Discovery of potent heat shock protein 90 (Hsp90) inhibitors: structure-based virtual screening, molecular dynamics simulation, and biological evaluation.

Heat shock protein 90 (Hsp90) is considered an attractive therapeutic target for cancer treatment due to its high expression in many cancers. In this study, four potent Hsp90 inhibitors (HPs 1-4) were identified using structure-based virtual screening. Among them, HP-4 exhibited the most potent inhibitory effects (IC50 = 17.64 ± 1.45 nM) against the Hsp90 protein, which was about 7.7 times stronger than that of MPC-3100 (a positive inhibitor targeting Hsp90). In vitro cytotoxicity assay suggested that HP-4 could effectively inhibit the proliferation of a series of tumour cells, including HCT-116, HeLa, A549, A2780, DU145, HepG2 and A498. Furthermore, in vivo assay displayed that HP-4 had significant anti-tumour effects on HCT-116 cell-derived xenograft models. These data demonstrate that HP-4 could be a potential lead compound for the further investigation of anti-tumour drugs.

Rhizosphere analysis of field-grown Panax ginseng with different degrees of red skin provides the basis for preventing red skin syndrome.

BACKGROUND: Ginseng red skin root syndrome (GRS) is one of the most common ginseng (Panax ginseng Meyer) diseases. It leads to a severe decline in P. ginseng quality and seriously affects the P. ginseng industry in China. However, as a root disease, the characteristics of the GRS rhizosphere microbiome are still unclear. METHODS: The amplicon bacterial 16 S rRNA genes and fungal ITS (Internal Transcribed Spacer) regions Illumina sequencing technology, combined with microbial diversity and composition analysis based on R software, was used to explore the relationship between soil ecological environment and GRS. RESULTS: There were significant differences in the diversity and richness of soil microorganisms between the rhizosphere with different degrees of disease, especially between healthy P. ginseng (HG) and heavily diseased groups. The variation characteristics of microbial abundance in different taxa levels were analyzed. The interaction network of rhizosphere microorganisms of P. ginseng under GRS background was established. We also found that different P. ginseng rhizosphere microbial communities have multiple changes in stability and complexity through the established interaction network. Microbes closely related to potential pathogenic fungi were also identified according to the interaction network, which provided clues for looking for biological control agents. Finally, the Distance-based redundancy analysis (dbRDA) results indicated that total phosphorus (TP), available potassium (AK), available phosphorus (AP), catalase (CAT), invertase (INV) are the key factors that influence the microbial communities. Moreover, the content of these key factors in the rhizosphere was negatively correlated with disease degrees. CONCLUSIONS: In this study, we comprehensively analyzed the rhizosphere characteristics of P. ginseng with different levels of disease, and explored the interaction relationship among microorganisms. These results provide a basis for soil improvement and biological control of field-grown in the future.

Effectiveness and safety of ultrasound-guided high-intensity focused ultrasound ablation for the treatment of colorectal cancer liver metastases.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effectiveness and safety of high-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) ablation for patients with colorectal liver metastases (CRLMs) who were unsuitable for hepatectomy. METHODS: This is a multicenter retrospective study. 238 CRLM patients underwent ultrasound-guided HIFU (USgHIFU) ablation in three medical centers from October 2014 to December 2020. Patients who had complete colorectal cancer resection, but exhibited extra-hepatic metastasis were excluded from this study. HIFU ablation procedure was performed, and contrast-enhanced MR imaging and/or contrast-enhanced CT examinations were conducted and mRECIST was used for the assessment of tumor ablation effectiveness before and after treatment, and every 3 months thereafter. Adverse events and complications were recorded. RESULTS: 43 CRML patients (27 male, 16 female, aged 29-82 years) were enrolled and underwent a USgHIFU ablation procedure. CR (complete response) was achieved in 21 patients, while PR (partial response) was observed in 21 patients and SD (stable disease) was achieved in one patient, respectively. The objective response rate was 97.7%. Median OS (overall survival) was estimated to be 31 months, and1-year and 18-month overall survival was 90.7% (39/43) and 72.1% (31/43), respectively. For CR and PR patients, the median OS was 35 months and 23 months, respectively (p = 0.00). The majority of adverse events were pain in 22 cases (51.2%) and local skin edema in 33 cases (76.7%). No severe adverse events or complications were reported and recorded. CONCLUSIONS: USgHIFU ablation is a safe and effective treatment option for CRLM patients, especially for patients who are unsuitable for hepatectomy.

