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BackgroundGamification refers to using game design elements in nongame contexts. Promoting physical activity (PA) through gamification is a novel and promising avenue for improving lifestyles and mitigating the advancement of cardiovascular diseases (CVDs). However, evidence of its effectiveness remains mixed. ObjectiveThis systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to evaluate the efficacy of gamification interventions in promoting PA during short-term and follow-up periods in individuals with CVDs and to explore the most effective game design elements. MethodsA comprehensive search of 7 electronic databases was conducted for randomized controlled trials published in English from January 1, 2010, to February 3, 2024. Eligible studies used mobile health–based gamification interventions to promote PA or reduce sedentary behavior in individuals with CVDs. In total, 2 independent reviewers screened the retrieved records, extracted data, and evaluated the risk of bias using the RoB 2 tool. Discrepancies were resolved by a third reviewer. Meta-analyses were performed using a random-effects model with the Sidik-Jonkman method adjusted by the Knapp-Hartung method. Sensitivity analysis and influence analysis examined the robustness of results, while prediction intervals indicated heterogeneity. A meta-regression using a multimodel inference approach explored the most important game design elements. Statistical analyses were conducted using R (version 4.3.2; R Foundation for Statistical Computing). ResultsIn total, 6 randomized controlled trials were included. Meta-analysis of 5 studies revealed a small effect of gamification interventions on short-term PA (after sensitivity analysis: Hedges g=0.32, 95% CI 0.19-0.45, 95% prediction interval [PI] 0.02-0.62). Meta-analysis of 3 studies found the maintenance effect (measured with follow-up averaging 2.5 months after the end of the intervention) was small (Hedges g=0.20, 95% CI 0.12-0.29, 95% PI –0.01 to 0.41). A meta-analysis of 3 studies found participants taking 696.96 more steps per day than the control group (95% CI 327.80 to 1066.12, 95% PI –121.39 to 1515.31). “Feedback” was the most important game design element, followed by “Avatar.” ConclusionsThis meta-analysis demonstrates that gamification interventions effectively promote PA in individuals with CVD, with effects persisting beyond the intervention period, indicating they are not merely novel effects caused by the game nature of gamification. The 95% PI suggests that implementing gamification interventions in similar populations in the future will lead to actual effects in promoting PA in the vast majority of cases. However, the limited number of included studies underscores the urgent need for more high-quality research in this emerging field. Trial RegistrationPROSPERO CRD42024518795; https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/display_record.php?RecordID=518795

Conventional electrothermal floors suffer from low heating efficiency, uneven temperature distribution across the floor surface, local overheating, and severe heat accumulation. In order to improve the heating performance, an electrothermal composite floor with graphene as the heating layer was fabricated. The relationship between time and temperature rise, the relationship between power density and temperature rise, running stability, and surface temperature distribution were investigated and analyzed after heating, and the surface temperature profiles were simulated in two and three dimensions. The results were compared with the carbon fiber electrothermal composite floor and the resistance wire electrothermal composite floor. The results indicated that the temperature of the graphene electrothermal composite floor rose to 27.1 °C, the electrothermal conversion efficiency reached 90.1% after 40 min of electrification, and the temperature distribution unevenness was 4.4 °C, which were better than the carbon fiber electrothermal composite floor and the resistance wire electrothermal composite floor. The graphene electrothermal composite floor exhibited high heating performance, thus aiding the development and manufacture of such composite flooring.

Abstract Background Geriatric depression has become a serious public health problem, and reduced autobiographical memory and increased overgeneral memory, as the main cognitive markers of depression, are not only associated with current depressive symptoms but also associated with the onset and course of depression, which can lead to a range of harms. Economic and effective psychological interventions are urgently needed. The aim of this study is to confirm the effectiveness of reminiscence therapy combined with memory specificity training in improving autobiographical memory and depressive symptoms in older adults. Methods In this multicentre, single-blind, three-arm parallel randomized controlled study, we aim to enrol 78 older adults aged 65 years or older with a score of ≥ 11 on the Geriatric Depression Scale, and participants will be randomly assigned to either a reminiscence therapy group, a reminiscence therapy with memory specificity training group or a usual care group. Assessments will be conducted at baseline (T0) as well as immediately post-intervention (T1) and 1 (T2), 3 (T3) and 6 (T4) months post-intervention. The primary outcome measure is self-reported depressive symptoms, measured using the GDS. Secondary outcome measures include measures of autobiographical memory, rumination, and social engagement. Discussion We believe that the intervention will play a positive role in improving autobiographical memory and depressive symptoms in older adults. Poor autobiographical memory is a predictor of depression and a major cognitive marker, and improving autobiographical memory is of great significance in alleviating depressive symptoms in older people. If our program is effective, it will provide a convenient and feasible strategy for further promoting healthy ageing. Trial registration ChiCTR2200065446.

