Gut microbiome and metabolome alterations in traditional Chinese medicine damp-heat constitution following treatment with a Chinese patent medicine and lifestyle intervention.

BACKGROUND: The gut microbiota is crucial in human health and diseases. Traditional Chinese Medicine Constitution (TCMC) divides people into those with a balanced constitution (Ping-he [PH]) and those with an unbalanced constitution. Dampness-heat constitution (Shi-re [SR]) is a common unbalanced constitution in the Chinese population and is susceptible to diseases. However, unbalanced constitutions can be regulated by Chinese medicine and lifestyle interventions in clinical practice. Ermiao Pill (EMP) is a Chinese medicine known for clearing heat and draining dampness and improving SR. However, the efficacy and mechanism of EMP are unclear. HYPOTHESIS/PURPOSE: To determine alterations in the gut microbiota and metabolome in SR and any changes after EMP treatment combined with lifestyle intervention. STUDY DESIGN: Randomized clinical trial. METHODS: We enrolled 112 healthy SR individuals and evaluated the efficacy of EMP along with lifestyle interventions. We further assessed serum cytokine levels, serum and urinary metabolomes, and the gut microbiota by 16S rRNA gene sequencing analysis before and after the EMP and lifestyle interventions. RESULTS: 107 SR individuals (55 in the intervention group and 52 in the control group) completed the 1-month-intervention and 1-year-follow-up. The intervention group significantly improved their health status within 1 month, with a reduced SR symptom score, and the efficacy lasted to the 1-year follow-up. The control group needed a further 6 months to reduce the SR symptom score. The gut microbiota of PH individuals was more diverse and had significantly higher proportions of many bacterial species than the SR. Microbiota co-occurrence network analysis showed that SR enriches metabolites correlating with microbial community structure, consistent with traits of healthy SR-enriched microbiota. CONCLUSION: EMP combined with lifestyle intervention produced health benefits in SR individuals. Our study indicates a pivotal role of gut microbiota and metabolome alterations in distinguishing between healthy SR and PH. Furthermore, the study reveals structural changes of gut microbiota and metabolites induced by EMP and lifestyle intervention. The treatment enriched the number of beneficial bacteria, such as Akkermansia muciniphila and Lactobacillus in the gut. Our findings provide a strong indication that several metabolite factors are associated with the gut microbiota. Moreover, the gut microbiome and metabolome might be powerful tools for TCMC diagnosis and personalized therapy.

Qi-dan-dihuang decoction ameliorates renal fibrosis in diabetic rats via p38MAPK/AKT/mTOR signaling pathway.

CONTEXT: Qi-dan-dihuang decoction (QDD) has been used to treat diabetic kidney disease (DKD), but the underlying mechanisms are poorly understood. OBJECTIVE: This study reveals the mechanism by which QDD ameliorates DKD. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The compounds in QDD were identified by high-performance liquid chromatography and quadrupole-time-of-flight tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC-Q-TOF-MS). Key targets and signaling pathways were screened through bioinformatics. Nondiabetic Lepr db/m mice were used as control group, while Lepr db/db mice were divided into model group, dapagliflozin group, 1% QDD-low (QDD-L), and 2% QDD-high (QDD-H) group. After 12 weeks of administration, 24 h urinary protein, serum creatinine, and blood urea nitrogen levels were detected. Kidney tissues damage and fibrosis were evaluated by pathological staining. In addition, 30 mmol/L glucose-treated HK-2 and NRK-52E cells to induce DKD model. Cell activity and migration capacity as well as protein expression levels were evaluated. RESULTS: A total of 46 key target genes were identified. Functional enrichment analyses showed that key target genes were significantly enriched in the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K)/protein kinase B (AKT) and mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling pathways. In addition, in vivo and in vitro experiments confirmed that QDD ameliorated renal fibrosis in diabetic mice by resolving inflammation and inhibiting the epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) via the p38MAPK and AKT-mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) pathways. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION: QDD inhibits EMT and the inflammatory response through the p38MAPK and AKT/mTOR signaling pathways, thereby playing a protective role in renal fibrosis in DKD.

Risk Factors Analysis and Pathogen Distribution of Urinary Tract Infection in Patients Undergoing Cutaneous Ureterostomy After Radical Cystectomy for Bladder Cancer.

