Identification Analysis of Angelicae sinensis radix and Angelicae pubescentis radix Based on Quantized "Digital Identity" and UHPLC-QTOF-MSE Analysis.

Angelicae sinensis radix (ASR) and Angelicae pubescentis radix (APR), as traditional herbal medicines, are often confused and doped in the material market. However, the traditional identification method is to characterize the whole herb with a single or a few components, which do not have representation and cannot realize the effective utilization of unknown components. Consequently, the result is not convincing. In addition, the whole process is time-consuming and labor-intensive. To avoid the confusion and adulteration of ASR and APR as well as to strengthen quality control and improve identification efficiency, in this study, a UHPLC-QTOF-MSE method was used to analyze ASR and APR. Based on digital representation, the shared data with high ionic strength were extracted from different batches of the same herbal medicine as their "digital identity". Further, the above "digital identity" was used as the benchmark for matching and identifying unknown samples to feedback on matching credibility (MC). The results showed that based on the "digital identities" of ASR and APR, the digital identification of two herbal samples can be realized efficiently and accurately at the individual level. And the matching credibility (MC) was higher than 94.00%, even if only 1% of APR or ASR in the mixed samples can still be identified efficiently and accurately. The study is of great practical significance for improving the efficiency of the identification of ASR and APR, cracking down on adulterated and counterfeit drugs, and strengthening the quality control of ASR and APR. In addition, it has important reference significance for developing nontargeted digital identification of herbal medicines at the individual level based on UHPLC-QTOF-MSE and "digital identity", which is beneficial to the construction of digital Chinese medicine and digital quality control.

Assessment of stress levels and reproductive condition in giant pandas: insights from hair, faecal and saliva samples.

Concerted conservation efforts have brought the giant panda (Ailuropoda melanoleuca) back from the brink of extinction, but pandas continue to face anthropogenic threats in the wild and breeding success in captivity remains low. Because stress can have detrimental impacts on reproduction, monitoring stress- and sex-steroid levels would help assess the effectiveness of conservation mitigation measures in panda populations as well as monitor the welfare and reproductive health of captive animals. In this proof-of-concept study, we used faecal sex steroid and cortisol concentrations (n = 867 samples collected from five males and five females at Beijing Zoo every 4 days over the course of 12 months) as a reference to investigate if testosterone, estradiol, progesterone and cortisol can be meaningfully measured in panda hair (n = 10) using radio-immuno-assays. Additionally, we calculated the ratio of testosterone to cortisol (T:C ratio) for each male, which can provide a biomarker of stress and physical performance. Our findings revealed distinct monthly variations in faecal sex-steroid and cortisol concentrations, reflecting reproductive seasonality and visitor-related stress among individual pandas. Notably, the oldest male had a significantly lower T:C ratio than other males. Our results confirm that the level of sex steroids and cortisol can be assayed by panda hair, and the hair cortisol concentrations correlate significantly with that in faeces with one month lag behind (r = 0.68, P = 0.03). However, the concentrations of hormones detected in saliva are lower than those in faeces by two orders of magnitude, making it difficult to ensure accuracy. By assessing the applicability of hair, faecal and salivary sampling, we can infer their utility in monitoring the reproductive status and acute and chronic stress levels of giant pandas, thereby providing a means to gauge the success of ongoing habitat restoration efforts and to discuss the feasibility of sample collection from wild populations.

Digital identification of Aucklandiae radix, Vladimiriae radix, and Inulae radix based on multivariate algorithms and UHPLC-QTOF-MS analysis.

INTRODUCTION: The identification of Aucklandiae Radix (AR), Vladimiriae Radix (VR), and Inulae Radix (IR) based on traits and microscopic features is susceptible to the state of samples and the subjective awareness of personnel, and the identification based on a few or single chemical compositions is a cumbersome and time-consuming procedure and fails to rationally and effectively utilize the information of unknown components and is not specificity enough. OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to improve the identification efficiency, strengthen supervision, and realize digital identification of three Chinese medicines. Ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography with quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (UHPLC-QTOF-MS) combined with multivariate algorithms was used to explore the digital identification of AR, VR, and IR. MATERIALS AND METHODS: UHPLC-QTOF-MS was used to analyze AR, VR, and IR. The MS data combined with multivariate algorithms such as partial least squares discrimination analysis (PLS-DA) and artificial neural networks (ANNs) was used to filter important variables and data modeling. Finally, the optimal model was selected for the digital identification of three herbs. RESULTS: The results showed that three herbs can be distinguished on the whole level, and through feature screening, 591 characteristic variables combined with multivariate algorithms to construct data models. The ANN model was the best with accuracy = 0.983, precision = 0.984, and external verification showed the reliability and practicability of ANN model. CONCLUSION: ANN model combined with MS data is of great significance for tdigital identification of AR, VR, and IR. It is an important reference for developing the digital identification of traditional Chinese medicines at the individual level based on UHPLC-QTOF-MS and multivariate algorithms.

