Research on Nursing Intervention of Qing Dai Cream Walking Jar on Pruritic Discomfort in Patients with Common Psoriasis.

Introduction: Qing Dai cream is a Chinese medicine that helps relieve the symptoms of psoriasis vulgaris. However, its mechanism hasn't been illustrated well. Objective: To evaluate the effectiveness and comfortableness of Qing Dai cream walking jar as a nursing intervention for patients with psoriasis vulgaris. Methods: Seventy-six patients with vulgar psoriasis admitted to our hospital from February 2020 to February 2021 who met the criteria according to the including and exclusion criteria were screened as this study's subjects. According to the randomized number and double-blind principle, all of them were separated into 2 groups, the subjects in the control group were provided with conventional care, while the subjects in the observation group were joint Qing Dai cream walking jar on this basis. The quality of life and the degree of skin lesions of the patients after the intervention were comprehensively evaluated compared and observed. Results: Compared to the control group, the psoriasis lesion area and severity index (PASI) score after the intervention was remarkably lower in the observation group (P < .05) while the symptom scores, itching degree, itching frequency, duration, lesion area, sleep condition, and self-conscious condition degrees were significantly lower in the observation group (P < .05). The observed group showed a significant effect, effective, and the overall effective rate of 57.89% (22/38), 36.84%, and 94.74% were all significantly more than those of the control group after intervention (P < .05). After the intervention, the scores of dermatological disease quality of life index (DLQI), the subjective symptoms, daily life, work and study, and interpersonal relationships in the observation group were all significantly lower than those in the control group, P < .05. In the intervention, the satisfaction, total satisfaction of 65.79% (25/38), and 97.37% were statistically significantly higher than that of the control group, P < .05. Conclusion: The Qing Dai cream walking jar is effective in improving patients' clinical symptoms, relieving their pruritus discomfort, and promoting the repair of skin lesions, to improve their quality of life and satisfaction.

Protective effects of l-cysteine and N-acetyl-l-cysteine on boar sperm quality during hypothermic liquid storage with bovine serum albumin as a protectant.

Hypothermic liquid storage at 4-5 °C has emerged as a novel approach for preserving boar semen, offering innovative possibilities for semen preservation. However, this method also presents challenges, including cold shock and excessive reactive oxygen species (ROS) production. Therefore, reducing oxidative damage induced by low temperatures becomes essential while supplementing appropriate protectants. In this study, we investigated the efficacy of Bovine Serum Albumin (BSA) compared to Polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) and Skim Milk Powder (SMP) in maintaining boar sperm motility and progressive motility using computer-assisted sperm analysis (CASA). Among the tested concentrations, 4 g/L of BSA exhibited the best protective effect. Subsequently, we supplemented different concentrations of l-cysteine (LC) and N-acetyl-l-cysteine (NAC) as additives in the presence of BSA as a protectant. Our results demonstrated that 1 mmol/L of LC and 0.5 mmol/L of NAC exhibited superior protection of sperm quality compared to other concentrations. Furthermore, the 1 mmol/L LC and 0.5 mmol/L NAC groups showed significantly improved plasma membrane integrity and acrosome integrity compared to the control group. These groups also exhibited enhanced antioxidant capacity, evidenced by increased mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP), ATP production, total superoxide dismutase (T-SOD) activity, total antioxidant capacity (T-AOC), glutathione (GSH), glutathione peroxidase (GSH-PX), and GPX-4 levels. Additionally, they demonstrated decreased reactive oxygen species (ROS) and malondialdehyde (MDA) levels, as well as reduced oxidized glutathione (GSSG) and glutathione reductase (GR) levels. Furthermore, LC and NAC treatment enhanced AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) phosphorylation. However, inhibiting AMPK using compound C did not inhibit the protective effects of LC and NAC on low-temperature preserved boar sperm. These findings suggest that 4 g/L BSA can serve as an effective protectant for hypothermic liquid storage of boar semen. Additionally, LC and NAC supplementation reduces oxidative damage by enhancing antioxidant capacity rather than through AMPK-mediated ATP supplementation. These results contribute to advancing the application of LC and NAC in hypothermic liquid storage of boar semen.

Causal effects of dietary habits on COVID-19 susceptibility, hospitalisation and severity: a comprehensive Mendelian randomisation study.

