Heterologous expression of P9 from Akkermansia muciniphila increases the GLP-1 secretion of intestinal L cells.

Glucagon-like peptide-1(GLP-1) is an incretin hormone secreted primarily from the intestinal L-cells in response to meals. GLP-1 is a key regulator of energy metabolism and food intake. It has been proven that P9 protein from A. muciniphila could increase GLP-1 release and improve glucose homeostasis in HFD-induced mice. To obtain an engineered Lactococcus lactis which produced P9 protein, mature polypeptide chain of P9 was codon-optimized, fused with N-terminal signal peptide Usp45, and expressed in L. lactis NZ9000. Heterologous secretion of P9 by recombinant L. lactis NZP9 were successfully detected by SDS-PAGE and western blotting. Notably, the supernatant of L. lactis NZP9 stimulated GLP-1 production of NCI-H716 cells. The relative expression level of GLP-1 biosynthesis gene GCG and PCSK1 were upregulated by 1.63 and 1.53 folds, respectively. To our knowledge, this is the first report on the secretory expression of carboxyl-terminal processing protease P9 from A. muciniphila in L. lactis. Our results suggest that genetically engineered L. lactis which expressed P9 may have therapeutic potential for the treatment of diabetes, obesity and other metabolic disorders.

Ciliogenesis-associated Kinase 1 Promotes Breast Cancer Cell Proliferation and Chemoresistance via Phosphorylating ERK1.

Ciliogenesis-associated kinase 1 (CILK1) plays a key role in the ciliogenesis and ciliopathies. It remains totally unclear whether CILK1 is involved in tumor progression and therapy resistance. Here, we report that the aberrant high-expression of CILK1 in breast cancer is required for tumor cell proliferation and chemoresistance. Two compounds, CILK1-C30 and CILK1-C28, were identified with selective inhibitory effects towards the Tyr-159/Thr-157 dual-phosphorylation of CILK1, pharmacological inhibition of CILK1 significantly suppressed tumor cell proliferation and overcame chemoresistance in multiple experimental models. Large-scale screen of CILK1 substrates confirmed that the kinase directly phosphorylates ERK1, which is responsible for CILK1-mediated oncogenic function. CILK1 is also indicated to be responsible for the chemoresistance of small-cell lung cancer cells. Our data highlight the importance of CILK1 in cancer, implicating that targeting CILK1/ERK1 might offer therapeutic benefit to cancer patients.

Improved accuracy of spectral-domain optical coherence tomography and optical coherence tomography angiography for monitoring myopic macular neovascularisation activity.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: To evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (SD OCT) combined with OCT angiography (OCTA) for myopic myopic macular neovascularisation (MNV) activity. METHODS: Both eyes of patients with myopic MNV diagnosed with fluorescein angiography (FA), SD OCT and OCTA were assessed by unmasked investigators. The images were deidentified and randomised before graded by masked investigators, who determined the presence of active myopic MNV by using SD OCT together with OCTA without FA and by FA alone, respectively. The findings of masked investigators were compared with unmasked investigators. RESULTS: 213 eyes of 110 patients comprising 499 imaging episodes were eligible for grading. For diagnosing new-onset myopic MNV without FA, combined use of SD OCT and OCTA had a sensitivity of 0.94, specificity of 0.84 and area under the curve (AUC) of 0.92. FA had a sensitivity of 0.52 (p<0.01), specificity of 0.80 (p=0.38) and AUC of 0.66 (p<0.01). For recurrent myopic MNV, the combination of SD OCT and OCTA had a sensitivity of 0.98, specificity of 0.78 and AUC of 0.88. FA had a sensitivity of 0.50 (p=0.04), specificity of 0.76 (p=0.85) and AUC of 0.63 (p=0.01). Myopic traction maculopathy was more frequently associated with recurrent myopic MNV (p<0.01). CONCLUSION: SD OCT with dense volumetric scan was highly sensitive for diagnosing myopic MNV. The addition of OCTA improved the diagnostic specificity without FA. Monitoring of the longitudinal changes on SD OCT and judicious use of FA is a reliable surveillance strategy for myopic MNV.

