Auricular Acupressure Improve Constipation of Patients With Schizophrenia: A Pilot Randomized Controlled Study.

Background. Constipation is a common distressing problem in patients with schizophrenia that can cause complications and impair quality of life. Objective. The objective of this study was to investigate the efficacy of applying auricular acupressure (AA) treatment in improving constipation in patients with schizophrenia. Methods. A crossover randomized controlled trial design was performed from April 2022 to December 2023 at four psychiatric rehabilitation care centers. A total of 23 patients with schizophrenia received an AA intervention or usual care according to the designated treatment sequences. Measurements comprised subjective assessment of constipation by the Patient Assessment of Constipation-Symptoms (PAC-SYM) questionnaire, an objective assessment of the stool pattern rated by a Bristol stool form scale, and heart rate variability. A generalized estimating equation model was used for data analyses. Results. After completing an 8-week AA intervention stimulating the Shenmen, San Jiao, Large intestine and Rectum, the AA group exhibited lower scores in the PAC-SYM total score (difference = -12.66, ,0.001), and the subscales: abdominal (difference = -3.36, p < .001), rectal (difference = -3.51, p < .001), and stool (difference = -5.79, p < .001), compared to those receiving usual care. The cases of constipation indicated by type 1 and type 2 of the BSF scale significantly decreased after the 8-week AA intervention. Moreover, the AA group displayed more parasympathetic dominance compared to the usual care group, with a low frequency to high frequency ratio of -1.15. Conclusion. AA is an effective non-pharmacological method for improving subjective constipation symptoms and objective stool pattern in patients with schizophrenia.

Residue analysis and dietary risk assessment of picoxystrobin in potato (Solanum tuberosum), citrus fruit (Citrus reticulata Blanco), and Dendrobium officinale Kimura et Migo.

Picoxystrobin is a systemic fungicide widely used on potato, citrus fruit, and Dendrobium officinale. To provide information for the risk assessment of potato, citrus, and Dendrobium officinale, field experiments combined with QuEChERS and HPLC-MS/MS were performed to detect picoxystrobin. Picoxystrobin had good linearity (R2 > 0.99), the average recovery rate was 75 - 102%, and the relative standard deviation was 1 - 11%. Picoxystrobin was utilized as the test agent in field experiments, and samples were evaluated and analyzed at various times after the final application utilizing random sampling. The results showed that picoxystrobin residuals in potato and citrus (orange meat) were ˂ 0.01 mg kg-1, whereas those in citrus whole fruit, D. officinale (fresh), and D. officinale (dried) were < 0.05 - 0.084, 0.16 - 3.82, and 0.34 - 9.05 mg kg-1, respectively. Based on these results, both the acute risk quotient (2.77%) and chronic risk quotient (8.7%) were ˂100%, and the dietary risk assessment indicated that the intake of picoxystrobin residues in potato, citrus fruit, and D. officinale did not pose a health risk. This study can guide the reasonable use of picoxystrobin in potato, citrus fruit, and D. officinale.

The active ingredients in Chinese peony pods synergize with antibiotics to inhibit MRSA growth and biofilm formation.

Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) is a zoonotic pathogen that infects both humans and animals. The rapid spread of methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) and its resistance to antibiotics, along with its ability to form biofilms, poses a serious challenge to the clinical application of traditional antibiotics. Peony (Paeonia lactiflora Pall.) is a traditional Chinese medicine with multiple pharmacological effects. This study observed the strong antibacterial and antibiofilm activity of the water extract (WE) and ethyl acetate extract (EA) of Chinese peony pods against MRSA. The combination of EA and vancomycin, cefotaxime, penicillin G or methicillin showed a synergistic or additive antibacterial and antibiofilm effects on MRSA, which is closely related to the interaction of 1,2,3,4,6-penta-O-galloyl-ß-D-glucose (PG) and methyl gallate (MG). The active ingredients in peony pods have been found to increase the sensitivity of MRSA to antibiotics and demonstrate antibiofilm activity, which is mainly related to the down-regulation of global regulatory factors sarA and sigB, extracellular PIA and eDNA encoding genes icaA and cdiA, quorum sensing related genes agrA, luxS, rnaIII, hld, biofilm virulence genes psma and sspA, and genes encoding clotting factors coa and vwb, but is not related to genes that inhibit cell wall anchoring. In vivo test showed that both WE and EA were non-toxic and significantly prolonged the lifespan of G. mellonella larvae infected with MRSA. This study provides a theoretical basis for further exploration of the combined use of PG, MG and antibiotics to combat MRSA infections.

