Association between the MDR1 rs1045642 polymorphism and breast cancer risk: An updated meta­analysis.

Multidrug resistance 1 (MDR1) is a transmembrane transporter on the cell membrane. As an ATP-dependent efflux pump, MDR1 is mainly responsible for the adsorption, distribution, metabolism, excretion and transportation of anticancer drugs to cancer cells. Mutations of the MDR1 gene may be associated with the incidence of cancer. In the past decade, associations found between the MDR1 rs1045642 polymorphism and breast cancer have been inconsistent and inconclusive. Therefore, the present study performed a meta-analysis including studies published up until August 16, 2023 to systematically evaluate the association between the MDR1 rs1045642 polymorphism and breast cancer risk. A total of 21 published case studies involving 6,815 patients with breast cancer and 9,227 healthy participants were included in the meta-analysis. Overall, the MDR1 rs1045642 polymorphism was not significantly associated with breast cancer-associated risk. However, in the subgroup analysis, the MDR1 rs1045642 polymorphism was found to be notably associated with a higher risk of breast cancer among Asian populations in recessive models [TT vs. CT + CC; odds ratio (OR)=1.393; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.143-1.698; P=0.001; I2<25%]. The MDR1 C3435T polymorphism was also associated with a notable decrease in the incidence of breast cancer in mixed ethnicity populations (TT and CT + CC; OR=0.578; 95% CI, 0.390-0.856; P=0.006; I2<25%). In Caucasian populations, the MDR1 rs1045642 polymorphism was not associated with breast cancer risk. In conclusion, the present meta-analysis demonstrated that the MDR1 rs1045642 polymorphism may increase the risk of breast cancer in Asian populations, is associated with a reduced risk of breast cancer in mixed populations but has no notable effect in Caucasian populations.

Growth, Enzymatic, and Transcriptomic Analysis of xyr1 Deletion Reveals a Major Regulator of Plant Biomass-Degrading Enzymes in Trichoderma harzianum.

The regulation of plant biomass degradation by fungi is critical to the carbon cycle, and applications in bioproducts and biocontrol. Trichoderma harzianum is an important plant biomass degrader, enzyme producer, and biocontrol agent, but few putative major transcriptional regulators have been deleted in this species. The T. harzianum ortholog of the transcriptional activator XYR1/XlnR/XLR-1 was deleted, and the mutant strains were analyzed through growth profiling, enzymatic activities, and transcriptomics on cellulose. From plate cultures, the Δxyr1 mutant had reduced growth on D-xylose, xylan, and cellulose, and from shake-flask cultures with cellulose, the Δxyr1 mutant had ~90% lower ß-glucosidase activity, and no detectable ß-xylosidase or cellulase activity. The comparison of the transcriptomes from 18 h shake-flask cultures on D-fructose, without a carbon source, and cellulose, showed major effects of XYR1 deletion whereby the Δxyr1 mutant on cellulose was transcriptionally most similar to the cultures without a carbon source. The cellulose induced 43 plant biomass-degrading CAZymes including xylanases as well as cellulases, and most of these had massively lower expression in the Δxyr1 mutant. The expression of a subset of carbon catabolic enzymes, other transcription factors, and sugar transporters was also lower in the Δxyr1 mutant on cellulose. In summary, T. harzianum XYR1 is the master regulator of cellulases and xylanases, as well as regulating carbon catabolic enzymes.

Prohexadione-calcium improves grape quality by regulating endogenous hormones, sugar and acid metabolism and related enzyme activities in grape berries.