Microstructural changes of the white matter in systemic lupus erythematosus patients without neuropsychiatric symptoms: a multi-shell diffusion imaging study.

BACKGROUND: Diffusion kurtosis imaging (DKI) and neurite orientation dispersion and density imaging (NODDI) provide more comprehensive and informative perspective on microstructural alterations of cerebral white matter (WM) than single-shell diffusion tensor imaging (DTI), especially in the detection of crossing fiber. However, studies on systemic lupus erythematosus patients without neuropsychiatric symptoms (non-NPSLE patients) using multi-shell diffusion imaging remain scarce. METHODS: Totally 49 non-NPSLE patients and 41 age-, sex-, and education-matched healthy controls underwent multi-shell diffusion magnetic resonance imaging. Totally 10 diffusion metrics based on DKI (fractional anisotropy, mean diffusivity, axial diffusivity, radial diffusivity, mean kurtosis, axial kurtosis and radial kurtosis) and NODDI (neurite density index, orientation dispersion index and volume fraction of the isotropic diffusion compartment) were evaluated. Tract-based spatial statistics (TBSS) and atlas-based region-of-interest (ROI) analyses were performed to determine group differences in brain WM microstructure. The associations of multi-shell diffusion metrics with clinical indicators were determined for further investigation. RESULTS: TBSS analysis revealed reduced FA, AD and RK and increased ODI in the WM of non-NPSLE patients (P < 0.05, family-wise error corrected), and ODI showed the best discriminative ability. Atlas-based ROI analysis found increased ODI values in anterior thalamic radiation (ATR), inferior frontal-occipital fasciculus (IFOF), forceps major (F_major), forceps minor (F_minor) and uncinate fasciculus (UF) in non-NPSLE patients, and the right ATR showed the best discriminative ability. ODI in the F_major was positively correlated to C3. CONCLUSION: This study suggested that DKI and NODDI metrics can complementarily detect WM abnormalities in non-NPSLE patients and revealed ODI as a more sensitive and specific biomarker than DKI, guiding further understanding of the pathophysiological mechanism of normal-appearing WM injury in SLE.

HMGB2 is a biomarker associated with poor prognosis promoting radioresistance in glioma by targeting base excision repair pathway.

BACKGROUND: High mobility group box 2 (HMGB2) is considered as a biomarker of poor prognosis in various cancers.This study aims to investigate the effect and mechanism of HMGB2 in gliomas. METHODS: With the glioma related on-line and our local hospital databases, the expression differences of HMGB2,Kaplan-Meier survival analysis and COX regression analysis were performed.The correlation analysis between the clinicopathological features and imaging parameters with the HMGB2 expression had been done. Then GSEA and PPI networks were carried out to find out the most significant pathway. The pathway inhibitor was applied to verify HMGB2's participation. CCK8,EDU assays,γ-H2AX immunofluorescence staining and colony formation assay were conducted to observe effects on glioma cells. RESULTS: Available datasets showed that HMGB2 was highly expressed in glioma and patients with high expression of HMGB2 had poorer prognosis and molecular characteristics. Protein level evidence of western blot and immunohistochemistry from our center supported the conclusions above. Analysis on imaging features suggested that HMGB2 expression level had an inverse association with ADCmean but positively with the thickness of enhancing margin. Results from GSEA and PPI network analysis exhibited that HMGB2 was involved in base excision repair (BER) signaling pathway. Experimental evidence demonstrated that the overexpression of HMGB2 promoted the proliferation of glioma cells and enhanced the radio-resistance. CONCLUSIONS: HMGB2 could promote glioma development and enhance the radioresistance of glioma cells, potentially related to the BER pathway, suggesting it may serve as an underlying biomarker for patients with glioma.

MEMS Oscillators-Network-Based Ising Machine with Grouping Method.

