Waterlogging in soil restricts the growth of Gleditsia sinensis seedlings and inhibits the accumulation of lignans and phenolic acids in thorns.

Gleditsia sinensis, commonly known as Chinese Zaojiao, has important economic value and medicinal compounds in its fruits and thorns, making it widely cultivated artificially in China. However, the available literature on the impact of waterlogging on the growth of G. sinensis seedlings and the accumulation of metabolite compounds in its thorns is limited. To address this knowledge gap, G. sinensis seedlings were planted in soil supplemented with pindstrup substrate, which enhances the water-holding capacity of the soil. The analyses of morphological traits and nutrient elements in one-year-old G. sinensis seedlings grown naturally under ambient conditions and metabolite accumulation in its thorns were conducted. The results showed that the waterlogged soil significantly diminished the height, fresh weight, and dry weight of seedling roots and stems (P < 0.05). Furthermore, waterlogging hindered the uptake of iron (Fe) and manganese (Mn), as well as the transport of potassium (K). The identified metabolites within the thorns were categorized into 16 distinct groups. Relative to the control soil, fatty acids and derivatives were the most down-regulated metabolites in the waterlogged soil, accounting for 40.58% of the total metabolites, followed by lignans (38.71%), phenolic acids (34.48%), saccharides and alcohols (34.15%), steroids (16.67%), alkaloids (12.24%), flavonoids (9.28%), and glycerophospholipids (7.41%). Conversely, nucleotides and derivatives experienced the greatest up-regulation in the waterlogged soil, accounting for 50.00% of the total metabolites. In conclusion, waterlogging negatively impacted the growth of G. sinensis seedlings and inhibited the accumulation of metabolites. Hence, when considering the accumulation of secondary metabolites such as lignans and phenolic acids, appropriate management of soil moisture levels should be taken into account.

Changes in Microbial Composition During the Succession of Biological Soil Crusts in Alpine Hulun Buir Sandy Land, China.

Biological soil crusts (biocrusts) are considered "desert ecosystem engineers" because they play a vital role in the restoration and stability maintenance of deserts, including those cold sandy land ecosystems at high latitudes, which are especially understudied. Microorganisms participate in the formation and succession of biocrusts, contributing to soil properties' improvement and the stability of soil aggregates, and thus vegetation development. Accordingly, understanding the composition and successional characteristics of microorganisms is a prerequisite for analyzing the ecological functions of biocrusts and related applications. Here, the Hulun Buir Sandy Land region in northeastern China-lying at the highest latitude of any sandy land in the country-was selected for study. Through a field investigation and next-generation sequencing (Illumina MiSeq PE300 Platform), our goal was to assess the shifts in diversity and community composition of soil bacteria and fungi across different stages during the succession of biocrusts in this region, and to uncover the main factors involved in shaping their soil microbial community. The results revealed that the nutrient enrichment capacity of biocrusts for available nitrogen, total nitrogen, total phosphorus, total content of water-soluble salt, available potassium, soil organic matter, and available phosphorus was progressively enhanced by the succession of cyanobacterial crusts to lichen crusts and then to moss crusts. In tandem, soil bacterial diversity increased as biocrust succession proceeded but fungal diversity decreased. A total of 32 bacterial phyla and 11 fungal phyla were identified, these also known to occur in other desert ecosystems. Among those taxa, the relative abundance of Proteobacteria and Cyanobacteria significantly increased and decreased, respectively, along the cyanobacterial crust-lichen-moss crust successional gradient. However, for Actinobacteria, Chloroflexi, and Acidobacteria their changed relative abundance was significantly hump-shaped, increasing in the shift from cyanobacterial crust to lichen crust, and then decreasing as lichen crust shifted to moss crust. In this process, the improved soil properties effectively enhanced soil bacterial and fungal community composition. Altogether, these findings broaden our understanding about how soil microbial properties can change during the succession of biocrusts in high-latitude, cold sandy land ecosystems.

Real-World Study on Chai-Shi-Jie-Du Granules for the Treatment of Dengue Fever and the Possible Mechanisms Based on Network Pharmacology.