Prohexadione-Calcium (Pro-Ca) plays key roles in improving fruit quality and yield by regulating various aspects of plant growth. However, the effects of how Pro-Ca regulates the regulation of sugar and acid balance and its impact on the production of volatile aroma substances during fruit growth and development are poorly understood. In this study, the Pro-Ca solutions developed at concentrations of 200, 400, 600 and 800 mg·L-1 were sprayed on the entire "Chardonnay" grape tree 22, 42, 62 and 82 days after initial flowering. The values of endogenous hormones, sugar and acid content, enzyme activities and flavor content were then measured in grapes 45, 65, 85 and 105 days (ripeness stage) after the initial flowering. The results showed that Pro-Ca had significant effects on fruits during development, including reducing ABA content, increasing ZT, GA3 and IAA levels, promoting fruit ripening and enhancing enzymes, which are involved in sugar and acid synthesis. Consequently, these effects led to an increase in sugar and acid content in the berries. Particularly during the ripening phase, the application of 600 mg L-1 Pro-Ca resulted in an increase in soluble sugar content of 11.28% and a significant increase in citric acid and malic acid content of 97.80% and 68.86%, respectively. Additionally, Pro-Ca treatment enhanced both the variety and quantity of aroma compounds present in the berries, with the 600 mg·L-1 Pro-Ca treatment showcasing the most favorable impact on volatile aroma compounds in 'Chardonnay' grapes. The levels of aldehydes, esters, alcohols, phenols, acids, ketones, and terpenes were significantly higher under the 600 mg·L-1 Pro-Ca treatment compared to those of control with 51.46 - 423.85% increase. In conclusion, Pro-Ca can regulate the content of endogenous hormones and the activities of enzymes related to sugar and acid metabolism in fruit, thereby increasing the content of soluble sugar and organic acid in fruit and the diversity and concentration of fruit aroma substances. Among them, foliar spraying 600 mg · L-1 Pro-Ca has the best effect. In the future, we need to further understand the molecular mechanism of Pro-Ca in grape fruit to lay a solid foundation for quality improvement breeding.

Gastric acid-responsive deformable sodium alginate/Bletilla striata polysaccharide in situ gel for the protection and treatment of alcohol-induced peptic ulcers.

First-line drugs for peptic ulcer (PU) treatment are typically limited by poor targeting and adverse effects associated with long-term use. Despite recent advancements in novel therapeutic approaches for PU, the development of sustained-release delivery systems tailored to specific pathological characteristics remains challenging. Persistent inflammation, particularly gastric inflammatory microenvironment imbalance, characterizes the PU. In this study, we prepared an in situ gel composed of sodium alginate, deacetylated gellan gum, calcium citrate, and Bletilla striata polysaccharide (BSP) to achieve sustained release of BSP. The BSP in situ gel demonstrated favorable fluidity in vitro and completed self-assembly in vivo in response to the acidic milieu at a pH of 1.5. Furthermore, the shear, extrusion, and deformation properties increased by 26.4 %, 103.7 %, and 46.3 %, respectively, with long-term gastric retention (4 h) and mucosal adaptation. Animal experiments confirmed that the BSP in situ gel could attenuate necrotic injury and inflammatory cell infiltration, maintain mucosal barrier integrity, regulate cytokine imbalance and inflammation-associated hyperapoptosis, thus effectively alleviate the inflammatory microenvironmental imbalance in PU without significant side effects. Overall, our findings demonstrated that the BSP in situ gel is a promising therapeutic strategy for PU and opens avenues for developing self-assembled formulations targeting the pathological features of PUs.

Natural products for the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases.

