Decoding the metabolomic responses of Caragana tibetica to livestock grazing in fragile ecosystems.

The population of Caragana tibetica, situated on the edge of the typical grassland-to-desert transition in the Mu Us Sandy Land, plays a vital ecological role in maintaining stability within the regional fragile ecosystem. Despite the consistent growth of C. tibetica following animal grazing, the biological mechanisms underlying its compensatory growth in response to livestock consumption remain unclear. Analyzing 48 metabolomic profiles from C. tibetica, our study reveals that the grazing process induces significant changes in the metabolic pathways of C. tibetica branches. Differential metabolites show correlations with soluble protein content, catalase, peroxidase, superoxide dismutase, malondialdehyde, and proline levels. Moreover, machine learning models built on these differential metabolites accurately predict the intensity of C. tibetica grazing (with an accuracy of 83.3%). The content of various metabolites, indicative of plant stress responses, including Enterolactone, Narceine, and Folcepri, exhibits significant variations in response to varying grazing intensities (P<0.05). Our investigation reveals that elevated grazing intensity intensifies the stress response in C. tibetica, triggering heightened antioxidative defenses and stress-induced biochemical activities. Distinctive metabolites play a pivotal role in responding to stress, facilitating the plant's adaptation to environmental challenges and fostering regeneration.

Breakpoint Planning Method for Rice Multibreak Milling.

Excessive milling of rice kernels will result in nutrient loss and grain waste. To avoid grain waste, multibreak milling systems have been widely used in large-scale commercial rice mills. However, there is still no reasonable breakpoint planning method to guide the multibreak milling process. To construct a reasonable multibreak milling system, in this research, taking rice milling, a typical heterogeneous cereal-kernel milling process, as an example, the multivariate analysis method was used to comprehensively analyze the characteristic changes of milled rice during the whole milling process. A breakpoint planning method was established, including planning the number of breakpoints, determining the degree of milling or milling time corresponding to each breakpoint, and estimating the actual breakpoint to which the milled rice belongs. The verification results showed the rationality and high accuracy of the planning method. The presented work will help operators to plan the multibreak milling system of rice efficiently and objectively so as to significantly improve the commercial value of milled rice.

Spatio-Temporal Changes in Land Use and Habitat Quality of Hobq Desert along the Yellow River Section.

As a key area in the Yellow River basin for sand control and management, the land change process in the Hobq Desert plays a crucial role in keeping the river and desert ecosystems and promoting the construction of ecological civilization in human systems. Based on multi-temporal remote sensing from 1991 to 2019 in the Hobq Desert along the Yellow River section, this study selected spatial statistical methods (land-use monitoring and landscape metrics) to examine land-use change dynamics. Then, we evaluated habitat quality using the InVEST model and quantitatively analyzed the factors causing spatial changes in habitat quality using geographic detectors. Finally, this paper predicted the pattern of land use and habitat quality in 2030 using the PLUS model. The results reveal that (1) from 1991 to 2019, the total area of forest grassland increased by 3572.5 km2, providing the most vegetation cover, and the sandy land and water area decreased continuously, while the cultivated land and construction land increased. There were 38.01% conversions of land types, with the land-use dynamic decreasing the greatest in sandy land (-12.66%) and increasing the greatest in construction land (9.26%); the comprehensive land-use dynamics were the highest in 2010-2019 (1.68%), which was the most active stage during our study period. (2) Both of the landscape indices NP and PD showed "N" type fluctuations during 1991-2019, and CONTAG and LSI rose from 69.19% to 70.29% and 36.01% to 38.89%, respectively, indicating that the land-use degree of landscape fragmentation increased, landscape connectivity turned better, and landscape dominance was enhanced, balanced, and developed evenly in overall landscape type. (3) From the overall region analysis, the average habitat quality in 1991, 2000, 2010, and 2019 was 0.3565, 0.5108, 0.5879, and 0.6482, respectively, with the overall habitat value showing a gradually increasing trend. Spatially, the habitat quality along the Yellow River section of the Hobq Desert has a certain regularity, and the overall pattern there is high in the south and low in the north, high in the east and west, and low in the middle. (4) The change in land use between 2019 and 2030 is similar to the previous period, but the change rate is generally lower. The habitat quality improved significantly, with the growth of high and medium habitat quality.

COL5A2 Inhibits the TGF-ß and Wnt/ß-Catenin Signaling Pathways to Inhibit the Invasion and Metastasis of Osteosarcoma.

