Effects of deep brain stimulation on dopamine D2 receptor binding in patients with treatment-refractory depression.

BACKGROUND: Depression is a chronic psychiatric disorder related to diminished dopaminergic neurotransmission. Deep brain stimulation (DBS) has shown effectiveness in treating patients with treatment-refractory depression (TRD). This study aimed to evaluate the effect of DBS on dopamine D2 receptor binding in patients with TRD. METHODS: Six patients with TRD were treated with bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST)-nucleus accumbens (NAc) DBS were recruited. Ultra-high sensitivity [11C]raclopride dynamic total-body positron emission tomography (PET) imaging was used to assess the brain D2 receptor binding. Each patient underwent a [11C]raclopride PET scan for 60-min under DBS OFF and DBS ON, respectively. A simplified reference tissue model was used to generate parametric images of binding potential (BPND) with the cerebellum as reference tissue. RESULTS: Depression and anxiety symptoms improved after 3-6 months of DBS treatment. Compared with two-day-nonstimulated conditions, one-day BNST-NAc DBS decreased [11C]raclopride BPND in the amygdala (15.9 %, p < 0.01), caudate nucleus (15.4 %, p < 0.0001) and substantia nigra (10.8 %, p < 0.01). LIMITATIONS: This study was limited to the small sample size and lack of a healthy control group. CONCLUSIONS: Chronic BNST-NAc DBS improved depression and anxiety symptoms, and short-term stimulation decreased D2 receptor binding in the amygdala, caudate nucleus, and substantia nigra. The findings suggest that DBS relieves depression and anxiety symptoms possibly by regulating the dopaminergic system.

Unveiling synergistic QTLs associated with slow wilting in soybean (Glycine max [L.] Merr.).

KEY MESSAGE: A stable QTL qSW_Gm10 works with a novel locus, qSW_Gm01, in a synergistic manner for controlling slow-wilting traits at the early vegetative stage under drought stress in soybean. Drought is one of the major environmental factors which limits soybean yield. Slow wilting is a promising trait that can enhance drought resilience in soybean without additional production costs. Recently, a Korean soybean cultivar SS2-2 was reported to exhibit slow wilting at the early vegetative stages. To find genetic loci responsible for slow wilting, in this study, quantitative trait loci (QTL) analysis was conducted using a recombinant inbred line (RIL) population derived from crossing between Taekwangkong (fast-wilting) and SS2-2 (slow-wilting). Wilting score and leaf moisture content were evaluated at the early vegetative stages for three years. Using the ICIM-MET module, a novel QTL on Chr01, qSW_Gm01 was identified, together with a previously known QTL, qSW_Gm10. These two QTLs were found to work synergistically for slow wilting of the RILs under the water-restricted condition. Furthermore, the SNP markers from the SoySNP50K dataset, located within these QTLs, were associated with the wilting phenotype in 30 diverse soybean accessions. Two genes encoding protein kinase 1b and multidrug resistance-associated protein 4 were proposed as candidate genes for qSW_Gm01 and qSW_Gm10, respectively, based on a comprehensive examination of sequence variation and gene expression differences in the parental lines under drought conditions. These genes may play a role in slow wilting by optimally regulating stomatal aperture. Our findings provide promising genetic resources for improving drought resilience in soybean and give valuable insights into the genetic mechanisms governing slow wilting.

Ethnobotanical surveys reveal the crucial role of medicinal plants in the primary healthcare system of the Shan people in Myanmar.

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: The Shan people of Myanmar live under conditions of longtime social instability and public medical resources inadequate, which tend to strengthen the reliance on local traditional primary healthcare system. The documentation of this kind of resource, however, was rarely and inadequate to support any kind of dynamic trend evaluation. Being an ethnobotanical study, we conducted field survey in the Southern Shan State of Myanmar and aimed to 1) document the local plant species that adopted for primary healthcare purpose, 2) clarify how these species collectively address the broad range of primary medication needs for local people, and 3) lay foundation for dynamic trend evaluation of the role of local medicinal plants under this kind of social and cultural context. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Field surveys were conducted with 124 informants in eight villages. We collected 1259 use reports and documented all the plant species used for treating all the mentioned ailment types. The ailments were translated into their emic meaning and then classified into common disease categories. The top ranked and newly recorded plants or ailment types were analyzed based on historical records from the region. RESULTS: Totally 156 plant species were used for treating 91 ailments belonging to 16 disease categories, with skin problems and digestive tract were the top cited diseases, and with Fabaceae and Lamiaceae were the top cited plant families. A total of 19 newly recorded plant species were suggested as new member of Myanmar medicinal plant list. Besides, we filled the gaps (for 24 species) and enriched the types (for 83 species) of applicable ailments for known Myanmar medicinal plants. CONCLUSION: Our study revealed that the Shan people in Southern Shan State used rich plant species for various therapeutic purposes. Our findings indicate the crucial role of local plant resources for local people's primary healthcare needs and support further study about cultural or regional comparation or historical dynamic trend of the medicinal plants uses in areas facing longtime official or public medical resource inadequate.

