Role of the regulation of mesenchymal stem cells on macrophages in sepsis.

Sepsis is a common clinical critical disease with high mortality. The excessive release of cytokines from macrophages is the main cause of out-of-control immune response in sepsis. Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are thought to be useful in adjunctive therapy of sepsis and related diseases, due to their function in immune regulation, anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, and tissue regeneration. Also there have been several successful cases in clinical treatment. Some previous studies have shown that MSCs regulate the function of macrophages through secreting cytokines and extracellular vesicles, or transferring mitochondria directly to target cells, which affects the progress of sepsis. Here, we review the regulation of MSCs on macrophages in sepsis, mainly focus on the regulation ways. We hope that will help to understand the immunological mechanism and also provide some clues for the clinical application of MSCs in the biotherapy of sepsis.

Role of irisin in physiology and pathology.

Irisin, out-membrane part of fibronectin type III domain-containing 5 protein (FNDC5), was activated by Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ (PPARγ) coactivator-1α (PGC-1α) during physical exercise in skeletal muscle tissues. Most studies have reported that the concentration of irisin is highly associated with health status. For instance, the level of irisin is significantly lower in patients with obesity, osteoporosis/fractures, muscle atrophy, Alzheimer's disease, and cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) but higher in patients with cancer. Irisin can bind to its receptor integrin αV/ß5 to induce browning of white fat, maintain glucose stability, keep bone homeostasis, and alleviate cardiac injury. However, it is unclear whether it works by directly binding to its receptors to regulate muscle regeneration, promote neurogenesis, keep liver glucose homeostasis, and inhibit cancer development. Supplementation of recombinant irisin or exercise-activated irisin might be a successful strategy to fight obesity, osteoporosis, muscle atrophy, liver injury, and CVDs in one go. Here, we summarize the publications of FNDC5/irisin from PubMed/Medline, Scopus, and Web of Science until March 2022, and we review the role of FNDC5/irisin in physiology and pathology.

Quantifying the response of surface urban heat island to urban greening in global north megacities.

Urban heat island, a phenomenon that urban temperature is higher than the rural area nearby, affects directly citizens' human health and well-being. However, the cooling effect from urban green space (UGS) and the attribution of the different land processes to surface urban heat island intensity (SUHI) under different background climates remains unclear. The coarse-grained model was used to estimate summer SUHI in three different background climatic zones and for seven agglomerations (BTH, JP, LD, NAAC, NAGL, YZ, UQ). Results indicate that (1) the temperate zone had the highest daytime SUHI (0-10 °C), while the arid zone has the lowest daytime SUHI (-1-2 °C). In both temperate and cold zone, the daytime SUHI was higher than the nighttime SUHI. The SUHI in downtown was higher (more than 2 °C) than in the suburbs. (2) The increasing precipitation can enhance daytime SUHI while can weaken nighttime SUHI in all three climatic zones. The increasing temperature tends to enhance SUHI in both daytime and nighttime (exclude UQ). (3) The cooling effects of UGS in daytime SUHI were highly dependent on the background climate (cold > temperate > arid). (4) The nighttime SUHI could be effectively offset when UGSFs were greater than 0.48, 0.82, 0.97, 0.95 in NAAC, NAGL, YZ, and UQ. This article highlights the different feedback of urban green space to UHII and supports green infrastructure intervention as an effective means of reducing urban heat stress at urban agglomeration scales.

Climate change versus land-use change-What affects the ecosystem services more in the forest-steppe ecotone?

