Biological control of wheat powdery mildew disease by the termite-associated fungus Aspergillus chevalieri BYST01 and potential role of secondary metabolites.

BACKGROUND: Wheat powdery mildew, caused by the biotrophic pathogen Blumeria graminis f. sp. tritici (Bgt) is a serious fungal disease. Natural metabolites produced by microorganisms are beneficial biological control agents to inhibit Bgt. In the present study, we investigated the effects of Aspergillus chevalieri BYST01 on wheat powdery mildew. RESULTS: A strain isolated from the termite was identified as A. chevalieri BYST01 by morphological characteristics and phylogenetic analysis. The fermentation broth of BYST01 showed good biocontrol effect on the Bgt in vivo with the control efficiencies of 81.59% and 71.34% under the protective and therapeutic tests, respectively. Four known metabolites, including the main compound physcion (30 mg/L), were isolated from the fermentation broth of BYST01 extracted with ethyl acetate. Importantly, under a concentration of 0.1 mM, physcion repressed conidial germination of Bgt with an inhibition rate of 77.04% in vitro and showed important control efficiencies of 80.36% and 74.64% in vivo under the protective and therapeutic tests, respectively. Hence, the BYST01 showed important potential as a microbial cell factory for the high yield of the green natural fungicide physcion. Finally, the biosynthetic gene clusters responsible for physicon production in BYST01 was predicted by analyzing a chromosome-scale genome obtained using a combination of Illumina, PacBio, and Hi-C sequencing technologies. CONCLUSION: Aspergillus chevalieri BYST01 and its main metabolite physcion had a significant control effect on wheat powdery mildew. The biosynthesis pathway of physcion in BYST01 was predicted. © 2023 Society of Chemical Industry.

The Interplay between Meningeal Lymphatic Vessels and Neuroinflammation in Neurodegenerative Diseases.

Meningeal lymphatic vessels (MLVs) are essential for the drainage of cerebrospinal fluid, macromolecules, and immune cells in the central nervous system. They play critical roles in modulating neuroinflammation in neurodegenerative diseases. Dysfunctional MLVs have been demonstrated to increase neuroinflammation by horizontally blocking the drainage of neurotoxic proteins to the peripheral lymph nodes. Conversely, MLVs protect against neuroinflammation by preventing immune cells from becoming fully encephalitogenic. Furthermore, evidence suggests that neuroinflammation affects the structure and function of MLVs, causing vascular anomalies and angiogenesis. Although this field is still in its infancy, the strong link between MLVs and neuroinflammation has emerged as a potential target for slowing the progression of neurodegenerative diseases. This review provides a brief history of the discovery of MLVs, introduces in vivo and in vitro MLV models, highlights the molecular mechanisms through which MLVs contribute to and protect against neuroinflammation, and discusses the potential impact of neuroinflammation on MLVs, focusing on recent progress in neurodegenerative diseases.

Twelve exonic variants in the SLC12A1 and CLCNKB genes alter RNA splicing in a minigene assay.

Background: Bartter syndrome (BS) is a rare renal tubular disease caused by gene variants in SLC12A1, KCNJ1, CLCNKA, CLCNKB, BSND or MAGED2 genes. There is growing evidence that many exonic mutations can affect the pre-mRNA normal splicing and induce exon skipping by altering various splicing regulatory signals. Therefore, the aim of this study was to gain new insights into the consequences of exonic mutations associated with BS on pre-mRNA splicing. Methods: We analyzed all the missense, nonsense and synonymous variants described in six pathogenic genes by bioinformatics programs and identified candidate mutations that may promote exon skipping through a minigene system. Results: Results of the study showed that 12 of 14 candidate variants distributed in SLC12A1 (c.728G>A, C.735C>G, c.904C>T, c.905G>A, c.1304C>T, c.1493C>T, c.2221A>T) and CLCNKB (c.226C>T, c.228A>C, c.229G>A, c.229G>C, c.1979C>A) were identified to induce splicing alterations. These variants may not only disrupt exonic splicing enhancers (ESEs) but also generate new exonic splicing silencers (ESSs), or disturb the classic splicing sites. Conclusion: To our knowledge, this is a comprehensive study regarding alterations in pre-mRNA of exonic variants in BS pathogenic genes. Our results reinforce the necessity of assessing the consequences of exonic variants at the mRNA level.

Multi-dentate chelation induces fluorescence enhancement of pyrene moiety for highly selective detection of Fe(III).

