Total flavonoids of Astragalus protects glomerular filtration barrier in diabetic kidney disease.

BACKGROUND: Diabetic kidney disease (DKD) is a prevalent complication of diabetes and the leading cause of end-stage renal disease. Recent evidence suggests that total flavonoids of Astragalus (TFA) has promising effects on diabetes; however, its influence on DKD and the underlying mechanism remains unclear. METHODS: In this study, we induced the DKD model using streptozotocin (STZ) in male C57BL/6J mice and utilized glomerular endothelial cell (GEC) lines for in vitro investigations. We constructed a network pharmacology analysis to understand the mechanism of TFA in DKD. The mechanism of TFA action on DKD was investigated through Western blot analysis and multi-immunological methods. RESULTS: Our findings revealed that TFA significantly reduced levels of urinary albumin (ALB). Network pharmacology and intracellular pathway experiments indicated the crucial involvement of the PI3K/AKT signaling pathway in mediating these effects. In vitro experiments showed that TFA can preserve the integrity of the glomerular filtration barrier by inhibiting the expression of inflammatory factors TNF-alpha and IL-8, reducing oxidative stress. CONCLUSION: Our findings demonstrated that TFA can ameliorates the progression of DKD by ameliorating renal fibrosis and preserving the integrity of the kidney filtration barrier. These results provide pharmacological evidence supporting the use of TFA in the treatment of kidney diseases.

The effects of Chinese proprietary medicine and vaccination on patients with COVID-19: a retrospective study in Macao.

BACKGROUND: COVID-19 is continuing to ravage globally and has resulted in a huge health and financial burden. Chinese proprietary medicines, such as Lianhua Qingwen (LHQW) and Huoxiang Zhengqi (HXZQ) capsules, have been recommended for non-high-risk patients with COVID-19 in China. Based on this, we described the baseline information, using status of LHQW and HXZQ capsules and inoculation history of quarantined patients in the second half of 2022 in Macao. Additionally, we analyzed the underlying association among medicines administration, vaccination and COVID-19 indices, in order to explore novel clues for the regular control and prevention of local epidemic situation in the future. METHODS: A total of 976 patients in Macao quarantine hotels from June to August 2022 were included in the present study, of which, 857 subjects were followed-up for prognosis evaluation. During quarantine, the baseline demographic information, including sex, age, BMI, occupation and personal habits were collected. Additionally, the inoculation history, medicine employment status and cycle threshold (Ct) values were also reported. We interviewed the patients for collection of their symptoms at the beginning and end of quarantine, as well as prognostic ones. Basic statistical description of baseline information, vaccination history and medication were displayed. Chi-squared test or with continuous correction test was employed for comparison of dichotomous data between two or multiple groups. Binary logistic regression was applied to reveal the correlation between potential risk factors and Ct values or prognosis symptoms. We also used Cox regression model to identify the effect of different types of vaccine products on Ct value altering rate. RESULTS: Patients who were female (52.0%), engaged in service industry (31.8%), from Macao native (65.8%), never took physical exercises (33.6%) and preferred irritated diet (59.5%) enjoyed more dominant proportions. Over 80% of participants were inoculated and 74.6% of them chose inactivated COVID-19 vaccine produced by China National Biotech Group (CNBG). Participants used LHQW capsules accounted for 92.1% and the duration of medicating lasted for one to two weeks. All of the reported symptoms were significantly ameliorated after quarantine and the duration of quarantine was concentrated on 21 days. People with different age, sex, occupation and region had different choices of HXZQ administration and vaccination. Additionally, middle dose (4-5 boxes) of LHQW capsules exhibited evidently negative association with positive Ct values (adjusted, - 0.037 ± 0.19, p = 0.04). Two doses of CNBG and one dose of mRNA vaccine had obvious protective effect on reducing Ct positive rate (p = 0.041). Meanwhile, symptoms after quarantine were significantly positive correlated with those in prognosis (adjusted, 1.38 ± 0.18, p < 0.0001). CONCLUSION: Our study found that the administration of LHQW capsules was beneficial for Ct value turning negative, meanwhile, certain mixed inoculation may be the promoting factor to reduce the positive rate of Ct value. These findings provide data basis for the Chinese proprietary medicine treatment and mixed vaccination applying for prevention and control of local COVID-19 epidemic in the future.