Effects of charge state of nano-chitin on the properties of polyvinyl alcohol composite hydrogel.

The present work investigates the effects of nano-chitin with different charge, obtained by acid hydrolysis and TEMPO oxidation, on the structure and properties of borax crosslinked polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) hydrogels. In detail, nano-chitin prepared by acid hydrolysis (ACh) is positively charged (+28.8 mV). The electrostatic attraction between ACh and borax ions leads to a maximum tensile stress of composite hydrogel (ACh/PB), 54.25 KPa, 17 times of the borax crosslinked PVA (PB). In contrast, nano-chitin prepared by TEMPO-oxidation (TCh) shows negative charge (-59.0 mV). Due to the electrostatic repulsion with borax ions, the maximum tensile stress of composite hydrogel (TCh/PB) is only 9.25 KPa, a very limit reinforcing effect. However, TCh/PB showed better self-healing efficiency (96.0 %) as well as ionic conductivity (1.25 × 10-5 S/m). The present work shows that the charge state of the nano-chitin exerts great influence on the interaction with the crosslinking agent borax, therefore, affects the structure and properties of the final PVA composite hydrogels. The results could provide important information about making full use of nano-chitin as a reinforcement by adjusting its surface charge state.

Sonrotoclax overcomes BCL2 G101V mutation-induced venetoclax resistance in preclinical models of hematologic malignancy.

Venetoclax, the first-generation inhibitor of the apoptosis regulator B-cell lymphoma 2 (BCL2), disrupts the interaction between BCL2 and pro-apoptotic proteins, promoting the apoptosis in malignant cells. Venetoclax is the mainstay of therapy for relapsed chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) and is under investigation in multiple clinical trials for the treatment of various cancers. Although venetoclax treatment can result in high rates of durable remission, relapse has been widely observed, indicating the emergence of drug resistance. The G101V mutation in BCL2 is frequently observed in relapsed patients treated with venetoclax and sufficient to confer resistance to venetoclax by interfering with compound binding. Therefore, the development of next-generation BCL2 inhibitors to overcome drug resistance is urgently needed. Herein, we discovered sonrotoclax, a potent and selective BCL2 inhibitor, demonstrates stronger cytotoxic activity in various hematological cancer cells and more profound tumor growth inhibition in multiple hematological tumor models compared to venetoclax. Notably, sonrotoclax effectively inhibits venetoclax-resistant BCL2 variants, such as G101V. The crystal structures of wild-type (WT) BCL2/BCL2 G101V in complex with sonrotoclax revealed that sonrotoclax adopts a novel binding mode within the P2 pocket of BCL2 and could explain why sonrotoclax maintains stronger potency than venetoclax against the G101V mutant. In summary, sonrotoclax emerges as a potential second-generation BCL2 inhibitor for the treatment of hematologic malignancies with the potential to overcome BCL2 mutation-induced venetoclax resistance. Sonrotoclax is currently under investigation in multiple clinical trials.

AIE fluorogen-based oxidase-like fluorescence nanozyme-integrated smartphone for monitoring the freshness authenticity of soy products.

Food safety concerns about the authenticity of soy product freshness have increased due to high demand from public. Developing an accurate and convenient monitoring method for freshness authenticity is crucial for safeguarding food safety. From this motive, this study employed PtPd NPs to encapsulate tetraphenylethylene (TPE) for engineering an AIE-based fluorescent nanozyme (PtPd NPs@TPE) with oxidase-like activity, achieving the ratiometric fluorescence monitoring of putrescine (PUT) to judge the freshness authenticity of soy products. In this design, PUT acted as an antioxidant and inhibited the oxidation process of PtPd NPs@TPE to o-phenylenediamine (OPD), leading to the reduction of oxidative product 2,3-diaminophenothiazine (DAP) alone with the weaken of yellow fluorescence from DAP at 552 nm and bright of bule fluorescence from PtPd NPs@TPE at 442 nm. On this basis, a ratiometric fluorescence strategy integrated with smartphone-based sensor was developed for PUT with acceptable results to combat food freshness fraud of soy products.

