Meta-analysis of the efficacy of Jingjin acupuncture therapy in the treatment of spastic cerebral palsy.

Background: This study aimed to systematically evaluate the clinical efficacy of Jingjin (muscle region of the meridian, sinew/tendon/fascia) acupuncture therapy for the treatment of spastic cerebral palsy. Methods: Computer searches of the Cochrane Library, Web of Science, PubMed, Embase, Chinese Biomedical Literature (CBM) Database, Wanfang database, Wipu (VIP) database, and China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI) database for published randomized controlled trial (RCT) studies on Jingjin acupuncture treatment of cerebral palsy from the beginning of the database construction until 30 November 2023 were performed, and the quality of the papers was assessed through independent data extraction by two individuals and then meta-analyzed using RevMan5.4 software. A total of 20 RCTs involving 1,453 patients were included. Results: The overall effective rate of Jingjin acupuncture therapy was better than that of conventional therapy, with a combined odds ratio (OR) of 4.70 and a 95% confidence interval (CI) of [3.05, 7.24]. The Modified Ashworth Spasticity (MAS) Scale, Gross Motor Function Measure (GMFM), Fine Motor Function Measure (FMFM), and Comprehensive Spasticity Scale (CSS) scores are superior to conventional therapy. Conclusion: Jingjin acupuncture therapy is effective in treating spastic cerebral palsy and has better overall efficacy than conventional therapy. Due to the low quality of some of the literature in this study type, more high-quality, well-designed clinical studies are needed to validate it.

Transition-Metal-Free One-Pot Synthesis of Fused Benzofuranamines and Benzo[b]thiophenamines.

A series of benzofuran and benzo[b]thiophen derivatives was synthesized via a transition-metal-free one-pot process at room temperature. This one-pot protocol enables the synthesis of compounds with high reaction efficiency, mild conditions, simple methods, and a wide-ranging substrate scope. Regioselective five-membered heterocycles were constructed in good-to-excellent yields.

A Direct Method for Synthesis of Quinoxalines and Quinazolinones Using Epoxides as Alkyl Precursor.

An iodine-mediated one-pot synthesis of pyrrolo/indolo [1,2-a]quinoxalines and quinazolin-4-one via utilizing epoxides as alkyl precursors under metal-free conditions has been described. Both 1-(2-aminophenyl)-pyrrole and 2-aminobenzamide could be applied to this protocol. A total of 33 desired products were obtained with moderate to good yields. This methodology was suitable for wide-scale preparation and the obtained products could be further modified into promising pharmaceutically active reagents.

Oxidant-Free Electrochemical Direct Oxidative Benzyl Alcohols to Benzyl Aldehydes Using Three-Dimensional Printing PPAR Polyoxometalate.

The oxidation of benzyl alcohols is an important reaction in organic synthesis. Traditional methods for benzyl alcohol oxidation have not been widely utilized due to the use of significant amounts of precious metals and environmentally unfriendly reagents. In recent years, electrocatalytic oxidation has gained significant attention, particularly electrochemical anodic oxidation, which offers a sustainable alternative for oxidation without the need for external oxidants or reducing agents. Here, a copper monosubstituted phosphotungstate-based polyacrylate resins (Cu-LPOMs@PPAR) catalyst has been fabricated with immobilization and recyclability using 3D printing technology that can be successfully applied in the electrocatalytic oxidation of benzyl alcohol to benzaldehyde, achieving atom economy and reducing pollution. In this protocol, we obtain benzaldehyde in good yields with excellent functional group toleration under metal-free and oxidant-free conditions. This strategy could provide a new avenue for heterogeneous catalysts in application for enhancing the efficiency and selectivity of electrocatalytic oxidation processes.

Amplified cyanobacterial bloom is derived by polyphosphate accumulation triggered by ultraviolet light.

