Development and Validation of a Prognostic Nomogram for Breast Cancer Patients With Multi-Organ Metastases: An Analysis of the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results Program Database.

BACKGROUND: Multi-organ metastases represent a substantial life-threatening risk for breast cancer (BC) patients. Nonetheless, the current dearth of assessment tools for patients with multi-organ metastatic BC adversely impacts their evaluation. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective analysis of BC patients with multi-organ metastases using data from the SEER database from 2010 to 2019. The patients were randomly allocated into a training cohort and a validation cohort in a 7:3 ratio. Univariate COX regression analysis, the LASSO, and multivariate Cox regression analyses were performed to identify independent prognostic factors in the training set. Based on these factors, a nomogram was constructed to estimate overall survival (OS) probability for BC patients with multi-organ metastases. The performance of the nomogram was evaluated using C-indexes, ROC curves, calibration curves, decision curve analysis (DCA) curves, and the risk classification system for validation. RESULTS: A total of 3626 BC patients with multi-organ metastases were included in the study, with 2538 patients in the training cohort and 1088 patients in the validation cohort. Age, grade, metastasis location, surgery, chemotherapy, and subtype were identified as significant independent prognostic factors for OS in BC patients with multi-organ metastases. A nomogram for predicting 1-year, 3-year, and 5-year OS was constructed. The evaluation metrics, including C-indexes, ROC curves, calibration curves, and DCA curves, demonstrated the excellent predictive performance of the nomogram. Additionally, the risk grouping system effectively stratified BC patients with multi-organ metastases into distinct prognostic categories. CONCLUSION: The developed nomogram showed high accuracy in predicting the survival probability of BC patients with multi-organ metastases, providing valuable information for patient counseling and treatment decision making.

Genetic dissection and identification of stripe rust resistance genes in the wheat cultivar Lanhangxuan 121, a cultivar selected from a space mutation population.

Stripe rust is a devastating disease of wheat worldwide. Chinese wheat cultivar Lanhangxuan 121 (LHX121), selected from an advanced line L92-47 population that had been subjected to space mutation breeding displayed a consistently higher level of resistance to stipe rust than its parent in multiple field environments. The aim of this research was to establish the number and types of resistance genes in parental lines L92-47 and LHX121 using separate segregating populations. The first population developed from a cross between LHX121 and susceptible cultivar Xinong 822 comprised 278 F2:3 lines. The second validation population comprised 301 F2:3 lines from a cross between L92-47 and susceptible cultivar Xinong 979. Lines of two population were evaluated for stripe rust response at three sites during the 2018-2020 cropping season. Affymetrix 660 K SNP arrays were used to genotype the lines and parents. Inclusive composite interval mapping detected QTL QYrLHX.nwafu-2BS, QYrLHX.nwafu-3BS, and QYrLHX.nwafu-5BS for resistance in all three environments. Based on previous studies and pedigree information, QYrLHX.nwafu-2BS and QYrLHX.nwafu-3BS were likely to be Yr27 and Yr30 that are present in the L92-47 parent. QYrLHX.nwafu-5BS (YrL121) detected only in LHX121 was mapped to a 7.60 cM interval and explained 10.67-22.57% of the phenotypic variation. Compared to stripe rust resistance genes previously mapped to chromosome 5B, YrL121 might be a new adult plant resistance QTL. Furthermore, there were a number of variations signals using 35 K SNP array and differentially expressed genes using RNA-seq between L92-47 and LHX121 in the YrL121 region, indicating that they probably impair the presence and/or function of YrL121. Supplementary Information: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s11032-024-01461-0.

Identification of two novel QTL for Fusarium head blight resistance in German wheat cultivar Centrum.

Fusarium head blight (FHB) is a devastating disease that occurs in warm and humid environments. The German wheat Centrum has displayed moderate to high levels of FHB resistance in the field for many years. In this study, an F6:8 recombinant inbred line (RIL) population derived from cross Centrum × Xinong 979 was evaluated for FHB response following point inoculation in five environments. The population and parents were genotyped using the GenoBaits Wheat 16 K Panel. Stable quantitative trait loci (QTL) associated with FHB resistance in Centrum were mapped on chromosome arms 2DS and 5BS. The most effective QTL, located in 2DS, was identified as a new chromosome region represented by a 1.4 Mb interval containing 17 candidate genes. Another novel QTL was mapped in chromosome arm 5BS of a 5BS-7BS translocation chromosome. In addition, two environmentally-sensitive QTL were mapped on chromosome arms 2BL from Centrum and 5AS from Xinong 979. Polymorphisms of flanking allele-specifc quantitative PCR (AQP) markers AQP-6 for QFhb.nwafu-2DS and 16K-13073 for QFhb.nwafu-5BS were validated in a panel of 217 cultivars and breeding lines. These markers could be useful for marker-assisted selection of FHB resistance and also provide a starting point for fine mapping and marker-based cloning of the resistance genes.

