Extraction and analysis of high-quality chloroplast DNA with reduced nuclear DNA for medicinal plants.

BACKGROUND: Obtaining high-quality chloroplast genome sequences requires chloroplast DNA (cpDNA) samples that meet the sequencing requirements. The quality of extracted cpDNA directly impacts the efficiency and accuracy of sequencing analysis. Currently, there are no reported methods for extracting cpDNA from Erigeron breviscapus. Therefore, we developed a suitable method for extracting cpDNA from E. breviscapus and further verified its applicability to other medicinal plants. RESULTS: We conducted a comparative analysis of chloroplast isolation and cpDNA extraction using modified high-salt low-pH method, the high-salt method, and the NaOH low-salt method, respectively. Subsequently, the number of cpDNA copies relative to the nuclear DNA (nDNA ) was quantified via qPCR. As anticipated, chloroplasts isolated from E. breviscapus using the modified high-salt low-pH method exhibited intact structures with minimal cell debris. Moreover, the concentration, purity, and quality of E. breviscapus cpDNA extracted through this method surpassed those obtained from the other two methods. Furthermore, qPCR analysis confirmed that the modified high-salt low-pH method effectively minimized nDNA contamination in the extracted cpDNA. We then applied the developed modified high-salt low-pH method to other medicinal plant species, including Mentha haplocalyx, Taraxacum mongolicum, and Portulaca oleracea. The resultant effect on chloroplast isolation and cpDNA extraction further validated the generalizability and efficacy of this method across different plant species. CONCLUSIONS: The modified high-salt low-pH method represents a reliable approach for obtaining high-quality cpDNA from E. breviscapus. Its universal applicability establishes a solid foundation for chloroplast genome sequencing and analysis of this species. Moreover, it serves as a benchmark for developing similar methods to extract chloroplast genomes from other medicinal plants.

Effect of Intraoperative infusion Magnesium Sulfate Infusion on Postoperative Quality of Recovery in Patients Undergoing Total Knee Arthroplasty: A Prospective, Double-Blind, Randomized Controlled Trial.

Background: Magnesium sulfate, an intravenous adjuvant, has recently attracted immense attention in multimodal analgesia. Previous studies confirmed the crucial role of magnesium sulfate in postoperative pain and nociceptive hypersensitivity. However, the effect of magnesium sulfate in multimodal analgesia on the quality of recovery (QoR) for elderly patients has not been thoroughly studied. Therefore, the present experiment aimed to investigate the effect of continuous intravenous magnesium sulfate on the quality of postoperative recovery in elderly patients undergoing total knee arthroplasty (TKA). Patients and Methods: In this study, a total of 148 patients scheduled to undergo unilateral total knee arthroplasty were randomized into a magnesium sulfate group (Group M, n=68) and a control group (Group C, n=66) using a double-blind, randomized controlled trial. Before induction of anesthesia, Group M received intravenous magnesium sulfate (40 mg/kg) for 15 min, followed by a continuous infusion (15 mg/kg) until the end of the procedure. In the same manner, Group C received an infusion of the same amount of isotonic saline using the same method as the Group M. Results: Compared with Group C, Group M had significantly better QoR-15 scores on postoperative day 1(POD1) than Group C (P <0.05). Analysis of the dimensions of QoR-15 scores indicated that Group M exhibited notably reduced levels of pain, and higher levels of emotional state and physical comfort than Group C (P <0.05). Furthermore, Group C had significantly higher numerical rating scale (NRS) scores at POD1 than Group M (P <0.05). Conclusion: For elderly patients undergoing knee arthroplasty, magnesium sulfate can be used as an adjuvant in a multimodal analgesic regimen to reduce early postoperative pain and improve the quality of early postoperative recovery.

Sijunzi decoction enhances sensitivity of colon cancer cells to NK cell destruction by modulating P53 expression.

