Phyllanthus emblica Linn: A comprehensive review of botany, traditional uses, phytonutrients, health benefits, quality markers, and applications.

Phyllanthus emblica Linn is not only an edible fruit with high nutritional value, but also a medicinal plant with multiple bioactivities. It is widely used in clinical practice with functions of clearing heat, cooling blood, digesting food, strengthening stomach, promoting fluid production, and relieving cough. This review summarized a wide variety of phytonutrients, including nutritional components (mineral elements, amino acids, vitamins, polysaccharides, unsaturated free fatty acids) and functional components (phenolic acids (1-34), tannins (35-98), flavonoids (99-141), sterols (142-159), triterpenoids (160-175), lignans (176-183), alkaloids (184-197), alkanes (198-212), aromatic micromolecules (213-222), other compounds (223-239)). The isolated compounds and the various extracts of P. emblica Linn presented a diverse spectrum of biological activities such as anti-oxidant, anti-cancer, anti-inflammatory, anti-bacterial, hepatoprotective, hypoglycemic, anti-atherosclerosis, neuroprotective, enhancing immunity, anti-fatigue, anti-myocardial fibrosis. The quality markers of P. emblica Linn were predicted and analyzed based on traditional medicinal properties, traditional efficacy, plant genealogy and chemical component characteristics, biogenic pathway of chemical components, measurability of chemical components, transformation characteristics of polyphenolic components, homologous characteristics of medicine and food, compound compatibility environment, and clinical applications. This review also summarized and prospected applications of P. emblica Linn in beverages, preserved fruits, fermented foods, etc. However, the contents of mechanism, structure-activity relationship, quality control, toxicity, extraction, processing of P. emblica Linn are not clear, and are worth further studies in the future.

[Research progress on development and utilization of minor ginsenosides].

Minor ginsenosides are a class of processed saponins with minor natural content, high bioavailability, and outstanding bio-logical activity, which are usually obtained by biological or chemical transformation of prototype saponins directly extracted from Panax plants. In recent years, with the clarification of the biosynthetic pathway of saponins and the development of synthetic biology, it has become possible to use synthetic metabolic engineering methods with microorganisms as hosts to produce saponins. Minor ginsenosides have received widespread attention because of their remarkable biological activities in enhancing the immune function of the body and antitumor property. At present, most of the reviews on minor ginsenosides focus on transformation preparation, process optimization, and pharmacological activity, but there are some deficiencies in industrial analysis. This study summarized structural types, pharmacological activities, sources of acquisition, and transformation pathways of minor ginsenosides based on the relevant literature in China and abroad, proposed problems in the preparation of existing minor ginsenosides, and discussed the future research and utilization prospects, to provide a theoretical basis for improving the basic research of minor ginsenosides and promoting their industrialization.

Exogenous application of silicon and selenium improves the tolerance of tomato plants to calcium nitrate stress.

Silicon (Si) and selenium (Se) can improve the tolerance of plants to NaCl-induced salt stress. However, few studies are available on their regulatory effects on plants' tolerance to calcium nitrate stress, which often occurs in protected facilities, causing secondary soil salinization. In this study, we report the effects of Si (6 mM) and Se (20 µM) applied separately or in combination on the growth, photosynthesis, oxidative damage, and nitrogen metabolism of tomato plants, as well as fruit quality under calcium nitrate stress. The results showed that applications of Si or Se alone or in combination improved the plant growth and photosynthetic performance and reduced oxidative damage of the stressed plants. Applications of Si and Se did not decrease the calcium accumulation in leaves of the stressed plants. Under calcium nitrate stress, the concentrations of NO3-, NO2- and NH4+ in leaves were significantly increased, while the activities of nitrogen assimilation-related enzymes (including nitrate reductase, nitrite reductase, glutamine synthase, glutamine-2-oxoglutarate aminotransferase and glutamate dehydrogenase) were decreased. Applications of Si and Se, especially their combined treatment, decreased the NO3-, NO2-, and NH4+ concentrations and enhanced the activities of nitrogen assimilation-related enzymes in the stressed plants. Applied Si and Se also decreased the nitrate and titratable acid concentrations and increased vitamin levels in tomato fruits under calcium nitrate stress. It is suggested that Si and Se improved the tomato plant growth and fruit quality under calcium nitrate stress by alleviating oxidative damage and promoting both photosynthesis and nitrogen assimilation.

