The superior allele LEA12OR in wild rice enhances salt tolerance and yield.

Soil salinity has negative impacts on food security and sustainable agriculture. Ion homeostasis, osmotic adjustment and reactive oxygen species scavenging are the main approaches utilized by rice to resist salt stress. Breeding rice cultivars with high salt tolerance (ST) and yield is a significant challenge due to the lack of elite alleles conferring ST. Here, we report that the elite allele LEA12OR, which encodes a late embryogenesis abundant (LEA) protein from the wild rice Oryza rufipogon Griff., improves osmotic adjustment and increases yield under salt stress. Mechanistically, LEA12OR, as the early regulator of the LEA12OR-OsSAPK10-OsbZIP86-OsNCED3 functional module, maintains the kinase stability of OsSAPK10 under salt stress, thereby conferring ST by promoting abscisic acid biosynthesis and accumulation in rice. The superior allele LEA12OR provides a new avenue for improving ST and yield via the application of LEA12OR in current rice through molecular breeding and genome editing.

Alternative splicing of OsGS1;1 affects nitrogen-use efficiency, grain development, and amylose content in rice.

Excessive nitrogen fertilizer application is harmful to the environment and reduces the quality of cereal crops. Maintaining crop yields under low nitrogen (LN) conditions and improving quality are important goals for cereal crop breeding. Although the effects of nitrogen assimilation on crop nitrogen-use efficiency (NUE) have been intensively studied, natural variations of the key assimilation genes underlying grain development and quality are largely unclear. Here, we identified an NUE-associated gene, OsGS1;1, encoding glutamine synthase, through genome-wide association analysis, followed by validation experiments and functional analysis. Fifteen single-nucleotide polymorphisms in the OsGS1;1 region led to alternative splicing that generated two functional transcripts: OsGS1;1a and OsGS1;1b. The elite haplotype of OsGS1;1 showed high OsGS1;1b activity, which improved NUE, affected grain development, and reduced amylose content. The results show that OsGS1;1, which is induced under LN conditions, affects grain formation by regulating sugar metabolism and may provide a new avenue for the breeding of high-yield and high-quality rice (Oryza sativa).

Epigallocatechin-3-gallate and cancer: focus on the role of microRNAs.

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are a group of small non-coding RNAs that affect gene expression. The role of miRNAs in different types of cancers has been published and it was shown that several miRNAs are inappropriately expressed in different cancers. Among the mechanisms that can cause this lack of proper expression are epigenetics, chromosomal changes, polymorphisms or defects in processing proteins. Recent research shows that phytochemicals, including epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG), exert important epigenetic-based anticancer effects such as pro-apoptotic or anti proliferative through miRNA gene silencing. Given that EGCG is able to modulate a variety of cancer-related process i.e., angiogenesis, proliferation, metastasis and apoptosis via targeting various miRNAs such as let-7, miR-16, and miR-210. The discovery of new miRNAs and the differences observed in their expression when exposed to EGCG provides evidence that targeting these miRNAs may be beneficial as a form of treatment. In this review, we aim to provide an overview, based on current knowledge, on how phytochemicals, including epigallocatechin-3-gallate, can be considered as potential miRNAs modulator to improve efficacy of current cancer treatments.

Pan-Cancer Analysis Reveals PPRC1 as a Novel Prognostic Biomarker in Ovarian Cancer and Hepatocellular Carcinoma.

Background and Objectives: As is well understood, peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma cofactor-related 1 (PPRC1) plays a central role in the transcriptional control of the mitochondrial biogenesis and oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS) process, yet its critical role in pan-cancer remains unclear. Materials and Methods: In this paper, the expression levels of PPRC1 in different tumor tissues and corresponding adjacent normal tissues were analyzed based on four databases: The Genotype-Tissue Expression (GTEx), Cancer Cell Line Encyclopedia (CCLE), The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA), and Tumor Immune Estimation Resource (TIMER). Meanwhile, the prognostic value of PPRC1 was inferred using Kaplan-Meier plotter and forest-plot studies. In addition, the correlation between PPRC1 expression and tumor immune cell infiltration, immune checkpoints, and the tumor-stemness index was analyzed using TCGA and TIMER databases. Results: According to our findings, the expression level of PPRC1 was found to be different in different cancer types and there was a positive correlation between PPRC1 expression and prognosis in several tumor types. In addition, PPRC1 expression was found to be significantly correlated with immune cell infiltration, immune checkpoints, and the tumor-stemness index in both ovarian and hepatocellular carcinoma. Conclusions: PPRC1 demonstrated promising potential as a novel biomarker in pan-cancer due to its potential association with immune cell infiltration, expression of immune checkpoints, and the tumor-stemness index.

