KIF2C: An important factor involved in signaling pathways, immune infiltration, and DNA damage repair in tumorigenesis.

BACKGROUNDS: Poorly regulated mitosis and chromosomal instability are common characteristics in malignant tumor cells. Kinesin family member 2 C (KIF2C), also known as mitotic centromere-associated kinesin (MCAK) is an essential component during mitotic regulation. In recent years, KIF2C was shown to be dysregulated in several tumors and was involved in many aspects of tumor self-regulation. Research on KIF2C may be a new direction and target for anti-tumor therapy. OBJECT: The article aims at reviewing current literatures and summarizing the research status of KIF2C in malignant tumors as well as the oncogenic signaling pathways associated with KIF2C and its role in immune infiltration. RESULT: In this review, we summarize the KIF2C mechanisms and signaling pathways in different malignant tumors, and briefly describe its involvement in pathways related to classical chemotherapeutic drug resistance, such as MEK/ERK, mTOR, Wnt/ß-catenin, P53 and TGF-ß1/Smad pathways. KIF2C upregulation was shown to promote tumor cell migration, invasion, chemotherapy resistance and inhibit DNA damage repair. It was also highly correlated with microRNAs, and CD4 +T cell and CD8 +T cell tumor immune infiltration. CONCLUSION: This review shows that KIF2C may function as a new anticancer drug target with great potential for malignant tumor treatment and the mitigation of chemotherapy resistance.

Needle retaining after electroacupuncture combined with cognitive training for post-stroke cognitive impairment: a multi-center randomized controlled trial. / ç”µé’ˆåŽç•™é’ˆè”åˆè®¤çŸ¥è®­ç»ƒæ²»ç–—è„‘å’ä¸­åŽè®¤çŸ¥åŠŸèƒ½éšœç¢ï¼šå¤šä¸­å¿ƒéšæœºå¯¹ç §è¯•éªŒ.

OBJECTIVES: To compare the efficacy of needle retaining after electroacupuncture combined with cognitive training and electroacupuncture combined with cognitive training in the treatment of post-stroke cognitive impairment (PSCI). METHODS: A total of 206 patients with PSCI were randomized into a needle retaining group (103 cases, 9 cases dropped out) and an electroacupuncture group (103 cases, 6 cases dropped out). In addition to the conventional basic medical treatment and the rehabilitation treatment, in the needle retaining group, electroacupuncture at Shenting (GV 24) and Baihui (GV 20) was applied, with continuous wave of 50 Hz in the first 15 min and with disperse-dense wave of 2 Hz/50 Hz in the last 15 min, the needles were continuously retained for 1 h after electroacupuncture, during which cognitive training was adopted; in the electroacupuncture group, cognitive training was performed after the same electric stimulation exerted for 30 min, without additional needles retaining. The treatment was given once a day, 5 times a week for totally 8 weeks in the two groups. Before and after 8-week treatment, the TCM syndrome score was observed; before and after 4,8-week treatment, the scores of mini-mental state examination (MMSE), Montreal cognitive assessment (MoCA) and ability of daily living were observed in the two groups. The clinical efficacy of the two groups was evaluated after 8-week treatment. RESULTS: After 8-week treatment, the TCM syndrome scores were increased compared with those before treatment in both groups (P<0.05); the TCM syndrome score in the needle retaining group was higher than that in the electroacupuncture group (P<0.05).After 4,8-week treatment, the scores of MMSE, MoCA and ability of daily living were increased compared with those before treatment in both groups (P<0.05); MMSE, MoCA scores after 4,8-week treatment and ability of daily living score after 8-week treatment in the needle retaining group were higher than those in the electroacupuncture group (P<0.05). The total effective rate was 90.4% (85/94) in the needle retaining group, which was superior to 82.5% (80/97) in the electroacupuncture group (P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Both needle retaining after electroacupuncture combined with cognitive training and electroacupuncture combined with cognitive training can effectively treat PSCI, improve the clinical symptom, cognitive function and ability of daily living in PSCI patients. Needle retaining after electroacupuncture combined with cognitive training has a better therapeutic effect.

[Effects of Governor Vessel electroacupuncture on chloridion homeostasis in the cortex of rats with limb spasm after cerebral ischemia-reperfusion].

