Selenoprotein Gene mRNA Expression Evaluation During Renal Ischemia-Reperfusion Injury in Rats and Ebselen Intervention Effects.

Effects of selenoproteins on many renal diseases have been reported. However, their role in renal ischemia-reperfusion (I/R) injury is unclear. The present study was performed to investigate the impact of ebselen and renal I/R injury on the expression of selenoproteins. Sprague-Dawley rats were pretreated with or without ebselen (10 mg/kg) through a daily single oral administration from 3 days before renal I/R surgery. RT-qPCR (real-time quantitative PCR) was performed to determine the mRNA expression of 25 selenoprotein genes in the renal tissues. The expression levels of two selenoproteins, including GPX3 (glutathione peroxidase 3) and DIO1 (iodothyronine deiodinase 1), were evaluated by Western blot or/and IHF (immunohistofluorescence) assays. Furthermore, renal function, renal damage, oxidative stress, and apoptosis were assessed. The results showed that in renal I/R injury, the mRNA levels of 15 selenoprotein genes (GPX1, GPX3, GPX4, DIO1, DIO2, TXNRD2, TXNRD3, SEPHS2, MSRB1, SELENOF, SELENOK, SELENOO, SELENOP, SELENOS, and SELENOT) were decreased, whereas those of eight selenoprotein genes (GPX2, GPX6, DIO3, TXNRD1, SELENOH, SELENOM, SELENOV, and SELENOW) were increased. I/R also induced a reduction in the expression levels of GPX3 and DIO1 proteins. In addition, our results indicated that ebselen reversed the changes in those selenoprotein genes, excluding SELENOH, SELENOM, SELENOP, and SELENOT, in renal I/R injury and alleviated I/R-induced renal dysfunction, tissue damage, oxidative stress, and apoptosis. To our knowledge, this is the first study to investigate the changes of 25 mammalian selenoprotein genes in renal I/R injury kidneys. The present study also provided more evidence for the roles of ebselen against renal I/R injury.

A nested case-control study on the association of neonatal cord blood selenium, iron and copper with congenital heart disease / 中华预防医学杂志

Objective: To investigate the relationship between the levels of selenium, iron and copper in cord blood of neonates and the risk of congenital heart disease (CHD), and analyze their interaction effects. Methods: The subjects were obtained from the birth cohort in Lanzhou area established from 2010 to 2012. A baseline survey was conducted in the first trimester, and the follow-up was conducted in the second trimester, third trimester and 42 days after delivery. The umbilical vein blood was collected from newborns at delivery, and information on their birth outcomes was extracted from medical records. A nested case-control study was used to select 97 neonates with CHD newly diagnosed by echocardiography as the case group, and 194 neonates were selected as the control group by 1∶2 matching according to their mother's age, block and CHD onset time. Inductively coupled ion mass spectrometry was used to detect the concentrations of selenium, iron and copper in neonatal cord blood. The element exposure was categorized into three groups, the low, medium and high concentrations, according to the quartiles Q1 and Q3 of selenium, iron and copper concentrations in the control group. The association between cord blood selenium, iron and copper concentrations and CHD was analyzed by conditional logistic regression model using medium concentration as the reference standard. The association of their interactions with CHD was analyzed by a phase multiplication model. Results: The M (Q1, Q3) concentration of neonatal cord blood copper was 746.12 (467.48, 759.74) μg/L in the case group and 535.69 (425.21, 587.79) μg/L in the control group, with a statistically significant difference between the two groups (P<0.05). After adjustment for confounders, logistic regression models showed that the risk of CHD development was increased in neonates with either high copper in cord blood (OR=4.062, 95%CI: 2.013-8.199) or high copper combined with high iron (OR=3.226, 95%CI: 1.343-7.750). No correlation was observed between selenium and iron concentrations and the development of CHD in neonates. There was a multiplicative interaction between copper and iron in cord blood on the risk of developing CHD (OR=1.303, 95%CI: 1.056-1.608). Conclusion: There is a multiplicative interaction between iron and copper elements. The high copper and the high copper combined with high iron in umbilical cord blood are risk factors for neonatal CHD.

[Analysis of Microbial Interaction Law of Mud Membrane in IFAS Process for Treating Low Carbon Source Sewage in South China].

