type 2 diabetes.

Abstract Subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) occurs most commonly after rupture of an aneurysm, resulting in high disability and mortality due to the absence of effective therapy. Its subsequent stage, early brain injury (EBI), promotes the sustainable development of injury in the brain and ultimately leads to poor prognosis. As a new antiepileptic drug, the effect of perampanel on EBI after SAH is unknown. Pyroptosis, a process of inflammatory programmed cell death, has been confirmed in most studies to play a substantial role in aggravating SAH-post EBI. Similarly, oxidative stress is closely involved in neuronal pyroptosis and the pathophysiological mechanism of SAH-post EBI, leading to a devastating outcome for SAH patients. Nonetheless, no studies have been conducted to determine whether perampanel reduces pyroptosis and oxidative stress in the context of SAH-induced EBI. Rat SAH model via endovascular perforation was constructed in this study, to assess the neuroprotective effect of perampanel on SAH-post EBI, and to clarify the possible molecular mechanism. By means of the neurological score, brain edema detection, FJB staining, immunofluorescence, WB, ELISA, and ROS assay, we found that perampanel can improve neuroscores and reduce brain edema and neuronal degeneration at 24 h after SAH; we also found that perampanel reduced oxidative stress, neuronal pyroptosis, and inhibition of the SIRT3-FOXO3α pathway at 24 h after SAH. When 3-TYP, an inhibitor of SIRT3, was administered, the effects of perampanel on the SIRT3-FOXO3a pathway, antioxidant stress, and neuronal pyroptosis were reversed. Taken together, our data indicate that perampanel attenuates oxidative stress and pyroptosis following subarachnoid hemorrhage via the SIRT3/FOXO3α pathway. This study highlights the application value of perampanel in subarachnoid hemorrhage and lays a foundation for clinical research and later transformation of perampanel in SAH.

BackgroundDiabetic kidney disease (DKD) has become the leading cause of kidney failure, causing a significant socioeconomic burden worldwide. The usual care for DKD fails to achieve satisfactory effects in delaying the persistent loss of renal function. A Chinese herbal medicine, Tangshen Qushi Formula (TQF), showed preliminary clinical benefits with a sound safety profile for people with stage 2-4 DKD. We present the protocol of an ongoing clinical trial investigating the feasibility, efficacy, and safety of TQF compared to placebo in delaying the progressive decline of renal function for people with stage 2-4 DKD.MethodsA mixed methods research design will be used in this study. A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled pilot trial will evaluate the feasibility, efficacy, and safety of TQF compared to placebo on kidney function for people with stage 2-4 DKD. An embedded semi-structured interview will explore the acceptability of TQF granules and trial procedures from the participant’s perspective. Sixty eligible participants with stage 2-4 DKD will be randomly allocated to the treatment group (TQF plus usual care) or the control group (TQF placebo plus usual care) at a 1:1 ratio for 48-week treatment and 12-week follow-up. Participants will be assessed every 12 weeks. The feasibility will be assessed as the primary outcome. The changes in the estimated glomerular filtration rate, urinary protein/albumin, renal function, glycemic and lipid markers, renal composite endpoint events, and dampness syndrome of Chinese medicine will be assessed as the efficacy outcomes. Safety outcomes such as liver function, serum potassium, and adverse events will also be evaluated. The data and safety monitoring board will be responsible for the participants’ benefits, the data’s credibility, and the results’ validity. The intent-to-treat and per-protocol analysis will be performed as the primary statistical strategy.DiscussionConducting a rigorously designed pilot trial will be a significant step toward establishing the feasibility and acceptability of TQF and trial design. The study will also provide critical information for future full-scale trial design to further generate new evidence supporting clinical practice for people with stage 2-4 DKD.Trial registration numberhttps://www.chictr.org.cn/, identifier ChiCTR2200062786.

Biochar promotes microbial metabolic activities and reduces N2O on aerobic composting. However, the effects of magnetic biochar (MBC) on the microbial succession and N2O emissions during pig manure composting remain unclear. Herein, a 42-day composting experiment was conducted with five treatment regimes: pig manure without biochar (CK), 5 % pig manure-based biochar (5 % PBC), 2 % MBC (2 % MBC), 5 % MBC (5 % MBC) and 7.5 % MBC (7.5 % MBC)), to clarify the variation in functional microorganisms and genes associated with nitrogen and direct interspecies electron transfer via metagenomics. Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy showed that MBC possessed more stable aromatic structures than pig manure-based biochar (PBC), indicating its greater potential for nitrous oxide reduction. MBC treatments were more effective in composting organic matter and improving the carbon/nitrogen ratio than PBC. The microbial composition during composting varied significantly, with the dominant phyla shifting from Firmicutes to Proteobacteria, Actinobacteria, and Bacteroidota. Network and hierarchical clustering analyses showed that the MBC treatment enhanced the interactions of dominant microbes (Proteobacteria and Bacteroidota) and accelerated the composting process. The biochar addition accelerated assimilatory nitrate reduction and slowed dissimilatory nitrate reduction and denitrification. The Mantel test demonstrated that magnetic biochar potentially helped regulate composting nutrients and affected functional nitrogen genes. These findings shed light on the role of MBC in mitigating greenhouse gas emissions during aerobic composting.

Acute intracranial hypertension (AIH) is a common and tricky symptom that inflicts upon patients after traumatic brain injury (TBI). A variety of clinical options have been applied for the management of AIH, such as physiotherapy, medication, surgery and combination therapy. Specifically, controlled decompression (CDC) alleviates the extent of brain injury and reduces the incidence of a series of post-TBI complications, thereby enhancing the prognosis of patients suffering from acute intracranial hypertension. The objective of the present project is to illuminate the potential molecular mechanism that underlies the neuroprotective effects of CDC in a rat model of traumatic epidural intracranial hypertension (TEIH). Herein, we observed the functional recovery, the degree of brain edema, the level of apoptosis, the expressions of neuronal cell autophagy-related signaling pathway proteins (including Akt, p-Akt, LC3 and Beclin-1) in rat TEIH model at 24 h post-surgery. The results showed in comparison with rapid decompression (RDC), CDC reduced the degree of brain edema, diminished the level of cellular apoptosis and enhanced neurological function, and whereas the neuroprotective effect of CDC could be reversed by rapamycin (Rap). The expressions of Beclin-1 and LC3 in CDC group were significantly lower than those of RDC group, and the expression levels of these two proteins were significantly elevated after the addition of Rap. The expression of p-Akt in CDC group was considerably enhanced than RDC group. After the addition of LY294002, a PI3K/Akt pathway inhibitor, p-Akt protein expression was reduced, and the neuroprotective effect of the rats was markedly inhibited. Taken together, our data demonstrate the superior neuroprotective effect of CDC with regard to alleviating early brain edema, improving the neurological status, suppressing apoptosis and inhibiting neuronal autophagy via triggering PI3K/Akt signaling pathway.

