A Nomogram model for the early warning of essential hypertension risks based on the principles of traditional Chinese medicine syndrome elements / 数字中医药（英文）

@#[Objective] To construct a Nomogram model for the prediction of essential hypertension (EH) risks with the use of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) syndrome elements principles in conjunction with cutting-edge biochemical detection technologies. [Methods] A case-control study was conducted, involving 301 patients with essential hypertension in the hypertensive group and 314 without in the control group. Comprehensive data, including the information on the four TCM diagnoses, general data, and blood biochemical indicators of participants in both groups, were collected separately for analysis. The differentiation principles of syndrome elements were used to discern the location and nature of hypertension. One-way analysis was carried out to screen for potential risk factors of the disease. Least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) regression was used to identify factors that contribute significantly to the model, and eliminate possible collinearity problems. At last, multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to both screen and quantify independent risk factors essential for the prediction model. The “rms” package in the R Studio was used to construct the Nomogram model, creating line segments of varying lengths based on the contribution of each risk factor to aid in the prediction of risks of hypertension. For internal model validation, the Bootstrap program package was utilized to perform 1000 repetitions of sampling and generate calibration curves. [Results] The results of the multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed that the risk factors of EH included age, heart rate (HR), waist-to-hip ratio (WHR), uric acid (UA) levels, family medical history, sleep patterns (early awakening and light sleep), water intake, and psychological traits (depression and anger). Additionally, TCM syndrome elements such as phlegm, Yin deficiency, and Yang hyperactivity contributed to the risk of EH onset as well. TCM syndrome elements liver, spleen, and kidney were also considered the risk factors of EH. Next, the Nomogram model was constructed using the aforementioned 14 risk predictors, with an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.868 and a 95% confidence interval (CI) ranging from 0.840 to 0.895. The diagnostic sensitivity and specificity were found to be 80.7% and 85.0%, respectively. Internal validation confirmed the model’s robust predictive performance, with aconsistency index (C-index) of 0.879, underscoring the model’s strong predictive ability. [Conclusion] By integrating TCM syndrome elements, the Nomogram model has realized the objective, qualitative, and quantitative selection of early warning factors for developing EH, resulting in the creation of a more comprehensive and precise prediction model for EH risks.

The chromosome-scale assembly of the Salvia rosmarinus genome provides insight into carnosic acid biosynthesis.

Rosemary (Salvia rosmarinus) is considered a sacred plant because of its special fragrance and is commonly used in cooking and traditional medicine. Here, we report a high-quality chromosome-level assembly of the S. rosmarinus genome of 1.11 Gb in size; the genome has a scaffold N50 value of 95.5 Mb and contains 40 701 protein-coding genes. In contrast to other diploid Labiataceae, an independent whole-genome duplication event occurred in S. rosmarinus at approximately 15 million years ago. Transcriptomic comparison of two S. rosmarinus cultivars with contrasting carnosic acid (CA) content revealed 842 genes significantly positively associated with CA biosynthesis in S. rosmarinus. Many of these genes have been reported to be involved in CA biosynthesis previously, such as genes involved in the mevalonate/methylerythritol phosphate pathways and CYP71-coding genes. Based on the genomes and these genes, we propose a model of CA biosynthesis in S. rosmarinus. Further, comparative genome analysis of the congeneric species revealed the species-specific evolution of CA biosynthesis genes. The genes encoding diterpene synthase and the cytochrome P450 (CYP450) family of CA synthesis-associated genes form a biosynthetic gene cluster (CPSs-KSLs-CYP76AHs) responsible for the synthesis of leaf and root diterpenoids, which are located on S. rosmarinus chromosomes 1 and 2, respectively. Such clustering is also observed in other sage (Salvia) plants, thus suggesting that genes involved in diterpenoid synthesis are conserved in the Labiataceae family. These findings provide new insights into the synthesis of aromatic terpenoids and their regulation.