To assess the problem of sewage treatment under the condition of low carbon sources, we carried out a study of activated sludge and a biofilm symbiosis system (IFAS). The occurrence characteristics and interaction law of microorganisms in two phases of sludge membrane under low carbon source conditions were discussed, and their niche and influence on treatment efficiency were clarified. Through a pilot-scale experiment in actual water plants, the biofilm characteristics, sludge membrane activity, and succession law of flora were analyzed, and the microbial structure and interaction in sludge membrane in two phases under the control of different activated sludge ages were compared. The results showed that the sludge concentration in the reactor increased with the increase in SRT under variable SRT. Because the microbial concentration in SRT-H was much higher than that in SRT-L, the competition between mud films in SRT-H was more intense than that in SRT-L, and the pollutant removal efficiency in SRT-H was lower than that in SRT-L. Under the condition of low-carbon feed water, the sludge activity in the IFAS process decreased with the increase in SRT. Under the condition of low SRT(5 d), the nitrification, denitrification, phosphorus accumulation, and phosphorus absorption rate of activated sludge increased by 122%, 88%, 34%, and 44%, respectively, compared with that of high SRT (25 d). However, SRT had little effect on biofilm activity, and there was little difference in nitrification activity and denitrification activity between the two SRTs. Microbial sequencing analysis showed that the functional bacteria of the IFAS process were enriched and transferred with the change in SRT between the two phases of mud membrane. In SRT-L, the functional bacteria that were enriched and transferred between the two phases of mud film owing to the "seeding" effect were mainly unclassified_g__Enterobacteriaceae, whereas in SRT-H, Acinetobacter was mainly used. At the same time, by analyzing the distribution of dominant functional bacteria, it was found that there was some competition between denitrifying bacteria and phosphorus-accumulating bacteria in activated sludge. Under the condition of a lack of organic substrate in the influent, the relative abundance of denitrifying bacteria was obviously higher than that of phosphorus-accumulating bacteria, which indicated that denitrifying bacteria could better adapt to low-carbon source conditions. Thus, they could occupy a dominant competition position, which was mainly reflected in the increase in the relative abundance of aerobic denitrifying bacteria. In addition, the SRT change in the mud phase reacted in the membrane phase, making the residence time of biofilm change correspondingly, thus changing the flora structure, screening out different dominant bacteria genera, and further increasing the difference.

Identifying strontium sources of flowback fluid and groundwater pollution using 87Sr/86Sr and geochemical model in Sulige gasfield, China.

Hydraulic fracturing technology has made unconventional oil and gas development economically viable; however, it can lead to potential environmental issues such as groundwater pollution. Strontium isotope (87Sr/86Sr) is considered as a sensitive tracer to indicate potential groundwater contamination. In this study, strontium (Sr) and 87Sr/86Sr sources of hydraulic fracturing flowback fluid are identified with 87 flowback fluid samples and 5 borehole core samples. High Sr concentrations and 87Sr/86Sr values were found in fracturing flowback fluid. The hydrogeochemistry evidence shows high Sr and 87Sr/86Sr in fracturing flowback fluid mainly comes from formation water with high ion concentrations, while Sr and 87Sr/86Sr of formation water develop in diagenesis and long term water-rock interaction (e.g., feldspar dissolution and clay mineral transformations) under the high temperature and pressure. A complete evaluation system was executed to assess the sensitivity of 87Sr/86Sr indicating potential pollution on groundwater. The mixing curves which 87Sr/86Sr combined with Sr and Cl were also established by mixing models to indicate groundwater pollution. The modeling results show mineral dissolution/precipitation and cation exchange have little impact on 87Sr/86Sr in the mixing process between fracturing flowback fluid and groundwater, which 87Sr/86Sr can identify contamination when only 0.89% of fracturing flowback fluid mixes with groundwater. Finally, the potential contamination pathways are discussed. It is highly unlikely fracturing flowback fluid contaminates groundwater and soil through upward migration, whereas leakage is a more prevalent pollution pathway.

Beneficial Changes in Growth Performance, Antioxidant Capacity, Immune Response, Hepatic Health, and Flesh Quality of Trachinotus ovatus Fed With Oedocladium carolinianum.

