1T-VS2@V2O3 Synergistic Nanoarchitecture-Based Lamellar Clusters as the High Conductivity Cathodes of Thermal Batteries.

Thermal batteries are solid-state, thermally activated batteries with long storage times and high reliability. FeS2 is used as a cathode material commonly, but the high internal resistance and low voltage platform limit the improvement of battery performance. Herein, the 1T-phase vanadium disulfide (VS2) is prepared via the scalable hydrothermal method and applied to thermal battery cathode materials for the first time. 1T-VS2 lamellar flower clusters have high electronic conductivity (1.583 S cm-1) at room temperature, which is 75 times higher than FeS2 (0.021 S cm-1). Mechanism analysis shows that 1T-VS2@V2O3 can be formed based on the part of 1T-VS2 being oxidized to V2O3 at the discharge temperature. Benefiting from the synergistic effect of vanadium sulfide and vanadium oxide as a cathode for thermal batteries enhanced specific capacity (292.4 mA h g-1) and mass energy density (572.5 W h kg-1) when cutoff voltage is 1 V. Additionally, the discharge results indicate that the cells utilizing 1T-VS2 cathodes provided a higher voltage platform of 2.11 V than 1.84 V for FeS2. This impressive work can offer a good strategy for boosting cathode materials for a high-performance thermal battery.

Light quality regulates plant biomass and fruit quality through a photoreceptor-dependent HY5-LHC/CYCB module in tomato.

Increasing photosynthesis and light capture offers possibilities for improving crop yield and provides a sustainable way to meet the increasing global demand for food. However, the poor light transmittance of transparent plastic films and shade avoidance at high planting density seriously reduce photosynthesis and alter fruit quality in vegetable crops, and therefore it is important to investigate the mechanisms of light signaling regulation of photosynthesis and metabolism in tomato (Solanum lycopersicum). Here, a combination of red, blue, and white (R1W1B0.5) light promoted the accumulation of chlorophyll, carotenoid, and anthocyanin, and enhanced photosynthesis and electron transport rates by increasing the density of active reaction centers and the expression of the genes LIGHT-HARVESTING COMPLEX B (SlLHCB) and A (SlLHCA), resulting in increased plant biomass. In addition, R1W1B0.5 light induced carotenoid accumulation and fruit ripening by decreasing the expression of LYCOPENE ß-CYCLASE (SlCYCB). Disruption of SlCYCB largely induced fruit lycopene accumulation, and reduced chlorophyll content and photosynthesis in leaves under red, blue, and white light. Molecular studies showed that ELONGATED HYPOCOTYL 5 (SlHY5) directly activated SlCYCB, SlLHCB, and SlLHCA expression to enhance chlorophyll accumulation and photosynthesis. Furthermore, R1W1B0.5 light-induced chlorophyll accumulation, photosynthesis, and SlHY5 expression were largely decreased in the slphyb1cry1 mutant. Collectively, R1W1B0.5 light noticeably promoted photosynthesis, biomass, and fruit quality through the photoreceptor (SlPHYB1 and SlCRY1)-SlHY5-SlLHCA/B/SlCYCB module in tomato. Thus, the manipulation of light environments in protected agriculture is a crucial tool to regulate the two vital agronomic traits related to crop production efficiency and fruit nutritional quality in tomato.

[Effects of Supplementation of Different Amendments on Soil Heavy Metals and Enzyme Activities in Coastal Saline Land].

The supplementation of soil amendments may not only improve the soil physical and chemical properties but also lead to the accumulation of heavy metals in soil. This experiment included six treatments:control (CK), organic manure (OM), polyacrylamide+organic manure (PAM+OM), straw mulching+organic manure (SM+OM), buried straw+organic manure (BS+OM), and bio-organic manure+organic manure (BM+OM) to explore the effects of different soil amendments on heavy metals and soil enzyme activities in coastal saline land and the relationship between them. The results revealed that compared with that in the CK treatment, the contents of soil Cr, Cu, Ni, and Pb exhibited an upward trend after the supplementation of soil amendments, among which the SM+OM and PAM+OM treatments had the most significant effects on the contents of soil Cr and Cu, respectively, whereas the BM+OM treatment had the most significant effects on the contents of soil Ni and Pb. Compared with those in the CK treatment, the activities of soil invertase and urease increased significantly following supplementation of soil amendments, and the BM+OM treatment had the best effect. The alkaline phosphatase activity exhibited a slightly upward trend after the supplementation of soil amendments, whereas the catalase activity did not change significantly. The redundancy analysis revealed that the first two axes cumulatively accounted for 70.3% of the variability in enzyme activities, and the importance of single soil heavy metals on soil enzyme activity was as follows:Ni>Cu>Cr>Pb.