Construction of an Ohmic Contact Cathode by Two Metal Sulfides for efficient Capture and Catalysis of Polysulfide.

The slow reaction kinetics and severe shuttle effect of lithium polysulfide make Li-S battery electrochemical performance difficult to meet the demands of large electronic devices such as electric vehicles. Based on this, an electrocatalyst constructed by metal phase material (MoS2) and semiconductor phase material (SnS2) with ohmic contact is designed for inhibiting the dissolution of lithium polysulfide with improving the reaction kinetics. According to the density-functional theory calculations, it is found that the heterostructured samples with ohmic contacts can effectively reduce the reaction-free energy of lithium polysulfide to accelerate the sulfur redox reaction, in addition to the excellent electron conduction to reduce the overall activation energy. The metallic sulfide can add more sulfophilic sites to promote the capture of polysulfide. Thanks to the ohmic contact design, the carbon nanotube-MoS2-SnS2 achieved a specific capacity of 1437.2 mAh g-1 at 0.1 C current density and 805.5 mAh g-1 after 500 cycles at 1 C current density and is also tested as a pouch cell, which proves to be valuable for practical applications. This work provides a new idea for designing an advanced and efficient polysulfide catalyst based on ohmic contact.

Comparative analysis of energy homeostasis regulation at different altitudes in Hengduan Mountain of red-backed vole, Eothenomys miletus, during high-fat diet acclimation: examining gut microbial and physiological interactions.

The study aimed to explore the similarities and differences in gut microorganisms and their functions in regulating body mass in Eothenomys miletus across different altitudes in the Hengduan Mountains when exposed to a high-fat diet. Eothenomys miletus specimens were gathered from Dali (DL) and Xianggelila (XGLL) in Yunnan Province, China, and categorized into control, high-fat (1 week of high-fat diet), and re-feeding groups (1 week of high-fat diet followed by 2 weeks of standard food). The analysis utilized 16S rRNA sequencing to assess the diversity and structure of intestinal microbial communities in E. miletus. The investigation focused on the impact of high-fat diet consumption and different altitudes on gut microbial diversity, structure, and physiological markers. Results revealed that a high-fat diet influenced the beta diversity of gut microorganisms in E. miletus, leading to variations in microbial community structure between the two regions with different altitudes. High-fat food significantly affected body mass, white adipose tissue mass, triglycerides, and leptin levels, but not food intake. Specific intestinal microorganisms were observed in the high-fat groups, aiding in food digestion and being enriched in particular flora. In particular, microbial genera like Lactobacillus and Hylemonella were enriched in the high-fat group of DL. The enriched microbiota in the control group was associated with plant polysaccharide and cellulose decomposition. Following a high-fat diet, gut microbiota adapted to support lipid metabolism and energy supply, while upon re-feeding, the focus shifted back to cellulose digestion. These findings suggested that alterations in gut microbial composition, alongside physiological markers, play a vital role in adaptation of E. miletus to the diverse habitats of the Hengduan Mountains at varying altitudes.

Proton Pump Inhibitors Versus Histamine-2 Receptor Blockers for Stress Ulcer Prophylaxis on In-Hospital Mortality Among Intensive Care Unit Patients Hospitalized for Major Adverse Cardiovascular and Cerebrovascular Events: Retrospective Cohort Study.