Assembly and characterization of the complete mitochondrial genome of Ventilago leiocarpa.

KEY MESSAGE: We reported the mitochondrial genome of Ventilago leiocarpa for the first time. Two and one sites lead to the generation of stop and stat codon through editing were verified. Ventilago leiocarpa, a member of the Rhamnaceae family, is frequently utilized in traditional medicine due to the medicinal properties of its roots. In this study, we successfully assembled the mitogenome of V. leiocarpa using both BGI short reads and Nanopore long reads. This mitogenome has a total length of 331,839 bp. The annotated results showed 36 unique protein-coding, 16 tRNA and 3 rRNA genes in this mitogenome. Furthermore, we confirmed the presence of a branched structure through the utilization of long reads mapping, PCR amplification, and Sanger sequencing. Specifically, the ctg1 can form a single circular molecule or combine with ctg4 to form a linear molecule. Likewise, ctg2 can form a single circular molecule or can be connected to ctg4 to form a linear molecule. Subsequently, through a comparative analysis of the mitogenome and cpgenome sequences, we identified ten mitochondrial plastid sequences (MTPTs), including two complete protein-coding genes and five complete tRNA genes. The existence of MTPTs was verified by long reads. Colinear analysis showed that the mitogenomes of Rosales were highly divergent in structure. Finally, we identified 545 RNA editing sites involving 36 protein-coding genes by Deepred-mt. To validate our findings, we conducted PCR amplification and Sanger sequencing, which confirmed the generation of stop codons in atp9-223 and rps10-391, as well as the generation of a start codon in nad4L-2. This project reported the complex structure and RNA editing event of the V. Leiocarpa mitogenome, which will provide valuable information for the study of mitochondrial gene expression.

Active Fraction of Polyrhachis Vicina Roger (AFPR) Ameliorate Depression Induced Inflammation Response by FTO/miR-221-3p/SOCS1 Axis.

Purpose: Neuroinflammation is a significant etiological factor in the development of depression. Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) has demonstrated notable efficacy in the treatment of inflammation. Our previous study surfaces that the active fraction of Polyrhachis vicina Roger (AFPR) has antidepressant and anti-neuroinflammatory effects, but the specific mechanisms remain to be elucidated. The objective of this study was to examine the impact of AFPR on inflammation in depression via the FTO/miR-221-3p/SOCS1 axis. Methods: Chronic unpredictable stress (CUMS)-induced rats and LPS-induced BV2 cells were employed to simulate depression models in vivo and in vitro. The levels of inflammatory factors were detected using the ELISA assay. The expression of genes and proteins was detected using qRT-PCR and Western blot. Gene interactions were detected using the dual luciferase reporter gene. Protein-RNA interactions were investigated using RNA methylation immunoprecipitation (MeRIP) and RNA immunoprecipitation (RIP). Neuroinflammation in the brain was examined through H&E staining, while neuronal apoptosis was assessed using TUNEL staining. Results: The results showed that AFPR ameliorated depression induced inflammation by increasing SOCS1 expression. However, SOCS1 was identified as a target of miR-221-3p. Overexpression of miR-221-3p decreased the expression of SOCS1 and increased the levels of NF-κB, IL-7, and IL-6. In addition, we found that miR-221-3p was regulated by FTO-mediated m6A modification through MeRIP and RIP experiments. Interference with miR-221-3p and overexpression of FTO resulted in increased SOCS1 gene expression and decreased levels of NF-κB, IL-7, and IL-6, which were reversed by AFPR. Conclusion: AFPR inhibits the maturation of pri-miR-221-3p through FTO-mediated m6A modification, reduces the production of miR-221-3p, increases the expression of SOCS1, and reduces the level of inflammation, thereby improving depressive symptoms.

Exploring the most appropriate lymph node staging system for node-positive breast cancer patients and constructing corresponding survival nomograms.