Osteosarcoma is the most common skeletal malignancy and is the second leading cause of cancer death in adolescents. Its highly aggressive nature and high propensity to metastasize lead to an extremely poor prognosis for patients with osteosarcoma. Therefore, finding a suitable treatment has become a matter of urgency. In this study, we first divided the samples into metastatic and non-metastatic groups using the Target database and obtained 1136 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) using differential analysis. A PPI network was constructed to analyze the network of action relationships among DEGs, and the top 10 genes were derived using the MCC algorithm in Cytoscape software. A risk scoring system for 10 key genes was constructed using the LASSO-COX prognostic risk model, and genes associated with osteosarcoma prognosis were screened based on multifactorial COX. COL5A2 gene was highly expressed in metastatic osteosarcoma and led to a poor prognosis. Furthermore, qRT-PCR and immunofluorescence assays confirmed the high expression of COL5A2 in human osteosarcoma cells. CCK-8 assay and scratch WB was used to determine whether the downregulation of COL5A2 expression inhibits the TGF-ß signaling and Wnt/ß-Catenin signaling pathways. In this study, we screened COL5A2 for prognostic relevance to osteosarcoma through bioinformatics analysis and demonstrated that COL5A2 inhibited osteosarcoma invasion and metastasis by suppressing the TGF-ß signaling and Wnt/ß-Catenin signaling pathways.

Three-Dimensional Printing of Large-Scale, High-Resolution Bioceramics with Micronano Inner Porosity and Customized Surface Characterization Design for Bone Regeneration.

Three-dimensional printing technologies have opened up new possibilities for manufacturing bioceramics with complex shapes in a completely digital fabrication process. Some bioceramics have demonstrated elaborate design and high resolution in their small parts through digital light projection (DLP) printing. However, it is still a challenge to prepare large-scale, high-precision ceramics that can effectively regulate the bioactivity of materials. In this study, we fabricated a large-scale hydroxyapatite porous bioceramic (length >150 mm) using DLP. This bioceramic had highly micronanoporous surface structures (printing resolution <65 µm), which could be controlled by adjusting the solid content and sintering process. Both in vitro and in vivo results indicated that the designed bioceramic had promising bone regeneration ability. This study provides significant evidence for exploring the effects of microenvironments on bone tissue regeneration. These results indicated that DLP technology has the potential to produce large-scale bone tissue engineering scaffolds with accurate porosity.

Cellulose Nanocrystals Reinforced Zein/Catechin/ß-Cyclodextrin Inclusion Complex Nanoparticles Nanocomposite Film for Active Food Packaging.

In this study, following the green, environmentally friendly and sustainable development strategy, cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) were prepared through a solvent-free esterification reaction between microcrystalline cellulose and maleic anhydride, combined with subsequent ultrasonic treatment, and maleic-anhydride-modified CNC-reinforced zein/catechin/ß-cyclodextrin inclusion complex nanoparticles nanocomposite films were prepared by a facile solution casting. The amount of CNCs in the film matrix was 0-8 wt%, and their effect on structural, physicochemical and functional properties of the resulting films were investigated. SEM images showed that the addition of CNCs made the microstructure of the film more smooth and uniform. The intermolecular hydrogen bonds between CNCs and film matrix were supported by FT-IR. XRD analysis also confirmed the appearance of a crystalline peak due to the existence of CNCs inside the films. The incorporation of CNCs significantly reduced water vapor permeability, water solubility and the swelling degree of the nanocomposite film, and also significantly increased tensile strength and elongation at break from 12.66 to 37.82 MPa and 4.5% to 5.2% (p < 0.05). Moreover, nanocomposite film packaging with CNCs can effectively inhibit the oxidation of soybean oil.

CPEB1 enhances erastin-induced ferroptosis in gastric cancer cells by suppressing twist1 expression.

The induction of ferroptosis is considered a new strategy for cancer treatment. Cytoplasmic polyadenylation element binding protein 1 (CPEB1) is a post-transcriptional regulatory factor, whose low expression has been reported to link to the enhanced metastasis and angiogenesis of gastric cancer (GC). In this study, to explore the role of CPEB1 in ferroptosis, GC cells with overexpressed or silenced CPEB1 expression were treated with erastin, a classic ferroptosis inducer. The results showed that erastin dose-dependently decreased the viability of four GC cell lines (AGS, SNU-1, Hs-746 T, and HGC-27), suggesting that ferroptosis could be triggered in these GC cells. Interestingly, HGC-27 cells overexpressing CPEB1 were more sensitive to erastin, generated more lipid reactive oxygen species (ROS) and malondialdehyde (MDA), and their glutathione peroxidase 4 (Gpx4) expression and GSH content were reduced. Contrarily, CPEB1-silenced AGS cells were more resistant to erastin. Mechanically, we demonstrated that CPEB1 overexpression reduced the expression of twist1, an inhibitor of activating transcription factor 4 (ATF4), thereby activating the ATF4/ChaC Glutathione Specific Gamma-Glutamylcyclotransferase 1 (CHAC1) pathway (CHAC1, a molecule known to induce GSH degradation). Furthermore, re-expression of twist1 in GC cells impaired the effects of CPEB1 overexpression in presence of erastin. Additionally, similar to the in vitro results, the growth-inhibiting effects of erastin on GC xenografted tumors were also augmented by CPEB1 overexpression in vivo. Collectively, we demonstrate that CPEB1 facilitates erastin-induced ferroptosis by inhibiting twist1.

