Animal-SNPAtlas: a comprehensive SNP database for multiple animals.

Single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) as the most important type of genetic variation are widely used in describing population characteristics and play vital roles in animal genetics and breeding. Large amounts of population genetic variation resources and tools have been developed in human, which provided solid support for human genetic studies. However, compared with human, the development of animal genetic variation databases was relatively slow, which limits the genetic researches in these animals. To fill this gap, we systematically identified ∼ 499 million high-quality SNPs from 4784 samples of 20 types of animals. On that basis, we annotated the functions of SNPs, constructed high-density reference panels and calculated genome-wide linkage disequilibrium (LD) matrixes. We further developed Animal-SNPAtlas, a user-friendly database (http://gong_lab.hzau.edu.cn/Animal_SNPAtlas/) which includes high-quality SNP datasets and several support tools for multiple animals. In Animal-SNPAtlas, users can search the functional annotation of SNPs, perform online genotype imputation, explore and visualize LD information, browse variant information using the genome browser and download SNP datasets for each species. With the massive SNP datasets and useful tools, Animal-SNPAtlas will be an important fundamental resource for the animal genomics, genetics and breeding community.

Animal-eRNAdb: a comprehensive animal enhancer RNA database.

Enhancer RNAs (eRNAs) are a class of non-coding RNAs transcribed from enhancers. As the markers of active enhancers, eRNAs play important roles in gene regulation and are associated with various complex traits and characteristics. With increasing attention to eRNAs, numerous eRNAs have been identified in different human tissues. However, the expression landscape, regulatory network and potential functions of eRNAs in animals have not been fully elucidated. Here, we systematically characterized 185 177 eRNAs from 5085 samples across 10 species by mapping the RNA sequencing data to the regions of known enhancers. To explore their potential functions based on evolutionary conservation, we investigated the sequence similarity of eRNAs among multiple species. In addition, we identified the possible associations between eRNAs and transcription factors (TFs) or nearby genes to decipher their possible regulators and target genes, as well as characterized trait-related eRNAs to explore their potential functions in biological processes. Based on these findings, we further developed Animal-eRNAdb (http://gong_lab.hzau.edu.cn/Animal-eRNAdb/), a user-friendly database for data searching, browsing and downloading. With the comprehensive characterization of eRNAs in various tissues of different species, Animal-eRNAdb may greatly facilitate the exploration of functions and mechanisms of eRNAs.

Exploring trade-offs between residential and industrial functions in rural areas and their ecological impacts across transitioning agricultural systems: Evidence from the metropolitan suburbs of China.

The rapid transition of agricultural systems substantially affects residential and industrial land use systems in rural areas, often generating spatiotemporal trade-offs between residential and industrial functions and producing considerable ecological impacts, which has thus far not been well understood. We conduct an indicator-based assessment of transitioning agriculture systems, and then links the transitioning agricultural systems to trade-offs between residential and industrial functions from 2005 to 2020 by using a case study-the metropolitan suburbs of Beijing, China. Also, the associated ecological impacts of the trade-offs are characterized based on the calculation of the ecological quality index (EQI) and ecological contribution rate. The results show that trade-offs between residential and industrial functions in the metropolitan suburbs have gradually adapted to the different agricultural systems in transition, which can be characterized by increasing industrial function as well as declining residential function, together with the diversification of land use into a mixed pattern. Additionally, along with the transitioning process comes a U shape of the ecological quality curve, which indicates that relentless industrial sprawl into regions where the agricultural system has a low capacity for technology, as well as decay in rural areas attributed to a rural exodus and industrial decline in semi-subsistence agricultural areas, even cause ecological degradation. In general, trade-offs between residential and industrial functions (especially for the non-agricultural production function) in rural areas could partially and temporally generate unfavorable ecological impacts, but it seems to be a favorable phenomenon to promote ecological quality in the long term. Therefore, to achieve rural sustainable planning, it is necessary for land use management to observe the trade-offs between residential and industrial functions while avoiding negative impacts, such as low-density land use patterns, disordered land use functions, and eco-environmental deterioration. Such effective strategies can contribute to the feasible implementation of policies aiming to achieve the compatible development of liveable residences, highly efficient industrial production, and eco-friendly operations in rural areas.

