The Recent Progress of Oxygen Reduction Electrocatalysts Used at Fuel Cell Level.

Proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs) are gaining significant interest as an attractive substitute for traditional fuel cells, with higher energy density, lower environmental pollution, and better operation efficiency. However, the cathode reaction, i.e., the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR), is widely proved to be inefficient, and therefore an obstacle to the widespread development of PEMFCs. The requirement for affordable highly-efficient ORR catalysts is extremely urgent to be met, especially at fuel cell level. Unfortunately, most previous reports focus on the ORR performance at rotating disk electrodes (RDE) level instead of membrane electrode assembly (MEA) level, making it harder to evaluate ORR catalysts operating under real vehicle conditions. Obviously, it is extremely necessary to develop an in-depth understanding of the structure-activity relationship of highly-efficient ORR catalysts applied at MEA level. In this work, an overview of the latest advances in ORR catalysts is provided with an emphasis on their performance at MEA level, hoping to cover the novel and systemic insights for innovative and efficient ORR catalyst design and applications in PEMFCs.

Sleep-disordered breathing is related to retinal vein occlusion: A meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Previous studies suggest that sleep-disordered breathing (SDB) may be a potential risk factor of retinal vein occlusion (RVO). We conducted a meta-analysis to systematically explore the relationship between RVO and SDB. METHODS: Observational studies assessing the relationship between SDB and RVO were retrieved by searches of electronic databases including the PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, and Wan Fang databases from database inception to August 9, 2023. In consideration of intra-study heterogeneity, a random-effects model was adopted to combine the results. RESULTS: Seven studies (1 retrospective cohort and 6 case-control studies) were included in this meta-analysis, and among 36,628 adults included in those studies, 6452 (17.6%) had SDB. The combined results indicated that SDB was associated with RVO [risk ratio (RR): 1.92, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.60-2.30, P < .001] with no significant heterogeneity (I2 = 0%). Subgroup analyses showed consistent relationships between SDB and any RVO (RR: 1.73, 95% CI: 1.13-2.28, P < .001), central RVO (RR: 2.20, 95% CI: 1.57-3.08, P < .001), and branch RVO (RR: 1.85, 95% CI: 1.15-2.99, P = .01). Moreover, the relationship was consistent among patients with mild (RR: 1.82, 95% CI: 1.32-2.53, P < .001), moderate (RR: 2.17, 95% CI: 1.65-2.85, P < .001), and severe SDB (RR: 2.66, 95% CI: 1.96-3.62, P < .001). The association was consistent in studies that adjusted for age and sex (RR: 2.17, 95% CI: 1.50-3.13, P < .001), and in studies with additional adjustment for comorbidities (RR: 1.78, 95% CI: 1.42-2.25, P < .001). CONCLUSION: SDB is associated with RVO in adults.

Apoptosis or Antiapoptosis? Interrupted Regulated Cell Death of Host Cells by Ascovirus Infection In Vitro.

Ascoviruses are insect-specific viruses thought to utilize the cellular apoptotic processes of host larvae to produce numerous virion-containing vesicles. In this study, we first determined the biochemical characteristics of ascovirus-infected, in vitro-cultured insect cells and the possible antiapoptotic capacity of ascovirus-infected insect cells. The results indicated that the ascovirus infection in the first 24 h was different from the infection from 48 h to the later infection stages. In the early infection stage, the Spodoptera exigua host cells had high membrane permeability and cleaved gasdermin D (GSDMD) but uncleaved Casp-6 (SeCasp-6). In contrast, the later infection stage had no such increased membrane permeability and had cleaved SeCasp-6. Four different chemicals were used to induce apoptosis at different stages of ascovirus infection: hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) and actinomycin D (ActD) had similar effects on the ascovirus-infected cells, whereas cMYC inhibitors and tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) plus SM-164 apoptosis inducers (T/S) had similar effects on infected cells. The former two inducers inhibited viral DNA replication in most situations, while the latter two inducers inhibited viral DNA replication in the early stage of infection but promoted viral DNA replication in the later infection stage. Furthermore, immunoblotting assays verified that T/S treatment could increase the expression levels of viral major capsid protein (MCP) and the host inhibitor of apoptosis protein (SeIAP). Coimmunoprecipitation assays revealed interaction between SeIAP and SeCasps, but this interaction was disturbed in ascovirus-infected cells. This study details the in vitro infection process of ascovirus, indicating the utilization of pyroptosis for antiapoptosis cytopathology. IMPORTANCE Clarifying the relationship between different types of viral infections and host regulation of cell death (RCD) can provide insights into the interaction between viruses and host cells. Ascoviruses are insect-specific viruses with apoptosis-utilizing-like infection cytopathology. However, RCD does not only include apoptosis, and while in our previous transmission electron microscopic observations, ascovirus-infected cells did not show typical apoptotic characteristics (unpublished data), in this study, they did show increased membrane permeability. These results indicate that the cytopathology of ascovirus infection is a complex process in which the virus manipulates host RCD. The RCD of insect cells is quite different from that of mammals, and studies on the former are many fewer than those on the latter, especially in the case of RCD in lepidopteran insects. Our results will lay a foundation for understanding the RCD of lepidopteran insects and its function in the process of insect virus infection.

