Synthesis, molecular docking, and binding Gibbs free energy calculation of ß-nitrostyrene derivatives: Potential inhibitors of SARS-CoV-2 3CL protease.

The outbreak of novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), caused by the novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2), has had a significant impact on human health and the economic development. SARS-CoV-2 3CL protease (3CLpro) is highly conserved and plays a key role in mediating the transcription of virus replication. It is an ideal target for the design and screening of anti-coronavirus drugs. In this work, seven ß-nitrostyrene derivatives were synthesized by Henry reaction and ß-dehydration reaction, and their inhibitory effects on SARS-CoV-2 3CL protease were identified by enzyme activity inhibition assay in vitro. Among them, 4-nitro-ß-nitrostyrene (compound a) showed the lowest IC50 values of 0.7297 µM. To investigate the key groups that determine the activity of ß-nitrostyrene derivatives and their interaction mode with the receptor, the molecular docking using the CDOCKER protocol in Discovery Studio 2016 was performed. The results showed that the hydrogen bonds between ß-NO2 and receptor GLY-143 and the π-π stacking between the aryl ring of the ligand and the imidazole ring of receptor HIS-41 significantly contributed to the ligand activity. Furthermore, the ligand-receptor absolute binding Gibbs free energies were calculated using the Binding Affinity Tool (BAT.py) to verify its correlation with the activity of ß-nitrostyrene 3CLpro inhibitors as a scoring function. The higher correlation(r2=0.6) indicates that the absolute binding Gibbs free energy based on molecular dynamics can be used to predict the activity of new ß-nitrostyrene 3CLpro inhibitors. These results provide valuable insights for the functional group-based design, structure optimization and the discovery of high accuracy activity prediction means of anti-COVID-19 lead compounds.

Streptococcus vulneris sp. nov., isolated from wound of patient with diabetic foot ulcer (DFU).

A new α-haemolytic streptococcal strain, designated DM3B3T, was isolated from the wound of a diabetic foot ulcer (DFU) patient. Phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA full-gene sequencing (1563 bp) revealed highest sequence similarity to Streptococcus mitis (99.7%), followed by "Streptococcus gwangjuense" (99.6%), and Streptococcus pseudopneumoniae (99.5%). Comparison of five housekeeping genes, groEL, rpoB, sodA, recA and pheS, revealed that strain DM3B3T was well separated from the Streptococcus reference strains. The complete genome of strain DM3B3T consisted of 1,963,039 bp with a G + C content of 41.0 mol%. Average nucleotide identity values between strain DM3B3T and Streptococcus mitis NCTC 12261T, "Streptococcus gwangjuense" ChDC B345T, and Streptococcus pseudopneumoniae ATCC BAA-960T were 93.8%, 94.4%, and 92.2%, respectively. The highest digital DNA-DNA hybridization value with respect to the closest species was 57.5%, i.e., below the species cut-off of 70% hybridization. The main cellular fatty acids of strain DM3B3T were 16:0, 18:1ω7c, 18:1ω9c and 18:0. On the basis of phylogenetic, genotypic and phenotypic data, we propose to classify this isolate as representative of a novel species of the genus Streptococcus, Streptococcus vulneris sp. nov., in reference to its isolation from wound, with strain DM3B3T (= NBRC 114638T = BCRC 81288T) as the type strain.

Programmable Pump for Intrathecal Morphine Delivery to Cisterna Magna: Clinical Implications in Novel Management of Refractory Pain Above Middle Thoracic Vertebrae Level Utilizing a Prospective Trial Protocol and Review.

BACKGROUND: The cisterna Intrathecal Drug Delivery system (IDDS) with morphine has proven to be effective in treating refractory cancer pain above the middle thoracic vertebrae level in some countries. However, it has not been fully investigated in others. We designed the current project to investigate the efficacy and safety of cisterna IDDS for pain relief in refractory pain above the middle thoracic vertebrae level in advanced cancer patients. METHODS: This study protocol allows for eligible cancer patients to receive the cisterna IDDS operation. Pain intensity (Visual Analogue scale, VAS), quality of life (36-Item Short-Form Health Survey, SF-36), and depression (Self-Rating Depression scale, SDS) are assessed along with side effects in the postoperative follow-up visits. Recent literature suggests a potential role for cisterna IDDS morphine delivery for refractory pain states above the middle thoracic level. CONCLUSION: The results of this study may provide further evidence that cisterna IDDS of morphine can serve as an effective and safe pain relief strategy for refractory pain above the middle thoracic vertebrae level in advanced cancer patients.

