Impact of cascade reservoirs on nutrients transported downstream and regulation method based on hydraulic retention time.

Cascade reservoirs construction has modified the nutrients dynamics and biogeochemical cycles, consequently affecting the composition and productivity of river ecosystems. The Jinsha River, as the predominant contributor to runoff, suspended sediment (SS), and nutrients production within the Yangtze River, is a typical cascade reservoir region with unclear transport patterns and retention mechanisms of nutrients (nitrogen and phosphorus). Furthermore, how to regulate nutrients delivery in the cascade reservoirs region is also an urgent issue for basin water environment study. Therefore, we monitored monthly variations in nitrogen and phosphorus concentrations from November 2021 to October 2022 in the cascade reservoirs of the Jinsha River. The results indicated that the concentrations and fluxes of total phosphorus (TP) and particulate phosphorus (PP) decreased along the cascade of reservoirs, primarily due to PP deposited with SS, while opposing trends for total nitrogen (TN) and dissolved total nitrogen (DTN), which might be the consequences of human inputs and the increase of dissolved inorganic nitrogen discharged from the bottom of the reservoirs. Moreover, the positive average annual retention ratios for TP and PP were 10% and 16%, respectively, in contrast to the negative averages of -8 % for TN and -11% for particulate nitrogen (PN). The variability in runoff-sediment and hydraulic retention time (HRT) of cascade reservoirs played crucial roles in the retention of TP and PP. A regulatory threshold of HRT = 5.3 days in the flood season was obtained for controlling the balance of TP based on the stronger relationship between HRT and TP retention ratio. Consequently, the HRT of these reservoirs could be managed to control nutrients delivery, which was of particular significance for basin government institutions. This study enhances our comprehension of how cascade reservoirs influence the distribution and transport patterns of nutrients, offering a fresh perspective on nutrients delivery regulation.

Vitamin D3 reverses immune tolerance and enhances the cytotoxicity of effector T cells in coal pneumoconiosis.

Coal worker's pneumoconiosis (CWP) is a common occupational disease that coal miners are highly susceptible due to long-term exposure to coal dust particles (CDP). CWP can induce the accumulation of immune cells surrounding the bronchioles and alveoli in the lungs, resulting in pulmonary fibrosis and compromised immune function. Using single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-Seq), our previous studies disclose that CDP exposure triggers heterogeneity of transcriptional profiles in mouse pneumoconiosis, while Vitamin D3 (VitD3) supplementation reduces CDP-induced cytotoxicity; however, the mechanism by which how VitD3 regulates immune status in coal pneumoconiosis remains unclear. In this study, we elucidated the heterogeneity of pulmonary lymphocytes in mice exposed to CDP and demonstrated the therapeutic efficacy of VitD3 using scRNA-Seq dataset. The validation of key lymphocyte markers and their functional molecules was performed using immunofluorescence. The results demonstrated that VitD3 increased the number of naive T cells by modulating CD4 + T cell differentiation and decreased the number of Treg cells in CDP-exposed mice, thereby enhancing the cytotoxic activity of CD8 + effector T cells. These effects markedly alleviated lung fibrosis and symptoms. Taken together, the mechanism by which VitD3 regulates the functions of lymphocytes in CWP provides a new perspective for further research on the prevention and treatment of CWP.

Effect of yoga on cancer-related fatigue in patients with breast cancer: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Breast cancer is a common malignant tumor in women and most patients with breast cancer experience fatigue. Numerous studies have investigated the relationship between yoga and cancer-related fatigue (CRF) in patients with breast cancer. However, these studies drew their conclusions from small sample sizes and lacked sufficient evidence to demonstrate that yoga can effectively alleviate CRF. Therefore, this meta-analysis aims to systematically examine the effects of yoga on cancer fatigue in patients with breast cancer and establish a scientific basis for enhancing their quality of life. OBJECTIVE: To assess the effect of yoga on CRF in patients with breast cancer. METHODS: Computer searches were conducted on PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, CKNI, and Wanfang databases to retrieve articles related to yoga and CRF in patients with breast cancer from the hospital establishment date to July 2023. The literature was independently screened, and the information was extracted by the researchers. A meta-analysis was conducted using Review Manager Software (version 5.3). RESULTS: The findings from the meta-analysis of 18 studies indicate that yoga can effectively enhance CFR (standardized mean difference (SMD) = -0.51, 95% confidence interval [CI] = -0.92 to -0.10), improve sleep quality (MD = -3.86, 95%CI = -4.03 to -3.70) in patients with breast cancer, alleviate anxiety and depression (SMD = -0.93, 95%CI = -1.68, -0.18, SMD = -1.23, 95%CI = -2.02 to -0.44), and enhance quality of life (MD = -11.20, 95%CI = -14.16 to -8.24). CONCLUSION: Our study offers evidence for the subsequent reduction of CFR in patients with breast cancer. Yoga can alleviate fatigue, improve sleep quality and negative emotions, and improve the quality of life of patients with breast cancer.