Introduction: Spontaneous subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH), is a disorder that may be fatal and is primarily caused by a ruptured brain aneurysm. Despite significant leaps forward in the methods to produce aneurysms, the long-term outcomes did not much improve. Pioglitazone is a medication that has been authorized by the FDA as an agonist for the peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-gamma (PPARγ). Pioglitazone or PPARγ has neuroprotective benefits in animal experiments both during and after traumatic brain injury (TBI) and SAH. Nevertheless, the treatment impact of Pioglitazone on humans is still unknown at this time. As a result, we will conduct a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial to explore the impact of pioglitazone on SAH.Methods/Design: This trial will recruit 400 patients with SAH from four Chinese hospitals. These patients will be equally and randomly assigned to Pioglitazone and placebo control groups for up to 30 days. Scores on the modified Rankin scale (mRS) are the primary outcomes. The secondary outcomes are a 30-day all-cause mortality rate, 6 months of Montreal cognitive assessment (Mo-CA), delayed cerebral ischemia, the requirement for intensive care, the incidence of sepsis, etc. All serious adverse events (SAEs) were recorded during the hospital. Every primary and safety analysis was conducted based on the intention-to-treat technique. The participants were given either a matching placebo or 15 mg of pioglitazone, with dose titrated to a target of 45 mg daily. Data on the therapeutic use of pioglitazone after SAH will be provided as a consequence of the findings of this experiment. In addition, this pilot trial is the first to prospectively investigate the effectiveness and safety of pioglitazone in patients with SAH.Ethics and dissemination: Ethics approval was obtained from the Medical Ethics Committee of 904th Hospital of Joint Logistic Support Force of PLA (Wuxi Taihu Hospital, approval No. 20220701). The findings of the trial will be presented at conferences, discussed in relevant patient groups, and published in peer-reviewed journals.Clinical Trial Registration:clinicaltrials.gov, identifier ChiCTR2200062954.

Abstract This case study aimed to identify rare viral myocarditis combined with encephalitis as a COVID‐19 vaccine complication. A 59‐year‐old male patient with a 2 day history of headache and rapidly progressive cognitive decline, who had received the third dose of COVID‐19 vaccine 12 days before, was admitted to our hospital. The patient had no underlying systemic conditions, no prior medical history, and no prior history of COVID‐19 infection. The patient was diagnosed with viral myocarditis and encephalitis by two neurologists and two cardiologists after laboratory examination, head computed tomography, and magnetic resonance imaging evaluation. The patient experienced cardiogenic shock and developed severe arrhythmia, resulting in his death 10 h after admission. Clinically suspected lethal viral myocarditis combined with encephalitis in the patient could be related to COVID‐19 vaccination. Adverse effects of the Chinese COVID‐19 vaccine, especially serious complications, have been uncommon. This case study highlights a rare complication after COVID‐19 vaccination that needs high attention.

Acute myocardial infarction (AMI) is the leading cause of death worldwide. Ischemia-reperfusion (I/R) injury is considered the most common contributor to AMI. Hirsutine has been shown to protect cardiomyocytes against hypoxic injury. The present study investigated whether hirsutine improved AMI induced by I/R injury and the underlying mechanisms. In our study, we used a rat model of myocardial I/R injury. The rats were given hirsutine daily (5, 10, 20 mg/kg) by gavage for 15 days before the myocardial I/R injury. Detectable changes were observed in myocardial infarct size, mitochondrial function, histological damage, and cardiac cell apoptosis. According to our findings, hirsutine pre-treatment reduced the myocardial infarct size, enhanced cardiac function, inhibited cell apoptosis, reduced the tissue lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) and reactive oxygen species (ROS) content, as well as enhanced myocardial ATP content and mitochondrial complex activity. In addition, hirsutine balanced mitochondrial dynamics by increasing Mitofusin2 (Mfn2) expression while decreasing dynamin-related protein 1 phosphorylation (p-Drp1), which was partially regulated by ROS and calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II phosphorylation (p-CaMKII). Mechanistically, hirsutine inhibited mitochondrial-mediated apoptosis during I/R injury by blocking the AKT/ASK-1/p38 MAPK pathway. This present study provides a promising therapeutic intervention for myocardial I/R injury.

Abstract Sepsis is a difficult‐to‐treat systemic condition in which liver dysfunction acts as both regulator and target. However, the dynamic response of diverse intrahepatic cells to sepsis remains poorly characterized. Capsaicin (CAP), a multifunctional chemical derived from chilli peppers, has recently been shown to potentially possess anti‐inflammatory effects, which is also one of the main approaches for drug discovery against sepsis. We performed single‐cell RNA transcriptome sequencing on 86,830 intrahepatic cells isolated from normal mice, cecal ligation and puncture‐induced sepsis model mice and CAP‐treated mice. The transcriptional atlas of these cells revealed dynamic changes in hepatocytes, macrophages, neutrophils, and endothelial cells in response to sepsis. Among the extensive crosstalk across these major subtypes, KC_Cxcl10 shared strong potential interaction with other cells when responding to sepsis. CAP mitigated the severity of inflammation by partly reversing these pathophysiologic processes. Specific cell subpopulations in the liver act collectively to escalate inflammation, ultimately causing liver dysfunction. CAP displays its health‐promoting function by ameliorating liver dysfunction induced by sepsis. Our study provides valuable insights into the pathophysiology of sepsis and suggestions for future therapeutic gain.

Excessive chemical fertilization in protected horticulture has caused nutrient accumulation, reduction of soil biodiversity, and subsequently soil degradation. Pyroligneous vinegar is a byproduct of pyrolysis for biochar production. While there has been an increase in interest in using pyroligneous vinegar as an amendment to improve soil quality, a paucity of data exists of its effect on the growth of acidophilous plants such as azalea (Rhododendron). To address this, we investigated the changes in the growth of azalea and soil microbial abundance, specifically those involved in nitrogen cycling in the rhizosphere with amendment of conventional inorganic NPK fertilizer (NPK) and four dilutions of pyroligneous vinegar each with matched NPK content. The results showed that the treatments of pyroligneous vinegar increased plant biomass (51%-99%), root length (29%-81%) and surface area (63%-151%), and nitrogen use efficiency (83%-299%) compared to NPK alone. The pyroligneous vinegar treatments decreased soil pH and increased the contents of rhizosphere soil dissolved organic carbon and nitrate, and changed potential denitrification activity. Compared with NPK, pyroligneous vinegar increased archaeal and bacterial amoA genes (AOA and AOB) abundances (45% − 79% and 39% − 75%, respectively) in nitrification, but inhibited the denitrification gene abundances (i.e. nirS and nirK abundance up to 21% lower). Pyroligneous vinegar increased the ratio of nosZ/(nirS + nirK), suggesting an increased potential to lower nitrous oxide emissions. Correlation analysis indicated that nitrogen use efficiency correlated positively with AOA and AOB, but negatively with nirS and nirK abundance. Therefore, our study suggests that pyroligneous vinegar could improve the growth of acidophilous plants and increase their nitrogen use efficiency by changing nitrogen cycling related functional genes, and could be a potential soil amendment in protected horticulture.

The new energy industry development is affected by many factors. Among them, the resources utilization ratio is a major reason for the low productivity of enterprises. As the core problem of cloud computing, the resource allocation problem has been widely concerned by the people, and the resource allocation problem of the new energy industry as the key to energy innovation and transformation should be more paid attention to. In multi-resource cloud computing scenarios, requests made by users often involve multiple types of resources. Traditional resource allocation algorithms have a single optimization object, typically time efficiency. In order to achieve cluster load balancing, utilization of system resources and improvement of system work efficiency, this paper proposes a new cloud computing allocation algorithm based on improved ant colony algorithm. According to the limit conditions of cloud computing environment and computing resources, this paper finds the shortest response time of all resource nodes and gets a set of best available nodes. This method can meet the quality requirements of cloud computing, and the task completion time of the improved algorithm is shorter, the number of algorithm iterations is less, and the load balancing effect is better. Through MATLAB simulation experiments, the effectiveness of the proposed method is verified.