Study on Efficient Adsorption Mechanism of Pb2+ by Magnetic Coconut Biochar.

Lead ion (Pb2+) in wastewater cannot be biodegraded and destroyed. It can easily be enriched in living organisms, which causes serious harm to the environment and human health. Among the existing treatment technologies, adsorption is a green and efficient way to treat heavy metal contamination. Novel KMnO4-treated magnetic biochar (KFBC) was successfully synthesized by the addition of Fe(NO3)3 and KMnO4 treatment during carbonization following Pb2+ adsorption. SEM-EDS, XPS, and ICP-OES were used to evaluate the KFBC and magnetic biochar (FBC) on the surface morphology, surface chemistry characteristics, surface functional groups, and Pb2+ adsorption behavior. The effects of pH on the Pb2+ solution, initial concentration of Pb2+, adsorption time, and influencing ions on the adsorption amount of Pb2+ were examined, and the adsorption mechanisms of FBC and KFBC on Pb2+ were investigated. The results showed that pH had a strong influence on the adsorption of KFBC and the optimum adsorption pH was 5. The saturation adsorption capacity fitted by the model was 170.668 mg/g. The successful loading of manganese oxides and the enhanced oxygen functional groups, as evidenced by XPS and FTIR data, improved KFBC for heavy metal adsorption. Mineral precipitation, functional group complexation, and π-electron interactions were the primary adsorption processes.

Genome-wide characterization and analysis of WRKY transcription factors in Panax ginseng.

BACKGROUND: Panax ginseng is a well-known medicinal plant worldwide. As an herbal medicine, ginseng is also known for its long lifecycle, which can reach several decades. WRKY proteins play regulatory roles in many aspects of biological processes in plants, such as responses to biotic or abiotic stress, plant development, and adaptation to environmental challenges. Genome-wide analyses of WRKY genes in P. ginseng have not been reported. RESULTS: In this study, 137 PgWRKY genes were identified from the ginseng genome. Phylogenetic analysis showed that the PgWRKYs could be clustered into three primary groups and five subgroups. Most of the PgWRKY gene promoters contained several kinds of hormone- and stress-related cis-regulatory elements. The expression patterns of PgWRKY genes in 14 different tissues were analyzed based on the available public RNA-seq data. The responses of the PgWRKY genes to heat, cold, salt and drought treatment were also investigated. Most of the PgWRKY genes were expressed differently after heat treatment, and expression trends changed significantly under drought and cold treatment but only slightly under salt treatment. The coexpression analysis of PgWRKY genes with the ginsenoside biosynthesis pathway genes identified 11 PgWRKYs that may have a potential regulatory role in the biosynthesis process of ginsenoside. CONCLUSIONS: This work provides insights into the evolution, modulation and distribution of the WRKY gene family in ginseng and extends our knowledge of the molecular basis along with modulatory mechanisms of WRKY transcription factors in ginsenoside biosynthesis.

Preliminary study on ultrasound-guided high-intensity focused ultrasound ablation for treatment of broad ligament uterine fibroids.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the feasibility, efficacy and safety of ultrasound-guided high-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) ablation for treating the broad ligament uterine fibroid (BLUF). METHODS: A total of 236 patients with symptomatic uterine fibroids were enrolled and treated with JC-200 extracorporeal ultrasound-guided HIFU under conscious sedation between January 2017 and December 2018. Of them, data of 12 patients with 13 broad ligament fibroids were retrospectively analyzed. The patients' mean age was 38.6 ± 6.3 years. The focused ultrasound target was deployed and moved from the deeper layer to the superficial layer of BLUFs. All patients underwent contrast-enhanced MRI (CE-MRI) before, immediate post-operation, and six months after the HIFU ablation procedure. The fibroid size, non-perfusion volume (NPV) ratio, the reduction of fibroid volumes, adverse events, symptom changes, and abnormal MRI findings associated with the HIFU treatment were analyzed. RESULTS: Ultrasound-guided HIFU ablation in the twelve patients was technically successful with one session treatment. The mean longest diameter of BLUFs was 6.2 ± 2.3 cm. The mean NPV ratio of fibroids was 84.08%± 9.4%. After HIFU ablation, lower abdominal pain occurred in 7 cases, sacrococcygeal pain in 3 cases, and mild skin pain in 6 cases. There were no severe adverse events and complications associated with the treatment. At 6 months post-treatment follow-up, the mean fibroid volume decreased by 56.2%± 9.0% (p < 0.05), and the symptoms related to broad ligament fibroids were improved or disappeared. CONCLUSIONS: Ultrasound-guided high-intensity focused ultrasound ablation is feasible, effective, and safe for treating broad ligament fibroids.