Combinatorial optimization (CO) has a broad range of applications in various fields, including operations research, computer science, and artificial intelligence. However, many of these problems are classified as nondeterministic polynomial-time (NP)-complete or NP-hard problems, which are known for their computational complexity and cannot be solved in polynomial time on traditional digital computers. To address this challenge, continuous-time Ising machine solvers have been developed, utilizing different physical principles to map CO problems to ground state finding. However, most Ising machine prototypes operate at speeds comparable to digital hardware and rely on binarizing node states, resulting in increased system complexity and further limiting operating speed. To tackle these issues, a novel device-algorithm co-design method is proposed for fast sub-optimal solution finding with low hardware complexity. On the device side, a piezoelectric lithium niobate (LiNbO3) microelectromechanical system (MEMS) oscillator network-based Ising machine without second-harmonic injection locking (SHIL) is devised to solve Max-cut and graph coloring problems. The LiNbO3 oscillator operates at speeds greater than 9 GHz, making it one of the fastest oscillatory Ising machines. System-wise, an innovative grouping method is used that achieves a performance guarantee of 0.878 for Max-cut and 0.658 for graph coloring problems, which is comparable to Ising machines that utilize binarization.

A Novel Peptidomimetic Insecticide: Dippu-AstR-Based Rational Design and Biological Activity of Allatostatin Analogs.

Insect neuropeptides play an essential role in regulating growth, development, reproduction, nerve conduction, metabolism, and behavior in insects; therefore, G protein-coupled receptors of neuropeptides are considered important targets for designing green insecticides. Cockroach-type allatostatins (ASTs) (FGLamides allatostatins) are important insect neuropeptides in Diploptera punctata that inhibit juvenile hormone (JH) synthesis in the corpora allata and affect growth, development, and reproduction of insects. Therefore, the pursuit of novel insecticides targeting the allatostatin receptor (AstR) holds significant importance. Previously, we identified an AST analogue, H17, as a promising candidate for pest control. Herein, we first modeled the 3D structure of AstR in D. punctata (Dippu-AstR) and predicted the binding mode of H17 with Dippu-AstR to study the critical interactions and residues favorable to its bioactivity. Based on this binding mode, we designed and synthesized a series of H17 derivatives and assessed their insecticidal activity against D. punctata. Among them, compound Q6 showed higher insecticidal activity than H17 against D. punctata by inhibiting JH biosynthesis, indicating that Q6 is a potential candidate for a novel insect growth regulator (IGR)-based insecticide. Moreover, Q6 exhibited insecticidal activity against Plutella xylostella, indicating that these AST analogs may have a wider insecticidal spectrum. The underlying mechanisms and molecular conformations mediating the interactions of Q6 with Dippu-AstR were explored to understand its effects on the bioactivity. The present work clarifies how a target-based strategy facilitates the discovery of new peptide mimics with better bioactivity, enabling improved IGR-based insecticide potency in sustainable agriculture.

Intravital imaging of the human cornea reveals the differential effects of season on innate and adaptive immune cell morphodynamics.

PURPOSE: While the external environment has been shown to shape the systemic human immune landscape, defining the in vivo immune status of peripheral tissues has remained a technical challenge. We recently developed functional in vivo confocal microscopy (Fun-IVCM) for dynamic, longitudinal imaging of corneal immune cells in living humans. This study investigated the effect of seasonal-driven environmental factors on the density, morphology and dynamic behavior of human corneal immune cell subsets. DESIGN: Longitudinal, observational clinical study. PARTICIPANTS: Sixteen healthy participants (18-40 years) attended two visits in distinct seasons in Melbourne, Australia (Visit 1: Spring/Summer: November-December 2021; Visit 2: Autumn/Winter: April-June 2022). METHODS: Environmental data were collected over each period. Participants underwent ocular surface examinations and corneal Fun-IVCM (Heidelberg HRT-3, Rostock Corneal Module). Volume scans (80µm) were acquired at 5.5±1.5 minute intervals, for up to five timepoints. Time-lapse videos were created to analyze corneal immune cells, comprising epithelial T cells and dendritic cells (DCs), and stromal macrophages. Tear cytokines were analyzed using multiplex bead-based immunoassay. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Difference in the density, morphological and dynamic parameters of corneal immune cell subsets over the study periods. RESULTS: Visit 1 was characterized by higher temperature, lower humidity, and higher air particulate and pollen levels than Visit 2. Clinical ocular surface parameters, and the density of immune cell subsets were similar across visits. At Visit 1 (Spring/Summer), corneal epithelial DCs were larger and more elongated, with a lower dendrite probing speed (0.38±0.21 vs 0.68±0.33µm/min, p<0.001) relative to Visit 2; stromal macrophages were more circular and had less dynamic activity (Visit 1: 7.2±1.9 vs Visit 2: 10.3±3.7 'dancing index', p<0.001). T cell morphology and dynamics were unchanged across periods. Basal tear levels of IL-2 and CXCL10 were lower during Spring/Summer. CONCLUSION: This novel study shows that the in vivo morphodynamics of innate corneal immune cells (DCs, macrophages) are modified by environmental factors, but such effects are not evident for adaptive immune cells (T cells). The cornea is a potential non-invasive, in vivo 'window' to season-dependent changes to the human immune system, with capacity to yield new insight into environmental influences on immune regulation.