Resveratrol Enhances Anticancer Effects of Silybin on HepG2 Cells and H22 Tumor-bearing Mice via Inducing G2/M Phase Arrest and Increasing Bax/Bcl-2 Ratio.

BACKGROUND: Silybin, a major flavonoid extracted from the seeds of milk thistle, has a strong hepatoprotective but weak anti-hepatoma activity. Screening another natural ingredient and combining it with silybin is expected to improve the anti-hepatoma efficacy of silybin. OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to investigate the synergistic anti-hepatoma effect of resveratrol and silybin on HepG2 cells and H22 tumor-bearing mice in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in vitro and in vivo, respectively. METHODS: Cell viability, scratch wound, clone formation, cell apoptosis, cell cycle, and western blot analysis of HepG2 cells were used to investigate the synergistic effects in vitro of the combination resveratrol with silybin. Growth rates, tumor weights, organ indexes, and histological pathological examination in H22 tumor-bearing mice were used to investigate the synergistic effects in vivo. RESULTS: The combination of resveratrol (50 µg/mL) and silybin (100 µg/mL) significantly suppressed cell viability, whose combination index (CI) was 1.63 (>1.15), indicating the best synergism. The combination exhibited the synergistic effect in blocking the migration and proliferative capacity of HepG2 cells in the measurement in vitro. In particular, resveratrol enhanced the upregulation of Bcl-2 expression and the downregulation of Bax expression with a concurrent increase in the Bax/Bcl-2 ratio. The combination of resveratrol (50 mg/kg) and silybin (100 mg/kg) reduced the tumor weight, inhibited the growth rate, increased the organ indexes, and destroyed the tumor tissue morphology in H22 tumor-bearing mice. CONCLUSION: Resveratrol was found to exhibit synergistic anti-cancer effects with silybin on HepG2 cells and H22 tumor-bearing mice.

Cottonseed meal derived porous carbon prepared via the protease pretreatment and reduced activator dosage carbonization for supercapacitor.

The high catalytic activity and specificity of enzymes can be used to pretreat biomass. Herein, the resourceful, reproducible, cheap, and crude protein-rich cottonseed meal (CM) is selected as a precursor and the protease in the K2CO3-KHCO3 buffer solution is used as the enzyme degradation substance to pretreat CM. The crude protein content is significantly reduced by the protease degradation, and, meanwhile, it results in a looser and porous structure of CM. What is more, it significantly reduces the amount of activator. In the subsequent carbonization process, the K2CO3-KHCO3 in the buffer solution is also used as an activating agent (the mass ratio of CM to activator is 2:1), and after carbonization, the O, S, and N doped porous carbon is obtained. The optimized PCM-800-4 exhibits high heteroatom contents and a hierarchical porous structure. The specific capacitance of the prepared porous carbon reaches up to 233 F g-1 in 6M KOH even when 10 mg of active material is loaded. In addition, a K2CO3-KHCO3/EG based gel electrolyte is prepared and the fabricated flexible capacitor exhibits an energy density of 15.6 Wh kg-1 and a wide temperature range (-25 to 100 °C). This study presents a simple enzymatic degradation and reduced activator dosage strategy to prepare a cottonseed meal derived carbon material and looks forward to preparing porous carbon using other biomass.

Integrating Baseline Nutritional and Inflammatory Parameters with Post-Treatment EBV DNA Level to Predict Outcomes of Patients with De Novo Metastatic Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma Receiving Chemotherapy Combination PD-1 Inhibitor.