Fish oil-containing lipid emulsions prevention on parenteral nutrition-associated cholestasis in very low birth weight infants: a meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: The effect of fish oil-containing lipid emulsions on preventing parenteral nutrition-associated cholestasis (PNAC) in very low birth weight (VLBW) infants is not known. Thus, we conducted a meta-analysis to identify any prevention effect. METHODS: PubMed, EMBASE, and CENTRAL were searched up to 26 January 2021 for studies related to the preventive effect of fish oil-containing lipid emulsions and fish oil-free lipid emulsions on cholestasis in VLBW infants. Revman 5.3 was used to synthesize the results. A fixed-effect model was used to summarize the data when the heterogeneity was non-significant (I2 < 50%), and a random-effects model was used when the heterogeneity was significant (I2 > 50%). RESULTS: Of 728 articles, 11 randomized controlled trials met the inclusion criteria. The meta-analysis indicated that fish oil-containing lipid emulsion reduced the occurrence of PNAC significantly with risk ratio (RR) = 0.53, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.36-0.80, P = 0.002. The heterogeneity was non-significant with I2 = 23%. Subgroup analysis based on parenteral nutrition duration and median birth weight was performed. The synthesis results for patients with parenteral nutrition duration exceeding 14 days revealed I2 = 35% (P = 0.15) and pooled RR = 0.47, 95% CI 0.30-0.73, P = 0.0008; and for patients with duration less than 14 days revealed I2 = 0% (P = 0.72) and pooled RR = 1.14, 95% CI 0.39-3.35, P = 0.81. The synthesis for patients with birth weight more than 1000 g revealed I2 = 0% (P = 0.41) and pooled RR = 0.55, 95% CI 0.26-1.18, P = 0.12; and for patients with birth weight below 1000 g revealed I2 = 44% (P = 0.11) and pooled RR = 0.53, 95% CI 0.33-0.85, P = 0.009. CONCLUSIONS: The fish oil-containing lipid emulsion can reduce the occurrence of PNAC in VLBW infants based on the available original randomized controlled trial studies, especially for patients with parenteral nutrition duration exceeding 14 days and extremely low birth weight infants. Future studies should be performed before a definitive conclusion can be established.

Novel mutation in the ASXL3 gene in a Chinese boy with microcephaly and speech impairment: A case report.

BACKGROUND: Bainbridge-Ropers syndrome (BRPS) is a severe disorder characterized by failure to thrive, facial dysmorphism, and severe developmental delay. BRPS is caused by a heterozygous loss-of-function mutation in the ASXL3 gene. Due to limited knowledge of the disease and lack of specific features, clinical diagnosis of this syndrome is challenging. With the use of trio-based whole exome sequencing, we identified a novel ASXL3 mutation in a Chinese boy with BRPS and performed a literature review. CASE SUMMARY: A 3-year-old Chinese boy was referred to our hospital due to progressive postnatal microcephaly and intellectual disability with severe speech impairment for 2 years. His other remarkable clinical features were shown as follows: Facial dysmorphism, feeding difficulties, poor growth, motor delay, and abnormal behavior. For the proband, regular laboratory tests, blood tandem mass spectrometry, urine gas chromatographic mass spectrometry, karyotype, hearing screening, and brain magnetic resonance imaging were performed, with negative results. Therefore, for the proband and his unaffected parents, trio-based whole exome sequencing and subsequent validation by Sanger sequencing were performed. A novel nonsense variant in exon 11 of the ASXL3 gene (c.1795G>T; p.E599*) was detected, present in the patient but absent from his parents. Taking into account the concordant phenotypic features of our patient with reported BRPS patients and the detected truncated variant located in the known mutational cluster region, we confirmed a diagnosis of BRPS for this proband. The rehabilitation treatment seemed to have a mild effect. CONCLUSION: In this case, a novel nonsense mutation (c.1795G>T, p.E599*) in ASXL3 gene was identified in a Chinese boy with BRPS. This finding not only contributed to better genetic counseling and prenatal diagnosis for this family but also expanded the pathogenic mutation spectrum of ASXL3 gene and provided key information for clinical diagnosis of BRPS.