Streptococcus vaginalis sp. nov., a novel bacterial species isolated from vaginal swabs of a pregnant woman with diabetes.

Sequences targeted at the V3 and V4 16S rRNA hypervariable regions of a streptococcal strain (P1L01T) isolated from vaginal swabs of a pregnant woman with diabetes were 100% similar to those of Streptococcus anginosus subsp. whileyi. However, phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA full-gene sequencing (1562 bp) revealed highest sequence similarity to Streptococcus periodonticum (98.7%), followed by Streptococcus anginosus subsp. whileyi (98.7%), and Streptococcus anginosus subsp. anginosus (98.4%). Phylogenies of housekeeping genes rpoB and groEL were compared to improve classification, and the results showed a clear separation between strain P1L01T and closely related Streptococcus type strains. The complete genome of strain P1L01T consisted of 2,108,769 bp with a G + C content of 38.5 mol%. Average nucleotide identity values, based on genome sequencing, between strain P1L01T and Streptococcus periodonticum KCOM 2412T, Streptococcus anginosus subsp. whileyi CCUG 39159T, and Streptococcus anginosus subsp. anginosus NCTC 10713T were 95.5%, 94.3%, and 95.3%, respectively. The highest in silico DNA-DNA hybridization value with respect to the closest species was 66.2%, i.e., below the species cutoff of 70% hybridization. The main cellular fatty acids of strain P1L01T were 16:0, 18:1ω7c, and 14:0. On the basis of phylogenetic, genotypic and phenotypic data, we propose to classify this isolate as representative of a novel species of the genus Streptococcus, Streptococcus vaginalis sp. nov., in reference to its isolation from vaginal swabs, with strain P1L01T (= NBRC 114754T = BCRC 81289T) as the type strain.

Recent advances of traditional Chinese medicine on the prevention and treatment of COVID-19.

Coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) is a new highly infectious disease caused by a novel coronavirus. Recently, the number of new cases infected pneumonia in the world continues to increase, which has aroused great concern from the international community. At present, there are no small-molecule specific anti-viral drugs for the treatment. The high mortality rate seriously threatens human health. Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) is a unique health resource in China. The combination of TCM and Western medicine has played a positive and important role in combating COVID-19 in China. In this review, through literature mining and analysis, it was found that TCM has the potential to prevent and treat the COVID-19. Then, the network pharmacological studies demonstrated that TCM played roles of anti-virus, anti-inflammation and immunoregulation in the management of COVID-19 via multiple components acting on multiple targets and multiple pathways. Finally, clinical researches also confirmed the beneficial effects of TCM on the treatment of patients. This review may provide meaningful and useful information on further drug development of COVID-19 and other viral infectious diseases.

Intrathecal Morphine Delivery at Cisterna Magna to Control Refractory Cancer-Related Pain: A Prospective Cohort Study.

Background: For patients suffering from primary or metastatic cancer above the middle thoracic vertebrae, refractory pain management still remains a great challenge. Theoretically, inserting a catheter tip into the cisterna magna may be a promising solution. However, at present, there have been no reliable data regarding this novel technique. We therefore investigated the efficacy and safety of an advanced approach for pain relief in a specific population. Methods: Thirty participants from two hospitals received the intrathecal deliveries of opioid to either one of two sites: cisterna magna (n = 15) or lower thoracic region (n = 15). Pain relief (visual analogue scale, VAS), quality of life (short form (36) health survey, SF-36) as well as depression (self-rating depression scale, SDS) were assessed in the follow-up visits and compared between the two groups. Results: Patients receiving intrathecal morphine delivery to cisterna magna achieved greater pain improvement indicated as significant decrease of VAS scores at day 1 and 7, and achieved better improvement in physical function (day 7 and 30), role physical (day 7 and 30), body pain (day 7, 30 and 90), general health (day 7, 30 and 90), vitality (day 7, 30 and 90), social function (day 90), role emotional (day 7 and 90), mental health (day 7, 30 and 90) and SDS (day 1 and 7). Conclusions: Intrathecal morphine delivery to cisterna magna might be an effective and safe technique for patients suffering from cancer at the middle thoracic vertebrae or above to control refractory pain. Trial registration: No. ChiCTR-ONN-17010681.

