Effect of X-ray irradiation on the biological parameters of Xestia c-nigrum.

The sterile insect technique (SIT) is widely used to control Lepidopteran pests by inducing inherited sterility. The noctuid moth Xestia c-nigrum is a polyphagous pest whose subterranean larvae severely injure cereals and some vegetables. The goals of this study were to assess the impact of X-ray irradiation on the development and survival of X. c-nigrum and use the data to select suitable sterilizing doses for potential future use in pest management. Batches of male pupae were exposed to 0 (control), 10, 30, 50, 100, 200, 300, or 400 Gy of X-rays, approximately 24 h before adult emergence. Exposure of late-stage pupae to 10-200 Gy of radiation had no significant effect on adult emergence, but all doses (10-400 Gy) reduced adult longevity, the number of spermatophores in mated females, and the number of eggs laid per female in the irradiated parental generation compared with the controls. Exposure to 10 and 30 Gy had no significant effects in the F1 generation on 1) the rate of egg hatch, 2) the duration of larval or pupal development, or 3) adult longevity. However, exposure to 50 Gy reduced the rate of egg hatch in the F1 generation, and when male pupae were exposed to 100 Gy only 1% of the F1 eggs hatched. Also at 100 Gy, the developmental durations of larvae and pupae were significantly prolonged, and longevity of adult moths was reduced. There were no significant differences between the control group and any treatments in 1) the sex ratio of the F1 adults, 2) the duration of F1 pre-oviposition or oviposition periods, or 3) the number of eggs laid per F1 female. Our findings indicate that a dose of 100 Gy can effectively slow pest development and reduce larval survival in the F1 generation. In addition, F1 adults from lines treated with 100 Gy were able to mate and lay eggs, but all F2 eggs failed to hatch. Our results suggest that use of X-ray irradiation has potential to control this polyphagous pest at the regional level.

Target and Semitarget Analysis of Advanced Glycation End Products Using a New Pair of Permanently Positively Charged Stable Isotope Labeling Agents.

A pair of positively charged stable isotope labeling (SIL) agents, (4-carbonochloridoylphenyl)-trimethylazanium iodide (d0-CCPTA) and d6-CCPTA, were designed and synthesized. These agents were employed in the precolumn labeling of advanced glycation end products (AGEs) within 5 min under mild conditions. Through derivatization, the mass spectrometry response of the AGEs was enhanced by approximately 2 orders of magnitude. The detection and quantitation limits were in the ranges of 3.1-7.1 and 10.0-23.7 ng/kg, respectively. The recoveries were in the range of 90.1-94.3%, and the matrix effect ranged from -6.6 to -3.5%. CCPTA produced "CCPTA-specific production ions", and all analytes were analyzed by common multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) parameters. The common MRM parameters were applied to the semitarget analysis of 41 types of AGE candidates in the absence of standards, with 13 AGEs identified.

Association between metabolic obesity phenotypes and multiple myeloma hospitalization burden: A national retrospective study.

Background & purpose: Obesity and metabolic disorders were associated with increased risk of MM, a disease characterized by high risk of relapsing and require frequent hospitalizations. In this study, we conducted a retrospective cohort study to explore the association of metabolic obesity phenotypes with the readmission risk of MM. Patients & methods: We analyzed 34,852 patients diagnosed with MM from the Nationwide Readmissions Database (NRD), a nationally representative database from US. Hospitalization diagnosis of patients were obtained using ICD-10 diagnosis codes. According to obesity and metabolic status, the population was divided into four phenotypes: metabolically healthy non-obese (MHNO), metabolically unhealthy non-obese (MUNO), metabolically healthy obese (MHO), and metabolically unhealthy obese (MUO). The patients with different phenotypes were observed for hospital readmission at days 30-day, 60-day, 90-day and 180-day. Multivariate cox regression model was used to estimate the relationship between obesity metabolic phenotypes and readmissions risk. Results: There were 5,400 (15.5%), 7,255 (22.4%), 8,025 (27.0%) and 7,839 (35.6%) unplanned readmissions within 30-day, 60-day, 90-day and 180-day follow-up, respectively. For 90-day and 180-day follow-up, compared with patients with the MHNO phenotype, those with metabolic unhealthy phenotypes MUNO (90-day: P = 0.004; 180-day: P = < 0.001) and MUO (90-day: P = 0.049; 180-day: P = 0.004) showed higher risk of readmission, while patients with only obesity phenotypes MHO (90-day: P = 0.170; 180-day: P = 0.090) experienced no higher risk. However, similar associations were not observed for 30-day and 60-day. Further analysis in 90-day follow-up revealed that, readmission risk elevated with the increase of the combined factor numbers, with aHR of 1.068 (CI: 1.002-1.137, P = 0.043, with one metabolic risk factor), 1.109 (CI: 1.038-1.184, P = 0.002, with two metabolic risk factors) and 1.125 (95% CI: 1.04-1.216, P = 0.003, with three metabolic risk factors), respectively. Conclusion: Metabolic disorders, rather than obesity, were independently associated with higher readmission risk in patients with MM, whereas the risk elevated with the increase of the number of combined metabolic factors. However, the effect of metabolic disorders on MM readmission seems to be time-dependent. For MM patient combined with metabolic disorders, more attention should be paid to advance directives to reduce readmission rate and hospitalization burden.