The purpose of this study is to assess the feasibility of astaxanthin-rich Oedocladium carolinianum as an immunostimulant in the diet for Trachinotus ovatus. Three experimental diets containing 0% (OC0), 1% (OC1), and 5% (OC5) O. carolinianum powder were formulated for 6-week feeding trials. The results indicated that the OC5 diet boosted the growth performance through decreasing the feed conversion ratio and increasing digestive enzyme activities and intestinal villus length. Meanwhile, fish fed with the OC5 diet promoted antioxidant ability via stimulating the Nrf2-ARE signal pathway and enhancing antioxidant enzyme activities. Furthermore, the OC5 diet exerted hepatoprotective effects by suppressing the lipid deposition and inflammation response and enhancing the transport capacity of cholesterol. Besides, the OC5 diet improved the non-specific immunity by activating the lysozyme and complement system and increasing the nitric oxide content and total nitric oxide synthase activity. Dietary O. carolinianum supplementation promoted the deposition of astaxanthin in the whole body. Therefore, a diet supplemented with 5% O. carolinianum is recommended to boost the growth, antioxidant capacity, immune response, and flesh quality of T. ovatus.

Effectiveness and safety of Ginkgo biloba extract (GBE50) in the treatment of dizziness caused by cerebral arteriosclerosis: a multi-center, double-blind, randomized controlled trial.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effectiveness and safety of Ginkgo biloba extract (GBE50) in the treatment of dizziness caused by cerebral arteriosclerosis. METHODS: This was a multi-center, double-blind, double-dummy, positive-controlled, parallel randomized controlled clinical trial with 1? allocation. We recruited 404 patients with dizziness caused by cerebral arteriosclerosis (blood stasis symptom pattern) in 10 hospitals in China. GBE50 group received GBE50 and Naoxinqing tablet (NXQ) of mimetic agent, control group received NXQ and GBE50 of mimetic agent. The main outcome was Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) symptom pattern score of blood stasis after 6 weeks. The secondary outcomes were changes in the dizziness handicap inventory (DHI) score, vertigo visual analogue scale (VAS) score, the university of California vertigo questionnaire (UCLA-DQ) score and single-item symptom score of TCM from baseline to 2, 4 and 6 weeks. Safety indicators included the incidence of adverse events, severe adverse events and laboratory examination including blood routine, liver function, renal function, and so forth. RESULTS: The total effective rate of TCM symptom pattern score in the GBE50 group after 6 weeks of treatment was higher than that in the control group, the difference in rate was statistically significant (92.67% vs 83.07%, P = 0.004). Compared with the control group, there was no difference in the incidence of adverse reactions (9.95% vs 14.85%, P = 0.136). CONCLUSION: The treatment of dizziness caused by cerebral arteriosclerosis with GBE50 is effective, safe and reliable.

Successfully treated recalcitrant atopic eczema with acupoint autohemotherapy: A case report and hypothesized mechanism of the therapy.

Acupoint autohemotherapy at bilateral Zusanli (ST36) and Xuehai (SP10) was used to treat a 26-year-old female patient who had suffered from recalcitrant atopic eczema (AE) for five years. The treatment was applied at a frequency of once per week for the first month, followed by a three-month period of once every other week. At the end of treatment, the patient's AE symptoms were entirely resolved, and by the end of a six-month follow-up her immunoglobulin E level had returned to the normal range. Further, there was no relapse of AE symptoms during the six-month follow-up. Therefore, we hypothesized that after the repeated treatments the local inflammatory reaction induced by autologous blood injection triggered a local immune response, followed by a systemic immune response after the repeated treatment, finally leading to the anti-inflammation and immunomodulation effects. This case suggests that acupoint autohemotherapy could be used as an effective complementary treatment for recalcitrant AE, especially in cases where other treatments have failed. Further comparative studies are needed to corroborate the value and mechanisms of this therapy.

Therapeutic Effect of Catgut Implantation at Acupoint in a Mouse Model of Hepatocellular Carcinoma by Suppressing Immune Escape.

