Identification of overlay differentially expressed genes in both rats and goats with blast lung injury through comparative transcriptomics.

PURPOSE: To identify the potential target genes of blast lung injury (BLI) for the diagnosis and treatment. METHODS: This is an experimental study. The BLI models in rats and goats were established by conducting a fuel-air explosive power test in an unobstructed environment, which was subsequently validated through hematoxylin-eosin staining. Transcriptome sequencing was performed on lung tissues from both goats and rats. Differentially expressed genes were identified using the criteria of q ≤ 0.05 and |log2 fold change| ≥ 1. Following that, enrichment analyses were conducted for gene ontology and the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes pathways. The potential target genes were further confirmed through quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction and enzyme linked immunosorbent assay. RESULTS: Observations through microscopy unveiled the presence of reddish edema fluid, erythrocytes, and instances of focal or patchy bleeding within the alveolar cavity. Transcriptome sequencing analysis identified a total of 83 differentially expressed genes in both rats and goats. Notably, 49 genes exhibited a consistent expression pattern, with 38 genes displaying up-regulation and 11 genes demonstrating down-regulation. Enrichment analysis highlighted the potential involvement of the interleukin-17 signaling pathway and vascular smooth muscle contraction pathway in the underlying mechanism of BLI. Furthermore, the experimental findings in both goats and rats demonstrated a strong association between BLI and several key genes, including anterior gradient 2, ankyrin repeat domain 65, bactericidal/permeability-increasing fold containing family A member 1, bactericidal/permeability-increasing fold containing family B member 1, and keratin 4, which exhibited up-regulation. CONCLUSIONS: Anterior gradient 2, ankyrin repeat domain 65, bactericidal/permeability-increasing fold containing family A member 1, bactericidal/permeability-increasing fold containing family B member 1, and keratin 4 hold potential as target genes for the prognosis, diagnosis, and treatment of BLI.

I/O Efficient Early Bursting Cohesive Subgraph Discovery in Massive Temporal Networks.

Temporal networks are an effective way to encode temporal information into graph data losslessly. Finding the bursting cohesive subgraph (BCS), which accumulates its cohesiveness at the fastest rate, is an important problem in temporal networks. The BCS has a large number of applications, such as representing emergency events in social media, traffic congestion in road networks and epidemic outbreak in communities. Nevertheless, existing methods demand the BCS lasting for a time interval, which neglects the timeliness of the BCS. In this paper, we design an early bursting cohesive subgraph (EBCS) model based on the k-core to enable identifying the burstiness as soon as possible. To find the EBCS, we first construct a time weight graph (TWG) to measure the bursting level by integrating the topological and temporal information. Then, we propose a global search algorithm, called GS-EBCS, which can find the exact EBCS by iteratively removing nodes from the TWG. Further, we propose a local search algorithm, named LS-EBCS, to find the EBCS by first expanding from a seed node until obtaining a candidate k-core and then refining the k-core to the result subgraph in an optimal time complexity. Subsequently, considering the situation that the massive temporal networks cannot be completely put into the memory, we first design an I/O method to build the TWG and then develop I/O efficient global search and local search algorithms, namely I/O-GS and I/O-LS respectively, to find the EBCS under the semi-external model. Extensive experiments, conducted on four real temporal networks, demonstrate the efficiency and effectiveness of our proposed algorithms. For example, on the DBLP dataset, I/O-LS and LS-EBCS have comparable running time, while the maximum memory usage of I/O-LS is only 6.5 MB, which is much smaller than that of LS-EBCS taking 308.7 MB. Supplementary Information: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s11390-022-2367-3.

Difluoroisoxazolacetophenone: A Difluoroalkylation Reagent for Organocatalytic Vinylogous Nitroaldol Reactions of 1,2-Diketones.

Difluoroisoxazolacetophenone (DFIO) is developed as a new difluoroalkylation reagent that can be easily prepared from inexpensive starting materials. In situ remote C-C bond cleavage of DFIO affords γ,γ-difluoroisoxazole nitronate that undergoes base-catalyzed vinylogous nitroaldol additions to isatins, benzothiophene-2,3-dione, unsaturated-α-ketoesters, and cyclic 1,2-diketones. This organocatalytic debenzoate vinylogous nitroaldol reaction provides a new and mild approach for the preparation of various difluoroisoxazole-substituted 3-hydroxy-2-oxindoles.

Global gene expression profiling of blast lung injury of goats exposed to shock wave.