BACKGROUND: Postoperative urinary tract infection is a common complication that not only significantly prolongs the hospital stay and amplifies the economic burden on patients, but also affects their quality of life and prognosis. This study aimed to investigate risk factors and distribution of pathogenic bacteria in urinary tract infections among bladder cancer patients who underwent cutaneous ureterostomy following radical cystectomy. METHODS: A total of 137 bladder cancer patients, who underwent cutaneous ureterostomy after radical cystectomy at our hospital from November 2018 to October 2022, were enrolled in this retrospective study. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were employed to investigate the risk factors associated with postoperative urinary tract infection and the distribution of pathogenic bacteria among the infected patients. RESULTS: The results of both univariate and multivariate analyses confirmed that age, proficiency in ostomy knowledge, frequency of ureteral stent tube replacement, ureteral stent tube dislodgement, urine immersion at the outer end of the ureteral stent tube, and the interval of ostomy bag replacement were independent risk factors for urinary tract infection after radical cystectomy and cutaneous ureterostomy in bladder cancer patients. A total of 55 pathogenic bacteria were isolated from 52 patients with infections. Predominantly, these were gram-negative bacteria (34 strains, 61.8%), with Proteus mirabilis having the highest proportion. CONCLUSION: Urinary tract infections after radical cystectomy and cutaneous ureterostomy predominantly involve gram-negative bacteria. This is correlated with factors such as the age of bladder cancer patients, the level of nursing education, the duration of ureteral stent tubes and ostomy bag usage, as well as issues related to impaired urine drainage.

The mechanism of Shenbing Decoction II against IgA nephropathy renal fibrosis revealed by UPLC-MS/MS, network pharmacology and experimental verification.

Background: IgA nephropathy (IgAN) is a major and growing public health problem. Renal fibrosis plays a vital role in the progression of IgAN. This study is to investigate the mechanisms of action underlying the therapeutic effects of Shenbing Decoction II (SBDII) in IgAN renal fibrosis treatment based on ultra-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS/MS), network pharmacology and experimental verification. Method: We first used UPLC-MS/MS to explore the main compounds of SBDII, and then used network pharmacology to predict the targets and key pathways of SBDII in the treatment of IgAN renal fibrosis. Next, bovine serum albumin (BSA), lipopolysaccharide (LPS), and carbon tetrachloride (CCL4) were used to induce IgAN in rats, and then biochemical indicators, renal tissue pathology, and renal fibrosis-related indicators were examined. At the same time, part of the results predicted by network pharmacology were also verified. Result: A total of 105 compounds were identified in SBDII by UPLC-MS/MS. Network pharmacology results showed that the active compounds such as acacetin, eupatilin, and galangin may mediate the therapeutic effects of SBDII in treating IgAN by targeting tumor protein p53 (TP53) and regulating phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K)-Akt kinase (Akt) signaling pathway. Animal experiments showed that SBDII not only significantly improved renal function and fibrosis in IgAN rats, but also significantly downregulated the expressions of p53, p-PI3K and p-Akt. Conclusion: This UPLC-MS/MS, network pharmacological and experimental study highlights that the TP53 as a target, and PI3K-Akt signaling pathway are the potential mechanism by which SBDII is involved in IgAN renal fibrosis treatment. Acacetin, eupatilin, and galangin are probable active compounds in SBDII, these results might provide valuable guidance for further studies of IgAN renal fibrosis treatment.

Serum growth differentiation factor-15 and non-esterified fatty acid levels in patients with coronary artery disease and hyperuricemia.