Robust Heterostructures in Two-Dimensional Perovskites by Threshold-Dominating Anion Exchange.

Heterostructures play an irreplaceable role in high-performance optoelectronic devices. However, the preparation of robust perovskite heterostructures is challenging due to spontaneous interdiffusion of halogen anions. Herein, a vapor-phase anion exchange method universally suitable for the preparation of robust 2D Ruddlesden-Popper perovskite (RPP) heterostructures is developed. A variety of heterostructures are fabricated based on exfoliated RPP microplates (MPs). Depending on the specific organic cations, the heterostructures can be either sharp and uniform, or broad and gradient, suggesting a new anion diffusion behavior different from that in 3D perovskites. Further experimental studies reveal that the lateral transport of anions follows a threshold-dominating mechanism, while the vertical transport can be partially or completely suppressed by organic cations. Subsequently, quantitative investigation of anion diffusion in 2D perovskites is conducted. The lateral diffusion coefficient of halogen anions is calculated to be 6 to 7 orders of magnitude larger than the vertical coefficient, consistent with the observed highly anisotropic anion diffusion. In addition, it is shown that the anion exchange threshold can also enhance the thermodynamic stability of the heterostructures at elevated temperature. These results provide a general method to fabricate robust lateral RPP heterostructures, and offer important insights into anion behavior in low-dimensional perovskites.

Combined amendment reduces soil Cd availability and rice Cd accumulation in three consecutive rice planting seasons.

The scientific application of stabilized materials has been considered an effective method for the in situ remediation of Cd-contaminated soil. This study aimed to investigate the persistence of the effect of a combined amendment of limestone and sepiolite (LS) on soil Cd availability and accumulation in rice grown in a mildly Cd-contaminated paddy field (0.45 mg/kg of Cd) over three consecutive rice seasons. 1125-4500 kg/ha of LS was applied to the soil before the first rice planting season and 562.5-2250 kg/ha of LS was supplemented before the third rice planting season. The application of LS (1125-4500 kg/ha) increased the soil pH by 0.44-1.09, 0.18-0.53, and 0.42-0.68 in the first, second, and third season, respectively, and decreased the soil acid-extractable Cd content by 18.2-36.4%, 17.7-33.5%, and 9.6-17.6%. LS application significantly decreased the Cd contents in the rice tissues. The application of 4500 kg/ha of LS decreased the Cd content in brown rice to below the National Food Limit Standard of 0.2 mg/kg (GB 2762-2017) in the three consecutive rice seasons. However, the effect of LS on the soil-rice system was significantly weakened in the third season. The supplementary application of 562.5-2250 kg/ha of LS further decreased the Cd content in brown rice by 26.1-56.5% and decreased the health risk index by 23.7-43.8%. Therefore, it was recommended to apply 4500 kg/ha of LS in the first season and to supplement 2250 kg/ha of LS in the third season to effectively guarantee the clean production of rice in three consecutive rice seasons.

The correlation between chili pepper consumption and gastric cancer risk: A meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: The correlation between chili pepper intake and gastric cancer (GC) risk has been controversial. We conducted a meta-analysis of 16 studies to provide updated evidence for this uncertainty. METHODS AND STUDY DESIGN: Medline, and China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI) databases were searched to obtain all qualified literature related to pepper consumption and GC incidence before June 2020. Random effects models were adopted to integrate the relative risk of individual studies. The Newcastle-Ottawa Scale (NOS) was used to assess the quality of the literature of each included study. Dose response meta-analysis was implemented through the one-stage robust error meta-regression (REMR) approach. RESULTS: 16 studies (8337 cases) were included in quantitative meta-analysis. The pooled odds ratio (OR) of GC for the highest versus the lowest category of chili consumption were 1.51 (95% confidence interval [CI]=1.02-2.00) for all countries, 2.05 (95% CI=1.15-2.95) for Mexican, 2.03 (95% CI =0.71-3.34) for Colombian, 1.92 (95% CI=1.21-2.64) for Asian and 0.48 (95% CI=0.24-0.72) for other countries. Dose-response meta-analysis showed that there was a positive linear correlation between the risk of GC and the daily frequency of chili consumption. CONCLUSIONS: Significantly increased consumption of chili pepper or capsaicin has the potential to increase the risk of gastric cancer, however, inconsistencies still exist in subgroup analysis between different regions.

