Thoracic Jia-Ji electro-acupuncture mitigates low skeletal muscle atrophy and improves motor function recovery following thoracic spinal cord injury in rats.

OBJECTIVES: The goal of this study was to determine whether electro-acupuncture (EA) stimulation might protect the motor endplate, minimize muscle atrophy in the hind limbs, and enhance functional recovery of rats with spinal cord injury (SCI). METHODS: Sprague-Dawley adult female rats (n = 30) were randomly assigned into Sham, SCI, and EA + SCI groups (n = 10 each). Rats in the Sham and SCI groups were bound in prone position only for 30 min, and rats in the EA + SCI group were treated with electro-acupuncture. The EA was conducted from the first day after surgery, lasted for 30 mins, once every day for 28 consecutive days. RESULTS: EA significantly prevented motor endplate degeneration, improved electrophysiological function, and ameliorated hindlimb muscle atrophy after SCI. Meanwhile, EA upregulated Tuj-1 expression, downregulated GFAP expression, and reduced glial scar formation. Additionally, after 4 weeks of EA treatment, the serum of SCI rats exhibited a reduced inflammatory response. CONCLUSION: These findings suggest that EA can preserve the motor endplate and reduce muscular atrophy. In addition, EA has been shown to improve the function of upper and lower neurons, reduce glial scar formation, suppress systemic inflammation, and improve axon regeneration.

A Polarization-Switching, Charge-Trapping, Modulated Arithmetic Logic Unit for In-Memory Computing Based on Ferroelectric Fin Field-Effect Transistors.

Nonvolatile logic devices are crucial for the development of logic-in-memory (LiM) technology to build the next-generation non-von Neumann computing architecture. Ferroelectric field-effect transistors (Fe FET) are one of the most promising candidates for LiMs because of high compatibility with mainstream silicon-based complementary metal-oxide semiconductor processes, nonvolatile memory, and low power consumption. However, because of the unipolar characteristics of a Fe FET, a nonlinear XOR or XNOR logic gate function is difficult to realize with a single device. In addition, because single Fe polarization switch modulation is available in the devices, a reconfigurable logic gate usually needs multiple devices to construct and realize fewer logic functions. Here, we introduced polarization-switching (PS) and charge-trapping (CT) effects in a single Fe FET and fabricated a multi-field-effect transistor with bipolar-like characteristics based on advanced 10 nm node fin field-effect transistors (PS-CT FinFET) with 9 nm thick Hf0.5Zr0.5O2 films. The special hybrid effects of charge-trapping and polarization-switching enabled eight Boolean logic functions with a single PS-CT FinFET and 16 Boolean logic functions with two complementary PS-CT FinFETs were obtained with three operations. Furthermore, reconfigurable full 1 bit adder and subtractor functions were demonstrated by connecting only two n-type and two p-type PS-CT FinFET devices, indicating that the technology was promising for LiM applications.

Improvement of Skin Barrier Dysfunction by Phenolic-containing Extracts of Lycium barbarum via Nrf2/HO-1 Regulation.

Lycium barbarum have received an increasing popularity due to its powerful biological activity and medicinal use. However, the effect of Lycium barbarum on skin remains largely uncharacterized. The general purpose of this paper was to characterize the phenolic compounds in Lycium barbarum extract (LBE) using LC-HRMS/QTOF method and to investigate whether topical administration of LBE can repair skin barrier dysfunction in mice. Our data demonstrated that LBE could not only decrease ROS level and matrix metalloproteinase expression, but also strengthen intrinsic antioxidant defense system including SOD, GSH-Px and CAT, thereby resulting in increased skin collagen content and an improvement of UV-induced skin erythema, thickness and wrinkles. Improved skin barrier functions were highly correlated with increased expression of filaggrin, involucrin and loricrin as well as antioxidant proteins such as Nrf2 and HO-1 in UV-irradiated mice, suggesting that LBE may be promising natural products at a lower cost for the topical application in the treatment of skin diseases with defective barrier function.

A hybrid 3D-printed aspirin-laden liposome composite scaffold for bone tissue engineering.

