Effect of monochromatic light on light adaptation and opsin expression in Ectropis grisescens.

Light has a substantial effect on the behaviour and physiology of nocturnal moths. Ectropis grisescens is a major nocturnal tea pest in China, and light traps are commonly used to control geometrid moths because of their positive phototaxis. However, some moths gather around light traps and enter the light adaptation state, which decreases the efficacy of light traps in controlling this pest. We identified opsin genes and the spectral sensitivities of the photoreceptors of E. grisescens moths. We also determined the effects of several monochromatic lights on opsin gene expression and light adaptation. We detected three types of opsin genes and six spectral sensitive peaks (at 370, 390, 480, 530, 550, and 580 nm). We also observed significant changes in the diurnal rhythm of opsin gene expression under different light conditions. When active males were suddenly exposed to different monochromatic lights, they quickly entered the light adaptation state, and the adaptation time was negatively correlated with the light intensity. Males were most sensitive to 390 nm wavelengths, followed by 544 nm, 457 nm, and 593 nm. Red light (627 nm) did not affect the activity of E. grisescens males but had detectable physiological effects.

Scutellarein induces apoptosis and inhibits proliferation, migration, and invasion in ovarian cancer via inhibition of EZH2/FOXO1 signaling.

Scutellarein, a flavone found in the perennial herb Scutellaria baicalensis, has antitumorigenic activity in multiple human cancers. However, whether scutellarein can attenuate ovarian cancer (OC) is unclear. This study investigated the effects of scutellarein in OC. In vitro cell viability was assessed using MTT assay whereas proliferation was assessed using 5-ethynyl-2'-deoxyuridine and colony formation assays. Cell apoptosis was detected by an Annexin V-fluorescein isothiocyanate/propidium iodide assay. Wound-healing and Transwell assays were used to determine cell migration and invasion. The differential expression of enhancer of zeste homolog 2 (EZH2) and forkhead box protein O1 (FOXO1) was measured by Quantitative real-time PCR and western blot analysis. We found that scutellarein inhibited viability, migration, invasion of A2780 and SKOV-3 cells, and reduced the expression of EZH2 in OC cells. In addition, FOXO1 was downregulated in OC tissues and cells and negatively regulated by EZH2. Also, scutellarein inhibited tumor growth and metastasis in vivo. In conclusion, scutellarein alleviates OC by the regulation of EZH2/FOXO1 signaling.

[Quality evaluation method for Chinese medicine based on color grading].

Traditional identification method is an effective approach to evaluate the quality for Chinese herbal medicine (CHM). Color is one of the important indicators for quality evaluation due to high correlation with quality. Therefore, a new theory of quality control for CHM based on color grading was discussed in this article. The scientific nature of this theory was illustrated by investigating the relation between CHM color, medicinal properties and active compound contents. The effect of origins, collecting time, processing, and storage on the CHM color was also analyzed. To overcome the drawback of the traditional identification method, the novel objective color evaluation methods such as spectrocolorimeter and machine vision technology were reviewed, including the application, advantages and disadvantages in Chinese medicine field, and the significance of color sense digitalization was illustrated finally.

Micro-electro-mechanical systems/near-infrared validation of different sampling modes and sample sets coupled with multiple models.

The aim of the present study was to demonstrate the reliability of micro-electro-mechanical systems/near-infrared technology by investigating analytical models of two modes of sampling (integrating sphere and fiber optic probe modes) and different sample sets. Baicalin in Yinhuang tablets was used as an example, and the experimental procedure included the optimization of spectral pretreatments, selection of wavelength regions using interval partial least squares, moving window partial least squares, and validation of the method using an accuracy profile. The results demonstrated that models that use the integrating sphere mode are better than those that use fiber optic probe modes. Spectra that use fiber optic probe modes tend to be more susceptible to interference information because the intensity of the incident light on a fiber optic probe mode is significantly weaker than that on an integrating sphere mode. According to the test set validation result of the method parameters, such as accuracy, precision, risk, and linearity, the selection of variables was found to make no significant difference to the performance of the full spectral model. The performance of the models whose sample sets ranged widely in concentration (i.e., 1-4 %) was found to be better than that of models whose samples had relatively narrow ranges (i.e., 1-2 %). The establishment and validation of this method can be used to clarify the analytical guideline in Chinese herbal medicine about two sampling modes and different sample sets in the micro-electro-mechanical systems/near-infrared technique.