This study aimed to investigate the causal effect of dietary habits on COVID-19 susceptibility, hospitalisation and severity. We used data from a large-scale diet dataset and the COVID-19 Host Genetics Initiative to estimate causal relationships using Mendelian randomisation. The inverse variance weighted (IVW) method was used as the main analysis. For COVID-19 susceptibility, IVW estimates indicated that milk (OR: 0·82; 95 % CI (0·68, 0·98); P = 0·032), unsalted peanut (OR: 0·53; 95 % CI (0·35, 0·82); P = 0·004), beef (OR: 0·59; 95 % CI (0·41, 0·84); P = 0·004), pork (OR: 0·63; 95 % CI (0·42, 0·93); P = 0·022) and processed meat (OR: 0·76; 95 % CI (0·63, 0·92); P = 0·005) were causally associated with reduced COVID-19 susceptibility, while coffee (OR: 1·23; 95 % CI (1·04, 1·45); P = 0·017) and tea (OR: 1·17; 95 % CI (1·05, 1·31); P = 0·006) were causally associated with increased risk. For COVID-19 hospitalisation, beef (OR: 0·51; 95 % CI (0·26, 0·98); P = 0·042) showed negative correlations, while tea (OR: 1·54; 95 % CI (1·16, 2·04); P = 0·003), dried fruit (OR: 2·08; 95 % CI (1·37, 3·15); P = 0·001) and red wine (OR: 2·35; 95 % CI (1·29, 4·27); P = 0·005) showed positive correlations. For COVID-19 severity, coffee (OR: 2·16; 95 % CI (1·25, 3·76); P = 0·006), dried fruit (OR: 1·98; 95 % CI (1·16, 3·37); P = 0·012) and red wine (OR: 2·84; 95 % CI (1·21, 6·68); P = 0·017) showed an increased risk. These findings were confirmed to be robust through sensitivity analyses. Our findings established a causal relationship between dietary habits and COVID-19 susceptibility, hospitalisation and severity.

[Huazhi Rougan Granules attenuates steatosis in cell model of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease by inducing autophagy].

To investigate the effect of Huazhi Rougan Granules(HZRG) on autophagy in a steatotic hepatocyte model of free fatty acid(FFA)-induced nonalcoholic fatty liver disease(NAFLD) and explore the possible mechanism. FFA solution prepared by mixing palmitic acid(PA) and oleic acid(OA) at the ratio of 1∶2 was used to induce hepatic steatosis in L02 cells after 24 h treatment, and an in vitro NAFLD cell model was established. After termination of incubation, cell counting kit-8(CCK-8) assay was performed to detect the cell viability; Oil red O staining was employed to detect the intracellular lipid accumulation; enzyme-linked immunosorbnent assay(ELISA) was performed to measure the level of triglyceride(TG); to monitor autophagy in L02 cells, transmission electron microscopy(TEM) was used to observe the autophagosomes; LysoBrite Red was used to detect the pH change in lysosome; transfection with mRFP-GFP-LC3 adenovirus was conducted to observe the autophagic flux; Western blot was performed to determine the expression of autophagy marker LC3B-Ⅰ/LC3B-Ⅱ, autophagy substrate p62 and silent information regulator 1(SIRT1)/adenosine 5'-monophosphate(AMP)-activated protein kinase(AMPK) signaling pathway. NAFLD cell model was successfully induced by FFA at 0.2 mmol·L~(-1) PA and 0.4 mmol·L~(-1) OA. HZRG reduced the TG level(P<0.05, P<0.01) and the lipid accumulation of FFA-induced L02 cells, while elevated the number of autophagosomes and autophagolysosomes to generate autophagic flux. It also affected the functions of lysosomes by regulating their pH. Additionally, HZRG up-regulated the expression of LC3B-Ⅱ/LC3B-Ⅰ, SIRT1, p-AMPK and phospho-protein kinase A(p-PKA)(P<0.05, P<0.01), while down-regulated the expression of p62(P<0.01). Furthermore, 3-methyladenine(3-MA) or chloroquine(CQ) treatment obviously inhibited the above effects of HZRG. HZRG prevented FFA-induced steatosis in L02 cells, and its mechanism might be related to promoting autophagy and regulating SIRT1/AMPK signaling pathway.

Investigating the use of pollen DNA metabarcoding to quantify bee foraging and effects of threshold selection.