Inflammatory cytokines and two subtypes of breast cancer: A two-sample mendelian randomization study.

BACKGROUND: Breast cancer is a common cancer type that leads to cancer-related deaths among women. HER2-positive breast cancer, in particular, is associated with poor prognosis due to its high aggressiveness, increased risk of recurrence, and metastasis potential. Previous observational studies have explored potential associations between inflammatory cytokines and the risk of two breast cancer subtypes (HER2-positive and HER2-negative), but the results have been inconsistent. To further elucidate the causal relationship between inflammatory cytokines and the two breast cancer subtypes, we conducted a two-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) study. METHODS: We employed a two-sample bidirectional MR analysis using publicly available genome-wide association study (GWAS) statistics. After obtaining instrumental variables, we conducted MR analyses using five different methods to ensure the reliability of our results. Additionally, we performed tests for heterogeneity and horizontal pleiotropy. Subsequently, we conducted a reverse MR study by reversing exposure and outcome variables. RESULTS: Evidence from our IVW analysis revealed that genetically predicted levels of IL-5 [odds ratio (OR): 1.18, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.04-1.35, P = 0.012], IL-7 (OR: 1.11, 95% CI: 1.01-1.22, P = 0.037), and IL-16 (OR: 1.13, 95% CI: 1.02-1.25, P = 0.025) were associated with an increased risk of HER2-positive breast cancer. Conversely, IL-10 (OR: 1.14, 95% CI: 1.03-1.26, P = 0.012) was associated with an increased risk of HER2-negative breast cancer. These results showed no evidence of heterogeneity or horizontal pleiotropy (P > 0.05). Results from the reverse MR analysis indicated no potential causal association between breast cancer and inflammatory cytokines (P > 0.05). CONCLUSION: Our findings demonstrate that IL-5, IL-7, and IL-16 are risk factors for HER2-positive breast cancer, with varying degrees of increased probability of HER2-positive breast cancer associated with elevated levels of these inflammatory cytokines. Conversely, IL-10 is a risk factor for HER2-negative breast cancer. Reverse studies have confirmed that breast cancer is not a risk factor for elevated levels of inflammatory cytokines. This series of results clarifies the causal relationship between different types of inflammatory cytokines and different subtypes of breast cancer. Based on this research, potential directions for the mechanism research of different inflammatory cytokines and different subtypes of breast cancer have been provided, and potential genetic basis for identifying and treating different subtypes of breast cancer have been suggested.

Identification of CDT1 as a prognostic marker in human lung adenocarcinoma using bioinformatics approaches.

Background: Lung cancer has the highest cancer-related mortality worldwide. Lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) is the most common histological subtype of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Chromatin licensing and DNA replication factor 1 (CDT1), a key regulator of cell cycle control and replication in eukaryotic cells, has been implicated in various cancer-related processes. Given its significant role in cancer, the focus on CDT1 in this study is justified as it holds promise as a potential biomarker or therapeutic target for cancer treatment. However, its prognostic value in lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) remains unclear. Methods: Bioinformatics analysis was conducted using data obtained from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) databases. Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) databases were utilized to predict biological processes and signaling pathways, respectively. The LinkedOmics database was employed to identify differentially expressed genes (DEGs) associated with CDT1. Nomograms and Kaplan-Meier plots were generated to assess the survival rates of patients with lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD). To determine the RNA and protein expression levels of CDT1 in LUAD and adjacent normal tissues, quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) and immunohistochemistry techniques were employed, respectively. Results: CDT1 was upregulated in the vast majority of cancer tissues, based on pan-cancer analysis in TCGA and GEO datasets, as to lung cancer, the level of CDT1 expression was much higher in LUAD tissue than in healthy lung tissue. Our clinical data supported these findings. In our study, we used a specific cutoff value to dichotomize the patient samples into high and low CDT1 expression groups. The Kaplan-Meier survival curve revealed poor survival rates in CDT1 high expression group than the low expression group. To determine if CDT1 expression was an independent risk factor in LUAD patients, univariate and multivariate Cox regression analyses were performed. The result showed that CDT1 was a potential novel prognosis factor for LUAD patients, whose prognosis was poorer when CDT1 expression was higher. Based on functional enrichment analysis, highly expressed DEGs of CDT1-high patients were predicted to be involved in the cell cycle. According to our analysis of immune infiltration, CDT1 exhibited a strong correlation with specific immune cell subsets and was found to be a significant predictor of poor survival in patients with LUAD. Conclusions: Our research found that CDT1 was upregulated in LUAD and that high CDT1 expression predicted poor prognosis. We comprehensively and systematically analyzed the expression level in the datasets as well as in our own clinical samples, we also evaluated the prognostic and diagnostic value of CDT1, and finally, the potential mechanisms of CDT1 in the progression of LUAD. These results suggested that CDT1 may be a prognostic marker and therapeutic target for LUAD.