Development and characterization of zein edible films incorporated with catechin/ß-cyclodextrin inclusion complex nanoparticles.

Zein films incorporated with catechin/ß-cyclodextrin inclusion complex nanoparticles (CINPs) were developed, and the structure, physicochemical, antioxidant and release properties of the films were characterized. FT-IR results indicated that intermolecular hydrogen bonds were formed between the CINPs and zein. XRD analysis showed that the addition of CINPs did not change the crystal structure of zein film. SEM images observed that the addition of NPs made zein film surface more smooth and dense. Since the nanoparticles occupy the pores of the film matrix, the swelling degree and water vapor barrier property were improved. CINPs addition significantly increased tensile strength, from 2.28 to 12.49 MPa, and increased elongation at break, from 1.52 % to 4.5 % (p < 0.05). The nanocomposite film still maintains strong antioxidant activity after storage. The release behavior of catechin from zein film was controlled. Therefore, zein composites can be used as a potential antioxidant food packaging film-forming material.

Effect of operating parameters on milling quality and energy consumption of brown rice.

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of operating parameters including milling weight (MW; 10, 95, 220, 345, 430 g), filling ratio (FR; 1, 1.4, 2, 2.6, 3) and milling duration (MD; 6, 30, 65, 100, 124 s) on head rice yield (HRY), whiteness index (WI) and specific energy consumption (Es). The experiments were conducted based on a vertical circulation mill employing a 5 level, 3 parameters CCD design and operating parameters were optimized using response surface methodology. During the processing, MW and MD had significant negative effects on HRY. On the contrary, they both had significant positive effects on WI. All the three parameters had a significant effect on Es Taking HRY, WI, Es as the evaluative index and degree of milling, temperature rise of milled rice as the restrictive index, the best combination of operating parameters was obtained, namely MW of 345 g, FR of 2.6 and MD of 30 s. The Pearson correlation coefficients between all the milling qualities were analyzed. Results showed that the temperature rise as an easy measurement index was highly correlated with the other qualities. The regression models between temperature rise and the other milling quality indices can assist in evaluating the quality of milled rice quickly and quantifiably.

Retrospective analysis of 52 patients with prolactinomas following endoscopic endonasal transsphenoidal surgery.

BACKGROUND: Prolactinomas affect patients' quality of life and even endanger lives. The study aimed to investigate the effect of the endoscopic endonasal transsphenoidal approach (EETA) on 52 patients with prolactinomas. METHODS: A total of 52 patients with prolactinomas who had previously undergone EETA in the People's Hospital of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region between January 2013 and December 2017 were retrospectively analyzed. Factors affecting the extent of resection and postoperative remission rates were also investigated. RESULTS: All the patients were pathologically diagnosed with prolactinomas. Compared with giant adenomas, the total removal rate of microadenomas and macroadenomas was significantly increased (P < .05). In addition, the total removal rate of patients with noninvasive prolactin adenomas was significantly higher than patients with invasive prolactinadenomas (P < .05). Furthermore, there were no significant differences in postoperative remission rates among patients with prolactin adenomas from different ethnic groups (P > .05). Also preoperative administration of bromocriptine and preoperative prolactin (PRL) levels did not significantly affect therapeutic outcomes postsurgery (P > .05). Postoperative menstruation was improved or normalized in 20 (38.5%) female patients, vision was improved or normalized in 15 (28.8%) patients, and headaches were improved or normalized in 22 (42.3%) patients. Sexual function was improved in 2 male patients following surgery. A total of 6 patients exhibited a recurrence following surgery. A number of patients suffered from postoperative complications, including transient diabetes insipidus in 5 (9.6%) patients and postoperative transient cerebrospinal fluid leakage in 2 (3.8%) patients. CONCLUSION: The results of this study demonstrated that tumor size, preoperative PRL levels, and invasion of adenomas represent independent factors that can affect the success of surgery. The results suggested that EETA represents a therapeutic strategy for the treatment of patients with prolactinoma with high remission rates and low complication rates. Therefore, EETA should be considered a primary treatment for patients with prolactinomas who are not responsive to treatment with medical therapy.

