Anti-inflammatory Activities and Mechanisms of New Compounds Isolated from the Fruits of Foeniculum vulgare Mill.

Forty-nine compounds, including six previously unknown together with forty-three known ones, were isolated from the fruits of Foeniculum vulgare Mill. Their structures were elucidated using high-resolution electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (HR-ESI-MS), infrared spectroscopy (IR), ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy (UV), nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), and electronic circular dichroism (ECD) methods. All isolates were evaluated their anti-inflammatory activity. The results indicated that compounds 1, 6, 35 and 45 inhibit lipopolysaccharide(LPS)-induced nitric oxide production in RAW 264.7 macrophages with IC50 values of 17.13 ± 0.74, 14.40 ± 0.54, 112.13 ± 2.08 and 77.02 ± 3.62 µg/mL, respectively. Moreover, the potential targets of the four active ingredients were explored through network pharmacology, revealing that SRC, TP53, AKT1, and PIK3CA may serve as key anti-inflammatory targets. To confirm the potential binding mode, molecular docking was employed, which demonstrated that all active targets except SRC exhibited favorable binding energy with compound 35. Additionally, the anti-inflammatory activities of compounds 1-6 were first observed in this experiment.

The relationships between the campus built environment and walking activity.

Despite the gradual development of students' sedentary habits and associated health problems, only a few studies have extensively and systematically measured campus built environments (CBE) and their impact on street walking activity. This study explores the association between CBEs and pedestrian volume (PV). Comprehensive questionnaires, field audits, and GIS were used to measure the CBE variables and PV of 892 street segments on eight Chinese campuses in Tianjin. We used negative binomial regression models without spatial autocorrelations to investigate the relationship between the CBEs and PV. The findings indicated that campus Walk Score, facility and residential land ratio, campus design qualities, sidewalk conditions, street amenities, and other streetscape features were positively associated with PV. This study presents implications for campus research and planning practices in designing a pedestrian-friendly, sustainable, and healthy campus.

Role and molecular mechanisms of HuangQiSiJunZi decoction for treating triple-negative breast cancer as explored via network pharmacology and bioinformatics analyses.

OBJECTIVE: In this study, we evaluated the molecular mechanisms of HuangQiSiJunZi Decoction (HQSJZD) for treating triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) using network pharmacology and bioinformatics analyses. METHODS: Effective chemical components together with action targets of HQSJZD were selected based on the Traditional Chinese Medicine Systems Pharmacology Database and Analysis Platform (TCMSP). Meanwhile, differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were extracted from TNBC sample data in The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database. Additionally, we built a protein-protein interaction (PPI) network and acquired hub genes. Gene Expression Omnibus(GEO) datasets were utilized to verify the accuracy of hub gene expression. Additionally, enrichment analyses were conducted on key genes. Furthermore, TNBC severity-related high-risk factors were screened through univariate together with multivariate Cox regressions; next, the logistic regression prediction model was built. Moreover, differential levels of 22 immune cell types in TNBC tissues compared with normal tissues were analyzed. The hub gene levels within pan-cancer and the human body were subsequently visualized and analyzed. Finally, quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR) was used to validate the correlation of the hub genes in TNBC cells. RESULTS: The study predicted 256 targets of active ingredients and 1791 DEGs in TNBC, and obtained 16 hub genes against TNBC. The prognostic signature based on FOS, MMP9, and PGR was independent in predicting survival. A total of seven types of immune cells, such as CD4 + memory T cells, showed a significant difference in infiltration (p < 0.05), and immune cells were related to the hub genes. The HPA database was adopted for hub gene analyses, and as determined, FOS was highly expressed in most human organs. The results of RT-qPCR validation for the FOS hub gene were consistent with those of bioinformatic analyses. CONCLUSION: HQSJZD might regulate the interleukin-17 and aging pathways via FOS genes to increase immune cell infiltration in TNBC tissues, and thus, may treat TNBC and improve the prognosis. The FOS genes are likely to be a new marker for TNBC.

Generation of an infectious cDNA clone for NADC30-like PRRSV.

The porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV) is a highly significant infectious disease that poses a substantial threat to the global pig industry. In recent years, the NADC30-like strain has gradually emerged as prevalent in China, causing a profound impact on the country's pig farming industry. Therefore, it is important to conduct an in-depth study on the characteristics and gene functions of the NADC30-like strain. An infectious cDNA clone is an indispensable tool for investigating the functions of viral genes. In this current study, we successfully isolated a NADC30-like strain and constructed its full-length infectious cDNA clone. The utilization of this clone will facilitate our investigation into the viral replication, pathogenesis, and immune response associated with the PRRSV NADC30-like strain.

Relationships between students' perceived campus walkability, mental health, and life satisfaction during COVID-19.

Improving walkability in the campus environment and socio-psychological environments can promote students' mental health and subjective well-being. This study aimed to propose a theoretical model to investigate the link of perceived campus walkability (PCW) with mental health and life satisfaction (LS), and to disentangle the mediating impact of socio-psychological environments and academic performance on this relationship, while simultaneously considering the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic. We applied structural equation modeling to analyze the data collected through a questionnaire survey conducted at six universities and colleges in Yantai, China. PCW had both direct and indirect positive effects on mental health and LS. However, indirect effects are greater than direct effects. Walking attitudes, social capital, and academic performance were critical to the relationship between PCW, mental health, and LS. Academic performance had the strongest indirect effect on mental health, while social capital had the strongest indirect effect on LS. We also found that during the COVID-19 pandemic, body mass index and family income were significantly correlated with mental health and LS. The findings indicate that campus planners and policymakers should improve PCW and support the socio-psychological environment to promote students' mental and social health during situations like the COVID-19 pandemic.

The N-glycosylation at positions 652 and 661 of viral spike protein negatively modulates porcine deltacoronavirus entry.

N-glycosylation is a highly conserved glycan modification that plays crucial roles in various physiological processes, including protein folding, trafficking, and signal transduction. Porcine deltacoronavirus (PDCoV) poses a newly emerging threat to the global porcine industry. The spike protein of PDCoV exhibits a high level of N-glycosylation; however, its role in viral infection remains poorly understood. In this study, we applied a lentivirus-based entry reporter system to investigate the role of N-glycosylation on the viral spike protein during PDCoV entry stage. Our findings demonstrate that N-glycosylation at positions 652 and 661 of the viral spike protein significantly reduces the infectivity of PDCoV pseudotyped virus. Overall, our results unveil a novel function of N-glycosylation in PDCoV infection, highlighting its potential for facilitating the development of antiviral strategies.

Network Analysis of Osteoarthritis Progression Using a Steiner Minimal Tree Algorithm.

Purpose: To provide a comprehensive analysis of associated genes with osteoarthritis (OA). Here, we reported a network analysis of OA progression by using a Steiner minimal tree algorithm. Methods: We collected the OA-related genes through screening the publications in MEDLINE. We performed functional analysis to analyze the associated biochemical pathways of the OA-related genes. Pathway crosstalk analysis was constructed to explore interactions of the enriched pathways. Steiner minimal tree algorithm was used to analyze molecular pathway networks. The average clustering coefficient was compared with the corresponding values of the Osteoarthritis-specific network. The new finding RNA was compared with former single-cell RNA-seq analysis results. Results: A gene set with 177 members reported to be significantly associated with Osteoarthritis was collected from 187 studies. Functional enrichment analysis revealed a specific related-OA gene including skeletal system development, cytokine-mediated signaling pathway, inflammatory response, cartilage development, and extracellular matrix organization. We performed a pathway crosstalk analysis among the 72 significantly enriched pathways. A total of 151 of the 177 genes in the Osteoarthritis gene set were included in the human interactome network. There were 31 genes in the former single-cell RNA-seq analysis results. The CLU, ENO1, SRRM1, UBC, HMGB1, NR3C1, NOTCH2NL, and CBX5 have significantly increased expression in seven molecularly defined populations of OA cartilage. Conclusion: The Steiner tree-based approach finds new biological molecules associated with OA genes.

