Enhancing dark fermentative hydrogen production from wheat straw through synergistic effects of active electric fields and enzymatic hydrolysis pretreatment.

Hydrogen, a clean and sustainable energy source, faces challenges from energy-intensive pre-processing technologies. This study explores the synergistic enhancement of active electric fields on enzymolysis of wheat straw and hydrogen production through dark fermentation. The active electric field enzymolysis system improved the adsorption capacity of wheat straw to cellulase, increasing cellulase activity by 18.0 %, causing a 39.1 % increase in reducing sugar content. In the active fermentation system, Clostridium_sensu_stricto_1 activity was enhanced in the first stage, increasing hydrogenase activity by 23.0 %, prolonging the first hydrogen production peak. Elevated reducing sugars were observed in the second stage, with Prevotella_9 and Bacteroides becoming the dominant hydrogen-producing bacteria in the third stage, leading to a second hydrogen production peak. Overall, cumulative hydrogen production was enhanced by 50.9 % compared to the control. The synergistic pretreatment with an active electric field and cellulase provides a novel approach for efficiently utilizing wheat straw.

Employing Bidirectional Two-Sample Mendelian Randomization Analysis to Verify the Potential of Polyunsaturated Fatty Acid Levels in the Prevention of Pancreatic Cancer.

Polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs), specifically Omega-3 (FAω3) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), have been studied for their potential role in modulating pancreatic cancer (PC) risk. Although observational studies suggest a beneficial effect in reducing this risk, their findings are often limited by confounding variables and issues of reverse causation. This study used a two-way two-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) method to test the hypothesized genetic causal relationship between PUFAs and PC risk. Data from an extensive genome-wide association study (GWAS) were analyzed, focusing on FAω3 and FAω6 levels, their ratios, and DHA as variables and PC incidence as outcomes. This relationship was comprehensively evaluated using related MR methods, such as inverse variance weighting (IVW), MR Egger, and weighted median (WM). This study finds a significant negative correlation between FAω3 and DHA levels and PC risk, while FAω6 levels show no significant correlation. Interestingly, the ratio of FAω6 to FAω3 was positively associated with increased risk of PC. Neither the MR Egger nor the MR-PRESSO tests detected significant pleiotropy, nor did the Cochrane's Q test show significant heterogeneity. Leave-one-out analyzes further confirmed the robustness of these results. Using MR analysis of two samples, this study provides genetic causal evidence that FAω3 and DHA levels reduce the risk of PC, whereas the ratio of FAω6 to FAω3 increases the risk of PC. These insights highlight the potential utility of supplementing FAω3 and DHA or altering PUFAs in developing PC prevention strategies.

Deep learning-enhanced snapshot hyperspectral confocal microscopy imaging system.

Laser-scanning confocal hyperspectral microscopy is a powerful technique to identify the different sample constituents and their spatial distribution in three-dimensional (3D). However, it suffers from low imaging speed because of the mechanical scanning methods. To overcome this challenge, we propose a snapshot hyperspectral confocal microscopy imaging system (SHCMS). It combined coded illumination microscopy based on a digital micromirror device (DMD) with a snapshot hyperspectral confocal neural network (SHCNet) to realize single-shot confocal hyperspectral imaging. With SHCMS, high-contrast 160-bands confocal hyperspectral images of potato tuber autofluorescence can be collected by only single-shot, which is almost 5 times improvement in the number of spectral channels than previously reported methods. Moreover, our approach can efficiently record hyperspectral volumetric imaging due to the optical sectioning capability. This fast high-resolution hyperspectral imaging method may pave the way for real-time highly multiplexed biological imaging.

Advancing two-stage hydrogen production from corn stover via dark fermentation: Contributions of thermally modified maifanite to microbial proliferation and pH self-regulation.

This study introduces a two-stage hydrogen production enhancement mechanism using natural particle additives, with a focus on the effects of thermally modified maifanite (TMM) and pH self-regulation on dark fermentation (DF). Initial single-factor experiments identified preliminary parameters for the addition of TMM, which were further optimized using a Box-Behnken design. The established optimal conditions which include mass of 5.5 g, particle size of 120 mesh, and temperature of 324 °C, resulted in a 28.7 % increase in cumulative hydrogen yield (CHY). During the primary hydrogen production stage, TMM significantly boosted the growth and activity of Clostridium_sensu_stricto_1, enhancing hydrogen output. Additionally, a pH self-regulating phenomenon was observed, capable of initiating secondary hydrogen production and further augmenting CHY. These findings presented a novel and efficient approach for optimizing biohydrogen production, offering significant implications for future research and application in sustainable energy technologies.

