Thalassotalea psychrophila sp. nov., Thalassotalea nanhaiensis sp. nov. and Thalassotalea fonticola sp. nov., three psychrophilic bacteria isolated from deep-sea sediment.

Three psychrophilic bacteria, designated as strains SQ149T, SQ345T, and S1-1T, were isolated from deep-sea sediment from the South China Sea. All three strains were the most closely related to Thalassotalea atypica RZG4-3-1T based on the 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis (similarity ranged from 96.45 to 96.67 %). Phylogenetic analysis based on the 16S rRNA gene and core-genome sequences showed that three strains formed a cluster within the genus Thalassotalea. The average amino acid identity, average nucleotide identity, and digital DNA-DNA hybridization values among the three strains and closest Thalassotalea species were far below the cut-off value recommended for delineating species, indicating they each represented a novel species. All three strains were Gram-stain-negative, rod-shaped, and contained summed feature 3 (C16 : 1 ω7c and/or C16 : 1 ω6c) as the predominant fatty acid, Q-8 as the major respiratory quinone, and phosphatidylethanolamine and phosphatidylglycerol as predominant polar lipids. Based on the genomic, phylogenetic, and phenotypic characterizations, each strain is considered to represent a novel species within the genus Thalassotalea, for which the names Thalassotalea psychrophila sp. nov. (type strain SQ149T=MCCC 1K04231T=JCM 33807T), Thalassotalea nanhaiensis sp. nov. (type strain SQ345T=MCCC 1K04232T=JCM 33808T), and Thalassotalea fonticola sp. nov. (type strain S1-1T=MCCC 1K06879T=JCM 34824T) are proposed.

Association of Valproic Acid and Its Main Metabolites' Plasma Concentrations with Clinical Outcomes among Epilepsy Patients: A 10-Year Retrospective Study Based on Therapeutic Drug Monitoring.

Valproic acid (VPA) is a first-line antiepileptic drug with broad efficacy. Due to significant individual differences in its metabolism, therapeutic drug monitoring is commonly used. However, the recommended therapeutic range (50-100 µg/mL) is inadequate for predicting clinical outcomes. Additionally, the relationship between VPA metabolites and clinical outcomes remains unclear. In this retrospective study, 485 Chinese Southern Han epilepsy patients receiving VPA monotherapy were analyzed after reaching steady-state levels. Plasma concentrations of VPA and its five main metabolites were determined by liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS). We assessed the relevance of the recommended therapeutic VPA range for clinical outcomes and explored the association between VPA/metabolites levels and treatment efficacy/adverse effects. Vitro experiments were conducted to assess 4-ene-VPA hepatotoxicity. The therapeutic range of VPA exhibited no significant correlation with clinical outcomes, and plasma concentrations of VPA failed to serve as predictive indicators for treatment response/adverse effects. Treatment responders had higher 2-PGA concentrations (median, 26.39 ng/mL versus 13.68 ng/mL), with a threshold of 36.5 ng/mL for optimal epilepsy treatment. Patients with abnormal liver function had a higher 4-ene-VPA median concentration (6.41 µg/mL versus 4.83 µg/mL), and the ratio of 4-ene-VPA to VPA better predicted VPA-induced hepatotoxicity (area under the curve, 0.718) than 4-ene-VPA concentration. Vitro experiments revealed that 4-ene-VPA was more hepatotoxic than VPA in HepaRG and L02 cell lines. Total plasma VPA concentration does not serve as a predictor of clinical outcomes. 2-PGA concentrations may be associated with efficacy, whereas the ratio of 4-ene-VPA to VPA may be considered a better biomarker (threshold 10.03%) for VPA-induced hepatotoxicity. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT: This was the first and largest observational cohort in China to explore the relationship between patients' parent and metabolites concentrations of VPA and clinical outcomes during the maintenance of VPA monotherapy in epileptic patients. This study provided feasible references of VPA for epilepsy clinical treatment with a larger sample of patients compared with previous studies for a more definitive conclusion based on real-world situations. We found two potential biomarkers in predicting efficacy and liver injury, respectively. This breakthrough has the potential to assist in the rational use of VPA.

