Integrative analysis of transcriptome and metabolome reveal the differential tolerance mechanisms to low and high salinity in the roots of facultative halophyte Avicennia marina.

Mangroves perform a crucial ecological role along the tropical and subtropical coastal intertidal zone where salinity fluctuation is frequently happened. However, the differential responses of mangrove plant at transcriptome combined metabolome level to variable salinity are not well documented. In this study, we used Avicennia marina, a pioneer species of mangrove wetlands and one of the most salt-tolerant mangroves, to investigate the differential salt tolerance mechanisms under low and high salinity using ICP-MS, transcriptomic and metabolomic analysis. The results showed that HAK8 was up-regulated and transported K+ into the roots under low salinity. However, under high salinity, AKT1 and NHX2 were strongly induced, which indicated the transport of K+ and Na+ compartmentalization to maintain ion homeostasis. In addition, A. marina tolerates low salinity by up-regulating ABA signaling pathway and accumulating more mannitol, unsaturated fatty acids, amino acids, and L-ascorbic acid in the roots. Under high salinity, A. marina undergoes a more drastic metabolic network rearrangement in the roots, such as more L-ascorbic acid and oxiglutatione were up-regulated, while carbohydrates, lipids and amino acids were down-regulated in the roots, finally glycolysis and TCA cycle were promoted to provide more energy to improve salt tolerance. Our findings suggest that the major salt tolerance traits in A. marina can be attributed to complex regulatory and signaling mechanisms, and show significant differences between low and high salinity.

Trehalose along with ABA promotes the salt tolerance of Avicennia marina by regulating Na+ transport.

Mangroves grow in tropical/subtropical intertidal habitats with extremely high salt tolerance. Trehalose and trehalose-6-phosphate (T6P) have an alleviating function against abiotic stress. However, the roles of trehalose in the salt tolerance of salt-secreting mangrove Avicennia marina is not documented. Here, we found that trehalose was significantly accumulated in A. marina under salt treatment. Furthermore, exogenous trehalose can enhance salt tolerance by promoting the Na+ efflux from leaf salt gland and root to reduce the Na+ content in root and leaf. Subsequently, eighteen trehalose-6-phosphate synthase (AmTPS) and 11 trehalose-6-phosphate phosphatase (AmTPP) genes were identified from A. marina genome. Abscisic acid (ABA) responsive elements were predicted in AmTPS and AmTPP promoters by cis-acting elements analysis. We further identified AmTPS9A, as an important positive regulator, that increased the salt tolerance of AmTPS9A-overexpressing Arabidopsis thaliana by altering the expressions of ion transport genes and mediating Na+ efflux from the roots of transgenic A. thaliana under NaCl treatments. In addition, we also found that ABA could promote the accumulation of trehalose, and the application of exogenous trehalose significantly promoted the biosynthesis of ABA in both roots and leaves of A. marina. Ultimately, we confirmed that AmABF2 directly binds to the AmTPS9A promoter in vitro and in vivo. Taken together, we speculated that there was a positive feedback loop between trehalose and ABA in regulating the salt tolerance of A. marina. These findings provide new understanding to the salt tolerance of A. marina in adapting to high saline environment at trehalose and ABA aspects.

Objectivization study of acupuncture Deqi and brain modulation mechanisms: a review.

Deqi is an important prerequisite for acupuncture to achieve optimal efficacy. Chinese medicine has long been concerned with the relationship between Deqi and the clinical efficacy of acupuncture. However, the underlying mechanisms of Deqi are complex and there is a lack of systematic summaries of objective quantitative studies of Deqi. Acupuncture Deqi can achieve the purpose of treating diseases by regulating the interaction of local and neighboring acupoints, brain centers, and target organs. At local and neighboring acupoints, Deqi can change their tissue structure, temperature, blood perfusion, energy metabolism, and electrophysiological indicators. At the central brain level, Deqi can activate the brain regions of the thalamus, parahippocampal gyrus, postcentral gyrus, insular, middle temporal gyrus, cingulate gyrus, etc. It also has extensive effects on the limbic-paralimbic-neocortical-network and default mode network. The brain mechanisms of Deqi vary depending on the acupuncture techniques and points chosen. In addition, Deqi 's mechanism of action involves correcting abnormalities in target organs. The mechanisms of acupuncture Deqi are multi-targeted and multi-layered. The biological mechanisms of Deqi are closely related to brain centers. This study will help to explore the mechanism of Deqi from a local-central-target-organ perspective and provide information for future clinical decision-making.