OBJECTIVE: To observe the effect of electroacupuncture (EA) stimulation of Governor Vessel on chloridion (Cl-) homeostasis and the expression of γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) and Na+-K+-Cl- cotransporter 1 (NKCC1) in the cerebral cortex of cerebral ischemia-reperfusion injury (CIRI) model rats, so as to explore its mechanism underl-ying alleviating limb spasm after stroke. METHODS: Forty-five male SD rats were randomly divided into normal, sham-operation, model, EA and baclofen groups, with 9 rats in each group. The CIRI model was established by occlusion of the middle cerebral artery and reperfusion. EA(100 Hz) was applied to "Dazhui" (GV14), "Jizhong"(GV6) and "Houhui" for 30 min. Rats of the baclofen group received gavage of baclofen solution (0.4 mg/kg, 1 mL/100 g), once daily for 7 consecutive days. Neurological deficit score was assessed according to Zea Longa's method. The muscular tone of quadriceps femoris of the limb was evaluated by modified Ashworth scale and electrophysiological recor-ding methods, separately. TTC staining was used to detect cerebral infarction volume, and the brain water content of rats in each group was determined by wet and dry weight method. The contents of Cl- and GABA in the cerebral cortex were detected by colorimetric method, and the expression levels of NKCC1 mRNA and protein in the cerebral cortex were detected by quantitative real-time PCR and Western blot, separately. RESULTS: No significant differences were found between the normal and sham-operation groups in all the indexes. Compared with the normal and sham-operation groups, the neurological deficit score, modified Ashworth muscle tone score, brain water content, cerebral infarct volu-me percent, Cl- content and expression levels of NKCC1 mRNA and protein were all evidently increased (P<0.01), and muscle tone of electrophyiological electromyogram (EMG) signal and GABA content were strikingly decreased (P<0.01) in the model group. Compared with the model group, both EA and baclofen groups had an obvious increase in EMG signal displayed muscle tone, and GABA content (P<0.05, P<0.01), and a marked decrease in the neurological deficit score, modified Ashworth score, brain water content, cerebral infarct percent, Cl- content and expression levels of NKCC1 mRNA and protein (P<0.05, P<0.01). CONCLUSION: EA stimulation of acupoints of the Governor Vessel can improve the degree of limb spasm and reduce the degree of cerebral edema and infarction in rats with stroke, which may be related to its functions in protecting Cl- homeostasis, up-regulating GABA concentration, and down-regulating the expression of NKCC1 protein and mRNA in the cerebral cortex.

Coupling MoS2 nanosheets with CeO2 for efficient electrocatalytic hydrogen evolution at large current densities.

We developed an efficient MoS2 nanosheet electrode coupled with CeO2via a hydrothermal process to facilitate water adsorption and dissociation, which displayed good HER activity and stability at a large current density of 500 mA cm-2. In situ Raman spectroscopy confirmed the formation of hydroxide ions based on the strengthening of the Ce-O bond during the HER.

Hierarchical Mn-Ni2P/NiFe LDH nanosheet arrays as an efficient bifunctional electrocatalyst for energy-saving hydrogen production via urea electrolysis.

Hierarchical Mn-Ni2P/NiFe LDH arrays were developed as a self-supported electrode. Because of the synergistic effect and self-supported structure, it presents brilliant bifunctional catalytic activities for the HER and UOR. Surprisingly, the voltage of a urea electrolytic cell coupling the HER with the UOR was as low as 1.494 V at 10 mA cm-2.

[Effect of electroacupuncture of Governor Vessel on expression of GAD67 and GABA-T in cerebral cortex of rats with post-stroke limb spasticity].

