Water-avoidance stress aggravates prostatic inflammation in a murine model of chronic prostatitis.

OBJECTIVES: To date, few studies have considered the influence of psychological factors on chronic prostatitis (PRO) models. Here, we aimed to refine a murine PRO model combining chemically induced prostatitis with psychological stress. METHODS: A total of 40 mice were randomly divided into four groups: normal control (NC) group, PRO group, water avoidance stress (WAS) group, and PRO + WAS group. Ten mice were assigned to each group: five for cystometrograms (CMGs) and five for von Frey testing and histological analysis. PRO was induced through a prostatic injection of 10% paraformaldehyde. The WAS mice were placed on the middle platform for 1 h per day for 10 consecutive days. RESULTS: The results of the von Frey test demonstrated that both WAS and PRO induced bladder hyperalgesia in mice, and the WAS + PRO group showed significant pelvic pain symptoms either. The CMG results suggested that the PRO group, the WAS group, and the PRO + WAS group all exhibited bladder overactivity, presented as a shortened micturition interval and decreased threshold pressure evoking bladder contraction. The symptoms of the PRO group and the PRO + WAS group were more severe than those of the WAS group. The tissue staining results indicated that WAS itself caused only mild prostatic inflammation but could significantly aggravate chemical-induced prostatic inflammation, as well as the total number of mast cells and proportion of activated mast cells. CONCLUSIONS: Our refined murine PRO model could manifest persistent bladder overactivity, pelvic hyperalgesia and prostatic inflammation. WAS could induce mild prostatic inflammation and aggravate primary prostatic inflammation.

The rapid change in mental health among college students after introduction of on-campus quarantine during the 2022 Shanghai COVID-19 lockdown.

Objectives: Among the various impacts of disasters in terms of emotions, quarantine has been proven to result in significant increases in mental health problems. Studies of psychological resilience during outbreaks of epidemics tend to focus on long-term social quarantine. In contrast, insufficient studies have been conducted examining how rapidly negative mental health outcomes occur and how these outcomes change over time. We evaluated the time course of psychological resilience (over three different phases of quarantine) among students at Shanghai Jiao Tong University to investigate the influence of unexpected changes on college students. Methods: An online survey was conducted from 5 to 7 April 2022. A structured online questionnaire was administered using a retrospective cohort trial design. Before 9 March (Period 1), individuals engaged in their usual activities without restrictions. From 9 to 23 March (Period 2), the majority of students were asked to remain in their dormitories on campus. From 24 March to early April (Period 3), restrictions were relaxed, and students were gradually allowed to participate in essential activities on campus. We quantified dynamic changes in the severity of students' depressive symptoms over the course of these three periods. The survey consisted of five sets of self-reported questions: demographic information, lifestyle/activity restrictions, a brief mental health history, COVID-19-related background, and the Beck Depression Inventory, second edition. Results: A total of 274 college students aged 18-42 years (mean = 22.34; SE = 0.24) participated in the study (58.39% undergraduate students, 41.61% graduate students; 40.51% male, 59.49% female). The proportion of students with depressive symptoms was 9.1% in Period 1, 36.1% in Period 2, and 34.67% in Period 3. Depressive symptoms increased notably with the introduction of the quarantine in Periods 2 and 3. Lower satisfaction with the food supplied and a longer duration of physical exercise per day were found to be positively associated with changes in depression severity in Periods 2 and 3. Quarantine-related psychological distress was more evident in students who were in a romantic relationship than in students who were single. Conclusion: Depressive symptoms in university students rapidly increased after 2 weeks of quarantine and no perceptible reversal was observed over time. Concerning students in a relationship, ways to take physical exercise and to relax should be provided and the food supplied should be improved when young people are quarantined.

Osteocalcin ameliorates cognitive dysfunctions in a mouse model of Alzheimer's Disease by reducing amyloid ß burden and upregulating glycolysis in neuroglia.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most common neurodegenerative disease characterized by the accumulation of amyloid ß peptides (Aß) and impaired glucose metabolism in the brain. Osteocalcin (OCN), an osteoblast-derived protein, has been shown to modulate brain functions but whether it has any effect on AD is undetermined. In this study, daily intraperitoneal injection of OCN for 4 weeks ameliorated the anxiety-like behaviors and cognitive dysfunctions in the APP/PS1 transgenic AD mice model, as shown in the increased entries into the central area in open field test, the increased time and entries into open arms in elevated plus maze test, the increased time spent in the light chamber in light-dark transition test, as well as the reduced escape latency and the increased preference for target quadrant in Morris water maze test. Aß burden in the hippocampus and cortex of AD mice was ameliorated by OCN. Besides, OCN improved the neural network function of the brain, mainly in the enhanced power of high gamma band in the medial prefrontal cortex of AD mice. The proliferation of astrocytes in the hippocampus in AD mice was also inhibited by OCN as demonstrated by immunofluorescence. Furthermore, OCN enhanced glycolysis in astrocytes and microglia, as evidenced by elevated glucose consumption, lactate production, and increased extracellular acidification rate. Such an effect was abolished when the receptor of OCN - Gpr158 was knockdown in astrocytes. Our study revealed OCN as a novel therapeutic factor for AD potentially through reducing Aß burden and upregulation of glycolysis in neuroglia.

Population genetics of marmosets in Asian primate research centers and loci associated with epileptic risk revealed by whole-genome sequencing.