OBJECTIVES: To develop and validate a prognostic nomogram based on baseline nutritional and inflammatory parameters for risk stratification in patients with de novo metastatic nasopharyngeal carcinoma (dmNPC) receiving chemotherapy combination programmed death-1 (PD-1) inhibitor. METHODS: This retrospective study analyzed 131 patients with dmNPC (88 and 43 in the training and validation cohorts, respectively) between March 2017 and November 2020. All these patients received chemotherapy combined with PD-1 inhibitor treatment. We identified independent risk factors using univariate and multivariate Cox regression analyses and established a nomogram to predict the progression-free survival (PFS). The predictive accuracy of the nomogram was evaluated and independently validated. RESULTS: Baseline nutritional risk index (NRI), prognostic nutritional index (PNI), systemic immune-inflammation index (SII), uric acid (UA), and post-treatment Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) DNA were used to develop a nomogram that could divide patients into favorable- and unfavorable-prognosis groups. The median PFS (mPFS) was significantly longer in the favorable-prognosis group compared to the unfavorable-prognosis group (35.10 months [95% CI: 27.36-42.84] vs. 7.23 months [95% CI: 6.50-7.97]; p = 0.001). All results were confirmed in the validation cohort. CONCLUSIONS: The proposed model improved the prognostic risk stratification for patients with dmNPC undergoing chemotherapy combined with PD-1 inhibitor treatment.

Systemic Pharmacology Reveals the Potential Targets and Signaling Mechanisms in the Adjuvant Treatment of Brucellosis with Traditional Chinese Medicine.

Human brucellosis is one of the world's most common zoonoses, caused by Brucella infection and characterized by induced inflammation, which in severe cases can lead to abortion and sterility in humans and animals. There is growing evidence that traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) is beneficial as an adjunct to the treatment of brucellosis. However, its specific targets of action and molecular mechanisms remain unclear. In this study, a systematic pharmacological approach was applied to demonstrate pharmacological targets, biological functions, and signaling pathways of TCM as an adjunct to the treatment of brucellosis (TCMTB). The results of network pharmacology were further verified by in vitro experiments. Network analysis revealed that 133 active ingredients and 247 targets were screened in TCMTB. Further data analysis identified 21 core targets and 5 core compounds in TCMTB, including beta-sitosterol, quercetin, kaempferol, luteolin, and paeoniflorin. Gene ontology and the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Gene and Genome analysis showed that TCMTB might actively treat brucellosis by regulating inflammatory response, enhancing immune function, and targeting signaling pathways such as tuberculosis and TNF. Molecular docking results showed that multiple compounds could bind to multiple targets. Further, in vitro experiments confirmed that quercetin, among the active compounds screened, induced the strongest immunomodulatory and pro-inflammatory cytokine production during Brucella abortus infection. Further, quercetin induced nitric oxide production, which attenuated the ability of B. abortus to internalize THP-1 cells as well as intracellular survival. This study reveals the mechanism by which TCMTB aids in the treatment of brucellosis through a synergistic multicomponent, multipathway, and multitarget action. The contribution of quercetin treatment to B. abortus infection was demonstrated for the first time, which may be related to the quercetin-induced production of nitric oxide and immunomodulatory and inflammatory cytokines. These predictions of the core compounds and targets may be used in the future for the clinical treatment of brucellosis.

Effects of Shenling Baizhu powder on intestinal microflora metabolites and liver mitochondrial energy metabolism in nonalcoholic fatty liver mice.

Background & purpose: Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is characterised by the excessive accumulation of triglycerides in the liver. Shenling Baizhu powder (SLBZP) is formulated from various natural medicinal plants that protect the liver and are used to treat intestinal diseases. SLBZP improves the symptoms of NAFLD. However, its mechanism of action remains unclear. Herein, we investigated the ameliorative effect of SLBZP on model mice with high-fat-diet (HFD)-induced NAFLD. Additionally, we evaluated the impact of SLBZP on the intestinal flora and its metabolites and mitochondrial energy metabolism in NAFLD. Methods: We used HFD to establish a mouse model of NAFLD. Different drug interventions were administered. We measured serum biochemical indices. Liver sections were visualised with hematoxylin-eosin and oil red O staining. 16S rDNA amplicon sequencing technology was used to analyse the diversity and abundance of the intestinal flora. Short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) in the intestinal contents were detected using GC-MS. Liver tissue was sampled to detect mitochondrial membrane functional indices. Western blotting was used to determine the levels of mitochondrial pathway-related proteins, namely, uncoupling protein 2 (UCP2), adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase (AMPK) and inhibitory factor 1 (IF1) of F1Fo ATP synthesis/hydrolase, in the liver. Results: The spleen-invigorating classic recipe of SLBZP reduced liver lipid deposition in mice with HFD-induced NAFLD. Additionally, SCFAs produced by intestinal flora metabolism regulated the UCP2/AMPK/IF1 signalling pathway involved in liver mitochondrial energy metabolism to improve the liver mitochondrial membrane permeability, respiratory state and oxidative phosphorylation efficiency of mice with NAFLD. Finally, SLBZP increased the liver ATP level. Conclusion: Our results suggest that the therapeutic effect of SLBZP on NAFLD is related to the regulation of hepatic mitochondrial energy metabolism by intestinal flora and its metabolites and is possibly associated with the UCP2/AMPK/IF1 signalling pathway.