Spatial and temporal dynamics of large natural lake areas and shoreline morphology in the Yellow River Basin.

Given their important roles in the regulation and storage functions for river flow and in the regional ecological environment and ecosystem services, natural lakes are essential for the ecological protection and high-quality development of the Yellow River Basin. We used the Landsat TM/OLI remote sensing data to analyze the area changes of Dongping Lake, Gyaring Lake, and Ngoring Lake, three representative large natural lakes in the Yellow River Basin from 1990 to 2020. We used the landscape ecology approach to study the morphological characteristics of lake shoreline and shoreland changes and the relationship between the landscape indices. The results showed that the main areas of Gyaring Lake and Ngoring Lake were mainly in the trend of expansion, while the main area of Dongping Lake significantly reduced during 1990-2000 and 2010-2020. The changes in the area of lake all occurred mainly near the lake inlet of the river. The shoreline morphology of Dongping Lake was more complex, with the fragmentation and aggregation of shoreland landscape significantly changed. The circularity ratio of Gyaring Lake gradually decreased with the expansion of the lake area, and the number of patches in its shoreland changed significantly. The fractal dimension index-mean of the shoreland of Ngoring Lake was relatively high, the complexity of its shoreline landscape was stronger, and the number of patches had increased significantly from 2000 to 2010. Meanwhile, there was a significant correlation between certain lake shoreline (shoreland) landscape indices. The changes in circularity ratio and shoreline development coefficient caused changes in the patch density of shoreland.

Glomus mosseae improved the adaptability of alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) to the coexistence of cadmium-polluted soils and elevated air temperature.

The coexistence of heavy metal-polluted soils and global warming poses serious threats to plants. Many studies indicate that arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) can enhance the resistance of plants to adverse environments such as heavy metals and high temperature. However, few studies are carried out to explore the regulation of AMF on the adaptability of plants to the coexistence of heavy metals and elevated temperature (ET). Here, we investigated the regulation of Glomus mosseae on the adaptability of alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) to the coexistence of cadmium (Cd)-polluted soils and ET. G. mosseae significantly enhanced total chlorophyll and carbon (C) content in the shoots by 15.6% and 3.0%, respectively, and Cd, nitrogen (N), and phosphorus (P) uptake by the roots by 63.3%, 28.9%, and 85.2%, respectively, under Cd + ET. G. mosseae significantly increased ascorbate peroxidase activity, peroxidase (POD) gene expression, and soluble proteins content in the shoots by 13.4%, 130.3%, and 33.8%, respectively, and significantly decreased ascorbic acid (AsA), phytochelatins (PCs), and malondialdehyde (MDA) contents by 7.4%, 23.2%, and 6.5%, respectively, under ET + Cd. Additionally, G. mosseae colonization led to significant increases in POD (13.0%) and catalase (46.5%) activities, Cu/Zn-superoxide dismutase gene expression (33.5%), and MDA (6.6%), glutathione (22.2%), AsA (10.3%), cysteine (101.0%), PCs (13.8%), soluble sugars (17.5%), and proteins (43.4%) contents in the roots and carotenoids (23.2%) under ET + Cd. Cadmium, C, N, G. mosseae colonization rate, and chlorophyll significantly influenced shoots defenses and Cd, C, N, P, G. mosseae colonization rate, and sulfur significantly affected root defenses. In conclusion, G. mosseae obviously improved the defense capacity of alfalfa under ET + Cd. The results could improve our understanding of the regulation of AMF on the adaptability of plants to the coexistence of heavy metals and global warming and phytoremediation of heavy metal-polluted sites under global warming scenarios.

[Spatio-temporal relationship between vegetation restoration and ecosystem services in the Loess Plateau of Northern Shaanxi, China]. / é™•åŒ—é»„åœŸé«˜åŽŸæ¤è¢«æ¢å¤ä¸Žç”Ÿæ€ç³»ç»ŸæœåŠ¡çš„æ—¶ç©ºå ³ç³».