PURPOSE: Patients in the intensive care unit (ICU) commonly receive stress ulcer prophylaxis drugs, either proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) or histamine-2 receptor blockers (H2RBs). The goal of this research was to evaluate the impact of these drugs on mortality among ICU patients hospitalized for major adverse cardiovascular and cerebrovascular events (MACCEs). METHODS: ICU patients hospitalized for MACCEs were sourced from the Medical Information Mart for Intensive Care-III database. We performed a propensity score matching analysis to match patients treated with PPIs to those treated with H2RBs for stress ulcer prophylaxis. The outcome was 90-day mortality. We used multivariable Cox regression analyses to compare the effect. Hazard ratio (HR), 95% CIs, and P values were reported from the model. FINDINGS: From 2001 to 2012, a total of 3577 patients hospitalized for MACCEs (1997 received PPIs and 1580 received H2RBs) were admitted. The 90-day mortality was 23.7% (848/3577); it was 27% (540/1997) and 19.5% (308/1580) for PPIs and H2RBs users, respectively. The PPI group exhibited a greater 90­day mortality in comparison to the H2RBs group (relative risk = 1.17; P = 0.036), after conditioning on potential confounder. The results remained robust in propensity score matching, sensitivity analyses, and subgroup analyses. IMPLICATIONS: PPIs for stress ulcer prophylaxis were linked to an increased risk of in-hospital mortality than H2RBs in patients hospitalized for MACCEs. Further investigation of this association and validation of its clinical significance is needed.

Regulate the Solvation Structure and Interface by Nitrate in Phosphate-Based Electrolytes for 4.5 V-Class Ni-Rich Batteries.

Phosphate-based electrolyte propels the advanced battery system with high safety. Unfortunately, restricted by poor electrochemical stability, it is difficult to be compatible with advanced lithium metal anodes and Ni-rich cathodes. To alleviate these issues, the study has developed a phosphate-based localized high-concentration electrolyte with a nitrate-driven solvation structure, and the nitrate-derived N-rich inorganic interface shows excellent performance in stabilizing the LiNi0.8Co0.1Mn0.1O2 (NCM811) cathode interface and modulating the lithium deposition morphology on the anode. The results show that the Li|| NCM811 cell has exceptional long-cycle stability of >80% capacity retention after 800 cycles at 4.3 V, 1 C. A more prominent capacity retention rate of 93.3% after 200 cycles can be reached with the high voltage of 4.5 V. While being compatible with the phosphate-based electrolyte with good flame retardancy and the good electrochemical stability of Ni-rich lithium metal battery (LMBs) systems, the present work expands the construction of anion-rich solvation structures, which is expected to promote the development of the high-performance LMBs with safety.

Primary diffuse large B-cell lymphoma of adrenal gland: A case report.

INTRODUCTION: Most adrenal tumors are benign and primary adrenal malignancies are relatively rare. Primary adrenal lymphoma (PAL) is a very rare and highly aggressive malignant tumor with unknown etiology, atypical clinical symptoms, nonspecific imaging manifestations, difficult disease diagnosis and poor prognosis. CASE REPORT: This case report details a 42-year-old woman who was admitted to the hospital with a 1-year-old bilateral adrenal mass and 1-month-old left upper abdominal pain. Enhanced CT of the abdomen showed a right adrenal nodule and a large occupying lesion in the left adrenal region, with a high probability of pheochromocytoma. Intraoperatively, a huge tumor measuring about 12*12*10 cm was found in the left adrenal region, infiltrating the left kidney, spleen and pancreatic tail. Postoperative pathology: lymphocytes were found in the renal capsule and subcapsule, lymphocytes were found in the pancreas; lymphocytes were found in the spleen. Consider a tumor of the lymphohematopoietic system, possibly lymphoma. CONCLUSION: This case demonstrates that primary adrenal diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (PADLBCL) is highly aggressive, has a poor prognosis, is prone to recurrence, has poor therapeutic outcomes, and is difficult to diagnose. Clinicians should consider the possibility of PADLBCL when encountering huge adrenal-occupying lesions and consider chemotherapy before surgery. Reducing the tumor size before surgery is a more favorable therapeutic approach, thus prolonging the patient life and improving the quality of survival.

"Ion-imprinting" strategy towards metal sulfide scavenger enables the highly selective capture of radiocesium.