Association between exposure to mixture of heavy metals and hyperlipidemia risk among U.S. adults: A cross-sectional study.

Previous studies have suggested that exposure to heavy metals might increase the risk of hyperlipidemia. However, limited research has investigated the association between exposure to mixture of heavy metals and hyperlipidemia risk. To explore the independent and combined effects of heavy metal exposure on hyperlipidemia risk, this study involved 3293 participants from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), including 2327 with hyperlipidemia and the remaining without. In the individual metal analysis, the logistic regression model confirmed the positive effects of barium (Ba), cadmium (Cd), mercury (Hg), Lead (Pb), and uranium (U) on hyperlipidemia risk, Ba, Cd, Hg and Pb were further validated in restricted cubic splines (RCS) regression model and identified as positive linear relationships. In the metal mixture analysis, weighted quantile sum (WQS) regression, Bayesian kernel machine regression (BKMR), and quantile-based g computation (qgcomp) models consistently revealed a positive correlation between exposure to metal mixture and hyperlipidemia risk, with Ba, Cd, Hg, Pb, and U having significant positive driving roles in the overall effects. These associations were more prominent in young/middle-aged individuals. Moreover, the BKMR model uncovered some interactions between specific heavy metals. In conclusion, this study offers new evidence supporting the link between combined exposure to multiple heavy metals and hyperlipidemia risk, but considering the limitations of this study, further prospective research is required.

Understanding the mechanism of red light-induced melatonin biosynthesis facilitates the engineering of melatonin-enriched tomatoes.

Melatonin is a functionally conserved broad-spectrum physiological regulator found in most biological organisms in nature. Enrichment of tomato fruit with melatonin not only enhances its agronomic traits but also provides extra health benefits. In this study, we elucidate the full melatonin biosynthesis pathway in tomato fruit by identifying biosynthesis-related genes that encode caffeic acid O-methyltransferase 2 (SlCOMT2) and N-acetyl-5-hydroxytryptamine-methyltransferases 5/7 (SlASMT5/7). We further reveal that red light supplementation significantly enhances the melatonin content in tomato fruit. This induction relies on the "serotonin-N-acetylserotonin-melatonin" biosynthesis route via the SlphyB2-SlPIF4-SlCOMT2 module. Based on the regulatory mechanism, we design a gene-editing strategy to target the binding motif of SlPIF4 in the promoter of SlCOMT2, which significantly enhances the production of melatonin in tomato fruit. Our study provides a good example of how the understanding of plant metabolic pathways responding to environmental factors can guide the engineering of health-promoting foods.

A stable rhombohedral phase in ferroelectric Hf(Zr)1+xO2 capacitor with ultralow coercive field.

Hafnium oxide-based ferroelectric materials are promising candidates for next-generation nanoscale devices because of their ability to integrate into silicon electronics. However, the intrinsic high coercive field of the fluorite-structure oxide ferroelectric devices leads to incompatible operating voltage and limited endurance performance. We discovered a complementary metal-oxide semiconductor (CMOS)-compatible rhombohedral ferroelectric Hf(Zr)1+xO2 material rich in hafnium-zirconium [Hf(Zr)]. X-ray diffraction combined with scanning transmission electron microscopy reveals that the excess Hf(Zr) atoms intercalate within the hollow sites. We found that the intercalated atoms expand the lattice and increase the in-plane and out-of-plane stresses, which stabilize both the rhombohedral phase (r-phase) and its ferroelectric properties. Our ferroelectric devices, which are based on the r-phase Hf(Zr)1+xO2, exhibit an ultralow coercive field (~0.65 megavolts per centimeter). Moreover, we achieved a high endurance of more than 1012 cycles at saturation polarization. This material discovery may help to realize low-cost and long-life memory chips.

