Rapid electrochemical detection of L-lactate in Baijiu affecting serotonin and dopamine secretion in mice.

Baijiu, a traditional Chinese alcoholic beverage, carries China's rich historical and cultural heritage. Consumers experience varying levels of relaxation and pleasure after consuming different types of Baijiu, with the biological basis of delectation influenced by serotonin and dopamine. In this study, we prepared carbon fiber electrodes modified with surface decorated gold nanoparticles to directly measure the electrochemical response signals in the serum of mice before and after gavage with different types of Baijiu. It was observed that the serum signal change in mice after consuming Baijiu sample 1 (J1) was higher than that of the other two types of Baijiu. Consequently, trace flavor compounds in the Baijiu samples were detected using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) and liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS), revealing the highest content of L-lactic acid in J1. Mice were intraperitoneally injected with 200 mg kg-1 of L-lactic acid. The changes in dopamine and serotonin in the serum of the injected mice were monitored using a biosensor, and the results were compared with the results of high performance liquid chromatography-triple quadrupole mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS). The findings confirmed that L-lactic acid could indeed stimulate the secretion of both neurotransmitters in mice, suggesting that the trace components in J1 may even exhibit synergistic effects. This study contributes to a deeper understanding of the effects of Baijiu on the body and provides a scientific basis for the production and consumption of Baijiu.

Anatomical study of the C6 pedicle and lateral mass in children aged 0-14 years based on CT imaging.

OBJECTIVE: This study aims to investigate the anatomical structure of the C6 pedicle and lateral mass in children aged 0-14 years using CT imaging, providing detailed insights into their growth and development. METHODS: We conducted a comprehensive measurement of C6. Measurements included width, length, and height of the pedicles, as well as the length, width, and thickness of the lateral masses, and several angular metrics. Regression analysis was performed to understand the growth trends, and statistical analyses were carried out to identify differences between age groups, genders, and sides. RESULTS: In children younger than four years, the pedicle width exceeds its height, influencing the diameter of the pedicle screws. By age two to three, the pedicle height and lateral mass thickness reaches 3.0 mm, allowing for the use of 3.0 mm diameter screws. The pedicle transverse angle remains stable. Most parameters showed no significant differences between the left and right sides. Size parameters exhibited significant larger in males than females at ages 0-1, 3-7, and 10-12 years. Regression analysis revealed that the growth trends of size parameters follow cubic or polynomial curves. Most angular metrics follow cubic fitting curves without a clear trend of change with age. CONCLUSION: This study provides a detailed analysis of the anatomical development of the C6 pedicle and lateral masses in children, offering valuable insights for pediatric cervical spine surgeries. The findings highlight the importance of considering age-specific anatomical variations when planning posterior surgical fixation, specifically at C6. It is necessary for us to perform thin-layer CT scans on children and carefully measure various indicators before surgery.

Exosomal miR-7-25207 Increases Subgroup J Avian Leukosis Virus Titers by Targeting the Akt-CyclinQ1 and PRC1-YAF2 Dual Pathways.

Subgroup J avian leukosis virus (ALV-J) is a major pathogen in poultry, causing substantial economic losses to the poultry industry worldwide. Exosomal small RNAs derived from virus-infected cells or biological fluids can serve as viral transmission vectors. However, the role and mechanism of exosomal miRNA in ALV-J infection are unclear. In this study, we demonstrated that exosomal microRNA-7-25207 (miR-7-25207) could increase the titers of ALV-J. Exosomes isolated from ALV-J-infected DF-1 cells (Exo-ALV-J) contained partial viral proteins from ALV-J and could transmit the infection to uninfected DF-1 cells, leading to productive infection. Additionally, the RNA expression profile of exosomes was altered following ALV-J infection. miRNA analysis revealed that the expression of exosomal miR-7-25207 increased. Overexpression of miR-7-25207 significantly increased the titers of ALV-J in transfected cells. Furthermore, miR-7-25207 directly suppressed the expression of Akt and PRC1. Akt, in turn, directly inhibited CyclinQ1 expression, while PRC1 directly interfered with YAF2 expression. In conclusion, ALV-J infection activates the expression of miR-7-25207, which is subsequently delivered via exosomes to uninfected cells, increasing ALV-J titers by targeting Akt-CyclinQ1 and PRC1-YAF2 dual pathways. These findings suggest that exosomal miR-7-25207 may serve as a potential biomarker for clinical parameters in ALV-J infection.