BACKGROUND: High serum NEFA and GDF-15 are risk factors for CAD and have been linked to detrimental cardiovascular events. It has been hypothesized that hyperuricemia causes CAD via the oxidative metabolism and inflammation. The current study sought to clarify the relationship between serum GDF-15/NEFA and CAD in individuals with hyperuricemia. METHODS: Blood samples collected from 350 male patients with hyperuricemia(191 patients without CAD and 159 patients with CAD, serum UA > 420 µmol/L) to measure serum GDF-15 and NEFA concentrations with baseline parameters. RESULTS: Serum circulating GDF-15 concentrations(pg/dL) [8.48(6.67,12.73)] and NEFA levels(mmol/L) [0.45(0.32,0.60)] were higher in hyperuricemia patients with CAD. Logistic regression analysis revealed that the OR (95% CI) for CAD were 10.476 (4.158, 26.391) and 11.244 (4.740, 26.669) in quartile 4 (highest) respectively. The AUC of the combined serum GDF-15 and NEFA was 0.813 (0.767,0.858) as a predictor of whether CAD occurred in male with hyperuricemia. CONCLUSIONS: Circulating GDF-15 and NEFA levels correlated positively with CAD in male patients with hyperuricemia and measurements may be a useful clinical adjunct.

Green Preparation of Durian Rind-Based Cellulose Nanofiber and Its Application in Aerogel.

In this study, a green, highly efficient and low energy consumption preparation method of cellulose nanofiber (CNF) was developed by using agricultural and forestry waste durian rinds as raw materials. The power of ultrasonic treatment was successfully reduced to only 360 W with low molecular weight liquid DMSO. The obtained durian rind-based CNF had a diameter of 8-20 nm and a length of several micrometers. It had good dispersion and stability in water, and could spontaneously cross-link to form hydrogel at room temperature when the concentration was more than 0.5%. The microscopic morphology and compressive properties of CNF aerogels and composite cellulose aerogels prepared from durian rind-based CNF were evaluated. It was found that CNF could effectively prevent the volume shrinkage of aerogel, and the concentration of CNF had a significant effect on the microstructure and mechanical properties of aerogel. The CNF aerogel with 1% CNF exhibited a sheet structure braced by fibers, which had the strongest compression performance. The porosity of CNF aerogels was high to 99%. The compressive strength of the composite cellulose aerogel with durian rind-based CNF was effectively enhanced.

Baseline serum uric acid level is associated with progression-free survival, disease control rate, and safety in postoperative patients with colorectal cancer treated by FOLFOX, FOLFIRI, or XELOX.

Background: High serum uric acid (SUA) levels increase the risk of overall cancer morbidity and mortality, particularly for digestive malignancies. Nevertheless, the correlation between SUA level and clinical outcomes of the postoperative patients with colorectal cancer (CRC) treated by chemotherapy is unclear. This study aimed at exploring the relationship between baseline SUA level and progression-free survival (PFS), disease control rate (DCR), and safety in postoperative CRC patients receiving chemotherapy. Patients and Methods: We conducted a retrospective study to evaluate the relationship between baseline SUA level and PFS, DCR, and incidence of serious adverse events of 736 postoperative CRC patients treated with FOLFOX, FOLFIRI or XELOX at our center. Results: Data from our center suggested that high baseline SUA level is linked to poor PFS in non-metastatic CRC patients using FOLFOX (HR=2.59, 95%CI: 1.29-11.31, p=0.018) and in male patients using FOLFIRI (HR=3.77, 95%CI: 1.57-39.49, p=0.012). In patients treated by FOLFIRI, a high SUA is also linked to a low DCR (p=0.035). In patients using FOLFOX, high baseline SUA level is also linked to a high incidence of neutropenia (p=0.0037). For patients using XELOX, there is no significant correlation between SUA level and PFS, effectiveness, or safety. Conclusions: These findings imply that a high SUA level is a promising biomarker associated with poor PFS, DCR and safety of postoperative CRC patients when treated with FOLFOX or FOLFIRI.

Preparation of Silica Aerogel/Resin Composites and Their Application in Dental Restorative Materials.

As the most advanced aerogel material, silica aerogel has had transformative industrial impacts. However, the use of silica aerogel is currently limited to the field of thermal insulation materials, so it is urgent to expand its application into other fields. In this work, silica aerogel/resin composites were successfully prepared by combining silica aerogel with a resin matrix for dental restoration. The applications of this material in the field of dental restoration, as well as its performance, are discussed in depth. It was demonstrated that, when the ratio of the resin matrix Bis-GMA to TEGDMA was 1:1, and the content of silica aerogel with 50 µm particle size was 12.5%, the composite achieved excellent mechanical properties. The flexural strength of the silica aerogel/resin composite reached 62.9546 MPa, which was more than five times that of the pure resin. Due to the presence of the silica aerogel, the composite also demonstrated outstanding antibacterial capabilities, meeting the demand for antimicrobial properties in dental materials. This work successfully investigated the prospect of using commercially available silica aerogels in dental restorative materials; we provide an easy method for using silica aerogels as dental restorative materials, as well as a reference for their application in the field of biomedical materials.

