Transgenic poplar (Populus davidiana×P. bolleana Loucne) expressing dsRNA of insect chitinase gene: lines identification and resistance assay.

Poplar is a valuable tree species that is distributed all over the world. However, many insect pests infest poplar trees and have caused significant damage. To control poplar pests, we transformed a poplar species, Populus davidiana × P. bolleana Loucne, with the dsRNA of the chitinase gene of a poplar defoliator, Clostera anastomosis (Linnaeus) (Lepidoptera: Notodontidae), employing an Agrobaterium-mediated approach. The transgenic plant has been identified by cloning the T-DNA flanking sequences using TAIL-PCR and quantifying the expression of the dsRNA using qPCR. The toxicity assay of the transgenic poplar lines was carried out by feeding the target insect species (C. anastomosis). The results showed that, in C. anastomosis, the activity of chitinase was significantly decreased, consistent with the expression on mRNA levels, and the larval mortality was significantly increased. These results suggested that the transgenic poplar of dsRNA could be used for pest control.

Analysis of the efficacy of hyperbaric oxygen therapy for disorders of consciousness: A retrospective cohort study.

OBJECTIVE: To analyze the efficacy and associated factors affecting the prognosis in patients with disturbance of consciousness after hyperbaric oxygen (HBO) treatment. METHODS: A retrospective study was carried out on patients with disorders of consciousness (DOC) receiving HBO treatment from January to January 2022 in the Second Department of Rehabilitation Medicine of the Second Hospital of Hebei Medical University, China. RESULTS: HBO therapy improved the Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) and Chinese Nanjing Persistent Vegetative State Scale (CNPVSS), as well as the clinical efficacy in patients with DOC. The comparison of GCS and CNPVSS scores in patients with DOC before and after HBO treatment was all statistically significant, with 325 patients (67.1%) showing effective results and 159 patients (32.9%) having unchanged outcomes. Univariate analysis indicated that there were statistically significant differences in age, HBO intervention time, HBO treatment times, pre-treatment GCS score, and etiology and underlying diseases between the good and poor prognoses groups. Multivariate regression analysis showed that HBO intervention time ≤7 days, HBO treatment ＞ times, high GCS score before HBO treatment, and brain trauma were independent influencing factors in achieving a good prognosis for patients with DOC. Low pre-treatment GCS scores were an independent risk factor for a poor prognosis in patients with brain trauma while being male, late HBO intervention time, fewer HBO treatment times, and low pre-treatment GCS scores were independent risk factors for a poor prognosis in patients with DOC after a stroke. Being ≥50 years of age, late HBO intervention time, and low pre-treatment GCS scores were independent risk factors for a poor prognosis in patients with DOC after hypoxic-ischaemic encephalopathy. CONCLUSION: HBO therapy can improve the GCS, CNPVSS scores and clinical efficacy in patients with DOC, and the timing of HBO intervention ≤7 days, times of HBO treatment, high pre-treatment GCS score, and brain trauma were the independent influencing factors of good prognosis in patients with DOC.

Type 2 diabetes mellitus characteristics affect hepatocellular carcinoma development in chronic hepatitis B patients with cirrhosis.

BACKGROUND: Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) has been shown to be correlated with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) development. However, further investigation is needed to understand how T2DM characteristics affect the prognosis of chronic hepatitis B (CHB) patients. AIM: To assess the effect of T2DM on CHB patients with cirrhosis and to determine the risk factors for HCC development. METHODS: Among the 412 CHB patients with cirrhosis enrolled in this study, there were 196 with T2DM. The patients in the T2DM group were compared to the remaining 216 patients without T2DM (non-T2DM group). Clinical characteristics and outcomes of the two groups were reviewed and compared. RESULTS: T2DM was significantly related to hepatocarcinogenesis in this study (P = 0.002). The presence of T2DM, being male, alcohol abuse status, alpha-fetoprotein > 20 ng/mL, and hepatitis B surface antigen > 2.0 log IU/mL were identified to be risk factors for HCC development in the multivariate analysis. T2DM duration of more than 5 years and treatment with diet control or insulin ± sulfonylurea significantly increased the risk of hepatocarcinogenesis. CONCLUSION: T2DM and its characteristics increase the risk of HCC in CHB patients with cirrhosis. The importance of diabetic control should be emphasized for these patients.

Short-term efficacy of music therapy combined with α binaural beat therapy in disorders of consciousness.