BACKGROUND: The occurrence and development of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) are closely related to immune function, as is the capacity of hepatoma cells to escape. Immunosurveillance is a key mechanism. Catgut implantation at acupoint (CIAA) is a promising acupuncture improvement method that can regulate immunity and has been widely used in the clinical treatment of a variety of diseases. The aim of this study is to observe the therapeutic effect of CIAA on HCC and to investigate the potential mechanism of immune escape. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 40 mice were randomly divided into three groups: the HCC model group (n = 15), the CIAA treatment group (n = 15), and the control group (n = 10). HCC was chemically induced in 30 mice by the combination of DEN, carbon tetrachloride, and ethanol for 150 days. Among them, 15 were selected for CIAA treatment to ascertain the therapeutic effect. The mRNA expression levels of AFP, IL-10, PD-1, and CTLA-4 in three groups were examined by using RT-PCR. AFP and AKT expressions were measured by using western blotting. PD1, CTLA-4, IL-10, CD4+, and CD8+ protein expression levels were evaluated by using IHC. The mortality rate, body weight, and psychological conditions of three groups were also compared. RESULTS: The mRNA and protein expression levels of AFP, PD-1, CTLA-4, and IL-10 were significantly downregulated in the CIAA-treated mice in comparison with HCC mice. IHC assay shows that CD4+ and CD8+ expression levels were notably upregulated after CIAA treatment. Western blotting assay shows that AKT pathway was deactivated in CIAA-treated mice. CIAA notably reduced the mortality rate and inhibited weight loss caused by HCC and improved the overall psychological condition of the mice. CONCLUSIONS: Taken together, our data corroborate the effective potency of CIAA in the treatment of HCC by and inhibiting immune escape and deactivating the AKT pathway.

The prospective multiple-centre randomized controlled clinical study of high-dose amoxicillin-proton pump inhibitor dual therapy for H. pylori infection in Sichuan areas.

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the safety and efficacy of high-dose amoxicillin-proton pump inhibitor dual therapy, and to provide a new eradication regimen as a first-line option for patients with H. pylori infection. METHODS: A total of 971 H. pylori positive patients who received initial treatment were recruited from March to August 2020, and randomly divided into treatment group and control group. The treatment group received of 20 mg esomeprazole four times daily and 750 mg amoxicillin four times daily for 14 days. Control group received of 220 mg bismuth potassium citrate twice daily, 20 mg esomeprazole twice daily, 1000 mg amoxicillin twice daily and 250 mg clarithromycin capsule twice daily for 14 days. Four weeks after the end of treatment, the urea breath test was reviewed to detect whether H. pylori was eradicated. RESULTS: There were no statistical differences in age, gender, the total clinical symptom scores before and after initial treatment, the compliance, and the degree of remission of symptoms before and after initial treatment between the two groups. The eradication rates of H. pylori between dual therapy and quadruple therapy were 88.31% and 85.26% (p=.158) by intention-to-treat (ITT) analysis, 88.66% and 85.44% (p=.186) by modified intention-to-treat (mITT) analysis, and 91.63% and 90.60% (p=.116) by PP analysis, respectively. Adverse events in dual therapy group were significantly lower than quadruple therapy group (13.3% vs. 28.2% (p<.01)). CONCLUSIONS: For the initial treatment of H. pylori infection, the high-dose dual therapy regimen has the same efficacy as the bismuth-containing quadruple therapy regimen, good compliance, less adverse reactions and high safety, so it can be recommended as the empirical first-line treatment regimen for the eradication of H. pylori (KY2019173).

Pilot study on the treatment of low carbon and nitrogen ratio municipal sewage by A1/O2/A3/A4/O5 sludge-membrane coupling process with multi-point inflow.

A new multi-point inflow pre-anoxic/oxic/anaerobic/anoxic/oxic (A1/O2/A3/A4/O5) sludge-membrane coupling process and pilot plant were developed and designed to solve the problem of nitrogen and phosphorus removal of low carbon and nitrogen (C/N) ratio domestic sewage in southern China. The removal effect and transformation rule of organic matter, nitrogen, and phosphorus in the system were studied by changing the distribution ratio of multi-point influent. The average C/N ratio of the influent was 2.09 and the influent distribution ratio was 1:1. When the temperature was 16-25 °C, the average concentrations of chemical oxygen demand (COD), ammonia nitrogen (NH4+- N), total nitrogen (TN), and total phosphorus (TP) in the effluent were 21.31 (±2.65), 0.60 (±0.24), 12.76 (±1.09), and 0.34 (±0.05) mg/L, respectively, and their average removals are 87.3 (±1.2)%, 98.7 (±0.4)%, 74.1 (±1.3)%, and 88.1 (±0.4)% respectively. When the low temperature was 12-15 °C, the average removals were 78.6 (±1.1)%, 90.5 (±1.3)%, 73.7 (±1.13)%, and 86.6 (±1.7)%, respectively. Compared with the traditional anaerobic/anoxic/aerobic (A2O) process under the same conditions, the TN removal was increased by 15.4%, and the TP removal was increased by 22.2%. This system has obvious advantages in treating wastewater with low C/N ratio, thereby solving the problem wherein the effluent of biological phosphorus removal from low C/N ratio domestic sewage was difficult when it was lower than 0.5 mg/L.