Quantification of immunosuppressants from one 3.2 mm dried blood spot by a novel cold-induced phase separation based LC-MS/MS method.

Dried blood spots (DBS) have been regarded as a promising alternative for therapeutic drug monitoring (TDM) of immunosuppressants (ISDs) for over fifteen years. Nonetheless, there are still three main issues impeding its preference: (i) the requirement of relatively large disc; (ii) the controversial and intricate desorption approaches; (iii) the lack of feasible extraction strategies. For improvement, this work described a new LC-MS/MS method realizing quantification of four ISDs from one piece of 3.2 mm DBS. During sample pretreatment, a modified approach (infiltrating the DBS in pure water before adding acetonitrile and zinc sulfate as protein-precipitators) was developed to completely dissociate the targets from filter paper. Afterward, effective enrichment and purification of the targets were achieved by using cold-induced phase separation technique. Benefiting from these novelties, the method exhibited satisfying throughput (15 min for sample preparation), applicability (consuming only one 3.2 mm disc), reliability (82.3-107.8% for accuracy and <14.3% for precision) and sensitivity (lower limit of quantification of 0.5, 7.6, 0.7 and 0.8 ng mL-1 for tacrolimus, cyclosporine A, everolimus and sirolimus, respectively). Without hematocrit correction, the method showed favorable interchangeability to the certified whole blood method through analyzing 120 paired clinical samples. By taking ±20% of the mean as the limit of acceptance for cross validation, over 90% of the detection met the criterion. It can be expected the developed method is able to further promote the popularization of DBS-based TDM for ISDs in practice.

Cold-induced phase separation for the simple and reliable extraction of sex hormones for subsequent LC-MS/MS analysis.

Sex hormones, including androgens, estrogens, and progestogens, are important biomarkers for various diseases. Quantification of sex hormones is typically conducted by LC-MS/MS. At present, most methods require liquid-liquid extraction or solid phase extraction for sample preparation. However, these pretreatments are prone to compromise LC-MS/MS throughput. To improve on the current standard practices, we investigated cold-induced phase separation for sex hormone extraction. After protein precipitation with acetonitrile and adjusting the solution constitution with water, samples were stored at -30°C for 10 min to generate two distinct phases: an acetonitrile-rich layer on top of a water-rich layer. During this process, the hydrophobic sex hormones spontaneously separate into the upper layer. This simple and reliable cold-induced phase separation-based LC-MS/MS methodology was used here to simultaneously detect estrone, estradiol, estriol, testosterone, androstenedione, dehydroepiandrosterone, progesterone, and 17-hydroxyprogesterone in serum. Validation of this method indicated satisfactory performance, including acceptable linearity, accuracy, precision, and tractability. Compared with the mainstream liquid-liquid extraction-based method, this new method exhibits significant progress in throughput, which shortens the time cost of sample preparation from 90 to 40 min. We propose that this method can be an excellent alternative for sex hormone analysis in routine clinical laboratories.

Suitable chemical fertilizer reduction mitigates the water footprint of maize production: evidence from Northeast China.

Long-term excessive use of chemical fertilizer has led to water environmental degradation. Reducing chemical fertilizer use in crop production has become a consensus, and the effects of chemical fertilizer reduction on yield, water consumption and water environment urgently need to be explored. A field experiment including four fertilization treatments: normal fertilizer application (NFA), 15%, 30% and 45% fertilizer reduction (FR) was conducted and the water footprint (WF) was used as an indicator to explore how the chemical fertilizer reduction affected the maize WF. The results showed that the blue, green and total WFs of maize in the 45% FR and NFA treatments were larger than those in the 30% FR and 15% FR treatments in 2018 and 2019. The grey WFs of maize in the NFA treatment were the highest in 2018 and 2019, exhibiting a trend that the grey WFs in the NFA treatment >15% FR treatment >30% FR treatment >45% FR treatment in 2018 and those in the NFA treatment >45% FR treatment >30% FR treatment >15% FR treatment in 2019. The optimal treatment was the 15-30% FR compared with the current fertilization, in which the total WF of maize can be minimized and the maize yield can be maximized at the same time. Precipitation had a wide-ranging impact on the yield and WF of maize, especially the amount, intensity and interval of rainfall, which had an evident impact on the grey WF. This study is expected to provide a data foundation for reducing chemical fertilizer and improving water and fertilizer use efficiency in maize production.

