Tuning polar discrimination between side chains to improve the performance of anion exchange membranes.

Anion exchange membranes (AEMs) are the heart of alkaline fuel cells and water electrolysis, and have made a great progress in recent years. However, AEMs are still unable to satisfy the needs of high conductivity and stability, hindering their widespread commercialization. Side chain regulations have been widely used to prepare highly conductive and durable AEMs. Here, we construct a series of polyaromatic AEMs grafted with fluorinated cation side chains and cation-free alkyl chains with different end groups to explore the polar discrimination of side chains on membrane performance. This work demonstrates that AEMs grafting the cation side chains with superhydrophobic fluorine pendent and alkyl side chains with hydrophilic pendent enhance water content and ion conductivity. This is due to the strong immiscibility between the hydrophilic and hydrophobic head groups which promotes the establishments of microphase separation and ion highways. Specifically, poly(binaphthyl-co-terphenyl piperidinium) containing fluorinated piperidinium side chains and alkyl chains with methoxy pendent (QBNTP-QFM) possesses a satisficed OH- conductivity (170.6 mS cm-1 at 80 °C) and can tolerate 5 M hot NaOH for 2100 h with only 3.4 % conductivity loss. Expectedly, the single cell with QBNTP-QFM yields a prominent maximum power density of 1.62 W cm-2 and the water electrolysis cell with QBNTP-QFM achieves a pronounced current density of 3.0 A cm-2 at 1.8 V, both cells also display a prominent durability for 120 h operation. The results prove that this side chain optimization can improve ion conductivity and is a promising method for AEM development.

Relationship between ruminative thinking, life events and learning value doubt among junior high school students / 中国学校卫生

Objective@#To explore the mediating effect of rumination between life events and learning value doubt among junior high school students, so as to provide reference for the psychological health education of junior high school students.@*Methods@#From March to July 2023, a total of 930 junior high school students from Guangdong, Jiangsu and Hebei were selected by a combination of convenient sampling methods. Participants completed the Scales of Value of Learning (SVL), Ruminative Response scale (RRS) and Adolescent Self rating Life Events Checklist (ASLEC). The t test and ANOVA were used for inter group comparisons and Pearson correlation analysis was used for correlation analysis and bootstrap method was used for mediating effect test.@*Results@#The life events of junior middle school students were positively correlated with learning value doubt ( r =0.18), rumination ( r = 0.65 ) and its three dimensions (brooding, reflective pondering, and symptom focused rumination) ( r =0.60, 0.59, 0.66). Learning value doubt was positively correlated with rumination ( r =0.15) and its three dimensions ( r =0.07, 0.13, 0.19) ( P <0.05).The symptom focused rumination (effect size=0.09, 95% CI =0.06-0.11) and brooding (effect size=-0.07, 95% CI =-0.09--0.04) dimensions partially mediated the relationship between life events and learning value doubt. In the two influential pathways, symptom focused rumination exerts a stronger impact, and the difference was statistically significant (effect size=0.15, 95% CI =0.11- 0.20 , excluding 0) ( P <0.05).@*Conclusions@#Life events experienced by junior high school students can positively predict learning value doubt through symptom focused rumination, and negatively predict learning value doubt through brooding. Active attention should be paid to the mental health status of junior high school students, intervene promptly when they experience life events, reduce symptom based rumination, and improve their learning enthusiasm.

Antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anticancer function of Engleromyces goetzei Henn aqueous extract on human intestinal Caco-2 cells treated with t-BHP.

