The More Natural the Window, the Healthier the Isolated People-A Pathway Analysis in Xi'an, China, during the COVID-19 Pandemic.

This study explores how windows with a green view might affect the mental health (i.e., depressive/anxiety symptoms) of home-isolated populations. An online survey was conducted among 508 adults isolated under government quarantine policies for COVID-19 emergency pandemic control between 10 and 20 January 2022 in Xi'an, China. Structural equation modeling was employed to identify the pathways from green view through windows to isolated people's depressive/anxiety symptoms. The relative frequency of plant/water exposure through windows was associated with fewer depressive/anxiety symptoms. Home-isolated people during COVID-19 reported better mental health when they were exposed to more natural settings. These findings could inspire public health authorities to adopt nature-based solutions to mitigate the adverse mental health consequences of isolated populations during the pandemic.

Transition-metal-free, one-pot synthesis of benzoxaboroles from o-bromobenzaldehydes via visible-light-promoted borylation.

A novel and simple one-pot stepwise method to synthesize benzoxaboroles was demonstrated. This step-by-step synthetic method includes photocatalytic boronization with phenothiazine as a photocatalyst and sequential water-induced reduction in the presence of bis(pinacolato)diboron. A series of o-bromobenzaldehydes were well-tolerated under the standard conditions. In addition, this method has been successfully applied in the synthesis of the anti-tuberculosis candidate drug GSK 3036656 and anti-fungal drug tavaborole.

Fuzheng Quxie Decoction Ameliorates Learning and Memory Impairment in SAMP8 Mice by Decreasing Tau Hyperphosphorylation.

Hyperphosphorylation of the microtubule-associated protein, tau, is critical to the progression of Alzheimer's disease (AD). Fuzheng Quxie Decoction (FQD), a Chinese herbal complex, is an effective clinical formula used to treat AD. In the current study, we employed high-performance liquid chromatography and liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry to identify the components of FQD. Three major components (ginsenoside Rg1, ginsenoside Re, and coptisine) were detected in the brain of FQD-fed mice, indicating their ability to cross the blood-brain barrier. We further evaluated the efficacy of FQD on Senescence-Accelerated Mice Prone-8 (SAMP8) mice. FQD significantly ameliorated learning and memory deficits in SAMP8 mice on the Morris Water Maze, decreasing escape latency (p < 0.01) and increasing swim time within the original platform-containing quadrant (p < 0.05). Further, FQD increased the number of neurons and intraneuronal Nissl bodies in the hippocampal CA1 region. FQD also decreased the expression of phosphorylated tau protein and increased the expression of protein phosphatase 2A (PP2A) and the N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor subunit, NR2A (p < 0.01). Our results indicate that FQD improves the learning and memory ability of SAMP8 mice. Moreover, our findings suggest that the protective effect of FQD is likely mediated through an inhibition of hippocampal tau hyperphosphorylation via NMDAR/PP2A-associated proteins.

Traditional Chinese Medicine Huannao Yicong Decoction Extract Decreases Tau Hyperphosphorylation in the Brain of Alzheimer's Disease Model Rats Induced by Aß1-42.

Objective. Huannao Yicong Decoction (HYD, ) has been shown to improve the learning and memory capabilities of Alzheimer's disease (AD) subjects. However, the underlying mechanism remains to be determined. Methods. Sixty Sprague-Dawley rats were divided equally and randomly into five different groups including control, positive control, and HYD granules of low dose, medium dose, and high dose by daily gavage. The sham-treated rats were also given the same volume of sterile water by gavage. Twelve SD rats were treated with the same amount of physiological saline. Twelve weeks later, learning and memory capabilities, Aß content of the right brain and the expression of glycogen synthase kinase-3ß (GSK-3ß), total tau protein kinase (TTBK1), and cyclin-dependent kinase-5 (CDK-5) were tested. Results. Our results showed that high dose HYD treatment significantly improved the learning and memory capability of the AD rats and decreased the expression of TTBK1, GSK-3ß, and CDK-5 in the hippocampal CA1 region. Conclusions. HYD treatment for 12 weeks significantly improved spatial learning and memory and effectively inhibited Aß deposition, likely via reducing tau protein kinase expression and thus tau hyperphosphorylation and inflammatory injury. Taken together, these results suggest that HYD could be an effective treatment for AD.

The avian pathogenic Escherichia coli O2 strain E058 carrying the defined aerobactin-defective iucD or iucDiutA mutation is less virulent in the chicken.

The expression of aerobactin accounts for much of the pathogenesis of avian pathogenic Escherichia coli (APEC). iucA, iucB, iucC and iucD are involved in aerobactin synthesis and iutA is responsible for the expression of a specific outer membrane receptor protein for ferric aerobactin. Knockout mutants of iucD and iucDiutA in the APEC O2 strain E058 were constructed and named E058ΔiucD and E058ΔiucDΔiutA, respectively. To evaluate the pathogenicity of these mutants, we used multiple approaches to assess the effects of mutations on the virulence of APEC E058. Aerobactin-defective mutants E058ΔiucD and E058ΔiucDΔiutA showed significantly decreased pathogenicity compared with the wild-type strain E058, evidenced by the low extent of colonization in selected organs or being outcompeted by E058 in vivo. Chickens challenged with APEC E058 exhibited typical signs and lesions of avian colibacillosis, while those inoculated with the mutants E058ΔiucD or E058ΔiucDΔiutA showed moderate airsacculitis, mild pericarditis and perihepatitis. However, no significant differences in resistance to specific-pathogen-free chicken serum, ingestion by HD-11 cells, and growth rates in LB were observed between the mutants and the wild-type strain. These results indicated that the IucD- and IutA-related virulence factors play a significant role in the pathogenesis of the APEC strain E058.