Introduction Digital health has the potential to support health care in rural areas by overcoming the problems of distance and poor infrastructure, however, rural areas have extremely low use of digital health because of the lack of interaction with technology. There is no existing tool to measure digital health literacy in rural China. This study aims to test and validate the digital health readiness questionnaire for assessing digital readiness among patients in rural China. Methods Due to the different Internet environments in China compared to Belgium, a cultural adaptation is needed to optimize the use of Digital Health Readiness Questionnaire in China. Then, a prospective single-center survey study was conducted in rural China among patients with hypertension. Confirmatory factor analysis was computed to test the measurement models. Results A total of 330 full questionnaires were selected and included in the analysis. The model-fit measures were used to assess the model's overall goodness of fit (Chi-square/degrees of freedom = 5.060, comparative fit index = 0.889, Tucker–Lewis index (TLI) = 0.869, root mean square error of approximation (RMSEA) = 0.111, standardized root mean square residual (SRMR) = 0.0880). TLI is a little bit lower than the borderline (more than 0.9) and RMSEA is higher than it (less than 0.08 means good model fit). We deleted two items 2 and 4 and the result shows a better goodness of fit (Chi-square/degrees of freedom = 4.897, comparative fit index = 0.914, TLI = 0.895, RMSEA = 0.109, SRMR = 0.0765) Conclusion To increase applicability and generalizability in rural areas, it should be considered to use the calculation of only the parts Digital skills, Digital literacy and Digital health literacy which are equally applicable in a Belgian population as in a rural Chinese population.

Environmental and spatial filtering collectively regulate zooplankton communities, while their relative contributions to community structure may change with seasonal variations and flow regime differences. However, there is a lack of research on the combined effect of these two factors. To explore these differences, we studied zooplankton populations as well as environmental and geographical data from different seasons in rivers with variable flows in the Shaying River basin. According to our results, the assembly mechanisms for intermittent river (IR) communities fluctuated more and were more responsive to geographical factors than were the assembly mechanisms of perennial river (PR) communities during the wet and dry seasons. We discovered that the rotifer/protozoan assemblage was more vulnerable to spatial influences, whereas the composition of the crustacean group was heavily impacted by the environment. Our findings contribute to a better understanding of metacommunity assembly mechanisms in highly dynamic ecosystems.

Dams are increasingly disrupting natural river systems, yet studies investigating their impact on microbial communities at regional scale are limited. Given the indispensable role of bacterioplankton in aquatic ecosystems, 16S rRNA gene sequencing was performed to explore how these communities respond to dam-influenced environmental changes at the regional scale in the Shaying River Basin. Our findings revealed that cascade dams create distinct environments, shaping bacterioplankton communities near the dams differently from those in natural rivers. In the upstream of the cascade dams, water quality was superior, while bacterioplankton community structure was simple with weak community interactions. In the midstream, nutrient and heavy metal content were increased, making bacterioplankton structures more susceptible to environmental changes. In the downstream of the cascade dams, water quality had a significant impact on the community and the bacterioplankton structures were highly complex. Additionally, environmental variables significantly influenced bacterioplankton functional groups. However, the response to these factors, as well as the interplay between functional and taxonomic diversity, varied markedly depending on the specific region of the cascade dams. We here delved into the effects of cascade dams on the taxonomic diversity and functional groups of bacterioplankton to provide a theoretical basis for segmentally regulating these dams.

