Karyotype analysis of Quasipaaspinosa David, 1875 (Anura, Dicroglossidae) with conventional cytogenetic techniques.

The current study analyzed the chromosomal karyotype of Quasipaaspinosa David, 1875 from Hunan Province, China. The karyotype, C-banding, BrdU-banding pattern were characterized using direct preparation of bone-marrow cells and hemocyte cultures. The findings indicated that Q.spinosa was a diploid species (2n = 26) that lacked heteromorphic chromosomes and secondary constrictions. C-banding analysis revealed an abundance of positive signals in the centromere regions, while the BrdU-banding pattern showed three phases in both male and female, occurring consistently and in chronological sequence during S-phase. Notably, there was no asynchronous replication in the late phase. This study enhanced our understanding of the karyotypic structure of Q.spinosa by conventional cytogenetic techniques, thus providing essential scientific insights into the cytogenetics of Q.spinosa.

Assessing the Impact of an Internet Plus-Oriented 5A Home Care Model on Complications in Patients Undergoing Tumor Immunotherapy during the Post-Epidemic Era.

Objective: This study aims to investigate the efficacy of an Internet Plus-oriented 5A home care model in managing complications arising from tumor immunotherapy among patients in the post-epidemic era. Specifically, the study focuses on skin toxicity and gastrointestinal toxicity in patients undergoing tumor immunotherapy. Methods: Between January 2022 and March 2023, 80 patients experiencing skin and gastrointestinal toxicities post-tumor immunotherapy in Zhangjiagang Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital were selected. The patients were divided into two groups: a control group and an experimental group, each comprising 40 patients. The control group received traditional routine nursing and a telephone follow-up strategy. In contrast, the experimental group was introduced to a 5A home care model guided by Internet Plus, involving five key stages of implementation. Nurses utilized the Internet Plus platform to provide timely responses to patient queries and concerns. After the intervention, skin and gastrointestinal toxicity grades were assessed on days 0, 7, 14, and 21. Additionally, the completion rates of immunotherapy follow-up were compared between the two groups. Results: At day 0, there was no statistically significant difference in skin and gastrointestinal toxicity grades between the two groups (P > .05). However, on days 7, 14, and 21, both groups showed improvements compared to day 0, with the experimental group exhibiting significantly better outcomes and lower toxicity grades than the control group (RR: 0.667, 95% CI (-1.204, 0.394)). The completion rate of immunotherapy in the experimental group (97.5%) was significantly higher than that in the control group (77.5%), with a notable statistical difference (RR:1.258, 95%CI (-0.258, 0.722), P = .004). In the control group, 4 patients refused treatment, and 4 voluntarily terminated treatment, whereas only 1 patient in the experimental group voluntarily terminated treatment. Conclusion: In conclusion, the Internet Plus-oriented 5A home care model enhances patient outcomes, demonstrating improved skin and gastrointestinal toxicities and a higher completion rate of immunotherapy compared to traditional nursing approaches. This model offers a more convenient and personalized health management approach, providing valuable insights for the clinical practice and future advancement of tumor immunotherapy.

20 potentially new compounds and 11 new bioactive constituents found in Smilacis Glabrae Rhizoma utilizing HPLC-DAD-ESI-IT-TOF-MSn.

INTRODUCTION: Smilacis Glabrae Rhizoma (SGR) is rich in chemical constituents with a variety of pharmacological activities. However, in-depth research has yet to be conducted on the chemical and pharmacodynamic constituents of SGR. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In this study, the chemical constituents of SGR were analyzed using liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry, and the pharmacodynamic compounds responsible for the medicinal effects of SGR were elucidated through a literature review. RESULTS: In total, 20 potentially new compounds, including 16 flavonoids (C19, C20, and C27-C40) and four phenylpropanoids (C107, C112, C113, and C118), together with 161 known ones were identified in the ethanol extract of SGR using liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry, and 25 of them were unequivocally identified by comparison with reference compounds. Moreover, 17 known constituents of them were identified in the plants of genus Smilax for the first time, and 16 were identified in the plant Smilax glabra Roxb. for the first time. Of 161 known compounds, 84 constituents (including isomers) have been reported to have 17 types of pharmacological activities, covering all known pharmacological activities of SGR; among these 84 bioactive constituents, six were found in the plants of genus Smilax for the first time and five were found in S. glabra for the first time, which are new bioactive constituents found in the plants of genus Smilax and the plant S. glabra, respectively. CONCLUSION: The results provide further information on the chemical composition of SGR, laying the foundation for the elucidation of the pharmacodynamic substances of SGR.

