Leaf reflectance and functional traits as environmental indicators of urban dust deposition.

BACKGROUND: How to quickly predict and evaluate urban dust deposition is the key to the control of urban atmospheric environment. Here, we focus on changes of plant reflectance and plant functional traits due to dust deposition, and develop a prediction model of dust deposition based on these traits. RESULTS: The results showed that (1) The average dust deposition per unit area of Ligustrum quihoui leaves was significantly different among urban environments (street (18.1001 g/m2), community (14.5597 g/m2) and park (9.7661 g/m2)). Among different urban environments, leaf reflectance curves tends to be consistent, but there were significant differences in leaf reflectance values (park (0.052-0.585) > community (0.028-0.477) > street (0.025-0.203)). (2) There were five major reflection peaks and five major absorption valleys. (3) The spectral reflectances before and after dust removal were significantly different (clean leaves > dust-stagnant leaves). 695 ~ 1400 nm was the sensitive range of spectral response. (4) Dust deposition has significant influence on slope and position of red edge. Red edge slope was park > community > street. After dust deposition, the red edge position has obviously "blue shift". The moving distance of the red edge position increases with the increase of dust deposition. The forecast model of dust deposition amount established by simple ratio index (y = 2.517x + 0.381, R2 = 0.787, RMSE (root-mean-square error) = 0.187. In the model, y refers to dust retention, x refers to simple ratio index.) has an average accuracy of 99.98%. (5) With the increase of dust deposition, the specific leaf area and chlorophyll content index decreased gradually. The leaf dry matter content, leaf tissue density and leaf thickness increased gradually. CONCLUSION: In the dust-polluted environment, L. quihoui generally presents a combination of characters with lower specific leaf area, chlorophyll content index, and higher leaf dry matter content, leaf tissue density and leaf thickness. Leaf reflectance spectroscopy and functional traits have been proved to be effective in evaluating the changes of urban dust deposition.

Purification and characteristics of a novel bacteriocin produced by Enterococcus faecalis L11 isolated from Chinese traditional fermented cucumber.

OBJECTIVE: To purify and characterize a novel bacteriocin with broad inhibitory spectrum produced by an isolate of Enterococcus faecalis from Chinese fermented cucumber. RESULTS: E. faecalis L11 produced a bacteriocin with antimicrobial activity against both Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus. The amino acid sequence of the purified bacteriocin, enterocin L11, was assayed by Edman degradation method. It differs from other class II bacteriocins and exhibited a broad antimicrobial activity against not only Gram-positive bacteria, including Bacillus subtilis, S. aureus, Listeria monocytogenes, Sarcina flava, Lactobacillus acidophilus, L. plantarum, L. delbrueckii subsp. delbrueckii, L. delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus and Streptococcus thermophilus, but also some Gram-negative bacteria including Salmonella typhimurium, E. coli and Shigella flexneri. Enterocin L11 retained 91 % of its activity after holding at 121 °C for 30 min. It was also resistant to acids and alkalis. CONCLUSIONS: Enterocin L11 is a novel broad-spectrum Class II bacteriocin produced by E. faecalis L11, and may have potential as a food biopreservative.

Purpurin ameliorated neuropathic allodynia and hyperalgesia by modulating neuronal mitochondrial bioenergetics and redox status in type 1 diabetic mice.

A substantial proportion of diabetic patients suffer a debilitating and persistent pain state, known as peripheral painful neuropathy that necessitates improved therapy or antidote. Purpurin, a natural anthraquinone compound from Rubia tinctorum L., has been reported to possess antidepressant activity in preclinical studies. As antidepressants have been typically used as standard agents against persistent neuropathic pain, this study aimed to probe the effect of purpurin on neuropathic pain associated with streptozotocin-induced type 1 diabetes in male C57BL6J mice. The Hargreaves test and the von Frey test were used to assess the pain-like behaviors, shown as heat hyperalgesia and mechanical allodynia respectively. Chronic treatment of diabetic mice with purpurin not only ameliorated the established symptoms of heat hyperalgesia and mechanical allodynia, but also arrested the development of these pain states given preemptively at low doses. Although purpurin treatment hardly impacted on metabolic disturbance in diabetic mice, it ameliorated exacerbated oxidative stress in pain-associated tissues, improved mitochondrial bioenergetics in dorsal root ganglion neurons and restored nerve conduction velocity in sciatic nerves. Notably, the analgesic actions of purpurin were modified by pharmacologically manipulating redox status and mitochondrial bioenergetics. These findings unveil the analgesic activity of purpurin, an effect that is causally associated with its bioenergetics-enhancing and antioxidant effects, in mice with type 1 diabetes.