Fluorescence enhancement has great advantages and various promising applications for a fluorescent molecular probe, which shows high sensitivity and high selectivity. In this report, a novel pyrene-based fluorescent probe with multidentate ligand (PPD) was synthesized for highly selective detection of Fe(III), which exhibited great fluorescence enhancement response upon the addition of Fe(III) in aqueous solution of pH 3.5 ~ 7.5, with a detection limit of 115 nM. The probe also has good water solubility and photostability. Further fluorescence titration confirmed 1:1 stoichiometric ratio for the probe PPD-Fe(III), which can be applied for quantification of Fe(III). The probe was validated for ferric detection in real water samples by spike and recovery test.

Effect of Textual Features on the Success of Medical Crowdfunding: Model Development and Econometric Analysis from the Tencent Charity Platform.

BACKGROUND: Medical crowdfunding utilizes the internet to raise medical funds. Medical crowdfunding has developed rapidly worldwide; however, most medical crowdfunding projects fail to raise the targeted funds. Therefore, a very important research problem that has not received sufficient attention from the existing literature is identifying which factors affect the success of medical crowdfunding projects. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to examine the effect of textual features of medical crowdfunding projects on their success rate using 4903 real projects from the Tencent Charity platform, a well-known medical crowdfunding platform in China. In particular, according to Aristotle's theory of persuasion, we divided the project text of medical crowdfunding into the project title and project details, which were analyzed from two perspectives (existence and extent) to explore their respective impacts. METHODS: We established a research framework to meet our research goals. The process was divided into five main parts. We first collected data from Tencent Charity using Python programs and cleaned the datasets. Second, we selected variables and built the research model based on previous studies and the theory of persuasion. Next, the selected variables were extracted from the project text. We then performed econometric analysis using multiple regression analysis. Finally, we evaluated the results of econometric analysis to extract knowledge. RESULTS: In the project title, the presence of the patient's disease (P=.04) and occupation (P=.01) had a positive impact on the success rate of fundraising, whereas the presence of age (P<.001), gender (P=.001), and negative emotions (P=.04) had a negative impact. In the project details, the presence of the patient's occupation (P=.01), monetary evidence (P=.02), and negative emotions (P=.04) played a positive role in the fundraising success rate, whereas the presence of age (P<.001) and positive emotions (P<.001) played a negative role. Moreover, in the project details, high-frequency monetary evidence (P=.02) and negative words (P=.02), as well as a short narrative length (P=.01) were conducive to succeeding in medical crowdfunding. Younger patients were more likely to obtain a higher success rate in medical crowdfunding. For patients whose occupations were national civil servant, professional skill worker, clerk, business and service worker, solider, child, student, and public-spirited person, the success rate of fundraising decreased sequentially. CONCLUSIONS: This study collected 4903 valid data from Tencent Charity, and identified which factors in the project text play an important role in the success rate of medical crowdfunding from the perspective of existence and extent. We found that in addition to the project details, the features of the project title also have an important impact on the success rate of fundraising. These findings provide important theoretical and managerial implications for medical crowdfunding.

Long-Zhi Decoction Medicated Serum Promotes Angiogenesis in Human Umbilical Vein Endothelial Cells Based on Autophagy.

Ischemic stroke (IS) is a fatal subtype of stroke that lacks effective treatments. Angiogenesis following IS is an effective response that mediates brain recovery and repair. Our previous study demonstrated that long-zhi decoction (LZD), a Chinese herbal formula, promoted angiogenesis in rats of IS model. To further investigate the association between the proangiogenic mechanism of an LZD-medicated serum and cellular autophagy, we evaluated its promotional effect on angiogenesis in human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) in vitro. We used HUVECs subjected to H2O2 to induce injury and observed the effects of the LZD-medicated serum treatment. Cell-based assays included proliferation, migration, and tube formation. To assess the extent of autophagy, transmission electron microscopy was used to measure the number of autophagosomes. Immunofluorescence and Western blotting were performed to evaluate the autophagy-related protein of LC3-II and Beclin-1. The LZD-medicated serum promoted proliferation, migration, and tube formation in HUVECs. The LZD-medicated serum also increased the autophagosomes and the autophagic protein expressions of LC3-II and Beclin-1. The proangiogenic and autophagic activity of LZD provides new cogitations to its clinical application and may lead to potential drug development for treating various vascular diseases, especially in the elderly, in the future.

Effects of seedling age and cultivation density on agronomic characteristics and grain yield of mechanically transplanted rice.