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: Sijunzi Decoction (SJZD), a traditional Chinese herbal remedy, is frequently employed in the treatment of various cancers, including colon cancer. Previous research suggests that SJZD plays a pivotal role in modulating the immune system and enhancing immunity against tumors. However, the precise role of SJZD in combating colon cancer and its potential molecular functions in regulating natural killer cells remain elusive. AIMS OF THE STUDY: To elucidate the potential mechanism underlying the anticolon cancer effects of SJZD in synergy with natural killer (NK) cells through both in vivo and in vitro experiments. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In vivo experiments: A subcutaneous tumor mouse model of colon cancer and in vivo NK cell depletion experiments were conducted to observe the anticolon cancer effects of SJZD. Flow cytometry assessed immune cell depletion in mouse spleens, while immunohistochemical (IHC) staining detected the expression of apoptotic genes in tumor tissues. In vitro experiments: The mechanism by which SJZD regulates the sensitization of colon cancer cells to NK cells was investigated using real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), western blotting (WB), and co-culture experiments with NK cells. RESULTS: Sijunzi Decoction (SJZD) significantly impeded tumor growth in mice; however, NK cell depletion markedly attenuated the tumor-suppressive effect of SJZD. Immunohistochemical (IHC) results indicated that SJZD increased the expression of P53, death receptor 4 (DR4), and death receptor 5 (DR5) in tumor tissues. In vitro experiments, 24 h SJZD-pretreated colon cancer cells showed a substantial elevation in P53, DR4, and DR5 levels, and the activity of colon cancer cells significantly diminished after co-culture with NK cells. These effects of SJZD were reversed with the addition of the P53 inhibitor pifithrin-α (PFT-α), resulting in reduced inhibition of colon cancer cells by NK cells. CONCLUSION: SJZD enhances the levels of DR4 and DR5 through the modulation of P53 expression, consequently increasing the sensitivity of colon cancer cells to NK cell-mediated killing. These findings provide a theoretical foundation for the clinical application of SJZD in patients with colon cancer. In this study, we first investigated the effect of SJZD on subcutaneous tumor growth in mice with colon cancer using in vivo assays and assessed the impact of NK cells on the anticolon cancer effect of SJZD in vivo through NK cell depletion. In vitro experiments were conducted to explore the potential mechanism of action of SJZD in NK cell-mediated anticolon cancer effects.

Effect of surface modification on the distribution of magnetic nanorings in hepatocellular carcinoma and immune cells.

Magnetic nanomaterial-mediated magnetic hyperthermia is a localized heating treatment modality that has been applied to treat aggressive cancer in clinics. In addition to being taken up by tumor cells to function in cancer therapy, magnetic nanomaterials can also be internalized by immune cells in the tumor microenvironment, which may contribute to regulating the anti-tumor immune effects. However, there exists little studies on the distribution of magnetic nanomaterials in different types of cells within tumor tissue. Herein, ferrimagnetic vortex-domain iron oxide nanorings (FVIOs) with or without the liver-cancer-targeting peptide SP94 have been successfully synthesized as a model system to investigate the effect of surface modification of FVIOs (with or without SP94) on the distribution of tumor cells and different immune cells in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) microenvironment of a mouse. The distribution ratio of FVIO-SP94s in tumor cells was 1.3 times more than that of FVIOs. Immune cells in the liver tumor microenvironment took up fewer FVIO-SP94s than FVIOs. In addition, myeloid cells were found to be much more amenable than lymphoid cells in terms of their ability to phagocytose nanoparticles. Specifically, the distributions of FVIOs/FVIO-SP94s in tumor-associated macrophages, dendritic cells, and myeloid-derived suppressor cells were 13.8%/12%, 3.7%/0.9%, and 6.3%/1.2%, respectively. While the distributions of FVIOs/FVIO-SP94s in T cells, B cells, and natural killer cells were 5.5%/0.7%, 3.0%/0.7%, and 0.4%/0.3%, respectively. The results described in this article enhance our understanding of the distribution of nanomaterials in the tumor microenvironment and provide a strategy for rational design of magnetic hyperthermia agents that can effectively regulate anti-tumor immune effects.

Fine-Scale Characterization of Plant Diterpene Glycosides Using Energy-Resolved Untargeted LC-MS/MS Metabolomics Analysis.

