Synergistic and stepwise treatment of resveratrol and catechol in Haematococcus pluvialis for the overproduction of biomass and astaxanthin.

To increase the production of biomass and astaxanthin from Haematococcus pluvialis to meet the high market demand for astaxanthin, this study recruited two typical and negligible phytohormones (namely resveratrol and catechol) for the stepwise treatments of H. pluvialis. It was found that the hybrid and sequential treatments of resveratrol (200 µmol) and catechol (100 µmol) had achieved the maximum astaxanthin content at 33.96 mg/L and 42.99 mg/L, respectively. Compared with the hybrid treatment, the physiological data of H. pluvialis using the sequential strategy revealed that the enhanced photosynthetic performance via the Calvin cycle by RuBisCO improved the biomass accumulation during the macrozooid stage; meanwhile, the excessive ROS production had occurred to enhance astaxanthin production with the help of NADPH overproduction during the hematocyst stage. Overall, this study provides improved knowledge of the impacts of phytohormones in improving biomass and astaxanthin of H. pluvialis, which shed valuable insights for advancing microalgae-based biorefinery.

Association between green space and multiple ambient air pollutants with depressive and anxiety symptoms among Chinese adolescents: The role of physical activity.

OBJECTIVE: To explore the association between green space, multiple ambient air pollutants and depressive/anxiety symptoms and the mediating role of physical activity (PA) in Chinese adolescents. METHOD: A school-based health survey was conducted in eight provinces in China in 2021. 22,868 students aged 14.64 (±1.77) years completed standard questionnaires to record details of depressive, anxiety symptoms and PA. We calculated the average normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) in circular buffers of 200 m, 500 m and 1000 m and estimated the concentrations of PM10, PM2.5, CO, NO2, O3, SO2 around the adolescents' school addresses. RESULTS: The exposure-response curves showed that the lower the NDVI value, the higher the risk of depressive and anxiety symptoms. CO, PM2.5 and SO2 and air pollution score were associated with increased risk of depressive and anxiety symptoms. NDVI in all circular buffers decreased the risk of depressive and anxiety symptoms at low levels of PA, but the associations were not significant at high levels of PA. In the subgroup analysis, PM10, PM2.5, CO, NO2, SO2, AQI and air pollution score increased the risk of depressive and anxiety symptoms at low PA levels, but the associations were not significant at high levels of PA. Mediation analysis indicated that the mediating effect of PA on the association between NDVI, NDVI-200 m NDVI-500 m, CO, PM10, PM2.5, SO2, AQI and depressive/anxiety symptoms was statistically significant（p < 0.05）. CONCLUSION: Middle-high level PA could reduce the strength of association between air pollution and depressive and anxiety symptoms. Meanwhile, the association between green space/air pollution and depressive/anxiety symptoms was partly mediated by PA.

Epidemiologic features and therapeutic strategies of kerion: A nationwide multicentre study.

BACKGROUND: Kerion is a severe type of tinea capitis that is difficult to treat and remains a public health problem. OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the epidemiologic features and efficacy of different treatment schemes from real-world experience. METHODS: From 2019 to 2021, 316 patients diagnosed with kerion at 32 tertiary Chinese hospitals were enrolled. We analysed the data of each patient, including clinical characteristics, causative pathogens, treatments and outcomes. RESULTS: Preschool children were predominantly affected and were more likely to have zoophilic infection. The most common pathogen in China was Microsporum canis. Atopic dermatitis (AD), animal contact, endothrix infection and geophilic pathogens were linked with kerion occurrence. In terms of treatment, itraconazole was the most applied antifungal agent and reduced the time to mycological cure. A total of 22.5% of patients received systemic glucocorticoids simultaneously, which reduced the time to complete symptom relief. Furthermore, glucocorticoids combined with itraconazole had better treatment efficacy, with a higher rate and shorter time to achieving mycological cure. CONCLUSIONS: Kerion often affects preschoolers and leads to serious sequelae, with AD, animal contact, and endothrix infection as potential risk factors. Glucocorticoids, especially those combined with itraconazole, had better treatment efficacy.

The carbohydrate metabolism and expression of carbohydrate-active enzyme genes in Aspergillus luchuensis fermentation of tea leaves.