PURPOSE: Blast lung injury (BLI) is the most common damage resulted from explosion-derived shock wave in military, terrorism and industrial accidents. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying BLI induced by shock wave are still unclear. METHODS: In this study, a goat BLI model was established by a fuel air explosive power. The key genes involved in were identified. The goats of the experimental group were fixed on the edge of the explosion cloud, while the goats of the control group were 3 km far away from the explosive environment. After successful modeling for 24 h, all the goats were sacrificed and the lung tissue was harvested for histopathological observation and RNA sequencing. Gene ontology (GO) and kyoto encyclopedia of genes and genomes (KEGG) analysis were performed to identify the main enriched biological functions of differentially expressed genes (DEGs). Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) was used to verify the consistency of gene expression. RESULTS: Of the sampled goat lungs, 895 genes were identified to be significantly differentially expressed, and they were involved in 52 significantly enriched GO categories. KEGG analysis revealed that DEGs were highly enriched in 26 pathways, such as cytokine-cytokine receptor interaction, antifolate resistance, arachidonic acid metabolism, amoebiasis and bile secretion, JAK-STAT, and IL-17 signaling pathway. Furthermore, 15 key DEGs involved in the biological processes of BLI were confirmed by qRT-PCR, and the results were consistent with RNA sequencing. CONCLUSION: Gene expression profiling provide a better understanding of the molecular mechanisms of BLI, which will help to set strategy for treating lung injury and preventing secondary lung injury induced by shock wave.

Effectiveness of Acupuncture in Treatment of Simple Obesity in Animal Models: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

BACKGROUND: Simple obesity has become a global risk to health of human beings. Acupuncture, as one of traditional Chinese medicine therapies, has been widely used in obesity treatment in recent years. However, the individual heterogeneity which makes acupuncture's efficiency unstable leads to some controversy. So more evidence-based results are necessary to judge the effectiveness of acupuncture in treatment of simple obesity. Compared with clinical trials, animal experiments are controllable, and the underlying mechanism is more likely to be explored. Last but not the least, more and more experimental studies on acupuncture for animal obesity have been published. Therefore, we conducted the systematic review and meta-analysis to evaluate the effectiveness of acupuncture in treating simple obesity in animal experiments. METHODS: Randomized Controlled Trials (RCTs) on acupuncture for simple obesity animal models were searched from six databases: PubMed, MEDLINE, CNKI, VIP, WanFang Date, and CMB from inception to February 2017 and updated on April 12, 2019. RevMan 5.3 software was used for meta-analysis. Treatment effects were summarized as relative risk (RR) and Standard mean difference (SMD) with 95% of confidence interval (CI). RESULTS: A total of 108 trials involving 5731 rats were included. Meta-analysis showed that acupuncture had better effect on reducing weight (SMD -2.60, 95%CI: -2.93 to -2.26, p<0.00001) and Lee's index (SMD -2.62, 95%CI:-3.18 to -2.06, p<0.00001) compared with control group. However, the methodological quality of included studies was generally poor. Details of blinding were not reported in most studies. In spite of high heterogeneity being observed on the merged data, sensitivity analysis using the leave-one-out approach, subgroup analysis based on different acupuncture techniques, and rat strains and meta-regression all failed to find the sources of heterogeneity. The asymmetric funnel plot suggested publication bias. Besides, adverse events were not reported in any reports. CONCLUSIONS: Our review provided positive evidence of acupuncture for simple obesity. Unfortunately, none of the firm conclusions can be drawn due to methodological flaws, high heterogeneity, and publication bias. More high-quality trials are needed in future to get objective conclusions.

Stable and Label-Free Fluorescent Probe Based on G-triplex DNA and Thioflavin T.

G-triplexes have recently been identified as a new kind of DNA structures. They perhaps possess specific biological and chemical functions similar as identified G-quadruplex but can be formed by shorter G-rich sequences with only three G-tracts. However, until now, limited G-triplexes sequences have been reported, which might be due to the fact that their stability is one of the biggest concerns during their functional studies and application research. Herein, we found a G-rich sequence (5'-TGGGTAGGGCGGG-3') which can form a stable G-triplex (Tm ∼ 60 °C) at room temperature. The stable G-triplex can combine with thioflavin T and function as an efficient fluorescence light-up probe. Comparing with the traditional G-quadruplex based probe, this triplex based probe was easy to be controlled and excited. Finally, the probe was successfully applied into constructing a label-free molecular beacon for miRNA detection. Taking advantage of these abilities of the G-triplex based fluorescent probe, the challenges faced during designing G-rich sequences based fluorescent biosensors can be efficiently solved. These findings provide important information for the future application of G-triplex.

[The role of Th17/Treg imbalance in liver fibrosis in schistosomiasis].

Liver fibrosis in schistosomiasis is a serious pathological consequence from immune reactions to schistosome infection. The progression of liver fibrosis depends on the state of immune response. Recent studies have found that Th17 and Treg cells are two subsets of CD4+T cells. The Th17 cells are mainly involved in inflammatory responses, while the Treg cells mainly mediate downregulation of the responses. Under normal conditions, the differentiations of the two subsets are inhibited by each other, and they function oppositely. The balance between Th17 and Treg cells, as well as the balance between them, play an important role in the maintenance of homeostasis and are involved in inflammatory responses, tissue trauma, fibrosis and development of many diseases. This paper reviews the role of Th17/Treg cells and their imbalance in liver fibrosis in schistosomiasis.

