An overview of 6-shogaol: new insights into its pharmacological properties and potential therapeutic activities.

Ginger (Zingiber officinale Roscoe) has traditionally been used as a cooking spice and herbal medicine for treating nausea and vomiting. More recently, ginger was found to effectively reduce the risk of diseases such as gastroenteritis, migraine, gonarthritis, etc., due to its various bioactive compounds. 6-Shogaol, the pungent phenolic substance in ginger, is the most pharmacologically active among such compounds. The aim of the present study was to review the pharmacological characteristic of 6-shogaol, including the properties of anti-inflammatory, antioxidant and antitumour, and its corresponding molecular mechanism. With its multiple mechanisms, 6-shogaol is considered a beneficial natural compound, and therefore, this review will shed some light on the therapeutic role of 6-shogaol and provide a theoretical basis for the development and clinical application of 6-shogaol.

Chemotherapy-induced gastrointestinal toxicity: Pathogenesis and current management.

Chemotherapy is the most common treatment for malignant tumors. However, chemotherapy-induced gastrointestinal toxicity (CIGT) has been a major concern for cancer patients, which reduces their quality of life and leads to treatment intolerance and even cessation. Nevertheless, prevention and treatment for CIGT are challenging, due to the prevalence and complexity of the condition. Chemotherapeutic drugs directly damage gastrointestinal mucosa to induce CIGT, including nausea, vomiting, anorexia, gastrointestinal mucositis, and diarrhea, etc. The pathogenesis of CIGT involves multiple factors, such as gut microbiota disorders, inflammatory responses and abnormal neurotransmitter levels, that synergistically contribute to its occurrence and development. In particular, the dysbiosis of gut microbiota is usually linked to abnormal immune responses that increases inflammatory cytokines' expression, which is a common characteristic of many types of CIGT. Chemotherapy-induced intestinal neurotoxicity is also a vital concern in CIGT. Currently, modern medicine is the dominant treatment of CIGT, however, traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) has attracted interest as a complementary and alternative therapy that can greatly alleviate CIGT. Accordingly, this review aimed to comprehensively summarize the pathogenesis and current management of CIGT using PubMed and Google Scholar databases, and proposed that future research for CIGT should focus on the gut microbiota, intestinal neurotoxicity, and promising TCM therapies, which may help to develop more effective interventions and optimize managements of CIGT.

Public Concern about Air Pollution and Related Health Outcomes on Social Media in China: An Analysis of Data from Sina Weibo (Chinese Twitter) and Air Monitoring Stations.

To understand the temporal variation, spatial distribution and factors influencing the public's sensitivity to air pollution in China, this study collected air pollution data from 2210 air pollution monitoring sites from around China and used keyword-based filtering to identify individual messages related to air pollution and health on Sina Weibo during 2017-2021. By analyzing correlations between concentrations of air pollutants (PM2.5, PM10, CO, NO2, O3 and SO2) and related microblogs (air-pollution-related and health-related), it was found that the public is most sensitive to changes in PM2.5 concentration from the perspectives of both China as a whole and individual provinces. Correlations between air pollution and related microblogs were also stronger when and where air quality was worse, and they were also affected by socioeconomic factors such as population, economic conditions and education. Based on the results of these correlation analyses, scientists can survey public concern about air pollution and related health outcomes on social media in real time across the country and the government can formulate air quality management measures that are aligned to public sensitivities.

The role of miR156 in rejuvenation in Arabidopsis thaliana.

Rejuvenation refers to the process enabling plants to regain physiological and molecular characteristics lost after entering the adult phase. The underlying molecular mechanism is poorly understood. Previous studies have revealed that microRNA156 (miR156) is highly accumulated at juvenile stage and maintains juvenile traits by repressing a group of SQUAMOSA PROMOTER BINDING PROTEIN-LIKE (SPL) transcription factors. Here, we found that induction of miR156 expression in adult leaves can only restore some aspects of juvenile traits, such as loss of epidermal leaf hairs on the lower side of leaves and absence of serration at the leaf edges, but is incapable of delaying flowering and promoting adventitious root production.

AP2/ERF Transcription Factors Integrate Age and Wound Signals for Root Regeneration.

Age and wounding are two major determinants for regeneration. In plants, the root regeneration is triggered by wound-induced auxin biosynthesis. As plants age, the root regenerative capacity gradually decreases. How wounding leads to the auxin burst and how age and wound signals collaboratively regulate root regenerative capacity are poorly understood. Here, we show that the increased levels of three closely-related miR156-targeted Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) SQUAMOSA PROMOTER BINDING PROTEIN-LIKE (SPL) transcription factors, SPL2, SPL10, and SPL11, suppress root regeneration with age by inhibiting wound-induced auxin biosynthesis. Mechanistically, we find that a subset of APETALA2/ETHYLENE RESPONSE FACTOR (AP2/ERF) transcription factors including ABSCISIC ACID REPRESSOR1 and ERF109 is rapidly induced by wounding and serves as a proxy for wound signal to induce auxin biosynthesis. In older plants, SPL2/10/11 directly bind to the promoters of AP2/ERFs and attenuates their induction, thereby dampening auxin accumulation at the wound. Our results thus identify AP2/ERFs as a hub for integration of age and wound signal for root regeneration.