Enhanced adsorption of Pb2+ by the oxygen-containing functional groups enriched activated carbon.

Lead is one of the primary pollutants found in water and poses significant toxicity risks to humans; thus, it is necessary to investigate techniques for removing it economically and efficiently. In order to enhance the removal capacity of Pb2+, coconut shell-based activated carbon (AC) was modified with introducing oxygen-containing functional groups (OFGs) via nitric acid (HNO3) or hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) modification in this study. The characterization results show that after oxidation treatment, the content of OFGs increased, and the textural properties of the samples do not change significantly. This indicates that the modification conditions used in this study effectively introduced OFGs while avoiding the adverse effects on physical adsorption ability of AC caused by oxidation treatment. The Pb2+ adsorption capacities of the AC modified with 10 M HNO3 and 30 wt.% H2O2 were 4.26 and 3.64 times that of the pristine AC, respectively. The experimental data can be well fitted using the Langmuir isotherm model and the Elovich kinetic model, suggesting that the adsorption of Pb2+ on AC belongs to single-layer adsorption, and chemical adsorption dominates the adsorption process. In summary, the hydrothermal-assisted HNO3/H2O2-modified coconut shell-based AC shows great potential in efficiently removing Pb2+ from solutions, offering a solution for utilizing coconut shell waste.

Ni-FeOx synergy induced by metal-support interaction on Ni-impregnated incineration bottom ash for effective tar reforming.

The incineration bottom ash (IBA) was impregnated with nickel to catalyze toluene (tar surrogate) steam reforming. A toluene conversion of >80 % was achieved at 800℃ without activity decay in a 100-h test for 15 %Ni/IBA. An activation stage was observed for Ni/IBA catalysts in the initial 50 âˆ¼ 400 min under different reaction conditions. A series of experiments and characterizations were performed to explore the possible mechanisms for the activation. It was found that the iron species in IBA gradually migrated to the catalyst surface and formed a Ni-FeOx complex owing to the metal-support interaction. The synergy of Ni-FeOx played an important role in improving the activity of Ni/IBA due to the enhanced lattice oxygen activity. Additionally, Ni/IBA catalysts showed a much lower coke deposition rate than Ni/Al2O3 (1.12 vs. 3.45 mg-C/gcat∙h) because of the variable states of FeOx and the abundant basic sites caused by the alkali and alkaline earth metals contained in IBA.

Establishment of Golgi apparatus-related genes signature to predict the prognosis and immunotherapy response in gastric cancer patients.

The Golgi apparatus plays a crucial role in intracellular protein transportation, processing, and sorting. Dysfunctions of the Golgi apparatus have been implicated in tumorigenesis and drug resistance. This study aimed to investigate the prognostic and treatment response assessment value of Golgi apparatus-related gene (GARGs) features in gastric cancer patients. Transcriptome data and clinical information of gastric cancer patients were obtained from The Cancer Genome Atlas and Gene Expression Omnibus databases. Cox regression analysis was employed to assess the prognostic significance of GARGs and construct risk features. The immune landscape, drug sensitivity, immune therapy response, gene expression patterns, and somatic mutation characteristics were analyzed between different risk groups. A nomogram model for predicting gastric cancer prognosis was developed and evaluated. Among 1643 GARGs examined, 365 showed significant associations with gastric cancer prognosis. Five independent prognostic GARGs (NGF, ABCG1, CHAC1, GBA2, PCSK7) were selected to construct risk features for gastric cancer patients. These risk features effectively stratified patients into high-risk and low-risk groups, with the former exhibiting worse prognosis than the latter. Patients in the high-risk group displayed higher levels of immune cell infiltration, while the expression levels of NGF, CHAC1, GBA2, PCSK7 were significantly correlated with immune cell infiltration. Notably, the low-risk group exhibited higher sensitivity to epothilone.B, metformin, and tipifarnib compared to the high-risk group. Moreover, patients in the low-risk group demonstrated greater responsiveness to immune therapy than those in the high-risk group. In terms of biological processes and KEGG pathways related to immunity regulation, significant suppression was observed in the high-risk group compared to the low-risk group; meanwhile cell cycle pathways exhibited significant activation in the high-risk group. Furthermore, the low-risk group exhibited a higher tumor mutation burden compared to the high-risk group. The risk features derived from GARGs, in conjunction with age, were identified as independent risk factors for gastric cancer. The nomogram incorporating these factors demonstrated improved performance in predicting gastric cancer prognosis. Our study established risk features derived from GARGs that hold potential clinical utility in prognostic assessment and immune therapy response evaluation of gastric cancer patients.