Multi-Scale FPGA-Based Infrared Image Enhancement by Using RGF and CLAHE.

Infrared sensors capture thermal radiation emitted by objects. They can operate in all weather conditions and are thus employed in fields such as military surveillance, autonomous driving, and medical diagnostics. However, infrared imagery poses challenges such as low contrast and indistinct textures due to the long wavelength of infrared radiation and susceptibility to interference. In addition, complex enhancement algorithms make real-time processing challenging. To address these problems and improve visual quality, in this paper, we propose a multi-scale FPGA-based method for real-time enhancement of infrared images by using rolling guidance filter (RGF) and contrast-limited adaptive histogram equalization (CLAHE). Specifically, the original image is first decomposed into various scales of detail layers and a base layer using RGF. Secondly, we fuse detail layers of diverse scales, then enhance the detail information by using gain coefficients and employ CLAHE to improve the contrast of the base layer. Thirdly, we fuse the detail layers and base layer to obtain the image with global details of the input image. Finally, the proposed algorithm is implemented on an FPGA using advanced high-level synthesis tools. Comprehensive testing of our proposed method on the AXU15EG board demonstrates its effectiveness in significantly improving image contrast and enhancing detail information. At the same time, real-time enhancement at a speed of 147 FPS is achieved for infrared images with a resolution of 640 × 480.

Pleomorphic Dematiomelanommayunnanense gen. et sp. nov. (Ascomycota, Melanommataceae) from grassland vegetation in Yunnan, China.

During a survey of microfungi associated with grasslands and related vegetation types from Yunnan Province in China, various ascomycetous and coelomycetous fungi were isolated. This study reports the discovery of four strains of ascomycetous and coelomycetous fungi from dead stalks of Hypericummonogynum L. (Hypericaceae) and Rubusparvifolius L. (Rosaceae) in the Zhaotong region of Yunnan Province, China. The isolates were characterized using multi-locus phylogenetic analyses and were found to represent a new monophyletic lineage in Melanommataceae (Pleosporales, Dothideomycetes). This new clade was named as Dematiomelanommayunnanense gen. et sp. nov. which consists of both sexual and asexual morphs. The sexual morph is characterized by globose to subglobose ascomata with a central ostiole, cylindrical asci with a pedicel and ocular chamber, and muriform, ellipsoidal to fusiform ascospores. The asexual morph has synanamorphs including both brown, muriform macroconidia and hyaline, round to oblong or ellipsoidal microconidia. These findings contribute to the understanding of fungal diversity in grasslands and related vegetation types in Yunnan Province, China.

Improved [68Ga]Ga-PSMA-11 image qualities reconstructed by total variation regularized expectation maximization on total-body PET/CT.

