Preliminary Study on Insecticidal Potential and Chemical Composition of Five Rutaceae Essential Oils against Thrips flavus (Thysanoptera: Thripidae).

To meet the demand for novel pest management strategies to combat the development of insecticide resistance, plant essential oils may be a promising alternative source. This study investigated the insecticidal activity of five essential oils from the Rutaceae plant family against Thrips flavus Schrank (Thysanoptera: Thripidae) under laboratory conditions. The plant essential oils were citrus oil (Citrus reticulata Blanco), Chuan-shan pepper oil (Zanthoxylum piasezkii Maxim.), zanthoxylum oil (Zanthoxylum bungeanum Maxim.), pomelo peel oil (Citrus maxima (Burm.) Merr.) and orange leaf oil (Citrus sinensis (L.) Osbeck). Among the essential oils evaluated, orange leaf oil (LC50 = 0.26 g/L), zanthoxylum oil (LC50 = 0.27 g/L), and pomelo peel oil (LC50 = 0.44 g/L) resulted in a higher gastric toxicity under laboratory conditions. The results of the pot experiment also showed that orange leaf oil (93.06 ± 3.67% at 540.00 g a.i.·hm-2, 97.22 ± 1.39% at 720 g a.i.·hm-2, 100.00% at 900.00 g a.i.·hm-2) zanthoxylum oil (98.73 ± 1.27% at 900 g a.i.·hm-2), and pomelo peel oil (100.00% at 900 g a.i.·hm-2) exhibited a higher control efficacy, being the most effective against T. flavus after 7 days of treatment. The essential oil components were then identified by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). The insecticidal activity of orange leaf oil, pomelo peel oil, and zanthoxylum oil could be attributed to their main constituents, such as methyl jasmonate (50.92%), D-limonene (76.96%), and linalool (52.32%), respectively. In the olfactory test, adult T. flavus were attracted by zanthoxylum oil and Chuan-shan pepper oil. We speculated that linalool might be the key signaling compound that attracts T. flavus. These results showed that orange leaf oil, zanthoxylum oil, and pomelo peel oil exhibited insecticidal activities under controlled conditions. They can be implemented as effective and low-toxicity botanical insecticides and synergistic agents against T. flavus.

Fasudil alleviates cerebral ischemia­reperfusion injury by inhibiting inflammation and improving neurotrophic factor expression in rats.

The Rho kinase inhibitor fasudil exerts neuroprotective effects. We previously showed that fasudil can regulate M1/M2 microglia polarization and inhibit neuroinflammation. Here, the therapeutic effect of fasudil on cerebral ischemia­reperfusion (I/R) injury was investigated using the middle cerebral artery occlusion and reperfusion (MCAO/R) model in Sprague­Dawley rats. The effect of fasudil on the phenotype of microglia and neurotrophic factors in the I/R brain and its potential molecular mechanism was also explored. It was found that fasudil ameliorated neurological deficits, neuronal apoptosis, and inflammatory response in rats with cerebral I/R injury. Fasudil also promoted the polarization of microglia into the M2 phenotype, in turn promoting the secretion of neurotrophic factors. Furthermore, fasudil significantly inhibited the expression of TLR4 and NF­κB. These findings suggest that fasudil could inhibit the neuroinflammatory response and reduce brain injury after I/R injury by regulating the shift of microglia from an inflammatory M1 phenotype to an anti­inflammatory M2 phenotype, which may be related to the regulation of the TLR4/ NF­κB signal pathway.