Systematic analysis of gene expression profiles reveals prognostic stratification and underlying mechanisms for muscle-invasive bladder cancer.

BACKGROUND: Muscle-invasive bladder cancer (MIBC) is originated in the muscle wall of the bladder, and is the ninth most common malignancy worldwide. However, there are no reliable, accurate and robust gene signatures for MIBC prognosis prediction, which is of the importance in assisting oncologists to make a more accurate evaluation in clinical practice. METHODS: This study used univariable and multivariable Cox regression models to select gene signatures and build risk prediction model, respectively. The t-test and fold change methods were used to perform the differential expression analysis. The hypergeometric test was used to test the enrichment of the differentially expressed genes in GO terms or KEGG pathways. RESULTS: In the present study, we identified three prognostic genes, KLK6, TNS1, and TRIM56, as the best subset of genes for muscle-invasive bladder cancer (MIBC) risk prediction. The validation of this stratification method on two datasets demonstrated that the stratified patients exhibited significant difference in overall survival, and our stratification was superior to three other stratifications. Consistently, the high-risk group exhibited worse prognosis than low-risk group in samples with and without lymph node metastasis, distant metastasis, and radiation treatment. Moreover, the upregulated genes in high-risk MIBC were significantly enriched in several cancer-related pathways. Notably, PDGFRB, a receptor for platelet-derived growth factor of PI3K-Akt signaling pathway, and TUBA1A were identified as two targets of multiple drugs. In addition, the angiogenesis-related genes, as well as two marker genes of M2 macrophage, CD163 and MRC1, were highly upregulated in high-risk MIBC. CONCLUSIONS: In summary, this study investigated the underlying molecular mechanism and potential therapeutic targets associated with worse prognosis of high-risk MIBC, which could improve our understanding of progression of MIBC and provide new therapeutic strategies for the MIBC patients.

Rapid detection of carbon-nitrogen ratio for anaerobic fermentation feedstocks using near-infrared spectroscopy combined with BiPLS and GSA.

Near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) is an efficient method for detecting the content of carbon and nitrogen in many materials, which solves the problems of the time-consuming and high-cost traditional chemical analysis method. To quickly detect the carbon-nitrogen ratio (C/N) for the anaerobic fermentation (AF) feedstock using NIRS, a genetic simulated annealing algorithm (GSA) is presented based on a genetic algorithm combined with a simulated annealing algorithm. By combining GSA with backward interval partial least squares (BiPLS), we construct a BiPLS-GSA algorithm to optimize the characteristic wavelength variables of NIRS; this algorithm significantly reduced the number of wavelength variables involved in modeling and effectively improved the detection accuracy and efficiency of the model. The determination coefficients, root mean squared error, mean relative error (MRE) and residual predictive deviation for the validation set in the BiPLS-GSA regression model were 0.9067, 7.6676, 5.5274%, and 3.5626, respectively. Meanwhile, compared to the entire spectrum model, the MRE was decreased by 16.54% in the BiPLS-GSA-based model. The research in this paper improves the adaptability of the prediction model based on optimizing sensitive wavelength variables for C/N, which provides a new way for rapid and accurate measurement of the C/N of AF feedstock.

Preparation of an epitope-based recombinant diagnostic antigen specific to anti-phospholipase A2 receptor 1 antibodies.