Low DEDD expression in breast cancer cells indicates higher sensitivity to the Bcl-2-specific inhibitor ABT-199.

As a proapoptotic death effect domain (DED)-containing protein, DED-containing DNA-binding protein (DEDD) has been demonstrated to inhibit tumor growth, invasion and metastasis in our previous studies. Here, we demonstrated that knockdown of DEDD in MCF-7 cells resulted in characteristic drug resistance to doxorubicin and paclitaxel, and overexpression of DEDD in MDA-MB-231 cells increased their sensitivity to doxorubicin and paclitaxel. The expression levels of DEDD were positively correlated with Bcl-2 in breast cancer cell lines as well as in human breast cancer tissue. Knockdown of DEDD downregulated the transcriptional activity of the bcl-2 gene and shortened the time for Bcl-2 degradation. DEDD interacts with and stabilizes Bcl-2, and breast cancer cells with low DEDD expression were more sensitive to treatment with a BH3 mimetic, ABT-199, than were those with high DEDD expression. In total, our findings highlight a new strategy for treating breast cancer with no/low DEDD expression by targeting Bcl-2 with the BH3 mimetic ABT-199.

Hot-carrier generation from plasmons in an antenna-spacer-mirror nanostructure.

By introducing Au-nanodisk antennas, we conveniently got hot carriers from decay of surface plasmons (SPs) on planar interface in an Au-antennas/TiO2-spacer/Au-mirror (ASM) structure without an additional phase-matching process for SP generation. The presence of hot carriers from SPs is distinguished by opposite photocurrents compared with a similar structure without an Au mirror. Analyzed by extinction spectra and electrodynamics simulations, reflection between an Au nanodisk layer and an Au mirror induces an optical response of cavity mode, which excites SPs on an Au-mirror interface and significantly enhances the light harvesting, thus leading to a relatively high hot-carrier density from SP decay. The peak of incident photon-to-electron conversion efficiencies at different wavelength also well matches the optical response of the structure.

Exploring the 'cold/hot' properties of traditional Chinese medicine by cell temperature measurement.

Context: It is common sense that chewing a mint leaf can cause a cooling feeling, while chewing ginger root will produce a burning feeling. In Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), this phenomenon is referred to as 'cold/hot' properties of herbs. Herein, it is reported that TCM with different "cold/hot" properties have different effects on the variation of cells.Objective: To explore the intrinsic 'cold/hot' properties of TCM from the perspective of cellular and molecular biology.Materials and methods: A375 cells were selected using Cancer Cell Line Encyclopaedia (CCLE) analysis and western blots. Hypaconitine and baicalin were selected by structural similarity analysis from 56 and 140 compounds, respectively. A wireless thermometry system was used to measure cellular temperature change induced by different compounds. Alteration of intracellular calcium influx was investigated by means of calcium imaging.Results: The IC50 values of GSK1016790A, HC067047, hypaconitine, and baicalin for A375 cells are 8.363 nM, 816.4 µM, 286.4 µM and 29.84 µM, respectively. And, 8 µM hypaconitine induced obvious calcium influx while 8 µM baicalin inhibited calcium influx induced by TRPV4 activation. Cellular temperature elevated significantly when treated with GSK1016790A or hypaconitine, while the results were reversed when cells were treated with HC067047 or baicalin.Discussion and conclusions: The changes in cellular temperature are speculated to be caused by the alteration of intracellular calcium influx mediated by TRPV4. In addition, the 'cold/hot' properties of compounds in TCM can be classified by using cellular temperature detection.

Beta-elemene inhibits breast cancer metastasis through blocking pyruvate kinase M2 dimerization and nuclear translocation.