DHA supplementation and pregnancy complications.

Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) supplementation is recommended for women during pregnancy because of its neurological, visual, and cognitive effects. Previous studies have suggested that DHA supplementation during pregnancy may prevent and treat certain pregnancy complications. However, there are contradictions in the current related studies, and the specific mechanism by which DHA acts remains unclear. This review summarizes the research on the relationship between DHA intake during pregnancy and preeclampsia, gestational diabetes mellitus, preterm birth, intrauterine growth restriction, and postpartum depression. Furthermore, we explore the impact of DHA intake during pregnancy on the prediction, prevention, and treatment of pregnancy complications as well as its impact on offspring neurodevelopment. Our results suggest that there is limited and controversial evidence for the protective effect of DHA intake on pregnancy complications, with the exception of preterm birth and gestational diabetes mellitus. However, additional DHA supplementation may improve long-term neurodevelopmental outcomes in the offspring of women with pregnancy complications.

[Experimental Study on the Mechanism of Mangiferin Inhibiting Malignant Biological Characteristics of Multiple Myeloma and Exerting Anticancer Effect].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effect of pure Chinese herbal extract Mangiferin on the malignant biological behaviors of multiple myeloma (MM) cells, and to analyze the molecular mechanism of the anti-myeloma effect of Mangiferin, so as to provide experimental basis for MM replacement therapy. METHODS: U266 and RPMI8226 of human MM cell lines were intervened with different concentrations of Mangiferin. Cell proliferation was detected by CCK-8 method. Annexin V/PI double staining flow cytometry was used to detect cell apoptosis. Western blot was used to detect the expression of apoptosis and related signaling pathway proteins, and real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) was used to detect the expression of matrix metalloproteinase (MMP) and CXC chemokine receptor (CXCR) family. RESULTS: Mangiferin could inhibit the proliferation activity of U266 and RPMI8226 cells and induce cells apoptosis. After Mangiferin intervened in U266, RPMI8226 cells for 48 h, the expression of Bcl-2 family pro-apoptotic protein Bax was up-regulated, while the expression of survivin and Bcl-xL proteins was down-regulated and caspase-3 was hydrolyzed and activated to promote cell apoptosis, besides, the expression of Bcl-2 protein in U266 cells was also significantly down-regulated to induce apoptosis (P<0.05). After Mangiferin intervenes in MM cells, it can not only increase the expression level of tumor suppressor p53, but also induce programmed cell death of MM cells by inhibiting the expression of anti-apoptotic molecules and down-regulating the phosphorylation levels of AKT and NF-κB. In addition, after the intervention of Mangiferin, the expressions of CXCR4, MMP2 and MMP9 in U266 cells were down-regulated (P<0.05), while there is no effect on the expressions of CXCR2, CXCR7 and MMP13 (P>0.05). However, the expressions of CXCR4, MMP9, and MMP13 in RPMI8226 cells were down-regulated (P<0.01), the expression of MMP2 was weakly affected, and the expression of CXCR2 and CXCR7 was basically not affected (P>0.05). CONCLUSION: Mangiferin can inhibit the proliferation and induce apoptosis of MM cells, and its mechanism may be related to inhibiting the activation of NF-κB signaling pathway, affecting the expression of Bcl-2 family proteins, and inhibiting the expression of core members of MMP and CXCR family.

Associations of exposure to blood and urinary heavy metal mixtures with psoriasis risk among U.S. adults: A cross-sectional study.