Objective: To investigate the short-term effect of music therapy combined with binaural frequency difference therapy on patients with consciousness disorder. Materials and methods: Ninety patients with definite diagnosis of disorders of consciousness (DOC) were selected. These patients were randomly divided into control group, experiment 1 group and experiment 2 group, with 30 patients in each group. The control group was treated with routine clinical treatment and rehabilitation. In experiment 1 group, music therapy was added to the control group. In experimental group 2, music therapy combined with binaural α frequency difference therapy was added to the control group. All patients were assessed before and after 30 treatments. The assessment items included Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS), Coma Recovery Scale revised (CRS-R), electroencephalogram (EEG), upper somatosensory evoked potential (USEP), and brainstem auditory evoked potential (BAEP). Results: Before treatment, there were no significant differences in GCS score, CRS-R score, USEP, BAEP, and EEG scores among the three groups (P > 0.05). After 30 times of treatment, GCS score, CRS-R score, USEP, BAEP, and EEG scores in 3 groups were significantly higher than those before treatment (P < 0.05), and experimental group 2 >experimental group 1 >control group (P < 0.05). And the consciousness rate of experimental group 2 was better than experimental group 1, experimental group 1 was better than the control group and the difference was statistically significant (P < 0.05). Conclusion: Music therapy combined with binaural α frequency difference therapy is more effective in stimulating DOC patients.

Chemical constituents from common vetch (Vicia sativa L.) and their antioxidant and cytotoxic activities.

Vicia sativa L. (common vetch) is a potential food source for both human beings and animals because of its abundant nutritional composition. There is a lack of phytochemical study on the whole plant, and thus the objective of this study was to investigate the isolation of phytochemicals and evaluate their biological activities. A new flavanol, (2R,3S)-3,3'-dihydroxy-4',7-dimethoxyflavanol (1), together with nine known compounds, two flavones (2-3), one coumarin (4), and six oleanane triterpenoids (5-10), was obtained from Vicia sativa L.. The structure of the new compound 1 was determined via its NMR spectra, IR and CD data. Compound 3 displayed the potential of the DPPH (1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl) radical scavenging effect in antioxidant test. In terms of cytotoxic activities, compound 3 showed moderate cytotoxic activities against three human tumor cells, especially HeLa cells.

Isopimarane-type diterpenoids from Croton laevigatus.

A new isopimarane-type diterpenoid, crolaevinoid A, along with four known analogues was isolated from the twigs and leaves of Croton laevigatus. The structures of the isolated compounds were established on the basis of NMR and MS spectroscopic analyses. The isolated compounds were examined the antibacterial activities. Unfortunately, the compounds showed no antibacterial activity against Micrococcus luteus, Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, Aeromonas hydrophila, Klebsiella pneumoniae ssp pneumoniae, Acinetobacter Baumanii, and Escherichia coli.

Iridoid Derivatives with Cytotoxic Activity from Pedicularis uliginosa Bunge.

Three new iridoids, rel-(4aR,7S,7aS)-7-hydroxy-7-methyl-1,4a,5,6,7,7a-hexahydrocyclopenta[c]pyran-4-carbaldehyde (1), 1-methoxy-7-methyl-1,3,5,6-tetrahydrocyclopenta[c]pyran-4-carbaldehyde (2), and rel-(1R,4S,4aS,7R,7aR)-7-methylhexahydro-1,4-(epoxymethano)cyclopenta[c]pyran-3(1H)-one (3), together with seven known analogues, were isolated from the 95 % EtOH extract of the whole plants of Pedicularis uliginosa Bunge. Their structures were elucidated via extensive NMR spectroscopy and mass spectral data. In terms of inhibitory effects on human tumor cells, compounds 1, 2, 6, 7, and 8 exhibited better inhibitory activities against ACHN cells than the positive control (vinblastine).

Genetic variants of phosphodiesterase 4D gene are associated with an enhanced risk for ischemic stroke in young Chinese population.

BACKGROUND: Previous studies have shown that the phosphodiesterase 4D (PDE4D) gene is a susceptibility gene for ischemic stroke (IS) primarily in elder populations. However, few studies have reported the role of the PDE4D gene polymorphisms in a young cohort. AIMS: To investigate the association between the PDE4D gene polymorphisms and young-onset IS in Chinese population. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 186 young patients (18-45 years) with IS and 232 matched control subjects were recruited. Two SNPs (rs918592 and rs2910829) in PDE4D gene were genotyped by polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) method. Odds ratio and 95% confidence intervals (95% CI) were calculated to test the association between the genetic factors and IS. RESULTS: The rs918592A/A genotype frequency and A allele frequency, rs2910829 CT/TT genotype frequency and T allele frequency of young IS group were significantly higher than those of the control group ( P < 0.05). Besides, the frequency of Hap (A-T) was remarkably higher in the young patients than that in the controls (OR =4.047, 95% CI: 3.521-4.652). Hap (A-C) and Hap (G-C) were associated with decreased risk of IS (OR =0.640, 95% CI: 0.452-0.906; OR =0.675, 95% CI: 0.466-0.978, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest that the rs918592 and rs2910829 polymorphisms and haplotypes of PDE4D gene are significantly associated with IS in Chinese young population.

Role of ligand-to-metal charge transfer state in nontriplet photosensitization of luminescent europium complex.