The Effects of Cinobufagin on Hepatocellular Carcinoma Cells Enhanced by MRT68921, an Autophagy Inhibitor.

Cinobufagin, a cardiotonic steroid derived from toad venom extracts, exhibits significant anticancer properties by inhibiting Na[Formula: see text]/K[Formula: see text]-ATPase in cancer cells. It is frequently used in clinical settings to treat advanced-stage cancer patients, improving their quality of life and survival time. However, its long-term use can result in multidrug resistance to other chemotherapy drugs, and the exact mechanism underlying this effect remains unknown. Therefore, this study explores the molecular mechanism underlying the anticancer effects of cinobufagin in hepatocellular carcinomas (HCCs), specifically in HepG2 and Huh-7 cells. As determined using transcriptome analysis, cinobufagin-triggered protective autophagy suppressed cell apoptosis in liver cancer HepG2 and Huh-7 cells by inhibiting the phosphoinositide-3-Kinase (PI3K)-AKT serine/threonine kinase (AKT)-mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) pathway. Cinobufagin-inhibited cell proliferation, induced apoptosis, and generated cell autophagy by upregulating the expression of MAP1 light chain 3 protein II, Beclin1, and autophagy-related protein 12-5. In addition, the autophagy inhibitor MRT68921 improved the antiproliferative and proapoptotic effects of cinobufagin in the studied cell lines. Overall, this study suggests that combining cinobufagin with an autophagy inhibitor can effectively treat HCC, providing a potential strategy for cancer therapy.

[Effect of Zhenwu Decoction on electrical remodeling of cardiomyocytes in heart failure via I_(to)/Kv channels].

This study aimed to investigate the underlying mechanism of Zhenwu Decoction in the treatment of heart failure by regulating electrical remodeling through the transient outward potassium current(I_(to))/voltage-gated potassium(Kv) channels. Five normal SD rats were intragastrically administered with Zhenwu Decoction granules to prepare drug-containing serum, and another seven normal SD rats received an equal amount of distilled water to prepare blank serum. H9c2 cardiomyocytes underwent conventional passage and were treated with angiotensin Ⅱ(AngⅡ) for 24 h. Subsequently, 2%, 4%, and 8% drug-containing serum, simvastatin(SIM), and BaCl_2 were used to interfere in H9c2 cardiomyocytes for 24 h. The cells were divided into a control group [N, 10% blank serum + 90% high-glucose DMEM(DMEM-H)], a model group(M, AngⅡ + 10% blank serum + 90% DMEM-H), a low-dose Zhenwu Decoction-containing serum group(Z1, AngⅡ + 2% drug-containing serum of Zhenwu Decoction + 8% blank serum + 90% DMEM-H), a medium-dose Zhenwu Decoction-containing serum group(Z2, AngⅡ + 4% drug-containing serum of Zhenwu Decoc-tion + 6% blank serum + 90% DMEM-H), a high-dose Zhenwu Decoction-containing serum group(Z3, AngⅡ + 8% drug-containing serum of Zhenwu Decoction + 2% blank serum + 90% DMEM-H), an inducer group(YD, AngⅡ + SIM + 10% blank serum + 90% DMEM-H), and an inhibitor group(YZ, AngⅡ + BaCl_2 + 10% blank serum + 90% DMEM-H). The content of ANP in cell extracts of each group was detected by ELISA. The relative mRNA expression levels of ANP, Kv1.4, Kv4.2, Kv4.3, DPP6, and KChIP2 were detected by real-time quantitative PCR. The protein expression of Kv1.4, Kv4.2, Kv4.3, DPP6, and KChIP2 was detected by Western blot. I_(to) was detected by the whole cell patch-clamp technique. The results showed that Zhenwu Decoction at low, medium, and high doses could effectively reduce the surface area of cardiomyocytes. Compared with the M group, the Z1, Z2, Z3, and YD groups showed decreased ANP content and mRNA level, increased protein and mRNA expression of Kv4.2, Kv4.3, DPP6, and KChIP2, and decreased protein and mRNA expression of Kv1.4, and the aforementioned changes were the most notable in the Z3 group. Compared with the N group, the Z1, Z2, and Z3 groups showed significantly increased peak current and current density of I_(to). The results indicate that Zhenwu Decoction can regulate myocardial remodeling and electrical remodeling by improving the expression trend of Kv1.4, Kv4.2, Kv4.3, KChIP2, and DPP6 proteins and inducing I_(to) to regulate Kv channels, which may be one of the mechanisms of Zhenwu Decoction in treating heart failure and related arrhythmias.