Accumulating evidence showed that environmental exposure to toxic metals was harmful to human health. However, information about the effects of exposure to metal mixtures on psoriasis was scarce. To investigate the independent and comprehensive associations between heavy metal co-exposure and psoriasis in adults, data of 6534 adults aged 20-80 years from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) were used. Among them, 187 (2.86 %) were diagnosed with psoriasis and the rest were participants without psoriasis. We examined the independent and combined associations of 3 blood metals and 11 urinary metals with psoriasis risk. In the single-metal analyses, urinary barium (Ba), cesium (Cs), antimony (Sb), uranium (Ur), and cadmium (Cd) were positively correlated with psoriasis risk, while urinary molybdenum (Mo) was identified as a protective factor for psoriasis. Moreover, weighted quantile sum (WQS) regression and Bayesian kernel machine regression (BKMR) models consistently revealed the positive effect of urinary metal co-exposure on psoriasis risk. The associations were more evident in the young and middle-aged group than the elderly group. In the urinary mixtures, Ba was the highest weighted metal in the whole population and the young and middle-aged people, whereas Sb was the top weighted metal in the elderly group. Additionally, BKMR analysis revealed the potential interaction between certain components of urinary metal mixtures in psoriasis. The results of quantile-based g computation (qgcomp) model further proved the toxic effect of urinary metal mixtures on psoriasis, and the positive linear relationship between urinary Ba and psoriasis risk was identified by restricted cubic splines (RCS) regression. We concluded that co-exposure to multiple heavy metals was associated with psoriasis risk. Given the limitations of the NHANES study, further prospective designed studies are warranted.

The Blinin Accumulation Promoted by CbMYB32 Involved in Conyza blinii Resistance to Nocturnal Low Temperature.

Blinin, a unique terpenoid from Conyza blinii (C. blinii), benefits our health even though this is not its primary function. Physiological and ecological studies have found that the great secondary metabolites participate in important biological processes and relate to species evolution, environmental adaptation, and so on. Moreover, our previous studies have shown that the metabolism and accumulation of blinin has a close correspondence with nocturnal low temperature (NLT). To find out the transcriptional regulation linker in the crosstalk between blinin and NLT, RNA-seq, comparative analysis, and co-expression network were performed. The results indicated that CbMYB32 is located in a nucleus without independent transcriptional activation activity and is probably involved in the metabolism of blinin. Furthermore, we compared the silence and overexpression of CbMYB32 with wild C. blinii. Compared with the overexpression and the wildtype, the CbMYB32 silence line lost more than half of the blinin and detected more peroxide under NLT. Finally, as a characteristic secret of C. blinii, it is reasonable to infer that blinin participates in the NLT adaptation mechanism and has contributed to the systematic evolution of C. blinii.

Key ingredients in Verbena officinalis and determination of their anti-atherosclerotic effect using a computer-aided drug design approach.

Lipid metabolism disorders may considerably contribute to the formation and development of atherosclerosis (AS). Traditional Chinese medicine has received considerable attention in recent years owing to its ability to treat lipid metabolism disorders using multiple components and targets. Verbena officinalis (VO), a Chinese herbal medicine, exhibits anti-inflammatory, analgesic, immunomodulatory, and neuroprotective effects. Evidence suggests that VO regulates lipid metabolism; however, its role in AS remains unclear. In the present study, an integrated network pharmacology approach, molecular docking, and molecular dynamics simulation (MDS) were applied to examine the mechanism of VO against AS. Analysis revealed 209 potential targets for the 11 main ingredients in VO. Further, 2698 mechanistic targets for AS were identified, including 147 intersection targets between VO and AS. Quercetin, luteolin, and kaempferol were considered key ingredients for the treatment of AS based on a potential ingredient target-AS target network. GO analysis revealed that biological processes were primarily associated with responses to xenobiotic stimuli, cellular responses to lipids, and responses to hormones. Cell components were predominantly focused on the membrane microdomain, membrane raft, and caveola nucleus. Molecular functions were mainly focused on DNA-binding transcription factor binding, RNA polymerase II-specific DNA-binding transcription factor binding, and transcription factor binding. KEGG pathway enrichment analysis identified pathways in cancer, fluid shear stress, and atherosclerosis, with lipid and atherosclerosis being the most significantly enriched pathways. Molecular docking revealed that three key ingredients in VO (i.e., quercetin, luteolin, and kaempferol) strongly interacted with three potential targets (i.e., AKT1, IL-6, and TNF-α). Further, MDS revealed that quercetin had a stronger binding affinity for AKT1. These findings suggest that VO has beneficial effects on AS via these potential targets that are closely related to the lipid and atherosclerosis pathways. Our study utilized a new computer-aided drug design to identify key ingredients, potential targets, various biological processes, and multiple pathways associated with the clinical roles of VO in AS, which provides a comprehensive and systemic pharmacological explanation for the anti-atherosclerotic activity of VO.