BACKGROUND: The lymph node (LN) status is a crucial prognostic factor for breast cancer (BC) patients. Our study aimed to compare the predictive capabilities of three different LN staging systems in node-positive BC patients and develop nomograms to predict overall survival (OS). METHODS: We enrolled 71,213 eligible patients from the SEER database, and 667 cases from our hospital were used for external validation. All patients were divided into two groups based on the number of removed lymph nodes (RLNs). The prognostic abilities of pN stage, positive LN ratio (LNR), and log odds of positive LN (LODDS) were compared using the C-indexes and AUC values. LASSO regression was performed to identify significant factors associated with prognosis and develop corresponding nomogram models. RESULTS: Our study found that LNR had superior predictive performance compared to pN and LODDS among patients with RLNs < 10, while pN performed better in patients with RLNs ≥ 10. In the training set, the nomogram models exhibited excellent clinical applicability, as evidenced by the C-indexes, ROC curves, calibration plots, and decision curve analysis curves. Moreover, the nomogram classification accurately differentiated risk subgroups and improved discrimination. These results were externally validated in the validation cohort. CONCLUSION: Physicians should select different LN staging systems based on the number of RLNs. Our novel nomograms demonstrated excellent performance in both internal and external validations, which may assist in patient counseling and guide treatment decision-making.

Slow stripe rusting in Chinese wheat Jimai 44 conferred by Yr29 in combination with a major QTL on chromosome arm 6AL.

KEY MESSAGE: YrJ44, a more effective slow rusting gene than Yr29, was localized to a 3.5-cM interval between AQP markers AX-109373479 and AX-109563479 on chromosome 6AL. "Slow rusting" (SR) is a type of adult plant resistance (APR) that can provide non-specific durable resistance to stripe rust in wheat. Chinese elite wheat cultivar Jimai 44 (JM44) has maintained SR to stripe rust in China since its release despite exposure to a changing and variable pathogen population. An F2:6 population comprising 295 recombinant inbred lines (RILs) derived from a cross between JM44 and susceptible cultivar Jimai 229 (JM229) was used in genetic analysis of the SR. The RILs and parental lines were evaluated for stripe rust response in five field environments and genotyped using the Affymetrix Wheat55K SNP array and 13 allele-specific quantitative PCR-based (AQP) markers. Two stable QTL on chromosome arms 1BL and 6AL were identified by inclusive composite interval mapping. The 1BL QTL was probably the pleiotropic gene Lr46/Yr29/Sr58. QYr.nwafu-6AL (hereafter named YrJ44), mapped in a 3.5-cM interval between AQP markers AX-109373479 and AX-109563479, was more effective than Yr29 in reducing disease severity and relative area under the disease progress curve (rAUDPC). RILs harboring both YrJ44 and Yr29 displayed levels of SR equal to the resistant parent JM44. The AQP markers linked with YrJ44 were polymorphic and significantly correlated with stripe rust resistance in a panel of 1,019 wheat cultivars and breeding lines. These results suggested that adequate SR resistance can be obtained by combining YrJ44 and Yr29 and the AQP markers can be used in breeding for durable stripe rust resistance.

Autofluorescence spectral analysis for detecting urinary stone composition in emulated intraoperative ambient.

The prevalence and disease burden of urolithiasis has increased substantially worldwide in the last decade, and intraluminal holmium laser lithotripsy has become the primary treatment method. However, inappropriate laser energy settings increase the risk of perioperative complications, largely due to the lack of intraoperative information on the stone composition, which determines the stone melting point. To address this issue, we developed a fiber-based fluorescence spectrometry method that detects and classifies the autofluorescence spectral fingerprints of urinary stones into three categories: calcium oxalate, uric acid, and struvite. By applying the support vector machine (SVM), the prediction accuracy achieved 90.28 % and 96.70% for classifying calcium stones versus non-calcium stones and uric acid versus struvite, respectively. High accuracy and specificity were achieved for a wide range of working distances and angles between the fiber tip and stone surface in an emulated intraoperative ambient. Our work establishes the methodological basis for engineering a clinical device that achieves real-time, in situ classification of urinary stones for optimizing the laser ablation parameters and reducing perioperative complications in lithotripsy.

Development of breeder chip for gene detection and molecular-assisted selection by target sequencing in wheat.

