Computational methods, databases and tools for synthetic lethality prediction.

Synthetic lethality (SL) occurs between two genes when the inactivation of either gene alone has no effect on cell survival but the inactivation of both genes results in cell death. SL-based therapy has become one of the most promising targeted cancer therapies in the last decade as PARP inhibitors achieve great success in the clinic. The key point to exploiting SL-based cancer therapy is the identification of robust SL pairs. Although many wet-lab-based methods have been developed to screen SL pairs, known SL pairs are less than 0.1% of all potential pairs due to large number of human gene combinations. Computational prediction methods complement wet-lab-based methods to effectively reduce the search space of SL pairs. In this paper, we review the recent applications of computational methods and commonly used databases for SL prediction. First, we introduce the concept of SL and its screening methods. Second, various SL-related data resources are summarized. Then, computational methods including statistical-based methods, network-based methods, classical machine learning methods and deep learning methods for SL prediction are summarized. In particular, we elaborate on the negative sampling methods applied in these models. Next, representative tools for SL prediction are introduced. Finally, the challenges and future work for SL prediction are discussed.

Population genetic differentiation and phenotypic plasticity of Ambrosia artemisiifolia under different nitrogen levels.

Rapid adaptive evolution and phenotypic plasticity are two mechanisms that often underlie invasiveness of alien plant species, but whether they can co-occur within invasive plant populations under altered environmental conditions such as nitrogen (N) enrichment has seldom been explored. Latitudinal clines in plant trait responses to variation in environmental factors may provide evidence of local adaptation. Here, we inferred the relative contributions of phenotypic plasticity and local adaptation to the performance of the invasive plant Ambrosia artemisiifolia under different soil N levels, using a common garden approach. We grew A. artemisiifolia individuals raised from seeds that were sampled from six invasive populations along a wide latitudinal cline in China (23°42' N to 45°43' N) under three N (0, 5, and 10 g N m-2 ) levels in a common garden. Results show significant interpopulation genetic differentiation in plant height, number of branches, total biomass, and transpiration rate of the invader A. artemisiifolia across the N treatments. The populations also expressed genetic differentiation in basal diameter, growth rate, leaf area, seed width, root biomass, aboveground biomass, stomatal conductance, and intercellular CO2 concentration regardless of N treatments. Moreover, plants from different populations of the invader displayed plastic responses in time to first flower, hundred-grain weight, net photosynthetic rate, and relative biomass allocation to roots and shoots and seed length under different N treatments. Additionally, individuals of A. artemisiifolia from higher latitudes grew shorter and allocated less biomass to the roots regardless of N treatment, while latitudinal cline (or lack thereof) in other traits depended on the level of N in which the plants were grown. Overall, these results suggest that rapid adaptive evolution and phenotypic plasticity in the various traits that we quantified may jointly contribute to invasiveness of A. artemisiifolia under different levels of N availability. More broadly, the results support the idea that phenotypic plasticity and rapid adaptive evolution can jointly enable invasive plants to colonize a wide range of environmental conditions.

The interval between the onset of increased blood pressure and proteinuria in preeclampsia and the contributing factors.

PURPOSE: New-onset proteinuria, as a pivotal sign of representative renal lesions in preeclampsia, is still the most common diagnostic tool for this condition and has been proven to be related to a significantly abnormal sFlt-1/VEGF ratio in circulation. At the same time, blood pressure control plays a vital role in the occurrence and evolution of proteinuria. Therefore, it is particularly helpful to investigate their interval, not only for performing urinalysis for protein more accurately but also for evaluating blood pressure as well as the aggravation of illness, as the related research is limited. METHODS: This retrospective study included 515 preeclampsia patients and 358 normotensive pregnant women who labored in the Second Hospital of Tianjin Medical University from January 2016 to January 2020. First, we described the onset circumstance of high blood pressure and proteinuria as well as the interval among the case group and the subgroups. Then, we determined whether there were significant differences in the basic information, laboratory test results, and newborns between the case and normal groups. Finally, multifactor ANOVA was used to determine the factors influencing the interval. RESULTS: 1. The two most common complications in preeclampsia were proteinuria (88.35%) and placental dysfunction (5.05%). Moreover, 72.04% of preeclampsia cases were diagnosed by abnormal blood pressure together with new-onset proteinuria. 2. The average interval between high blood pressure and proteinuria was 22 gestational days (from 0 to 106 days), and this interval was not significantly different between mild and severe PE (26 days vs. 21 days, P > 0.05) but significantly differed between early-onset and late-onset PE (9 days vs. 28 days, P < 0.05). 3. The number of prenatal visits, serum creatinine in the early trimester, gestational time and diastolic blood pressure value when increased blood pressure was initially detected may influence the interval between the onset of increased blood pressure and proteinuria. CONCLUSION: New-onset proteinuria was still the main parameter for identifying preeclampsia. The interval between increased blood pressure and proteinuria was probably related to the imbalance in the sFlt-1/VEGF ratio; therefore, we should pay attention to monitor proteinuria during the prenatal visits, especially for patients with a lower frequency of prenatal visits, higher serum creatinine in the early trimester, earlier onset and higher diastolic blood pressure at the initial onset of increased blood pressure.

