Unveiling the nitrogen and phosphorus removal potential: Comparative analysis of three coastal wetland plant species in lab-scale constructed wetlands.

It is well accepted that tidal wetland vegetation performs a significant amount of water filtration for wetlands. However, there is currently little information on how various wetland plants remove nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) and how they differ in their denitrification processes. This study compared and investigated the denitrification and phosphorus removal effects of three typical wetland plants in the Yangtze River estuary wetland (Phragmites australis, Spartina alterniflora, and Scirpus mariqueter), as well as their relevant mechanisms, using an experimental laboratory-scale horizontal subsurface flow constructed wetland (CW). The results showed that all treatment groups with plants significantly reduced N pollutants as compared to the control group without plants. In comparison to S. mariqueter (77.2-83.2%), S. alterniflora and P. australis had a similar total nitrogen (TN)removal effectiveness of nearly 95%. With a removal effectiveness of over 99% for ammonium nitrogen (NH4+-N), P. australis outperformed S. alterniflora (95.6-96.8%) and S. mariqueter (94.6-96.5%). The removal of nitrite nitrogen (NO2--N)and nitrate nitrogen (NO3--N)from wastewater was significantly enhanced by S. alterniflora compared to the other treatment groups. Across all treatment groups, the removal rate of PO43--P was greater than 95%. P. australis and S. alterniflora considerably enriched more 15N than S. mariqueter, according to the results of the 15N isotope labeling experiment. While the rhizosphere and bulk sediments of S. alterniflora were enriched with more simultaneous desulfurization-denitrification bacterial genera (such as Paracoccus, Sulfurovum, and Sulfurimonas), which have denitrification functions, the rhizosphere and bulk sediments of P. australis were enriched with more ammonia-oxidizing archaea and ammonia-oxidizing bacteria. As a result, compared to the other plants, P. australis and S. alterniflora demonstrate substantially more significant ability to remove NH4+-N and NO2--N/NO3--N from simulated domestic wastewater.

Characteristics of HPV integration in cervical adenocarcinoma and squamous carcinoma.

PURPOSE: HPV integration usually occurs in HPV-related cancer, and is the main cause of cancer. But the carcinogenic mechanism of HPV integration is unclear. The study aims to provide a theoretical basis for understanding the pathogenesis of cervical adenocarcinoma (AC) and cervical squamous carcinoma (SCC). METHODS: We used HPV capture sequencing to obtain HPV integration sites in AC and SCC, and analyzed cytobands, distribution of genetic and genomic elements, identified integration hotspot genes, clinicopathological parameters, breakpoints of HPV16 and performed pathway analysis. Then we conducted immunohistochemical (IHC) assay to preliminarily verify the expression of most frequently integrated genes in AC, STARD3 and ERBB2. RESULTS: The results revealed that the most frequently observed integrated cytoband was 17q12 in AC and 21p11.2 in SCC, respectively. The breakpoints in both AC and SCC were more tended to occur within gene regions, compared to intergenetic regions. Compared to SCC samples, AC samples had a higher prevalence of genomic elements. In AC, HPV integration has no significantly difference with clinicopathological parameters, but in SCC integration correlated with differentiation (P < 0.05). Breakpoints of HPV in SCC located in LCR more frequently compared to AC, which destroyed the activation of promoter p97. Hotspot genes of HPV integration were STARD3 and ERBB2 in AC, and RNA45S rDNA and MIR3648-1 in SCC, respectively. Meanwhile, we preliminarily proved that the expression of STARD3 and ERBB2, the most frequently integrated genes, would increase after integration. CONCLUSION: These results suggested that HPV may utilize the powerful hosts' promoters to express viral oncogenes and overexpression of viral oncogenes plays a significant role in the carcinogenesis of SCC. In AC, HPV integration may affect hosts' oncogenes, and the dysregulation of oncogenes may primarily contribute to progression of AC.

Construction and validation of a metabolism-associated gene signature for predicting the prognosis, immune landscape, and drug sensitivity in bladder cancer.