Mechanism studies underlying the alleviatory effects of isoliquiritigenin on abnormal glucolipid metabolism triggered by type 2 diabetes / 药学学报

Isoliquiritigenin (ISL) is an active chalcone compound isolated from licorice. It possesses anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidative activities. In our previous study, we uncovered a great potential of ISL in treatment of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Therefore, this study aims to reveal the mechanism underlying the alleviatory effects of ISL on T2DM-induced glycolipid metabolism disorder. High-fat-high-sugar diet (HFD) combined with intraperitoneal injection of streptozotocin (STZ) were used to establish T2DM mice model. All animal experiments were carried out with approval of the Committee of Ethics at Beijing University of Chinese Medicine. HepG2 cells were used in in vitro experiments, and sodium palmitate (SP) was applied to establish insulin resistance (IR) model cells. The effects of ISL on body weight, fasting blood glucose levels, and pathological changes in the livers of mice were examined. Enzyme-linked immune sorbent assay (ELISA) and real-time quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR) were applied to detect the regulatory effects of ISL on key targets involved in glucolipid metabolism. Additionally, molecular docking and analytical dynamics simulation methods were used to analyze the interaction between ISL and key target protein. The results indicate that ISL significantly downregulates the transcriptional levels and inhibits the activities of key enzymes involved in gluconeogenesis, including pyruvate carboxylase (PC), phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase (PEPCK), and fructose-1, 6-bisphosphatase (FBP). It also downregulates the transcriptional and protein levels of hepatocyte nuclear factor 4α (HNF4α) and cAMP response element binding protein (CREB), the two transcriptional factors involved in gluconeogenesis. Thus, ISL inhibits hepatic gluconeogenesis in T2DM mice. In addition, ISL reduces total cholesterol (TC) and triglyceride (TG) levels in the livers of T2DM mice. Moreover, ISL downregulates the mRNA levels of lipogenesis genes and upregulates those of genes involved in fatty acid oxidation, lipid uptake, and lipid export. In conclusion, ISL suppresses hepatic gluconeogenesis, promotes lipolysis, and restrains lipogenesis in T2DM mice, thereby improving the abnormal glycolipid metabolism caused by T2DM.

A nomogram for predicting mild cognitive impairment in older adults with hypertension.

BACKGROUND: Hyper- and hypotension increase the risk of cognitive dysfunction. As effective control of blood pressure can reduce the risk of mild cognitive impairment (MCI), early risk assessment is necessary to identify MCI in senile hypertension as soon as possible and reduce the risk of developing dementia. No perfect risk-prediction model or nomogram has been developed to evaluate the risk of MCI in older adults with hypertension. We aimed to develop a nomogram model for predicting MCI in older patients with hypertension. METHODS: We selected 345 older patients with hypertension in Xixiangtang District, Nanning City, as the modeling group and divided into the MCI (n = 197) and non-MCI groups (n = 148). Comparing the general conditions, lifestyle, disease factors, psychosocial and other indicators. Logistic regression was used to analyze risk factors for MCI in older hypertensive patients, and R Programming Language was used to draw the nomogram. We selected 146 older patients with hypertension in Qingxiu District, Nanning City, as the verification group. The effectiveness and discrimination ability of the nomogram was evaluated through internal and external verification. RESULTS: Multivariate logistic regression analysis identified 11 factors, including hypertension grade, education level, complicated diabetes, hypertension years, stress history, smoking, physical exercise, reading, social support, sleep disorders, and medication compliance, as risk factors for MCI in older patients with hypertension. To develop a nomogram model, the validity of the prediction model was evaluated by fitting the curve, which revealed a good fit for both the modeling (P = 0.98) and verification groups (P = 0.96). The discrimination of the nomogram model was evaluated in the modeling group using a receiver operating characteristic curve. The area under the curve was 0.795, and the Hosmer-Lemeshow test yielded P = 0.703. In the validation group, the area under the curve was 0.765, and the Hosmer-Lemeshow test yielded P = 0.234. CONCLUSIONS: We developed a nomogram to help clinicians identify high-risk groups for MCI among older patients with hypertension. This model demonstrated good discrimination and validity, providing a scientific basis for community medical staff to evaluate and identify the risk of MCI in these patients at an early stage.