BACKGROUND: According to recent studies, the phospholipase A2 receptor 1 (PLA2R1) may be used as a biomarker to diagnose idiopathic membranous nephropathy (iMN). Moreover, the immune-dominant regions of PLA2R1 have been identified. The aim of the present study was to construct a diagnostic antigen based on the immune-dominant region of PLA2R1 and develop a specific serological detection method for PLA2R1 antibodies. RESULTS: The tandem multi-epitope diagnostic antigen (designated 'R101'), which includes aa 39-130 (CysR), aa 238-356 (CTLD1), and aa 1136-1234 (CTLD7) of PLA2R1; thioredoxin at the N-terminus; and a His tag at the C-terminus, was prepared at a concentration of 2.36 mg/mL and purity of 97.32% using Escherichia coli expression and affinity and anion exchange chromatography purification. The integrity and antigenicity of the R101 protein was demonstrated by western blot analysis using anti-Trx, anti-His, and anti-PLA2R1 monoclonal antibodies as the primary antibodies. By analysing 120 positive serum samples identified by biopsy-proven iMN (gold standard) and 240 negative samples identified by an established ELISA based on R101 protein, we concluded that the cut-off value, kappa value, sensitivity, specificity, and agreement rate were 0.305, 0.881, 91.67, 96.25, and 94.72% respectively. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve illustrated that the diagnostic accuracy and practicability of the ELISA was excellent. The area under the curve was 0.986. CONCLUSIONS: Using prokaryotic expression and chromatography purification, immune-dominant regions of PLA2R1 with excellent antigenicity can be prepared and applied to serological detection of PLA2R1 antibodies.

Microcystin-LR regulates circadian clock and antioxidant gene expression in cultured rat cardiomyocytes.

BACKGROUND: Microcystins are waterborne environmental toxins that induce oxidative stress and cause injuries in the heart. On the other hand, many physiological processes, including antioxidant defense, are under precise control by the mammalian circadian clock. RESULTS: In the present study, we evaluated the effect of microcystin-LR (MC-LR) on the rhythmic expression patterns of circadian and antioxidant genes in rat cardiomyocytes using the serum shock technique. We found that a non-toxic dose (10 µm) of MC-LR decreased the amplitudes of rhythmic patterns of clock genes, while it increased the expression levels of antioxidant genes. CONCLUSIONS: Our results indicate an influence of MC-LR on the circadian clock system and clock-controlled antioxidant genes, which will shed some light on the explanation of heart toxicity induced by MC-LR from the viewpoint of chronobiology.

Cortical thickness and functional connectivity abnormality in chronic headache and low back pain patients.

This study aims to characterize the psychological wellbeing of chronic headache (CH) patients, to identify cortical structural abnormalities and any associations of those abnormalities with resting state functional connectivity (rsFC), and to determine whether such rsFC abnormality is specific to CH patients. Compared with healthy controls (CONCH ), CH patients suffered from mild depression, sleep disturbances, and relatively poor quality of life. CH patients also exhibited widespread cortical thickness (CT) abnormalities in left premotor (BA6), right primary somatosensory (S1) and right prefrontal (BA10) cortices, as well as in regions of default mode and executive control networks. Using cortical regions with thickness abnormality as seeds, we found cortical region pairs showed strengthened rsFC in CH patients. Using the same seeds, rsFC analysis from chronic low back pain (CLBP) patients and their controls (CONCLBP ) identified abnormalities in non-overlapping cortical region pairs. Direct comparison of rsFC between CH and CLBP patients revealed significantly differences in thirteen cortical region pairs, including the four identified in CH and CONCH comparison. Across all three groups (CH, CLBP and CON), the rsFC between left multisensory association area (BA39) and left posterior cingulate cortex (BA23) differed significantly. Eight regions showed CT abnormality in CLBP patients, two of which overlapped with those of CH patients. Our observations support the notion that CH and CLBP pain are pathological conditions, under which the brain develops distinct widespread structural and functional abnormalities. CH and CLBP groups share some similar structural abnormalities, but rsFC abnormalities in several cortical region pairs appear to be pathology-specific. Hum Brain Mapp 38:1815-1832, 2017. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Three modalities on common bile duct exploration.

