Effects of Cd treatment on morphology, chlorophyll content and antioxidant enzyme activity of Elymus nutans Griseb., a native plant in Qinghai-Tibet Plateau.

Cd pollution is a global environmental problem. However, the response mechanism of the alpine plant Pelagia under Cd stress remains unclear. Therefore, in this study, a native plant(Elymus nutans Griseb.) of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau was used as the material to quantify plant height, leaf number, length of leaf, crown width, root number, biomass, Dry weight malondialdehyde (MDA), free proline, superoxide dismutase (SOD), ascorbate enzyme (APX), catalase (CAT) and chlorophyll contents under different Cd concentrations. The results showed that the growth of Elymus nutans Griseb. was a phenomenon of "low concentration promotes growth, high concentration inhibited growth" under Cd treatment. It meant that 10 mg·L-1 Cd promoted the growth of leaf number, plant height, crown width and tiller number, while 40 mg·L-1 Cd inhibited the growth of root number and biomass of Elymus nutans Griseb. compare with the control. The MDA content, free proline content, SOD activity, APX activity and CAT activity of Elymus nutans Griseb. was increased with the increase of Cd treatment concentration to resist the oxidative damage caused by Cd to the body. At the same time, the accumulation of chlorophyll A, chlorophyll B and chlorophyll AB was decreased with the increase of Cd stress concentration. In addition, the carotenoid content did not change much between the control group and the treatment group, indicating that Cd treatment had little effect on it. The results could provide a reference for the mechanism of heavy metal resistance and the selection and improvement of Cd -resistant varieties of Elymus nutans Griseb.

Diflovidazin damages the hematopoietic stem cells to zebrafish embryos via the TLR4/ NF-κB/ p53 pathway.

Exposure to environmental contaminants frequently induces the occurrence of blood diseases, but the underlying molecular mechanisms are scarcely known. The toxicity of Diflovidazin (DFD), a widely used mite-remover, to the blood system of non-target organisms requires urgent elucidation. To investigate the deleterious effects of DFD (2, 2.5, and 3 mg/L) on the development and survive of hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs), the zebrafish model was used in this study. DFD exposure reduced the number of HSCs and their subtypes, including macrophages, neutrophils, thymus T-cells, erythrocytes, and platelets. The significant changes in the abnormal apoptosis and differentiation of HSCs were the major reasons for the reduction in blood cells. Using small-molecule antagonists and p53 morpholino revealed that the NF-κB/p53 pathway was responsible for the apoptosis of HSCs upon DFD exposure. The restoration results attributed to the TLR4 inhibitor and molecular docking showed that the TLR4 protein, which was upstream of NF-κB signaling, played a vital role in DFD toxicology. This study elucidates the role and molecular mechanism of DFD in damaging zebrafish HSCs. It provides a theoretical basis for the occurrence of various blood diseases in zebrafish and other organisms.

Worldwide productivity and research trend of publications concerning electroactive materials and spinal cord injury: A bibliometric study.

Purpose: We investigated the current state and trends in the area during the previous 10 years using bibliometric approaches to evaluate the global scientific output of research on electroactive materials and spinal cord injury. Methods: Studies on spinal cord injury in electroactive materials that were published between 2012 and 2022 were located using the Web of science (WOS) datebase. The software programs bibliometrix R-package and CiteSpace were used to do quantitative analyses of annual publications, nation, author, institution, journal source, co-cited references, and keywords. The studies were categorized by the research's main points using a qualitative analysis, and publications having more than 10 citations each year. Results: In the final analysis, 1,330 relevant papers or reviews were included. There is an increased tendency in both the average annual citation rate and the number of publications in the discipline. The United States and the University of Toronto are the countries and institutions that have contributed the most to this discipline, respectively. The majority of authors are from the China and United States. Zhang Y is the author with the most published articles and holds the top position in the cited author h-index species. The journal with the highest number of published articles is "Disability and rehabilitation"; the journal is divided into four main areas including physics, materials, chemistry, molecular, and biology. The keyword analysis revealed a shift in research hotspots from schwann cell, fracture, and urinary disorders to carbon-based materials, functional recovery, and surgery. Analysis of qualitative data revealed that the role and mechanism of injectable conductive hydrogels in spinal cord healing after damage is a hot topic of current study, with the mechanism primarily focusing on the inhibition of oxidative stress (Nrf2) and apoptosis (Casepase 3). Conclusion: Our bibliometric analysis indicates that research on electroactive materials for spinal cord injury remains an active field of study. Moreover, contemporary research is concentrated on carbon-based materials, functional rehabilitation, and surgery.