Tumor Metabolism is strongly correlated with prognosis. Nevertheless, the prognostic and therapeutic value of metabolic-associated genes in BCa patients has not been fully elucidated. First, in this study, metabolism-related differential expressed genes DEGs with prognostic value in BCa were determined. Through the consensus clustering algorithm, we identified two molecular clusters with significantly different clinicopathological features and survival prognosis. Next, a novel metabolism-related prognostic model was established. Its reliable predictive performance in BCa was verified by multiple external datasets. Multivariate Cox analysis exhibited that risk score were independent prognostic factors. Interestingly, GSEA enrichment analysis of GO, KEGG, and Hallmark gene sets showed that the biological processes and pathways associated with ECM and collagen binding in the high-risk group were significantly enriched. Notely, the model was also significantly correlated with drug sensitivity, immune cell infiltration, and immunotherapy efficacy prediction by the wilcox rank test and chi-square test. Based on the 7 immune infiltration algorithm, we found that Neutrophils, Myeloid dendritic cells, M2 macrophages, Cancer-associated fibroblasts, etc., were more concentrated in the high-risk group. Additionally, in the IMvigor210, GSE111636, GSE176307, or our Truce01 (registration number NCT04730219) cohorts, the expression levels of multiple model genes were significantly correlated with objective responses to anti-PD-1/anti-PD-L1 immunotherapy. Finally, the expression of interested model genes were verified in 10 pairs of BCa tissues and para-carcinoma tissues by the HPA and real-time fluorescent quantitative PCR. Altogether, the signature established and validated by us has high predictive power for the prognosis, immunotherapy responsiveness, and chemotherapy sensitivity of BCa.

[Advances of Claudin6-targeting drugs in cancer therapy].

CLDN6 is a member of the CLDNs family that is specifically and highly expressed in cancers such as ovarian, testicular, endocervical, liver and lung adenocarcinoma, but hardly expressed in adult normal tissues. CLDN6 is able to activate multiple signaling pathways, which take part in the development and progression of cancer, including promoting tumor growth, migration and invasion, and promoting chemoresistance in cancer. In recent years, CLDN6 has received much attention as a novel target for cancer therapeutics. Many types of anticancer drugs targeting CLDN6 have been developed, including antibody-conjugated drugs (ADC), monoclonal antibodies, bispecific antibodies, and chimeric antigen receptor T-cell immunotherapy (CAR-T). This paper briefly summarizes the structure, expression and function of CLDN6 in tumors, and reviews the current status and ideas of developing targeted CLDN6 anticancer drugs.

Predicting transient ischemic attack risk in patients with mild carotid stenosis using machine learning and CT radiomics.

Objective: This study aims to establish a radiomics-based machine learning model that predicts the risk of transient ischemic attack in patients with mild carotid stenosis (30-50% North American Symptomatic Carotid Endarterectomy Trial) using extracted computed tomography radiomics features and clinical information. Methods: A total of 179 patients underwent carotid computed tomography angiography (CTA), and 219 carotid arteries with a plaque at the carotid bifurcation or proximal to the internal carotid artery were selected. The patients were divided into two groups; patients with symptoms of transient ischemic attack after CTA and patients without symptoms of transient ischemic attack after CTA. Then we performed random sampling methods stratified by the predictive outcome to obtain the training set (N = 165) and testing set (N = 66). 3D Slicer was employed to select the site of plaque on the computed tomography image as the volume of interest. An open-source package PyRadiomics in Python was used to extract radiomics features from the volume of interests. The random forest and logistic regression models were used to screen feature variables, and five classification algorithms were used, including random forest, eXtreme Gradient Boosting, logistic regression, support vector machine, and k-nearest neighbors. Data on radiomic feature information, clinical information, and the combination of these pieces of information were used to generate the model that predicts the risk of transient ischemic attack in patients with mild carotid artery stenosis (30-50% North American Symptomatic Carotid Endarterectomy Trial). Results: The random forest model that was built based on the radiomics and clinical feature information had the highest accuracy (area under curve = 0.879; 95% confidence interval, 0.787-0.979). The combined model outperformed the clinical model, whereas the combined model showed no significant difference from the radiomics model. Conclusion: The random forest model constructed with both radiomics and clinical information can accurately predict and improve discriminative power of computed tomography angiography in identifying ischemic symptoms in patients with carotid atherosclerosis. This model can aid in guiding the follow-up treatment of patients at high risk.

Effects of cadmium and flooding on the formation of iron plaques, the rhizosphere bacterial community structure, and root exudates in Kandelia obovata seedlings.