Microbiological isolates and associated complications of dacryocystitis and canaliculitis in a prominent tertiary ophthalmic teaching hospital in northern China.

BACKGROUND: To report the microbiological isolates, aetiology, complications, antibiotic susceptibilities, and clinical remission of dacryocystitis and canaliculitis in a prominent tertiary ophthalmic teaching and referral hospital located in northern China and to offer appropriate recommendations for preventing and formulating drug treatment strategies. METHODS: This prospective study recruited a total of 477 participants who had been diagnosed with either dacryocystitis or canaliculitis. The cohort comprised 307 patients with chronic dacryocystitis, 111 patients with acute dacryocystitis, and 59 patients with canaliculitis. Purulent discharge from the lacrimal duct was collected using a sterile swab and immediately subjected to microbial culture. Antimicrobial susceptibility testing was conducted following established protocols. All participants were scheduled for follow-up visits within 14 days after receiving antibiotic therapy. RESULTS: The present findings indicated that women exhibited a higher susceptibility to the condition, as evidenced by the occurrence of 367 cases in comparison to 110 cases among men. Among the 477 patients, definitive causes were established in 59 individuals, accounting for 12.4% of the patients. Additionally, ocular complications were reported by 132 patients, representing 27.7% of the total. Monocular involvement was observed in the majority of cases, with 402 out of 477 patients (84.3%) affected, while binocular involvement was present in 75 patients (15.7%). In total, 506 microbiological strains were recovered from 552 eyes, with Staphylococcus epidermidis (16.4%) being the most prevalent microorganism. Other predominant isolates included Corynebacterium macginleyi (9.1%), Staphylococcus aureus (5.1%), Streptococcus pneumoniae (4.9%), Haemophilus (4.4%), Propionibacterium acnes (3.5%), and Eikenella corrodens (3.1%). Among the 12 isolated fungi, Candida parapsilosis accounted for 66.7%. The susceptibility to antimicrobial agents tested in gram-negative bacilli (79.5%) was observed to be higher than that of anaerobic bacteria (76.7%) and gram-positive cocci (55.4%). With pharmacological therapy, the remission rate of acute dacryocystitis (72.7%) was found to be higher than that of canaliculitis (53.3%) and chronic dacryocystitis (42.3%). CONCLUSIONS: This study highlights the microbial spectrum of dacryocystitis and canaliculitis, particularly C.macginleyi, E.corrodens and C.parapsilosis, which are also more frequently isolated. Vancomycin and imipenem may be more effective treatment options. Most cases have an unknown aetiology, and essential preventive measures involve postoperative cleansing of the lacrimal passage following eye and nasal surgeries, as well as the proactive management of rhinitis.

Biosynthetic Pathway and Bioactivity of Vanillin, a Highly Abundant Metabolite Distributed in the Root Cortex of Tea Plants (Camellia sinensis).

Volatiles are important for plant root stress resistance. The diseases in tea root are serious, causing major losses. The volatile composition in tea root and whether it can resist diseases remain unclear. In this study, the volatile composition in different tea tissues was revealed. The vanillin content was higher in the root (mainly in root cortex) than in aerial parts. The antifungal effects of vanillin on pathogenic fungi in tea root were equal to or greater than those of other metabolites. O-methyltransferase (CsOMT), a key enzyme in one of two biosynthetic pathways of vanillin, converted protocatechualdehyde to vanillin in vitro. Furthermore, its characteristics and kinetic parameters were studied. In Arabidopsis thaliana protoplasts, the transiently expressed CsOMT was localized in the cytoplasm and nucleus. These findings have clarified the formation and bioactivities of volatiles in tea roots and provided a theoretical basis for understanding how tea plants resist root diseases.