Microcystis blooms are an intractable global environmental problem that pollute water and compromise ecosystem functioning. Closed-lake management practices keep lakes free of sewage and harmful algae invasions and have succeeded in controlling local Microcystis blooms; however, there is little understanding of how the bacterioplankton communities associated with Microcystis have changed. Here, based on metagenomic sequencing, the phyla, genera, functional genes and metabolic functions of the bacterioplankton communities were compared between open lakes (underlying Microcystis blooms) and closed lakes (no Microcystis blooms). Water properties and zooplankton density were investigated and measured as factors influencing blooms. The results showed that (1) the water quality of closed lakes was improved, and the nitrogen and phosphorus concentrations were significantly reduced. (2) The stability of open vs. closed-managed lakes differed notably at the species and genus levels (p 0.05). (3) The relative abundance of Microcystis (Cyanobacteria) increased dramatically in the open lakes (proportions from 1.44 to 41.76%), whereas the relative abundance of several other dominant genera of Cyanobacteria experienced a trade-off and decreased with increasing Microcystis relative abundance. (4) The main functions of the bacterioplankton communities were primarily related to dominant genera of Proteobacteria and had no significant relationship with Microcystis. Overall, the closed-lake management practices significantly reduced nutrients and prevented Microcystis blooms, but the taxonomic and functional structures of bacterioplankton communities remained stable overall.

BackgroundCardiac rehabilitation is a class IA recommendation for patients with cardiovascular diseases. Physical activity is the core component and core competency of a cardiac rehabilitation program. However, many patients with cardiovascular diseases are failing to meet cardiac rehabilitation guidelines that recommend moderate-to-vigorous intensity physical activity. ObjectiveThe major objective of this study was to review the evidence of the effectiveness of eHealth interventions in increasing moderate-to-vigorous intensity physical activity among patients in cardiac rehabilitation. The secondary objective was to examine the effectiveness of eHealth interventions in improving cardiovascular-related outcomes, that is, cardiorespiratory fitness, waist circumference, and systolic blood pressure. MethodsA comprehensive search strategy was developed, and a systematic search of 4 electronic databases (PubMed, Web of Science, Embase, and Cochrane Library) was conducted for papers published from the start of the creation of the database until November 27, 2022. Experimental studies reporting on eHealth interventions designed to increase moderate-to-vigorous intensity physical activity among patients in cardiac rehabilitation were included. Multiple unblinded reviewers determined the study eligibility and extracted data. Risk of bias was evaluated using the Cochrane Collaboration Tool for randomized controlled trials and the Cochrane Effective Practice and Organization of Care group methods for nonrandomized controlled trials. A random-effect model was used to provide the summary measures of effect (ie, standardized mean difference and 95% CI). All statistical analyses were performed using Stata 17. ResultsWe screened 3636 studies, but only 29 studies were included in the final review, of which 18 were included in the meta-analysis. The meta-analysis demonstrated that eHealth interventions improved moderate-to-vigorous intensity physical activity (standardized mean difference=0.18, 95% CI 0.07-0.28; P=.001) and vigorous-intensity physical activity (standardized mean difference=0.2, 95% CI 0.00-0.39; P=.048) but did not improve moderate-intensity physical activity (standardized mean difference=0.19, 95% CI –0.12 to 0.51; P=.23). No changes were observed in the cardiovascular-related outcomes. Post hoc subgroup analyses identified that wearable-based, web-based, and communication-based eHealth intervention delivery methods were effective. ConclusionseHealth interventions are effective at increasing minutes per week of moderate-to-vigorous intensity physical activity among patients in cardiac rehabilitation. There was no difference in the effectiveness of the major eHealth intervention delivery methods, thereby providing evidence that in the future, health care professionals and researchers can personalize convenient and affordable interventions tailored to patient characteristics and needs to eliminate the inconvenience of visiting center-based cardiac rehabilitation programs during the COVID-19 pandemic and to provide better support for home-based maintenance of cardiac rehabilitation. Trial RegistrationPROSPERO International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews CRD42021278029; https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/display_record.php?RecordID=278029

Chemical oxygen demand to nitrogen (COD/N) and nitrogen to phosphorus (N/P) ratios have distinct effects on bacterial community structure and interactions. However, how organic to nutrient imbalances affect the structure of freshwater bacterial assemblages in restored wetlands remains poorly understood. Here, the composition and dominant taxa of bacterial assemblages in four wetlands [low COD/N and high N/P (LH), low COD/N and low N/P (LL), high COD/N and high N/P (HH), and high COD/N and low N/P (HL)] were investigated. A total of 7,709 operational taxonomic units were identified by high throughput sequencing, and Actinobacteria, Proteobacteria, and Cyanobacteria were the most abundant phyla in the restored wetlands. High COD/N significantly increased bacterial diversity and was negatively correlated with N/P (R2 = 0.128; p = 0.039), and the observed richness (Sobs) indices ranged from 860.77 to 1314.66. The corresponding Chao1 and phylogenetic diversity (PD) values ranged from 1533.42 to 2524.56 and 127.95 to 184.63. Bacterial beta diversity was negatively related to COD/N (R2 = 0.258; p < 0.001). The distribution of bacterial assemblages was mostly driven by variations in ammonia nitrogen (NH4+-N, p < 0.01) and electrical conductivity (EC, p < 0.01), which collectively explained more than 80% of the variation in bacterial assemblages. However, the dominant taxa Proteobacteria, Firmicutes, Cyanobacteria, Bacteroidetes, Verrucomicrobia, Planctomycetes, Chloroflexi, and Deinococcus-Thermus were obviously affected by variation in COD/N and N/P (p < 0.05). The highest node and edge numbers and average degree were observed in the LH group. The co-occurrence networkindicated that LH promoted bacterial network compactness and bacterial interaction consolidation. The relationships between organic to nutrient imbalances and bacterial assemblages may provide a theoretical basis for the empirical management of wetland ecosystems.