Modified lignin can achieve mitigation of ammonia and greenhouse gas emissions simultaneously in composting.

The constant ammonia gas (NH3) and greenhouse gases (GHG) emissions were considered as a deep-rooted problem in composting which caused air pollution and global climate change. To achieve the mitigation of NH3 and GHG, a novel additive derived from wasted straw, with modified structure and functional groups, has been developed. Results showed that the adsorption capacity of modified lignin (ML) for both ammonium and nitrate was significantly increased by 132.5-360.8 % and 313.7-454.3 % comparing with biochar (BC) and phosphogypsum (PG) after reconstructing porous structure and grafting R-COOH, R-SO3H functional groups. The application of ML could reduce 36.3 % NH3 emission during composting compared with control. Furthermore, the synergetic mitigation NH3 and GHG in ML treatment resulted in a reduction of global warming potential (GWP) by 31.0-64.6 % compared with BC and PG. These findings provide evidence that ML can be a feasible strategy to effectively alleviate NH3 and GHG emissions in composting.

A dynamic brain network decomposition method discovers effective brain hemodynamic sub-networks for Parkinson's disease.

Objective.Dopaminergic treatment is effective for Parkinson's disease (PD). Nevertheless, the conventional treatment assessment mainly focuses on human-administered behavior examination while the underlying functional improvements have not been well explored. This paper aims to investigate brain functional variations of PD patients after dopaminergic therapy.Approach.This paper proposed a dynamic brain network decomposition method and discovered brain hemodynamic sub-networks that well characterized the efficacy of dopaminergic treatment in PD. Firstly, a clinical walking procedure with functional near-infrared spectroscopy was developed, and brain activations during the procedure from fifty PD patients under the OFF and ON states (without and with dopaminergic medication) were captured. Then, dynamic brain networks were constructed with sliding-window analysis of phase lag index and integrated time-varying functional networks across all patients. Afterwards, an aggregated network decomposition algorithm was formulated based on aggregated effectiveness optimization of functional networks in spanning network topology and cross-validation network variations, and utilized to unveil effective brain hemodynamic sub-networks for PD patients. Further, dynamic sub-network features were constructed to characterize the brain flexibility and dynamics according to the temporal switching and activation variations of discovered sub-networks, and their correlations with differential treatment-induced gait alterations were analyzed.Results.The results demonstrated that PD patients exhibited significantly enhanced flexibility after dopaminergic therapy within a sub-network related to the improvement of motor functions. Other sub-networks were significantly correlated with trunk-related axial symptoms and exhibited no significant treatment-induced dynamic interactions.Significance.The proposed method promises a quantified and objective approach for dopaminergic treatment evaluation. Moreover, the findings suggest that the gait of PD patients comprises distinct motor domains, and the corresponding neural controls are selectively responsive to dopaminergic treatment.

Pre-diagnostic plasma proteomics profile for hepatocellular carcinoma.