Synthesis of graphene anchored with atomically isolated cobalt from a promising graphite-like supramolecule.

The application of heteroatom-doped graphene for photochemical and electrochemical reactions is primarily hindered by the lack of a controllable and facile synthesis strategy. In this work, few-layer CoN-graphene (1.8 nm thickness) with atomic Co has been fabricated via pyrolysis exfoliation. The half wave potential of CoN-graphene reaches 0.875 V vs. RHE, and the corresponding direct methanol fuel cell performance is 100% (higher than that of the commercial Pt/C catalyst), demonstrating potential for practical application in energy conversion devices.

Spatial-temporal variation of the carbon sequestration rate of afforestation in China: Implications for carbon trade and planning.

Afforestation and reforestation (A&R) are nature-based and cost-effective solutions for enhancing terrestrial carbon sinks and facilitating faster carbon neutrality. However, the lack of hierarchical spatial-temporal maps for the carbon sequestration rate (CSR) from A&R at the national scale impedes the scientific implementation of forest management planning to a large extent. Here, we assessed the spatial-temporal CSR per area for A&R at the provincial, prefectural, and county levels in China using a forest carbon sequestration model under three climate scenarios. Results showed that the CSR of vegetation (CSRVeg), soil (CSRSoil), and the ecosystem (CSREco) significantly varied across space and time. In China, the CSRVeg, CSRSoil, and CSREco were primarily regulated by the spatial variations in temperature and precipitation. Additionally, CSRVeg was found to be positively influenced by precipitation and temperature, whereas temperature had a negative influence on CSRSoil. Therefore, the differences between the CSRVeg and CSRSoil should be emphasized in the future. These information on the spatiotemporal variation of CSR of A&R (vegetation, soil, and ecosystem) on unit area basis and at levels of province, prefecture, and county in China, can be used as a comparable protocol to estimate the carbon sinks of A&R at different scales. Overall, these hierarchical spatiotemporal maps for CSR on A&R may help to identify priority areas of forest management planning and carbon trade policy to achieve faster carbon neutrality for China in the future.

Defect-Rich Glassy IrTe2 with Dual Enzyme-Mimic Activities for Sono-Photosynergistic-Enhanced Oncotherapy.

The complexity, diversity, and heterogeneity of malignant tumors pose a formidable challenge for antitumor therapy. To achieve the goal of significantly enhancing the antitumor effect, nanomedicine-based synergistic therapy is one of the important strategies. Herein, we innovatively report a defect-rich glassy IrTe2 (G-IrTe2) with weak Ir-Te bond strength for synergistic sonodynamic therapy (SDT), chemodynamic therapy (CDT), and mild photothermal therapy (PTT). G-IrTe2 sonosensitizer under ultrasound (US) stimuli exhibits excellent reactive oxygen species (ROS) production performance. Besides, catalase (CAT)-like activity of G-IrTe2 can provide abundant oxygen to enhance the SDT effect. Then, the theoretical calculation verifies that US stimuli can easily make the irregular Ir-Te bond to be broken in amorphous IrTe2 and free electrons will be released to combine with the oxygen and further form singlet oxygen (1O2). Meanwhile, G-IrTe2 with peroxidase (POD)-like activity can also catalyze endogenous H2O2 to produce more ROS for chemodynamic therapy (CDT), which is conducive to better tumor ablation. Furthermore, the ROS produced by sono-/chemodynamic processes can cause mitochondrial dysfunction and further give rise to heat shock protein (HSP) downregulated expression, maximizing the efficiency of mild PTT. Therefore, such glassy IrTe2 with rich defect could be significantly involved in synergistic oncotherapy and then effectively achieve outstanding antitumor efficacy. This study provides a new research idea for expanding the application of inorganic glassy nanomaterials in promoting the therapeutic effect of tumors.

Spatial-Temporal Variation and Influencing Factors of Regional Tourism Carbon Emission Efficiency in China Based on Calculating Tourism Value Added.