Matrix metalloproteinase-9 gene polymorphisms and their interaction with environment on subarachnoid hemorrhage risk.

The current study aimed to investigate the relations of three single nucleotide polymorphisms of matrix metalloproteinase-9 gene, and single nucleotide polymorphisms-smoking interaction to subarachnoid hemorrhage risk. The optimal pattern of the interaction among single nucleotide polymorphisms and smoking was selected by generalized multifactor dimensionality reduction. The association between the three single nucleotide polymorphisms within the matrix metalloproteinase-9 gene was analyzed by logistic regression test. As well as genetic risk of subarachnoid hemorrhage interactions with smoking, the risk of subarachnoid hemorrhage in carriers with the rs3918242 (T) was significantly higher than in carriers carrying CC (genotype: CT + TT vs. CC), adjusted OR (95% CI) = 1.58 (1.25-2.03), and in carriers carrying rs17576- (genotype: AG + GG vs. AA), adjust OR (95% CI) = 1.62 (1.19-2.13). However, after adjusting for covariates, we did not find any direct association between rs17577 and subarachnoid hemorrhage risk. The generalized multifactor dimensionality reduction model shows a potential relation between rs3918242 and smoking risk for subarachnoid hemorrhage ( P = 0.0010). After covariates adjustment, current smokers with rs3918242-CT or TT genotype, compared to never-smokers with rs3918242-CC genotype, OR (95% CI) = 2.57 (1.74-3.46), have a higher subarachnoid hemorrhage risk. Our study showed that the rs3918242 (T) and rs17576 (G), the cross reaction between rs3918242 and smoking increased the risk of subarachnoid hemorrhage. Impact statement Matrix metalloproteinase-9 ( MMP-9) is a possible candidate gene for some diseases, including metabolic syndrome, stroke, coronary artery disease (CAD). But to date, limited data focused on the relationship between MMP-9 gene SNPs and SAH susceptibility. The purpose of this study was to evaluate SNPs of MMP-9 gene and their interaction with environmental factors with SAH risk based on a Chinese population.

[Association of sodium ion transporter gene polymorphisms with essential hypertension among ethnic Koreans from Mudanjiang].

OBJECTIVE To assess the association of SLC12A3 and SCNN1B gene polymorphisms (rs11643718 and rs12447134) with essential hypertension among ethnic Koreans from Mudanjiang, China. METHODS For 204 patients with essential hypertension and 186 healthy controls, the genotypes of rs11643718 and rs12447134 loci were determined with an improved multiplex ligase detection reaction (iMLDR) method. RESULTS Allelic and genotypic frequencies of rs11643718 of SLC12A3 gene are associated with the onset of disease hypertension (P <0.05) as well as systolic blood pressure (P < 0.01, under a recessive model). No association was found between rs12447134 of SCNN1B gene with the onset of disease (P > 0.05) but diastolic blood pressure (P < 0.05, under a recessive model). CONCLUSION The polymorphisms of rs11643718 locus is associated with the susceptibility for essential hypertension among ethnic Koreans from Mudanjiang area and can be used as a predictor for the disease.

PARP1 promotes gene expression at the post-transcriptiona level by modulating the RNA-binding protein HuR.

Poly(ADP-ribosyl)ation (PARylation) is mainly catalysed by poly-ADP-ribose polymerase 1 (PARP1), whose role in gene transcription modulation has been well established. Here we show that, in response to LPS exposure, PARP1 interacts with the adenylateuridylate-rich element-binding protein embryonic lethal abnormal vision-like 1 (Elavl1)/human antigen R (HuR), resulting in its PARylation, primarily at site D226. PARP inhibition and the D226 mutation impair HuR's PARylation, nucleocytoplasmic shuttling and mRNA binding. Increases in mRNA level or stability of pro-inflammatory cytokines/chemokines are abolished by PARP1 ablation or inhibition, or blocked in D226A HuR-expressing cells. The present study demonstrates a mechanism to regulate gene expression at the post-transcriptional level, and suggests that blocking the interaction of PARP1 with HuR could be a strategy to treat inflammation-related diseases that involve increased mRNA stability.

Comparison of molecular mechanisms of rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis using gene microarrays.