High body mass index (high BMI, obesity) is a serious public health problem, and "obesity-induced oxidative stress, inflammation, and cancer" have become modern epidemic diseases. We carried out this study to explore a functional beverage that may protect against obesity-induced diseases. The Engleromyces goetzei Henn herbal tea is such a candidate. For this study, we carried out LC-MS analysis of E. goetzei Henn aqueous extract (EgH-AE); then used the Caco-2 cell line for the model cells and treated the cells with t-BHP to form an oxidative stress system. An MTT assay was used for testing the biocompatibility and cytoprotective effects; reactive oxygen species and malondialdehyde determination was used for evaluating the antioxidative stress effect; TNF-α and IL-1ß were used for observing the anti-inflammatory effect, and 8-OHdG for monitoring anticancer activity. The results of this study demonstrate that the EgH-AE has very good biocompatibility with the Caco-2 cell line and has good cytoprotective, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anticancer properties. It is clear that EgH-AE, a kind of ancient herbal tea, may be used to develop a functional beverage that can be given to people with a high BMI to protect against obesity-induced diseases.

Semi-interpenetrating anion exchange membranes using hydrophobic microporous linear poly(ether ketone).

In order to realise high ionic conductivity and improved chemical stability, a series of anion exchange membranes (AEMs) with semi-interpenetrating polymer network (sIPN) has been prepared via the incorporation of crosslinked poly(biphenyl N-methylpiperidine) (PBP) and spirobisindane-based intrinsically microporous poly(ether ketone) (PEK-SBI). The formation of phase separated structures as a result of the incompatibility between the hydrophilic PBP network and the hydrophobic PEK-SBI segment, has successfully promoted the hydroxide ion conductivity of AEMs. A swelling ratio (SR) as low as 12.2 % at 80 °C was recorded for the sIPN containing hydrophobic PEK-SBI as the linear polymer and crosslinked structure with a mass ratio of PBP to PEK-SBI of 90/10 (sIPN-90/10(PEK-SBI)). The sIPN-90/10(PEK-SBI) AEM achieved the highest hydroxide ion conductivity of 122.4 mS cm-1 at 80 °C and a recorded ion exchange capacity (IEC) of 2.26 meq g-1. Atomic force microscopy (AFM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) clearly revealed the improved phase separation structure of sIPN-90/10(PEK-SBI). N2 adsorption isotherm indicated that the Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) surface area of the AEMs increased with the increase of microporous PEK-SBI content. Interestingly, the sIPN-90/10(PEK-SBI) AEM showed good alkaline stability for being able to maintain a conductivity of 94.7 % despite being soaked in a 1 M sodium hydroxide solution at 80 °C for 30 days. Meanwhile, a peak power density of 481 mW cm-2 can be achieved by the hydrogen/oxygen single cell using sIPN-90/10(PEK-SBI) as the AEM.

Effects of long-time needle retaining at Baihui(GV20)on post-stroke cognitive impairment / 针灸推拿医学（英文版）

Objective:To observe the clinical efficacy of long-time needle retaining at Baihui(GV20)on post-stroke cognitive impairment(PSCI)and its effects on the cognitive ability and living ability of the patients.Methods:A total of 62 PSCI patients were divided into a control group and an observation group by the random number table method,with 31 cases in each group.The control group was treated with routine treatment for stroke in the recovery period plus cognitive training.The observation group received additional acupuncture at Baihui(GV20)with long-time needle retaining based on the same intervention in the control group.The Montreal cognitive assessment(MoCA)was used to evaluate the cognitive ability of patients.The activities of daily living(ADL)scale was used to evaluate the living ability of patients.And the mini-mental state examination(MMSE)scale was used to evaluate the mental state,concentration,language,and abstraction cognition of patients.After 4 weeks,the curative efficacy was observed,and the scores of cognitive level,living ability,mental state and concentration,language,and abstraction understanding ability were compared between the two groups.Results:During the trial,1 patient in each group dropped out due to personal reasons and was unable to continue the treatment.After 4 weeks of treatment,the total effective rate was 83.3%in the observation group and 66.7%in the control group,and the difference between the two groups was statistically significant(P<0.05);the scores of MoCA,ADL,and MMSE,and scores of concentration,language ability,and abstraction understanding ability were all increased,and were statistically different from those before treatment in each group(P<0.05);the scores in the observation group were all higher than those in the control group,and the differences between the groups were statistically significant(P<0.05).Conclusion:On the basis of routine treatment and cognitive training,the clinical efficacy of additional acupuncture at Baihui(GV20)with long-time needle retaining in the treatment of PSCI is better than that of routine treatment plus cognitive training;the treatment can better improve the cognitive function and mental state of patients,and improve their living ability.