OBJECTIVE: Proteomics may discover pathophysiological changes related to hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), an aggressive and lethal type of cancer with low sensitivity for early-stage diagnosis. DESIGN: We measured 1,305 pre-diagnostic (median 12.7 years) SOMAscan proteins from 54 pairs of healthy individuals who subsequently developed HCC and matched non-HCC controls from the Nurses' Health Study (NHS) and the Health Professionals Follow-up Study (HPFS). Candidate proteins were validated in the independent, prospective UK Biobank Pharma Proteomics Project (UKB-PPP). RESULTS: In NHS/HPFS, we identified 56 elevated proteins in HCC with absolute fold-change >1.2 and Wald test P < .05 in conditional logistic regression analysis. Ingenuity Pathway Analysis identified enrichment of pathways associated with cell viability, adhesion, proteolysis, apoptosis, and inflammatory response. Four proteins, chitinase-3-like protein 1, growth/differentiation factor 15, interleukin-1 receptor antagonist protein, and E-selectin, showed strong positive associations with HCC and were thus validated by ELISA (odds ratio ranged 2.48-14.7, all P < .05) in the NHS/HPFS and by Olink platform (hazard ratio ranged 1.90-3.93, all P < .05) in the UKB-PPP. Adding these four proteins to a logistic regression model of traditional HCC risk factors increased the area under the curve (AUC) from 0.67 to 0.87 in the NHS/HPFS. Consistently, model AUC was 0.88 for HCC risk prediction in the UKB-PPP. CONCLUSION: However, the limited number of HCC cases in the cohorts necessitates caution in interpreting our findings, emphasizing the need for further validation in high-risk populations.

Selective Lattice Doping Enables a Low-Cost, High-Capacity and Long-Lasting Potassium Layered Oxide Cathode for Potassium and Sodium Storage.

Layered transition metal oxides are highly promising host materials for K ions, owing to their high theoretical capacities and appropriate operational potentials. To address the intrinsic issues of KxMnO2 cathodes and optimize their electrochemical properties, a novel P3-type oxide doped with carefully chosen cost-effective, electrochemically active and multi-functional elements is proposed, namely K0.57Cu0.1Fe0.1Mn0.8O2. Compared to the pristine K0.56MnO2, its reversible specific is increased from 104 to 135 mAh g-1. In addition, the Cu and Fe co-doping triples the capacity under high current densities, and contributes to long-term stability over 500 cycles with a capacity retention of 68 %. Such endeavor holds the potential to make potassium-ion batteries particularly competitive for application in sustainable, low-cost, and large-scale energy storage devices. In addition, the cathode is also extended for sodium storage. Facilitated by the interlayer K ions that protect the layered structure from collapsing and expand the diffusion pathway for sodium ions, the cathode shows a high reversible capacity of 144 mAh g-1, fast kinetics and a long lifespan over 1000 cycles. The findings offer a novel pathway for the development of high-performance and cost-effective sodium-ion batteries.

Ionic Liquid Transdermal Patches of Two Active Ingredients Based on Semi-Ionic Hydrogen Bonding for Rheumatoid Arthritis Treatment.

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic autoimmune disease that leads to deformities and disabilities in patients. Conventional treatment focuses on delaying progression; therefore, new treatments are necessary. The present study reported a novel ionic liquid transdermal platform for efficient RA treatment, and the underlying mechanism was elucidated using FTIR, 1H-NMR, Raman, XPS, and molecular simulations. The results showed that the reversibility of the semi-ionic hydrogen bonding facilitated high drug loading and enhanced drug permeability. Actarit's drug loading had an approximately 11.34-times increase. The in vitro permeability of actarit and ketoprofen was improved by 5.46 and 2.39 times, respectively. And they had the same significant effect in vivo. Furthermore, through the integration of network pharmacology, Western blotting (WB), and radiology analyses, the significant osteoprotective effects of SIHDD-PSA (semi-ionic H-bond double-drug pressure-sensitive adhesive transdermal patch) were revealed through the modulation of the JAK-STAT pathway. The SIHDD-PSA significantly reduced paw swelling and inflammation in the rat model, and stimulatory properties evaluation confirmed the safety of SIHDD-PSA. In conclusion, these findings provide a novel approach for the effective treatment of RA, and the semi-ionic hydrogen bonding strategy contributes a new theoretical basis for developing TDDS.