Tea consumption and risk of lower respiratory tract infections: a two-sample mendelian randomization study.

BACKGROUND: Observational studies have reported the association between tea consumption and the risk of lower respiratory tract infections (LRTIs). However, a consensus has yet to be reached, and whether the observed association is driven by confounding factors or reverse causality remains unclear. METHOD: A two-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) analysis was conducted to determine whether genetically predicted tea intake is causally associated with the risk of common LRTI subtypes. Genome-wide association study (GWAS) from UK Biobank was used to identify single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) associated with an extra cup of tea intake each day. The summary statistics for acute bronchitis, acute bronchiolitis, bronchiectasis, pneumonia, and influenza and pneumonia were derived from the FinnGen project. RESULTS: We found that genetically predicted an extra daily cup of tea intake was causally associated with the decreased risk of bronchiectasis [odds ratio (OR) = 0.61, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.47-0.78, P < 0.001], pneumonia (OR = 0.90, 95% CI = 0.85-0.96, P = 0.002), influenza and pneumonia (OR = 0.91, 95% CI = 0.85-0.97, P = 0.002), but not with acute bronchitis (OR = 0.91, 95% CI = 0.82-1.01, P = 0.067) and acute bronchiolitis (OR = 0.79, 95% CI = 0.60-1.05, P = 0.100). Sensitivity analyses showed that no heterogeneity and pleiotropy could bias the results. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings provided new evidence that genetically predicted an extra daily cup of tea intake may causally associated with a decreased risk of bronchiectasis, pneumonia, and influenza and pneumonia.

Integrated lipidomics and network pharmacology analysis to reveal the mechanisms of berberine in the treatment of hyperlipidemia.

BACKGROUND: Berberine (BBR), an isoquinoline alkaloid isolated from Rhizoma Coptis, is widely used in the treatment of hyperlipidemia (HLP) in China. At present, the efficacy of BBR against HLP is relatively clear, but there are few researches on its mechanism. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the potentially beneficial role of BBR in HLP hamster models, as well as investigate its possible mechanisms and potential lipid biomarkers in combination with network pharmacology. METHODS: HLP hamster model was induced by high-fat diet. Hematoxylin-eosin (HE) staining was used to determine the degree of hepatic pathological injury. Liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry was used to analyze lipid metabolism profiles of liver samples, and multiple statistical analysis methods were used to screen and identify lipid biomarkers. The possible molecular mechanism was unraveled by network pharmacology. RESULTS: The results showed that 13 metabolites, including CE (16:1), HexCer (D18:1/19:0) and LPC (O-22:0) were biomarkers of BBR regulation. CHPT1, PLA2G4A, LCAT and UGCG were predicted as the lipid-linked targets of BBR against HLP, whilst glycerophospholipid and sphingolipid metabolism were the key pathways of BBR against HLP. CONCLUSIONS: In summary, this study provides new insights into the protective mechanism of BBR against HLP through network pharmacology and lipidomic approaches.

Polluting characteristics, sources, cancer risk, and cellular toxicity of PAHs bound in atmospheric particulates sampled from an economic transformation demonstration area of Dongguan in the Pearl River Delta, China.