p38α in the preoptic area inhibits brown adipose tissue thermogenesis.

OBJECTIVE: Elevation of energy expenditure through an increase of brown adipose tissue (BAT) thermogenesis is regarded as one of the most promising ways to prevent obesity development. The preoptic area (POA) of the hypothalamus is a critical area for control of BAT thermogenesis. However, the intracellular signaling cascades in the POA for regulation of BAT thermogenesis are poorly understood. METHODS: Phosphorylation proteomics (phosphoproteomics) and bioinformatics approaches were used to disclose numerous hypothalamic signaling pathways involved in the regulation of BAT thermogenesis. Conditional manipulation of the p38α gene in mouse POA was performed by stereotaxic injection of adeno-associated virus 9 vector to explore the role of p38α in BAT thermogenesis. RESULTS: Multiple hypothalamic signaling pathways were triggered by cold exposure, especially the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling pathway. The p38α activation, but not extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1/2 (ERK1/2) and c-Jun NH2-terminal kinase (JNK), in the hypothalamus was significantly decreased during cold exposure. p38α deficiency in the POA dramatically elevated energy expenditure owing to a marked increase in BAT thermogenesis, resulting in significantly decreased body weight gain and fat mass. Overexpression of p38α in the POA led to a dramatic increase in weight gain. CONCLUSIONS: These results demonstrate that p38α in the POA exacerbates obesity development, at least in part owing to a decrease in BAT thermogenesis.

A Time-Series Study for Effects of Ozone on Respiratory Mortality and Cardiovascular Mortality in Nanchang, Jiangxi Province, China.

Objective: Most evidence comes from studies show that ambient ozone(O3) pollution has become a big issue in China. Few studies have investigated the impact of ozone spatiotemporal patterns on respiratory mortality and cardiovascular mortality in Nanchang city. Thus, this study aimed to explore the health effect of ozone exposure on respiratory mortality and cardiovascular mortality in Nanchang, Jiangxi Province. Methods: Using the daily mortality data, atmospheric routine monitoring data and meteorological data in Nanchang from 2014 to 2020, we performed a generalized additive model (GAM) based on the poisson distribution in which time-series analysis to calculate the risk correlation between respiratory mortality and cardiovascular mortality and ozone exposure level (8h average ozone concentration, O3-8h). Besides, analyses were also stratified by season, age and sex. Results: In the single-pollutant model, for every 10 µg/m3 increase in ozone, respiratory mortality increased 1.04% with 95% confidence interval (CI) between 0.04 and 1.68%, and cardiovascular mortality increased 1.26% (95%CI: 0.68 ~ 1.83%). In the multi-day moving average lag model, the mortality of respiratory diseases and cardiovascular diseases reached a relative risk peak on the cumulative lag5 (1.77%,95%CI: 0.99 ~ 2.57%) and the cumulative lag3 (1.68%,95%CI: 0.93 ~ 2.45%), respectively. The differences were statistically significant (P < 0.05). Results of the stratified analyses showed the effect value of respiratory mortality in people aged ≥65 years was higher than aged <65 years, whereas the greatest effect of cardiovascular mortality in people aged <65 years than aged ≥65 years. Ozone had a more profound impact on females than males in respiratory diseases and cardiovascular diseases. In winter and spring, ozone had a obvious impact on respiratory mortality, and effects of ozone pollution on cardiovascular mortality were stronger in summer and winter. There was a statistically significant difference of respiratory mortality in winter and spring and of cardiovascular mortality in summer and winter (P < 0.05). Conclusions: In the long run, the more extreme the pollution of ozone exposure, the higher the health risk of residents' respiratory mortality and cardiovascular mortality. Therefore, the government should play an important role in the prevention and control ways of decreasing and eliminating the ozone pollution to protect the resident's health. The findings provide valuable data for further scientific research and improving environmental policies in Nanchang city.