Traditional Chinese medicine for smoking cessation: An umbrella review of systematic reviews and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.

INTRODUCTION: Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) may have special advantages in facilitating smoking cessation, but consensus on effectiveness is lacking. We aim to comprehensively review, update, and refine current evidence on TCM effectiveness and safety. METHODS: Nine databases were searched from their inception up to 28 February 2023. Systematic reviews (SRs) and meta-analysis of TCM for smoking cessation were identified and retrieved. Additional databases and hand searches of RCTs from included SRs were performed for data pooling. Cochrane ROB tools and AMSTAR-2 were used to evaluate the methodological quality of RCTs and SRs, respectively. RCT data are presented as relative risks (RR) or mean differences (MD) with 95% confidence intervals (CI) using RevMan 5.4. RESULTS: Thirteen SRs involving 265 studies with 33081 participants were included. Among these 265 studies, 157 were duplicates (58.36%) and 52 were non-RCTs (19.62%). Combined with the remaining 56 RCTs identified through hand searches, 88 RCTs involving 12434 participants were finally included for data synthesis. All the SRs focused on acupoint stimulation, and the majority were of low or very low quality. The methodological quality of RCTs was either unclear or high risk. For continuous abstinence rate, TCM external interventions were better than placebo in 6 months to 1 year (RR=1.60; 95% CI: 1.14-2.25; I2=27%; n=5533 participants). Compared with placebo, TCM external application was effective in reducing nicotine withdrawal symptoms, and the effect was gradually stable and obvious in the fourth week (MD= -4.46; 95% CI: -5.43 - -3.49; n=165 participants). Twelve RCTs reported adverse events as outcome indicators for safety evaluation, and no serious adverse events occurred. CONCLUSIONS: Despite the methodological limitations of the original studies, our review suggests that TCM intervention shows potential effectiveness on the continuous abstinence rate. Extending the intervention time can enhance the effect of TCM on nicotine withdrawal symptoms. Referred to adverse events, more data for safety evaluation are required.

Homocysteine Reduction for Stroke Prevention: Regarding the Recent AHA/ASA 2021 Prevention of Stroke in Patients With Stroke and Transient Ischemic Attack.

Reduction of secondary ischemic stroke risk following an initial stroke is an important goal. The 2021 Prevention of Stroke in Patients With Stroke and Transient Ischemic Attack assembles opportunities for up to 80% secondary stroke reduction. Homocysteine reduction was not included in the recommendations. The reduction of homocysteine with low doses of folic acid has been shown to reduce ischemic stroke and all stroke. This has been obscured by studies using high doses of folic acid and cyanocobalamin in patients with renal failure and Methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) polymorphisms. The confounding impacts of high dose folic acid and cyanocobalamin toxicity in renal failure and MTHFR C677T subgroups are discussed. New studies show that their toxicity is due to non-bioequivalence to the natural dietary forms, L-methylfolate and methylcobalamin. Low doses of folic acid and cyanocobalamin are safer than high doses for these subpopulations. Even lower toxicity with greater effectiveness for reducing homocysteine is seen with L-methylfolate and methylcobalamin, which are safe at high doses. Retinal vascular imaging is a noninvasive method for evaluating central nervous system (CNS) microangiopathy. A formulation containing l-methylfolate and methylcobalamin has been shown to reduce homocysteine and increase perfusion in diabetic retinopathy. This supports homocysteine intervention for CNS ischemia. Future ischemic stroke intervention studies could benefit from monitoring retinal perfusion to estimate the impact of risk reduction strategies. The omission of a recommendation for homocysteine and secondary stroke reduction through the use of B vitamins should be reconsidered in light of re-analysis of major B vitamin intervention studies and new technologies for monitoring CNS perfusion. We recommend revision of the 2021 Guideline to include homocysteine reduction with low doses of folic acid and cyanocobalamin, or better yet, L-methylfolate and methylcobalamin, making a good clinical guideline better.