Wheat is an essential food crop and its high and stable yield is suffering from great challenges due to the limitations of current breeding technology and various stresses. Accelerating molecularly assisted stress-resistance breeding is critical. Through a meta-analysis of published loci in wheat over the last two decades, we selected 60 loci with main breeding objectives, high heritability, and reliable genotyping, such as stress resistance, yield, plant height, and resistance to spike germination. Then, using genotyping by target sequencing (GBTS) technology, we developed a liquid phase chip based on 101 functional or closely linked markers. The genotyping of 42 loci was confirmed in an extensive collection of Chinese wheat cultivars, indicating that the chip can be used in molecular-assisted selection (MAS) for target breeding goals. Besides, we can perform the preliminary parentage analysis with the genotype data. The most significant contribution of this work lies in translating a large number of molecular markers into a viable chip and providing reliable genotypes. Breeders can quickly screen germplasm resources, parental breeding materials, and intermediate materials for the presence of excellent allelic variants using the genotyping data by this chip, which is high throughput, convenient, reliable, and cost-efficient. Supplementary Information: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s11032-023-01359-3.

The impact of organizational justice on psychological distress among Chinese public hospitals nurses: A cross-sectional study.

Few studies have explored the association between organizational justice and mental health, particularly in collectivist countries. Hence, the aim of the present study was to evaluate the impact of organizational justice on psychological distress and to discuss the findings in collectivist culture. A cross-sectional survey was conducted among nurses from public hospitals in western of China, July 2022, which followed the STROBE guidelines. This study used Chinese versions of the Organizational Justice Scale and Kesseler Psychological Distress Scale to assess the perceptions of organizational justice and mental health levels, respectively. A total of 663 nurses completed the questionnaires. The psychological distress of university-educated and low-income nurses was poor. There was a moderately positive relationship between organizational justice and psychological distress (R = 0.508, P < .01), indicating that the greater level of organizational injustice, the poorer mental health. Hierarchical regression analysis showed that organizational justice was an strong predictor of psychological distress, accounting for approximately 20.5% of the psychological distress. The findings of this study highlight the importance of interpersonal injustice and distributive injustice on psychological distress specific in Chinese culture, suggesting that nursing management or leaders should notice that the most being taken seriously by nurses is their recognition and respect for subordinate, meanwhile, alerting nurses, in some sense, a negative relationship with leaders as a kind of workplace bullying could harm their mental health. The promulgation of organizational justice policy to protect employees from the government and the real role of employee labor union organizations are urgently needed.

Expression of interleukin-1ß, interleukin-4, interferon-γ and tumour necrosis factor α in different tissue in a dinitrochlorobenzene-induced ear swelling test in mice.

OBJECTIVE: To study the expression of interleukin-1ß (IL-1ß), interleukin-4 (IL-4), interferon-γ (IFN-γ) and tumour necrosis factor α (TNF-α) in different tissue in a dinitrochlorobenzene (DNCB)-induced ear swelling test in mice and further evaluate the correlation between the cytokine expression in different tissues and the degree of ear swelling. METHODS: The mice were sensitised with a 0.50% DNCB solution on their back for 3 days. After 7 days, the thickness of their ears was measured and grouped. Different concentrations of the DNCB solution were challenged in the left ear of each group of mice, and the right ear was used as the control. The thickness of both ears was measured every 24 h, and the mice were sacrificed 72 h after the challenge. The expressions of IL-1ß, IL-4, IFN-γ and TNF-α in the mouse serum, lymph node and ear tissue were quantified by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, respectively. RESULTS: There was a linear positive correlation between the swelling index of the mouse lateral ear and the challenge concentration of DNCB (r = 0.96, p < 0.01). The high expression of IL-1ß and IL-4 in the lateral ear tissue of the mice was positively correlated with the ear swelling index 48 h after the challenge. The correlation coefficient was 0.78 (p < 0.01). Furthermore, IFN-γ and TNF-α had no significant correlation with the ear swelling index 48 h after the challenge. CONCLUSION: There is a correlation between the degree of ear swelling in mice and the concentration of DNCB and the expression of IL-1ß and IL-4 in the lateral ear tissue. There is a sub-clinical skin sensitivity state in contact allergy.

Effects of climate change on the geographical distribution and potential distribution areas of 35 Millettia Species in China.