OBJECTIVE: To observe the effect of electroacupuncture (EA) of Governor Vessel (GV) on the expressions of glutamate decarboxylase 67 (GAD67) and γ-aminobutyric acid transaminase (GABA-T) in the cerebral cortex of rats with post-stroke limb spasticity, so as to explore its mechanism underlying improvement of limb spasticity. METHODS: Twenty four male SD rats were randomly and equally divided into control, sham operation, model, and EA groups. The cerebral ischemia model was established by occlusion of the middle cerebral artery (MCAO). EA (100 Hz, 1-3 mA) was applied to "Dazhui"(GV14), "Jizhong"(GV6) and "Houhui"( anteromedial of transverse process of the sixth lumbar vertebra) for 30 min, once daily for 7 consecutive days. The neurologic deficit score (0-5 points) was evaluated according to Zea Longa's method, and the muscular tension severity (0-5 points) was assessed according to the modified Ashworth muscle tone rating scale, and the tension signals of the quadriceps ferroris of the affected limb were recorded using tonotransducer and BL-420F electrophysiological recorder. The expression levels of GAD67 and GABA-T proteins and mRNAs in the cerebral cortex were detected by immunohistochemistry, fluorescence quantitative real-time PCR and Western blot, separately. RESULTS: After modeling, the neurological deficit score, muscle tone score, and the expression levels of GABA-T mRNA and protein in cerebral cortex were significantly increased (P<0.01, P<0.05), tension signal value and the expression levels of GAD67 mRNA and protein in cerebral cortex were significantly decreased (P<0.01) in the model group relevant to the control and sham operation groups. Following the intervention, the neurological deficit score, muscle tone score, and expression levels of GABA-T mRNA and protein in cerebral cortex were significantly decreased (P<0.01), tension signal value and the expression levels of GAD67 mRNA and protein in cerebral cortex were significantly increased (P<0.01, P<0.05) in the EA group in contrast to the model group. CONCLUSION: EA stimulation of Governor Vessel can ameliorate the limb spasticity symptom in MCAO rats, which may be associated with its functions in increasing the expressions of GAD67 protein and mRNA and inhibiting the expressions of GABA-T protein and mRNA, thereby playing the inhibitory role of GABA.

An alanine to valine mutation of glutamyl-tRNA reductase enhances 5-aminolevulinic acid synthesis in rice.

KEY MESSAGE: An alanine to valine mutation of glutamyl-tRNA reductase's 510th amino acid improves 5-aminolevulinic acid synthesis in rice. 5-aminolevulinic acid (ALA) is the common precursor of all tetrapyrroles and plays an important role in plant growth regulation. ALA is synthesized from glutamate, catalyzed by glutamyl-tRNA synthetase (GluRS), glutamyl-tRNA reductase (GluTR), and glutamate-1-semialdehyde aminotransferase (GSAT). In Arabidopsis, ALA synthesis is the rate-limiting step in tetrapyrrole production via GluTR post-translational regulations. In rice, mutations of GluTR and GSAT homologs are known to confer chlorophyll deficiency phenotypes; however, the enzymatic activity of rice GluRS, GluTR, and GSAT and the post-translational regulation of rice GluTR have not been investigated experimentally. We have demonstrated that a suppressor mutation in rice partially reverts the xantha trait. In the present study, we first determine that the suppressor mutation results from a G → A nucleotide substitution of OsGluTR (and an A → V change of its 510th amino acid). Protein homology modeling and molecular docking show that the OsGluTRA510V mutation increases its substrate binding. We then demonstrate that the OsGluTRA510V mutation increases ALA synthesis in Escherichia coli without affecting its interaction with OsFLU. We further explore homologous genes encoding GluTR across 193 plant species and find that the amino acid (A) is 100% conserved at the position, suggesting its critical role in GluTR. Thus, we demonstrate that the gain-of-function OsGluTRA510V mutation underlies suppression of the xantha trait, experimentally proves the enzymatic activity of rice GluRS, GluTR, and GSAT in ALA synthesis, and uncovers conservation of the alanine corresponding to the 510th amino acid of OsGluTR across plant species.

[Clinical observation on wrist-ankle acupuncture for shoulder-hand syndrome phaseâ after stroke].

OBJECTIVE: To compare the clinical efficacy between wrist-ankle acupuncture and conventional acupuncture on shoulder-hand syndrome (SHS) phaseⅠafter stroke. METHODS: A total of 64 patients with SHS phaseⅠafter stroke were randomized into a wrist-ankle acupuncture group and a conventional acupuncture group, 32 cases in each group. On the basis treatment of internal medicine and conventional rehabilitation, wrist-ankle acupuncture was applied at upper 4 area, upper 5 area and upper 6 area on the affected side in the wrist-ankle acupuncture group, while acupuncture was applied at Jianyu (LI 15), Quchi (LI 11), Shousanli (LI 10), etc. on the affected side in the conventional acupuncture group. The treatment was given 30 min each time, once a day, 5 days a week for 3 weeks in both groups. Before and after treatment, the visual analogue scale (VAS) score, degree of hand swelling, shoulder-hand syndrome scale (SHSS) score, Fugl-Meyer assessment for upper extremity (FMA-UE) score and modified Barthel index (MBI) score were observed, and the clinical therapeutic effect was evaluated in both groups. RESULTS: After treatment, the VAS scores, degree of hand swelling and SHSS scores were decreased (P<0.05), and the FMA-UE scores and MBI scores were increased (P<0.05) compared before treatment in both groups; in the wrist-ankle acupuncture group, the VAS score, degree of hand swelling and SHSS score were lower (P<0.05), and the FMA-UE score and MBI score were higher (P<0.05) than those in the conventional acupuncture group. The total effective rate was 96.9% (31/32) in the wrist-ankle acupuncture group, which was superior to 90.6% (29/32) in the conventional acupuncture group (P<0.05). CONCLUSION: Wrist-ankle acupuncture can effectively relieve pain and hand swelling, improve motor function of upper extremity and self-care ability of daily life in patients with shoulder-hand syndrome phaseⅠafter stroke, the therapeutic effect is superior to conventional acupuncture.