Copper is a vital trace metal in human body, which plays the significant roles in amounts of physiological and pathological processes. The application of copper-selective probe has attracted great interests from environmental tests to life process research, yet a few of sensitive Cu2+ tests based on on-site analysis have been reported. In this paper, a novel fluorescein-based fluorescent probe N4 was designed, synthesized, and characterized, which exhibited high selectivity and sensitivity to Cu2+ comparing with other metal ions in ethanol–water (1/1, v/v) solution. The probe N4 bonded with Cu2+ to facilitate the ring-opening, and an obvious new band at 525 nm in the fluorescence spectroscopy appeared, which could be used for naked-eye detection of Cu2+ within a broad pH range of 6–9. Meanwhile, a good linearity between the fluorescence intensity and the concentrations of Cu2+ ranged 0.1–1.5 eq. was observed, and the limit of detection of N4 to Cu2+ was calculated to be as low as 1.20 μm. In addition, the interaction mode between N4 and Cu2+ was found to be 1:1 by the Job's plot and mass experiment. Biological experiments showed that the probe N4 exhibited low biological toxicity and could be applied for Cu2+ imaging in living cells. The significant color shift associated with the production of the N4-Cu2+ complex at low micromolar concentrations under UV light endows N4 with a promising probe for field testing of trace Cu2+ ions.

Abstract Background The unprecedented efficacy of chimeric antigen receptor T (CAR-T) cell immunotherapy of CD19+ B-cell malignancies has opened a new and useful way for the treatment of malignant tumors. Nonetheless, there are still formidable challenges in the field of CAR-T cell therapy, such as the biodistribution of CAR-T cells in vivo. Methods NALM-6, a human B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (B-ALL) cell line, was used as target cells. CAR-T cells were injected into a mice model with or without target cells. Then we measured the distribution of CAR-T cells in mice. In addition, an exploratory clinical trial was conducted in 13 r/r B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma (B-NHL) patients, who received CAR-T cell infusion. The dynamic changes in patient blood parameters over time after infusion were detected by qPCR and flow cytometry. Results CAR-T cells still proliferated over time after being infused into the mice without target cells within 2 weeks. However, CAR-T cells did not increase significantly in the presence of target cells within 2 weeks after infusion, but expanded at week 6. In the clinical trial, we found that CAR-T cells peaked at 7–21 days after infusion and lasted for 420 days in peripheral blood of patients. Simultaneously, mild side effects were observed, which could be effectively controlled within 2 months in these patients. Conclusions CAR-T cells can expand themselves with or without target cells in mice, and persist for a long time in NHL patients without serious side effects. Trial registration The registration date of the clinical trial is May 17, 2018 and the trial registration numbers is NCT03528421 .

