Metabolic profile of Phellodendron amurense Rupr. in vivo of rat and its metabolomic study on intervention in rheumatoid arthritis.

To analyze the metabolites (blood, urine and feces) in normal rats after intragastric administration of the decoction of Phellodendri Amurensis Cortex (PAC) and to map the metabolic profile of PAC in vivo of rat; meanwhile, to evaluate the anti-rheumatoid arthritis (RA) effect of PAC by blood metabolomics technique and to explore its mechanism. Performing on UPLC-Q-TOF-MS technology with a Waters ACQUITY UPLC BEH-C18 column (100 mm × 2.1 mm, 1.7 µm), the mobile phase was acetonitrile-0.1% formic acid aqueous solution (gradient elution). Prior to and following the administration of the decoction of PAC, the samples of blood, urine, and fecal were collected from the rats, in the positive ion mode, pharmacogenic metabolites in each biological sample were identified according to the accurate mass, fragment ions, retention time, metabolic reaction type, comparison of reference substance and retrieval of Pub Med database; The adjuvant-type arthritis (AA) rat model was established, and blood metabonomics method was used to study the improvement effect of rheumatoid arthritis after drug intervention with PAC, and its mechanism was preliminarily explored through analysis of metabolic pathway. A total of 72 exogenous components were identified, including 17 prototype components and 55 metabolites; 14 biomarkers were screened by blood metabolomics techniques combined with multivariate statistical analysis, and PAC significantly improved symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis in rats, and the metabolic pathway analysis mainly involves 5 metabolic pathways. The components in the aqueous decoction of PAC mainly undergo phase I metabolic reactions in rats, such as oxidation, reduction, dehydrogenation, demethylation, and phase II metabolic reactions, such as acetylation, glucuronidation, methylation; PAC has anti-rheumatoid arthritis effects, and its mechanism of action may be related to biosynthesis of aminoacyl-tRNA, metabolism of phenylalanine, metabolism of tryptophan, degradation of valine, leucine and isoleucine and biosynthesis of pantothenic acid and coenzyme A, providing a scientific basis for the study of the pharmacodynamic substances and the action mechanism of PAC against RA.

Renal Hypodysplasia/Aplasia 3 Caused by a Rare Variant of GREB1L With Incomplete Penetrance in a Chinese Family.

Renal agenesis represents the most severe form of congenital anomalies of the kidney and urinary tract. Bilateral renal agenesis is almost invariably fatal at birth and has high genetic heterogeneity. Here we report on a Chinese family with two pregnancies affected by a prenatal form of bilateral renal agenesis. Trio-WES was conducted to explore the underlying genetic cause and identified a novel nonsense variant (c .2621G>A: p. Trp874Ter) in the GREB1L gene. Based on previous research, pathogenic mutations in GREB1L can cause renal hypodysplasia/aplasia-3 (RHDA3) with autosomal dominant inheritance. Sanger sequencing performed on the family members revealed that the variant was vertically transmitted from the maternal grandfather through the unaffected mother to the two affected fetuses, fully demonstrating the incomplete dominance of the disease. Our study extends the mutational spectrum associated with RHDA3 and contributes to a more general understanding for the complex genetic inheritance of GREB1L.

Foliar spraying of Zn/Si affects Cd accumulation in paddy grains by regulating the remobilization and transport of Cd in vegetative organs.

The reduction of cadmium (Cd) accumulation in rice grains through biofortification of essential nutrients like zinc (Zn) and silicon (Si) is an area of study that has gained significant attention. However, there is limited understanding of the mechanism of Zn/Si interaction on Cd accumulation and remobilization in rice plants. This work used a pot experiment to examine the effects of Zn and Si applied singly or in combination on the physiological metabolism of Cd in different rice organs under Cd stress. The results revealed that: Zn/Si application led to a significant decrease in root Cd concentration and reduce the value of Tf Soil-Root in filling stage. The content of phytochelatin (PCs, particularly PC2) and glutathione (GSH) in roots, top and basal nodes were increased with Zn/Si treatment application. Furthermore, Zn/Si treatment promoted the distribution of Cd in cell wall during Cd stress. These findings suggest that Zn/Si application facilitates the compartmentalization of Cd within subcellular structures and enhances PCs production in vegetative organs, thereby reducing Cd remobilization. Zn/Si treatment upregulated the metabolism of amino acid components involved in osmotic regulation, secondary metabolite synthesis, and plant chelating peptide synthesis in vegetative organs. Additionally, it significantly decreased the accumulation of Cd in globulin, albumin, and glutelin, resulting in an average reduction of 50.87% in Cd concentration in milled rice. These results indicate that Zn/Si nutrition plays a crucial role in mitigating heavy metal stress and improving the nutritional quality of rice by regulating protein composition and coordinating amino acid metabolism balance.