Study on the association between malnutrition, early childhood caries and caries activity among children aged 3-5 years.

BACKGROUND: This study aims to investigate the association between malnutrition and early childhood caries (ECC) and caries activity among children aged 3-5 years, in order to provide a theoretical basis for preventing and blocking ECC and improving malnutrition. METHODS: Children aged 3-5 years from six kindergartens in Zhao Xian, China were enrolled in this study. The decayed, missing, filled teeth (dmft) of all children were examined and recorded. The Cariostat method was used to detect dental caries activity, collect anthropometric data and measure haemoglobin concentration. Parents were asked to complete a questionnaire on the general characteristics and oral health behaviour of the participants. The "Growth Standards for Chinese Children Under 7 Years Old" was used to assess the nutritional status of all participating children. Wilcoxon rank sum test and multivariate logistic regression analysis were used to analyse and evaluate the relationship between ECC, caries activity and malnutrition. RESULTS: A total of 635 children who met the criteria were included in this study. After adjusting for confounding factors, logistic regression showed that the risk of ECC was significantly increased in underweight children compared with normal children (OR = 5.43, P < 0. 05); compared with normal children, the risk of ECC decreased in overweight and obese children (OR = 0.31, P < 0.001); underweight children had higher caries severity than normal weight children, and the difference was statistically significant (OR = 2.69, P < 0. 05); stunted children had higher caries severity than normal weight children and the difference was statistically significant (OR = 2.28, P < 0.05); underweight was positively associated with caries activity and the association was statistically significant (OR = 2.33, P < 0. 05); stunting was positively associated with caries activity and the association was statistically significant (OR = 2.1, P < 0.05); overweight and obesity were negatively associated with caries activity and the association was statistically significant (OR = 0.61, P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The risk of ECC among children aged 3-5 years was positively associated with undernutrition and negatively associated with overnutrition. The severity of ECC among children aged 3-5 years was positively associated with undernutrition. The caries activity among children aged 3-5 years was positively associated with undernutrition and negatively associated with overnutrition.

Combined assessment of health hazard and odour impact of soils at a contaminated site: a case study on a defunct pharmaceuticals factory in China.

Surveys and assessments of contaminated sites primarily focus on hazardous pollutants in the soil with less attention paid to odorants. This makes the management of contaminated sites difficult. In this study, hazardous and odorous pollutants in the soil were assessed for a large site that was previously used for production of pharmaceuticals to determine the degree and characteristics of soil contamination at pharmaceutical production sites, for undertaking rational remediation measures. The main hazardous pollutants at the study site were triethylamine, n-butyric acid, benzo(a)pyrene (BaP), N-nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA), dibenzo(a,h)anthracene (DBA), total petroleum hydrocarbons (C10-C40) (TPH), and 1,2-dichloroethane; TEA, BA, and isovaleric acid (IC) were the main odorants. As the type and distribution of hazardous and odorous pollutants differ, it is necessary to separately assess the impact of these pollutants at a contaminated site. Soils in the surface layer pose significant non-carcinogenic (HI = 68.30) and carcinogenic risks (RT = 3.56E-5), whereas those in the lower layer only pose non-carcinogenic risks (HI > 7.43). Odorants were found at considerable concentrations both in the surface and lower layers, with the maximum concentrations being 29,309.91 and 41.27, respectively. The findings of this study should improve our understanding of soil contamination at former pharmaceutical production sites and should inform the assessment of the risks posed by contaminated sites, with problems associated with odour, and possible remediation strategies.