Comparison of Adrenaline and Dexmedetomidine in Improving the Cutaneous Analgesia of Mexiletine in Response to Skin Pinpricks in Rats.

BACKGROUND: Adrenaline (Adr) and dexmedetomidine (Dex) are commonly used adjuvants of local anesthetics; however, the difference in the improvement of analgesia of local anesthetics between the 2 adjuvants remains unclear. OBJECTIVE: The objective of this experimental research was to evaluate the cutaneous analgesic effect of mexiletine (Mex) by coadministration with Dex or Adr. METHODS: The effect of a nociceptive block was assessed based on the inhibition of the cutaneous trunci muscle reflex in response to skin pinpricks in rats. The analgesic activity of Mex alone and Mex coadministered with Dex or Adr was evaluated after subcutaneous injections. Subcutaneous injections of drugs or combinations include Mex 0.6, 1.8, and 6.0 µmol; Adr 13.66 nmol; Dex 1.05600 nmol; saline; and Mex 1.8 and 6.0 µmol, respectively, combined with Dex 0.01056, 0.10560, and 1.05600 nmol or Adr 0.55, 2.73, and 13.66 nmol, with each injection dose of 0.6 mL. RESULTS: Subcutaneous injections of Mex elicited dose-related cutaneous analgesia. Compared with Mex (1.8 µmol), adding Dex or Adr to Mex (1.8 µmol) solutions for skin nociceptive block potentiated and prolonged the action. Mex (6.0 µmol) combined with Dex or Adr extended the duration of cutaneous analgesia when compared with Mex (6.0 µmol) alone. A high dose of Adr is more effective with Mex 1.8 µmol than that of Dex, whereas medium and low doses were less effective. Mex 6.0 µmol combined with any dose of Adr is superior to that of Dex. CONCLUSIONS: Both Dex and Adr improve the sensory block and enhance the nociceptive block duration of Mex. But in most cases, Adr is superior to Dex. It may be that different mechanisms of action of the 2 adjuvants lead to the differences.

Lectin receptor kinase OsLecRK-S.7 is required for pollen development and male fertility.

Pollen grains are covered by exine that protects the pollen from stress and facilitates pollination. Here we isolated a male sterile mutant s13283 in rice exhibiting aborted pollen with abnormal exine and defective aperture. The mutant gene encodes a novel plasma membrane-localized legume-lectin receptor kinase that we named OsLecRK-S.7. OsLecRK-S.7 was expressed at different levels in all tested tissues and throughout anther development. In vitro kinase assay showed OsLecRK-S.7 capable of autophosporylation. Mutation in s13283 (E560K) and mutation of the conserved ATP binding site (K418E) both knocked out the kinase activity. Mass spectrometry showed Thr376 , Ser378 , Thr386 , Thr403 , and Thr657 to be the autophosphorylation sites. Mutation of individual autophosphorylation site affected the in vitro kinase activity to different degrees, but did not abolish the gene function in fertility complementation. oslecrk-s.7 mutant plant overexpressing OsLecRK-S.7 recovered male fertility but showed severe growth retardation with reduced number of tillers, and these phenotypes were abolished by E560K or K418E mutation. The results indicated that OsLecRK-S.7 was a key regulator of pollen development.

Active iron bound to SOM catalyzes the oxidization of alkanes in soil by H2O2.

To explore the oxidation effects and mechanisms for the oxidation of alkanes by H2O2 in a Fenton system catalyzed by two types of iron bound to soil organic matter (Fe-SOM) in crude oil-contaminated soil, an oxidation experiment was performed in active Fe-SOM and Fe-SOM systems. The results showed that the TPH removal ability of active Fe-SOM (average 0.36 g TPH/g Fe-SOM) was 2.25-fold higher than the corresponding value of Fe-SOM. Active Fe-SOM contained both -NH2 and -OH functional groups, and had a higher content of iron with high binding energy, while Fe-SOM only contained -NH2 groups. Thus, a large yield of hydroxyl radicals (·OH) was generated (8.92 a.u.) by active Fe-SOM catalyzing the decomposition of H2O2, while the corresponding yield of ·OH in the Fe-SOM system was only 4.81 a.u. In addition, the removal efficiency of C17-C23 (70%) was comparable to that of C24-C30 (69%), not restricted by the hydrophobicity of different alkanes. The alkane removal by active Fe-SOM was higher than that by Fe-SOM, although the content of Fe-SOM was double that of active Fe-SOM. In summary, the active Fe-SOM formed in the soil sample containing humic acid-like and hydrophobic acid derivates could catalyze H2O2 decomposition to improve the removal efficiency of crude oil in contaminated soil.