Tourism-related carbon emission efficiency is an important indicator that reflects the sustainable development of tourism and can better balance the relationship between negative environmental impact and economic value. According to panel data of 30 provincial regions, "the tourism value added coefficient" (not including the Tibet Autonomous Region) in mainland China from 2000 to 2019, we estimate the tourism of each provincial administrative unit carbon emissions, measure the tourism carbon efficiency value, and analyze the measurement results of the change trend, spatial differentiation characteristics, and influencing factors. The results show that (1) the carbon emission efficiency of regional tourism in China increased significantly from 2000 to 2019, but there was a significant difference in the carbon emission efficiency of tourism among regions, and the sustainable development level of regional tourism was still unbalanced. (2) The spatial pattern of provincial administrative units in China has the adjacent characteristics of High-High agglomeration and Low-Low agglomeration, the difference in the tourism eco-efficiency development level among regions gradually decreases with time, and there is a dynamic convergence characteristic. (3) The q value represents the intensity of the impact factor on tourism carbon emission efficiency. According to the q value, the factors affecting tourism carbon emission efficiency were divided into dominant factors (0.5 ≤ q ≤ 1), inducing factors (0.2 ≤ q < 0.5) and driving factors (0 ≤ q < 0.2), among which the level of technological development was the dominant factor. The level of opening-up to the outside world is the inducing factor; environmental regulation intensity, urbanization level, regional economic development level, tourism industry environment, and tourism infrastructure are the driving factors. (4) The influence degree of influencing factors on the spatial differentiation of tourism carbon emission efficiency is significantly different in different periods. The degree of influence of the urbanization level and tourism industry environment shows an upward trend over time, and the influence degree of other factors shows a "V-shaped" trend. (5) The two-factor interaction will significantly enhance the spatial differentiation of regional tourism carbon emission efficiency, and the interaction between the level of scientific and technological innovation and other influencing factors has a deeper impact on tourism carbon emission efficiency.

Isoliquiritigenin alleviates energy metabolism imbalance in type 2 diabetic mice / 药学学报

Isoliquiritigenin (ISL) is a flavonoid compound isolated from licorice. It possesses excellent antioxidant and anti-diabetic activities. This study aims to investigate the molecular mechanism underlying the alleviatory effect of ISL on energy metabolism imbalance caused by type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). 8-week-old male C57BL/6J mice were used in in vivo experiments. The high-fat-high-glucose diet combined with intraperitoneal injection of streptozotocin was applied to establish T2DM animal model. All animal experiments were performed in accordance with the Institutional Guidelines of Laboratory Animal Administration issued by the Committee of Ethics at Beijing University of Chinese Medicine. HepG2 cells were used in in vitro experiments. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) were used to examine the protein and mRNA levels of mitochondrial function-related targets. The levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP) in HepG2 cells were measured by the flow cytometry. Additionally, the molecular docking of ISL and key target proteins was analyzed. It was found that ISL significantly inhibited the activity of mitochondrial respiratory chain complex I and increased the protein levels of uncoupling protein 2 (UCP2) in the livers of mice and HepG2 cells. It also obviously decreased the ROS levels and increased the MMP levels in cultured HepG2 cells. In addition, ISL promoted mitochondrial biogenesis by activating proliferator-activated receptor gamma co-activator 1α (PGC-1α) and enhanced mitophagy by upregulating Parkin. It also improved mitochondrial fusion by increasing the mRNA and protein levels of mitofusin 2 (MFN2). In conclusion, ISL alleviates energy metabolism imbalance caused by T2DM through suppression of excessive mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation and promotion of mitochondrial biogenesis, mitophagy, and fusion.