As the core region of the "Grain to Green" Program, the Loess Plateau of Northern Shaanxi became an example with the most dramatic changes in earth surface pattern and vegetation cover. Evaluating the effectiveness of vegetation restoration is important for promoting regional ecological environment. In this study, the fractional vegetation coverage (FVC) was used as the index to analyze the changes in vegetation coverage in this area. Soil conservation service, carbon sequestration service, habitat quality, and water yield were used to characterize the regional ecosystem services (ESs). The effects of FVC on ESs were analyzed based on the bivariate spatial autocorrelation model. The trade-off synergies and spatio-temporal variations of different scales of those indices were discussed. The results showed that the FVC of the study area presented a fluctuating upward trend from 2000 to 2020, with the annual average value increasing from 31.7% to 47.1%. Carbon sequestration service and soil conservation service were increased, habitat quality was stable. Water yield increased firstly and then decreased, with an overall upward trend. The ESs changes were scale-dependent. There was an obvious synergistic relationship among ESs. There was a significant spatial dependence between FVC and ESs, with some differences in the degree of correlation. FVC had the strongest impact on soil conservation, followed by carbon sequestration service. However, the increase of vegetation coverage and water consumption of forest and grass led to the negative effect of water yield reduction. In gene-ral, FVC in the Loess Plateau of Northern Shaanxi had achieved remarkable success, and the ecological environment had been significantly improved.

[Relationship between economy and ecology of Pearl River Delta Urban Agglomeration based on ecological footprint of net primary productivity]. / 基于生态足迹-å‡€åˆçº§ç”Ÿäº§åŠ›çš„ç ä¸‰è§’åŸŽå¸‚ç¾¤ç»æµŽä¸Žç”Ÿæ€çš„å ³ç³».

With the acceleration of regional economic integration, human activities have played an increasingly crucial role in regional sustainable development. In this study, MODIS remote sensing data and ecological footprint of net primary productivity (EF-NPP) were leveraged to calculate the equivalence factor and yield factor of the six major biologically productive land areas in the Pearl River Delta Urban Agglomeration. We analyzed the changes in per capita ecological footprint, per capita ecological carrying capacity, natural resource utilization efficiency and ecological moderate population from 2000 to 2020. Results showed that the per capita ecological footprint in the Pearl River Delta Urban Agglomeration continued to rise from 2000 to 2020. The ecological occupation of energy land was the highest. The ecological footprint was high in west, low in middle, and higher in northwest of the study area. The per capita ecological carrying capacity was relatively high in Zhaoqing and Jiangmen and low in Shenzhen, Dongguan, Foshan and Zhongshan. The gap between the ecological moderate population and the regional actual population widened over time, reaching 30.62 million in 2020. The regional actual population was much larger than the ecological moderate population, indicating huge population pressure. The natural resource utilization efficiency of the three main industries was high. The economic benefits created by the per capita ecological footprint increased by 36800 yuan·hm-2 during the research period, with an average annual growth rate of 1800 yuan·hm-2. The growth rate of the tertiary industry was the highest. Therefore, the results could provide reference for the study on natural resource utilization efficiency in medium and small-scale regions.

[Evaluation of ecological environment and urban development quality in Xi'an City, China]. / 西安市生态环境及城市发展质量评估.

Sound ecological environment is an important foundation for promoting high-quality urban development, as it determines the level and quality of urban construction and human settlements. Taking Xi'an as the study area, we used remote sensing ecological index (RSEI) to evaluate the urban ecological environment. The evaluation index system of high-quality urban development was constructed and the entire-array-polygon was used to evaluate the urban development quality. The coupling coordination degree model was used to analyze the temporal variations of the coupling coordination degree of those two factors. The results showed that the urban ecological condition of Xi'an showed a pattern of high in the south and low in the north, and that the level of RSEI had an upward trend in 2010-2020. The RESI of the six inner districts of Xi'an decreased, but the RESI of the surrounding districts of Xi'an was stable or improved. The urban development quality of Xi'an was improved in 2010-2020, though the quality level was still at the low level. The improvement of the three major subsystems of urban development was uneven, and the increase range of three subsystems from largest to smallest was ranked as ecological subsystem > economic subsystem > social subsystem. The coupling coordination of the two kinds of index increased in 2010-2020, and the coordination level had been prompted from barely coordinated to primary.

[Spatial and temporal variations of ecosystem service synergy and trade-off in Qinling Mountains, China]. / 秦岭生态系统服务协同与权衡的时空异质性.