Probing depth reduction of laser application in periodontal therapy: a network meta-analysis.

The aim was to systematically evaluate the probing depth (PD) reduction of lasers in scaling and root planing (SRP) of chronic periodontitis by network meta-analysis (NMA). Randomized controlled clinical trials (RCTs) were searched through electronic-search and hand-search up to January 2020. Standard mean different (SMD) and 95% confidence interval (CI) were counted for PD reduction. The random-effects NMA were performed using mvmeta routine in STATA software (version 13). This NMA analysed seven periodontal treatments through 37 RCTs. No inconsistency was detected. Compared with mechanical SRP, significant differences were in favour of diode laser (DL) as adjunct at 3 months (SMD = 0.61; 95% CI range: 0.27-0.96) and Nd:YAG as adjunct (SMD = 0.29; 95% CI range: 0.03-0.55), Er,Cr:YSGG as monotherapy (SMD = 0.37; 95% CI range: 0.04-0.71) and Er,Cr:YSGG as adjunct (SMD = 0.53; 95% CI range: 0.23-0.84) at 6 months after treatment. Compared with Er:YAG as monotherapy, significant differences were in favour of DL as adjunct at 6 months (SMD = 0.51; 95% CI range: 0.07-0.95) after treatment. In terms of PD reduction at 3-month follow-up, the ranking result from best to worst was Nd:YAG as adjunct, DL as adjunct, Er:YAG as adjunct, Er,Cr:YSGG as monotherapy, Er:YAG as monotherapy and mechanical SRP. In terms of PD reduction at 6-month follow-up, the ranking result was DL as adjunct, Nd:YAG as adjunct, Er:YAG as adjunct, Er,Cr:YSGG as adjunct, Er:YAG as monotherapy, Er,Cr:YSGG as monotherapy and mechanical SRP. Laser-assisted periodontal treatment has better PD reduction.

Clinical effectiveness of Er,Cr:YSGG lasers in non-surgical treatment of chronic periodontitis: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.

The meta-analysis aimed to systematically evaluate all the available pieces of evidence concerning the clinical effectiveness of Er,Cr:YSGG lasers (erbium, chromium, yttrium scandium gallium garnet laser) in the non-surgical treatment of patients with chronic periodontitis, and provide guidance for clinicians about the application of Er,Cr:YSGG lasers during the process of non-surgical periodontal treatments. The meta-analysis was conducted with data extracted from 16 randomized controlled clinical trials (RCTs) that compare Er,Cr:YSGG lasers adjunct/substitute to scaling and root planing (SRP) with SRP alone for the treatment of chronic periodontitis published in English or Chinese from January 2000 to January 2020. The weighted mean differences (WMDs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were counted for probing depth (PD) reduction, clinical attachment level (CAL) gain, and visual analogue scale (VAS) score. Heterogeneity of each study was evaluated with the Q test. The publication bias was measured using Begg's adjusted rank correlation test. Sixteen RCTs with 606 patients were included in the meta-analysis. There were statistically significant differences between Er,Cr:YSGG lasers adjunct/substitute to SRP and SRP alone in the PD reduction at 1-month follow-up (WMD = ­ 0.35, 95% CI [- 0.63, ­ 0.07], P = 0.013), 3-month follow-up (WMD = - 0.342, 95% CI [- 0.552, - 0.132], P = 0.001), CAL gain at 3-month follow-up (WMD = - 0.17, 95% CI [- 0.31, 0.03], P = 0.017), and VAS score (WMD = - 2.395, 95% CI [- 3.327, - 1.464], P = 0.000) immediately after treatment. There were no significant differences of PD reduction and CAL change at 6-month follow-up. The present meta-analysis indicated that Er,Cr:YSGG lasers provided additional effectiveness in PD reduction and CAL gain at short-term follow-ups and there was less pain compared with SRP alone.

Phase I safety, tolerability, and pharmacokinetic studies of tetramethylpyrazine nitrone in healthy Chinese volunteers.

BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study was to investigate the safety, tolerability and pharmacokinetics of tetramethylpyrazine nitrone (TBN) in healthy Chinese volunteers. METHODS: A single-ascending-dose (SAD) study where 68 subjects were randomized to a single dose of placebo or TBN (50, 100, 200, 400, 700, 1,000, 1,400, or 1,800 mg) through IV infusion over 30 min. A multiple-ascending-dose (MAD) study where 24 subjects received TBN twice daily (with 12 hr interval) for total 6.5 days at doses of either 700 or 1,400 mg. Adverse events were recorded and pharmacokinetic samples were collected during the whole study period. RESULTS: No serious adverse events were found in the study. All of the observed adverse events, including increased white blood cell (4.4% subjects) and neutrophil counts (4.4% subjects), and decreased hemoglobin levels (4.2% subjects), were laboratory test abnormalities. All the adverse events were mild and tolerable, and returned to normal without any intervention. In the SAD study, linear Cmax values were observed in the dose interval of 50-1,800 mg. In the MAD study, the average steady-state concentrations (Cavg.ss ) of TBN in the 700 and 1,400 mg dose group were 2,407 and 5,837 ng/ml, respectively. No drug accumulation was observed in this study. CONCLUSIONS: TBN is well tolerated in healthy volunteers. Linear Cmax values were observed in the interval of 50-1,800 mg, and target exposures of TBN were achieved without accumulation after twice daily administration to subjects. (This study has been registered at ChiCTR.org.cn. Identifier: ChiCTR1800016225 and ChiCTR1800019627.).

Design, Preparation and Studies Regarding Cytotoxic Properties of Glycyrrhetinic Acid Derivatives.

Glycyrrhetinic acid (GA) is a natural product with certain antitumor activity. In order to enhance the cytotoxicity, a total of eighteen derivatives of GA were designed and synthesized. Their cytotoxicity against MDA-MB-231cells (human breast cancer cells) and HeLa cells (human cervical cancer cells), were evaluated by the MTT method (3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2, 5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide). The results indicated that these target compounds have a wide molar activity range and some of them show better activity than the commercial drugs gefitinib and doxorubicin. Compound 6g induces apoptosis of 7, 10 and 44% of MDA-MB-231 cells at 5, 10, and 20 µM, respectively.

A First-in-Human Safety, Tolerability, and Pharmacokinetics Study of Benapenem in Healthy Chinese Volunteers.

The objective of this trial was to investigate the safety, tolerability, and pharmacokinetics (PK) of benapenem administered by single or multiple intravenous infusions in healthy Chinese volunteers. The trial was divided into 3 parts. In part A, 94 subjects were enrolled in a double-blind, placebo-controlled, sequential-ascending-single-dose study. The subjects were randomly assigned to groups receiving placebo or benapenem for injection at doses of 62.5, 125, 250, 500, 1,000, 2,000, or 3,000 mg. The effects of intravenous infusion time on the subjects of 250-, 500-, and 1,000-mg groups were explored. In part B, 12 subjects were enrolled in a single-dose PK study under fasting conditions and received 250, 500, or 1,000 mg of benapenem for injection. In part C, 36 subjects were given 250, 500, and 1,000 mg of benapenem for injection once daily for 7 consecutive days. The results showed that benapenem for injection was well tolerated during the studies. The major observed adverse events were mild, and all were resolved spontaneously without any medical intervention. Benapenem was mainly excreted through the kidneys in the form of parent molecule and metabolites. The PK and safety profiles of benapenem in healthy Chinese volunteers support its once-daily dosing in future clinical investigations. (Part A, part B, and part C have been registered at ClinicalTrials.gov under identifiers NCT03588156, NCT03578588, and NCT03570970, respectively.).

A Randomized Study of the Single-Dose Safety, Pharmacokinetics, and Food Effect of Chinfloxacin and Its Effect on Thorough QT/QTc Interval in Healthy Chinese Volunteers.