Introduction: Carbohydrates, which make up 20 to 25% of tea beverages, are responsible for their flavor and bioactivity. Carbohydrates of pu-erh tea change during microbial fermentation and require further research. In this study, we examined the carbohydrate metabolism and expression of carbohydrate-active enzyme genes during the fermentation of tea leaves with Aspergillus luchuensis. Methods: Widely targeted metabolomics analysis, high-performance anion-exchange chromatography measurements, and transcriptomics were used in this study. Results: After fermentation, the levels of soluble sugar, hemicellulose, lignin, eight monosaccharides, and seven sugar alcohols increased. Meanwhile, the relative contents of polysaccharides, D-sorbitol, D-glucose, and cellulose decreased. High expression of 40 genes encoding 16 carbohydrate enzymes was observed during fermentation (FPKM>10). These genes encode L-iditol 2-dehydrogenase, pectinesterase, polygalacturonase, α-amylase, glucoamylase, endoglucanase, ß-glucosidase, ß-galactosidase, α-galactosidase, α-glucosidase, and glucose-6-phosphate isomerase, among others. Discussion: These enzymes are known to break down polysaccharides and cell wall cellulose, increasing the content of monosaccharides and soluble sugars.

A Destructive Midfacial Mass in a Middle-Aged Man.

A 43-year-old man presented with a destructive mass on the nose, with multiple areas of erosion, ulcers, and exudate covering the mass. Histological examination showed polymorphous lymphocytic infiltration in the full-thickness dermis. What is your diagnosis?

Effects of social-ecological risk factors and resilience on the relationship between metabolic metrics and mental health among young adults.

The correlation between metabolic metrics and mental health remains underexplored, with few in-depth studies examining whether this association exists among college students and whether it might be moderated by socio-ecological risk factors (SERFs) and mediated by resilience. A follow-up study design investigated the association between baseline metabolic metrics, SERFs and resilience and mental health. A multivariable linear regression model using the PROCESS method established the relationship of SERFs, resilience and metabolic metrics with mental health. Participants were 794 adolescents (mean age: 18.64 [±0.90] years). In multivariable linear regression, the high-level SERFs (ß = 0.124), resilience (ß = -0.042), LCI (ß = 0.072), and RFM (ß = 0.145) were associated with higher depression symptoms, while CVH (ß = 0.602), TyG (ß = 0.295), TyG-BMI (ß = 0.004), and RC (ß = -0.041) were not. An association was also observed between SERFs, resilience, RFM and anxiety. Resilience mediated the relationship between metabolic metrics and depression and anxiety, and SERFs moderated this relationship, demonstrating the relationship between resilience, metabolic metrics, SERFs and mental health. By revealing the potential sociological mechanism underlying the relationship between metabolic metrics and adolescents' mental health, this study provides a theoretical basis for further exploration of the biological foundations of mental health.

Chemical composition and antioxidant activity of Polygonatum kingianum processed by the traditional method of "Nine Cycles of Steaming and Sun-Drying".

Polygonatum kingianum Coll. et (Hemsl) is a famous Chinese traditional food and medicine analogous plant. The rhizome of P. kingianum showed a decrease in levels of alkaloids, amino acids and derivatives, terpenoids, and an increase in organic acid and saccharides when it was processed by the traditional method of "Nine Cycles of Steaming and Sun-Drying". The relative content of 341 metabolites were increased (fold change, FC > 2; variable importance in projection, VIP > 1 and P-value, P < 0.05); while 456 metabolites were decreased (FC < 0.5, VIP > 1, and P < 0.05). The changes in chemical components result in a decrease in numb taste and an increase in sweetness. The increased antioxidant activity was observed in the processed samples. Together, this work has advanced the mechanism of reducing numb taste and enhancing antioxidant activity in the resource plants, such as P. kingianum, processed by the traditional method.

Systematic evaluation of vertebral bone quality score as an opportunistic screening method for BMD in spine surgery patients.