The Ecosystem services (ESs), which play an important role in the balance of the natural ecosystem and social-economic development, are suffering from degradation caused by human activities and climate change. However, the manner in which the ESs respond to the land use/cover changes (LUCCs) and the climatic factors respectively remain elusive, especially in the forest-steppe ecotone, which is highly sensitive to climate change and anthroponotic activities. Based on the remote sensing data and in situ meteorological data, we comprehensively modeled and compared 4 key ESs changes caused by 3 LUCC types, land-use change fraction, and climate changes through two simple comparative experiments. Our results showed that: the Grain for the Green Project improved the mean soil conservation, carbon sequestration, and water yield but reduced the sand fixation. The cropland expansion had a positive influence on the water yield and sand fixation, but it induced a decline in soil conservation and carbon sequestration. The urbanization very likely increased the water yield and decreased soil conservation, carbon sequestration, and sand fixation. The unequal change fractions of the same land-use conversion may affect the ESs differently. The ESs changes have different responses to climate change in different landscapes due to the ecological process. The water yield could be well explained by the temperature, precipitation, radiation, and wind speed. Climate change had a stronger effect on the water yield and carbon sequestration than the land use/cover changes but sand fixation and soil conservation were more likely to be affected by LUCCs. The impact of three types of land-use changes and climate change on the ecosystem services should be considered when formulating land-use policies. This paper might aid the decision-makers in achieving ESs sustainable management and develop land-use strategies in the forest-steppe ecotone.

Exploring Connections among Ecosystem Services Supply, Demand and Human Well-Being in a Mountain-Basin System, China.

Stakeholder perception and supply-demand relations are the main challenges and future directions for research on ecosystem services (ES). Based on spatial data and statistical data, we mapped eight key ES supply between 2005-2015 in the Huailai mountain-basin area. Using data from 507 survey questionnaires, we identified the ES demand and the public perceptions of the changes in ES. In addition, we also reveal the characteristics of the spatial distribution of ES demand, analyze the spatial supply-demand matching of ES, and explore the relationships between ES supply-demand and human well-being. From 2005 to 2015, a general upward trend was observed in the supply of four types of product provisioning services, which is different from the trend perceived by the stakeholders. An increasing trend was observed for carbon sequestration and forest recreation, which was in line with the perceptions of change. A spatial mismatch existed between the ES demand and supply, whereby the supply of carbon sequestration, soil conservation, habitat quality, and forest recreation services exceeded the demand in townships in the mountainous and hilly regions. On the other hand, townships located in the valley plains experienced a high imbalance between the demand and the supply. For the four types of product provisioning services, most towns and villages showed a balance in demand and supply. Linking ES supply-demand and human well-being showed that a threshold may exist in the supply-demand imbalance of regulating and supporting services before it begins to impact human well-being. Our study would enrich the theory and methodology research on relationships between ecosystem services and human well-being, and support knowledge to land allocation and management.

Application of neuroendoscopic surgical techniques in the assessment and treatment of cerebral ventricular infection.

Cerebral ventricular infection (CVI) is one of the most dangerous complications in neurosurgery because of its high mortality and disability rates. Few studies have examined the application of neuroendoscopic surgical techniques (NESTs) to assess and treat CVI. This multicenter, retrospective study was conducted using clinical data of 32 patients with CVI who were assessed and treated by NESTs in China. The patients included 20 men and 12 women with a mean age of 42.97 years. NESTs were used to obliterate intraventricular debris and pus, fenestrate or incise the intraventricular compartment and reconstruct cerebrospinal fluid circulation, and remove artificial material. Intraventricular irrigation with antibiotic saline was applied after neuroendoscopic surgery (NES). Secondary hydrocephalus was treated by endoscopic third ventriculostomy or a ventriculoperitoneal shunt. Neuroendoscopic findings of CVI were used to classify patients into Grade I (n = 3), Grade II (n = 13), Grade III (n = 10), and Grade IV (n = 6) CVI. The three patients with grade I CVI underwent one NES, the 23 patients with grade II/III CVI underwent two NESs, and patients with grade IV CVI underwent two (n = 3) or three (n = 3) NESs. The imaging features and grades of neuroendoscopy results were positively related to the number of neurosurgical endoscopic procedures. Two patients died of multiple organ failure and the other 30 patients fully recovered. Among the 26 patients with secondary hydrocephalus, 18 received ventriculoperitoneal shunt and 8 underwent endoscopic third ventriculostomy. There were no recurrences of CVI during the 6- to 76-month follow-up after NES. Application of NESTs is an innovative method to assess and treat CVI, and its neuroendoscopic classification provides an objective, comprehensive assessment of CVI. The study trial was approved by the Institutional Review Board of Beijing Shijitan Hospital, Capital Medical University, China.