Association between plasma uric acid and hypertension and the gender difference in community-dwelling middle-aged and elderly population / 中华全科医师杂志

Objective:To investigate the association between plasma uric acid and hypertension and the gender difference in community-dwelling middle-aged and elderly population.Methods:A community-based cross-sectional study was conducted in Beijing Tongzhou Yongshun Community Health Service Center from June to December 2021, among residents aged 45 years or older selected by cluster sampling method. According to plasma uric acid (UA) level in quartiles, the subjects were divided into 4 groups; and stratified by gender, the subjects were further divided into subgroups. Multivariate logistic regression model was used to analyze the related factors of hypertension, and restricted cubic spline fitting logistic regression model was used to analyze the nonlinear association between uric acid and hypertension and the cut-off values of uric acid.Results:A total of 6 229 residents with the age of (63.2±7.3) years were enrolled in the study. In 1 874 male participants (30.1%), 946 participants (50.5%) had hypertension, and the uric acid level was 359 (309, 418)μmol/L; in 4 355 female participants (69.9%), 2 003 participants (46.0%) had hypertension, and the uric acid level was 306 (261, 359)μmol/L. Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that after adjusting for factors that were statistically significant in univariate analyses or potentially clinically relevant (including age, body mass index, diabetes mellitus, coronary heart disease, cerebrovascular disease, albumin, estimated glomerular filtration rate, and cholesterol), uric acid was independently associated with hypertension ( P<0.001), for total participants the risk of hypertension in Q4 group was 1.33 times of that in Q1 group ( OR=1.33,95% CI 1.13-1.56, P=0.001); while for females the risk of hypertension in Q4 group was 1.38 times of that in Q1 group ( OR=1.38,95% CI 1.13-1.68, P=0.002), but no significant association was observed for males ( P>0.05). The results of restricted cubic spline fitting logistic regression analysis showed that there was a linear association between uric acid level and hypertension in the total population and males, and the risk of hypertension increased with uric acid level ( P<0.001 for the total population, P=0.016 for male). However, there was a non-linear association in females. When uric acid>307 μmol/L in females, the risk of hypertension increased significantly as the level of uric acid increased ( P<0.001). Conclusions:Uric acid level was independently associated with hypertension in the community-dwelling middle-aged and elderly population, and there was a gender difference in the correlation. The association was nonlinear in females and the cut-off value of uric acid in females was 307 μmol/L.

Research progress on central neurotoxicity mechanism and prevention of trimethyltin chloride / 中国药理学通报

Trimethyltin chloride is a highly toxic by-product produced during the process of synthesizing polyvinyl chloride plastics. It has specially central neurotoxicity, which is mainly manifested as inducing the death of neurons in human and animal central nervous system, especially hippocampal neurons. TMT poisoning can cause seizures, diarrhea, learning and memory impairment and other clinical manifestations, and even coma or death in severe cases. In order to better understand the role of TMT neurotoxicity in central nerve system, this paper reviews the research progress on both the molecular mechanism and therapeutic drugs of central neurotoxicity caused by TMT, thereby providing new ideas for the prevention and treatment of TMT-in-duced neurotoxicity.

Histamine H / 中国药理学通报

Aim To determine the effect of histamine H

Research Progress on the Application of Intervention Mapping in Tertiary Prevention of Cancer / 中国医学科学院学报

Intervention mapping (IM) is a framework for formulating theory-and evidence-based health education projects with participatory approaches from ecological perspectives.The intervention program designed via IM plays a role in reducing the exposure of cancer risk factors,increasing cancer prevention behaviors,and promoting early cancer screening and rehabilitation of cancer patients.This study summarizes the characteristics,implementation steps,and application status of IM in tertiary prevention of cancer,aiming to provide reference for the application of IM in the health education projects for cancer in China.

