A polysaccharide PRCP from Rosa cymosa Tratt fruit: Structural characteristics and immunomodulatory effects via MAPK pathway modulation in vitro.

The Rosa cymosa Tratt, an herbal plant from the Rosaceae family, has historically been valued in China for its medicinal and edible properties. In this study, a novel polysaccharide from R. cymosa fruit, termed PRCP (purified R. cymosa polysaccharide), was isolated using water extraction, decolorization, deproteinization, and ion-exchange chromatography. The structural characteristics of PRCP were investigated using monosaccharide composition analysis, methylation, GPC, FTIR, CD, and NMR spectroscopy. The immunomodulatory effect and potential mechanism of PRCP were evaluated in vitro using a macrophage cell model. Results indicated that PRCP (37.28 kDa) is a highly branched polysaccharide (72.61 %) primarily composed of arabinogalactan, rhamnogalacturonan, and galactoglucan domains with 13 types of glycosidic linkage fragments. Furthermore, PRCP appears to modulate immunomodulatory effects by influencing the phosphorylation of P38 and JNK proteins in the MAPK pathway. Collectively, these findings highlight the potential of PRCP as a promising natural functional food ingredient for immunostimulation.

Antioxidant Defenses Against Air Humidity Stress in Fruit Bodies of Auricularia heimuer (Agaricomycetes).

Air humidity is an important environmental factor restricting the fruit body growth of Auricularia heimuer. Low air humidity causes the fruit body to desiccate and enter dormancy. However, the survival mechanisms to low air humidity for fruit bodies before dormancy remain poorly understood. In the present study, we cultivated A. heimuer in a greenhouse and collected the fruit bodies at different air humidities (90%, 80%, 70%, 60%, and 50%) to determine the contents of malondialdehyde (MDA) and non-enzymatic antioxidants such as ascorbic acid (AsA) and glutathione (GSH); and the activities of enzymatic antioxidants including superoxide dismutase (SOD), peroxidase (POD), catalase (CAT), ascorbate peroxidase (APX), glutathione peroxidase (GPX) and glutathione reductase (GR). Results showed that the MDA contents tended to increase with decreasing relative air humidity. Relative air humidity below 90% caused membrane lipid peroxidation and oxidative stress (based on MDA contents) to the fruit body, which we named air humidity stress. In contrast to the control and with the degree of stress, the GSH contents and activities of SOD, CAT, GR, GPX, and APX tended to ascend, whereas AsA showed a declining trend; the POD activity only rose at 50%. The antioxidants favored the fruit body to alleviate oxidative damage and strengthened its tolerance to air humidity stress. The antioxidant defense system could be an important mechanism for the fruit body of A. heimuer in air humidity stress.

TCMNPAS: a comprehensive analysis platform integrating network formulaology and network pharmacology for exploring traditional Chinese medicine.

The application of network formulaology and network pharmacology has significantly advanced the scientific understanding of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) treatment mechanisms in disease. The field of herbal biology is experiencing a surge in data generation. However, researchers are encountering challenges due to the fragmented nature of the data and the reliance on programming tools for data analysis. We have developed TCMNPAS, a comprehensive analysis platform that integrates network formularology and network pharmacology. This platform is designed to investigate in-depth the compatibility characteristics of TCM formulas and their potential molecular mechanisms. TCMNPAS incorporates multiple resources and offers a range of functions designed for automated analysis implementation, including prescription mining, molecular docking, network pharmacology analysis, and visualization. These functions enable researchers to analyze and obtain core herbs and core formulas from herbal prescription data through prescription mining. Additionally, TCMNPAS facilitates virtual screening of active compounds in TCM and its formulas through batch molecular docking, allowing for the rapid construction and analysis of networks associated with "herb-compound-target-pathway" and disease targets. Built upon the integrated analysis concept of network formulaology and network pharmacology, TCMNPAS enables quick point-and-click completion of network-based association analysis, spanning from core formula mining from clinical data to the exploration of therapeutic targets for disease treatment. TCMNPAS serves as a powerful platform for uncovering the combinatorial rules and mechanism of TCM formulas holistically. We distribute TCMNPAS within an open-source R package at GitHub ( https://github.com/yangpluszhu/tcmnpas ), and the project is freely available at http://54.223.75.62:3838/ .