In the rhizosphere, plant root exudates (REs) serve as a bridge between plant and soil functional microorganisms, which play a key role in the redox cycle of iron (Fe). This study examined the effects of periodic flooding and cadmium (Cd) on plant REs, the rhizosphere bacterial community structure, and the formation of root Fe plaques in the typical mangrove plant Kandelia obovata, as well as the relationship between REs and Fe redox cycling bacteria. Based on two-way analysis of variance, flooding and Cd had a considerable effect on the REs of K. obovata. DOC, NH4+-N, NO3--N, dissolved inorganic phosphorus, acetic acid, and malonic acid concentrations in REs of K. obovata increased considerably with the increase of Cd concentration under 5 and 10 h flooding conditions. Fe plaque development in the plant root was stimulated by flooding and Cd, although flooding was more effective. After Cd treatment, the ways in which Fe-oxidizing bacteria (FeOB) and Fe-reducing bacteria (FeRB) were enriched in the rhizosphere and rhizoplane of plants were different. Thiobacillus and Sideroxydans (dominant FeOB) were more abundant in the plant rhizosphere, whereas Acinetobacter (dominant FeRB) was more abundant in the rhizoplane. Cd considerably decreased the relative abundance of unclassified_f_Gallionellaceae in the rhizosphere and rhizoplane but dramatically enhanced the relative abundance of Thiobacillus, Shewanella, and unclassified_f_Geobacteraceae. Unclassified_f_Geobacteraceae and Thiobacillus exhibited substantial positive correlations with citric acid and DOC in REs in the rhizosphere and rhizoplane but strong negative correlations with Sideroxydans. The findings indicate that Cd and flooding treatments may play a role in the production and breakdown of Fe plaque in K. obovata roots by affecting the relative abundance of Fe redox cycling bacteria in the rhizosphere and rhizoplane.

One-dimensional recoverable ZnFe2O4/C/MnO2/BiOI magnetic composite with enhanced photocatalytic performance for organic dyes degradation.

Excessive discharge of toxic dyes is detrimental to ecological system and human health. Therefore, an effective photocatalyst must be designed and developed to degrade dyes from wastewater. Herein, a novel one-dimensional (1D) flower-like recoverable ZnFe2O4/C/MnO2/BiOI magnetic composite photocatalyst was synthesized via electrospinning technique combined with hydrothermal method. The photocatalytic activities of composite photocatalyst were evaluated by degrading methyl orange (MO) and Rhodamine B (RhB) under simulated light irradiation. The efficiency of ZnFe2O4/C/MnO2/BiOI photocatalyst in visible light for 150 min reached 91% (MO) and 120 min reached 94% (RhB). Moreover, the degradation rate of MO still remained 78% after five cycles. The design of 1D magnetic flower-like composite provided a new strategy for preparing photocatalysts possessing excellent photocatalytic efficiency and cyclic stability.

MoS2 decorated on one-dimensional MgFe2O4/MgO/C composites for high-performance microwave absorption.

Advanced microwave absorption (MA) materials have attracted widespread attention to meet the challenges of electromagnetic (EM) pollution. Herein, MgFe2O4/MgO/C fibers were successfully prepared via electrospinning technology and carbonization, and their surfaces were coated by MoS2 via hydrothermal method. The EM wave absorption performance of composites was enhanced due to the introduction of MoS2. The results showed that the EM wave absorption performance of MgFe2O4/MgO/C could not meet the requirements due to low dielectric loss and poor impedance matching. The performance of the composites was improved after coating of MoS2, which showed the strong wave absorption capability and the broad absorption bandwidth. The optimal reflection loss (RL) is -56.94 dB at 9.5 GHz and the effective absorption bandwidth is 3.9 GHz (8.08-11.98 GHz) with a thickness of 2.7 mm. The excellent MA performance can be mainly attributed to excellent synergistic effect between MgFe2O4/MgO/C and MoS2. Furthermore, MoS2 also contributes to dielectric loss and ideal impedance matching. MgFe2O4/MgO/C@MoS2 composites may be utilized for lightweight and high-efficient MA materials.

One-dimensional Ni@Co/C@PPy composites for superior electromagnetic wave absorption.

The conductive networks for electron hopping and migration constructed by one-dimensional (1D) composite absorbers are highly desirable to improve the electromagnetic (EM) wave attenuation capacity. Herein, the Ni@Co/C@polypyrrole (PPy) composites integrating the advantages of component and microstructure were fabricated. The addition of Co/C and PPy effectively optimized the impedance matching and improved the EM attenuation. Under the comprehensive impacts of multiple reflections/scattering, conduction loss and interface polarization, the Ni@Co/C@PPy composites showed superior EM wave absorption with the reflection loss (RL) value of -48.76 dB and the effective absorption bandwidth (EAB) of 5.10 GHz at a corresponding thickness of 2.0 mm. The largest EAB could reach 5.54 GHz (7.24-12.78 GHz) at the thickness of 2.2 mm. This work provides a great reference for fabricating 1D novel EM wave absorption materials.