How to balance protection and development? A comprehensive analysis framework for territorial space utilization scale, function and pattern.

The harmonious coexistence of man and nature is a universally recognized standard to test the rational utilization of multifunctional territorial space, and the planning of territorial space adapted to nature is a scientific guide to balance ecological protection and human development. This study focuses on the inevitable relationship between the scale, function and pattern of territorial space utilization (TSU), and puts forward a process research framework of "background evaluation-advantage comparison-optimization conduction". Based on the evaluation of resource and environment suitability, this paper determines the scale of multifunctional territorial space through the potential conflict identification model of TSU. The location entropy method is used to identify the advantageous functions of the county level, and the matching characteristics of the research results and the current situation are obtained by comparing them with the current plan. Finally, from the county functional zoning to the regional TSU pattern, the corresponding optimization conduction path is designed to form a new development and protection pattern. The empirical results of research area show that: (1) The study area is suitable for urban construction and agricultural production as a whole. The ecological protection is mainly at the general important level, and there is a moderate potential conflict between the development and protection of territorial space. The space scale of urban construction, agricultural production and ecological protection are accounted for 8.77%, 78.71% and 12.52%, respectively. (2) The advantageous function of TSU in county-level administrative units is dominated by single advantageous function, and the number of composite advantageous functions is generally small. The advantageous functional types determined by this research have a high matching with the current plan. (3) Based on the analysis of the scale structure and functional use of territorial space, this paper defines the ecological space that should be strictly protected and the agricultural and urban space that should be moderately developed for production and construction, and sets up elastic development areas. Finally, a strategic pattern of "one corridor, two screens, three circles and four zones" is conducive to the realization of the beautiful vision of the unification of protection and development.

Toward the efficient direct regeneration of spent cathode materials through the effect of residual sodium ions analysis.

Recycling spent lithium-ion batteries is an important means for promoting sustainability within the energy industry. In this study, the effects of residual sodium on the regeneration process and the performance of spent LiNi0.5Co0.2Mn0.3O2 were explored. An appropriate amount of residual sodium was found to improve the properties of the regenerated material, with the best cycle performance and rate performance at a residual sodium of 3 mol %. The first-cycle and 100-cycle discharge capacities were 136.4 mA h g-1 and 120 mA h g-1, respectively, with a capacity retention rate of 87.98% after 100 cycles at a rate of 1 C. The electrochemical performance of the regenerated cathode materials was improved because sodium occupied the lithium sites in the crystal structure, providing a channel for lithium deintercalation. These results indicate that the residual sodium ions should be monitored in appropriate quantities to improve the efficiency of recycling spent lithium-ion batteries.

Understanding the nonpoint source pollution loads' spatiotemporal dynamic response to intensive land use in rural China.

The extensive use of land resources and environmental pollution in rural areas are two major problems prevalent in China and even the world. It is unknown whether improving the degree of intensive use of rural land can reduce environmental pollution; whether environmental pollution will be promoted or inhibited still lacks in-depth discussion. This paper first provides a theoretical analysis of the generation process of nonpoint source pollution loads (NPSP) in rural land use (RLU) and the mechanism and path of intensive rural land use (IRLU) to reduce agricultural nonpoint source pollution loads (ANPSP). Then, it takes 31 provinces in China from 1978 to 2019 as the research object to examine the temporal and spatial evolution features of IRLU and ANPSP. Furthermore, the paper uses the decoupling model and the Environmental Kuznets curve (EKC) model to test the linear and nonlinear relationship between the two. The research shows that the degree of IRLU in China decreased from 0.54 in 1978 to 0.27 in 2006, and then continuously increased to 0.56 in 2019. Moreover, the ANPSP continued to increase from 1955.14 t in 1978-3622.74 t in 2019. The decoupling relationship between the degree of IRLU and environmental pollution experienced the evolution process of "negative decoupling-decoupling", and the EKC had an "inverted N-shaped" characteristic. Overall, China shows that the IRLU helps to reduce ANPSP. At the same time, it was also found that there is obvious heterogeneity among the 31 provinces used in this research in China. Among them, the degree of intensive land use (ILU) in the principal grain-producing regions tends to be better and stable, while other areas show fluctuating changes. The ANPSP in economically developed areas gradually decreases, while that in underdeveloped areas continues to increase. More than 80% of the provinces in China show a trend of IRLU to advance the reduction of ANPSP, but there has also been an increase in the over-intensification of RLU in some major grain-producing areas. The research concludes that there is an inevitable relationship between RLU and ANPSP. Appropriately increasing ILU has a positive effect on decreasing ANPSP.