The Qinling Mountains are an important ecological function area in China. Exploring the trade-offs and synergies of ecosystem services is important for ecological protection and sustainable development in the Qinling Mountains. In this study, we analyzed the spatio-temporal variations of land uses in the Qinling Mountains in 2000, 2010 and 2020 based on remote sensing, meteorological, and soil texture data. The amounts of carbon sequestration, water yield, habitat quality, and soil conservation were calculated with CASA, InVEST and RUSLE models. The relationships between its spatially heterogeneous characteristics and various ecosystem services were analyzed. The results showed that, from 2000 to 2020, the area of arable land and grassland in the study area continued to decrease, the area of forest and building land increased, and the change of water body and unused land was not noticeable. Carbon sequestration was high in the east and low in the west, with an increasing trend. Water production continued to decrease, showing a tendency of higher on the south slope and lower on the north slope. Habitat quality increased steadily, while soil conservation increased and then decreased. Ecosystem services varied across land classes and across ecosystems in the same land class. In general, there was a synergistic relationship between carbon sequestration and soil conservation, habitat quality and soil conservation, carbon sequestration, and habitat quality. There was trade-off between carbon sequestration and water production, soil conservation and water production, habitat quality, and water production. There were significant differences in the relationship between service volumes under different conditions. The results could reduce the risk of trade-offs and maximize overall benefits, and provide a reference for promoting ecologically high-quality development and achieving a win-win situation for natural resource management and human well-being.

Preclinical studies of licorice in ulcerative colitis: A systematic review with meta-analysis and network pharmacology.

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: Licorice, as a traditional Chinese herbal medicine, possessing the efficacies of invigorating spleen and replenishing qi, heat-clearing and detoxicating, phlegm-resolving and cough suppressant, relieving spasm and pain, and hamonizing actions of various medicines. AIM OF THE STUDY: The goal of this systematic review, which includes meta-analysis and network pharmacology in preclinical studies, is to investigate the multiple efficacies of licorice on ulcerative colitis (UC). MATERIALS AND METHODS: We searched several databases, e.g., Web of Science, Elsevier ScienceDirect and PubMed until Januanry 2022 for literature collection, and the Review Manager 5.3 was used to analyze the data. To synthesize the retrieved data, the fixed and random-effects models were utilized, respectively, and network pharmacology was applied to confirm the mechanisms. RESULTS: Based on the result of meta-analysis, it suggested that the treatments of licorice extract and its active compounds showed strong therpeutic effects, which not only reflected the declining histological score, a index of the colitis severity [SMD = -2.86, 95% CI (-3.65, -2.08); P < 0.00001], but also reversed colonic shortness [WMD = 1.67, 95% CI (1.16, 2.19); P < 0.00001] between experimental UC model and licorice-treatment groups. In addition, it suggested the significant reduction of TNF-α level [SMD = -2.70, 95% CI (-3.23, -2.16); P < 0.00001], which acted as a crucial role in inflammatory response. Furthermore, from the results of network pharmacology, it indicated that anti-inflammation, anti-oxidative stress, immunomodulatory effect and microbiota homeostasis were the predominant therapeutic mechanisms of licorice extract and its active compounds treating UC. CONCLUSION: This systematic review with meta-analysis and network pharmacology demonstrates an efficient role of licorice extract and its active compounds in preclinical studies of UC, which provides supporting evidence for clinical trial implementation. However, there exist some limitations, such as technique quality decificency, missed reports due to negative outcome, failure to calculate sample size, and the risk of bias.

Severe tinnitus and migraine headache in a 37-year-old woman treated with trastuzumab for breast cancer: A case report.