OsSRF8 interacts with OsINP1 and OsDAF1 to regulate pollen aperture formation in rice.

In higher plants, mature male gametophytes have distinct apertures. After pollination, pollen grains germinate, and a pollen tube grows from the aperture to deliver sperm cells to the embryo sac, completing fertilization. In rice, the pollen aperture has a single-pore structure with a collar-like annulus and a plug-like operculum. A crucial step in aperture development is the formation of aperture plasma membrane protrusion (APMP) at the distal polar region of the microspore during the late tetrad stage. Previous studies identified OsINP1 and OsDAF1 as essential regulators of APMP and pollen aperture formation in rice, but their precise molecular mechanisms remain unclear. We demonstrate that the Poaceae-specific OsSRF8 gene, encoding a STRUBBELIG-receptor family 8 protein, is essential for pollen aperture formation in Oryza sativa. Mutants lacking functional OsSRF8 exhibit defects in APMP and pollen aperture formation, like loss-of-function OsINP1 mutants. OsSRF8 is specifically expressed during early anther development and initially diffusely distributed in the microsporocytes. At the tetrad stage, OsSRF8 is recruited by OsINP1 to the pre-aperture region through direct protein-protein interaction, promoting APMP formation. The OsSRF8-OsINP1 complex then recruits OsDAF1 to the APMP site to co-regulate annulus formation. Our findings provide insights into the mechanisms controlling pollen aperture formation in cereal species.

KLF4 Inhibits the Activation of Human Hepatic Stellate Cell In Vitro.

OBJECTIVE: Hepatic stellate cells (HSCs) play a crucial role in liver fibrosis. Early-stage liver fibrosis is reversible and intimately associated with the state of HSCs. Kruppel-like factor 4 (KLF4) plays a pivotal role in a wide array of physiological and pathological processes. This study aimed to investigate the effect of KLF4 on the proliferation, apoptosis and phenotype of quiescent HSCs METHODS: We designed a KLF4 lentiviral vector and a KLF4 siRNA lentiviral vector, to upregulate and silence KLF4 expression in human HSC LX-2 cells via transfection. Cell proliferation was assessed using the CCK-8 assay. Flow cytometry was used to detect the cell cycle distribution and apoptosis rate. Western blotting was used to determine the levels of some quiescence and activation markers of HSCs RESULTS: Overexpression of KLF4 significantly increased the levels of E-cadherin and ZO-1, which are quiescent HSC markers, while significantly decreased the levels of N-cadherin and a-SMA, known activated HSC markers. In contrast, cell proliferation and apoptosis rates were elevated in LX-2 cells in which KLF4 expression was silenced CONCLUSION: KLF4 inhibits the proliferation and activation of human LX-2 HSCs. It might be a key regulatory protein in the maintenance of HSC quiescence and may serve as a target for the inhibition of hepatic fibrosis.

Epitope mapping and establishment of a blocking ELISA for mAb targeting the p72 protein of African swine fever virus.

The African swine fever virus (ASFV) has the ability to infect pigs and cause a highly contagious acute fever that can result in a mortality rate as high as 100%. Due to the viral epidemic, the pig industry worldwide has suffered significant financial setbacks. The absence of a proven vaccine for ASFV necessitates the development of a sensitive and reliable serological diagnostic method, enabling laboratories to effectively and expeditiously detect ASFV infection. In this study, four strains of monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) against p72, namely, 5A1, 4C4, 8A9, and 5E10, were generated through recombinant expression of p72, the main capsid protein of ASFV, and immunized mice with it. Epitope localization was performed by truncated overlapping polypeptides. The results indicate that 5A1 and 4C4 recognized the amino acid 20-39 aa, 8A9 and 5E10 are recognized at 263-282 aa, which is consistent with the reported 265-280 aa epitopes. Conserved analysis revealed 20-39 aa is a high conservation of the epitopes in the ASFV genotypes. Moreover, a blocking ELISA assay for detection ASFV antibody based on 4C4 monoclonal antibody was developed and assessed. The receiver-operating characteristic (ROC) was performed to identify the best threshold value using 87 negative and 67 positive samples. The established test exhibited an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.9997, with a 95% confidence interval ranging from 99.87 to 100%. Furthermore, the test achieved a diagnostic sensitivity of 100% (with a 95% confidence interval of 95.72 to 100%) and a specificity of 98.51% (with a 95% confidence interval of 92.02 to 99.92%) when the threshold was set at 41.97%. The inter- and intra-batch coefficient of variation were below 10%, demonstrating the exceptional repeatability of the method. This method can detect the positive standard serum at a dilution as high as 1:512. Subsequently, an exceptional blocking ELISA assay was established with high diagnostic sensitivity and specificity, providing a novel tool for detecting ASFV antibodies. KEY POINTS: • Four strains of ASFV monoclonal antibodies against p72 were prepared and their epitopes were identified. • Blocking ELISA method was established based on monoclonal antibody 4C4 with an identified conservative epitope. • The established blocking ELISA method has a good effect on the detection of ASFV antibody.