Pyruvate kinase M2 (PKM2), playing a central role in regulating aerobic glycolysis, was considered as a promising target for cancer therapy. However, its role in cancer metastasis is rarely known. Here, we found a tight relationship between PKM2 and breast cancer metastasis, demonstrated by the findings that beta-elemene (ß-elemene), an approved drug for complementary cancer therapy, exerted distinct anti-metastatic activity dependent on PKM2. The results indicated that ß-elemene inhibited breast cancer cell migration, invasion in vitro as well as metastases in vivo. ß-Elemene further inhibited the process of aerobic glycolysis and decreased the utilization of glucose and the production of pyruvate and lactate through suppressing pyruvate kinase activity by modulating the transformation of dimeric and tetrameric forms of PKM2. Further analysis revealed that ß-elemene suppressed aerobic glycolysis by blocking PKM2 nuclear translocation and the expression of EGFR, GLUT1 and LDHA by influencing the expression of importin α5. Furthermore, the effect of ß-elemene on migration, invasion, PKM2 transformation, and nuclear translocation could be reversed in part by fructose-1,6-bisphosphate (FBP) and L-cysteine. Taken together, tetrameric transformation and nuclear translocation of PKM2 are essential for cancer metastasis, and ß-elemene inhibited breast cancer metastasis via blocking aerobic glycolysis mediated by dimeric PKM2 transformation and nuclear translocation, being a promising anti-metastatic agent from natural compounds.

Notoginsenoside R1 (NGR1) Attenuates Chronic Atrophic Gastritis in Rats.

BACKGROUND This study investigated the effect and mechanism of notoginsenoside R1 (NGR1) on chronic atrophic gastritis (CAG) in a rat model. MATERIAL AND METHODS To perform our investigation, a rat model of CAG was established, and then rats were treated with various doses of NGR1. After treatment, hematoxylin-eosin (HE) staining was used for histopathological observation and further scoring. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was used to determine the contents of gastrointestinal hormones, inflammatory factors, gastric mucosal destruction factors, and gastric mucosal-protective factors. Gene and protein expressions were measured using quantitative real-time PCR and Western blot assay, respectively. RESULTS Results indicated that NGR1 relieved rat CAG. NGR1 treatment significantly increased the levels of gastrin (GAS) and somatostatin (SS) and reduced motilin (MTL) in the serum of CAG rats. The serum levels of interleukin (IL)-1ß and IL-6 were significantly reduced by NGR1 treatment in CAG rats in a dose-dependent manner. Additionally, the increased levels of prostaglandin (PG)E2, nitric oxide synthase (NOS), and endothelin (ET) in CAG rats were significantly decreased by NGR1 administration. Moreover, the decreased level of secretory IgA (sIgA) and glutathione (GSH) in rats caused by MNNG was notably increased by NGR1 treatment. No significant changes were found in glutathione disulfide (GSSG) secretion. Finally, we found that the increased Bcl-2 expression and reduced Bax expression in the stomach tissues of rats caused by MNNG were eliminated by NGR1 treatment. CONCLUSIONS NGR1 exerts a protective effect on CAG, and it is a multi-target, multi-linked, comprehensive process.

Probiotics in preventing and treating chemotherapy-induced diarrhea: a meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: To systematically assess the safety and effectiveness of probiotics in preventing and treating chemotherapy-induced diarrhea (CID), so as to provide the evidence-based evidence for clinical practice. METHODS AND STUDY DESIGN: Electronic databases, including EMbase, Cochrane Library, pubMed, CNKI, VIP, CBM, and Wanfang databases, were retrieved to search for the randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of CIDs among patients with malignant tumors treated with probiotics as of March 2019. Later, the Rev Man 5.3 statistical software was employed to extract data and assess the quality of the identified literature for metaanalysis. RESULTS: Finally, 13 RCTs involving a total of 1024 patients were included into the current metaanalysis. Results of this meta-analysis showed that the addition of probiotics to conventional symptomatic treatment could evidently reduce the total diarrhea rate in patients with cancer [RR=0.47, 95% CI (0.35, 0.63), p<0.00001] and grade III-IV diarrhea [RR=0.16, 95% CI (0.05, 0.42), p=0.0008], increase the total effective rate [OR=4.26, 95% CI (2.55, 7.12), p<0.00001], and shorten the duration of diarrhea [MD=-1.92, 95% CI (-1.96, - 1.88), p<0.00001]; meanwhile, the difference was statistically significant. But in patients with grade I-II diarrhea [RR=0.81, 95% CI (0.53, 1.24), p=0.34], the difference was not statistically significant. Besides, none of the enrolled study had reported adverse reactions. CONCLUSIONS: The application of probiotics before or during chemotherapy can effectively prevent the occurrence of CID among cancer patients. Moreover, the combination of probiotics in treating CID can also improve the therapeutic effect on CID, with less adverse events.