Highly selective capture of radiocesium is an urgent need for environmental radioactive contamination remediation and spent fuel disposal. Herein, a strategy is proposed for construction of "inorganic ion-imprinted adsorbents" with ion recognition-separation capabilities, and a metal sulfide Cs2.33Ga2.33Sn1.67S8·H2O (FJSM-CGTS) with "imprinting effect" on Cs+ is prepared. We show that the K+ activation product of FJSM-CGTS, Cs0.51K1.82Ga2.33Sn1.67S8·H2O (FJMS-KCGTS), can reach adsorption equilibrium for Cs+ within 5 min, with a maximum adsorption capacity of 246.65 mg·g-1. FJMS-KCGTS overcomes the hindrance of Cs+ adsorption by competing ions and realizes highly selective capture of Cs+ in complex environments. It shows successful cleanup for actual 137Cs-liquid-wastes generated during industrial production with removal rates of over 99%. Ion-exchange column filled with FJMS-KCGTS can efficiently treat 540 mL Cs+-containing solutions (31.995 mg·L-1) and generates only 0.12 mL of solid waste, which enables waste solution volume reduction. Single-crystal structural analysis and density functional theory calculations are used to visualize the "ion-imprinting" process and confirm that the "imprinting effect" originates from the spatially confined effect of the framework. This work clearly reveals radiocesium capture mechanism and structure-function relationships that could inspire the development of efficient inorganic adsorbents for selective recognition and separation of key radionuclides.

Expression and clinical significance of short-chain fatty acids in patients with intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy.

BACKGROUND: Intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy (ICP) is a pregnancy-specific liver condition that typically arises in the middle and late stages of pregnancy. Short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs), prominent metabolites of the gut microbiota, have significant connections with various pregnancy complications, and some SCFAs hold potential for treating such complications. However, the metabolic profile of SCFAs in patients with ICP remains unclear. AIM: To investigate the metabolic profiles and differences in SCFAs present in the maternal and cord blood of patients with ICP and determine the clinical significance of these findings. METHODS: Maternal serum and cord blood samples were collected from both patients with ICP (ICP group) and normal pregnant women (NP group). Targeted metabolomics was used to assess the SCFA levels in these samples. RESULTS: Significant differences in maternal SCFAs were observed between the ICP and NP groups. Most SCFAs exhibited a consistent declining trend in cord blood samples from the ICP group, mirroring the pattern seen in maternal serum. Correlation analysis revealed a positive correlation between maternal serum SCFAs and cord blood SCFAs [r (Pearson) = 0.88, P = 7.93e-95]. In both maternal serum and cord blood, acetic and caproic acids were identified as key metabolites contributing to the differences in SCFAs between the two groups (variable importance for the projection > 1). Receiver operating characteristic analysis demonstrated that multiple SCFAs in maternal blood have excellent diagnostic capabilities for ICP, with caproic acid exhibiting the highest diagnostic efficacy (area under the curve = 0.97). CONCLUSION: Compared with the NP group, significant alterations were observed in the SCFAs of maternal serum and cord blood in the ICP group, although they displayed distinct patterns of change. Furthermore, the SCFA levels in maternal serum and cord blood were significantly positively correlated. Notably, certain maternal serum SCFAs, specifically caproic and acetic acids, demonstrated excellent diagnostic efficiency for ICP.

Comparison of the use of a spiral nasojejunal tube and transendoscopic enteral tubing in washed microbiota transplantation via the mid-gut route.

Background: Methods for washed microbiota transplantation (WMT) through the mid-gut include transendoscopic enteral tubing (TET) and manual spiral nasojejunal tube (SNT) placement have not been studied. Methods: This prospective interventional study was performed at a single centre. Patients were divided into the SNT and mid-gut TET groups based on their conditions and wishes. In the SNT group, an SNT was passively inserted into the stomach, and abdominal X-rays were taken within 24 h to confirm tube placement in the small intestine. In the mid-gut TET group, mid-gut TET was placed in the small intestine for gastroscopy. Data on the clinical efficacy of WMT, intubation time, cost, overall comfort score, adverse reactions, etc., were collected from the two groups. Results: Sixty-three patients were included in the study (SNT group (n = 40) and mid-gut TET group (n = 23)). The clinical efficacy of WMT in the SNT and mid-gut TET groups was 90 % and 95.7 %, respectively (P = 0.644). Compared with the mid-gut TET group, the SNT group showed a shorter operation time (120 s vs. 258 s, P = 0.001) and a lower average cost (641.7 yuan vs. 1702.1 yuan, P = 0.001). There was no significant difference in the overall comfort score or the incidence of common discomfort symptoms between the two groups. Conclusion: The different implantation methods have different advantages; compared with mid-gut TET placement, manual SNT placement provides some benefits.