Surface acoustic wave (SAW) devices are key components in 5G communication systems, and the design of SAW filters with high frequency, high performance and high reliability is a necessary and challenging task. In this work, SAW resonators with $LiNbO_{3}/SiO_{2}/Si$ multi-layer structure are designed based on the spectral element method (SEM). Normally, however, massive computing resources are needed for solving a whole resonator directly by using full-wave numerical methods. To avoid simulating the large-aperture full structure of any SAW resonator, an equivalent small-aperture 3D structure can be modelled in the direction of the aperture by changing the internal resistance of the driving source to obtain the results of the full-scale aperture model. The one-port SAW resonators are then connected in the form of ladder networks to form band-pass SAW filters. The numerical results show that the SEM is more computationally efficient than the finite element method under the same number of degrees of freedom, and the results of the 3D small-aperture model are consistent with the complete resonator.

In this paper, the symmetric Lanczos algorithm and mixed finite element method are combined to improve the efficiency and accuracy of S-parameter simulation in a broad frequency band. The mixed finite element method based on tree-cotree splitting is adopted to overcome the low-frequency (high-density) breakdown problem, thus ensuring the accuracy of low frequency (high integration density) results. The modified symmetric Lanczos algorithm for second order eigenvalue problem is employed for fast frequency sweep by one matrix inversion, then the field in the entire frequency band is obtained rapidly by solving the reduced order matrix equation. The accuracy of the high frequency results is improved by increasing the number of Lanczos vectors. Numerical simulations of two integrated passive filters (IPD filter) and an interconnect model are shown to verify the hybrid method along with commercial software HFSS.

Biogas slurry is a nutrient-rich secondary product of livestock feces digestion which is recycled as a crop plantation fertilizer and provides exogenous microbes to the soil. However, the effects of biogas slurry microbes on the soil resident community remain unknown. In this study, we examined the ecological consequences of long-term biogas slurry pulse on the soil resident community and found that it promoted crop yield and altered soil characteristics. The soil microbial ecosystem was altered as a result of organic amendments due to the exogenous input of microbes and nutrients. Nevertheless, the soil resident communities were highly resilient to long-term organic pulses, as evidenced by community diversity and composition. The two dominant bacterial species in biogas slurry were Sterolibacterium and Clostridium. Notably, the abundance of Clostridium in biogas slurry increased following long-term amendments, while other species such as GP1 and Subdivision3_genera_incertae_sedis decreased; which was consistent with the results of module-eigengene analysis. Long-term organic pulses shifted the balance of microbial community assembly from stochastic to deterministic processes. Overall, our findings indicated that organic pulses accompanied with bacterial invasion could be alleviated by the resilience of soil microbial communities, thereby emphasizing the importance of microbiota assemblage and network architecture.

IntroductionGut-microbiota-brain axis is a potential treatment to decrease the risk of chronic traumatic encephalopathy following traumatic brain injury (TBI). Phosphoglycerate mutase 5 (PGAM5), a mitochondrial serine/threonine protein phosphatase, resides in mitochondrial membrane and regulates mitochondrial homeostasis and metabolism. Mitochondria mediates intestinal barrier and gut microbiome.ObjectivesThis study investigated the association between PGAM5 and gut microbiota in mice with TBI.MethodsThe controlled cortical impact injury was established in mice with genetically-ablated Pgam5 (Pgam5−/−) or wild type, and WT male mice were treated with fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) from male Pgam5−/− mice or Akkermansia muciniphila (A. muciniphila). Then the gut microbiota abundance, blood metabolites, neurological function, and nerve injury were detected.ResultsTreated with antibiotics for suppressing gut microbiota in Pgam5−/− mice partially relieved the role of Pgam5 deficiency in the improvement of initial inflammatory factors and motor dysfunction post-TBI. Pgam5 knockout exhibited an increased abundance of A. muciniphila in mice. FMT from male Pgam5−/− mice enabled better maintenance of amino acid metabolism and peripherial environment than that in TBI-vehicle mice, which suppressed neuroinflammation and improved neurological deficits, and A. muciniphila was negatively associated with intestinal mucosal injury and neuroinflammation post-TBI. Moreover, A. muciniphila treatment ameliorated neuroinflammation and nerve injury by regulating Nlrp3 inflammasome activation in cerebral cortex with TBI.ConclusionThus, the present study provides evidence that Pgam5 is involved in gut microbiota-mediated neuroinflammation and nerve injury, with A. muciniphila-Nlrp3 contributing to peripheral effects.

Ramie (Boehmeria nivea L.), belonging to Urticaceae, is principally used for fabric production. It is a well-known natural fiber material for ancient clothing. Despite its important position and application value, the understanding on genetic regulation mechanism of fiber quality is limited. Here, we generate a chromosome-scale, high-quality reference genome of ramie, in which, approximately 90.2% of the assembled sequences have been anchored to 14 pseudochromosomes. Totally 27,664 protein-coding genes are predicted which cover 268.24 Mb region of the genome. Comparative genomic analysis reveals that 2,047 and 796 gene clusters expand and contract, respectively, underlying significant genes in plant hormone signal transduction and cellulose/lignin biosynthesis pathways. An integrative analysis combining quantitative trait loci (QTL), comparative transcriptomic data, and cytological experiments unravels the molecular regulatory mechanism of ramie fiber fineness, especially the critical regulating role of ethylene. This study would lay a solid foundation for the research of molecular biology in ramie and provide valuable reference for the improvement of high-quality fiber varieties.

Hydrocarbons are ubiquitous in marine environments and might fuel hydrocarbon-metabolizing microbes in the ocean. Numerous studies have documented microbial hydrocarbon degradation in water columns and deep-sea surface sediment. However, the degradation potential and biogeochemical cycling of hydrocarbons in subsurface sediments remain largely unknown. In this study, we used two different hydrocarbons, n-hexadecane (HEX) and methylcyclohexane (MCH), to investigate the distribution and diversity of hydrocarbon-consuming bacteria in a core sediment sample from the Central Indian Ridge (CIR), which is adjacent to mid-ridge hydrothermal vents in the Indian Ocean. We observed different vertical profiles of HEX- and MCH-degrading bacteria in the core sediments. Specifically, HEX-degrading bacteria were universally distributed, while MCH-degrading bacteria were found only in the intermediate layers of the core sediments. Changing factors including dissolved oxygen might affect the natural distribution of different hydrocarbon consumers. We found that a novel species of the genus C1-B045 might play a pivotal role in metabolizing MCH in the CIR deep biosphere. Through amino acid identity comparison with published sequences, we determined that C1-B045 harbors two novel classes of cyclohexanone monooxygenases involved in MCH metabolism. This study sheds light on the structure and function of hydrocarbon-consuming microbes in deep biospheres.