Cyanobacterial blooms appear more strongly, constantly and globally, yet the positive effect of surface solar ultraviolet radiation (UV) on cyanobacterial bloom in natural freshwater habitats is largely ignored. Here in-situ and laboratory studies were jointly designed to probe the mechanism of cyanobacterial bloom promoted by solar UV light. The results showed that solar UV light is a key trigger factor for the accumulation of total phosphorus, dissolved inorganic phosphorus and polyphosphate (polyP) in blooming cyanobacterial cells. The increase of UV dose induces polyP accumulation to result in the excessive phosphorus uptake of blooming cyanobacteria, which provides sufficient phosphorus for cyanobacterial growth in suitable environment. Solar UV light also can promote the contents of phycocyanin, allophycocyanin, and phycoerythrin, producing sufficient ATP by photosynthesis for polyP synthesis in cyanobacterial cells in lake enviroment. The frequent variations of UV irradiance exposure prompts cyanobacteria to absorb excessive phosphorus from suspended solid or sediment. Cyanobacterial intracellular phosphorus is accumulated for their growth. UV light promotes polyP accumulation in blooming cyanobacterial cells to avoid damage. The adsorption amount of phosphorus increases for exuberant growth and then more surface blooming cyanobacteria are exposed to UV light to absorb ample phosphorus. Thus, the positive feedback occurs in lake water bodies with abundant phosphorus. This amplified cycle of cyanobacterial density and phosphorus due to solar UV light in eutrophic water bodies is analogous to a triode to amplify visible photosynthesis by UV light as a base electric current in the energy flow process in lake environment, therefore, "Cyanobacterial Phosphorus Assimilation Ultraviolet Effect" is used to describe this phenomenon. A new explanation is provided for the continuing proliferating mechanism of cyanobacterial bloom. Besides, a new perspective appears on the outbreak of cyanobacterial blooms in natural eutrophic lake water bodies worldwide.

CSF-1R inhibition disrupts the dialog between leukaemia cells and macrophages and delays leukaemia progression.

Research in the last few years has revealed that leukaemic cells can remodel the bone marrow niche into a permissive environment favouring leukaemic stem cell expansion. Tumour-associated macrophages (TAMs) are prominent components of the tumour microenvironment and play an important role in the onset and progression of solid tumours. However, little is known about their role in the development of acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL). Using a unique mouse model of T-ALL induced by injection of EL4 T-cell lymphoma cells to syngeneic C57BL/6 mice, we report herein that ALL leads to the invasion of leukaemia-associated monocyte-derived cells (LAMs) into the bone marrow and spleen of T-ALL mice. Furthermore, we found that leukaemia cells could polarize bone marrow-derived macrophages (BMDMs) into LAMs. In turn, LAMs were able to protect leukaemia cells from drug-induced apoptosis in vitro. Therapies targeted against the TAMs by inhibiting colony stimulating factor-1 receptor (CSF-1R) have emerged as a promising approach for cancer treatment. In this study, we demonstrate that CSF-1R inhibition inhibits the viability of BMDMs, blocks LAMs polarization and reduces the abundance of LAMs in T-ALL mice. In vivo, combination treatment of CSF-1R inhibitor and vincristine (VCR) dramatically increased the survival of T-ALL mice and delayed leukaemia progression compared with VCR monotherapy. Finally, these data reinforce the role of microenvironments in leukaemia and suggest that macrophages are a potential target for the development of novel therapeutic strategies in T-ALL.

Development and Validation of a Nomogram-Based Prognostic Evaluation Model for Sarcomatoid Hepatocellular Carcinoma.

INTRODUCTION: Sarcomatoid hepatocellular carcinoma (SHC) is a rare subtype of liver cancer with extremely poor prognosis. This study aimed to identify the prognostic factors and develop an exclusive and efficient nomogram to predict cancer-specific survival (CSS) for SHC. METHODS: The data on patients diagnosed with SHC from January 1973 to December 2015 were retrieved from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database, and these patients were included as the training cohort. Least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) and Cox proportional hazards regression analyses were used to identify the prognostic risk factors and construct a nomogram. The predictive accuracy and discriminative ability of the nomogram were determined using concordance index (C-index), calibration curve, and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve. Decision curve analysis (DCA) was used to compare the clinical benefits of the prognostic evaluation model (PEM) with that of the American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) staging system. The results were validated with an external validation cohort. RESULTS: In total, 116 patients with SHC were included in the training cohort. Multivariate Cox analysis revealed M stage (distant metastasis), primary tumor surgery, and chemotherapy to be associated with CSS, and along with tumor size, an integrated PEM was constructed. A calibration curve for the probability of survival showed good agreement between the nomogram and actual observation. The C-index value of the nomogram for predicting CSS and AJCC was 0.853 and 0.649, respectively. In the validation cohort, the C-index value of the PEM discrimination was better than that of the Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer (BCLC) staging system, CLIP score, and Okuda staging system, and no statistical difference was observed with eighth edition of the AJCC staging system and Izumi staging system. CONCLUSION: The proposed four-factor nomogram of PEM could accurately predict the prognosis of SHC and could be used in clinical practice.