A scientific 24 hour movement behavior guideline for the implementation of the "double reduction" policy / 中国学校卫生

Abstract@#As the compositional nature of "constant sum" of physical activity, sedentary behavior and sleep are widely recognized, the methodological and result limitations of previous studies that considered physical activity, sedentary behavior, or sleep as independent influences on physical fitness and health have been highlighted. At present,physical activity guidelines of various countries have shifted from local recommendations based on physical activity amount to global recommendations based on 24 h time frame. From the perspective of time use, the content of daily schedule of children and adolescents also has the attribute of "constant sum" of compositional data, and the reduction of students homework burden and extracurricular discipline training after "double reduction" inevitably means an increase in the time allocated to other activities. From the perspective of time use, the paper focuses on physical fitness and health promotion strategies in the context of "double reduction".

Protective effects of taurine on learning and memory impairment after exposure to formaldehyde and benzene analogues in young rats / 环境与职业医学

Background Formaldehyde and benzene homologues are common environmental pollutants, and their neurotoxicity has aroused widespread concern. Objective To investigate the effect of taurine on cognitive impairment after exposure to formaldehyde and benzene analogues in young rats. Methods Twenty four-week old SD rats were randomly divided into four groups, with six rats in each group: control group (clean air), model group (5 mg·m−3 formaldehyde + 5 mg·m−3 benzene + 10 mg·m−3 toluene + 10 mg·m−3 xylene), low-dose taurine intervention group (5 g·L−1 taurine + mixture of formaldehyde and benzene analogues), and high-dose taurine intervention group (10 g·L−1 taurine + formaldehyde and mixture of benzene analogues), and the exposure was administered by oral and nasal aerosol inhalation for 28 d. At the end of exposure, the learning and memory ability of rats in each group was measured by Morris water maze test. After the behavioral test, the rats were anesthetized and neutralized, and the brain tissue was harvested for histopathological and molecular biological tests. The apoptosis rate of neurons in hippocampal CA1 area was detected by Tunel assay, and the expression levels of apoptosis-related proteins such as caspase 3, bax, and bcl-2 in hippocampal tissue were detected by Western blotting. Results The growth and development of rats in each group were good during inhalation. During the Morris water maze experiment, the escape latencies of rats in the taurine intervention groups were not different from that in the control group (P>0.05) from day 3 to day 5 of training, while the escape latency of rats in the model group was significantly higher than that in the control group (P <0.05). The number of crossing platform and the target quadrant residence time in the high-dose taurine intervention group were not different from those in the control group (P>0.05), while the two variables in the model group and low-dose taurine intervention group were significantly lower than those in the control group (P <0.05). The apoptotic rates of neurons in the hippocampal CA1 area of rats in the control group, model group, and low-dose and high-dose taurine intervention groups were 5.11%, 18.87%, 9.39%, and 4.63%, respectively. The apoptotic rate in the model group was higher than those in the control group and low-dose and high-dose taurine intervention groups (P<0.05). The expression levels of caspase 3, bax, and bcl-2 in the hippocampus of rats in the low-dose and high-dose taurine intervention groups showed no difference compared with the control group (P>0.05). The expression levels of caspase 3 and bax in the model group were higher than those in the control group and low-dose or high-dose taurine intervention groups (P<0.05), and the expression levels of bcl-2 was lower (P<0.05). Conclusion The mixed exposure to formaldehyde and benzene analogues can damage the learning and memory ability of young rats, and increase the apoptosis of neurons in hippocampal CA1 region. Taurine can reverse the damage induced by formaldehyde and benzene analogues.

