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The preparation of high-value biochar as a supercapacitor is a promising way for biomass utilization. In this work, a self-activation method was proposed to prepare nitrogen and sulfur co-doping hi...

Background Acupuncture has shown antidepressant effects in rats with chronic unpredictable mild stress (CUMS). However, the mechanisms of antidepressant effects of acupuncture still need to be explored. In the study, acupuncture was applied to a rat depression model of CUMS, high-mobility group box 1(HMGB1) / toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) and brain-spleen axis were assessed. Methods Male Sprague Dawley (SD) rats were exposed to CUMS with two stressors per day for 28 days. In the meantime, manual acupuncture (at GV16 and GV23 acupoints, once every other day) and fluoxetine gavage (2.1 mg/kg, 0.21 mg/mL) were administered daily post-CUMS stressors. Behavioral tests and biological detection methods were conducted in sequence to evaluate depression-like phenotype in rats. Results The results showed CUMS induced depression-like behaviors, hyper-activation of HMGB1/TLR4 signaling pathway, elevated inflammation in amygdala and peripheral blood, and hyperactivation of hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis. These changes could be reversed by acupuncture to varying extents. Conclusion Acupuncture ameliorated depression-like symptoms induced by CUMS, possibly via regulating inflammation mediated by HMGB1/TLR4 signaling pathway in amygdala and peripheral blood circulation, thus improving behavioral outcomes through brain-spleen axis and HPA axis regulation.

The NLRP3-mediated pyroptosis, which could affect inflammation response, plays a key role in the development of depression. Acupuncture has been shown to be an effective treatment for depression. In this study, we aimed to determine whether acupuncture could confer antidepressant activity via decreasing NLRP3-mediated pyroptosis by reducing inflammation. Here, depression model of rats was induced by chronic unpredictable mild stress (CUMS) for 4 weeks. Acupuncture group was subjected to acupuncture at the Shangxing (GV23) and Fengfu (GV16) acupoints for 20 min every other day (a total of 14 times). Fluoxetine group was administered with fluoxetine (2.1 mg/kg with the concentration of 0.21 mg/mL) by oral gavage (1 mL/100 g) once a day for 28 days. Rats' depression-like phenotypes were reflected with behavioral tests and biological detection methods. Results showed that acupuncture significantly improved the depression-like behavior of CUMS rat, suppressed the expressions of NLRP3, ASC, caspase-1, GSDMD, IL-1β, IL-18, HMGB1, IFN-γ, IL-6 and TNF-α in the serum and hippocampus, restored the %area of microglia, astrocytes and neuronal cells in the hippocampus. These indicate that acupuncture can prevent CUMS-induced depression-like behaviors by reducing NLRP3-mediated pyroptosis and inflammation.

Aim This study aimed to identify the epidemiological characteristics and transmission dynamics of paediatric cases. Methods Information on 1369 paediatric cases with COVID-19 from 8 December 2019 to 7 March 2020 in Hubei province was extracted from the National Infectious Disease Surveillance System. The analysis included epidemic curves, temporal-spatial distribution, clinical classification and interval times between onset and diagnosis. Results Among 1369 paediatric cases, the median age was 9 years and 58.2% of them were males. The proportion of severe and critical cases in children was lower than that in adults and the proportion of asymptomatic cases in children was five times greater than for adult cases. The first paediatric case was reported on 2 January 2020, and the daily number of new paediatric cases remained high from 1 February through to 22 February. The epidemiological curve of paediatric cases lagged behind that of adults by 19 days, and the first spike of the epidemic curve in senior high school students occurred 1 week earlier than in other paediatric groups. The proportion of clustered cases among children was about twice that for adults. The median of the interval in paediatric cases between onset and diagnosis, isolation and notification were 3, 0 and 3 days, respectively, and all of those were significantly shorter than in adults. Conclusions The epidemic curve of child cases lagged behind that of adult cases by 19 days, and the major form of transmission observed was in clusters.

