Immunomodulatory Mechanisms of Tea Leaf Polysaccharide in Mice with Cyclophosphamide-Induced Immunosuppression Based on Gut Flora and Metabolomics.

Tea polysaccharides (TPSs) are receiving increasing attention because of their diverse pharmacological and biological activities. Here, we explored the immunoregulatory mechanisms of TPSs from fresh tea leaves in a mouse model of cyclophosphamide (CTX)-induced immunosuppression in terms of gut microbiota and metabolites. We observed that TPSs significantly increased the body weight and alleviated CTX-induced thymus atrophy in the immunosuppressed mice; they also increased the plasma levels of immunoglobulins A and M, interleukin (IL) 1ß, IL-6, inducible nitric oxide synthase, and tumor necrosis factor α. Furthermore, we conducted 16S rDNA sequencing of cecal contents, resulting in the acquisition of 5008 high-quality bacterial 16S rDNA gene reads from the sequencing of mouse fecal samples. By analyzing the data, we found that TPSs regulated the gut microbiota structure and diversity and alleviated the CTX-induced dysregulation of gut microbiota. The colonic contents of mice were subjected to analysis using the UPLC-Q-TOF/MS/MS technique for the purpose of untargeted metabolomics. In the course of our metabolite identification analysis, we identified a total of 2685 metabolites in positive ion mode and 1655 metabolites in negative ion mode. The analysis of these metabolites indicated that TPSs improved CTX-induced metabolic disorders by regulating the levels of metabolites related to tryptophan, arginine, and proline metabolism. In conclusion, TPSs can alleviate CTX-induced immunosuppression by regulating the structural composition of gut microbiota, indicating the applicability of TPSs as novel innate immune modulators in health foods or medicines.

Sleep disorder experienced by healthcare nurses after terminating Zero-COVID-19 policy.

OBJECTIVE: Medical staff, especially nurses, suffered great anxiety and stress from the COVID-19 pandemic, which negatively affected their sleep quality. In this study, we aimed to analyze the sleep quality of nursing staff after terminating the Zero-COVID-19 policy in China. METHODS: 506 participants were involved in our study. The Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) was used to evaluate the sleep status of the participants. Binary regression was performed to evaluate the impact factors related to sleep difficulty. RESULTS: The majority of participants (96.44%) suffered from sleep disturbances. There were significant differences in age, education level and front-line activity between participants with good sleep quality and sleep difficulty. Younger age (16-25 years old) was independently associated with less sleep difficulty, while front-line activity was independently associated with severe sleep difficulty. CONCLUSION: Sleep disorder was very common among nurses after ending the Zero-COVID-19 policy in China. More front-line nurses suffered severe sleep difficulty in particular, which should be worthy of attention.

In Vitro Characterization of Polysaccharides from Fresh Tea Leaves in Simulated Gastrointestinal Digestion and Gut Microbiome Fermentation.

Tea plants have a long cultivation history in the world, but there are few studies on polysaccharides from fresh tea leaves. In this study, tea polysaccharides (TPSs) were isolated from fresh tea leaves. Then, we investigated the characteristics of TPSs during in vitro simulated digestion and fermentation; moreover, the effects of TPSs on gut microbiota were explored. The results revealed that saliva did not significantly affect TPSs' molecular weight, monosaccharide composition, and reducing sugar content, indicating that TPSs cannot be digested in the oral cavity. However, TPSs were partially decomposed in the gastrointestinal tract after gastric and intestinal digestion, resulting in the release of a small amount of free glucose monosaccharides. Our in vitro fermentation experiments demonstrated that TPSs are degraded by gut microbiota, leading to short-chain fatty acid (SCFA) production and pH reduction. Moreover, TPSs increased the abundance of Bacteroides, Lactobacillus, and Bifidobacterium but reduced that of Escherichia, Shigella, and Enterococcus, demonstrating that TPSs can regulate the gut microbiome. In conclusion, TPSs are partially decomposed by gut microbiota, resulting in the production of SCFAs and the regulation of gut microbiota composition and function. Therefore, TPSs may be used to develop a prebiotic supplement to regulate the gut microbiome and improve host health.

Remediation effect and mechanism of low-As-accumulating maize and peanut intercropping for safe-utilization of As-contaminated soil.