Role of PHB2 in mitochondrial calcium dynamics and mitophagy / 中国药理学与毒理学杂志

OBJECTIVE Mitochondria plays a crucial role in cellular homeostasis by regulating various pro-cesses,including calcium signaling and mitophagy.This study aimed to explore the involvement of prohibitin 2(PHB2),an inner mitochondrial membrane protein,in the modulation of mitochondrial calcium dynamics and mitoph-agy.METHODS HEK293T cells were used as the experi-mental cells and were divided into control,PHB2 knock-down,and PHB2 overexpression groups.To evaluate mitochondrial calcium dynamics,Rhod-2 AM and Mito-Tracker Green fluorescence dyesrhod-2 staining and laser confocal microscopy were employed to visualize mito-chondrial calcium imaging.Additionally,Green-5N was utilized to measure the rate of mitochondrial calcium uptake.The mitochondrial membrane potential was assessed using JC-10 staining and laser confocal micros-copy,while cellular ATP levels were determined using ATP assay kits.Furthermore,mitochondrial autophagy was induced by treatment with CCCP,and the expression lev-els of TOM20,LC3,and PARKIN,key mitophagy-related proteins,were analyzed using Western blotting.RESULTS The results demonstrated that compared to the control group,the overexpression of PHB2 increased mitochon-drial calcium concentration,mitochondrial calcium uptake rate,ATP level and expression levels of LC3 and PAR-KIN,but decreased mitochondrial membrane potential and TOM20 expression.In contrast,PHB2 knockdown reduced mitochondrial calcium concentration,ATP level and expression levels of LC3 and PARKIN,but elevated mitochondrial membrane potential,and TOM20 expres-sion.CONCLUSION This study provides evidence that PHB2 plays a vital role in regulating mitochondrial calci-um dynamics,which in turn influences mitochondrial func-tion and modulates mitochondrial autophagy.These find-ings contribute to our understanding of the molecular mechanisms underlying the interplay between PHB2,mitochondrial calcium signaling,and mitophagy.

A circRNA-miRNA-mRNA network analysis underlying pathogenesis of human heart failure / 老年心脏病学杂志（英文版）

BACKGROUND@#The molecular mechanisms of heart failure (HF) are still poorly understood. Circular RNA (circRNA) has been discovered in the heart in increasing numbers of studies. The goal of this research is to learn more about the potential roles of circRNAs in HF.@*METHODS & RESULTS@#We used RNA sequencing data to identify the characteristics of circRNAs expressed in the heart and discovered that the majority of circRNAs screened were less than 2000 nt. Additionally, chromosomes One and Y had the most and least number of circRNAs, respectively. After excluding duplicate host genes and intergenic circRNAs, a total of 238 differentially expressed circRNAs (DECs) and 203 host genes were discovered. However, only four of the 203 host genes of DECs were examined in HF differentially expressed genes. Another study used Gene Oncology analysis of DECs host genes to elucidate the underlying pathogenesis of HF, and it found that binding and catalytic activity accounted for a large portion of DECs. Immune system, metabolism, and signal transduction pathways were significantly enriched. Furthermore, 1052 potentially regulated miRNAs from the top 40 DECs were collected to build a circRNA-miRNA network, and it was discovered that 470 miRNAs can be regulated by multiple circRNAs, while others are regulated by a single circRNA. In addition, a comparison of the top 10 mRNAs in HF and their targeted miRNAs revealed that DDX3Y and UTY were regulated by the most and least circRNA, respectively.@*CONCLUSION@#These findings demonstrated circRNAs have species and tissue specific expression patterns; while circRNA expression is independent on host genes, the same types of genes in DECs and DEGs worked in HF. Our findings would contribute to a better understanding of the critical roles of circRNAs and lay the groundwork for future studies of HF molecular functions.

Analysis of death attributable to smoking and drinking and the influence on life expectancy among residents ≥ 30 years old in Chengdu / 现代预防医学

@#Objective To understand the prevalence of smoking and drinking among residents ≥ 30 years old in Chengdu, and to investigate the death attributable to smoking and drinking and its effect on life expectancy. Methods The data sources were data of the causes of death of residents in the 2018 Sichuan Health Statistical Yearbook, the health survey data of Chengdu residents in the natural population cohort in southwest China, and the data of smoking and drinking related diseases and their relative risk in the global disease burden of the World Health Organization. The counterfactual attribution method was used to calculate the number of attributable deaths and life expectancy loss caused by smoking and drinking. Results The life expectancy of 30-year-old residents in Chengdu was 53.91 years (51.52 years for males and 56.48 years for females). The total number of deaths attributed to smoking was 14 370, with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (4 926), lung cancer (4 234), and esophageal cancer (1 578) ranking the top three. The total number of deaths attributed to drinking was 2 185, among which cerebrovascular disease, esophageal cancer, and liver cirrhosis were the three leading causes of death attributable to drinking. The loss of life expectancy caused by smoking was 2.03 years (3.47 years for males and 0.39 years for females), and the loss caused by drinking was 0.28 years (0.48 years for males and 0.04 years for females). Conclusion Smoking and drinking cause a great loss of life expectancy of Chengdu residents and impose a huge disease burden on the death from respiratory system, digestive system, cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases.