Facile fabrication of metal-organic framework derived Fe/Fe3O4/FeN/N-doped carbon composites coated with PPy for superior microwave absorption.

At present, the magnetic metal/carbon composites have been widely explored for microwave absorption (MA), which effectively integrate the characteristics of magnetic and dielectric materials. As a typical material, metal-organic framework (MOF) shows tremendous potential as a precursor or template. However, its development is limited by the inferior impedance matching. Herein, a novel rod-like Fe/Fe3O4/FeN/N-doped carbon (FON/NC) composite was synthesized via dual-ligand strategy and following calcination. The outer polypyrrole (PPy) shell, obtained by a facile polymerization method, effectively optimized the impedance matching and observably enhanced the MA capacity. Both the multi-component loss mechanism and unique porous core-shell structures of MOF-derived composites were beneficial for microwave attenuation. The effects of filler loadings (20 wt%, 25 wt%, 30 wt% and 35 wt%) on electromagnetic (EM) properties of FON/NC@PPy composites were discussed. Remarkably, as-obtained composites exhibited a minimum reflection loss (RL) value of -60.08 dB at the layer thickness of merely 1.44 mm and the widest effective absorption bandwidth (EAB, RL ≤ -10 dB) of 5.06 GHz at 1.64 mm with 30 wt% filler loading. This work provides a great reference for designing MOF-derived absorbers with high MA performance.

Fabrication of one-dimensional CoFe2/C@MoS2 composites as efficient electromagnetic wave absorption materials.

New types of electromagnetic (EM) wave absorption materials with a light weight, strong absorption ability and wide absorption frequency have been widely explored. Nevertheless, it is still an intractable challenge to design the structure of the materials and rationalize multiple components. In this work, one-dimensional (1D) CoFe2/C@MoS2 composites were prepared via electrospinning technology, high-temperature carbonization and hydrothermal method. SEM and TEM images reveal that the as-prepared CoFe2/C fibers with a 1D structure are well coated with MoS2. The excellent absorption performance of the composites is mainly attributed to the 1D structure and the ideal impedance matching. CoFe2/C@MoS2 composites show strong absorption ability with an optimal reflection loss (RL) of -66.8 dB (13.28 GHz) at a matching thickness of 2.12 mm. Meanwhile, the composite possesses an effective absorption frequency range between 10.70 and 16.02 GHz with a bandwidth of 5.32 GHz. These results indicate that CoFe2/C@MoS2 composites will become promising lightweight and highly efficient MA materials.

Fabrication of ZnFe2O4/C@PPy composites with efficient electromagnetic wave absorption properties.

Nowadays, ferrites/carbon fibers have attracted considerable attention as microwave absorption materials (MA) due to the synergistic effect between dielectric and magnetic loss. Herein, the ZnFe2O4/C fibers were fabricated via electrospinning and calcination methods, and then polypyrrole (PPy) successfully coated on the fibers via oxidative polymerization. The ZnFe2O4/C@PPy composites exhibit enhanced EM wave absorption performance with the loading of 25 wt%. The optimal reflection loss (RL) value is up to -66.34 dB (13.80 GHz) and effective absorption bandwidth (EAB) is 5.74 GHz (11.78-17.52 GHz) with a matching thickness of 1.93 mm. Besides, high-efficient absorption performance of the ZnFe2O4/C@PPy composites is mainly attributed to the dielectric loss and ideal impedance matching. This study reveals a novel approach to development of ferrites/carbon fibers coated with PPy, and the ZnFe2O4/C@PPy composites exhibit great potential application as the materials with high-efficient absorption properties.

Fabrication of one-dimensional ZnFe2O4@carbon@MoS2/FeS2 composites as electromagnetic wave absorber.

In this work, one-dimensional (1D) ZnFe2O4@carbon@MoS2/FeS2 composites were synthesized by hydrothermal method, magnetic-field-induced distillation-precipitation polymerization and high-temperature carbonization. The structure, morphology, composition, magnetic performance and electromagnetic (EM) wave absorbing properties of the composites were systematically studied. The composites show strong microwave absorption (MA) capacity with a minimum reflection loss (RLmin) value of -52.5 dB at 13.2 GHz, and have an effective absorption frequency range of 10.10-15.08 GHz with a bandwidth of 4.98 GHz when the thickness is 2.23 mm. It is expected that as-synthesized 1D ZnFe2O4@carbon@MoS2/FeS2 composites can be a promising EM wave absorption material.