The Clinical Observation and Mechanism of Acupuncture on Cancer-Related Fatigue of Breast Cancer Based on "Gut-Brain Axis": Study Protocol for a Randomized Controlled Trial.

Background. Cancer-related fatigue (CRF) is a painful, persistent feeling of physical and cognitive subjective fatigue related to cancer or cancer remedy. The occurrence of CRF may be related to the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenaline (HPA) axis, inflammatory mediator theory, and gut microbiota. Moreover, acupuncture could play a vital part in the therapy of CRF. The study will evaluate whether acupuncture can improve fatigue symptoms of CRF patients after breast cancer chemotherapy by regulating the gut-brain axis. Methods/design. Seventy patients with CRF will be enrolled in this study, with 35 patients randomly assigned to each group. Blood and feces will be collected at the beginning and end of treatment. Piper fatigue scale, KPS score scale, and quality-of-life scale will be used to observe the changes of fatigue symptoms and life quality of CRF patients and to evaluate the effect of acupuncture on CRF. Then, the method of ELISA will be used to explore the regulatory effect of acupuncture on the HPA axis and inflammatory cytokines. Moreover, based on 16SrDNA, the changes of gut microbiota structure and flora of CRF patients will be observed. Ultimately, the correlation analysis of gut microbiota can be related to inflammatory cytokines, HPA axis, and clinical efficacy evaluation. Discussion. This study will identify the effect and the mechanism of acupuncture therapy in CRF. And it will offer an alternative treatment modality for the treatment of CRF after chemotherapy for breast cancer. Furthermore, it will also provide the clinical and theoretical bases for the extensive application of acupuncture therapy in tumor rehabilitation. Trial Status. Protocol version number and date: V2.0, 6 May 2021. The trial is registered with the Chinese Clinical Trial Registry on 20 June 2021 (trial identifier: ChiCTR2100047510).

[Acupoint selection rules of post-stroke cognitive impairment treated with acupuncture based on ancient and modern medical record cloud platform].

OBJECTIVE: To analyze the acupoint selection rules of post-stroke cognitive impairment (PSCI) treated with acupuncture by ancient and modern medical record cloud platform (V1.5). METHODS: The published randomized controlled trial (RCT) literature of PSCI treated with acupuncture was retrieved from CNKI, Wanfang, VIP, SinoMed, PubMed, EMbase, Cochrane Library and Web of Science, and the data was extracted to establish prescription database. The ancient and modern medical record cloud platform (V1.5) was used to analyze the data. RESULTS: A total of 185 articles was included, involving 91 acupoints, the total using frequency was 1174 times. The top 5 acupoints in frequency of PSCI treated with acupuncture were Baihui (GV 20, 151 times), Shenting (GV 24, 97 times), Sishencong (EX-HN 1, 83 times), Neiguan (PC 6, 69 times) and Sanyinjiao (SP 6, 64 times); the most involved meridian was the governor vessel, and the generally used acupoints were mainly distributed in the head, face and neck. The top 5 acupoint combinations in frequency were Baihui (GV 20)-Shenting (GV 24, 89 times), Baihui (GV 20)-Sishencong (EX-HN 1, 79 times), Baihui (GV 20)-Neiguan (PC 6, 59 times), Baihui (GV 20)-Sanyinjiao (SP 6, 56 times) and Baihui (GV 20)-Zusanli (ST 36, 51 times). The acupoint combination with the strongest association was Shenting (GV 24)→Baihui (GV 20). There were 6 acupoint cluster groups according to the cluster analysis, and the main core prescription was Baihui (GV 20), Shenting (GV 24), Sishencong (EX-HN 1), Zusanli (ST 36), Neiguan (PC 6) and Sanyinjiao (SP 6). CONCLUSION: Acupoints on the governor vessel, and distributed in head, face and neck are the main acupoints for PSCI treated with acupuncture, Baihui (GV 20), Shenting (GV 24), Sishencong (EX-HN 1), Zusanli (ST 36), Neiguan (PC 6) and Sanyinjiao (SP 6) can be used as the main acupoints, but it is still necessary to combine with syndrome differentiation.