Exosomal circ_CCDC7/gga-miR-6568-3p/Pax7 axis accelerates the differentiation of chicken embryonic stem cells infected with subgroup J avian leukosis virus.

Exosome-mediated horizontal and vertical transmission of subgroup J avian leukosis virus (ALV-J) in poultry flocks can lead to growth inhibition and severe immunosuppression. However, there are few reports on the early infection of chicken embryonic stem cells (cESCs) with ALV-J. In this study, we confirmed that early infection with ALV-J can accelerate the differentiation of cESCs and promote the secretion of exosomes. To investigate the modulation strategy of ALV-J in cESCs, circRNA sequencing was performed for further analysis. A total of 305 differentially expressed circRNAs (DECs) were obtained, including 71 upregulated DECs. Circ-CCDC7 was found to be the most upregulated DEC and was assessed by qRT-PCR, with the result consistent with the result of circRNA-seq. Based on qRT-PCR, gga-miR-6568-3p was found to be the target of the top 3 DECs, including circ-CCDC7, and the stem cell marker gene Pax7 was identified as the target gene of gga-miR-6568-3p. This study demonstrated that exosomal circ-CCDC7/gga-miR-6568-3p/Pax7 accelerates the differentiation of cESCs after early infection with ALV-J.

Trigeminal nerve direct current stimulation causes sustained increase in neural activity in the rat hippocampus.

BACKGROUND: Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) is a noninvasive neuromodulation method that can modulate many brain functions including learning and memory. Recent evidence suggests that tDCS memory effects may be caused by co-stimulation of scalp nerves such as the trigeminal nerve (TN), and not the electric field in the brain. The TN gives input to brainstem nuclei, including the locus coeruleus that controls noradrenaline release across brain regions, including hippocampus. However, the effects of TN direct current stimulation (TN-DCS) are currently not well understood. HYPOTHESIS: In this study we tested the hypothesis that stimulation of the trigeminal nerve with direct current manipulates hippocampal activity via an LC pathway. METHODS: We recorded neural activity in rat hippocampus using multichannel silicon probes. We applied 3 min of 0.25 mA or 1 mA TN-DCS, monitored hippocampal activity for up to 1 h and calculated spikes-rate and spike-field coherence metrics. Subcutaneous injections of xylocaine were used to block TN, while intraperitoneal and intracerebral injection of clonidine were used to block the LC pathway. RESULTS: We found that 1 mA TN-DCS caused a significant increase in hippocampal spike-rate lasting 45 min in addition to significant changes in spike-field coherence, while 0.25 mA TN-DCS did not. TN blockage prevented spike-rate increases, confirming effects were not caused by the electric field in the brain. When 1 mA TN-DCS was delivered during clonidine blockage no increase in spike-rate was observed, suggesting an important role for the LC-noradrenergic pathway. CONCLUSION: These results support our hypothesis and provide a neural basis to understand the tDCS TN co-stimulation mechanism. TN-DCS emerges as an important tool to potentially modulate learning and memory.

Guided isolation of enantiomeric lignans from Cimicifuga heracleifolia Kom. by antioxidant activity and molecular networking.