Reviving Bistable Perception in Patients With Depression by Decreasing the Overestimation of Prior Precision.

Slower perceptual alternations, a notable perceptual effect observed in psychiatric disorders, can be alleviated by antidepressant therapies that affect serotonin levels in the brain. While these phenomena have been well documented, the underlying neurocognitive mechanisms remain to be elucidated. Our study bridges this gap by employing a computational cognitive approach within a Bayesian predictive coding framework to explore these mechanisms in depression. We fitted a prediction error (PE) model to behavioral data from a binocular rivalry task, uncovering that significantly higher initial prior precision and lower PE led to a slower switch rate in patients with depression. Furthermore, serotonin-targeting antidepressant treatments significantly decreased the prior precision and increased PE, both of which were predictive of improvements in the perceptual alternation rate of depression patients. These findings indicated that the substantially slower perception switch rate in patients with depression was caused by the greater reliance on top-down priors and that serotonin treatment's efficacy was in its recalibration of these priors and enhancement of PE. Our study not only elucidates the cognitive underpinnings of depression, but also suggests computational modeling as a potent tool for integrating cognitive science with clinical psychology, advancing our understanding and treatment of cognitive impairments in depression.

Localized High-Concentration Sulfone Electrolytes with High-Voltage Stability and Flame Retardancy for Ni-Rich Lithium Metal Batteries.

The localized high-concentration electrolyte (LHCE) propels the advanced high-voltage battery system. Sulfone-based LHCE is a transformative direction compatible with high energy density and high safety. In this work, the application of lithium bis(trifluoromethanesulphonyl)imide and lithium bis(fluorosulfonyl)imide (LiFSI) in the LHCE system constructed from sulfolane and 1,1,2,2-tetrafluoroethyl-2,2,3,3-tetrafluoropropyl ether (TTE) is investigated. The addition of diluent causes an increase of contact ion pairs and ionic aggregates in the solvation cluster and an acceptable quantity of free solvent molecules. A small amount of LiFSI as an additive can synergistically decompose with TTE on the cathode and participate in the construction of both electrode interfaces. The designed electrolyte helps the Ni-rich system to cycle firmly at a high voltage of 4.5 V. Even with high mass load and lean electrolyte, it can keep a reversible specific capacity of 91.5% after 50 cycles. The constructed sulfone-based electrolyte system exhibits excellent thermal stability far beyond the commercial electrolytes. Further exploration of in-situ gelation has led to a quick conversion of the designed liquid electrolyte to the gel state, accompanied by preserved stability, which provides a direction for the synergistic development of LHCE with gel electrolytes.

KDGene: knowledge graph completion for disease gene prediction using interactional tensor decomposition.

The accurate identification of disease-associated genes is crucial for understanding the molecular mechanisms underlying various diseases. Most current methods focus on constructing biological networks and utilizing machine learning, particularly deep learning, to identify disease genes. However, these methods overlook complex relations among entities in biological knowledge graphs. Such information has been successfully applied in other areas of life science research, demonstrating their effectiveness. Knowledge graph embedding methods can learn the semantic information of different relations within the knowledge graphs. Nonetheless, the performance of existing representation learning techniques, when applied to domain-specific biological data, remains suboptimal. To solve these problems, we construct a biological knowledge graph centered on diseases and genes, and develop an end-to-end knowledge graph completion framework for disease gene prediction using interactional tensor decomposition named KDGene. KDGene incorporates an interaction module that bridges entity and relation embeddings within tensor decomposition, aiming to improve the representation of semantically similar concepts in specific domains and enhance the ability to accurately predict disease genes. Experimental results show that KDGene significantly outperforms state-of-the-art algorithms, whether existing disease gene prediction methods or knowledge graph embedding methods for general domains. Moreover, the comprehensive biological analysis of the predicted results further validates KDGene's capability to accurately identify new candidate genes. This work proposes a scalable knowledge graph completion framework to identify disease candidate genes, from which the results are promising to provide valuable references for further wet experiments. Data and source codes are available at https://github.com/2020MEAI/KDGene.

Interface Engineering of MOF-Derived Co3O4@CNT and CoS2@CNT Anodes with Long Cycle Life and High-Rate Properties in Lithium/Sodium-Ion Batteries.