Chinfloxacin hydrochloride is a novel tricyclic fluorinated quinolone in development for treatment of conventional and biothreat infections. This first-in-human randomized study in Chinese healthy subjects was divided into 5 parts. Part A was a single-ascending-dose study to assess safety and tolerability of chinfloxacin. The single-dose pharmacokinetic study, a food effect study, and a multiple-dose pharmacokinetics study were conducted in parts B, C, and D, respectively. Part E was a randomized, placebo-controlled and positive-control single-dose, crossover study to evaluate the effect of chinfloxacin on thorough electrocardiographic QT/corrected QT (QTc) interval. The results suggest that single and multiple oral administrations of chinfloxacin were well tolerated. The observed adverse events (AEs) were dizziness, nausea, weakness, photosensitive dermatitis, and increased frequency of defecation. All AEs were mild and were resolved spontaneously without any treatment. The time to peak plasma concentration (Tmax and Cmax, respectively) was about 2 h, and the half-life was 14 to 16 h. Food slightly affected the drug's rate and extent of absorption, increasing the Tmax from 1.60 to 2.59 h and reducing the Cmax by 13.6% and area under the concentration-time curve by 8.95%. Chinfloxacin at 400 mg had no effect on prolongation of QT/QTc intervals. Although 600 mg chinfloxacin had a mild effect on the prolongation of the QT/QTc interval, the effect was less pronounced than that of the positive control, 400 mg moxifloxacin. The pharmacokinetics and safety profiles of chinfloxacin in healthy Chinese volunteers support its once-daily dosing in future clinical investigations. (This study has been registered at www.ChiCTR.org.cn under identifiers ChiCTR-TRC-10001619 for parts A to D and ChiCTR1800015906 for part E.).

[Study on medication laws of Tibetan medicine in treatment of plateau disease based on data mining technology].

Traditional Chinese medicine inheritance support system (TCMISS, V2.5) was used in this study to analyze the common medicines, frequency of medicine combination, core herbal combinations and new prescriptions for the treatment of plateau disease from the Four-Volume Medical Code, Mannose Herbal Mirror and other related books. TCMISS V2.5 software was used to construct the database of drug treatment for plateau disease. The frequency analysis and association rules apriori algorithm, improved mutual information method and other data mining methods were used to explore the law of drug compatibility. After the analysis of 531 prescriptions for plateau disease, 20 common symptoms of plateau disease were summarized such as insomnia and tinnitus. There were 539 kinds of herbs in the plateau disease prescriptions, including 33 kinds of herbs whose medicinal frequency>=50, such as Terminalia chebula and Myristica fragrans, and T. chebula had the highest medicinal frequency; 14 commonly used herbal combinations, and "Aucklandia lappa-T. chebula" had the highest frequency; 13 core herbal combinations were obtained after entropy clustering analysis, including 8 combinations of three herbs such as "Allium sativum-Carum carvi-Ferula sinkiangensis" and 5 combinations of four herbs such as "A. lappa-Aquilaria sinensis-Ewgewia caryophyllata-Myristica fragrans", and 5 new prescriptions such as "A. sativum-C. carvi-F. sinkiangensis-A. lappa-Choerospondia axillaris-A. sinensis-M. fragrans". The main symptom of "insomnia" was chosen to analyze the treatment of insomnia, and the core herbal combinations mainly including A. sinensis, T. chebula, and C. axillaris as well as the new prescriptions mainly containing Carthamus tinctorius, Meconopsis horridnla, and Punica granatum were obtained. The prescriptions for the treatment of plateau disease were clarified by TCM inheritance system, and the clinical prescription regularity and characteristics of the combination of common medicines were summarized, to provide reference and new ideas for its clinical application and development of new drug research.

[Effect of fertilization combinations of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium on four phenolic compounds of cultivated Rhodiola crenulata].

This study is aimed to explore the effect of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium combined application on the active components of Rhodiola crenulata. R. crenulata was used as the research object, "3414" fertilization experiment were conducted with regular fertilization of NPK(N 60 kg·hm⁻², P2O5 100 kg·hm⁻²,KCl 160 kg·hm⁻²) to study the effect of different rates of NPK fertilization on the total amount of 4 phenolic constituents of gallic acid, salidroside, tyrol and ethyl gallate through field test. The results show that the content of salidroside was higher in the treatment of N1P2K1 and N1P2K2, andthe total amount of four phenols was higher in the treatment of N1P2K2 and N2P2K2. The suitable level of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium promoted the accumulation of the 4 kinds of phenols.The amount of fertilizer recommended by the three factor fertilizer effect equation,(N 0 kg·hm⁻²,P2O5 150 kg·hm⁻²,KCl 31.71 kg·hm⁻²) obtained the highest content of salidroside, and it was 1.54%.（N 35.54 kg·hm⁻²,P2O5 150 kg·hm⁻²,KCl 237.73 kg·hm⁻²ï¼‰obtained the highest content of 4 kinds of phenolic compounds, and it was 1.93%. This study provides a reference for the standardization of artificial planting of endangered Tibetan medicine.