[Pollution Characteristics and Risk Assessment of PAHs in the Soil of Wild Forsythia Suspensa in Shanxi].

Shanxi is one of the main producing areas of Forsythia suspensa in China. In order to explore the safety of the soil in the areas where Forsythia suspensa grows,70 surface (0-25 cm) soil samples were collected from the main growing areas of F. suspensa in the eastsouth of Shanxi Province in July 2017. The concentration and composition characteristics of 16 polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in the sample soils were analyzed using chemical extraction and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). The diagnostic ratio method was used to determine the source of PAHs in the areas. The potential ecological risk was assessed by using the method of calculating the equivalent carcinogenic concentration of benzo[a]pyrene. The results showed that the average concentration of total PAHs (Σ16PAHs) in all of the soil samples was 1.85 µg·g-1, which was dominated by three ring number PAHs, accounting for 76.7% of the total PAHs. The detection rates of phenanthrene (Phe) and anthracene (Ant) were both 100% of all the sample sites. The soil PAHs in the wild F. suspensa growing areas mainly originated from coal, biomass burning, and motor vehicle exhaust emissions, which resulted from air transport and sedimentation pathways. In all of the sample sites, the concentration of Σ16PAHs the limit standard level (0.2 µg·g-1) of Maliszewska-Kordybach for agricultural soil pollution and exceeded the soil heavy pollution level limit value (1.0 µg·g-1) in 41.4% of the sample sites. The concentration of BaP was above the risk control standard for soil contamination of agricultural land (0.55 µg·g-1) in 10% of all the soil samples. A total of 11.4% of the sample soil ΣBaPeq16PAHs and ΣBaPeq8BPAHs exceeded the agricultural soil screening value (0.55 µg·g-1). These results indicate that the contamination of PAHs was at a detectable level in the soil of wild F. suspensa growing in Shanxi, and thus their potential ecological risks should not be ignored. It is necessary to enhance the research regarding these areas to ensure the safe production of medicinal plants.

Molecular targets of metformin against ovarian cancer based on network pharmacology.

The objective of this study was to analyze potential targets of metformin against ovarian cancer (OC) through network pharmacology. Pharmacodynamic targets of metformin were predicted using the Bioinformatics Analysis Tool for the molecular mechanism of traditional Chinese medicine (BATMAN), Drugbank, PharmMapper, SwissTargetPrediction, and TargetNet databases. R was utilized to analyze the gene expression of OC tissues, normal/adjacent noncancerous tissues, and screen differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) and the Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) + Genotype-Tissue Expression (GTEx) datasets. STRING 11.0 was utilized to explore the protein-protein interaction (PPI) of metformin target genes differentially expressed in OC. Cytoscape 3.8.0 was used to construct the network and screen the core targets. Additionally, gene ontology (GO) annotation and enrichment and the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway enrichment analysis were performed for the common targets of metformin and OC through the DAVID 6.8 database. A total of 95 potential common targets of metformin and OC were identified from the intersection of 255 potential pharmacodynamic targets of metformin and 10,463 genes associated with OC. Furthermore, 10 core targets were screened from the PPI network [e.g., interleukin (IL) 1B, KCNC1, ESR1, HTR2C, MAOB, GRIN2A, F2, GRIA2, APOE, PTPRC]. In addition, it was shown in GO enrichment analysis that the common targets were mainly associated with biological processes (i.e., response to stimuli or chemical, cellular processes, and transmembrane transport), cellular components (i.e., plasma membrane, cell junction, and cell projection), and molecular functions (i.e., binding, channel activities, transmembrane transporter activity, and signaling receptor activities). Furthermore, it was indicated by KEGG pathway analysis that the common targets were enriched in metabolic pathways. The critical molecular targets and molecular pathways of metformin against OC were preliminarily determined by bioinformatics-based network pharmacology analysis, providing a basis, and reference for further experimental studies.

