Multifunctional carbon aerogels loaded with pea-pod-like carbon nanotubes for outstanding electromagnetic wave absorption performance.

Although ordered porous carbon materials (PCMs) have shown promising potential in the field of electromagnetic wave absorption (EWA), creating multifunctional PCMs with outstanding microwave absorption performance remains a significant challenge. Herein, ordered porous carbon aerogels loaded with pea-pod-like nitrogen-doped carbon nanotubes (CNTs) were fabricated via orientation freeze-drying followed by high-temperature pyrolysis. The optimized aerogel exhibits extraordinary EWA performance with a broad effective absorption bandwidth of 7.68 GHz and exceptionally strong absorption of -91.58 dB at a low filling ratio of only 3 wt%, which is the largest absorption strength among all known aerogels to date. The exceptional EWA performance is attributed to the synergistic effect of abundant loss mechanisms resulting from a unique pod-like structure in ordered porous carbon aerogel, where nitrogen-doped CNTs encapsulate magnetic alloy nanoparticles. Optimized aerogel exhibits superior compressive elasticity, thermal insulation, and light weight, laying the groundwork for designing practical next-generation EWA materials.

Integrated Metabolomics and Transcriptomics Analyses Highlight the Flavonoid Compounds Response to Alkaline Salt Stress in Glycyrrhiza uralensis Leaves.

Glycyrrhiza uralensis is a saline-alkali-tolerant plant whose aerial parts are rich in flavonoids; however, the role of these flavonoids in saline-alkali tolerance remains unclear. Herein, we performed physiological, metabolomics, and transcriptomics analyses in G. uralensis leaves under alkaline salt stress for different durations. Alkaline salt stress stimulated excessive accumulation of reactive oxygen species and consequently destroyed the cell membrane, causing cell death, and G. uralensis initiated osmotic regulation and the antioxidant system to respond to stress. In total, 803 metabolites, including 244 flavonoids, were detected via metabolomics analysis. Differentially altered metabolites and differentially expressed genes were coenriched in flavonoid-related pathways. Genes such as novel.4890, Glyur001511s00039602, and Glyur000775s00025737 were highly expressed, and flavonoid metabolites such as 2'-hydroxygenistein, apigenin, and 3-O-methylquercetin were upregulated. Thus, flavonoids as nonenzymatic antioxidants play an important role in stress tolerance. These findings provide novel insights into the response of G. uralensis to alkaline salt stress.

Effect of standard nutritional support therapy based on nutritional risk screening on post-operative nutritional status and quality of life in patients with glioma.

OBJECTIVE: To explore the effect of standard nutritional support based on nutritional risk screening on nutrition conditions and living quality in glioma patients after surgery. METHODS: The clinical information of 100 patients with glioma treated at the Sichuan Provincial People's Hospital from April 2021 to April 2022 was reviewed retrospectively. Among them, 39 patients received routine nutritional support during the perioperative period (routing group) and 61 patients received standard nutritional support (standard group). The relevant clinical data were collected, and the postoperative albumin (ALB) level, prealbumin (PA) level, hemoglobin (Hb) level, patient-generated subjective global assessment (PG-SGA) score, Kanofsky performance score (KPS), and short-term prognosis were compared between the two groups. Finally, factors affecting the efficacy of nutritional support in patients with glioma were analyzed. RESULTS: 14 days after the surgery, the levels of ALB, PA, and Hb of the standard group were significantly higher than those in the routing group (all P < 0.05). The PG-SGA scores of the two groups decreased with time, and the PG-SGA scores of the standard group were significantly lower than those of the routing group at 30 d and 60 d after the operation (intergroup effect: F = 9.077, P = 0.003, time effect: F = 75.28, P < 0.001, and interaction effect: F = 3.111, P = 0.047). The KPS scores of the two groups increased with time, and the KPS scores of the standard group were significantly higher than those of the routing group at 30 d and 60 d after operation (intergroup effect: F = 4.458, P = 0.044, time effect: F = 31.333, P < 0.001, and interaction effect: F = 3.507, P = 0.032). Within 6 months after discharge, the tumor recurrence rate of the standard group was significantly lower than that in the routing group (P < 0.05). After 60 days of the surgery, nutritional support therapy worked well in 32 patients, and the results of the logistic regression analysis displayed that age was an independent factor affecting the efficacy of nutritional support in post-operative glioma patients. CONCLUSION: Standard nutritional support based on nutritional risk screening can improve the nutrition condition and living quality of post-operative glioma patients and is worthy of clinical application.