Disentangling Environmental and Anthropogenic Impacts on the Distribution of Unintentionally Introduced Invasive Alien Insects in Mainland China.

Globalization increases the opportunities for unintentionally introduced invasive alien species, especially for insects, and most of these species could damage ecosystems and cause economic loss in China. In this study, we analyzed drivers of the distribution of unintentionally introduced invasive alien insects. Based on the number of unintentionally introduced invasive alien insects and their presence/absence records in each province in mainland China, regression trees were built to elucidate the roles of environmental and anthropogenic factors on the number distribution and similarity of species composition of these insects. Classification and regression trees indicated climatic suitability (the mean temperature in January) and human economic activity (sum of total freight) are primary drivers for the number distribution pattern of unintentionally introduced invasive alien insects at provincial scale, while only environmental factors (the mean January temperature, the annual precipitation and the areas of provinces) significantly affect the similarity of them based on the multivariate regression trees.

[Correlation between flavonoids contents in Hippophae rhamnoides subsp. inensis leaf and ecological factors, and ecological suitability analysis of H. rhamnoides subsp. sinensis].

The study aims at providing a new suitable way to promote artificial cultivation, solving the problem of resources increasingly endangered wild medicine, and protecting the wild resources of Tibetan medicine. The content of quercetin,kaempferol and isorhamnetin was determined by HPLC. The correlation between flavonoids components and ecological factors was analyzed using partial least-squares regression (PLSR). Based on Maxent model combining using ArcGIS software, suitable regionalization for H.rhamnoides subsp. sinensis was studied.The results showed that the difference of quercetin,kaempferol and isorhamnetin content in samples from different regions were obvious. The main factors effecting quercetin content accumulation were the altitude andthe average monthly precipitation in January and August. The main factors effecting kaempferol accumulation were the altitude andthe average monthly precipitation in the coldest quarter and December. The main factors effecting isorhamnetin accumulation were the average monthly precipitation in August, January and the coldest quarter.The regional distribution suitability index for H.rhamnoides subsp. sinensis was 0-0.708. The suitable area 590 500 km², accounting for 6.13% of the total area. The preferably suitable area was 552 500 km², accounting for 5.73% of the total area.The methods used in the study is simple and feasible, the result is reliable which provide a new approach for Tibetan medicine resources sustainable exploitation and utilization.

[Endangered situation and conservation strategy of Tibetan medicine in Qinghai-Tibet Plateau].

With the rapid development of Tibetan medicine industry, the study on plateau medicinal plants' endangered status is not enough, measures to protect is weak and the plateau ecological environment' inherent vulnerability, resulted in the shortage of Tibetan medicinal resources and affect the sustainable development . According to the existing endangered information of Tibetan medicine resources, how to formulate feasible protection plan, is an urgent problem of the rational development and utilization of Tibetan medicine resources to be solved. To find out the endangered Tibetan medicines in Qinghai Tibet Plateau, the Grade division method of Chinese Rare and Endangered Plants was applied, the endangered species were sorted out, which divided into class one (threatened) eleven species, class two (rare) twenty-one species, and class three (fading) forty-two species,a total of seventy-four species.In addition to national protection list in "Chinese rare and endangered plants". It's proposed to increase the endangered Tibetan medicinal species. Finally, according to the endangered status of the resources,from the survey of endangered Tibetan medicinal species regularly, the germplasm repository establishment of endangered Tibetan medicine, in situ conservation, artificial cultivation research and renew the idea, reasonable development and utilization, a total of 5 aspects to discussed the protection strategy, to provide a scientific basis for the protection and sustainable utilization of Tibetan medicine resources in Qinghai-Tibet Plateau.

[Research progress on resources and quality evaluation of Tibetan medicine in Qinghai-Tibet Plateau].

With the development of Tibetan medicine industry, the demands for Tibetan medicine were rising sharply. In addition, with the eco-environment vulnerability of Qinghai-Tibet Plateau region and the phenomenon of synonymies and homonymies in Tibetan medicine, there were a lack of resources and varieties in the clinical application of Tibetan medicine. At present, the shortage of Tibetan medicine and the inadequacy of its quality standard have become the two major problems that seriously restricted the sustainable development of Tibetan medicine industry. Therefore, it is important to develop the resources investigation and quality evaluation for Tibetan medicine, which were contribute to its resources protection and sustainable utilization. In this paper, current status of resources investigation, quality standardization, artificial breeding and germplasm resources of Tibetan medicine were presented by the integrated application of the new technologies, such as DNA barcoding and 1H-NMR, which provided a reference information for resources protection, sustainable utilization, variety identification and quality standardization of Tibetan medicine resources in Qinghai-Tibet Plateau.