The Songshan Lake Science and Technology Industrial Park is a national economic transition demonstration area, which centers at a traditional industrial region, in Dongguan, China. We were interested in the involved atmospheric particulates-bound PAHs regarding their sources, cancer risk, and related cellular toxicity for those in other areas under comparable conditions. In this study, the daily concentrations of TSP, PM10, and PM2.5 were averaged 127.95, 95.91, and 67.62 µg/m3, and the bound PAHs were averaged 1.31, 1.22, and 0.77 ng/m3 in summer and 12.72, 20.51 and 40.27 ng/m3 in winter, respectively. The dominant PAHs were those with 5-6 rings, and 4-6 rings in summer and winter, respectively. The incremental lifetime cancer risk (ILCR) (90th percentile probability) of total PAHs was above 1.00E-06 in each age group, particularly high in adolescents. Sensitivity analysis indicated that slope factor and body weight had greater impact than exposure duration and inhalation rate on the ILCR. Moreover, treatment of human bronchial epithelial BEAS-2B cells with mixed five indicative PAHs increased the formation of ROS, DNA damage (elevation in γ-H2AX), and protein levels of CAR, PXR, CYP1A1, 1A2, 1B1, while reduced the AhR protein, with the winter mixture more potent than summer. For the sources of PAHs, the stable carbon isotope ratio analysis and diagnostic ratios consistently pointed to petroleum and fossil fuel combustion as major sources. In conclusion, our findings suggest that particulates-bound PAHs deserve serious concerns for a cancer risk in such environment, and the development of new power sources for reducing fossil fuel combustion is highly encouraged.

Common mineral nutrients in ankylosing spondylitis: A 2-sample Mendelian randomization study.

OBJECTIVE: The causal relationship between common mineral nutrients and ankylosing spondylitis (AS) has not been studied. So this Mendelian randomization (MR) study aims to investigate the causal association of varying levels of calcium, zinc, copper, and selenium on AS. DESIGN: We selected 4 elements potentially associated with the onset and development of AS as exposure factors, single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) as instrumental variables, and these SNPs are independent of each other(r2 < 0.05) and highly correlated with each of the 4 elements (P < 5 × 10-8 ). The 2-sample MR method takes Inverse-variance weighted (IVW) and MR-Egger as the main method and Simple mode (SM), Weighted median (WM1 ), and Weighted mode (WM2 ) as supplementary methods to evaluate the causal effect of mineral levels on AS. RESULTS: The IVW analysis does not provide convincing evidence to support a causal association between calcium (odds ratio [OR] = 1.000, 95% CI = 0.994, 1.005, P = .875), copper (OR = 1.000, 95% CI = 1.000, 1.001, P = .533) and selenium (OR = 0.999, 95% CI = 0.998, 1.000, P = .229) and AS. The IVW (OR = 1.001, 95% CI = 1.000, 1.002, P = .029) and WM1 (OR = 1.001, 95% CI = 1.000, 1.002, P = .011) results of zinc show that per standard deviation increment in zinc is a suggestive association with risks of AS, and MR-Egger (OR = 1.004, 95% CI = 0.996, 1.013, P = .265) and other supplementary methods indicate that zinc is not causally associated with AS. All MR-Egger intercept parameters and MR Pleiotropy RESidual Sum and Outlier tests demonstrated the absence of horizontal pleiotropy. CONCLUSIONS: This study does not provide convincing evidence to support a causal correlation between calcium, zinc, copper, and selenium with AS.

Closed-loop controller based on reference signal tracking for absence seizures.

