A combination of microbial electrolysis cells and bioaugmentation can effectively treat synthetic wastewater containing polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon.

The anaerobic biodegradation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) is challenging due to its toxic effect on the microbes. Microbial electrolysis cells (MECs), with their excellent characteristics of anodic and cathodic biofilms, can be a viable way to enhance the biodegradation of PAHs. This work assessed different cathode materials (carbon brush and nickel foam) combined with bioaugmentation on typical PAHs-naphthalene biodegradation and analyzed the inhibition amendment mechanism of microbial biofilms in MECs. Compared with the control, the degradation efficiency of naphthalene with the nickel foam cathode supplied with bioaugmentation dosage realized a maximum removal rate of 94.5 ± 3.2%. The highest daily recovered methane yield (227 ± 2 mL/gCOD) was also found in the nickel foam cathode supplied with bioaugmentation. Moreover, the microbial analysis demonstrated the significant switch of predominant PAH-degrading microorganisms from Pseudomonas in control to norank_f_Prolixibacteraceae in MECs. Furthermore, hydrogentrophic methanogenesis prevailed in MEC reactors, which is responsible for methane production. This study proved that MEC combined with bioaugmentation could effectively alleviate the inhibition of PAH, with the nickel foam cathode obtaining the fastest recovery rate in terms of methane yield.

Design of an ultrafast plasmonic nanolaser for high-intensity broadband emission operating at room temperature.

We propose a plasmonic nanolaser based on a metal-insulator-semiconductor-insulator-metal (MISIM) structure, which effectively confines light on a subwavelength scale (∼λ/14). As the pump power increases, the proposed plasmonic nanolaser exhibits broadband output characteristics of 20 nm, and the maximum output power can reach 20 µW. Furthermore, the carrier lifetime at the upper energy level in our proposed structure is measured to be about 400 fs using a double pump-probe excitation. The ultrafast characteristic is attributed to the inherent Purcell effect of plasmonic systems. Our work paves the way toward deep-subwavelength mode confinement and ultrafast femtosecond plasmonic lasers in spaser-based interconnected, eigenmode engineering of plasmonic nanolasers, nano-LEDs, and spontaneous emission control.

Comparative analysis of the performance of hepatobiliary agents in depicting MRI features of microvascular infiltration in hepatocellular carcinoma.

OBJECTIVE: To compare the ability to depict MRI features of hepatobiliary agents in microvascular infiltration (MVI) of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) during different stages of dynamic enhancement MRI. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A retrospective study included 111 HCC lesions scanned with either Gd-EOB-DTPA or Gd-BOPTA. All cases underwent multiphase dynamic contrast-enhanced scanning before surgery, including arterial phase (AP), portal venous phase (PVP), transitional phase (TP), delayed phase (DP), and hepatobiliary phase (HBP). Two abdominal radiologists independently evaluated MRI features of MVI in HCC, such as peritumoral hyperenhancement, incomplete capsule, non-smooth tumor margins, and peritumoral hypointensity. Finally, the results were reviewed by the third senior abdominal radiologist. Chi-square (χ2) Inspection for comparison between groups. P < 0.05 is considered statistically significant. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was used to evaluate correlation with pathology, and the area under the curve (AUC) and 95% confidence interval (95% CI) were calculated. RESULTS: Among the four MVI evaluation signs, Gd-BOPTA showed significant differences in displaying two signs in the HBP (P < 0.05:0.000, 0.000), while Gd-EOB-DTPA exhibited significant differences in displaying all four signs (P < 0.05:0.005, 0.006, 0.000, 0.002). The results of the evaluations of the two contrast agents in the DP phase with incomplete capsulation showed the highest correlation with pathology (AUC: 0.843, 0.761). By combining the four MRI features, Gd-BOPTA and Gd-EOB-DTPA have correlated significantly with pathology, and Gd-BOPTA is better (AUC: 0.9312vs0.8712). CONCLUSION: The four features of hepatobiliary agent dynamic enhancement MRI demonstrate a good correlation with histopathological findings in the evaluation of MVI in HCC, and have certain clinical significance.

Detection and diagnosis of automated breast ultrasound in patients with BI-RADS category 4 microcalcifications: a retrospective study.