[Research on NIR-CI parameters optimization of chlorpheniramine maleate tablets based on binary image and statistical measurement].

The optimization method was established to investigate the effect of near infrared chemical imaging (NIR-CI) detection parameters on hyperspectral data quality. In order to optimize the detection parameters, chlorpheniramine maleate (CPM) tablets were chosen as examples and the L9(3(4)) orthogonal-test design was adopted to research the effects of spectral resolution, spatial resolution, scan times and scan height. Binary image coupled with statistical measurement was proposed to quantitatively analyze hyperspectral data and determine the content of CPM on the tablet surface. High-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) was used as reference method for accurate CPM determination. The absolute value of the difference between CPM con- tents obtained from NIR-CI and HPLC was chosen as index. The result demonstrated that the optimum parameters for acquiring hyperspectral data were: 25 µm x 25 µm (spatial resolution), 5340 (scan height, the value of Z, precise focus), 16 cm(-1) (spectral resolution) and 16 (scan times). The influence of scan height on hyperspectral data was firstly investigated. The optimized parameters could be applied to CPM tablets and other drugs for NIR-CI data acquisition and methodology establishment.

Anti-hyperuricemia effect of Clerodendranthus spicatus: a molecular biology study combined with metabolomics.

Hyperuricemia (HUA), a metabolic disease caused by excessive production or decreased excretion of uric acid (UA), has been reported to be closely associated with a variety of UA transporters. Clerodendranthus spicatus (C. spicatus) is an herbal widely used in China for the treatment of HUA. However, the mechanism has not been clarified. Here, the rat model of HUA was induced via 10% fructose. The levels of biochemical indicators, including UA, xanthine oxidase (XOD), adenosine deaminase (ADA), blood urea nitrogen (BUN), and creatinine (Cre), were measured. Western blotting was applied to explore its effect on renal UA transporters, such as urate transporter1 (URAT1), glucose transporter 9 (GLUT9), and ATP-binding cassette super-family G member 2 (ABCG2). Furthermore, the effect of C. spicatus on plasma metabolites was identified by metabolomics. Our results showed that C. spicatus could significantly reduce the serum levels of UA, XOD, ADA and Cre, and improve the renal pathological changes in HUA rats. Meanwhile, C. spicatus significantly inhibited the expression of URAT1 and GLUT9, while increased the expression of ABCG2 in a dose-dependent manner. Metabolomics showed that 13 components, including 1-Palmitoyl-2-Arachidonoyl-sn-glycero-3-PE, Tyr-Leu and N-cis-15-Tetracosenoyl-C18-sphingosine, were identified as potential biomarkers for the UA-lowering effect of C. spicatus. In addition, pathway enrichment analysis revealed that arginine biosynthesis, biosynthesis of amino acids, pyrimidine metabolism and other metabolic pathways might be involved in the protection of C. spicatus against HUA. This study is the first to explore the mechanism of anti-HUA of C. spicatus through molecular biology and metabolomics analysis, which provides new ideas for the treatment of HUA.

Efficacy evaluation and metabolomics analysis of Huanglian Jiedu decoction in combination with donepezil for Alzheimer's disease treatment.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a progressive disease with continuous brain changes and has caused a severe burden on families and society. Huanglian Jiedu Decoction (HLJD) is a classic traditional Chinese medicine formula that can improve AD animals' cognitive impairment. This study recruited 50 AD patients who were divided into two groups, one receiving donepezil (DON) treatment and the other receiving DON + HLJD treatment for 3 months. The curative effect, inflammatory and oxidative stress levels were analyzed. The PES-D/11, MMSE, and ADL scales were used to evaluate traditional Chinese medicine syndrome elements, cognitive function, mental state, and life ability. There were no significant differences between the two groups in baseline characteristics and vital sign indicators. After drug treatment, the results showed that AD patients with HLJD combined with DON treatment didn't increase the adverse effects and had good compliance. HLJD combined with DON could improve the disease syndrome, making the differences in PES-D/11, MMSE, and ADL scores before and after the intervention larger. Furthermore, both DON and DON+HLJD treatment inhibited the levels of IL-6, IL-1ß, TNF-α, and MDA, raised SOD level, and HLJD enhances the inhibitory effect of DON on inflammation and oxidative stress. IL-6, IL-1ß, TNF-α, and MDA levels were significantly correlated with curative effect. Moreover, this study found 107 (206) up-regulated metabolites and 1430 (145) down-regulated metabolites in urine (serum) and conducted differential metabolite screening and correlation analysis suggesting that HLJD may interfere with oxidative stress and inflammation in AD by regulating lipid metabolism and glutamic acid metabolism. Arachidonic acid, diaminopimelic acid, and 1-Aminocyclopropanecarboxylic acid may play an important role in HLJD to improve AD.