On the electrokinetic remediation of Pb-contaminated soil: A coupled electro-transport-reaction modelling study based on chemical reaction kinetics.

The accumulation of lead (Pb) in soil resulted from industrialization and urbanization poses a threat to human health and the ecosystem. This study proposes a mathematical model for Pb migration and transformation in soil porous media, aiming to guide the design of electrokinetic remediation schemes for Pb-contaminated soils. To improve the validity of the model, the chemical reactions considered in the model are all based on chemical reaction kinetics, which were usually overlooked for model simplification. The model quantitatively describes various physical and chemical processes of Pb at the soil-pore fluid interface and in the pore fluid, including diffusion, electromigration, electroosmosis, electrolytic water reaction, precipitation, adsorption/desorption, protonation/deprotonation reaction, and water self-ionization reaction. The numerical results show that the pH value is a key factor affecting the distribution of Pb in the soil and determining the removal efficiency of Pb. The effects of different enhancement methods on Pb concentration distribution and removal efficiency were evaluated with this model. It was found that placing a cation exchange membrane at the cathode boundary while using 0.01 M nitric acid as anode electrolyte can effectively improve Pb removal efficiency from 3.9% to 93.6%. The developed model can be used to guide the design of the enhanced electrokinetic remediation schemes.

Online mindfulness-based stress reduction improves anxiety and depression status and quality of life in caregivers of patients with severe mental disorders. / ç½‘ç»œæ­£å¿µå‡åŽ‹ç–—æ³•å¯æ”¹å–„ä¸¥é‡ç²¾ç¥žéšœç¢æ‚£è€ ç §æ–™è€ ç„¦è™‘æŠ‘éƒçŠ¶æ€åŠå ¶ç”Ÿæ´»è´¨é‡.

OBJECTIVES: To explore the effects of online mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) on the anxiety and depression status, and quality of life in the caregivers of patients with severe mental disorders. METHODS: Ninety-three caregivers for patients with schizophrenia or bipolar disorder, who were hospitalized in Yunnan Provincial Mental Hospital in March 2021, were enrolled and randomly divided into control group (n=47) and MBSR intervention group (n=46). Both groups received basic health education and rehabilitation skill training, while the intervention group received additional online MBSR for 8 weeks. The anxiety and depression status, and the quality of life of the caregivers were evaluated by Self-rating Anxiety Scale (SAS), Self-rating Depression Scale (SDS) and the 36-item Short Form Health Survey (SF-36) before and 8 weeks after intervention, respectively. RESULTS: Thirteen caregivers dropped out of the study, and 80 subjects (40 in each group) were included in the final analysis. At the baseline, there were no significant differences in SAS, SDS and SF-36 scores between two groups (all P>0.05). Compared with the baseline, SAS and SDS scores in the intervention group significantly decreased after 8 weeks of intervention (both P<0.01) and were significantly lower than those in the control group (both P<0.01). There were no significant changes in the control group (all P>0.05). Except the physiological function dimension, the total score and the scores of each dimension of SF-36 in the intervention group were significantly increased after 8-week intervention (all P<0.05), and were significantly higher than those in the control group (all P<0.01). There were no significant changes in the control group before and after intervention (all P>0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Online MBSR can reduce the anxiety and depression levels, improve the quality of life in the caregivers of patients with severe mental disorders.

Bioinformatics analysis for the identification of Sprouty-related EVH1 domain-containing protein 3 expression and its clinical significance in thyroid carcinoma.

