Using machine learning to predict selenium and cadmium contents in rice grains from black shale-distributed farmland area.

Cadmium (Cd) and selenium (Se) are widely enriched in soil at black shale outcropping areas, with Cd levels exceeding the standard (2.0 mg/kg in 5.5 < pH ≤ 6.5) commonly. The prevention of Cd hazards and the safe development of Se-rich land resources are key issues that need to be urgently addressed. To ensure safe utilization of Se-rich land in the CdSe coexisting areas, 158 rice samples, their corresponding rhizosphere soils, and 8069 topsoil samples were collected and tested in the paddy fields of Ankang City, Shaanxi Province, where black shales are widely exposed. The results showed that 43 % of the topsoil samples were Se-rich soil (Se > 0.4 mg/kg) wherein 79 % and 3 % of Cd concentrations exceeded the screening value and control value, respectively, according to the GB15618-2018 standard. Meanwhile, 63 % of the rice samples were Se rich (Se > 0.04 mg/kg) and the Cd content exceeded the prescribed limit (0.2 mg/kg) in Se-rich rice by 26 %. There was no significant positive correlation between the Se and Cd contents in the rice grains and the Se and Cd contents in the corresponding rhizosphere soil. The factors influencing Se and Cd uptake in rice were SiO2, CaO, P, S, pH, and TFe2O3. Accordingly, an artificial neural network (ANN) and multiple linear regression model (MLR) were used to predict Cd and Se bioaccumulation in rice grains. The stability and accuracy of the ANN model were better than those of the MLR model. Based on survey data and the prediction results of the ANN model, a safe planting zoning of Se-rich rice was proposed, which provided a reference for the scientific planning of land resources.

Linking health to geology-a new assessment and zoning model based on the frame of medical geology.

With the growing concerns about the Earth's environment and human health, there has been a surge in research focused on the intersection of health and geology. This study quantitatively assesses the relationship between human health and geological factors using a new framework. The framework considers four key geological environment indicators related to health: soil, water, geological landform, and atmosphere. Results indicate that the atmospheric and water resource indicators in the study area were generally favorable, while the scores of geological landforms varied based on topography. The study also found that the selenium content in the soil greatly exceeded the local background value. Our research underscores the importance of geological factors on human health, establishes a new health-geological assessment model, and provides a scientific foundation for local spatial planning, water resource development, and land resource management. However, due to varying geological conditions worldwide, the framework and indicators for health geology may need to be adjusted accordingly.

2-(2-phenylethyl)chromone-enriched extract of the resinous heartwood of Chinese agarwood (Aquilaria sinensis) protects against taurocholic acid-induced gastric epithelial cells apoptosis through Perk/eIF2α/CHOP pathway.

BACKGROUND: Injury of gastric epithelial cells is one of the most important pathological features of bile reflux gastritis. Chinese agarwood (the resinous heartwood of Aquilaria sinensis) has been used to treat stomach problems for thousands of years in China. However, the pathological mechanism of epithelial cells death induced by bile acids and the therapeutic target of Chinese agarwood for improving bile reflux gastritis have not yet been fully clarified. PURPOSE: This study aimed to investigate the pro-apoptotic effect of taurocholic acid (TCA) by regulating the ER stress pathway. Moreover, the role of Chinese agarwood 2-(2-phenylethyl)chromone-enriched extract (CPE) to inhibit gastric epithelial cell death induced by TCA was also been demonstrated. METHODS: We adopted human gastric epithelial GES-1 cells to explore the mechanism of TCA-induced cell death in vitro. Then the cell viability, apoptosis rate, and protein expressions were evaluated to explore the protective effects of CPE on GES-1 cells by TCA injury. The therapeutic effect of CPE on bile reflux gastritis was further confirmed by the bile reflux mice in vivo. RESULTS: Our results demonstrated that TCA activated GES-1 cell apoptosis by increased cleavage of caspase-7 and PARP. Further experiments showed that TCA up-regulated endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress, subsequently triggered the apoptosis of the epithelial cells. Our research explored that CPE is the main effective fraction in Chinese agarwood by preventing the TCA-induced gastric epithelial cell injury. CPE effectively suppressed GES-1 cell apoptosis activated by TCA through inhibiting Perk/eIF2α/CHOP pathway. The anti-apoptotic effect of CPE on gastric mucosa had also been confirmed in vivo. Moreover, the main effective components in CPE corresponding to the protection of epithelial cells were also been identified. CONCLUSION: Our finding suggested that CPE recovered the TCA-induced epithelial cell apoptosis by mediating the activation of ER stress, which explored potential medicine to treat bile reflux gastritis.

Longxuetongluo Capsule protects against cerebral ischemia/reperfusion injury through endoplasmic reticulum stress and MAPK-mediated mechanisms.

Introduction: Longxuetongluo Capsule (LTC) is wildly applied to treat ischemic stroke in clinical practice in China. However, the pharmacological mechanism of LTC on ischemic stroke is still unstated. Objective: Our research was designed to study the protective effect of LTC against cerebral ischemia-reperfusion (I/R) injury and reveal the underlying mechanism both in vivo and in vitro. Methods: PC12 cells treated with glucose deprivation/reperfusion (OGD/R) were used to simulate in vitro ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury. The cell viability, apoptosis rate, and protein expressions of PC12 cells were evaluated. In vivo validation of the protective effect of LTC was carried out by middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO)/reperfusion treatment, and the underlying mechanism of its anti-apoptosis ability was further revealed by immunohistochemistry staining and Western blotting. Results: In the current study, we observed that LTC effectively inhibited oxygen-glucose deprivation/reperfusion (OGD/R) induced apoptosis of PC12 cells through suppressing the cleavage of poly ADP-ribose polymerase (PARP), caspase-3, and caspase-9. Further investigation revealed that OGD/R insult remarkably triggered the endoplasmic reticulum stress responses (ER stress) to induce PC12 cell apoptosis. LTC treatment alleviated OGD/R induced ER stress by inhibiting the activation of protein kinase RNA (PKR)-like ER kinase (PERK)/eukaryotic translation initiation factor 2 (eIF2α) and inositol requiring enzyme 1 (IRE1)/tumor necrosis factor receptor-associated factor 2 (TRAF2) pathways. Additionally, LTC also restrained the OGD/R-induced PC12 cell apoptosis by reversing the activated mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) through IRE1/TRAF2 pathway. Animal studies demonstrated LTC significantly restricted the infarct region induced by middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO)/reperfusion, the activation of ER stress and apoptosis of neuronal cells had also been suppressed by LTC in the penumbra region. Conclusion: LTC protects the cerebral neuronal cell against ischemia/reperfusion injury through ER stress and MAPK-mediated mechanisms.