Hand, foot, and mouth disease (HFMD) is common among children below 5 years. HFMD has a high incidence in Hubei Province, China. In this study, the Prophet model was used to forecast the incidence of HFMD in comparison with the autoregressive-integrated moving average (ARIMA) model, and HFMD incidence was decomposed into trends, yearly, weekly seasonality and holiday effect. The Prophet model fitted better than the ARIMA model in daily reported incidence of HFMD. The HFMD incidence forecast by the Prophet model showed that two peaks occurred in 2019, with the higher peak in May and the lower peak in December. Periodically changing patterns of HFMD incidence were observed after decomposing the time-series into its major components. In specific, multi-year variability of HFMD incidence was found, and the slow-down increasing point of HFMD incidence was identified. Relatively high HFMD incidences appeared in May and on Mondays. The effect of Spring Festival on HFMD incidence was much stronger than that of other holidays. This study showed the potential of the Prophet model to detect seasonality in HFMD incidence. Our next goal is to incorporate climate variables into the Prophet model to produce an accurate forecast of HFMD incidence.

BackgroundThe coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) spreads rapidly around the world.ObjectiveTo evaluate the association between comorbidities and the risk of death in patients with COVID-19, and to further explore potential sex-specific differences.MethodsWe analyzed the data from 18,465 laboratory-confirmed cases that completed an epidemiological investigation in Hubei Province as of February 27, 2020. Information on death was obtained from the Infectious Disease Information System. The Cox proportional hazards model was used to estimate the association between comorbidities and the risk of death in patients with COVID-19.ResultsThe median age for COVID-19 patients was 50.5 years. 8828(47.81%) patients were females. Severe cases accounted for 20.11% of the study population. As of March 7, 2020, a total of 919 cases deceased from COVID-19 for a fatality rate of 4.98%. Hypertension (13.87%), diabetes (5.53%), and cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases (CBVDs) (4.45%) were the most prevalent comorbidities, and 27.37% of patients with COVID-19 reported having at least one comorbidity. After adjustment for age, gender, address, and clinical severity, patients with hypertension (HR 1.55, 95%CI 1.35-1.78), diabetes (HR 1.35, 95%CI 1.13-1.62), CBVDs (HR 1.70, 95%CI 1.43-2.02), chronic kidney diseases (HR 2.09, 95%CI 1.47-2.98), and at least two comorbidities (HR 1.84, 95%CI 1.55-2.18) had significant increased risks of death. And the association between diabetes and the risk of death from COVID-19 was prominent in women (HR 1.69, 95%CI 1.27-2.25) than in men (HR 1.16, 95%CI 0.91-1.46) (P for interaction = 0.036).ConclusionAmong laboratory-confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Hubei province, China, patients with hypertension, diabetes, CBVDs, chronic kidney diseases were significantly associated with increased risk of death. The association between diabetes and the risk of death tended to be stronger in women than in men. Clinicians should increase their awareness of the increased risk of death in COVID-19 patients with comorbidities.

Although emerging evidence suggests that the pathogenesis of Parkinson's disease (PD) is closely related to the aggregation of alpha-synuclein (α-syn) in the midbrain, the clearance of α-syn remains an unmet clinical need. Here, we develop a simple and efficient strategy for fabricating the α-syn nanoscavenger for PD via a reprecipitation self-assembly procedure. The curcumin analogue-based nanoscavenger (NanoCA) is engineered to be capable of a controlled-release property to stimulate nuclear translocation of the major autophagy regulator, transcription factor EB (TFEB), triggering both autophagy and calcium-dependent exosome secretion for the clearance of α-syn. Pretreatment of NanoCA protects cell lines and primary neurons from MPP+-induced neurotoxicity. More importantly, a rapid arousal intranasal delivery system (RA-IDDS) was designed and applied for the brain-targeted delivery of NanoCA, which affords robust neuroprotection against behavioral deficits and promotes clearance of monomer, oligomer, and aggregates of α-syn in the midbrain of an MPTP mouse model of PD. Our findings provide a clinically translatable therapeutic strategy aimed at neuroprotection and disease modification in PD.

