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Objectives Design Patients and Measurements Results Conclusion This study aims to develop and validate a prediction model for preterm birth in women with gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM).We conducted a retrospective study on women with GDM who gave birth at the Third Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat‐sen University, Guangzhou, China, between November 2017 and July 2021. We divided 1879 patients into a development set (n = 1346) and a validation set (n = 533). The development set was used to construct the prediction model for preterm birth using the stepwise logistic regression model. A nomogram and a web calculator were established based on the model. Discrimination and calibration were assessed in both sets.Patients were women with GDM. Data were collected from medical records. GDM was diagnosed with 75‐g oral glucose tolerance test during 24‐28 gestational weeks. Preterm birth was definied as gestational age at birth <37 weeks.The incidence of preterm birth was 9.4%. The predictive model included age, assisted reproductive technology, hypertensive disorders of pregnancy, reproductive system inflammation, intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy, high‐density lipoprotein, homocysteine, and fasting blood glucose of 75‐g oral glucose tolerance test. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve for the development and validation sets was 0.722 and 0.632, respectively. The model has been adequately calibrated using a calibration curve and the Hosmer–Lemeshow test, demonstrating a correlation between the predicted and observed risk.This study presents a novel, validated risk model for preterm birth in pregnant women with GDM, providing an individualized risk estimation using clinical risk factors in the third trimester of pregnancy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents an in-depth study and analysis of the correlation between satisfaction with rural residents' income and mental health well-being in the context of industrial structure upgrading. Most of the studies on residents' subjective well-being from the perspective of relative income or income inequality have started from the happiness of rural residents and the satisfaction of rural residents' life, and few scholars have focused on the psychological health of rural residents. Subjective well-being is significantly related to external and internal goals in desire. Life satisfaction is significantly and positively correlated with external and internal goals, as well as the six dimensions of desire, except for social identity; positive emotions are significantly and positively correlated with internal goals; negative emotions are only negatively correlated with self-acceptance, and there is a significant positive correlation between income level and desire. In vertical income, there is also a process of judging whether the expected income is achieved. If the expected income growth level is achieved, the income satisfaction will increase. Desire mediates the effect of income level on subjective well-being. Income level influences subjective well-being through internal goals; income level influences life satisfaction and positive emotions through external goals. The relationship between income inequality and mental health is influenced by the characteristics of the population, with women and middle-aged people being the most negatively affected. This relationship is also influenced by income level, with the effect of income inequality on mental health showing a negative effect in the lower and middle-income groups but a positive effect in the higher income groups. Income inequality affects residents' mental health through the mediating effects of a sense of social justice, life stress, and trust in government. Inequality in household wealth can exacerbate the negative effects of income inequality on mental health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Balancing soil greenhouse gas emissions (SGE) with crop production is crucial for sustainable agriculture in China. Optimizing field management practices regionally can effectively promote carbon reduction and food security, given the varying SGE responses across agroecological regions. This study employed meta-analysis and machine learning techniques to assess SGE responses to nine different farming practices in seven distinct agroecological regions. It aimed to identify optimal management strategies for balancing SGE and crop production within each region. Findings underscore substantial spatial heterogeneity in the effects of management practices on SGE, with the combined use of organic and inorganic fertilizers (MOF-MF) demonstrating the most pronounced variability (standard deviation, SD = 1.80), where MOF resulted in SGE 610% of that with MF in the Southern China (SC) region, yet only 54% in Northwestern China (NWC). Conversely, straw incorporation exhibited the most minor variability (SD = 0.27), influencing SGE by 35%–62%. Additionally, the study reveals that soil and climatic conditions significantly modulate SGE responses. In scenarios characterized by humid and warm climates with soil pH ranging from 5.5 to 8.5 or initial SOC ≤10, the environmental impact on SGE was marginal. However, in highly acidic or alkaline soils or with initial SOC >10, SGE responses varied markedly with management practices in arid and cold conditions. The study further proposes agricultural management strategies to achieve the lowest SGE while maximizing crop yield. It recommends specific methods for fertilizer applications, straw management, irrigation, and tillage practices meticulously tailored to the unique conditions of each agroecological region. This research offers essential insights for agricultural stakeholders regarding cultivation strategies and delivers theoretical guidance for enhancing agricultural management and land-use planning throughout China's heterogeneous landscapes. • A total of 2221 observed values of cropland soil greenhouse gas emissions (SGE) were utilized in this study. • It highlighted the spatial heterogeneity of SGE in response to diverse management practices. • Investigating soil pH, SOC, humidity, and temperature's impact on SGE has deepened insights into environmental mechanisms. • It proposed region-specific management strategies for seven agroecological zones designed to optimize yields while minimizing SGE. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As the major form of antimony in the aqueous environment, the adsorption for the removal of Sb(OH) 6 - is a meaningful task. In this study, MgFe 2 O 4 -doped and iron(Ⅲ) alginate cross-linked biochar ternary composite adsorbents, Fe/(MgFeO-BC) beads, were synthesized. The typical characterization analysis showed the successful synthesis of Fe/(MgFeO-BC) beads with the significant synergistic effect on the adsorption activity of MgFe 2 O 4 , the foaming effect of BC and the dispersing effect of the bead skeleton. The adsorption experiments showed significantly increased adsorption capacity of Fe/(MgFeO-BC) compared to the comparative adsorbent with Q m = 125.65 mg/g. The adsorption was able to reach equilibrium within 350 min. At low initial Sb(OH) 6 - concentration, the adsorption of Fe/(MgFeO-BC) can still achieve the standard antimony concentration (≤0.02 mg/L), giving potential for practical applications. The introduction of MgFe 2 O 4 enhanced the adsorption capacity while imparting magnetic properties of composite beads, resulting in significant improvement in separation efficiency. The -OH in the structure of MgFe 2 O 4 is the adsorption active site of Fe/(MgFeO-BC), and the adsorption of Sb(OH) 6 - is accomplished mainly through ligand exchange and inner-sphere complexation. These results suggest that Fe/(MgFeO-BC) is a kind of promising Sb(OH) 6 - adsorbent with safe, green and recyclable properties, which provides a reference for the removal of Sb(OH) 6 - from wastewater, even at low concentrations. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Antibiotics are recognized as effective medicine that has been extensively used in human and veterinary. Since the rate of releasing into the environment is stronger than the rate of elimination, antibiotics are regarded as persistent or "pseudo-persistent" organic compounds that result in the development of microbial antibiotic resistance. Therefore, assessment for their ecological risks to the environment are essential. Diffusive gradients in thin films for organic compounds (o-DGT) have been adapted to investigate the environmental behaviors of antibiotics. Currently, more than 20 compounds have been tested by o-DGT in waters and soil environments. In this review, we explained the theoretical reason that o-DGT is feasible to determine the labile fraction of antibiotics in different environmental media. The most used agarose diffusive gel, and various binding agents such as resin, porous carbon and nano-scale materials have been compared to optimize the sampling of antibiotics by o-DGT. Results of deploying o-DGT devices in waters and soils from previous studies were discussed to understand the bioavailability and dynamic transport of antibiotics. Also, we provided the feasibility analysis of using o-DGT in sediments for antibiotics measurements, which is required to be carried out in future studies. To have a deep view on the development of o-DGT, its technical limitations and viable improvements were summarized in this study for further applications on antibiotics research. [Display omitted] • Provide the principle of using DGT measure the labile fractions of antibiotics. • Compared gels used in previous studies to propose an optimized tool. • Discussed the application of DGT in determining the behaviors of antibiotics. • Open up possible directions for o-DGT developments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Phosphoinositides are important signaling molecules involved in the regulation of vesicular trafficking. It