Multifunctionality assessment of the land use system in rural residential areas: Confronting land use supply with rural sustainability demand.

By applying an integrated framework, we developed a new way to quantify the multifunctionality of rural residential land: analyzing the reciprocal relationships between the structure and function of land use, as well as identifying the demand of rural sustainability for residential land functions. In the assessment of the rural residential land functions from the supply and demand perspectives by establishing an indicators system, the results show that there are five substantial functions of rural residential land, i.e., residential, public service, industrial, commercial and ecological function, and a potential function. Unbalanced development patterns between function supply and demand are clearly observed at multilevel: at the regional level, demand exceeding supply refers to the public service, commercial, and ecological function, especially for ecological function; at the town level, the spatial pattern of the difference is closely linked with topographic features; the inferior and complex topographic condition always is associated with inadequate function supply. Strategies based on the arrangements of rural residential land use structure, including function conversion and function enhancement, have been adopted to balance the supply and demand of land functions. Together, alternative strategies (e.g., industrial allocation, population introduction, and location choices) also need to be recognized by policymakers to achieve rural sustainable development.

Application of the Risk-Based Early Warning Method in a Fracture-Karst Water Source, North China.

The paper proposes a risk-based early warning considering characteristics of fracture-karst aquifer in North China and applied it in a super-large fracture-karst water source. Groundwater vulnerability, types of land use, water abundance, transmissivity and spatial temporal variation of groundwater quality were chosen as indexes of the method. Weights of factors were obtained by using AHP method based on relative importance of factors, maps of factors were zoned by GIS, early warning map was conducted based on extension theory with the help of GIS, ENVI+IDL. The early warning map fused five factors very well, serious and tremendous warning areas are mainly located in northwest and east with high or relatively high transmissivity and groundwater pollutant loading, and obviously deteriorated or deteriorated trend of petroleum. The early warning map warns people where more attention should be paid, and the paper guides decision making to take appropriate protection actions in different warning levels areas.

Resilience of Groundwater Impacted by Land Use and Climate Change in a Karst Aquifer, South China.

Changes of groundwater flow and quality were investigated in a subtropical karst aquifer to determine the driving mechanism. Decreases in groundwater flow are more distinct in discharge zones than those in recharge and runoff zones. Long-term measurement of the represented regional groundwater outlet reveals that groundwater discharge decrease by nearly 50% during the dry season. The hydrochemistry of groundwater in the runoff and discharge zones is of poorer quality than in the recharge zone. Indications of intensive land resource exploitation and changes in land use patterns were attributed to changes in groundwater conditions since 1990, but the influence of climate change was likely from 2001, because the water temperature exhibited increasing trends at a mean rate of 0.02 °C/yr even though groundwater depth was high in the aquifer. These conclusions imply the need for further groundwater monitoring and reevaluation to understand the resilience of aquifer during urbanization and development.

Water quality and microecosystem of water tanks in karst mountainous area, Southwest China.

Karst mountainous areas in Southwest China, the world's largest bare karst area, are faced with growing water shortages. Rainwater harvesting plays an important role in alleviating water shortage. However, there remains a substantial gap in the research regarding the water quality of tanks. Water samples were seasonally collected from ten tanks to investigate the physicochemical properties, microbial communities, and their key influencing factors. The result showed that pH, turbidity, chroma, DOC, and CODMn exceeded drinking water guidelines. The alkaline pH value and the deterioration of sensory properties was the main feature of tank water, from which the over-standard rate of the uncleaned water tanks was higher. Moreover, principal component analyses suggested that tank water quality was influenced by human activities, catchment areas, and material cycling processes within the tanks, of which in-tank microbial activities were the most important driving factors in water quality variation. Proteobacteria, Actinobacteria, Bacteroidetes, Cyanobacteria, Firmicutes, and Verrucomicrobia were the predominant bacterial phyla in water tanks. Acinetobacter, Cyanobium-PCC-6307, CL500-29-marine-group, Candidatus-Aquiluna, and Exiguobacterium were the most abundant genera. The bacterial communities were significantly affected by the management practices. Higher relative abundance of Cyanobacteria and lower relative abundance of Proteobacteria was detected in the uncleaned tanks, which was a sign of tank water quality deterioration. The microbial community structure was closely related to the environmental factors. There was evidence that the water quality was affected by the existence of a microecosystem dominated by photosynthetic microorganisms in the water tanks. In addition, Acinetobacter, Enterobacter, Pseudomonas, and Legionella identified as the potential opportunistic pathogenic genera were frequently detected but the relative abundances except Acinetobacter were low in the tanks. Overall, our findings indicated that management style influences water quality and bacterial communities of tank water.