Microwave absorption enhancement of 2-dimensional CoZn/C@MoS2@PPy composites derived from metal-organic framework.

Metal-organic framework (MOF) materials have caused widespread concerns in the field of microwave absorption, due to the unique microstructure and electronic state. Herein, the CoZn/C@MoS2@polypyrrole (PPy) composites were prepared through MOF self-template method. The MoS2 sheets and PPy shell incorporated for optimizing impedance matching of two-dimensional (2D) CoZn/C composites. The introduction of MoS2 sheets and PPy shell endowed the composites with enhanced microwave absorption. The as-prepared CoZn/C@MoS2@PPy composites showed a minimum reflection loss (RL) of -49.18 dB with the thickness of 1.5 mm. In addition, the effective absorption bandwidth (EAB, RL values exceeding -10 dB) covered 4.56 GHz, which showed greater performances than CoZn/C composites under a lower thickness (<2 mm). This work not only provides a facile route for fabricating MOF-derived carbon-based composites as microwave absorbers, but also broadens the application of MOF materials.

Synthesis and microwave absorption properties of coralloid core-shell structure NiS/Ni3S4@PPy@MoS2 nanowires.

Herein, coralloid core-shell structure NiS/Ni3S4@PPy@MoS2 nanowires were elaborately designed and successfully synthesized through a three-step route to obtain exceptional microwave absorption (MA) properties. Ni nanowires were first fabricated, and then used as the substrate to be coated with a layer of PPy. Ni chalcogenides were obtained by using Ni nanowire as sacrificial templates while growing MoS2 nanorods by hydrothermal method. Both the one-dimensional (1D) core-shell structure and the coralloid surface generated by MoS2 nanorods were beneficial for the attenuation of microwaves. After investigating the electromagnetic properties of different loading content absorbers (30 wt.%, 40 wt.% and 50 wt.%), it is found that the 50 wt.% loading absorber has the optimal MA performance. The minimum reflection loss (RLmin) value can reach -51.29 dB at 10.1 GHz with a thickness of 2.29 mm, and the corresponding effective absorption bandwidth (EAB, RL < -10 dB) can be up to 3.24 GHz. This research provides a reference for exploiting novel high-efficient 1D absorbers in the field of MA.

Recent progress of MOF-derived porous carbon materials for microwave absorption.

Microwave absorbing materials (MAM) have attracted considerable attention over the years in stealth and information technologies. Metal-organic framework (MOF) with a unique microstructure and electronic state has become an attractive focus as self-sacrificing precursors of microwave absorbers. The MOF-derived porous carbon (PC) materials exhibit a high absorbing performance due to the stable three-dimensional structure and homogeneous distribution of metal particles. MOF-derived PC materials are promising for ideal MAM via tuning of the structure and composition, resulting in appropriate impedance matching and the synergistic effect between magnetic and dielectric loss. In this review, the MOF-derived PC materials and their basic absorption mechanisms (dielectric loss, magnetic loss and impedance matching) are introduced, as well as the characters of various MOF-derived PC materials. In addition, this review provides a comprehensive introduction and tabulates the recent progress based on the classification of the MOF-derived metallic state, such as pure PC (without reduced metals), mono-metal/PC, multi-metal/PC, metal oxides/PC and other derived PC composites. Finally, the challenges faced by MOF-derived PC materials are overviewed, and their further development is mentioned.

NiCo2O4 nanosheets decorated on one-dimensional ZnFe2O4@SiO2@C nanochains with high-performance microwave absorption.

One-dimensional (1D) ZnFe2O4@SiO2 (ZS) nanochains were prepared with Stöber method under external magnetic field. Then, 1D ZS nanochains were covered with a uniform polydopamine (PDA) shell, and the pyrolysis process was completed to obtain 1D ZnFe2O4@SiO2@C (ZSC) nanochains. Finally, 1D flower-like ZnFe2O4@SiO2@C@NiCo2O4 (ZSCNC) nanochains were fabricated through a simple hydrothermal method. The carbon layer with strong dielectric loss enabled the 1D ZSC nanochains to achieve an ultra-wide effective absorption bandwidth (EAB) of 6.22 GHz. Compared with the above nanochains, the 1D ZSCNC nanochains showed more excellent microwave absorption (MA) properties because of the unique 1D flower-like architectures having large surfaces and multiple interfaces. The sample loaded with 30 wt% 1D flower-like ZSCNC nanochains showed strong MA performances with a minimum reflection loss (RL) value of -54.29 dB (11.14 GHz) and an EAB of 5.66 GHz (11.94-17.60 GHz) at the thickness of 2.39 mm. The 1D flower-like ZSCNC nanochains with strong absorption, broad absorption bandwidth (almost the entire Ku band) and thin layer has a good application prospect for the absorption of electromagnetic waves in Ku band.