Multi-modal MRI Reveals the Neurovascular Coupling Dysfunction in Chronic Migraine.

Previous studies reported that long-term nociceptive stimulation could result in neurovascular coupling (NVC) dysfunction in brain, but these studies were based mainly on unimodal imaging biomarkers, thus could not comprehensively reflect NVC dysfunction. We investigated the potential NVC dysfunction in chronic migraine by exploring the relationship between neuronal activity and cerebral perfusion maps. The Pearson correlation coefficients between these 2 maps were defined as the NVC biomarkers. NVC biomarkers in migraineurs were significantly lower in left inferior parietal gyrus (IPG), left superior marginal gyrus (SMG) and left angular gyrus (AG), but significantly higher in right superior occipital gyrus (SOG), right superior parietal gyrus (SPG), and precuneus. These brain regions were located mainly in parietal or occipital lobes and were related to visual or sensory information processing. ALFF-CBF in right SPG was positively correlated with disease history and that in right precuneus was negatively correlated with migraine persisting time. fALFF-CBF in left SMG and AG were negatively related to headache frequency and positively related to health condition and disease history. In conclusion, multi-modal MRI could be used to detect NVC dysfunction in chronic migraine patients, which is a new method to assess the impact of chronic pain on the brain.

Nitrate transporter 1.1 alleviates lead toxicity in Arabidopsis by preventing rhizosphere acidification.

Identification of the mechanisms that control lead (Pb) concentration in plants is a prerequisite for minimizing dietary uptake of Pb from contaminated crops. This study examines how nitrate uptake by roots affects Pb uptake and reveals a new resistance strategy for plants to cope with Pb contamination. We investigated the interaction between nitrate transporter (NRT)-mediated NO3- uptake and exposure to Pb in Arabidopsis using NRT-related mutants. Exposure to Pb specifically stimulated NRT1.1-mediated nitrate uptake. Loss of function of NRT1.1 in nrt1.1-knockout mutants resulted in greater Pb toxicity and higher Pb accumulation in nitrate-sufficient growth medium, whereas no difference was seen between wild-type plants and null-mutants for NRT1.2, NRT2.1, NRT2.2, NRT2.4, and NRT2.5. These results indicate that only NRT1.1-mediated NO3- uptake alleviated Pb toxicity in the plants. Further examination indicated that rhizosphere acidification, which favors Pb entry to roots by increasing its availability, is prevented when NRT1.1 is functional and both NO3- and NH4+ are present in the medium.

Identification of Quorum-Sensing Molecules of N-Acyl-Homoserine Lactone in Gluconacetobacter Strains by Liquid Chromatography-Tandem Mass Spectrometry.

Many Gram-negative bacteria can regulate gene expression in a cell density-dependent manner via quorum-sensing systems using N-acyl-homoserine lactones (AHLs), which are typical quorum-sensing signaling molecules, and thus modulate physiological characteristics. N-acyl-homoserine lactones are small chemical molecules produced at low concentrations by bacteria and are, therefore, difficult to detect. Here, a biosensor system method and liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry were combined to detect and assay AHL production. As demonstrated by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry, Gluconacetobacter xylinus CGMCC No. 2955, a Gram-negative acetic acid-producing bacterium and a typical bacterial cellulose (BC) biosynthesis strain, produces six different AHLs, including N-acetyl-homoserine lactone, N-butanoyl-homoserine lactone, N-hexanoyl-homoserine lactone, N-3-oxo-decanoyl-homoserine lactone, N-dodecanoyl-homoserine lactone, and N-tetradecanoyl-homoserine lactone. Gluconacetobacter sp. strain SX-1, another Gram-negative acetic acid-producing bacterium, which can synthesize BC, produces seven different AHLs including N-acetyl-homoserine lactone, N-butanoyl-homoserine lactone, N-hexanoyl-homoserine lactone, N-3-oxo-octanoyl-homoserine lactone, N-decanoyl-homoserine lactone, N-dodecanoyl-homoserine lactone, and N-tetradecanoyl-homoserine lactone. These results lay the foundation for investigating the relationship between BC biosynthesis and quorum-sensing systems.