Stereoselective C-O silylation and stannylation of alkenyl acetates.

Facile formation of carbon-heteroatom bonds is a long-standing objective in synthetic organic chemistry. However, direct cross-coupling with readily accessible alkenyl acetates via inert C‒O bond-cleavage for the carbon-heteroatom bond construction remains challenging. Here we report a practical preparation of stereoselective tri- and tetrasubstituted alkenyl silanes and stannanes by performing cobalt-catalyzed C‒O silylation and stannylation of alkenyl acetates using silylzinc pivalate and stannylzinc chloride as the nucleophiles. This protocol features a complete control of chemoselectivity, stereoselectivity, as well as excellent functional group compatibility. The resulting alkenyl silanes and stannanes show high reactivities in arylation and alkenylation by Hiyama and Stille reactions. The synthetic utility is further illustrated by the facile late-stage modifications of natural products and drug-like molecules. Mechanistic studies suggest that the reaction might involve a chelation-assisted oxidative insertion of cobalt species to C‒O bond. We anticipate that our findings should prove instrumental for potential applications of this technology to organic syntheses and drug discoveries in medicinal chemistry.

Characterization of meat quality traits, fatty acids and volatile compounds in Hu and Tan sheep.

Sheep breed has a major influence on characteristics of meat quality and intramuscular fat (IMF), however, studies into the relationship between sheep breed and meat quality traits rarely consider the large variation in IMF within breed. In this study, groups of 176 Hu and 76 Tan male sheep were established, weaned at 56 days old, with similar weights, and representative samples were selected based on the distribution of IMF in each population, to investigate variations in meat quality, IMF and volatile compound profiles between breeds. Significant differences were observed in drip loss, shear force, cooking loss, and color coordinates between Hu and Tan sheep (p < 0.01). The IMF content and the predominate unsaturated fatty acids, oleic and cis, cis-linoleic acids, were similar. Eighteen out of 53 volatile compounds were identified as important odor contributors. Of these 18 odor-active volatile compounds, no significant concentration differences were detected between breeds. In another 35 volatile compounds, γ-nonalactone was lower in Tan sheep relative to Hu sheep (p < 0.05). In summary, Tan sheep exhibited lower drip loss, higher shear force values, and redder color, had less saturated fatty acids, and contained less γ-nonalactone against Hu sheep. These findings improve understanding of aroma differences between Hu and Tan sheep meat. Graphical Abstract.

Exogenous silicon promotes cadmium (Cd) accumulation in Sedum alfredii Hance by enhancing Cd uptake and alleviating Cd toxicity.

Soil Cadmium (Cd) pollution has become a serious environmental problem. Silicon (Si) plays key roles in alleviating Cd toxicity in plants. However, the effects of Si on mitigation of Cd toxicity and accumulation of Cd by hyperaccumulators are largely unknown. This study was conducted to investigate the effect of Si on Cd accumulation and the physiological characteristics of Cd hyperaccumulator Sedum alfredii Hance under Cd stress. Results showed that, exogenous Si application promoted the biomass, Cd translocation and concentration of S. alfredii, with an increased rate of 21.74-52.17% for shoot biomass, and 412.39-621.00% for Cd accumulation. Moreover, Si alleviated Cd toxicity by: (i) increasing chlorophyll contents, (ii) improving antioxidant enzymes, (iii) enhancing cell wall components (lignin, cellulose, hemicellulose and pectin), (iv) raising the secretion of organic acids (oxalic acid, tartaric acid and L-malic acid). The RT-PCR analysis of genes that involved in Cd detoxification showed that the expression of SaNramp3, SaNramp6, SaHMA2 and SaHMA4 in roots were significantly decreased by 11.46-28.23%, 6.61-65.19%, 38.47-80.87%, 44.80-69.85% and 33.96-71.70% in the Si treatments, while Si significantly increased the expression of SaCAD. This study expanded understanding on the role of Si in phytoextraction and provided a feasible strategy for assisting phytoextraction Cd by S. alfredii. In summary, Si facilitated the Cd phytoextraction of S. alfredii by promoting plant growth and enhancing the resistance of plants to Cd.