Improvement of glucolipid metabolism and oxidative stress via modulating PI3K/Akt pathway in insulin resistance HepG2 cells by chickpea flavonoids.

Chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) is a significant dietary source of flavonoids and the hypoglycemic activity were investigated in this study. Firstly, total twenty nine chickpea flavonoids were identified by UPLC-MS/MS with ononin, cyanidin-3-O-glucoside, astragalin, cynaroside, kaempferol-3-O-rutinoside, biochanin A, and daidzin being the most abundant among them. Our results demonstrated that chickpea flavonoids regulated glucose metabolism and lipid metabolism, and reduced oxidative stress in insulin resistance HepG2 cells. Furthermore, insulin resistance was ameliorated by chickpea flavonoids through the activation of insulin receptor substrate1 (IRS1), phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K), and phosphorylated protein kinase B (Akt) in HepG2 cells. More importantly, key differential metabolites include L-tryptophan, L-tyrosine, l-glutamine and linoleic acid were reserved by chickpea flavonoids and correlated with glucolipid metabolism and oxidative stress in IR-HepG2 cells. In conclusion, these results indicated that chickpea flavonoids might act as potential natural products regulating insulin resistance in HepG2 cells.

Elevated CO2 and Increased N Intensify Competition between Two Invasive Annual Plants in China.

As multiple invaders often co-occur, understanding the interactions between different invasive species is important. Previous studies have reported on invasional meltdown and neutral and interference relationships between invasive species. However, interspecific interactions may vary with environmental change owing to the different responses of interacting invaders. To better understand the interaction of notorious invasive alien plants under CO2 enrichment and N deposition, the growth characteristics of common ragweed (Ambrosia artemisiifolia) and redroot pigweed (Amaranthus retroflexus) were studied when they were planted in monoculture (4Rag and 4Pig) or mixture (1Rag:3Pig, 2Rag:2Pig, 3Rag:1Pig) under four environmental treatments: elevated CO2, increased N, elevated CO2 + increased N and a control. Increased N positively affected almost all the traits (basal stem diameter, height, shoot biomass, root biomass and total biomass) of common ragweed, except for branch number and root-shoot ratio. But increased N only promoted redroot pigweed's height and basal stem diameter. interspecific competition promoted basal stem diameter and number of branches but decreased root biomass of common ragweed, and the basal stem diameter was significantly higher in 1Rag:3Pig and 2Rag:2Pig compared to the other two treatments. interspecific competition inhibited almost all the characteristics of redroot pigweed. The interaction between elevated CO2 and increased N also increased the biomass characteristics (shoot biomass, root biomass and total biomass) of common ragweed. However, elevated CO2 inhibited the root biomass of redroot pigweed. The results indicated that common ragweed was a superior competitor under conditions of elevated CO2 and increased N. Moreover, environmental change might strengthen the super-invasive plant common ragweed's competitive ability.

Phylogenetic Relationships and Disturbance Explain the Resistance of Different Habitats to Plant Invasions.

Invasive alien plants have invaded various habitats, posing a threat to biodiversity. Several hypotheses have been proposed to explain the mechanisms of invasion, but few studies have considered the characteristics of the invaded communities and the effects of human interference in the invasion. In this study, we compared the invasibility of three different habitats: abandoned land, eucalyptus plantations, and natural secondary forests. We explored the effects of species diversity, phylogenetic diversity, and disturbance factors on the invasibility of different habitats. The results showed that the invasibility of abandoned land was the highest and the invasibility of the natural secondary forest was the lowest. Phylogenetic indicators affected the invasibility of abandoned land and eucalyptus plantations, and disturbance factors affected the invasibility of all three habitats, while the characteristics of the invaded communities had a weak impact. Our research provided supporting evidence for Darwin's naturalization hypothesis and his disturbance hypothesis but found no relationship between biotic resistance and invasibility. This study indicated that the differences among habitats should be considered when we prove Darwin's naturalization hypothesis in nature reserves.