Plant diterpene glycosides are essential for diverse physiological processes. Comprehensive structural characterization proved to be a challenge due to variations in glycosylation patterns, diverse aglycone structures, and the absence of comprehensive reference databases. In this study, a method for fine-scale characterization was proposed based on energy-resolved (ER) untargeted LC-MS/MS metabolomics analysis using steviol glycosides as a demonstration. Energy-dependent fragmentation patterns were unveiled by a series of model compounds. Distinct glycosylation sites were discerned by leveraging varying fragmentation energies for the precursor ions. The sugar moiety linkage at C19OOH (R1) exhibited facile and intact cleavage at low collision energies, while the sugar moiety at C13-OH (R2) demonstrated consecutive cleavage with increasing energy. Aglycone ions exhibited a higher relative intensity at NCE 50, with relative intensities ranging from 95% to 100%. Subsequently, aglycone candidates, R1 sugar composition, and R2 sugar sequence were deduced through ER-MS/MS analysis. The developed method was applied to Stevia rebaudiana leaves. A total of 91 diterpene glycosides were unambiguously identified, including 16 steviol glycosides with novel acetylglycosylation patterns. This method offers a rapid alternative for glycan analysis and the structural differentiation of isomers. The developed method enhances the understanding of diterpene glycosides in plants, providing a reliable tool for the in-depth characterization of complex metabolite profiles.

Effects of conventional nursing in the operating room combined with transcutaneous electrical acupoint stimulation on postoperative cognitive dysfunction after total knee arthroplasty in elderly patients.

BACKGROUND: To observe the effects of conventional theatre nursing combined with transcutaneous electrical acupoint stimulation (TEAS) on postoperative cognitive dysfunction (POCD) in elderly total knee arthroplasty (TKA) patients. METHODS: Forty elderly TKA patients were randomly divided into a conventional nursing (control) group and a TEAS group. Using conventional nursing, TEAS was used to stimulate the "Zusanli" and "Sanyinjiao" in the healthy leg of patients in the TEAS group. All patients received mini-mental (MMSE) scores 1 day before surgery (T0) and 1, 3, and 7 days after surgery (T1, T3, T7). Plasma levels of interleukin-1 (IL-1ß), interleukin-6 (IL-6), tumor necrosis factor (TNF-α), and S100ß were measured using venous blood samples. RESULTS: There were no significant differences in baseline clinical characteristics between the two groups. Compared to T0, the MMSE scores of patients in the control group were significantly reduced at T1 and T3 (P < 0.05). Compared to the control group, the MMSE scores of patients in the TEAS group increased significantly at T3 (P < 0.05). The incidence of POCD in the TEAS group was 10%, lower than in the control group (40%) (P < 0.05). The levels of IL-1ß, IL-6, TNF-α and S-100ß in patients in the TEAS group were lower than in the control group on days T1, T3 and T7 (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: Conventional intraoperative nursing combined with TEAS can reduce the incidence of POCD. The possible mechanism is related to the reduction of inflammatory response and neuronal injury with TEAS. CLINICAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: ChiCTR2300070281.

Single-cell transcriptomics reveals ferrimagnetic vortex iron oxide nanoring-mediated mild magnetic hyperthermia exerts antitumor effects by alleviating macrophage suppression in breast cancer.

The potential of Ferrimagnetic vortex iron oxide nanoring-mediated mild magnetic hyperthermia (FVIO-MHT) in solid tumor therapy has been demonstrated. However, the impact of FVIO-MHT on the tumor microenvironment (TME) remains unclear. This study utilized single-cell transcriptome sequencing to examine the alterations in the TME in response to FVIO-MHT in breast cancer. The results revealed the cellular composition within the tumor microenvironment (TME) was primarily modified due to a decrease in tumor cells and an increased infiltration of myeloid cells. Subsequently, an enhancement in active oxygen (ROS) metabolism was observed, indicating oxidative damage to tumor cells. Interestingly, FVIO-MHT reprogrammed the macrophages' phenotypes, as evidenced by alterations in the transcriptome characteristics associated with both classic and alternative activated phenotypes. And an elevated level of ROS generation and oxidative phosphorylation suggested that activated phagocytosis and inflammation occurred in macrophages. Additionally, cell-cell communication analysis revealed that FVIO-MHT attenuated the suppression between tumor cells and macrophages by inhibiting phagocytic checkpoint and macrophage migration inhibitory factor signaling pathways. Inhibition of B2m, an anti-phagocytosis checkpoint, could promote macrophage-mediated phagocytosis and significantly inhibit tumor growth. These data emphasize FVIO-MHT may promote the antitumor capabilities of macrophages by alleviating the suppression between tumor cells and macrophages.

Taurine alleviates high-fat-high-glucose-induced pancreatic islet ß-cell oxidative stress and apoptosis in rat.