DNA metabarcoding of pollen is a useful tool for studying bee foraging ecology. However, several questions about this method remain unresolved, including the extent to which sequence read data is quantitative, which type of sequence count removal threshold to use and how that choice affects our ability to detect rare flower visits, and how sequence artefacts may confound conclusions about bee foraging behavior. To address these questions, we isolated pollen from five plant species and created treatments comprised of pollen from each species alone and combinations of pollen from multiple species that varied in richness and evenness. We used ITS2 and rbcL metabarcoding to identify plant species in the samples, compared the proportion of pollen by mass to the proportion of sequencing reads for each plant species in each treatment, and analyzed the sequencing data using both liberal and conservative thresholds. We collected pollen from foraging bees, analyzed metabarcoding data from those samples using each threshold, and compared the differences in the pollinator networks constructed from the data. Regardless of the threshold used, the relationship between the proportion of pollen by mass and sequencing reads was inconsistent, suggesting that the number of sequence reads is a poor proxy for pollen abundance in mixed-species samples. Using a liberal threshold resulted in greater detection of original plant species in mixtures but also detected additional species in mixtures and single-species samples. The conservative threshold reduced the number of additional plant species detected, but several species in mixtures were not detected above the threshold, resulting in false negatives. Pollinator networks produced using the two thresholds differed and illustrated tradeoffs between detection of rare species and estimation of network complexity. Threshold selection can have a major effect on conclusions drawn from studies using metabarcoding of bee pollen to study plant-pollinator interactions.

[Mechanism of Huangjing Qianshi Decoction in treatment of prediabetic mice based on transcriptome sequencing].

Based on transcriptome sequencing technology, the mouse model of prediabetes treated with Huangjing Qianshi Decoction was sequenced to explore the possible mechanism of treating prediabetes. First of all, transcriptome sequencing was performed on the normal BKS-DB mouse group, the prediabetic model group, and the Huangjing Qianshi Decoction treatment group(treatment group) to obtain differentially expressed genes in the skeletal muscle samples of mice. The serum biochemical indexes were detected in each group to screen out the core genes of Huangjing Qianshi Decoction in prediabetes. Gene Ontology(GO) database and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes(KEGG) database were used to conduct signaling pathway enrichment analysis of differentially expressed genes, and real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction(RT-qPCR) was used to verify them. The results showed that the levels of fasting blood glucose(FBG), fasting insulin(FINS), insulin resistance index(HOMA-IR), total cholesterol(TC), triglycerides(TG), and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol(LDL-C) in the mouse model were significantly decreased after treatment with Huangjing Qianshi Decoction. In the results of differential gene screening, there were 1 666 differentially expressed genes in the model group as compared with the normal group, and there were 971 differentially expressed genes in the treatment group as compared with the model group. Among them, interleukin-6(IL-6) and NR3C2 genes, which were closely related to the regulation of insulin resis-tance function, were significantly up-regulated between the model group and the normal group, and vascular endothelial growth factor A(VEGFA) genes were significantly down-regulated between the model group and the normal group. However, the expression results of IL-6, NR3C2, and VEGFA genes were adverse between the treatment group and the model group. GO functional enrichment analysis found that the biological process annotation mainly focused on cell synthesis, cycle, and metabolism; cell component annotation mainly focused on organelles and internal components; and molecular function annotation mainly focused on binding molecular functions. KEGG pathway enrichment analysis found that it involved the protein tyrosine kinase 6(PTK6) pathway, CD28-dependent phosphoinositide 3-kinase/protein kinase B(PI3K/AKT) pathway, p53 pathway, etc. Therefore, Huangjing Qianshi Decoction can improve the state of prediabetes, and the mechanism may be related to cell cycle and apoptosis, PI3K/AKT pathway, p53 pathway, and other biological pathways regulated by IL-6, NR3C2, and VEGFA.

Integrative analysis of multiomics data identifies selenium-related gene ALAD associating with keshan disease.