Icariin restrains NLRP3 inflammasome-mediated Th2 immune responses and ameliorates atopic dermatitis through modulating a novel lncRNA MALAT1/miR-124-3p axis.

CONTEXT: Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a common inflammatory skin disease characterized with hyperactivation of type 2 T helper (Th2) immune responses. Icariin is a flavonoid glucoside with anti-inflammatory activities, which has been used to treat multiple diseases. OBJECTIVE: The present study investigates the underlying mechanisms by which icariin regulates Th2 responses and AD development. MATERIALS AND METHODS: BALB/c mice were induced by DNFB to establish AD models, and injected with or without 10 mg/kg icariin for 2 weeks (i.p., daily). CD4+T cells were induced by Th2 condition to simulate AD in vitro, and also treated with or without 100 µM icariin. RESULTS: Icariin ameliorated AD-like skin lesion, manifested as a significant decrease in dermatitis scores (from 8.00 ± 1.00 to 3.67 ± 0.58), serum IgE levels (from 3119.15 ± 241.81 to 948.55 ± 182.51 ng/mL), epidermal thickness (from 93.86 ± 4.61 to 42.67 ± 2.48 µm) and infiltration of mast cells (from 60.67 ± 3.21 cells to 36.00 ± 2.65 cells). Also, icariin inactivated NLRP3 inflammasome, inhibited Th2 skewing, reduced lncRNA MALAT1 expression, but elevated miR-124-3p expression in vivo and in vitro. MALAT1 increased NLRP3 expression through targeting miR-124-3p. Knockdown of MALAT1 repressed NLRP3 inflammasome activation and mitigated Th1/Th2 imbalance in Th2-conditioned CD4+T cells, whereas both MALAT1 overexpression and miR-124-3p inhibition ablated the inhibitory effects of icariin on Th2 immune responses. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS: The findings further improve our understanding of the mechanism by which icariin affects AD progression, and highlights the potential of icariin in the treatment of AD.

One-pot derivatization/extraction coupled with liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry for furfurals determination.

Furfurals (5-hydroxymethylfurfural, furfural and 5-methyl furfural) have potential toxic effects to humans. This study developed a simple and rapid one-pot derivatization/extraction procedure for effective sample preparation of furfurals in complex samples prior to instrument analysis. The sample solution was incubated with 1-pyrenebutyric hydrazide (PBH) and hydroxyl-functionalized multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs-OH) in a vial for 3 min. During this process, the furfurals were effectively derivatized by PBH and the furfural-PBH derivatives were selectively captured by MWCNTs-OH simultaneously. The detection selectivity and accuracy were greatly improved for the following liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry analysis. Quantifying furfurals was validated over the 0.5-500 ng/mL concentration range with satisfactory linearities (R2 >0.99), accuracies (84.7%-119.0%) and precisions (<9.0%). The limits of quantification of 0.30, 0.36 and 0.20 ng/mL for 5-hydroxymethylfurfural, furfural and 5-methyl furfural, respectively, were achieved. Finally, the validated method was successfully applied to determine furfurals concentrations in various samples.

Comparison of Carotid Blood Flow Measured by Ultrasound and Cardiac Output in Patients Undergoing Cardiac Surgery.