Chinese calligraphic handwriting practice promotes positive affect in adolescents: Converging evidence from correlational and experimental designs.

Chinese calligraphic handwriting (CCH) practice has proven to be beneficial to several aspects of psychological health and has been considered a complementary therapy for mental disorders. However, less is known about whether CCH practice benefits an individual's positive affect, a core component of affective well-being. Therefore, we examined this question in Chinese adolescents by combining correlational and experimental methods. In Study 1 (N = 1460), we found that high school students who practiced CCH had higher positive affect in their daily lives than those who did not practice CCH. In Study 2, a training experiment was conducted with college students, who were randomly assigned to receive either CCH training or no treatment. A six-day short-term CCH training led to a significant benefit in positive affect in the training group (N = 23) relative to the control group (N = 27). Together, our study provides converging evidence that CCH practice can promote positive affect in adolescents, further supporting the promotion of CCH in mental health practice.

Uniform Lithium Plating for Dendrite-Free Lithium Metal Batteries: Role of Dipolar Channels in Poly(vinylidene fluoride) and PbZrxTi1-xO3 Interface.

Conventional polymer/ceramic composite solid-state electrolytes (CPEs) have limitations in inhibiting lithium dendrite growth and fail to meet the contradictory requirements of anodes and cathodes. Herein, an asymmetrical poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF)-PbZrxTi1-xO3 (PZT) CPE was prepared. The CPE incorporates high dielectric PZT nanoparticles, which enrich a dense thin layer on the anode side, making their dipole ends strongly electronegative. This attracts lithium ions (Li+) at the PVDF-PZT interface to transport through dipolar channels and promotes the dissociation of lithium salts into free Li+. Consequently, the CPE enables homogeneous lithium plating and suppresses dendrite growth. Meanwhile, the PVDF-enriched region at the cathode side ensures intermediate contact with positive active materials. Therefore, Li/PVDF-PZT CPE/Li symmetrical cells exhibit a stable cycling performance exceeding 1900 h at 0.1 mA cm-2 at 25 °C, outperforming Li/PVDF solid-state electrolyte/Li cells that fail after 120 h. The LiNi0.8Co0.1Mo0.1O2/PVDF-PZT CPE/Li cells show low interfacial impedances and maintain stable cycling performance for 500 cycles with a capacity retention of 86.2% at 0.5 C and 25 °C. This study introduces a strategy utilizing dielectric ceramics to construct dipolar channels, providing a uniform Li+ transport mechanism and inhibiting dendrite growth.

Rheology of graphene oxide stabilized Pickering emulsions.

Pickering emulgels stabilized by graphene oxide (GO) with didodecyldimethylammonium bromide (DDAB) as an auxiliary surfactant and liquid paraffin as the oil phase have proved to be an excellent 3D printable ink. This paper elucidates the structure of such emulgels by a combination of microscopy before and after intensive shear as well as broadband dielectric spectroscopy and rheology in the linear and nonlinear regime. An increase of the DDAB surfactant and GO-contents leads to a systematic increase of modulus and viscosity, a reduction of the limits of the nonlinear regime and a more complicated variation of the normal forces, with negative normal forces at high shear rate  for low GO-contents and positive normal forces at high GO-contents. The interfacial jamming behavior studied by morphology, rheology and dielectric spectroscopy is explained based on droplet deformation, jamming and recovery phenomena.

Chemical profiling and rapid discrimination of Blumea riparia and Blumea megacephala by UPLC-Q-Exactive-MS/MS and HPLC.