Tributyltin chloride (TBTCL) is a widely used fungicide and heat stabilizer in compositions of PVC. TBTCL has been detected in human bodies and potentially causes harmful effects on humans’ thyroid, cardiovascular and other organs. As one of the first examples of endocrine disruptors, the toxicity effects of TBTCL on the male reproduction system have aroused concerns. However, the potential cellular mechanisms are not fully explored. In the current study, by using Sertoli cells, a critical regulator of spermatogenesis as a cell model, we showed that with 200 nM exposure for 24 h, TBTCL causes apoptosis and cell cycle arrest. RNA sequencing analyses suggested that TBTCL probably activates endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress, and disrupts autophagy. Biochemical analysis showed that TBTCL indeed induces ER stress and the dysregulation of autophagy. Interestingly, activation of ER stress and inhibition of autophagy is responsible for TBTCL-induced apoptosis and cell cycle arrest. Our results thus uncovered a novel insight into the cellular mechanisms for TBTCL-induced toxicology in Sertoli cells.

Marine microorganisms have evolved special metabolic pathways to produce numerous bioactive substances with novel structures and unique functions. This study analyzed the diversity of culturable bacteria in marine water samples from the South China Sea and screened the isolated bacteria with pathogenic fungi. A total of 200 culturable strains of 72 different bacteria were obtained from 56 water samples from the South China Sea. They belonged to three phyla and four classes, namely Gammaproteobacteria, Alphaproteobacteria, Bacilli and Actinomycetia. Bacilli was the dominant class, comprising up to 59.72%, followed by Gammaproteobacteria (20.83%). Bacillus, Pseudomonas, Paenibacillus and Rhizobium were the most dominant genera. Among these strains, HY-88 and HY-91 encoding BamC, FenB and PKSI genes were selected and identified as Bacillus subtilis. The respective inhibition rates of the HY-88 caused by plate confrontation against Magnaporthe grisea, Fusarium oxysporum, Botrytis cinerea, anthrax and Botrytis cinerea were 90.91%, 54.29%, 52.17% and 51.72%, in comparison with HY-91 86.36%, 48.57%, 47.83% and 34.48%. In addition, the supernatant of HY-88 showed a lesion inhibition rate of 74.5%, which was significantly higher than HY-91 (60.55%). In addition, HY-88 and HY-91 showed strong antifungal activity to Colletotrichum viniferum on detached Shine Muscat grapes. Tolerance tests showed that the HY-88 and HY-91 grew at 10–40 °C, 7–10% NaCl and pH 3-11. HY-88 and HY-91 could inhibit various fungal plant diseases, which lays a foundation for the development of new biopesticides.

ObjectiveAneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (aSAH) is a common and potentially fatal cerebrovascular disease. Poor-grade aSAH (Hunt-Hess grades IV and V) accounts for 20–30% of patients with aSAH, with most patients having a poor prognosis. This study aimed to develop a stable nomogram model for predicting adverse outcomes at 6 months in patients with aSAH, and thus, aid in improving the prognosis.MethodThe clinical data and imaging findings of 150 patients with poor-grade aSAH treated with microsurgical clipping of intracranial aneurysms on admission from December 2015 to October 2021 were retrospectively analyzed. Least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO), logistic regression analyses, and a nomogram were used to develop the prognostic models. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves and Hosmer–Lemeshow tests were used to assess discrimination and calibration. The bootstrap method (1,000 repetitions) was used for internal validation. Decision curve analysis (DCA) was performed to evaluate the clinical validity of the nomogram model.ResultLASSO regression analysis showed that age, Hunt-Hess grade, Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS), aneurysm size, and refractory hyperpyrexia were potential predictors for poor-grade aSAH. Logistic regression analyses revealed that age (OR: 1.107, 95% CI: 1.056–1.116, P < 0.001), Hunt-Hess grade (OR: 8.832, 95% CI: 2.312–33.736, P = 0.001), aneurysm size (OR: 6.871, 95% CI: 1.907–24.754, P = 0.003) and refractory fever (OR: 3.610, 95% CI: 1.301–10.018, P < 0.001) were independent predictors of poor outcome. The area under the ROC curve (AUC) was 0.909. The calibration curve and Hosmer–Lemeshow tests showed that the nomogram had good calibration ability. Furthermore, the DCA curve showed better clinical utilization of the nomogram.ConclusionThis study provides a reliable and valuable nomogram that can accurately predict the risk of poor prognosis in patients with poor-grade aSAH after microsurgical clipping. This tool is easy to use and can help physicians make appropriate clinical decisions to significantly improve patient prognosis.

Sirtuin-3 (SIRT3) is responsible for maintaining mitochondrial homeostasis by deacetylating substrates in an NAD+-dependent manner. SIRT3, the primary deacetylase located in the mitochondria, controls cellular energy metabolism and the synthesis of essential biomolecules for cell survival. In recent years, increasing evidence has shown that SIRT3 is involved in several types of acute brain injury. In ischaemic stroke, subarachnoid haemorrhage, traumatic brain injury, and intracerebral haemorrhage, SIRT3 is closely related to mitochondrial homeostasis and with the mechanisms of pathophysiological processes such as neuroinflammation, oxidative stress, autophagy, and programmed cell death. As SIRT3 is the driver and regulator of a variety of pathophysiological processes, its molecular regulation is significant. In this paper, we review the role of SIRT3 in various types of brain injury and summarise SIRT3 molecular regulation. Numerous studies have demonstrated that SIRT3 plays a protective role in various types of brain injury. Here, we present the current research available on SIRT3 as a target for treating ischaemic stroke, subarachnoid haemorrhage, traumatic brain injury, thus highlighting the therapeutic potential of SIRT3 as a potent mediator of catastrophic brain injury. In addition, we have summarised the therapeutic drugs, compounds, natural extracts, peptides, physical stimuli, and other small molecules that may regulate SIRT3 to uncover additional brain-protective mechanisms of SIRT3, conduct further research, and provide more evidence for clinical transformation and drug development.

Moso bamboo (Phyllostachys Pubescens) expansion into adjacent forests has been widely reported to affect plant diversity and its association with mycorrhizal fungi in subtropical China, which will likely have significant impacts on soil respiration. However, there is still limited information on how Moso bamboo expansion changes soil respiration components and their linkage with microbial community composition and activity. Based on a mesh exclusion method, soil respirations derived from roots, arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) mycelium, and free-living microbes were investigated in a pure Moso bamboo forest (expanded), an adjacent broadleaved forest (non-expanded), and a mixed bamboo-broadleaved forest (expanding). Our results showed that bamboo expansion decreased the cumulative CO2 effluxes from total soil respiration, root respiration and soil heterotrophic respiration (by 19.01%, 30.34%, and 29.92% on average), whereas increased those from AM mycelium (by 78.67% in comparison with the broadleaved forests). Bamboo expansion significantly decreased soil organic carbon (C) content, bacterial and fungal abundances, and enzyme activities involved in C, N and P cycling whereas enhanced the interactive relationships among bacterial communities. In contrast, the ingrowth of AM mycelium increased the activities of β-glucosidase and N-acetyl-β-glucosaminidase and decreased the interactive relationships among bacterial communities. Changes in soil heterotrophic respiration and AM mycelium respiration had positive correlations with soil enzyme activities and fungal abundances. In summary, our findings suggest that bamboo expansion decreased soil heterotrophic respiration by decreasing soil microbial activity but increased the contribution of AM mycelial respiration to soil C efflux, which may potentially increase soil C loss from AM mycelial pathway.