Absent epilepsy is a kind of refractory epilepsy, which is characterized by 2-4 Hz spike and wave discharges (SWDs) in electroencephalogram. Open-loop deep brain stimulation (DBS) targeting the thalamic reticular nucleus (TRN) is an effective method to treat absent epilepsy by eliminating SWDs in the brain. Compared with open-loop DBS, closed-loop DBS has been recognized by researchers for its advantages of significantly inhibiting seizures and having fewer side effects. Since traditional trial-and-error methods for adjusting closed-loop controller parameters are too dependent on the experience of doctors, in this paper we designed two proportional integral (PI) controllers based on the basal ganglia-cortical-thalamic model, whose PI parameters are calculated from the stability of the system. The two PI controllers can automatically adjust the frequency and amplitude of DBS respectively according to the change of the firing rate detected by substantia nigra pars reticulata (SNr). The parameters of the PI controller are calculated based on the Routh-Hurwitz stability criterion of a linear system which transformed by the original system using controlled auto-regressive (CAR) model and recursive least squares (RLS) method. Numerical simulation results show that both PI controllers significantly destroy the SWDs of the cerebral cortex and restore it to the other two normal discharge modes according to the different target firing rate, which supplies a promising brain stimulation strategy.

[Effect of staging treatment of Tongyuan acupuncture on pregnancy outcome in patients with recurrent implantation failure of thin endometrium type].

OBJECTIVE: To compare the effect of Tongyuan acupuncture combined with medication and medication alone on pregnancy outcome in patients with recurrent implantation failure (RIF) of thin endometrium type. METHODS: A total of 74 patients with RIF of thin endometrium type undergoing freeze-thaw embryo transfer were randomly divided into an observation group (37 cases) and a control group (37 cases). The patients in the control group were treated with freeze-thaw embryo transfer in hormone replacement cycle, and the estradiol valerate tablets were taken orally from the fifth day of menstruation, 2 mg per day. On the basis of the control group, the observation group was additionally treated with Tongyuan acupuncture at Baihui (GV 20), Dazhui (GV 14), Qihai (CV 6), Guanyuan (CV 4), etc., combined with other acupoints based on syndrome differentiation and menstrual stage, once every other day. Both groups were treated for 3 menstrual cycles. The clinical pregnancy rate and embryo implantation rate of the two groups were observed after transplantation; the endometrial thickness and type, resistance index (RI) and pulsatility index (PI) of endometrial blood flow were measured before treatment and one day before transplantation, and adverse reactions was recorded. RESULTS: The clinical pregnancy rate was 37.8% (14/37) in the observation group, which was higher than 16.2% (6/37) in the control group (P<0.05). There was no significant difference in embryo implantation rate between the two groups (P>0.05). One day before transplantation, the endometrial thickness and the proportion of type A in endometrial classification in the two groups were increased compared with those before treatment (P<0.01), and those in the observation group were higher than the control group (P<0.01, P<0.05). The PI and RI of endometrial blood flow in the two groups were lower than those before treatment (P<0.01), and those in the observation group were lower than the control group (P<0.01, P<0.05). During the treatment, 6 patients in the control group had discomfort such as breast distending pain, stomach pain, dizziness and nausea, and there were no adverse reaction in the observation group. CONCLUSION: On the basis of conventional medication, Tongyuan acupuncture could increase the endometrial thickness, improve endometrial receptivity, improve pregnancy outcome and reduce adverse reactions in patients with RIF of thin endometrial type.

Effects of vitamin D on thyroid autoimmunity markers in Hashimoto's thyroiditis: systematic review and meta-analysis.

OBJECTIVE: To perform a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials to evaluate the efficacy of vitamin D supplementation on thyroid autoimmunity markers in Hashimoto's thyroiditis (HT). METHODS: This meta-analysis included randomized controlled clinical trials identified by a systematic search of electronic databases (PubMed®, MEDLINE®, EMBASE, The Cochrane Library, China National Knowledge Infrastructure) from inception to August 2020. All studies included patients with HT that received vitamin D supplementation irrespective of the doses administered or the duration of treatment. The primary and secondary outcome measures were thyroid peroxidase antibody (TPOAb) and/or thyroglobulin antibody (TGAb) titres. RESULTS: Eight studies (n = 652) were included. There was significant heterogeneity between the studies. Using a random-effect model, vitamin D supplementation reduced TPOAb titre (standardized mean difference [SMD]: -1.11; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1-1.92, -0.29) and TGAb titre (SMD: -1.12; 95% CI: -1.96, -0.28). A subgroup analysis demonstrated that vitamin D supplementation for >3 months resulted in a decrease in TPOAb titre (SMD: -1.66, 95% CI: -2.91, -0.41) but treatment ≤3 months was ineffective. Treatment with vitamin D3 decreased TPOAb titre (SMD: -1.48; 95% CI: -2.53, -0.42) whereas vitamin D did not. CONCLUSION: These data suggest that vitamin D reduces autoantibody titre in patients with HT.