has been implicated that phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate [PI(4,5)P 2 is involved in insulin-regulated GLUT4 translocation in adipocytes. However, it remains unclear where and how PI(4,5)P 2 regulates discrete steps of GLUT4 vesicle translocation in adipocytes, especially on the exocytic arm of regulation. Here, we employed optogenetic tools to acutely control the PI(4,5)P 2 metabolism in living cells. By combination of TIRFM imaging, we were able to monitor the temporal-spatial-dependent PI(4,5)P 2 regulation on discrete steps of GLUT4 translocation in adipocytes. We found that the plasma membrane localized PI(4,5)P 2 is crucial for proper insulin signaling propagation and for insulin-stimulated GLUT4 vesicle translocation in 3T3-L1 adipocytes. Global depletion of PI(4,5)P 2 on the cell surface blunted insulin-stimulated Akt phosphorylation and abolished insulin effects in promotion of the docking and fusion of GLUT4 vesicle with the plasma membrane. Furthermore, by development of a novel optogenetic module to selectively modulate PI(4,5)P 2 levels on the GLUT4 vesicle docking site, we identified an important regulatory role of PI(4,5)P 2 in controlling of vesicle docking process. Local depletion of PI(4,5)P 2 at the vesicle docking site promoted GLUT4 vesicle undocking, diminished insulin-stimulated GLUT4 vesicle docking and fusion, but without perturbation of insulin signaling propagation in adipocytes. Our results provide strong evidence that cell surface PI(4,5)P 2 plays two distinct functions on regulation of the exocytic trafficking of GLUT4 in adipocytes. PI(4,5)P 2 not only regulates the proper activation of insulin signaling in general but also controls GLUT4 vesicle docking process at the vesicle-membrane contact sites. Unlabelled Image • Development of optogenetic tools for subcellular control of PI(4,5)P 2 metabolism • PI(4,5)P 2 regulates insulin signaling propagation and GLUT4 translocation • PI(4,5)P 2 locally modulates single GLUT4 vesicle docking in adipocytes • PI(4,5)P 2 plays two distinct functions on exocytic trafficking of GLUT4 vesicle [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In organic thin-film transistors (OTFTs), adhesion energy plays an important role in the morphology of the vacuum-deposited organic semiconductor film and hence affects the field-effect mobility. Currently, two equations have been reported to calculate the adhesion energy between semiconductor and dielectric. However, the differences of the two equations remain unexplored. Here, we reflect the differences by simulation, experiment and theoretical derivation methods. Results show that the change of mobility is consistent with the change of adhesion energy calculated by Eq. (1), which is ascribed to the good availability of Eq. (1) for both polar and non-polar dielectrics. Our results provide an exact guideline for calculation of adhesion energy and help the selection of dielectrics to obtain high-performance OTFTs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives Even with great advances in modern medicine and therapeutic agent development, the search for effective antidiabetic drugs remains challenging. Coumarins are secondary metabolites found widely in nature plants and used mainly in anticoagulation and antithrombotic therapy. Over the past two decades, however, there has been an increasing body of literatures related to the effects of coumarins and their derivatives on diabetes and its complications. This review aimed to focus on research findings concerning the effects of coumarins against diabetes and its complications using in-vitro and in-vivo animal models, and also to discuss cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying these effects. Key findings The search for new coumarins against diabetes and it complications, either isolated from traditional medicine or chemically synthesized, has been constantly expanding. The cellular and molecular mechanisms involved include protecting pancreatic beta cells from damage, improving abnormal insulin signalling, reducing oxidative stress/inflammation, activating AMP-activated protein kinase ( AMPK), inhibiting α-glucosidases and ameliorating diabetic complications. Conclusions The effects and mechanisms of coumarins and their derivatives upon diabetes and its complications are discussed in current review. Further investigations remain to be carried out to develop a promising antidiabetic agent based on coumarin cores. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite great advances in the development of modern anticancer drugs, it is still challenging to find safer and more effective ones due to a new spectrum of diseases and emerging drug resistance. Natural quinazolinones exist widely in natural plants, microorganisms and animals and possess a variety of biological activities. Over the past three to four decades, there has been a growing volume of literature concerning the effects of natural quinazolinones and their derivatives upon a variety of cancers. In this paper, 58 natural quinazolinones with anticancer activities were reviewed in term of their anticancer effects, cellular and molecular mechanisms, ability to overcome cancer drug resistance, and structure-activity relationship of anticancer quinazolinone representatives as well. This paper will offer new clues for discovering new and better lead compounds against malignant tumor and cancer drug resistance from natural quinazolinones. [Display omitted] • This review summarized 58 natural quinazolinones with anticancer activities. • The molecular mechanisms and structure-activity relationship of natural quinazolinones were elaborated systematically. • The potential or identified targets and promising potent derivatives offer new clues for the discovery of new and better anticancer leads. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rab proteins are important regulators of GLUT4 trafficking in muscle and adipose cells. It is still unclear which Rabs are involved in insulin-stimulated GLUT4 translocation in C2C12 myoblasts. In this study, we detect the colocalization of Rab8A with GLUT4 and the presence of Rab8A at vesicle exocytic sites by TIRFM imaging. Overexpression of dominant-negative Rab8A (T22N) diminishes insulin-stimulated GLUT4 translocation, while constitutively active Rab8A (Q67L) augments it. In addition, knockdown of Rab8A inhibits insulin-stimulated GLUT4 translocation, which is rescued by replenishment of RNAi-resistant Rab8A. Together, these results indicate an indispensable role for Rab8A in insulin-regulated GLUT4 trafficking in C2C12 cells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the current complex and changeable external environment, the sustainable development of rural areas is the key to global economic and social transformation. Introducing the concept of resilience will help to tap the villages' internal potential and inject new vitality into realizing high-quality rural development. This study analyzes the rural system resilience (RRS) mechanism. It then constructs a village-scale resilience evaluation framework based on three dimensions: resources, morphology, and function. The combination of empirical research and field surveys verifies the feasibility of the analytical framework. This study constructed an analytical framework, used the catastrophe progression method and geo-detector to evaluate the RRS of 386 villages in Suining County, Jiangsu Province, and put forward a regional guidance scheme for RRS promotion based on factor characteristics. There are three key results and conclusions. First, the study combined system theory and adaptive circulation theory to analyze the connotations and mechanisms of RRS. Second, the empirical case study results show that the spatial differentiation of resilience in different dimensions is quite significant. For example, the overall resilience index is higher in the southern regions than in the northern regions of Suining County, and the polarization is obvious. Third, the study combined the dominant factors and their characteristics to construct a two-level rural zoning scheme to provide rural development strategies for different villages. The results can provide a potential approach to rural transformation development for cultivating resilient rural settlements and provide policy reference for rural land management and spatial planning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study developed Fe 3 O 4 @cellulose nanocomposites by co-precipitation synthesis for bacteria capture and isolation. By surface modification with cellulose, the Fe 3 O 4 @cellulose nanocomposites have 20 nm average particle size and 3.3–24.9 emu/g saturation magnetization. Living bacteria could be captured by the Fe 3 O 4 @cellulose nanocomposites and harvested by magnetic field, with high efficiency (95.1%) and stability (>99.99%). By metabolizing cellulose and destroying the Fe 3 O 4 @cellulose@bacteria complex, cellulose-decomposing microorganisms lost the magnetism. They were therefore able to be isolated from the inert microbial community and the separation efficiency achieved over 99.2%. This research opened a door to cultivate the uncultivable cellulose-decomposing microorganisms in situ and further characterize their ecological functions in natural environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A novel magnet bioreporter device was developed in this research for soil toxicity assessment, via magnetic nanoparticles functionalized whole-cell bioreporters. The whole-cell bioreporter ADPWH_recA kept response capability to DNA damage after magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) functionalization, and could be harvested from soil samples by permanent magnet to reduce the soil particle disturbance. Compared to conventional treatments applying bioreporter directly in soil–water mixture (SW-M treatment) or supernatant (SW-S treatment), MNPs functionalized bioreporter via the magnet device (MFB) treatment achieved high sensitivity to evaluate the toxicity and bioavailability of chromium contamination in soils from 10 mg/kg to 5000 mg/kg soil dry weight. The MNPs functionalized bioreporter also achieved high reproducibility with pH value from 5.0 to 9.0, salinity from 0% to 3% and temperature from 20 °C to 37 °C. A case study was carried out on the ecological toxicity assessment of heavy metal contamination at the coal cinder site via the magnet bioreporter device. The heavy metal toxicity declined with the increasing distance to the coal cinder point, and a significant accumulation of heavy metal toxicity was observed along the vertical distribution. No direct link was found between the pollution load index ( PLI ) and heavy metal toxicity, and the results suggested the bioreporter test monitored the toxicity of heavy metals in soils and was an important approach for ecological risk assessment. Magnet bioreporter device also offered the high throughput biological measurement and was feasible for in situ monitoring. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims and objectives: The study aimed to (1) investigate the changes in maternal and paternal depression, along with social support, across the 6‐month postpartum period; (2) explore the relationships between maternal and paternal depression and social support during the 6‐month postpartum period; and (3) compare the differences in postpartum depression and social support between mothers and fathers at 2–3 days, 6 weeks, 3 months and 6 months postpartum. Background: An increasing body of evidence now shows that postpartum depression affects both mothers and fathers. The notable increase in postpartum depression in China is particularly concerning. Design: A longitudinal study was conducted, guided by the STROBE checklist. Methods: 122 pairs of parents were recruited from September 2020 to October 2021 at a teaching hospital in Guangzhou, China. Data were collected from each parent at 2–3 days, 6 weeks, 3 months and 6 months postpartum, using the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale and the Social Support Rating Scale. We also acquired socio‐demographic and obstetric data at 2–3 days postpartum. Results: Maternal depression was lowest at 2–3 days postpartum compared with that measured at 6 weeks, 3 months and 6 months postpartum. Maternal and paternal social support was highest at 2–3 days postpartum compared with that measured at 6 weeks, 3 months and 6 months postpartum. Maternal depression was significantly correlated with paternal depression while maternal social support was significantly correlated with paternal social support at different time points. Conclusion: Postpartum depression in mothers and social support in both mothers and fathers, showed significant changes during the 6‐month postpartum period. Relevance to clinical practice: Healthcare providers should pay attention to the mental health of both parents, view them as a team and provide both family‐based and women‐cantered interventions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Endometrial receptivity is a critical process for the successful establishment of pregnancy in ruminants. However, the biological role of long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) in the development of endometrial receptivity is poorly understood. In this study, we performed RNA-seq analysis of immortalised goat endometrial epithelial cells (gEECs) treated with interferon-τ (IFNT). Transcriptome profiles showed that 8069 high-confidence putative lncRNAs, including 6498 intronic lncRNA transcripts, 1078 lincRNAs and 493 antisense lncRNAs were identified in gEECs with or without IFNT treatment. Functional clustering analysis was performed by using cis and trans lncRNAs prediction. GO and KEGG analyses revealed that differentially expressed lncRNAs may regulate tissue remodelling and immune responses. Subsequently, six of the 21 differentially expressed antisense lncRNAs were validated using qRT-PCR. Through functional screening and co-expression analysis of lncRNAs in gEECs, we identified that ISG15-AS was mainly expressed in the luminal and glandular epithelium on days 5 and 15 and was strongly upregulated on day 18 of pregnancy in vivo. Similarly, ISG15-AS was abundant in the nucleus and cytoplasm, and was significantly upregulated after treatment with IFNT in gEECs. In addition, ISG15 is an IFNT-responsive gene, that displayed an evident increase in vivo and in vitro. Moreover, sense ISG15 was significantly upregulated following ISG15-AS silencing. The key genes related to ISGylation and endometrial receptivity in gEECs dramatically increased after ISG15-AS inhibition. Collectively, our results indicate that a novel antisense lncRNA, ISG15-AS, may be important in regulating endometrial receptivity through ISGylation. • Systematic identification and analysis of lncRNAs in IFNT treated gEECs was identified by high-throughput RNA-sequencing. • The expression of ISG15-AS in gEECs were strongly upregulated by IFNT during embryo implantation. • ISG15-AS significantly activated formation of endometrium receptivity in gEECs through ISGylation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Oil spillages lead to the formation of hydrocarbon and metal mixtures possessing effects on alkane-degrading bacteria that are responsible for the bioremediation of oil-contaminated soils and waters. Studies of bacterial responses to the mixture of petroleum and metal can inform appropriate strategies for bioremediation. We employed a luminescent bioreporter Acinetobacter baylyi ADPWH_recA with alkane degradation capability to evaluate the combined effects from heavy metals (Cd, Pb and Cu) and alkanes (dodecane, tetradecane, hexadecane and octadecane). Bioluminescent ratios of ADPWH_recA in single Cd or Pb treatments ranged from 0.25 to 1.98, indicating both genotoxicity and cytotoxicity of these two metals, while ratios < 1.0 postexposure to Cu showed its cytotoxic impacts on ADPWH_recA bioreporter. Metal mixtures exhibited enhanced antagonistic effects (Ti > 4.0) determined by the Toxic Unit model. With 100 mg/L alkane, the morbidity of ADPWH-recA reduced to < 20%, showing the inhibition of alkanes on Cd toxicity. Exposed to the metal mixture containing 10 mg/L Cu, the weak binding affinity of Cu with alkanes contributed to a high morbidity of > 85% in ADPWH_recA cells. This study provides a new way to understand the toxicity of mixture contaminants, which can help to optimize treatment efficiencies of bacterial remediation for oil contamination. [Display omitted] • Luminescent bacteria evaluate the toxicity of alkane-metal mixture. • Toxic unit model illustrates bioavailability of metals with alkanes. • Bioluminescence visualize the toxic impacts of metals on hydrocarbon degradation. • Significant correlations between toxicity and bioavailability of metal mixture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Obesity is a chronic disease derived from disequilibrium between energy intake and energy expenditure and evolving as a challenging epidemiological disease in the 21st century. It is urgently necessary to solve this issue by searching for effective strategies and safe drugs. Skeletal muscle could be a potential therapeutic target for the prevention and treatment of obesity and its associated complications due to non-shivering thermogenesis (NST) function. Skeletal muscle NST is based dominantly on futile sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca2+ ATPase (SERCA) pump cycling that leads to a rise in cytosolic Ca2+, increased adenosine triphosphate (ATP) hydrolysis and heat production. This review will highlight the mechanisms of skeletal muscle NST, including SLN mediated SERCA pump futile cycling, SR-mitochondrial crosstalk and increased mitochondrial biogenesis, and thermogenesis induced by uncoupling proteins 3 (UCP3). We then summarize natural products targeting the pathogenesis of obesity via skeletal muscle NST, offering new insights into pharmacotherapy and potential drug candidates to combat obesity. Unlabelled Image [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Obesity is a chronic metabolic disease caused by a long-term imbalance between energy intake and expenditure. The discovery of three different shades of adipose tissues has implications in terms of understanding the pathogenesis and potential interventions for obesity and its related complications. Fat browning, as well as activation of brown adipocytes and new beige adipocytes differentiated from adipogenic progenitor cells, are emerging as interesting and promising methods to curb obesity because of their unique capacity to upregulate non-shivering thermogenesis. This capacity is due to catabolism of stored energy to generate heat through the best characterized thermogenic effector uncoupling protein 1 (UCP1). A variety of phytochemicals have been shown in the literature to contribute to thermogenesis by acting as chemical uncouplers, UCP1 inducers or regulators of fat differentiation and browning. In this review, we summarize the mechanisms and strategies for targeting adipose-mediated thermogenesis and highlight the role of phytochemicals in targeting adipose thermogenesis to fight against obesity. We also discuss proposed targets for how these phytochemical molecules promote BAT activity, WAT browning and beige cell development, thereby offering novel insights into interventional strategies of how phytochemicals may help prevent and manage obesity via adipose thermogenesis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The metabolic syndrome has become one of the major public health challenges in the world, and adjusting glucose and lipid levels to their normal values is crucial for treating the metabolic syndrome. Olfactory receptors (ORs) expressed in extra‐nasal tissues participate in diverse biological processes, including the regulation of glucose and lipid metabolism. Ectopic ORs can regulate a variety of metabolic events including insulin secretion, glucagon secretion, fatty acid oxidation, lipogenesis and thermogenesis. Understanding the physiological function and deciphering the olfactory recognition code by suitable ligands make ectopic ORs potential targets for the treatment of the metabolic syndrome. In this review, we delineate the roles and mechanisms of ectopic ORs in the regulation of glucose and lipid metabolism, summarize the corresponding natural ligands, and discuss existing problems and the therapeutic potential of targeting ORs in the metabolic syndrome. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Cuproptosis is a novel copper-dependent mode of cell death that has recently been discovered. The relationship between Cuproptosis-related ncRNAs and breast cancer subtypes, however, remains to be studied. Methods: The aim of this study was to construct a breast cancer subtype prediction model associated with Cuproptosis. This model could be used to determine the subtype of breast cancer patients. To achieve this aim, 21 Cuproptosis-related genes were obtained from published articles and correlation analysis was performed with ncRNAs differentially expressed in breast cancer. Random forest algorithms were subsequently utilized to select important ncRNAs and build breast cancer subtype prediction models. Results: A total of 94 ncRNAs significantly associated with Cuproptosis were obtained and the top five essential features were chosen to build a predictive model. These five biomarkers were differentially expressed in the five breast cancer subtypes and were closely associated with immune infiltration, RNA modification, and angiogenesis. Conclusion: The random forest model constructed based on Cuproptosis-related ncRNAs was able to accurately predict breast cancer subtypes, providing a new direction for the study of clinical therapeutic targets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The quantum loss in phosphor-in-glass (PiG) and energy loss in LD/LED exciting source could aggravate the thermal load of a glass-based luminescence device. In this study, luminous efficiency of radiation (LER) and thermal shock in LuAG: Ce PiG-based remote LD/LED prototypes were regulated effectively, by controlling the exciting distance between PiG and blue LD/LED. For remote LD, both the simulated temperature and the real working temperature of LuAG: Ce-PiG were initially increased and then declined with increase of the exciting distance (the numerical difference: 9.3%). The maximum working temperature of LuAG: Ce-PiG was 135.1 °C. Remarkably, LER of LuAG: Ce-PiG was initially reduced and then elevated with increase of the exciting distance, and the obtained maximum LER was 203.97 lm/W. Meanwhile, increasing the working distance leads to the decrease of both LER and working temperature of the PiG based LED, since the excitation loss was negatively correlated to the exciting distance. For the better application of LD/LED device in high power lighting and display, this work strictly controlling exciting distance is highly necessary. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tensegrity mechanisms are lighter weight, lower inertial force and higher strength to weight ratio compared with conventional ones. This paper proposes a four-DOF automatic device for polishing the surface of a workspiece, in which a passive tensegrity-based parallel mechanism is connected to an industrial robot arm through an adjustable spring-loaded prismatic joint. The device consists of moving and base platforms that are connected by three compliant spring legs and one rigid central leg. A major advantage of this device is that attitude of polishing tool mounted on the moving platform can be changed automatically to fit the polished workspiece surface without any sensors, due to the three compliant spring legs. The kinematics, statics and stiffness problems of the mechanism are considered and solved. Finally, an experiment is executed on the surface of a discarded car shell, to verify the reliability of the polishing device within ranges of some parameters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: This review aimed to appraise clinical guidelines about exercise for women with gestational diabetes mellitus and summarize consensus and inconsistent recommendations. Background: Exercise is an effective non‐pharmacological therapeutic for gestational diabetes mellitus, but the variety of relevant clinical practice guidelines is confusing for healthcare professionals. Design: This is a systematic review of clinical practice guidelines. Data Sources: Websites of guideline development institutions, eight literature databases and organizations of obstetricians, gynaecologists, midwives, and medical sports associations were searched for guidelines published from January 2011 to October 2021. Review Methods: Two reviewers independently extracted recommendations. Four reviewers assessed guideline quality using the AGREE II instrument independently. Results: Fifteen guidelines were included. All women with diabetes are recommended to exercise during pregnancy. The consistent recommendations were for pre‐exercise screening, for 30 min per exercise session on 5 days of the week or every day after meals, exercise at moderate intensity, using aerobic and resistance exercise, and walking. The main non‐consistent recommendations included warning signs for women on insulin during exercise, minimum duration per session, intensity assessment, duration and frequency of sessions for strengthening and flexibility exercise and detailed physical activity giving birth. Conclusions: Guidelines strongly support pregnant women with diabetes to exercise regularly. Research is needed to make non‐consistent recommendations clear. Summary statement: What is already known about this topic? Gestational diabetes mellitus is strongly associated with a higher risk of short‐ and long‐term adverse maternal and fetus outcomes.Physical activity is a safe and beneficial non‐pharmacological treatment for gestational diabetes mellitus.The methodological rigour and quality of the physical activity guidelines for pregnant women with gestational diabetes mellitus are unclear. What this paper adds? Methodological rigour and quality of the physical activity guidelines for pregnant women with gestational diabetes mellitus were identified by AGREE II instrument.Consensus and non‐consistent recommendations of the physical activity guidelines for pregnant women with gestational diabetes mellitus were summarized. The implications of this paper: The consensus recommendations make it clear that health professionals should offer physical activity guidance to pregnant women with gestational diabetes mellitus.Non‐consistent recommendations offer opportunities for further research directions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Disulfidptosis is a newly discovered mode of cell death. However, its relationship with breast cancer subtypes remains unclear. In this study, we aimed to construct a disulfidptosis-associated breast cancer subtype prediction model. We obtained 19 disulfidptosis-related genes from published articles and performed correlation analysis with lncRNAs differentially expressed in breast cancer. We then used the random forest algorithm to select important lncRNAs and establish a breast cancer subtype prediction model. We identified 132 lncRNAs significantly associated with disulfidptosis (FDR < 0.01, |R|> 0.15) and selected the first four important lncRNAs to build a prediction model (training set AUC = 0.992). The model accurately predicted breast cancer subtypes (test set AUC = 0.842). Among the key lncRNAs, LINC02188 had the highest expression in the Basal subtype, while LINC01488 and GATA3-AS1 had the lowest expression in Basal. In the Her2 subtype, LINC00511 had the highest expression level compared to other key lncRNAs. GATA3-AS1 had the highest expression in LumA and LumB subtypes, while LINC00511 had the lowest expression in these subtypes. In the Normal subtype, GATA3-AS1 had the highest expression level compared to other key lncRNAs. Our study also found that key lncRNAs were closely related to RNA methylation modification and angiogenesis (FDR < 0.05, |R|> 0.1), as well as immune infiltrating cells (P.adj < 0.01, |R|> 0.1). Our random forest model based on disulfidptosis-related lncRNAs can accurately predict breast cancer subtypes and provide a new direction for research on clinical therapeutic targets for breast cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The phospholipase D (PLD) family has a ubiquitous expression in cells. PLD isoforms (PLDs) and their hydrolysate phosphatidic acid (PA) have been demonstrated to engage in multiple stages of cancer progression. Aberrant expression of PLDs, especially PLD1 and PLD2, has been detected in various cancers. Inhibition or elimination of PLDs activity has been shown to reduce tumour growth and metastasis. PLDs and PA also serve as downstream effectors of various cell‐surface receptors, to trigger and regulate propagation of intracellular signals in the process of tumourigenesis and metastasis. Here, we discuss recent advances in understanding the functions of PLDs and PA in discrete stages of cancer progression, including cancer cell growth, invasion and migration, and angiogenesis, with special emphasis on the tumour‐associated signalling pathways mediated by PLDs and PA and the functional importance of PLDs and PA in cancer therapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two new coordination polymers, namely poly[[hexathiocyanatotetrakis{μ3‐2,4,6‐trimethyl‐1,3,5‐tris[(triazol‐1‐yl)methyl]benzene}tricadmium(II)] 3.5‐hydrate], {[Cd3(SCN)6(C18H21N9)4]·3.5H2O}n (1), and poly[[hexathiocyanatotetrakis{μ3‐2,4,6‐trimethyl‐1,3,5‐tris[(triazol‐1‐yl)methyl]benzene}trizinc(II)] 3.5‐hydrate], {[Zn3(SCN)6(C18H21N9)4]·3.5H2O}n (2), have been synthesized under hydrothermal conditions and characterized by elemental analysis, IR spectroscopy and single‐crystal X‐ray diffraction analysis. From the X‐ray analysis, it is noteworthy that polymers 1 and 2 are isostructural, with