Abstract Bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) can differentiate into hepatocyte-like cells (HLCs) to attenuate cirrhosis. Long noncoding RNA (lncRNA) SNHG1 has been demonstrated to orchestrate BMSC differentiation, whereas its role in cirrhosis remains elusive. Therefore, this study was performed to figure out whether lncRNA SNHG1 was involved in cirrhosis by affecting HLC differentiation of BMSCs. Mouse BMSCs were isolated, and the BMSC differentiation into HLCs was induced by hepatocyte growth factor (HGF). A cirrhotic mouse model was established using carbon tetrachloride and phenobarbital, followed by intravenous injection of BMSCs with manipulated expression of lncRNA SNHG1, microRNA (miR)-15a, and SMURF1. Subsequent to HGF induction, expression of hepatocyte-related genes, albumin secretion, and glycogen accumulation was increased in BMSCs, suggesting the differentiation of BMSCs into HLCs. Mechanistically, lncRNA SNHG1 bound to miR-15a that targeted SMURF1, and SMURF1 diminished ATG5 and Wnt5a expression by enhancing the ubiquitination of UVRAG. LncRNA SNHG1 or SMURF1 silencing or miR-15a overexpression promoted differentiation of BMSCs into HLCs and repressed cirrhosis of mice by upregulating ATG5 and Wnt5a via UVRAG. Conclusively, lncRNA SNHG1 silencing might facilitate HLC differentiation from mouse BMSCs and alleviate cirrhosis via the miR-15a/SMURF1/UVRAG/ATG5/Wnt5a axis.

As an extension of Pythagorean fuzzy sets and linguistic term sets, Pythagorean fuzzy linguistic sets (PFSs) are powerful to describe decision-making information quantificational and qualitatively, which have received much scholars’ attention. The purpose of this paper is to propose a new multiple attribute group decision-making (MAGDM) approach with Pythagorean fuzzy linguistic (PFL) information. To this end, we firstly analyze the drawbacks of existing operations of PFL numbers and propose new operational rules based on linguistic scale function. The power average (PA) operator is famous for its capacity of reducing the negative influence of unreasonable evaluation values provided by prejudiced decision makers on the decision results. The generalized Maclaurin symmetric mean (GMSM) can not only capture the interrelationship among multiple inputs but also manipulate the effect of related properties by adjusting the parameters. When considering aggregation operators of PFL numbers, we combine PA with GMSM and propose the PFL power generalized Maclaurin symmetric and the PFL power generalized weighted Maclaurin symmetric operators. We also study important properties and special cases of these operators. We continue to investigate MAGDM problems with PFL decision information and propose a novel method to determine the optimal alternative. Finally, we conduct numerical examples to demonstrate the effectiveness of our proposed method. We also attempt to illustrate the advantages and superiorities of the proposed method via comparative analysis.

Vector control is considered an effective approach to controlling diseases spread by mosquito bites. Entomopathogenic fungi are widely used in agriculture to control insect pests, and fungal metabolites can potentially be developed as effective mosquitocides. In this study, a high-throughput screening method was used to search for potential mosquitocides in the Global Fungal Extract Library (GFEL). We tested the larvicidal activity of 264 fungal ethyl acetate crude extracts against Culex pipiens quinquefasciatus. Nine fungal extracts caused moderate to high mortality rates (>50%), with two fungal extracts (58A7 and 101H12) causing a 100% mortality rate. The lethal concentrations for 50% of the population (LC50) were 44.27 mg/L and 31.90 mg/L, respectively. Fraction 14 had a high mortality rate, with an LC50 value of 12.13 mg/L, and was isolated from 58A7 (Fractions 1–11) and 101H12 (Fractions 12–15). Further analyses showed that Fraction 14 was made up of vermistatin and dihydrovermistatin. In a Cx. p. quinquefasciatus larvicidal bioassay, vermistatin (LC50 = 28.13 mg/L) was more toxic than dihydrovermistatin (LC50 = 83.87 mg/L). Our findings suggested that the active fungal extract 101H12 from Talaromyces sp. and its compound vermistatin could be developed as mosquitocides.

Abstract Background Daphnis nerii cypovirus-23 (DnCPV-23) is a new type of cypovirus and has a lethal effect on the oleander hawk moth, Daphnis nerii which feeds on leave of Oleander and Catharanthus et al. After DnCPV-23 infection, the change of Daphnis nerii responses has not been reported. Methods To better understand the pathogenic mechanism of DnCPV-23 infection, 3rd-instar Daphnis nerii larvae were orally infected with DnCPV-23 occlusion bodies and the transcriptional responses of the Daphnis nerii midgut were analyzed 72 h post-infection using RNA-seq. Results The results showed that 1979 differentially expressed Daphnis nerii transcripts in the infected midgut had been identified. KEGG analysis showed that protein digestion and absorption, Toll and Imd signaling pathway were down-regulated. Based on the result, we speculated that food digestion and absorption in insect midgut might be impaired after virus infection. In addition, the down-regulation of the immune response may make D. nerii more susceptible to bacterial infections. Glycerophospholipid metabolism and xenobiotics metabolism were up-regulated. These two types of pathways may affect the viral replication and xenobiotic detoxification of insect, respectively. Conclusion These results may facilitate a better understanding of the changes in Daphnis nerii metabolism during cypovirus infection and serve as a basis for future research on the molecular mechanism of DnCPV-23 invasion.

Subarachnoid haemorrhage (SAH) is a common cerebrovascular disease with high disability and mortality rates worldwide. The pathophysiological mechanisms involved in an aneurysm rupture in SAH are complex and can be divided into early brain injury and delayed brain injury. The initial mechanical insult results in brain tissue and vascular disruption with hemorrhages and neuronal necrosis. Following this, the secondary injury results in diffused cerebral damage in the peri-core area. However, the molecular mechanisms of neuronal death following an aneurysmal SAH are complex and currently unclear. Furthermore, multiple cell death pathways are stimulated during the pathogenesis of brain damage. Notably, particular attention should be devoted to necrosis, apoptosis, autophagy, necroptosis, pyroptosis and ferroptosis. Thus, this review discussed the mechanism of neuronal death and its influence on brain injury after SAH.

Simulations of 108 emission reduction scenarios for NOx and VOCs using Comprehensive Air Quality Model with Extensions (CAMx) were conducted for eight cities in the Chengdu metropolitan area (CMA). The isopleth diagrams were drawn to explore the responses and differences of ozone (O3) concentrations to NOx and VOCs emission changes under Chengdu, CMA and Sichuan Province emission reduction scenarios. The results show that the O3-sensitive regimes of eight cities may change under different emission reduction scenarios. Under Chengdu emission reduction scenario, the Chengdu city is in the transition regime and O3 formation will shift from transition to VOC-limited when the VOCs emissions decreased by 50%, and the decreases in O3 concentrations caused by VOCs emission reductions are small. For the CMA and Sichuan Province emission reduction scenarios, all cities are NOx-limited in the baseline cases and with at least a 66% and a 77% reduction in NOx emissions, respectively, the daily maximum 8-h average O3 (MDA8) can attain the O3 standard (160 μg m−3). Although reductions in VOCs emissions can also lessen the O3 concentration, the effectiveness is relatively small. The changes in O3 concentrations under different VOCs to NOx emission reduction ratios indicate that all cities achieve a relatively high O3 concentration decrement with low VOCs to NOx emission reduction ratios and that the decreasing O3 concentrations caused by non-local emission reductions are much higher than those achieved by local emission reductions. In addition, the decreases in O3 concentrations in Chengdu are quite close when the total NOx and VOCs emissions reduction percentages are less than 30% under the CMA and Sichuan emission reduction scenarios.