IL-33 gene recombination and expression does not affect the phenotypic characteristics of rabies virus in vitro / 细胞与分子免疫学杂志

Objective To create a recombinant rabies virus overexpressing IL-33 and to clarify the effect of IL-33 overexpression on the phenotypic characteristics of recombinant virus in vitro. Methods The IL-33 gene was obtained and amplified from the brain of a highly virulent strain of rabies infected mouse. It was then inserted between the G and L genes of the parental virus LBNSE genome by reversing genetic manipulation and rescuing a recombinant virus overexpressing IL-33. BSR cells or mouse NA cells were infected with recombinant rabies virus (rLBNSE-IL33) and the parental strain LBNSE. Sequencing and fluorescent antibody virus neutralization assay was employed to detect the stability of recombinant virus at multiplicity of infection=0.01. Viral titres focal forming units (FFU) were detected to plot multi-step growth curves (multiplicity of infection=0.01). Cytotoxicity assay kit was used to detect cellular activity. ELISA was adopted to identify the IL-33 in the supernatant of infected cells of different multiplicity of infection. Results Rescued rLBNSE-IL33 overexpressing IL-33 remained stable for at least 10 consecutive generations and had virus titers of approximately 108 FFU/mL. rLBNSE-IL33 was able to express IL-33 at high levels in a dose-dependent manner, but no high expression of IL-33 was detected in the supernatant of cells infected by LBNSE. Examination of the titers of rLBNSE-IL33 and the parental strain LBNSE in BSR and NA cells over 5 days showed no significant differences and similar kinetic properties in growth. Overexpression of IL-33 had no significant effect on the proliferation and activity of infected cells. Conclusion Overexpression of IL-33 does not significantly affect the phenotypic characteristics of recombinant rabies virus in vitro.

Mechanism of Liuwei Dihuang Pills in treatment of mice with diminished ovarian reserve based on proteomics / 中国中药杂志

This study aims to investigate the efficacy and possible mechanism of Liuwei Dihuang Pills in the treatment of diminished ovarian reserve(DOR) by using proteomic techniques. Firstly, cyclophosphamide(60 mg·kg~(-1)) combined with busulfan(6 mg·kg~(-1)) was injected intraperitoneally to establish the mouse model of DOR. After drug injection, the mice were continuously observed and the success of modeling was evaluated by the disturbance of the estrous cycle. After successful modeling, the mice were administrated with the suspension of Liuwei Dihuang Pills by gavage for 28 days. At the end of the gavage, four female mice were selected and caged together with males at a ratio of 2∶1 for the determination of the pregnancy rate. Blood and ovary samples were collected from the remaining mice on the next day after the end of gavage. Hematoxylin-eosin(HE) staining and transmission electron microscopy(TEM) were then employed to observe the morphological and ultrastructural changes in the ovaries. The serum levels of hormones and oxidation indicators were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Quantitative proteomics techniques were used to compare the ovarian protein expression before and after modeling and before and after the intervention with Liuwei Dihuang Pills. The results showed that Liuwei Dihuang Pills regulated the estrous cycle of DOR mice, elevated the serum levels of hormones and anti-oxidation indicators, promoted follicle development, protected the mitochondrial morphology of ovarian granulosa cells, and increased the litter size and survival of DOR mice. Furthermore, Liuwei Dihuang Pills negatively regulated the expression of 12 differentially expressed proteins associated with DOR, which were mainly involved in lipid catabolism, inflammatory response, immune regulation, and coenzyme biosynthesis. These differentially expressed proteins were significantly enriched in sphingolipid metabolism, arachidonic acid metabolism, ribosomes, ferroptosis, and cGMP-PKG signaling pathway. In summary, the occurrence of DOR and the treatment of DOR with Liuwei Dihuang Pills are associated with multiple biological pathways, mainly including oxidative stress response, inflammatory response, and immune regulation. "Mitochondria-oxidative stress-apoptosis" is the key to the treatment of DOR by Liuwei Dihuang Pills. YY1 and CYP4F3 may be the key upstream targets that trigger mitochondrial dysfunction and ROS accumulation, and the metabolism of arachidonic acid is the main signaling pathway of drug action.