Facile Preparation of Photothermal Superhydrophobic Melamine Sponge Decorated with MXene and Lignin Particles for Efficient Oil/Water Separation, Fast Crude Oil Recovery, and Active Deicing.

Frequent oil spills and the discharge of oily wastewaters have caused a serious threat to the environment, ecosystems, and human beings. Herein, a photothermal and superhydrophobic melamine sponge (MS) decorated with MXene and lignin particles has been prepared for the separation of oil/water mixtures, the recovery of crude oils, and active deicing. The obtained superhydrophobic melamine sponge shows a water contact angle (WCA) of 152.3° and an oil contact angle of ∼0° and possesses good chemical stability, thermal stability, and mechanical durability in terms of being immersed in various liquids (i.e., corrosive solutions, organic solvents, and boiling water) and being abrased by sandpapers. This superhydrophobic MS displays a high oil adsorption capacity of CCl4, up to 91.6 times its own weight and a high separation efficiency of 99.4%. Furthermore, the maximum surface temperature of the superhydrophobic MS reaches 57.5 °C under sunlight irradiation (1.0 kW/m2) due to the excellent photothermal heating conversion performance of MXene and lignin particles. When exposed to sunlight, the superhydrophobic MS can quickly absorb viscous crude oils up to 72 times its own weight. Also, the WCA of the superhydrophobic MS remains above 146° after 50 icing/deicing cycles, showing excellent photothermal anti-icing properties. Thus, this study presents an easy and low-cost method for designing photothermal superhydrophobic melamine sponges and opens a new avenue to the applications of efficient oil/water separation, fast crude oil recovery, and active deicing.

Porous lignin-based composites for oil/water separation: A review.

Frequent oceanic oil spill incidents and the discharge of industrial oily wastewaters have caused serious threats to environments, food chains and human beings. Lignin wastes with many reactive groups exist as the byproducts from bioethanol and pulping processing industries, and they are either discarded as wastes or directly consumed as a fuel. To make full use of lignin wastes and simultaneously deal with oily wastewaters, porous lignin-based composites have been rationally designed and prepared. In this review, recent advances in the preparation of porous lignin-based composites are summarized in terms of aerogels, sponges, foams, papers, and membranes, respectively. Then, the mechanisms and the application of porous lignin-based adsorbents and filtration materials for oil/water separation are discussed. Finally, the challenges and perspectives of porous lignin-based composites are proposed in the field of oil/water separation. The utilization of abundant lignin wastes can replace fossil resources, and meanwhile porous lignin-based composites can be used to efficiently treat with oily wastewaters. The above utilization strategy opens an avenue to the rational design and preparation of lignin wastes with high-added value, and gives a possible solution to use lignin wastes in a sustainable and environmentally friendly way.

Deep learning-based clinical-radiomics nomogram for preoperative prediction of lymph node metastasis in patients with rectal cancer: a two-center study.