Association of stress management skills and stressful life events with allergy risk: a case-control study in southern China.

BACKGROUND: Psychosocial stress and stressful life events are known to aggravate allergic diseases. Less is known about the impact of stress management skills on allergies. Here we sought to determine whether stress management skills are associated with the allergies and to assess the combined effects of stress management skills and stressful events on allergy risk. METHODS: A survey on risk factors for self-reported allergic diseases was carried out among 28,144 southern Chinese people; 14 stressful life events and 8 stress management skills were retrospectively recorded in a case-control setting with multivariate logistic regression analysis. Multiplicative and additive interactions between stressful events and stress management skills were evaluated. RESULTS: Stressful events significantly increased allergy risk. The odds ratio (OR) for allergies was 1.65 (95% confidence interval CI, 1.41-1.93) for those reporting one or two stressful events and 3.10 (95% CI, 2.55-3.79) for those reporting more than three stressful events compared to participants without stressful events. Stress management skills were adversely associated with allergic risk for people experiencing stressful events (OR, 0.71; 95% CI, 0.53-0.97) when adjusted demographically, particularly "concentrate on pleasant thoughts at bedtime" (OR, 0.67; 95% CI, 0.51-0.89), "pace myself to prevent tiredness" (OR, 0.67; 95% CI, 0.54-0.83), "get enough sleep" (OR, 0.48; 95% CI, 0.32-0.72) and "take some time for relaxation each day" (OR, 0.55; 95% CI, 0.37-0.80). But in people without stressful events, no association was observed. There was a significant linear trend for allergy risk from good stress management skills with no stressful events to poor stress management skills with stressful events (P < 0.001), with significant interaction in additive models (P = 0.006). CONCLUSIONS: There are independent and antagonistic combined associations of stressful life events and stress management skills with allergy risk. The data supports the use of stress management skills in managing allergic disease among people with stressful life events.

Gut Microbiota and Urine Metabonomics Alterations in Constitution after Chinese Medicine and Lifestyle Intervention.

Traditional Chinese Medicine Constitution (TCMC) divides human beings into balanced (ping-he) constitution (PH) and unbalanced constitution. Yang-deficiency (yang-xu) constitution (YAX) is one of the most common unbalanced constitutions in Chinese general population, and it causes susceptibility to particular diseases. However, unbalanced constitutions can be regulated by Chinese medicine and lifestyle intervention in clinical practice. Gui-fu-di-huang-wan (GFDHW) is a well-known Chinese medicine with yang-invigorating activity and is regarded as improving YAX. In this study, 60 healthy YAX students selected from a prospective population of 5185 were enrolled in a randomized clinical trial and completed the study. We compared the gut microbiota and urinary metabolome between individuals with PH and those with YAX before and after one-month-intervention. Compared with the control group, the health status of the intervention group improved significantly, the YAX symptom score was reduced, and the efficacy remained high at the one-year follow-up. The gut microbiota of the healthy PH exhibited greater diversity, and significantly higher species were identified. Compared to PH group, YAX individuals showed increased abundance of Bacteroidetes and Bacteroides, also had higher levels of gut microbial-derived urinary metabolites. After one-month-intervention, both GFDHW treatment and lifestyle intervention enriched the diversity and modulated the structure in YAX. The intervention group also partially restored the microbiome and metabolome to healthy PH-like levels. Further, a microbiota co-occurrence network analysis showed that the metabolites enriched in YAX were correlated with microbial community structure. Taken together, our results suggest that Chinese medicine combined with lifestyle intervention benefits YAX individuals. Gut microbiota/metabolite crosstalk might be involved in the Chinese medicine-mediated effects.

Study on swelling and drug releasing behaviors of ibuprofen-loaded bimetallic alginate aerogel beads with pH-responsive performance.