Identification and Isolation of an Intermediate Metabolite with Dual Antioxidant and Anti-Proliferative Activity Present in the Fungus Antrodia cinnamomea Cultured on an Alternative Medium with Cinnamomum kanehirai Leaf Extract.

The fungus Antrodia cinnamomea has been used as a folk medicine for various diseases, especially cancer. When A. cinnamomea is cultured on the original host, an endangered woody plant Cinnamomum kanehirai Hayata, the fungus produces more active ingredients, but its growth is slow. Here, C. kanehirai leaf ethanol extract (KLEE) was used as a substitute for C. kanehirai wood to culture A. cinnamomea on solid medium to shorten the culture period and produce active metabolites en masse. The antioxidant activities of methanol extracts from A. cinnamomea cultured on KLEE (MEAC-KLEE) were evaluated by 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical-scavenging effect, reducing power, and ferrous ion-chelating effect, and the effective concentration (EC50) values were 0.27, 0.74, and 0.37 mg mL-1, respectively. MEAC-KLEE exhibited specific anti-proliferative activity against a non-small-cell lung cancer cell line (A549) by Annexin V assay. A secondary metabolite (2,4-dimethoxy-6-methylbenzene-1,3-diol, DMMB) present in the extract (MEAC-KLEE) was purified by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and identified by nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectra. DMMB exhibited moderate antioxidant activity against DPPH radicals and reducing power, with EC50 values of 12.97 and 25.59 µg mL-1, respectively, and also induced apoptosis in A549 cells. Our results provide valuable insight into the development of DMMB for nutraceutical biotechnology.

The impacts of biofouling on automated phosphorus analysers during long-term deployment.

In-situ nutrient analysers are a promising tool for improving the temporal resolution of data and filling knowledge gaps in drivers of harmful algal blooms. There are significant challenges however regarding instrument biofouling and data drift, which remain largely unquantified and unresolved. In this study the effects of biofouling on data consistency and accuracy is quantified on automated wet chemical analysers during long-term monitoring. In 2019 three fractions of phosphorus (P); total phosphorus (TP), total dissolved phosphorus (TDP) and soluble reactive phosphorus (SRP), were measured in-situ at four sites in Southern Ontario, Canada. The analysers were exposed to a wide range of P concentrations and biofouling extremes over an 8-month period. They were calibrated using chemical standards both in the field and the lab, and validated with fortnightly grab samples, and the representativeness of real-time data under a range of biofouling conditions were analysed. Results show that analysers biofouling during long-term deployment can desensitize instrument measurements, with greatest impacts on instruments operating in highly turbid environments. Temporal changes in calibration curves suggest that equilibrium P concentrations (EPC0) of sediments accumulating inside filters can elicit a rapid exchange of dissolved P (SRP, TDP) with the water sample. Data drift increases the further from the EPC0 an instrument is required to analyse, and thus this study demonstrates that for in-situ P monitoring, unless filters are frequently replaced or renovated, in-situ probes should ideally be dedicated to a specific waterbody type defined by similar EPC0 values. It is recommended that in order to ensure accuracy in in-situ monitoring of TP, TDP and SRP during long-term deployment, preliminary site trials should be conducted to ascertain sediment EPC0; the extent of biofouling should be monitored; and/or frequent grab samples taken for post-deployment validation. The findings apply to any in-situ phosphorus monitoring techniques for SRP or TDP.