BACKGROUND: In general, cerebral blood flow accounts for 10-15% of cardiac output (CO), of which about 75% is delivered through the carotid arteries. Hence, if carotid blood flow (CBF) is constantly proportional to CO with high reproducibility and reliability, it would be of great value to measure CBF as an alternative to CO. The aim of this study was to investigate the direct correlation between CBF and CO. We hypothesized that measurement of CBF could be a good substitute for CO, even under more extreme hemodynamic conditions, for a wider range of critically ill patients. METHODS: Patients aged 65-80 years, undergoing elective cardiac surgery were included in this study. CBF in different cardiac cycles were measured by ultrasound: systolic carotid blood flow (SCF), diastolic carotid blood flow (DCF), and total (systolic and diastolic) carotid blood flow (TCF). CO simultaneously was measured by transesophageal echocardiography. RESULTS: For all patients, the correlation coefficients between SCF and CO, TCF and CO were 0.45 and 0.30, respectively, which were statistically significant, but not between DCF and CO. There was no significant correlation between either SCF, TCF or DCF and CO, when CO was <3.5 L/min. CONCLUSIONS: Systolic carotid blood flow may be used as a better index to replace CO. However, the method of direct measurement of CO is essential when the patient's heart function is poor.

A fully green sample preparation method for synthetic antioxidants determination in edible oils based on natural feather fiber-supported liquid extraction.

The current study proposed a novel feather fiber-supported liquid extraction (FF-SLE) method for extracting analytes from oil samples. The natural feather fibers were used as the oil support material and directly loaded in the plastic tube of a disposable syringe to construct the low-cost extraction device (∼0.5 CNY). The edible oil without any pretreatment including dilution was added directly to the extraction device, followed by the addition of the green extraction solvent of ethanol. As an example, the proposed method was applied to extract nine synthetic antioxidants from edible oils. The optimized extraction conditions for processing 0.5 g of oil were obtained when the syringe dimension was 5 mL, the extraction solvent was 0.5 mL of ethanol, the amount of feather fibers was 200 mg of duck feather fibers and the static extraction time was 10 min. The applications to seven kinds of feathers and seven kinds of edible oils all indicated the excellent oil removal efficiencies (>98.0%). Combined with high-performance liquid chromatography-ultraviolet, a quantification method was validated with satisfied linearity (R2≥0.994), accuracy (95.8-114.6%) and precision (≤8.3%) with the limits of detection ranging from 50 to 100 ng/g. The proposed FF-SLE method was simple, effective, convenient, low-cost, green and environmental-friendly for the extraction of analytes from oil samples prior to instrument analysis.

BCR-ABL triggers a glucose-dependent survival program during leukemogenesis through the suppression of TXNIP.

Imatinib is highly effective in the treatment of chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML), but the primary and acquired imatinib resistance remains the big hurdle. Molecular mechanisms for CML resistance to tyrosine kinase inhibitors, beyond point mutations in BCR-ABL kinase domain, still need to be addressed. Here, we demonstrated that thioredoxin-interacting protein (TXNIP) is a novel BCR-ABL target gene. Suppression of TXNIP was responsible for BCR-ABL triggered glucose metabolic reprogramming and mitochondrial homeostasis. Mechanistically, Miz-1/P300 complex transactivates TXNIP through the recognition of TXNIP core promoter region, responding to the c-Myc suppression by either imatinib or BCR-ABL knockdown. TXNIP restoration sensitizes CML cells to imatinib treatment and compromises imatinib resistant CML cell survival, predominantly through the blockage of both glycolysis and glucose oxidation which results in the mitochondrial dysfunction and ATP production. In particular, TXNIP suppresses expressions of the key glycolytic enzyme, hexokinase 2 (HK2), and lactate dehydrogenase A (LDHA), potentially through Fbw7-dependent c-Myc degradation. In accordance, BCR-ABL suppression of TXNIP provided a novel survival pathway for the transformation of mouse bone marrow cells. Knockout of TXNIP accelerated BCR-ABL transformation, whereas TXNIP overexpression suppressed this transformation. Combination of drug inducing TXNIP expression with imatinib synergistically kills CML cells from patients and further extends the survival of CML mice. Thus, the activation of TXNIP represents an effective strategy for CML treatment to overcome resistance.