The present study aimed to compare the molecular mechanisms of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and osteoarthritis (OA). The microarray dataset no. GSE29746 was downloaded from Gene Expression Omnibus. After data pre­processing, differential expression analysis between the RA group and the control, as well as between the OA group and the control was performed using the LIMMA package in R and differentially expressed transcripts (DETs) with |log2fold change (FC)|>1 and P<0.01 were identified. DETs screened from each disease group were then subjected to functional annotation using DAVID. Next, DETs from each group were used to construct individual interaction networks using the BIND database, followed by sub­network mining using clusterONE. Significant functions of nodes in each sub­network were also investigated. In total, 19 and 281 DETs were screened from the RA and OA groups, respectively, with only six common DETs. DETs from the RA and OA groups were enriched in 8 and 130 gene ontology (GO) terms, respectively, with four common GO terms, of which to were associated with phospholipase C (PLC) activity. In addition, DETs screened from the OA group were enriched in immune response­associated GO terms, and those screened from the RA group were largely associated with biological processes linked with the cell cycle and chromosomes. Genes involved in PLC activity and its regulation were indicated to be altered in RA as well as in OA. Alterations in the expression of cell cycle­associated genes were indicated to be linked with the occurrence of OA, while genes participating in the immune response were involved in the occurrence of RA.

Study on the optimal moisture adding rate of brown rice during germination by using segmented moisture conditioning method.

The aim of this study was to find out the optimal moisture adding rate of brown rice during the process of germination. The process of water addition in brown rice could be divided into three stages according to different water absorption speeds in soaking process. Water was added with three different speeds in three stages to get the optimal water adding rate in the whole process of germination. Thus, the technology of segmented moisture conditioning which is a method of adding water gradually was put forward. Germinated brown rice was produced by using segmented moisture conditioning method to reduce the loss of water-soluble nutrients and was beneficial to the accumulation of gamma aminobutyric acid. The effects of once moisture adding amount in three stages on the gamma aminobutyric acid content in germinated brown rice and germination rate of brown rice were investigated by using response surface methodology. The optimum process parameters were obtained as follows: once moisture adding amount of stage I with 1.06 %/h, once moisture adding amount of stage II with 1.42 %/h and once moisture adding amount of stage III with 1.31 %/h. The germination rate under the optimum parameters was 91.33 %, which was 7.45 % higher than that of germinated brown rice produced by soaking method (84.97 %). The content of gamma aminobutyric acid in germinated brown rice under the optimum parameters was 29.03 mg/100 g, which was more than two times higher than that of germinated brown rice produced by soaking method (12.81 mg/100 g). The technology of segmented moisture conditioning has potential applications for studying many other cereals.

Chemically modified heparin inhibits in vitro L-selectin-mediated human ovarian carcinoma cell adhesion.

Accumulating evidence indicates that hematogenous metastasis is facilitated by tumor cell-leukocyte emboli formation, and L-selectin plays a major role in the process. Several independent studies have indicated that tumor metastasis can be inhibited by chemically modified heparin with low anticoagulant activity in the different tumor models. In the present study, we demonstrated that chemically modified nonanticoagulation heparin derivate (periodate-oxidized, borohydride-reduced heparin [RO-heparin]) can inhibit the binding of L-selectin to HO-8910 cells, block the adhering of HO-8910 to Chinese hamster ovary cells expressing a transfected human L-selectin complementary DNA, and affect the interactions of neutrophils with HO-8910 cells. Flow cytometric analysis with the heparan sulfate-specific monoclonal antibody revealed that HO-8910 cells express heparan sulfate-like proteoglycans. Furthermore, heparinase treatment impaired L-selectin binding, indicating that heparan sulfate-like proteoglycans on the tumor cell surface are implicated in the binding of L-selectin to HO-8910 cells. These findings suggest that RO-heparin with low anticoagulant activities may have potential value as therapeutic agents that block L-selectin-mediated cell adhesion and prevent tumor metastasis.

[Genetic polymorphism of 9 STR loci in Korean population of Mudanjiang].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the genetic polymorphism of 9 short tandem repeats (STR) gene loci, namely CSFIPO, TPOX, TH01, D16S539, D7S820, D13S317, F13A01, FESFPS and vWA in Chinese Korean population in Mudajiang area. METHODS: Amplified fragment length polymorphism (Amp-FLP) method was used to get the allele frequency distribution. RESULTS: The genotype distributions of the 9 STR loci are conformed to Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium by chi(2) test analysis. The total accord frequency, the accumulated total discrimination power and the the accumulative excluding probability of paternity were calculated. CONCLUSION: The result suggested that all 9 gene loci have high power of excluding probability of paternity and individual identification. They can be used in paternity testing and individual identification for forensic medicine. The gene frequencies of CSFIPO, TPOX and TP01 gene loci have significant differences between the Korean population in Mudanjiang area and those in Yanji area, but there is no difference in gene loci of D7S820, D17S317 and vWA.