Keshan disease is an endemic fatal dilated cardiomyopathy that can cause heart enlargement, heart failure, and cardiogenic death. Selenium deficiency is considered to be the main cause of Keshan disease. However, the molecular mechanism underlying Keshan disease remains unclear. Our whole-exome sequencing from 68 patients with Keshan disease and 100 controls found 199 candidate genes by gene-level burden tests. Interestingly, using multiomics data, the selenium-related gene ALAD (δ-aminolevulinic acid dehydratase) was the only candidate causative gene identified by three different analysis approaches. Based on single-cell transcriptome data, ALAD was highly expressed in cardiomyocytes and double mutations of human ALAD dramatically reduced its enzyme activity in vitro compared to negative control. Functional analysis of ALAD inhibition in mice resulted in a Keshan phenotype with left ventricular enlargement and cardiac dysfunction, whereas administration of sodium selenite markedly reversed the changes caused by ALAD inhibition. In addition, sodium selenite reversed Keshan phenotypes by affecting energy metabolism and mitochondrial function in mice as shown by the transcriptomic and proteomic data and the ultrastructure of cardiac myocytes. Our findings are the first to demonstrate that the selenium-related gene ALAD is essential for cardiac function by maintaining normal mitochondrial activity, providing strong molecular evidence supporting the hypothesis of selenium deficiency in Keshan disease. These results identified ALAD as a novel target for therapeutic intervention in Keshan disease and Keshan disease-related dilated cardiomyopathy.

Effect of Hesperidin Supplementation on Liver Metabolomics and Gut Microbiota in a High-Fat Diet-Induced NAFLD Mice Model.

The present study investigated the mechanism underlying the impact of hesperidin (HES) on nonalcoholic fatty liver (NAFLD). C57BL/6J male mice were administered a low-fat diet, high-fat diet (HFD), or HFD plus 0.2% (wt/wt) HES (HFD + HES) diet. After 16 weeks of intervention, the mice in the HFD+HES group showed a lower final body weight and liver weight and improved serum lipid profiles when compared with the HFD group. Alleviation of liver dysfunction induced by HFD was observed in HES-fed mice, and the expression of genes involved in lipid metabolism was also altered. Moreover, HES changed the composition of the intestinal microbiota and enriched specific genera such as Bacteroidota. Liver metabolomics analysis indicated that HES enhanced the abundance of metabolites in arginine-related as well as mitochondrial oxidation-related pathways, and these metabolites were predicted to be positively correlated with the gut genera enriched by HES. Together, these results indicate that HFD-fed mice supplemented with HES showed a markedly regulated hepatic metabolism concurrent with shifts in specific gut bacteria.

Ginsenoside Rg1 Suppresses Non-Small-Cell Lung Cancer via MicroRNA-126-PI3K-AKT-mTOR Pathway.

As one of the most common cause of cancer death in the world, lung cancer causes approximately 1.6 million deaths annually. Among them, NSCLC accounts for approximately 85% of patients in whole lung cancer patients. Ginsenoside Rg1 has been confirmed to play an important role in various diseases including cancer. As one of miRNAs, miR-126 closely involves in pathogenesis of the several types of cancers including colorectal, prostate, bladder and gastric cancer, and so on. Thus, the present study aims to investigate effects of the Ginsenoside Rg1 on NSCLC and underlying mechanism. In the study, two lung cancer cell lines including A549 and H1650 were used. It was found that expression of miR-126 was decreased in PBMC of NSCLC patients compared to healthy control. Expression of miR-126 was decreased in cancer tissue compared to paracancerous tissues in NSCLC patients. Importantly, it was found Ginsenoside Rg1 could inhibit growth of lung cancer cells. miR-126 KD remarkably increased the expression of apoptosis genes including caspase 3 and caspase 9 and decreased cell viability in lung cancer cells including A549 and H1650 cells. Interesting, in silico analysis indicated that miR-126 could target PI3K signaling pathway, which was confirmed by WB assay. KD of PI3KR2 compromised promotion of miR-126 on cell apoptosis. Similarly, it was found that KD of mTOR compromised promotion of miR-126 on cell apoptosis. Inhibition of Ginsenoside Rg1 on growth of lung cancer cells was through miR-126 and mTOR. Thus, the present study confirmed that Ginsenoside Rg1 remarkably inhibit lung cancer, which is through microRNA-126-PI3K-AKT-mTOR pathway.

Global Trend in the Research and Development of Acupuncture Treatment on Parkinson's Disease From 2000 to 2021: A Bibliometric Analysis.