BACKGROUND: Automated Breast Ultrasound (AB US) has shown good application value and prospects in breast disease screening and diagnosis. The aim of the study was to explore the ability of AB US to detect and diagnose mammographically Breast Imaging Reporting and Data System (BI-RADS) category 4 microcalcifications. METHODS: 575 pathologically confirmed mammographically BI-RADS category 4 microcalcifications from January 2017 to June 2021 were included. All patients also completed AB US examinations. Based on the final pathological results, analyzed and summarized the AB US image features, and compared the evaluation results with mammography, to explore the detection and diagnostic ability of AB US for these suspicious microcalcifications. RESULTS: 250 were finally confirmed as malignant and 325 were benign. Mammographic findings including microcalcifications morphology (61/80 with amorphous, coarse heterogeneous and fine pleomorphic, 13/14 with fine-linear or branching), calcification distribution (189/346 with grouped, 40/67 with linear and segmental), associated features (70/96 with asymmetric shadow), higher BI-RADS category with 4B (88/120) and 4 C (73/38) showed higher incidence in malignant lesions, and were the independent factors associated with malignant microcalcifications. 477 (477/575, 83.0%) microcalcifications were detected by AB US, including 223 malignant and 254 benign, with a significantly higher detection rate for malignant lesions (x2 = 12.20, P < 0.001). Logistic regression analysis showed microcalcifications with architectural distortion (odds ratio [OR] = 0.30, P = 0.014), with amorphous, coarse heterogeneous and fine pleomorphic morphology (OR = 3.15, P = 0.037), grouped (OR = 1.90, P = 0.017), liner and segmental distribution (OR = 8.93, P = 0.004) were the independent factors which could affect the detectability of AB US for microcalcifications. In AB US, malignant calcification was more frequent in a mass (104/154) or intraductal (20/32), and with ductal changes (30/41) or architectural distortion (58/68), especially with the both (12/12). BI-RADS category results also showed that AB US had higher sensitivity to malignant calcification than mammography (64.8% vs. 46.8%). CONCLUSIONS: AB US has good detectability for mammographically BI-RADS category 4 microcalcifications, especially for malignant lesions. Malignant calcification is more common in a mass and intraductal in AB US, and tend to associated with architectural distortion or duct changes. Also, AB US has higher sensitivity than mammography to malignant microcalcification, which is expected to become an effective supplementary examination method for breast microcalcifications, especially in dense breasts.

Salvianolic acid B protects against UVB-induced skin aging via activation of NRF2.

BACKGROUND: Prolonged exposure to sun radiation may result in harmful skin photoaging. Therefore, discovering novel anti-photoaging treatment modalities is critical. An active component isolated from Salvia miltiorrhiza (SM), Salvianolic acid B (Sal-B), is a robust antioxidant and anti-inflammatory agent. This investigation aimed to discover the therapeutic impact and pathways of salvianolic acid B for UVB-induced skin photoaging, an area that remains unexplored. METHODS: We conducted in vitro experiments on human dermal fibroblasts (HDFs) exposed to UVB radiation, assessing cellular senescence, superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity, cell viability, proliferation, migration, levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS), and mitochondrial health. The potential mechanism of Sal-B was analyzed using RNA sequencing, with further validation through Western blotting, PCR, and nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (NRF2) silencing methods. In vivo, a model of skin photoaging induced by UVB in nude mice was employed. The collagen fiber levels were assessed utilizing hematoxylin and eosin (H&E), Masson, and Sirus red staining. Additionally, NRF2 and related gene and protein expression levels were identified utilizing PCR and Western blotting. RESULTS: Sal-B was found to significantly counteract photoaging in UVB-exposed skin fibroblasts, reducing aging-related decline in fibroblast proliferation and an increase in apoptosis. It was observed that Sal-B aids in protecting mitochondria from excessive ROS production by promoting NRF2 nuclear translocation. NRF2 knockdown experiments established its necessity for Sal-B's anti-photoaging effects. The in vivo studies also verified Sal-B's anti-photoaging efficacy, surpassing that of tretinoin (Retino-A). These outcomes offer novel insights into the contribution of Sal-B in developing clinical treatment modalities for UVB-induced photodamage in skin fibroblasts. CONCLUSION: In this investigation, we identified the Sal-B protective impact on the senescence of dermal fibroblasts and skin photoaging induced by radiation of UVB. The outcomes suggest Sal-B as a potential modulator of the NRF2 signaling pathway.