BACKGROUND: Neurodegenerative diseases are among the most common diseases in older adults worldwide. Alzheimer's disease (AD) and Parkinson's disease (PD) are two of the most common neurodegenerative diseases, and are accompanied by cerebral cortical atrophy, neuronal loss, protein accumulation, and excessive accumulation of metal ions. Natural products exhibit outstanding performance in improving cerebral circulatory disorders, promoting cerebral haematoma absorption, repairing damaged nerve tissue, and improving damaged nerve function. In recent years, studies have shown that neuroinflammatory mechanisms and signalling pathways closely related to the occurrence and development of neurological diseases include microglial activation, nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) pathway, mitogen activated protein kinases (MAPK) pathway, reactive oxygen pathway, nucleotide binding oligomerisation domain-like receptor protein3 (NLRP3) inflammasomes, toll-like receptor4 (TLR4) pathway, nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2)/hemeoxygenase-1 (HO-1) pathway, phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K)/protein kinase B (Akt) pathway, and intestinal flora. Therefore, this study considered the mechanism of neurological diseases as the starting point to review the mechanism of action of natural products in the prevention and treatment of AD and PD in recent years to provide a theoretical basis for clinical prevention and treatment. AIM: Natural products are a promising source of novel lead structures that have long been used to treat various nervous system diseases. METHODOLOGY: This review collected literature on neurological diseases and natural products from 2012 to 2022, which were mainly searched through databases such as ScienceDirect, Springer, PubMed, SciFinder, China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), Wanfang, Google Scholar, and Baidu Academic. The following keywords were searched: neurological disorders, natural products, signalling pathway, mechanism of action. RESULTS: This review summarises the pathogenesis of degenerative neurological diseases, recent findings on natural products used in neurodegenerative diseases, and the molecular mechanisms underlying these effects.

Pneumonia in newly diagnosed patients infected with the Omicron variant: a population-based study of Chinese patients in Chongqing.

BACKGROUND: Pneumonia is the main complication of the Omicron variant of SARS-CoV-2; however, the incidence proportions and prognostic factors for Omicron-associated pneumonia have not been established. We conducted this study to characterise the incidence proportions and influence of various factors on prognosis of Omicron-associated pneumonia. METHODS: We collected data from 714 patients infected with the Omicron variant in The First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University (Chongqing, China) who were divided into different groups for analysis. RESULTS: We identified 313 patients with Omicron-associated pneumonia at the time of diagnosis of patients infected with the Omicron variant, representing 43.8% of the entire cohort. A total of 82 were 15-59 years old, 71 were 60-69 years old, 76 were 70-79 years old and 84 were >80 years old. 133 were female and 180 were male. Incidence proportions of pneumonia were highest among patients with cardiovascular (82.4% of the basic disease of the cardiovascular system subset) or kidney disease (92.3% of the kidney disease subset), whereas patients with lung cancer (35.7% of the lung cancer subset) had a lower incidence proportion. Several factors were associated with the prognosis of pneumonia in patients infected with the Omicron variant. Patients with a thrombosis or pleural effusion had a longer hospitalisation time. Paxlovid and immunoglobulins improved the prognosis of patients with severe pneumonia. The following measures were significantly different in patients as a function of disease severity: number of neutrophils and lymphocytes, partial oxygen pressure; and myoglobin, lactic dehydrogenase, aspartate transaminase and procalcitonin levels. CONCLUSION: Patients infected with the Omicron variant with coexisting cardiovascular or kidney disease, but not respiratory disease, had a higher incidence proportion of pneumonia. Paxlovid and immunoglobulins can be used in patients with severe infections to improve prognosis.

Chronic lead exposure prolongs the immature stages of brown-legged grain mite, Aleuroglyphus ovatus, in a long-term population study.

An important aspect of environmental pollution, lead contamination is a widespread problem in several ecosystems. The present study aimed to evaluate the potential effects of low concentration lead stress on the development and reproduction of Aleuroglyphus ovatus. They were fed with artificial diet containing four different concentrations of lead (12.5, 25, 50, and 100 mg/kg). The results showed that there were both accelerating effect of lead (at low concentrations), as well as retarding effects (at high concentrations) on the development of the mite, and lead stress significantly prolonged the immature stages of A. ovatus and this inhibitory effect was greater with greater lead concentrations. The immature stages in the L group were shorter than those in the S group. In the S and L groups, the oviposition periods were significantly longer in the treatments with lower lead concentrations than in the control, while they were significantly shorter in those treatments of higher lead concentrations. Age-specific survival rate (lx) started to decline earlier in the S group, whereas there were no differences between the L group and CK. Age-specific fecundity rate (mx) peaked earlier in the S group than in CK, while mx peaked later in L1 and L2 than in CK. The rm value and net reproduction rate (R0) of treated A. ovatus decreased with increasing lead concentrations. Lower lead concentrations could promote population expansion while higher concentrations could inhibit population size. These results confirmed the developmental effect of lead stress on A. ovatus, highlighting that heavy metal contamination has negative effects on organisms in their natural environment.