Background: Acupuncture has been widely used in the treatment of patients with Parkinson's disease (PD) in the world. Despite we have an in-depth understanding of acupuncture in this field over the past years, there is no available literature on bibliometric analysis on the development of acupuncture on PD. This study was designed to explore the global trend in the research of acupuncture on PD in the recent 20 years by the software CiteSpace (5.8.R3) and VOSviewer (1.6.14). Methods: Publications regarding acupuncture therapy for PD from 2000 to 2021 were retrieved from the Web of Science Core Collection database. CiteSpace and VOSviewer were used to analyze the number of publications, the contribution of countries, institutions, journals, authors, references, and keywords. Results: A total of 217 studies were extracted from the database. The outputs of the publications in this field showed an upward trend during the past two decades. The country and institutions with the most publications in this field are China, South Korea, and the USA. They were the main contributors to the research. Kyung Hee University and Capital Medical University were the two most productive organizations. Hi-Joon Park had made the greatest contributions to the field. Evidence-based Complementary and Alternative Medicine was the most popular journals in this field. "Electroacupuncture" and "Bee venom acupuncture" were emerging research hotspots. Conclusion: The research on acupuncture on PD is potential. Authors from different countries/regions and organizations need to remove the language and academic barriers to enhance global cooperation and communications. Scholars in this field need to publish their research findings in high-quality journals to gain more attention worldwide. This study indicated that the mechanism leading to the non-motor symptoms of PD, the establishment of appropriate models that fully reflects the non-motor features of human PD, and the efficacy and safety of promising therapies for patients with PD will remain research frontiers in the future.

Responses of the root morphology and photosynthetic pigments of ryegrass to fertilizer application under combined petroleum-heavy metal stress.

With developments in industry, petroleum and heavy metal pollution are increasingly affecting soil, significantly harming the environment, biosecurity, and human health. Therefore, the remediation of contaminated soil is becoming increasingly important. In this study, ryegrass (Lolium perenne L.) was planted in petroleum-heavy metal co-contaminated soil with the application of nitrogen and phosphorus fertilizers. Three treatments were set up: uncontaminated soil + ryegrass (SH); petroleum-heavy metal co-contaminated soil + ryegrass (SPGH); and petroleum-heavy metal co-contaminated soil + ryegrass + nitrogen and phosphorus fertilizer (SPGH + NP). The results showed that the petroleum-heavy metal co-contamination promoted increases in the root length, surface area, volume, and diameter of ryegrass roots, increasing the below-ground biomass and decreasing the photosynthetic pigment content in the early stages of the experiment. The ratios of chlorophyll a/b and chlorophyll/carotenoid also increased. However, the application of fertilizer reduced the length, surface area, volume, and diameter of ryegrass roots in the co-contaminated soil, and the below-ground biomass decreased while the above-ground biomass increased. Furthermore, the photosynthetic pigment content was significantly higher than that in the unfertilized treatment and the chlorophyll a/b ratio decreased while the chlorophyll/carotenoid ratio increased. Therefore, fertilizers could alleviate the toxic effects of petroleum-heavy metal combined pollution on ryegrass roots and promote the synthesis of chlorophyll and other pigments, thus reducing the inhibitory effect of petroleum-heavy metal combined pollution on ryegrass growth and facilitating the remediation of the polluted soil.

Variation of microbial activities and communities in petroleum-contaminated soils induced by the addition of organic materials and bacterivorous nematodes.

Bacterivorous nematodes are abundant in petroleum-contaminated soils. However, the ecological functions of bacterivorous nematodes and their impacts together with the addition of organic materials on the activity and diversity of microorganisms in petroleum-contaminated soils remain unknown. To assess such effects, six treatments were established in this study, including uncontaminated nematodes-free soil (Control), petroleum-contaminated soil (PC), petroleum-contaminated soil + 5 nematodes per gram dry soil (PCN), and petroleum-contaminated soil + 5 nematodes per gram dry soil + 1% wheat straw (PCNW), or + 1% rapeseed cake (PCNR), or + 1% biochar (PCNB). Results showed that the enzyme activities in the six treatments generally increased firstly and then decreased during the incubation period. Compared with Control, the invertase activity in PCNW, PCNR, and PCNB increased by 80.6%, 313.5%, and 12.4%, respectively, whereas the urease activity in PC, PCN, PCNW, PCNR, and PCNW increased by 1.2%, 25.5%, 124.3%, 105.3%, and 25.5%, respectively. Petroleum pollution, inoculation of bacterivorous nematodes, and the addition of organic materials all significantly boosted the concentrations of phospholipid fatty acids (PLFAs) of soil bacteria, actinobacteria, and total microorganisms, and increased the concentrations of both G+ and G- bacteria PLFAs and the ratio of G-/G+. The concentration of fungi PLFAs and the ratio of fungi to bacteria were significantly higher in PCNW and PCNR than those in other treatments. Overall, adding bacterivorous nematodes and organic materials to the petroleum-contaminated soil significantly improved soil microbial activity and community structure, suggesting that bacterivorous nematodes could be used for the bioremediation in petroleum contaminated soils.