Objectives: Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) is a widely used method for treating dengue fever in China. TCM improves the symptoms of patients with dengue, but there is no standard TCM prescription for dengue fever. This real-world study aimed to evaluate the effects of Chai-Shi-Jie-Du (CSJD) granules for the treatment of dengue fever and the underlying mechanisms. Methods: We implemented a multicenter real-world study, an in vitro assay and network pharmacology analysis. Patients from 5 hospitals in mainland China who received supportive western treatment in the absence or presence of CSJD were assigned to the control and CSJD groups between 1 August and 31 December 2019. Propensity score matching (PSM) was performed to correct for biases between groups. The clinical data were compared and analyzed. The antidengue virus activity of CSJD was tested in Syrian baby hamster kidney (BHK) cells using the DENV2-NGC strain. Network pharmacological approaches along with active compound screening, target prediction, and GO and KEGG enrichment analyses were used to explore the underlying molecular mechanisms. Results: 137 pairs of patients were successfully matched according to age, sex, and the time from onset to presentation. The time to defervescence (1.7 days vs. 2.5 days, P < 0.05) and the disease course (4.1 days vs. 6.1 days, P < 0.05) were significantly shorter in the CSJD group than those in the control group. CSJD showed no anti-DENV2-NGC virus activity in BHK cells. Network pharmacology analysis revealed 108 potential therapeutic targets, and the top GO and KEGG terms were related to immunity, oxidative stress response, and the response to lipopolysaccharide. Conclusions: CSJD granules exhibit high potential for the treatment of dengue fever, and the therapeutic mechanisms involved could be related to regulating immunity, moderating the oxidative stress response, and the response to lipopolysaccharide.

Kinetically and thermodynamically controlled one-pot growth of gold nanoshells with NIR-II absorption for multimodal imaging-guided photothermal therapy.

Since the successful clinical trial of AuroShell for photothermal therapy, there is currently intense interest in developing gold-based core-shell structures with near-infrared (NIR) absorption ranging from NIR-I (650-900 nm) to NIR-II (900-1700 nm). Here, we propose a seed-mediated successive growth approach to produce gold nanoshells on the surface of the nanoscale metal-organic framework (NMOF) of UiO-66-NH2 (UiO = the University of Oslo) in one pot. The key to this strategy is to modulate the proportion of the formaldehyde (reductant) and its regulator / oxidative product of formic acid to harness the particle nucleation and growth rate within the same system. The gold nanoshells propagate through a well-oriented and controllable diffusion growth pattern (points → facets → octahedron), which has not been identified. Most strikingly, the gold nanoshells prepared hereby exhibit an exceedingly broad and strong absorption in NIR-II with a peak beyond 1300 nm and outstanding photothermal conversion efficiency of 74.0%. Owing to such superior performance, these gold nanoshells show promising outcomes in photoacoustic (PA), computed tomography (CT), and photothermal imaging-guided photothermal therapy (PTT) for breast cancer, as demonstrated both in vitro and in vivo.

[Discrimination of cultivation modes of Dendrobium nobile based on content of mineral elements and ratios of nitrogen stable isotopes].

This study explored the feasibility of mineral element content and ratios of nitrogen isotopes to discriminate the cultivation mode of Dendrobium nobile in order to provide theoretical support for the discrimination of the cultivation mode of D. nobile. The content of 11 mineral elements(N, K, Ca, P, Mg, Na, Fe, Cu, Zn, Mn, and B) and nitrogen isotope ratios in D. nobile and its substrate samples in three cultivation methods(greenhouse cultivation, tree-attached cultivation, and stone-attached cultivation) were determined. According to the analysis of variance, principal component analysis, and stepwise discriminant analysis, the samples of different cultivation types were classified. The results showed that the nitrogen isotope ratios and the content of elements except for Zn were significantly different among different cultivation types of D. nobile(P<0.05). The results of correlation analysis showed that the nitrogen isotope ratios, mineral element content, and effective component content in D. nobile were correlated with the nitrogen isotope ratio and mineral element content in the corresponding substrate samples to varying degrees. Principal component analysis can preliminarily classify the samples of D. nobile, but some samples overlapped. Through stepwise discriminant analysis, six indicators, including δ~(15)N, K, Cu, P, Na, and Ca, were screened out, which could be used to establish the discriminant model of D. nobile cultivation methods, and the overall correct discrimination rates after back-substitution test, cross-check, and external validation were all 100%. Therefore, nitrogen isotope ratios and mineral element fingerprints combined with multivariate statistical analysis could effectively discriminate the cultivation types of D. nobile. The results of this study provide a new method for the identification of the cultivation type and production area of D. nobile and an experimental basis for the quality evaluation and quality control of D. nobile.