AudioGest: Gesture-based Interaction for Virtual Reality using Audio Devices.

Current virtual reality (VR) system takes gesture interaction based on camera, handle and touch screen as one of the mainstream interaction methods, which can provide accurate gesture input for it. However, limited by application forms and the volume of devices, these methods cannot extend the interaction area to such surfaces as walls and tables. To address the above challenge, we propose AudioGest, a portable, plug-and-play system that detects the audio signal generated by finger tapping and sliding on the surface through a set of microphone devices without extensive calibration. First, an audio synthesis-recognition pipeline based on micro-contact dynamics simulation is constructed to generate modal audio synthesis from different materials and physical properties. Then the accuracy and effectiveness of the synthetic audio are verified by mixing the synthetic audio with real audio proportionally as the training sets. Finally, a series of desktop office applications are developed to demonstrate the application potential of AudioGest's scalability and versatility in VR scenarios.

Hexagonal Lattices of HIV Capsid Proteins Explored by Simulations Based on a Thermodynamically Consistent Model.

HIV capsid proteins (CAs) may self-assemble into a variety of shapes under in vivo and in vitro conditions. Here, we employed simulations based on a residue-level coarse-grained (CG) model with full conformational flexibility to investigate hexagonal lattices, which are the underlying structural pattern for CA aggregations. Facilitated by enhanced sampling simulations to rigorously calculate CA dimerization and polymerization affinities, we calibrated our model to reproduce the experimentally measured affinities. Using the calibrated model, we performed unbiased simulations on several large systems consisting of 1512 CA subunits, allowing reversible binding and unbinding of the CAs in a thermodynamically consistent manner. In one simulation, a preassembled hexagonal CA sheet developed spontaneous curvatures reminiscent of those observed in experiments, and the edges of the sheet exhibited local curvatures larger than those of the interior. In other simulations starting with randomly distributed CAs at different concentrations, existing CA assemblies grew by binding free capsomeres to the edges and by merging with other assemblies. At high CA concentrations, rapid establishment of predominant aggregates was followed by much slower adjustments toward more regular hexagonal lattices, with increasing numbers of intact CA hexamers and pentamers being formed. Our approach of adapting a general CG model to specific systems by using experimental binding data represents a practical and effective strategy for simulating and elucidating intricate protein aggregations.

Natural and anthropogenic dissolved organic matter in landfill leachate: Composition, transformation, and their coexistence characteristics.

A large number of natural and anthropogenic wastes were landfilled, and dissolved organic matter (DOM) were formed during landfill. However, the composition, transformation, and coexistence characteristics of natural and anthropogenic DOM in leachate remain unclear. Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry, size exclusion chromatography, gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry, and three-dimensional excitation-emission matrix spectrum were employed to clarify comprehensively the abovementioned question. The results showed that natural DOM in young leachate constituted mainly straight-chain organic acids, protein substances, and building blocks of humic substances (BB). Straight-chain organic acids vanished in old leachates, and the concentration of protein substances and BB decreased from 44% to 26% and from 47% to 12%, respectively, while CHON and CHONS were degraded to CHO and CHOS during the process. As to anthropogenic DOM, its types and relative content in leachate increased during landfill, and aromatic acids, terpenes, halogenated organics, indoles, and phenols became the main organic components in old leachate. Compared to natural DOM, anthropogenic DOM was degraded slowly and accumulated in leachate, and some of the natural DOM facilitated the dechlorination of dichlorinated organic compounds. This study demonstrates that landfill led to an increase in humic substances and halogenated organic compounds in old leachate, which was intensified with concentrated leachate recirculation.

AutoUnmix: an autoencoder-based spectral unmixing method for multi-color fluorescence microscopy imaging.