BACKGROUND: Trastuzumab is a generally safe agent prescribed in the systemic treatment of breast cancer. Tinnitus is not a currently known adverse event related to trastuzumab. Here, we describe a rare case of severe tinnitus and a migraine headache induced by trastuzumab used for adjuvant therapy. CASE SUMMARY: A 37-year-old woman was diagnosed with hormone receptor-positive and human epidermal growth factor receptor 2-positive breast cancer. After surgery, she was treated with four cycles of epirubicin and cyclophosphamide; she then received docetaxel and a loading dose of trastuzumab plus pertuzumab. Less than half an hour after trastuzumab infusion, the patient complained of severe tinnitus and left-sided migraine headache. Trastuzumab monotherapy was discontinued immediately, and symptoms disappeared after 10 min. Trastuzumab was readministered, and severe tinnitus and migraine headache recurred. Trastuzumab was stopped, and severe tinnitus diminished after 10 min. Pertuzumab and docetaxel therapy was then administered, and no adverse events were observed. Subsequent infusions of trastuzumab every three weeks did not show the same symptoms. CONCLUSION: Although trastuzumab is well-tolerated in most patients, we should pay attention to the risk of severe tinnitus and migraine.

Overview of therapeutic potentiality of Angelica sinensis for ischemic stroke.

BACKGROUND: Ischemic stroke is a common cerebrovascular disease. Due to sudden interruption of blood flow by arterial thrombus, amounts of neurons in ischemic central and penumbral regions occur necrosis and apoptosis resulting in serious injury of neurological function. Chinese medicines have a great advantage in ischemic stroke treatment and recovery, especially Angelica sinensis. PURPOSE: There are a large number of studies reported that Angelica injection and A. sinensis active compounds. We systematically reviewed the effects and mechanisms of A. sinensis in recent years according to the guidelines of the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA) statements, and excavated its therapeutic potentiality for exploring more effective and safe compounds for ischemic stroke precision treatment. RESULTS: A. sinensis extracts and active compounds, such as Z-ligustilide, 3-n-Butylphthalide, and ferulic acid have significant effects of anti-inflammation, anti-oxidative stress, angiogenesis, neurogenesis, anti-platelet aggregation, anti-atherosclerosis, protection of vessels, which contributes to improvement of neurological function on ischemic stroke. CONCLUSION: A. sinensis is a key agent for ischemic stroke treatment, and worth deeply excavating its therapeutic potentiality with the aid of pharmacological network, computer-aided drug design, artificial intelligence, big data and multi-scale modelling techniques.

Altitude distribution of fungal community in Huoditang in Qinling Mountains, Northwest China.

Soil fungi play an important role in soil nutrient cycling and carbon storage in natural ecosystems. Dominant tree species showed altitude distribution in Huoditang forest in Qinling Mountains, whereas the corresponding changes of soil characteristics and microbial communities are still unclear. In this study, the variations of soil characteristics were investigated at five altitudes (1500, 1700, 1900, 2100 and 2300 m). The collected soil samples were sequenced by Illumina MiSeq sequencing platform, and the pattern of fungal community was studied. The results showed that soil available phosphorus concentration (AP) and soil pH increased significantly whereas soil moisture showed a downward trend with increasing altitude. The Shannon diversity index of soil fungi decreased and ACE richness index showed an opposite trend with increasing altitude. Basidiomycota (68.2%), Ascomycota (19.9%), and Mortierellomycota (1.7%) were dominant fungal phyla, which showed a 'U' shape or 'peak' pattern according to altitude. Agaricomycetes (64.2%), Sordariomycetes (5.8%), and Leotiomycetes (4.1%) were the dominant fungal classes. Results of redundancy analysis (RDA) showed that 89.1% of the total variations of soil fungal community were explained by soil characteristics, while AP, pH and altitude were the main driving factors for altitude variations of soil fungal communities. Soil characteristics had certain differences with altitude changes in Huoditang forest region in Qinling Mountains, which affected soil fungal community composition.

[Construction of ecological network in Qinling Mountains of Shaanxi, China based on MSPA and MCR model.] / 基于MSPA和MCR模型的秦岭(陕西段)山地生态网络构建.