We have investigated, by means of steady-state and time-resolved optical spectroscopies, the excited-state dynamics of the luminescent europium complex Eu(III)(tta)(3)dpbt (tta = henoyltrifluoroacetonate; dbpt = 2-(N,N-diethylanilin-4-yl)-4,6-bis(3,5-dimethylpyrazol-1-yl)-1,3,5-triazine) with Gd(III)(tta)(3)dpbt and Tb(III)(tta)(3)dpbt as the reference complexes that cannot be photosensitized. In the Eu(III)(tta)(3)dpbt complex, the ligand dpbt exhibited biphasic fluorescence decay kinetics; the faster component (decay time constant, 8.5 ps) is ascribed to the rapid conversion of the lowest-lying singlet excited state of dpbt (S(1) or (1)dpbt*) to a ligand-to-metal charge transfer singlet state of the complex ((1)LMCT*), whereas the slower one (1.8 ns) is shown by temperature-dependent luminescence spectroscopy to be delayed fluorescence due to the LMCT-to-dpbt backward energy transfer and represents the time scale of efficient excitation energy flow from the (1)LMCT* state to the (5)D(1) state of Eu(III). On the basis of the spectroscopic results of the Ln(III)(tta)(3)dpbt complexes (Ln = Eu, Gd, and Tb), the crucial role of the (1)LMCT* state in photosensitization of the Eu(III)(tta)(3)dpbt complex is established, and a LMCT-mediated nontriplet sensitization mechanism is proposed, which is advantageous in high efficiency and low excitation photon energy as well as in low susceptibility against oxygen quenching.

Understanding adolescent peer sexual harassment and abuse: using the theory of planned behavior.

This study examines intentions to take protective action against peer sexual harassment and abuse (PSHA). The theory of planned behavior (TPB) proposes that attitudes about protective action, perceptions of what others would think about doing this (subjective norms), and behavioral control would be important predictors. A total of 1,531 Chinese secondary school students (769 boys and 762 girls) from Hong Kong were surveyed to test this model. Results showed that the TPB model was predictive for girls, but only subjective norms and behavioral control significantly predicted boys' intentions to protect themselves. Results supported the influence of subjective norms and perceived behavioral control on youths' intentions to reject PSHA. These factors may be useful in guiding the development of an educational program for prevention of PSHA.

Surface-enhanced Raman scattering and DFT computational studies of a benzotriazole derivative.

Here, we report the surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) spectrum of 2-(2'-hydroxy-5'-methylphenyl)benzotriazole (Tinuvin P), a benzotriazole derivative that is the most widely used commercially available UV absorber or stabilizer and is used representatively for the research of photostability mechanism. A full assignment of the Raman spectrum has been made based on the scaled-DFT analysis of the normal vibrational modes. Through the comparative studies on the ordinary Raman spectrum and the SERS spectrum of Tinuvin P, we propose that this molecule binds the Au atom, via the O atom of the hydroxyl or the N1 atom of the benzotriazole moiety, with a perpendicular geometry.

Inhibitory effects of cAMP and protein kinase C on meiotic maturation and MAP kinase phosphorylation in porcine oocytes.

The regulation of MAP kinase phosphorylation by cAMP and protein kinase C (PKC) modulators during pig oocyte maturation was studied by Western immunoblotting. We showed that both forskolin and IBMX inhibited MAP kinase phosphorylation and meiosis resumption in a dose-dependent manner, and this inhibitory effect was overcome by the protein phosphatase inhibitor, okadaic acid. Pharmacological PKC activator phorbol myristate acetate or physiological PKC activator diC8 also delayed MAP kinase phosphorylation and meiosis resumption, and their effect was abrogated by PKC inhibitors, staurosporine, and calphostin C. The results suggest that meiotic resumption is inhibited by elevation of cAMP or delayed by activation of PKC probably via down-regulation of MAP kinase activation, which is mediated by protein phosphatase, during pig oocyte maturation.

Translocation of the classic protein kinase C isoforms in porcine oocytes: implications of protein kinase C involvement in the regulation of nuclear activity and cortical granule exocytosis.

Protein kinase C (PKC) is a family of Ser/Thr protein kinases categorized into three subfamilies: classical, novel, and atypical. The subcellular localization of classical PKCalpha, -betaI, and -gamma in the process of porcine oocyte maturation, fertilization, and parthenogenetic activation and their involvement in cortical granule (CG) exocytosis were investigated. The results of Western blot showed that PKCalpha, -betaI, and -gamma were expressed in the oocytes at the germinal vesicle (GV) and metaphase II (MII) stages. Confocal microscopy revealed that the three PKC isoforms were concentrated in the GV but evenly distributed in the cytoplasm of MII eggs. PKCalpha and -gamma were translocated to the plasma membrane soon after sperm penetration. cPKCs migrated into the pronucleus in fertilized eggs. Following treatment with a PKC activator, phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA), CGs were released and PKCalpha and -gamma were translocated to the membrane. The CG exocytosis and PKC redistribution induced by PMA could be blocked by the PKC inhibitor staurosporine. Parthenogenetic stimulation with ionophore A23187 or electrical pulse also induced cPKC translocation and CG exocytosis. Eggs injected with PKCalpha isoform-specific antibody failed to undergo CG exocytosis after PMA treatment or fertilization. The results suggest that cPKCs, especially the alpha-isotype, regulate nuclear function and CG exocytosis in porcine eggs.