The effect of taurine (TAU) as a specific regulatory mediator on pancreatic function in obese rats induced by a high-fat-high-glucose (HFHG) diet was investigated. We fed male Sprague-Dawley rats under different conditions, namely the control, HFHG, TAU, and HFHG + TAU treatment groups for 4 months. Compared with the HFHG group, TAU supplementation significantly reduced malondialdehyde levels and increased superoxide dismutase, total antioxidant capacity, and glutathione levels in the rat pancreas. In addition, TAU significantly decreased the level of reactive oxygen species, and markedly increased the activity of heme oxygenase 1 (HO-1), Kelch-like ECH-associated protein 1 (KEAP-1), and nuclear factor erythrocyte-2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) in the rat pancreas. Notably, HFHG diet could induce pancreatic injury in the rats through the Nrf2/HO-1 signaling pathway and activate the mitochondrial channel-mediated apoptotic signaling pathway. The addition of TAU significantly improved the pancreatic tissue injury induced by the HFHG diet in the rats and reduced the protein expression of Caspase-3, Cleaved-caspase-3, Caspase-9 and Bcl-2 associated protein X (BAX), and increased the protein expression of B-cell lymphoma-2 (Bcl-2). In conclusion, this experiment confirmed that TAU could alleviate the oxidative stress and apoptosis induced by the HFHG diet in rat pancreatic ß-cells.

Qiji Shujiang granules alleviates dopaminergic neuronal injury of parkinson's disease by inhibiting NLRP3/Caspase-1 pathway mediated pyroptosis.

BACKGROUND: The Qiji Shujiang granule (QJG) is a traditional Chinese drug widely used in treating PD patients. However, the potential mechanism of QJG in PD therapy is still unclear. PURPOSE: This study aims to examine the neuroprotective effects of QJG and the specific mechanism by which QJG alleviates MPTP/Probenecid-induced pyroptosis and offers an alternative for PD treatment. STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: We first employed network pharmacology along with molecular docking to identify potential molecular targets and pathways. Subsequently, we validated our findings of RNA-sequencing (RNA-seq) analysis and experiments in vivo and vitro. Lentiviral systems and inhibitors were used for experiments. RESULTS: The protein-protein interactions (PPI) core genes network consists of NLRP3, CASP1 (caspase-1), TP53, and MAPK8. Pathway enrichment analysis revealed that inflammatory responses related to pyroptosis were significantly enriched. The molecular docking findings showed the highest degree of centrality regarding the top three bioactive compounds following the online database. RNA-seq analysis identified that NLRP3 inflammasome was significantly downregulated in the QJG group while it was significantly upregulated in the model group. Our findings revealed that QJG dose-dependently increased the total traveled distances, enhanced the dopaminergic neurons, and accelerated the restoration of the TH protein level, showing a good antioxidant capacity through increasing the SOD levels and decreasing MDA levels. QJG significantly reduced the expression levels of NLRP3, GSDMD-N, IL-1ß, and caspase-1 in striatum tissue. Furthermore, the group treated with OE-NLRP3 decreased cell viability, increased ROS and MDA levels, and promoted NLRP3, GSDMD-N, and caspase-1, in addition to IL-1ß expression levels. Furthermore, OE-NLRP3+QJG treatment significantly reversed the effect. In vivo experiments, QJG dose-dependently alleviated motor impairment by increasing the total traveled distances, rescued dopaminergic neurons, inhibited oxidative stress through increasing the SOD levels and decreasing MDA levels and suppressed NLRP3-mediated pyroptosis by reducing the expression levels of NLRP3, GSDMD-N, IL-1ß, and caspase-1 in MPTP induced PD Mice. Moreover, in vitro experiments, the OE-NLRP3 treated group decreased cell viability, increased ROS and MDA levels, and promoted NLRP3, GSDMD-N, caspase-1, in addition to IL-1ß expression levels. Furthermore, OE-NLRP3+QJG treatment significantly reversed the effect. CONCLUSIONS: This study provides pharmacological support for the use of QJG in the treatment of PD. Herein, we concluded that QJG induced the alleviation of pyroptosis by inhibiting the NLRP3/caspase-1 pathway to exert a neuroprotective effect.

New di-spirocyclic labdane diterpenoids from the aerial parts of Leonurus japonicus.