Myricetin reverses epithelial-endothelial transition and inhibits vasculogenic mimicry and angiogenesis of hepatocellular carcinoma by directly targeting PAR1.

Most antiangiogenic inhibitors targeting endothelium-dependent vessels cannot inhibit tumor growth but promote tumor invasion and metastasis in some patients. Vasculogenic mimicry (VM) employs mechanisms that differ from those used to construct endothelium-dependent vessels. Inhibiting VM may be a novel antiangiogenic strategy against alternative tumor vascularization. In this paper, myricetin was selected from among several flavonoid compounds as an effective PAR1 antagonist. In two different hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) cell lines high-expressed PAR1, myricetin inhibited cell migration, invasion and VM formation and reversed the expression of epithelial-endothelial transition (EET) markers by inhibiting PAR1 activation. Knockout of PAR1 inhibited HCC cell invasion and metastasis and weakened the inhibitory effect of myricetin on HCC cells. The migration, invasion and tube formation ability of PLC-PRF-5 cells were enhanced after PAR1 overexpression, and the inhibitory effect of myricetin was enhanced. A docking assay revealed that myricetin binds to Leu258 and Thr261 in the PAR1 activity pocket. Mutation of Leu258 and Thr261 inhibited the antitumor effect of myricetin in vitro and in vivo. In summary, myricetin reverses PAR1-mediated EET and inhibits HCC cell invasion, metastasis, VM formation and angiogenesis by targeting PAR1, and Leu258 and Thr261 of PAR1 participate in VM and angiogenesis in HCC tissues.

cDNA Transcriptome of Arabidopsis Reveals Various Defense Priming Induced by a Broad-Spectrum Biocontrol Agent Burkholderia sp. SSG.

Burkholderia sp. SSG is a potent biological control agent. Even though its survival on the leaf surface declined rapidly, SSG provided extended, moderate plant protection from a broad spectrum of pathogens. This study used Arabidopsis Col-0 and its mutants, eds16-1, npr1-1, and pad4-1 as model plants and compared treated plants with non-treated controls to elucidate whether SSG triggers plant defense priming. Only eds16-1 leaves with SSG became purplish, suggesting the involvement of salicylic acid (SA) in SSG-induced priming. cDNA sequencing of Col-0 plants and differential gene expression analysis identified 120 and 119 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) at 6- and 24-h post-treatment (hpt) with SSG, respectively. Most of these DEGs encoded responses to biotic and abiotic stimuli or stresses; four DEGs had more than two isoforms. A total of 23 DEGs were shared at 6 and 24 hpt, showing four regulation patterns. Functional categorization of these shared DEGs, and 44 very significantly upregulated DEGs revealed that SSG triggered various defense priming mechanisms, including responses to phosphate or iron deficiency, modulation of defense-linked SA, jasmonic acid, ethylene, and abscisic acid pathways, defense-related gene regulation, and chromatin modification. These data support that SSG is an induced systemic resistance (ISR) trigger conferring plant protection upon pathogen encounter.

Isorhamnetin alleviates lipopolysaccharide-induced acute lung injury by inhibiting mTOR signaling pathway.

Aim: Acute Lung Injury (ALI) is an acute hypoxic respiratory insufficiency caused by various traumatic factors, manifested as progressive hypoxemia and respiratory distress, and lung imaging shows a heterogeneous osmotic outbreak. Isorhamnetin (ISO) is a flavonoid compound isolated and purified from medicinal plants, such as Hippophae rhamnoides L. and Ginkgo, and has multiple pharmacological functions, such as anti-tumor, anti-myocardial hypoxia, and cardiovascular protection. Our previous study has shown that ISO could attenuate lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced acute lung injury in mice, but its mechanism is not clear.Methods: In this study, we used LPS-induced mouse and cell models to research the mechanism of ISO alleviating acute lung injury.Results: The results showed that ISO could attenuate the injury of type II alveolar epithelial cells by inhibiting the TLR4/NF-κB pathway. Further studies showed that ISO could inhibit the activation of mTOR signal in vivo and in vitro and promote autophagy in alveolar epithelial cells to reduce lung injury caused by LPS. In addition, ISO could inhibit LPS-induced epithelial cell apoptosis.Conclusion: Overall, ISO could suppress injury and apoptosis of epithelial cells and activate autophagy to protect epithelial cells via inhibiting mTOR signal and attenuating LPS-induced acute lung injury in mice.