Enhanced AMPAR-dependent synaptic transmission by S-nitrosylation in the vmPFC contributes to chronic inflammatory pain-induced persistent anxiety in mice.

Chronic pain patients often have anxiety disorders, and some of them suffer from anxiety even after analgesic administration. In this study, we investigated the role of AMPAR-mediated synaptic transmission in the ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC) in chronic pain-induced persistent anxiety in mice and explored potential drug targets. Chronic inflammatory pain was induced in mice by bilateral injection of complete Freund's adjuvant (CFA) into the planta of the hind paws; anxiety-like behaviours were assessed with behavioural tests; S-nitrosylation and AMPAR-mediated synaptic transmission were examined using biochemical assays and electrophysiological recordings, respectively. We found that CFA induced persistent upregulation of AMPAR membrane expression and function in the vmPFC of anxious mice but not in the vmPFC of non-anxious mice. The anxious mice exhibited higher S-nitrosylation of stargazin (an AMPAR-interacting protein) in the vmPFC. Inhibition of S-nitrosylation by bilaterally infusing an exogenous stargazin (C302S) mutant into the vmPFC rescued the surface expression of GluA1 and AMPAR-mediated synaptic transmission as well as the anxiety-like behaviours in CFA-injected mice, even after ibuprofen treatment. Moreover, administration of ZL006, a small molecular inhibitor disrupting the interaction of nNOS and PSD-95 (20 mg·kg-1·d-1, for 5 days, i.p.), significantly reduced nitric oxide production and S-nitrosylation of AMPAR-interacting proteins in the vmPFC, resulting in anxiolytic-like effects in anxious mice after ibuprofen treatment. We conclude that S-nitrosylation is necessary for AMPAR trafficking and function in the vmPFC under chronic inflammatory pain-induced persistent anxiety conditions, and nNOS-PSD-95 inhibitors could be potential anxiolytics specific for chronic inflammatory pain-induced persistent anxiety after analgesic treatment.

Knockdown of lncRNA HOXD-AS2 Improves the Prognosis of Glioma Patients by Inhibiting the Proliferation and Migration of Glioma Cells.

Objective: Increasing studies reported that long noncoding RNAs are involved in regulating glioma progression. However, the specific roles and mechanisms of lncRNAs in glioma remain unclear. Here, we sought to explore the functions of HOXD-AS2 in glioma progression. Methods: Gene expressions of lncRNAs in 5 normal brain tissue specimens and 5 glioblastoma tissue specimens were detected by gene expression profile chip technology. Bioinformatic analysis was performed to see whether differential expression of lncRNAs played any significant role in glioma occurrence and progression. The relationship between HOXD-AS2 level and clinical prognosis of the patients was analyzed. HOXD-AS2 was specifically interfered with by siRNA technology to observe its effects on U251 cell growth, proliferation, apoptosis, and invasion. Results: The expression level of HOXD-AS2 gene in glioma was significantly higher than that in the normal brain tissue, which was related to the tumor grade. The level of HOXD-AS2 gene in patients with high-grade glioma was higher than that in patients with low-grade glioma. High expression of HOXD-AS2 gene was a risk factor for poor prognosis of glioma patients. Knocking down the expression of HOXD-AS2 in glioma cell line U251 arrested the cell cycle and reduced the cell proliferation. Furthermore, it could significantly reduce the migration ability of the cells but had no significant effect on the invasion. Conclusion: HOXD-AS2 is an oncogenic lncRNA associated with the poor prognosis of glioma. Knockdown of HOXD-AS2 may reduce the growth of glioma, which may provide a new avenue for treatment.