Decoding psychosis: from national genome project to national brain project.

The mind has puzzled humans for centuries, and its disorders, such as psychoses, have caused tremendous difficulties. However, relatively recent biotechnological breakthroughs, such as DNA technology and neuroimaging, have empowered scientists to explore the more fundamental aspects of psychosis. From searching for psychosis-causing genes to imaging the depths of the brain, scientists worldwide seek novel methods to understand the mind and the causes of its disorders. This article will briefly review the history of understanding and managing psychosis and the main findings of modern genetic research and then attempt to stimulate thought for decoding the biological mechanisms of psychosis in the present era of brain science.

Post-hoc power analysis: a conceptually valid approach for power based on observed study data.

Power analysis is a key component of planning prospective studies such as clinical trials. However, some journals in biomedical and psychosocial sciences request power analysis for data already collected and analysed before accepting manuscripts for publication. Many have raised concerns about the conceptual basis for such post-hoc power analyses. More recently, Zhang et al showed by using simulation studies that such power analyses do not indicate true power for detecting statistical significance since post-hoc power estimates vary in the range of practical interests and can be very different from the true power. On the other hand, journals' request for information about the reliability of statistical findings in a manuscript due to small sample sizes is justified since the sample size plays an important role in the reproducibility of statistical findings. The problem is the wording of the journals' request, as the current power analysis paradigm is not designed to address journals' concerns about the reliability of the statistical findings. In this paper, we propose an alternate formulation of power analysis to provide a conceptually valid approach to the journals' wrongly worded but practically significant concern.

A rapid analysis method of safflower (Carthamus tinctorius L.) using combination of computer vision and near-infrared.

The quality of safflower (Carthamus tinctorius L.) in the market is uneven due to the problems of dyeing and adulteration of safflower, and there is no perfect standard for the classification of quality grade of safflower at present. In this study, computer vision (CV) and near-infrared (NIR) were combined to realize the rapid and nondestructive analysis of safflower. First, the partial least squares discrimination analysis (PLS-DA) model was used to qualitatively identify the dyed safflower from 150 samples. Then the partial least squares (PLS) model was used for quantitative analysis of the hydroxy safflower yellow pigment A (HSYA) and water extract of undyed safflower. Herein, the discrimination rate of PLS-DA model reached 100%, and the residual predictive deviation (RPD) values of the PLS models for HSYA and water extract were 2.5046 and 5.6195, respectively. It indicated that the rapid analysis method combining CV and NIR was reliable, and its results can provide important reference for the formulation of safflower quality classification standards in the market.

Guidance for use of weights: an analysis of different types of weights and their implications when using SAS PROCs.

SAS and other popular statistical packages provide support for survey data with sampling weights. For example, PROC MEANS and PROC LOGISTIC in SAS have their counterparts PROC SURVEYMEANS and PROC SURVEYLOGISTIC to facilitate analysis of data from complex survey studies. On the other hand, PROC MEANS and many other classic SAS procedures also provide an option for including weights and yield identical point estimates, but different standard errors (SEs), as their corresponding survey procedures. This paper takes an in-depth look at different types of weights and provides guidance on use of different SAS procedures.

Relationship between Omnibus and Post-hoc Tests: An Investigation of performance of the F test in ANOVA.