Effect of different interventions on the efficacy of postpartum urinary incontinence in China: A systematic review and network meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Currently, numerous treatment measures exist for postpartum stress urinary incontinence (PSUI); however, the study results are inconsistent. METHOD: Computer searches of PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, CKNI, and Wanfang databases were conducted to search the literature on 13 different intervention modalities for PSUI from the date of establishment to January 2023 for analysis. The literature was independently screened, and the information was extracted by 2 researchers. A reticulated meta-analysis was conducted using Stata software. RESULTS: The findings of the reticulated meta-analysis revealed that, in terms of the effectiveness of the 13 interventions for treating PSUI from highest to lowest, the most effective was acupressure + pelvic floor muscle training (94.6%). Following this, the interventions ranked from best to worst were electroacupuncture + trans moxibustion (79.1%), pelvic floor muscle training + acupuncture (64.3%), pelvic floor muscle training + pelvic floor electrical stimulation (60.3%), biofeedback electrical stimulation + acupuncture (60.0%), pelvic floor muscle training + biofeedback electrical stimulation (59.8%), biofeedback electrical stimulation + acupuncture + herbal hot compresses (56.6%), moxibustion + pelvic floor muscle training (56.6%), pelvic floor muscle training + pelvic floor electrical stimulation + acupuncture (53.1%), biofeedback electrical stimulation + moxibustion (52.1%), pelvic floor muscle training (17.6%), biofeedback electrical stimulation (16.1%), and health coaching (0.2%). The evidence indicates that acupressure + pelvic floor muscle training may be the most effective intervention for treating PSUI occurrence. CONCLUSION: Improvement in 13 clinical indicators was observed in patients with PSUI, and significant enhancement was achieved through acupressure + pelvic floor muscle training.

Perspective: A proposal on solutions of modern supply chain construction for lactoferrin.

Lactoferrin is an iron-binding glycoprotein of the transferrin family that is found in most bodily fluids of mammals and has a variety of biological and beneficial functions, with great importance in health enhancement as a supplement for humans and other animals. More than 300 t of lactoferrin were produced in 2021, and this number is expected to grow yearly by 10% to 12%, to over 580 t in 2030. With new and important functions of lactoferrin being revealed and studied, focus on its industrial production and application is increasing accordingly. However, lactoferrin is mainly sourced from cheese whey or skim milk by cation-exchange column chromatography, which is a costly and low-quality method. A potential solution for lactoferrin global supply chain construction is proposed in this article as a complement to traditional routes of purification from whey or skim milk. The large-scale production of lactoferrin, mainly by recombinant yeast, mammal, and grain systems, as well as the market niche and product design, are discussed.

Effect of the Online Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction on Anxiety and Depression Status of COVID-19 Patients Treated in Fangcang Hospitals: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

Background: As the focal point of epidemic prevention and control, the mental health of COVID-19 patients cannot be ignored. Online Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) allows for the provision of conveniently accessible, effective and low-cost interventions on a large scale. We aim to evaluate the effectiveness of an online MBSR intervention in alleviating anxiety and depression among asymptomatic/mild patients limited by COVID-19-related restrictions. Methods: Fifty-eight patients treated in Sanya Fangcang hospital were randomly allocated to either to the experimental group (n = 29) following daily, for 5 days, an online-based mindfulness intervention or to the control group (n = 29). Patients from both groups underwent online questionnaires including assessment of anxiety and depression status at pre- and post-tests using Self-rating Anxiety Scale and Self-Rating Depression Scale. Results: After the online-based MBSR program, the anxiety and depression scores of the patients in the MBSR group decreased significantly in comparison to the scores of those in the control group (respectively η2 = 0.175, η2 = 0.215, p < 0.001). And the proportion of severe anxiety and depression patients in the MBSR group decreased to 0% which lower than the control group, and the proportion of light anxiety and depression patients was significantly more than that in the control group after the MBSR intervention. Conclusion: The online-based MBSR intervention appears to be an effective way of alleviating anxiety and depression symptoms among COVID-19 patients with associated quarantine in Fangcang hospital. Given the seriousness of mental health threat that could be posed by this ongoing pandemic, our study provides a new idea and method for cost-effective and time-efficient interventions in the future of epidemic prevention and control.

