Two new species of Polyalthiopsis (Annonaceae) based on morphological characters and phylogenetic evidence, with a supplementary description of P. chinensis from China.

Two new species of Polyalthiopsis (Annonaceae), P. nigra Y.H. Tan & Bin Yang from Guangxi and Yunnan Provinces and P. xui Y.H. Tan & Bin Yang from Yunnan Province, are described and illustrated. P. nigra is morphologically similar to P. chinensis in having narrowly elliptic-oblong, lemon to yellowish green petals, but differs by having obovoid monocarps, a higher number of leaf secondary veins, leaf blades usually widest above the middle, and a lower ratio of leaf blade length to width. P. xui is morphologically similar to P. floribunda in having axillary inflorescences, 1-3(-4) flowers, elliptic leaves, and elliptic-ovate petals, but differs in the numbers of carpels per flower and ovules per carpel. The molecular phylogenetic analysis using five plastid markers confirm that the two new species belong to the genus Polyalthiopsis and show clear interspecific divergences between P. nigra and P. xui and between them and other species in the genus. Detailed descriptions, colored photographs, and habitat and distribution data for the two new species are provided. In addition, the fruit morphology of P. chinensis is described for the first time, based on living collections. Geographical distributions and a diagnostic key for all Polyalthiopsis species are also presented.

Comparison of neurofilament light and heavy chain in spinal muscular atrophy and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis: A pilot study.

BACKGROUND: Spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) were two major motor neuron diseases with similar symptoms and poor outcomes. This study aimed to identify potential biomarkers in disease monitoring and differential diagnosis of adult SMA patients with sporadic ALS patients. METHODS: This was a pilot study with ten adult SMA patients and ten ALS patients consecutively enrolled during hospitalization. Serum and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) samples were collected for assessment of neurofilament light (NFL) and phosphorylated neurofilament heavy chain (pNFH). Serum creatine kinase (CK) and creatinine (Cr) were also compared between groups. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were used to identify differentiated values among ALS and SMA patients. RESULTS: Serum Cr, CSF NFL, and CSF pNFH levels of ALS patients were significantly higher than those of the adult SMA patients (p < .01). Serum CK and Cr were strongly correlated with baseline ALSFRS-R scores in SMA patients (p < .001). The ROC curves revealed an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.94 in serum Cr with a cut-off value of 44.5 µmol/L (Sensitivity 90%, Specificity 90%). AUC from the ROC curve of CSF NFL and CSF pNFH were 1.0 and 0.84, with cut-off values of 1275 pg/mL and 0.395 ng/mL, respectively (Sensitivity and Specificity of 100% and 100% in CSF NFL; Sensitivity and Specificity of 90% and 80% in CSF pNFH). CONCLUSION: CSF NFL and pNFH might be useful biomarkers for differential diagnosis of adult SMA and ALS.

Correlation of weight and body composition with disease progression rate in patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.

This study aims to observe the nutritional status of Chinese patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), further investigating its effect on disease progression. One hundred consecutive newly diagnosed ALS patients and fifty controls were included. Weight and body composition were measured by bioelectrical impedance analysis at baseline and follow-ups. The revised ALS functional rating scale (ALSFRS-R) was used to calculate the rate of disease progression. Patients with ALS had a significantly lower BMI than controls, while no significant difference was found in body composition. Weight loss occurred in 66 (66%) and 52 (67.5%) patients at diagnosis and follow-up, respectively. Patients with significant weight loss (≥ 5%) at diagnosis had significantly lower BMI, fat mass (FM), and FM in limbs and trunk than those without. Fat-free mass (FFM), FM, and FM in limbs were significantly decreased along with weight loss at follow-up (p < 0.01). Patients with lower visceral fat index, lower proportion of FM, and higher proportion of muscle mass at baseline progressed rapidly during follow-ups (p < 0.05). Multivariate linear regression showed that FFM and weight at follow-up were independently correlated with disease progression rate at follow-up (p < 0.05). Weight loss is a common feature in ALS patients, along with muscle and fat wasting during the disease course. Body composition may serve as a prognostic factor and provide guidance for nutritional management in ALS patients.

Alterations in metabolic biomarkers and their potential role in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.

BACKGROUND: Metabolic dysfunction has been suggested to be involved in the pathophysiology of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). This study aimed to investigate the potential role of metabolic biomarkers in the progression of ALS and understand the possible metabolic mechanisms. METHODS: Fifty-two patients with ALS and 24 normal controls were included, and blood samples were collected for analysis of metabolic biomarkers. Basal anthropometric measures, including body composition and clinical features, were measured in ALS patients. The disease progression rate was calculated using the revised ALS functional rating scale (ALSFRS-R) during the 6-month follow-up. RESULTS: ALS patients had higher levels of adipokines (adiponectin, adipsin, resistin, and visfatin) and other metabolic biomarkers [C-peptide, glucagon, glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1), gastric inhibitory peptide, and plasminogen activator inhibitor type 1] than controls. Leptin levels in serum were positively correlated with body mass index, body fat, and visceral fat index (VFI). Adiponectin was positively correlated with the VFI and showed a positive correlation with the ALSFRS-R and a negative correlation with baseline disease progression. Patients with lower body fat, VFI, and fat in limbs showed faster disease progression during follow-ups. Lower leptin and adiponectin levels were correlated with faster disease progression. After adjusting for confounders, lower adiponectin levels and higher visfatin levels were independently correlated with faster disease progression. INTERPRETATION: The current study found altered levels of metabolic biomarkers in ALS patients, which may play a role in ALS pathogenesis. Adiponectin and visfatin represent potential biomarkers for prediction of disease progression in ALS.