ABSTRACT Purpose: Spontaneous intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) is still a major public health problem, with high mortality and disability. Ulinastatin (UTI) was purified from human urine and has been reported to be anti-inflammatory, organ protective, and antioxidative stress. However, the neuroprotection of UTI in ICH has not been confirmed, and the potential mechanism is unclear. In the present study, we aimed to investigate the neuroprotection and potential molecular mechanisms of UTI in ICH-induced early brain injury in a C57BL/6 mouse model. Methods: The neurological score, brain water content, neuroinflammatory cytokine levels, oxidative stress levels, and neuronal damage were evaluated. Results: UTI treatment markedly increased the neurological score, alleviated brain edema, decreased the levels of the inflammatory cytokines tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), interleukin-1β (IL-1β), IL-6, and NF-κB, decreased the levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and malondialdehyde (MDA), and upregulated the levels of glutathione (GSH), superoxide dismutase (SOD), and Nrf2. This finding indicated that UTI-mediated inhibition of neuroinflammation and oxidative stress alleviated neuronal damage after ICH. The neuroprotective capacity of UTI is partly dependent on the ROS/MAPK/Nrf2 signaling pathway. Conclusions: UTI improves neurological outcomes in mice and reduces neuronal death by protecting against neural neuroinflammation and oxidative stress.

Subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) is a severe type of stroke featuring exceptionally high rate of morbidity and mortality due to the lack of effective management. Ferroptosis can be defined as a novel iron-dependent programmed cell death in contrast to classical apoptosis and necrosis. Astragaloside IV (AS-IV) is an active ingredient extracted from Astragalus membranaceus with established therapeutic effect on CNS diseases. However, the exact role of ferroptosis in Astragaloside IV-mediated neuroprotection after SAH is yet to be demonstrated. In the present study, the SAH model of SD male rats with endovascular perforation was used to gauge the neuroprotective effect of AS-IV on SAH-induced early brain injury (EBI) and to clarify the potential molecular mechanism. We found that the induction of SAH reduced the levels of SLC7A11 and glutathione peroxidase 4 (GPX4) in the brain, exacerbated iron accumulation, enhanced lipid reactive oxygen species (ROS) level, and stimulated neuronal ferroptosis. However, the administration of AS-IV and the ferroptosis inhibitor Ferrostatin-1 (Fer-1) enhanced the antioxidant capacity after SAH and suppressed the accumulation of lipid peroxides. Meanwhile, AS-IV triggered Nrf2/HO-1 signaling pathway and alleviated ferroptosis due to the induction of SAH. The Nrf2 inhibitor ML385 blocked the beneficial effects of neuroprotection. These results consistently suggest that ferroptosis is profoundly implicated in facilitating EBI in SAH, and that AS-IV thwarts the process of ferroptosis in SAH by activating Nrf2/HO-1 pathway.

The chemical investigation of branches of Cinnamomum camphora chvar. Borneol guided by mosquito larvicidal activity led to the isolation of fourteen known lignans (1–14). Their structures were elucidated unambiguously based on comprehensive spectroscopic analysis and comparison with the literature data. This is the first report of these compounds being isolated from branches of Cinnamomum camphora chvar. Borneol. Compounds 3–5 and 8–14 were isolated from this plant for the first time. All compounds isolated were subjected to anti-inflammatory, mosquito larvicidal activity and cytotoxic activity evaluation. Compounds (1–14) showed significant mosquito larvicidal activity against Culex pipiens quinquefasciatus with lethal mortality in 50% (LC50), with values ranging from 0.009 to 0.24 μg/mL. Among them, furofuran lignans(1–8) exhibited potent mosquito larvicidal activity against Cx. p. quinquefasciatus, with LC50 values of 0.009–0.021 μg/mL. From the perspective of a structure–activity relationship, compounds with a dioxolane group showed high mosquito larvicidal activity and have potential to be developed into a mosquitocide.

Both biochar and oyster shell powder have been known as promising amendments to ameliorate soil acidity and enhance soil fertility. However, it is still unclear how their application alone and in combination affect the soil organic carbon (C) fraction and microbial activity in subtropical bamboo plantations. Therefore, to investigate the effects of biochar and oyster shell powder on soil microbial respiration, organic C fractions, microbial biomass, and enzyme activities related to C, N and P cycling, topsoil samples were collected from plots in a bamboo (Phyllostachys praecox) plantation that has been amended with oyster shell powder at 4 t ha−1 (T), bamboo biochar at 10 t ha−1 (B), and their combination (TB, with 4 t ha−1 T and 10 t ha−1 B) for 8 months. Our results showed that T alone significantly increased soil microbial respiration by 21.5%, whereas B alone and TB significantly decreased soil microbial respiration and metabolic quotient compared with T. T alone also increased soil pH, the size of labile C pool and the activities of β−glucosidase and cellobiosidase, whereas TB rather than B increased soil pH, the recalcitrant C pool size and declined these enzyme activities relative to T. T alone significantly enhanced microbial C limitation by 28.6% and decreased P limitation by 13.0%, while TB decreased microbial C limitation and increased microbial C use efficiency (CUE). Structural equation modeling indicated that T enhanced soil microbial respiration through increasing soil pH and enzyme activity, while biochar co-addition weakened the stimulation of T on microbial respiration by increasing soil recalcitrant C pool size and microbial metabolic quotient. Our study suggests that adding bamboo biochar together with oyster shell powder could be a better strategy to decrease soil C loss and ameliorate soil acidity in bamboo plantations compared with the application of oyster shell powder alone.

Hepatitis B virus (HBV)‐related hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) remains a global health concern, and HBV proteins may be ideal targets for T cell‐based immunotherapy for HCC. There is a need for fast and efficient identification of HBV‐specific T cell receptors (TCRs) for the development of TCR‐transduced T (TCR‐T) cell‐based immunotherapy. Two widely employed TCR identification approaches, T cell clonal expansion and single‐cell sequencing, involve a TCR singularization process for the direct identification of Vα and Vβ pairs of TCR chains. Clonal expansion of T cells is well known to have tedious time and effort requirements due to the use of T cell cultures, whereas single‐cell sequencing is limited by the requirements of cell sorting and the preparation of a single‐cell immune‐transcriptome library as well as the massive cost of the whole procedure. Here, we present a next‐generation sequencing (NGS)‐based HBV‐specific TCR identification that does not require the TCR singularization process. Conclusion: Two pairing strategies, ranking‐based strategy and α–β chain mixture‐based strategy, have proved to be useful for NGS‐based TCR identification, particularly for polyclonal T cells purified by a peptide‐major histocompatibility complex (pMHC) multimer‐based approach. Functional evaluation confirmed the specificity and avidity of two identified HBV‐specific TCRs, which may potentially be used to produce TCR‐T cells to treat patients with HBV‐related HCC.