Bimetallic alginate aerogel beads were prepared by ionotropic gelation method with Ca2+-Ba2+ bimetallic solution and ibuprofen was loaded as a model drug. The swelling and drug releasing behaviors of the beads, especially the influence of barium, were investigated in artificial gastric and intestinal fluids. The results showed that these beads presented higher encapsulation efficiency due to the special structure of aerogel, and barium was beneficial for the more stable structure and drug releasing behavior. The lower swelling capacity of bimetallic beads was observed than monometallic beads. A rapid high-level releasing of ibuprofen was achieved in artificial intestinal fluid, which was up to 96.9% within 1 h, while ibuprofen releasing was avoided in artificial gastric fluid effectively. The drug releasing mechanism of these beads was explored in detail. In the bimetallic crosslinking system, Ba2+ presented a special effect on alginate beads with more sensitive pH response performance. Thus, these beads had more widely potential as a site-specific delivery system, especially for intestinal therapy.

A 'top modification' strategy for enhancing the ability of a chitosan aerogel to efficiently capture heavy metal ions.

Chitosan is a promising substitute for heavy metal ion adsorbents. However, traditional pure chitosan adsorbents have certain disadvantages that limit their application. In this paper, a 'top modification' strategy was used to enhance the capturing ability of chitosan adsorbents. A chitosan aerogel was prepared via physical crosslinking and then enhanced by immersion in ethylenediamine tetraacetic anhydride solution. Finally, an enhanced chitosan aerogel was obtained, and analyses were used to describe its structure, adsorption properties and mechanism. Results showed that both the porous structure and the combined complexations dramatically improved the capturing ability of the chitosan aerogel for heavy metal ions. The theoretical adsorption capacities of the enhanced aerogel for Cu2+, Pb2+ and Cd2+ reached 108.14, 143.73 and 84.62 mg/g, respectively. Due to their environmental friendliness, good adsorption performance, easy separation and reusability, enhanced aerogels have become viable solutions to removing heavy metal pollutants from aquatic systems.

Music-based interventions for pain relief in patients undergoing hemodialysis: A PRISMA-compliant systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Music therapy and music-based interventions have been used widely in numerous medical procedures to reduce the physical and psychological disorders. However, the effect of music therapy on pain relief in hemodialysis patients still remains unclear. METHODS: Electronic databases were comprehensively searched through MEDLINE, Web of Science, EMBASE, Cochrane, and WANFANG. All studies met inclusion criteria were eligible for systematic review and meta-analysis. Clinical variables were extracted and pooled results were obtained using STATA software. RESULTS: A total of 10 studies with 722 participants were included for systematic review. Overall, music therapy showed a significantly favorable effect on reducing pain for patients undergoing hemodialysis (SMD: -0.90, 95%CIs: -1.25 to -0.55, P < .001). No publication bias was observed. CONCLUSIONS: Music-based interventions could significantly relieve pain for patients undergoing hemodialysis, which should be promoted as an effective and safe complementary method.

Ginger Extract Decreases Susceptibility to Dextran Sulfate Sodium-Induced Colitis in Mice Following Early Antibiotic Exposure.

Background: Intestinal microbial colonization in early life plays a crucial role in immune development and mucosal homeostasis in later years. Antibiotic exposure in early life increases the risk of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Ginger acts like a prebiotic and has been used in traditional Chinese medicine for colitis. We investigated the protective effect of ginger against dextran sulfate sodium (DSS)-induced colitis in mice exposed to antibiotic in their early years. Methods: A weaned mouse model exposed to azithromycin (AZT) for 2 weeks was used to mimic antibiotic exposure in childhood among humans. A diet containing ginger extract was administered to mice for 4 weeks after antibiotic exposure. The susceptibility to DSS-induced colitis was evaluated in terms of weight loss, disease activity index (DAI) score, colon length, colitis biomarkers, and intestinal barrier function. The gut microbiota was analyzed in terms of 16S rRNA levels. Results: Ginger extract prevented weight loss, colon shortening, inflammation, and intestinal barrier dysfunction in mice exposed to antibiotics in early life. Ginger increased the bacterial diversity and changed the abundance of bacterial belonging to family Peptococcaceae and Helicobacter species to modulate microbiota structure and composition adversely affected by early antibiotic exposure. Conclusion: Ginger has a protective effect in potentially decreasing the susceptibility to colitis in mice exposed to antibiotics early in life.