Multiplexed fluorescence microscopy imaging is widely used in biomedical applications. However, simultaneous imaging of multiple fluorophores can result in spectral leaks and overlapping, which greatly degrades image quality and subsequent analysis. Existing popular spectral unmixing methods are mainly based on computational intensive linear models, and the performance is heavily dependent on the reference spectra, which may greatly preclude its further applications. In this paper, we propose a deep learning-based blindly spectral unmixing method, termed AutoUnmix, to imitate the physical spectral mixing process. A transfer learning framework is further devised to allow our AutoUnmix to adapt to a variety of imaging systems without retraining the network. Our proposed method has demonstrated real-time unmixing capabilities, surpassing existing methods by up to 100-fold in terms of unmixing speed. We further validate the reconstruction performance on both synthetic datasets and biological samples. The unmixing results of AutoUnmix achieve the highest SSIM of 0.99 in both three- and four-color imaging, with nearly up to 20% higher than other popular unmixing methods. For experiments where spectral profiles and morphology are akin to simulated data, our method realizes the quantitative performance demonstrated above. Due to the desirable property of data independency and superior blind unmixing performance, we believe AutoUnmix is a powerful tool for studying the interaction process of different organelles labeled by multiple fluorophores.

Thermally modified tourmaline enhances hydrogen production by influencing hydrolysis acidification in two stages during dark fermentation of corn stover.

This study investigated the influence of thermally modified tourmaline (Tur) on hydrogen production during the dark fermentation of corn stover. Single-factor experimental results revealed influencing factors of particle size, mass, and temperature. Optimization of the experimental process was achieved using the Box-Behnken design, reaching optimum at conditions of 407 °C, 910-mesh, and 6.2 g. The principle analysis experiment showed that the Tur-enhanced group (Tur_En) amplified cumulative hydrogen production by elevating hydrogen production during the sugar-production stage. The Tur_En group's cumulative hydrogen production was measured at 396.2 ± 40.3 (mL/g VS), marking a 34.2% increase compared to the control group. Analysis of microbial diversity indicated that Firmicutes and Bacteroidota emerged as dominant colonies in both stages. Tur facilitated hydrogen production by stimulating the activity of Firmicutes. This study suggests a highly effective Tur-enhanced technology for hydrogen production from corn stover and elucidates the principles underpinning this method from two stages.

Detection of Alternaria alternata infection in winter jujubes based on optical properties and their correlation with internal quality parameters during storage.

In this work, a single integrating sphere system was applied to characterize the optical absorption (µa) and reduced scattering (µs') properties (550 - 1050 nm) in winter jujube flesh infected by Alternaria alternata during storage at 4 and 20 °C, respectively. Meanwhile, physical (L*, a*, weight loss) and biochemical characteristics (soluble solids content, titratable acids, chlorophyll, total phenolic, and ascorbic acid) of winter jujubes were measured. Among them, chlorophyll, weight loss and ascorbic acid were highly correlated with µa at 680 nm, 690 nm, while chlorophyll and a* had the best correlations with µs' at 700 - 920 nm. These optimal optical properties were proved efficiently contributed to the disease detection of winter jujubes after 12 days at 4 °C and 3 days at 20 °C during storage, with satisfactory discrimination accuracies (acc > 93.75 %). Consequently, optical properties in Vis-NIR region were available to detect the postharvest disease in winter jujubes.

Impact of mechanical ventilation control strategies based on non-steady-state and steady-state Wells-Riley models on airborne transmission and building energy consumption.

Ventilation is an effective solution for improving indoor air quality and reducing airborne transmission. Buildings need sufficient ventilation to maintain a low infection risk but also need to avoid an excessive ventilation rate, which may lead to high energy consumption. The Wells-Riley (WR) model is widely used to predict infection risk and control the ventilation rate. However, few studies compared the non-steady-state (NSS) and steady-state (SS) WR models that are used for ventilation control. To fill in this research gap, this study investigates the effects of the mechanical ventilation control strategies based on NSS/SS WR models on the required ventilation rates to prevent airborne transmission and related energy consumption. The modified NSS/SS WR models were proposed by considering many parameters that were ignored before, such as the initial quantum concentration. Based on the NSS/SS WR models, two new ventilation control strategies were proposed. A real building in Canada is used as the case study. The results indicate that under a high initial quantum concentration (e.g., 0.3 q/m3) and no protective measures, SS WR control underestimates the required ventilation rate. The ventilation energy consumption of NSS control is up to 2.5 times as high as that of the SS control.

An unprecedented fully reduced {MoV 60} polyoxometalate: from an all-inorganic molecular light-absorber model to improved photoelectronic performance.