Laparoscopic approach for managing intussusception in children: Analysis of 65 cases.

BACKGROUND: Intussusception can be managed by pneumatic reduction, ultrasound-guided hydrostatic reduction, open or laparoscopic surgery, but laparoscopy in such cases remains controversial. AIM: To explore the clinical characteristics, effectiveness, and complications of surgical reduction for intussusception using laparoscopy in children. METHODS: This study was a retrospective case series of pediatric patients with intussusception who underwent surgical reduction by laparoscopy from May 2011 to April 2016 at Taizhou Hospital of Zhejiang Province. Clinical characteristics (operation time, intraoperative blood loss, conversion rate of laparotomy, reasons for conversion, postoperative hospital stay, and adverse events) were described. RESULTS: The 65 patients included 45 boys and 20 girls. The average age was 2.3 years (27.5 ± 24.5 mo). Of the 65 patients, 61 underwent surgical reduction by laparoscopy after a failed enema reduction of intussusception, and four underwent the procedure directly. All patients were treated successfully and 57 (87.7%) patients underwent successful laparoscopic surgery, two of which had a spontaneous reduction. Among the remaining cases, one was converted to open surgery via right upper quadrant incision, and seven required enlarged umbilical incisions. Intestinal resection was performed in 5 patients because of abnormal bowel lesions. There were no complications (intestinal perforations, wound infections, or intestinal adhesions) during the follow-up of 3 years to 8 years. Two patients experienced a recurrence of intussusception; one was resolved with pneumatic reduction, and the other underwent a second laparoscopic surgery. CONCLUSION: Laparoscopic approach for pediatric intussusception is feasible and safe. Bowel resection if required can be performed by extending umbilical incision without the conventional laparotomy.

Panax notoginseng Saponins Modulate the Inflammatory Response and Improve IBD-Like Symptoms via TLR/NF-[Formula: see text]B and MAPK Signaling Pathways.

Panax notoginseng saponins (PNS) are the main active ingredients of Panax notoginseng (Burk) F. H. Chen, which are used as traditional Chinese medicine for thousands of years and have various clinical effects, including anti-inflammation, anti-oxidation, and cardiovascular protection. Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a complex gastrointestinal inflammatory disease that cannot be cured completely nowadays. The anti-inflammatory and protective effects of PNS were analyzed in vitro and in dextran sulfate sodium (DSS)-induced colitis mouse model. PNS inhibited the release of nitric oxide (NO), tumor necrosis factor-[Formula: see text] (TNF-[Formula: see text], interleukin-6 (IL-6), and monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1) in Pam3CSK4-induced RAW 264.7 macrophages. In the animal study, compared with DSS-induced mice, PNS reduced the expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines (TNF-[Formula: see text], IL-6, and MCP-1) in the colon tissues. Furthermore, PNS treatment led to a remarkable reduction in the activation of the inhibitor of nuclear factor kappa-B kinase [Formula: see text]/[Formula: see text] (IKK[Formula: see text]/[Formula: see text], I[Formula: see text]B[Formula: see text] and p65 induced by DSS. On the other hand, PNS inhibited the phosphorylation of c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK), p38, and extracellular regulated protein kinase 1/2 (ERK1/2). Taken together, our results suggested that PNS conferred profound protection for colitis mice through the downregulation of mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) and NF-[Formula: see text]B signaling pathways, which were associated with reducing inflammatory responses, alleviating tissue damage, and maintaining of intestinal integrity and functionality.

Projections from Infralimbic Cortex to Paraventricular Thalamus Mediate Fear Extinction Retrieval.