Recent advances of Phosphodiesterase 4B in cancer.

INTRODUCTION: Phosphodiesterase 4B (PDE4B) is a crucial enzyme in the phosphodiesterases (PDEs), acting as a regulator of cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP). It is involved in cancer process through PDE4B/cAMP signaling pathway. Cancer occurs and develops with the regulation of PDE4B in the body, suggesting that PDE4B is a promising therapeutic target. AREAS COVERED: This review covereed the function and mechanism of PDE4B in cancer. We summarized the possible clinical applications of PDE4B, and highlighted the possible ways to develop clinical applications of PDE4B inhibitors. We also discussed some common PDEs inhibitors, and expected the development of combined targeting PDE4B and other PDEs drugs in the future. EXPERT OPINION: The existing research and clinical data can strongly prove the role of PDE4B in cancer. PDE4B inhibition can effectively increase cell apoptosis, inhibit cell proliferation, transformation, migration, etc., indicating that PDE4B inhibition can effectively inhibit the development of cancer. Other PDEs may antagonize or coordinate this effect. As for the further study on the relationship between PDE4B and other PDEs in cancer, it is still a challenge to develop multi-targeted PDEs inhibitors.

The essential roles of FXR in diet and age influenced metabolic changes and liver disease development: a multi-omics study.

BACKGROUND: Aging and diet are risks for metabolic diseases. Bile acid receptor farnesoid X receptor (FXR) knockout (KO) mice develop metabolic liver diseases that progress into cancer as they age, which is accelerated by Western diet (WD) intake. The current study uncovers the molecular signatures for diet and age-linked metabolic liver disease development in an FXR-dependent manner. METHODS: Wild-type (WT) and FXR KO male mice, either on a healthy control diet (CD) or a WD, were euthanized at the ages of 5, 10, or 15 months. Hepatic transcriptomics, liver, serum, and urine metabolomics as well as microbiota were profiled. RESULTS: WD intake facilitated hepatic aging in WT mice. In an FXR-dependent manner, increased inflammation and reduced oxidative phosphorylation were the primary pathways affected by WD and aging. FXR has a role in modulating inflammation and B cell-mediated humoral immunity which was enhanced by aging. Moreover, FXR dictated neuron differentiation, muscle contraction, and cytoskeleton organization in addition to metabolism. There were 654 transcripts commonly altered by diets, ages, and FXR KO, and 76 of them were differentially expressed in human hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and healthy livers. Urine metabolites differentiated dietary effects in both genotypes, and serum metabolites clearly separated ages irrespective of diets. Aging and FXR KO commonly affected amino acid metabolism and TCA cycle. Moreover, FXR is essential for colonization of age-related gut microbes. Integrated analyses uncovered metabolites and bacteria linked with hepatic transcripts affected by WD intake, aging, and FXR KO as well as related to HCC patient survival. CONCLUSION: FXR is a target to prevent diet or age-associated metabolic disease. The uncovered metabolites and microbes can be diagnostic markers for metabolic disease.

Integration of metabolomics and transcriptomics provides insights into enhanced osteogenesis in Ano5Cys360Tyr knock-in mouse model.