Phytochemical investigation on the ethanol extract of a well-known medicinal herb Leonurus japonicus, led to the separation of 18 labdane type diterpenoids (1-18). Through comprehensive spectroscopic analyses and quantum chemical calculations, these compounds were structurally characterized as six new interesting 5,5,5-di-spirocyclic ones (1-6), two new (7 and 8) and six known (13-18) interesting 6,5,5-di-spirocyclic ones, a new rare 14,15-dinor derivative (9), and three new ones incorporating a γ-lactone unit (10-12). An in vitro neuroprotective assay in RSC96 cells revealed that compounds 7 and 12 exhibited neuroprotective activity in a concentration-dependent way, comparable to the reference drug N-acetylcysteine.

Fermented Gynochthodes officinalis (F.C.How) Razafim. & B.Bremer alleviates diabetic erectile dysfunction by attenuating oxidative stress and regulating PI3K/Akt/eNOS pathway.

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: As a traditional Chinese medicine, Gynochthodes officinalis (F.C.How) Razafim. & B.Bremer (G. officinalis) has been historically as tonics to treat impotence. Fermentation is an ancient processing method for traditional Chinese medicine. Whether fermentation affects the therapeutic effects of G. officinalis on diabetic erectile dysfunction has so far remained unknown. AIMS OF THE STUDY: In this research, we aim to determine the effect of fermented or unfermented G. officinalis root extract on diabetes mellitus-induced erectile dysfunction (DMED) and the potential mechanisms. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Candida sp. B5, Lactobacillus sp. Y5 and Lactobacillus sp. R2 are applied for the fermentation of G. officinalis. The optimum fermentation conditions of G. officinalis are investigated. Sprague-Dawley rats were used to establish a diabetic erectile dysfunction model, treated with different concentrations of fermented or unfermented G. officinalis, to compare the effect of fermented or unfermented G. officinalis on DMED and explore underlying mechanisms by assessment of intracavernous pressure, ELISA, Western blot, Masson's trichrome staining, and immunofluorescence. The corpus cavernosum smooth muscle cells (CCSMCs) and Schwann cells were isolated and used to investigate the effect of fermented or unfermented G. officinalis on hydrogen peroxide (H2O2)-induced apoptosis. RESULTS: The results reveal the optimum fermentation conditions of G. officinalis using Lactobacillus sp. Y5 were determined to be 35 °C, the ratio of solid to liquid 1:10, and six days of fermentation. The fermentation increases the abundance of major active ingredients within G. officinalis. After fermented or unfermented G. officinalis treatment for eight weeks by oral gavage at a dose of 100 mg kg-1 or 300 mg kg-1, the results show that the fermentation enhances the effect of G. officinalis on diabetic erectile dysfunction detected by intracavernous pressure. The protein expressions of the PI3K/Akt/eNOS pathway were upregulated in diabetic rats after fermented or unfermented G. officinalis treatment, while the level of oxidative stress was significantly reduced. Meanwhile, Masson's trichrome staining also displayed an improvement in the ratio of smooth muscle to collagen. In vitro experiments confirmed that fermented or unfermented G. officinalis protected CCSMCs and Schwann cells from apoptosis. In contrast, fermented G. officinalis showed a fortified protective effect over unfermented G. officinalis. CONCLUSION: Our findings suggest that fermentation can increase the composition of main active ingredients in G. officinalis and enhance its role in diabetic erectile dysfunction. It augurs the potential therapeutic application of fermented G. officinalis well for treating diabetic erectile dysfunction.

Zinc Water Prevents Autism-Like Behaviors in the BTBR Mice.

This study aims to explore the effects of zinc water on autism-like behavior, convulsion threshold, and neurogenesis in ASD model animals. This study used the young BTBR ASD mouse model to explore the effect of a 6-week zinc water supplementation on ASD-like behaviors such as repetitive behavior and social communication disorder, seizure threshold, and the correlation with excitability regulation. The mice were divided into four groups of normal controls (B6) and models (BTBR) who did and did not receive zinc supplementation in water (B6, B6 + zinc, BTBR, and BTBR + zinc). For morphological changes in the hippocampus, we selected two indicators: hippocampal mossy fiber sprouting and neurogenesis. ASD-like behavior testing, seizure threshold determination, Timm staining, and neurogenesis-related assays-represented by Ki67 and DCX-were performed after 6 weeks of zinc supplementation. Our results show that zinc water can prevent autism-like behavior, reduce susceptibility to convulsions, and increase the proliferation of hippocampal progenitor cells in BTBR mice but has less effect on mossy fiber sprouting and neural progenitor cell differentiation. Zinc water reduces autism-like behavior in a partially inherited autism model mice-BTBR-which may be associated with hippocampal neural precursor cell proliferation and reversed hyperexcitability.