their three‐dimensional structures composed of three kinds of four‐connection metal ions and two kinds of three‐connection 2,4,6‐trimethyl‐1,3,5‐tris[(triazol‐1‐yl)methyl]benzene (TTTMB) ligand nodes. Each metal ion is six‐coordinated in a slightly distorted octahedral geometry. The antioxidant activity against DPPH (2,2‐diphenyl‐1‐picrylhydrazyl) and the antidiabetic activity against α‐amylase of the synthesized compounds were evaluated in vitro. The results of the DPPH free‐radical scavenging assay showed that polymers 1 and 2 exhibited strong antioxidant effects, with IC50 values of 3.81 and 2.56 mg ml−1, respectively. The IC50 value in the antidiabetic studies of polymer 1 was 3.94 mg ml−1, while polymer 2 exhibited no antidiabetic activity. Polymers 1 and 2 revealed different inhibitory activities on DPPH and α‐amylase, which indicated that the metal ions play important roles in the biological activity of coordination polymers. In addition, the solid‐state photoluminescence properties and thermal stability of 1 and 2 have been investigated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Disulfidptosis is a newly discovered mode of cell death. However, its relationship with breast cancer subtypes remains unclear. In this study, we aimed to construct a disulfidptosis-associated breast cancer subtype prediction model. We obtained 19 disulfidptosis-related genes from published articles and performed correlation analysis with lncRNAs differentially expressed in breast cancer. We then used the random forest algorithm to select important lncRNAs and establish a breast cancer subtype prediction model. We identified 132 lncRNAs significantly associated with disulfidptosis (FDR < 0.01, |R|> 0.15) and selected the first four important lncRNAs to build a prediction model (training set AUC = 0.992). The model accurately predicted breast cancer subtypes (test set AUC = 0.842). Among the key lncRNAs, LINC02188 had the highest expression in the Basal subtype, while LINC01488 and GATA3-AS1 had the lowest expression in Basal. In the Her2 subtype, LINC00511 had the highest expression level compared to other key lncRNAs. GATA3-AS1 had the highest expression in LumA and LumB subtypes, while LINC00511 had the lowest expression in these subtypes. In the Normal subtype, GATA3-AS1 had the highest expression level compared to other key lncRNAs. Our study also found that key lncRNAs were closely related to RNA methylation modification and angiogenesis (FDR < 0.05, |R|> 0.1), as well as immune infiltrating cells (P.adj < 0.01, |R|> 0.1). Our random forest model based on disulfidptosis-related lncRNAs can accurately predict breast cancer subtypes and provide a new direction for research on clinical therapeutic targets for breast cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In complex battlefield environments, flying ad-hoc network (FANET) faces challenges in manually extracting communication interference signal features, a low recognition rate in strong noise environments, and an inability to recognize unknown interference types. To solve these problems, one simple non-local correction shrinkage (SNCS) module is constructed. The SNCS module modifies the soft threshold function in the traditional denoising method and embeds it into the neural network, so that the threshold can be adjusted adaptively. Local importance-based pooling (LIP) is introduced to enhance the useful features of interference signals and reduce noise in the downsampling process. Moreover, the joint loss function is constructed by combining the cross-entropy loss and center loss to jointly train the model. To distinguish unknown class interference signals, the acceptance factor is proposed. Meanwhile, the acceptance factor-based unknown class recognition simplified non-local residual shrinkage network (AFUCR-SNRSN) model with the capacity for both known and unknown class recognition is constructed by combining AFUCR and SNRSN. Experimental results show that the recognition accuracy of the AFUCR-SNRSN model is the highest in the scenario of a low jamming to noise ratio (JNR). The accuracy is increased by approximately 4–9% compared with other methods on known class interference signal datasets, and the recognition accuracy reaches 99% when the JNR is −6 dB. At the same time, compared with other methods, the false positive rate (FPR) in recognizing unknown class interference signals drops to 9%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Uncultivable microorganisms account for over 99% of all species on the planet, but their functions are yet not well characterized. Though many cultivable degraders for n-alkanes have been intensively investigated, the roles of functional n-alkane degraders remain hidden in the natural environment. This study introduces the novel magnetic nanoparticle-mediated isolation (MMI) technology in Nigerian soils and successfully separates functional microbes belonging to the families Oxalobacteraceae and Moraxellaceae , which are dominant and responsible for alkane metabolism in situ. The alkR -type n-alkane monooxygenase genes, instead of alkA- or alkP- type, were the key functional genes involved in the n-alkane degradation process. Further physiological investigation via a BIOLOG PM plate revealed some carbon (Tween 20, Tween 40 and Tween 80) and nitrogen (tyramine, l -glutamine and d -aspartic acid) sources promoting microbial respiration and n-alkane degradation. With further addition of promoter carbon or nitrogen sources, the separated functional alkane degraders significantly improved n-alkane biodegradation rates. This suggests that MMI is a promising technology for separating functional microbes from complex microbiota, with deeper insight into their ecological functions and influencing factors. The technique also broadens the application of the BIOLOG PM plate for physiological research on functional yet uncultivable microorganisms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Obesity is a chronic metabolic disease caused by an imbalance between energy intake and expenditure during a long period and is characterized by adipose tissue disfunction and hepatic steatosis. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of 4-methylesculetin (4-ME), a coumarin derivative, upon adipose microenvironment and hepatic steatosis in mice induced by a high-fat diet (HFD), and to explore potential mechanisms of its beneficial effect on metabolic disorders. HFD-fed mice displayed visceral obesity, insulin resistance, and hepatic lipid accumulation, which was remarkably ameliorated by 4-ME treatment. Meanwhile, 4-ME ameliorated adipocyte hypertrophy, macrophage infiltration, hypoxia, and fibrosis in epididymal adipose tissue, thus improving the adipose tissue microenvironment. Furthermore, 4-ME reversed the increase in CD36, PPAR-γ, SREBP-1, and FASN, and the decrease in CPT-1A, PPAR-α, and Nrf2 translocation into the nucleus in livers of HFD mice and in FFA-incubated hepatocytes. Moreover, the beneficial effects of 4-ME upon lipid deposition and the expression of proteins related to lipid metabolism in FFA-induced LO2 cells were abolished by ML385, a specific Nrf2 inhibitor, indicating that Nrf2 is necessary for 4-ME to reduce hepatic lipid deposition. These findings suggested that 4-ME might be a potential lead compound candidate for preventing obesity and MAFLD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A comprehensive understanding of both redox reactions and electrical double layer capacitance is crucial in the development of electrochemical energy conversion and storage technologies. Herein, a 3D hierarchically porous carbon modified electrode is investigated by both experimental and theoretical cyclic voltammetry based on finite element modeling. An electrochemical reaction rate constant of 1.06 × 10−4 m s−1 is initially obtained based on the proposed model via the reversibility analysis on cyclic voltammograms. Then the redox reaction of ferrocyanide on an FeN hierarchically porous carbon (FeN-HPC) modified electrode is carried out with this rate constant. A comparison of voltammetric waveforms indicates that the redox behavior of ferrocyanide is independent of the electrical double layer capacitance which stemmed from the porous structure and morphology of FeN-HPC. Correspondingly, a specific capacitance of 68.80 F g−1 is obtained with a mass loading of 4 μg on the substrate. Moreover, a comparison of simulated ferrocyanide and ferricyanide concentrations against both applied potential and the distance to the electrode surface further verifies the independence of the redox reaction from the electrochemical capacitance. In summary, this study facilitates the understanding of the redox reaction on a 3D hierarchically porous carbon modified electrode, which is important in the development of energy-related electrode fabrication. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Bovine parainfluenza virus type 3 (BPIV3) infection often causes respiratory tissue damage and immunosuppression and further results in bovine respiratory disease complex (BRDC), one of the major diseases in dairy cattle, caused huge economical losses every year. However, the pathogenetic and immunoregulatory mechanisms involved in the process of BPIV3 infection remain unknown. However, the pathogenetic and immunoregulatory mechanisms involved in the process of BPIV3 infection remain unknown. Proteomics is a powerful tool for high-throughput identification of proteins, which has been widely used to understand how viruses interact with host cells. Methods: In the present study, we report a proteomic analysis to investigate the whole cellular protein alterations of MDBK cells infected with BPIV3. To investigate the infection process of BPIV3 and the immune response mechanism of MDBK cells, isobaric tags for relative and absolute quantitation analysis (iTRAQ) and Q-Exactive mass spectrometry-based proteomics were performed. The differentially expressed proteins (DEPs) involved in the BPIV3 invasion process in MDBK cells were identified, annotated, and quantitated. Results: A total of 116 proteins, which included 74 upregulated proteins and 42 downregulated proteins, were identified as DEPs between the BPIV3-infected and the mock-infected groups. These DEPs included corresponding proteins related to inflammatory response, immune response, and lipid metabolism. These results might provide some insights for understanding the pathogenesis of BPIV3. Fluorescent quantitative PCR and western blotting analysis showed results consistent with those of iTRAQ identification. Interestingly, the upregulated protein MKK3 was associated with the p38 MAPK signaling pathway. Conclusions: The results of proteomics analysis indicated BPIV3 infection could activate the p38 MAPK pathway to promote virus replication. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) represents a complex complication of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Oxymatrine (OMT) is an alkaloid extracted from Sophora flavescens with broad pharmacological effects. However, there is currently a lack of research on OMT in the field of NAFLD. The present study aimed to explore the effects and underlying mechanisms of oxymatrine in treating T2DM with NAFLD. The T2DM mice model was induced by high-fat diet (HFD) combined with streptozotocin (STZ) injection in male C57BL/6 J mice. Animals were randomly divided into four groups (n = 8): Control group, DC group, OMT-L group (45 mg/kg i.g.), and OMT-H group (90 mg/kg, i.g.). The drug was administered once a day for 8 weeks. In addition, HepG2 hepatocytes were incubated with palmitic acid (PA) to establish a fatty liver cell model. Treated with OMT, the body weight and fasting blood glucose (FBG) of DC mice were reduced and the liver organ coefficient was significantly optimized. Meanwhile, OMT markedly enhanced the activities of key antioxidant enzymes, including superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px), and also reduced malondialdehyde (MDA) levels. These biochemical alterations were accompanied by noticeable improvements in liver histopathology. Furthermore, OMT down-regulated the expression of NOD-like receptor protein 3 (NLRP3), interleukin-1β (IL-1β), transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1) and collagen I significantly, highlighting its potential in modulating inflammatory and fibrotic pathways. In conclusion, OMT improved liver impairment effectively in diabetic mice by suppressing oxidative stress, inflammation and fibrosis. These results suggest that OMT may represent a novel therapy for NAFLD with diabetes. [Display omitted] • Oxymatrine has a hepatoprotective effect on high-fat diet/streptozotocin-induced diabetic mice. • Oxymatrine alleviates oxidative stress and inhibits the expression of NLRP3, IL-1β, TGF-β1 and collagen I in NAFLD mice. • Oxymatrine is a potential drug for type 2 diabetes mellitus accompanied by non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• This paper proposes a multi-dimensional assessment framework for cropland use stability. • Multi-dimensional cropland use characteristics present significant spatial differentiation. • Cropland stability in Northeast China Plain and Loess Plateau is the highest and lowest. • Urbanization will lead to about 9.31% of high-stability cropland losses in 2030. • Integrating landscape stability and national planning can draft a sustainable-oriented strategy. Shifting to more sustainable use can curb cropland resource degradation and improve production resilience. However, most cropland use assessments are unilaterally focused on biophysical levels and productivity, ignoring the multi-dimensional aspects of degraded cropland. This study attempts to describe cropland use stability in China by proposing a multi-dimensional assessment framework (including quantity, quality, management, service, and risk) to provide a reference for designing land degradation-neutral strategies. Results show that multi-dimensional cropland use characteristics present significant spatial heterogeneity. Western regions are reserve resource agglomerations that can replenish cropland quantity. In contrast, main grain-producing areas cover most current resources with preferably cultivation quality, management efficiency, and ecosystem services, while risk resistance is weak (especially in Middle-lower Yangtze Plain). Generally, the stability of cropland use in Northeast Plain is the highest and in Loess Plateau the lowest. Besides, urbanization will occupy about 9.31% of the high-stability cropland in 2030, of which 70.29% will occur in Northeast Plain and Huang-Huai-Hai Plain. The total potential productivity loss in Huang-Huai-Hai Plain alone will reach 100.1 kt, equivalent to supplying the food demand of 199,200 people annually. Therefore, a sustainable-oriented refined cropland management strategy should be designed according to the hierarchical nested spatial layout of comprehensive planning-stability map-multi-dimensional utilization characteristics to ensure the loss-replenishment balance and stable production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] Glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor-based therapies have been developed and extensively applied in clinical practice. GLP-1 plays an important role in improving glycemic homeostasis by stimulating insulin biosynthesis and secretion, suppressing glucagon activity, delaying gastric emptying, and reducing appetite and food ingestion. Furthermore, GLP-1 has positive effects on β-cell function by promoting β-cell proliferation and neogenesis while simultaneously reducing apoptosis. Here, we summarize possible mechanisms of action of GLP-1 upon pancreatic islets as well as describe phytochemicals that modulate pancreatic islet β cell function through glucagon-like peptide-1-related mechanisms. Together, this information provides potential lead compound candidates against diabetes that function as GLP-1 receptor-based pharmacotherapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Analysis of land use efficiency (LUE) integrating stakeholders' vision for the coordinated development among agriculture, economy and ecology can provide a harmonized avenue for localized and efficient resource management strategies. In this research, a new analysis framework for LUE integrating stakeholders' vision was proposed, and further applied to Jiangsu Province, a typical region with rapid urbanization in eastern China, to systematically explore the coupling and coordination relationship among multiple land use efficiencies in agriculture, economy and ecology and its driving factors. Results showed that: (1) Most areas of Jiangsu failed to meet the land-use stakeholders' vision in terms of agricultural production, economic development, and ecological maintenance during 2000–2018, with an average improvement potential of 26.84%, 30.27% and 36.58% respectively at the township level; (2) Interactions among multiple land use efficiencies in 2000–2018 were developing towards coordination in terms of temporal evolution, spatial association, and interaction types and their spatial transformations, but overall they were still at a medium level of coordination; (3) Economic factors had a certain priority for the coordinated development of multiple efficiencies, but they mostly played negative roles, while both agricultural factors and ecological factors mostly played positive roles. This study should be useful in assisting stakeholders to proactively focus on specific solutions for more effective land resource management and decision-making, and identify which land use behaviors should be encouraged or prohibited for the future coordination among agriculture, economy and ecology. [Display omitted] • Propose a new analysis framework for land use efficiency integrating stakeholders' vision. • Reveal the spatio-temporal dynamics of multiple land use efficiencies. • Analyze the spatio-temporal changes of the coupling and coordination among multiple land use efficiencies. • Identify the factors that affect the coupling coordination status over time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Juglandis Mandshuricae Cortex is the bark of Juglans mandshurica Maxim., which has been used as a folk medicine plant in China and India. In this study, an ultra‐high performance liquid chromatography–quadrupole/orbitrap high‐resolution mass spectrometry method was developed to clarify and quantify the chemical profiling of Juglandis Mandshuricae Cortex rapidly. A total of 113 compounds were characterized. Among them, seven flavonoids were simultaneously quantified in 15 min, including myricetin, myricetrin, taxifolin, kaempferol, quercetin, quercitrin, and naringenin. The method was validated for accuracy, precision, and the limits of detection and quantification. All calibration curves showed a good linear relationship (r > 0.9990) within test ranges. The intra‐ and inter‐day relative standard deviations were less than 2.16%. Accuracy validation showed that the recovery was between 95.6 and 101.3% with relative standard deviation values below 2.85%. The validated method was successfully applied to determine the contents of seven flavones in Juglandis Mandshuricae Cortex from seven sources and the contents of these places were calculated respectively. This method provides a theoretical basis for further developing the medicinal value of Juglandis Mandshuricae Cortex. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Important biogeochemical processes occur in sediments at fine scales. Sampling techniques capable of yielding information with high resolution are therefore needed to investigate chemical distributions and fluxes and to elucidate key processes affecting chemical fates. In this study, a high-resolution diffusive gradients in thin-films (DGT) technique was systematically developed and tested in a controlled sediment system to measure organic contaminants, antibiotics, for the first time. The DGT probe was used to resolve compound distributions at the mm scale. It also reflected the fluxes from the sediment pore-water and remobilization from the solid phase, providing more dynamic information. Through the fine scale detection, a reduction of re-supply was observed over time, which was concentration and location dependent. Compared to the Rhizon sampling method, antibiotic concentrations obtained by DGT probes were less than the pore-water concentrations, as DGT measures the labile fraction of the compounds. The DGT probe was also tested on an intact sediment core sampled from a lake in China and used to measure the distribution of labile antibiotics with depth in the core at the mm scale. The abuse of antibiotics and widespread of their residues influences the ecosystem, induces the generation of super-bacteria, and finally poses threat to human health. Sediments adsorbs pollutants from the aquatic environment, while may also release them back to the environment. We systematically developed DGT probe approach for measuring antibiotics in sediment in situ in high resolving power, it provides information at fine scale to help us investigate biogeochemical processes take place in sediment and sediment-water interface. [Display omitted] • Developed a new in situ high resolution sampling probe for studying antibiotics. • Resolving power reached the mm scale, better than conventional methods. • Vertical distribution of antibiotics in sediments and their transport were determined. • Antibiotics were detected in an intact sediment core using DGT probe. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cholelithiasis is a gastrointestinal disease that is associated with the highest socioeconomic cost. A diagnosis of cholelithiasis based on clinical features is significantly limited, and direct molecular insights into cholelithiasis and the relationship between cholelithiasis and clinical biochemical parameters are unclear. Uncovering direct molecular insights into cholelithiasis and the relationship between cholelithiasis and clinical biochemical parameters. Identifying sensitive and specific biomarkers for this disease. Parallel metabolomic and proteomic analyses of plasma from cholelithiasis patients (CPs) and healthy control individuals (HCs) without cholelithiasis were performed using ultrahigh-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. A multimodule coexpression network analysis and integrated machine learning methods, including least absolute shrinkage and selection operator, random forest, and support vector machine, were used for bioinformatic analyses. An independent cohort and the cross-validation of the combination of two cohorts were used to evaluate the diagnostic performance of the panel. Arachidonic acid metabolism was significantly different between the CP and HC groups. Glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase, actin beta, phosphoglycerate mutase 1, Enolase 1, Myeloperoxidase, and actin alpha 1 were identified as potential proteins related to cholelithiasis. The correlation between the merged modules and clinical biochemical tests was calculated. A diagnostic panel composed of four candidate biomarkers, including 3-oxotetradecanoic acid, 12-hydroxydodecanoic acid, hemoglobin subunit delta (HBD), and fibrinogen beta chain (FGB), was proposed based on three modules that were significantly associated with cholelithiasis. The classification according to the diagnostic panel detected CPs with an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.955. External validation in an independent cohort resulted in similar accuracy (AUC=0.995). This study provided some direct molecular insights into cholelithiasis by showing the differences in plasma metabolic and protein profiles between CPs and HCs and presented a potential biomarker panel with two metabolites (3-oxotetradecanoic acid, 12-hydroxydodecanoic acid) and two proteins (HBD , FGB) for predicting cholelithiasis. We also explored the potential correlation of clinical biochemical parameters with combined modules. These findings may provide some reference for the diagnosis of cholelithiasis in clinical practice. • Arachidonic acid metabolism was significantly related to cholelithiasis. • 3-Oxotetradecanoic acid and 12-Hydroxydodecanoic acid were associated with cholelithiasis. • Hemoglobin Subunit Delta and Fibrinogen Beta Chain were associated with cholelithiasis • A diagnostic model was constructed to predict the cholelithiasis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Over 99.0% magnetic harvesting efficiency for Nannochloropsis maritima was achieved by low-cost naked MNPs. • Reactivated MNPs after 5 times maintained ~60% harvesting effectiveness. • EDLVO theory predicted the interface interaction of MNPs- Nannochloropsis maritima from a thermodynamical perspective. • Choline groups were identified as anchors by SERS for MNPs adhesion on microalgal membrane. Magnetic harvesting of microalgae by magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) depends on the interface interactions between microalgal cells and MNPs, therefore it's important to understand these interface interactions. In this effort, we discussed the application and principles of microalgae magnetic harvesting via MNPs synthesized by the coprecipitation method. MNPs were capable of capturing Nannochloropsis maritima with a harvesting efficiency of 99.5% at a dosage of 0.33 g MNPs/g dry biomass, and the harvesting performance was less dependent on pH values in the range of 5.0–9.0. Treated with ultrasonic chloroform/methanol (2:1, v/v) solvent, the biomass was enriched and MNPs were reactivated and maintained ~60% harvesting effectiveness after 5 cycles. Regardless of the negative zeta potential for both MNPs and microalgae, MNPs-microalgae interactions were explained by surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) and extended Derjaguin-Landau-Verwey-Overbeek (EDLVO) theory, and phospholipids over microalgal membrane were located as anchors for MNPs adhesion onto the microalgae. This work provided deeper insights into microalgae harvesting by MNPs and offered the powerful SERS technique for unlocking the door to MNPs-microalgae interface interactions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Previous studies presented various beneficial effects of mogrosides extract from Siraitia grosvenorii, which has been included in the list of Medicine Food Homology Species in China. Mogroside V (MV) is one of the main ingredients in mogrosides extract; however, whether and how MV improves impaired lipid metabolism in the liver remains to be elucidated. Herein, we investigated the therapeutic effects of mogroside V upon hepatic steatosis in vivo and in vitro and explored the underlying mechanisms. The results showed that MV significantly ameliorated hepatic steatosis in high-fat diet- (HFD-) fed mice. Furthermore, the increased protein expression of PPAR-γ, SREBP-1, and FASN and mRNA expression of pparg, srebp1, scd1, and fasn in the liver in HFD-fed mice, which contribute to de novo lipogenesis, were dose-dependently reversed by MV treatment. Meanwhile, MV counteracted the suppressed expression of PPAR-α and CPT-1A and mRNA expression of atgl, hsl, ppara, and cpt1a, thus increasing lipolysis and fatty acid oxidation. In addition, in free fatty acids- (FFAs-) incubated LO2 cells MV downregulated de novo lipogenesis and upregulated lipolysis and fatty acid oxidation, thereby attenuating lipid accumulation, which was significantly abrogated by treatment with Compound C, an inhibitor of AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK). Taken together, these results suggested that MV exerted a pronounced effect upon improving hepatic steatosis through regulating the disequilibrium of lipid metabolism in the liver via an AMPK-dependent pathway, providing a potential lead compound candidate for preventing nonalcoholic fatty liver disease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A novel on‐line synergistic proconcentration strategy coupling field‐amplified sample stacking and micelle to cyclodextrin stacking for cationic analytes in capillary zone electrophoresis has been proposed and applied for the separation and determination of two alkaloids, matrine, and oxymatrine in complicated matrix samples. The approach was performed by the long injection of sample in a low‐conductivity sodium dodecyl benzene sulfonate solution followed by the injection of hydroxypropyl‐β‐cyclodextrin solution in higher conductivity. The stacking mechanism of this method has been expounded and parameters affecting stacking effect have been optimized in our study. Under the optimum experimental conditions, 169‐ and 218‐fold sensitivity improvements were achieved for matrine and oxymatrine when compared with normal injection. Analytical indicators including linearity, limits of detection, and reproducibility (intra‐ and inter‐day relative standard deviations) were evaluated. Moreover, sample matrix effect was studied using compound flavescent sophora and salicylic acid powder and spiked urine samples. The developed method is an attempt for the combination of micelle to cyclodextrin stacking with other stacking methods. It could be a good alternative choice for the determination of alkaloids in a complex sample matrix. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract A sensitive, simple, and environmentally friendly online three-step stacking strategy combining field-enhanced sample injection, sweeping and micelle to solvent stacking has been developed to determine trace amounts of organic anionic analytes in complex biological samples. A green ionic liquid, 1-dodecyl-3-methylimidazolium hydrogen sulfate, was first introduced as a micellar solution and used for electroosmotic flow reversal in this stacking strategy. The mechanism of stacking has been discussed, and parameters affecting three-step stacking preconcentration efficiency have been optimized. The capillary coated with an ionic liquid was easy to prepare, regenerable and repeatable (RSD<2.16%) and yielded a high efficiency. Under optimal conditions, the sensitivity improvement increased up to 2424-fold when compared with the normal capillary zone electrophoresis mode. The peak shape and separation efficiency of the model basic organic acids showed a significant enhancement when compared to traditional capillary zone electrophoresis. The optimized method showed great potential for quantitative analysis of trace concentration analytes in complex matrices. Graphical abstract Image 1 Highlights • Three-step stacking strategy by FESI-sweeping-MSS for determination anionic analytes. • Ionic liquid firstly used as micelle solution and also for EOF reversal in this strategy. • Developed three-step stacking strategy can enhance the sensitivity up to 2424 folds. • Discussion of the mechanism of this three-step stacking strategy. • Great potential on quantitative analysis of trace amount analytes in complex matrix. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Coumarins extensively exist in plants and are utilized against diabetes in some folk medicines. Recent studies have demonstrated that oxidative stress plays a crucial role in the etiology and pathogenesis of diabetes mellitus. We investigated the antioxidant ability of 3 coumarins (osthole, esculin, and fraxetin) in type 2 diabetes. After being fed a high-fat diet, ICR mice were exposed to low doses of streptozotocin and then treated with experimental coumarins for 5 weeks. We found osthole, esculin, and metformin significantly lowered fasting blood glucose, HOMA-IR, and 3 blood lipids (total cholesterol, total triglyceride, free fatty acids), and increased insulin levels, while fraxetin only enhanced insulin levels and lessened free fatty acids. Both osthole and esculin had antioxidative effects in pancreas through elevating the activities of glutathione peroxidase, catalase, and superoxide dismutase; fraxetin, however, merely heightened catalase activity. By contrast, 3 coumarins significantly increased those antioxidase activities in liver. Hematoxylin and eosin staining revealed 3 coumarins, especially osthole, attenuated cellular derangement, blurry fringes of hepatic sinusoid and extensive vacuolization due to hepatocellular lipid accumulation, and lessened inflammatory infiltration in pancreas. The glomerular and islet structure of diabetic mice were improved, with reduced mesangial matrix and glomerular basement membrane thickening. Therefore, our study supports that coumarins could be promising candidates against type 2 diabetes through antioxidative mechanisms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Elastomers are largely developed for biomedical applications; however, little is reported on them although they are an effective and controllable delivery system for proteins. In the present study, we investigated the pharmacokinetics, biosecurity, and hypoglycemic effect of an insulin-loaded elastomer formulation in diabetic rats. Cylindrical insulin-loaded elastomers were fabricated using a UV cross-linking process based on methyl-acrylic- star -poly(ε-caprolactone- co -D,L-lactide) cyclic ester and methyl-bi-acrylic-poly(ε-caprolactone-b-polyethylene glycol-b-ε-caprolactone) (CLPEGCLMA). The encapsulated insulin was well protected during the formulation. An in vitro pharmacokinetic study revealed that the rate of insulin release from the elastomers was affected by the hydrophilicity/hydrophobicity of the system and controlled by the CLPEGCLMA (hydrophilic prepolymer) composition. It was observed that insulin release followed the Higuchi model. In addition, the more hydrophilic elastomers showed higher degradation rates in vivo . Furthermore, in the pharmacodynamic study, all the elastomers, except those that contained star -poly(ε-caprolactone- co -D,L-lactide) (number-average molecular weight, Mn), polyethylene glycol (PEG) (kMn), ε-caprolactone/PEG (mol/mol), and CLPEGCLMA (weight, %) at a ratio of 3432:10:20:30, respectively, decreased blood glucose concentration and maintained it at a stable level. It was observed that the hypoglycemic effect of the drug-loaded elastomers was directly proportional to the rate of in vitro insulin release; however, emaciation was not observed. Moreover, elastomers play a positive role in biosecurity. Therefore, the elastomers might be effective carriers for the delivery of peptide drugs in the form of implants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tumor microenvironment (TME) plays an important role in the growth, invasion, and metastasis of tumor cells. The pH of TME is more acidic in solid tumors than in normal tissues. Although targeted delivery in TME has progressed, the complex and expensive construction of delivery systems has limited their application. F O F1-ATP synthase (F O F1-ATPase) is a rotation molecular motor found in bacteria, chloroplasts, and mitochondria. Here, F O F1-ATPase loaded chromatophores (chroma) isolated from thermophilic bacteria were extracted and utilized as a new delivery system targeting TME for the first time. Curcumin as model drug was successfully loaded by a filming-rehydration ultrasonic dispersion method to prepare a curcumin-loaded chroma delivery system (Cur-Chroma). The mobility and propensity distributions of Cur-Chroma reveal its specific pH-sensitive targeting driven by the transmembrane proton kinetic potential, demonstrating its distinct distribution in the TME and more favorable targeting delivery. Cellular uptake experiments indicated that Cur-Chroma entered cells through grid pathway-mediated endocytosis. In vivo studies have shown that Cur-Chroma can specifically target tumor tissue and effectively inhibit tumor growth with good safety. Curcumin's bioavailability and anti-tumor effects were significantly improved. These studies demonstrate that ATPase-loaded chromatophores are potentially ideal vehicles for anti-tumor drug delivery and have promising applications. [Display omitted] • ATPase-loaded bioliposomes (chroma) were extracted for antitumor drug delivery. • The transmembrane proton transfer characteristics of FoF1-ATPase enabled the delivery system to target the distribution to TME. • Curcumin-loaded chroma (Cur-Chroma) improves anti-tumor treatment efficiency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Effective local delivery methods for sustained and stable release of protein drugs are urgently needed. Biodegradable elastomers based on star-shaped polycyclic esters have received attention for their drug-loading and drug-release kinetics. However, the long degradation periods resulting from their strong lipophilicity greatly hinder their application. In this study, we synthesized new cross-linked elastomers based on methyl-acrylic-star-poly(ϵ-caprolactone-co-d,l-lactide) cyclic ester and methyl-bi-acrylic-poly(ϵ-caprolactone-b-poly(ethylene glycol)-b-ϵ-caprolactone) with different molecular weights; determined their physical, thermal, and morphological characteristics; and studied their in vitro degradation and release of bovine serum albumin and recombinant human interleukin 2. Elastomer hydrophilicity improved with the introduction of methyl-bi-acrylic-poly(ϵ-caprolactone-b-poly(ethylene glycol)-b-ϵ-caprolactone), and a shorter degradation period (~25 weeks) was achieved. Additionally, the degradation rate could be adjusted by varying the composition of methyl-bi-acrylic-poly(ϵ-caprolactone-b-poly(ethylene glycol)-b-ϵ-caprolactone) to directly influence the degree of swelling, cross-linking density, and sol content of the elastomer. The controlled rate of bovine serum albumin and recombinant human interleukin 2 release increased with a larger degree of swelling, higher sol content, and lower cross-link density of the elastomers. 3-(4,5-Dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide analysis showed good biocompatibility. These results suggest that these new elastomers are potential candidates for carrier materials in controlled, implantable delivery systems for protein drugs and other biomedical applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Epitranscriptome (RNA modification) plays a vital role in a variety of biological events. N6-methyladenosine (m6A) modification is the most prevalent mRNA modification in eukaryotic cells. Dynamic and reversible m6A modification affects the plasticity of epitranscriptome, which plays an essential role in lipid metabolism. In this review, we comprehensively delineated the role and mechanism of m6A modification in the regulation of lipid metabolism in adipose tissue and liver, and summarized phytochemicals that improve lipid metabolism disturbance by targeting m6A regulator, providing potential lead candidates for drug therapeutics. Moreover, we discussed the main challenges and possible future directions in this field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sarcopenia is a progressive syndrome that results in a decline in skeletal muscle mass and strength. This affects patients' quality of life and increases the risk of falls and fractures, particularly among the elderly. With the aging of the population and the increasing number of patients with modern chronic diseases, the prevalence and complications of sarcopenia have increased, involving Akt-mediated signaling pathways, mitochondrial activity, satellite cell differentiation, inflammation and so on. Ginseng is a traditional herb medicine with extremely high medicinal value and possesses multiple pharmacological effects. This article summarizes such impacts of ginseng extracts and active ingredients on sarcopenia, and analyzes their related signaling pathways, so as to provide a reference for future research regarding the application of ginseng and ginsenosides as a potential therapy for sarcopenia. [Display omitted] • Recent advances in the pathogenesis of sarcopenia were delineated. • The effects of ginseng extract and ginsenoside upon muscle regeneration and renewal were summarized. • The directions of ginseng search for potential drug development against sarcopenia were proposed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]