Photoinduced Palladium-Catalyzed Radical Germylative Arylation of Alkenes with Chlorogermanes.

We describe a visible light-induced palladium-catalyzed radical germylative arylation of alkenes with easily accessible chlorogermanes. This protocol provides expedient access to germanium-substituted indolin-2-ones in good to excellent yields under mild reaction conditions. The key step for this strategy lies in the reductive activation of germanium-chloride bonds with an excited palladium complex under visible light irradiation. The involvement of germanium radicals was evidenced by electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy experiments.

Comparative study of different dosages of grain-sized moxibustion on uterine artery blood flow in patients with cold and dampness primary dysmenorrhea. / ä¸åŒå‰‚é‡éº¦ç²’ç¸å¯¹å¯’æ¹¿å‡æ»žåž‹åŽŸå‘æ€§ç—›ç»æ‚£è€ å­å®«åŠ¨è„‰è¡€æµå½±å“çš„æ¯”è¾ƒç ”ç©¶.

OBJECTIVES: To observe the differences in the effects of different dosages of grain-sized moxibustion on uterine artery blood flow in patients with cold and dampness primary dysmenorrhea (PD). METHODS: A total of 60 patients with PD were randomly divided into 3 groups with 20 cases in each group. Acupoints Sanyinjiao (SP6), Diji (SP8) and Xuehai (SP10) were selected in all the 3 groups, and different dosages of grain-sized moxibustion were used (3 moxa cones, 6 moxa cones, 9 moxa cones) respectively. Treatment started 7 days before menstruation for 3 times, lasting for a total of 3 menstrual cycles. The values of uterine artery blood flow parameters including pulsatility index (PI), resistance index (RI), and systolic/diastolic ratio (S/D) were recorded before and after treatment. The visual analog scale (VAS) score and cox menstrual symptom scale (CMSS) score (including severity ［CMSS-S］ and time of duration ［CMSS-T］) were evaluated before treatment, at the end of each menstrual cycle, and one menstrual cycle after treatment. RESULTS: The values of uterine artery blood flow parameters (PI, RI, S/D) after treatment in the 9 moxa cones group were lower than those before treatment, as well as lower than those in the 3 and 6 moxa cones groups after treatment (P<0.05). The VAS scores of the 3 moxa cones group were lower than those before treatment in the first and second cycle (P<0.05). The VAS scores of the 6 and 9 moxa cones groups were lower than those before treatment at each observation point (P<0.05), and were lower than those of the 3 moxa cones group in the third cycle of treatment and follow-up period (P<0.05). And the VAS score of the 9 moxa cones group was lower than that of the 6 moxa cones group during the follow-up period (P<0.05). Compared with the scores before treatment, the CMSS-T scores at each observation point after treatment were lower in the 9 moxa cones group (P<0.05)；the CMSS-T scores in the second and third cycle after treatment, and follow-up period were lower in the 6 moxa cones group (P<0.05), with the CMSS-S scores in the second and third cycle after treatment, and follow-up period lower in the 6 and 9 moxa cones groups (P<0.05). The CMSS-T and CMSS-S scores of the 6 and 9 moxa cones groups were lower than those of the 3 moxa cones group in the third cycle and follow-up period (P<0.05). The CMSS-T and CMSS-S scores of the 9 moxa cones group were lower than those of the 6 moxa cones group during the follow-up period (P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Grain-Sized moxibustion has dose-effect relationship in the treatment of PD. Compared with 3 and 6 moxa cones groups, 9 moxa cones group has advantages in improving uterine artery blood flow parameters and alleviating dysmenorrhea symptoms in PD patients.

Electroacupuncture Alleviates Memory Deficits in APP/PS1 Mice by Targeting Serotonergic Neurons in Dorsal Raphe Nucleus.

OBJECTIVE: Alzheimer's disease (AD) has become a significant global concern, but effective drugs able to slow down AD progression is still lacked. Electroacupuncture (EA) has been demonstrated to ameliorate cognitive impairment in individuals with AD. However, the underlying mechanisms remains poorly understood. This study aimed at examining the neuroprotective properties of EA and its potential mechanism of action against AD. METHODS: APP/PS1 transgenic mice were employed to evaluate the protective effects of EA on Shenshu (BL 23) and Baihui (GV 20). Chemogenetic manipulation was used to activate or inhibit serotonergic neurons within the dorsal raphe nucleus (DRN). Learning and memory abilities were assessed by the novel object recognition and Morris water maze tests. Golgi staining, western blot, and immunostaining were utilized to determine EA-induced neuroprotection. RESULTS: EA at Shenshu (BL 23) and Baihui (GV 20) effectively ameliorated learning and memory impairments in APP/PS1 mice. EA attenuated dendritic spine loss, increased the expression levels of PSD95, synaptophysin, and brain-derived neurotrophic factor in hippocampus. Activation of serotonergic neurons within the DRN can ameliorate cognitive deficits in AD by activating glutamatergic neurons mediated by 5-HT1B. Chemogenetic inhibition of serotonergic neurons in the DRN reversed the effects of EA on synaptic plasticity and memory. CONCLUSION: EA can alleviate cognitive dysfunction in APP/PS1 mice by activating serotonergic neurons in the DRN. Further study is necessary to better understand how the serotonergic neurons-related neural circuits involves in EA-induced memory improvement in AD.

Mechanisms of electroacupuncture relieves uterine smooth muscle spasm in dysmenorrhea rats based on Rho/ROCK signaling pathway. / 基于Rho/ROCKä¿¡å·é€šè·¯æŽ¢è®¨ç”µé’ˆä»»è„‰ã€ç£è„‰ç»ç©´ç¼“è§£ç±»ç—›ç»æ¨¡åž‹å¤§é¼ å­å®«å¹³æ»‘è‚Œç—‰æŒ›çš„æœºåˆ¶.