Fully reduced polyoxometalates are predicted to give rise to a broad and strong absorption spectrum, suitable energy levels, and unparalleled electronic and optical properties. However, they are not available to date. Here, an unprecedented fully reduced polyoxomolybdate cluster, namely Na8[MoV 60O140(OH)28]·19H2O {MoV 60}, was successfully designed and obtained under hydrothermal conditions, which is rare and is the largest fully reduced polyoxometalate reported so far. The MoV 60 molecule describes one Keggin {ε-Mo12} encapsulated in an unprecedented {Mo24} cage, giving rise to a double truncated tetrahedron quasi-nesting architecture, which is further face-capped by another four {Mo6} tripods. Its crystalline stability in air, solvent tolerance, and photosensitivity were all shown. As a cheap and robust molecular light-absorber model possessing wide light absorption, MoV 60 was applied to build a co-sensitized solar cell photoelectronic device along with N719 dyes and the optimal power conversion efficiency was 28% higher than that of single-dye sensitization. These results show that MoV 60 polyoxometalate could serve as an ideal model for the design and synthesis of all-inorganic molecular light-absorbers for other light-driven processes in the future.

Tourmaline enhanced methane yield via regulating microbial metabolic balance during anaerobic co-digestion of corn stover and cow manure.

This work performed a pilot-scale study on the effects of the substrate ratio, the concentration of tourmaline (Tur), and its high-temperature thermally modified (HTM) material on the anaerobic co-digestion of corn stover (CS) and cow manure (CM). The experimental results showed that the CH4 yield was higher at a corn stover -to- cow manure feeding ratio of 2:1. The cumulative CH4 yield increased by 22.76% and 8.31% at a concentration of tourmaline of 2.0 g/L and a tourmaline treatment temperature of 400 °C respectively. Microbial diversity analysis revealed that adding low doses of tourmaline regulated the distribution of microorganisms and that Methanobacteria became the dominant methanogenic archaea in the fermentation broth. This work clarified the effect of the concentration of tourmaline on gas production by anaerobic co-digestion from the perspective of the microbial metabolic balance and suggested the possibility of its application on a larger scale.

Dynamics of Proliferation and Differentiation after Transplantation of Hematopoietic Cells in Mouse / 中国实验血液学杂志

OBJECTIVE@#To observe the dynamic changes of hematopoietic reconstitution and multiple lineages differentiation at early phase after transplantation.@*METHODS@#Whole bone marrow mononuclear cells (wBMMNC, 5×10) and enriched c-Kit hematopoietic stem/progenitor cells (HSPC, 3×10) from the BM of B6-Ly5.1 mice were transplanted into lethally irradiated B6-Ly5.2 mice, the frequencies and absolute numbers of donor-derived cells (including LKS and LKS) were detected by flow cytometry. The multiple lineages differentiation of donor-derived cells was also monitored by flow cytometry. The homing and early phase proliferations of donor-derived cells were observed by two-photon microscope.@*RESULTS@#The donor-derived cells started to proliferation from 5-7 days after transplantation and reached the peak value at 2-3 weeks after wBMMNC transplantation. The donor-derived cells proliferated from 1-2 weeks and maintained until 4 weeks after c-kitHSPC transplantation. At 1 week after transplantation, the donor-derived cells mainly differentiated into myeloid cells with a few lymphoid cells production (B cells) but the production of T cells was not observed at most in wBMMNC transplanted group, while myeloid cells occupied the majority of donor-derived cells at 2-4 weeks; donor-derived cells almost totally differentiated into myeloid cells at 1-3 weeks after transplantation in c-Kit transplanted group and donor-derived B cells appeared at 4 weeks. The absolute number of donor-derived LKS and LKS cells in the BM of c-Kit transplanted group were much higher than that of wBMMNC group (P＜0.001) at 2 weeks respectively. The clustering proliferation of cKit cells at 4-5 days after transplantation was observed by two photon microscope.@*CONCLUSION@#The dynamical rate of proliferation and reconstitution of donor-derived cells are much earlier and quicker in c-Kit group than those of wBMMNC group. c-Kit cells mainly differentiate into myeloid cells within 1-3 weeks and the lymphoid cell differentiation starts at 4 weeks after transplantation. The immediate proliferation and differentiation of c-Kit cells within 1 week maybe due to the urgent needs of hematopoietic regeneration under the myeloablated hosts.