The paraventricular nucleus of the thalamus (PVT), which serves as a hub, receives dense projections from the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) and projects to the lateral division of central amygdala (CeL). The infralimbic (IL) cortex plays a crucial role in encoding and recalling fear extinction memory. Here, we found that neurons in the PVT and IL were strongly activated during fear extinction retrieval. Silencing PVT neurons inhibited extinction retrieval at recent time point (24 h after extinction), while activating them promoted extinction retrieval at remote time point (7 d after extinction), suggesting a critical role of the PVT in extinction retrieval. In the mPFC-PVT circuit, projections from IL rather than prelimbic cortex to the PVT were dominant, and disrupting the IL-PVT projection suppressed extinction retrieval. Moreover, the axons of PVT neurons preferentially projected to the CeL. Silencing the PVT-CeL circuit also suppressed extinction retrieval. Together, our findings reveal a new neural circuit for fear extinction retrieval outside the classical IL-amygdala circuit.

[Comparative study on free and bound phenolic acids before and after drying of Salvia miltiorrhiza].

There were significant differences in phenolic acid content between fresh and dried Salvia miltiorrhiza before and after drying. That is to say, the content of phenolic acid in S. miltiorrhiza significantly increased with the increase of dehydration during the drying process.In order to investigate the differences and transformation of free and bound phenolic acids before and after the drying process of S.miltiorrhiza, we studied hydrolysis method, hydrolysates and hydrolysis regularity of phenolic acids in S.miltiorrhiza. UPLC method was used to determine four main hydrolysates of bound phenolic acids, namely danshensu, caffeic acid dimer(SMND-309), caffeic acid, przewalskinic acid A(prolithosperic acid), and three main free phenolic acids in S.miltiorrhiza, namely rosmarinic acid, lithospermic acid, salvianolic acid B. The results of the acid-base hydrolysis experiment of salvianolic acid showed that the alkaline hydrolysis effect was significantly better than acid hydrolysis. The optimal alkaline hydrolysis condition was hydrolysis at 70 ℃ for 4 h with 2 mol·L~(-1) NaOH solution containing 1% ascorbic acid(Vit C). The hydrolysates of free phenolic acids were the same with the hydrolysates of bound phenolic acids. Fresh S.miltiorrhiza contains a low level of free phenolic acids and a high level of bound phenolic acids, which were exactly opposite to dried S.miltiorrhiza. It was suggested that a large amount of bound phenolic acids was accumulated during the growth of S.miltiorrhiza. These bound phenolic acids were coupled with polysaccharides on the cytoderm through ester bonds to form insoluble phenolic acids, which was not easy to be detected by conventional methods. However, during drying and dehydration processes, the bound phenolic acids were converted to a large amount of free phenolic acids under the action of the relevant enzyme.

[Study on dynamic changes of chemical constituents during different drying processes of Salvia miltiorrhiza].

There is no consensus on the drying methods of Salvia miltiorrhiza in ancient and modern times,especially on the content of phenolic acid in fresh S. miltiorrhiza. In order to further explore the content of main components in fresh S. miltiorrhiza and study the dynamic changes during the drying process,the content of main components was used as the index in this study to evaluate the processing method,drying method,correlation between dehydration rate and component content for fresh S. miltiorrhiza. In addition,the sealed and unsealed parallel control groups were set to carry out verification test during the drying process. UPLC method was used for determination of seven main components including rosmarinic acid,lithosperic acid,salvianolic acid B,cryptotanshinone,tanshinoneⅠ,methylene salianolate and tanshinone ⅡAin S. miltiorrhiza. The results showed that the fresh S. miltiorrhiza contained low levels of phenolic acid,and the content of phenolic acid increased significantly with the increase of dehydration rate during drying process,while the change of tanshinone was not obvious. In the comparison of three drying methods,we found that drying at 50 ℃ was better than drying in the sun,and drying in the sun was superior to drying in the shade. So,drying at 50 ℃ was the best drying method. The correlation between dehydration and phenolic acid content of S. miltiorrhiza was analyzed by verification test and SPSS software,which further proved that the dehydration rate was significantly positively correlated with the content of phenolic acid components. This study provides reference for the production processing and drying methods of S. miltiorrhiza medicinal materials,which is of great significance for improving the quality of S. miltiorrhiza.

Dissociation of nNOS from PSD-95 promotes functional recovery after cerebral ischaemia in mice through reducing excessive tonic GABA release from reactive astrocytes.