Neurovascular decoupling in type 2 diabetes mellitus without mild cognitive impairment: Potential biomarker for early cognitive impairment.

Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is a significant risk factor for mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and the acceleration of MCI to dementia. The high glucose level induce disturbance of neurovascular (NV) coupling is suggested to be one potential mechanism, however, the neuroimaging evidence is still lacking. To assess the NV decoupling pattern in early diabetic status, 33 T2DM without MCI patients and 33 healthy control subjects were prospectively enrolled. Then, they underwent resting state functional MRI and arterial spin labeling imaging to explore the hub-based networks and to estimate the coupling of voxel-wise cerebral blood flow (CBF)-degree centrality (DC), CBF-mean amplitude of low-frequency fluctuation (mALFF) and CBF- mean regional homogeneity (mReHo). We further evaluated the relationship between NV coupling pattern and cognitive performance (false discovery rate corrected). T2DM without MCI patients displayed significant decrease in the absolute CBF-mALFF, CBF-mReHo coupling of CBFnetwork and in the CBF-DC coupling of DCnetwork. Besides, networks which involved CBF and DC hubs mainly located in the default mode network (DMN). Furthermore, less severe disease and better cognitive performance in T2DM patients were significantly correlated with higher coupling of CBF-DC, CBF-mALFF or CBF-mReHo, especially for the cognitive dimensions of general function and executive function. Thus, coupling of CBF-DC, CBF-mALFF and CBF-mReHo may serve as promising indicators to reflect NV coupling state and to explain the T2DM related early cognitive impairment.

Disturbed neurovascular coupling in type 2 diabetes mellitus patients: Evidence from a comprehensive fMRI analysis.

BACKGROUND: Previous studies presumed that the disturbed neurovascular coupling to be a critical risk factor of cognitive impairments in type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), but distinct clinical manifestations were lacked. Consequently, we decided to investigate the neurovascular coupling in T2DM patients by exploring the MRI relationship between neuronal activity and the corresponding cerebral blood perfusion. METHODS: Degree centrality (DC) map and amplitude of low-frequency fluctuation (ALFF) map were used to represent neuronal activity. Cerebral blood flow (CBF) map was used to represent cerebral blood perfusion. Correlation coefficients were calculated to reflect the relationship between neuronal activity and cerebral blood perfusion. RESULTS: At the whole gray matter level, the manifestation of neurovascular coupling was investigated by using 4 neurovascular biomarkers. We compared these biomarkers and found no significant changes. However, at the brain region level, neurovascular biomarkers in T2DM patients were significantly decreased in 10 brain regions. ALFF-CBF in left hippocampus and fractional ALFF-CBF in left amygdala were positively associated with the executive function, while ALFF-CBF in right fusiform gyrus was negatively related to the executive function. The disease severity was negatively related to the memory and executive function. The longer duration of T2DM was related to the milder depression, which suggests T2DM-related depression may not be a physiological condition but be a psychological condition. CONCLUSION: Correlations between neuronal activity and cerebral perfusion maps may be a method for detecting neurovascular coupling abnormalities, which could be used for diagnosis in the future. Trial registry number: This study has been registered in ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT02420470) on April 2, 2015 and published on July 29, 2015.

Structural and functional brain changes in perimenopausal women who are susceptible to migraine: a study protocol of multi-modal MRI trial.