PURPOSE: This study aimed to evaluate and compare the predictive value of vertebral bone quality (VBQ) score for low BMD and osteoporosis. Furthermore, we sought to enhance diagnostic effectiveness by integrating VBQ with easily accessible patient-specific factors. METHODS: We retrospectively analyzed data from 180 patients. VBQ was obtained by preoperative MRI. Low BMD was classified as meeting the standards for either osteopenia or osteoporosis. The receiver operating characteristic curve analysis and multivariate logistic regression were used to detect the ability of variables to assess BMD. The z-test was used to compare the area under the curves of different variables. RESULTS: VBQ was more effective in identifying low BMD than osteoporosis (AUC, 0.768 vs. 0.613, p = 0.02). Elevated VBQ (OR 6.912, 95% CI 2.72-17.6) and low BMI (0.858, 0.76-0.97) were risk factors for low BMD, while the risk factor for osteoporosis was age (1.067, 1.02-1.12), not VBQ. ROC analysis showed that AUCs were 0.613 for VBQ and 0.665 for age when screening for osteoporosis. The combined variable of VBQ, sex, age, and BMI obtained by logistic regression significantly improved the efficacy of BMD screening, with an AUC of 0.824 for low BMD and 0.733 for osteoporosis. CONCLUSION: VBQ is better at detecting low BMD than identifying osteoporosis. The ability of VBQ to predict osteoporosis is limited, and a similar diagnostic efficacy can be achieved with age. Incorporating VBQ alongside demographic data enhances the efficiency of BMD assessment. With the development of artificial intelligence in medicine, this simple method is promising.

Successful treatment of recalcitrant generalized pustular psoriasis of pregnancy with spesolimab.

Generalized pustular psoriasis (GPP) in pregnancy can lead to severe complications for both mother and fetus. The treatment of this disease is challenging, especially in recalcitrant and severe cases. Until present, there are no evidence-based guidelines for the treatment of GPP in pregnancy. Spesolimab, a human monoclonal antibody against the IL-36 receptor, has recently attracted attention as a new therapy for GPP flare. This biologic provides rapid and sustained control of symptoms of GPP flare, although its use in pregnant women has not been reported to date. Here, we report a pregnant woman with refractory GPP who did not respond well to systemic steroids. Administration of spesolimab resulted in complete control of the disease and the birth of a healthy baby. Our case demonstrates that IL-36RN inhibitors are a potentially effective and safe treatment option for GPP in pregnancy.

Comparison of dermoscopic characteristics on toenail onychomycosis in psoriatic and non-psoriatic patients: A prospective study.

BACKGROUND: Psoriatic patients may experience the coexistence of onychomycosis (OM). However, the evaluation of OM in psoriatics has been hindered by potential clinical differences from OM in non-psoriatics. OBJECTIVE: To assess and compare dermoscopic features between toenail OM in psoriatic and in non-psoriatic patients. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Between September 2020 and September 2023, dermoscopy was conducted on 183 affected toenails by OM in psoriatics and 232 affected toenails by OM in non-psoriatics in two centres. The dermoscopic characteristics were compared using the Chi-squared test. RESULTS: Among toenail OM cases in psoriatic subjects, the most prevalent dermoscopic features included pitting (147/183, 80.33%) and subungual hyperkeratosis (118/183, 64.48%). Conversely, toenail OM in non-psoriatics was characterized by subungual hyperkeratosis (175/232, 75.43%) and nail spikes (139/232, 59.91%). Comparative analysis revealed a significantly higher occurrence of pitting (80.33% vs. 15.96%, p < .001), periungual telangiectasis (22.40% vs. 4.74%, p < .001), oil patches (12.57% vs. 0.43%,p < .001) and transverse grooves (43.72% vs. 28.45%,p < .01) in toenail OM in psoriatics. Furthermore, toenail OM in psoriatics exhibited a significantly lower frequency of yellow structureless area (13.11% vs. 42.67%, p < .001), nail spikes (43.17% vs. 59.91%, p < .01), ruin appearance of sulphur nugget (8.20% vs. 31.03%, p < .001), dotted/blocky haemorrhage (6.01% vs. 20.69%,p < .001) and partial onycholysis (32.79% vs. 46.98%, p < .01). CONCLUSIONS: Dermoscopic features of toenail OM in psoriatic and non-psoriatic patients exhibit notable differences. OM in psoriatics shows a higher frequency of pitting and periungual telangiectasis, while a lower frequency of yellow structureless areas and nail spikes under dermoscopy.

Isolation of triazole-resistant Aspergillus fumigatus harbouring cyp51A mutations from five patients with invasive pulmonary aspergillosis in Yunnan, China.

Invasive aspergillosis (IA) is the most severe type of Aspergillus infection. Yunnan has developed agriculture, and the proportion of triazole-resistant A. fumigatus induced by triazole fungicides is much higher than that in other regions of China. Inhalation of triazole-resistant A. fumigatus is one of the main factors inducing IA. We gathered five strains of A. fumigatus from the sputum or bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) of patients with IA in Yunnan. Subsequent testing showed that all of these strains were resistant to triazoles and harboured mutations in the tandem repeat sequence of the cyp51A promoter region, suggesting that they may be triazole-resistant A. fumigatus present in the environment.