Background: Precise preoperative evaluation of lymph node metastasis (LNM) is crucial for ensuring effective treatment for rectal cancer (RC). This research aims to develop a clinical-radiomics nomogram based on deep learning techniques, preoperative magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and clinical characteristics, enabling the accurate prediction of LNM in RC. Materials and methods: Between January 2017 and May 2023, a total of 519 rectal cancer cases confirmed by pathological examination were retrospectively recruited from two tertiary hospitals. A total of 253 consecutive individuals were selected from Center I to create an automated MRI segmentation technique utilizing deep learning algorithms. The performance of the model was evaluated using the dice similarity coefficient (DSC), the 95th percentile Hausdorff distance (HD95), and the average surface distance (ASD). Subsequently, two external validation cohorts were established: one comprising 178 patients from center I (EVC1) and another consisting of 88 patients from center II (EVC2). The automatic segmentation provided radiomics features, which were then used to create a Radscore. A predictive nomogram integrating the Radscore and clinical parameters was constructed using multivariate logistic regression. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis and decision curve analysis (DCA) were employed to evaluate the discrimination capabilities of the Radscore, nomogram, and subjective evaluation model, respectively. Results: The mean DSC, HD95 and ASD were 0.857 ± 0.041, 2.186 ± 0.956, and 0.562 ± 0.194 mm, respectively. The nomogram, which incorporates MR T-stage, CEA, CA19-9, and Radscore, exhibited a higher area under the ROC curve (AUC) compared to the Radscore and subjective evaluation in the training set (0.921 vs. 0.903 vs. 0.662). Similarly, in both external validation sets, the nomogram demonstrated a higher AUC than the Radscore and subjective evaluation (0.908 vs. 0.735 vs. 0.640, and 0.884 vs. 0.802 vs. 0.734). Conclusion: The application of the deep learning method enables efficient automatic segmentation. The clinical-radiomics nomogram, utilizing preoperative MRI and automatic segmentation, proves to be an accurate method for assessing LNM in RC. This approach has the potential to enhance clinical decision-making and improve patient care. Research registration unique identifying number UIN: Research registry, identifier 9158, https://www.researchregistry.com/browse-the-registry#home/registrationdetails/648e813efffa4e0028022796/.

Copper-Catalyzed Synthesis of N-Fused Quinolines via C(sp3)-H Activation-Radical Addition-Cyclization Cascade.

A novel copper-catalyzed cyclization reaction for the synthesis of pyrazolo[1,5-a]quinoline, triazolo[1,5-a]quinoline, and pyrrolo[1,2-a]quinoline derivatives is described. The process is initiated by di-tert-butyl peroxide-mediated C(sp3)-H activation to generate the α-functionalized radical, which supervenes a cascade radical addition/cyclization sequence to access the N-fused quinolines in good yields with broad functional group tolerance.

Guided wave elastography of jugular veins: Theory, method and in vivo experiment.

Testing the mechanical properties of veins is important for diagnosing some cardiovascular diseases such as deep venous thrombosis. Additionally, it plays a crucial role in designing body protective products such as head protective gear, where simulations are necessary to predict the mechanical responses of bridging veins during head impacts. The data on venous mechanical properties reported in the literature have mainly been obtained from ex vivo experiments, and inferring the material parameters of veins in vivo is challenging. Here, we address this issue by proposing a guided wave elastography method in which guided waves are generated in the jugular veins with focused acoustic radiation force and tracked by an ultrafast ultrasound imaging system. Then, a mechanical model considering the effects of the perivascular soft tissues and prestresses in the veins was applied to analyze the wave motions in the jugular veins. Our model enables the development of an inverse method to infer the elastic properties of the veins from measured guided waves. Phantom experiments were performed to validate the theory, and in vivo experiments were carried out to demonstrate the usefulness of the inverse method in practice.

Investigation of polyethylene glycol (PEG) assisted solvothermal synthesis of CuCoO2 nanosheets for efficient oxygen evolution reaction.

Water splitting to produce hydrogen is known as an effective way to alleviate the energy crisis, but the slow kinetics of the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) has been seriously restricting the development of water splitting technology. Therefore, low cost and high efficiency OER electrocatalysts have become substitutes for traditional noble metal-based catalysts. In this work, CuCoO2 nanosheets (denoted by CCO2) were successfully synthesized under the regulation of surfactants and a solvent polyethylene glycol (PEG) by a solvothermal route using Cu-BTC and Co(NO3)2·6H2O as reactants. The experimental results confirmed that PEG addition could further reduce significantly the crystal size of the CCO2 nanosheets, i.e., the size was about 150 nm and the thickness was 13 nm. The Ni@CCO2 electrode exhibits outstanding OER performance in 1.0 M KOH electrolyte, which shows the overpotential at 10 mA cm-2 is 378 mV, and the Tafel slope is 85 mV dec-1. Moreover, the CCO2 nanosheets exhibit good structural and compositional stability after the 18 h constant current OER test. Therefore, this work may offer a novel insight into enhancing the OER performance of CuCoO2 catalysts by decreasing their crystal size, and using a solvothermal route.