Advances of ionic liquid-based nanohybrids for biomedical applications.

Ionic liquids (ILs) are composed of asymmetric cationic and anionic moieties and are used as green solvents. Their non-toxic nature, favorable biocompatibility and adjustable structure facilitate wide biomedical applications. ILs promote the generation of various nanohybrids that exhibit multiple functions and novel/improved properties with respect to their precursors. Generally, nanostructures have a large specific surface area and abundant functional groups which enable loading and incorporation of ILs through physical interactions or chemical bonding. According to their main skeleton structures, IL-based nanohybrids may be divided into five categories, i.e., poly(ionic liquid)s (PILs), IL-inorganic nanohybrids, IL-metal organic framework nanohybrids (IL-MOF nanohybrids), ILs/carbon materials and ionic materials. These IL-based nanohybrids exhibit various specific features, including thermal responsive behavior, metal chelating, photothermal conversion and antibacterial capabilities. Taking advantage of these characteristics, IL-based nanohybrids may overcome the shortcomings of conventional medicines/drugs and exhibit promising prospects in biomedicine to facilitate controlled drug release, bactericidal treatment and thermotherapy. The present review presents the state-of-the-art progress made in the studies of IL-based nanohybrids in terms of their classifications, structure characteristics, versatile functionalities and biomedical and pharmaceutical applications. The challenges and future perspectives in the developments and applications of IL-based nanohybrids in biomedicine are discussed.

Shaoyao decoction restores the mucus layer in mice with DSS-induced colitis by regulating Notch signaling pathway.

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: Restoring the mucus layer is a potential strategy for treating ulcerative colitis (UC). Previous studies reported that a Chinese medicine formula Shaoyao Decoction (SYD) effectively improved UC. However, the role and mechanism of SYD in restoring the mucus layer are still vague. AIM OF THE STUDY: This study aimed to research the therapeutical effects and unravel the involved mechanism of SYD on DSS-evoked UC. MATERIALS AND METHODS: First, the constituents of SYD were detected by UPLC-QTOF-MS/MS. Then, the DSS-induced UC model was introduced to investigate the pharmacologic action and molecular mechanism of SYD on UC. Pharmacodynamic indicators were assessed including body weight, colon length, ulcerations, disease activity index (DAI), inflammatory cytokines and histological parameters. To investigate the integrality and functions of the mucous layer, AB-PAS stain and UEA-1 stain were used to evaluate the completeness of mucous layer, as well as the maturation of goblet cells (GCs). The bacterial invasion was detected by fluorescence in situ hybridization. As to mechanism exploration, the expressions of Notch/Hes1 pathway were investigated by using agonists in lipopolysaccharides (LPS) -stimulated LS174T cell. RESULTS: After modeling in mice, SYD remarkedly ameliorated the symptoms of mouse colitis, the expression of pro-inflammatory factors declined, and increased IL-10 expression was observed in SYD-treated mice. Besides, SYD repaired the structure of the mucus layer and prevented bacterial invasion. Mechanism investigation discovered that SYD promoted GCs differentiation by inhibiting the Notch pathway, which was consistent with the results in LPS-challenged LS174 cell. CONCLUSIONS: These findings demonstrated that SYD could restore the mucus layer to prevent UC via suppressing the Notch signaling pathway, which provided evidences for the UC treatment of SYD in the clinic.

[Characteristics of Soil Erosion and Nitrogen Loss in Vegetable Field Under Natural Rainfall].