Background: Total variation regularized expectation maximization (TVREM) reconstruction algorithm on the image quality of gallium (68GA) prostate-specific membrane antigen-11 ([68Ga]Ga-PSMA-11) total-body positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT). Methods: Images of a phantom with small hot sphere inserts and the total-body PET/CT scans of 51 prostate cancer patients undergoing [68Ga]Ga-PSMA-11 were reconstructed using TVREM with 5 different penalization factors between 0.09 and 0.45 and for 20-, 40-, 60-, 120-, and 300-second acquisition, respectively. As a comparison, the same data were also reconstructed using the ordered subset expectation maximization (OSEM) with 3 iterations, 20 subsets, and 300 second acquisition. The contrast recovery coefficients (CRC) and background variability (BV) of the phantom, the tumor-to-background ratios (TBR), the contrast recovery (CR) ratio, the image noise of the liver, and maximum standard uptake value (SUVmax) of the lesions were calculated to evaluate the image quality. The clinical performance of the images was evaluated by 2 radiologists with a 5-point scale (1-poor, 5-excellent). Results: The TVREM reconstructions groups fwith 120 second acquisition and the penalization of 0.27 to 0.45 showed the best performance in terms of CR, TBR, image noise, and the gain of SUVmax compared to that obtained in the OSEM 300 second group. Even the image noise of the TVREM 120 second group with a penalization factor of 0.27 and 0.36 was comparable to the OSEM 300 second group; the lesions' SUVmax increased by 28% whereas the image noise decreased by 5% and 14%, respectively. The TVREM 120 second group with a penalization factor of 0.36 (5.00±0.00) had the highest qualitative score that equaled OSEM and TVREM for the 300 second (P>0.05) group. Conclusions: Our study has shown the potential of the TVREM reconstruction algorithm with optimized penalization factors to achieve comparable [68Ga]Ga-PSMA-11 total-body PET/CT image quality with a shorter acquisition time, compared with the conventional OSEM reconstruction algorithm.

GPER governs the immune infiltration of gastric cancer and activates the NF-κB/ROS/Apoptosis pathway in gastric mucosal epithelium.

BACKGROUND: Gastric cancer (GC) is with high mortality and morbidity. The GC morbidity of males is twice as high as that of females. G-protein estrogen receptor (GPER) bears on this phenomenon. METHODS: Networks and experiments assessed the GPER expression in different validity and content. The evidence-based practice involved accessing the clinical relevance of GPER by UALCAN and Kaplan-Meier plotter. Enrichment analyses contributed to guide further experimental validations. Activation of the NF-κB/ROS/Apoptosis pathway was analyzed by WB, immunofluorescence (IF), microplate reader and flow cytometry. TISIDB and TIMER identified the immune infiltration investigations, with credibility boosted by the Kaplan-Meier plotter. RESULTS: The appraisers revealed that GPER significantly decreased in GC at both gene and protein levels with highly approved prognosis value (P < 0.05). GPER was a significant fate determinant governing the inner part of gastric glands. NF-κB pathway and the following ROS in gastric cells were activated after MNU stimulation (20 µM, 24 h), and the GPER antagonist G15 strengthened the effect of MNU. Furthermore, GPER expression positively correlated with immune cells and various immune markers in GC patients, with highly approved clinical relevance. For example, type-2 helper cells enriched GC patients had a lower survival rate in the GPER-high expression group (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: We demonstrated that GPER governs the GC progression by activating the NF-κB/ROS/Apoptosis pathway in gastric cells and regulating the immune environment around them.

RNA-seq profiling in leaf tissues of two soybean (Glycine max [L.] Merr.) cultivars that show contrasting responses to drought stress during early developmental stages.

Drought stress is the major environment constraint on soybean yield, and a variety of pathways underlie drought tolerance mechanisms. Transcriptomic profiling of two soybean cultivars, drought-tolerant SS2-2 and drought-sensitive Taekwang, was performed under normal and drought conditions to identify genes involved in drought tolerance. This revealed large differences in water loss during drought treatment. Genes involved in signaling, lipid metabolism, phosphorylation, and gene regulation were overrepresented among genes that were differentially expressed between cultivars and between treatments in each cultivar. The analysis revealed transcription factors from six families, including WRKYs and NACs, showed significant SS2-2-specific upregulation. Genes involved in stress defense pathways, including MAPK signaling, Ca2+ signaling, ROS scavenging, and NBS-LRR, were also identified. Expression of non-specific phospholipases, phospholipase D, and PHOSPHATIDYL INOSITOL MONOPHOSPHATE 5 KINASE (PIP5K), which act in the lipid-signaling pathway, was greatly increased in SS2-2. The roles of PIP5K in drought stress tolerance were confirmed in Arabidopsis thaliana. Arabidopsis pip5k mutants had significantly lower survival rates under drought stress than wild-type plants. This study identified additional elements in the mechanisms used by plants to protect themselves from drought stress and provides valuable information for the development of drought-tolerant soybean cultivars. Supplementary Information: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s11032-023-01385-1.