Introduction: Gnathodiaphyseal dysplasia (GDD; OMIM#166260) is a rare autosomal dominant disorder characterized by diaphyseal sclerosis of tubular bones and cemento-osseous lesions in mandibles. GDD is caused by point mutations in the ANO5 gene. However, the mechanisms underlying GDD have not been disclosed. We previously generated the first knock-in mouse model for GDD expressing a human mutation (p.Cys360Tyr) in ANO5 and homozygous Ano5 knock-in (Ano5KI/KI ) mice exhibited representative traits of human GDD especially including enhanced osteogenesis. Methods: Metabolomics and transcriptomics analyses were conducted for wildtype (Ano5+/+ ) and Ano5KI/KI mature mouse calvarial osteoblasts (mCOBs) grown in osteogenic cultures for 14 days to identify differential intracellular metabolites and genes involved in GDD. Subsequently, related differential genes were validated by qRT-PCR. Cell proliferation was confirmed by CCK8 assay and calcium content in mineral nodules was detected using SEM-EDS. Results: Metabolomics identified 42 differential metabolites that are primarily involved in amino acid and pyrimidine metabolism, and endocrine and other factor-regulated calcium reabsorption. Concomitantly, transcriptomic analysis revealed 407 differentially expressed genes in Ano5KI/KI osteoblasts compared with wildtype. Gene ontology and pathway analysis indicated that Ano5Cys360Tyr mutation considerably promoted cell cycle progression and perturbed calcium signaling pathway, which were confirmed by validated experiments. qRT-PCR and CCK-8 assays manifested that proliferation of Ano5KI/KI mCOBs was enhanced and the expression of cell cycle regulating genes (Mki67, Ccnb1, and Ccna2) was increased. In addition, SEM-EDS demonstrated that Ano5KI/KI mCOBs developed higher calcium contents in mineral nodules than Ano5+/+ mCOBs, while some calcium-related genes (Cacna1, Slc8a1, and Cyp27b1) were significantly up-regulated. Furthermore, osteocalcin which has been proved to be an osteoblast-derived metabolic hormone was upregulated in Ano5KI/KI osteoblast cultures. Discussion: Our data demonstrated that the Ano5Cys360Tyr mutation could affect the metabolism of osteoblasts, leading to unwonted calcium homeostasis and cellular proliferation that can contribute to the underlying pathogenesis of GDD disorders.

Help-Seeking Intentions for Depression and Associated Factors among Chinese Perinatal Women: A Cross-Sectional Study.

A low help-seeking intention for depression is an important reason for the low number of women with perinatal depression who have sought professional help. However, evidence of help-seeking intentions for depression is still lacking in Chinese perinatal women. We aimed to investigate the help-seeking intention for depression and its associated factors among Chinese perinatal women. Participants were recruited from three comprehensive hospitals in Changsha. A total of 874 perinatal women were included in the study. The score for the help-seeking intention for depression in Chinese perinatal women was 3.65 ± 0.79, with about half of participants (58.3%) reporting that they were "likely" and "strongly likely" to seek professional help if they suffered from depression during the perinatal period. Favorable help-seeking attitudes and sufficient knowledge of mental illness help-seeking resources were positively associated with help-seeking intentions for depression. However, self-stigma decreased the help-seeking intention for depression. Chinese perinatal women had relatively positive help-seeking intentions for depression. Reducing the stigma of mental illness and help-seeking, enhancing mental health literacy, and improving attitudes toward professional psychological help-seeking of perinatal women may be the potential key components of interventions to encourage perinatal women to actively seek professional psychological help.

Jinfeng pills ameliorate premature ovarian insufficiency induced by cyclophosphamide in rats and correlate to modulating IL-17A/IL-6 axis and MEK/ERK signals.

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: Jinfeng Pill (JFP) is a classical Chinese medicine formula and composed of 9 herbs, including Epimedium brevicornu Maxim (Yinyanghuo), Cervus elaphus Linnaeus (Lurong), Panax ginseng C.A.Mey. (Renshen), Equus asinus (EJiao), Ligustrum lucidum W.T.Aiton (Nvzhenzi), Reynoutria multiflora (Thunb.) Moldenke (Heshouwu), Curculigo orchioides Gaertn (Xianmao), Neolitsea cassia (L.) Kosterm. (Rougui) and Leonurus japonicus Houtt. (Yimucao). The formula is clinically used to regulate menstrual cycle and alleviate polycystic ovarian syndrome due to its capabilities of ovulation induction. It is therefore presumed that JFP could be used for the therapy of premature ovarian insufficiency (POI) but the assumed efficacy has not been fully substantiated in experiment. AIM OF STUDY: To evaluate the effectiveness of JFP on cyclophosphamide (CTX)-induced POI and preliminarily explore its potential mechanisms of action. MATERIAL AND METHODS: An experimental rat model of POI was established by using CTX induction to assess the efficacy of JFP. The potential targets of action for JFP alleviating POI were predicted by the combination of network pharmacology and transcriptomics and finally validating by RT-qPCR and Western blot. RESULTS: JFP alleviated the damages of ovarian tissue induced by CTX in the rat model of POI via significantly decreasing serum levels of FSH and LH and the ratio of FSH/LH and increasing the levels of E2 and AMH, accompanied with promoting ovarian folliculogenesis and follicle maturity and reversing the depletion of follicle pool. With the analysis of network pharmacology, pathways in cancer, proteoglycans in cancer, PI3K-AKT, TNF and FoxO signaling pathways were predicted to be influenced by JFP. The results of RNA-seq further revealed that IL-17 signaling pathway was the most important pathway regulated by both CTX and JFP, following by transcriptional misregulation in cancer and proteoglycans in cancer. Combining the two analytical methods, JFP likely targeted genes associated with immune regulation, including COX-2, HSP90AA1, FOS, MMP3 and MAPK11 and pathways, including IL-17,Th17 cell differentiation and TNF signaling pathway. Finally, JFP was validated to regulate the mRNA expression of FOS, FOSB, FOSL1, MMP3, MMP13 and COX-2 and decrease the release of IL-17A and the protein expression of IL-6 and suppress the phosphorylation of MEK1/2 and ERK1/2 in CTX induced POI rats. CONCLUSION: Jinfeng Pill is effective to ameliorate the symptoms of POI induced by CTX in the model of rats and its action is likely associated with suppressing IL-17A/IL-6 axis and the activity of MEK1/2-ERK1/2 signaling.