Cu Single Atom Nanozyme Based High-Efficiency Mild Photothermal Therapy through Cellular Metabolic Regulation.

Upregulation of heat shock proteins (HSPs) drastically compromises the treatment effect of mild photothermal therapy (PTT). Herein, we designed a polyporous Cu single atom nanozyme (Cu SAzyme) loaded with licogliflozin (LIK066) for HSP-silencing induced mild PTT. On one hand, LIK066 inhibits glucose uptake by shutting sodium-dependent glucose transporter (SGLT) "valve", effectively blocking the energy source for adenosine triphosphate (ATP) generation. Without sufficient energy, cancer cells cannot synthesize HSPs. On the other hand, Cu SAzyme presents extraordinary multienzyme activities to induce reactive oxygen species (ROS) storm formation, which can damage the existing HSPs in cancer cells. Through a two-pronged strategy of SGLT inhibitor and ROS storm, LIK066-loaded Cu SAzyme shows high efficiency for comprehensive removal of HSPs to realize mild PTT.

[Identification of genes involved in biosynthesis of paeoniflorin in Paeonia lactiflora based on transcriptome analysis].

Paeoniflorin, a representative pinane monoterpene glycoside, is the main active component and quality index of Paeoniae Radix Alba and Paeoniae Radix Rubra.The possible biosynthesis of paeoniflorin is as follows: GPP is derived from mevalonate(MVA) and/or 2-C-methyl-D-erythritol 4-phosphate(MEP) pathway(s) followed by the catalysis with terpene synthase, cytochrome P450(CYP450), UDP-glucuronosyltransferase(UGT), and acyltransferase(AT), respectively.This study aims to explore the genes rela-ted to the biosynthesis of paeoniflorin.To be specific, the cDNA libraries for flowers, leaves, and roots of Paeonia lactiflora were established and sequenced.A total of 30 609 open reading frames(ORFs) were yielded.Through functional annotation and expression analysis of all CYP450 genes in the transcriptome, 11 CYP450 genes belonging to CYP71 A and CYP71 D subfamilies and showing expression trend consistent with monoterpene synthase PlPIN that may be involved in paeoniflorin biosynthesis were screened out.Subsequently, 7 UGT genes and 9 AT genes demonstrating the expression trend consistent with PlPIN which were possibly involved in paeoniflorin biosynthesis were further screened by functional annotation analysis, full-length sequence analysis, expression analysis, and phylogeny analysis.This study provided a systematic screening method with smaller number of candidate genes, thus reducing the workload of functional gene verification.The result laid a foundation for analyzing the biosynthesis pathway of paeoniflorin and the formation mechanism.

Compared with Him or Her, I Am Not Good Enough: How to Alleviate Depression Due to Upward Social Comparison?

The present study primarily aims to examine the mediating role of core self-evaluation and the moderating role of personal growth initiative (PGI) in the relationship between upward social comparison and senior high school students' depression and to explore the gender difference in this association. A total of 721 Chinese senior high school students (61.16% boys; M = 16.21 years, SD = 1.07) completed measures of upward social comparison, core self-evaluation, personal growth initiative, and depression. Results showed a significant positive correlation between upward social comparison and depression. Core self-evaluation partially mediated this association, and a gender difference in the indirect effect was revealed; that is, the effect was shown to be stronger for girls than for boys. Moreover, for boys, the mediating effect of core self-evaluation was moderated by PGI, and the effect was more potent for individuals with high PGI than for those with low PGI. However, no moderating effect of PGI on the indirect effect was found for girls. These findings suggest that prevention and interventions focusing on reducing upward social comparison and enhancing core self-evaluation may alleviate adolescents' depression symptoms and that more attention should be given to girls with low core self-evaluation and boys with high PGI.

Optimization design of hump phenomenon of low specific speed centrifugal pump based on CFD and orthogonal test.