Modified Gegen Qinlian decoction ameliorated ulcerative colitis by attenuating inflammation and oxidative stress and enhancing intestinal barrier function in vivo and in vitro.

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: Modified Gegen Qinlian decoction (MGQD), which was first documented in Treatise on Febrile Disease, is recognized as a classic prescription to treat ulcerative colitis (UC). However, its protective mechanism against UC remains to be fully elucidated. AIM OF THE STUDY: To explore the impact and the potential molecular mechanism of MGQD on dextran sodium sulfate (DSS)-induced UC mice and tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α)-induced Caco-2 cell monolayer model of intestinal barrier. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The chemical components of MGQD and MGQD drug containing serum (MGQD-DS) were characterized by LC-MS/MS. The therapeutic effect of MGQD on DSS-induced UC was evaluated based on body weight, disease activity index (DAI), colon length, colonic histopathological injury, inflammatory cytokines, oxidative stress response and intestinal barrier function. Cell Counting Kit (CCK)-8 assay was applied to detect the effect of MGQD-DS on the viability of Caco-2 cells. Additionally, TNF-α-induced Caco-2 cell monolayer model of intestinal barrier was established in vitro. The Caco-2 cell monolayers were administered blank serum or MGQD-DS to observe the effects of MGQD-DS on transepithelial electrical resistance (TEER), permeability of fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC)-dextran, inflammatory cytokines, oxidative stress indicators and intestinal epithelial barrier (IEB). RESULTS: MGQD significantly improved symptoms and pathological damage in UC mice by downregulating the expression of interleukin (IL)-1ß and malondialdehyde (MDA), attenuating the loss of goblet cells and the destruction of intestinal epithelial ultrastructure, and upregulating the expression of superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), glutathione (GSH), zonula occludens-1 (ZO-1), Occludin, Claudin-1 and E-cadherin. In vitro, MGQD-DS significantly reduced the flux of FITC-dextran, increased the TEER, inhibited the expression of IL-21, IL-17A and MDA, and promoted the expression of IL-4, IL-10, transforming growth factor-ß (TGF-ß), SOD, CAT, GSH, Occludin and E-cadherin in TNF-α-induced Caco-2 cell monolayer model of intestinal barrier. CONCLUSION: MGQD can ameliorate DSS-induced UC mice and TNF-α-induced Caco-2 cell monolayer model of intestinal barrier, and the protective effect is related to its inhibition of inflammation, alleviation of oxidative stress, and repair of intestinal barrier damage.

Modified Gegen Qinlian decoction ameliorates DSS-induced chronic colitis in mice by restoring the intestinal mucus barrier and inhibiting the activation of γδT17 cells.

BACKGROUND: Current therapeutics for ulcerative colitis (UC) have limitations. Classical Formula Gegen Qinlian decoction (GQD) is derived from Shang Han Lun and has a long history of treating gastrointestinal diseases such as diarrhea and UC. Nevertheless, the exact mechanism of it needs to be further clarified. PURPOSE: We aimed to investigate the treatment effects of modified GQD (MGQD) on dextran sodium sulfate (DSS)-induced chronic colitis in mice and conduct further exploration of its underlying mechanisms. METHODS: The protective effect of MGQD was estimated in a DSS-induced chronic colitis mouse model. Model evaluation included body weight, disease activity index (DAI) score, colon length and histopathology. Alcian Blue/Phosphoric Acid Schiff (AB/PAS) staining, transmission electron microscopy (TEM), immunofluorescence and real time‒PCR (RT-PCR) were used to assess goblet cell function. ELISA, flow cytometry and immunofluorescence were applied to estimate the immunoinflammatory status. Western blot was performed to test the protein expression levels of relevant pathways and related receptors. All experiments were conducted in duplicate. RESULTS: MGQD alleviated DSS­induced chronic colitis symptoms in mice, protected goblet cell function and restored the intestinal mucus barrier. Furthermore, MGQD efficiently suppressed the abnormal immune inflammatory response and the activate of γδT17 cells and NLRP3 inflammasome. CONCLUSION: The mechanisms by which MGQD protects against DSS-induced chronic colitis may involve restoring goblet cell function, repairing the intestinal mucus barrier, and modulating the immune inflammatory response. More importantly, MGQD inhibited NLRP3 inflammasome-associated signaling pathway activation, which consequently reduced the activation of γδT17 cells.

The Correlation between Helicobacter pylori Immunoglobulin G Seropositivity and Plasma Homocysteine Levels in Adults.