Discovery of molluscicidal and cercaricidal activities of 3-substituted quinazolinone derivatives by a scaffold hopping approach using a pseudo-ring based on the intramolecular hydrogen bond formation.

Discovery of novel topological agents against Oncomelania hupensis snails and cercariae remains a significant challenge in current Schistosomiasis control. A pseudo-ring formed from salicylanilide by an intramolecular hydrogen bond led to the discovery of 3-substituted quinazolinone derivatives which showed a potent molluscicidal and cercaricidal activities.

[Effects of alkaline fertilizer on cadmium content in rice and paddy soil.] / 碱性肥料对稻田土壤和稻米镉含量的影响.

A field plot trial was conducted at Songbai Village, Chenzhou, Hunan Province to exa-mine the effects of alkaline fertilizer with and without combination application of bacterial regent on cadmium accumulation in rice and paddy soil. Compared with the conventional fertilizer, the alkaline fertilizer reduced the available cadmium content in soil at the tillering, filling and the harvest stages by 8.3%, 6.7% and 16.4% respectively. Compared with the Cd content in soil before transplanting, it was reduced by 7.2% at harvest time in alkaline fertilizer treatment, while increased by 11.0% in the conventional fertilizer treatment. The available cadmium content in soil was increased by 1.2% to 23.3% by bacterial regent. Compared with the conventional fertilizer, the cadmium content of root, stem sheath, leaf, grain and brown rice of the alkaline fertilizer treatment reduced by 54.9%, 56.6%, 41.8%, 62.7% and 67.6% respectively. The alkaline fertilizer treatment combined with bacterial regent increased the cadmium content of brown rice by 63.2%. It was concluded that the alkaline fertilizer could significantly reduce the available cadmium content in both soil and the different organs of the rice, however, when it was combined with bacterial regent together, the effect of alkaline fertilizer to reduce Cd content of brown rice would be declined.

[Dynamics of CD4⁺ T cell subsets and their roles in schistosome infections: a review].

Schistosomiasis is a chronic helminthic disease that affects about two hundred millions of people in the world. The pathogenesis of schistosome infection is primarily due to hepatic and intestinal granuloma formation around deposited eggs and subsequent fibrosis. It is known that CD4⁺ T cell subsets play critical roles in the host immunity and immunopathogenesis to schistosome infections, in which T helper 1 (Th1) and Th2 cells are major effector T cell subsets, whereas T regulatory (Treg) cells exert immunosuppressive roles in general. The recently discovered Th17 cells are also actively involved in the immune responses to the infection. During the infection, these T cell subsets cross-talk and exhibit different kinetics and roles in the control and regulation of infection progress and fibrosis. This review summarizes current findings of Th1, Th2, Th17 and Treg cells and their effector cytokines in schistosome infection.

Design, synthesis, and cercaricidal activity of novel high-efficient, low-toxic self-spreading PEG-N-salicylanilide derivatives against cercariae larvae of Schistosome Japonicum floating on the water surface.

Novel cercaricides of PEG-N-salicylanilide derivatives that could self-spread and float on the water surface were designed and synthesized according to the particular habit of cercariae larvae of Schistosome japonicum. The structures of the cercaricides were characterized by the infrared spectra (IR), magnetic resonance ((1) H NMR), and mass spectrum (MS). The images of the floating cercaricides on the water surface were investigated by the Brewster angle microscopy (BAM). When the cercaricides were dropped on the water surface, they could spread along the air-water interface automatically and form thin membranes floating on the water surface immediately. The lethality rate of cercariae for 5a and 6a was more than 90% in 120 min at a surface concentration of 0.008 mg/cm(2) . The non-ionic surfactant-cercaricides not only showed strong cercaricidal activities against the cercariae larvae but also exhibited low toxicities, which offered an effective and environment-friendly approach for the reduction of population infection rate and the realization of schistosome control.

[Fate and balance of bulk blending controlled release fertilizer nitrogen under continuous cropping of mustard].