Successfully treated recalcitrant atopic eczema with acupoint autohemotherapy: A case report and hypothesized mechanism of the therapy / 中西医结合学报

Acupoint autohemotherapy at bilateral Zusanli (ST36) and Xuehai (SP10) was used to treat a 26-year-old female patient who had suffered from recalcitrant atopic eczema (AE) for five years. The treatment was applied at a frequency of once per week for the first month, followed by a three-month period of once every other week. At the end of treatment, the patient's AE symptoms were entirely resolved, and by the end of a six-month follow-up her immunoglobulin E level had returned to the normal range. Further, there was no relapse of AE symptoms during the six-month follow-up. Therefore, we hypothesized that after the repeated treatments the local inflammatory reaction induced by autologous blood injection triggered a local immune response, followed by a systemic immune response after the repeated treatment, finally leading to the anti-inflammation and immunomodulation effects. This case suggests that acupoint autohemotherapy could be used as an effective complementary treatment for recalcitrant AE, especially in cases where other treatments have failed. Further comparative studies are needed to corroborate the value and mechanisms of this therapy.

[Isolation of Fusarium and identification of its toxins from tuberous root of Pseudostellaria heterophylla].

Fusarium is the major pathogen of root rot of Pseudostellaria heterophylla. This study aims to explain the possible distribution of Fusarium species and the contamination of its toxin-chemotypes in tuberous root of P. heterophylla. A total of 89 strains of fungi were isolated from the tuberous root of P. heterophylla. Among them, 29 strains were identified as Fusarium by ITS2 sequence, accounting for 32.5%. They were identified as five species of F. avenaceum, F. tricinctum, F. fujikuroi, F. oxysporum, and F. graminearum based on ß-Tubulin and EF-1α genes. LC-MS/MS detected 18, 1, and 5 strains able to produce ZEN, DON, and T2, which accounted for 62.1%, 3.4%, and 17.2%, respectively. Strain JK3-3 can produce ZEN, DON, and T2, while strains BH1-4-1, BH6-5, and BH16-2 can produce ZEN and T2. PCR detected six key synthase genes of Tri1, Tri7, Tri8, Tri13, PKS14, and PKS13 in strain JK3-3, which synthesized three toxins of ZEN, DON, and T2. Four key synthase genes of Tri8, Tri13, PKS14, and PKS13 were detected in strains BH1-4-1, BH6-5, and BH16-2, which were responsible for the synthesis of ZEN and T2. The results showed that the key genes of toxin biosynthesis were highly correlated with the toxins produced by Fusarium, and the biosynthesis of toxin was strictly controlled by the genetic information of the strain. This study provides a data basis for the targeted prevention and control of exo-genous mycotoxins in P. heterophylla and a possibility for the development of PCR for rapid detection of toxin contamination.

[Screening of zearalenone-degrading bacteria and analysis of degradation conditions].

Zearalenone(ZEN) is a mycotoxin produced by Fusarium, possessing estrogen-like effects, carcinogenicity, and multiple toxicities. To seek more efficient and practical agents for biological detoxification and broaden their application, this study isolated 194 bacterial strains from the moldy tuberous root of Pseudostellaria heterophylla, which were co-cultured with ZEN. An efficient ZEN-degrading strain H4-3-C1 was screened out by HPLC and identified as Acinetobacter calcoaceticus by morphological observation and molecular identification. The effects of culture medium, inoculation dose, culture time, pH, and temperature on the degradation of ZEN by H4-3-C1 strain were investigated. The mechanism of ZEN degradation and the degrading effect in Coicis Semen were discussed. The degradation rate of 5 µg·mL~(-1) ZEN by H4-3-C1 strain was 85.77% in the LB medium(pH 6) at 28 ℃/180 r·min~(-1) for 24 h with the inoculation dose of 1%. The degradation rate of ZEN in the supernatant of strain culture was higher than that in the intracellular fluid and thalli. The strain was inferred to secret extracellular enzymes to degrade ZEN. In addition, the H4-3-C1 strain could also degrade ZEN in Coicis Semen. If the initial content of ZEN in Coicis Semen was reduced from 90 µg·g~(-1) to 40.68 µg·g~(-1), the degradation rate could reach 54.80%. This study is expected to provide a new strain and application technology for the biological detoxification of ZEN in food processing products and Chinese medicinal materials.