Treatment of superficial infantile hemangiomas with timolol: Evaluation of short-term efficacy and safety in infants.

Timolol has been demonstrated to be efficacious in the topical treatment of superficial infantile hemangiomas (IHs). We conducted a prospective study to evaluate the short-term efficacy and safety of timolol in the treatment of superficial IH in Chinese infants. From March to November 2012, 124 patients with superficial IHs were included in the prospective study. The patients were divided into two groups: treatment (101 patients, the timolol drops were administered on the surface of the lesions three times daily, and erythromycin ointment was applied around the lesions) and observation (23 patients, without treatment). The results were categorized into three grades: class 1 (ineffective), class 2 (controlled growth) and class 3 (promoted regression). Within one week of the initiation of timolol treatment, a number of the lesions became softer and lighter in color. Four months following the initiation of timolol treatment, the overall response was class 1 in eight patients (7.9%), class 2 in 36 patients (35.6%) and class 3 in 57 patients (56.4%). Complete tumor regression was observed in 12 patients. No adverse effects were recorded during the treatment period. Among the patients in the observation group, there were 15 class 1 patients (65.2%), seven class 2 patients (30.4%) and only one class 3 patient (4.3%). In conclusion, timolol is an effective and safe treatment for superficial IH. In addition, it may be used in the treatment of proliferative superficial IH, particularly in infants within 6 months of age.

Quantitative diffusion tensor deterministic and probabilistic fiber tractography in relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis.

PURPOSE: Our aim was to study the quantitative fiber tractography variations and patterns in patients with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) and to assess the correlation between quantitative fiber tractography and Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS). MATERIAL AND METHODS: Twenty-eight patients with RRMS and 28 age-matched healthy volunteers underwent a diffusion tensor MR imaging study. Quantitative deterministic and probabilistic fiber tractography were generated in all subjects. And mean numbers of tracked lines and fiber density were counted. Paired-samples t tests were used to compare tracked lines and fiber density in RRMS patients with those in controls. Bivariate linear regression model was used to determine the relationship between quantitative fiber tractography and EDSS in RRMS. RESULTS: Both deterministic and probabilistic tractography's tracked lines and fiber density in RRMS patients were less than those in controls (P<.001). Both deterministic and probabilistic tractography's tracked lines and fiber density were found negative correlations with EDSS in RRMS (P<.001). The fiber tract disruptions and reductions in RRMS were directly visualized on fiber tractography. CONCLUSION: Changes of white matter tracts can be detected by quantitative diffusion tensor fiber tractography, and correlate with clinical impairment in RRMS.

A regulation role of the prefrontal cortex in the fist-edge-palm task: evidence from functional connectivity analysis.

The Fist-Edge-Palm (FEP) task is a motor sequencing task that is widely used in neurological examination. Deficits in this task are believed to reflect impairment in the frontal lobe regions. However, two recent functional brain imaging studies of the FEP task using conventional subtraction analysis failed to demonstrate FEP-induced activation in the prefrontal cortex (PFC), which contradicts existing neuropsychological literature. In this study, psychophysiological interaction (PPI) analysis was used to reanalyze our previous neuroimaging dataset from 10 healthy subjects in order to evaluate the changes of functional connectivity between the sensorimotor cortex and the prefrontal regions during the performances of the FEP task relative to simple motor control tasks. The PPI analysis revealed significantly increased functional connectivity between bilateral sensorimotor cortex and the right inferior and middle frontal cortex during the performance of the FEP task compared with the control tasks. However, regional signal changes showed no significant activation differences in these prefrontal regions. These results provide evidence supporting the involvement of the frontal lobe in the performance of the FEP task, and suggest a role of regulation, rather than direct participation, of the prefrontal cortex in the execution of complex motor sequence tasks such as the FEP task.

Variation of delta13C in Aegiceras corniculatum seedling induced by cadmium application.

To test whether the values of delta13C in mangrove plants are affected by Cd application, the seedlings of Aegiceras corniculatum, a dominant mangrove species, were cultured in soil supplied with CdCl2 solution at the concentration of 0, 0.5, 2.5, 5, 20, 30 and 50 CdCl2 mg/kg wet soils. Plants were grown in 10 replicate pots with 5 propagules each. After 5 months of Cd exposure, three pots contained 15 seedlings with average shoot heights were selected for each treatment. Leaves and roots of seedling were sampled respectively and analyzed for delta(13)C. Growth traits (fresh weight, shoot height and root length), total chlorophyll content, and Cd concentrations in leaf, root and dry soil were determined. After 5 months of the seedling growth, the concentrations of Cd in dry soil were 0.47, 0.83, 2.77, 4.54, 18.89, 29.79 and 47.35 mg/kg respectively. The values of delta13C in roots and leaves were affected to some extent by Cd application. Although root delta(13)C showed more sensitive to Cd compared with leaves, the values of delta13C in roots were not significantly affected by Cd until Cd level higher than 29.78 mg/kg which was not expected to exist in natural environments. Minor variation in delta13C values observed in roots and leaves was likely due to limited Cd uptake by seedlings and subsequent lack of negative impacts on photosynthesis.