Climate change has an extremely important impact on the geographic distribution of plants. The genus Millettia is an important plant resource in China and is widely used in medicine and ornamental industries. Due to the continuous changes of climate and the development and utilization of plant resources of the genus Millettia, it is of great significance to systematically investigate the geographic distribution of plants of the Millettia and their potential distribution under climate change. DIVA-GIS software was used to analyze 3492 plant specimens of 35 species of genus Millettia in the herbarium, and the ecological geographic distribution and richness of Millettia were analyzed, and the MaxEnt model was used to analyze the current and potential distribution in the future. The results show that the genus Millettia is distributed in 30 provinces in China, among which Yunnan and Guangdong provinces are the most distributed. Our model determines that precipitation in the driest month and annual temperature range are the most important bioclimatic variables. Future climate changes will increase the suitable habitat area of M. congestiflora by 16.75%, but other cliff beans Suitable habitats for vines will decrease significantly: M. cinereal by 47.66%, M. oosperma by 39.16%, M. pulchra by 36.04%, M. oraria by - 29.32%, M. nitida by 22.88%, M. dielsiana by 22.72%, M. sericosema by 19.53%, M. championii by 7.77%, M. pachycarpa by 7.72%, M. speciose by 2.05%, M. reticulata by 1.32%. Therefore, targeted measures should be taken to protect and develop these precious plant resources.

Cytotoxic indole alkaloids and polyketides produced by a marine-derived fungus Aspergillus flavipes DS720.

Marine-derived microorganisms possess the unique metabolic pathways to produce structurally novel secondary metabolites with potent biological activities. In this study, bioactivity-guided isolation of the marine deep-sea-derived fungus Aspergillus flavipes DS720 led to the characterization of four indole alkaloids (compounds 1-4) and four polyketides (compounds 5-8), such as two new indoles, flavonoids A (1) and B (2) with a C-6 reversed prenylation, and a new azaphilone, flaviazaphilone A (5). Their chemical structures were unambiguously established by an extensive interpretation of spectroscopic data, such as 1D/2D NMR and HRESIMS data. The absolute configurations of the new compound 5 were solved by comparing the experimental and calculated Electronic Circular Dichroism (ECD) spectra. Since sufficient amount of flavonoids A (1) was obtained, 1 was subjected to a large-scale cytotoxic activity screening against 20 different human tumor cell lines. The results revealed that 1 showed broad-spectrum cytotoxicities against HeLa, 5637, CAL-62, PATU8988T, A-375, and A-673 cell lines, with the inhibition rates of more than 90%. This study indicated that the newly discovered indole alkaloid 1 may possess certain potential for the development of lead compounds in the future.

Source Identification and Genome-Wide Association Analysis of Crown Rot Resistance in Wheat.

Crown rot (CR) is a soil-borne disease of wheat in arid and semiarid areas of the world. The incidence rate and severity of CR are increasing with each passing year, which seriously threatens the safety of world wheat production. Here, 522 wheat varieties/lines representing genetic diversity were used to identify and evaluate the resistance source to CR disease. Six varieties, including Zimai 12, Xinong 509, Mazhamai, Sifangmai, and Dawson, were classified as resistant ® to CR. Seventy-nine varieties were classified as moderately resistant (MR) to CR, accounting for 15.13% of the tested varieties. The wheat 660 K SNP array was used to identify resistance loci by genome-wide association analysis (GWAS). A total of 33 SNPs, located on chromosomes 1A, 1B, 1D, 4A, and 4D, were significantly correlated with seedling resistance to CR in two years. Among them, one SNP on chromosome 1A and nine SNPs on chromosome 1B showed most significant resistance to disease, phenotypic variance explained (PVE) by these SNPs were more than 8.45%. Except that significant locus AX-110436287 and AX109621209 on chromosome 1B and AX-94692276 on 1D are close to the already reported QTL, other SNPs are newly discovered resistance loci. These results could lay a strong theoretical foundation for the genetic improvement and breeding for CR resistance in wheat.

Anti-inflammatory Study on the Constituents of Angelica sinensis (Oliv.) Diels, Angelica dahurica (Hoffm.) Benth. & Hook.f. ex Franch. & Sav., Angelica pubescence Maxim and Foeniculum vulgare Mill. Essential Oils.