Bone defects are some of the most difficult injuries to treat in clinical medicine. Evidence from cellular and animal studies suggests that aspirin exhibits protective effects on bone by promoting both the survival of osteoblast precursor stem cells and osteoblast differentiation. However, acquired resistance to aspirin and its cytotoxicity significantly limit its therapeutic application. Controlled release systems have been confirmed to promote the efficacy of certain drugs for bone regeneration. Additionally, the controlled release of a high dose of drug allows for lower dosing over an extended period. In this way, nano-liposomal encapsulation of aspirin can be used to reduce the cytotoxicity of the overall dose. Using a series of osteogenic experiments, this study found that an aspirin-laden liposome delivery system (Asp@Lipo) obviously promoted osteogenesis and immunomodulation of human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs). We also studied the in vitro capacity of polycaprolactone (PCL)-based bioactive composite (PCL-Asp@Lipo) scaffolds to facilitate cell proliferation and osteoblast differentiation. Compared to a common scaffold, ALP assays, immunofluorescence and calcium mineralisation studies revealed that the PCL-Asp@Lipo scaffolds enhanced the osteogenic differentiation of hMSCs. Subsequently, along with the cells, PCL and PCL-Asp@Lipo scaffolds were both implanted subcutaneously into nude mice for estimation of osteo-inductivity after 6 weeks, the PCL-Asp@Lipo composite scaffold exhibited more osteogenic activity than the bare PCL scaffold. This approach has potential applications in bone tissue repair and regenerative medicine.

Aromatic-turmerone ameliorates imiquimod-induced psoriasis-like inflammation of BALB/c mice.

Psoriasis is a usual immune-mediated inflammatory skin disease with undefined pathogenesis. Aromatic-turmerone (ATM) is a mainly constituent of essential oil from Curcuma longa L. It has been shown to exhibit strong anti-oxidant, anti-tumor activities and anti-inflammatory effects. In this study, we investigated the effects of ATM on imiquimod (IMQ)-induced psoriasis-like BALB/c mice and its molecular mechanisms for anti-inflammatory effect. ATM showed inhibition of the transfer of CD8+ T cells in epidermis, and reduced expression of NF-κB and COX-2 as well as phosphorylation of p38 MAPK. It also decreased the level of TNF-α and IL-6, and down-regulates IL-17 IL-22 and IL-23 mRNA synthesis. Notably, we demonstrated that topically applied ATM alleviated skin inflammation in IMQ-induced mice. These results indicate that ATM, a natural active compound exhibits anti-inflammatory activity and is a promising candidate molecule to treat inflammatory skin diseases, such as psoriasis.

[Docking-based virtual screening of MEK1 inhibitors from Chinese herbs].

The hyperphosphorylation of MEK1(mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase 1) is one of the causesfor melanoma. It is important to discover a potential medicine for melanoma through virtual screening of chemical composition of Chinese material medica on MEK1. In this study, a docking pocket model and Flex Search model were built by using a MEK1 crystal structure, the similarity between connector conformation and gametophyte conformation in the crystal structure was 0.784.There was a linear relationship between total score and pIC50on MEK1 inhibitors, with R²=0.937, which further indicated the reliability of the virtual screening model.The search library of traditional Chinese medicine database on the Lipinski's rule was docked with the pocket model, and then 50 compounds with a totalscore of more than 7.0 were obtained by the Flex model. In this paper, top 10 active ingredients in screening results showed atotal score of more than that of positive medicines. It is expected to further research the inhibition of MEK1 and melanoma.

Accumulation and localization of cadmium in potato (Solanum tuberosum) under different soil Cd levels.

Phytoavailability and uptake mechanism of Cd in edible plant tissues grown on metal polluted agricultural soils has become a growing concern worldwide. Uptake, transport, accumulation and localization of cadmium in potato organs under different soil Cd levels were investigated using inductively-coupled plasma mass spectrometry and energy dispersive X-ray microanalysis. Results indicated that Cd contents in potato organs increased with increasing soil Cd concentrations, and the order of Cd contents in different organs was leaves > stems/roots > tubers. Root-to-stem Cd translocation coefficients ranged from 0.89 to 1.81. Cd localization in potato tissues suggested that leaves and stems should be the main compartment of Cd storage and uptake. Although low concentrations of Cd migrated from the root to tuber, Cd accumulation in the tuber exceeded the standard for food security. Therefore, the planting of potato plants in farmland containing Cd should be closely evaluated due to its potential to present health risks.

[Chinese medicine prevention and treatment of AIDS in terms of constitution theory].

The significant effects of constitutional factor on AIDS were addressed. Acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), caused by HIV, is mainly characterized as decreased immune function or immune deficiency. It has strong infectiousness and higher mortality, so it is one of the diseases that attract great attention to clinical prevention and treatment. The constitution not only exerts significant effect on the immune function of patients with AIDS, but also plays important roles in the development, prognosis, and outcomes of AIDS. Therefore, it is of great referential significance in both clinical and scientific studies of AIDS by exploring Chinese medicine prevention and treatment of AIDS from the angle of constitution.