Metal-organic framework materials can be converted into carbon-based nanoporous materials by pyrolysis, which have a wide range of applications in energy storage. Here, we design special interface engineering to combine the carbon skeleton and nitrogen-doped carbon nanotubes (CNTs) with the transition metal compounds (TMCs) well, which mitigates the bulk effect of the TMCs and improves the conductivity of the electrodes. Zeolitic imidazolate framework-67 is used as a precursor to form a carbon skeleton and a large number of nitrogen-doped CNTs by pyrolysis followed by the in situ formation of Co3O4 and CoS2, and finally, Co3O4@CNTs and CoS2@CNTs are synthesized. The obtained anode electrodes exhibit a long cycle life and high-rate properties. In lithium-ion batteries (LIBs), Co3O4@CNTs have a high capacity of 581 mAh g-1 at a high current of 5 A g-1, and their reversible capacity is still 1037.6 mAh g-1 after 200 cycles at 1 A g-1. In sodium-ion batteries (SIBs), CoS2@CNTs have a capacity of 859.9 mAh g-1 at 0.1 A g-1 and can be retained at 801.2 mAh g-1 after 50 cycles. The unique interface engineering and excellent electrochemical properties make them ideal anode materials for high-rate, long-life LIBs and SIBs.

Fano resonance in molecular junctions of spin crossover complexes.

In this paper, we introduce a novel molecular switch paradigm that integrates spin crossover complexes with the Fano resonance effect. Specifically, by performing density-functional theory calculations, the feasibility of achieving Fano resonance using spin crossover complexes is demonstrated in our designed molecular junctions using the complex {Fe[H2B(pz)2]2[Bp(bipy)]} [pz = 1-pyrazolyl, Bp(bipy) = bis(phenylethynyl)(2,2'-bipyridine)]. It is further revealed that the Fano resonance, particularly the Fano dip, is most prominent in the junction with cobalt tips among all the schemes, together with the spin-filtering effect. Most importantly, this junction of cobalt tips is able to exhibit three distinct conductance states, which are controlled by the modulation of Fano resonance due to the spin-state transition of the complex and the applied gate voltage. Such a molecular switch paradigm holds potential for applications in logic gates, memory units, sensors, thermoelectrics, and beyond.

Interposition of acellular amniotic membrane at the tendon to bone interface would be better for healing than overlaying above the tendon to bone junction in the repair of rotator cuff injury.

PURPOSE: The retear rate of rotator cuff (RC) after surgery is high, and the rapid and functional enthesis regeneration remains a challenge. Whether acellular amniotic membrane (AAM) helps to promote the healing of tendon to bone and which treatment is better are both unclear. The study aims to investigate the effect of AAM on the healing of RC and the best treatment for RC repair. METHODS: Thirty-three Sprague Dawley rats underwent RC transection and repair using microsurgical techniques and were randomly divided into the suturing repair only (SRO) group (n = 11), the AAM overlaying (AOL) group (n = 11), and the AAM interposition (AIP) group (n = 11), respectively. Rats were sacrificed at 4 weeks, then examined by subsequent micro-CT, and evaluated by histologic and biomechanical tests. The statistical analyses of one-way ANOVA or Kruskal-Wallis test were performed using with SPSS 23.0. A p < 0.05 was considered a significant difference. RESULTS: AAM being intervened between tendon and bone (AIP group) or overlaid over tendon to bone junction (AOL group) in a rat model, promoted enthesis regeneration, increased new bone and cartilage generation, and improved collagen arrangement and biomechanical properties in comparison with suturing repair only (SRO group) (AOL vs. SRO, p < 0.001, p = 0.004, p = 0.003; AIP vs. SRO, p < 0.001, p < 0.001, p < 0.001). Compared with the AOL group, the AIP group had better results in micro-CT evaluation, histological score, and biomechanical testing (p = 0 0.039, p = 0.011, p = 0.003, respectively). CONCLUSION: In the RC repair model, AAM enhanced regeneration of the tendon to bone junction. This regeneration was more effective when the AAM was intervened at the tendon to bone interface than overlaid above the tendon to bone junction.

(C6H15N3)1.3(NH4)1.5H1.5In3SnS8: a layered metal sulfide based on supertetrahedral T2 clusters with photoelectric response and ion exchange properties.