Black rice anthocyanin extract enhances the antioxidant capacity in PC12 cells and improves the lifespan by activating IIS pathway in Caenorhabditis elegans.

Black rice is rich in anthocyanins, and the antioxidant effect of anthocyanins is recognized by consumers. The aim of this study was to identify the molecular mechanisms underlying the antioxidant activity of black rice anthocyanin extract (BRAE) in PC12 cells and C. elegans. Results showed that BRAE increased antioxidant enzyme activities and decreased the accumulation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and malondialdehyde in PC12 cells induced by H2O2. Meanwhile, BRAE extended the lifespan, enhanced resistance to stress, increased antioxidant enzyme activities, and reduced lipofuscin, ROS, and MDA accumulation in wild-type C. elegans. The polyQ40 aggregation in AM141, paralysis in CL4176, and chemotaxis deficit in CL2355 were alleviated by BRAE administration. BRAE downregulated the mRNA expression of age-1 and daf-2, while upregulated the daf-16 mRNA level and SOD-3, CTL-1, and GST-4 protein expression. Mutational lifespan tests and molecular docking showed that insulin pathway might be involved in the mechanism of lifespan extension.

Novel Method for Comprehensive Annotation of Plant Glycosides Based on Untargeted LC-HRMS/MS Metabolomics.

Glycosides are a large family of secondary metabolites in plants, which play a critical role in plant growth and development. Due to the complexity and diversity in structures and the limited availability of authentic standards, comprehensive annotation of the glycosides remains a great challenge. In this study, using maize as an example, a deep annotation method of glycosides was proposed based on untargeted liquid chromatography-high-resolution tandem mass spectrometry metabolomics analysis. First, knowledge-based in silico aglycone and glycosyl/acyl-glycosyl libraries were built. A total of 1240 known and potential aglycones from databases and literature were recorded. Next, the MS parameters beneficial to aglycone ion-rich MS/MS were explored using 1782 high-resolution MS/MS spectra of glycosides from the MassBank of North America (MoNA) and confirmed by 52 authentic glycoside standards. Then, screening rules for aglycon ions in MS/MS were recommended. Glycoside candidates were further filtered by MS/MS-based chemical classification and MS/MS similarity of aglycon-glycoside pairs. Finally, the glycosylation sites of flavonoid mono-O-glycosides were recommended by characteristic fragmentation patterns. The developed method was validated using glycosides and nonglycosides from the MoNA library. The annotation accuracy rates were 96.8, 94.9, and 98.0% in negative ion mode (ESI-), positive ion mode (ESI+), and the combined ESI- & ESI+, respectively. The annotation specificity was 99.6% (ESI-), 99.6% (ESI+), and 99.2% (ESI- & ESI+). A total of 274 glycosides (including 34 acyl-glycosides) were tentatively annotated in maize by the developed method. The method enables effective and reliable annotation for plant glycosides.

Effectiveness and safety research of Qingfei Paidu (QFPD) in treatment of COVID-19: an up-to-date systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Since the outbreak of COVID-19 in 2019, the global economy, culture, politics, and people's lives and health have been severely damaged and threatened. Although western modern medical treatment has made great efforts, the treatment of COVID-19 has not achieved ideal clinical efficacy with severe sequelae. Qingfei Paidu (QFPD), an important herbal prescription for COVID-19 treatment, has shown remarkable therapeutic effects in China's fight against the epidemic. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We searched seven databases up to 7 September 2022, including PubMed, Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), Wanfang Database, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL), EMBASE, World Scientific and SpringerLink. We used the Cochrane Risk of Bias tool to assess the quality of randomized controlled trials. All analysis results were conducted by RevMan 5.4.1 to carry out a meta-analysis. RESULTS: Fifteen studies with 10390 patients were included. QFPD could not only significantly improve the cure rate and lung CT of COVID-19, reduce the number of patients turning to critical condition and death, shorten the time for nucleic acid conversion and the length of hospital stay, but change laboratory indexes and relieve body symptoms quickly without adverse effects. CONCLUSIONS: Compared with patients only treated by conventional western treatment (CWM), QFPD combined with CWM could be more effective for patients. It is worth spreading to other countries in the global battle against COVID-19.