Tuberculosis (TB) has a very high mortality rate worldwide. However, only a few studies have examined the associations between short-term exposure to air pollution and TB incidence. Our objectives were to estimate associations between short-term exposure to air pollutants and TB incidence in Wuhan city, China, during the 2015&ndash, 2016 period. We applied a generalized additive model to access the short-term association of air pollution with TB. Daily exposure to each air pollutant in Wuhan was determined using ordinary kriging. The air pollutants included in the analysis were particulate matter (PM) with an aerodynamic diameter less than or equal to 2.5 micrometers (PM2.5), PM with an aerodynamic diameter less than or equal to 10 micrometers (PM10), sulfur dioxide (SO2), nitrogen dioxide (NO2), carbon monoxide (CO), and ground-level ozone (O3). Daily incident cases of TB were obtained from the Hubei Provincial Center for Disease Control and Prevention (Hubei CDC). Both single- and multiple-pollutant models were used to examine the associations between air pollution and TB. Seasonal variation was assessed by splitting the all-year data into warm (May&ndash, October) and cold (November&ndash, April) seasons. In the single-pollutant model, for a 10 &mu, g/m3 increase in PM2.5, PM10, and O3 at lag 7, the associated TB risk increased by 17.03% (95% CI: 6.39, 28.74), 11.08% (95% CI: 6.39, 28.74), and 16.15% (95% CI: 1.88, 32.42), respectively. In the multi-pollutant model, the effect of PM2.5 on TB remained statistically significant, while the effects of other pollutants were attenuated. The seasonal analysis showed that there was not much difference regarding the impact of air pollution on TB between the warm season and the cold season. Our study reveals that the mechanism linking air pollution and TB is still complex. Further research is warranted to explore the interaction of air pollution and TB.

Background: Few studies have previously explored the relationship between hand, foot, and mouth disease (HFMD) and meteorological factors with the effect modification of air pollution, and these studies had inconsistent findings. We therefore applied a time-series analysis assessing the effects of temperature and humidity on the incidence of HFMD in Wuhan, China to deepen our understanding of the relationship between meteorological factors and the risk of HFMD. Methods: Daily HFMD cases were retrieved from Hubei Provincial Center for Disease Control and Prevention from 1 February 2013 to 31 January 2017. Daily meteorological data including 24 h average temperature, relative humidity, wind velocity, and atmospheric pressure were obtained from Hubei Meteorological Bureau. Data on Air pollution was collected from 10 national air-monitoring stations in Wuhan city. We adopted a distributed lag non-linear model (DLNM) combined with Poisson regression and time-series analysis to estimate the effects of temperature and relative humidity on the incidence HFMD. Results: We found that the association between temperature and HFMD incidence was non-linear, exhibiting an approximate &ldquo, M&rdquo, shape with two peaks occurring at 2.3 &deg, C (RR = 1.760, 95% CI: 1.218&ndash, 2.542) and 27.9 &deg, C (RR = 1.945, 95% CI: 1.570&ndash, 2.408), respectively. We observed an inverted &ldquo, V&rdquo, shape between relative humidity and HFMD. The risk of HFMD reached a maximum value at a relative humidity of 89.2% (RR = 1.553, 95% CI: 1.322&ndash, 1.824). The largest delayed cumulative effects occurred at lag 6 for temperature and lag 13 for relative humidity. Conclusions: The non-linear relationship between meteorological factors and the incidence of HFMD on different lag days could be used in the early targeted warning system of infectious diseases, reducing the possible outbreaks and burdens of HFMD among sensitive populations.