Delayed transplantation frequently occurs in mechanically transplanted rice in China, leading to a significant reduction in grain yield. Thus, determining how to compensate grain yield loss is crucial for improving rice cultivation technology. A field experiment was conducted to investigate the effects of cultivation density and seedling age on agronomic traits and grain yield of mechanically transplanted rice. With increasing seedling age, rice tiller number, pre-anthesis dry matter accumulation, remobilization efficiency and contribution to grain yield, as well as post-anthesis photosynthesis amount decreased, causing reductions in the number of effective panicles, the total number of grains per panicle, the sink capacity per tiller, and grain yield. In rice transplanted at 30- and 35-day seedling ages, increasing cultivation density significantly enhanced the number of effective panicles and grain yield. Additionally, there existed strong, positive correlations between sink capacity per tiller and pre-anthesis dry matter remobilization efficiency and pre-anthesis dry matter contribution to grain yield. We conclude that in addition to cultivation density, enhancing the amount of pre-anthesis dry matter and the remobilization efficiency could be feasible for mitigating grain yield loss caused by delayed transplantation.

[Comparative Study on Efficiency of Extraction of Boiling Powder and Traditional Herbal Piecesâ . Part of Root and Rhizome,Flower,Leaf and Whole Plant Medicinal Materials].

Objective: To compare the efficiency of extraction of boiling powder and traditional herbal pieces of root and rhizome, flower, leaf and whole plant medicinal materials for providing a reference for the study and clinical application of boiling powder. Methods: 19 kinds of root and rhizome herbs, the 4 kinds of flower medicinal materials, the 2 kinds of leaf medicinal materials and the 2 kinds of whole plant medicinal materials were chosen as the researh object and were crushed into boiling powder. The contents of the active ingredients and dry extract rate in the water decoction were set as the index to compare the extraction efficiency of boiling powder and traditional herbal pieces. Results: Boiling powder was added ten times of water, decocted one time, decoction time was only ten min, the dry extract rate and the concentration of ingredients in the decoction of boiling powder were not less than those in the traditional decoction of herbal pieces( ten times of water, decoction time was 50 min),this difference was mainly caused by the different of texture density and size of the medicinal materials. Conclusion: The boiling powder can not only save time and facilitate the patient, but also save a lot of medicinal materials from the perspective of chemical medicine, which is beneficial to the sustainable development of medicinal material resources.

[Comparative Study on Boiling Powder and Traditional Herbal Pieces of Rhubarb].

Objective: To optimize the particle size of rhubarb boiling powder, to determine decoction process of rhubarb boiling powder through the comparative study with traditional herbal pieces. Methods: Three kinds of particle size of rhubarb boiling powder were prepared. The content of aloe emodin,rhein, emodin, chrysophanol and emodin monomethyl ether were detected by HPLC,and to determine particle size of rhubarb boiling powder according to the content of total chemical ingredients and dry extract rate in water decoction. The effect of the amount of water and decocting time on decoction of boiling powder and traditional herbal pieces of rhubarb were systematically investigated by using single factor test. Results: Firstly, the content of 2 mm to 0. 18 mm particles in rhubarb boiling powder can not be less than 80%. Total anthraquinone content and dry extract rate had no significant difference in the decoction of boiling powder in the amount of water between 14 ~ 20 times; decocting time had no significant effect on total anthraquinone and dry extract rate; the content of combined anthraquinone decreased significantly, while the decocting time was more than 20 min. The decocting time had great influence on the herbal pieces, with ten times of water,and decocting 5 ~ 50 min each time, the compound content and dry extract rate of boiling powder were 3. 23 ~ 9. 48 times and 1. 61 ~ 3. 44 times than that of traditional herbal pieces, and with the extension of the decocting time, the gap was narrowing. Conclusion: Preparation process of rhubarb boiling powder is simple and suitable for industrial production, boiling powder can save more than half of the amount of traditional herbal pieces with ten times of water, decocting one times, decoction time of 10 ~ 15 min.

Review of the powder and decoction formulae in Traditional Chinese Medicine based on pharmacologically active substances and clinical evidence.

Powder formulae are an indispensable part of prescription in Traditional Chinese Medicine. Powder formulae are. characterized by good therapeutic efficacy and low dose used for their preparation. Analysis of the therapeutic application and material basis of pharmacological active substance in power formulae can enable the development of new powder formulae. This in turn can contribute to reduction of wastage of drug material, relief of shortage of herbal medicinal resources and sustainable development of Traditional Chinese Medicine.

Effects of Kaixinjieyu, a Chinese herbal medicine preparation, on neurovascular unit dysfunction in rats with vascular depression.