Clinical characteristics and prognosis of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis with autoimmune diseases.

INTRODUCTION: The occurrence of autoimmune diseases (AIDs) in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) patients is widely reported, but little is known about the associated clinical phenotype. This study aims to evaluate the clinical features and prognosis of ALS patients with AID. METHODS: This retrospective study was based on the ALS Registry dataset of Peking Union Medical College Hospital from 2013 to 2020. Clinical features and inflammatory biomarkers at registration were compared between ALS patients with coexisting AIDs and those without (controls). The medical records of immunotherapy were also collected. The Kaplan-Meier method and Cox proportional hazard model were used to study the survival of ALS patients. RESULTS: There are 26 (1.6%) ALS patients with AIDs in our database. The ALS patients with AIDs had older ages at onset and poorer respiratory function than controls (p<0.05). After propensity score matching by sex, onset age, and disease duration, the difference in respiratory function remained significant between groups. We found no differences in overall survival between ALS patients with and without AIDs before and after matching (p = 0.836; p = 0.395). Older age at onset, rapid disease progression, and lower erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) were associated with shorter survival (p<0.05). Among ALS patients with AIDs, 8 (30.8%) had a history of immunotherapy and showed slightly prolonged survival compared with those without immunotherapy, but the results did not reach statistical significance (p = 0.355). CONCLUSIONS: Patients with coexisting ALS and AIDs had older onset age and poorer respiratory function but similar overall survival than those with pure ALS.

Blood-brain barrier dysfunction and myelin basic protein in survival of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis with or without frontotemporal dementia.

OBJECTIVE: We aim to investigate blood-brain barrier (BBB) dysfunction and myelin basic protein (MBP) in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) with or without frontotemporal dementia (FTD) and further determine the effect of these factors on the survival of ALS. METHODS: This was a retrospective study of 113 ALS patients, 12 ALS-FTD patients, and 40 disease controls hospitalized between September 2013 and October 2020. CSF parameters including total protein (TP), albumin (Alb), immunoglobulin-G (IgG), and MBP were collected and compared between groups. The CSF-TP, CSF-Alb, CSF-IgG, and CSF/serum quotients of Alb and IgG (QAlb, QIgG) were used to reflect the BBB status. Patients were followed up until December 2020. Cox regression and Kaplan-Meier method were used for survival analysis. RESULTS: The CSF-TP, CSF-Alb, and CSF-IgG concentrations were significantly higher in patients than controls (p < 0.01). Increased CSF-TP and CSF-IgG was found in 45 (39.8%) and 27 (23.9%) ALS patients, while in 7 (58.3%) and 5 (41.7%) ALS-FTD patients. The level of CSF-Alb, CSF-IgG, and CSF-MBP were significantly higher in patients with ALS-FTD than ALS. MBP showed a moderate accuracy in the distinction between ALS-FTD and ALS (AUC = 0.715 ± 0.101). No difference in MBP was found between patients and controls. Kaplan-Meier analysis indicated that a higher CSF-TP, CSF-IgG, QIgG, or QAlb was significantly associated with shorter survival. Cox regression model showed that CSF-TP, CSF-IgG, and QIgG were independent predictors of survival. CONCLUSION: Our findings suggested that BBB dysfunction was more prominent in ALS-FTD than ALS and associated with a worse prognosis. Further studies are needed to determine the role of CSF-MBP as a biomarker in ALS.

Therapeutic effects of dental pulp stem cells on vascular dementia in rat models.

Dental pulp stem cells are a type of adult stem cells with strong proliferative ability and multi-differentiation potential. There are no studies on treatment of vascular dementia with dental pulp stem cells. In the present study, rat models of vascular dementia were established by two-vessel occlusion, and 30 days later, rats were injected with 2 × 107 dental pulp stem cells via the tail vein. At 70 days after vascular dementia induction, dental pulp stem cells had migrated to the brain tissue of rat vascular dementia models and differentiated into neuron-like cells. At the same time, doublecortin, neurofilament 200, and NeuN mRNA and protein expression levels in the brain tissue were increased, and glial fibrillary acidic protein mRNA and protein expression levels were decreased. Behavioral testing also revealed that dental pulp stem cell transplantation improved the cognitive function of rat vascular dementia models. These findings suggest that dental pulp stem cell transplantation is effective in treating vascular dementia possibly through a paracrine mechanism. The study was approved by the Animal Ethics Committee of Harbin Medical University (approval No. KY2017-132) in 2017.

Therapeutic potential of dental pulp stem cell transplantation in a rat model of Alzheimer's disease.