Dietary calcium intake and the risk of stroke: Meta-analysis of cohort studies.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Prospective cohorts are inconsistent regarding the association between dietary calcium intake and the risk of stroke. The aim was to perform a meta-analysis to determine whether an association exists between them in cohort studies. METHODS AND RESULTS: Relevant studies were identified by searching PubMed, EMBASE and Web of Science databases that published before December 2022. Prospective cohort studies that provided relative risk (RR) estimates with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for the association were included. Study-specific risk estimates were combined by using a random effects model. Eighteen prospective studies, including 19,557 stroke cases among 882,181 participants, were pooled in the meta-analysis. We observed a nonlinear association between calcium intake and risk of stroke (Pnonlinearity < 0.003). Compared with the lowest value of zero assumed as the reference, the RRs (95% CI) of stroke across levels of calcium intake were 0.95 (0.92, 0.98) for 200 mg/day, 0.94 (0.90, 0.98) for 300 mg/day, 0.95 (0.90, 0.99) for 500 mg/day, 0.98 (0.93, 1.03) for 700 mg/day, and 1.04 (0.97, 1.11) for 1000 mg/day. The stratified analyses by geographic region showed nonlinear associations and indicated that the protective effect was observed in Asian countries (Pnonlinearity = 0.001) but not in non-Asian regions (Pnonlinearity = 0.047). CONCLUSION: This meta-analysis suggests that dietary calcium intake might play an effective role in the prevention of stroke, especially in Asian countries. Future research among Asia population should attempt to establish whether this association is causal. SYSTEMATIC REVIEW REGISTRATION: PROSPERO CRD42022357710.

Tetratricopeptide repeat protein SlREC2 positively regulates cold tolerance in tomato.

Cold stress is a key environmental constraint that dramatically affects the growth, productivity, and quality of tomato (Solanum lycopersicum); however, the underlying molecular mechanisms of cold tolerance remain poorly understood. In this study, we identified REDUCED CHLOROPLAST COVERAGE 2 (SlREC2) encoding a tetratricopeptide repeat protein that positively regulates tomato cold tolerance. Disruption of SlREC2 largely reduced abscisic acid (ABA) levels, photoprotection, and the expression of C-REPEAT BINDING FACTOR (CBF)-pathway genes in tomato plants under cold stress. ABA deficiency in the notabilis (not) mutant, which carries a mutation in 9-CIS-EPOXYCAROTENOID DIOXYGENASE 1 (SlNCED1), strongly inhibited the cold tolerance of SlREC2-silenced plants and empty vector control plants and resulted in a similar phenotype. In addition, foliar application of ABA rescued the cold tolerance of SlREC2-silenced plants, which confirms that SlNCED1-mediated ABA accumulation is required for SlREC2-regulated cold tolerance. Strikingly, SlREC2 physically interacted with ß-RING CAROTENE HYDROXYLASE 1b (SlBCH1b), a key regulatory enzyme in the xanthophyll cycle. Disruption of SlBCH1b severely impaired photoprotection, ABA accumulation, and CBF-pathway gene expression in tomato plants under cold stress. Taken together, this study reveals that SlREC2 interacts with SlBCH1b to enhance cold tolerance in tomato via integration of SlNCED1-mediated ABA accumulation, photoprotection, and the CBF-pathway, thus providing further genetic knowledge for breeding cold-resistant tomato varieties.

Morinda officinalis extract exhibits protective effects against atopic dermatitis by regulating the MALAT1/miR-590-5p/CCR7 axis.

BACKGROUND: Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a chronic inflammatory skin disease with a genetic predisposition, and the traditional Chinese medicine Morinda officinalis and its roots are characterized with anti-inflammatory effects and have been used for the treatment of various disease. However, it is still largely unknown whether Morinda officinalis extract (MOE) can be used for the treatment of AD. OBJECTIVES: In our study we aimed to determine whether MOE could ameliorate 2,4-dinitrochlorobenzene (DNCB)-induced AD and elucidate molecular mechanisms. METHODS: We established an AD mouse model by using DNCB. Skin pathological analysis and ELISA assay were used to detect the effect of MOE on the inflammation of AD model mouse skin and the expression changes of inflammatory factors, and further functional verification was performed in TNF-α/IFN-γ-induced HaCaT cells. RESULTS: Our in vivo experiments confirmed that MOE remarkably reduced DNCB-induced AD lesions and symptoms, such as epidermal and dermal thickness and mast cell infiltration and inflammatory cytokines secretion in the mice models. In addition, the underlying mechanisms by which MOE ameliorated AD had been uncovered, and we verified that MOE inhibited MALAT1 expression in AD, resulting in attenuated expression of C-C chemokine receptor type 7 (CCR7) regulated by MALAT1-sponge miR-590-5p in a competing endogenous RNA (ceRNA) mechanisms-dependent manner, thereby inhibiting TNF-α/IFN-γ-induced cellular proliferation and inflammation.