BACKGROUND: As a common clinical symptom that often bothers midlife females, migraine is closely associated with perimenopause. Previous studies suggest that one of the most prominent triggers is the sudden decline of estrogen during perimenopausal period. Hormone replacement therapy (HRT) is widely used to prevent this suffering in perimenopausal women, but effective diagnostic system is lacked for quantifying the severity of the diseaase. To avoid the abuse and overuse of HRT, we propose to conduct a diagnostic trial using multimodal MRI techniques to quantify the severity of these perimenopausal migraineurs who are susceptible to the decline of estrogen. METHODS: Perimenopausal women suffering from migraine will be recruited from the pain clinic of our hospital. Perimenopausal women not suffering from any kind of headache will be recruited from the local community. Clinical assessment and multi-modal MR imaging examination will be conducted. A follow up will be conducted once half year within 3 years. Pain behavior, neuropsychology scores, fMRI analysis combined with suitable statistical software will be used to reveal the potential association between these above traits and the susceptibility of migraine. DISCUSSION: Multi-modal imaging features of both healthy controls and perimenopausal women who are susceptible to estrogen decline will be acquired. Imaging features will include volumetric characteristics, white matter integrity, functional characteristics, topological properties, and perfusion properties. Clinical information, such as basic information, blood estrogen level, information of migraine, and a bunch of neurological scale will also be used for statistic assessment. This clinical trial would help to build an effective screen system for quantifying the severity of illness of those susceptible women during the perimenopausal period. TRIAL REGISTRATION: This study has already been registered at Clinical Trials. gov (ID: NCT02820974 ). Registration date: September 28th, 2014.

Characterization of UDP-Glycosyltransferase Involved in Biosynthesis of Ginsenosides Rg1 and Rb1 and Identification of Critical Conserved Amino Acid Residues for Its Function.

Ginsenosides attract great attention for their bioactivities. However, their contents are low, and many UDP-glycosyltransferases (UGTs) that play crucial roles in the ginsenoside biosynthesis pathways have not been identified, which hinders the biosynthesis of ginsenosides. In this study, we reported that one UDP-glycosyltransferase, UGTPg71A29, from Panax ginseng could glycosylate C20-OH of Rh1 and transfer a glucose moiety to Rd, producing ginsenosides Rg1 and Rb1, respectively. Ectopic expression of UGTPg71A29 in Saccharomyces cerevisiae stably generated Rg1 and Rb1 under its corresponding substrate. Overexpression of UGTPg71A29 in transgenic cells of P. ginseng could significantly enhance the accumulation of Rg1 and Rb1, with their contents of 3.2- and 3.5-fold higher than those in the control, respectively. Homology modeling, molecular dynamics, and mutational analysis revealed the key catalytic site, Gln283, which provided insights into the catalytic mechanism of UGTPg71A29. These results not only provide an efficient enzymatic tool for the synthesis of glycosides but also help achieve large-scale industrial production of glycosides.

Gender differences in functional connectivities between insular subdivisions and selective pain-related brain structures.

BACKGROUND: The incidence of pain disorders in women is higher than in men, making gender differences in pain a research focus. The human insular cortex is an important brain hub structure for pain processing and is divided into several subdivisions, serving different functions in pain perception. Here we aimed to examine the gender differences of the functional connectivities (FCs) between the twelve insular subdivisions and selected pain-related brain structures in healthy adults. METHODS: Twenty-six healthy males and 11 age-matched healthy females were recruited in this cross-sectional study. FCs between the 12 insular subdivisions (as 12 regions of interest (ROIs)) and the whole brain (ROI-whole brain level) or 64 selected pain-related brain regions (64 ROIs, ROI-ROI level) were measured between the males and females. RESULTS: Significant gender differences in the FCs of the insular subdivisions were revealed: (1) The FCs between the dorsal dysgranular insula (dId) and other brain regions were significantly increased in males using two different techniques (ROI-whole brain and ROI-ROI analyses); (2) Based on the ROI-whole brain analysis, the FC increases in 4 FC-pairs were observed in males, including the left dId - the right median cingulate and paracingulate/ right posterior cingulate gyrus/ right precuneus, the left dId - the right median cingulate and paracingulate, the left dId - the left angular as well as the left dId - the left middle frontal gyrus; (3) According to the ROI-ROI analysis, increased FC between the left dId and the right rostral anterior cingulate cortex was investigated in males. CONCLUSION: In summary, the gender differences in the FCs of the insular subdivisions with pain-related brain regions were revealed in the current study, offering neuroimaging evidence for gender differences in pain processing. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT02820974 . Registered 28 June 2016.