The common marmoset ( Callithrix jacchus) has emerged as a valuable nonhuman primate model in biomedical research with the recent release of high-quality reference genome assemblies. Epileptic marmosets have been independently reported in two Asian primate research centers. Nevertheless, the population genetics within these primate centers and the specific genetic variants associated with epilepsy in marmosets have not yet been elucidated. Here, we characterized the genetic relationships and risk variants for epilepsy in 41 samples from two epileptic marmoset pedigrees using whole-genome sequencing. We identified 14 558 184 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) from the 41 samples and found higher chimerism levels in blood samples than in fingernail samples. Genetic analysis showed fourth-degree of relatedness among marmosets at the primate centers. In addition, SNP and copy number variation (CNV) analyses suggested that the WW domain-containing oxidoreductase ( WWOX) and Tyrosine-protein phosphatase nonreceptor type 21 ( PTPN21) genes may be associated with epilepsy in marmosets. Notably, KCTD18-like gene deletion was more common in epileptic marmosets than control marmosets. This study provides valuable population genomic resources for marmosets in two Asian primate centers. Genetic analyses identified a reasonable breeding strategy for genetic diversity maintenance in the two centers, while the case-control study revealed potential risk genes/variants associated with epilepsy in marmosets.

Traditional processing, uses, phytochemistry, pharmacology and toxicology of Aconitum sinomontanum Nakai: A comprehensive review.

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: As a folk medicine, Aconitum sinomontanum Nakai (Ranunculaceae) a perennial herbaceous flowering plant, is a widely used traditional Chinese medicine. Its rhizomes and roots are known as 'Gaowutou' in China, and it has been traditionally used for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis, painful swelling of joints, bruises and injuries and has been known to grow well in regions of high altitude such as Gansu, Tibet etc. THE AIM OF THE REVIEW: This systematic review the comprehensive knowledge of the A. sinomontanum, including its traditional processing and uses, chemical constituents, pharmacological activities, toxicity assessment, pharmacokinetics and metabolism, and its use in clinical settings to emphasize the benefits of this species. We also discuss expectations for prospective research and implementation of this herb. This work lays a solid foundation for further development of A. sinomontanum. MATERIALS AND METHOD: Information on the studies of A. sinomontanum was collected from scientific journals, books, and reports via library and electronic data search (PubMed, Elsevier, Scopus, Google Scholar, Springer, Science Direct, Wiley, ACS, EMBASE, Web of Science and CNKI). Meanwhile, it was also obtained from published works of material medica, folk records, ethnopharmacological literatures, Ph.D. and Masters dissertation. RESULTS: As a member of the Ranunculaceae family, A. sinomontanum possesses its up-and-coming biological characteristics. It is widely reported for treating rheumatoid arthritis, painful swelling of joints, bruises and injuries. Currently, over 71 phytochemical ingredients have been obtained and identified from different parts of A. sinomontanum. Among them, alkaloids, flavonoids, steroids, glycosides are the major bioactive constituents. Activities such as antinociceptive, anti-inflammatory, antitumor, antiarrhythmic, local anesthetic, antipyretic, antimicrobial, insecticidal and others have been corroborated in vivo and in vitro. These properties are attributed to different alkaloids. In addition, many of the active ingredients, such as lappaconitine, ranaconitine and total alkaloids have been used as quality markers. CONCLUSION: This work contributes to update the ethnopharmacological uses, chemical constituents, pharmacological activities, toxicity assessment, pharmacokinetics and metabolism, and clinical settings information for A. sinomontanum, which provide basic information to help better understand the pharmacological and toxicological activities of A. sinomontanum in human. However, further in-depth studies are needed to determine the medical uses of this herb and its chemical constituents, pharmacological activities, clinical applications and toxicology.

Kininogen-Nitric Oxide Signaling at Nearby Nonexcited Acupoints after Long-Term Stimulation.

Acupuncture treatment is based on acupoint stimulation; however, the biological basis is not understood. We stimulated one acupoint with catgut embedding for 8 weeks and then used isobaric tags for relative and absolute quantitation to screen proteins with altered expression in adjacent acupoints of Sprague Dawley rats. We found that kininogen expression was significantly upregulated in the stimulated and the nonstimulated adjacent acupoints along the same meridian. The enhanced kininogen expression was meridian dependent and was most apparent among small vessels in the subcutaneous layer. Enhanced signals of nitric oxide synthases, cGMP-dependent protein kinase, and myosin light chain were also observed at the nonstimulated adjacent acupoints along the same meridian. These findings uncover biological changes at acupoints and suggest the critical role of the kininogen-nitric oxide signaling pathway in acupoint activation.

Trifunctional of Phosphorus-Doped NiCo2O4 Nanowire Materials for Asymmetric Supercapacitor, Oxygen Evolution Reaction, and Hydrogen Evolution Reaction.

Nowadays, transition-metal oxides are regarded as the most potential materials for the supercapacitor and electrocatalyst. However, the poor electrical conductivity and insufficient active sites limited their development in various fields. Herein, we report the method of phosphorous-doped NiCo2O4 (named as P-NCO) prepared by the two-step strategy: the NiCo2O4 nanostructure is grown on the nickel foams by hydrothermal treatment and subsequently phosphatized in a tube furnace. Successfully, the rich oxygen vacancies and the P element introduced into the NiCo2O4 structure obviously improve the electrical conductivity, and the resulting P-NCO NWs/NF material shows an ultrahigh specific capacitance of 2747.8 F g-1 at 1 A g-1 and a prominent rate performance (maintain 50% at 100 A g-1). Furthermore, the assembled P-NCO NWs/NF//RGO asymmetric supercapacitor has an energy density of 28.2 W h kg-1 even at a high power density of 7750.35 W kg-1. After 10,000 cycles, the capacitance still also has an 88.48% retention rate. As an electrocatalyst, P-NCO NWs/NF has an excellent hydrogen evolution reaction (55 mV at 10 mA cm-2) and oxygen evolution reaction (300 mV at 10 mA cm-2) activities in 1 M KOH solution. This study provides an effective strategy to prepare multifunctional materials.