Aiming to eliminate the hump phenomenon in a low specific speed centrifugal pump, its structural parameters were optimized using the computational fluid dynamics method. Based on the [Formula: see text] turbulence model, a 3D steady analysis of the internal flow field was carried out. The [Formula: see text] orthogonal table was established, and four structural parameters, including the impeller outlet diameter, impeller outlet width, number of blades, and blade outlet angle, were selected as influencing factors. Nine orthogonal test schemes were developed and the results were analyzed through the weight matrix analysis method, obtaining the weight of the selected factors on the test results. The optimal scheme was selected according to the weight and the weight matrix analysis results have shown that the impeller outlet width had the dominant influence on the head, shaft power, and efficiency. Further, the blade number was the main influencing factor for shaft power and efficiency. The centrifugal pump flow control test bench was built to carry out the numerical simulation and test all the prototype and optimization pump indexes. Through the external characteristic test, it can be seen that the [Formula: see text] of the optimized pump is 87.889, which is 24.89% lower than that of the prototype pump, which effectively optimizes the hump phenomenon of the centrifugal pump. The experimental results have shown that in underrated working conditions, the working performance of the optimized pump was improved significantly. The head size was reduced by 1.424%, and the efficiency was increased by 7.896%. By optimizing the structural pump parameters, its jet-wake hydraulic loss was reduced, and the head curve hump phenomenon was effectively eliminated. All the performance indexes of the optimized pump were higher than those of the prototype, verifying both the accuracy and reliability of the orthogonal test and weight matrix analysis method. Finally, obtained results provide a reference for the structural design of high-performance centrifugal pumps.

Antiparasitical efficacy of sophoraflavanone G isolated from Sophora flavescens against parasitic protozoa Ichthyophthirius multifiliis.

Ichthyophthirius multifiliis, a global distributed protozoan parasite, causes "White spot disease" and leads to serious mortality of freshwater fish in aquaculture. The present study was conducted to assess the anti-I. multifiliis efficacy of active compound isolated from Sophora flavescens. The isolated active compound was identified as sophoraflavanone G (SG) with ESI-MS and NMR. In vitro tests, SG at concentrations of 0.5 mg/L and 2 mg/L resulted in death of all theronts and tomonts, respectively; SG at concentrations of 0.125 mg/L and 0.25 mg/L notably decreased theronts infectivity (p < 0.05). Additionally, the in vivo test results showed that a cumulative delivery of SG at concentration of 2 mg/L for 7 days protected fish from I. multifiliis infection. The 96-h LC50 (median lethal concentration) and safety concentration of SG to grass carp were 46.6 mg/L and 11.3 mg/L, respectively. The present work indicated that SG was a potential safe and effectively therapeutic agent in treating I. multifiliis.

Individual and mixtures of metal exposures in associations with biomarkers of oxidative stress and global DNA methylation among pregnant women.

BACKGROUND: Prenatal exposure to metals has been linked with adverse pregnancy outcomes. Oxidative stress and epigenetic changes are potential mechanisms of action. OBJECTIVES: We aimed to examine the associations of individual and mixtures of metal exposures with oxidative stress and DNA methylation among pregnant women. METHODS: We measured a panel of 16 metals and 3 oxidative stress biomarkers including 8-hydroxydeoxyguanosine (8-OHdG), 4-hydroxy-2-nonenal-mercapturic acid (HNE-MA) and 8-isoprostaglandin F2α (8-isoPGF2α) in urine from 113 pregnant women in a Chinese cohort. Biomarkers of global DNA methylation including Alu and long interspersed nucleotide element-1 (LINE-1) in cord blood were measured. Multivariable linear regression and Bayesian kernel machine regression (BKMR) models were separately applied to estimate the associations between individual and mixtures of metal exposures and biomarkers of oxidative stress and global DNA methylation. RESULTS: In single-metal analyses, we observed positive associations between 11 metals [arsenic (As), cadmium (Cd), thallium (Tl), barium (Ba), nickel (Ni), vanadium (V), cobalt (Co), zinc (Zn), copper (Cu), selenium (Se) and molybdenum (Mo)] and at least one of oxidative stress biomarkers (all FDR-adjusted P-values < 0.05). In mixture analyses, we found positive overall associations of metal mixtures with 8-OHdG and 8-isoPGF2α, and Se was the most important predictor. There was no evidence on associations of urinary metals as individual chemicals and mixtures with Alu and LINE-1 methylation. CONCLUSION: Urinary metals as individual chemicals and mixtures were associated with increased oxidative stress, especially Se.