Regulation of three subtypes of SOD gene in Aleuroglyphus ovatus (Acari:Acaridae) under lead stress.

Superoxide dismutase (SOD) is an important enzyme that acts as the first line of protection in the mite antioxidant defense system, involved in eliminating reactive oxygen species (ROS) under harsh environmental conditions. Nevertheless, the SOD gene family was yet to be reported in stored grain pest mite (Aleuroglyphus ovatus). In this study, A. ovatus was used to evaluate the response of SOD gene during lead stress. A. ovatus were separately exposed to different concentration lead (12.5, 25, 50, and 100 mg/kg), which induce the dynamic trend of SOD enzyme activity initially increased and then reduced with an increase in lead concentration, whereas they were still substantially higher than the control group. Moreover, after lead stress, it was found that all of the three SOD genes showed enhanced relative messenger RNA expression at high concentrations and decreased relative expression at low concentrations, which indicated that lead stress induces the expression of AoSODs. The present work implies that AoSODs play an important role in resisting oxidative damage caused by lead stress.

[Effect of Different Antitumor Regimens on Incidence and Severity of Corona Virus 
Disease 2019 Pneumonia in Lung Cancer Patients: 
A Single-center Retrospective Study].

BACKGROUND: Studies have shown that the incidence and severity of corona virus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in patients with lung cancer are higher than those in healthy people. At present, the main anti-tumor treatments for lung cancer include surgery, immunotherapy, chemotherapy, radiotherapy, targeted therapy and anti-angiogenesis therapy. While the effects of different anti-tumor treatments on the occurrence and severity of COVID-19 pneumonia are not uniform. Therefore, we aimed to describe clinical characteristics and antitumor therapy of patients with lung cancer and COVID-19 pneumonia, and examined risk factors for severity in this population. METHODS: From December 1, 2022 to February 15, 2023, a retrospective study was conducted in 217 patients diagnosed with COVID-19 and pathologically confirmed lung cancer in the Jinling Hospital. We collected data about patients' clinical features, antitumor treatment regimen within 6 months, and the diagnosis and treatment of COVID-19. Risk factors for occurrence and severity of COVID-19 pneumonia were identified by univariable and multivariable Logistic regression models. RESULTS: (1) Among the 217 patients included, 51 (23.5%) developed COVID-19 pneumonia, of which 42 (82.4%) were classified as medium and 9 (17.6%) were classified as severe; (2) Univariate and multivariate analysis revealed overweight (OR=2.405, 95%CI: 1.095-5.286) and intrapulmonary focal radiotherapy (OR=2.977, 95%CI: 1.071-8.274) are risk factors for increasing occurrence of COVID-19 pneumonia, while other therapies are not; (3) Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) history (OR=7.600, 95%CI: 1.430-40.387) was more likely to develop severe pneumonia and anti-tumor therapies such as intrapulmonary focal radiotherapy, chemotherapy, targeted therapy and immunotherapy did not increase severity. CONCLUSIONS: Intrapulmonary focal radiation therapy within 6 months increased the incidence of COVID-19 pneumonia, but did not increase the severity. However, there was no safety concern for chemotherapy, targeted therapy, surgery and immunotherapy.

The transcription factor MYB156 controls the polar stiffening of guard cell walls in poplar.