Metal modification on hierarchical HZSM-5 produced by alkaline desilication was adopted to improve aromatics production from catalytic pyrolysis of cellulose. The influence of alkali concentration in the desilication on catalytic performance of zeolites was first studied. Mild alkaline treatment preserved the micropore structure and acid sites of zeolites when introducing mesopores, while further increase of alkali concentration destroyed the micropores and acidity. The HZSM-5 desilicated by 0.3 M NaOH solution had the best catalytic performance, which increased the aromatics production and BTX selectivity. Then, metal (Fe and Ga) modification on the optimal zeolite was used to further improve the catalytic performance. Fe modification showed negative effect on aromatics production while Ga modification had the positive. Both Fe and Ga modification increased the selectivity of monoaromatics at the expense of polyaromatics. Furthermore, Fe modification mainly enhanced the production of BTX, while Ga modification promoted the formation of both BTX and alkylbenzenes.

The catalytic pyrolysis of biomass is a promising technology for producing high-quality fuels and value-added chemicals. However, the development of this technology has been hindered by high coke formation and low target product yield. In this study, chemical liquid deposition (CLD) was adopted to improve the catalytic performance of HZSM-5 in the catalytic pyrolysis of biomass. The changes of the characteristics, including crystallographic structure, porosity and acidity, of the HZSM-5 zeolite after modification were analyzed by XRD, N2 adsorption-desorption, FTIR and NH3-TPD. The results showed that CLD modification reduced the mesopore volume, pore opening size and the number of external acid sites without changing the micropore structure. Py-GC/MS (a pyrolyzer equipped with a gas chromatography-mass spectrometer) and kinetic analysis were used to analyze the catalytic performance of the parent and CLD-modified zeolites. It was found that the production of aromatics increased first and later decreased, reaching optimal levels at a 4% deposition of SiO2, while the selectivity of monoaromatics increased continuously. Additionally, CLD modification raised the energy barriers for the char/coke formation reactions and could inhibit its production. The deposition amount of 4% showed the best char/coke inhibitory effects for catalytic pyrolysis of cellulose, while the char/coke formation decreased continuously with the increase of the deposited amount of SiO2 for catalytic pyrolysis of lignin.

Background Ciji-Hua’ai-Baosheng Decoction (CHBD) is a traditional Chinese formula that may attenuate the toxicity and side-effects of chemotherapy. The formula may also prolong the life of cancer patients. Whether CHBD should be employed as adjunctive therapy for cancer patients receiving chemotherapy has yet to be determined as does the mechanism whereby CHBD exerts its beneficial effects. Aim of the study To document the potential effects of CHBD on tumor growth and immune function in a murine model of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) receiving chemotherapy. Materials and Methods Sixty Kunming mice were injected subcutaneously with H22 hepatoma cells in the right anterior armpit. After seven days, the mice with formed tumors were injected with Cytoxan (CTX) (200 mg/kg) to establish the chemotherapy model. These mice were randomly divided into 5 groups: model (untreated controls), control (CTX,33.33 mg/kg), and high CHBD (H) (117 g/kg), moderate CHBD (M) (58.5 g/kg) and low CHBD (L) (29.25 g/kg) treated groups. Tumor weights and inhibitory ratio (decrease in tumor dimensions), histology of tumor, colon, spleen and liver, and biochemical tests of liver and kidney function were documented after 10 days. Serum and tumor IL-2, IFN-γ, IL-6, and TNF-α levels were determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and Western blot respectively. The potential bioactive compounds in CHBD were characterized by UHPLC-MS. Results Although tumor weights were decreased in CTX alone and CHBD (H) and CHBD (M) groups (−66%, −41% and −25% respectively), tumor cell density was reduced to the greatest extent in the CHBD (H) group. CHBD had no evident effects on liver and kidney function. CTX-induced colon inflammation and decrease in spleen lymphocytes were attenuated with CHBD treatment. CHBD increased serum IL-2, IFN-γ and TNF-α, but decreased IL-6 levels in serum and tumor tissue. UHPLC-MS analysis of CHBD revealed the presence of 11 bioactive compounds. Conclusions In this murine model of HCC receiving chemotherapy, CHBD inhibited tumor growth, improved immune function and pro-inflammatory cytokine responses while attenuating CTX-associated side effects.