Huai Qi Huang-induced Apoptosis via Down-regulating PRKCH and Inhibiting RAF/MEK/ERK Pathway in Ph+ Leukemia Cells.

Imatinib mesylate (IM) is the first-line treatment for Philadelphia (Ph) chromosomal positive leukemia by inhibiting phosphorylation of substrates via binding to the ABL kinase domain. Because of the drug resistance, side effects and the high cost of IM, it is necessary to find anti-cancer drugs with relatively low toxicity and cost, and enhanced efficacy, such as traditional Chinese medicines (TCMs). As one of TCMs, Huai Qi Huang (HQH) was chosen to treat BV173 and K562 cells. Various concentrations of HQH were added to cells for 24-72 h. Co-treatment of HQH and trametinib, an MEK inhibitor, was used to verify the synergistic effects on cell viability and apoptosis. Knockdown and overexpression of mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase 4 (MEK4) were implemented to demonstrate the role of MEK in cell apoptosis. Cell viability and apoptosis were measured by cell counting kit-8 assay (CCK8) and flow cytometry, respectively. Western blotting and real-time quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR) were used to assess protein and mRNA expression levels, respectively. The results showed that HQH inhibited survival and promoted apoptosis of BV173 and K562 cells in a dose-dependent manner, accompanied with down-regulation of PRKCH mRNA as well as CRAF, MEK4, phospho-ERK (pERK) and BCL2 proteins, and up-regulation of cleaved caspase3 protein. Co-treatment of HQH and trametinib had a synergistic effect on inhibiting survival and promoting apoptosis. MEK4 knockdown increased apoptosis, and had a synergistic effect with HQH. In contrast, MEK4 overexpression decreased apoptosis, and had the opposite effect with HQH. Collectively, the results of this study may identify a therapeutic mechanism of HQH on promoting apoptosis, and provide a potential option for treatment of Ph+ leukemia.

Lacustrine micro-ecosystem responses to the inflow discharge gradient of water diversion from Yangtze River to Lake Taihu.

Water diversion project is always taken as the emergency and effective engineering measure to deal with the cyanobacterial blooms in eutrophic lakes. The inflow discharge and duration are the critical parameters influencing the effects and costs of the water diversion activities. Due to the impacts of meteorological and hydrological factors such as precipitation and wind-wave currents, the environmental influence of water diversion on shallow eutrophic lakes is always unclear. To explore the quantitative relationships among inflow discharges, duration and ecological parameters in water-receiving lakes, the typical water diversion engineering-Water Diversion Project from Yangtze River to Lake Taihu was taken as an example and the mesocosm experiment modeling the micro-ecosystem of the water-receiving Meiliang Bay in Lake Taihu was conducted with five groups of inflow discharges according to the practical discharges of the main river channel-Wangyu River. Each micro-ecosystem had a volume of 15 L and was studied for a period of 30 days (25 days for the water diversion period and 5 days for the stop period). The results showed that the inflow discharges had different extents of impact on the physicochemical and biological characteristics of the micro-ecosystems. The concentrations of total dissolved solids, total nitrogen, nitrate, active silicate and bacterial abundance in the experimental groups (inflow discharges > 100 m3/s) were all decreased compared with the control group, with the lowest values in the period of 10-15 days. During the stop period, the concentrations of sensitive biotic and abiotic parameters were all recovered with different extents and different from the initial state of this experiment, which revealed that the effects of the short-term water diversion on lake ecosystems were resilient and durable. There were quantitative relationships among the inflow discharge, content interpolation and variation in water nutrients, with different relationships in different periods of the water diversion. The influence of water diversion on lake ecosystems was not only related to the direct impacts of allochthonous inputs, but also with the indirect effects of internal habitat variation in lakes.

FAX2 Mediates Fatty Acid Export from Plastids in Developing Arabidopsis Seeds.