A novel framework for three-dimensional electrical impedance tomography reconstruction of maize ear via feature reconfiguration and residual networks.

Electrical impedance tomography (EIT) provides an indirect measure of the physiological state and growth of the maize ear by reconstructing the distribution of electrical impedance. However, the two-dimensional (2D) EIT within the electrode plane finds it challenging to comprehensively represent the spatial distribution of conductivity of the intact maize ear, including the husk, kernels, and cob. Therefore, an effective method for 3D conductivity reconstruction is necessary. In practical applications, fluctuations in the contact impedance of the maize ear occur, particularly with the increase in the number of grids and computational workload during the reconstruction of 3D spatial conductivity. These fluctuations may accentuate the ill-conditioning and nonlinearity of the EIT. To address these challenges, we introduce RFNetEIT, a novel computational framework specifically tailored for the absolute imaging of the three-dimensional electrical impedance of maize ear. This strategy transforms the reconstruction of 3D electrical conductivity into a regression process. Initially, a feature map is extracted from measured boundary voltage via a data reconstruction module, thereby enhancing the correlation among different dimensions. Subsequently, a nonlinear mapping model of the 3D spatial distribution of the boundary voltage and conductivity is established, utilizing the residual network. The performance of the proposed framework is assessed through numerical simulation experiments, acrylic model experiments, and maize ear experiments. Our experimental results indicate that our method yields superior reconstruction performance in terms of root-mean-square error (RMSE), correlation coefficient (CC), structural similarity index (SSIM), and inverse problem-solving time (IPST). Furthermore, the reconstruction experiments on maize ears demonstrate that the method can effectively reconstruct the 3D conductivity distribution.

[A multi-center epidemiological study on pneumococcal meningitis in children from 2019 to 2020]. / 2019­2020å¹´160ä¾‹å„¿ç«¥è‚ºç‚Žé“¾çƒèŒè„‘è†œç‚Žä¸´åºŠæµè¡Œç— å­¦å¤šä¸­å¿ƒç ”ç©¶.