Phytoremediation by intercropping is a potential method to realize both production and remediation. Maize and peanut are the main crops planted in arsenic(As) contaminated areas in south China and vulnerable to As pollution. Experiments were conducted on arsenic-polluted soil with low As-accumulating maize monoculture (M), peanut monoculture (P), and intercropping with different distances between the maize and peanut (0.2 m, 0.35 m, and 0.5 m, recorded as MP0.2, MP0.35, and MP0.5, respectively). The results indicated that the As content in the maize grains and peanut lipids in the intercropping system decreased significantly, meeting the food safety standard of China (GB 2762-2017). Moreover, the land equivalent ratio (LER) and heavy metal removal equivalence ratio (MRER) of all intercropping treatments were greater than 1, indicating that this intercropping agrosystem has the advantage of production and arsenic removal, among which the yield and LER of MP0.35 treatment were the highest. Additionally, the bioconcentration factors (BCF) and translocation factor (TF) of MP0.2 increased by 117.95% and 16.89%, respectively, indicating that the root interaction affected the absorption of As in soil by crops. This study preliminarily demonstrated the feasibility of this intercropping system to safely use and remedy arsenic-contaminated farmland during production.

Phytoremediation by intercropping is a potential method to realize both production and remediation. Maize and peanuts are the main crops planted in As-contaminated areas and easily polluted by As. This study preliminarily demonstrated the feasibility of this intercropping system to safely use and remedy arsenic-contaminated farmland during production.

Dose-dependent inhibitory effects of glyphosate on invasive Pomacea canaliculata reproductive and developmental growth under oxidative deposition.

Glyphosate (GLY) is the most widely used herbicide worldwide, and its effects on animals and plants have attracted increasing attention. In this study, we explored the following: (1) the effects of multigenerational chronic exposure to GLY and H2O2, alone or in combination, on the egg hatching rate and individual morphology of Pomacea canaliculata; and (2) the effects of short-term chronic exposure to GLY and H2O2, alone or in combination, on the reproductive system of P. canaliculata. The results showed that H2O2 and GLY exposure had distinct inhibitory effects on the hatching rate and individual growth indices with a substantial dose effect, and the F1 generation had the lowest resistance. In addition, with the prolongation of exposure time, the ovarian tissue was damaged, and the fecundity decreased; however, the snails could still lay eggs. In conclusion, these results suggest that P. canaliculata can tolerate low concentrations of pollution and in addition to drug dosage, the control should focus on two time points, the juvenile and early stage of spawning.

Novel Side-Chain Type Sulfonated Poly(phenylquinoxaline) Proton Exchange Membranes for Direct Methanol Fuel Cells.

Side-chain type sulfonated poly(phenylquinoxaline) (SPPQ)-based proton exchange membranes (PEMs) with different ionic exchange capacity (IEC) were successfully synthesized by copolymerization from 4,4'-bis (2-diphenyletherethylenedione) diphenyl ether, 4,4'-bis (2-phenylethylenedione) diphenyl ether and 3,3',4,4'-tetraaminobiphenyl, and post-sulfonation process. The sulfonic acid groups were precisely grafted onto the p-position of phenoxy groups in the side chain of PPQ after the convenient condition of the post-sulfonation process, which was confirmed by 1H NMR spectra and FTIR. The sulfonic acid groups of side-chain type SPPQ degraded at around 325 °C, and their maximum stress was higher than 47 MPa, indicating great thermal and mechanical stability. The water uptake increased with the increasing IEC and temperature. The size change in their plane direction was shown to be lower than 6%, indicating the stability of membrane electrode assembly. The SPPQ PEMs displayed higher proton conductivity than that of main chain. In the single cell test, the maximum power density of side-chain type SPPQ-5 was 63.8 mW cm-2 at 20 wt% methanol solution and O2 at 60 °C, which is largely higher than 18.4 mW cm-2 of NR212 under the same conditions. The SPPQ PEMs showed high performance (62.8 mW cm-2) even when the methanol concentration was as high as 30 wt%.

An CuInS2 photocathode for the sensitive photoelectrochemical determination of microRNA-21 based on DNA-protein interaction and exonuclease III assisted target recycling amplification.

A photocathode is described for the determination of microRNA-21 by using CuInS2 as an active photocathode material. Exonuclease III assisted target recycling amplification was employed to enhance the detection sensitivity. The TATA-binding protein (TBP) was applied to enhance steric hindrance which decreases the photoelectrochemical intensity. This strategy is designed by combining the anti-interference photocathode material, enzyme assisted target recycling amplification and TBP induced signal off, showing remarkable amplification efficiency. Under the optimized conditions, the detection limit for microRNA-21 is as low as 0.47 fM, and a linear range was got from 1.0 × 10-15 M to 1.0 × 10-6 M. Graphical abstract Schematic representation of sensitive photoelectrochemical detection of microRNA-21.CuInS2 is used as an active photocathode material. Combined Exonuclease III assisted target recycling amplification and TATA-binding protein decreased of photoelectrochemical intensity, the detection limit was 0.47 fM with good selectivity. (miR-21: microRNA-21; CS: chitosan).