Objectives: Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) immunoglobulin G (IgG) seropositivity is prevalent, but its correlation with homocysteine (Hcy), a biomarker of vascular risk events, is unclear. This study is aimed at exploring the correlation of H. pylori IgG seropositivity and plasma Hcy levels in adults. Methods: Data was obtained from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) cycle 1999-2000. Hcy was measured by the Abbott homocysteine assay, and H. pylori IgG was measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays. The weighted multiple logistic regression analyses with adjustments for potential confounders were conducted. Subgroup analyses stratified by gender, age, and race were performed. Results: A total of 4029 subjects aged 20-85 years were included. Population prevalence of H. pylori IgG seropositivity was 44.7% in the overall population with higher prevalence found in those with older age, Mexican Americans, lower education, and lower household income. Levels of plasma Hcy were not elevated in those with H. pylori IgG seropositivity versus seronegativity (ß -0.120 (-0.438, 0.199) P = 0.462). This difference was not significant after stratifying by gender and age. However, in the subgroup analyses stratified by race, a negative correlation between H. pylori seropositivity and plasma Hcy levels was observed in Mexican Americans (ß -0.802 (-1.253, -0.352) P < 0.001). Conclusions: H. pylori IgG seropositivity was not associated with plasma Hcy levels in the general population, but there may be a negative correlation in Mexican Americans. These findings provide new insights to advance the research of the link between plasma Hcy levels and stomach health.

Diversity of medicinal plants and their therapeutic usages of Kachin people (Jinghpaw) in the central part of Kachin State, Myanmar.

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: The traditional medical system plays a major role in healthcare in Kachin State, Myanmar, where long-term political instability persists and conventional healthcare facilities are inadequate. A knowledge of the traditional medicinal plants therefore benefits the Kachin people, yet documentation and records of the uses of these plants are rare. In this study, we attempt to answer the questions on what medicinal plants and how they are used by the Kachin people. AIM OF THE STUDY: We aimed to document knowledge of the traditional medicinal plants and to identify those most frequently used by the Kachin people. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Eighty-two informants from eight villages in three townships were interviewed, and their knowledge of medicinal plants was recorded. The reported ailments were classified to the standard categories of the International Classification of Primary Care-2 (ICPC-2) system. Use reports (UR) were employed to evaluate the knowledge consensus of the informants. RESULTS: We recorded a total of 117 species used as medicinal plants, of which 22 are newly recorded medicinal plant species for Myanmar. The plants belonged to 103 genera in 52 families, and were used to treat a total of 72 ailments from 17 ICPC-2 disease categories. Fabaceae and Lamiaceae were the most highly represented families of medicinal plants, with eleven and eight species used, respectively. The most cited species based on URs were Tinospora cordifolia (Willd.) Hook.f. & Thomson (URs = 39), Oroxylum indicum (L.) Kurz (URs = 28), Aquilaria malaccensis Lam. (URs = 26), Chromolaena odorata (L.) R.M.King & H.Rob. (URs = 24), and Chloranthus elatior Link. (URs = 22). Digestive system disorder was the most prevalent disease category, and was treated with 47 different medicinal plants (URs = 142). Leaves were the most commonly used plant part; decoction was the dominant method of preparation; and oral consumption was the most frequent method of administration. CONCLUSION: Our study documented a list of 117 medicinal plants and their uses in traditional medicine based on the local knowledge of the Kachin people. The study also identified the five most frequently cited species and found that the plants investigated are used to treat a total of 72 diseases. The 642 therapeutic reports we collected showcase a rich and diverse living knowledge of medicinal plant use by the Kachin people. Moreover, we present 22 new medicinal records, enriching the list of known medicinal plants in Myanmar. This exploratory study has enabled us to assemble the local knowledge of the Kachin people into solid dataset that will allow further scientific validation and will potentially contribute to better integration of medicinal plants into the healthcare provision for Kachin people in Myanmar.

A Real-Time FPGA Implementation of Infrared and Visible Image Fusion Using Guided Filter and Saliency Detection.