Background Choledocholithiasis can be managed by transcystic (TC) and transduct (TD) stone extraction or using cholangioscopy through the left hepatic duct orifice (LHD). Objective The aim of this study is to evaluate the safety and effectiveness of common bile duct exploration through the TC approach, TD approach, and LHD approach for choledocholithiasis, with a specific emphasis on the TC and LHD approaches versus the TD approach. Methods Between January 2011 and June 2014, a total of 172 choledocholithiasis patients accompanied by cholecystitis and/or left intrahepatic gallstones were scheduled for laparoscopic or open common bile duct (CBD) exploration using cholangioscopy through the CBD (TD group: n = 72), cystic duct (TC group: n = 63), or LHD orifice (LHD group: n = 37). T-tube insertion was performed in selected patients. Patients were regularly followed up at bimonthly intervals or more frequently in presence of any symptom. Primary outcomes measures included overall operative time, length of hospital stay, and postoperative bile leaks. Results Successful bile duct clearance was 100 % in the TD group, 93.6 % in the TC group, and 90.9 % in the LHD group. Sixteen cases in the TD group had T-tube placement in contrast to no cases in the TC and LHD groups. There were more bile leaks after TD stone extraction (12.5 %) than TC (3.2 %) and LHD stone extraction (0 %), which prolonged hospitalization in the TD group more than in the TC and LHD groups. For choledocholithiasis patients accompanied by cholecystitis, 2 groups (TC and TD groups) were comparable in operative time. However, for choledocholithiasis patients accompanied by left intrahepatic gallstones, the LHD group had a significantly shorter operative time than the TD group (121.1 ±â€Š16.9 minutes vs. 149.3 ±â€Š42.8 minutes, p < 0.05). Conclusion The TD group had a higher stone clearance rate but was associated with a higher risk of bile leaks. TC and LHD stone extraction, which seems to be the more effective approach with lower complication rates, is an accessible technique that simplifies the operation procedure by avoiding choledochotomy and subsequent T-tube insertion.

[Effects of different substrates on low temperature fresh ginseng].

The SOD and POD enzyme activities were detected, ginseng saponin content and protein concentration at 4 ℃ preservation on fresh ginseng by different substrates were determined. The results showed that the appearance of the ginseng and the survival ability were good after six months by perlite preservation. It has lower SOD, POD enzyme activity and higher saponins and protein contention. It is the best fresh storing conditions for ginseng by using perlite at 4 ℃ preservation.

High-Performance Liquid Chromatography with Diode Array Detector and Electrospray Ionization Ion Trap Time-of-Flight Tandem Mass Spectrometry to Evaluate Ginseng Roots and Rhizomes from Different Regions.

Ginseng, Panax ginseng C. A. Meyer, is an industrial crop in China and Korea. The functional components in ginseng roots and rhizomes are characteristic ginsenosides. This work developed a new high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with electrospray ionization ion trap time-of-flight multistage mass spectrometry (LC-ESI-IT-TOF-MS(n)) method to identify the triterpenoids. Sixty compounds (1-60) including 58 triterpenoids were identified from the ginseng cultivated in China. Substances 1, 2, 7, 15-20, 35, 39, 45-47, 49, 55-57, 59, and 60 were identified for the first time. To evaluate the quality of ginseng cultivated in Northeast China, this paper developed a practical liquid chromatography-diode array detection (LC-DAD) method to simultaneously quantify 14 interesting ginsenosides in ginseng collected from 66 different producing areas for the first time. The results showed the quality of ginseng roots and rhizomes from different sources was different due to growing environment, cultivation technology, and so on. The developed LC-ESI-IT-TOF-MS(n) method can be used to identify many more ginsenosides and the LC-DAD method can be used not only to assess the quality of ginseng, but also to optimize the cultivation conditions for the production of ginsenosides.

Feasibility, Safety, and Efficacy of Accurate Uterine Fibroid Ablation Using Magnetic Resonance Imaging-Guided High-Intensity Focused Ultrasound With Shot Sonication.