Brassinosteroids mediate susceptibility to brown planthopper by integrating with the salicylic acid and jasmonic acid pathways in rice.

Improved knowledge of the interactions between plants and insects will facilitate better insect control in crops. Brassinosteroids (BRs) play a vital role in plant growth, developmental processes, and responses to pathogen infection, but the role of BRs in interactions between plants and insects remain largely unknown. In this study, we characterized a negative role of BRs in rice defense against brown planthopper (BPH, Nilaparvata lugens) and examined its underlying mechanisms. We found that BPH infestation suppressed the BR pathway while successively activating the salicylic acid (SA) and jasmonic acid (JA) pathways. In addition, BR-overproducing mutants and plants treated with 24-epibrassinolide (BL) showed increased susceptibility to BPH, whereas BR-deficient mutants were more resistant than the wild-type. BRs down-regulated the expression of genes related to the SA pathway and reduced SA content while genes related to the JA pathway were up-regulated and JA content increased after BPH infestation. Furthermore, BR-mediated suppression of the SA pathway was impaired both in JA-deficient and JA-insensitive mutants. Our results demonstrate that BRs promote the susceptibility of rice plants to BPH by modulating the SA and JA pathways.

Lactate dehydrogenase is associated with 28-day mortality in patients with sepsis: a retrospective observational study.

BACKGROUND: Sepsis is a major health care problem, which affects millions of people around the world. Glucose metabolic reprogramming of immune cells plays a crucial role during advancement of sepsis. However, the association between glucose metabolic reprogramming and mortality in patients with sepsis is unclear. Lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) catalyzes the last step of glycolysis. Investigating the relationship between LDH and mortality is important to understand the effect of metabolic reprogramming on prognosis of patients with sepsis. METHODS: A total of 192 patients with sepsis were included in our study. Data on characteristics of patients, biochemical variables, and inflammatory mediator were collected. Association between the level of serum LDH and 28-day mortality was also analyzed. The correlations between serum LDH, interleukin-1ß, creatinine, PaO2/FiO2, and lactate were also observed. The association between LDH and the risk of death was further analyzed. Moreover, receiver operating characteristic curve was depicted to compare the accuracy in prediction of LDH and other variables. RESULTS: There were statistic difference in 28-day mortality between elevated LDH group and normal LDH group (P = 0.021). Level of serum LDH was an independent risk factor for death of patients with sepsis (hazard ratio 1.005, 95% confidence interval 1.002-1.007, P = 0.001). There were significant correlations between LDH, interleukin-1ß (r = 0.514, P = 0.000), creatinine (r = 0.368, P = 0.000), PaO2/FiO2 (r = -0.304, P = 0.000), and lactate (r = 0.560, P = 0.000). The receiver operating characteristic curves showed that the area under the LDH curve for prediction for mortality was 0.783. CONCLUSIONS: Serum LDH is probably associated with 28-day mortality in patients with sepsis.