4'-O-methylbavachalcone alleviates ischemic stroke injury by inhibiting parthanatos and promoting SIRT3.

Cerebral ischemia-reperfusion injury (CIRI) can induce massive death of ischemic penumbra neurons via oxygen burst, exacerbating brain damage. Parthanatos is a form of caspase-independent cell death involving excessive activation of PARP-1, closely associated with intense oxidative stress following CIRI. 4'-O-methylbavachalcone (MeBavaC), an isoprenylated chalcone component in Fructus Psoraleae, has potential neuroprotective effects. This study primarily investigates whether MeBavaC can act on SIRT3 to alleviate parthanatos of ischemic penumbra neurons induced by CIRI. MeBavaC was oral gavaged to the middle cerebral artery occlusion-reperfusion (MCAO/R) rats after occlusion. The effects of MeBavaC on cerebral injury were detected by the neurological deficit score and cerebral infarct volume. In vitro, PC-12 cells were subjected to oxygen and glucose deprivation/reoxygenation (OGD/R), and assessed cell viability and cell injury. Also, the levels of ROS, mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP), and intracellular Ca2+ levels were detected to reflect mitochondrial function. We conducted western blotting analyses of proteins involved in parthanatos and related signaling pathways. Finally, the exact mechanism between the neuroprotection of MeBavaC and parthanatos was explored. Our results indicate that MeBavaC reduces the cerebral infarct volume and neurological deficit scores in MCAO/R rats, and inhibits the decreased viability of PC-12 cells induced by OGD/R. MeBavaC also downregulates the expression of parthanatos-related death proteins PARP-1, PAR, and AIF. However, this inhibitory effect is weakened after the use of a SIRT3 inhibitor. In conclusion, the protective effect of MeBavaC against CIRI may be achieved by inhibiting parthanatos of ischemic penumbra neurons through the SIRT3-PARP-1 axis.

Novel Nonthermal Atmospheric Plasma Irradiation of Titanium Implants Promotes Osteogenic Effect in Osteoporotic Conditions.

Osteoporosis is a metabolic disease characterized by bone density and trabecular bone loss. Bone loss may affect dental implant osseointegration in patients with osteoporosis. To promote implant osseointegration in osteoporotic patients, we further used a nonthermal atmospheric plasma (NTAP) treatment device previously developed by our research group. After the titanium implant (Ti) is placed into the device, the working gas flow and the electrode switches are turned on, and the treatment is completed in 30 s. Previous studies showed that this NTAP device can remove carbon contamination from the implant surface, increase the hydroxyl groups, and improve its wettability to promote osseointegration in normal conditions. In this study, we demonstrated the tremendous osteogenic enhancement effect of NTAP-Ti in osteoporotic conditions in rats for the first time. Compared to Ti, the proliferative potential of osteoporotic bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells on NTAP-Ti increased by 180% at 1 day (P = 0.004), while their osteogenic differentiation increased by 149% at 14 days (P < 0.001). In addition, the results indicated that NTAP-Ti significantly improved osseointegration in osteoporotic rats in vivo. Compared to the Ti, the bone volume fraction (BV/TV) and trabecular number (Tb.N) values of NTAP-Ti in osteoporotic rats, respectively, increased by 18% (P < 0.001) and 25% (P = 0.007) at 6 weeks and the trabecular separation (Tb.Sp) value decreased by 26% (P = 0.02) at 6 weeks. In conclusion, this study proved a novel NTAP irradiation titanium implant that can significantly promote osseointegration in osteoporotic conditions.

Meta-analysis addressing the potential of antibiotic resistance gene elimination through aerobic composting.