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the effect of electroacupuncture (EA) on Rho/Rho-associated coiled-coil-forming kinases (ROCK) signaling pathway of uterus tissue in rats with dysmenorrhea, so as to explore the underlying mechanism of EA treating primary dysmenorrhea (PD) and uterine smooth muscle spasm, and to observe whether there is a difference in the effect of meridian acupoints in Conception Vessel (CV) and Governer Vessel (GV). METHODS: Sixty female SD rats were randomly divided into saline, model, CV, GV, and non-acupoint groups, with 12 rats in each group. The dysmenorrhea model was established by subcutaneous injection of estradiol diphenhydrate combined with intraperitoneal injection of oxytocin (OT). EA (2 Hz) was applied to "Qihai" (CV6) and "Zhongji" (CV3) for CV group, "Mingmen" (GV4) and "Yaoshu" (GV2) for GV group, "non-acupoint 1" and "non-acupoint 3" on the left side for non-acupoint group, and manual acupuncture was applied to "Guanyuan" (CV4) for CV group, "Yaoyangguan" (GV3) for GV group, "non-acupoint 2" on the left side for non-acupoint group. The treatment was conducted for 20 min each time, once daily for 10 days. The writhing score was evaluated. The smooth myoelectric signals of rats' uterus in vivo were recorded by multi-channel physiological recorder. The uterine histopathological changes were observed by HE staining. The contents of prostaglandin F2α (PGF2α), OT and calcium ion (Ca2+) in uterine tissue of rats were detected by ELISA. The protein and mRNA expression levels of smooth muscle 22-α (SM22-α), RhoA and ROCKⅡ in uterine tissue were detected by Western blot and fluorescence quantitative PCR, respectively. RESULTS: Compared with the saline group, the writhing score of rats in the model group was increased (P<0.01), the amplitude voltage of uterine smooth muscle in vivo was elevated (P<0.01), the contents of PGF2α, OT and Ca2+, the protein and mRNA expression of SM22-α, RhoA and ROCK Ⅱ in uterine tissue were all increased (P<0.01). Compared with the model and the non-acupoint groups, the writhing scores of the CV and the GV groups were decreased (P<0.01, P<0.05), the amplitude voltage of uterine smooth muscle was decreased (P<0.01), the contents of PGF2α, OT and Ca2+ in uterine tissue were decreased (P<0.01, P<0.05), and the protein expression and mRNA expression of SM22-α, RhoA and ROCKⅡ in uterine tissue were decreased (P<0.01, P<0.05). HE staining showed extensive exfoliation of uterine intima with severe edema and increased glandular secretion in the model group, which was alleviated in the CV and GV groups. CONCLUSIONS: EA at acupoints of CV and GV can significantly reduce the writhing score, uterine smooth muscle amplitude voltage, pathological injury degree of uterus, and relieve spasm of uterine smooth muscle in dysmenorrhea rats, which may be related to its effect in regulating PGF2α and OT contents, inhibiting the Rho/ROCK signaling pathway, and reducing the SM22-α, RhoA, ROCKⅡ protein and mRNA expression, and Ca2+ content in uterine tissue.

Sexual dimorphism in the gut microbiota and sexual dimorphism in chronic diseases: Association or causation?

Understanding the sexual dimorphism in diseases is essential to investigate the pathogenesis of some chronic diseases (e.g., autoimmune diseases, etc). The gut microbiota has been found to show a notable impact on the pathology of several chronic diseases in recent years. Intriguingly, the composition of the gut microbiota varies between sexes. Here, we reviewed 'facts and fiction' regarding sexual dimorphism in chronic diseases and sexual dimorphism in the gut microbiota respectively. The association and causative relationship between them aiming to elucidate the pathological mechanisms of sexual dimorphism in chronic diseases were further explored. The development of gender-special food products based on the sexual dimorphism in the gut microbiota were recommended, which would be beneficial to facilitating the personalized treatment.

Phytochelatin-Mediated Cultivar-Dependent Cd Accumulations of Lactuca sativa and Implication for Cd Pollution-Safe Cultivars Screening.

Cd pollution-safe cultivar (Cd-PSC) is a feasible strategy to minimize Cd contamination in leafy vegetables. The shoot Cd concentrations of 23 Lactuca sativa cultivars under Cd stress ranged from 0.124 to 2.155 mg·kg-1 with a maximum cultivar difference of 8 folds. Typical Cd-PSC C16 (L) and high-Cd-accumulating cultivar C13 (H) were screened to investigate the mechanisms of Cd accumulations in L. sativa through determining Cd concentrations, Cd subcellular distributions, phytochelatin profiles, and phytochelatin biosynthesis-related genes' expressions. Higher Cd distribution in a heat stable fraction in C13 (H) indicated that the high Cd accumulation trait of C13 (H) mainly depended on the Cd-phytochelatin complexes. Root phytochelatin concentrations were significantly elevated in C13 (H) (5.83 folds) than in C16 (L) (2.69 folds) (p < 0.05) under Cd stress. Significantly downregulated expressions of glutathione S-transferase rather than the regulation of phytochelatin synthesis genes in the root of C13 (H) might be responsible for sufficient glutathione supply for phytochelatins synthesis. These findings suggested that phytochelatin elevation in C13 (H) would favor the Cd root to shoot transportation, which provides new insights into the phytochelatin-related cultivar-dependent Cd accumulating characteristic in L. sativa.