Dysregulated hepatic lipid metabolism and gut microbiota associated with early-stage NAFLD in ASPP2-deficiency mice.

Background: Growing evidence indicates that lipid metabolism disorders and gut microbiota dysbiosis were related to the progression of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). Apoptosis-stimulating p53 protein 2 (ASPP2) has been reported to protect against hepatocyte injury by regulating the lipid metabolism, but the mechanisms remain largely unknown. In this study, we investigate the effect of ASPP2 deficiency on NAFLD, lipid metabolism and gut microbiota using ASPP2 globally heterozygous knockout (ASPP2+/-) mice. Methods: ASPP2+/- Balb/c mice were fed with methionine and choline deficient diet for 3, 10 and 40 day to induce an early and later-stage of NAFLD, respectively. Fresh fecal samples were collected and followed by 16S rRNA sequencing. HPLC-MRM relative quantification analysis was used to identify changes in hepatic lipid profiles. The expression level of innate immunity-, lipid metabolism- and intestinal permeability-related genes were determined. A spearman's rank correlation analysis was performed to identify possible correlation between hepatic medium and long-chain fatty acid and gut microbiota in ASPP2-deficiency mice. Results: Compared with the WT control, ASPP2-deficiency mice developed moderate steatosis at day 10 and severe steatosis at day 40. The levels of hepatic long chain omega-3 fatty acid, eicosapentaenoic (EPA, 20:5 n-3) and docosahexaenoic (DHA, 22:6 n-3), were decreased at day 10 and increased at day 40 in ASPP+/- mice. Fecal microbiota analysis showed significantly increased alpha and beta diversity, as well as the composition of gut microbiota at the phylum, class, order, family, genus, species levels in ASPP2+/- mice. Moreover, ASPP-deficiency mice exhibited impaired intestinal barrier function, reduced expression of genes associated with chemical barrier (REG3B, REG3G, Lysozyme and IAP), and increased expression of innate immune components (TLR4 and TLR2). Furthermore, correlation analysis between gut microbiota and fatty acids revealed that EPA was significantly negatively correlated with Bifidobacterium family. Conclusion: Our findings suggested that ASPP2-deficiency promotes the progression of NAFLD, alterations in fatty acid metabolism and gut microbiota dysbiosis. The long chain fatty acid EPA was significantly negatively correlated with Bifidobacterial abundance, which is a specific feature of NAFLD in ASPP2-deficiency mice. Totally, the results provide evidence for a mechanism of ASPP2 on dysregulation of fatty acid metabolism and gut microbiota dysbiosis.

Kapok fiber-supported liquid extraction for convenient oil samples preparations: A feasibility and proof-of-concept study.

In this study, a novel kapok fiber-supported liquid extraction (KF-SLE) method was developed for conveniently extracting analytes from oil samples. Natural kapok fiber without any pretreatment was directly used as an oil support medium. The extraction device was conveniently constructed by directly packing some kapok fibers into a syringe tube. Due to the fibrous property of the kapok fiber, no filter plate was needed. The cost of a KF-SLE device was as low as 0.5 CNY. The KF-SLE process was conveniently conducted using a simple three-step protocol: (1) the oil sample without any pretreatment including dilution was added directedly; (2) then, the oil-immiscible extractant was added; (3) after waiting a certain time for static extraction, the extractant was eluted out by pressing the kapok fibers with the syringe plunger. The extractant could be directly transferred for subsequent instrumental detection. For the feasibility and proof-of-concept study, the method was applied to quantify four synthetic flavor chemicals in edible oils. Satisfied quantification results were obtained with the correlation coefficient (R2) being greater than 0.996, the relative recoveries ranging from 92.90% to 107.53% and intra- and inter-day RSDs being less than 7.56%. All in all, for the first time, the SLE technique was expanded to process oil samples and the method has the characteristics of low cost, environmental friendliness, high sample processing throughput and ease of automation, offering a promising approach for edible oil sample preparations.