Integrating metabolomics and network pharmacology to investigate Panax japonicus prevents kidney injury in HFD/STZ-induced diabetic mice.

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: Panax japonicus C. A. Meye (PJ) has unique effects on diseases by "qi" stagnation and blood stasis in ancient. Modern studies have shown that PJ can treat diabetic kidney disease (DKD) caused by deficiency and blood stasis. AIM OF THE STUDY: This study evaluated the potential effects of PJ on DKD, a microvascular complication, and investigated its possible mechanisms. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In this study, the chemical constituents of PJ were analyzed by HPLC. In vivo studies, we constructed a diabetic mice model by HDF combined with STZ, then administered PJ to diabetic mice for 6 weeks. Blood lipid, BUN, 24h urine protein, and renal tissue HE staining were detected to comprehensively evaluate the protective effect of PJ on DKD. Metabolomics investigated the metabolic pathways influenced by PJ in the treatment of DKD. Moreover, the potential targets and signal pathways were investigated using network pharmacology. Finally, molecular docking predicts affinity of active compounds and core targets, and western blotting was used to detect core target expression levels. RESULTS: In vivo study, PJ can reduce hyperlipidemia, serum BUN, and 24-h urinary protein in diabetic mice, and protect the pathological changes in renal tissue. Metabolomics results showed that PJ had significant regulatory effect on unsaturated fatty acids, glycerophospholipid metabolism, and purine metabolism. Network pharmacology showed that MAPK1, MAPK8, Bcl-2, and Caspase 3 were the core targets in PJ against DKD. Molecular docking revealed that Bcl-2 and Caspase 3 have a strong affinity for Chikusetsusaponin Iva, Ginsenoside Rb1, and Ginsenoside Rg1. Moreover, when compared to the model group, the PJ group had higher levels of anti-apoptosis protein Bcl-2 and lower levels of pro-apoptosis protein Caspase 3. CONCLUSION: PJ can reduce blood lipids, regulate the biosynthesis of unsaturated fatty acids and purine metabolism, thereby alleviating the renal injury of diabetic mice. Moreover, it can regulate the Bcl-2/caspase 3 apoptosis signaling pathway to prevent the apoptosis of renal cells and protect the renal function of diabetic mice.

Microbial functional communities and the antibiotic resistome profile in a high-selenium ecosystem.

Enshi City, in the Hubei Province of China, is known as the world capital of selenium with the most abundant selenium resource. An important selenium hyperaccumulator plant, Cardamine violifolia, was found to naturally grow in this high-selenium ecosystem. However, relatively little is known about the impact of the selenium levels on microbial community and functional shifts in C. violifolia rhizosphere. Here, we tested the hypothesis that underground microbial diversity and function vary along a selenium gradient, including antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs). Comprehensive metagenomic analyses, such as taxonomic investigation, functional detection, and ARG annotation, showed that selenium, mercury, cadmium, lead, arsenic, and available phosphorus and potassium were correlated with microbial diversity and function. Thaumarchaeota was exclusively dominant in the highest selenium concentration of mine outcrop, and Rhodanobacter and Nitrospira were predominant in the high-selenium ecosystem. The plant C. violifolia enriched a high concentration of selenium in the rhizosphere compared to those in the bulk soil, and it recruited Variovorax and Polaromonas in its rhizosphere. Microbial abundance showed a trend of increasing first and then decreasing from low to high selenium concentrations. Annotation of ARGs showed that the multidrug resistance genes adeF, mtrA, and poxtA, the aminoglycoside resistance gene rpsL, and the sulfonamide resistant gene sul2 were enriched in the high-selenium system. It was discovered that putative antibiotic resistant bacteria displayed obvious differences in the farmland and the soils with various selenium concentrations, indicating that a high-selenium ecosystem harbors the specific microbes with a higher capacity to enrich or resist selenium, toxic metals, or antibiotics. Taken together, these results reveal the effects of selenium concentration and the selenium hyperaccumulator plant C. violifolia on shaping the microbial functional community and ARGs. Metalloid selenium-inducible antibiotic resistance is worth paying attention to in future.