Rapid urbanization destroys the ecological network connectivity among habitat patches. The research on the construction of regional ecological network at the patch level is obviously insufficient. The morphological spatial pattern analysis (MSPA) and minimum cumulative resistance (MCR) were used to identify ecological sources and to extract potential ecological corridors in Qinling Mountains, respectively. The ecological network was effectively constructed. We analyzed the structural characteristics and landscape compositions of the network. Based on the gravity model, the importance of patches in the ecological network was graded and the structural characteristics and landscape composition of the network were analyzed. The results showed that there were 10 ecological sources, 45 potential ecological corridors and 38 stepping stones in the ecological network of Qinling Mountains in Shaanxi Province, with a total area of 29686.15 km2. There were good connectivity in potential ecological corridors and ecological network nodes as indicated by network closure (0.11), line point rate (1.18), network connectivity (0.42) and cost ratio (0.99). The connectivity between ecological source was low, but the cost of network reconstruction was high. The important ecological corridors were mainly composed of forest, grassland, and cultivated land. Fore-sts accounted for 89.2% of the total corridor area (571.00 km2), indicating the good landscape structure in Qinling Mountains. The protection of ecological source areas must be strengthened, and priority should be given to the establishment and protection of important ecological corridors and ecological nodes. Our results would provide the scientific reference and basis for the ecological environment protection and high-quality development in Qinling Mountains.

[Evaluation of land ecosystem health in Shaanxi Province, Northwest China based on PSR Model.] / 基于PSR模型的陕西省土地生态系统健康评价.

Based on the pressure-state-response (PSR) model and entropy method, we analyzed the health status of land ecosystem and the temporal and spatial variations from 2009 to 2017 in ten cities and one district in Shaanxi Province. The driving factors affecting the health of the land ecosystem was examined. Results showed that during 2009-2017, the overall health of the land ecosystem in Shaanxi Province was improved, which was lower during 2009-2014 and being obviously improved after 2014. The health level of land ecosystems in Xi'an, Baoji, Weinan and Hanzhong was high and with substantial variation, while that in Yan'an, Yulin, and Ankang was low and stable, decreasing in order of South Shaanxi, Guanzhong region and North Shaanxi. Overall, the pressure, state and response indices of the land ecosystem in Shaanxi Province increased during 2014-2017 with a gentle growth, which were basically flat after 2014. Those results indicated that the land ecosystem in Shaanxi Province was at a stable and healthy state. Population growth, urbanization level, fertilizer load per unit of arable land, forest coverage rate, industrial wastewater discharge compliance rate and comprehensive utilization rate of industrial solid waste were the main driving factors for the health of land ecosystems in Shaanxi. Controlling the use of fertilizers and pesticides, optimizing the structure of land use and improving land use efficiency are necessary strategies to promote the construction of ecological civilization and implement the red line of ecological protection for Shaanxi Province.

[Spatial and temporal variations of vegetation coverage in the middle section of Yellow River Basin based on terrain gradient:Taking Yan'an City as an example.] / 基于地形梯度的黄河流域中段植被覆盖时空分异特征­­ä»¥å»¶å®‰å¸‚为例.

Vegetation restoration is an important requirement for ecological protection and high-quality development in the Yellow River Basin. In-depth understanding the temporal and spatial differentiation of vegetation has important practical significance. With the four Landsat TM/OLI remote sensing images as the data source, the pixel binary model was used to estimate vegetation coverage. The transfer matrix, geological information map, and the center of gravity migration model were used to analyze the temporal and spatial variations of vegetation coverage in Yan'an City in the middle of the Yellow River Basin from 1988 to 2018. The spatial variation of vegetation cover to elevation and slope was explored using terrain distribution index combined with terrain data. The results showed that vegetation coverage in Yan'an was low in the north region and high in the south region. The vegetation coverage increased significantly due to policy changes. From 1988 to 2018, the vegetation change pattern in Yan'an was dominated by continuous improvement and stability. Vegetation coverage increased in about 50% of the area. 83% of the study area with high vegetation coverage remained stable. At each elevation and slope level, the advantage of high vegetation cove-rage increased with time. At each slope level, vegetation cover increased with slope. The transition direction of vegetation cover of different levels in Yan'an was basically consistent with the overall spatial change trend of vegetation cover, with the overall shift being from north to west. The vegetation construction in Yan'an has achieved remarkable results, though the vegetation coverage in the north still needs to be improved. Optimizing vegetation types and structures is an important direction for future vegetation construction.

[Consecutive 4-year Elevated Atmospheric CO2 on Shaped Microbial Communities in the Rhizosphere Soil of Robinia pseudoacacia L. Seedlings Grown in Pb-contaminated Soils].