The Blood Lead Levels of Children and the Loss of Ca2+ from Neurons Owing to Lead.

In order to understand current blood lead levels (BLLs), we investigated the BLLs of children in Sichuan Province from 2011 to 2020. We then monitored the treatment effects of calcium in children with high BLLs to assess their treatment status. Finally, we explored the effects of lead on Ca2+ through in-situ experiments. Whole blood samples were used for BLL tests. The BLLs of 76,362 children aged 0-7 years were measured using atomic absorption spectrometry. The median BLL was 35 µg/L (interquartile range: 28-47). The BLLs were significantly higher in boys than in girls (p < 0.001). The BLLs generally decreased annually and increased with age. The overall prevalence of BLLs ≥ 100 µg/L was 1.20%. The children with high BLLs received subsequent check-ups, and the median time required for effective treatment was 18 months. We observed that lead exposure led to a gradual and persistent loss of Ca2+ levels in neurons of mice brain slices, and the effect did not subside immediately even after the lead was removed. China has made rapid progress in pediatric healthcare, but the treatment status remains unsatisfactory. Because lead causes an irreversible loss of Ca2+, there is an urgent need to develop new standardized treatments to reduce the treatment duration.

Antibiotics prescription for targeted therapy of pediatric invasive pneumococcal diseases in China: a multicenter retrospective study.

BACKGROUND: Streptococcus pneumoniae (S. pneumoniae) is a major cause of bacterial meningitis, septicemia and pneumonia in children. Inappropriate choice of antibiotic can have important adverse consequences for both the individual and the community. Here, we focused on penicillin/cefotaxime non-susceptibility of S. pneumoniae and evaluated appropriateness of targeted antibiotic therapy for children with IPD (invasive pneumococcal diseases) in China. METHODS: A multicenter retrospective study was conducted in 14 hospitals from 13 provinces in China. Antibiotics prescription, clinical features and resistance patterns of IPD cases from January 2012 to December 2017 were collected. Appropriateness of targeted antibiotics therapy was assessed. RESULTS: 806 IPD cases were collected. The non-susceptibility rates of S. pneumoniae to penicillin and cefotaxime were 40.9% and 20.7% respectively in 492 non-meningitis cases, whereas those were 73.2% and 43.0% respectively in 314 meningitis cases. Carbapenems were used in 21.3% of non-meningitis cases and 42.0% of meningitis cases for targeted therapy. For 390 non-meningitis cases with isolates susceptible to cefotaxime, vancomycin and linezolid were used in 17.9% and 8.7% of cases respectively for targeted therapy. For 179 meningitis cases with isolates susceptible to cefotaxime, vancomycin and linezolid were prescribed in 55.3% and 15.6% of cases respectively. Overall, inappropriate targeted therapies were identified in 361 (44.8%) of 806 IPD cases, including 232 (28.8%) cases with inappropriate use of carbapenems, 169 (21.0%) cases with inappropriate use of vancomycin and 62 (7.7%) cases with inappropriate use of linezolid. CONCLUSIONS: Antibiotic regimens for IPD definite therapy were often excessive with extensive prescription of carbapenems, vancomycin or linezolid in China. Antimicrobial stewardship programs should be implemented to improve antimicrobial use.

The MYB transcription factor Baymax1 plays a critical role in rice male fertility.