Abstract Background The treatment outcomes and prognosis of lymphoma are affected by various factors such as hospital types. This study was to describe the temporal trend in the survival of lymphoma in an academic center in China. Methods A total of 3840 consecutive patients with lymphoma diagnosed between 1996 and 2015 were reviewed. Eighty patients were excluded, and finally, 3760 patients were analyzed in this study. The cohort was divided into four groups according to calendar periods at diagnosis: 1996‐2000, 2001‐2005, 2006‐2010, and 2010‐2015. The overall survival (OS) rates among the four groups were compared. Results The 5‐ and 10‐year OS for the whole cohort were 62% and 52%, respectively. The 5‐year OS of patient with classic Hodgkin lymphoma (cHL), mature B‐cell lymphoma (BCL), and peripheral T‐cell lymphoma (PTCL) were 79%, 63%, and 50%, respectively. Among mature BCL, the 5‐year OS was highest in follicular lymphoma (77.8%), followed by Burkitt lymphoma (76.5%), marginal zone lymphoma (74.1%), diffuse large B‐cell lymphoma (61.5%), small lymphocytic lymphoma/chronic lymphocytic leukemia (55.1%), and mantle cell lymphoma (44.3%). Among PTCL, the 5‐year OS was highest in ALK+anaplastic large cell lymphoma (79.0%), followed by ALK−anaplastic large cell lymphoma (63.1%), natural killer/T‐cell lymphoma (57.7%), angioimmunoblastic T‐cell lymphoma (34.9%, and peripheral T‐cell lymphoma not otherwise specified (27.6%). Significant improvement in the survival of lymphoma was observed, with the 5‐year OS increasing from 48% in 1996‐2000 to 65% in 2011‐2015 (P

Copper is a common metallic element that plays an extremely essential role in the physiological activities of living organisms. The slightest change in copper levels in the human body can trigger various diseases. Therefore, it is important to accurately and efficiently monitor copper ion levels in the human body. Recent studies have shown that fluorescent probes have obvious advantages in bioimaging and Cu2+ detection. Therefore, a novel Cu2+ probe (N2) was designed and synthesized from fluorescein, hydrazine hydrate and 5-p-nitrophenylfurfural that is sensitive to and can detect Cu2+ within 100 s. The response mechanism of the N2 probe to Cu2+ was studied by several methods such as Job’s plots and MS analysis, which showed that the Cu2+ and the N2 probe were coordinated in a complexation ratio of 1:1. In addition, compared with other cations investigated in this study, the N2 probe showed excellent selectivity and sensitivity to Cu2+, exhibiting distinct fluorescence absorption at 525 nm. Furthermore, in the equivalent range of 0.1–1.5, there is a good linear relationship between Cu2+ concentration and fluorescence intensity, and the detection limit is 0.10 μM. It is worth mentioning that the reversible reaction between the N2 probe and Cu2+, as well as the good biocompatibility shown by the probe in bioimaging, make it a promising candidate for Cu2+ biosensor applications.

Through his phenomenological interpretation of Paul’s letters, Martin Heidegger developed the Lutheran idea about Christian life experience as an experience of conversion, and argues that the Christian religiosity is rooted in the temporality of primordial Christian life experience as the expectation towards the Parousia. Heidegger also suggests that the Hellenic metaphysics are alien to primordial Christianity, therefore he is devoted to erasing Hellenic metaphysics from Christianity. Through his phenomenological interpretation of Saint Augustine, Heidegger deconstructs the value system and theology originated from Hellenic metaphysics by illustrating the existence of Dasein. In this article we will inspect Heidegger’s religious phenomenon and propose our own views about the essence of Heidegger’s primordial Christianity.

Copper is an important trace element that plays a crucial role in various physiological and biochemical processes in the body. The level of copper content is significantly related to many diseases, so it is very important to establish effective and sensitive methods for copper detection in vitro and vivo. Copper-selective probes have attracted considerable interest in environmental testing and life-process research, but fewer investigations have focused on the luminescence mechanism and bioimaging for Cu2+ detection. In the current study, a novel fluorescein-based A5 fluorescence probe is synthesized and characterized, and the bioimaging performance of the probe is also tested. We observed that the A5 displayed extraordinary selectivity and sensitivity properties to Cu2+ in contrast to other cations in solution. The reaction between A5 and Cu2+ could accelerate the ring-opening process, resulting in a new band at 525 nm during a larger pH range. A good linearity between the fluorescence intensity and concentrations of Cu2+, ranging from 0.1 to 1.5 equivalent, was observed, and the limit detection of A5 to Cu2+ was 0.11 μM. In addition, the Job’s plot and mass spectrum showed that A5 complexed Cu2+ in a 1:1 manner. The apparent color change in the A5–Cu2+ complex under ultraviolet light at low molar concentrations revealed that A5 is a suitable probe for the detection of Cu2+. The biological test results show that the A5 probe has good biocompatibility and can be used for the cell imaging of Cu2+.