Improving the Quality of Emergency Intrahospital Transport for Critically Ill Patients by Using Toyota Production System Methods.

Objective: To explore the effects of the Toyota Production System (TPS) for improving the quality of emergency intrahospital transport for critically ill patients in management. Methods: Between April and June 2021, 68 critically ill patients were transported to corresponding wards, while 63 critically ill patients were transported to corresponding wards between July and September 2021. The pre-TPS and post-TPS management groups each included 30 cases based on their propensity score. The TPS management tool was combined with the PDCA method for analysing the current situation as well as determining the target for improvement, calculating the value and process efficiencies, and modifying and evaluating relevant processes. At last, the changes in transport time, receiving department, patient satisfaction, and adverse event rate of critically ill patients after TPS management were analysed. Results: The total intrahospital transport time of critically ill patients decreased from 39 minutes (median) before the implementation of TPS management to 27 minutes (median) after TPS management, and the difference was statistically significant (P<0.05). Process efficiency and value efficiency both increased from 33.33% and 38.46% before TPS management to 42.86% and 40.74% after TPS management, respectively. Likewise, the satisfaction of receiving departments and patients increased from 73.33% and 76.67% before TPS management to 96.67% and 96.67% after TPS management (P<0.001). Finally, the adverse event rate decreased as a result of TPS management from 13.33% to 3.33% (P>0.05). Conclusion: TPS management may significantly shorten the intrahospital transport time for critically ill patients, reduce the occurrence of adverse events in emergency care, advance patient satisfaction, and improve the overall quality and safety of emergency care.

Lean Management Promotes Compliance and Satisfaction of Rabies Vaccines.

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to explore the application effect of lean management in rabies vaccination. METHODS: Lean management in rabies vaccination was implemented from July 2020. A total of 2306 patients vaccinated from January to June 2020 were enrolled as routine management group, and 2718 patients vaccinated from July to November 2020 were enrolled as lean management group. The relationship between potential factors and rabies vaccination with 1:1 propensity score matching (PSM) was analysed. The compliance, waiting time for vaccination, and satisfaction of patients of routine and lean management group were statistically analyzed. The changes in the three indicators before and after the implementation and their application effects were compared. RESULTS: Compliance rate in lean management group (98.72%) was significantly higher than that in routine management group (93.87%) (χ 2=32.902, P<0.001). The waiting time for vaccination was also significantly shortened (t = 9.209, P < 0.001), and the satisfaction of patients significantly improved (X 2 = 39.611, P < 0.001). CONCLUSION: Implementing lean management in all aspects of rabies vaccination can significantly improve patient compliance and work efficiency of nursing staff and improve the patient medical experience.

Lotus leaf extract inhibits ER- breast cancer cell migration and metastasis.

BACKGROUND: Patients with estrogen receptor negative (ER-) breast cancer have poor prognosis due to high rates of metastasis. However, there is no effective treatment and drugs for ER- breast cancer metastasis. Our purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of lotus leaf alcohol extract (LAE) on the cell migration and metastasis of ER- breast cancer. METHODS: The anti-migratory effect of LAE were analyzed in ER- breast cancer cells including SK-BR-3, MDA-MB-231 and HCC1806 cell lines. Cell viability assay, wound-healing assay, RNA-sequence analysis and immunoblotting assay were used to evaluate the cytotoxicity and anti-migratory effect of LAE. To further investigate the inhibitory effect of LAE on metastasis in vivo, subcutaneous xenograft and intravenous injection nude mice models were established. Lung and liver tissues were analyzed by the hematoxylin and eosin staining and immunoblotting assay. RESULTS: We found that lotus LAE, not nuciferine, inhibited cell migration significantly in SK-BR-3, MDA-MB-231 and HCC1806 breast cancer cells, and did not affect viability of breast cancer cells. The anti-migratory effect of LAE was dependent on TGF-ß1 signaling, while independent of Wnt signaling and autophagy influx. Intracellular H2O2 was involved in the TGF-ß1-related inhibition of cell migration. LAE inhibited significantly the breast cancer cells metastasis in mice models. RNA-sequence analysis showed that extracellular matrix signaling pathways are associated with LAE-suppressed cell migration. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings demonstrated that lotus leaf alcohol extract inhibits the cell migration and metastasis of ER- breast cancer, at least in part, via TGF-ß1/Erk1/2 and TGF-ß1/SMAD3 signaling pathways, which provides a potential therapeutic strategy for ER- breast cancer.