Comparative proteomics reveals the physiological differences between winter tender shoots and spring tender shoots of a novel tea (Camellia sinensis L.) cultivar evergrowing in winter.

BACKGROUND: A recently discovered tea [Camellia sinensis (L.) O. Kuntze] cultivar can generate tender shoots in winter. We performed comparative proteomics to analyze the differentially accumulated proteins between winter and spring tender shoots of this clonal cultivar to reveal the physiological basis of its evergrowing character during winter. RESULTS: We extracted proteins from the winter and spring tender shoots (newly formed two leaves and a bud) of the evergrowing tea cultivar "Dongcha11" respectively. Thirty-three differentially accumulated high-confidence proteins were identified by matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization time of flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF / TOF MS). Among these, 24 proteins had increased abundance while nine showed were decreased abundance in winter tender shoots as compared with the spring tender shoots. We categorized the differentially accumulated proteins into eight critical biological processes based on protein function annotation including photosynthesis, cell structure, protein synthesis & destination, transporters, metabolism of sugars and polysaccharides, secondary metabolism, disease/defense and proteins with unknown functions. Proteins with increased abundance in winter tender shoots were mainly related to the processes of photosynthesis, cytoskeleton and protein synthesis, whereas those with decreased abundance were correlated to metabolism and the secondary metabolism of polyphenolic flavonoids. Biochemical analysis showed that the total contents of soluble sugar and amino acid were higher in winter tender shoots while tea polyphenols were lower as compared with spring tender shoots. CONCLUSIONS: Our study suggested that the simultaneous increase in the abundance of photosynthesis-related proteins rubisco, plastocyanin, and ATP synthase delta chain, metabolism-related proteins eIF4 and protease subunits, and the cytoskeleton-structure associated proteins phosphatidylinositol transfer protein and profilin may be because of the adaptation of the evergrowing tea cultivar "Dongcha11" to low temperature and light conditions. Histone H4, Histone H2A.1, putative In2.1 protein and protein lin-28 homologs may also regulate the development of winter shoots and their response to adverse conditions.

Isolation and biological activities of phenanthroindolizidine and septicine alkaloids from the Formosan Tylophora ovata.

An investigation of alkaloids present in the leaves and stems of Tylophora ovata led to the isolation of two new septicine alkaloids and one new phenanthroindolizidine alkaloid, tylophovatines A, B, C (1, 2, and 5), respectively, together with two known septicine and six known phenanthroindolizidine alkaloids. The structures of the new alkaloids 1, 2, and 5 were established by means of spectroscopic analyses. These eleven alkaloids show in vitro anti-inflammatory activities with IC50 values ranging from 84 nM to 20.6 µM through their suppression of nitric oxide production in RAW264.7 cells stimulated by lipopolysaccharide and interferon-γ. Moreover, these substances display growth inhibition in HONE-1, NUGC-3, HepG2, SF-268, MCF-7, and NCI-H460 cancer cell lines, with GI50 values ranging from 4 nM to 24.2 µM. In addition, tylophovatine C (5) and 13a(S)-(+)-tylophorine (7) were found to exhibit potent in vivo anti-inflammation activities in a rat paw edema model. Finally, structure­activity relationships were probed by using the isolated phenanthroindolizidines and septicines. Phenanthroindolizidines are suggested to be divided into cytotoxic agents (e.g., 10 and 11) and anti-inflammation based anticancer agents (e.g., 5­9).