The effect of early goal-directed therapy on mortality in patients with severe sepsis and septic shock: a meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: The Surviving Sepsis Campaign has recommended early goal-directed therapy (EGDT) as an essential strategy to decrease mortality among patients with severe sepsis and septic shock. However, three latest multicenter trials failed to show its benefit in the patients with severe sepsis and septic shock. This article was to evaluate the effect of EGDT on the mortality of patients with severe sepsis and septic shock. METHODS: Relevant studies from PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials were identified from January 1, 2001 to June 13, 2015. With both randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and non-RCTs selected, a meta-analysis on the effects of EGDT on all identified trials was performed. The primary outcome was the inhospital mortality. In subgroup, RCTs and non-RCTs were analyzed, respectively. RESULTS: A total of five RCTs and 10 non-RCTs involving 3285 patients in EGDT group and 3233 patients in the control group were identified. Pooled analyses of all studies showed significant difference in the inhospital mortality between the EGDT group and the control group (risk ratio [RR], 0.84; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.74-0.94; P = 0.003) with substantial heterogeneity (χ2 = 24.93, P = 0.04, I(2) = 44%). In subgroup analysis, there were no significant difference in inhospital mortality between the EGDT group and the control group (RR, 0.95; 95% CI, 0.83-1.10; P = 0.51) with no significant difference in heterogeneity (χ2 = 6.62, P = 0.16, I(2) = 40%) in RCTs. In non-RCTs, EGDT significantly reduced inhospital mortality (RR, 0.75; 95% CI, 0.65-0.88; P = 0.0003) with no significant difference in heterogeneity (χ2 = 11.96, P = 0.22, I(2) = 25%). CONCLUSIONS: This meta-analysis suggests that EGDT can significantly reduce the mortality among patients with severe sepsis and septic shock.

TIBS: a web database to browse gene expression in irritable bowel syndrome.

Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a chronic functional gastrointestinal disorder. Its symptoms include chronic abdominal pain, bloating gas, diarrhea and constipation. Many IBS patients also have psychological symptoms like depression or anxiety. These unpleasant symptoms significantly lower patients׳ quality of life. The prevalence of IBS in Europe and North America is about 10-15% of the population, which makes IBS a disorder with a high social cost. The pathophysiology of IBS is considered to be multifactorial and the exact cause of the disease remains poorly understood. Recently, a genome-wide expression microarray technique has been applied to investigate the possible mechanisms of IBS. However, a user-friendly database that allows scientists without bioinformatics background to query gene expression levels in these data sets and compare gene expression patterns across different tissues has not yet been established. Therefore, we have integrated four public expression microarray data (320 samples) from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) and ArrayExpress databases into an online database called Transcriptome of Irritable Bowel Syndrome (TIBS). The gene expression change in IBS patients compared to healthy volunteers or UC patients in jejunum, sigmoid colon, rectum, and descending colon can be queried by gene symbols. Users can compare gene expression levels of IBS patients across these tissues. Sex difference of gene expression in IBS patients was also shown in the database. The current version of TIBS database contains 42,400 annotated gene probe sets represented on the Affymetrix Human Genome U133 plus 2.0 platform. TIBS will be an invaluable resource for a better understanding of the pathogenesis of IBS at the molecular level and for drug development. The TIBS database is available online at http://www.chengfeng.info/tibs_database.html.

[Effect of Fagopyrum cymosum (Trev.) Meisn alcohol extract on defecation and isolated colon of diarrhea-IBS rats and its mechanism].

OBJECTIVE: To explore the intervention of Fagopyrum cymosum (Trev.) Meisn alcohol extract (FAE) on defecation function and motor functions of isolated colons of diarrhea-predominant irritable bowel syndrome (D-IBS) rats and to study its underlying mechanism. METHODS: The D-IBS rat model was established by neonatal pups maternal separation (NMS) combined with intracolonic infusion of acetic acid (AA). Adult IBS rats were randomly divided into the pre-intervention control group (n = 10, with no gastrogavage), the normal saline control group (n = 10, administered with normal saline by gastrogavage), the pre-treatment model group (n = 8,with no gastrogavage),the normal saline model group (n = 8, administered with normal saline by gastrogavage), the low dose FAE group (n = 8, administered with 6 g/kg FAE by gastrogavage), the high dose FAE group (n = 8, administered with 24 g/kg FAE by gastrogavage), and the Pinaverium Bromide group (n = 8, administered with 0.02 g/kg Pinaverium Bromide by gastrogavage). All medication was performed once daily for 2 weeks. The abdominal withdrawal reflex (AWR) was employed to evaluate the visceral hypersensitivity; their loose and watery stool grade was assessed by Bristol scores for stool consistency; and their fresh feces weight was calculated. In vitro effect of different concentrations of FAE and Pinaverium Bromide (0.02 µg/mL) on spontaneous contraction and spasmodic contraction induced by acetylcholine (Ach) in rats' isolated colon were observed and the influence on the intestinal calcium channel was evaluated. RESULTS: Compared with the pre-intervention control group, the pain pressure threshold and the maximum tolerance pressure decreased significantly in the pre-intervention model group (P < 0.05), and the loose and watery stool grade and fresh feces weight increased drastically (P < 0.01). Compared with the normal saline control group, the pain pressure threshold and the maximum tolerance pressure decreased significantly in the normal saline model group (P < 0.05), and the loose and watery stool grade and fresh feces weight increased markedly (P < 0.01). Compared with the normal saline model group, the pain pressure threshold of 24 g/kg FAE and Pinaverium Bromide group significantly increased (P < 0.05). The loose and watery stool grade and fresh feces weight decreased obviously in the low dose FAE group, the high dose FAE group, and the Pinaverium Bromide group (P < 0.05). FAE (30, 100, 300, 1,000, and 3,000 µg/mL) and Pinaverium Bromide could significantly inhibit spontaneous contraction of isolated intestines (P < 0.05, P < 0.01), and FAE (30, 100, and 300 x 10(-6) g/mL) could remarkably inhibit their spasmodic contraction and contractile tension induced by Ach and Ca2+ respectively (P < 0.05, P < 0.01) in a concentration-dependent manner. Pinaverium Bromide also could significantly inhibit Ach and Ca2+ induced contraction. CONCLUSION: Effective components of FAE improved the defecation function and inhibited enterospasm induced intestinal hyperactivity in IBS model rats via antagonizing calcium channel competitively and inhibiting colonic motility dose-dependently.