Lycium ruthenicum Murr. alleviates nonalcoholic fatty liver in mice.

Oxidative stress and inflammation contribute to hypertriglyceridemia-induced nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). Cholesterol-enriched diets increase the risk of NAFLD. Lycium ruthenium Murr. (LRM) contains water-soluble antioxidant proanthocyanidins. Whether Lycium ruthenium Murr. improves NAFLD remains elusive. In this study, we established a model of NAFLD-induced by cholesterol-enriched high-fat diet (western diet) in ApoE -/- mice; oxidative stress and inflammation were examined and intervened by supplement of Lycium ruthenium Murr. (LRM) extracts. LRM supplement did not influence body weight gain, food intake, and lipotoxicity of mice. LRM supplement significantly alleviated triglyceride accumulation in liver, with reduced inflammation, elevated GSH-Px activity, and reduced MDA levels. The expression of fatty acids oxidative gene Scd1 was significantly increased, and fatty acids synthesis-related gene Pparγ was dramatically downregulated on mRNA level in liver of mice with LRM supplement. These data demonstrated that LRM supplement decreased ROS production and inflammation, increased fatty acids oxidation, and reduced fatty acids synthesis in liver, leading to ameliorate the development of NAFLD induced by high western diet. Thus, oxidative stress and inflammation also are involved in the pathogenesis of western diet-induced NAFLD, which is independent of obesity.

Phenolics extracted from tartary (Fagopyrum tartaricum L. Gaerth) buckwheat bran exhibit antioxidant activity, and an antiproliferative effect on human breast cancer MDA-MB-231 cells through the p38/MAP kinase pathway.

Phenolics extracted from tartary buckwheat (Fagopyrum tartaricum L. Gaerth) bran were analyzed quantitatively and qualitatively. The bioactivity of the phenolic extracts was evaluated, such as the antioxidant activity, and the inhibition capacity on the growth of cancer cells. The molecular mechanism for the inhibitive effect on cancer cells was explored. Results indicated that tartary buckwheat bran phenolics mainly exist in a free form, and free phenolics were twice as abundant as bound phenolics. Free caffeic acid (119.75 µg per 100 mg DW) and bound rutin (51.66 µg per 100 mg DW) represented the main free and bound phenolic compounds, respectively. The free phenolic extract contributed to the major (>90%) antioxidant activities including the oxygen radical antioxidant capacity (ORAC) and cellular antioxidant activity (CAA). The free phenolic extract exhibited anticancer activity for human breast cancer MDA-MB-231 cells in a dose-dependent manner. This significant inhibition effect was achieved through the p38/MAP kinase pathway by inducing cell apoptosis (up-regulating p-p38 and p-ASK1 expressions and down-regulating TRAF2 and p-p53 expressions), and negatively regulating the progression of the cell cycle from the G1 to S phase (increased expression of p21 and suppressed expressions of PCNA, cyclin D1 and CDK4). All these results indicated that tartary buckwheat bran could be a rich resource of natural antioxidants and inhibitors for the growth of MDA-MB-231 cells.

Process optimization and characterization of fragrant oil from red pepper (Capsicum annuum L.) seed extracted by subcritical butane extraction.

BACKGROUND: Red pepper seeds account for 450-500 g kg-1 of the total pepper weight and are often discarded as waste. In this study, process optimization and characterization of fragrant oil from roasted red pepper seed extracted by subcritical butane extraction were carried out. RESULTS: The optimal conditions of extraction were a temperature of 74.61 °C, a time of 68.65 min and a liquid/solid ratio of 30.24:1. The oil had a refractive index (25 °C) of 1.471, a relative density of 0.900, an acid value of 1.421 mg g-1 oil, an iodine value of 127.035 g per 100 g, a saponification value of 184.060 mg KOH g-1 , an unsaponifiable matter content of 12.400 g kg-1 , a peroxide value of 2.465 meq. O2 kg-1 and a viscosity of 52.094 cP. The main fatty acids in the oil were linoleic acid (72.95%) followed by palmitic acid (11.43%) and oleic acid (10.00%). The oil showed desirable thermal and oxidative stability. A total of 19 volatile compounds, mostly aldehydes and alkenes, were identified from the oil. CONCLUSION: The results indicated that the method is appropriate for the preparation of fragrant red pepper seed oil, and the oil is suitable for used as edible oil. © 2016 Society of Chemical Industry.