Elevated atmospheric CO2 could affect the speciation of heavy metals in rhizosphere soils by changing root exudates, thereby influencing soil microecosystem in the rhizosphere. Therefore, understanding the function of heavy metals in soils on rhizospheric ecology under elevated atmospheric CO2 scenarios is highly important. Here, we investigated the combined effects of a four-year period of elevated air CO2 concentrations[(700±27) µmol·L-1] and Pb-contamination (15.6 mg·kg-1 and 515.6 mg·kg-1) on the soil rhizopheric microbial community of Robinia pseudoacacia L. seedlings. Significant (P<0.05) effects of CO2, Pb, and their interaction on bacterial richness and fungal diversity were observed. Relative to Pb exposure alone, elevated CO2 significantly increased pH, total C, total N, and water-soluble organic carbon, and the C/N ratio under Pb exposure (P<0.05) and significantly decreased total and soluble Pb content (P<0.05). The richness and diversity of bacteria increased (P<0.05), fungal richness decreased (P<0.05), and microbial diversity increased (P<0.05) under the combined treatments relative to Pb contamination alone. The changes in the relative abundance of the top two dominant bacterial and fungal genera were not significant; however, differences in the relative abundances of other groups, such as Anaerolineaceae, Solirubrobacterales, Eurotiomycetes, Aspergillus, and Trichocomaceae, were significant between the different treatments. According to a redundancy analysis, total C and soluble Pb had a significant influence (P<0.05) on the dominant bacterial genera, and total C affected (P<0.05) the dominant genera in the fungal community. These results suggest that the responses of soil environmental factors to the combination of elevated atmospheric CO2 and Pb could shape soil microbial community structure in the rhizosphere of R. pseudoacacia seedlings.

Targeting NF-κB pathway for treating ulcerative colitis: comprehensive regulatory characteristics of Chinese medicines.

Nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-κB) is a kind of multi-functional nuclear transcription factor involved in regulating gene transcription to influence pathological evolution of inflammatory and immune diseases. Numerous literature evidence that NF-κB pathway plays an essential role in pathogenic development of ulcerative colitis (UC). UC is a chronic non-specific inflammatory bowel disease, and until now, therapeutic agents for UC including aminosalicylates, corticosteroids and immune inhibitors still cannot exert satisfied effects on patients. In recent years, Chinese medicines suggest the advantages of alleviating symptoms and signs, decreasing side-effects and recurrence, whose one of mechanisms is related to regulation of NF-κB pathway. In this review, we categorize Chinese medicines according to their traditional therapeutic functions, and summarize the characteristics of Chinese medicines targeting NF-κB pathway in UC treatment. It indicates that 85 kinds of Chinese medicines' compounds and formulae can directly act on NF-κBp65; while 58 Chinese medicines' ingredients and formulae indirectly suppress NF-κBp65 by regulation of its upstream or other related pathways. Moreover, by the analysis of Chinese medicines' category based on their traditional functions, we conclude the category of dampness-drying and detoxificating medicine targeting NF-κB pathway accounts for primary status for amelioration of UC. Simultaneously, this review also contributes to the choices of Chinese medicine category and provides curative potential of Chinese medicines for clinical UC treatment.

Shengui Sansheng Pulvis maintains blood-brain barrier integrity by vasoactive intestinal peptide after ischemic stroke.

Background Shengui Sansheng Pulvis (SSP) has about 300 years history used for stroke treatment, and evidences suggest it has beneficial effects on neuro-angiogenesis and cerebral energy metabolic amelioration post-stroke. However, its protective action and mechanisms on blood-brain barrier (BBB) is still unknown. Purpose Based on multiple neuroprotective properties of vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP) in neurological disorders, we investigate if SSP maintaining BBB integrity is associated with VIP pathway in rat permanent middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAo) model. Methods Three doses of SSP extraction were administered orally. Evaluations of motor and balance abilities and detection of brain edema were performed, and BBB permeability were assessed by Evans blue (EB) staining. Primary brain microvascular endothelial cells (BMECs) were subjected to oxygen-glucose deprivation, and incubated with high dose SSP drug-containing serum and VIP-antagonist respectively. Transendothelial electrical resistance (TEER) assay and Tetramethylrhodamine isothiocyanate (TRITC)-dextran (4.4 kDa) and fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC)-dextran (70 kDa) were used to evaluate the features of paracellular junction. Western blot detected the expressions of Claudin-5, ZO-1, Occludin and VE-cadherin, matrix metalloproteinase (MMP) 2/9 and VIP receptors 1/2, and immunofluorescence staining tested VIP and Claudin-5 expressions. Results Our results show that SSP significantly reduces EB infiltration in dose-dependent manner in vivo and attenuates TRITC- dextran and FITC-dextran diffusion in vitro, and strengthens endothelial junctional complexes as represented by decreasing Claudin-5, ZO-1, Occludin and VE-cadherin degradations and MMP 2/9 expression, as well as promoting TEER in BMECs after ischemia. Moreover, it suggests that SSP notably enhances VIP and its receptors 1/2 expressions. VIP-antagonist exacerbates paracellular barrier of BMECs, while the result is reversed after incubation with high dose SSP drug-containing serum. Additionally, SSP also improve brain edema and motor and balance abilities after ischemic stroke. Conclusions we firstly demonstrate that the ameliorated efficacy of SSP on BBB permeability is related to the enhancements of VIP and its receptors, suggesting SSP might be an effective therapeutic agent on maintaining BBB integrity post-stroke.