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the clinical characteristics and prognosis of pneumococcal meningitis (PM), and drug sensitivity of Streptococcus pneumoniae (SP) isolates in Chinese children. METHODS: A retrospective analysis was conducted on clinical information, laboratory data, and microbiological data of 160 hospitalized children under 15 years old with PM from January 2019 to December 2020 in 33 tertiary hospitals across the country. RESULTS: Among the 160 children with PM, there were 103 males and 57 females. The age ranged from 15 days to 15 years, with 109 cases (68.1%) aged 3 months to under 3 years. SP strains were isolated from 95 cases (59.4%) in cerebrospinal fluid cultures and from 57 cases (35.6%) in blood cultures. The positive rates of SP detection by cerebrospinal fluid metagenomic next-generation sequencing and cerebrospinal fluid SP antigen testing were 40% (35/87) and 27% (21/78), respectively. Fifty-five cases (34.4%) had one or more risk factors for purulent meningitis, 113 cases (70.6%) had one or more extra-cranial infectious foci, and 18 cases (11.3%) had underlying diseases. The most common clinical symptoms were fever (147 cases, 91.9%), followed by lethargy (98 cases, 61.3%) and vomiting (61 cases, 38.1%). Sixty-nine cases (43.1%) experienced intracranial complications during hospitalization, with subdural effusion and/or empyema being the most common complication [43 cases (26.9%)], followed by hydrocephalus in 24 cases (15.0%), brain abscess in 23 cases (14.4%), and cerebral hemorrhage in 8 cases (5.0%). Subdural effusion and/or empyema and hydrocephalus mainly occurred in children under 1 year old, with rates of 91% (39/43) and 83% (20/24), respectively. SP strains exhibited complete sensitivity to vancomycin (100%, 75/75), linezolid (100%, 56/56), and meropenem (100%, 6/6). High sensitivity rates were also observed for levofloxacin (81%, 22/27), moxifloxacin (82%, 14/17), rifampicin (96%, 25/26), and chloramphenicol (91%, 21/23). However, low sensitivity rates were found for penicillin (16%, 11/68) and clindamycin (6%, 1/17), and SP strains were completely resistant to erythromycin (100%, 31/31). The rates of discharge with cure and improvement were 22.5% (36/160) and 66.2% (106/160), respectively, while 18 cases (11.3%) had adverse outcomes. CONCLUSIONS: Pediatric PM is more common in children aged 3 months to under 3 years. Intracranial complications are more frequently observed in children under 1 year old. Fever is the most common clinical manifestation of PM, and subdural effusion/emphysema and hydrocephalus are the most frequent complications. Non-culture detection methods for cerebrospinal fluid can improve pathogen detection rates. Adverse outcomes can be noted in more than 10% of PM cases. SP strains are high sensitivity to vancomycin, linezolid, meropenem, levofloxacin, moxifloxacin, rifampicin, and chloramphenicol.

NADPH oxidase-dependent H2O2 production mediates salicylic acid-induced salt tolerance in mangrove plant Kandelia obovata by regulating Na+/K+ and redox homeostasis.

Salicylic acid (SA) is known to enhance salt tolerance in plants. However, the mechanism of SA-mediated response to high salinity in halophyte remains unclear. Using electrophysiological and molecular biological methods, we investigated the role of SA in response to high salinity in mangrove species, Kandelia obovata, a typical halophyte. Exposure of K. obovata roots to high salinity resulted in a rapid increase in endogenous SA produced by phenylalanine ammonia lyase pathway. The application of exogenous SA improved the salt tolerance of K. obovata, which depended on the NADPH oxidase-mediated H2O2. Exogenous SA and H2O2 increased Na+ efflux and reduced K+ loss by regulating the transcription levels of Na+ and K+ transport-related genes, thus reducing the Na+/K+ ratio in the salt-treated K. obovata roots. In addition, exogenous SA-enhanced antioxidant enzyme activity and its transcripts, and the expressions of four genes related to AsA-GSH cycle as well, then alleviated oxidative damages in the salt-treated K. obovata roots. However, the above effects of SA could be reversed by diphenyleneiodonium chloride (the NADPH oxidase inhibitor) and paclobutrazol (a SA biosynthesis inhibitor). Collectively, our results demonstrated that SA-induced salt tolerance of K. obovata depends on NADPH oxidase-generated H2O2 that affects Na+/K+ and redox homeostasis in response to high salinity.

A New Species of Ganoderma (Ganodermataceae, Polyporales) from Southern China and Optimum Condition for Mycelia Production.

The present study sought to propose Ganoderma guixiense sp. nov. as a new species based on phenotypic and genotypic evidence. Phylogenetic analyses were carried out based on the internal transcribed spacer (ITS), the large subunit of nuclear ribosomal RNA gene (nLSU), and the second subunit of RNA polymerase II (RPB2) sequence data. G. guixiense has been characterized by pileate basidiomata, long stipe, in addition to reddish-black zonate pileal surface. Basidiospores are broadly ellipsoid with one end tapering at maturity, and measuring 9-12.8 × 6.5-9.3 µm. Basidia are oval to subglobose. This study marks the first exploration of the biological characteristics of G. guixiense. The result indicated that the optimal medium of mycelial growth was observed on malt extract agar (MEA) and yeast extract peptone dextrose agar (YPD) while the optimal temperature was found to be 25-30 °C with pH range of 6-7.

PlantC2U: deep learning of cross-species sequence landscapes predicts plastid C-to-U RNA editing in plants.