Objective: To rapidly identify the two morphologies and chemical properties of similar herbal medicines, Blumea riparia and B. megacephala as the basis for chemical constituent analysis. Methods: UPLC-Q-Exactive-MS/MS was utilized for profiling and identification of the constituents in B. riparia and B. megacephala. Chemical pattern recognition (CPR) was further used to compare and distinguish the two herbs and to identify their potential characteristic markers. Then, an HPLC method was established for quality evaluation. Results: A total of 93 constituents are identified, including 54 phenolic acids, 35 flavonoids, two saccharides, one phenolic acid glycoside, and one other constituent, of which 67 were identified in B. riparia and B. megacephala for the first time. CPR indicates that B. riparia and B. megacephala samples can be distinguished from each other based on the LC-MS data. The isochlorogenic acid A to cryptochlorogenic acid peak area ratio calculated from the HPLC chromatograms was proposed as a differentiation index for distinguishing and quality control of B. riparia and B. megacephala. Conclusion: This study demonstrates significant differences between B. riparia and B. megacephala in terms of chemical composition. The results provide a rapid and simple strategy for the comparison and evaluation of the quality of B. riparia and B. megacephala.

USP7- and PRMT5-dependent G3BP2 stabilization drives de novo lipogenesis and tumorigenesis of HNSC.

GTPase-activating protein-binding protein 2 (G3BP2) is a key stress granule-associated RNA-binding protein responsible for the formation of stress granules (SGs). Hyperactivation of G3BP2 is associated with various pathological conditions, especially cancers. Emerging evidence indicates that post-translational modifications (PTMs) play critical roles in gene transcription, integrate metabolism and immune surveillance. However, how PTMs directly regulate G3BP2 activity is lacking. Here, our analyses identify a novel mechanism that PRMT5-mediated G3BP2-R468me2 enhances the binding to deubiquitinase USP7, which ensures the deubiquitination and stabilization of G3BP2. Mechanistically, USP7- and PRMT5-dependent G3BP2 stabilization consequently guarantee robust ACLY activation, which thereby stimulating de novo lipogenesis and tumorigenesis. More importantly, USP7-induced G3BP2 deubiquitination is attenuated by PRMT5 depletion or inhibition. PRMT5-activity dependent methylation of G3BP2 is required for its deubiquitination and stabilization by USP7. Consistently, G3BP2, PRMT5 and G3BP2 R468me2 protein levels were found positively correlated in clinical patients and associated with poor prognosis. Altogether, these data suggest that PRMT5-USP7-G3BP2 regulatory axis serves as a lipid metabolism reprogramming mechanism in tumorigenesis, and unveil a promising therapeutic target in the metabolic treatment of head and neck squamous carcinoma.

The relationship between obstructive sleep apnea and circulating tau levels: A meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Alzheimer's disease (AD) is an irreversible, progressive brain disorder that impairs memory, thinking, language, and, eventually, the ability to carry out the simplest of tasks. Tau protein, the major component of neurofibrillary tangles, is considered a key mediator of AD pathogenesis. The association between obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and circulating tau remains unclear. The aim of the present meta-analysis was to evaluate the relationship between OSA and circulating tau via quantitative analysis. METHODS: A systematic search of Pubmed, Embase, and Web of Science were performed. The mean values of circulating total tau (T-tau) and phosphorylated tau (P-tau) in OSA and control groups were extracted. Standardized mean difference (SMD) with 95% confidence interval (CI) was calculated by using a random-effect model or fixed-effect model. RESULTS: A total of seven studies comprising 233 controls and 306 OSA patients were included in this study. The meta-analysis showed that the circulating T-tau level was significantly higher in OSA patients than those in the control group (SMD = 1.319, 95% CI = 0.594 to 2.044, z = 3.56, p < .001). OSA patients also had significantly higher circulating P-tau level than control group (SMD = 0.343, 95% CI = 0.122 to 0.564, z = 3.04, p = .002). CONCLUSIONS: The present meta-analysis demonstrated that both circulating T-tau and P-tau levels were significantly increased in OSA subjects when compared with non-OSA subjects. Larger sample-size studies on the association between OSA and circulating tau are still required to further validate our results.

CDK4/6 inhibitor modulating active and quiescent intestinal stem cells for prevention of chemotherapy-induced diarrhea.