Seeing is believing: observation of migrasomes.

Migrasomes are a novel type of cell organelle that form on the retraction fibers at the rear of migrating cells. In recent years, numerous studies have unveiled the mechanisms of migrasome formation and have highlighted significant roles of migrasomes in both physiological and pathological processes. Building upon the strategies outlined in published works and our own research experiences, we have compiled a comprehensive set of protocols for observing migrasomes. These step-by-step instructions encompass various aspects such as cell culture, labeling, imaging, in vitro reconstitution, and statistical analysis. We believe that these protocols serve as a valuable resource for researchers exploring migrasome biology.

Boundary-Aware Gradient Operator Network for Medical Image Segmentation.

Medical image segmentation is a crucial task in computer-aided diagnosis. Although convolutional neural networks (CNNs) have made significant progress in the field of medical image segmentation, the convolution kernels of CNNs are optimized from random initialization without explicitly encoding gradient information, leading to a lack of specificity for certain features, such as blurred boundary features. Furthermore, the frequently applied down-sampling operation also loses the fine structural features in shallow layers. Therefore, we propose a boundary-aware gradient operator network (BG-Net) for medical image segmentation, in which the gradient convolution (GConv) and the boundary-aware mechanism (BAM) modules are developed to simulate image boundary features and the remote dependencies between channels. The GConv module transforms the gradient operator into a convolutional operation that can extract gradient features; it attempts to extract more features such as images boundaries and textures, thereby fully utilizing limited input to capture more features representing boundaries. In addition, the BAM can increase the amount of global contextual information while suppressing invalid information by focusing on feature dependencies and the weight ratios between channels. Thus, the boundary perception ability of BG-Net is improved. Finally, we use a multi-modal fusion mechanism to effectively fuse lightweight gradient convolution and U-shaped branch features into a multilevel feature, enabling global dependencies and low-level spatial details to be effectively captured in a shallower manner. We conduct extensive experiments on eight datasets that broadly cover medical images to evaluate the effectiveness of the proposed BG-Net. The experimental results demonstrate that BG-Net outperforms the state-of-the-art methods, particularly those focused on boundary segmentation. The codes are available at https://github.com/LiYu51/BG-Net.

FeNO, a potential biomarker for evaluating glucocorticoids treatment and prognosis in ABPA.

BACKGROUND: Allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis (ABPA) is characterized by enhanced Th2 inflammatory response. Fractional exhaled nitric oxide (FeNO) measurement has been utilized as a valuable tool in predicting the development and management of asthma, another typical Th2 inflammation. However, the clinical significance of FeNO in ABPA remains unclear. OBJECTIVE: To investigate the association between FeNO and the prognosis of ABPA patients, so as to provide a basis for the use of FeNO in evaluating the efficacy of glucocorticoids in ABPA treatment. METHODS: This study consists of two parts. 58 patients were enrolled in the retrospective study. Clinical indexes between patients with different prognoses were compared and ROC curve analysis were employed to determine the threshold value. The prospective observational study involved 61 patients who were regularly followed up at 4-6 weeks and 6 months since the initial treatment. Patients were grouped based on baseline FeNO values, correlation analysis were performed between clinical data. RESULTS: Different prognoses were observed between patients with High- and Low- baseline FeNO values, with a threshold value of 57 ppb. The percentage of A. fumigatus-specific IgE, percentage of positive A. fumigatus-specific IgG, and relapse/exacerbation rate differed significantly between the H/L-FeNO groups. Patients with higher FeNO needed longer treatment duration and showed shorter interval between glucocorticoid withdrawal and the next relapse/exacerbation. CONCLUSION: Our findings indicate that the level of FeNO is associated with the prognosis of ABPA. It can serve as an independent and valuable biomarker for evaluating the effectiveness of glucocorticoid treatment.