BACKGROUND: Kaixinjieyu (KJ), derived from Kaixin and Sini powder, is an effective Chinese herbal medicine preparation used in the treatment of vascular depression (VD). We hypothesize that broad antidepressant effect of KJ results from the improved neurovascular unit (NVU) function via neurogenesis, permeability of blood-brain barrier (BBB) and balance of the fibrinolytic system. METHODS: A VD model of rat was established by chronic unpredictable mild stress and separation after ligation of the bilateral common carotid arteries. The rats were treated with KJ and fluoxetine hydrochloride (FLU) for 21 days, respectively. The behavior and cerebral perfusion were investigated and then NVU functions including neurogenesis, permeability of BBB and balance of the fibrinolytic system were studied using a number of biomarkers and TUNEL assay. RESULTS: KJ significantly increased sucrose preference, moving distance, number of rearing and cortical blood flow. NVU functions measured by brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), tropomyosin receptor kinase B (TrkB) and tissue plasminogen activator (t-PA) proteins and mRNA, zona occludens protein-1 (ZO-1), occludin and claudin-5 proteins increased significantly, whereas, plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1), matrix metalloproteinase-2 (MMP-2) proteins, mRNA and apoptotic rates of neurons decreased significantly with treatment of KJ. FLU has a function similar to KJ in behavior, regulation of BDNF, TrkB, MMP-2, occludin and apoptotic rates of cells. CONCLUSIONS: KJ has function of reducing depression-like behavior and improving cerebral hypoperfusion, which might be mediated by the up-regulation of neurogenesis and tight junction of BBB, and balance of the fibrinolytic system. The results imply that KJ is better than FLU in improving cerebral hypoperfusion and the fibrinolytic system.

Effects of delaying transplanting on agronomic traits and grain yield of rice under mechanical transplantation pattern.

A delay in the mechanical transplantation (MT) of rice seedlings frequently occurs in Huanghuai wheat-rice rotation cropping districts of China, due to the late harvest of wheat, the poor weather conditions and the insufficiency of transplanters, missing the optimum transplanting time and causing seedlings to age. To identify how delaying transplanting rice affects the agronomic characteristics including the growth duration, photosynthetic productivity and dry matter remobilization efficiency and the grain yield under mechanical transplanting pattern, an experiment with a split-plot design was conducted over two consecutive years. The main plot includes two types of cultivation: mechanical transplanting and artificial transplanting (AT). The subplot comprises four japonica rice cultivars. The results indicate that the rice jointing, booting, heading and maturity stages were postponed under MT when using AT as a control. The tiller occurrence number, dry matter weight per tiller, accumulative dry matter for the population, leaf area index, crop growth rate, photosynthetic potential, and dry matter remobilization efficiency of the leaf under MT significantly decreased compared to those under AT. In contrast, the reduction rate of the leaf area during the heading-maturity stage was markedly enhanced under MT. The numbers of effective panicles and filled grains per panicle and the grain yield significantly decreased under MT. A significant correlation was observed between the dry matter production, remobilization and distribution characteristics and the grain yield. We infer that, as with rice from old seedlings, the decrease in the tiller occurrence, the photosynthetic productivity and the assimilate remobilization efficiency may be important agronomic traits that are responsible for the reduced grain yield under MT.

Intercropping different varieties of radish can increase cadmium accumulation in radish.

Genetic diversity has supplied effective ways to improve crop yields and disease resistance. Therefore, crop uptake of heavy metals may be reduced by collecting germplasm resources. In the present study, cadmium accumulation and nutrients in radish were investigated by intercropping 3 genotypes (red, green, and white radish) in different combinations. Both pot and field experiments showed that cadmium content in radish was increased by intercropping 2 or 3 genotypes, except when white radish was intercropped with green radish. The biomass of red radish was improved by a mixture of all 3 genotypes, green radish biomass was improved by intercropping with the other 2 varieties, and white radish biomass was improved by intercropping with red radish in both pot and field experiments. The pot experiment indicated that the soil exchangeable cadmium concentration of red radish grown with green radish was lower than that of monoculture, whereas red radish intercropped with white radish was between the respective monocultures; the soil exchangeable cadmium concentrations of green radish grown with white radish and with all 3 genotypes grown together were greater than those of the monocultures. Some intercropping modes also improved potassium and phosphorus contents in the edible parts of radish in the pot experiment.

Cadmium accumulation characteristics of the winter farmland weeds Cardamine hirsuta Linn. and Gnaphalium affine D. Don.