Chemotherapy-induced diarrhea causes dehydration, debilitation, infection, and even death, but there are currently no Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved drugs for treatment of chemotherapy-induced diarrhea. It is generally believed that the timely regulation of intestinal stem cell (ISC) fate may provide a meaningful solution for intestinal injuries. However, the lineage plasticity of ISCs during and after chemotherapy remains poorly understood. Here, we demonstrated that palbociclib, a cyclin-dependent kinase 4/6 (CDK4/6) inhibitor, regulated the fate of active or quiescent ISCs, provided multilineage protection from the toxicity of several different chemotherapeutics, and accelerated gastrointestinal epithelium recovery. Consistent with in vivo results, we determined that palbociclib enhanced intestinal organoid and ex vivo tissue survival after chemotherapy. Lineage tracing studies have shown that palbociclib protects active ISCs marked by Lgr5 and Olfm4 during chemotherapy and unexpectedly activates quiescent ISCs marked by Bmi1 to immediately participate in crypt regeneration after chemotherapy. Furthermore, palbociclib does not decrease the efficacy of cytotoxic chemotherapy in tumor grafts. The experimental evidence suggests that the combination of CDK4/6 inhibitors with chemotherapy could reduce damage to the gastrointestinal epithelium in patients. © 2023 The Pathological Society of Great Britain and Ireland.

A dielectric electrolyte composite with high lithium-ion conductivity for high-voltage solid-state lithium metal batteries.

The ionic conductivity of composite solid-state electrolytes does not meet the application requirements of solid-state lithium (Li) metal batteries owing to the harsh space charge layer of different phases and low concentration of movable Li+. Herein, we propose a robust strategy for creating high-throughput Li+ transport pathways by coupling the ceramic dielectric and electrolyte to overcome the low ionic conductivity challenge of composite solid-state electrolytes. A highly conductive and dielectric composite solid-state electrolyte is constructed by compositing the poly(vinylidene difluoride) matrix and the BaTiO3-Li0.33La0.56TiO3-x nanowires with a side-by-side heterojunction structure (PVBL). The polarized dielectric BaTiO3 greatly promotes the dissociation of Li salt to produce more movable Li+, which locally and spontaneously transfers across the interface to coupled Li0.33La0.56TiO3-x for highly efficient transport. The BaTiO3-Li0.33La0.56TiO3-x effectively restrains the formation of the space charge layer with poly(vinylidene difluoride). These coupling effects contribute to a quite high ionic conductivity (8.2 × 10-4 S cm-1) and lithium transference number (0.57) of the PVBL at 25 °C. The PVBL also homogenizes the interfacial electric field with electrodes. The LiNi0.8Co0.1Mn0.1O2/PVBL/Li solid-state batteries stably cycle 1,500 times at a current density of 180 mA g-1, and pouch batteries also exhibit an excellent electrochemical and safety performance.

High Dielectric Poly(vinylidene fluoride)-Based Polymer Enables Uniform Lithium-Ion Transport in Solid-State Ionogel Electrolytes.

Ionic liquids (ILs)-incorporated solid-state polymer electrolytes (iono-SPEs) have high ionic conductivities but show non-uniform Li+ transport in different phases. This work greatly promotes Li+ transport in polymer phases by employing a poly (vinylidene fluoride-trifluoroethylene-chlorotrifluoroethylene) [P(VDF-TrFE-CTFE), PTC] as the framework of ILs to prepare iono-SPEs. Unlike PVDF, PTC with suitable polarity shows weaker adsorption energy on IL cations, reducing their possibility of occupying Li+ -hopping sites. The significantly higher dielectric constant of PTC than PVDF facilitates the dissociation of Li-anions clusters. These two factors motivate Li+ transport along PTC chains, narrowing the difference in Li+ transport among varied phases. The LiFePO4 /PTC iono-SPE/Li cells cycle steadily with capacity retention of 91.5 % after 1000 cycles at 1 C and 25 °C. This work paves a new way to induce uniform Li+ flux in iono-SPEs through polarity and dielectric design of polymer matrix.