The poorly differentiated thyroid carcinoma (THCA) subtype is associated with an aggressive disease course, a less favorable overall prognosis, and an increased risk of distant organ metastasis. In this study, our objective was to explore the potential utility of the Sprouty-related EVH1 domain-containing protein 3 (SPRED3) as a biomarker for early diagnosis and prognosis in THCA patients. The differentially expressed prognostic-related genes associated with THCA were identified by querying The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database. The difference in the expression of the SPRED3 gene between thyroid carcinoma (THCA) tissues and normal tissues was analyzed using data from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and further validated through immunohistochemistry. Univariate and multivariate Cox regression models were used, along with clinical information from THCA patients, to analyze the prognostic value of the SPRED3 gene in THCA patients. Functional enrichment analysis was subsequently performed to elucidate the molecular mechanisms underlying the regulatory effects of the SPRED3 gene on thyroid carcinoma. Additionally, we calculated the percentage of infiltrating immune cells in THCA patients and evaluated their correlation with SPRED3 gene expression. Compared with those in noncancerous thyroid tissue, the gene and protein expression levels of SPRED3 were found to be elevated in thyroid carcinoma tissues. Furthermore, the expression of SPRED3 in thyroid carcinoma exhibited significant correlations with tumor location, histological grade, pathological stage, and tumor node metastasis classification (TNM) stage. Univariate and multivariate Cox proportional hazards (Cox) regression analyses demonstrated that SPRED3 could serve as an independent prognostic factor for predicting the overall survival of THCA patients. The results of functional enrichment analysis suggested the potential involvement of SPRED3 in the regulation of extracellular matrix organization, epidermal development, signaling receptor activator activity, skin development, receptor ligand activity, glycosaminoglycan binding, neuroactive ligand‒receptor interaction, the IL-17 signaling pathway, and the PI3K-Akt signaling pathway. Additionally, there were significant correlations between the expression level of the SPRED3 gene and the infiltration of various immune cells (eosinophils, central memory T cells, neutrophils, macrophages, and NK cells) within the thyroid tumor microenvironment. SPRED3 can be used as a prognostic biomarker in patients with THCA could potentially be therapeutic target for THCA.

Imbalance Between Angiotensin II and Kallikrein in Patients With ST-Segment Elevation Myocardial Infarction: A Case-Control Emergency Room Study.

The present study aimed to investigate the balance between angiotensin II (Ang-II) and kallikrein (KLK1) in the pathogenesis of ST-segment elevation acute myocardial infarction (STEMI). The study included a total of 261 participants: 151 STEMI patients and 110 individuals with normal coronary arteries. The plasma levels of Ang-II and KLK1 were measured using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISA). Multivariate logistic regression analysis indicated that the plasma levels of Ang-II, KLK1 and the ratio of Ang-II and KLK1 (Ang-II/KLK1) independently correlated with the presence of STEMI. Furthermore, we found independent associations between STEMI and smoking, cholesterol (CHO), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-c), as well as age. The ratio of Ang-II/KLK1 correlated with the plasma level of the inflammatory cytokine, interleukin-6 (IL-6). Both Ang-II and KLK1 levels are significantly elevated in patients with STEMI. An increased Ang-II/KLK1 ratio may result in the over-activation of Ang-II and exacerbate the progression of STEMI(P = .046). In conclusion, we have demonstrated, for the first time, an Ang-II and KLK1 imbalance in patients with STEMI.

Ascertaining appropriate measuring methods to determine tire wear particle pollution on driving school grounds in China.

Tire wear particles (TWPs) are garnering increasing attention due to their potential adverse environmental impacts. However, precisely ascertaining TWPs content is challenging due to the complexity and variability of the tire components used in the environment, indicating that more reliable methods to accurately determine TWPs are necessary. In this study, driving school grounds were used as a case study to ascertain an appropriate and reliable method to determine TWPs levels based on a comprehensive comparison between different analytical results using styrene butadiene rubber (SBR), N-(1,3-dimethylbutyl)-N'-phenyl-p-phenylenediamine (6PPD), and zinc (Zn) as analytical markers. Thermogravimetric analysis-Gas chromatography mass spectrometry (TGA-GC-MS) method reliability using SBR was verified and applied to measure TWPs levels on driving school grounds. By reliably converting SBR content to TWPs content, the average TWPs content on driving school grounds was measured at 190.13 ± 101.89 mg/g. The highest TWPs content was 281.83 ± 171.44 mg/g under the reverse stall parking driving programs, while the slope start and stop driving programs was lower at 208.36 ± 124.11 mg/g. Our findings highlight the importance of accurately determining TWPs content within specific environments while comprehensively exploring associated patterns of change to better understand the environmental risks of TWPs.