Salidroside Ameliorates Lung Injury Induced by PM 2.5by Regulating SIRT1-PGC-1α in Mice.

Objective: This study aimed to clarify the intervention effect of salidroside (SAL) on lung injury caused by PM 2.5 in mice and illuminate the function of SIRT1-PGC-1ɑ axis. Methods: Specific pathogen-free (SPF) grade male C57BL/6 mice were randomly assigned to the following groups: control group, SAL group, PM 2.5 group, SAL+PM 2.5 group. On the first day, SAL was given by gavage, and on the second day, PM 2.5 suspension was given by intratracheal instillation. The whole experiment consist of a total of 10 cycles, lasting 20 days. At the end of treatment, blood samples and lung tissues were collected and analyzed. Observation of pathological changes in lung tissue using inverted microscopy and transmission electron microscopy. The expression of inflammatory, antioxidants, apoptosis, and SIRT1-PGC-1ɑ proteins were detected by Western blotting. Results: Exposure to PM 2.5 leads to obvious morphological and pathologica changes in the lung of mice. PM 2.5 caused a decline in levels of antioxidant-related enzymes and protein expressions of HO-1, Nrf2, SOD2, SIRT1 and PGC-1ɑ, and an increase in the protein expressions of IL-6, IL-1ß, Bax, caspase-9 and cleaved caspase-3. However, SAL reversed the aforementioned changes caused by PM 2.5 by activating the SIRT1-PGC-1α pathway. Conclusion: SAL can activate SIRT1-PGC-1ɑ to ameliorate PM 2.5-induced lung injury.

Clinicopathological features, prognostic factor analysis, and survival nomogram of patients with double primary cancers involving lung cancer.

BACKGROUND: Although the incidence of double primary cancers (DPCs) involving lung cancer is rising, they have not been studied sufficiently. This study retrospectively analyzed the clinicopathological and prognostic characteristics of DPC patients with lung cancer and developed a survival nomogram to predict the individual OS rates. METHODS: We included 103 DPC patients with lung cancer from Shengjing Hospital between 2016 and 2021. Based on the 6-month cancer occurrence interval, the cases were categorized as synchronous DPCs (sDPCs) or metachronous DPCs (mDPCs). Furthermore, the mDPCs were subdivided based on whether the lung cancer occurred first (LCF cohort) or the other cancer occurred first (OCF cohort). RESULTS: Among the patients, 35 (33.98%) and 68 (66.02%) had sDPCs and mDPCs, respectively. In the mDPCs cohort, 18 (26.47%) belonged to the LCF cohort and 50 (73.53%) to the OCF cohort. The most frequent primary cancer sites were the breast (27.18%), colorectum (22.33%), and urinary system (18.45%). Independent risk factors for progression-free survival were Stage IV lung cancer (p = 0.008) and failure to undergo radical lung cancer surgery (p = 0.028). The risk factors for OS included squamous carcinoma (p = 0.048), Stage IV lung cancer (p = 0.001), single cancer resection plus drug therapy (p < 0.001), drug therapy alone (p = 0.002), failure to undergo radical lung cancer surgery (p = 0.014), and chemotherapy (p = 0.042). The median OS was 37 months, with 3- and 5-year rates of 50.9% and 35.9%, respectively. CONCLUSION: DPCs involving lung cancer account for 1.11% of cases. The breast, colorectum, and urinary system were the most common extra-pulmonary sites, and mDPCs were more frequent than sDPCs. Radical lung cancer surgery significantly affects prognosis, and drug therapy alone may be preferable when only one tumor is operable. The developed nomogram can accurately predict individual 3-year and 5-year OS rates.

Detection of H2O2 and catalase on a paper-based flow sensor constructed with borate cross-linked PVA hydrogel.