Illuminating the biosynthesis pathway genes involved in bioactive specific monoterpene glycosides in Paeonia veitchii Lynch by a combination of sequencing platforms.

BACKGROUND: Paeonia veitchii Lynch, a well-known herb from the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau south of the Himalayas, can synthesize specific monoterpene glycosides (PMGs) with multiple pharmacological activities, and its rhizome has become an indispensable ingredient in many clinical drugs. However, little is known about the molecular background of P. veitchii, especially the genes involved in the biosynthetic pathway of PMGs. RESULTS: A corrective full-length transcriptome with 30,827 unigenes was generated by combining next-generation sequencing (NGS) and single-molecule real-time sequencing (SMRT) of six tissues (leaf, stem, petal, ovary, phloem and xylem). The enzymes terpene synthase (TPS), cytochrome P450 (CYP), UDP-glycosyltransferase (UGT), and BAHD acyltransferase, which participate in the biosynthesis of PMGs, were systematically characterized, and their functions related to PMG biosynthesis were analysed. With further insight into TPSs, CYPs, UGTs and BAHDs involved in PMG biosynthesis, the weighted gene coexpression network analysis (WGCNA) method was used to identify the relationships between these genes and PMGs. Finally, 8 TPSs, 22 CYPs, 7 UGTs, and 2 BAHD genes were obtained, and these putative genes were very likely to be involved in the biosynthesis of PMGs. In addition, the expression patterns of the putative genes and the accumulation of PMGs in tissues suggested that all tissues are capable of biosynthesizing PMGs and that aerial plant parts could also be used to extract PMGs. CONCLUSION: We generated a large-scale transcriptome database across the major tissues in P. veitchii, providing valuable support for further research investigating P. veitchii and understanding the genetic information of plants from the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. TPSs, CYPs, UGTs and BAHDs further contribute to a better understanding of the biology and complexity of PMGs in P. veitchii. Our study will help reveal the mechanisms underlying the biosynthesis pathway of these specific monoterpene glycosides and aid in the comprehensive utilization of this multifunctional plant.

Influence of Cellulose Nanofibers on the Behavior of Pickering Emulsions. Part 1. Microscopy and Startup Flow Test.

The dispersibility of flexible polymer chains present at the emulsion's interface between the dispersed and continuous phase has obvious effects on rheology and dielectric properties of the whole emulsion. Cellulose nanofiber (CNF)-based Pickering emulsions are good systems to research these properties with respect to their microscopic phase structure, dielectric, and rheological properties by using CNF as a water-dispersible Pickering emulsifier, liquid paraffin as an oil phase, and didodecyldimethylammonium bromide (DDAB) as a cationic auxiliary surfactant. The CNF and DDAB contents were systematically varied while the water-to-paraffin oil ratio was kept constant to discern the influence of the Pickering emulsifiers. Polarized optical microscopic images reveal that the droplets tend to shrink at higher CNF content but grow bigger when increasing the DDAB content, which is proved by fluorescence analysis of the CNF dispersibility with varying DDAB content. The dielectric damping exhibits a minimum, whose value decreases with increasing DDAB and CNF content. Increasing the DDAB content promotes the solubilization of CNF in the aqueous phase, which will increase the overall viscosity and yield points. Similarly, a higher CNF content leads to a higher viscosity and yield point, but at high DDAB contents, the viscosity function exhibits an S-shape at intermediate CNF contents. To evaluate the results further, they were compared with CNF dispersions (without oil phase), which showed a surfactant effect slightly on maximum stress but strongly on yield stress τy, indicating that DDAB can promote the formation of a CNF network rather than the viscosity of the whole system. This paper provides information on how a systematical variation of the composition influences morphology and physico-chemical interactions as detected by broadband dielectric spectroscopy and rheological behavior.

[Chemical constituents and anti-liver fibrosis mechanism of Meconopsis quintuplinervia based on UPLC-Q-Exactive-MS/MS and network pharmacology].