Mutations of the Genomes Uncoupled 4 Gene Cause ROS Accumulation and Repress Expression of Peroxidase Genes in Rice.

The Genomes Uncoupled 4 (GUN4) is one of the retrograde signaling genes in Arabidopsis and its orthologs have been identified in oxygenic phototrophic organisms from cyanobacterium to higher plants. GUN4 is involved in tetrapyrrole biosynthesis and its mutation often causes chlorophyll-deficient phenotypes with increased levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS), hence it has been speculated that GUN4 may also play a role in photoprotection. However, the biological mechanism leading to the increased ROS accumulation in gun4 mutants remains largely unknown. In our previous studies, we generated an epi-mutant allele of OsGUN4 (gun4 epi ), which downregulated its expression to ∼0.5% that of its wild-type (WT), and a complete knockout allele gun4-1 due to abolishment of its translation start site. In the present study, three types of F2 plant derived from a gun4-1/gun4 epi cross, i.e., gun4-1/gun4-1, gun4-1/gun4 epi and gun4 epi /gun4 epi were developed and used for further investigation by growing them under photoperiodic condition (16 h/8 h light/dark) with low light (LL, 100 µmol photons m-2 s-1) or high light (HL, 1000 µmol photons m-2 s-1). The expression of OsGUN4 was light responsive and had two peaks in the daytime. gun4-1/gun4-1-F2 seeds showed defective germination and died within 7 days. Significantly higher levels of ROS accumulated in all types of OsGUN4 mutants than in WT plants under both the LL and HL conditions. A comparative RNA-seq analysis of WT variety LTB and its gun4 epi mutant HYB led to the identification of eight peroxidase (PRX)-encoding genes that were significantly downregulated in HYB. The transcription of these eight PRX genes was restored in transgenic HYB protoplasts overexpressing OsGUN4, while their expression was repressed in LTB protoplasts transformed with an OsGUN4 silencing vector. We conclude that OsGUN4 is indispensable for rice, its expression is light- and oxidative-stress responsive, and it plays a role in ROS accumulation via its involvement in the transcriptional regulation of PRX genes.

OsKEAP1 Interacts with OsABI5 and Its Downregulation Increases the Transcription of OsABI5 and the ABA Response Genes in Germinating Rice Seeds.

Kelch-like ECH-associated protein 1 (KEAP1)-nuclear factor E2-related factor 2 (NRF2) is the key antioxidant system in animals. In a previous study, we identified a probable KEAP1 ortholog in rice, OsKEAP1, and demonstrated that the downregulation of OsKEAP1 could alter the redox system and impair plant growth, as well as increase the susceptibility to abscisic acid (ABA) in seed germination. However, no NRF2 orthologs have been identified in plants and the mechanism underlying the phenotype changes of downregulated oskeap1 mutants is yet unknown. An in silico search showed that OsABI5 is the gene that encodes a protein with the highest amino acid identity score (38.78%) to NRF2 in rice. In this study, we demonstrated that, via yeast two-hybrids analysis and bimolecular fluorescence complementation assays, OsKEAP1 interacted with OsABI5 via its Kelch repeat domain in the nucleus. In germinating seeds, the expression of OsKEAP1 was significantly downregulated in oskeap1-1 (39.5% that of the wild-type (WT)) and oskeap1-2 (64.5% that of WT), while the expression of OsABI5 was significantly increased only in oskeap1-1 (247.4% that of WT) but not in oskeap1-2 (104.8% that of WT). ABA (0.5 µM) treatment significantly increased the expression of OsKEAP1 and OsABI5 in both the oskeap1 mutants and WT, and 4 days post treatment, the transcription level of OsABI5 became significantly greater in oskeap1-1 (+87.2%) and oskeap1-2 (+55.0%) than that in the WT. The ABA-responsive genes (OsRab16A and three late embryogenesis abundant genes), which are known to be activated by OsABI5, became more responsive to ABA in both oskeap1 mutants than in the WT. The transcript abundances of genes that regulate OsABI5, e.g., OsSnRK2 (encodes a kinase that activates OsABI5), OsABI1, and OsABI2 (both encode proteins binding to OsSnRK2 and are involved in ABA signaling) were not significantly different between the two oskeap1 mutants and the WT. These results demonstrated that OsKEAP1 played a role in the ABA response in rice seed germination via regulating OsABI5, which is the key player in the ABA response. In-depth analyses of the components and their action mode of the KEAP1-NRF2 and ABA signaling pathways suggested that OsKEAP1 likely formed a complex with OsABI5 and OsKEG, and OsABI5 was ubiquitinated by OsKEG and subsequently degraded under physiological conditions; meanwhile, under oxidative stress or with increased an ABA level, OsABI5 was released from the complex, phosphorylated, and transactivated the ABA response genes. Therefore, OsKEAP1-OsABI5 bore some resemblance to KEAP1-NRF2 in terms of its function and working mechanism.