In plants, C-to-U RNA editing mainly occurs in plastid and mitochondrial transcripts, which contributes to a complex transcriptional regulatory network. More evidence reveals that RNA editing plays critical roles in plant growth and development. However, accurate detection of RNA editing sites using transcriptome sequencing data alone is still challenging. In the present study, we develop PlantC2U, which is a convolutional neural network, to predict plastid C-to-U RNA editing based on the genomic sequence. PlantC2U achieves >95% sensitivity and 99% specificity, which outperforms the PREPACT tool, random forests, and support vector machines. PlantC2U not only further checks RNA editing sites from transcriptome data to reduce possible false positives, but also assesses the effect of different mutations on C-to-U RNA editing based on the flanking sequences. Moreover, we found the patterns of tissue-specific RNA editing in the mangrove plant Kandelia obovata, and observed reduced C-to-U RNA editing rates in the cold stress response of K. obovata, suggesting their potential regulatory roles in plant stress adaptation. In addition, we present RNAeditDB, available online at https://jasonxu.shinyapps.io/RNAeditDB/. Together, PlantC2U and RNAeditDB will help researchers explore the RNA editing events in plants and thus will be of broad utility for the plant research community.

Assessing Postoperative Motor Risk in Insular Low-Grade Gliomas Patients: The Potential Role of Presurgery MRI Corticospinal Tract Shape Measures.

BACKGROUND: Insular low-grade gliomas (LGGs) are surgically challenging due to their proximity to critical structures like the corticospinal tract (CST). PURPOSE: This study aims to determine if preoperative CST shape metrics correlate with postoperative motor complications in insular LGG patients. STUDY TYPE: Retrospective. POPULATION: 42 patients (mean age 40.26 ± 10.21 years, 25 male) with insular LGGs. FIELD STRENGTH/SEQUENCE: Imaging was performed using 3.0 Tesla MRI, incorporating T1-weighted magnetization-prepared rapid gradient-echo, T2-weighted space dark-fluid with spin echo (SE), and diffusional kurtosis imaging (DKI) with gradient echo sequences, all integrated with echo planar imaging. ASSESSMENT: Shape metrics of the CST, including span, irregularity, radius, and irregularity of end regions (RER and IER, respectively), were compared between the affected and healthy hemispheres. Total end region radius (TRER) was determined as the sum of RER 1 and RER 2. The relationships between shape metrics and postoperative short-term (4 weeks) and long-term (>8 weeks) motor disturbances assessing by British Medical Research Council grading system, was analyzed using multivariable regression models. STATISTICAL TESTING: Paired t-tests compared CST metrics between hemispheres. Logistic regression identified associations between these metrics and motor disturbances. The models were developed using all available data and there was no independent validation dataset. Significance was set at P < 0.05. RESULTS: Short-term motor disturbance risk was significantly related to TRER (OR = 199.57). Long-term risk significantly correlated with IER 1 (OR = 59.84), confirmed as a significant marker with an AUC of 0.78. Furthermore, the CST on the affected side significantly had the greater irregularity, larger TRER and RER 1, and smaller span compared to the healthy side. DATA CONCLUSION: Preoperative evaluation of TRER and IER 1 metrics in the CST may serve as a tool for assessing the risk of postoperative motor complications in insular LGG patients. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: 2 TECHNICAL EFFICACY: Stage 2.

Discourse Task Type-Specific Linguistic Characteristics in Anomic Aphasia and Healthy Controls: Evidence From Mandarin-Chinese AphasiaBank.

PURPOSE: This study was designed to examine the hypothesis that discourse task types influence language performance in Mandarin Chinese-speaking people and to reveal the discourse task-specific linguistic properties of persons with anomic aphasia compared to neurotypical controls. METHOD: Language samples from persons with aphasia (n = 31) and age- and education-matched controls (n = 31) across four discourse tasks (sequential-picture description, single-picture description, story narrative, and procedural discourse) were collected from Mandarin AphasiaBank. Task-specific distributions of parts of speech were analyzed using mosaic plots. The main effects of tasks in each group and the between-group differences within each task for several typical linguistic variables were evaluated, including the mean length of utterance, tokens, moving-average type-token ratio, words per minute, propositional density, noun-verb ratio, noun percentage, and verb percentage. RESULTS: The results revealed an impact of discourse tasks on most language variables in both groups. In the healthy controls, story narratives yielded the highest total words and lowest verb percentage. In the aphasia group, procedural discourse elicited the fewest total words and densest expressions, whereas their single-picture descriptions had the highest noun-verb ratio. For all tasks, the aphasia group performed worse than the control group in the mean length of utterance, tokens, moving-average type-token ratio, and words per minute. For noun-verb ratio, noun percentage, and verb percentage, only one task (i.e., single-picture description) showed significant between-group differences. CONCLUSION: The selection of discourse tasks should be addressed in assessments and interventions for Mandarin Chinese-speaking individuals with aphasia to obtain more accurate and feasible outcomes.