Urbanization has brought devastating disasters to the species diversity of urban wetlands. However, due to the complexity of the urban environment, the process and causes of urban biodiversity distribution patterns are not clear. In this study, we explored the patterns and formation of spatial differentiation in zooplankton in the context of urbanization by using spatial instead of temporal methods to reveal the urbanization process in the urban intensive Huaihe River Basin. The results showed that the diversity of zooplankton decreased with increasing urbanization level, and the species composition in areas with different urbanization levels was significantly different. At the same time, the water quality of wetlands increased with decreasing urbanization level, which exhibited a significant positive correlation with the species richness of zooplankton. Total nitrogen (TN), total phosphorus (TP) and ammonium nitrogen (NH4+-N) were the main factors affecting the spatial differentiation pattern of zooplankton. Moreover, the increase in nutrients changed the structure of zooplankton functional groups, while rotifers showed strong resistance to pollution. The inhibition of chromium (Cr) on the density of zooplankton functional groups should not be ignored. The results reveal the spatial differentiation mechanism of zooplankton in the process of urbanization and emphasize the necessity of urban wetland ecological restoration and habitat reconstruction.

The knowledge of food web spatial heterogeneity is important for ecologists and lake managers to understand ecosystem complexity and lake management. Lake Taihu, a large shallow eutrophic lake in China, has two distinct zones: algae- and macrophyte-dominated. In this study, we assessed the spatial heterogeneity of food webs in the two lake zones using stable isotope analysis and isotope mixing model. The basal sources and consumers showed significant differences in δ13C and δ15N ratios between the two lake zones, except for the filter-feeding fishes. Overall, more δ13C-depleted and δ15N-enriched ratios were found in the algae- than the macrophyte-dominated zones for basal sources and consumers. Although the consumers in the algae-dominant zone had higher average δ15N values, the food web of the macrophyte-dominated zone had longer food chain length and more diverse trophic linkages. These spatial differences may have resulted from resource availability and environmental stress of Lake Taihu ecosystem. Factors associated with spatial trophic heterogeneity should be considered for the management and restoration of this shallow eutrophic lake.

Rhizoplane microbes are considered proxies for evaluating the assemblage stability of the rhizosphere in wetland ecosystems due to their roles in plant growth and ecosystem health. However, our knowledge of how microbial assemblage stability is promoted in the reed rhizosphere of wetlands undergoing recovery is limited. We investigated the assemblage stability, diversity, abundance, co-occurrence patterns, and functional characteristics of reed rhizosphere microbes in restored wetlands. The results indicated that assemblage stability significantly increased with recovery time and that the microbial assemblages were capable of resisting seasonal fluctuations after more than 20 years of restoration. The number of bacterial indicators was greater in the restoration groups with longer restoration periods. Most bacterial indicators appeared in the 30-year restoration group. However, the core taxa and keystone species of module 2 exhibited greater abundance within longer recovery periods and were well organized, with rich and diverse functions that enhanced microbial assemblage stability. Our study provides insight into the connection between the rhizosphere microbiome and recovery period and presents a useful theoretical basis for the empirical management of wetland ecosystems.

Chimp Optimization Algorithm (ChOA), a novel meta-heuristic algorithm, has been proposed in recent years. It divides the population into four different levels for the purpose of hunting. However, there are still some defects that lead to the algorithm falling into the local optimum. To overcome these defects, an Enhanced Chimp Optimization Algorithm (EChOA) is developed in this paper. Highly Disruptive Polynomial Mutation (HDPM) is introduced to further explore the population space and increase the population diversity. Then, the Spearman’s rank correlation coefficient between the chimps with the highest fitness and the lowest fitness is calculated. In order to avoid the local optimization, the chimps with low fitness values are introduced with Beetle Antenna Search Algorithm (BAS) to obtain visual ability. Through the introduction of the above three strategies, the ability of population exploration and exploitation is enhanced. On this basis, this paper proposes an EChOA-SVM model, which can optimize parameters while selecting the features. Thus, the maximum classification accuracy can be achieved with as few features as possible. To verify the effectiveness of the proposed method, the proposed method is compared with seven common methods, including the original algorithm. Seventeen benchmark datasets from the UCI machine learning library are used to evaluate the accuracy, number of features, and fitness of these methods. Experimental results show that the classification accuracy of the proposed method is better than the other methods on most data sets, and the number of features required by the proposed method is also less than the other algorithms.