The effects of vegetable planting on soil loss and nutrient loss, runoff, soil erosion, and nitrogen (ammonium nitrogen and nitrate nitrogen) losses under individual rainfalls of fruit- and leaf-vegetable fields between April to October in 2021 were observed using in-situ observation testing. The results showed that: ① the runoff, erosion, and nitrogen loss of the fruit-vegetable pattern (eggplant-chili) were 1.27-2.00 times those under the leaf-vegetable pattern (leaf lettuce-sweet potato leaves), especially under the second season vegetable period. Those losses under the second season vegetable accounted for 50.86%-68.83% of the total losses under different vegetable patterns, which were approximately 1.03-2.04 times those under the first season vegetable. The runoff, erosion, and nutrient loss of vegetable fields under different treatments were both concentrated in June and July, and the nitrogen loss was mainly in the form of nitrate nitrogen with surface runoff. ② The runoff, erosion, and nutrient losses under individual rainfalls of vegetable fields under different treatments fluctuated among the vegetable growing season, and the losses were mainly concentrated in several typical rainfall events. On the whole, the loss and concentration of nitrate and ammonium nitrogen in runoff and erosion sediment of vegetables in the first season were lower than those in the second season. The runoff, erosion, and loss of ammonium nitrogen and nitrate nitrogen of fruit-vegetable were higher than those of leaf-vegetable. ③ Both rainfall amount and maximum 30 min rainfall intensity had significantly positive effects on runoff, soil loss, and nitrogen loss. Runoff, erosion, and nutrient losses under different vegetable patterns were mainly generated by moderate rain, heavy rain, and heavy rainstorms, which accounted for 29.58%-46.68%, 24.54%-36.79%, and 24.01%-39.13% of the total losses, respectively. The results also showed that soil erosion and nutrient losses generated by different rainfall grades were obviously different for the fruit- and leaf-vegetable treatments. The results indicated that the vegetable pattern had significant impacts on soil loss and nutrient loss, and the leaf-vegetable pattern could reduce soil erosion and nutrient loss compared with the fruit-vegetable pattern. Furthermore, for different vegetable patterns and vegetable growing seasons, the effects of rainfall on soil loss and nutrient loss were quite different. The results of this study were helpful in clarifying the soil erosion and nutrient loss characteristics of vegetable fields in South China.

[Determination of glutathione in cells by capillary electrophoresis-laser induced fluorescence].

Glutathione (GSH) is vital for oxidative stress resistance and heavy metals detoxification. It is significant to develop a sensitive and accurate quantitative GSH approach for the toxicity mechanism for studying heavy metals in cells. A high-sensitive capillary electrophoresis-laser induced fluorescence (CE-LIF) detection approach was proposed in this study to detect GSH content in cells. The approach employed HepG2 cells as an object and 2,3-naphthalenedicarboxaldehyde (NDA) with the active group of aromatic o-dialdehyde as a labeling reagent. The effects of buffer solution types, pH, additives on the GSH reaction rate with NDA, and the sensitivity of NDA-GSH were systematically investigated. The sensitivity of NDA-GSH and the reaction rate of GSH with NDA were compared in tris(hydroxymethyl)aminomethane (Tris) buffer solution at pH 7.4 or 9.2 and borate-Tris buffer solution at pH 9.2. The results revealed that the NDA-GSH sensitivity was the highest and the reaction rate of GSH and NDA was the fastest in borate buffer solution at pH 9.2. The effects of the four additives on the sensitivity of NDA-GSH were further compared. The best additive was revealed to be ß-cyclodextrin (ß-CD). GSH reacted with NDA to reach equilibrium within 5 min under the optimal experimental conditions, and the electrophoretic signal of NDA-GSH could be seen in 3 min. Quantitative analysis of GSH in HepG2 cells was performed using an external standard approach by determining a series of GSH standard solutions. The results revealed that the approach had a good linear relationship with the peak area vs. concentration (0.01-20.00 mmol/L) of GSH. The limit of detection (LOD) and limit of quantification (LOQ) of GSH were determined using signal-to-noise ratios of 3 (S/N=3) and 10 (S/N=10), which were 0.006 µmol/L and 0.020 µmol/L, respectively. The approach's spiked recoveries were 95.7%-112.6%, with relative standard deviations of the approach being 3.8%-5.0% (n=3). This approach offers high sensitivity, good stability, accuracy, and reliability. To study the relationship between the toxicity of arsenic and chromium on HepG2 cells and the content of GSH in HepG2 cells, the effects of arsenic and chromium with different valences on cell viability were analyzed. The results illustrated that the cytotoxicity of potassium dichromate (Cr(Ⅵ)) was the strongest. The variations of GSH content in HepG2 cells stimulated with arsenite (As(Ⅲ)), arsenate (As(Ⅴ)), chromium chloride (Cr(Ⅲ)), and Cr(Ⅵ) were analyzed by the proposed approach and analysis of intracellular GSH imaging. The results revealed that the stimulation group i. e. analyzed doses (low-dose 2 mg/L, high-dose 5 mg/L) of As(Ⅲ), As(Ⅴ), and Cr(Ⅲ) had no obvious effect on GSH content in HepG2 cells compared with the control group, whereas high-dose Cr(Ⅵ) can significantly reduce GSH content in HepG2 cells. Considering the analysis of cytotoxicity of As(Ⅲ), As(Ⅴ), Cr(Ⅲ), and Cr(Ⅵ), it shows that the content of GSH in HepG2 cells is related to cytotoxicity, and the content of GSH will decrease with the increase in cytotoxicity.