Abstract Background Exosomal microRNAs (miRs) derived from mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have been shown to play roles in the pathophysiological processes of sepsis. Moreover, miR-27b is highly enriched in MSC-derived exosomes. Herein, we aimed to investigate the potential role and downstream molecular mechanism of exosomal miR-27b in sepsis. Methods Inflammation was induced in bone marrow-derived macrophages (BMDMs) by lipopolysaccharide (LPS), and mice were made septic by cecal ligation and puncture (CLP). The expression pattern of miR-27b in MSC-derived exosomes was characterized using RT-qPCR, and its downstream gene was predicted by in silico analysis. The binding affinity between miR-27b, Jumonji D3 (JMJD3), or nuclear factor κB (NF-κB) was characterized to identify the underlying mechanism. We induced miR-27b overexpression or downregulation, along with silencing of JMJD3 or NF-κB to examine their effects on sepsis. The production of pro-inflammatory cytokines TNF-α, IL-1β, and IL-6 was detected by ELISA. Results miR-27b was highly expressed in MSC-derived exosomes. Mechanistic investigations showed that miR-27b targeted JMJD3. miR-27b decreased expression of pro-inflammatory genes by inhibiting the recruitment of JMJD3 and NF-κB at gene promoter region. Through this, MSC-derived exosomal miR-27b diminished production of pro-inflammatory cytokines in LPS-treated BMDMs and septic mice, which could be rescued by upregulation of JMJD3 and NF-κB. Besides, in vitro findings were reproduced by in vivo findings. Conclusion These data demonstrated that exosomal miR-27b derived from MSCs inhibited the development of sepsis by downregulating JMJD3 and inactivating the NF-κB signaling pathway.

BackgroundsAs a most widely used machine learning method, tree-based algorithms have not been applied to predict delayed cerebral ischemia (DCI) in elderly patients with aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (aSAH). Hence, this study aims to develop the conventional regression and tree-based models and determine which model has better prediction performance for DCI development in hospitalized elderly patients after aSAH.MethodsThis was a multicenter, retrospective, observational cohort study analyzing elderly patients with aSAH aged 60 years and older. We randomly divided the multicentral data into model training and validation cohort in a ratio of 70–30%. One conventional regression and tree-based model, such as least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO), decision tree (DT), random forest (RF), and eXtreme Gradient Boosting (XGBoost), was developed. Accuracy, sensitivity, specificity, area under the precision-recall curve (AUC-PR), and area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC-ROC) with 95% CI were employed to evaluate the model prediction performance. A DeLong test was conducted to calculate the statistical differences among models. Finally, we figured the importance weight of each feature to visualize the contribution on DCI.ResultsThere were 111 and 42 patients in the model training and validation cohorts, and 53 cases developed DCI. According to AUC-ROC value in the model internal validation, DT of 0.836 (95% CI: 0.747–0.926, p = 0.15), RF of 1 (95% CI: 1–1, p < 0.05), and XGBoost of 0.931 (95% CI: 0.885–0.978, p = 0.01) outperformed LASSO of 0.793 (95% CI: 0.692–0.893). However, the LASSO scored a highest AUC-ROC value of 0.894 (95% CI: 0.8–0.989) than DT of 0.764 (95% CI: 0.6–0.928, p = 0.05), RF of 0.821 (95% CI: 0.683–0.959, p = 0.27), and XGBoost of 0.865 (95% CI: 0.751–0.979, p = 0.69) in independent external validation. Moreover, the LASSO had a highest AUC-PR value of 0.681 than DT of 0.615, RF of 0.667, and XGBoost of 0.622 in external validation. In addition, we found that CT values of subarachnoid clots, aneurysm therapy, and white blood cell counts were the most important features for DCI in elderly patients with aSAH.ConclusionsThe LASSO had a superior prediction power than tree-based models in external validation. As a result, we recommend the conventional LASSO regression model to predict DCI in elderly patients with aSAH.

ObjectiveIntermittent theta burst stimulation (iTBS) has been widely used as a neural modulation approach in stroke rehabilitation. Concurrent use of transcranial magnetic stimulation and electroencephalography (TMS-EEG) offers a chance to directly measure cortical reactivity and oscillatory dynamics and allows for investigating neural effects induced by iTBS in all stroke survivors including individuals without recordable MEPs. Here, we used TMS-EEG to investigate aftereffects of iTBS following stroke.MethodsWe studied 22 stroke survivors (age: 65.2 ± 11.4 years; chronicity: 4.1 ± 3.5 months) with upper limb motor deficits. Upper-extremity component of Fugl-Meyer motor function assessment and action research arm test were used to measure motor function of stroke survivors. Stroke survivors were randomly divided into two groups receiving either Active or Sham iTBS applied over the ipsilesional primary motor cortex. TMS-EEG recordings were performed at baseline and immediately after Active or Sham iTBS. Time and time-frequency domain analyses were performed for quantifying TMS-evoked EEG responses.ResultsAt baseline, natural frequency was slower in the ipsilesional compared with the contralesional hemisphere (P = 0.006). Baseline natural frequency in the ipsilesional hemisphere was positively correlated with upper limb motor function following stroke (P = 0.007). After iTBS, natural frequency in the ipsilesional hemisphere was significantly increased (P < 0.001).ConclusionsThis is the first study to investigate the acute neural adaptations after iTBS in stroke survivors using TMS-EEG. Our results revealed that natural frequency is altered following stroke which is related to motor impairments. iTBS increases natural frequency in the ipsilesional motor cortex in stroke survivors. Our findings implicate that iTBS holds the potential to normalize natural frequency in stroke survivors, which can be utilized in stroke rehabilitation.

The Fc Fragment of IgG Binding Protein (FCGBP) has been proven to participate in intestinal tumor immunity. However, the biological role of FCGBP has remained unclear in glioma. The differential expression of FCGBP was explored by Oncomine and GEPIA databases. The effect of FCGBP on prognosis was analyzed via Kaplan–Meier plotter and GEPIA. The Tumor Immune Estimation Resource (TIMER) tool was used to determine the correlations of FCGBP expression with tumor immune infiltration. Firstly, FCGBP was highly expressed in glioma and correlated with a worse prognosis. Gene Ontology (GO) and KEGG pathway enrichment analyses revealed that the differentially expressed genes (DEGs) and co-expression genes of FCGBP were mainly involved in the immune response. Furthermore, FCGBP expression was positively associated with multiple immune cells infiltrates as well as the expression levels of multiple immune markers in glioma. FCGBP co-expression networks mostly participated in the regulation of immune response. Finally, immunohistochemistry (IHC) assays were conducted to explore the expression of FCGBP, PD-L1, CCL2 and CD8 in glioma and correlations between them. We found that PDL1 and FCGBP were synchronously upregulated in glioma tissues. These findings revealed a new mechanism by which FCGBP participates in the immune tolerance of glioma, and implied the potential of FCGBP as a therapeutic target or predictive marker for patients.