Screening of pesticides in serum, urine and cerebrospinal fluid collected from an urban population in China.

Human exposure to pesticides is a topic of public health concern for decades. Pesticide exposures have been assessed through the analysis of urine or blood matrices, but little is known on the accumulation of these chemicals in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). CSF plays an important role in maintaining physical and chemical balance of the brain and central nervous system and any perturbation can have adverse effects on health. In this study, we investigated the occurrence of 222 pesticides in CSF from 91 individuals using gas chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (GC-MS/MS). Measured pesticide concentrations in CSF were compared with those in 100 serum and urine specimens from individuals living in the same urban location. Twenty pesticides were found in CSF, serum and urine, at levels above the limit of detection. Three most frequently detected pesticides in CSF were biphenyl (100%), diphenylamine (75%), and hexachlorobenzene (63%). Median concentrations of biphenyl in CSF, serum and urine were 1.11, 10.6, and 1.10 ng/mL, respectively. Six triazole fungicides were found only in CSF, but not in other matrices. To our knowledge, this is the first study to report pesticide concentrations in CSF in a general urban population.

Variants in DTNA cause a mild, dominantly inherited muscular dystrophy.

DTNA encodes α-dystrobrevin, a component of the macromolecular dystrophin-glycoprotein complex (DGC) that binds to dystrophin/utrophin and α-syntrophin. Mice lacking α-dystrobrevin have a muscular dystrophy phenotype, but variants in DTNA have not previously been associated with human skeletal muscle disease. We present 12 individuals from four unrelated families with two different monoallelic DTNA variants affecting the coiled-coil domain of α-dystrobrevin. The five affected individuals from family A harbor a c.1585G > A; p.Glu529Lys variant, while the recurrent c.1567_1587del; p.Gln523_Glu529del DTNA variant was identified in the other three families (family B: four affected individuals, family C: one affected individual, and family D: two affected individuals). Myalgia and exercise intolerance, with variable ages of onset, were reported in 10 of 12 affected individuals. Proximal lower limb weakness with onset in the first decade of life was noted in three individuals. Persistent elevations of serum creatine kinase (CK) levels were detected in 11 of 12 affected individuals, 1 of whom had an episode of rhabdomyolysis at 20 years of age. Autism spectrum disorder or learning disabilities were reported in four individuals with the c.1567_1587 deletion. Muscle biopsies in eight affected individuals showed mixed myopathic and dystrophic findings, characterized by fiber size variability, internalized nuclei, and slightly increased extracellular connective tissue and inflammation. Immunofluorescence analysis of biopsies from five affected individuals showed reduced α-dystrobrevin immunoreactivity and variably reduced immunoreactivity of other DGC proteins: dystrophin, α, ß, δ and γ-sarcoglycans, and α and ß-dystroglycans. The DTNA deletion disrupted an interaction between α-dystrobrevin and syntrophin. Specific variants in the coiled-coil domain of DTNA cause skeletal muscle disease with variable penetrance. Affected individuals show a spectrum of clinical manifestations, with severity ranging from hyperCKemia, myalgias, and exercise intolerance to childhood-onset proximal muscle weakness. Our findings expand the molecular etiologies of both muscular dystrophy and paucisymptomatic hyperCKemia, to now include monoallelic DTNA variants as a novel cause of skeletal muscle disease in humans.