Under the conditions of applying water soluble fertilizer and its bulk blending with controlled release fertilizer (BB-CRF), and by using micro-lysimeter, this paper quantitatively studied the nitrogen (N) uptake by mustard, the soil N losses from N2O emission, leaching and others, and the N residual in soil in three rotations of continuously cropped mustard. In the treatment of BB-CRF with 25% of controlled release nitrogen, the N uptake by mustard increased with rotations, and the yield by the end of the experiment was significantly higher than that in the treatment of water soluble fertilizer. The cumulated N2O emission loss and the N leaching loss were obviously higher in treatment water soluble fertilizer than in treatment BB-CRF. NO3(-)-N was the primary form of N in the leachate. In relative to water soluble fertilizer, BB-CRF altered the fates of fertilizer nitrogen, i.e., the N uptake by mustard and the N residual in soil increased by 75.4% and 76.0%, and the N leaching loss and other apparent N losses decreased by 27.1% and 66.3%, respectively. The application of BB-CRF could be an effective way to reduce the various losses of fertilizer N while increase the fertilizer N use efficiency, and the controlled release fertilizer is the environmentally friendly fertilizer with the property of high N use efficiency.

[Effects of applying controlled release fertilizers on N2O emission from a lateritic red soil].

Static closed chamber technique and contrast method were adopted to study the effects of three coated compound fertilizers (N:P2O5:K2O = 19:8.6:10.5, high N; 14.4:14.4:14.4, balanced NPK; and 12.5:9.6:20.2, high K) on the NO2O emission from a lateritic red soil under the condition of no crop planting, taking uncoated compound fertilizers (N:P2O5:K2O = 20:9:11, high N; 15:15:15, balanced NPK; and 13:10:21, high K) as the contrasts. Different formula of fertilizer NPK induced significant difference in the N2O emission. Under the application of uncoated compound fertilizers, the cumulative N2O emission was in the order of balanced NPK > or = high N > high K. Applying coated compound fertilizers decreased the N2O emission significantly, and the emission amount under the application of high N, balanced NPK, and high K was 34.4%, 30.5%, and 89.3% of the corresponding uncoated compound fertilizers, respectively. Comparing with the application of uncoated compound fertilizers, applying coated compound fertilizers also decreased the daily N2O flux significantly, and delayed and shortened the N2O peak, suggesting that coated fertilizers could reduce soil nitrogen loss and the global warming potential induced by N2O emission.

[Synthesis and spectral characteristics of novel di-schiff base derivatives incorporting oxadiazole ring].

4-nitrobenzoic acid and hydraxine sulfate were cyclized with H3PO4/P2O5 to afford 2,5-bis(4-nitrophenyl)-1, 3,4-oxadiazole(1), then(1)was reduced to 2,5-bis(4-aminophenyl)-1,3,4-oxadiazole using Zn/CaCl2 as reduction reagent, and at last, a series of novel di-schiff base derivatives containing oxadiazole ring were obtained by the reaction of 2,5-bis(4-aminophenyl)-1, 3,4-oxadiazole with aromatic aldehydes (yield: 65%-81%). The structures of these compounds were confirmed by 1H NMR, FTIR and MS. Their UV-Vis spectra as well as fluorescence spectra were studied and the electrochemical properties were tested with cyclic voltammetry. The UV-Vis spectroscopy results show that the characteristic absorption peaks of 1, 3, 4-oxadiazole unit and di-schiff base unit disappeared. The maximum absorption wavelength was detected at 345-357 nm because conjugation effect made the two energy bands partially hybrid and form a new energy band structure. Fluorescence spectroscopy results show that they emit strong blue and purple fluorescence, and the emission maximum wavelengths of di-schiff base are from 390 to 407 nm. Electrochemical properties results show that they have higher affinity energy (2.36-3.04 eV) and ionic potential (5.35-6.06 eV), which indicated that they have better electron-transporting properties than PBD except 3 a and 3 h. The results give a reference to further application to organic electroluminescent devices of the target compound.

Star-shaped oligofluorenes end-capped with carboxylic groups: syntheses and self-assembly at the liquid-solid interface.

A series of star-shaped oligofluorenes end-capped with carboxylic acid groups were synthesized. Different numbers of carboxyl groups that can form hydrogen bonds, and long alkane chains that have stabilizing effects, were intentionally introduced. The resulting molecular architectures of the so-prepared star-shaped oligofluorenes at the liquid-solid interface were investigated by scanning tunneling microscopy. It is found that the number of hydrogen-bonding groups and the symmetry of the target molecules have crucial influences on the structures of the ordered assemblies.

Electronic characteristics of Au-mercaptohexadecanoic acid-Au junction in a capillary.

The electrical property of a self-assembled monolayer (SAM) of mercaptohexadecanoic acid (HS-C15H30-COOH) has been investigated with a tunneling junction confined in a capillary. This capillary method can shun the interference of vacuum gap. The contact area can be determined according to the diameter of capillary. The nonlinear current-voltage curve and dl/dV curve are measured in the potential range of +/-0.8 V. The slight asymmetry of I-V curve and dl/dV curve is attributed to the different coupling between the metal and the end-groups of molecule. This method will supply a simple way to measure the property of single molecules and monolayers.