[Mechanism of Huangjing Qianshi Decoction in treatment of prediabetes based on network pharmacology and molecular docking].

This study analyzed the molecular mechanism of Huangjing Qianshi Decoction(HQD) in the treatment of prediabetes based on network pharmacology and molecular docking. The active components of HQD were identified and screened based on Traditional Chinese Medicine Systems Pharmacology Database and Analysis Platform(TCMSP, http://Lsp.nwu.edu.cn/tcmsp.php) and then the targets of the components and the genes related to prediabetes were retrieved, followed by identifying the common targets of the decoction and the disease. The medicinal component-target network was constructed by Cytoscape to screen key components. The protein-protein interaction(PPI) network was established by STRING and hub genes were identified by Cytoscape-CytoNCA, followed by Gene Ontology(GO) term enrichment and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes(KEGG) of the hub genes with R-clusterProfi-ler. Thereby, the possible signaling pathways were predicted and the molecular mechanism was deduced. A total of 79 active components of HQD and 785 diabetes-related targets of the components were screened out. The hub genes mainly involved the GO terms of tricarboxylic acid cycle, peptide binding, amide binding, hydrolase activity, and kinase activity regulation, and the KEGG pathways of AGE-RAGE signaling pathway, TNF signaling pathway, AMPK signaling pathway, IL-17 signaling pathway, and insulin signaling pathway. Western blot result showed that HQD-containing serum significantly reduced the expression of AKT1, AGE, and RAGE proteins in insulin resistance model cells. HQD's treatment of prediabetes is characterized by multiple pathways, multiple targets, and multiple levels. The main mechanism is that the components zhonghualiaoine, baicalein, kaempferol, and luteolin act on AKT1 and inhibit the AGE-RAGE axis.

Efficacy of a Modified Training Program of Adaptive Biofeedback Therapy for Dyssynergic Defecation in Patients with Chronic Constipation.

BACKGROUND: Biofeedback therapy is highly effective and safe in treating dyssynergic defecation, which affects more than half of patients with chronic constipation. However, conventional biofeedback training has limitations. AIMS: This study aims to modify the adaptive biofeedback (ABF) previously established by the investigators and evaluate its efficacy for dyssynergic defecation. METHODS: A total of 42 constipation patients were enrolled and randomly assigned to receive either 4-week adaptive biofeedback (ABF) training (ABF group), or fixed biofeedback (FBF) training (FBF group). The ABF training program was modified, as follows: (1) the tailored training targets were set according to the ability of the individual subject, instead of the fixed values; (2) the outcome was scored on the basis of the rectal-anal pressure gradient; (3) the feedback information was delivered through multimedia. The outcomes were compared between the two groups. RESULTS: The number of weekly bowel movements (BM) was significantly greater in the ABF group than in the FBF group. The improvement in dyssynergic defecation was also noted with the modified ABF training, which performed significantly better than the conventional training on incomplete defecation, bloating, defecation time, staining, and urgency. Notably, the use of medications was significantly reduced upon completion of the 4-week adaptive training, and this was significantly lesser than that in the fixed training. Furthermore, there was significantly better improvement on anorectal motility and rectal sensation in the ABF group vs. the FBF group. CONCLUSION: The modified ABF training program significantly improves constipation-related symptoms, and its performance is superior to conventional FBF training for dyssynergic defecation.

[Pharmacodynamic mechanism of Tibetan medicine Liurui Capsules on experimental autoimmune uveitis in rats based on network pharmacology and animal experiments].