High expression of CRAM correlates with poor prognosis in patients with cervical carcinoma.

AIMS: Atypical chemokine receptors (ACRs) have been reported to scavenge or alter the localization of their chemokine ligands. However, CRAM, a newly identified ACR member, is lack of ligand scavenging properties. The present study was to investigate the clinical significance of CRAM in cervical carcinoma. METHODS: The expression of CRAM in primary cervical cancer and paired normal tissues from adjacent regions was examined using Real time PCR. Moreover, CRAM protein expression was analyzed in 272 cervical specimens including 50 normal cervical tissues, 40 cases of carcinoma in situ of cervix (CIS), and 182 cases of cervical cancer by immunohistochemistry. RESULTS: Real time PCR showed that the expression level of CRAM was markedly higher in cervical cancer than that in normal cervical tissues. The expression rate of CRAM in normal cervical tissues, CIS, and cervical cancer increased gradually (p < 0.01). In addition, the expression level of CCL19 was positively associated with that of CRAM (p < 0.05). Moreover, high expression level of CRAM was correlated with lymph node metastasis and histological subtype. In multivariate Cox regression analysis, high expression level of CRAM was a negative indicator for both overall (p = 0.028) and recurrence-free survival (p = 0.010). CONCLUSION: The present study suggested that CRAM could be a clinical prognostic marker for patients with cervical cancer and might be a potential therapeutic target for cervical cancer. Our data extended previous research on the predictive value of ACRs.

Atypical chemokine receptors predict lymph node metastasis and prognosis in patients with cervical squamous cell cancer.

OBJECTIVE: Atypical chemokine receptors (ACRs), including CCX-CKR, DARC, and D6, have been reported to be involved in cancer invasion and metastasis. The objective of this study was to investigate the prognostic importance of ACRs in patients with cervical squamous cell carcinoma (CSCC). METHODS: The expression of three ACRs was investigated by immunohistochemical (IHC) examination in a total of 317 cervical specimens including 40 normal cervical tissues, 50 cases of carcinoma in situ of cervix (CIS), and 227 cases of CSCC by immunohistochemistry. RESULTS: The expression rate of DARC and CCX-CKR in CSCC, CIS, and normal cervix increased gradually (p<0.01). D6 expression is decreased in CSCC compared to either in CIS or in normal cervix (p<0.05). In addition, the expression of CCL2 and CCL19 was inversely associated with ACR expression (p<0.05), while that of LCA was positively correlated with ACR expression (p<0.05). Moreover, DARC expression, CCX-CKR expression, and ACR coexpression were negatively correlated with lymph node metastasis (P<0.01). D6 expression and ACR coexpression were negatively related to tumor size (p=0.018) and recurrence (p=0.028). In multivariate Cox regression analysis, CCX-CKR expression was a positive indicator for overall survival (p=0.008), and D6 expression was an independent predictor of both overall and recurrence-free survival (p=0.041) in CSCC. CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that the loss of ACRs may play important roles in the tumorigenesis and migration of cervical cancer. ACR expression may be considered as prognostic markers in patients with CSCC.

Primary peritoneal serous carcinoma: a clinicopathological and immunohistochemical study of six cases.

AIMS: Primary peritoneal serous carcinoma (PPSC) is an unusual neoplasm that has not been properly characterized. To better define the clinicopathological and immunohistochemical features of PPSC, we present 6 such cases. METHODS: The 6 patients consisted of one man and 5 women, ranging in age from 45 and 75 years. None of the patients had any history or clinical evidence of tumor elsewhere. The immunohistochemical profile was examined using antibodies against ß-catenin, E-cadherin, wnt5a, EGFR, VEGF, vimentin, Ki67, and P53. RESULTS: Of all the 6 PPSC cases, 5 cases presented stage IIIC and 1 case presented stage IV. Microscopically, 5 cases were poorly differentiated and 1 was moderately differentiated. All cases showed positive staining for ß-catenin, E-cadherin, vimentin, VEGF, P53, and Ki67, 4 cases expressed EGFR, and all cases were consistently negative for wnt5a. CONCLUSIONS: We described 6 cases of PPSC with clinicopathological and immunohistochemical features. The findings provide basic knowledge of PPSC.