The detections of H2O2 and catalase play an important role in daily life. This study introduces a paper-based flow sensor that is specifically designed to detect H2O2 and catalase. The sensor utilizes a hydrogel composed of cross-linked 4-carboxyphenylboronic acid and polyvinyl alcohol. When H2O2 is in contact with the hydrogel, the B-C bonds of the hydrogel undergo a reactive process, causing decomposition of the hydrogel. The pH indicator strip enables the visual monitoring of the viscosity change that occurs during the gel-sol transition. The quantification of H2O2 is accomplished by assessing the proportion of water coverage on the pH indicator strip. The sensor shows a detection limit of 0.077 wt% and is applicable for the quantitative measurement of H2O2 in routinely used disinfectants. Furthermore, the presence of catalase is effectively identified and the detection of catalase in milk is successfully fulfilled. In summary, this work proposes a simple, user-friendly, label-free, and cost-effective method for constructing a paper-based flow sensor using borate cross-linked polyvinyl alcohol hydrogel, showing great potential for detecting H2O2 and catalase in various practical scenarios.

Shexiang Tongxin Dropping Pill Promotes Angiogenesis through VEGF/eNOS Signaling Pathway on Diabetic Coronary Microcirculation Dysfunction.

OBJECTIVE: To study the effect of Shexiang Tongxin Dropping Pill (STDP) on angiogenesis in diabetic cardiomyopathy mice with coronary microcirculation dysfunction (CMD). METHODS: According to a random number table, 6 of 36 SPF male C57BL/6 mice were randomly selected as the control group, and the remaining 30 mice were injected with streptozotocin intraperitoneally to replicate the type 1 diabetes model. Mice successfully copied the diabetes model were randomly divided into the model group, STDP low-dose group [15 mg/(kg·d)], medium-dose group [30 mg/(kg·d)], high-dose group [60 mg/(kg·d)], and nicorandil group [15 mg/(kg·d)], 6 in each group. The drug was given by continuous gavage for 12 weeks. The cardiac function of mice in each group was detected at the end of the experiment, and coronary flow reserve (CFR) was detected by chest Doppler technique. Pathological changes of myocardium were observed by hematoxylin-eosin staining, collagen fiber deposition was detected by masson staining, the number of myocardial capillaries was detected by platelet endothelial cell adhesion molecule-1 staining, and the degree of myocardial hypertrophy was detected by wheat germ agglutinin staining. The expression of the vascular endothlial growth factor (VEGF)/endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) signaling pathway-related proteins in myocardial tissue was detected by Western blot. RESULTS: Compared with the model group, medium- and high-dose STDP significantly increased the left ventricular ejection fraction and left ventricular fraction shortening (P<0.01), obviously repaired the disordered cardiac muscle structure, reduced myocardial fibrosis, reduced myocardial cell area, increased capillary density, and increased CFR level (all P<0.01). Western blot showed that high-dose STDP could significantly increase the expression of VEGF and promote the phosphorylation of vascular endothelial growth factor receptor 2, phosphoinositide 3-kinase, protein kinase B, and eNOS (P<0.05 or P<0.01). CONCLUSION: STDP has a definite therapeutic effect on diabetic CMD, and its mechanism may be related to promoting angiogenesis through the VEGF/eNOS signaling pathway.

Learning an Autonomous Dynamic System to Encode Periodic Human Motion Skills.

Learning an autonomous dynamic system (ADS) encoding human motion rules has been shown as an effective way for human motion skills transfer. However, most existing approaches focus on goal-directed motion skills transfer, and the study on periodic motion skills transfer is rare. One popular approach for periodic motion skills transfer is learning periodic dynamic movement primitive (DMP); however, periodic DMP is sensitive to spatial disturbances due to the introduction of the phase parameters. To solve this issue, this brief presents a novel approach to learn an ADS with a stable limit cycle without introducing phase parameters. First, a data-driven Lyapunov function (energy function) is learned, such that one of its level surfaces is consistent with periodic human demonstration trajectories. Then, an ADS is learned by sequentially solving energy function-related constrained optimization problems. With a proper design of constraint functions, we can ensure that the trajectory generated by the ADS will converge to an energy function-level surface, of which the shape is similar to periodic human demonstration trajectories. Experiments are conducted to show the effectiveness of the proposed approach (PA).

Roles of RNA m5C modification patterns in prognosis and tumor microenvironment infiltration of diffuse large B-cell lymphoma.