Abiotic factors and endophytes co-regulate flavone and terpenoid glycoside metabolism in Glycyrrhiza uralensis.

Recently, endorhizospheric microbiota is realized to be able to promote the secondary metabolism in medicinal plants, but the detailed metabolic regulation metabolisms and whether the promotion is influenced by environmental factors are unclear yet. Here, the major flavonoids and endophytic bacterial communities in various Glycyrrhiza uralensis Fisch. roots collected from seven distinct places in northwest China, as well as the edaphic conditions, were characterized and analyzed. It was found that the soil moisture and temperature might modulate the secondary metabolism in G. uralensis roots partially through some endophytes. One rationally isolated endophyte Rhizobium rhizolycopersici GUH21 was proved to promote the accumulation of isoliquiritin and glycyrrhizic acid significantly in roots of the potted G. uralensis under the relatively high-level watering and low temperature. Furthermore, we did the comparative transcriptome analysis of G. uralensis seedling roots in different treatments to investigate the detailed mechanisms of the environment-endophyte-plant interactions and found that the low temperature went hand in hand with the high-level watering to activate the aglycone biosynthesis in G. uralensis, while GUH21 and the high-level watering cooperatively promoted the in planta glucosyl unit production. Our study is of significance for the development of methods to rationally promote the medicinal plant quality. KEY POINTS: • Soil temperature and moisture related to isoliquiritin contents in Glycyrrhiza uralensis Fisch. • Soil temperature and moisture related to the hosts' endophytic bacterial community structures. • The causal relation among abiotic factors-endophytes-host was proved through the pot experiment.

Efficacy and safety of pharmacological interventions for pruritus in primary biliary cholangitis: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background and objective: Pruritus is a common complication in patients with primary biliary cholangitis (PBC). The pathogenesis is not clear, and also the precise therapeutic measures remain alluring. In order to systematically evaluate the efficacy and safety of drug interventions in the treatment of pruritus associated with PBC, this systemic review and meta-analysis was conducted. Methods: The randomized controlled trials (RCTs) on drug interventions in the treatment of pruritus associated with primary cholangitis were searched in the electronic databases of PubMed, EMBASE, Cochrane Library, Web of Science, and ClinicalTrials.gov. Two researchers independently screened the literature, extracted and integrated the data, and assessed the bias risk of the selected literature, according to the Cochrane handbook. Finally, the STATA 15.0 software was used for the meta-analysis. Results: A total of 23 RCTs involving 2,194 patients were studied, that included 12 pharmacological interventions. In terms of itching relief, compared with placebo, UDCA, methotrexate and GSK2330672 had a definite effect in improving pruritus (pruritus remission rate before and after treatment, p < 0.05). In terms of serum indexes, compared with placebo group, UDCA, OCA, rifampicin, cyclosporine, NGM282, seladelpar and colchicine may improve blood alkaline phosphatase (ALP) (p < 0.05), but only rifampicin showed low heterogeneity. UDCA, bezafibrate, OCA, rifampicin, NGM282 and others may improve blood γ-glutamyl transpeptidase (γ-GGT) (p < 0.05), but due to the high heterogeneity and the limitation of research samples, a clear conclusion cannot be drawn. In terms of adverse events, except high (>15 mg/kg/day) and low doses (<13 mg/kg/day) of UDCA increased the incidence of adverse events, there were no risk of increasing the incidence of adverse events compared with placebo (p > 0.05), and a moderate dose of UDCA (13-15 mg/kg/day) and malotilate (1,500 mg/day) may also help in reducing the incidence of adverse events (p < 0.05). Conclusion: UDCA, methotrexate and GSK2330672 may relieve itching in patients with PBC, but there is a lack of robust evidence to support their effect on ALP or γ-GGT. Due to the heterogeneity in the published studies, based on the present review, we cannot explicitly recommend any specific drug for the treatment of PBC-related pruritus. Systematic Review Registration: link-https://osf.io/2g8ya, identifier 10.17605/OSF.IO/2G8YA.