Status quo and insights in building national regional medical centers from the perspective of resources integration / 中华医院管理杂志

The constrution of national regional medical centers has been included in the 14th Five-Year Plan. As a major project to build a high-quality and efficient medical health service system in China, it is imperative to expand such high quality medical resources and balance their regional distribution. The authors analyzed the dual resources integration attributes of regional medical centers—horizontal expansion and vertical extension—from the perspective of medical resources integration, and by means of literature methodology and content analysis methods. With both two work paths and progresses led by the National Development and Reform Commission and the National Health Care Commission, the authors identified setbacks in the construction of such medical centers in terms of building a synergy system, optimizing the cooperation modes, and enhancing the awareness of the entity bodies. On such basis, the authors suggested that government departments should hold on to the leadership in general, while in the construction process, output hospitals and input hospitals should respectively take their entity responsibilities in both operation management and cooperation.

Mechanism of Icariin in Ameliorating Neuronal and Dendritic Damage in Alzheimer's Disease by Regulating RhoA/ROCK Signaling Pathway / 中国实验方剂学杂志

ObjectiveTo observe the effect of icariin on the recombinant Ras homolog family member A （RhoA）/Rho-associated coiled-coil forming protein kinase （ROCK） signaling pathway in rats with Alzheimer's disease （AD）， and to explore the mechanism of icariin in ameliorating the neuronal and dendritic damage. MethodThe β-amyloid 1-42 （Aβ1-42， 2.5 g·L-1） was used to induce AD in rats via lateral ventricle injection， and the rats were divided into a model group， a low-dose icariin group （0.03 g·kg-1）， a middle-dose icariin group （0.06 g·kg-1）， a high-dose icariin group （0.09 g·kg-1）， and a control group. The control group and the model group were given an equal volume of normal saline at a dose of 10 mL·kg-1. The cognitive function of rats was assessed by the Morris water maze. The pathological morphology of the rat hippocampal CA1 area was observed by Nissl staining. Dendritic spine density and dendritic length in the CA1 region of the hippocampus were observed by Golgi-Cox staining. Real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction （Real-time PCR） was used to detect the mRNA expression levels of tumor necrosis factor-α （TNF-α）， interleukin （IL）-1β， IL-6， RhoA， ROCK1， and ROCK2 in the hippocampus. Western blot assay was used to detect the protein expression levels of TNF-α， IL-1β， IL-6， RhoA， ROCK1， and ROCK2 in the hippocampus. ResultAs compared with the control group， the escape latency of the rats in the model group was increased （P<0.01）， while the number of crossing the platform and the dwelling time in the target quadrant were decreased （P<0.01）. As compared with the model group， the escape latency of the rats in the middle and high-dose icariin groups was decreased （P<0.05， P<0.01）， while the number of crossing the platform and the dwelling time in the target quadrant were increased （P<0.05， P<0.01）. As compared with the control group， the number of neurons， dendritic spine density， and dendritic length in the hippocampal CA1 area of the rats in the model group were decreased （P<0.01）. As compared with the model group， the number of neurons， dendritic spine density， and dendritic length in the hippocampus of the rats in the middle and high-dose icariin groups were increased （P<0.05， P<0.01）. As compared with the control group， the mRNA and protein expression levels of TNF-α， IL-1β， IL-6， RhoA， ROCK1， and ROCK2 in the hippocampus of the rats in the model group were increased （P<0.01）. As compared with the model group， the mRNA and protein expression levels of TNF-α， IL-1β， IL-6， RhoA， ROCK1， and ROCK2 in the hippocampus of the rats in the middle and high-dose icariin groups were decreased （P<0.05， P<0.01）. ConclusionIcariin improves cognitive function and neuronal and dendritic damage in AD by inhibiting the RhoA/ROCK signaling pathway.