Key message Rice male fertility gene Baymax1, isolated through map-based cloning, encodes a MYB transcription factor and is essential for rice tapetum and microspore development.Abstract The mining and characterization of male fertility gene will provide theoretical and material basis for future rice production. In Arabidopsis, the development of male organ (namely anther), usually involves the coordination between MYB (v-myb avian myeloblastosis viral oncogene homolog) and bHLH (basic helix-loop-helix) members. However, the role of MYB proteins in rice anther development remains poorly understood. In this study, we isolated and characterized a male sterile mutant (with normal vegetative growth) of Baymax1 (BM1), which encodes a MYB protein. The bm1 mutant exhibited slightly lagging meiosis, aborted transition of the tapetum to a secretory type, premature tapetal degeneration, and abnormal pollen exine formation, leading to ultimately lacks of visible pollens in the mature white anthers. Map-based cloning, complementation and targeted mutagenesis using CRISPR/Cas9 technology demonstrated that the mutated LOC_Os04g39470 is the causal gene in bm1. BM1 is preferentially expressed in rice anthers from stage 5 to stage 10. Phylogenetic analysis indicated that rice BM1 and its homologs in millet, maize, rape, cabbage, and pigeonpea are evolutionarily conserved. BM1 can physically interacts with bHLH protein TIP2, EAT1, and PHD (plant homeodomain)-finger member TIP3, respectively. Moreover, BM1 affects the expression of several known genes related to tapetum and microspore development. Collectively, our results suggest that BM1 is one of key regulators for rice male fertility and may serve as a potential target for rice male-sterile line breeding and hybrid seed production.

Normobaric hyperoxia plays a protective role against renal ischemia-reperfusion injury by activating the Nrf2/HO-1 signaling pathway.

Following renal ischemia-reperfusion injury (RIRI), because of the decrease in oxygen supply to the kidney, a large amount of oxygen-free radicals is generated, and in severe cases, tissue cells will undergo apoptosis or even die. Normobaric hyperoxia (NBHO) is a very common clinical adjuvant treatment. It restores the oxygen supply after renal ischemia and combats oxidative stress in tissues, thus playing a protective role. In this study, our aim is to elucidate the protective mechanism of NBHO inhalation in a rat RIRI model. We performed a surgical excision of the left kidney of the rat and established a right kidney solitary kidney model. Later, the right renal pedicle of the rat was clamped using a non-invasive vascular clamp for 45 min. After the vascular clamp was released and reperfused for 24 h, the rat was placed in a closed oxygen chamber. It was subjected to inhalation of high-concentration oxygen (50%-55%), 2 h daily, for 7 days.RIRI induces postoperative weight loss, impaired renal function, increased oxygen free radicals, reduced antioxidant substances, increased histopathological damage, and increased levels of apoptosis. These effects were significantly improved after treatment with NBHO. At the same time, NBHO significantly increased the expression levels of Nrf2 and HO-1 in the tissues after RIRI. To verify whether HO-1 induced by Nrf2 is involved in the resistance to oxidative stress, after the rat RIRI and before inhaling NBHO, we intraperitoneally injected HO-1 specific inhibitor zinc protoporphyrin (ZnPP) (45 µmol/Kg). However, we found that ZnPP reversed the protective effect of NBHO on RIRI in rats. Combining all the results, we have demonstrated the protective effect of NBHO on RIRI, which can be at least partially attributed to the activation of the Nrf2/HO-1 antioxidative stress pathway.

Altered Default Mode Network and Salience Network Functional Connectivity in Patients with Generalized Anxiety Disorders: An ICA-Based Resting-State fMRI Study.

This study aimed to explore the role of the default mode network (DMN) and salience network (SN) in the assessment of pathophysiology of generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) through analyzing the characteristics of internal function connectivity (FC) and to investigate the relationship of FC with Hamilton anxiety (HAMA) scale scores in untreated GAD patients during a resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI). Rs-fMRI and HAMA scale scoring were performed in 51 GAD patients (31 GAD patients with liver stagnation transforming into fire type and 20 GAD patients with stagnation of liver-Qi syndrome type) and 20 healthy controls. Spearman correlation analysis was performed to assess the association between HAMA scores and abnormal brain FC. Compared with healthy controls, the FC of the right medial prefrontal gyrus of the DMN and the right superior temporal gyrus of the SN increased significantly in the GAD patients (P < 0.001). However, the FC of the left middle frontal gyrus and bilateral medial superior frontal gyrus of the SN reduced significantly in the GAD patients with stagnation of liver-Qi syndrome type as compared with healthy controls and GAD patients with liver stagnation transforming into fire type (P < 0.001). There was no relationship between abnormal brain FC and HAMA scores. In conclusion, the FC of the DMN and SN may be abnormal in the GAD patients at the resting state. The aberrant FC of some crucial brain regions of these networks may contribute to the pathophysiology of GAD.