The landscape and clinical relevance of intronic polyadenylation in human cancers.

Intronic polyadenylation (IPA) is an RNA 3' end processing event which has been reported to play important roles in cancer development. However, the comprehensive landscape of IPA events across various cancer types is lacking. Here, we apply IPAFinder to identify and quantify IPA events in 10,383 samples covering all 33 cancer types from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) project. We totally identify 21,835 IPA events, almost half of which are ubiquitously expressed. We identify 2761 unique dynamically changed IPA events across cancer types. Furthermore, we observe 8855 non-redundant clinically relevant IPA events, which could potentially be used as prognostic indicators. Our analysis also reveals that dynamic IPA usage within cancer signaling pathways may affect drug response. Finally, we develop a user-friendly data portal, IPACancer Atlas (http://www.tingni-lab.com/Pancan_IPA/), to search and explore IPAs in cancer.

The Allocation Change of Rural Land Consolidation Type Structure under the Influence Factors of Different Geographical and Economic Development of China.

Land consolidation structure reflects land consolidation function, and studies about its spatio-temporal change and driving mechanism can serve for regional management and control land consolidation. At present, the analysis of regional differences, time changes, and driving factors of land consolidation type structure change is relatively lacking. Based on the data of provincial acceptance projects from 2000 to 2014, this paper analyzes the spatio-temporal change of rural land consolidation type structure in China, discusses the impact of relevant policies, and identifies the socio-economic driving factors in key regions by employing correlation analysis and the PLSR (partial least squares regression) method. The results showed that from 2000 to 2014, the proportional increase of land arrangement in China was significantly correlated with the proportional decrease of land reclamation (R2 = 0.93), and the proportional decrease of land development (R2 = 0.99) showed an obvious co-evolution pattern of increase and decrease; TILC (The area of land development/The area of land arrangement) decreased from 2.14 to 0.91 in 2002-2003. Since 2003, the dominant type of land consolidation in China has gradually changed from land development to land arrangement. However, the proportion of land development in QT (Qinghai-Tibet), JY (Jin-Yu), and FGH (Fujian-Guangdong-Hainan) areas is still more than 40%; the change of land consolidation type structure was influenced by policies, social and economic factors, such as urbanization rate, fixed assets investment, industrial proportion, and population density, and the regional difference was significant: the eastern section (JZS, Jiangsu-Zhejiang-Shanghai) is the industry proportion, the central area (HHAJ, Hunan-Hubei-Anhui-Jiangxi) is grain production and fixed assets investment, the western region (NW, Northwest China) has the urbanization rate, grain production, population density, and fixed assets investment. Land consolidation structure should be configured differentially in each region based on the identification of regional function orientation and comprehensive consideration of regional resource endowment and development needs and directions to improve the efficiency of land consolidation.

Characterizing the transitory groundwater-surface water interaction and its environmental consequence of a riverside karst pool.