Taking advantage of the functional complementarity between infrared and visible light sensors imaging, pixel-level real-time image fusion based on infrared and visible light images of different resolutions is a promising strategy for visual enhancement, which has demonstrated tremendous potential for autonomous driving, military reconnaissance, video surveillance, etc. Great progress has been made in this field in recent years, but the fusion speed and quality of visual enhancement are still not satisfactory. Herein, we propose a multi-scale FPGA-based image fusion technology with substantially enhanced visual enhancement capability and fusion speed. Specifically, the source images are first decomposed into three distinct layers using guided filter and saliency detection, which are the detail layer, saliency layer and background layer. Fusion weight map of the saliency layer is subsequently constructed using attention mechanism. Afterwards weight fusion strategy is used for saliency layer fusion and detail layer fusion, while weight average fusion strategy is used for the background layer fusion, followed by the incorporation of image enhancement technology to improve the fused image contrast. Finally, high-level synthesis tool is used to design the hardware circuit. The method in the present study is thoroughly tested on XCZU15EG board, which could not only effectively improve the image enhancement capability in glare and smoke environments, but also achieve fast real-time image fusion with 55FPS for infrared and visible images with a resolution of 640 × 470.

Exploration of various roles of hypoxia genes in osteosarcoma.

Osteosarcoma is a primary malignant tumor that often metastasizes in orthopedic diseases. Although multi-drug chemotherapy and surgical treatment have significantly improved the survival and prognosis of patients with osteosarcoma, the survival rate is still very low due to frequent metastases in patients with osteosarcoma. In-depth exploration of the relationship between various influencing factors of osteosarcoma is very important for screening promising therapeutic targets. This study used multivariate COX regression analysis to select the hypoxia genes SLC2A1 and FBP1 in patients with osteosarcoma, and used the expression of these two genes to divide the patients with osteosarcoma into high-risk and low-risk groups. Then, we first constructed a prognostic model based on the patient's risk value and compared the survival difference between the high expression group and the low expression group. Second, in the high expression group and the low expression group, compare the differences in tumor invasion and inflammatory gene expression between the two groups of immune cells. Finally, the ferroptosis-related genes with differences between the high expression group and the low expression group were screened, and the correlation between these genes was analyzed. In the high-risk group, immune cells with higher tumor invasiveness, macrophages M0 and immune cells with lower invasiveness included: mast cell resting, regulatory T cells (Tregs) and monocytes. Finally, among genes related to ferroptosis, we found AKR1C2, AKR1C1 and ALOX15 that may be related to hypoxia. These ferroptosis-related genes were discovered for the first time in osteosarcoma. Among them, the hypoxia gene FBP1 is positively correlated with the ferroptosis genes AKR1C1 and ALOX15, and the hypoxia gene SLC2A1 is negatively correlated with the ferroptosis genes AKR1C2, AKR1C1 and ALOX15. This study constructed a prognostic model based on hypoxia-related genes SLC2A1 and FBP1 in patients with osteosarcoma, and explored their correlation with immune cells, inflammatory markers and ferroptosis-related genes. This indicates that SLC2A1 and FBP1 are promising targets for osteosarcoma research.

CircP50 functions through the phosphorylation- and acetylation-activated p53 pathway to mediate inorganic arsenic-induced apoptosis in A549 cells.

As a class I carcinogen, arsenic has been reported to cause diseases accompanied by circRNAs regulating proliferation and apoptosis at the molecular level, but whether circP50 (circBase ID: hsa_circ_0008012) does the same has not been demonstrated. The aim of this study is to provide the basis for anti-lung cancer mechanism research, by studying the expression of circP50 under arsenic-induced conditions, and the effect and mechanism on the proliferation and apoptosis of A549 cells based on the circP50 knockdown models. To explore whether the circP50 is responsive to arsenic exposure, the qRT-PCR was applied to discover that the relative expression of circP50 in A549 cells increased only with increasing NaAsO2 dose and independent of its metabolites. We further determined the mechanism of circP50 by establishing circP50 knockdown models. The results of cell viability and EdU assays indicated the proliferation of A549 cells. According to the western blotting, phosphorylation of p53 at Ser15, Ser376, and Ser392 and acetylation of p53 at Lys370 and Lys382 were inhibited, resulting in the deficiency of p53 expression. Subsequently, the expression of genes downstream of p53 was reduced, including p21, PUMA, Caspase3, and Bcl-xS. Furthermore, the expressions of IKB-α, p65, and p50 decreased, but C-myc expression did not change significantly, referring to the NF-κB pathway was not dominant. The results suggest that circP50 mainly functions through the p53 pathway to mediate apoptosis in response to arsenic exposure.