Evaluation of dynamic stereopsis in intermittent exotropia patients.

AIM: To delineate the characteristics of the dynamic stereopsis test and analyze related parameters in intermittent exotropia [X(T)] patients. METHODS: Fifty-seven X(T) patients and 55 normal subjects were enrolled in this study. The normal and X(T) groups were used to test the reproducibility and reliability of the dynamic stereopsis test, and Bangerter filters with densities of 0.2 were then used to simulate suppression to test for traditional and dynamic stereopsis. In the X(T) group, the measurements included 1) dynamic stereopsis test comprising three parts: motion+disparity, motion only and disparity only; 2) ocular deviation angle; 3) Bagolini striated lens test; 4) disease course; and 5) Titmus stereopsis test. RESULTS: The test-retest reliability of the dynamic stereopsis method was 0.901 in the normal and X(T) groups, and none of the X(T) patients were able to pass the static and dynamic stereopsis tests after using the 0.2 Bangerter filter. The accuracy rate was greater than 80% in the normal group and 31.81%, 36.36%, and 45.45% for the motion+disparity, motion-only and disparity-only components of the traditional test for X(T) patients diagnosed with stereoblindness via traditional tests, respectively. Patients with a long disease course (>1y) had worse dynamic stereopsis than those with a short disease course (<1y; P<0.05, Chi-square test). The deviation angle was not correlated with the motion+disparity, disparity-only, or the motion-only test components (all P>0.05, Chi-square test). CONCLUSION: Dynamic stereopsis is preserved in certain X(T) patients diagnosed with stereoblindness via traditional tests. A long disease course was shown to be a negative factor for dynamic stereopsis in X(T) patients which might be associated with worse progression, and provide good references clinically.

[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.

Phakic posterior chamber intraocular lens for unilateral high myopic amblyopia in Chinese pediatric patients.

AIM: To assess the outcomes of posterior chamber implantable collamer lens (ICL) implantation in Chinese pediatric patients with unilateral high myopic amblyopia. METHODS: Eleven eyes of 11 amblyopic patients aged 11.02±3.34y underwent ICL (model V4, Staar Surgical Inc.) implantation to treat unilateral anisometropia were studied. Visual acuity, cycloplegic refraction, contrast sensitivity, stereopsis, intraocular pressure (IOP), vaulting, corneal endothelial cell count and complications were evaluated. Patients completed follow-up at 3d, 1, 3mo and the last follow-up time (mean 8.18±2.82mo) after surgery. RESULTS: The mean myopic anisometropia was -13.70±3.25 D preoperatively and +0.69±2.63 D at 8mo postoperatively. The logMAR corrected distance visual acuity (CDVA) of the amblyopic eye was 1.51±0.72 preoperatively and 0.75±0.40 at 8mo postoperatively. The logMAR CDVA at 3d, 1, 3 and 8mo postoperatively improved by a mean of 0.64, 1.55, 1.82 and 2.64 lines and gained more than 2 lines accounted for 18%, 45%, 45%, 64%, respectively. The contrast sensitivity of 0.5, 1 and 2 cpd in amblyopic eyes was significantly increased after surgery. No patient had near stereopsis recovery. The vaulting at 3 and 8mo was significantly lower than that at 1mo postoperatively. No other intraoperative or postoperative complications were observed, except an acute pupillary block glaucoma happened in a patient at two weeks postoperatively. CONCLUSION: This short-term results indicate that ICL implantation can be a promising alternative therapy for high myopic anisometropic amblyopia in pediatric patients who have failed with conventional treatments and not suitable to corneal refraction surgery.