Comparison of groups is a common statistical test in many biomedical and psychosocial research studies. When there are more than two groups, one first performs an omnibus test for an overall difference across the groups. If this null is rejected, one then proceeds to the next step of post-hoc pairwise group comparisons to determine sources of difference. Otherwise, one stops and declares no group difference. A common belief is that if the omnibus test is significant, there must exist at least two groups that are significantly different and vice versa. Thus, when the omnibus test is significant, but no post-hoc between-group comparison shows significant difference, one is bewildered at what is going on and wondering how to interpret the results. At the end of the spectrum, when the omnibus test is not significant, one wonders if all post-hoc tests will be non-significant as well so that stopping after a nonsignificant omnibus test will not lead to any missed opportunity of finding group difference. In this report, we investigate this perplexing phenomenon and discuss how to interpret such results.

Investigation of the distributional homogeneity on chlorpheniramine maleate tablets using NIR-CI.

Homogeneity is the basic element of pharmaceutical analysis. Distributional Homogeneity Index (DHI) was proposed to assess the distributional homogeneity of commercial chlorpheniramine maleate (CPM) tablets. Furthermore, the divergence value of DHI value from expectation DHI (value = 1) was calculated to obtain the CPM distributional homogeneity. The distribution of commercial CPM tablets from six brands was successfully visualized using near infrared chemical imaging (NIR-CI) coupled with characteristic wavenumber method and binary image. Besides, content homogeneity of CPM was obtained through calculating the proportion of white region in the binary image. The result demonstrated that the distributional homogeneity of brand 4 was to be the best among all the brands, following by brand 2, brand 3, brand 5, brand 6 and brand 1. Furthermore, the sequence of the content uniformity was different from the distributional homogeneity, which demonstrated that content uniformity could not represent the distributional homogeneity. This work was a significant method guideline to assess the distributional homogeneity in pharmaceutical field.

Executive Function Features in Drug-naive Children with Oppositional Defiant Disorder.

BACKGROUND: Oppositional defiant disorder (ODD) that is characterized by markedly defiant, disobedient, and disruptive behavior in younger children has been regarded as disruptive behavior disorder (DBD), together with conduct disorder (CD). However, in contrast to CD, ODD does not include severe aggressive or antisocial behavior. AIM: This study aimed to examine executive function (EF) features of children with oppositional defiant disorder (ODD). METHODS: Cross sectional design was used in this study. The EF of children with ODD and pure attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) were compared with children without a psychiatric disorder, using the Stroop Color-Word Tests A and B, Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children (Fourth Edition; WISC-IV), Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST), and Cambridge Neuropsychological Test Automated Battery (CANTAB) corrected for age. Logistic regression analysis was conducted to identify risk factors for EF deficits characteristic of ODD and ADHD. RESULTS: The ODD group exhibited significantly lower scores in both Stroop Color-Word Tests, the backwards digital span of the WISC-IV, and the categories completed and perseverative responses of the WCST, and significantly higher scores in spatial working memory (SWM) between errors, and the strategy in SWM of the CANTAB compared with the control group. When the ODD group was designated as 1 and the ADHD group was designated as 0, digital span (X1) fit the regression equation very well. CONCLUSIONS: Children with ODD perform substantially worse in EF tasks. Responsive inhibition appears to be uniquely associated with ODD development, while responsive inhibition and working memory appear to be associated with ADHD.

The Differences and Similarities Between Two-Sample T-Test and Paired T-Test.

In clinical research, comparisons of the results from experimental and control groups are often encountered. The two-sample t-test (also called independent samples t-test) and the paired t-test are probably the most widely used tests in statistics for the comparison of mean values between two samples. However, confusion exists with regard to the use of the two test methods, resulting in their inappropriate use. In this paper, we discuss the differences and similarities between these two t-tests. Three examples are used to illustrate the calculation procedures of the two-sample t-test and paired t-test.

PAT: From Western solid dosage forms to Chinese materia medica preparations using NIR-CI.

Near-infrared chemical imaging (NIR-CI) is an emerging technology that combines traditional near-infrared spectroscopy with chemical imaging. Therefore, NIR-CI can extract spectral information from pharmaceutical products and simultaneously visualize the spatial distribution of chemical components. The rapid and non-destructive features of NIR-CI make it an attractive process analytical technology (PAT) for identifying and monitoring critical control parameters during the pharmaceutical manufacturing process. This review mainly focuses on the pharmaceutical applications of NIR-CI in each unit operation during the manufacturing processes, from the Western solid dosage forms to the Chinese materia medica preparations. Finally, future applications of chemical imaging in the pharmaceutical industry are discussed.