The impact of anger and self-concealment on post-traumatic stress and psychiatric comorbid symptoms in Chinese prisoners: A longitudinal study.

BACKGROUND: Research reported prevalence of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) among prisoners varies between countries, with most studies based on Western samples. The trajectory of symptoms has also been controversial. Trauma can affect prisoners' emotions and their emotional regulation tends to be maladaptive. AIMS: To examine changes in PTSD and psychiatric comorbidity among prisoners in China over time and to determine whether anger and self-concealment predicts later distress. METHOD: In a longitudinal, prospective study, sentenced men in one prison in China were asked to complete a demographic page and several self-rating scales: the Post-traumatic Stress Diagnostic Scale, the General Health Questionnaire-28, the Clinical Anger Scale and the Self-Concealment Scale at baseline and at 6 and 12 months after the initial assessment. RESULTS: More than half of the 496 participating men were diagnosed with PTSD. For those completing the scales at each evaluation, PTSD-DS scores were significantly lower at baseline than at the 6-month and 1-year assessments. No significant differences were found between the two follow-up scores. There was no significant difference in psychiatric comorbidity between the three phases. At the cross-sectional level, after controlling for age and education level, PTSD, anger and self-concealment were associated with psychiatric comorbidity. At the prospective level, anger predicted PTSD 6 months and 1 year later. Self-concealment predicted psychiatric comorbidity over time. CONCLUSIONS: Among these prisoners the prevalence of chronic PTSD was far higher than in general population estimates. Early identification of aspects of coping styles is likely to help predict disorder trajectory and inform interventions. Early signs of anger were indicative of the chronic severity of trauma reactions, while the intention to hide distress was related to other later mental health problems.

On-tissue pyrene-1-boronic acid labeling assisted MALDI imaging of catecholamines in porcine adrenal gland.

In this study, an on-tissue chemical labeling - matrix assisted laser desorption/ionization-mass spectrometry imaging (MALDI-MSI) method was developed for visualization of the distribution of three catecholamine (CA) compounds (dopamine, epinephrine and norepinephrine) in porcine adrenal gland. Commercially available pyrene-1-boronic acid (PBA) was employed as an effective in situ derivatizing reagent dissolved in acetonitrile containing 0.1% pyridine for the chemical labeling and the matrix coating. Without extra matrix coating, the tissue section was directly analyzed by MALDI-MS. The detection specificity and sensitivity were greatly improved with the on-tissue PBA labeling and successful imaging of the three CAs in porcine adrenal gland was achieved. Compared with previously reported methods for MALDI-MSI of the CAs, the analytical strategy proposed in the study provided a robust, easy-to-use and low-cost on-tissue chemical derivatization method that facilitated simultaneous molecular imaging of the three compounds.

[Clinical study of modified Yiyi Baijiang Decoction on psoriasis vulgaris due to dampness-heat accumulation].