Neiella holothuriorum sp. nov., isolated from the gut of a sea cucumber Apostichopus japonicus.

A Gram-stain negative, aerobic, rod-shaped bacterium, designated 126T, was isolated from the intestinal content of a sea cucumber, Apostichopus japonicus, in China. Strain 126T was found to grow optimally at 25-28 °C and pH 7.5-8.0 in marine 2216 E medium, with tolerance of 1-7% (w/v) NaCl. Strain 126T is motile by means of one to several polar flagella. The dominant fatty acids of strain 126T were identified as C16:1 ω7c/C16:1 ω6c (29.5%), C18:1 ω7c/C18:1 ω6c (19.8%) and C16:0 (16.7%). The respiratory quinone was found to be Q-8. The polar lipid profile was found to be mainly composed of phosphatidylglycerol and phosphatidylethanolamine. The total length of the draft genome is approximately 4.2 × 106 bp, encoding 3655 genes and 3576 coding sequences. The G + C content of the genomic DNA is 48.0%. Phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA gene sequences indicated that strain 126T belongs to the genus Neiella and is closely related to Neiella marina J221T (96.5%). Genomic comparisons of 126T to N. marina J221T revealed that they had similar genome size, G + C content and complement of clusters of orthologous groups. However, average nucleotide identity and digital DNA-DNA hybridization values between strains126T and N. marina J221T was 75.5% and 19.7%, which could distinguish the strains. On the basis of these phenotypic and genotypic data, strain 126T is concluded to represent a novel species, for which the name Neiella holothuriorum sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is 126T (= GDMCC 1.2530T = KCTC 82829T).

The efficacy and safety of Banxia-Houpo-Tang for chronic pharyngitis: A protocol for systematic review and meta analysis.

BACKGROUND: Chronic pharyngitis is a common disease with a dry throat, sore throat, pharyngeal itching, dry cough, and difficulty in swallowing, bringing inconvenience to patients' daily life. Banxia-Houpo-Tang (BHT) has proven to be effective in the treatment of chronic pharyngitis, yet its real extent is not well understood. To prove this point, we will perform a protocol for a systematic review and meta-analysis of BHT for chronic pharyngitis. METHODS/DESIGN: We will search for electronic databases both English and Chinese from inception to December 2019. Two experienced researchers select the qualified articles from: The Cochrane Library, EBM Reviews, OVID, Web of Science, PubMed, Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), China Academic Journal Network Publishing Database (CAJD), China Biomedical Literature database (CBM), VIP Database for Chinese Technical Periodicals (VIP). Journal Integration Platform and WAN FANG Database. We select the appropriate searching language. The primary outcome was remission rate, and the secondary outcomes include clinical symptoms, clinical examination, adverse event. Data extraction and quality assessment will be conducted by 2 experienced researchers independently. Data analysis and the risk of bias assessment will be determined by RevMan 5.3 software. RESULTS: Based on the current proofs, we will get the exact evidence about the safety and effectiveness of BHT in the treatment of chronic pharyngitis. CONCLUSION: Our study is the first meta-analysis to evaluate the efficacy and safety of BHT in the treatment of chronic pharyngitis, and it will provide evidence for alternative treatment for the management of chronic pharyngitis. OSF REGISTRATION NUMBER: DOI 10.17605/OSF.IO/QNF6X.

Variation in genotype and higher virulence of a strain of Sporothrix schenckii causing disseminated cutaneous sporotrichosis.

Sporotrichosis is usually a localized, lymphocutaneous disease, but its disseminated type was rarely reported. The main objective of this study was to identify specific DNA sequence variation and virulence of a strain of Sporothrix schenckii isolated from the lesion of disseminated cutaneous sporotrichosis. We confirmed this strain to be S. schenckii by(®) tubulin and chitin synthase gene sequence analysis in addition to the routine mycological and partial ITS and NTS sequencing. We found a 10-bp deletion in the ribosomal NTS region of this strain, in reference to the sequence of control strains isolated from fixed cutaneous sporotrichosis. After inoculated into immunosuppressed mice, this strain caused more extensive system involvement and showed stronger virulence than the control strain isolated from a fixed cutaneous sporotrichosis. Our study thus suggests that different clinical manifestation of sporotrichosis may be associated with variation in genotype and virulence of the strain, independent of effects due to the immune status of the host.