Dental pulp stem cells are dental pulp-derived mesenchymal stem cells that originate from the neural crest. They exhibit greater potential for the treatment of nervous system diseases than other types of stem cells because of their neurogenic differentiation capability and their ability to secrete multiple neurotrophic factors. Few studies have reported Alzheimer's disease treatment using dental pulp stem cells. Rat models of Alzheimer's disease were established by injecting amyloid-ß1-42 into the hippocampus. Fourteen days later, 5 × 106 dental pulp stem cells were injected into the hippocampus. Immunohistochemistry and western blot assays showed that dental pulp stem cell transplantation increased the expression of neuron-related doublecortin, NeuN, and neurofilament 200 in the hippocampus, while the expression of amyloid-ß was decreased. Moreover, cognitive and behavioral abilities were improved. These findings indicate that dental pulp stem cell transplantation in rats can improve cognitive function by regulating the secretion of neuron-related proteins, which indicates a potential therapeutic effect for Alzheimer's disease. This study was approved by the Animal Ethics Committee of Harbin Medical University, China (approval No. KY2017-132) on February 21, 2017.

Tanshinone IIA promotes the differentiation of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells into neuronal-like cells in a spinal cord injury model.

BACKGROUND: Spinal cord injury (SCI) is one of the most severe central nervous system injuries. Currently, transplanting bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) is considered a therapeutic option for SCI. Tanshinone IIA (TIIA) is one of the extracts obtained from Salvia miltiorrhiza Bunge, which has been shown to have some protective effects against SCI. The present research was aimed to explore whether TIIA would influence the fate of transplanted BMSCs in a rat model of SCI, especially with regard to their differentiation into neuronal cells. METHODS: Bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells were obtained from immature rats and identified using flow cytometry. After SCI, 1.0 × 107 cells labeled with PKH67 were transfused into the injured spinal cord. TIIA was first injected into the tail vein (30 mg/kg) 1 h before surgery. From day 1 to day 7 post-SCI, TIIA was injected (20 mg/kg) per day at the same time. Recovery of locomotor function and histological regeneration of the spinal cord were compared among the groups, with the differentiation and distribution of BMSCs determined anatomically and biochemically by the expression of neural cell markers. RESULTS: Locomotor assessments showed that the rats in the BMSCs + TIIA group exhibited higher scores (19.33 ± 0.58) than those in the other groups (13.67 ± 1.53, 17.67 ± 0.58, 18.00 ± 1.73). The area of the cavity in the BMSCs + TIIA rats was smaller than that in the other groups (1.30 ± 0.56, 10.39 ± 1.59, 6.84 ± 1.18, 4.36 ± 0.69). Co-expression of glial fibrillary acid protein was observed in transplanted BMSCs, with a reduced rate in the BMSCs + TIIA group relative to that in the SCI group. In contrast, the expression levels of Nestin, neuron-specific nuclear protein (NeuN) and neurofilament protein 200 (NF200) were greatest in the transplanted cells in the BMSCs + TIIA group. CONCLUSIONS: Tanshinone IIA treatment enhances the therapeutic effects of BMSC transplant on SCI, likely by promoting the differentiation of neuronal cells.

P2-Na2/3Ni1/3Mn5/9Al1/9O2 Microparticles as Superior Cathode Material for Sodium-Ion Batteries: Enhanced Properties and Mechanisam via Graphene Connection.

As a promising alternative for lithium ion batteries, room-temperature sodium ion batteries (SIBs) have become one significant research frontier of energy storage devices although there are still many difficulties to be overcome. For the moment, the studies still concentrate on the preparation of new electrode materials for SIBs to meet the applicability. Herein, one new P2-Na2/3Ni1/3Mn5/9Al1/9O2 (NMA) cathode material is successfully prepared via a simple and facile liquid-state method. The prepared NMA is layered transition metal oxide, which can keep stable crystal structure during sodiation/desodiation as demonstrated by the ex situ X-ray diffraction, and its electrochemical properties can be further enhanced by connecting the cake-like NMA microparticles with reduced graphene oxide (RGO) using a ball milling method. Electrochemical tests show that the formed RGO-connected NMA (NMA/RGO) can deliver a higher reversible capacity of up to 138 mAh g(-1) at 0.1 C and also exhibit a superior high-rate capabilities and cycling stability in comparison to pure NMA. The much improved properties should be attributed to the reduced particle size and improvement of electrical conductivity and apparent Na(+) diffusion due to RGO incorporation, which is comprehensively verified by the electrochemical technologies of galvanostatic intermittent titration technique, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy and cyclic voltammetry at various scan rate as well as ex-situ X-ray diffraction studies.

Romanechite-structured Na(0.31)MnO(1.9) nanofibers as high-performance cathode material for a sodium-ion battery.

A new cathode material composed of romanechite-structured Na(0.31)MnO(1.9) nanofibers is developed for sodium-ion batteries for the first time. It can deliver a Na-uptake capacity of >100 mA h g(-1) with a superior high-rate capability and good cycling performance in the voltage range of 2-4.5 V vs. Na(+)/Na, and exhibit the unique ability of fast charging with the normal discharge rate.