Study on research cooperation based on published scientific papers from hospital / 中华医学科研管理杂志

Objective The internationalization of modern scientific research and its high degree of complexity have showed the importance of scientific research cooperation.How to promote cooperation more effectively is an important research topic.Methods This article analyzes the research cooperation of Institute of Hematology & Blood Diseases Hospital Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences during the past 12 years.Results Scientific research cooperation is a big trigger for the output of papers,especially high-level output,international and native institutions' cross-cooperation can be used as an important way for expanding scientific research cooperation and provides a reference for decision-making.Conclusions Strengthen the awareness of cooperation,increasing scientific research funding,establishing common and hot research directions and constructing highlevel platform can expand scientific research cooperation.

ATF3 promotes migration and M1/M2 polarization of macrophages by activating tenascin­C via Wnt/ß­catenin pathway.

There are different polarization states of macrophages, including the classically activated M1 phenotype and the alternatively activated M2 phenotype. These have different functions in the inflammation process. Activating transcription factor 3 (ATF3) is a key transcriptional regulator that inhibits the inflammatory response. However, the effects of ATF3 on migration and anti­inflammatory control mechanisms of macrophages have not been thoroughly investigated. The present study investigated the effect of ATF3 on macrophage migration and M1/M2 polarization. Results revealed that overexpression of ATF3 promoted macrophage migration and the expression of the M2 phenotype markers [cluster of differentiation (CD) 163, mannose receptor C type 1, arginase 1 and peroxisome proliferator­activated receptor γ] and inhibited expression of the M1 phenotype markers (monocyte chemoattractant protein­1, inducible nitric oxide synthase, CD16 and tumor necrosis factor­α), whereas knockdown of ATF3 resulted in a contrary effect. In addition, the wingless­type MMTV integration site family member (Wnt)/ß­catenin signaling pathway was activated and the expression level of tenascin (TNC) was significantly upregulated by overexpression of ATF3. Additionally, inhibition of Wnt/ß­catenin signaling significantly attenuated the upregulatory effect of ATF3 on TNC. Finally, the effect of ATF3 on macrophage migration and markers of the M1 or M2 state was investigated using TNC­specific siRNA. In conclusion, the results of the present study suggested that ATF3 promotes macrophage migration and reverses M1­polarized macrophages to the M2 phenotype by upregulation of TNC via the Wnt/ß­catenin signaling pathway.

Parameter Optimization for Interaction between C-Terminal Domains of HIV-1 Capsid Protein.

HIV-1 capsid proteins (CAs) assemble into a capsid that encloses the viral RNA. The binding between a pair of C-terminal domains (CTDs) constitutes a major interface in both the CA dimers and the large CA assemblies. Here, we attempt to use a general residue-level coarse-grained model to describe the interaction between two isolated CTDs in Monte Carlo simulations. With the standard parameters that depend only on the residue types, the model predicts a much weaker binding in comparison to the experiments. Detailed analysis reveals that some Lennard-Jones parameters are not compatible with the experimental CTD dimer structure, thus resulting in an unfavorable interaction energy. To improve the model for the CTD binding, we introduce ad hoc modifications to a small number of Lennard-Jones parameters for some specific pairs of residues at the binding interface. Through a series of extensive Monte Carlo simulations, we identify the optimal parameters for the CTD-CTD interactions. With the refined model parameters, both the binding affinity (with a dissociation constant of 13 ± 2 µM) and the binding mode are in good agreement with the experimental data. This study demonstrates that the general interaction model based on the Lennard-Jones potential, with some modest adjustment of the parameters for key residues, could correctly reproduce the reversible protein binding, thus potentially applicable for simulating the thermodynamics of the CA assemblies.

An image guided small animal stereotactic radiotherapy system.