Effects of dietary supplementation of bovine lactoferrin on growth performance, immune function and intestinal health in weaning piglets.

Weaning is a crucial period in the pig's life cycle, which is frequently followed by gastrointestinal (GI) infections, diarrhea and even death. This study focused on the impact of bovine lactoferrin (bLF) supplementation on the intestinal health of weaning piglets. Weaning piglets (Duroc × Landrace × Yorkshire, 23 days) were randomly allocated into four groups, which included negative control group (CON): basic diet; positive control group (ANT): basic diet + 20 mg/kg flavomycin + 100 mg/kg aureomycin; treatment group bLF-A: basic diet + 1 g/kg bLF; treatment group bLF-B: basic diet + 3 g/kg bLF. The result showed that dietary supplementation of bLF can improve growth performance and reduce diarrhea, which exhibits dose-dependency (P < 0.05). Compared with CON group, supplementation with bLF significantly improved immunity, and increased villus height and ratio of villus height/crypt depth at the small intestinal mucosa (P < 0.05). The mRNA expression of claudin-1, occludin and ZO-1 was greatly increased in the ileum of bLF group on days 7 and 14 (P < 0.05). Furthermore, the supplementation of bLF increased the abundance of Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium and decreased the abundance of Escherichia coli in the cecum on day 7 (P < 0.05). The dietary supplementation of bLF enhanced the growth performance, reduced diarrhea rate in weaning piglets by improving intestinal immunity, morphology and barrier function, balancing intestinal microbiota. And bLF can be a promising feed additive in relieving stress situation of weaning piglets.

Electroacupuncture modulates gut microbiota in mice: A potential target in postoperative cognitive dysfunction.

The detailed mechanism of inflammation in postoperative cognitive dysfunction (POCD) is unclear. This study aimed to determine whether electroacupuncture (EA) ameliorates POCD by modulating gut microbial dysbiosis. Compared to the control group, mice in the EA group were treated at the acupoints Zusanli (ST36), Quchi (L111), Baihui (GV20), and Dazhui (GV14) 1 week before appendectomy. Novel object recognition and the Morris water maze tests were used to assess learning and spatial reference memory deficits, whereas hippocampus samples and stool samples were collected for central inflammatory tests and 16S-rRNA sequencing of intestinal flora, respectively. In amyloid precursor protein/presenilin 1 (APP/PS1) mice, EA enhanced spatial memory and learning deficits. The fecal microbial community was altered in APP/PS1 mice in the absence of EA following surgery. Among them, Coprococcus and Bacteroidetes were more abundant in the EA groups than in the control groups; however, Actinobacteriota, Helicobacteraceae, and Escherichia/shigella constitute the minor bacterial colonization in the EA groups. Furthermore, we found a significant negative correlation between Firmicutes and escape latency (Pearson correlation coefficient - 0.551, p < 0.01) and positive correlation between Proteobacteria and escape latency (Pearson correlation coefficient 0.462, p < 0.05). Electron microscopy revealed signs of blood-brain barrier (BBB) impairments and immunofluorescence images showed glial cells activated in the hippocampus of APP/PS mice without EA, and serum diamine oxidase levels were increased in these mice; whereas EA treatment significantly relieved the above pathological changes. Our findings implied that EA decreases hippocampal inflammation of APP/PS1 by upregulating benificial  gut microbiota, reducing BBB and intestinal barrier dysfunction, thus alleviates postoperative cognitive dysfunction. This may provide a novel target in POCD management.