Under the guidance of antioxidant evaluation combined with molecular networking, six pairs of enantiomeric lignans including seven undescribed ones (1a, 2a/2b-4a/4b), along with five known analogs (1b, 5a/5b-6a/6b) were isolated from Cimicifuga heracleifolia Kom. Their structures were determined by extensive spectroscopic data analysis, including HRESIMS, 1D and 2D NMR, experimental and calculated ECD. All the enantiomeric isolates were evaluated for antioxidation by 2, 2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and 2, 2'-azino-bis (3-ethyl-benzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) (ABTS) free radical scavenging tests. Compounds 1a and 3a/3b exhibited great DPPH and ABTS scavenging activities. The results are of great value for understanding structurally interesting enantiomeric lignans with antioxidant activity from C. heracleifolia in depth and providing its further development in functional evaluation and drug development.

Age and flexors as risk factors for cervical radiculopathy: A new machine learning method.

This study aimed to investigate the risk factors for cervical radiculopathy (CR) along with identifying the relationships between age, cervical flexors, and CR. This was a retrospective cohort study, including 60 patients with CR enrolled between December 2018 and June 2020. In this study, we measured C2 to C7 Cobb angle, disc degeneration, endplate degeneration, and morphology of paraspinal muscles and evaluated the value of predictive methods using receiver operating characteristic curves. Next, we established a diagnostic model for CR using Fisher discriminant model and compared different models by calculating the kappa value. Age and cervical flexor factors were used to construct clinical predictive models, which were further evaluated by C-index, receiver operating characteristic curve, calibration curve, and decision curve analysis. Multivariate analysis showed that age and cervical flexors were potential risk factors for CR, while the diagnostic model indicated that both exerted the best diagnostic effect. The obtained diagnostic equation was as follows: y1 = 0.33 × 1 + 10.302 × 2-24.139; y2 = 0.259 × 1 + 13.605 × 2-32.579. Both the C-index and AUC in the training set reached 0.939. Moreover, the C-index and AUC values in the external validation set reached 0.961. We developed 2 models for predicting CR and also confirmed their validity. Age and cervical flexors were considered potential risk factors for CR. Our noninvasive inspection method could provide clinicians with a more potential diagnostic value to detect CR accurately.

Trigeminal nerve direct current stimulation causes sustained increase in neural activity in the rat hippocampus.

Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) is a noninvasive neuromodulation method that can modulate many brain functions including learning and memory. Recent evidence suggests that tDCS memory effects may be caused by co-stimulation of scalp nerves such as the trigeminal nerve (TN), and not the electric field in the brain. The TN gives input to brainstem nuclei, including the locus coeruleus that controls noradrenaline release across brain regions, including hippocampus. However, the effects of TN direct current stimulation (TN-DCS) are currently not well understood. In this study we hypothesized that TN-DCS manipulates hippocampal activity via an LC-noradrenergic bottom-up pathway. We recorded neural activity in rat hippocampus using multichannel silicon probes. We applied 3 minutes of 0.25 mA or 1 mA TN-DCS, monitored hippocampal activity for up to 1 hour and calculated spikes-rate and spike-field coherence metrics. Subcutaneous injections of xylocaine were used to block TN and intraperitoneal injection of clonidine to block the LC pathway. We found that 1 mA TN-DCS caused a significant increase in hippocampal spike-rate lasting 45 minutes in addition to significant changes in spike-field coherence, while 0.25 mA TN-DCS did not. TN blockage prevented spike-rate increases, confirming effects were not caused by the electric field in the brain. When 1 mA TN-DCS was delivered during clonidine blockage no increase in spike-rate was observed, suggesting an important role for the LC-noradrenergic pathway. These results provide a neural basis to support a tDCS TN co-stimulation mechanism. TN-DCS emerges as an important tool to potentially modulate learning and memory. Highlights: Trigeminal nerve direct current stimulation (TN-DCS) boosts hippocampal spike ratesTN-DCS alters spike-field coherence in theta and gamma bands across the hippocampus.Blockade experiments indicate that TN-DCS modulated hippocampal activity via the LC-noradrenergic pathway.TN-DCS emerges as a potential tool for memory manipulation.