Changes in soil stoichiometry, soil organic carbon mineralization and bacterial community assembly processes across soil profiles.

Soil organic carbon (SOC) mineralization is essential to biogeochemical recycling in terrestrial ecosystem. However, the microbial mechanisms underlying the nutrient-induced SOC mineralization remain uncertain. Here, we investigated how SOC mineralization was linked to microbial assembly processes as well as soil nutrient availability and stoichiometric ratio in a paddy rice ecosystem at four soil profile levels. Our results showed a sharp decrease in SOC mineralization from topsoil (112.61-146.34 mg CO2 kg-1 day-1) to subsoil (33.51-61.41 mg CO2 kg-1 day-1). High-throughput sequencing showed that both abundance and diversity of specialist microorganisms (Chao1: 1244.30-1341.35) significantly increased along the soil profile, while the generalist microorganisms (Chao1: 427.67-616.15; Shannon: 7.46-7.97) showed the opposite trend. Correspondingly, the proportion of deterministic processes that regulate specialist (9.64-21.59 %) and generalist microorganisms (21.17-53.53 %) increased and decreased from topsoil to subsoil, respectively. Linear regression modeling and partial least squares path modeling indicated that SOC mineralization was primarily controlled by the assembly processes of specialist microorganisms, which was significantly mediated by available soil C:N:P stoichiometry. This study highlighted the importance of soil stoichiometry-mediated bacterial community assembly processes in regulating SOC mineralization. Our results have an important implication for the integration of bacterial community assembly processes into the prediction of SOC dynamics.

Gram-scale solvothermal synthesis of Fe-doped CuCoO2 nanosheets and improvement of the oxygen evolution reaction performance.

In this work, we used Cu-BTC-IPA and Co(NO3)2·6H2O as precursors to synthesize CuCoO2 (CCO) nanocrystals with a suitable crystal phase, morphology and high yield by changing the process parameters, such as reactant concentration, reactant ratio, mineralizer dosage, and the type of polyvinylpyrrolidone surfactant. In addition, the effects of different concentrations (1 at%, 3 at%, 5 at%) of Fe doping on the crystal structure and oxygen evolution reaction (OER) performance of CCO were studied. The experimental results show that Fe ions are uniformly doped into the lattice to replace the A-site (Cu+) position, which not only reduces the grain size of CCO, but also increases its specific surface area. We further employed the density functional theory (DFT) method to simulate the OER process of transition metal Fe-doped CCO (A-site substitution) and proposed that Fe doping can reduce the Gibbs free energy of each step and promote the formation of each intermediate, thereby improving its OER catalytic performance. In 1.0 M KOH electrolyte, the 3 at% Fe-doped CCO (Ni@3FCCO) electrode has the best OER performance (η10 = 369 mV, Tafel slope = 69 mV dec-1), and the required overpotential to attain 10 mA cm-2 slightly increased (∼30.2 mV) after 18 hours of continuous OER. The crystal morphology and chemical composition did not change significantly before and after the long-term OER test, indicating that the 3FCCO nanosheets have good OER activity and stability. We have proposed two reasons for the significant improvement of OER performance for Fe-doped CCO nanosheets: (1) the partial substitution of Cu cations by Fe cations not only regulates the electronic structure of CCO, making the catalytically active center no longer a single Co site, but also contains the Fe site, thus increasing the number of overall active sites; (2) the synergistic effect between Fe cations and Co cations in the OER process could enhance the activity of a single active site.

An Anionic Porous Indium-Organic Framework with Nitrogen-Rich Linker for Efficient and Selective Removal of Trace Cationic Dyes.

Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) with porosity and functional adjustability have great potential for the removal of organic dyes in the wastewater. Herein, an anionic porous metal-organic framework (MOFs) [Me2NH2]2In2[(TATAB)4(DMF)4]·(DMF)4(H2O)4 (HDU-1) was synthesized, which is constructed from a [In(OOC)4]- cluster and a nitrogen-rich linker H3TATAB (4,4',4″-s-triazine-1,3,5-triyltri-p-aminobenzoic acid). The negatively charged [In(OOC)4]- cluster and uncoordinated -COOH on the linker result in one unit cell of HDU-1 having 8 negative sites. The zeta potential of -20.8 mV dispersed in pure water also shows that HDU-1 possesses negatively charged surface potential. The high electronegativity, water stability, and porosity of HDU-1 can facilitate the ion-exchange and Coulombic interaction. As expected, the HDU-1 exhibits high selectivity and removal rates towards trace cationic dyes with suitable size, such as methylene blue (MB) (96%), Brilliant green (BG) (99.3%), and Victoria blue B (VB) (93.6%).

Preparation and characterization of nanostructured Fe-doped CoTe2 electrocatalysts for the oxygen evolution reaction.

The key step for hydrogen production through water electrolysis is the development of highly efficient and inexpensive oxygen evolution reaction (OER) catalysts. In this work, we report the successful synthesis of a nanostructured Fe-doped cobalt-based telluride (Fe-doped CoTe2) catalyst on Co foam by a simple one-step hydrothermal synthesis method, which shows excellent OER performance. The influences of Fe doping amounts and reaction temperatures on the morphology, structure, composition, and the OER performance of cobalt-based tellurides have been systematically studied. The optimal sample Co@0.3 g FeCoTe2-200 exhibits a low overpotential of 300 mV at a current density of 10 mA cm-2, and a small Tafel slope of 36.99 mV dec-1, outperforming the undoped cobalt telluride catalysts (Co@CoTe2-200). The Co@0.3 g FeCoTe2-200 electrode also reveals a small overpotential degradation of around 26 mV after an 18-hour continuous OER process. These results unambiguously confirm that Fe doping helps improve the OER activity and long-term catalytic stability. The superior performance of nanostructured Fe-doped CoTe2 can be attributed to the porous structure and the synergistic effect of Co and Fe elements. This study provides a new approach for the preparation of bimetallic telluride catalysts with enhanced OER performance, and Fe-doped CoTe2 holds substantial promise for use as a high-efficiency, cost-effective catalyst for alkaline water electrolysis.

Shear wave imaging the active constitutive parameters of living muscles.

Shear wave elastography (SWE) of human skeletal muscles allows for measurement of muscle elastic properties in vivo and has important applications in sports medicine and for the diagnosis and treatment of muscle-related diseases. Existing methods of SWE for skeletal muscles rely on the passive constitutive theory and have so far been unable to provide constitutive parameters describing muscle active behavior. In the present paper, we overcome this limitation by proposing a SWE method for quantitative inference of active constitutive parameters of skeletal muscles in vivo. To this end, we investigate the wave motion in a skeletal muscle described by a constitutive model in which muscle active behavior has been defined by an active parameter. An analytical solution relating shear wave velocities to both passive and active material parameters of muscles is derived, based upon which an inverse approach has been developed to evaluate these parameters. To demonstrate the usefulness of the reported method, in vivo experiments were carried out on 10 volunteers to obtain constitutive parameters, particularly those describing active deformation behaviors of living muscles. The results reveal that the active material parameter of skeletal muscles varies with warm-up, fatigue and rest. STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE: Existing shear wave elastography methods are limited to imaging the passive parameters of muscles. This limitation is addressed in the present paper by developing a method to image the active constitutive parameter of living muscles using shear waves. We derived an analytical solution demonstrating the relationship between constitutive parameters of living muscles and shear waves. Relying on the analytical solution, we proposed an inverse method to infer active parameter of skeletal muscles. We performed in vivo experiments to demonstrate the usefulness of the theory and method; the quantitative variation of the active parameter with muscle states such as warm-up, fatigue and rest has been reported for the first time.

The Differential Expression of Circular RNAs and the Role of circAFF1 in Lens Epithelial Cells of High-Myopic Cataract.