[Assessing environmental and economical benefits of integrated sewage treatment systems].

Sewage treatment, treated water treatment and sludge treatment are three basic units of an integrated sewage treatment system. This work assessed the influence of reusing or discharge of treated water and sludge landfill or compost on the sustainability of an integrated sewage treatment system using emergy analysis and newly proposed emergy indicators. This system's value included its environmental benefits and the products. Environmental benefits were the differences of the environmental service values before and after sewage treatment. Due to unavailability of data of the exchanged substance and energy in the internal system, products' values were attained by newly proposed substitution values. The results showed that the combination of sewage treatment, treated water reuse and sludge landfill had the strongest competitiveness, while the combination of sewage treatment, treated water reuse and earthworm compost was the most sustainable. Moreover, treated water reuse and earthworm compost were helpful for improving the sustainability of the integrated sewage treatment system. The quality of treated water and local conditions should be also considered when implementing the treated water reuse or discharge. The resources efficiency of earthworm compost unit needed to be further improved. Improved emergy indices were more suitable for integrated sewage treatment systems.

[Relationship of serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D with obesity and inflammatory cytokines in children].

OBJECTIVE: To study the relationship of serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25-(OH)D3] level with obesity and inflammatory cytokines in children, and to provide a basis for clinical evaluation of the relationship between vitamin D nutritional status and obesity. METHODS: Seventy-eight children with obesity who visited the hospital between February and June 2012 were selected as subjects. According to baseline data, such as age and sex, 105 children who underwent physical examination in the same period were selected as controls. Fasting venous blood samples were taken to measure serum levels of 25-(OH)D3, interleukin-6 (IL-6), interleukin-8 (IL-8), interferon-γ (IFN-γ), and tumor necrosis factor α (TNF-α). RESULTS: Serum 25-(OH)D3 levels were significantly lower in the obesity group than in the control group (P<0.01). Serum 25-(OH)D3 levels were negatively correlated with BMI (r=-0.462, P<0.01). Patients were further divided, according to their serum 25-(OH)D levels, into vitamin D sufficiency, vitamin D insufficiency, vitamin D deficiency and severe vitamin D deficiency subgroups. There were significant differences in serum IFN-γ levels among the subgroups (P<0.05). There were no significant differences in serum IL-6, IL-8 and TNF-α levels between the subgroups, however (P>0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Obese children have lower serum 25-(OH)D3 levels than normal children. Serum 25-(OH)D3 level is negatively correlated with BMI, but has little correlation with inflammatory cytokines levels.

[Prevalence of dietary problems in children of 1-6 years in Chengdu, China].

OBJECTIVE: To determine the prevalence of dietary problems in children 1-6 years old in Chengdu. METHODS: A cross-sectional survey was undertaken in Chengdu. Five child care facilities were randomly selected. All of the children attending those facilities were surveyed using a structured questionnaire containing questions about socio-economic situation and dietary behaviors of the children and nutritional knowledge of their caregivers. This resulted in 1421 respondents. RESULTS: Some 38.63% of children had at least one dietary problem. Strong preference for a small range of foods accounted for 27.23% of all dietary problems. CONCLUSION: Dietary problems in children of 1-6 year are common in Chengdu. Parents should be educated and play a more important role in the prevention and intervention of dietary problems in children.

Efficient optimization of ultra-high- performance supercritical fluid chromatographic separation of Rosa sericea by response surface methodology.

An approach for rapid optimization of ultra-high-performance supercritical fluid chromatographic (UHPSFC) gradient by response surface methodology was developed for fast separation of complex crude extracts of the leaves of Rosa sericea. The optimization was performed with Box-Behnken designs and the multicriteria response variables were described using Derringer's desirability. Based on factorial design experiments, five factors were selected for Box-Behnken designs to optimize the UHPSFC conditions, which led to 46 experiments being performed within 8 h. An evaporative light-scattering detector (ELSD) was used, and quantitative analysis of main components in R. sericea samples was employed to evaluate the statistical significance of the parameters on UHPSFC-ELSD analytes response. The results indicated that the optimized UHPSFC-ELSD method is very sensitive with LODs and LOQs below 1.19 and 4.55 µg/mL, respectively. The overall intra- and interday variations were less than 3.91 and 6.41%, respectively. The recovery of the method ranged from 95.66 to 104.22%, with RSD < 5.91%. This newly developed UHPSFC-ELSD method was demonstrated to be fast and sensitive in analyzing complex herbal extracts of Traditional Chinese Medicines.