In a preliminary study, we found that the cadmium (Cd) concentrations in shoots of the winter farmland weeds Cardamine hirsuta Linn. and Gnaphalium affine D. Don exceeded the critical value of a Cd-hyperaccumulator (100 mg kg(-1)), indicating that these two farmland weeds might be Cd-hyperaccumulators. In this study, we grew these species in soil containing various concentrations of Cd to further evaluate their Cd accumulation characteristics. The biomasses of C. hirsuta and G. affine decreased with increasing Cd concentrations in the soil, while the root/shoot ratio and the Cd concentrations in shoot tissues increased. The Cd concentrations in shoots of C. hirsuta and G. affine reached 121.96 and 143.91 mg kg(-1), respectively, at the soil Cd concentration of 50 mg kg(-1). Both of these concentrations exceeded the critical value of a Cd-hyperaccumulator (100 mg kg(-1)). The shoot bioconcentration factors of C. hirsuta and G. affine were greater than 1. The translocation factor of C. hirsuta was less than 1 and that of G. affine was greater than 1. These findings indicated that C. hirsuta is a Cd-accumulator and G. affine is Cd-hyperaccumulator. Both plants are distributed widely in the field, and they could be used to remediate Cd-contaminated farmland soil in winter.

[Study on preparation process and quality control of jiangtangyin teabag].

OBJECTIVE: To study preparation technology and establish the quality standard of Jiangtangyin teabag. METHODS: An orthogonal test was adopted in this study. The transter rate of puerarin and the dried extraction rate were used as indices for optimizing the extraction condition. Quality standards of Jiangtangyin teabag were established by TLC and HPLC method. RESULTS: The best extraction technology was as follows: The drugs were extracted for 3 times, the ratio of water to solid was 10, 8 and 8, respectirely, the extracting time was 1.5 h, 1 h and 1 h respectively. The speckles of TLC method were distinct, accurate and sensitive. The calibration curve of puerarin was linear in the range of 0.168 - 0.84 microg, r2 = 0.9997. CONCLUSION: The preparation process is reasonable and feasible. The methods of quality control are scientific and can be used to control the quality of the Teabag.

[Evaluation on SMEDDS of effective parts from Jiaotai pills in vitro and in vivo].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the properties of self-microemulsifying drug delivery system (SMEDDS) of effective parts from Jiaotai pills, and evaluate the character on improving intestinal absorption in rat. METHOD: The appearance, the morphology, the particle size, tape, the time of formulating micro emulsion, the content and the stability were investigated; Taken total alkaloid as index, the intestinal absorption were investigated by using in situ recirculation model and comparing the micro emulsion solution and reference solution, The T (relative percentage remained) and K(a) (absorption rate constant) were calculated. RESULT: After self-microemulsified, the average diameter of microemulsion was 34.12 nm and the time of self-microemulsifying was less than 3 min. SMEDDS was stable in room temperature in 3 months. The microemulsion were stable in 0.1 mol x L(-1) HCl at 37 degrees C for 8 h. T and K(a) of total alkaloid in SMEDDS were much higher than in that of its reference (P < 0.01), and the former K(a) was 152.6% of versus reference. CONCLUSION: SMEDDS might significantly improve the absorption of both poorly soluble and low biological availability drugs in the intestinal tract, and increase drug stability, which will be suitable for compound Chinese medicine.

[Effects of early growth stage shading on rice flag leaf physiological characters and grain growth at grain-filling stage].

In a pot experiment, rice plants were shaded during the period from transplanting to booting, aimed to study the effects of early growth stage shading on the rice growth at grain-filling stage. Comparing with the control, early growth stage shading decreased the tiller number by 26.72%, but increased the flag leaf area and soluble sugar content by 33.86% and 30.23%, respectively. The filled-grain number per panicle, 1000-grain mass, ultimate brown rice mass, and maximum and average grain-filling rates decreased by 8.65%, 4.81%, 9.74%, 20.22%, and 19.13%, and the effective panicle number and grain yield declined by 25.26% and 39.56%, respectively. The peak time of grain-filling rate (Tm) advanced 1.66 days, while the grain-filling time (T99) prolonged 6.80 days. For shading-tolerance variety, its flag leaf Chl a, Chl b, and Chl (a + b) contents at early and mid grain-filling stages, and the protein N and soluble sugar contents and Chl a/b in its flag leaves at grain-filling stage all increased under early growth stage shading, and the ultimate brown rice mass and 1000-grain mass maintained at the similar levels as the control. Consequently, its grain yield reduction rate was lower than that of shading-sensitive variety.