Semi-XctNet: Volumetric images reconstruction network from a single projection image via semi-supervised learning.

Deep learning networks have achieved remarkable progress in various tasks of medical imaging. Most of the recent success in computer vision highly depend on large amounts of carefully annotated data, whereas labelling is arduous, time-consuming and in need of expertise. In this paper, a semi-supervised learning method, Semi-XctNet, is proposed for volumetric images reconstruction from a single X-ray image. In our framework, the effect of regularization on pixel-level prediction is enhanced by introducing a transformation consistent strategy into the model. Furthermore, a multi-stage training strategy is designed to ameliorate the generalization performance of the teacher network. An assistant module is also introduced to improve the pixel quality of pseudo-labels, thereby further improving the reconstruction accuracy of the semi-supervised model. The semi-supervised method proposed in this paper has been extensively validated on the LIDC-IDRI lung cancer detection public data set. Quantitative results show that SSIM (structural similarity measurement) and PSNR (peak signal noise ratio) are 0.8384 and 28.7344 respectively. Compared with the state-of-the-arts, Semi-XctNet exhibits excellent reconstruction performance, thus demonstrating the effectiveness of our method on the task of volumetric images reconstruction network from a single X-ray image.

ß-arrestin2 Mediates the Arginine Vasopressin-Induced Expression of IL-1ß in Murine Hearts.

BACKGROUND: Circulating levels of arginine vasopressin (AVP) are elevated during cardiac stress and this could be a factor in cardiac inflammation and fibrosis. Herein, we studied the effects of AVP on interleukin-1ß (IL-1ß) production and the role(s) of ß-arrestin2-dependent signaling in murine heart. METHODS: The levels of IL-1ß mRNA and protein in adult rat cardiofibroblasts (ARCFs) was measured using quantitative PCR and ELISA, respectively. The activity of ß-arrestin2 was manipulated using either pharmacologic inhibitors or through recombinant ß-arrestin2 over-expression. These experiments were conducted to determine the roles of ß-arrestin2 in the regulation of AVP-induced IL-1ß and NLRP3 inflammasome production. The phosphorylation and activation of NF-κB induced by AVP was measured by immunoblotting. ß-arrestin2 knockout (KO) mice were used to investigate whether ß-arrestin2 mediated the AVP-induced production of IL-1ß and NLRP3, as well as the phosphorylation of the NF-κB p65 subunitin mouse myocardium. Prism GraphPad software(version 8.0), was used for all statistical analyses. RESULTS: AVP induced the expression of IL-1ß in a time-dependent manner in ARCFs but not in cultured adult rat cardiomyocytes (ARCMs). The inhibition of NF-κB with pyrrolidinedithiocarbamic acid (PDTC) prevented the AVP-induced phosphorylation of NF-κB and production of IL-1ß and NLRP3 in ARCFs. The deletion of ß-arrestin2 blocked the phosphorylation of p65 and the expression of NLRP3 and IL-1ß induced by AVP in both mouse hearts and in ARCFs. CONCLUSIONS: AVP promotes IL-1ß expression through ß-arrestin2-mediated NF-κB signaling in murine heart.

The risk of immediate pneumothorax after CT-guided lung needle biopsy: pleural tail sign as a novel factor.