The mechanical properties of guard cells have major effects on stomatal functioning. Reinforced stiffness in the stomatal polar regions was recently proposed to play an important role in stomatal function, but the underlying molecular mechanisms remain elusive. Here, we used genetic and biochemical approaches in poplar (Populus spp.) to show that the transcription factor MYB156 controls pectic homogalacturonan-based polar stiffening through the downregulation of the gene encoding pectin methylesterase 6 (PME6). Loss of MYB156 increased the polar stiffness of stomata, thereby enhancing stomatal dynamics and response speed to various stimuli. In contrast, overexpression of MYB156 resulted in decreased polar stiffness and impaired stomatal dynamics, accompanied by smaller leaves. Polar stiffening functions in guard cell dynamics in response to changing environmental conditions by maintaining normal stomatal morphology during stomatal movement. Our study revealed the structure-function relationship of the cell wall of guard cells in stomatal dynamics, providing an important means for improving the stomatal performance and drought tolerance of plants.

Lower geriatric nutritional risk index is associated with a higher risk of all-cause mortality in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: a cohort study from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2013-2018.

OBJECT: Malnutrition negatively affects patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). This study aimed to explore the potential association between malnutrition, as defined by the Geriatric Nutritional Risk Index (GNRI), and all-cause mortality in patients with COPD using the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES). METHOD: The data of 579 adults with COPD during NHANES 2013-2018 were analysed. Each patient was assigned to one of the two groups according to GNRI values: normal nutritional status (GNRI>98) and malnutrition status (GNRI≤98). Survival curves and Cox regressions were applied to evaluate the association between nutritional status and mortality. RESULTS: Overall, the mean age was 63.4±0.5 years, and 53.9% of the patients were women. The prevalence of malnutrition was 6.6%, and the Kaplan-Meier curves for all-cause mortality according to nutritional status showed that malnutrition was associated with a higher incidence of all-cause mortality. The Cox regression analysis found that in the unadjusted model, the HR was 2.30 (95% CI 1.24 to 4.27, p=0.01). In the fully adjusted model, the adjusted HR was 2.47 (95% CI 1.36 to 4.5, p=0.003). Furthermore, subgroup analysis revealed that the risk of death due to malnutrition increased more than threefold in the low education and cancer subgroups. CONCLUSION: A low GNRI was an independent risk factor for all-cause mortality in patients with COPD.

The metabolism and detoxification effects of lead exposure on Aleurolyphus ovatus (Acari: Acaridae) via transcriptome analysis.

Aleurolyphus ovatus Troupeau is one of the most predominant species of the Acaridae family worldwide. Recent reports have demonstrated that the accumulation of lead in stored grains and dietary items exceeds the required standards. However, the molecular mechanism of heavy metal stress on mites has not been reported. To understand the mechanism underlying the heavy metal response of A. ovatus, comparative transcriptome analysis was performed in this study using an Illumina high throughput mRNA sequencing (RNA-seq) platform. A. ovatus was fed on artificial diets containing two different concentrations of lead, namely, a low concentration of 12.5 mg/kg (LAO) and a high concentration of 100 mg/kg (HAO), while the mites in the control (NAO) group were not exposed to lead. A total of 44,362 unigenes, with an average length of 1547 bp, were identified. Of these, 996 unigenes were successfully annotated in seven functional databases. The number of differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in A. ovatus under different lead concentrations was compared. In NAO versus LAO group, including 310 up-regulated and 1580 down-regulated DEGs. In NAO versus HAO group, including 3928 up-regulated and 1761 down-regulated DEGs. Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) enrichment indicated that detoxification enzyme genes were significantly expressed in pathways, such as cytochrome P450 foreign body metabolism, glutathione metabolism and drug metabolism-cytochrome pathway. The results of gene annotation and quantitative real-time PCR showed that high concentration of lead significantly stimulated the expression of metabolic detoxification enzyme genes such as glutathione S transferase (GST) and superoxide dismutase (SOD), while low concentration inhibited their expression. This study will provide a basis for the molecular mechanism of A. ovatus in response to heavy metal lead stimulation in stored grain.

Spatial effects of the agricultural ecosystem services based on environmental kuznets curve in Mengyin county, China.