Short-Term Mortality Among Pediatric Patients With Heart Diseases Undergoing Veno-Arterial Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

BACKGROUND: Veno-arterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation serves as a crucial mechanical circulatory support for pediatric patients with severe heart diseases, but the mortality rate remains high. The objective of this study was to assess the short-term mortality in these patients. METHODS AND RESULTS: We systematically searched PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane Library for observational studies that evaluated the short-term mortality of pediatric patients undergoing veno-arterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation. To estimate short-term mortality, we used random-effects meta-analysis. Furthermore, we conducted meta-regression and binomial regression analyses to investigate the risk factors associated with the outcome of interest. We systematically reviewed 28 eligible references encompassing a total of 1736 patients. The pooled analysis demonstrated a short-term mortality (defined as in-hospital or 30-day mortality) of 45.6% (95% CI, 38.7%-52.4%). We found a significant difference (P<0.001) in mortality rates between acute fulminant myocarditis and congenital heart disease, with acute fulminant myocarditis exhibiting a lower mortality rate. Our findings revealed a negative correlation between older age and weight and short-term mortality in patients undergoing veno-arterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation. Male sex, bleeding, renal damage, and central cannulation were associated with an increased risk of short-term mortality. CONCLUSIONS: The short-term mortality among pediatric patients undergoing veno-arterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation for severe heart diseases was 45.6%. Patients with acute fulminant myocarditis exhibited more favorable survival rates compared with those with congenital heart disease. Several risk factors, including male sex, bleeding, renal damage, and central cannulation contributed to an increased risk of short-term mortality. Conversely, older age and greater weight appeared to be protective factors.

Serum exosomal hsa_circRNA_0001842 is the potential biomarker for diagnosing lower limb vascular disease in type 2 diabetes mellitus.

This study aimed to identify the potential circular RNAs (circRNAs) in exosomes isolated from serum as biomarkers of lower limb vascular disease (LLVD) in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). This research collected circRNAs from exosomes isolated from three T2DM patients and three T2DM patients with LLVD for microarray analysis. Five candidate biomarkers derived from differentially expressed circRNAs were then validated by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction in 20 T2DM patients and 20 T2DM patients with LLVD. Finally, expression levels of circRNAs were validated in 160 samples. Significant differences in the expression of 295 circRNAs were found between T2DM controls and T2DM patients with LLVD. Among them, 191 differentially expressed circRNAs were upregulated, and 104 were downregulated in T2DM patients with LLVD. Three upregulated and two downregulated circRNAs were further confirmed in 40 samples. According to the testing of 160 samples, hsa_circ_0001842 showed a noticeable specificity in the T2DM patients with LLVD group (n = 80), with an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.79, a sensitivity of 88.75%, and a specificity of 68.75%. In conclusion, hsa_circ_0001842 was found as a potential diagnostic biomarker for T2DM with LLVD.

Effects of simulated precipitation gradients on nutrient resorption in the desert steppe of northern China.