Controlled Group Motion of Anisotropic Janus Droplets Prepared by One-Step Vortex Mixing.

In living systems, highly efficient biological micromotors are fascinating and crucial to the maintenance and regulation of normal functions. Inspired by this, solid colloid motors with controlled movements were recently developed for diverse applications. However, to meet the requirements of more elaborate functionalities, the development of droplet-based micromotors, which feature with appealing advantages such as deformability, encapsulation capability, and biocompatibility, is demanding. Herein, responsive Janus droplets with intrinsic magnetic anisotropy were fabricated, taking advantage of the traditional one-step vortex mixing that guarantees large-scale production. Furthermore, the size range of the droplets can be easily extended continuously from hundreds of micrometers down to tens of nanometers. What is more appealing, directed in situ group motions that include alignment, rotation, and transfer of the Janus droplets prepared were successfully realized and precisely controlled by using an external magnetic field. These collective motions induced excellent performances in pollutant adsorption and separation, switchable conductivities, and the size grading. Such scalable, simple, and controllable strategy can expand the application of Janus emulsions to complicated fields of microreactors, microsensors, and environmental regulation.

The Efficacy and Mechanism of Chinese Herbal Medicines in Lowering Serum Uric Acid Levels: A Systematic Review.

Background. Chinese herbal medicines are widely used to lower serum uric acid levels. However, no systemic review summarizes and evaluates their efficacies and the underlying mechanisms of action. Objectives. To evaluate the clinical and experimental evidences for the effectiveness and the potential mechanism of Chinese herbal medicines in lowering serum uric acid levels. Methods. Four electronic databases PubMed, Wed of Science, the Cochrane Library and Embase were used to search for Chinese herbal medicines for their effects in lowering serum uric acid levels, dated from 1 January 2009 to 19 August 2020. For clinical trials, randomized controlled trials (RCTs) were included; and for experimental studies, original articles were included. The methodological quality of RCTs was assessed according to the Cochrane criteria. For clinical trials, a meta-analysis of continuous variables was used to obtain pooled effects. For experimental studies, lists were used to summarize and integrate the mechanisms involved. Results. A total of 10 clinical trials and 184 experimental studies were included. Current data showed that Chinese herbal medicines have promising clinical efficacies in patients with elevated serum uric acid levels (SMD: -1.65, 95% CI: -3.09 to -0.22; p = 0.024). There was no significant difference in serum uric acid levels between Chinese herbal medicine treatments and Western medicine treatments (SMD: -0.13, 95% CI: -0.99 to 0.74; p = 0.772). Experimental studies revealed that the mechanistic signaling pathways involved in the serum uric acid lowering effects include uric acid synthesis, uric acid transport, inflammation, renal fibrosis and oxidative stress. Conclusions. The clinical studies indicate that Chinese herbal medicines lower serum uric acid levels. Further studies with sophisticated research design can further demonstrate the efficacy and safety of these Chinese herbal medicines in lowering serum uric acid levels and reveal a comprehensive picture of the underlying mechanisms of action.

Complementarity in Requirements Tracing.

Complementarity between activities reveals that doing any one of them increases the returns to doing the others. In other words, complementarity leads to the synergistic effect that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. Identifying and exploiting complementarity can benefit many cybernetic activities, where human-machine interactions are inherent and dominant. One such activity is requirements tracing that helps stakeholders to track the status of their goals. Although various kinds of support for human analysts in requirements tracing have been proposed, little is known about the nature of complementarity when different tracing practices are involved. In this paper, we explore the role of complementarity by considering together the tagging-to-trace (T2T) and learning-to-trace (L2T) activities. We present a novel approach to examining which T2T and L2T practices enhance the qualities of each other. Our approach also uncovers the environmental factors which the complementarity is sensitive to. Applying our approach to the logs of 140 analyst-tracing units offers operational insights into the rigorous detection of complementarity and shows the importance of understanding the cybernetic conditions under which the requirements tracing practices may in fact be complementary.