Different hemodynamic factors cause the occurrence of superior mesenteric atherosclerotic stenosis and superior mesenteric artery dissection.

Objective: To compare the hemodynamic factors involved in the occurrence of superior mesenteric atherosclerotic stenosis (SMAS) and superior mesenteric artery (SMA) dissection (SMAD). Methods: Hospital records were searched to identify consecutive patients who were diagnosed with SMAS or SMAD between January 2015 and December 2021. A computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulation method was used to assess the hemodynamic factors of the SMA in these patients. Histologic analysis was also performed on SMA specimens obtained from 10 cadavers, and scanning electron microscopy was used to evaluate collagen microstructure. Results: A total of 124 patients with SMAS and 61 patients with SMAD were included. Most SMASs were circumferentially distributed at the SMA root, whereas the origin of most SMADs was located on the anterior wall of the curved segment of the SMA. Vortex, higher turbulent kinetic energy (TKE), and lower wall shear stress (WSS) were observed near plaques; higher TKE and WSS were seen near dissection origins. The intima in the SMA root (388.5 ± 202.3 µm) was thicker than in the curved (243.8 ± 100.5 µm; p = .007) and distal (183.7 ± 88.0 µm; p < .001) segments. The media in the anterior wall (353.1 ± 37.6 µm) was thinner than that in the posterior wall (473.7 ± 142.8 µm; p = .02) in the curved segment of the SMA. The gaps in the lamellar structure in the SMA root were larger than in the curved and distal segments. The collagen microstructure was more substantially disturbed in the anterior wall than in the posterior wall in the curved segment of the SMA. Conclusion: Different hemodynamic factors in different portions of the SMA are related to local pathological changes in the SMA wall and may lead to the occurrence of SMAS or SMAD.

Evidence for 5-HT1A receptor-mediated antiallodynic and antihyperalgesic effects of apigenin in mice suffering from mononeuropathy.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Neuropathic pain places a devastating health burden, with very few effective therapies. We investigated the potential antiallodynic and antihyperalgesic effects of apigenin, a natural flavonoid with momoamine oxidase (MAO) inhibitory activity, against neuropathic pain and investigated the mechanism(s). EXPERIMENTAL APPROACH: The neuropathic pain model was produced by chronic constriction injury of sciatic nerves in male C57BL/6J mice, with pain-related behaviours being assayed by von Frey test and Hargreaves test. In this model the role of 5-HT and 5-HT1A receptor-related mechanisms were investigated in vivo/in vitro. KEY RESULTS: Apigenin repeated treatment (p.o., once per day for 2 weeks), in a dose-related manner (3, 10 and 30 mg·kg-1 ), ameliorated the allodynia and hyperalgesia in chronic nerve constriction injury in mice. These effects seem dependent on neuronal 5-hydroxytryptamine, because (i) the antihyperalgesia and antiallodynia were attenuated by depletion of 5-HT with p-chlorophenylalanine and potentiated by 5-hydroxytryptophan and (ii), apigenin-treated chronic constriction injury mice caused an increased level of spinal 5-HT, associated with diminished MAO activity. In vivo administration, spinally or systematically, of the 5-HT1A antagonist WAY-100635 inhibited the apigenin-induced antiallodynia and antihyperalgesia. In vitro, apigenin acted as a positive allosteric modulator to increase the efficacy (stimulation of [35 S]GTPγS binding) of the 5-HT1A agonist 8-OH-DPAT. Apigenin attenuated neuronal changes caused by chronic constriction of the sciatic nerve in mice, without causing a hypertensive crisis. CONCLUSION AND IMPLICATIONS: Apigenin antiallodynic and antihyperalgesic actions against neuropathic pain crucially involve spinal 5-HT1A receptors and indicate it could be used to treat neuropathic pain.