High-myopic cataract (HMC) is a complex cataract with earlier onset and more rapid progress than age-related cataract (ARC). Circular RNAs (circRNAs) have been implicated in many diseases. However, their involvement in HMC remain largely unexplored. To investigate the role of dysregulated circRNAs in HMC, lens epithelium samples from 24 HMC and 24 ARC patients were used for whole transcriptome sequencing. Compared with ARC, HMC had 3687 uniquely expressed circRNAs and 1163 significantly differentially expressed circRNAs (DEcRs) (|log2FC| > 1, p < 0.05). A putative circRNA-miRNA-mRNA network was constructed based on correlation analysis. We validated the differential expression of 3 DEcRs by quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) using different sets of samples. We further investigated the role of circAFF1 in cultured lens epithelial cells (LECs) and found that the overexpression of circAFF1 promoted cell proliferation, migration and inhibited apoptosis. We also showed that circAFF1 upregulated Tropomyosin 1 (TPM1) expression by sponging miR-760, which was consistent with the network prediction. Collectively, our study suggested the involvement of circRNAs in the pathogenesis of HMC and provide a resource for further study on this topic.

Tolerance to lens tilt and decentration of two multifocal intraocular lenses: using the quick contrast sensitivity function method.

BACKGROUND: Quick contrast sensitivity function (qCSF) method is an advanced quick method for contrast sensitivity function (CSF) evaluation. This study evaluated the contrast sensitivity (CS) of eyes undergoing cataract surgery with multifocal intraocular lens (IOL) implantation and its tolerance to IOL tilt and IOL decentration using the qCSF method. METHODS: Patients undergoing uneventful phacoemulsification and a trifocal IOL (Zeiss AT LISA tri 839MP, Carl Zeiss, Germany) or an extended depth-of-focus (EDOF) IOL (Tecnis Symfony ZXR00, Johnson & Johnsons, USA) implantation were included. Monocular contrast sensitivity was measured using the qCSF method at one month post-surgery. IOL tilt and decentration were measured using an optical aberrometer (OPD-Scan III, NIDEK, Japan). RESULTS: Seventy-two patients/eyes with the 839MP IOL and 64 patients/eyes with the ZXR00 IOL were included. Area under the log CSF (AULCSF) and CS acuity did not differ significantly between the two groups. The ZXR00 IOL group showed better CS at 1 cpd (1.137 ± 0.164 vs. 1.030 ± 0.183 logCS) and 1.5 cpd (1.163 ± 0.163 vs. 1.071 ± 0.161 logCS), while the 839MP IOL group had better CS at 6 cpd (0.855 ± 0.187 vs. 0.735 ± 0.363 logCS). In the 839MP IOL group, all CSF metrics were negatively correlated with IOL tilt (all P < 0.05), while in the ZXR00 IOL group, the CS at 3 cpd had no significant correlation with IOL tilt (P > 0.05). Among myopic eyes, fewer CSF metrics were negatively correlated with IOL tilt in the ZXR00 IOL group than in the 839MP IOL group. No significant correlation was found between CSF metrics and IOL decentration. CONCLUSIONS: The ZXR00 and the 839MP IOL groups presented comparable CSF. CS was negatively correlated with IOL tilt, instead of decentration in multifocal IOLs, particularly among myopic eyes. The ZXR00 IOL had better tolerance to IOL tilt in myopic eyes.

Recent Advances in Superhydrophobic Papers for Oil/Water Separation: A Mini-Review.

The separation of oceanic spilled oils and industrial oily wastewaters becomes a great challenge, and it is highly desirable to develop efficient materials for oil/water separation. As abundant sustainable resources, superhydrophobic papers (SPs) have drawn much attention because of low-cost and efficient oil/water separation. Herein, this mini-review summarizes recent advances of SPs in terms of design, preparation, and properties. On the basis of the many excellent properties of SPs (i.e., self-cleaning, durability, chemical corrosion resistance, and reusability), the oil/water separation performances (i.e., separation efficiency, permeation flux, and recyclability) of SPs as well as the corresponding mechanisms are discussed. The efficient oil/water separation property and recyclability of SPs make them promising candidates in the field of oily wastewater treatment.