Associations between Dietary Glycemic Index and Glycemic Load Values and Cardiometabolic Risk Factors in Adults: Findings from the China Health and Nutrition Survey.

Studies investigating the associations between dietary glycemic index (GI) and glycemic load (GL) values and cardiometabolic risk factors (CMRF) among Chinese populations are strikingly limited. To assess the associations between dietary GI and GL values and CMRF, including dyslipidemia, hyperglycemia, and hyperuricemia in Chinese adults, we extracted data of 7886 apparently healthy adults from the 2009 wave of the China Health and Nutrition Survey. Dietary GI and GL values were calculated using data collected from three consecutive 24 h dietary recalls. Fasting lipid, glucose, and uric acid concentrations were measured and CMRF were defined on the basis of established criteria. There were no significant associations between dietary GI values and CMRF, and analyzing the data by age, sex, body mass index (BMI), and region did not alter these results. Dietary GL values were positively associated with prevalence of hyperuricemia in all participants (Q4 compared with Q1: odds ratio (OR) = 1.46; 95% CI: 1.14, 1.87; p-trend = 0.0030) and prevalence of hypercholesterolemia in participants ≥ 60 years old (Q5 compared with Q1: OR = 1.72; 95% CI: 1.11, 2.68; p-trend < 0.0010). Higher dietary GL but not GI values were associated with increased prevalence of hyperuricemia in apparently healthy Chinese adults and hypercholesterolemia in older Chinese adults. Further studies are required to confirm the public health implication of these findings.

Astragaloside IV Prevents Obesity-Associated Hypertension by Improving Pro-Inflammatory Reaction and Leptin Resistance.

Low-grade pro-inflammatory state and leptin resistance are important underlying mechanisms that contribute to obesity-associated hypertension. We tested the hypothesis that Astragaloside IV (As IV), known to counteract obesity and hypertension, could prevent obesity-associated hypertension by inhibiting pro-inflammatory reaction and leptin resistance. High-fat diet (HFD) induced obese rats were randomly assigned to three groups: the HFD control group (HF con group), As IV group, and the As IV + α-bungaratoxin (α-BGT) group (As IV+α-BGT group). As IV (20 mg·Kg-1·d-1) was administrated to rats for 6 weeks via daily oral gavage. Body weight and blood pressure were continuously measured, and NE levels in the plasma and renal cortex was evaluated to reflect the sympathetic activity. The expressions of leptin receptor (LepRb) mRNA, phosphorylated signal transducer and activator of transcription-3 (p-STAT3), phosphorylated phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (p-PI3K), suppressor of cytokine signaling 3 (SOCS3) mRNA, and protein-tyrosine phosphatase 1B (PTP1B) mRNA, pro-opiomelanocortin (POMC) mRNA and neuropeptide Y (NPY) mRNA were measured by Western blot or qRT-PCR to evaluate the hypothalamic leptin sensitivity. Additionally, we measured the protein or mRNA levels of α7nAChR, inhibitor of nuclear factor κB kinase subunit ß/ nuclear factor κB (IKKß/NF-KB) and pro-inflammatory cytokines (IL-1ß and TNF-α) in hypothalamus and adipose tissue to reflect the anti-inflammatory effects of As IV through upregulating expression of α7nAChR. We found that As IV prevented body weight gain and adipose accumulation, and also improved metabolic disorders in HFD rats. Furthermore, As IV decreased BP and HR, as well as NE levels in blood and renal tissue. In the hypothalamus, As IV alleviated leptin resistance as evidenced by the increased p-STAT3, LepRb mRNA and POMC mRNA, and decreased p-PI3K, SOCS3 mRNA, and PTP1B mRNA. The effects of As IV on leptin sensitivity were related in part to the up-regulated α7nAchR and suppressed IKKß/NF-KB signaling and pro-inflammatory cytokines in the hypothalamus and adipose tissue, since co-administration of α7nAChR selective antagonist α-BGT could weaken the improved effect of As IV on central leptin resistance. Our study suggested that As IV could efficiently prevent obesity-associated hypertension through inhibiting inflammatory reaction and improving leptin resistance; furthermore, these effects of As IV was partly related to the increased α7nAchR expression.