Essential Role of Chinese Medicines in Mesenchymal Stem Cells Transplantation for Treatment of Ischemic Stroke.

Ischemic stroke accounts for the majority of all strokes and has been primary causes of long-term disability and mortality in worldwide. Mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) therapy suggests significantly improved effects on neurological functional outcome, neurogenesis, angiogenesis, blood-brain barrier permeability, inflammatory injury, neuroprotection and so on, following stroke. However, the occurrence of adverse effects results in restriction of the therapy. Chinese medicine accumulates abundant clinical experiences on stroke for over two thousand years, and some formulae and active ingredients of Chinese medicines have presented obvious efficacies in clinical treatment. Therefore, based on Chinese medicine theory, we provide some ideas of screening agents for combination treatment of Chinese medicines and MSC for ischemic stroke, and summarize the potentials of Chinese medicines in MSC treatment and analyze the feasibilities of Chinese medicines against side effects of MSC therapy. Consequently, we propose Chinese medicines combing with MSC should be a promising approach to clinical stroke treatment in future.

Polyglycolic acid sutures embedded in abdominal acupoints for treatment of simple obesity in adults: a randomized control trial.

BACKGROUND: Acupoint catgut embedding therapy characterized by acupoint, needle and catgut are superior to traditional acupuncture, due to exerting more comprehensive therapeutic efficacy. However, it is still deficient in clinical evidence for polyglycolic acid sutures, a novel biodegradable material instead of catgut, embedded for the treatment of simple obesity. In our study, we investigate the efficacy and related mechanism of polyglycolic acid sutures embedded in abdominal acupoints on simple obese persons by a randomized control trial. METHODS: A total of 51 eligible participators were randomly allocated to a polyglycolic acid sutures embedding therapy (PASET) group (n = 28) or control group (n = 23). Participators in PASET group received polyglycolic acid sutures alternatively embedded in abdominal I group and II group acupoints in odd and even number therapeutic courses, and participators in control group were required to perform lifestyle modification. The duration of the study was 10 weeks. RESULTS: It suggested that PASET significantly reduced weight, body mass index, hip circumference, waist circumference, waist/hip ratio, waist-to-height ratio and thickness of abdominal subcutaneous fat tissue compared with those before treatment (p < 0.01), but lifestyle modification only illustrated downward trend of weight (p < 0.05). Moreover, PASET group also improved the evaluated scores in aspects of physical function, self-esteem, public distress and sexual life, as well as decreased blood pressure, glycemia, low density lipoprotein, uric acid and the levels of tumor necrosis factor-alpha, interleukin-1ß, and increased high density lipoprotein in comparison with those before treatment (p < 0.05), whose efficacies are superior to control group. Additionally, our results also indicate PASET is relative safe and its pain and discomfort can be tolerable. CONCLUSIONS: PASET distinctly ameliorates anthropometric data and quality of life in obese population, which associates with improvements of metabolic profile and inflammatory response. Based on the advantageous actions, we think PASET is an effective therapeutic approach to simple obesity treatment.Trial registration ChiCTR, ChiCTR1800015591. Registered 10 April 2018, http://www.chictr.org.cn/showproj.aspx?proj=23258.