Clinical effect of the internal fixation for rib fracture with single utility port complete video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery.

BACKGROUNDS: The internal fixation for rib fracture with single-operation-port (two ports) complete video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) is a promising surgical approach for treating multiple rib fractures. The study aimed to investigate the minimally invasive surgical procedure's clinical effect in treating multiple rib fractures. METHODS: Seventy-three patients with multiple rib fractures were divided into two groups according to surgical procedure. In the study group, 42 patients were operated on with the internal fixation of rib fracture with single-operation-port complete VATS. In the control group, this study performed the open operative internal fixation for rib fracture with traditional thoracotomy on 31 patients. The surgical-related indexes were retrospectively analyzed. These included the operative time, the intraoperative blood loss, the drainage amount of the chest tube, the placement time of the chest tube, the postoperative hospital stay, the incidence of postoperative complications, the imaging efficacy of rib fixation of rib fractures, and visual analog scale of pain scoring (VAS scoring). RESULTS: There was no difference in the operative time between the study and control groups (P = 0.806). The intraoperative blood loss, the chest tube drainage amount, the chest tube placement time, the postoperative hospital stay, and the incidence of postoperative complications in the study group were lower than those in the control group (P < 0.05). There was no significant difference in the imaging efficacy of rib fixation of rib fractures between the two groups (P = 0.806). VAS scores in the study group on the seventh postoperative day were significantly reduced compared with the control group (P = 0.026). CONCLUSION: The internal fixation for rib fractures with single-operation-port complete VATS is a feasible, safe, simple, and minimally invasive surgical procedure to treat multiple rib fractures, which is worthy of clinical application.

Progress in injectable hydrogels for the treatment of incompressible bleeding: an update.

Uncontrollable haemorrhage from deep, noncompressible wounds remains a persistent and intractable challenge, accounting for a very high proportion of deaths in both war and disaster situations. Recently, injectable hydrogels have been increasingly studied as potential haemostatic materials, highlighting their enormous potential for the management of noncompressible haemorrhages. In this review, we summarize haemostatic mechanisms, commonly used clinical haemostatic methods, and the research progress on injectable haemostatic hydrogels. We emphasize the current status of injectable hydrogels as haemostatic materials, including their physical and chemical properties, design strategy, haemostatic mechanisms, and application in various types of wounds. We discuss the advantages and disadvantages of injectable hydrogels as haemostatic materials, as well as the opportunities and challenges involved. Finally, we propose cutting-edge research avenues to address these challenges and opportunities, including the combination of injectable hydrogels with advanced materials and innovative strategies to increase their biocompatibility and tune their degradation profile. Surface modifications for promoting cell adhesion and proliferation, as well as the delivery of growth factors or other biologics for optimal wound healing, are also suggested. We believe that this paper will inform researchers about the current status of the use of injectable haemostatic hydrogels for noncompressible haemorrhage and spark new ideas for those striving to propel this field forward.