The aim of this study was to investigate the feasibility, safety, and efficacy of uterine fibroid treatment using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)-guided high-intensity focused ultrasound (US) with shot sonication for accurate ablation. Forty-three patients with 51 symptomatic uterine fibroids were treated with MRI-guided high-intensity focused US with shot sonication, which was a small acoustic focus of higher intensity with a shorter time (2 seconds) of US exposure and a shorter cooling time (2-3 seconds). The treatment efficacy and adverse events were analyzed, and the changes in the severity of symptoms and the reduction in fibroid volume were assessed 3 and 6 months after the procedure. All patients were successfully treated in a single session, without major complications, and the mean nonperfused volume ratio ± SD was 84.3% ± 15.7% (range, 33.8%-100%).Complete ablation was achieved in 13 T2-hypointense fibroids from 10 patients, and partial ablation was achieved in 38 fibroids from 33 patients. The overall mean treatment time was 135.0 ± 50.9 minutes (2.2 ± 0.8 hours). The transformed symptom severity scores and mean fibroid volumes decreased significantly after treatment (P < .05). In conclusion, MRI-guided high-intensity focused US with shot sonication is a feasible, safe, and effective technique for ablation of uterine fibroids and complete ablation of T2-hypointense fibroids.

[Effects of Rhodiola on the Expression of iNOS mRNA in Severe Acute Pancreatitis Associated Re- nal Injury Rats].

OBJECTIVE: To explore the effect of Rhodiola on the expression of iNOS mRNA in severe acute pancreatitis (SAP) associated renal injury rats. METHODS: A total of 72 healthy rats were randomly divided into the sham-operated group (S), the SAP associated renal injury group (M), and the Rhodiola-treated group (RHO), 24 in each group. Rats in S and M groups were peritoneally injected with 10 mL/kg saline 3h before modeling, while rats in the RHO group were peritoneally injected with 10 mL/kg Rhodiola Injection 3 h before modeling. The peripheral ligament of pancreas was bluntly dissociated in rats of M and RHO groups. The head of pancreas was occlused by nontraumatic blood vessel forceps 3 h later to establish the model. Eight rats were randomly selected from each group at 12, 24, and 36 h after modeling to detect levels of serum amylase, creatinine, and blood urea nitrogen. Serum levels of interleukin 1ß (IL-1ß) and interleukin 10 (IL-10) were detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Pathological changes of the left kidney were observed under light microscope. The expression of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) mRNA in the right kidney was detected with real time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). RESULTS: Compared with the S group, serum levels of amylase, creatinine (Cr), blood urea nitrogen (BUN), IL-1ß, IL-10, and iNOS mRNA expression significantly increased in the M group (P < 0.01). The function of kidney and pancreas were obviously improved in the RHO group than in the M group. Levels of IL-1ß and iNOS significantly decreased, but IL-10 levels significantly increased in the RHO group with statistical difference (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: Rhodiola had better protective effect on SAP associated renal injury, which might be achieved through inhibiting the expression of IL-1ß, stimulating the expression of IL-10, down-regulating iNOS mRNA expression, reducing the generation of oxygen free radicals and NO damage to cells, and improving hypoxia tolerance capabilities of the kidney.

[Effects of constant low temperature on cold resistance of different strains Polygonatum odoratum].

In this paper, the five strains of Polygonatum odoratum were used as the experimental materials to test the supercooling point, freezing point, the degree of supercooling, the transition stage time, cooling time and water composition of the plant tissue. The cold resistance of P. odoratum was analyzed with the Gray Correlation Method. The results showed that the cold resistances of the five strains of P. odoratum were different, and the water content of plant tissue had some relevance with freezing point and supercooling point, whereas, it could not be measured when the moisture content was too low. The order of cold resistance of the five strains of P. odoratum was ZJCY, DYYZ, XYYZ, CYYZ and JZ I.

[Anti-feeding activity of total ginsenoside from Panax ginseng to 4th-instar Mythimna separata larvae].