Global burden and trends of lung cancer incidence and mortality / 中华医学杂志(英文版)

BACKGROUND@#Lung cancer has been the leading cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide for many years. This study aimed to investigate the global patterns and trends of lung cancer.@*METHODS@#Lung cancer incidence and mortality were derived from the GLOBOCAN 2020 database. Continuous data from Cancer Incidence in Five Continents Time Trends were used to analyze the temporal trends from 2000 to 2012 using Joinpoint regression, and average annual percent changes were calculated. The association between the Human Development Index and lung cancer incidence and mortality was assessed by linear regression.@*RESULTS@#An estimated 2.2 million new lung cancer cases and 1.8 million lung cancer-related deaths occurred in 2020. The age-standardized incidence rate (ASIR) ranged from 36.8 per 100,000 in Demark to 5.9 per 100,000 in Mexico. The age-standardized mortality rate (ASMR) varied from 32.8 per 100,000 in Poland to 4.9 per 100,000 in Mexico. Both ASIR and ASMR were approximately twice higher in men than in women. The ASIR of lung cancer showed a downward trend in the United States of America (USA) between 2000 and 2012, and was more prominent in men. The age-specific incidence rates of lung cancer for ages of 50 to 59 years showed an upward trend in China for both men and women.@*CONCLUSIONS@#The burden of lung cancer is still unsatisfactory, especially in developing countries like China. Considering the effectiveness of tobacco control and screening in developed countries, such as the USA, there is a need to strengthen health education, accelerate the establishment of tobacco control policies and regulations, and improve early cancer screening awareness to reduce the future burden of lung cancer.

Analysis on the trends of incidence and age change for global female breast cancer / 中华肿瘤杂志

Objective: To analyze the trends of incidence and age change for global female breast cancer in different regions of the world according to the database from Cancer Incidence in Five Continents Time Trends (CI5plus) published by the International Association of Cancer Registries (IACR). Methods: The recorded annual female breast cancer (ICD-10: C50) incidence data and corresponding population at-risk data (1998-2012) were extracted from CI5plus published by IACR. The annual change percentage and average annual change percentage (AAPC) were calculated to examine the trends of incidence. The age-standardized mean age at diagnosis and proportion of incidence cases by age were calculated to analyze the relationship between incidence and age. Results: For crude incidence, except in Northern America, all other regions showed an upward trend, with Asia showing the most obvious upward trend (AAPC: 4.1%, 95% CI: 3.9%, 4.3%). For age-standardized incidence, in Asia, Latin America and Europe, the rising trends had slowed down, in Oceania and Africa, the trends began to be stable, and in Northern America, the trend showed a downward trend (APPC: -0.6%; 95% CI: -1.0%, -0.1%). The mean age at diagnosis were increased from 1998 to 2012 in Asia, Latin America, Oceania and Europe, with an annual increase of 0.12 years, 0.09 years, 0.04 years and 0.03 years, respectively. But after age-standardized, only Europe still kept increasing year by year, with an annual increase of 0.02 years, while Northern America showed a decreasing trend, with an annual decrease of about 0.03 years. Conclusions: From 1998 to 2012, the trends of incidence and age change for global female breast cancer vary in different regions of the world, and the global population aging is widespread, which affects the trend of the actual age change. Prevention and control strategies should be targeted at different age groups in different regions.

Topotecan reduces sepsis-induced acute lung injury and decreases the inflammatory response via the inhibition of the NF-κB signaling pathway.