Migration and transformation of phosphorus in waste activated sludge during ozonation.

For phosphorus (P) recovery from waste activated sludge (WAS), the most important step is to release P into the solution. This study aimed to explore the migration and transformation of P in WAS during ozonation based on the Standards Measurements and Testing Program analysis. The results showed that WAS contained 7.10% P element and could be selected as potential substitution of phosphate rock. Inorganic phosphorus (IP) was the major P fraction in raw WAS (68.10%), and non-apatite inorganic phosphorus (NAIP) occupied 62.40% of IP. Ozonation facilitated the P application in agriculture as the bio-available P in the solid phase increased by 23.63% at ozone dosage 0.20 gO3/gSS. The highest concentration of total phosphorus in liquid (TP(L)) (40.68 mg/L) was achieved at ozone dosage 0.20 gO3/gSS, and 89.62% of TP(L) was PO43--P, which was easy to be recovered by struvite precipitation. The contributions of different P fractions in solid phase to TP(L) were related to ozone dosage. The analysis of P mass balance suggested that the optimum ozone dosage for P recovery was 0.15 O3/gSS.

[Inhibitory effect of BF523 from Ilex hainanensis on ox LDL-induced foam cells formation].

Cardio-cerebral vascular disease induced by atherosclerosis is a serious cause of human health. The pathogenesis of AS is very complex,and the oxidized low-density lipoprotein( ox LDL) induced foam cells formation is considered to be the most important cytological change in AS. Based on the definition of " TCM chemical biology",we clarified the chemical composition of Ilex hainanensis,the effective substances of I. hainanensis on the activity of anti-AS were screened. Then we found that saponin BF523 had the good inhibitory effect on foam cell formation. In this research,we studied the BF523 as the research object to clarify the molecular target of the active compound of I. hainanensis by foam cell formation model. The results showed that BF523 significantly inhibited the oxidation of ox LDL-induced macrophage foaming and decreased the lipid content in macrophages. BF523 had inhibited the phagocytosis of ox LDL in macrophages by reducing the mRNA and protein levels of scavenger receptor CD36,thereby inhibiting the occurrence and development of AS. These findings not only clarified the mechanism of the inhibition of foam cell formation by saponin BF523,but also provided a useful exploration for the enrichment of the theory of " TCM chemical biology".

Antioxidant Effects of Baoyuan Decoction on Dysfunctional Erythrocytes in High-Fat Diet-Induced Hyperlipidemic ApoE-/- Mice.

Baoyuan decoction (BYD), a traditional representative formula, has a long usage history in the treatment of cardiovascular diseases. Since the hyperlipidemia-induced dysfunction of erythrocyte is one of the most important causes of cardiovascular diseases, the improving effects of BYD against high-fat diet (HFD) induced the physiological and physical function of the erythrocytic injury and the potential mechanisms were deeply researched in this study. After 6 weeks of drug treatment, all doses of BYD had significantly decreased the lipid peroxidation in plasma of HFD-induced ApoE-/- mice, even if it had not improved the lipid levels. Then, the erythrocyte-related experimental results showed that BYD had reduced erythrocyte osmotic fragility, stabilized erythrocyte membrane skeleton protein 4.2, and reformed the erythrocyte morphological changes by decreasing erythrocyte membrane lipid peroxidation levels. This study demonstrated that BYD may ameliorate the physiological and physical function of erythrocyte in hyperlipidemic mice through the antioxidant effect on erythrocyte membranes.

[TLR/NF-κB independent signaling pathway in TNF-α suppression of diabetic MyD88-knockout mice after Lycium barbarum polysaccharides administration].

OBJECTIVE: : To investigate the effect of Lycium barbarum polysaccharides (LBPs) on TLR/NF-κB independent pathway and serum tumor necrosis factor (TNF-α) level in diabetic MyD88-knockout mice. METHODS: : Diabetes was induced by feeding high-fat/high-sugar diet and injection of low-dose streptozotocin in MyD88-knockout mice. The diabetic mice were randomly divided into model group, positive control group and LBPs group. The expressions of TRAM, TRIF, TRAF6, RIP1 and TNF-α mRNA and proteins in mouse peritoneal macrophages were detected by real-time RT-PCR and Western blotting after LBPs treatment for 3 month. Serum TNF-α was determined with ELISA kit. RESULTS: : Real time RT-PCR showed that compared with model group, the relative expressions of Tram, Trif, Traf6 and Tnf-α mRNA in macrophages of LBPs group were significantly decreased and expression of Rip1 was significantly increased (all P<0.05). Expression of TRAM, TRIF, TRAF6, RIP1 and TNF-α proteins as well as serum TNF-α level had no significant difference between LBPs group and model group (all P>0.05). CONCLUSIONS: : LBPs may not inhibit serum TNF-α level through TLR/NF-κB independent pathway.