The significant increase in antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) in organic solid wastes (OSWs) has emerged as a major threat to the food chain. Aerobic composting is a widely used technology for OSW management, with the potential to influence the fate of AGRs. However, the variability of the ARG elimination effects reported in different studies has highlighted the uncertainty regarding the effects of composting on ARGs. To identify the potential of composting in reducing ARG and the factors (e.g., composting technologies and physiochemical properties) influence ARG changes, a meta-analysis was conducted with a database including 4,232 observations. The abundances of ARGs and mobile genetic elements (MGEs) can be substantially reduced by 74.3% and 78.8%, respectively, via aerobic composting. During composting, the ARG levels in chicken and swine manure tended to be reduced more significantly (81.7% and 78.0%) compared to those in cattle manure (52.3%) and sewage sludge (32.6%). The reduction rate of sulfonamide resistant genes was only 35.3%, which was much lower than those of other types. MGEs and composting duration (CD) were identified as the most important factors driving ARG changes during composting. These findings provide a comprehensive insight into the effects of composting on ARG reduction, which may help prevent the transmission in food systems.

A study of the molecular mechanism of action of Jiawei Guizhishaoyaozhimu Decoction during rheumatoid arthritis therapy based on basic of network pharmacology and experimental verification.

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic autoimmune disease, which primarily affects the joints. The aim of the present study was to predict the main active ingredients of Jiawei Guizhishaoyaozhimu Decoction (JWGZSYZMD) and potential targets of this treatment during RA therapy by using molecular docking and network pharmacology methods. In addition, another aim was to investigate the therapeutic effects and mechanism of JWGZSYZMD on joint inflammation in rat models of collagen Ⅱ-induced arthritis (CIA). JWGZSYZMD ingredients and targets and genes associated with RA first extracted from traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) Systems Pharmacology Database and Analysis Platform, Bioinformatics Analysis Tool of Molecular Mechanism-TCM and Genecards databases, which were then transferred to the STRING database to set up protein interaction networks. The crystal structures of target proteins were also downloaded from the Protein Data Bank before molecular docking of compounds onto the protein targets was performed using AutoDock Vina software. In addition, a drug compound target visualization network was constructed using Cytoscape 3.7.2 software, which was used to elucidate the main mechanism underlying the anti-RA effect of JWGZSYZMD. A CIA rat model was established and animals were divided into the control, CIA model, JWGZSYZMD treatment (low-, medium- and high-dose) and tripterygium glycoside groups. Compared with the rats in the CIA model group, the joint scores of the rats in the high-dose group of JWGZSYZMD were significantly lower after 21 days of treatment. The expression levels of IL-6, TNF-α, IL-1ß and IL-17A in the synovial supernatant of the model rats were lower compared with those in the CIA group. Also, the expression of the aforementioned cytokines in the high-dose JWGZSYZMD group was significantly lower compared with those in the CIA model group. To conclude, using molecular docking combined with network pharmacology, the material basis and molecular mechanism underlying the effects of JWGZSYZMD during RA therapy were studied, which could potentially provide a reference for future clinical applications.

Robust Tunability and Newly Emerged Q Resonance of Ba0.8Sr0.2TiO3-Based Microwave Capacitors under Gamma Irradiations.

The complex resonance of dielectric quality factor Q, combined with a capacitance tunability n higher than 3:1 without any dispersion, was achieved in the voltage-tunable interdigital capacitors (IDCs) based on epitaxial Ba0.8Sr0.2TiO3 ferroelectric thin films across the microwave L (1-2 GHz), S (2-4 GHz), and C (4-8 GHz) bands at room temperature. The resonant Q and n features were driven by the microwave responses of the ferroelectric nanodomains engineered in the films. To promote their application in space radiation environments, the evolutions of Q and n both as functions of frequency f (1-8 GHz) and applied electric field E (0-240 kV/cm) were systematically investigated under a series of gamma-ray irradiations up to 100 kGy. The robust capacitance tunability was accompanied by the emergence of an additional Q resonance at 2.3 GHz in most post-irradiated devices, which is ascribed to extra polar nanoregions of expanded surface lattices associated with oxygen vacancies induced by irradiations.