Effects of different acupuncture treatment methods on post-stroke cognitive impairment: study protocol for a multicenter randomized controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: Cognitive impairment is a common dysfunction after stroke that seriously affects the overall recovery of patients. Cognitive rehabilitation training is currently the main treatment to improve cognitive function, but its curative effect is limited. Acupuncture is a core component of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), and some previous clinical studies have shown that it might be effective in treating post-stroke cognitive impairment (PSCI), but further evidence from large-sample studies is needed. The overall objective of this trial is to obtain further data to develop an optimized acupuncture treatment for PSCI by comparing the effects of different acupuncture treatment methods on cognitive function in PSCI patients. METHODS/DESIGN: In this multicenter, prospective, randomized controlled trial, 206 eligible stroke inpatients who meet the trial criteria will be randomly assigned to 2 groups: an electroacupuncture (EA) plus needle retention (NR) group and an EA group. Both groups of patients will undergo the same routine cognitive rehabilitation treatments. All treatments will be given 5 times per week for 8 weeks. The primary outcomes will be assessed using the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) and the Montreal Cognitive Assessment scale (MOCA). The secondary outcome will be measured by the Barthel Index (BI). All outcomes will be evaluated at baseline, week 4, week 8, and the third and sixth month after the end of treatment. DISCUSSION: Our aim is to evaluate the effects of two different acupuncture treatment methods for treating PSCI patients. This study is expected to provide data to be used in developing an optimized acupuncture treatment method for PSCI treatment. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Chinese Clinical Trial Registry ChiCTR1900027849. Registered on 30 November 2019, http://www.chictr.org.cn/showproj.aspx?proj=46316.

Electroacupuncture improves learning and memory functions in a rat cerebral ischemia/reperfusion injury model through PI3K/Akt signaling pathway activation.

Electroacupuncture has been widely used to treat cognitive impairment after cerebral ischemia, but the underlying mechanism has not yet been fully elucidated. Studies have shown that autophagy plays an important role in the formation and development of cognitive impairment, and the phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K)/Akt signaling pathway plays an important role in autophagy regulation. To investigate the role played by the PI3K/Akt signaling pathway in the electroacupuncture treatment of cerebral ischemia/reperfusion rat models, we first established a rat model of cerebral ischemia/reperfusion through the occlusion of the middle cerebral artery using the suture method. Starting at 2 hours after modeling, electroacupuncture was delivered at the Shenting (GV24) and Baihui (GV20) acupoints, with a dilatational wave (1-20 Hz frequency, 2 mA intensity, 6 V peak voltage), for 30 minutes/day over 8 consecutive days. Our results showed that electroacupuncture reduced the infarct volume in a rat model of cerebral ischemia/reperfusion injury, increased the mRNA expression levels of the PI3K/Akt signaling pathway-related factors Beclin-1, mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR), and PI3K, increased the protein expression levels of phosphorylated Akt, Beclin-1, PI3K, and mTOR in the ischemic cerebral cortex, and simultaneously reduced p53 mRNA and protein expression levels. In the Morris water maze test, the latency to find the hidden platform was significantly shortened among rats subjected to electroacupuncture stimulation compared with rats without electroacupuncture stimulation. In the spatial probe test, the number of times that a rat crossed the target quadrant was increased in rats subjected to electroacupuncture stimulation compared with rats without electroacupuncture stimulation. Electroacupuncture stimulation applied to the Shenting (GV24) and Baihui (GV20) acupoints activated the PI3K/Akt signaling pathway and improved rat learning and memory impairment. This study was approved by the Animal Ethics Committee of the First Affiliated Hospital of Henan University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, China (approval No. 8150150901) on March 10, 2016.

Efficient tandem organic light-emitting diodes with non-doped structures.