Mechanisms underlying functional recovery after stroke are little known, and effective drug intervention during the delayed stage is desirable. One potential drug target, the protein-protein interaction between neuronal nitric oxide synthase (nNOS) and postsynaptic density protein 95 (PSD-95), is critical to acute ischaemic damage and neurogenesis. We show that nNOS-PSD-95 dissociation induced by microinjection of a recombinant fusion protein, Tat-nNOS-N1-133 , or systemic administration of a small-molecule, ZL006, from day 4 to day 10 after photothrombotic ischaemia in mice reduced excessive tonic inhibition in the peri-infarct cortex and ameliorated motor functional outcome. We also demonstrated improved neuroplasticity including increased dendrite spine density and synaptogenesis after reducing excessive tonic inhibition by nNOS-PSD-95 dissociation. Levels of gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) and GABA transporter-3/4 (GAT-3/4) are increased in the reactive astrocytes in the peri-infarct cortex. The GAT-3/4-selective antagonist SNAP-5114 reduced tonic inhibition and promoted function recovery, suggesting that increased tonic inhibition in the peri-infarct cortex was due to GABA release from reversed GAT-3/4 in reactive astrocytes. Treatments with Tat-nNOS-N1-133 or ZL006 after ischaemia inhibited astrocyte activation and GABA production, prevented the reversal of GAT-3/4, and consequently decreased excessive tonic inhibition and ameliorated functional outcome. The underlying molecular mechanisms were associated with epigenetic inhibition of glutamic acid decarboxylase 67 and monoamine oxidase B expression through reduced NO production. The nNOS-PSD-95 interaction is thus a potential target for functional restoration after stroke and ZL006, a small molecule inhibitor of this interaction, is a promising pharmacological lead compound. Copyright © 2017 Pathological Society of Great Britain and Ireland. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

(+)-Borneol suppresses conditioned fear recall and anxiety-like behaviors in mice.

Fear- and anxiety-related psychiatric disorders have been one of the major chronic diseases afflicting patients for decades, and new compounds for treating such disorders remain to be developed. (+)-Borneol, a bicyclic monoterpene found in several species of Artemisia and Dipterocarpaceae, is widely used for anxiety, pain and anesthesia in Chinese medicine. Meanwhile, it can potentiate GABA (γ-aminobutyric acid) activity directly in recombinant GABAA receptors. The present study was to investigate the effects of (+)-Borneol on both contextual and cued fear recall. Interestingly, microinjection of (+)-Borneol into the dorsal hippocampus inhibited 24 h and 7 d contextual fear, whereas its infusion into ventral hippocampus only reduced 24 h cued fear responses. Moreover, microinjection of (+)-Borneol into dorsal but not ventral hippocampus suppressed anxiety-like behaviors in the open field test, light/dark exploration and the elevated plus maze test. As selective GABAA receptor antagonist bicuculline reversed the effect of (+)-Borneol on contextual fear paradigm and the drug potentiated GABA-evoked currents in acute hippocampus slices, modulation of the GABAergic neurotransmission may explain the effects of (+)-Borneol. Our findings suggest that (+)-Borneol can serve as a new therapeutic in fear- and anxiety-related disorders.

Mori cortex prevents kidney damage through inhibiting expression of inflammatory factors in the glomerulus in streptozocin-induced diabetic rats.

OBJECTIVES: It has been widely reported that Mori cortex extract (MCE) is used for the treatment of diabetes mellitus in traditional medicine. The present study was designed to investigate its mechanism of action in the treatment of diabetic nephropathy (DN). We assessed whether MCE preventive treatment ameliorates kidney damage in high-fat diet and streptozotocin (STZ)-induced type 2 diabetic rats. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Rats were fed a high-fat diet and injected with STZ. MCE was given to rats daily at 10 g/kg. Fasting blood glucose (FBG) and postprandial plasma glucose were measured. Blood and urine biochemical parameters, renal tissue morphology, and inflammation were investigated. RESULTS: Prevention with MCE significantly decreased FBG and homoeostasis model assessment (HOMA) of IR (HOMA-IR) levels and increased insulin levels in diabetic rats. MCE prevention significantly decreased levels of KW/BW, BUN, Cr, and 24 hr urinary protein. MCE inhibited glomerular basement membrane thickening, tubular epithelial cell hypertrophy, and glomerular capillary dilation. MCE also prevented the disappearance of bowman's space and renal tubular lumen and decreased collagen deposition in rat kidney. Moreover, MCE reduced the levels of inflammatory factors (MCP-1 and TNF-α) and fibrosis factors (collagen IV and fibronectin). CONCLUSION: MCE prevents DN through inhibition of inflammation and fibrosis in a rat model. It might provide a safe and effective way to prevent DN.