A protocol of systematic review and meta-analysis of Mozart's Music for drug-resistant epilepsy.

BACKGROUND: This study will aim to assess the effectiveness of Mozart's Music (MM) for the management of patients with drug-resistant epilepsy (DRE). METHODS: In this study, we will search MEDLINE, EMBASE, Cochrane Library, Web of Science, CINAHL, Chinese Scientific Journal Database Information, WANGFANG, and China National Knowledge Infrastructure from their inauguration to March 1, 2020 without language and publication time restrictions. We will also identify other literature resources, such as reference lists of any related reviews. Trial quality will be examined by Cochrane risk of bias tool; reporting bias will be identified by a funnel plot and Egger test; and statistical analysis will be undertaken by RevMan 5.3 software. RESULTS: This study will summarize high quality randomized controlled trials to appraise the effectiveness and safety of MM for the treatment of patients with DRE. CONCLUSIONS: The findings of this study will supply evidence to judge whether MM is effective on DRE at evidence-based medicine level. STUDY REGISTRATION NUMBER: CRD42020170512.

Distribution of Traditional Chinese Medicine Syndromes and Relevant Factors in 6 Months After Percutaneous Coronary Intervention / 中国实验方剂学杂志

Objective:To investigate the distribution of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) syndromes in patients with coronary heart disease (CHD) in 6 months after interventional therapy, and to analyze relevant influencing factors. Method:The clinical data of 1 000 patients with coronary heart disease in 6 months after interventional therapy, including the four diagnosis information of TCM, were collected, and the distribution of TCM syndromes and the influencing factors were analyzed. Result:Among 48 kinds of information about the four diagnostic methods of TCM, chest pain was the most frequent (98.10%)， among 9 kinds of common TCM syndrome types, blood stasis was the most frequent (89.90%), and the others were heart-Qi deficiency syndrome, phlegm turbidity syndrome, cold-dampness syndrome, kidney-Qi deficiency syndrome, heart-Yin deficiency syndrome, kidney-Yin deficiency syndrome, Heart-Yang deficiency syndrome and kidney-Yang deficiency syndrome in turn. Among 6 common TCM syndrome types, Qi deficiency and blood stasis syndrome were the most frequent (35.40%), and the others were phlegm turbidity and blood stasis syndrome, cold congealing heart pulse syndrome, Qi-Yin deficiency syndrome, heart-kidney Yin deficiency syndrome and heart-kidney-Yang deficiency syndrome in turn. There was no significant difference in sex ratio among different syndrome types . Patients with heart-kidney Yang deficiency syndrome had no significant difference. Compared with the average age of other syndromes, there were significant differences. Common complications included hypertension, diabetes, cerebrovascular diseases and dyslipidemia, among which hypertension had the highest frequency, with significant differences from other diseases (P<0.05). Phlegm, turbidity and blood stasis were found in patients with hypertension. The risk of syndromes was higher (OR=3.29, 95% CI [2.11, 5.05]), while the risk of cold congealing heart pulse syndrome was lower (OR=0.56, 95% CI [0.32, 0.98]), the risk of Qi and Yin deficiency was higher (OR=2.88, 95% CI [2.01, 4.99]), whereas the risk of heart and kidney Yang deficiency was lower (OR=0.54, 95% CI [0.29, 0.95]) when complicated with cerebrovascular diseases. The risk of Qi deficiency and blood stasis was higher (OR=2.97, 95% CI [2.05, 5.28]), while the risk of heart and kidney Yang deficiency was lower (OR=0.54, 95% CI [0.29, 0.95])， the risk of phlegm turbidity and blood stasis was higher when complicated with dyslipidemia (OR=3.55, 95% CI [2.32, 5.29]), and the risk of heart and kidney Yang deficiency was lower (OR=0.54, 95% CI [0.29, 0.95]). The time distribution of the disease had obvious seasonal characteristics. Conclusion:The main distribution characteristics of TCM syndromes in 6 months after coronary heart disease intervention are basically the same as those in patients without intervention. The main TCM syndromes are Qi deficiency and blood stasis syndrome, phlegm turbidity and blood stasis syndrome, cold congealing heart pulse syndrome, Qi-Yin deficiency syndrome, heart-kidney Yin deficiency syndrome and heart-kidney-Yang deficiency syndrome. The distribution pattern may be related to age, complications and seasons.