Concomitant high expression of ERα36, GRP78 and GRP94 is associated with aggressive papillary thyroid cancer behavior.

PURPOSE: Papillary thyroid cancer (PTC) is more common in women than in men. It has been suggested that estrogen may be involved in its development, as has previously been shown for breast, endometrial and ovarian cancer. The purpose of this study was to assess correlations between the expression of the estrogen receptor alpha36 (ERα36) and the glucose regulated proteins GRP78 and GRP94 (chaperones involved in glycoprotein folding) and various PTC clinicopathological features, as well as to evaluate the potential usefulness of these three potential oncogenic proteins in the prediction of aggressive PTC behavior. METHODS: ERα36, GRP78 and GRP94 protein expression in 218 primary PTC tissues and PTC-derived BCPAP cells was examined using immunohistochemistry, Western blotting and immunocytochemistry. The proliferative, invasive and migrative capacities of BCPAP cells in which the respective genes were either exogenously over-expressed or silenced were assessed using BrdU incorporation and Transwell assays, respectively. RESULTS: We found that ERα36, GRP78 and GRP94 protein expression was upregulated in the primary PTC tissues tested. We also found that ERα36, GRP78 and GRP94 expression modulation affected the proliferation, invasion and migration of PTC-derived BCPAP cells. A positive correlation and a positive feedback loop were noted between ERα36, GRP78 and GRP94 protein expression in the primary PTC tissues and in BCPAP cells, respectively. High ERα36 expression in combination with a high GRP78/ GRP94 expression was found to have a stronger correlation with extrathyroid extension (ETE), lymph node metastasis (LNM), distant metastasis (DM) and high TNM stage than high ERα36 expression in combination with either high GRP78 or high GRP94 expression (p = 0.028 for ETE, p = 0.002 for DM and p ≤ 0.001 for LNM and high TNM stage) or high ERα36 expression alone (p < 0.001 for ETE, LNM, DM and high TNM stage). CONCLUSIONS: From our data we conclude that a concomitant high expression of ERα36, GRP78 and GRP94 is strongly associated with aggressive PTC behavior and may be used as a predictor for ETE, LNM, DM and high TNM stage.

Concomitant high expression of ERα36, EGFR and HER2 is associated with aggressive behaviors of papillary thyroid carcinomas.

ERα, ERß, PR, ERα36, EGFR and HER2 mRNA and protein expression in papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) were examined by real time RT-PCR and immunohistochemical staining. The mRNA and protein expression of ERα and PR were gradually increased and those of ERß were gradually decreased from normal thyroid tissues to nodular hyperplasias (P < 0.05) and to PTCs (P < 0.05). However, the mRNA and protein expression of ERα36, EGFR and HER2 were only significantly increased in PTCs when compared with those in normal thyroid tissues (P < 0.001) and nodular hyperplasias (P < 0.001). There was some correlation between ERα, ERß and PR, and between ERα36, EGFR and HER2 protein expression in PTCs. As for ERα, ERß and PR, there was a significant positive correlation between ERα and PR, and a significant negative correlation between ERα and ERß and between PR and ERß protein expression. As for ERα36, EGFR and HER2, there was a significant positive correlation between ERα36, EGFR and HER2 protein expression in PTCs. Concomitant high expression of ERα36, EGFR and HER2 was strongly associated with aggressive behaviors including extrathyroidal extension (ETE), lymph node metastasis (LNM) and high TNM stage in PTCs (P < 0.001).

Nitrate effects on chromate reduction in a methane-based biofilm.