The neural basis of motor sequencing: an fMRI study of healthy subjects.

The present study used functional MRI to clarify the brain regions activated during a series of motor sequencing tasks in healthy volunteers. Ten subjects were scanned while performing three soft signs tasks ranging from simple (PT: palm tapping), moderate (PS: pronation/supination) to complex movements (FEP: fist-edge-palm). The FEP task induced significant activations within the cortical networks including bilateral sensorimotor, SMA, left parietal, and right cerebellum, but no activation in the prefrontal area. Moreover, the percentage signal changes within the left sensorimotor, left thalamus and right cerebellum showed an increase in activation with task complexity. The present findings challenge the traditional belief that FEP was a task for frontal lobe function but suggest that successful performance of more complex neurological soft sign tasks like FEP requires the participation of more brain areas than simple motor sequencing and coordination task like PS and PT. These also provide the empirical data on the neural basis of neurological soft signs for further study in other clinical group like schizophrenia in the near future.

Mesenchymal hamartoma of liver: magnetic resonance imaging and histopathologic correlation.

AIM: To describe the imaging features of hepatic mesenchymal hamartoma with emphasis on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) compared to histopathologic results. METHODS: Spin-echo sequence(SE),fast spin-echo sequence(FSE) were performed in 12 children (7 males,5 females) with mesenchymal hamartoma of the liver (MHL), aged 1.2 months to 12 years;( mean age, 6.3 years) axial, saggital, coronary plain imaging with an Elscint 2.0T MR equipment. Their main symptoms were abdominal mass (5 cases), enlarged liver (8 cases), abdominal pain (1 case) and anemia (2 cases), and negative alphafetoprotein. Dynamic enhancement examination was added in 2 cases. RESULTS: Six cases had single mass type of MHL, in which 3 cases had solid masses showing slight low-signal-intensity in T1WI, and irregular high-signal-intensity in T2WI, 1 case had a cystic-solid mixed mass showing several border-clear cysts in a solid mass, 2 cases had cystic masses with multi-septa. Five cases had diffuse and multifocal lesions type of MHL with its signal intensity being similar to that of the solid mass. One case had a combined diffuse and single cystic mass. In the early dynamic enhancement examination, the lesions were slightly circum-enhanced , and the center was enhanced in the later scan images. Inner hepatic vessels were compressed in 5 cases, vena cava and abdominal aortae were compressed in 3 cases. Pathological findings included fiber hyperplasia, hyaline degeneration, biliary duct hyperplasia, lobule-like array. CONCLUSION: MR imaging is a better way to differentiate and diagnose MHL. MHL may be recognized by its characteristic occurrence in infancy and MR imaging features.

Hypoxia-ischemic encephalopathy in full-term neonate: correlation proton MR spectroscopy with MR imaging.

INTRODUCTION: To evaluate 1H Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy (1HMRS) in the diagnosis of hypoxia-ischemic encephalopathy (HIE) of full-term neonates correlated with Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI). MATERIALS AND METHODS: Thirty-eight cases of full-term neonates diagnosed as HIE clinically were selected to perform MRI and 1HMRS examination. The ages ranged from 7 to 17 days, with median age of 8.2 days. In which, 26 cases were followed up and/or MRI reexamined at 6 months of age or later. Eight healthy neonates, with no evidence of birth asphyxia, also underwent 1HMRS for comparison. SE sequences were used for routine MR examination; point resolved spectroscopy sequence was required for 1HMRS. The metabolites in the spectra includes: N-acetylaspartate (NAA), choline compounds (CHO), creatine compounds (CR), myo-inositol (MI), lactate (LAC), glutamate and glutamine (Glu-Gln). RESULTS: The peaks of NAA were fall in two cases; the peaks of LAC, which were elevated, appeared as typical double-peaks appearance in 26 cases; the peaks of Glu-Gln, which were also elevated, appeared as zigzag appearance in nine cases. The peaks of CR were decreased in 11 cases, while those of MI were increased in seven cases. Mild type of lesions was present on MRI in 12 cases whose LAC/CR ratio lower than 0.5; mild and moderate types of lesions were present in 15 cases whose LAC/CR ratio between 0.5 and 1.5. Whereas, nine cases of severe lesions and two cases of moderate lesions were present on MRI in 11 cases whose LAC/CR ratio greater than 1.5. Twenty-six of 38 cases were followed up and/or MRI reexamined after 6 months, in which, sequelae were present in 12 cases. Among them, eight cases of sequelae in nine cases whose LAC/CR ratio greater than 1.5 were present (account for 88.89%). CONCLUSION: 1HMRS plays an important role to diagnose and predict outcome of HIE.