Characterization and hepatoprotective activity of anthocyanins from purple sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas L. cultivar Eshu No. 8).

The hepatoprotective activity of anthocyanin-rich purple sweet potato extract (APSPE) was demonstrated. Sixty mice were randomly divided into six groups: control group [without carbon tetrachloride (CCl4) or APSPE]; model group (with CCl4 only); positive control group (50 mg/kg body weight silymarin); low-dose group (100 mg/kg body weight APSPE); medium-dose group (200 mg/kg body weight APSPE); and high-dose group (400 mg/kg body weight APSPE). After 10 days intragastric administration of the respective supplements, the mice in all groups except control were injected intraperitoneally with CCl4 (0.15% in arachis oil, 10 mL/kg body weight, intravenous). Twelve hours after CCl4 injection, the mice were measured in terms of liver index, levels of aspartate aminotransferase and alanine aminotransferase in serum, as well as glutathione, superoxide dismutase, and malondialdehyde in liver homogenate. Additionally, the livers of mice were stained with hematoxylin and eosin and sectioned for observation. Nineteen purple sweet potato anthocyanins were identified from the purple sweet potato cultivar Eshu No. 8 and analyzed by liquid chromatography- electrospray ionization-tandem mass spectrometry. Peonidin 3-coumaryl-p-hydroxybenzoyl sophoroside-5-glucoside was first identified in purple sweet potato. The results showed that anthocyanins in Eshu No. 8 had good hepatoprotective activity.

(+)-Borneol is neuroprotective against permanent cerebral ischemia in rats by suppressing production of proinflammatory cytokines.

Stroke is one of the leading causes of disability and death globally. It occurs when a major artery is occluded in the brain and leads to death of cells within the injured tissue. (+)-Borneol, a simple bicyclic monoterpene extracted from traditional Chinese medicine, is widely used in various types of diseases. However, no study has proved the effects of (+)-borneol on functional recovery from permanent ischemic stroke and the mechanism is still unknown. Here, we report that in the rat model of permanent cerebral ischemia, we found that (+)-borneol (1.0 mg/kg) significantly ameliorated infarct size and neurological scoresvia reducing the expression of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) in a dose dependent manner. Notably, (+)-borneol showed long-term effects on the improvement of sensorimotor functions in the photothrombotic model of stroke, which decreased the number of foot faults in the grid-walking task and forelimb asymmetry scores in the cylinder task, at least in part through reducing loss of dendritic spines in the length, brunch number and density. These findings suggest that (+)-borneol could serve as a therapeutic target for ischemic stroke.

Endocannabinoid signaling in hypothalamic circuits regulates arousal from general anesthesia in mice.

Consciousness can be defined by two major attributes: awareness of environment and self, and arousal, which reflects the level of awareness. The return of arousal after general anesthesia presents an experimental tool for probing the neural mechanisms that control consciousness. Here we have identified that systemic or intracerebral injection of the cannabinoid CB1 receptor (CB1R) antagonist AM281 into the dorsomedial nucleus of the hypothalamus (DMH) - but not the adjacent perifornical area (Pef) or the ventrolateral preoptic nucleus of the hypothalamus (VLPO) - accelerates arousal in mice recovering from general anesthesia. Anesthetics selectively activated endocannabinoid (eCB) signaling at DMH glutamatergic but not GABAergic synapses, leading to suppression of both glutamatergic DMH-Pef and GABAergic DMH-VLPO projections. Deletion of CB1R from widespread cerebral cortical or prefrontal cortical (PFC) glutamatergic neurons, including those innervating the DMH, mimicked the arousal-accelerating effects of AM281. In contrast, CB1R deletion from brain GABAergic neurons or hypothalamic glutamatergic neurons did not affect recovery time from anesthesia. Inactivation of PFC-DMH, DMH-VLPO, or DMH-Pef projections blocked AM281-accelerated arousal, whereas activation of these projections mimicked the effects of AM281. We propose that decreased eCB signaling at glutamatergic terminals of the PFC-DMH projection accelerates arousal from general anesthesia through enhancement of the excitatory DMH-Pef projection, the inhibitory DMH-VLPO projection, or both.