Umbelliferae plants, which are widely used as traditional Chinese medicine because of their characteristics of relieving rheumatism, alleviating fever, circulating blood and easing pain. This experimental study was based on ear edema model caused by 12-O-tetracycline-propylphenol-13-acetic acid (TPA) in mice and compared with the Ibuprofen (Ib) group. Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) was used to analyse the composition of the essential oils from the four studied Umbelliferae plants (Angelica sinensis (Oliv.) Diels, A. dahurica (Hoffm.) Benth. & Hook.f. ex Franch. & Sav., A. pubescens Maxim and Foeniculum vulgare Mill.). Biologically active components in volatile oils from the four studied Umbelliferae plants were evaluated. The expression levels of inflammatory cytokines Tumor Necrosis Factor-α (TNF-α), Cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2), Interleukin-6 (IL-6) and RelA (p65) in mouse skin were determined by immunohistochemical method. The refractive index of the four essential oils was calculated. A total of 239 compounds were identified by GC-MS from the four studied plants, and the main constituents were osthole (44.61%, APEOs), obepin (0.59%, APEOs & 86.58%, FVEOs), undecanol (8.58%, ADEOs), α-muurolene (7.95%, ADEOs) and cis-anethol (9.11%, ADEOs). E-ligustilide (0.14%, APEOs & 81.14%, ASEOs), (-)-spathulenol (0.08%, FVEOs & 1.21%, ASEOs), (-)-terpinen-4-ol (4.91%, FVEOs), 2-butylthiolane (5.76%, APEOs) and α-bisabolol (3.80%, APEOs). This study showed that all the essential oils from the four studied Umbelliferae plants contained various lactones, including ligustrongolactone, trans-anisol and imperatorin. According to the results of the TPA induction test in the mouse ear edema model, the essential oils of four Umbelliferae plants reduced the levels of inflammatory cytokines TNF-α, COX-2, IL-6 and p65. All of them showed extraordinary biological activity in anti-inflammatory, so they have potential application value for biomedical products, pharmaceutical preparations, natural functional nutrients and cosmetic additives.

Aromatic-turmerone ameliorates DSS-induced ulcerative colitis via modulating gut microbiota in mice.

Curcuma longa L. is one of the traditional Chinese herbs in the list of medicinal and food homology. Aromatic-turmerone is the main ingredient in turmeric essential oil. The aim of the present study is to investigate the treatment of Aromatic-turmerone on DSS-included colitis and its regulatory effect on intestinal flora disorder. Male KM mice supplemented with different concentration of aromatic-turmerone and mesalazine are subjected to 2% DSS in drinking water to induce colitis. Colon and cecum contents were collected for colitis lesion evaluation and inflammation-related gene analysis and colon contents for gut microbiota. The results show that treatments with Aromatic-turmerone significantly prevents colon shortening, alleviates the damage of colonic tissue, and reduces colonic inflammatory cytokines TNF-α and COX-2. Furthermore, the 16S rDNA gene sequence data indicate that Aromatic-turmerone improve the abundance of bacterial species, maintain some beneficial bacteria, and reduce harmful bacteria. Aromatic-turmerone downregulates the colonic inflammatory cytokines and modulates the abundance of intestinal flora, which is conductive to ameliorates DSS-induced colitis. Regularly intake of the edible herb may be help to prevent ulcerative colitis-related diseases.

The Essential Oil Derived from Perilla frutescens (L.) Britt. Attenuates Imiquimod-Induced Psoriasis-like Skin Lesions in BALB/c Mice.

Psoriasis is reported to be a common chronic immune-mediated skin disease characterized by abnormal keratinocytes and cell proliferation. Perilla leaves are rich in essential oils, fatty acids, and flavonoids, which are recognized for their antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects. In this study, the alleviating effect of essential oil (PO) extracted from Perilla frutescens stems and leaves on imiquimod (IMQ) -induced psoriasis-like lesions in BALB/c mice were investigated. Results showed that PO ameliorated psoriasis-like lesions in vivo, reduced the expression of lymphocyte antigen 6 complex locus G6D (Ly-6G), which is a marker of neutrophil activation, and inhibited the expression of inflammatory factors interleukin 1 (IL-1), interleukin 6 (IL-6), inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), and cyclooxygenase 2 (COX2). In addition, PO significantly decreased the expression of cytokines such as IL-6, IL-1, interleukin 23 (IL-23), interleukin 17 (IL-17), and nuclear factor kappa-B (NF-κB). Furthermore, the down-regulation of mRNA levels of psoriasis-related pro-inflammatory cytokines, such as IL-17, interleukin 22 (IL-22), IL-23, interferon-α (IFN-α), and Interferon-γ (IFN-γ) was observed with the treatment of PO. All results show a concentration dependence of PO, with low concentrations showing the best results. These results suggest that PO effectively alleviated psoriasis-like skin lesions and down-regulated inflammatory responses, which indicates that PO could potentially be used for further studies on inflammation-related skin diseases such as psoriasis and for the treatment of psoriasis such as psoriasis natural plant essential oil resources.