Continuous selenite biotransformation and biofuel production by marine diatom in the presence of fulvic acid.

In this study, the biochemical response of Phaeodactylum tricornutum to varying concentrations of inorganic selenium (Se) was investigated. It was observed that, when combined with fulvic acid, P. tricornutum exhibited enhanced uptake and biotransformation of inorganic Se, as well as increased microalgal lipid biosynthesis. Notably, when subjected to moderate (5 and 10 mg/L) and high (20 and 40 mg/L) concentrations of selenite under fulvic acid treatment, there was a discernible redirection of carbon flux towards lipogenesis and protein biosynthesis from carbohydrates. In addition, the key parameters of microalgae-based biofuels aligned with the necessary criteria outlined in biofuel regulations. Furthermore, the Se removal capabilities of P. tricornutum, assisted by fulvic acid, were coupled with the accumulation of substantial amounts of organic Se, specifically SeCys. These findings present a viable and successful approach to establish a microalgae-based system for Se uptake and biotransformation.

[－75 G/A Polymorphism of Apolipoprotein A1 Gene Promoter Region in Normal Pregnant Women and Patients With Gestational Diabetes Mellitus]. / æ­£å¸¸å­•å¦‡åŠå¦Šå¨ ç³–å°¿ç— æ‚£è€ apoA1åŸºå› å¯åŠ¨å­åŒºï¼75 G/Aå¤šæ€æ€§çš„ç ”ç©¶.

Objective: To investigate the －75 G/A single-nucleotide polymorphism in the promoter region of apolipoprotein A1 gene (apoA1) and its association with gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) in pregnant women and to provide references for the exploration in the molecular genetic basis of GDM. Methods: A total of 626 GDM patients and 1022 normal pregnant women, ie, the controls, were included in the study. The genotyping of apoA1 －75 G/A polymorphism was performed by polymerase chain reaction and restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) analysis. Total cholesterol (TC), triglycerides (TG), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), and glucose (Glu) were measured by enzymatic methods. Plasma insulin (INS) was measured by chemiluminescence immunoassay. The protein levels of apoA1 and apoB were measured by the turbidimetric immunoassay. Results: Allele frequencies of G and A were 0.718 and 0.282 in the GDM group and 0.713 and 0.287 in the control group, respectively. Distribution of the genotype frequencies was found to be in Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium in both the GDM and control groups. There was no significant difference in the frequencies of alleles G and A and the genotypes of apoA1 －75 G/A polymorphism between the GDM and the control group (P>0.05). In the GDM group, the carriers with the genotype AA were associated with significantly higher levels of TC, HDL-C, and apoA1 than those with genotypes GG and GA did (all P<0.05). After the GDM patients were divided into obese and non-obese subgroups, the genotype-related apoA1 variation was observed only in obese patients, while the genotype-related TC and HDL-C variations were evident in non-obese patients (P<0.05). In the control group, carriers of genotypes AA and GA had higher systolic blood pressure (SBP) and HDL-C than the carriers of genotype GG did (all P<0.05). Carriers of genotypes AA had significantly lower Glu levels than carriers of genotypes GG and GA did (P<0.05). The control subjects were further divided into subgroups according to their body mass index (BMI). Analysis of the subgroups showed that AA carriers were associated with higher SBP levels in the obese control women only, while lower Glu levels were evident in both obese and non-obese control women. Conclusion: These results suggest that －75 G/A polymorphism in the apoA1 gene is not associated with GDM. However, the genetic variation is closed associated with the plasma apoA1, HDL-C, and TC levels in GDM patients and plasma HDL-C, Glu, and SBP levels in the control subjects. The apoA1 variant-associated lipids and SBP variation is BMI dependent in both groups.

Enhanced impact of psoriasis severity on the treatment demands of patients during the COVID-19 pandemic: a cross-sectional study based on a national psoriasis registry in China.