Pain-Related Risk Factors Among Radiologic Stages of Knee Osteoarthritis: Data From the Osteoarthritis Initiative.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate whether risk factors related to pain vary at different stages of knee osteoarthritis (OA). METHODS: Individuals from the Osteoarthritis Initiative with available Kellgren/Lawrence (K/L) grade and numerical rating scale (NRS) data at baseline were included in this study. Pain severity was classified into 3 categories based on NRS scores: no pain, mild pain, and moderate/severe pain. Knee OA severity was stratified into 4 categories according to the K/L system. Pain risk factors were evaluated using generalized ordinal logistic regression analysis, and a heatmap was created to compare differences in standardized regression coefficients between subgroups of patients with different knee OA severities. RESULTS: A total of 4,446 subjects were included in this study: 1,574 individuals without pain (35.4%), 1,138 individuals with mild pain (25.6%), and 1,734 individuals with moderate/severe pain (39.0%). For the entire population and subjects in the premorbid-stage subgroup, knee injury history, diabetes mellitus, depression, use of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), and valgus malaligned knees were associated with more severe pain. Older age and stronger quadriceps muscles were associated with milder pain. As the disease progressed, the number of significant risk factors decreased. Only age and quadriceps muscle force remained significant in end-stage disease. CONCLUSION: Multiple factors are associated with pain in patients with knee OA. As the disease progresses, the number of significant risk factors gradually reduces. These findings suggest that strategies for managing pain related to knee OA should vary depending on radiographic grades.

[Acupuncture ameliorates neurological function by suppressing microglia polarization and inflammatory response after cerebral ischemia in rats].

OBJECTIVE: To observe the effect of acupuncture on microglia polarization and inflammatory reaction in rats with cerebral ischemia-reperfusion injury (CIRI), so as to explore its mechanisms underlying improvement of CIRI. METHODS: Thirty male SD rats were randomly divided into sham operation, model, and acupuncture groups, with 10 rats in each group. The CIRI model was established by occlusion of the middle cerebral artery (MCAO) for 1 h, followed by reperfusion. After modeling, rats in the acupuncture group received manual acupuncture stimulation of "Dazhui" (GV14), "Baihui"(GV20), "Shuigou" (GV26), bilateral "Zusanli" (ST36) and "Fengchi" (GB20) by twirling the needles rapidly for 10 s/acupoint every 10 min, with the needles retained for 20 min. The treatment was conducted once daily for successive 7 days. The neurological function was evaluated according to Longa's method. The state of CIRI was observed after Nissl staining, and the expression levels of Iba-1, iNOS, Arg1, BDNF, GDNF and NeuN in the ischemic cortex tissue were detected by immunofluorescence staining. The contents of TNF-α, IL-6 and IL-10 in the ischemic tissue were assayed by ELISA. The protein expression levels of BDNF, GDNF, TLR4, MyD88 and NF-κB in the ischemic tissues were detected by Western blot. RESULTS: The neurological deficit score on the 24 h and 7th day was considerably higher in the model group than in the sham operation group (P<0.01), and evidently lower on the 7th day in the acupuncture group than in the model group (P<0.01). The number of NeuN positive cells，the area of immunofluorescence dual labelling of Arg1, BDNF and GDNF positive staining, IL-10 content, BDNF and GDNF protein expressions were significantly decreased (P<0.01), and the immunofluorescence dual labelling area of Iba-1 and iNOS, TNF-α and IL-6 contents, the pretein expression levels of TLR4, MyD88 and NF-κB considerably increased (P<0.01) in the model group relevant to the sham operation group. In contrast to the model group, the acupuncture group had a significant increase in the number of NeuN positive cells, the immunofluorescence dual labelling area of Arg1, BDNF and GDNF positive staining, IL-10 content, and BDNF and GDNF protein expressions (P<0.05, P<0.01), and an evident decrease in Iba-1 and iNOS positive staining, contents of TNF-α and IL-6, and the protein expression levels of TLR4, MyD88 and NF-κB (P<0.01, P<0.05). Nissl staining showed a marked reduction in the number of neurons, the nucleus pyknosis and nissl bodies and loose arrangement of the neuronal cells in the model group, which was relatively milder in the acupuncture group. CONCLUSION: Acupuncture intervention can improve neurological function in CIRI rats, which may be related to its effects in regulating the polarization of microglia, reducing inflammatory reaction and increasing the secretion of neurotrophic factors in the brain, inhibiting TLR4/MyD88/NF-κB signaling pathway.