The present study observed the clinical effect of modified Yiyi Baijiang Decoction on psoriasis vulgaris and explored its influence on growth factors and inflammatory factors in the serum and skin tissues. A total of 130 patients were randomly divided into control group and experimental group, with 65 cases in each group. The patients in the control group received Acitretin Capsules and Calcipotriol Ointment, and those in the experimental group received modified Yiyi Baijiang Decoction combined with external application for four weeks. The psoriasis area and severity index(PASI), blood vessel count in the superficial dermis(SDBVC), skin thickness(STK), and traditional Chinese medicine(TCM) symptoms were observed before and after treatment. The growth factors [epidermal growth factor(EGF), endothelial cell-specific molecule-1(ESM-1), fibroblast growth factor-23(FGF-23), and transforming growth factor-ß1(TGF-ß1)] and inflammatory factors [nuclear factor-κB(NF-κB), prealbumin(PA), CC chemokine ligand 20(CCL20), and procalcitonin(PCT)] in the serum and skin tissues were detected. The total effective rate was 98.5% in the experimental group, higher than that 83.1% in the control group(P<0.05). Compared with the control group after treatment, the experimental group showed decreased PASI, SDBVC, STK, TCM symptoms, ESM-1, FGF-23, TGF-ß1, NF-κB, CCL20, and PCT(P<0.05), and increased EGF and PA(P<0.05). The incidence of adverse events was 1.5% in the experimental group, lower than that 21.5% in the control group(P<0.05). The results showed that modified Yiyi Baijiang Decoction could effectively relieve skin lesions in patients with psoriasis vulgaris and improve the growth factors and inflammatory factors in the serum and skin lesions, with high safety.

In-syringe cotton fiber-supported liquid extraction coupled with gas chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry for the determination of free 3-mono-chloropropane-1,2-diol in edible oils.

In the current study, natural cotton fiber was served as the supporter of water, and the water acted as an extractant for liquid-phase microextraction of polar components in low-polar edible oils. An in-syringe extraction device was constructed to facilitate the extraction process by simply loading a certain amount of cotton fibers between the syringe needle and the plastic syringe tube. Then, the extraction process can be conveniently conducted by pull-push the syringe plunger. It can be regarded as a new type of dynamic liquid-phase microextraction method while operated more convent. For the feasibility study, the novel in-syringe cotton fiber-supported liquid extraction (CF-SLECF-SLE) pretreatment method was applied to extract free 3-mono-chloropropane-1,2-diol (3-MCPD) in edible oils. Specifically, the cotton fibers supported a certain amount of water by successfully pulling-pushing 1 mL of water and 1 mL of HEX in/out twice, respectively. Then, 2.0 mL of diluted oil sample (containing 0.4 g oil) was loaded in and out four times for extraction, during which process 3-MCPD was extracted into the supported water. The extracted 3-MCPD was desorbed with 1 mL of ethyl acetate (EA), derivatized with trimethyl silane imidazole (TMSI), and analyzed by gas chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (GC-MS/MS). For three different spiked edible oils, the internal standard normalized matrix effect (IS-normalized ME) values were in ranges of 96.3-104.8% with RSD being 4.3%, benefiting the accurate quantitative analysis. The limit of quantification (LOQ) was calculated to be 2 ng/g, which met the regular determination requirement of 3-MCPD in edible oils. Satisfied linearity was obtained in 2-500 ng/g, with correlation coefficients (R2) being 0.998. The relative recoveries were in the ranges of 96.9-110.5%. The intra-/inter-day RSDs were less than 8.2% and 10.2%, respectively. The proposed method provides an efficient, simple, low-cost, and easy to automate strategy for determining free 3-MCPD in edible oils.

[Composition and distribution of zooplankton species in the subtropical areas of the Northwestern Pacific Ocean]. / 西北太平洋亚热带海域浮游动物种类组成与分布.

Based on the investigation data of 44 stations in the area 28°ï¼35° N, 147°ï¼154° E of the Northwestern Pacific Ocean by the research ship 'Songhang' in March 2019, we analyzed species composition and distribution of zooplankton to understand zooplankton community structure in the subtropical areas of the Northwestern Pacific Ocean. The results showed that a total of 456 zooplankton species (including planktonic larvae and unidentified species) were recorded in the surveyed area, which were belonged to 8 categories and 14 groups. There were 163 species of copepods, as the dominant group. The dominant species included 9 warm-water species, Eudoxoides spiralis, Neocalanus gracilis, Pleuromamma gracilis, Sagitta enflata, Doliolum nationalis, S. hexaptera, Euchirella rostrata, Nannocalanus minor and Mesocalanus tenuicornis, and one temperate species, Calanus jashnovi. Both the warm current indicator species S. hexaptera and the cold current indicator species C. jashnovi occurred simultaneously in the subtropical area, indicating that the Kuroshio Current and the Oyashio Current had an important impact on the diversity and temporal-spatial distribution of marine zooplankton. The average biomass was (31.64±23.81) mg·m-3, and the average abundance was (22.2±17.6) ind·m-3. The average values of purity index (C), eveness index (J), Shannon diversity index (H) and richness index (D) were 0.09±0.10, 0.76±0.10, 4.88±0.71, and 23.53±8.08, respectively. The spatial distribution of the four indices were uneven and irregular. During the study period, species composition of zooplankton in the Northwest Pacific was rich, species distribution was uneven, and community structure was stable.