Chemical constituents, biological activities and anti-rheumatoid arthritic properties of four citrus essential oils.

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic systemic autoimmune disease with predominant synovitis that has no complete cure or preventive treatment. Citrus essential oils, used in natural fragrances, contain a variety of functional ingredients that are worthy of investigation for their potential as natural anti-inflammatory drug sources. In this study, essential oils were hydro distilled from the peels of four citrus species: Citrus sinensis (L.) Osbeck (CSEOs), Citrus paradisi Macfad. (CPEOs), Citrus limon (L.) Osbeck (CLEOs) and Citri Reticulatae Pericarpium (CREOs). Altogether, 81 compounds were identified using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS), of which d-limonene (17.96%-94.66%) was an abundant component of all four oils. The stable 1,1-diphenyl-2-pyrrole hydrazine (DPPH) free radical test showed that all four essential oils had excellent antioxidant properties (IC50 , 0.76-13.86 µg/mL). Furthermore, the oils remarkably increased the first G1 phase of the cell cycle, which inhibited the pro-inflammatory factor expression. An immunohistochemical analysis indicated that the four essential oils inhibited the expression of tumor necrosis factor-α and cyclooxygenase-2 and they exhibited anti-inflammatory activity in a rat model that was similar to that of the common drug, Ibuprofen. These results show that the CSEOs, CPEOs, CLEOs, and CREOs have significant antirheumatic activities and thus have great potential in developing functional food or drugs for treating RA.

Investigation and Identification of Food Poisoning Caused by Clostridium botulinum Type B1 in Shenzhen, China.

Clostridium botulinum produces botulinum neurotoxins (BoNTs), which cause people who ingest them to become seriously ill and sometimes die. In recent years, sporadic food poisoning cases associated with C. botulinum have occurred across the world. In 2016, two men were admitted to our hospital in Shenzhen, China, with foodborne botulism. In this study, we report on these two typical C. botulinum-related food poisoning incidents and the steps taken to identify and characterize the causative pathogen. We characterized the bacterial pathogen isolated from the first patient using cooked meat medium and egg yolk agar bacterial cultures under anaerobic conditions, and morphologically identified the isolate using Gram staining. The in vivo bioassay results in mice showed that the minimum lethal dose of the BoNTs produced by our isolate was 0.001-0.0001 mg/mL (LD50 of the culture was estimated to be 1.5812 mg/kg). Whole genome sequencing (WGS) results showed that the isolate was identified as C. botulinum B1 Okra. The causative strain was successfully isolated from the intestinal lavage fluid collected from the initial patient.

Tomato SlCER1-1 catalyzes the synthesis of wax alkanes which increases the drought tolerance and fruit storability.

Very-long-chain (VLC) alkanes are the main wax compounds of tomato fruit and leaf. ECERIFERUM1 (CER1) and ECERIFERUM3 (CER3) are the two key genes involved in VLC alkane biosynthesis in Arabidopsis thaliana. However, the CER1 and CER3 homologous genes in tomato have not been investigated and their exact biological function remains unknown. We analyzed the wax profiles in tomato leaves and fruits at different growth stages, and characterized the CER1 and CER3 homologous genes. VLC alkanes were the predominant wax compounds both in the leaf and fruit at all developmental stages. We identified five CER1 homologs and two CER3 homologs in tomato, which were designated as SlCER1-1 to SlCER1-5 and SlCER3-1 and SlCER3-2 respectively. The genes exhibited tissue- and organ-dependent expression patterns and were induced by abiotic stresses. SlCER1-1 was localized to the endoplasmic reticulum (ER), which is also the main site of wax biosynthesis. Silencing the SlCER1-1 gene in tomato significantly reduced the amounts of n-Alkanes and branched alkanes, whereas its overexpression in Arabidopsis had the opposite effect. Under drought stress, both n-Alkanes and branched alkanes increased significantly in wild-type but not the SlCER1-1 RNAi tomato plants. Furthermore, SlCER1-1 silencing also increased the cuticular permeabilities of the leaves and fruits. In conclusion, SlCER1-1 is involved in wax alkane biosynthesis in tomato and plays an important role in the drought tolerance and fruit storability.