Exchange between groundwater (GW) and surface water (SW) is a common occurrence in karst water systems through sinking stream disappearance or groundwater emergence. However, the transitory GW-SW interaction caused by river backflowing into a spring is poorly observed and understood. In this study, we present an approach for characterizing the influence of GW-SW interaction in a karst spring by integrating high-resolution hydrology, carefully selected hydrochemistry monitoring and precise microbe measurements. The spring-fed pool water conditions can be distinguished as high, medium, and low-water level periods in a hydrological year. The high-water level accounts for <1 % in a year, while it is associated with the hydrological regimes of backflooding states. The inflow of river backflow was found to be 4.4 times that of the natural discharge of spring water during a rainfall event. The duration of river intrusion into the spring or karst conduit could be assessed by jointly interpreting hydrography and physicochemical signatures, while the lasting environmental consequences should be evaluated together with biotic factors such as Escherichia coli. The GW-SW interaction induced by river backflow has led to the retention of river water in a pool, spring, and karst conduit for 132, 94, and 56 h, respectively. Despite turbidity returning to normal levels after 56 h, E.coli continued to persist for an extended duration. Our study reveals that despite the transient nature of GW-SW induced by river backflow on the hydrograph, they present a lasting risk of contamination from heavy metals, organic matter, and microorganisms. This extended influence can persist within a karst aquifer lacking a hyporheic zone. This research contributes to the quantification of processes involved in transitory GW-SW interaction in a karst spring, and it highlights the underestimation of GW-SW interactions in karst water systems, which might negatively impact water resources management.

Developing an Evaluation System Suitable for Coastal Rural Houses' Characteristic Style and Its Inspiration for Rural Revitalization: Case Study of Rongcheng in Shandong Province.

The characteristic style of rural houses is an important manifestation of the historical and cultural values of rural areas and is the key focus of the implementation of the strategy for the construction of beautiful China and the revitalization of rural areas. Taking 17 villages in the Rongcheng of Shandong as an example, this article integrated multidimensional data, including geospatial data, survey data and socio-economic data, and constructed a suitable index system to evaluate the characteristic style of coastal rural houses in 2018 and put forward the characteristic style regionalization of coastal rural houses. The results show that the characteristic style of coastal rural houses can be measured by the overall village environment, coastal architectural value and traditional folk culture, among which the coastal architectural value is the most critical. Two villages scored over 60 points in the comprehensive evaluation, namely the Dongchu Island village and Dazhuang Xujia Community. Different dominant characteristic styles of rural houses were identified according to single-factor evaluation. Based on the evaluation results and factors such as location, nature, social economy and the status quo of protection and development management, characteristic styles of rural houses in the research area can be divided into four continuous areas: historical and cultural characteristics, folk customs and industrial development characteristics, natural scenery characteristics and folk customs characteristics. Combined with regional positioning and development planning, the construction direction of different regional types was defined, and then the protection and improvement measures of rural residential features were put forward. This study not only provides a certain basis for the evaluation, construction and protection of the characteristic features of coastal rural dwellings in Rongcheng City but also provides guidance for the implementation of rural construction planning.

Impacts of nature reserve policy on regional ecological environment quality: A case study of Sanjiangyuan region.

Uncovering the ecological effectiveness of nature reserve policies will help protect and manage nature reserves in the future. Taking Sanjiangyuan region as an example, we examined the impacts of the spatial layout characteristics of natural reserves on the ecological environment quality by constructing the dynamic degree of land use and land cover change index, and depicted the spatial differences of the ecological effectiveness of natural reserve policies both inside and outside the natural reserves. Combined with ordinary least squares and field survey results, we explored the influencing mechanism of nature reserve policies on ecological environment quality. The results showed that the ecological quality of the whole region of Sanjiangyuan had been improved significantly since the implementation of the nature reserve policies, and that the transformation of unused land into ecological land was the most important type of land use change for the ecological environment quality improvement. The ecological effectiveness of large-scale nature reserves with concentrated and contiguous distribution was obvious, while the ecological effectiveness of small-scale nature reserves with scattered distribution and close to the administrative boundaries was relatively small. Although the ecological effectiveness of nature reserves was better than that of non-reserved areas, the ecological improvement of nature reserves and the surrounding areas was synchronous. The nature reserve policy had significantly improved ecological environment quality by implementing ecological protection and restoration projects in nature reserves. Meanwhile, it had alleviated the pressure of farmers and herdsmen's activities on the ecological environment by taking measures such as grazing restriction and guiding conversion of industry and production. In the future, we should promote the construction of ecosystem integrity protection network system with National Park as the core, strengthen the integrated protection and linkage management of National Park and surrounding areas, and help farmers and herdsmen further broaden their livelihoods.