This study aims to determine the function of topotecan (TPT) in acute lung injury (ALI) induced by sepsis. The mouse sepsis model was constructed through cecal ligation and puncture (CLP). The ALI score and lung wet/dry (W/D) weight ratio were applied to evaluate the level of lung injury. Hematoxylin-eosin staining was used to examine the role of TPT in lung tissue in a CLP-induced ALI mouse model. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction were used to detect the concentrations of inflammatory factors, such as interleukin-6 (IL-6), IL-1ß, and tumor necrosis factor-α. Western blot was used to detect relevant protein levels in the nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) pathway. Moreover, 10-day survival was recorded by constructing the CLP model. The results indicated that TPT could improve lung tissue damage in mice and could significantly reduce lung injury scores (p < 0.01) and the W/D ratio (p < 0.05). Treatment with ammonium pyrrolidinedithiocarbamate obtained the similar results with the TPT treatment. Both significantly reduced the inflammatory response in the lungs, including reducing the number of neutrophils and total cells in the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF), significantly reducing the total protein concentration of the BALF, and significantly inhibiting the activity of MPO. Both also inhibited inflammatory cytokine expression and the levels of NF-κB pathway proteins induced by sepsis. Furthermore, TPT significantly improved survival in sepsis. TPT improves ALI in the CLP model by inhibiting the NF-κB pathway, preventing fatal inflammation.

Improvement on compactibility of the alcoholic extract of Zingiberis Rhizoma by co-spray drying with HPMC / 中国中药杂志

Aiming to solve the poor compactibility of the alcoholic extract of Zingiberis Rhizoma(ZR), this study explored the feasibility of its physical modification using co-spray drying with a small amount of hydroxypropyl methyl cellulose(HPMC). Based on the univariate analysis, the influence of two independent variables(the HPMC content in the product and the solid content of spray material) on the powder properties and tablet properties of the dried product was investigated by the central composite design. With the tensile strength and disintegration time of the tablets as the evaluation indexes, the optimal prescription was determined as follows: the HPMC content was 15% and the solid content of spray material was 25.6%. The accuracy of the regression model established for predicting tensile strength and disintegration time of tablets was verified, and the results revealed that the measured values were close to the predicted ones with deviations of 0.47% and-8.2%, indicating good prediction and reproducibility of the model. The tensile strength(4.24 MPa) of tablets prepared with the optimal prescription was 3.59 times that(1.18 MPa, far lower than the baseline of 2 MPa for qualified tablets) with the spray-dried powder of the ZR. On the other hand, due to the addition of HPMC, the disintegration time of tablets increased from 7.3 min to 24.6 min. On the whole, this study provided a new strategy to solve the common problem of poor compactibility of raw Chinese medicinal materials, which facilitated the successful preparation of Chinese medicinal tablets with high drug loads.

Effect of fudosteine on lung cancer cells in an inflammatory microenvironment based on metabolomics / 药学学报

GC-MS metabolomics was used to investigate the effects of fudosteine on lung cancer A549 cells in an inflammatory microenvironment. Eleven metabolites (malic acid, isoleucine, lactose, galactinol, creatinine, gluconic acid, oleic acid, phosphate, S-carboxymethyl-L-cysteine, uridine and tagatose) were identified in the metabolomics results and could be used as biomarkers of fudosteine treatment. Pathway enrichment analysis showed that the metabolic pathways of amino acids including isoleucine, valine, leucine, glycine, serine and threonine were significantly altered, as were the metabolic pathways of carbohydrates such as galactose and pentose phosphate. Fudosteine significantly reduced the level of inflammatory factors in A549 cells and corrected the inflammatory microenvironment by interfering with the effects of amino acid metabolites and amino acid metabolism pathways. This study reveals that fudosteine may be able to inhibit the continuous inflammatory response and prevent the further progression of lung cancer by suppressing the inflammatory microenvironment.