Highly efficient tandem organic light-emitting diodes (TOLEDs) were achieved based on a non-doped charge generation unit (CGU) consisting of LiF/Al/C60/4,4',4"-tris(N-3-methylphenyl-N-phenyl-amino) triphenylamine (m-MTDATA) and ultrathin emitting layers. The current-voltage characteristics of the CGU devices and electron-only devices and the capacitance-voltage characteristics of the CGU-based capacitance devices were characterized to explore the charge generation and injection mechanisms. The charge generation process occurs at the interface of C60/m-MTDATA through electron transferring from the highest occupied molecular orbital of m-MTDATA to the lowest unoccupied molecular orbital of C60. It is found that the thinner C60 layer contributes to efficient electron injection. Under the optimal structure, the blue TOLEDs exhibit a maximum current efficiency (CEmax) of 43.3 cd/A. The CEmax and maximum external quantum efficiency (EQEmax) of the white TOLEDs reach 84.6 cd/A and 26.7%, respectively.

Identification, Characterization, and Mutational Analysis of a Probable KEAP1 Ortholog in Rice (Oryza sativa L.).

The Kelch-like ECH-associated protein 1 (KEAP1)-nuclear factor E2-related factor 2 (NRF2) module is a key component in the detoxification and antioxidant system in animals, which plays crucial roles in cell homeostasis and cytoprotection, and consequently in carcinogenesis and disease development. However, this system seems to have diverged throughout evolution across different organisms, and the question of whether a similar system exists in plants has thus far remained unresolved. In this study, a KEAP1 ortholog was identified in rice (Oryza sativa L., OsKEAP1) and its properties were characterized via in silico and laboratory studies. To reveal OsKEAP1's function, two knockdown mutants, oskeap1-1 and oskeap1-2, were generated by targeted mutagenesis in the 5' untranslated region (UTR) using the CRISPR-Cas9 system. In silico analysis showed that OsKEAP1 has a Kelch-repeat domain which is identical to those of animals and a plant-specific development and cell death (DCD) domain in place of the broad-complex, tramtrack, bric-a-brac (BTB) domain found in animals. Orthologs of OsKEAP1 are present across plant species and all have the DCD domain and the Kelch-repeat domain. OsKEAP1 was proven to be localized to both the cytoplasm and nucleus, in contrast to the exclusive cytoplasm localization of animal KEAP1. Single nucleotide insertions in the 5' UTR significantly reduced the transcription level of OsKEAP1 in the oskeap1-1 and oskeap1-2 mutants. The oskeap1 mutations greatly impaired plant growth and development, resulting in significant declines in a majority of agronomic and yield-related traits, i.e., plant height, panicle length, grain number per plant, and seed-set rate. The downregulation of OsKEAP1 increased the levels of H2O2, malondialdehyde, and proline while significantly decreasing the expression of two catalase genes in seedlings grown under normal and salt-stressed conditions. The changes in the above phenotypes are either positively or negatively correlated with the degree of OsKEAP1 downregulation. Altogether, we identified a probable KEAP1 ortholog in rice, revealed its unique subcellular localization, and demonstrated its important functions in vegetative and reproductive growth via regulation of the antioxidant response in plants.

The comparative effectiveness of traditional Chinese medicine exercise therapies in elderly people with mild cognitive impairment: A protocol for a network meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) in the elderly is a health problem worldwide. Several clinical trials indicated that traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) exercise therapies can effectively improve MCI, such as Tai Ji, Baduan jin exercise, Liuzi jue, and finger exercise. However, there is still controversy over which therapy is the best for elderly MCI patients. In this study, we aimed to systematically evaluate and compare the effectiveness and safety of these 4 TCM exercise therapies in elderly patients with MCI. METHODS: The Web of Science, PubMed, EMBASE, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, Clinical Trials, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, Wangfang database, and Chinese Biomedical Medicine will be comprehensively searched to collect all randomized controlled trials which included elderly participants with MCI receiving TCM exercise therapies through July 2020. Two reviewers will independently screen and evaluate each included study and extract the outcome indexes. ADDIS 1.16.8 software will be used for the network meta-analysis and STATA 14 software will be used for drawing network evidence plots and funnel plots. RESULTS: We will use the Bayesian statistical model to conduct a network meta-analysis to rank the effectiveness and safety of these 4 interventions, and use the GRADE approach to interpret the results. CONCLUSION: This network meta-analysis will find out the optimal treatment plan for MCI and provide evidence-based bias for clinical treatments decision-making. PROTOCOL REGISTRATION NUMBER: INPLASY202070006.