Three new phenolic compounds from the leaves of Rosa sericea.

Two new flavonoids, quercetin-3-O-ß-d-xylopyranosyl-(1→2)-α-d-ribopyranoside (1) and kaempferol-3-O-ß-d-xylopyranosyl-(1→2)-α-d-ribopyranoside (2), and one new phenolic derivative, gallicin-p-O-(6'-O-caffeoyl)-ß-d-glucoside (3), together with twelve known compounds were isolated from the leaves of Rosa sericea (Rosaceae family). The structures of the new compounds were established by means of spectroscopic analysis including one- and two-dimensional NMR spectroscopy. Some of the isolated compounds were tested for the cytotoxicity of a breast cancer cell (MCF-7) line. The results showed that rubanthrone A (4) has moderate cytotoxicity against the MCF-7 cell line.

Mapping of quantitative trait loci for oil content in cottonseed kernel.

Oil content in cottonseed is a major quality trait which when improved through breeding could enhance the competitiveness of cottonseed oil among other vegetable oils. Cottonseed oil content is a quantitative trait controlled by genes in the tetraploid embryo and tetraploid maternal plant genomes, and the knowledge of quantitative trait loci (QTLs) and the genetic effects related to oil content in both genomes could facilitate the improvement in its quality and quantity. However, till date, QTL mapping and genetic analysis related to this trait in cotton have only been conducted in the tetraploid embryo genome. In the current experiment, an IF(2) population of cottonseed kernels from the random crossing of 188 intraspecific recombinant inbred lines which were derived from the hybrid of two parents, HS46 and MARCABUCAG8US-1-88, were used to simultaneously locate QTLs for oil content in the embryo and maternal plant genomes. The four QTLs found to be associated with oil content in cottonseed were: qOC-18-1 on chromosome 18; qOC-LG-11 on linkage group 11; qOC-18-2 on chromosome 18; and qOC-22 on chromosome 22. At a high selection threshold of 0.05, there was strong evidence linking the QTLs above the oil content in cottonseed. Embryo additive and dominant effects from the tetraploid embryo genome, as well as maternal additive effects from the tetraploid maternal plant genome were found to be significant contributors to genetic variation in cottonseed oil content.

[Fast spectral modeling based on Voigt peaks].

Indirect hard modeling (IHM) is a recently introduced method for quantitative spectral analysis, which was applied to the analysis of nonlinear relation between mixture spectrum and component concentration. In addition, IHM is an effectual technology for the analysis of components of mixture with molecular interactions and strongly overlapping bands. Before the establishment of regression model, IHM needs to model the measured spectrum as a sum of Voigt peaks. The precision of the spectral model has immediate impact on the accuracy of the regression model. A spectrum often includes dozens or even hundreds of Voigt peaks, which mean that spectral modeling is a optimization problem with high dimensionality in fact. So, large operation overhead is needed and the solution would not be numerically unique due to the ill-condition of the optimization problem. An improved spectral modeling method is presented in the present paper, which reduces the dimensionality of optimization problem by determining the overlapped peaks in spectrum. Experimental results show that the spectral modeling based on the new method is more accurate and needs much shorter running time than conventional method.

Fos positive neurons in the brain stem and amygdala mostly express vesicular glutamate transporter 3 after bitter taste stimulation.

The present study examined the relationship between vesicular glutamate transpoter-3 (VGLUT3) positive cells and the activation of neurons in the brainstem and amygdala by bitter taste, using double-labeling immunohistochemistry. Conscious animals were subjected to intraoral bitter taste stimulation with quinine solution. Following this, neuronal activation was assessed by c-Fos expression and an analysis of c-Fos expression cells, VGLUT3 positive cells and double-labeled cells was made in the nucleus of the solitary tract (NST), the parabrachial nucleus (PBN) and amygdala. Results showed that intraoral bitter taste stimulation led to significant increases in the number of c-Fos-expressing and double-labeled cells in the NST, PBN and amygdala. Results also showed a decrease in the number of c-Fos-positive and double-labeled cells in the amygdala, in comparison with neurons in the brainstem, after bitter taste stimulation. These results suggest that bitter taste activates cells in the NST, PBN and amygdala and these effects are partly mediated by VGLUT3 positive cells. Moreover, double-labeled neurons also exhibited a preferential distribution after quinine stimulation compared to water stimulation.