The effects of nitrate (NO3-) on chromate (Cr(VI)) reduction in a membrane biofilm reactor (MBfR) were studied when CH4 was the sole electron donor supplied with a non-limiting delivery capacity. A high surface loading of NO3- gave significant and irreversible inhibition of Cr(VI) reduction. At a surface loading of 500 mg Cr/m2-d, the Cr(VI)-removal percentage was 100% when NO3- was absent (Stage 1), but was dramatically lowered to < 25% with introduction of 280 mg N m-2-d NO3- (Stage 2). After ∼50 days operation in Stage 2, the Cr(VI) reduction recovered to only ∼70% in Stage 3, when NO3- was removed from the influent; thus, NO3- had a significant long-term inhibition effect on Cr(VI) reduction. Weighted PCoA and UniFrac analyses proved that the introduction of NO3- had a strong impact on the microbial community in the biofilms, and the changes possibly were linked to the irreversible inhibition of Cr(VI) reduction. For example, Meiothermus, the main genus involved in Cr(VI) reduction at first, declined with introduction of NO3-. The denitrifier Chitinophagaceae was enriched after the addition of NO3-, while Pelomonas became important when nitrate was removed, suggesting its potential role as a Cr(VI) reducer. Moreover, introducing NO3- led to a decrease in the number of genes predicted (by PICRUSt) to be related to chromate reduction, but genes predicted to be related to denitrification, methane oxidation, and fermentation increased.

Potential Beneficial Effects of Probiotics on Human Migraine Headache: A Literature Review.

BACKGROUND: Recent studies have shown that migraine headache is often associated with concomitant gastrointestinal diseases. There is a higher prevalence of headaches in patients with gastrointestinal disorders. These associations between migraine and gastrointestinal disorders suggest a potential link to a bidirectional modulation of gut microbiota and brain function. The underlying working mechanistic links between migraine and gastrointestinal diseases may include increased intestinal epithelial permeability and inflammation. OBJECTIVE: This review presents an overview of the relationship between gut microbiota and brain function, especially with regard to migraine headache. STUDY DESIGN: Literature review. SETTING: Anesthesia and Operation Center, Department of Anesthesiology, Chinese PLA General Hospital. METHODS: The present investigation included a PubMed search using the following terms: migraine headache, gut microbiota, brain function, and probiotics. RESULTS: In this literature review, we mainly discussed the relationship between gut microbiota and brain function, especially with regard to migraine headache. The potential effects of probiotics supplement on migraine headache were also included. LIMITATIONS: There is limited evidence from clinical studies of the positive effects of probiotics in patients with migraine headache. Large-scale randomized, placebo-controlled clinical trials are warranted to evaluate the clinical efficacy and safety of probiotics in patients with migraine headache. CONCLUSIONS: Similar to migraine headache, disorders of the brain involving depression and anxiety have been demonstrated to be associated with increased gut permeability. An improvement in gut microbiota and reduction of inflammation can have positive effects on strengthening gut and brain function. Moreover, it can be inferred that probiotics may have a beneficial effect on the frequency and severity of migraine headache attacks. Large-scale randomized, placebo-controlled studies are warranted in the future to evaluate the clinical efficacy and safety of probiotics in patients with migraine headache.Key words: Migraine headache, gut microbiota, brain function, probiotics.

[Spatial Distribution of Soil Particles and Heavy Metals Under Different Psammophilic Shrubs in the Ulan Buh Desert].