Energy-efficient hydrogen production over a high-performance bifunctional NiMo-based nanorods electrode.

Electrochemical water splitting to hydrogen fuel is highly desirable yet challenging mainly limited by sluggish cathodic oxygen evolution reaction (OER). Urea electrolysis can produce hydrogen more energy-savingly by replacing OER process with urea oxidation reaction (UOR) due to favorable thermodynamic potential, however lacking efficient UOR catalysts restricts the industrial application. Here we reported novel NiMo-based nanorods, Ni/Ni0.2Mo0.8N/MoO3, by thermal ammonolysis of NiMo-based precursor as excellent catalyst for OER and hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) with small overpotentials of 252 mV, and 103 mV to achieve a current density of 10 mA cm-2 in 1.0 M KOH. Moreover, the Ni/Ni0.2Mo0.8N/MoO3 shows fabulous catalytic UOR activity with a low potential of 1.349 V at 10 mA cm-2, outperforming most recently reported non-noble metal catalysts and commercial RuO2. More importantly, the cell voltage of urea electrolysis using Ni/Ni0.2Mo0.8N/MoO3 as cathode for HER and anode for UOR is significantly reduced from 1.52 V of traditional water electrolysis to 1.356 V to deliver 10 mA cm-2 with excellent stability for over 400 h, superior to almost recently reported catalysts. The high performances result from the synergistic effect between highly active and conductive metal nickel and nitride, and nanorods arrays grown on 3D substrate. This work demonstrates that this material holds encouraging potential in large-scale energy-saving H2 production and urea-related wastewater treatment.

Insight into the Intermolecular Interaction and Free Radical Polymerizability of Methacrylates in Supercritical Carbon Dioxide.

High pressure in situ Fourier transfer infrared/near infrared technology (HP FTIR/NIR) along with theoretical calculation of density functional theory (DFT) method was employed. The solvation behaviors and the free radical homopolymerization of methyl methacrylate (MMA), methacrylate acid (MAA), trifluoromethyl methacrylate (MTFMA) and trifluoromethyl methacrylate acid (TFMAA) in scCO2 were systematically investigated. Interestingly, the previously proposed mechanism of intermolecular-interaction dynamically-induced solvation effect (IDISE) of monomer in scCO2 is expected to be well verified/corroborated in view that the predicted solubility order of the monomers in scCO2 via DFT calculation is ideally consistent with that observed via HP FTIR/NIR. It is shown that MMA and MAA can be easily polymerized, while the free radical polymerizability of MTFMA is considerably poor and TFMAA cannot be polymerized via the free radical initiators. The α trifluoromethyl group (-CF3) may effectively enhance the intermolecular hydrogen bonding and restrain the diffusion of the monomer in scCO2. More importantly, the strong electron-withdrawing inductive effect of -CF3 to C=C may distinctly decrease the atomic charge of the carbon atom in the methylene (=CH2). These two factors are believed to be predominantly responsible for the significant decline of the free radical polymerizability of MTFMA and the other alkyl 2-trifluoromethacrylates in scCO2.

Catgut implantation at acupoints increases the expression of glutamate aspartate transporter and glial glutamate transporter-1 in the brain of rats with spasticity after stroke.

Catgut implantation at acupoints has been shown to alleviate spasticity after stroke in rats. However, the underlying mechanisms are poorly understood. In this study, we used the rat middle cerebral artery occlusion model of stroke. Three days after surgery, absorbable surgical catgut sutures were implanted at Dazhui (GV14), Jizhong (GV6), Houhui, Guanyuan (CV4) and Zhongwan (CV12). The Zea Longa score was used to assess neurological function. The Modified Ashworth Scale was used to evaluate muscle tension. The 2,3,5-triphenyl-tetrazolium chloride assay was used to measure infarct volume. Immunohistochemical staining was performed for glutamate aspartate transporter (GLAST) and glial glutamate transporter-1 (GLT-1) expression. Western blot assay was used to analyze the expression of GLAST and GLT-1. Reverse transcription and polymerase chain reaction were carried out to assess the expression of GLAST and GLT-1 mRNAs. After catgut implantation at the acupoints, neurological function was substantially improved, muscle tension was decreased, and infarct volume was reduced in rats with spasticity after stroke. Furthermore, the expression of GLAST and GLT-1 mRNAs was increased on the injured (left) side. Our findings demonstrate that catgut implantation at acupoints alleviates spasticity after stroke, likely by increasing the expression of GLAST and GLT-1.