Based on bound water characteristics study of microporosity characteristics and mechanical properties evolution of copper-contaminated laterite.

The potential impact of heavy metal ion infiltration on macroscopic and microscopic soil properties is a subject of academic interest. Laterite has an extensive distribution in southern China and is extensively utilized as a vertical containment wall for landfills. Consequently, there is a need to investigate how heavy metal ions affect laterite's microstructure and mechanical properties. To examine the impact of Cu2+ on laterite's microporous characteristics and mechanical properties, laboratory tests were conducted on the permeability, shear strength, microporous characteristics, and strong absorbed water content of Cu2+-contaminated laterite. The results show that Cu2+ hydrolysis generates an acidic environment, which leads to erosion of the cementing substance between the laterite particles, increasing the laterite's porosity and decreasing the soil's cohesive strength, thus affecting the shear strength and permeability of the laterite. When the concentration of Cu2+ is 5.0 g/L, the laterite demonstrated the most significant decrease in shear strength, 43.01%, while the permeability coefficient increased from 3.24 × 10-8 cm/s to 1.32 × 10-7 cm/s. Meanwhile, Cu2+ changes the content of strong absorbed water in laterite. The change of strong absorbed water content will affect the Van der Waals between laterite particles, promote the evolution of soil micropore structure, and lead to a decrease in the proportion of intra-aggregate pores (d < 1 µm) and an increase in the proportion of inter-aggregate pores (1 µm < d < 10 µm), which in turn affects the macroscopic shear strength and permeability. This study has improved our understanding of the mechanisms underlying the microporosity and mechanical property evolution of laterite when subjected to heavy metal attack.

Predictive effects of S100ß and CRP levels on hemorrhagic transformation in patients with AIS after intravenous thrombolysis: A concise review based on our center experience.

Hemorrhagic transformation (HT) is one of the most dangerous complications after intravenous thrombolysis in patients with acute ischemic stroke (AIS). Therefore, we want to explore the predictive effects of peripheral blood S100ß and C-Reactive Protein (CRP) levels on hemorrhagic transformation after intravenous thrombolysis in AIS patients. Ninety-two AIS patients who had been treated in Huai'an Second People's Hospital from January 2018 to December 2021 were retrospectively selected. Patients were divided into hemorrhagic transformation (HT) groups (24 cases) and no HT groups (68 cases) based on whether there was hemorrhagic transformation within 24 h after intravenous thrombolysis. General clinical data from the HT group and no HT group were compared. A multivariate logistic regression model was used to analyze the potential risk factors of HT after intravenous thrombolysis in patients with AIS. A receiver operating curve (ROC) was used to analyze the predictive value of risk factors for HT. High serum S100ß, CRP levels, and National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) scores were found to be risk factors for HT after intravenous thrombolysis in patients with AIS (all P < .05). The ROC curve analysis showed that critical value of S100ß, CRP level, and NIHSS score for predicting intravenous thrombolytic HT in AIS patients were 0.335, 8.700, and 14.50, respectively, and their sensitivities were 0.750, 0.971, and 0.333 ( P < .05), respectively. High serum S100ß and CRP levels are risk factors for HT after intravenous thrombolysis in AIS patients and have predictive influence of the occurrence of HT in AIS patients.

Increased Serum S100ß Concentration is Associated with Depression in Parkinson's Disease.

Purpose: To explore the relationship between the serum level of S100 calcium-binding protein, beta chain (S100ß) and Parkinson's disease (PD) with depression. Patients and Methods: A total of 145 patients with PD and 60 healthy controls matched for sex, age, and years of education in our hospital were selected. Fluorescence quantitative immunochromatography was used to quantify the level of S100ß in serum. Clinical manifestations were assessed by Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale part-III (UPDRS-III), Hoehn & Yahr (H-Y) stage and 17-item Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression (HAMD-17). According to the results of HAMD-17, PD patients were divided into PD with depression group and PD without depression group. The relationship between serum S100ß and HAMD-17 scores in PD patients with depression was investigated through correlation analysis and multivariate regression analysis, and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was used to evaluate the diagnostic value of serum S100ß. Results: The level of serum S100ß in PD with depression group was significantly higher than that in PD without depression group and control group. In PD patients with depression, serum S100ß level was positively correlated with UPDRS-III score, H-Y Scale and HAMD-17 score. The HAMD-17 score was positively correlated with the UPDRS-III and H-Y scales, and the increase in the HAMD-17 score was associated with women. Elevated serum S100ß level and UPDRS-III score are independent risk factors for PD with depression. Analysis of receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves showed that the serum S100ß level with a cutoff of 0.28 ng/mL distinguished patients with PD with or without depression with an area under the ROC curve (AUC) of 0.742, sensitivity of 0.696, and specificity of 0.779. Conclusion: The serum S100ß level could be a biomarker of PD with depression.