Abstract Background Inhibitors targeting immune checkpoint were proved effective in cancer immunotherapy, such as PD-1/PD-L1 blockade. The novel immune checkpoint TIGIT/PVR plays critical roles in suppressing the anti-tumor effects of CD8+ T and NK cells, and dual blockade of TIGIT/PVR and PD-1/PD-L1 by antibody can elicit synergistic effects in tumor models and clinical trials. However, small molecules for TIGIT/PVR blockade have not been investigated. Methods The expression of PVR in tumors were analyzed by using TCGA, Oncomine and GEO database, and in cancer cell lines examined by flow cytometry. Natural product compounds were docked to PVR for virtual screening by using the software Molecular Operating Environment (MOE). Candidate compounds were further tested by biolayer interferometry-based binding assay, microscale thermophoresis assay and cell based blocking assay. The in vitro activity of the candidate compound was determined by MTT, peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) activation assay and coculture assay. The anti-tumor effects and mechanism were also investigated by using MC38 tumor-bearing mice model and immune cell depletion tumor model. Results PVR was over-expressed in many tumor tissues and cancer cell lines, making it a promising therapeutic target. Through virtual screening, binding, and blocking assay, liothyronine was discovered to bind PVR and block the interaction of TIGIT/PVR. Liothyronine could enhance the function of CD4+ and CD8+ T cells in PBMCs. Besides, in the Jurkat-hTIGIT and CHOK1-hPVR coculture assay, liothyronine could reverse the IL-2 secretion inhibition resulted by TIGIT/PVR ligation. Although had no influence on the proliferation of tumor cells in vitro, liothyronine could significantly inhibit tumor growth when administrated in vivo, by enhancing CD8+ T cell infiltration and immune responses in the tumor bearing mice. The immune cell depletion model showed that the anti-tumor effects of liothyronine depends on CD4+ T cells, CD8+ T cells and NK cells. Conclusions A small molecule liothyronine was discovered to serve as a potential candidate for cancer immunotherapy by blocking the immune checkpoint TIGIT/PVR. Video abstract Graphical abstract

Objective: Intermittent theta burst stimulation (iTBS) is a special form of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS), which effectively increases cortical excitability and has been widely used as a neural modulation approach in stroke rehabilitation. As effects of iTBS are typically investigated by motor evoked potentials, how iTBS influences functional brain network following stroke remains unclear. Resting-state electroencephalography (EEG) has been suggested to be a sensitive measure for evaluating effects of rTMS on brain functional activity and network. Here, we used resting-state EEG to investigate the effects of iTBS on functional brain network in stroke survivors.Methods: We studied thirty stroke survivors (age: 63.1 ± 12.1 years; chronicity: 4.0 ± 3.8 months; UE FMA: 26.6 ± 19.4/66) with upper limb motor dysfunction. Stroke survivors were randomly divided into two groups receiving either Active or Sham iTBS over the ipsilesional primary motor cortex. Resting-state EEG was recorded at baseline and immediately after iTBS to assess the effects of iTBS on functional brain network.Results: Delta and theta bands interhemispheric functional connectivity were significantly increased after Active iTBS (P = 0.038 and 0.011, respectively), but were not significantly changed after Sham iTBS (P = 0.327 and 0.342, respectively). Delta and beta bands global efficiency were also significantly increased after Active iTBS (P = 0.013 and 0.0003, respectively), but not after Sham iTBS (P = 0.586 and 0.954, respectively).Conclusion: This is the first study that used EEG to investigate the acute neuroplastic changes after iTBS following stroke. Our findings for the first time provide evidence that iTBS modulates brain network functioning in stroke survivors. Acute increase in interhemispheric functional connectivity and global efficiency after iTBS suggest that iTBS has the potential to normalize brain network functioning following stroke, which can be utilized in stroke rehabilitation.

The genus Alexandrium is one of the major harmful algal blooms (HABs)-forming dinoflagellate group and at least half of ~40 described species have been reported to produce paralytic shellfish toxins (PSTs). The potentially harmful species Alexandrium insuetum has been reported from many countries of Asia and Europe, and to have paralytic shellfish poisoning toxicity, but no mortality of marine animals was observed during its bloom. Therefore, it is ecologically important to characterize the possible toxicity and toxins of this organism. In this study, based on the establishment of two clonal cultures through cyst germination collected from the Yellow Sea, we identified A. insuetum from China as the first record via light microscopy (LM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) observations and phylogenetic analyses. The cultures of A. insuetum were further observed to be toxic to finfish and zooplankton and deleterious to rotifer eggs via laboratory bioassays. The exposure bioassays using rotifer (Brachionus plicatilis), brine shrimp (Artemia salina), and larval finfish (Oryzias melastigma) demonstrated that A. insuetum caused significant lethal effects on finfish and zooplankton species. Rotifer bioassays using cell-free culture medium, heat-treated cultures, and water, methanol, and trichloromethane extracts of algal cells revealed that A. insuetum produced heat-labile, water-soluble toxin(s) that could be excreted from A. insuetum cells and steadily accumulated in the medium during the growth phases. Hatching success of rotifer eggs was also found to be seriously affected by the exposure to A. insuetum. Importantly, ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry [UPLC (or LC)-MS-MS] analyses suggest the above-described toxicity of A. insuetum was caused by neither PSTs nor spiroimines (13-desmethyl spirolide C and gymnodimine). Collectively, our findings demonstrated the novel toxicity to finfish and zooplankton in A. insuetum, which is ecologically important in not only possibly contributing to population dynamics and even the formation of HABs of the species, but also affecting the on-the-spot survival and the reproduction potency of marine animals. The present work is believed to set a cornerstone for the monitoring and risk assessment of the species along the coastal waters of China and for understanding the general ecology of A. insuetum.

Soil extracellular enzyme activities among aggregate fractions are critical to short-term microbial activity and long–term carbon dynamics in forest ecosystems, but little is known regarding the effects of forest types on the soil enzyme activities in different soil aggregate fractions. Three typical subtropical forest types (Broadleaved forest, Moso bamboo forest and Chinese fir forest) were selected, and undisturbed soil samples (0–15 cm) were collected. We investigated the effects of forest types on aggregate stability (mean weight diameter, geometric mean diameter and fractal dimension), aggregate–associated organic carbon (OC) and the functionality of five enzymes (cellobiohydrolase, β-glucosidase, β-xylosidase, N–acetylglucosaminidase, leucine aminopeptidase) of different aggregate fractions (>2 mm, 0.25–2 mm, 0.053–0.25 mm and

Background and aims: Factors associated with abnormally elevated alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) in hepatitis B virus (HBV)-infected patients remain to be studied. We aimed to identify factors associated with elevated serum AFP in patients with non-hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and early-stage HCC and their influences on the performance of AFP for detecting early-stage HCC. Methods: This multicenter, retrospective study was conducted in 4401 patients with chronic HBV infection, including 3680 patients with non-HCC and 721 patients with early-stage HCC. Factors associated with elevated AFP were analyzed. Diagnostic performance of AFP for early-stage HCC were compared among groups through area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC), sensitivity, and specificity. Results: When analyzed by multivariate logistic regression, antiviral therapy was negatively associated with elevated AFP, while hepatitis B e antigen (HBeAg) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) > 1× upper limit of normal (ULN) were positively associated with elevated AFP both in patients with non-HCC and early-stage HCC (all p < 0.05). The AUCs of AFP for detecting early-stage HCC in patients with antiviral therapy, HBV DNA (−), alanine aminotransferase (ALT) ≤ 1× ULN, and AST ≤ 1× ULN were significantly higher compared to those in non-antiviral therapy, HBV DNA (+), ALT > 1× ULN, and AST > 1× ULN groups, respectively. When categorizing patients into AST ≤ 1× ULN and > 1× ULN, AFP achieved the highest AUCs in patients with AST ≤ 1× ULN regardless of antiviral treatment (AUCs = 0.813 and 0.806, respectively). Furthermore, there were considerable differences in the cut-off values of AFP in detecting early-stage HCC in different subgroups when applying similar sensitivity and specificity. Conclusions: Antiviral therapy and serum AST might be used to help judge and select the specific cut-off values of serum AFP for HCC surveillance in different at-risk populations.