In this study, UPLC-Q-Exactive-MS/MS was used to rapidly analyze the chemical constituents of Meconopsis quintupli-nervia, and the anti-liver fibrosis mechanism of M. quintuplinervia was preliminarily analyzed by network pharmacology, molecular docking, and cell experiments. The chemical constituents of M. quintuplinervia were identified according to the information of MS~1 and MS~2, as well as the data in the literature and databases. SwissTargetPrediction and TargetNet were used to predict the potential targets. The targets related to liver fibrosis were collected from GeneCards and OMIM. The protein-protein interaction(PPI) network was constructed by STRING. Cytoscape 3.6.1 was used to construct and analyze the "constituent-target-disease" network to obtain key targets and their corresponding constituents in the network. DAVID 6.8 was used for GO analysis and KEGG signaling pathway enrichment analysis. Finally, the preliminary verification was carried out by molecular docking and cell experiments. As a result, 106 chemical constituents were identified from M. quintuplinervia, including 66 flavonoids, 16 alkaloids, 18 phenolic acids, 1 anthocyanin, and 5 other constituents. Among them, 3 constituents were identified as potential new compounds, and 59 constituents were reported in M. quintuplinervia for the first time. Network pharmacology analysis showed that M. quintuplinervia presumably acted on AKT1, SRC, JUN, EGFR, STAT3, HSP90 AA1, MAPK3, and other core targets through luteolin, isorhamnetin, quercetin, apigenin, kaempferide, amurine, 2-methylflavinantine, allocryptopine, the multi and other active compounds, thereby regulating the PI3 K/AKT signaling pathway, pathways in cancer, proteoglycans in cancer, FoxO signaling pathway, and other pathways to exert anti-liver fibrosis effects. M. quintuplinervia extract(MQE) could significantly down-regulate PI3 K and AKT protein levels in the HSC-T6 cell model induced by TGF-ß1, suggesting that MQE may have the ability to regulate the PI3 K/AKT signaling pathway. The findings of this study indicated that the anti-liver fibrosis effect of M. quintuplinervia had multi-constituent, multi-target, and multi-pathway characteristics, which may provide a scientific basis for the research on the pharmacodynamic materials, action mechanism, and quality markers of M. quintupli-nervia.

Development of pulsed magnetic field assisted supersonic plasma spraying.

This study designs a pulsed magnetic field assisted supersonic plasma spraying (PM-SPS) device. The instrument is divided into magnetic field generation and spraying modules, and they are connected by a dual control system and professional fixture. The PM-SPS system is simple to operate and has no contact with the spraying process. In addition, it can achieve high field intensity and stable pulse frequency in a short time. It has a strengthening effect on the whole coating forming process. The porosity, roughness, hardness, and tribological properties of the coatings prepared using the PM-SPS system were improved. The reported experiments and results can be generalized to other coating applications, which require high quality surfaces.

Translation initiation factor eIF3a regulates glucose metabolism and cell proliferation via promoting small GTPase Rheb synthesis and AMPK activation.

Eukaryotic translation initiation factor 3 subunit A (eIF3a), the largest subunit of the eIF3 complex, has been shown to be overexpressed in malignant cancer cells, potentially making it a proto-oncogene. eIF3a overexpression can drive cancer cell proliferation but contributes to better prognosis. While its contribution to prognosis was previously shown to be due to its function in suppressing synthesis of DNA damage repair proteins, it remains unclear how eIF3a regulates cancer cell proliferation. In this study, we show using genetic approaches that eIF3a controls cell proliferation by regulating glucose metabolism via the phosphorylation and activation of AMP-activated protein kinase alpha (AMPKα) at Thr172 in its kinase activation loop. We demonstrate that eIF3a regulates AMPK activation mainly by controlling synthesis of the small GTPase Rheb, largely independent of the well-known AMPK upstream liver kinase B1 and Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase kinase 2, and also independent of mammalian target of rapamycin signaling and glucose levels. Our findings suggest that glucose metabolism in and proliferation of cancer cells may be translationally regulated via a novel eIF3a-Rheb-AMPK signaling axis.