Worldwide most agroecosystems effort to increase production and yields and leads to damages of a series of non-provisioning ecosystem services (ESs). To fill in the knowledge gaps pertaining to the understanding of complex relationship between agricultural harvests and other ESs, therefore this study aims to estimate the existence of Environmental Kuznets Curve (EKC) for agricultural ESs by incorporating the spatial factors. Based on the test of the spatial autocorrelation of agricultural ESs, the estimation results of spatial model are compared with general regression to explain the spatial effect of agricultural ESs. The results show that (1) contrary to expectation, the curve of the nonlinear relationship between agricultural ESs and annual household income is an inverted U-shape, and not an upright U-shape; (2) compared to non-spatial model, the turning point of the inverted U-shaped curve for agricultural ESs under the direct effect would happen earlier and happen later under the indirect effect; (3) years of formal education, vegetation coverage of field margin and cultivated land area have significantly impact on local agricultural ESs, and local perennial crops has significantly impact on agricultural ESs of neighboring villages. Results of this study have a promising application prospect to promote sustainable development of agriculture.

Occurrence and prognosis of lung cancer metastasis to major organs: a population-based study.

BACKGROUND: Lung cancer metastasis to major organs is an important factor affecting survival. We analyzed the influence of patient characteristics on the incidence and survival of metastasis to major organs. METHODS: We collected data from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results database on 58 659 patients diagnosed with stage IV primary lung cancer, including age, sex, race, histological type of tumor, laterality, primary site, number of extrametastatic sites, and treatment. RESULTS: Multiple variables affected the incidence of metastasis to major organs and survival. According to histological type of tumor, the following were more common: bone metastasis from adenocarcinoma; brain metastasis from large-cell carcinoma and adenocarcinoma; liver metastasis from small-cell carcinoma; and intrapulmonary metastasis from squamous-cell carcinoma. A larger number of metastatic sites increased the risk of other metastases and shorter survival. Liver metastasis conferred the worst prognosis, followed by bone metastasis, and brain or intrapulmonary metastasis conferred better prognosis. The effect of radiotherapy alone was poorer than chemotherapy alone or combined chemotherapy and radiotherapy. In most cases, the effects of chemotherapy and combined chemotherapy and radiotherapy were equivalent. CONCLUSION: Multiple variables affected the incidence of metastasis to major organs and survival. Compared with radiotherapy alone or combined chemotherapy and radiotherapy, chemotherapy alone may be the most cost-effective option for patients with stage IV lung cancer.

Improvements for Tissue-Chopping-Based Immunofluorescence Staining Method of Chloroplast Proteins.

Immunofluorescence staining is a very common method for the subcellular localization study of proteins. A tissue-chopping-based immunofluorescence staining method for chloroplast proteins overcomes the restriction of plant cell wall, makes the operation simpler, and uses less experimental materials. Here we provide some improvements for this method. We found that the stained tissues can be directly observed with a confocal microscope without tissue lysis. Samples maintained at a low temperature (0-4 °C) throughout the process can reduce the intensity of chlorophyll autofluorescence and the background signal. A low temperature is also good for the storage of the sample. Fluorescence signal of the stained samples can be kept for several weeks if they are stored at -20 °C. FtsZ is an essential component of the chloroplast division apparatus. We demonstrated this method with the immunofluorescence staining of FtsZ1 in wildtype Arabidopsis and some chloroplast division mutants. We also successfully tested this method by the immunofluorescence staining of FtsZ1 in many other plants, including woody plants. With these procedures, the performance of tissue-chopping-based immunofluorescence staining method are further improved.

Characteristics of cardiopulmonary exercise test in tracheobronchial tuberculosis patients with central airway stenosis.