In silico genome wide identification and expression analysis of the WUSCHEL-related homeobox gene family in Medicago sativa

Alfalfa (Medicago sativa) is an important food and feed crop which rich in mineral sources. The WUSCHEL-related homeobox (WOX) gene family plays important roles in plant development and identification of putative gene families, their structure, and potential functions is a primary step for not only understanding the genetic mechanisms behind various biological process but also for genetic improvement. A variety of computational tools, including MAFFT, HMMER, hidden Markov models, Pfam, SMART, MEGA, ProtTest, BLASTn, and BRAD, among others, were used. We identified 34 MsWOX genes based on a systematic analysis of the alfalfa plant genome spread in eight chromosomes. This is an expansion of the gene family which we attribute to observed chromosomal duplications. Sequence alignment analysis revealed 61 conserved proteins containing a homeodomain. Phylogenetic study sung reveal five evolutionary clades with 15 motif distributions. Gene structure analysis reveals various exon, intron, and untranslated structures which are consistent in genes from similar clades. Functional analysis prediction of promoter regions reveals various transcription binding sites containing key growth, development, and stress-responsive transcription factor families such as MYB, ERF, AP2, and NAC which are spread across the genes. Most of the genes are predicted to be in the nucleus. Also, there are duplication events in some genes which explain the expansion of the family. The present research provides a clue on the potential roles of MsWOX family genes that will be useful for further understanding their functional roles in alfalfa plants.

Growth retardation of children and its influencing factors in the Nutrition Improvement Program for Rural Compulsory Education Students in 2019 / 中华流行病学杂志

Objective: To understand the growth retardation among primary and secondary school students in areas covered by the Nutrition Improvement Program for Rural Compulsory Education Students and its influencing factors to provide evidence for improving the nutrition status of rural students in China. Methods: The multi-stage cluster random sampling method selected 1 550 969 primary and secondary school students aged 6-15 years from China's central and western regions. The ratio of male and female students was balanced. The height was measured, and the growth retardation of students was determined according to the Screening Criteria for School-age Children and Adolescents malnutrition (WS/T 456-2014), from the school and county questionnaire survey related factors. The number of cases and percentages described the growth retardation of students, and the χ2 test was used for comparison between groups. Binary logistic regression was used to analyze students' growth retardation factors. Results: In 2019, the growth retardation rate of primary and secondary school students in areas covered by the Nutrition Improvement Program for Rural Compulsory Education Students was 5.7% (88 631/1 550 969), the growth retardation rate in the western part (7.1%, 66 167/927 954) was higher than that in the central part (3.7%,19 511/533 973) with difference statistically significant (P<0.001). The growth retardation rate of the boys (6.3%,50 665/803 851) were higher than that of girls (5.1%, 37 966/747 118), the difference was statistically significant (P<0.001). The growth retardation rate of primary school students in central China was 3.9%(14 914/380 598), higher than that of junior middle school students (3.0%,4 597/153 375, P<0.001). In contrast, the growth retardation rate of the western junior high school students (7.2%, 21 494/297 217) were higher than that of elementary school students (7.1%, 44 673/630 737), with a difference statistically significant (all P=0.009). Multi-factor logistic regression results showed that, in high income area (OR=0.829, 95%CI: 0.816-0.842, P<0.001), parents providing part of the meal cost (OR=0.948, 95%CI: 0.931-0.965, P<0.001), enterprises providing meals (OR=0.845, 95%CI: 0.805-0.887, P<0.001), schools providing milk (OR=0.780, 95%CI: 0.767-0.793, P<0.001), health education courses (OR=0.702, 95%CI: 0.682-0.723, P<0.001) and other local nutrition improvement efforts (OR=0.739, 95%CI: 0.720-0.758, P<0.001) were negatively correlated with the occurrence of growth retardation, The growth retardation rate of the students was lower. Conclusions: There appeared significant regional, gender, and age differences in the growth retardation rate of primary and middle school students in areas covered by the Nutrition Improvement Program for Rural Compulsory Education Students. Appropriate food supply in schools, health education courses, and parental participation in nutritional improvement was related to children's lower growth retardation rate.