An increasing number of studies have been conducted to determine a possible linkage between maternal exposure to ambient fine particulate matter and effects on the developing human fetus that can lead to adverse birth outcomes, but, the present results are not consistent. A total of 23 studies published before July 2016 were collected and analyzed and the mean value of reported exposure to fine particulate matter (PM2.5) ranged from 1.82 to 22.11 We found a significantly increased risk of preterm birth with interquartile range increase in PM2.5 exposure throughout pregnancy (odds ratio (OR) = 1.03; 95% conditional independence (CI): 1.01–1.05). The pooled OR for the association between PM2.5 exposure, per interquartile range increment, and term low birth weight throughout pregnancy was 1.03 (95% CI: 1.02–1.03). The pooled ORs for the association between PM2.5 exposure per 10 increment, and term low birth weight and preterm birth were 1.05 (95% CI: 0.98–1.12) and 1.02 (95% CI: 0.93–1.12), respectively throughout pregnancy. There is a significant heterogeneity in most meta-analyses, except for pooled OR per interquartile range increase for term low birth weight throughout pregnancy. We here show that maternal exposure to fine particulate air pollution increases the risk of preterm birth and term low birth weight. However, the effect of exposure time needs to be further explored. In the future, prospective cohort studies and personal exposure measurements needs to be more widely utilized to better characterize the relationship between ambient fine particulate exposure and adverse birth outcomes.

Highlights • Rural residents in central China were exposed to high levels of PM1. • PM1 exposure was related to increased TC and LDL-C, and decreased TG and HDL-C. • High levels of PM1 was associated with higher risk of dyslipidemias. • Males, older and overweight participants were vulnerable to adverse effects of PM1., Background Air pollution has been shown to be associated with blood lipid levels. However, studies on long-term ambient particulate matter with aerodynamic diameter ≤1 μm (PM1) exposure in high-exposure areas are still limited. This study aimed to explore the associations among long-term PM1 exposure, blood lipids and dyslipidemias. Methods Baseline data of The Henan Rural Cohort study was used in present study, including a total of 39,259 participants aged from 18 to 79 years. Daily levels of PM1 were estimated by a spatiotemporal model using ground-level measurements of PM1, satellite remote sensing data and other predictors, according to participants' home addresses. Individual exposure to PM1 was the 3-year average before baseline investigation. Linear regression and logistic regression models were applied to examine the associations among PM1, blood lipids ((total cholesterol (TC), triglyceride (TG), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C)), and prevalence of dyslipidemias. Results The 3-year concentration of PM1 was 55.7 ± 2.1 μg/m3. Each 1 μg/m3 increment of PM1 was associated with an increase of 0.21% (95% confidence interval (CI): 0.11%–0.31%) in TC and 0.75% (95% CI: 0.61%–0.90%) in LDL-C, while decrease of 2.68% (95% CI: 2.43%–2.93%) in TG and 0.47% (95% CI: 0.35%–0.59%) in HDL-C. Each 1 μg/m3 increase in PM1 was associated with 6% (95% CI: 4%–8%), 3% (95% CI: 2%–5%) and 5% (95% CI: 3%–7%) higher risks of hypercholesterolemia, hyperbetalipoproteinemia and hypoalphalipoproteinemia. Sex, age and BMI statistically modified the associations between PM1 with blood lipid levels and dyslipidemias. Conclusions Higher PM1 exposure was associated with adverse changes of blood lipid levels and dyslipidemias. Males, older and overweight participants were susceptive to the adverse effects of PM1.