Genetic and epigenetic aberrations display an essential role in the initiation and progression of diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL). 5-methylcytosine (m5C), a common RNA modification, regulates various cellular processes and contributes to tumorigenesis and cancer progression. However, m5C alterations in DLBCL remain unclear. Our research constructed an m5C prognostic model utilizing GEO data sets, which can efficiently predict the prognosis of patients with DLBCL, and verified the m5C prognostic model genes by immunohistochemistry analysis. This model was constructed using unsupervised consensus clustering analyses, Least Absolute Shrinkage and Selection Operator (LASSO), and multivariate Cox regression analyses. Based on the expression of m5C genes in the model, patients with DLBCL could be effectively divided into groups with significant survival time differences. The m5C risk-score signature demonstrated a highly significant independent prognostic value. Results from tumor microenvironment analyses revealed that m5C genes altered the infiltration of eosinophils, Tregs, and M2 macrophages. Additionally, they regulated T cell activation by modulating the expression of CTLA4, PDL1, B2M, CD8A, ICOS, and other relevant immune checkpoint expressions. In conclusion, our study presents a robust m5C prognostic model that effectively predicts prognosis in DLBCL. This model may offer a new approach for prognostic stratification and potential therapeutic interventions for patients with DLBCL.

Phosphodiesterase 8 (PDE8): Distribution and Cellular Expression and Association with Alzheimer's Disease.

Phosphodiesterase 8 (PDE8), as a member of PDE superfamily, specifically promotes the hydrolysis and degradation of intracellular cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP), which may be associated with pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease (AD). However, little is currently known about potential role in the central nervous system (CNS). Here we investigated the distribution and expression of PDE8 in brain of mouse, which we believe can provide evidence for studying the role of PDE8 in CNS and the relationship between PDE8 and AD. Here, C57BL/6J mice were used to observe the distribution patterns of two subtypes of PDE8, PDE8A and PDE8B, in different sexes in vivo by western blot (WB). Meanwhile, C57BL/6J mice were also used to demonstrate the distribution pattern of PDE8 in selected brain regions and localization in neural cells by WB and multiplex immunofluorescence staining. Furthermore, the triple transgenic (3×Tg-AD) mice and wild type (WT) mice of different ages were used to investigate the changes of PDE8 expression in the hippocampus and cerebral cortex during the progression of AD. PDE8 was found to be widely expressed in multiple tissues and organs including heart, kidney, stomach, brain, and liver, spleen, intestines, and uterus, with differences in expression levels between the two subtypes of PDE8A and PDE8B, as well as two sexes. Meanwhile, PDE8 was widely distributed in the brain, especially in areas closely related to cognitive function such as cerebellum, striatum, amygdala, cerebral cortex, and hippocampus, without differences between sexes. Furthermore, PDE8A was found to be expressed in neuronal cells, microglia and astrocytes, while PDE8B is only expressed in neuronal cells and microglia. PDE8A expression in the hippocampus of both female and male 3×Tg-AD mice was gradually increased with ages and PDE8B expression was upregulated only in cerebral cortex of female 3×Tg-AD mice with ages. However, the expression of PDE8A and PDE8B was apparently increased in both cerebral cortex and hippocampus in both female and male 10-month-old 3×Tg-AD mice compared WT mice. These results suggest that PDE8 may be associated with the progression of AD and is a potential target for its prevention and treatment in the future.

Long-term intravital subcellular imaging with confocal scanning light-field microscopy.

Long-term observation of subcellular dynamics in living organisms is limited by background fluorescence originating from tissue scattering or dense labeling. Existing confocal approaches face an inevitable tradeoff among parallelization, resolution and phototoxicity. Here we present confocal scanning light-field microscopy (csLFM), which integrates axially elongated line-confocal illumination with the rolling shutter in scanning light-field microscopy (sLFM). csLFM enables high-fidelity, high-speed, three-dimensional (3D) imaging at near-diffraction-limit resolution with both optical sectioning and low phototoxicity. By simultaneous 3D excitation and detection, the excitation intensity can be reduced below 1 mW mm-2, with 15-fold higher signal-to-background ratio over sLFM. We imaged subcellular dynamics over 25,000 timeframes in optically challenging environments in different species, such as migrasome delivery in mouse spleen, retractosome generation in mouse liver and 3D voltage imaging in Drosophila. Moreover, csLFM facilitates high-fidelity, large-scale neural recording with reduced crosstalk, leading to high orientation selectivity to visual stimuli, similar to two-photon microscopy, which aids understanding of neural coding mechanisms.