Aeolian sandy soil was collected at depths of 0 to 100 cm at intervals of 0-10, > 10-20, > 20-30, > 30-40, > 40-60, > 60-80, and > 80-100 cm from under the cover of psammophilous shrubs Ammopiptanthus mongolicus, Hedysarum scoparium, Oxytropis aciphylla, Nitraria tangutorum and Haloxylon ammodendron and from a mobile dune in the Ulan Buh Desert. Multi-fractal theory was used to determine the soil particle size distribution (PSD), which measured the fractions of ω(Mn), ω(Zn), ω(Cr), ω(Cu), ω(Pb), ω(Ni), ω(As), and ω(Cd), as well as their distribution status in the laboratory and analyzed correlations between the PSD and heavy metal content to identify the relationship between soil structure and heavy metal pollution. This result shows that a range of different types of shrubs can increase the distribution of fine soil particles, and specifically Ammopiptanthus mongolicus and Hedysarum scoparium can increase range, heterogeneity and degree of dispersion of the PSD. The heavy metal content in the soil under the different shrubs is ranked as ω(Mn) > ω(Zn) > ω(Cr) > ω(Cu) > ω(Pb) > ω(Ni) > ω(As) > ω(Cd). In the first 10 cm of the soil under the shrubs, the concentration of all heavy metals are higher than samples from the mobile dune except for Cr and Cu. Average value of ω(Mn) and ω(Cd) is 354.899 and 1.429 mg·kg-1 under Ammopiptanthus mongolicus and Hedysarum scoparium respectively. Concentrations of Mn and Cd under Ammopiptanthus mongolicus and Hedysarum scoparium shrubs are significantly higher than those of mobile dune (P<0.05), and the concentration of both is significantly various between each soil layers (P<0.05). The highest value for ω(Mn) is in soil layer between 30 and 40 cm below the surface and the highest for ω(Cd) appears between 10 and 20 cm below the surface. The average ω(Pb) under Hedysarum scoparium is 13.556 mg·kg-1 which is the highest among all the shrubs, exceeding 3.24% under Ammopiptanthus mongolicus and higher than samples from mobile dune. However, average ω(As) under Hedysarum scoparium is exceeded 0.37% under Ammopiptanthus mongolicus but still higher than samples from mobile dune. The grain size of φ(silt) and φ(medium coarse sand) are determining factors for heavy metal concentrations in fine and coarse particles of aeolian sandy soil. Heavy metal measurements all positively correlate with φ(silt) and φ(clay), however, they negatively correlate with φ(medium coarse sand), except for ω(Cr). The correlation coefficients between heavy metal contents and the multifractal parameters are similar for φ(clay), φ(silt), and φ(medium coarse sand). Therefore, multifractal parameters can describe the correlation between heavy metals and their determinant soil grain size. This study shows that, Ammopiptanthus mongolicus and Hedysarum scoparium can entrap and deposit fine particles from the sand flow to surface soil layers around shrubs and improve the condition of PSDs for different soil layers with respect to heavy metals. Hence, in aeolian sandy soil these concentrations are higher than for mobile dunes after planting Ammopiptanthus mongolicus and Hedysarum scoparium. Therefore both should be used to promote good soil structure of particular areas to entrap and in-situ control heavy metals to decrease heavy metal pollution in downwind cities.

Retrospective analysis of plasma exchange combined with glucocorticosteroids for the treatment of systemic lupus erythematosus-related acute pancreatitis in central China.

Systemic lupus erythematosus-related acute pancreatitis (SLEAP) has a poor prognosis with a high mortality. We described the clinical features of SLEAP, and discussed the feasibility of plasma exchange (PE) combined with glucocorticosteroids (GC) in short-term prognosis and possible mechanism in reducing serum inflammatory cytokine IL-6 and removing serum lipids. A retrospective study was performed by an independent rheumatologist. Medical records of SLEAP from March 2010 to December 2014 were retrieved from Tongji Hospital information system, and patients were divided into two groups according to whether PE therapy was adopted. Sixteen patients treated with PE in combination with GC were classified as group A, and the other 10 patients who were treated with merely GC were classified as group B. Patients' clinical remission rate and average daily GC dosage after two-week therapy were compared between the two groups. Patients' serum inflammatory cytokines and lipid concentration were compared between baseline and after two-week treatment in both groups. Pearson correlation test was performed to determine association between serum cytokines and Ranson score. SLEDAI score in group A patients at baseline (14.8±3.1) showed no statistical difference from that in group B (14.1±3.3). At baseline serum IL-6 levels had no significant difference between group A [13.14 (11.12, 16.57) mg/L] and group B [14.63 (11.37, 16.37) mg/L]; after two-week therapy IL-6 decreased significantly in group A [9.16 (7.93, 10.75)mg/L] while it did not show decreasing trend in group B [13.62 (9.29,17.63) mg/L]. Serum lipid concentration after two-week therapy in group A [(TC=5.02±0.53, TG=1.46±0.44) mmol/L] decreased significantly compared to baseline [(TC=6.11±0.50, TG=2.14±1.03) mmol/L], while similar tendency was not observed in group B. The remission rate after two-week therapy was higher in group A (70.0%) than in group B (25.0%). Acute pancreatitis (AP) was one of the clinical manifestations of active SLE. PE combined with GC could reduce serum IL-6 level, and remove serum lipid to improve short-term prognosis. Therefore, it might be a safe and effective way in treating SLEAP and was worth continuing to explore its feasibility.