The effect and mechanism of low-molecular-weight heparin on the decidualization of stromal cells in early pregnancy.

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to analyze the effect of low-molecular-weight heparin (LMWH) on the decidualization of stromal cells in early pregnancy and explore the effect of LMWH on pregnancy outcomes. METHODS: Recurrent spontaneous abortion (RSA) mouse model (CBA/J × DBA/2) and normal pregnant mouse model (CBA/J × BALB/c) were established. The female mice were checked for a mucus plug twice daily to identify a potential pregnancy. When a mucus plug was found, conception was considered to have occurred 12 h previously. The pregnant mice were divided randomly into a normal pregnancy control group, an RSA model group, and an RSA + LMWH experimental group (n = 10 mice in each group). Halfway through the 12th day of pregnancy, the embryonic loss of the mice was observed; a real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction was used to detect the messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA) expressions of prolactin (PRL) and insulin-like growth factor-binding protein 1 (IGFBP1) in the decidua of the mice. Additionally, the decidual tissues of patients with RSA and those of normal women in early pregnancy who required artificial abortion were collected and divided into an RSA group and a control group. Decidual stromal cells were isolated and cultured to compare cell proliferation between the two groups, and cellular migration and invasion were detected by membrane stromal cells. Western blotting was used to detect the protein expressions of proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA), cyclin D1, matrix metalloproteinase- (MMP) 2, and MMP-7 in stromal cells treated with LMWH. RESULTS: Compared with the RSA group, LMWH significantly reduced the pregnancy loss rate in the RSA mice (p < 0.05). Compared with the RSA group, the LMWH + RSA group had significantly higher expression levels of PRL and IGFBP1 mRNA (p < 0.01). LMWH promoted the proliferation, migration, and invasion of human decidual stromal cells; compared with the control group, the expression levels of MMP-2, MMP-7, cyclin D1, and PCNA proteins in the decidual stromal cells of the LMWH group increased (p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The use of LMWH can improve pregnancy outcomes by enhancing the proliferation and migration of stromal cells in early pregnancy and the decidualization of stromal cells.

Chinese patent medicine as a complementary and alternative therapy for type 2 diabetes mellitus: A scoping review.

OBJECTIVE: This scoping review aims to document Chinese Patent Medicines (CPMs) for Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus, explore whether CPMs can improve patients' health outcomes, and set priorities in addressing research gaps in this area. METHODS: Following the framework of PRISMA-SCr, we proposed the research questions based on PICOS principle, and searched the CPMs for T2DM from three drug lists, followed by a systematic search of the literature in eight databases from their inception to June 22, 2023. Then, we developed the eligibility criteria and systematically reviewed the relevant studies, retained the studies about CPMs for T2DM, extracted the related data, and identified the differences across studies in structured charts. RESULTS: A total of 25 types of CPMs were extracted from the three drug lists. Radix astragali appeared most frequently (19 times) among the herbal medicinal ingredients of CPMs. A total of 449 articles were included in the full-paper analysis ultimately, all of which were about 20 types of CPMs, and there were no related reports on the remaining five CPMs. Except about a quarter (25.39 %, 114/449) using CPMs alone, the remaining studies all involved the combination with oral hypoglycemics for T2DM. Biguanides are the most common drugs used in combination with CPMs (50.14 %, 168/335). Fasting plasma glucose (FPG) is the most frequently reported outcomes in efficacy evaluation (82.41 %, 370/449). CONCLUSION: There are a total of 25 types of CPMs currently available for T2DM patients. However, the volume of related evidence on these CPMs varies. It is necessary to standardize the combined use of CPMs and conventional medicine and select appropriate outcomes in future studies.

Auranofin inhibits the occurrence of colorectal cancer by promoting mTOR-dependent autophagy and inhibiting epithelial-mesenchymal transformation.