Previous studies have shown that exposure to ambient air pollution is associated with hand, foot, and mouth disease (HFMD), but the results are limited. Our study aimed to investigate the effects of several major air pollutants on HFMD in the warm and cold seasons in central China. A Poisson Generalized additive model (GAM) was used to assess the association between short-term exposure to ambient air pollution and the incidence of HFMD at Wuhan, China during 20152016. Daily cases of HFMD were extracted from the infectious disease surveillance systems of Hubei provincial center for disease control and prevention (Hubei CDC). Data on air pollution, including sulfur dioxide (SO2), nitrogen dioxide (NO2), ground-level ozone (O3), particulate matter (PM) with an aerodynamic diameter less than or equal to 10 μm (PM10), and PM with an aerodynamic diameter less than or equal to 2.5 μm (PM2.5) were obtained from 10 national air quality monitoring stations in Wuhan. We found that the association between air pollution and HFMD was most pronounced at lag days 10 and 11. The results of the single-pollutant model show that the associations of SO2, NO2, O3, PM10, and PM2.5 with HFMD were all statistically significant. The results of the multi-pollutant model showed that NO2, O3, PM10, and PM2.5 are reduced after excluding the confounding of co-pollutants. The seasonal analysis showed that the effect of air pollution in the cold season was higher than in the warm season. Our research provides more evidence related to air pollution and HFMD, and helps policy makers to develop regulations for the prevention and control of the disease.

Ciji-Hua'ai-Baosheng Decoction (CHBD) is a traditional Chinese formula that may attenuate the toxicity and side-effects of chemotherapy. The formula may also prolong the life of cancer patients. Whether CHBD should be employed as adjunctive therapy for cancer patients receiving chemotherapy has yet to be determined as does the mechanism whereby CHBD exerts its beneficial effects.To document the potential effects of CHBD on tumor growth and immune function in a murine model of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) receiving chemotherapy.Sixty Kunming mice were injected subcutaneously with HAlthough tumor weights were decreased in CTX alone and CHBD (H) and CHBD (M) groups (-66%, -41% and -25% respectively), tumor cell density was reduced to the greatest extent in the CHBD (H) group. CHBD had no evident effects on liver and kidney function. CTX-induced colon inflammation and decrease in spleen lymphocytes were attenuated with CHBD treatment. CHBD increased serum IL-2, IFN-γ and TNF-α, but decreased IL-6 levels in serum and tumor tissue. UHPLC-MS analysis of CHBD revealed the presence of 11 bioactive compounds.In this murine model of HCC receiving chemotherapy, CHBD inhibited tumor growth, improved immune function and pro-inflammatory cytokine responses while attenuating CTX-associated side effects.

Background Previous studies have estimated the association between meteorological factors and mumps outbreaks without assessing the influence of air pollution. In this research, we explored the effects of short-term exposure to air pollution on the incidence of mumps. Methods Our time-series analysis was conducted using data collected in Wuhan, China from 2015 to 2017. Daily number of mumps cases was obtained from Disease Reporting System in Hubei Provincial Center for Disease Control and Prevention. Data on air pollution was obtained from 10 national air quality monitoring stations, including nitrogen dioxide (NO2), sulfur dioxide (SO2), ground-level ozone (O3), particulate matter less than or equal to 10 μm in aerodynamic diameter (PM10), and particulate matter less than or equal to 2.5 μm in aerodynamic diameter (PM2.5). Daily meteorological data including temperature and relative humidity were obtained from Hubei Meteorological Bureau. We performed a Poisson regression in generalized additive models (GAM) to explore the association between the incidence of mumps and exposure to air pollution. Results We observed that the effects of air pollutants were statistically significant mainly in two periods, lag 0 to lag 5 and lag 20 to lag 25, with the strongest effects appearing at lag 2 and lag 23. The cumulative effects were stronger than single-day lag effects. The stratified analysis showed the effect of pollutants during the hot season was stronger than that during the cold season, especially for NO2 and SO2. Conclusions We found that exposure to NO2 and SO2 was significantly associated with higher risk of developing mumps. Our findings could help deepen the understanding of how air pollution exposure affects the incidence of mumps.