BACKGROUND: A typical symptom of central airway stenosis is progressive dyspnea. The exercise capacity and relationship between pulmonary function testing (PFT) and central airway stenosis have not been reported. OBJECTIVES: To investigate, for the first time, the impact of central airway stenosis due to tracheobronchial tuberculosis (TBTB) on exercise capacity in adults. METHODS: Fifty-one patients diagnosed with TBTB and 51 healthy, non-smoking adults (controls) were studied. All participants underwent a maximal cardiopulmonary exercise test (CPET) after completing PFT. RESULTS: All participants completed the PFT and CPET. Significant differences existed between the two groups with respect to PFT parameters. At rest, no significant differences were detected between the two groups with respect to oxygen uptake (VO2), vital volume (VT), minute ventilation (VE), end-tidal carbon dioxide (PetCO2), and oxygen pulse (SPO2). Compared to controls, TBTB patients had lower peak work rate [WR, 100 (83,119) vs. 112 (95,146)], VO2 at maximal exercise (1309.51±323.83 vs. 1522.17±451.15), anaerobic threshold (905.8 ± 219.84 vs. 1024.72±296.27), maximal O2 pulse (8.02±1.61 vs. 9.26±2.36), and breath reserve [BR, 25 (15,42) vs. 49.5(39.4,61.3)]. The change in PetCO2 values at rest and maximal exercise was lower than in controls (P<0.05). However, no difference in VE/carbon dioxide production (VCO2)@AT were demonstrated between the two groups. The correlations between the degree of stenosis, PFT parameters, and VO2 peak were significant. RV/TLC%pred was a good predictor of exercise limitation in these patients. CONCLUSION: The maximal exercise capacity and PFT parameters of TBTB patients with central airway stenosis were impaired. Impaired exercise capacity correlated with the degree of central airway stenosis.

Proteins, polysaccharides and their derivatives as macromolecular antioxidant supplements: A review of in vitro screening methods and strategies.

Owing to the implications of oxidative stress in disease and ageing process, antioxidant research has been a research hotspot. Antioxidants are derived from among the active components of plant and animal extracts, including macromolecular proteins, peptides and polysaccharides, and some small molecule peptides, phenols and flavonoids, among others. Exogenous antioxidant supplementation is effective in combating oxidative stress and promoting recovery from diseases and disease-associated processes, such as inflammation, atherosclerosis, and neurodegeneration. In clinical studies, antioxidant supplementation has been shown to mitigate disease exacerbation. Therefore, screening of antioxidants and the active substances in natural biological macromolecules is crucial. In vitro studies of antioxidant properties represent the first step in screening. Selection of a suitable method to evaluate the properties of antioxidant substances from biological macromolecules sources is particularly important. However, a critique of existing methods for comparing the antioxidant activities of macromolecular antioxidants is lacking. The aim of this review is to provide a set of redox reaction-based methods and application strategies to evaluate the antioxidant properties of natural biological macromolecules components. The paper describes the mechanisms, advantages, disadvantages and applicability of different in vitro methods for assessing antioxidant properties. In particular, a set of strategies for screening antioxidant supplements are discussed.

Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease Patients With High Peripheral Blood Eosinophil Counts Have Better Predicted Improvement in 6MWD After Rehabilitation: A PRELIMINARY STUDY.

PURPOSE: The objective of this investigation was to determine whether chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients with high blood eosinophil (EOS) counts had better improvement in 6-min walk test (6MWT) after pulmonary rehabilitation (PR). METHODS: Fifty COPD patients were randomly assigned to either the rehabilitation group (RG) or the control group (CG). Patients in the RG (8 wk PR + routine medication) and the CG (routine medication) were followed for 32 wk. According to the blood EOS level, the RG was divided into an EOS ≥ 200 cells/µL group and EOS < 200 cells/µL group. The 6MWT distance, Borg Scale, and COPD Assessment Test (CAT) were evaluated before intervention and 8 wk and 32 wk later. RESULTS: After the 8-wk intervention, 37 patients (19 RG/18 CG) completed the study. At 8-wk and 32-wk follow-up from baseline, a statistically significant difference was found between these two groups in the 6MWT, Borg Scale, and CAT. Compared with baseline, the 6MWT in the RG increased 49.1 ± 40.2 m (95% CI, 29.7-68.5, P < .001) at 8 wk and 60.8 ± 42.1 m (95% CI, 40.5-81.6, P < .001) at 32 wk. In addition, the improvement of 6MWT in the EOS ≥ 200 cells/µL RG group was higher than that in the EOS < 200 cells/µL group (40.1 ± 17.6 m, 95% CI, 36.8-43.4; P = .036) at 32-wk follow-up from baseline. CONCLUSION: An 8-wk PR can improve the exercise capacity of COPD patients, and the benefits persistent for 24 wk. The improvement in the 6MWT was more significant in COPD patients with a high blood EOS count.