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is one of the world's most common and deadly cancers. According to GLOBOCAN2020's global incidence rate and mortality estimates, CRC is the third main cause of cancer and the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide. The US Food and Drug Administration has approved auranofin for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis. It is a gold-containing chemical that inhibits thioredoxin reductase. Auranofin has a number of biological activities, including anticancer activity, although it has not been researched extensively in CRC, and the mechanism of action on CRC cells is still unknown. The goal of this research was to see how Auranofin affected CRC cells in vivo and in vitro . The two chemical libraries were tested for drugs that make CRC cells more responsive. The CCK-8 technique was used to determine the cell survival rate. The invasion, migration, and proliferation of cells were assessed using a transwell test and a colony cloning experiment. An electron microscope was used to observe autophagosome formation. Western blotting was also used to determine the degree of expression of related proteins in cells. Auranofin's tumor-suppressing properties were further tested in a xenograft tumor model of human SW620 CRC cells. Auranofin dramatically reduced the occurrence of CRC by decreasing the proliferation, migration, and invasion of CRC cells, according to our findings. Through a mTOR-dependent mechanism, auranofin inhibits the epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) and induces autophagy in CRC cells. Finally, in-vivo tests revealed that auranofin suppressed tumor growth in xenograft mice while causing no harm. In summary, auranofin suppresses CRC cell growth, invasion, and migration. Auranofin inhibits the occurrence and progression of CRC by decreasing EMT and inducing autophagy in CRC cells via a mTOR-dependent mechanism. These findings suggest that auranofin could be a potential chemotherapeutic medication for the treatment of human CRC.

Genome-wide identification of Avicennia marina aquaporins reveals their role in adaptation to intertidal habitats and their relevance to salt secretion and vivipary.

Aquaporins (AQPs) regulate the transport of water and other substrates, aiding plants in adapting to stressful environments. However, the knowledge of AQPs in salt-secreting and viviparous Avicennia marina is limited. In this study, 46 AmAQPs were identified in A. marina genome, and their subcellular localisation and function in transporting H2 O2 and boron were assessed through bioinformatics analysis and yeast transformation. Through analysing their expression patterns via RNAseq and real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction, we found that most AmAQPs were downregulated in response to salt and tidal flooding. AmPIP (1;1, 1;7, 2;8, 2;9) and AmTIP (1;5, 1;6) as salt-tolerant candidate genes may contribute to salt secretion together with Na+ /H+ antiporters. AmPIP2;1 and AmTIP1;5 were upregulated during tidal flooding and may be regulated by anaerobic-responsive element and ethylene-responsive element cis-elements, aiding in adaptation to tidal inundation. Additionally, we found that the loss of the seed desiccation and dormancy-related TIP3 gene, and the loss of the seed dormancy regulator DOG1 gene, or DOG1 protein lack heme-binding capacity, may be genetic factors contributing to vivipary. Our findings shed light on the role of AQPs in A. marina adaptation to intertidal environments and their relevance to salt secretion and vivipary.

Brassinosteroid enhances salt tolerance via S-nitrosoglutathione reductase and nitric oxide signaling pathway in mangrove Kandelia obovata.

Brassinosteroid (BR) has been shown to modulate plant tolerance to various stresses. S-nitrosoglutathione reductase (GSNOR) is involved in the plant response to environment stress by fine-turning the level of nitric oxide (NO). However, whether GSNOR is involved in BR-regulated Na+ /K+ homeostasis to improve the salt tolerance in halophyte is unknown. Here, we firstly reported that high salinity increases the expression of BR-biosynthesis genes and the endogenous levels of BR in mangrove Kandelia obovata. Then, salt-induced BR triggers the activities and gene expressions of GSNOR and antioxidant enzymes, thereafter decrease the levels of malondialdehyde, hydrogen peroxide. Subsequently, BR-mediated GSNOR negatively regulates NO contributions to the reduction of reactive oxygen species generation and induction of the gene expression related to Na+ and K+ transport, leading to the decrease of Na+ /K+ ratio in the roots of K. obovata. Finally, the applications of exogenous BR, NO scavenger, BR biosynthetic inhibitor and GSNOR inhibitor further confirm the function of BR. Taken together, our result provides insight into the mechanism of BR in the response of mangrove K. obovata to high salinity via GSNOR and NO signaling pathway by reducing oxidative damage and modulating Na+ /K+ homeostasis.