BMP/Smad Pathway Is Involved in Lithium Carbonate-Induced Neural-Tube Defects in Mice and Neural Stem Cells.

Neural-tube defects (NTDs) are one type of the most serious birth defects. Studies have shown that inositol deficiency is closely related to the occurrence of NTDs. Bone morphogenetic protein (BMP)-mediated Smad signaling pathways have been implicated in neurogenesis and neural-tube closure. However, the role of the BMP/Smad pathway in inositol-deficiency-induced NTDs remains unclear. Inositol-deficiency models in C57 mice and mouse neural stem cells (mNSCs) were induced with Li2CO3 treatment or inositol withdrawal. The role of the BMP/Smad pathway in the regulation of cell proliferation and the development of NTDs was determined utilizing qRT-PCR, HE staining, Western blot, immunostaining, MTT assay, EdU staining, and flow cytometry. The intraperitoneal injection of Li2CO3 at Embryonic Day 7.5 induced the occurrence of NTDs. The mRNA levels of Bmp2, Bmp4, Smad1, Smad5, Smad8 and Runx2, the phosphorylation of Smad1/5/8, and the nuclear translocation of Runx2 were significantly increased in NTD embryonic brain tissues and mNSCs exposed to Li2CO3 or an inositol-free medium, which were suppressed by BMP receptor selective inhibitor LDN-193189. The Li2CO3-induced phosphorylation of Smad1/5/8 was inhibited by inositol supplementation. Cell proliferation was significantly promoted by Li2CO3 exposure or the absence of inositol in mNSCs, which was reversed by LDN-193189. These results suggest that the activation of the BMP/Smad signaling pathway might play an important role in the development of NTDs induced by maternal Li2CO3 exposure via inositol deficiency.

Spatiotemporal and Transcriptional Characterization on Tanshinone Initial Synthesis in Salvia miltiorrhiza Roots.

Tanshinones are the bioactive constituents of Danshen (Salvia miltiorrhiza Bunge), which is used in Traditional Chinese Medicine to treat cardiovascular and other diseases, and they synthesize and accumulate in the root periderm of S. miltiorrhiza. However, there is no relevant report on the initial stage of tanshinone synthesis, as well as the root structure and gene expression characteristics. The present study aims to provide new insights into how these bioactive principles begin to synthesize by characterizing possible differences in their biosynthesis and accumulation during early root development from both spatial and temporal aspects. The morphological characteristics and the content of tanshinones in roots of S. miltiorrhiza were investigated in detail by monitoring the seedlings within 65 days after germination (DAGs). The ONT transcriptome sequencing was applied to investigate gene expression patterns. The periderm of the S. miltiorrhiza storage taproot initially synthesized tanshinone on about 30 DAGs. Three critical stages of tanshinone synthesis were preliminarily determined: preparation, the initial synthesis, and the continuous rapid synthesis. The difference of taproots in the first two stages was the smallest, and the differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were mainly enriched in terpene synthesis. Most genes involved in tanshinone synthesis were up regulated during the gradual formation of the red taproot. Plant hormone signal transduction and ABC transport pathways were widely involved in S. miltiorrhiza taproot development. Five candidate genes that may participate in or regulate tanshinone synthesis were screened according to the co-expression pattern. Moreover, photosynthetic ferredoxin (FD), cytochrome P450 reductase (CPR), and CCAAT binding transcription factor (CBF) were predicted to interact with the known downstream essential enzyme genes directly. The above results provide a necessary basis for analyzing the initial synthesis and regulation mechanism of Tanshinones.