OBJECTIVES: The personalised treatment demands of patients with psoriasis did not get significant attention during the pandemic lockdown. This study aimed to investigate the treatment demands of patients with psoriasis with different severities, stratified by COVID-19 pandemic conditions. DESIGN: Cross-sectional study design. SETTING: Multicentre study based on a national psoriasis registry in China. PARTICIPANTS: A total of 22 425 adult patients with psoriasis were enrolled between August 2020 and September 2021. PRIMARY AND SECONDARY OUTCOME MEASURES: The primary outcomes were patient demands for quick healing of skin lesions and improving mental health, which were collected by questionnaires. Multivariable logistic models were used to examine the impact of disease severity, as measured by Psoriasis Area and Severity Index (PASI), body surface area (BSA) and Investigator's Global Assessment (IGA), on treatment demands, as stratified by COVID-19 pandemic conditions (lockdown vs non-lockdown). RESULTS: Increasing PASI score significantly increased patient demands for rapid healing of skin lesions and improving mental health during non-lockdown periods. The magnitude of both associations further increased during the COVID-19 lockdown from an OR of 1.45 (95% CI 1.27 to 1.65) to 2.19 (95% CI 1.57 to 3.05) and 2.21 (95% CI 2.03 to 2.40) to 2.82 (95% CI 2.24 to 3.55), respectively. The skin lesion healing demand was more triggered by the overall irritation level (measured by IGA, OR 1.64, 95% CI 1.35 to 1.99 during non-lockdown periods vs OR 2.70, 95% CI 1.63 to 4.49 during lockdowns), while the mental health improving demand was more triggered by lesion coverage (measured by BSA, OR 2.01, 95% CI 1.85 to 2.19 vs OR 3.27, 95% CI 2.57 to 4.15). CONCLUSIONS: Psoriasis aggravation significantly increased patients' treatment demands, especially during lockdowns. The used psoriasis severity measures highlighted patients' treatment demands differently. This suggests more accessible and personalised healthcare for patients with psoriasis should be available during future pandemics.

The causal relationship between 25-hydroxyvitamin D and serum lipids levels: A bidirectional two-sample mendelian randomization study.

Serum vitamin D levels were linked to lipid metabolism in observational studies, but the exact mechanism was unclear. Several studies have attempted to decipher the relationship between 25(OH)D and lipid levels. Conventional observational studies are vulnerable to confounding. Mendelian randomization (MR) analysis can better control for confounding factors and reverse causality, allowing for the inference of causal association. We, therefore, sought to use MR to investigate the possible causal relationship between 25(OH)D and blood lipid levels (HDL cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, triglycerides, and total cholesterol). A bidirectional two-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) was performed on data primarily from European ancestors. In addition, the potential causal effect of lipids on 25(OH)D was assessed by regressor-based multivariate magnetic resonance (MVMR). The single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) related to 25(OH)D were selected from a large-scale genome-wide association study (GWAS) database named IEU GWAS, and the SNPs associated with the four blood lipids were chosen from UK Biobank (UKB) lipid GWAS. When blood lipids were the outcome, the results of bidirectional two-sample MR demonstrated that 25(OH)D exhibited a negative causal association with TG, TC, and LDL-C: ß = - 0.23, 95% CI = -0.28 to -0.19, P<0.001; ß = - 0.16, 95% CI: - 0.30 to-0.03, P < 0.05; ß = - 0.11, 95% CI: - 0.23 to 0, P < 0.05. There was no causal relationship between 25(OH)D and HDL-C (ß = 0.05, 95% CI: - 0.11 to 0.20, P = 0.56). When setting blood lipids as exposure, TG and 25(OH)D, ß = -0.13, 95% CI: - 0.15 to -0.10, P < 0.05; TC and 25(OH)D, ß = -0.11, 95% CI: - 0.15 to -0.07, P < 0.05; HDL-C and 25(OH)D, ß = 0.02, 95% CI: 0 to 0.03, P = 0.07; LDL-C and 25(OH)D, ß = -0.08, 95% CI: - 0.11 to -0.05, P < 0.05). Our MVMR study also showed a significant relationship between genetically determined lipid traits and 25(OH)D levels (TG and 25(OH)D, P < 0.05; TC and 25(OH)D, P < 0.05). In all MR analyses, there was no horizontal pleiotropy (all P > 0.05), or statistical heterogeneity. The "Leave-one-out" sensitivity analysis confirmed the stability of our results. MR Studies have shown a bidirectional causal relationship between genetically-determined 25(OH)D levels and serum TG and TC levels. The findings have potential implications for etiological understanding and disease prevention.