Structural characteristics of a novel Bletilla striata polysaccharide and its activities for the alleviation of liver fibrosis.

Liver fibrosis has proven to be the main predisposing factor for liver cirrhosis and liver cancer; however, an effective treatment remains elusive. Polysaccharides, with low toxicity and a wide range of bioactivities, are strong potential candidates for anti-hepatic fibrosis applications. For this study, a new low molecular weight neutral polysaccharide (B. striata glucomannan (BSP)) was extracted and purified from Bletilla striata. The structure of BSP was characterized and its activities for alleviating liver fibrosis in vivo were further evaluated. The results revealed that the structural unit of BSP was likely →4)-ß-D-Glcp-(1 â†’ 4)-ß-D-Manp-(1 â†’ 4)-ß-D-2ace-Manp-(1 â†’ 4)-ß-D-Manp-(1 â†’ 4)-ß-D-Glcp-(1 â†’ 4)-ß-D-Manp-(1 â†’ 4)-ß-D-Manp-(1 â†’ 4)-ß-D-3ace-Manp-(1→, with a molecular weight of only 58.5 kDa. Additionally, BSP was observed to attenuate the passive impacts of liver fibrosis in a manner closely related to TLR2/TLR4-MyD88-NF-κB signaling pathway conduction. In summary, the results of this study provide theoretical foundations for the potential applications of BSP as an anti-liver fibrosis platform.

Plasma Lipoprotein-Associated Phospholipase A2 Affects Cognitive Impairment in Patients with Cerebral Microbleeds.

Purpose: The plasma lipoprotein-associated phospholipase A2 (Lp-PLA2) is an inflammatory biomarker of cerebral microbleeds (CMBs) and may be related to the occurrence, development, and prognosis of cognitive impairment. The present study aimed to investigate the impact of plasma Lp-PLA2 level on the cognitive impairment in patients with CMBs. Methods: In this study, 213 patients with CMBs confirmed by 3.0 T brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) were analyzed. Lp-PLA2 levels were determined by magnetic particle chemiluminescence immunoassay technology, and cognitive function was assessed using the Montreal Cognitive Assessment Scale (MoCA). The cognitive functions of patients with CMBs were divided into three groups according to the MoCA scale, including normal cognition (NC), mild cognitive impairment (MCI), and moderate-severe cognitive impairment (MSCI). Clinical, laboratory and radiological data of the three groups were analysed. The relationship between plasma Lp-PLA2 and MoCA score in patients with CMBs was investigated through rank correlation analysis and multivariate regression analysis, and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was used to evaluate the diagnostic value of Lp-PLA2. Results: CMBs were detected in 213 (30.2%) of 705 patients who underwent 3.0 T MRI. Multiple comparisons showed that plasma Lp-PLA2 in patients with CMBs with normal cognitive scores was significantly lower than that in the other two groups with cognitive impairment (p < 0.05). In the single factor correlation analysis, high level of plasma Lp-PLA2 was negatively correlated with the decrease of MoCA score in patients with CMBs (r =-0.389, p < 0.01). Multivariate regression analysis showed that high plasma Lp-PLA2 was an independent risk factor for a low MoCA score in patients with CMBs (odds ratio [OR]=1.014; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.002-1.026; p=0.025). Conclusion: A high level of plasma Lp-PLA2 is positively correlated with the generation of cognitive impairment in patients with CMBs and negatively correlated with the degree of impairment. Plasma Lp-PLA2 is an important indicator of cognitive impairment in patients with CMBs and may provide a therapeutic target for preventing CMB-induced cognitive impairment.