Fish intake during pregnancy or infancy and allergic outcomes in children: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

It has been suggested that n-3 long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (n-3 LC-PUFAs) have anti-inflammatory properties and may reduce the risk of allergic disease. Fish is a great source of n-3 LC-PUFAs. However, the effect of fish on allergic disease remains controversial. PubMed, EMBASE, and Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials were searched for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and prospective cohort studies regarding the effect of fish intake during pregnancy or infancy on allergic outcomes in children. The outcomes of interest were atopy, eczema, allergic rhinitis, wheeze, asthma, and food allergy. One RCT and 17 publications from 13 prospective cohort studies were included for maternal fish intake during pregnancy, and eight publications from five prospective cohort studies for fish intake in infancy. Pooled analysis suggested that maternal fish intake during pregnancy was not associated with lower risk of any allergic outcome, both in RCT and observational studies. Consumption of fish during the first year of life reduced the risk of eczema (RR 0.61; 95% CI 0.47, 0.80; p = 0.0003; I2  = 68%) and allergic rhinitis (RR 0.54; 95% CI 0.36, 0.81; p = 0.003; I2  = 74%). Current evidence indicates that fish intake in infancy could reduce the risk of eczema and allergic rhinitis in children, whereas maternal fish intake during pregnancy does not affect any atopic outcome. The intake of fish per se in infancy, not specially n-3 LC-PUFAs, may have an allergy protective effect. High-quality and adequately powered RCTs are warranted to confirm this.

A novel herbal treatment reduces depressive-like behaviors and increases brain-derived neurotrophic factor levels in the brain of type 2 diabetic rats.

BACKGROUND: Radix Puerariae and hawthorn fruit have been demonstrated to treat diabetes. They offer potential benefits for preventing depression in diabetes. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to investigate whether the combination of Radix Puerariae and hawthorn fruit (CRPHF) could prevent depression in a diabetic rat model generated by feeding the rats with a high-fat diet and a low-dose streptozotocin (STZ). METHODS: The CRPHF was provided by the Shanghai Chinese Traditional Medical University. Twenty-four rats were randomly divided into four groups: normal control, normal-given-CRPHF (NC), diabetic control, and diabetic-given-CRPHF (DC) groups. The type 2 diabetic model was created by feeding the rats with a high-fat diet for 4 weeks followed by injection of 25 mg/kg STZ. CRPHF was given at 2 g/kg/d to the rats of NC and DC groups by intragastric gavage daily for 4 weeks after the type 2 diabetic model was successfully created. Body weight, random blood glucose (RBG), oral glucose tolerance test, total cholesterol (TC), triglyceride (TG), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) were measured during the study. Depressive-like behavior was evaluated at the end of the treatment by using the open field test (OFT), the elevated plus-maze test (EPMT), locomotor activity test (LAT), and forced swimming test (FST). Levels of extracellular signal-regulated protein kinase (ERK) and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) in the prefrontal cortex were evaluated by using Western blot. RESULTS: 1) CRPHF reduced RBG and improved glucose tolerance in diabetic rats; 2) CRPHF reduced TC and TG but did not significantly change HDL-C or LDL-C in diabetic rats; 3) CRPHF reversed the loss in body weights observed in diabetic rats; 4) CRPHF reduced depressive-like behavior as measured by OFT, EPMT, LAT, and FST; 5) BDNF was upregulated, and ERK was activated in the prefrontal cortex of diabetic rats treated with CRPHF. CONCLUSION: CRPHF has the potential of preventing depression in patients with diabetes.