Hawthorn fruit extract ameliorates H2O2-induced oxidative damage in neuronal PC12 cells and prolongs the lifespan of Caenorhabditis elegans via the IIS signaling pathway.

Hawthorn (Crataegus pinnatifida) fruit has a long history of use as traditional Chinese medicine and is shown to have many health benefits including antioxidant and anti-aging. In this study, the anti-aging mechanism of hawthorn fruit extract (HFE) is predicted by network pharmacology and further verified in H2O2-induced PC12 cells and Caenorhabditis elegans. Network pharmacology predicted that the antiaging mechanism of HFE is mainly involved in phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K)/AKT and the insulin/insulin-like growth factor-1 (IIS) signaling pathway. HFE significantly improved cell viability, increased superoxide dismutase, catalase, and glutathione peroxidase activity, decreased lactate dehydrogenase release, the level of reactive oxygen species (ROS), and malondialdehyde content in H2O2-induced PC12 cells (p < 0.05). HFE significantly increased the mean lifespan of C. elegans by 28.43% (100 µg mL-1) and enhanced the stress resistance to H2O2, paraquat, juglone, ultraviolet radiation, and heat shock. HFE also suppressed the accumulation of aging pigments, improved the body bending ability, increased antioxidant enzyme activities, and reduced the contents of ROS and malondialdehyde. In addition, relevant gene expression, lifespan experiments with mutant strains, and molecular docking studies supported the results that HFE might extend lifespan through the IIS signal pathway.

Effects of Taurine on Serum Indexes of Broilers with Chronic Heat Stress.

The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of taurine on tissue injury, protein metabolism, and basal metabolism of broilers after chronic heat stress by detecting serum physiological and biochemical indices. In the test, 240 AA + broilers at 7 days of age were randomly divided into five groups: the normal temperature control group (24 ± 2 °C) in group C, the heat stress control group (34 ± 2 °C) in HS group, and the LTau, MTau, and HTau groups in heat under stress conditions, 0.5, 2, and 8 g/L taurine were added to the drinking water, and each group was repeated three times. After 2 weeks of feeding at normal temperature, heat stress began. The test period was 4 weeks. Blood was collected at 6 h, 12 h, 7 d, 14 d, 21 d, and 28 d after heat stress, and serum was separated. The results showed that compared with the HS group, the MTau group had significantly higher total serum protein content (P < 0.05), while the other groups were not significantly different (P > 0.05). The MTau and HTau groups had significantly lower serum uric acid levels than the HS group (P < 0.05). At 7d and 14d, the LTau, MTau, and HTau groups all showed significantly increased T3 and T4 concentrations (P < 0.05). There was no significant difference between the groups thereafter (P > 0.05). Compared with HS group, the MTau group contained significantly reduced serum CK activity, LDH activity, AST activity, and ALT activity (P < 0.05). In conclusion, the effects of taurine on tissue damage, protein metabolism, and basal metabolism of broilers after chronic heat stress were studied by measuring serum physiological and biochemical indices. To provide a theoretical basis for the application of taurine in acute heat-stressed broilers.