Ultra performance liquid chromatography coupled with quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometric procedure for qualitative and quantitative analyses of nortriterpenoids and lignans in the genus Schisandra.

An ultra performance liquid chromatography (UPLC) coupled with quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (QTOF-MS) procedure is designed for the first simultaneous analysis of nortriterpenoids and lignans in Schisandra samples. The method consists of three individual mass spectrometric experiments, including the full scan MS, MS/MS experiment and in-source collision induced dissociation (CID) MS/MS, which enable the identification of diagnostic fragmentation pathways of nortriterpenoids and lignans. As such, a total of 6 nortriterpenoids and 10 lignans were unequivocally identified, and one nortriterpenoid and 20 lignans were tentatively identified from different Schisandra samples within 12.5 min. In addition, 6 nortriterpenoids and 10 lignans were quantified in 48 samples of S. chinensis and S. sphenanthera using an extract ion chromatogram (XIC) of the full scan MS experiment. Dataset obtained from UPLC-MS was processed with principal component analysis (PCA) and orthogonal partial least squared discriminant analysis (OPLS-DA) to compare the difference between the two Schisandra species.

[Glutaminergic neurons expressing c-Fos in the brainstem and amygdala participate in signal transmission and integration of sweet taste].

OBJECTIVE: To examine the role of glutaminergic neurons in the transmission and integration of the sweat taste information in the brain stem and the amygdala. METHODS: Conscious Sprague-Dawley rats were subjected to oral sweet taste or water (control) stimulations. The activated neurons were identified by detecting c-Fos expression in taste-related brain areas, and the glutaminergic neurons by detecting vesicular glutamate transpoter-3 (VGLUT3). RESULTS: Compared with control group, the rats with oral sucrose solution stimulation exhibited significantly increased c-Fos-expressing and double-labeled neurons in the nucleus of the solitary tract (NST), the parabrachial nucleus (PBN) and the amygdala. CONCLUSION: Neurons in the NST, PBN and amygdala are activated after oral sweet taste stimulation. The sweet taste perception at different levels in the CNS is partly mediated by glutamate.

[Protective effect of hydroxysafflor yellow A against acute lung injury induced by oleic acid and lipopolysaccharide in rats].

This study is to investigate the pharmacological effect and mechanism of action of hydroxysafflor yellow A (HSYA) on acute lung injury (ALI). The rat ALI was induced by oleic acid and lipopolysaccharide (LPS) injection. The incidence of acidosis, PaO2 (arterial blood oxygen pressure), W/D (wet weight/dry weight) and lung index (LI) were measured. Electron microscope and optical microscope were applied to observe lung morphological changes in rat. RT-PCR was used to determine TNF-alpha and ICAM-1 mRNA level. Inhibition effect of HSYA on plasma inflammatory cytokine expression was measured by ELISA. HSYA could alleviate pulmonary edema, reduce acidosis, keep PaO2 from descending, inhibit inflammatory cell infiltration, inhibit rat lung TNF-alpha and ICAM-1 mRNA expression and plasma IL-6 and IL-1beta level elevation. HSYA is an effective ingredient to remit ALI induced by oleic acid and LPS in rat.

[GABAergic neurons in the central nucleus of amygdala modulate sodium appetite in rats].

OBJECTIVE: To determine whether the GABA-containing neurons in rat central nucleus of amygdala (CeA) can be activated by acute sodium deprivation. METHODS: Acute sodium depletion was induced by subcutaneous injection of furosemide in rats followed by 24 h of dietary sodium deprivation. The rats underwent 0.3 mol/L NaCl/distilled water two bottle choice test, and the activated neurons were labeled and identified with GABA/Fos-double labeling immunohistochemistry. RESULTS: The rats with acute sodium depletion exhibited significantly more numerous c-fos-positive neurons and GABA/Fos double-labeled neurons in the CeA than the control group (P<0.01, P<0.05). Consumption of 0.3 mol/L NaCl significantly increased the number of c-fos and GABA/Fos double labeled neurons compared to the distilled water group (P<0.001, P<0.01). CONCLUSION: GABAergic neurons in the CeA may play an inhibitory role in the regulation of sodium intake in rats with acute sodium depletion.