Abstract Phytoremediation is a promising technology for the remediation of sites co-contaminated with inorganic (heavy metal) and organic pollutants. A greenhouse experiment was conducted to investigate the independent and interactive effects of cadmium (Cd) and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) on the growth of the wetland plant Acorus calamus and its ability to uptake, accumulate, and remove pollutants from soils. Our results showed that growth and biomass of A. calamus were significantly influenced by the interaction of Cd and PAHs after 60 days of growth. The combined treatment of low Cd and low PAHs increased plant biomass and Cd accumulation in plant tissues, thus enhancing Cd removal. Dissipation of PAHs from soils was not significantly influenced by Cd addition or by the presence of plants. Correlation analysis also indicated a positive relationship between residual concentrations of phenantherene and pyrene (PAHs), whereas enzyme activities (dehydrogenase and polyphenol oxidase) were negatively correlated with each other. Cluster analysis was used to evaluate the similarity between different treatments during phytoremediation of Cd and PAHs. Our results suggest that A. calamus might be useful for phytoremediation of co-contaminated soil.

Triptolide isolated from the traditional Chinese herb Tripterygium wilfordii Hook F., possesses anti-tumor, anti-fertility, and anti-inflammatory properties. Triptolide-induced hepatotoxicity has continued to engage the attention of researchers. However, not much is yet known about the cytotoxicity of triptolide, and the precise mechanisms involved. In the present study, we investigated the cytotoxicity of triptolide and its underlying mechanisms, using the in vitro model (HepaRG cell). The results demonstrated that triptolide significantly reduced cell viability and induced apoptosis in HepaRG cells in a dose- and time-dependent manner. Triptolide treatment also provoked reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation and depolarization of mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP). Moreover, triptolide dose-dependently increased the protein expression levels of Fas, Bax, p53, p21, cyclin E, cleaved caspase-3, 8, and 9; and subsequent cleavage of poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP). However, the protein expression of Bcl-2, cyclin A, and CDK 2 were significantly decreased. These results suggest that triptolide inhibits cell proliferation and induces apoptosis via the Fas death pathway and the mitochondrial pathway.

Curcumin (Cur) is a naturally hydrophobic polyphenol with potential pharmacological properties. However, the poor aqueous solubility and low bioavailability of curcumin limits its ocular administration. Thus, the aim of this study was to prepare a mixed micelle in situ gelling system of curcumin (Cur-MM-ISG) for ophthalmic drug delivery. The curcumin mixed micelles (Cur-MMs) were prepared via the solvent evaporation method, after which they were incorporated into gellan gum gels. Characterization tests showed that Cur-MMs were small in size and spherical in shape, with a low critical micelle concentration. Compared with free curcumin, Cur-MMs improved the solubility and stability of curcumin significantly. The ex vivo penetration study revealed that Cur-MMs could penetrate the rabbit cornea more efficiently than the free curcumin. After dispersing the micelles in the gellan gum solution at a ratio of 1:1 (v/v), a transparent Cur-MM-ISG with the characteristics of a pseudoplastic fluid was formed. No obvious irritations were observed in the rabbit eyes after ocular instillation of Cur-MM-ISG. Moreover, Cur-MM-ISG showed a longer retention time on the corneal surface when compared to Cur-MMs using the fluorescein sodium labeling method. These findings indicate that biocompatible Cur-MM-ISG has great potential in ophthalmic drug therapy.

A MIL series metal‒organic framework (MOF), MIL-100(Fe), was successfully synthesized at the nanoscale and fully characterized by TEM, TGA, XRD, FTIR, DLS, and BET. A toxicological assessment was performed using two different cell lines: human normal liver cells (HL-7702) and hepatocellular carcinoma (HepG2). In vitro cytotoxicity of MIL-100(Fe) was evaluated by the MTT assay, LDH releasing rate assay, DAPI staining, and annexin V/PI double staining assay. The safe dose of MIL-100(Fe) was 80 μg/mL. It exhibited good biocompatibility, low cytotoxicity, and high cell survival rate (HL-7702 cells’ viability >85.97%, HepG2 cells’ viability >91.20%). Therefore, MIL-100(Fe) has a potential application as a drug carrier.