Loss of Bcl-3 regulates macrophage polarization by promoting macrophage glycolysis.

M1/M2 macrophage polarization plays an important role in regulating the balance of the microenvironment within tissues. Moreover, macrophage polarization involves the reprogramming of metabolism, such as glucose and lipid metabolism. Transcriptional coactivator B-cell lymphoma-3 (Bcl-3) is an atypical member of the IκB family that controls inflammatory factor levels in macrophages by regulating nuclear factor kappa B pathway activation. However, the relationship between Bcl-3 and macrophage polarization and metabolism remains unclear. In this study, we show that the knockdown of Bcl-3 in macrophages can regulate glycolysis-related gene expression by promoting the activation of the nuclear factor kappa B pathway. Furthermore, the loss of Bcl-3 was able to promote the interferon gamma/lipopolysaccharide-induced M1 macrophage polarization by accelerating glycolysis. Taken together, these results suggest that Bcl-3 may be a candidate gene for regulating M1 polarization in macrophages.

Investigating the Impact of Origins on the Quality Characteristics of Celery Seeds Based on Metabolite Analysis through HS-GC-IMS, HS-SPME-GC-MS and UPLC-ESI-MS/MS.

Celery seeds contain various bioactive compounds and are commonly used as a spice and nutritional supplement in people's daily lives. The quality of celery seeds sold on the market varies, and their regions of production are unclear. This study evaluated the metabolites of Chinese celery seeds from three production regions using HS-SPME-GC-MS, HS-GC-IMS, and UPLC-ESI-MS/MS. The results indicate that GC-IMS analysis obtained a metabolic profile different from that detected using GC-MS. Terpenoids, polyphenols, coumarins, and phthalides are the main bioactive compounds in celery seeds. The production region significantly affects the metabolic characteristics of celery seeds. Based on GC-MS data, GC-IMS data, and LC-MS data, the variation analysis screened 6, 12, and 8 metabolites as potential characteristic metabolites in celery seeds related to the production region, respectively. According to the aromatic characteristics of the characteristic metabolites, seeds from the HCQ region and HZC region have a strong herbal, woody, celery, and turpentine aroma. The concentration of secondary metabolites was highest in the seeds from the HCQ region followed by the HZC region, and it was the lowest in the JJC region. Altogether, this study investigates how geographical origins influence the metabolomic profile of celery seeds. The results can be used to guide the planting and harvesting of celery seeds in suitable regions.

Qualitative and Quantitative Analysis of Chemical Components in Yinhua Pinggan Granule with High-Performance Liquid Chromatography Coupled with Q-Exactive Mass Spectrometry.

Yinhua Pinggan Granule (YPG) is an approved compounded traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) prescription for the treatment of cold, cough, viral pneumonia, and related diseases. Due to its complicated chemical composition, the material basis of YPG has not been systematically investigated. In this study, an analytical method based on high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) coupled with Q-Exactive mass spectrometry was established. Together with the help of a self-built compound database and Compound Discoverer software 3.1, the chemical components in YPG were tentatively identified. Subsequently, six main components in YPG were quantitatively characterized with a high-performance liquid chromatography-diode array detector (HPLC-DAD) method. As a result, 380 components were annotated, including 19 alkaloids, 8 organic acids, 36 phenolic acids, 27 other phenols, 114 flavonoids, 75 flavonoid glycoside, 72 terpenes, 11 anthraquinones, and 18 other compounds. Six main components, namely, chlorogenic acid, puerarin, 3'-methoxypuerarin, polydatin, glycyrrhizic acid, and emodin, were quantified simultaneously. The calibration curves of all six analytes showed good linearity (R2 > 0.9990) within the test ranges. The precision, repeatability, stability, and recovery values were all in acceptable ranges. In addition, the total phenol content and DPPH scavenging activity of YPG were also determined. The systematic elucidation of the chemical components in YPG in this study may provide clear chemical information for the quality control and pharmacological research of YPG and related TCM compounded prescriptions.