Identifying the Effect of Nuanxin Capsules on Myocardial Injury Induced by Chronic Hypoxia via Network Pharmacology Analysis and Experimental Validation.

Nuanxin capsule (NX), an in-hospital preparation of Guangdong Provincial Hospital of Chinese Medicine, has been used in heart failure (HF) treatment for 15 years, but its mechanism and protective effect have not been investigated. This study was aimed at exploring the mechanism and protective effect of NX on HF treatment via network pharmacology analysis and experimental validation. Network pharmacology analysis predicted that NX was involved in the regulation of response to apoptotic process and hypoxia via protecting cellular damage and mitochondrial dysfunction against chronic hypoxia. Its mechanism may be involved in the regulation of the PI3K-Akt signaling pathway, HIF-1 signaling pathway, AMPK signaling pathway, and MAPK signaling pathway. Experimental validation indicated that NX was capable of improving cellular viability, restoring cellular morphology, and suppressing cellular apoptosis cellular. NX also exerted cardioprotection by inhibiting mitochondrial membrane potential injury and protecting mitochondrial respiratory and energy metabolism in a chronic hypoxia cellular model, which was consistent with the results of network pharmacology prediction. In addition, the screened active compounds of NX did have a good binding with their key targets, indicating NX may exert protective effect through multicompounds and multitargets. In conclusion, NX had a protective effect on HF through cellular and mitochondrial protection against chronic hypoxia via multicompounds, multitargets, and multipathways, and its mechanism may be involved in modulating the PI3K-Akt signaling pathway, HIF-1 signaling pathway, AMPK signaling pathway, and MAPK signaling pathway.

Lactobacillus plantarum ST-III modulates abnormal behavior and gut microbiota in a mouse model of autism spectrum disorder.

Probiotic treatment might improve autism spectrum disorder (ASD) behavior. In this study, we investigated the improvement effects of Lactobacillus plantarum ST-III on a mouse model of ASD, which was constructed using triclosan. After two weeks of L. plantarum ST-III oral feeding, autism-like social deficits in male mouse models were ameliorated. L. plantarum ST-III also attenuated the self-grooming and freezing times of female mice. High-throughput sequencing revealed changes in the gut microbiota after L. plantarum ST-III intervention. In the female probiotic group, the abundance of beneficial Lachnospiraceae bacteria increased, whereas that of harmful Alistipes bacteria decreased. Correlation analysis showed that amelioration of abnormal behavior in a mouse model of ASD was related to the involvement of certain metabolic pathways. A reduction in the abundance of Alistipes was involved in stereotyped behavioral improvement. Thus, oral supplementation with L. plantarum ST-III can help improve social behavior in a male mouse model of ASD and contribute to more balanced intestinal homeostasis.

Using Potential Molecular Transformation To Understand the Molecular Trade-Offs in Soil Dissolved Organic Matter.

Understanding the chemical composition and molecular transformation in soil dissolved organic matter (DOM) is important to the global carbon cycle. To address this issue, ultrahigh-resolution Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry (FT-ICR-MS) was applied to investigate DOM molecules in 36 paddy soils collected from subtropical China. All the detected 7576 unique molecules were divided into seven compound groups, and nine trade-off relationships between different compound groups were revealed based on principal component analysis and Pearson's correlation. An optimized method was developed to evaluate all potential molecular transformations in DOM samples. The concept of thermodynamics was introduced to evaluate the identified molecular transformations and classify them as thermodynamically favorable (TFP) and thermodynamically limited (TLP) processes. Here, we first tried to understand the molecular trade-offs by using the potential molecular transformations. All the nine trade-offs could be explained by molecular transformations. Six trade-offs had bases of biochemical reactions, and the trade-off-related direct transformations could explain the content variations of carbohydrate-like, condensed aromatic-like, tannin-like, and lignin-like compounds in TLP. More reasonable explanations existed in the TLP rather than TFP, which demonstrated the critical role of external energy in the molecular transformation of soil DOM.