Small animal radiotherapy studies should be performed preferably on irradiators capable of focal tumor irradiation and healthy tissue sparing. In this study, an image guided small animal arc radiation treatment system (iSMAART) was developed which can achieve highly precise radiation targeting through the utilization of onboard cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) guidance. The iSMAART employs a unique imaging and radiation geometry where animals are positioned upright. It consists of a stationary x-ray tube, a stationary flat panel detector, and a rotatable and translational animal stage. System performance was evaluated in regards to imaging, image guidance, animal positioning, and radiation targeting using phantoms and tumor bearing animals. The onboard CBCT achieved good signal, contrast, and sub-millimeter spatial resolution. The iodine contrast CBCT accurately delineated orthotopic prostate tumors. Animal positioning was evaluated with ~0.3 mm vertical displacement along superior-inferior direction. The overall targeting precision was within 0.4 mm. Stereotactic radiation beams conformal to tumor targets can be precisely delivered from multiple angles surrounding the animal. The iSMAART allows radiobiology labs to utilize an image guided precision radiation technique that can focally irradiate tumors while sparing healthy tissues at an affordable cost.

Physiological regulation of hematopoietic stem cell and its molecular basis / 生理学报

As a classical type of tissue stem cells, hematopoietic stem cell (HSC) is the earliest discovered and has been widely applied in the clinic as a great successful example for stem cell therapy. Thus, HSC research represents a leading field in stem cell biology and regenerative medicine. Self-renewal, differentiation, quiescence, apoptosis and trafficking constitute major characteristics of functional HSCs. These characteristics also signify different dynamic states of HSC through physiological interactions with the microenvironment cues in vivo. This review covers our current knowledge on the physiological regulation of HSC and its underlying molecular mechanisms. It is our hope that this review will not only help our colleagues to understand how HSC is physiologically regulated but also serve as a good reference for the studies on stem cell and regenerative medicine in general.

Effects of Yinchenhao decoction on self-regulation of renin-angiotensin system by targeting angiotensin converting enzyme 2 in bile duct-ligated rat liver / 华中科技大学学报（医学）（英德文版）

In order to investigate whether Yinchenhao decoction (YCHD) attenuates hepatic fibrogenesis in the bile duct ligation (BDL) model via recovering and restoring the self-regulation and balance of the renin-angiotensin system (RAS), 33 specific-pathogen-free (SPF) male Sprague-Dawley rats with common BDL and scission were randomly divided into five groups as follows: G1, the sham group (n=4); G2, BDL 7-day group (n=5); G3, BDL+YCHD 430 mg/mL (n=8); G4, BDL+losartan 0.65 mg/mL (ARB group, n=8); G5, model group (BDL without any treatment, n=8). YCHD and losartan (10 mL·kg(-1)·day(-1)) were given by gastric gavage for 16 days following BDL in G3 and G4 groups, respectively. The effect of YCHD on liver fibrosis and the detailed molecular mechanisms were assessed by liver function including total bilirubin (TBIL), direct bilirubin (DBIL), indirect bilirubin (IDBIL), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), and aspartate aminotransferase (AST). Histological changes were observed by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and Masson trichrome staining. Western blotting was used to detect the protein expression level of the renin-angiotensin system (RAS) components including angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE), angiotensin II type 1 receptor (AT1R), ACE2, angiotensin II (AngII) as well as transforming growth factor β1 (TGFβ1). The experimental data were analyzed by principle component analytical method of pattern recognition. The results showed that biochemically, serum TBIL, DBIL, IDBIL, ALT and AST levels were markedly increased following BDL as compared with the sham group (P<0.05). Serum TBIL, IDBIL and DBIL levels in G3 group were dramatically decreased as compared with G5 and G4 groups (P<0.05). Serum AST level in G3 was significantly lowered than in G5 group (P<0.05), but there was no significant difference in ALT among G3, G4 and G5 groups (P>0.05). Histologically, livers in G3 group showed less hepatocytes necrosis, less bile duct hyperplasia and less collagen formation than in G4 and G5 groups. The protein expression levels of ACE2, ACE, AngII, AT1R and TGFβ1 in G2, G3 and G4 groups were significantly higher than in sham group (P<0.05), and lower than in G5 group (P<0.05). However, the differences among G2, G3 and G4 groups were not significant (P>0.05). ACE2 protein expression in G3 group was significantly higher than in G2 group (P<0.05) and there was no significant difference in comparison with G4 group (P>0.05). Moreover, the protein expression of TGFβ1 in G3 group was significantly lower than in G5 and G4 groups (P<0.05). Our findings suggest that the antifibrotic effects of YCHD may be associated with the decreased classical RAS pathway components and TGFβ1 downexpression so as to recover and rebuild self-regulation of the RAS by elevating the protein expression of ACE2.