A new layered metal sulfide, namely (C6H15N3)1.3(NH4)1.5H1.5In3SnS8 (1, C6H15N3 = N-(2-aminoethyl) piperazine), has been solvothermally synthesized and characterized. Compound 1 crystallizes in the monoclinic space group C2/c. Its structure features a two-dimensional layer of {In3SnS8}n3n- with the (4,4) topology net, which is formed by interlinking supertetrahedral T2 clusters as secondary building units. Band structure calculations revealed that 1 had a band gap of 2.7 eV. The photoelectric response of 1 showed steady and reversible on/off cycles with an "on" state of 121.13 nA cm-2. Moreover, the activation of 1 by replacing the sluggish organic cations with harder K+ ions endowed the material with improved adsorption performances for Sr2+ ions from aqueous solutions.

Astragalus membranaceus Polysaccharide Regulates Small Intestinal Microbes and Activates IL-22 Signal Pathway to Promote Intestinal Stem Cell Regeneration in Aging Mice.

Aging can cause degenerative changes in multiple tissues and organs. Gastrointestinal diseases and dysfunctions are common in the elderly population. In this study, we investigated the effects of Astragalus membranaceus polysaccharide (APS) and Astragalus membranaceus ethanol extract (AEE) on age-related intestinal dysfunction and gut microbiota dysbiosis in naturally aging mice. The energy expenditure and physical activity of 23-month-old C57BL6/J mice were recorded using a metabolic cage system. Pathological changes in the intestine were evaluated using Alcian blue staining. The protein levels of leucine-rich repeats containing G protein-coupled receptor 5 (Lgr5) and Stat3 in the small intestine were determined using immunohistochemistry. The intestinal cell migration distance was assessed using bromodeoxyuridine (BrdU) immunofluorescence staining. The gene transcription levels of intestinal stem cell (ISC) markers and ISC-related signaling pathways were detected using quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR). Microbiota analysis based on 16S rDNA was performed to evaluate the composition of the gut microbiota. APS and AEE improved a series of aging phenotypes in female but not in male aging mice. APS and AEE ameliorate intestinal dysfunction and histopathological changes in aging mice. APS had a more significant anti-aging effect than AEE, particularly on intestinal dysfunction. APS promotes ISC regeneration by activating the IL-22 signaling pathway. Cohousing (CH) experiments further confirmed that APS induced the IL-22 signaling pathway by increasing the abundance of Lactobacillus, thereby promoting the regeneration of ISCs. Our results show that APS may serve as a promising agent for improving age-related intestinal dysfunction.

Epidemiology and Molecular Characterization of Zoonotic Gastrointestinal Protozoal Infection in Zoo Animals in China.

Zoo animals, harboring zoonotic gastrointestinal protozoal diseases, pose potential hazards to the safety of visitors and animal keepers. This study involved the collection and examination of 400 fresh fecal samples from 68 animal species, obtained from five zoos. The aim of this study was to determine the occurrence, genetic characteristics, and zoonotic potential of common gastrointestinal protists. PCR or nested PCR analysis was conducted on these samples to detect four specific parasites: Cryptosporidium spp., Giardia duodenalis, Enterocytozoon bieneusi, and Blastocystis spp. The overall prevalence of Cryptosporidium spp was 0.5% (2/400), G. duodenalis was 6.0% (24/400), Blastocystis spp. was 24.5% (98/400), and E. bieneusi was 13.5% (54/400). G. duodenalis, Blastocystis spp., and E. bieneusi were detected in all of the zoos, exhibiting various zoonotic genotypes or subtypes. G. duodenalis-positive samples exhibited three assemblages (D, E, and B). Blastocystis spp. subtypes (ST1, ST2, ST3, ST4, ST5, ST8, ST10, ST13, and ST14) and one unknown subtype (ST) were identified. A total of 12 genotypes of E. bieneusi were identified, including SC02, BEB6, Type IV, pigEBITS 7, Peru8, PtEb IX, D, CD9, EbpC, SCBB1, CM4, and CM7. Moreover, significant differences in the positive rates among different zoos were observed (p < 0.01). The findings indicate that zoo animals in China are affected by a range of intestinal protozoa infections. Emphasizing molecular identification for specific parasite species or genotypes is crucial for a better understanding of the zoonotic risk. Preventing and controlling parasitic diseases in zoos is not only vital for zoo protection and management but also holds significant public health implications.