Vegetable oils are mainly stored in the form of triacylglycerol (TAG) in oilseeds. Fatty acids (FAs), one of the building blocks for TAG assembly, are synthesized in plastids and then exported to the endoplasmic reticulum for storage oil synthesis. A recent study demonstrated that the export of FAs from plastids was mediated by a FAX (FA export) family protein. However, the significance of FAs export from plastid during seed oil accumulation has not been investigated. In this study, we found that FAX2 was highly expressed in developing Arabidopsis seeds and the expression level was consistent with FAs synthesis activity. FAX2 mutant seeds showed an approximately 18% reduction of lipid levels compared with wild-type seeds. By contrast, overexpression of FAX2 enhanced seed lipid accumulation by up to 30%. The FAs export activity of FAX2 was confirmed by yeast mutant cell complementation analysis. Our results showed that FAX2 could interact with other proteins to facilitate FAs transport. Taken together, these results indicate that FAX2-mediated FA export from plastids is important for seed oil accumulation, and that FAX2 can be used as a target gene for increasing lipid production in oilseeds.

Physicochemical factors controlling the retention and transport of perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) in saturated sand and limestone porous media.

Comprehensively understanding the fate and transport of perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) in subsurface environment is crucial to assess its environmental impacts. In this work, column experiments were conducted to investigate the effects of physicochemical factors on the retention and transport of 14C-labeled PFOA in saturated sand and limestone porous media. The retention of PFOA in limestone columns was higher than that in sand columns under the same solution chemistry conditions. This can be attributed to that the limestone had less negative zeta-potential and larger specific surface area than the sand. Changes in ionic strength (low to high) and cation type (Na+ to Ca2+) had little influences on the mobility of PFOA in sand porous media, but significantly enhanced the retention of PFOA in limestone porous media. Nearly no PFOA was retained in the sand columns, but relatively high levels of PFOA retention (28.7-48.4%) were achieved in the limestone columns. Higher input concentration resulted in lower PFOA retention in limestone porous media, reflecting the blocking effect of the sorption sites. The blocking effect was insignificant in sand porous media, probably because the experimental conditions were unfavorable for PFOA sorption on sand media. A two-site kinetic retention model effectively simulated both the breakthrough and retention behaviors of the PFOA in the sand and limestone porous media.

Dynamics of phosphorus and bacterial phoX genes during the decomposition of Microcystis blooms in a mesocosm.

Cyanobacterial blooms are a worldwide environmental problem and frequently occur in eutrophic lakes. Organophosphorus mineralization regulated by microbial alkaline phosphatase provides available nutrients for bloom regeneration. To uncover the dynamics of bacterial alkaline phosphatase activity and microbial backgrounds in relation to organophosphorus mineralization during the decomposition process of cyanobacterial blooms, the response of alkaline phosphatase PhoX-producing bacteria were explored using a 23-day mesocosm experiment with three varying densities of Microcystis biomass from eutrophic Lake Taihu. Our study found large amounts of soluble reactive phosphorus and dissolved organophosphorus were released into the lake water during the decomposition process. Bacterial alkaline phosphatase activity showed the peak values during days 5~7 in groups with different chlorophyll-a densities, and then all decreased dramatically to their initial experimental levels during the last stage of decomposition. Bacterial phoX abundances in the three experimental groups increased significantly along with the decomposition process, positively related to the dissolved organic carbon and organophosphorus released by the Microcystis blooms. The genotypes similar to the phoX genes of Alphaproteobacteria were dominant in all groups, whereas the genotypes most similar to the phoX genes of Betaproteobacteria and Cyanobacteria were also abundant in the low density (~15 µg L-1 chlorophyll-a) group. At the end of the decomposition process, the number of genotypes most similar to the phoX of Betaproteobacteria and Cyanobacteria increased in the medium (~150 µg L-1 chlorophyll-a) and high (~1500 µg L-1 chlorophyll-a) density groups. The released organophosphorus and increased bacterial phoX abundance after decomposition of Microcystis aggregates could potentially provide sufficient nutrients and biological conditions for algal proliferation and are probably related to the regeneration of Microcystis blooms in eutrophic lakes.

Seed-specific overexpression of AtFAX1 increases seed oil content in Arabidopsis.