By integrating network pharmacology and animal experiments, we studied the pharmacodynamic mechanism of the Tibetan medicine Liurui Capsules in the treatment of experimental autoimmune uveitis(EAU). The active ingredients and targets of Liurui Capsules were searched against the Encyclopedia of Traditional Chinese Medicine(ETCM), Bioinformatics Analysis Tool for Molecular Mechanism of Traditional Chinese Medicine(BATMAN-TCM), and relevant literatures. The EAU-related targets were obtained from Gene Expression Omnibus(GEO), GeneCards, Online Mendelian Inheritance in Man(OMIM), and Therapeutic Target Database(TTD). The common targets shared by Liurui Capsules and EAU were identified, and the protein-protein interaction(PPI) network was established via STRING. Gene Ontology(GO) annotation and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes(KEGG) pathway enrichment analysis were conducted via g: Profiler. The rat model of EAU was induced by interphotoreceptor retinoid-binding protein(IRBP) and treated with Liurui Capsules. The inflammatory response of anterior segment and the pathological morphology of retina were observed. The mRNA and protein levels of delta-like ligand 4(DLL4), Notch1, interleukin-17(IL-17), and tumor necrosis factor-alpha(TNF-α) were determined by real-time quantitative PCR(q-PCR) and Western blot, respectively. The network pharmacology analysis predicted 51 common targets of Liurui Capsules and EAU, which were mainly involved in IL-17, TNF, and nuclear factor-kappa B(NF-κB) signaling pathways, as well as liposome receptors and other biological processes. Compared with the control group, the modeling of EAU caused inflammatory changes in the anterior segment and retina and up-regulated mRNA and protein levels of DLL4, Notch1, IL-17, and TNF-α in ocular tissue. Compared with the model group, Liurui Capsules reduced the inflammatory reaction of anterior segment and retina and down-regulated the mRNA and protein levels of DLL4, Notch1, IL-17, and TNF-α. Liurui Capsules can down-regulate the expression of the proteins involved in DLL4/Notch1/IL-17 signaling pathway in ocular tissue and alleviate the ocular inflammation, which may be one of the mechanisms of Liurui Capsules in the treatment of EAU.

Touching-bone acupuncture in the treatment of chronic pain: A protocol for an overview of systematic reviews and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Chronic pain is the most common disease in the world, which lead the patients to suffer the disability both physically and psychologically. The chronic pain can affects the patients to work, socialize, sleep and can lead to depressive illness, decreased motivation, and a reduction in physical activity. Acupuncture is a promising treatment for the chronic pain which has a long history of use in China. This protocol aims to assess the effectiveness and safety of touching periosteum acupuncture therapy on patients with chronic pain. METHODS: Randomized controlled trial literatures which include touching periosteum acupuncture therapy for treating chronic pain will be searched from 8 electronic databases including China Biology Medicine disc, VIP database, WanFang database, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, PubMed, Cochrane Library, Excerpt Medical Database, and Web of Science. The language will be restricted to Chinese and English. The primary outcome is to measure the relief of the pain by Visual Analogue Scale. Two or 3 reviewers will conduct the study selection, data extraction and the evaluation of the risk of bias. RevMan software (V.5.3) will be used to perform the assessment of the risk of bias and data synthesis. RESULTS: From this study, we will confirm the effectiveness of safety of in the treatment of chronic pain. CONCLUSIONS: We will ascertain the effectiveness of safety of touching periosteum acupuncture therapy in the treatment of chronic pain, to provide evidence to guide touching periosteum acupuncture therapy for patients with chronic pain in the future. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: Ethics approval will not be necessary, because the included publications in our study are all from published articles. This systematic review will be published in a peer-reviewed journal or conference report to provide a reference in this field. TRIAL REGISTRATION: CRD42021243387.

Capabilities and limitations of using DNA metabarcoding to study plant-pollinator interactions.

Many pollinator populations are experiencing declines, emphasizing the need for a better understanding of the complex relationship between bees and flowering plants. Using DNA metabarcoding to describe plant-pollinator interactions eliminates many challenges associated with traditional methods and has the potential to reveal a more comprehensive understanding of foraging behaviour and pollinator life history. Here we use DNA metabarcoding of ITS2 and rbcL gene regions to identify plant species present in pollen loads of 404 bees from three habitats in eastern Oregon. Our specific objectives were to (i) determine whether plant species identified using DNA metabarcoding are consistent with plant species identified using observations, (ii) compare characterizations of diet breadth derived from foraging observations to those based on plant species assignments obtained using DNA metabarcoding, and (iii) compare plant species assignments produced by DNA metabarcoding using a "regional" reference database to those produced using a "local" database. At the three locations, 31%-86% of foraging observations were consistent with DNA metabarcoding data, 8%-50% of diet breadth characterizations based on observations differed from those based on DNA metabarcoding data, and 22%-25% of plant species detected using the regional database were not known to occur in the study area in question. Plant-pollinator networks produced from DNA metabarcoding data had higher sampling completeness and significantly lower specialization than networks based on observations. Here, we examine some strengths and limitations of using DNA metabarcoding to identify plant species present in bee pollen loads, make ecological inferences about foraging behaviour and provide guidance for future research.