Antioxidant Effect of Taurine on Chronic Heat-Stressed Broilers.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of taurine on blood indices of broilers with chronic heat stress and to provide theoretical basis for the application of taurine in the anti-chronic heat stress of broilers. In the test, 240 AA + broilers at 7 days of age were randomly divided into five groups: the normal temperature control group (24 ± 2 °C) in group C, the heat stress control group (34 ± 2 °C) in HS group, and the LTau, MTau, and HTau groups in heat under stress conditions, 0.5 g/L, 2 g/L, and 8 g/L taurine, were added to the drinking water, and each group was repeated three times. After 2 weeks of feeding at normal temperature, heat stress began. The test period was 4 weeks. Blood was collected at 6 h, 12 h, 7 d, 14 d, 21 d, and 28 d after heat stress, and serum was separated. The results showed that compared with the HS group, MTau significantly increased the total serum protein content (P < 0.05), but the other groups were not significantly different (P > 0.05). The MTau and HTau groups contained significantly lowered serum uric acid levels than the HS group (P < 0.05). At 7d and 14d, the LTau, MTau, and HTau groups all exhibited significantly increased T3 and T4 concentrations (P < 0.05). There was no significant difference between the groups at other times (P > 0.05). Compared with the HS group, the MTau group contained significantly reduced serum CK activity, LDH activity, AST activity, and ALT activity (P < 0.05). Compared with the LTau, MTau, and HTau groups, serum MDA content was significantly increased in the heat-stressed broilers (P < 0.05). MTau group contained significantly increased T-AOC, SOD, CAT, and GSH-PX levels (P < 0.05). The other groups were not significantly different (P > 0.05). Compared with group C, serum HSP60 and HSP70 levels were significantly elevated in the HS group (P < 0.05). Compared with the HS group, the LTau and MTau groups contained significantly increased serum HSP60 and HSP70 concentrations (P < 0.05), but the other groups were not significantly different (P > 0.05). In conclusion, taurine can alleviate the symptoms of chronic heat stress of broilers, regulate the metabolism of the body, and improve the antioxidant activity of the body.

A data processing pipeline for petroleomics based on liquid chromatography-high resolution mass spectrometry.

Online liquid chromatography coupled with high-resolution mass spectrometry (LC-HRMS) has attracted much attention in the molecular characterization of crude oil. Neither open access nor commercially available petroleomics tools were developed specifically to process LC-HRMS data. Here, a novel data processing pipeline was specifically designed for LC-HRMS-based petroleomics data. A customizable formula database was established deriving from the detected sample, which could avoid the interference caused by a large number of redundant molecules in a conventionally theoretical molecular database. Molecular formula candidates were assigned by the formula database using a low noise threshold, and false-positive assignments were eliminated by the chromatographic retention behaviors. Multi-dimensional information was obtained, including heteroatom class, double bond equivalent (DBE), carbon number, retention time, and MS/MS spectra. The developed method was compared with a popular petroleomics software, similar relative abundance class distribution was obtained, and much more formulas of low abundant components were uniquely extracted by the developed method. Finally, it was applied to reveal variation between feed and product oils in hydrodenitrogenation. Significantly compositional and structural differences were revealed. The developed method provides a useful pipeline for molecular data mining of petroleum samples.

Therapeutic effects of myricetin on atopic dermatitis in vivo and in vitro.

BACKGROUND: Myricetin (Myr) is a flavonoid compound that exist widely in many natural plants. Myr has been proven to have multiple biological functions, including immunomodulatory and anti-inflammatory effects. PURPOSE: In this study, we investigated the therapeutic effect of Myr on calcipotriol (MC903) induced atopic dermatitis (AD) mouse model and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α/interferon (IFN)-γ stimulated human immortal keratinocyte line (HaCaT) in vivo and in vitro. METHODS: MC903 was applied topically to the left ears of mice to establish AD mouse model. After the AD model established successfully, the cream base, dexamethasone (DEX) cream or Myr cream were applied on the lesions of mice for 8 days. Through measuring ear thickness and scoring dermatitis severity, we evaluated the therapeutic effect of Myr, the draining lymph nodes (DLNs) and ears of the mice were collected for mechanistic study. In addition, TNF-α and IFN-γ-activated HaCaT cells were used to investigate the underlying mechanism. RESULTS: Our data demonstrated that Myr alleviated the symptoms of AD by exerting anti-inflammatory and anti-allergic functions in vivo. We found that Myr treatment suppressed ear swelling and IgE level in the serum, reduced the infiltration of mast cells in skin lesions, decreased expressions of thymus and activation regulated chemokine (TARC), IL-4, IFN-γ and thymic stromal lymphopoietin (TSLP) in ear lesions, increased the expressions of filaggrin (FLG). Furthermore, our experimental results demonstrated that Myr down-regulated the mRNA expressions of T-bet and GATA-3 in DLNs. In vitro, Myr treatment decreased MDC and TARC expressions in IFN-γ and TNF-α-induced HaCaT cells by blocking the NF-κB and STAT1 signal pathway. CONCLUSION: The present study is the first to investigate the anti-atopic effects of Myr. Our findings suggested the therapeutic effects of Myr against MC903-induced AD-like skin lesions in mice. Therefore, Myr may be a potential therapeutic agent for AD.