Effects of different phosphorus fertilizers on cadmium absorption and accumulation in rice under low-phosphorus and rich-cadmium soil.

Rice is the main food crops with the higher capacity for cadmium (Cd) uptake, necessitating the urgent need for remediation measures to address Cd in paddy soil. Reasonable agronomic methods are convenient and favorable for fixing the issue. In this study, a pot experiment was employed to evaluate the effects of two foliar (NaH2PO4, SDP; KH2PO4, PDP) and two solid phosphate fertilizers (double-superphosphate, DSP; calcium-magnesium phosphate, CMP) on uptake and remobilization of Cd in rice plants under the low-P and rich-Cd soil. The results revealed that these four phosphorus fertilizer significantly down-regulated the relative expression of OsNRAMP5 involved in Cd absorption, while up-regulated OsPCS1 expression and increased distribution of Cd into the cell wall in roots. Furthermore, phosphorus fertilizer resulted in a significant decrease in the relative expression of OsLCT1 in stems and OsLCD in leaves, decreased the transfer factor of Cd from shoots to grains, and ulterior reduced the Cd accumulation in three protein components of globulin, albumin, and glutelin, making the average Cd concentration of brown rice decreased by 82.96%. These results comprehensively indicate that in situations with similar soil backgrounds, the recommended application of solid CMP and foliar PDP can alleviate the toxicity of Cd by reducing its absorption and remobilization.

Suppression of Dehydrofluorination Reactions of a Li0.33La0.557TiO3-Nanofiber-Dispersed Poly(vinylidene fluoride-co-hexafluoropropylene) Electrolyte for Quasi-Solid-State Lithium-Metal Batteries by a Fluorine-Rich Succinonitrile Interlayer.

Solid-state lithium-metal batteries have great potential to simultaneously achieve high safety and high energy density for energy storage. However, the low ionic conductivity of the solid electrolyte and large electrode/electrolyte interfacial impedance are bottlenecks. A composite solid electrolyte (CSE) that integrates electrospun Li0.33La0.557TiO3 (LLTO) nanofibers, poly(vinylidene fluoride-co-hexafluoropropylene) (PVDF-HFP), and lithium bis(trifluoromethanesulfonyl)imide (LiTFSI) is fabricated in this work. The effects of the LLTO filler fraction and morphology (spherical vs fibrous) on CSE conductivity are examined. Additionally, a fluorine-rich interlayer based on succinonitrile, fluoroethylene carbonate, and LiTFSI, denoted as succinonitrile interlayer (SNI), is developed to reduce the large interfacial impedance. The use of SNI rather than a conventional ester-based interlayer (EBI) effectively decreases the Li//CSE interfacial resistance and suppresses unfavorable interfacial side reactions. The LiF- and CFx-rich solid electrolyte interphase (SEI), derived from SNI, on the Li metal electrode, mitigates the accumulation of dead Li and excessive SEI. Importantly, dehydrofluorination reactions of PVDF-HFP are significantly reduced by the introduction of SNI. A symmetric Li//CSE//Li cell with SNI exhibits a much longer cycle life than that of an EBI counterpart. A Li//CSE@SNI//LiFePO4 cell shows specific capacities of 150 and 112 mAh g-1 at 0.1 and 2 C (based on LiFePO4), respectively. After 100 charge-discharge cycles, 98% of the initial capacity is retained.

Alleviating effects of zinc and 24-epibrassionlide on cadmium accumulation in rice plants under nitrogen application.

Heavy metals such as cadmium (Cd) in farmland soil not only affect crop production, but also endanger human health through the food chain. Rice is the main food crop with the strongest ability to absorb Cd, remediation techniques to reduce soil uptake and grain accumulation of Cd are urgently required, for which the application of foliar spraying seems to be a convenient and auspicious method. This study clarified the effects of nitrogen (N), zinc (Zn), 24-epibrassionlide (EBL) and their combined application on the growth performance and physiological characteristics of Cd and Zn in rice plants under Cd stress. Experimental results showed that N and its combination with Zn, EBL treatments promoted rice growth and yield, especially raised the yield level by 81.12% under N + EBL treatment. Additionally, three EBL treatments (EBL, N + EBL, Zn + EBL) significantly reduced the TF values of Cd in TF stems-grains, TF leaves-grains and TF glumes-grains by 42.70%, 43.67% and 50.33%, while the EF soil-roots under Zn and N + Zn treatments was the lowest, which decreased by 55.39% and 57.71%, respectively. Further, the application of N, Zn, EBL and their combined treatments significantly increased glutathione (GSH) and phytochelatins (PCs) content as well as enhanced Cd distribute into cell walls of rice shoots and roots by 15.18% and 13.20%, respectively. In addition, N, Zn, EBL and their combined application increased Zn concentration, free amino acid and glutelin content, and decreased the Cd accumulation in albumin, glutelin and globulin, thus lowered Cd concentration in grains by 27.55%, 58.29% and 51.56%, respectively. These results comprehensive suggest that the possibility of N management combined with Zn or EBL application for maintaining high yield and alleviating Cd stress by regulating the absorption and remobilization process under mild stress.