Colorectal Cancer Cell Differentiation Is Dependent on the Repression of Aerobic Glycolysis by NDRG2-TXNIP Axis.

BACKGROUND: Poorly differentiated colorectal cancers are more aggressive. Metabolism reprogramming is a significant hallmark in cancer, and aerobic glycolysis is common. However, how cancer cells reprogramming glucose metabolism contributes to cell differentiation was largely unknown. Previous studies have reported that tumor suppressor NDRG2 could promote colorectal cancers differentiation. AIMS: This study aims to demonstrate that NDRG2 promotes the differentiation of colorectal cancers, potentially through the inhibition of aerobic glycolysis via TXNIP induction. METHODS: Western blotting, qRT-PCR and immunohistochemical staining were used to detect the expression of related molecules. MTT assay was used to reflect cell viability and proliferation. Immunofluorescent assay was performed to identify the expression and distribution of molecules. Luciferase analysis and CHIP assays were used to investigate the mechanism. Bioinformatic analysis was performed to predict the relevance. RESULTS: In colorectal cancers, NDRG2 could inhibit cell proliferation, reduce glucose uptake and decrease expression of key glycolysis enzymes. Upregulated NDRG2 is associated with differentiated cancer. However, deletion of TXNIP, a classic glucose metabolism inhibitor, could obviously alter the function of NDRG2 in differentiation, glucose uptake, expression of key glycolysis enzymes and proliferation. Mechanistically, high glucose flux promotes the activity of TXNIP promoter. And NDRG2 promotes the occupancy of transcription factor Mondo A on TXNIP promoter, predominantly through the suppression of c-myc, which could complete with Mondo A binding to TXNIP promoter. In clinical samples, high expression of TXNIP indicates good prognosis and outcome. CONCLUSIONS: NDRG2-dependent induction of TXNIP is critical for the aerobic glycolysis during colorectal cancers differentiation.

SlFHY3 and SlHY5 act compliantly to enhance cold tolerance through the integration of myo-inositol and light signaling in tomato.

Plants have evolved sophisticated regulatory networks to cope with dynamically changing light and temperature environments during day-night and seasonal cycles. However, the integration mechanisms of light and low temperature remain largely unclear. Here, we show that low red : far-red ratio (LR : FR) induces FAR-RED ELONGATED HYPOCOTYL3 (SlFHY3) transcription under cold stress in tomato (Solanum lycopersicum). Reverse genetic approaches revealed that knocking out SlFHY3 decreases myo-inositol accumulation and increases cold susceptibility, whereas overexpressing SlFHY3 induces myo-inositol accumulation and enhances cold tolerance in tomato plants. SlFHY3 physically interacts with ELONGATED HYPOCOTYL5 (SlHY5) to promote the transcriptional activity of SlHY5 on MYO-INOSITOL-1-PHOSPHATE SYNTHASE 3 (SlMIPS3) and induce myo-inositol accumulation in tomato plants under cold stress. Disruption of SlHY5 and SlMIPS3 largely suppresses the cold tolerance of SlFHY3-overexpressing plants and myo-inositol accumulation in tomato. Furthermore, silencing of SlMIPS3 drastically reduces myo-inositol accumulation and compromises LR : FR-induced cold tolerance in tomato. Together, our results reveal a crucial role of SlFHY3 in LR : FR-induced cold tolerance in tomato and unravel a novel regulatory mechanism whereby plants integrate dynamic environmental light signals and internal cues (inositol biosynthesis) to induce and control cold tolerance in tomato plants.