Supplementation of mitochondria from endometrial mesenchymal stem cells improves oocyte quality in aged mice.

Maternal ageing is one of the major causes of reduced ovarian reserve and low oocyte quality in elderly women. Decreased oocyte quality is the main cause of age-related infertility. Mitochondria are multifunctional energy stations that determine the oocyte quality. The mitochondria in aged oocytes display functional impairments with mtDNA damage, which leads to reduced competence and developmental potential of oocytes. To improve oocyte quality, mitochondrial supplementation is carried out as a potential therapeutic approach. However, the selection of suitable cells as the source of mitochondria remains controversial. We cultivated endometrial mesenchymal stem cells (EnMSCs) from aged mice and extracted mitochondria from EnMSCs. To improve the quality of oocytes, GV oocytes were supplemented with mitochondria via microinjection. And MII oocytes from aged mice were fertilized by intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI), combining EnMSCs' mitochondrial microinjection. In this study, we found that the mitochondria derived from EnMSCs could significantly improve the quality of aged oocytes. Supplementation with EnMSC mitochondria significantly increased the blastocyst ratio of MII oocytes from aged mice after ICSI. We also found that the birth rate of mitochondria-injected ageing oocytes was significantly increased after embryo transplantation. Our study demonstrates that supplementation with EnMSC-derived mitochondria can improve the quality of oocytes and promote embryo development in ageing mice, which might provide a prospective strategy for clinical treatment.

Traditional Chinese Medicine in Treatment of COVID-19 and Viral Disease: Efficacies and Clinical Evidence.

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) remains an uncontained, worldwide pandemic. While battling the disease in China, the Chinese government has actively promoted the use of traditional Chinese medicine, and many studies have been conducted to determine the efficacy of traditional Chinese medicine for treating COVID-19. The present review discusses the effectiveness and safety of traditional Chinese medicine in curing COVID-19 and provides clinical evidence from all confirmed cases in China. Applications of traditional Chinese medicine and specific recipes for treating other viral infections, such as those caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus and influenza A viruses (including H1N1), are also discussed. Studies have reported that traditional Chinese medicine treatment plays a significant role in improving clinical symptoms. Therefore, further investigation may be of high translational value in revealing novel targeted therapies for COVID-19.

AGI grade-guided chaiqin chengqi decoction treatment for predicted moderately severe and severe acute pancreatitis (CAP trial): study protocol of a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled, parallel-group, pragmatic clinical trial.

BACKGROUND: Acute pancreatitis (AP) is a common digestive disease with increased incidence globally but without internationally licenced pharmacological therapy. Moderately severe and severe acute pancreatitis (MSAP/SAP) contributes predominately for its morbidities and mortality and has been managed in West China Hospital for decades using the traditional Chinese medicinal formula chaiqin chengqi decoction (CQCQD). The current study tests whether the early administration of CQCQD will result in improved clinical outcomes in predicted MSAP/SAP patients. METHODS: This is a single-centre, randomised, controlled, double-blind pragmatic clinical trial. AP patients aged 18-75 admitted within 72 h of onset will be assessed at admission for enrolment. We excluded the predicted mild acute pancreatitis (Harmless Acute Pancreatitis Score > 2 at admission) and severe organ failure (Sequential Organ Failure Assessment [SOFA] score of respiratory, cardiovascular, or renal systems > 3) at admission. Eligible patients will be randomly allocated on a 1:1 basis to CQCQD or placebo control administration based on conventional therapy. The administration of CQCQD and placebo is guided by the Acute Gastrointestinal Injury grade-based algorithm. The primary outcome measure will be the duration of respiratory failure (SOFA score of respiratory system ≥ 2) within 28 days after onset. Secondary outcome measures include occurrence of new-onset any organ failure (SOFA score of respiratory, cardiovascular, or renal system ≥ 2) and new-onset persistent organ failure (organ failure lasts > 48 h), dynamic surrogate biochemical markers and clinical severity scores, gut-centred treatment modalities, local complications status, intensive care need and duration, surgical interventions, mortality, and length of hospital stay. Follow-up will be scheduled on 6, 12, and 26 weeks after enrolment to assess AP recurrence, local complications, the requirement for surgical interventions, all-cause mortality, and patient-reported outcomes. DISCUSSION: The results of this study will provide high-quality evidence to appraise the efficacy of CQCQD for the early management of AP patients. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Chictr.org.cn Registry ( ChiCTR2000034325 ). Registered on 2 July, 2020.