Background. The decline of submerged plant populations due to high heavy metal (e.g., Cu) levels in sediments and ammonia nitrogen (ammonia-N) accumulation in the freshwater column has become a significant global problem. Previous studies have evaluated the effect of ammonia-N on submerged macrophytes, but few have focused on the influence of sediment Cu on submerged macrophytes and their combined effects. Methods. In this paper, we selected three levels of ammonia-N (0, 3, and 6 mg L−1) and sediment Cu (25.75 ± 6.02 as the control, 125.75 ± 6.02, and 225.75 ± 6.02 mg kg−1), to investigate the influence of sediment Cu and ammonia-N on submerged Vallisneria natans. We measured the relative growth rate (RGR), above- and below- ground biomass, chlorophyll, non-protein thiol (NP-SH), and free proline. Results and Discussion. The below-ground biomass of V. natans decreased with increasing Cu sediment levels, suggesting that excessive sediment Cu can result in significant damage to the root of V. natans. Similarly, the above-ground biomass significantly decreased with increasing ammonia-N concentrations, indicating that excessive water ammonia-N can cause significant toxicity to the leaf of V. natans. In addition, high ammonia-N levels place a greater stress on submerged plants than sediment Cu, which is indicated by the decline of RGR and chlorophyll, and the increase of (NP-SH) and free proline. Furthermore, high sediment Cu causes ammonia-N to impose greater injury on submerged plants, and higher sediment Cu levels (Cu ≥ 125.75 mg kg−1) led to the tolerant values of ammonia-N for V. natans decreasing from 6 to 3 mg L−1. This study suggests that high sediment Cu restricts the growth of plants and intensifies ammonia-N damage to V. natans.

Sustained-release preparation is a hot spot in antitumor drug research, where the first task is to select suitable drug carriers. Research has revealed that carboxylic acid iron metal–organic frameworks (MOFs), constructed from iron (Fe) ions and terephthalic acid, are nontoxic and biocompatible. Due to the breathing effect, the skeleton of this mesoporous material is flexible and can reversibly adapt its pore size through drug adsorption. Therefore, we chose one kind of Fe-MOF, MIL-53(Fe), as a carrier for the anticancer drug oridonin (Ori). In this work, we report the design and synthesis of MIL-53(Fe) and explore its ability as a transport vehicle to deliver Ori. MIL-53(Fe) is characterized by scanning electron microscopy and X-ray powder diffraction. A loading capacity of 56.25 wt % was measured by high performance liquid chromatography. This carrier was safe and nontoxic (cell viability > 95.27%), depending on the results of 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)--2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide assays, lactate dehydrogenase assays, and Annexin V-fluoresce isothiocyanate/propidium iodide double-staining assays. After loading the drug, the structure of the MIL-53(Fe) was not destroyed, and Ori was amorphous in MIL-53(Fe). Based on an analysis of the Ori release profile, results suggest that it lasts for more than seven days in vitro. The cumulative release rate of Ori at the seventh day was about 82.23% and 91.75% in phosphate buffer saline solution at 37 °C under pH 7.2 and pH 5.5, respectively. HepG2 cells were chosen to study the cytotoxicity of Ori@MIL-53(Fe), and the results show that the anticancer ratio of Ori@MIL-53(Fe) system reaches 90.62%. Thus, MIL-53 can be used as a carrier for anticancer drugs and Ori@MIL-53(Fe) is a promising sustained-release drug delivery system for the cancer therapy.

Heterophyllin B (HB), an active cyclic peptide, is a compound existing in the ethyl acetate extract of Pseudostellaria heterophylla (Miq.) Pax and exhibited the activity of inhibiting the production of NO and cytokines, such as IL-1β and IL-6, in LPS-stimulated RAW 264.7 macrophages. In addition, HB suppressed the production of ROS and the apoptosis induced by LPS in RAW 264.7 macrophages. The underlying mechanism was investigated in the LPS-induced RAW 264.7 cells. The results showed that HB decreased the level of IL-1β and IL-6 expression by qRT-PCR analysis. HB up-regulated the relative ratio of p-AKT/AKT and p-PI3K/PI3K as indicated by western blot analysis. In summary, HB inhibited the LPS-induced inflammation and apoptosis through the PI3K/Akt signaling pathways and represented a potential therapeutic target for treatment of inflammatory diseases.

In the title compound, [Fe(C15H14O4)], the two cyclopentadienyl (Cp) rings are nearly parallel, making a dihedral angle of 2.6 (1)°. The distance between the centroids of the Cp rings is 3.309 (8) Å. The relative orientation of the two Cp rings is characterized by a torsion angle of −43.99 (6)° defined by the two centroids and the two substituted C atoms.

In the title compound, [Fe(C23H23NO4)], the two cyclopentadienyl (Cp) rings are nearly parallel, with a dihedral angle of 2.1 (1)°. The distance between the centroids of the Cp rings is 3.277 (8) Å. The relative orientation of the two Cp rings is characterized by a torsion angle of −64.3 (3)° defined by the two centroids and two substituted atoms.