Biosynthesis of plant seed oil is accomplished through the coordinate action of multiple enzymes in multiple subcellular compartments. Fatty acid (FA) has to be transported from plastid to endoplasmic reticulum (ER) for TAG synthesis. However, the role of plastid FA transportation during seed oil accumulation has not been evaluated. AtFAX1 (Arabidopsis fatty acid export1) mediated the FA export from plastid. In this study, we overexpressed AtFAX1 under the control of a seed specific promoter in Arabidopsis. The resultant overexpression lines (OEs) produced seeds which contained 21-33% more oil and 24-30% more protein per seed than those of the wild type (WT). The increased oil content was probably because of the enhanced FA and TAG synthetic activity. The seed size and weight were both increased accordingly. In addition, the seed number per silique and silique number per plant had no changes in transgenic plants. Taken together, our results demonstrated that seed specific overexpression of AtFAX1 could promote oil accumulation in Arabidopsis seeds and manipulating FA transportation is a feasible strategy for increasing the seed oil content.

Sb2O3 Nanoparticles Anchored on Graphene Sheets via Alcohol Dissolution-Reprecipitation Method for Excellent Lithium-Storage Properties.

Sb2O3 nanoparticles are uniformly anchored on reduced graphene oxide (rGO) sheets via a facile and ecofriendly route based on the alcohol dissolution-reprecipitation method. Such obtained Sb2O3/rGO composite demonstrates a highly reversible specific capacity (1355 mA h g-1 at 100 mA g-1), good rate capability, and superior life cycle (525 mA h g-1 after 700 cycles at 600 mA g-1) when used an anode electrode for lithium-ion batteries (LIBs). The outstanding electrochemical properties of Sb2O3/rGO composite could be attributed to its unique structure in which the strong electronic coupling effect between Sb2O3 and rGO leads to an enhanced electronic conductivity, structure stability, and electrochemical activity during reversible conversion-alloying reactions. Also, these findings are helpful in both developing novel high-performance electrodes for LIBs and synthesizing functional materials in an ecofriendly and economical way.

Curcin C, a novel type I ribosome-inactivating protein from the post-germinating cotyledons of Jatropha curcas.

A novel type I ribosome-inactivating protein (RIP), designated as curcin C, was purified from Jatropha curcas, an important feedback source of bio-fuel. Molecular mass and isoelectric point of curcin C were 31.398 kDa and 7.12 as detected by MALTI-TOF assay and capillary electrophoresis assay, respectively. N-terminal sequence and LC-MS/MS analyses confirmed that curcin C is a type I RIP having high homology, but not the exactly the same with curcin, another type 1 RIP isolated from the endosperm of J. curcas. It exhibited N-glycosidase activity and in vitro translation inhibition activity. Moreover, curcin C displayed a strong selectively anti-tumor activity on human cancer cells. Its cytotoxicity against osteosarcoma cell line U20S is even higher than that of Paclitaxel with IC50 of 0.019 µM. Purification and identification of curcin C not only suggested its potential in natural anticancer drug development, but also provide chance to understanding different cytotoxic action among different RIPs.

Effects of grain size and structural heterogeneity on the transport and retention of nano-TiO2 in saturated porous media.

Accurately predicting the fate and transport of nano-TiO2 in porous media is critical to assess its environmental impact. This study was designed to understand the effects of gain size and structural heterogeneity under different ionic strength (IS) on the fate and transport of nano-TiO2 in saturated porous media. In the columns packed homogenously with sand of different grain sizes (920, 550, 390, and 275µm), the transport of nano-TiO2 decreased when the IS increased from 0.1 to 1 or 10mM. For all the three IS conditions, the retention of the nano-TiO2 particles in the columns increased when the gain size decreased, and the mobility of the nano-TiO2 was the lowest in the sand at size of 275µm with recovery rates of 0.30% to 1.72%. The mass recovery rates of TiO2 in other homogeneous columns were higher and ranged from 0.37% to 59.9%. Structural heterogeneity created two flow domains for the retention and transport of nano-TiO2 particles in the saturated porous media. The fast-flow domain dominated the flow and transport processes of the nano-TiO2 in the heterogeneous columns under the tested conditions. As a result, the transport of nano-TiO2 in the heterogeneous porous media was faster and higher than that in the homogeneous columns under similar experimental conditions. Because of the dominance of the fast-flow domain, the recovery rates of the nano-TiO2 in the heterogeneous columns were similar and ranged from 59.8% to 66.9%. These results reflected the importance of preferential flow to the fate and transport of nano-TiO2 particle in porous media. Simulations from a two-domain model matched the experimental breakthrough curves very well.