Effect of Low-Intensity Pulsed Ultrasound on a Rat Model of Dentin-Dental Pulp Injury and Repair.

This study investigated histopathologic changes in dental pulp after treatment with low-intensity pulsed ultrasound (LIPUS). Fifty rats were randomly divided into an experimental group (n = 25) and a blank control group (n = 25). In the experimental group, a cavity was prepared in the bilateral maxillary first molars. The upper right first molars were stimulated with LIPUS (30 mW/cm2, 1.5 MHz) for 20 min/d. The cavities prepared in the left teeth were used as experimental controls (i.e., no LIPUS). Five rats in each group were sacrificed at days 1, 3, 5, 7 and 14. Inflammatory response was visible at different time points after cavity preparation, peaking at day 3, after which it gradually weakened. More reparative dentin was found on the LIPUS treatment side. transforming growth factor-ß1 expression increased after treatment, peaking at day 5 and returning to normal at day 14 on both sides, but was stronger with LIPUS treatment. SMAD2 and SMAD3 expressions in the dental pulp gradually increased after cavity preparation, especially in the experimental group. LIPUS promoted the repair of dentin-pulp complex injury, to a certain extent and should be investigated further as a potential therapy.

Arginine-containing desensitizing toothpaste for the treatment of dentin hypersensitivity: a meta-analysis.

OBJECTIVE: To estimate the effect of arginine-containing desensitizing toothpaste on dentin hypersensitivity (DH). METHODS: Databases including China National Knowledge Infrastructure, VIP Database for Chinese Technical Periodicals, China Biology Medicine disc, Wangfang Data, PubMed, Web of Science, and Cochrane Trials Register were searched, and Google was used as a supplementary tool to search for information through February 2014. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of the treatment of DH with arginine-containing toothpaste were included. Relevant information was extracted, and a quality evaluation was performed. Meta-analyses were performed using RevMan 5.2 software. RESULTS: Eighteen RCTs with 1,423 patients were included. The results of the meta-analyses demonstrated that at days 0 and 3; weeks 2, 4, and 8; and more than 12 weeks, arginine-containing toothpaste led to significantly improved results on the tactile sensitivity test (standardized mean difference [SMD] =1.95, 95% confidence interval [CI] [1.14, 2.76]) and the air-blast test (SMD =-1.60, 95% CI [-2.14, -1.05]) at 4 weeks and the tactile sensitivity test (SMD =2.01, 95% CI [1.41, 2.61]) and the air-blast test (SMD =-1.41, 95% CI [-1.83, -0.98]) at 8 weeks compared to toothpastes containing other desensitizing components, thus indicating a superior therapeutic effect of arginine-containing desensitizing toothpaste. However, no significant differences between arginine-containing toothpaste and toothpastes containing other desensitizing components were observed in the air-blast test at days 0 and 3 and week 2 and in the tactile sensitivity and air-blast tests at more than 12 weeks. CONCLUSION: The current evidence indicates that arginine-containing toothpaste is effective for DH. However, further high-quality, large-sample RCTs are needed.

Haptic-based training for tank gunnery using decoupled motion control.

For training human motor skills, haptic guidance has proven more effective than traditional visual-feedback-only approaches. However, novices might become dependent on the feedback force provided during training and become unable to adapt to real operating environments. To overcome haptic-based training's limitations, a proposed approach uses decoupled motion control, which divides a motion into individual coordinate axis movements controlled by multiple operators. Using a networked haptic interaction system, the trainee cooperates with an expert to complete a training task. Unlike previous approaches, the force or torque exerted by the trainee's device doesn't directly correct the trainee's hand action. Instead, the trainee regulates his or her manipulation to cooperate with the expert by feeling motion feedback from the expert. The Web extra at http://youtu.be/qYBsR6AOjzQ is a video that shows a test subject operating a training simulator for tank gunnery that uses haptics.