Background: Pneumothorax is the most frequent complication in computed tomography-guided lung needle biopsy (CT-LNB) and generally appears immediately or within an hour after CT-LNB. Preventing pneumothorax after CT-LNB requires a preoperative evaluation of risk factors. This study investigated risk factors for the occurrence of immediate pneumothorax after CT-LNB. Methods: A total of 311 CT-LNB procedures were conducted for 290 patients (217 males and 73 females) with persistent solid or part-solid pulmonary lesions in this case-control study. We retrospectively evaluated immediate postbiopsy pneumothorax complications and associated risk factors. The possible risk factors for immediate pneumothorax were analyzed, including 12 parameters in demographics, radiological features, and procedural factors. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were used to investigate independent risk factors for the occurrence of immediate pneumothorax after CT-LNB. Results: All CT-LNB procedures (100%) were technically successful. Immediate pneumothorax after CT-LNB occurred in 115 out of the 311 procedures (36.9%). Chest tube placement was required for 12.2% (14/115) of the pneumothoraces (14/311, 4.5% of the total number of CT-LNB procedures). The other pneumothoraces were treated conservatively. Independent risk factors of immediate pneumothorax included a lesion with pleural tail sign [PTS; odds ratio (OR) =3.021, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.703-5.359; P<0.001], smaller lesion size (OR =0.827, 95% CI: 0.705-0.969; P=0.019), a lesion in the middle or lower lobe (OR =2.237, 95% CI: 1.267-3.951; P=0.006), a higher number of pleural punctures (OR =2.710, 95% CI: 1.399-5.248; P=0.003), and a deep-seated lesion (OR =1.622, 95% CI: 1.261-2.088; P<0.001). Conclusion: PTS is a novel risk factor for immediate pneumothorax and may increase the immediate pneumothorax rate after CT-LNB. Practitioners should be vigilant of the risk of immediate pneumothorax after CT-LNB in lung lesions with PTS.

Hepatic Effect of 2,3,5,4'-tetrahydroxystilbene-2-O-ß-D-glucoside，the Signature Component of Traditional Chinese Medicine Heshouwu: Advances and Prospects.

Traditional Chinese medicine Heshouwu, named Polygoni Multiflori Radix in Pharmacopoeia of the People's Republic of China (PPRC, 2020), is derived from the root tuber of Polygonum multiflorum Thunb. Heshouwu or processed Heshouwu is well known for its function in reducing lipids and nourishing the liver. However, increasing cases of Heshouwu-induced hepatotoxicity were reported in recent years. Researchers have begun to study the paradoxical effects of Heshouwu on the liver. 2,3,5,4'-tetrahydroxystilbene-2-O-ß-D-glucoside (TSG), an abundant functional component of Heshouwu, shows various biological activities, among which its effect on the liver is worthy of attention. This paper reviews the current studies of TSG on hepatoprotection and hepatotoxicity, and summarizes the doses, experimental models, effects, and mechanisms of action involved in TSG's hepatoprotection and hepatotoxicity, aiming to provide insight for future study of TSG and understanding the effects of Heshouwu on the liver. Emerging evidence suggests that TSG ameliorates both pathological liver injury and chemical-induced liver injury by modulating lipid metabolism, inhibiting the inflammatory response and oxidative stress in the liver. However, with the reports of clinical cases of Heshouwu induced liver injury, it has been found that long-term exposure to a high dose of TSG cause hepatocyte or hepatic tissue damage. Moreover, TSG may cause hepatotoxicity by affecting the transport and metabolism of other possible hepatoxic compounds in Heshouwu. Studies indicate that trans-TSG can be isomerized into cisTSG under illumination, and cis-TSG had a less detrimental dose to liver function than trans-TSG in LPS-treated rats. In brief, TSG has protective effects on the liver, but liver injury usually occurs under high-dose TSG or is idiosyncratic TSG-induced liver injury.

Characterization of the Glucan-Branching Enzyme GlgB Gene from Swine Intestinal Bacteria.

Starch hydrolysis by gut microbiota involves a diverse range of different enzymatic activities. Glucan-branching enzyme GlgB was identified as the most abundant glycosidase in Firmicutes in the swine intestine. GlgB converts α-(1→4)-linked amylose to form α-(1→4,6) branching points. This study aimed to characterize GlgB cloned from a swine intestinal metagenome and to investigate its potential role in formation of α-(1→4,6)-branched α-glucans from starch. The branching activity of purified GlgB was determined with six different starches and pure amylose by quantification of amylose after treatment. GlgB reduced the amylose content of all 6 starches and amylose by more than 85% and displayed a higher preference towards amylose. The observed activity on raw starch indicated a potential role in the primary starch degradation in the large intestine as an enzyme that solubilizes amylose. The oligosaccharide profile showed an increased concentration of oligosaccharide introduced by GlgB that is not hydrolyzed by intestinal enzymes. This corresponded to a reduced in vitro starch digestibility when compared to untreated starch. The study improves our understanding of colonic starch fermentation and may allow starch conversion to produce food products with reduced digestibility and improved quality.