This paper is in order to study the anti-feeding and growth inhibition activity of toatal ginsenoside of ginseng stems and leaves against 4th-instar Mythimna separata larvae. Simulating natural growing condition indoors, on the base, To study the anti-feeding and growth inhibition activity of toatal ginsenoside against 4th-instar M. separata larvae by leaf disc test. The toatal ginsenoside appeared to be of significant antifeeding activity against 4th-instar M. separata larvae. The 4th-instar M. separata larvae fed on the leaves of Sorghum bicolor treated with 20, 10, 5 g · L(-1) toatal ginsenoside. At 8 h, non-selective anti-feeding rate were 88.67%, 64.40% and 47.36%, and selective anti-feeding rate were 62.49% , 44.29% and 34.19%; Compared with the photographic, The toatal ginsenoside conld make the development period had prolonged 13h in treated group. The toatal ginsenoside had significant inhibition effect on feeding and growth and development against 4th-instar M. separata larvae, and inhibition effect increases as the increase of concentration ginsenoside.

[Research of chemotaxis response of Botrytis cinerea and Alternaria panax on total ginsenosides].

In this paper, three kinds of chemotactic parameters (concentration, temperature and pH) were determined by plate assay and spore germination method to research the chemotactic response of Botrytis cinerea and Alternaria panax, and their spores on total ginsenosides. The results showed that Botrytis cinerea had strong chemotactic response at the mid-concentration of total ginsenosides (cultivation temperature was 20 degrees C and pH value was 6), and the data of chemotactic migration index (CMI) was 1.293 0, chemotactic growth rate (CGR) was 0.476 0, spore germination rate (SGR) was 53%, and dry weight of mycelial (DWM) was 0.452 6 g x L(-1); however, Alternaria panax had strong chemotactic response at the low-concentration of total ginsenosides (cultivation temperature was 25 degrees C and pH value was 6), and the data of chemotactic migration index (CMI) was 1.235 4, chemotactic growth rate (CGR) was 0.537 0, spore germination rate (SGR) was 67%, and dry weight of mycelial (DWM) was 0.494 8 g x L(-1). The results indicated that the low and middle concentration (2, 20 mg x L(-1)) of total ginsenosides had significant promoting effect on chemotactic response of these two pathogens, and the spore germination, mycelial growth rate, dry weight of mycelial of them were also significantly improved by this chemotactic response, whereas it decreased as the increase of total ginsenosides concentration.

Development and validation of a radiomics model based on T2-weighted imaging for predicting the efficacy of high intensity focused ultrasound ablation in uterine fibroids.

Background: The heterogeneity of uterine fibroids in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is complex for a subjective visual evaluation, therefore it is difficult for an accurate prediction of the efficacy of high intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) ablation in fibroids before the treatment. The purpose of this study was to set up a radiomics model based on MRI T2-weighted imaging (T2WI) for predicting the efficacy of HIFU ablation in uterine fibroids, and it would be used in preoperative screening of the fibroids for achieving high non-perfused volume ratio (NPVR). Methods: A total of 178 patients with uterine fibroids were consecutively enrolled and treated with ultrasound-guided HIFU under conscious sedation between February 2017 and December 2021. Among them, 96 patients with 108 uterine fibroids with high ablation efficacy (NPVR ≥80%, h_NPVR) and 82 patients with 92 fibroids with lower ablation efficacy (NPVR <80%, l_NPVR) were retrospectively analyzed. The transverse T2WI images of fibroids were selected, and the fibroids were delineated slice by slice using ITK-SNAP software. The radiomics analysis was performed to find the imaging biomarker for the construction of a predicting model for the evaluation of the ablation efficacy, including the feature extraction, feature selection and model construction. The prediction model was built by logistic regression and assessed by receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve, and the prediction efficiency of the two models was compared by Delong test. The ratio of the training set to the testing set was 8:2. Results: The logistic regression model showed that the mean area under the curve (AUC) of the training set was 0.817 [95% confidence interval (CI): 0.755-0.882], and the testing set was 0.805 (95% CI: 0.670-0.941), respectively, which indicated a strong classification ability. The Delong test showed that there was no significant difference in the area under the ROC curve between the training set and testing set (P>0.05). Conclusions: The radiomics model based on T2WI is feasible and effective for predicting the efficacy of HIFU ablation in treatment of uterine fibroids.