Viral contamination on the surfaces of the personal protective equipment among health care professionals working in COVID-19 wards: A single-center prospective, observational study.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate potential viral contamination on the surfaces of personal protective equipment (PPE) in COVID-19 wards. METHODS: Face shields, gloves, the chest area of PPE and shoe soles were sampled at different time points. The samples were tested for the presence of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) by PCR, and the cycle threshold (CT) values were recorded. RESULTS: The positive rate was 74.7% (239/320) for all PPE specimens. The CT values of the samples were ranked in the following order: face shields > chests > gloves > shoe soles (37.08±1.38, 35.48±2.02, 34.17±1.91 and 33.52±3.16, respectively; P for trend < .001). After disinfection, the CT values of shoe soles decreased compared with before disinfection (32.78±3.47 vs. 34.3±2.61, P = .037), whereas no significant effect of disinfection on the CT values of face shields, chests and gloves was observed. After disinfection, the CT values of specimens collected from shoe soles gradually increased; before disinfection, the CT values of shoe sole specimens were all less than 35. CONCLUSIONS: SARS-CoV-2 can attach to the surfaces of the PPE of healthcare professionals in COVID-19 wards, especially the shoe soles and undisinfected gloves. Shoe soles had the highest SARS-CoV-2 loads among all tested PPE items.

Combine use of glucocorticoid with other immunosuppressants is a risk factor for Pneumocystis jirovecii pneumonia in autoimmune inflammatory disease patients: a meta-analysis.

OBJECTIVE: To determine whether the combined use of glucocorticoid with other immunosuppressants increased the risk of Pneumocystis jirovecii pneumonia (PCP) in autoimmune inflammatory disease (AIID) patients. METHODS: The data were collected from the PubMed, Cochrane Library, and Web of Science databases. We excluded HIV-infected patients and those < 16 years of age, and included patients who combined use of glucocorticoid with other immunosuppressants or used glucocorticoid alone. The number of patients who were affected by PCP after therapy as the primary outcome and the number of patients with fatal outcomes, which included death, endotracheal tube intubation, PO2 < 60 mmHg, and other serious clinical symptoms due to PCP, as the secondary outcome. Odds ratios with 95% confidence intervals and variance tests were used to analyze the data. RESULTS: The outcomes showed that the combined use of glucocorticoid with other immunosuppressants increased the risk of PCP in AIID patients (odds ratio = 2.85, 95% confidence intervals 1.75 to 4.64, I2 = 0%, P < 0.0001), which may be a consequence of the drug regimen reducing the lymphocyte count. Furthermore, the prognosis of patients receiving this drug regimen was poorer than with glucocorticoid alone (odds ratio = 2.31, 95% confidence intervals 1.02 to 5.23, I2 = 0%, P = 0.04). CONCLUSION: The combined use of glucocorticoid with other immunosuppressants increased the risk of PCP in AIID patients and resulted in poorer prognoses. It is therefore clear that appropriate prophylaxis was vital in AIID patients to minimize the risk of PCP. Key Points • We demonstrated that the combined use of glucocorticoid with other immunosuppressants increased the risk of PCP in AIID patients and resulted in poorer prognoses. • As there are no standard prophylactic guidelines, we wish this work will be evidence to guide clinical prophylaxis.