New insights explain that organic agriculture as sustainable agriculture enhances the sustainable development of medicinal plants.

As global health care demand continues to increase, medicinal plant productivity must progress without exhausting critical environmental resources. Hence, it is important to explore practices that can improve the quality, safety, and sustainability of medicinal plants, as well as ecological stability. Organic farming has recently gained significance as a sustainable cultivation alternative owing to increased awareness of the adverse effects of conventional cultivation method. Here, this study aimed to investigate the feasibility of organic farming as a solution for sustainable cultivation of medicinal plants from multiple perspectives and long-term benefits to the environment. Organic agricultural practices of medicinal plants were evaluated from a multi-dimensional perspective (environment, economy, and society) using extensive research data and literature and field surveys. Data from medicinal plant cultivation in Inner Mongolia were acquired for 76 sites from four data stations between 2014 and 2021. Data analysis revealed that organic medicinal plants can improve safety by reducing pesticide exposure risks. Simultaneously, organic agriculture of medicinal plants can improve biodiversity by effectively reducing pesticide and fertilizer use, which also provides natural safe products for health care. With the improvement of quality, the retail price will have a certain advantage, which will improve the income of farmers. Moreover, organic agriculture enhanced profitability because of the higher organic premium on medicinal plant products and improved ecosystem stability by increasing plant diversity. The findings of this study suggest that organic cultivation strategies can improve the quality and safety of medicinal plants and further provide a basis for promoting the sustainable development and ecological stability of medicinal plants. However, not all medicinal plant cultivators are guaranteed to adopt organic farming practices, but if all technological elements are correctly applied, the system can be maintained sustainably to expand the area of organically cultivated plants in the future.

Deep Convolutional Neural Network for EEG-Based Motor Decoding.

Brain-machine interfaces (BMIs) have been applied as a pattern recognition system for neuromodulation and neurorehabilitation. Decoding brain signals (e.g., EEG) with high accuracy is a prerequisite to building a reliable and practical BMI. This study presents a deep convolutional neural network (CNN) for EEG-based motor decoding. Both upper-limb and lower-limb motor imagery were detected from this end-to-end learning with four datasets. An average classification accuracy of 93.36 ± 1.68% was yielded on the four datasets. We compared the proposed approach with two other models, i.e., multilayer perceptron and the state-of-the-art framework with common spatial patterns and support vector machine. We observed that the performance of the CNN-based framework was significantly better than the other two models. Feature visualization was further conducted to evaluate the discriminative channels employed for the decoding. We showed the feasibility of the proposed architecture to decode motor imagery from raw EEG data without manually designed features. With the advances in the fields of computer vision and speech recognition, deep learning can not only boost the EEG decoding performance but also help us gain more insight from the data, which may further broaden the knowledge of neuroscience for brain mapping.

The oldest gnathostome teeth.

Mandibular teeth and dentitions are features of jawed vertebrates that were first acquired by the Palaeozoic ancestors1-3 of living chondrichthyans and osteichthyans. The fossil record currently points to the latter part of the Silurian period4-7 (around 425 million years ago) as a minimum date for the appearance of gnathostome teeth and to the evolution of growth and replacement mechanisms of mandibular dentitions in the subsequent Devonian period2,8-10. Here we provide, to our knowledge, the earliest direct evidence for jawed vertebrates by describing Qianodus duplicis, a new genus and species of an early Silurian gnathostome based on isolated tooth whorls from Guizhou province, China. The whorls possess non-shedding teeth arranged in a pair of rows that demonstrate a number of features found in modern gnathostome groups. These include lingual addition of teeth in offset rows and maintenance of this patterning throughout whorl development. Our data extend the record of toothed gnathostomes by 14 million years from the late Silurian into the early Silurian (around 439 million years ago) and are important for documenting the initial diversification of vertebrates. Our analyses add to mounting fossil evidence that supports an earlier emergence of jawed vertebrates as part of the Great Ordovician Biodiversification Event (approximately 485-445 million years ago).