Microplastics in take-out food: Are we over taking it?

Take-out food has become increasingly prevalent due to the fast pace of people's life. However, few study has been done on microplastics in take-out food. Contacting with disposable plastic containers, take-out food may be contaminated with microplastics. In the present study, abundance and characteristics of microplastics in total of 146 take-out food samples including solid food samples and beverage samples (bubble tea and coffee) were determined and identified. The mean abundance of microplastics in take-out food was 639 items kg-1, with the highest value in rice and the lowest value in coffee. Fragments shape, transparent color and sizes ≤ 500 µm were the main characteristics of microplastics in those food, and polyethylene was the main polymer type. Our results indicated that microplastics in take-out food was influenced by food categories and cooking methods, as well as food packaging materials. Approximately 170-638 items of microplastics may be consumed by people who order take-out food 1-2 times weekly.

[Quality evaluation of Psoraleae Fructus based on QAMS method and TLC identification].

The present study established a determination method of Psoraleae Fructus by quantitative analysis of multi-components by the single marker(QAMS) and further improved the thin-layer chromatography(TLC) method. The QAMS method was established by UPLC with psoralen as the internal marker, and the content of psoralenoside, isopsoralenoside, psoralen, and isopsoralen was simultaneously determined. As revealed by the comparison with results of the external standard method, the QAMS method was accurate and feasible. According to the current quality standards of Psoraleae Fructus, the TLC method was further optimized and improved, and bakuchiol was added for identification based on the original TLC method with psoralen and isopsoralen as indicators. This study provides a reference for improving the quality control method of Psoraleae Fructus.

Acupuncture for menstruation-related migraine prophylaxis: A multicenter randomized controlled trial.

Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of acupuncture, an alternative medicine therapy, as a preventive treatment for menstruation-related migraine (MRM). Patients and methods: This was a prospective, multicenter, double-dummy, participant-blinded, randomized controlled clinical trial conducted in China between 1 April 2013, and 30 April 2014. The participants were enrolled from four study centers and randomized to into either the acupuncture group, which received 24 sessions of acupuncture at traditional acupoints plus placebo, or the medication group, which received sham acupuncture plus naproxen. The primary endpoint was change from the baseline average number of migraine days per perimenstrual period over cycles 1-3. The secondary endpoints included changes from the baseline average number of migraine days outside the perimenstrual period, mean number of migraine hours during and outside the perimenstrual period, mean visual analog scale score during and outside the perimenstrual period, ≥50% migraine responder rate, and the proportion of participants who used acute pain medication over cycles 1-3 and 4-6. Results: A total of 172 women with MRM were enrolled; 170 in the intention-to-treat analyses. Our primary outcome reported a significant between-group difference that favored the acupuncture group (95% CI, 0.17-0.50; P < 0.001), with the average reduction of migraine days per perimenstrual period from the baseline was 0.94 (95% CI, 0.82-1.07) in the acupuncture group and 0.61 (95% CI, 0.50-0.71) in the medication group over cycles 1-3. Conclusion: This study showed that compared to medication, acupuncture reduces the number of migraine days experienced by patients with MRM. For patients who received the acupuncture treatment over three cycles, the preventive effect of the therapy was sustained for six cycles. Clinical trial registration: [https://www.isrctn.com/ISRCTN57133712], identifier [ISRCTN15663606].