Background: Changes in rainfall induced by climate change will likely influence the utilization of water resources and affect the nutrient cycle in plants in the water-limited desert steppe. In order to understand the response of nitrogen and phosphorus resorption characteristics of plant leaves to precipitation changes, this study compared the nitrogen (N) resorption efficiency, phosphorus (P) resorption efficiency and influencing factors of plants in a desert steppe through water treatment experiments. Methods: A 4-year field experiment was performed to examine the response and influencing factors of nitrogen (N) and phosphorus resorption efficiency of five dominant plants in Stipa breviflora desert steppe to simulated precipitation change in Inner Mongolia, with four simulated precipitation gradients including reducing water by 50%, natural precipitation, increasing water by 50%, increasing water by 100%. Results: Compared with natural precipitation, increasing water by 100% significantly increased soil moisture, and significantly increased the aboveground biomass of S. breviflora, C. songorica, A. frigida, decreased the N concentrations in green leaves of S. breviflora, Cleistogenes songorica, Artemisia frigida, Kochia prostrata, decreased the N concentrations in senesced leaves of C. songorica, decreased the P concentrations in green leaves of K. prostrata and Convolvulus ammannii, decreased the NRE of S. breviflora. NRE was significantly negatively correlated with N concentration in senesced leaves, and PRE was significantly negatively correlated with P concentration in senesced leaves. Conclusions: Increasing water indirectly reduces NRE by reducing plant leaf green leaves nitrogen concentration, and decreasing water indirectly reduces PRE by reducing soil moisture.

Low-frequency whole-body vibration can enhance cartilage degradation with slight changes in subchondral bone in mice with knee osteoarthritis and does not have any morphologic effect on normal joints.

PURPOSES: To evaluate the effects of low frequency whole-body vibration (WBV) on degeneration of articular cartilage and subchondral bone in mice with destabilization of the medial meniscus (DMM)induced osteoarthritis(OA) and mice with normal knee. METHODS: Ten-week-old C57BL/6J male mice received DMM on right knees, while the left knees performed sham operation. There were six groups: DMM, SHAM DMM, DMM+WBV,SHAM DMM+WBV, DMM+ NON-WBV and SHAM DMM+NON-WBV. After four weeks, the knees were harvested from the DMM and SHAM DMM group. The remaining groups were treated with WBV (10 Hz) or NON-WBV. Four weeks later, the knees were harvested. Genes, containing Aggrecan(Acan) and CollagenⅡ(Col2a1), Matrix Metalloproteinases 3 and 13(MMP3,13), TNFα and IL6, were measured and staining was also performed. OA was graded with OARSI scores, and tibial plateaubone volume to tissue volume ratio(BV/TV), bone surface area to bone volume ratio (BS/BV), trabecular number(Tb.N) and trabecular thickness separation(TS) between groups were analyzed. RESULTS: Increased OARSI scores and cartilage degradation were observed after WBV. BV/TV, Tb.N and TS were not significant between the groups. Significant reductions were observed in MMP3, MMP13, Col2a1, Acan, TNFα and IL6 in the DMM+WBV compared to SHAM DMM+WBV group. BV/TV, BS/BV, Tb.N, TS and OARSI scores were not significantly changed in the left knees. IL6 expression in the SHAM DMM+WBV group was significantly increased compared with the SHAM DMM+ NON-WBV group, while Col2a1, Acan and MMP13 expression decreased. CONCLUSION: WBV accelerated cartilage degeneration and caused slight changes in subchondral bone in a DMM-induced OA model. WBV had no morphologic effect on normal joints.

Genome editing of pseudorabies virus in the CRISPR/Cas9 era: a mini-review.

Pseudorabies virus (PRV) is an important swine virus that has a significant impact on the global swine industry. PRV is a member of the herpesvirus family, specifically the alphaherpesvirus subfamily, and has been extensively utilized as a prototype herpesvirus. Notably, recent studies have reported that PRV sporadically spills over into humans. The PRV genome is approximately 150 kb in size and is difficult to manipulate at the genomic level. The development of clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeat-associated protein (CRISPR/Cas9) technology has revolutionized PRV genome editing. CRISPR/Cas9 has been widely used in the construction of reporter viruses, knock-out/knock-in of genes of interest, single virus tracking and antiviral strategies. Most importantly, for vaccine development, virulence gene knockout PRV vaccine candidates can be obtained within 2 weeks using CRISPR/Cas9. In this mini-review, we provide a concise overview of the application of CRISPR/Cas9 in PRV research and mainly share our experience with methods for efficiently editing the PRV genome. Through this review, we hope to give researchers better insight into the genome editing of pseudorabies virus.