The value of prenatal magnetic resonance imaging and postnatal follow-up using Gesell Developmental Schedules score for mild-to-moderate simple bilateral fetal ventriculomegaly.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the relationship of mild-to-moderate simple bilateral fetal ventriculomegaly with postnatal neurological development. METHODS: Cases of simple lateral ventricular dilatation (273) were divided into bilateral mild dilatation (10.0-12.0 mm, 62), bilateral moderate dilatation (12.1-15.0 mm, 29), unilateral mild dilatation (133), and unilateral moderate dilatation (49) groups. The control group comprised 50 normal fetuses. Neurological development was assessed using Gesell Developmental Schedules (GDS) at postnatal 3, 6, 12, and 18 months. RESULTS: At postnatal 6, 12, and 18 months, the GDS score was higher for bilateral than for unilateral dilatation (p < .05). At postnatal 3 and 6 months, the GDS score was higher for the bilateral dilatation groups than for the control group (p < .05). At postnatal 6, 12, and 18 months, the GDS score was higher for the bilateral moderate dilatation group than for the unilateral moderate dilatation group (p < .05). Further, at postnatal 3, 6, 12, and 18 months, the GDS score was higher for the bilateral moderate dilatation group than for the control group (p < .05). CONCLUSION: At postnatal month 6, the GDS evaluation results of the bilateral dilatation groups were significantly inferior compared to those of the unilateral dilatation group.

Development of Crystalline Cu2S Nanowires via a Direct Synthesis Process and Its Potential Applications.

Large-scale and uniform copper(I) sulfide (Cu2S) nanowires have been successfully synthesized via a cheap, fast, easily handled, and environmentally friendly approach. In addition to the reductive properties of the biomolecule-assisted method, they also have a strong shape- or size-directing functionality in the reaction process. The field-emission properties of the Cu2S nanowires in a vacuum were studied by the Folwer-Nordheim (F-N) theory. The Cu2S nanowires have a low turn-on field at 1.19 V/µm and a high enhancement factor (ß) of 19,381. The photocatalytic degradation of Cu2S nanowires was investigated by the change in the concentrations of rhodamine B (RhB) under UV illumination. These outstanding results of Cu2S nanowires indicate that they will be developed as good candidates as electron field emitters and chemical photocatalysts in future nanoelectronic devices.

Associations of Promoter Methylations and mRNA Expressions of MMP-2, MMP-7 and MMP-9 with Primary Fallopian Tube Carcinoma.

OBJECTIVE: To explore the associations of matrix metalloprotease-2 (MMP-2), MMP-7 and MMP-9 methylations and messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA) expressions with primary fallopian tube carcinoma (PFTC) development and prognosis. METHODS: We recruited 48 patients with PFTC into the case group and 48 healthy individuals into the control group; PFTC tissues and normal fallopian tube tissues were obtained from subjects in both groups. Methylation specific polymerase chain reaction (PCR), reverse transcription PCR and the immunohistochemical method were used to examine methylation, mRNA expressions and protein expressions of MMP-2, MMP-7 and MMP-9, respectively. RESULTS: The methylation rates of MMP-2, MMP-7 and MMP-9 in the case group were significantly lower than those in the control group (all p < 0.05); MMP-2, MMP-7 and MMP-9 protein and mRNA expressions of PFTC tissues were enormously higher than those of normal tissues (all p < 0.05); univariate survival analysis indicated that MMP-2 and MMP-9 methylations and their protein expressions were associated with PFTC prognosis (all p < 0.05), which was further confirmed by the Cox regression model (all p < 0.05). CONCLUSION: The protein and mRNA expressions of MMP-2, MMP-7 and MMP-9 might be related to PFTC, while the methylations and protein expressions of MMP-2 and MMP-9 might be associated with PFTC progression and prognosis.