Bioactive saponin from tea seed pomace with inhibitory effects against Rhizoctonia solani.

The present study was aimed to characterize the antifungal principles in methanol extract of tea ( Camellia oleifera ) seed pomace. Totally, two flavonoids, camelliasides A (1) and B (2), and one saponin mixture composed of camelliasaponin B(1) (3) were identified from the methanol extract. These constituents were tested for their ability to reduce the infection of cabbage seedlings by Rhizoctonia solani Kuhn AG-4 and to inhibit growth of the pathogen on potato dextrose agar plates. The saponin mixture is a potential candidate as a new plant-derived pesticide to control Rhizoctonia damping-off of vegetable seedlings.

Cytotoxic flavonoids from the leaves of Cryptocarya chinensis.

Bioassay-guided fractionation led to the isolation of six new tetrahydroflavanones, cryptochinones A-F (1-6), from the neutral CHCl(3) fraction of Cryptocarya chinensis leaves, together with 14 known compounds (7-20). The structures of these new compounds were determined through spectroscopic analyses, including 2D-NMR, MS, CD, and X-ray crystallographic analysis. Among the isolates, infectocaryone (7) showed cytotoxic activities with IC(50) values of 11.0 and 3.7 µM against NCI-H460 and SF-268 cell lines, respectively, and cryptocaryanone A (9) showed cytotoxic activities with IC(50) values of 5.1, 4.3, and 5.0 µM against MCF-7, NCI-H460, and SF-268 cell lines, respectively.

Cytotoxic alkyl benzoquinones and alkyl phenols from Ardisia virens.

Bioassay-guided fractionation of roots and stems of Ardisia virens Kurz (Myrsinaceae) led to isolation of fourteen compounds, (2'R)-6-(2'-acetoxypentadecyl)-5-hydroxy-2-methoxy-1,4-benzoquinone (1), (2'R)-6-(2'-acetoxytridecyl)-5-hydroxy-2-methoxy-1,4-benzoquinone (2), (2'R)-6-(2'-acetoxytridecyl)-2-methoxy-1,4-dihydroxybenzene (3), (2'R)-6-(2'-acetoxytridecyl)-5-formyl-2-methoxy-1,4-dihydroxybenzene (4), 1-(3,5-dihydroxyphenyl)nonan-1-one (5), 1-(3-hydroxy-5-methoxyphenyl)pentan-1-one (6), (2'S)-3-hydroxy-5-methoxyphenyl-2'-tridecanol (7), (2'S)-3-hydroxy-5-methoxyphenyl-2'-pentadecanol (8), (2'S)-5-acetoxy-3-hydroxyphenyl-2'-tetradecanol (9), 1-acetoxy-2-methoxy-6-pentadecyl-4-hydroxybenzene (10), 1-acetoxy-2-methoxy-6-tridecyl-4-hydroxybenzene (11), (2'R)-1-acetoxy-6-(2'-acetoxy-tridecyl)-2-methoxy-4-hydroxybenzene (12), (2'R)-1-acetoxy-6-(2'-acetoxypentadecyl)-2-methoxy-4-hydroxybenzene (13), and 1-acetoxy-6-(2'-ketopentadecyl)-2-methoxy-4-hydroxylbenzene (14), together with thirty-four other known compounds, of which three, 1-(3,5-dihydroxyphenyl)pentan-1-one (15), 1-(3,5-dihydroxyphenyl)heptan-1-one (16), and 1-(3,5-dihydroxyphenyl)pentadecan-1-one (17), were isolated for the first time from a natural source. Their structures were elucidated by analyses of spectroscopic data. Seven cytotoxic constituents were found to be 3, 10-12, ardisianone (18), cornudentanone (19), and ardisianol (31) with cytotoxic properties (IC(50) values < or =4 microg/mL) against MCF-7, NCI-H460 and SF-268 cancer cell lines in vitro.