Waterlogging in soil restricts the growth of Gleditsia sinensis seedlings and inhibits the accumulation of lignans and phenolic acids in thorns.

Gleditsia sinensis, commonly known as Chinese Zaojiao, has important economic value and medicinal compounds in its fruits and thorns, making it widely cultivated artificially in China. However, the available literature on the impact of waterlogging on the growth of G. sinensis seedlings and the accumulation of metabolite compounds in its thorns is limited. To address this knowledge gap, G. sinensis seedlings were planted in soil supplemented with pindstrup substrate, which enhances the water-holding capacity of the soil. The analyses of morphological traits and nutrient elements in one-year-old G. sinensis seedlings grown naturally under ambient conditions and metabolite accumulation in its thorns were conducted. The results showed that the waterlogged soil significantly diminished the height, fresh weight, and dry weight of seedling roots and stems (P < 0.05). Furthermore, waterlogging hindered the uptake of iron (Fe) and manganese (Mn), as well as the transport of potassium (K). The identified metabolites within the thorns were categorized into 16 distinct groups. Relative to the control soil, fatty acids and derivatives were the most down-regulated metabolites in the waterlogged soil, accounting for 40.58% of the total metabolites, followed by lignans (38.71%), phenolic acids (34.48%), saccharides and alcohols (34.15%), steroids (16.67%), alkaloids (12.24%), flavonoids (9.28%), and glycerophospholipids (7.41%). Conversely, nucleotides and derivatives experienced the greatest up-regulation in the waterlogged soil, accounting for 50.00% of the total metabolites. In conclusion, waterlogging negatively impacted the growth of G. sinensis seedlings and inhibited the accumulation of metabolites. Hence, when considering the accumulation of secondary metabolites such as lignans and phenolic acids, appropriate management of soil moisture levels should be taken into account.

Uterus-preserving surgical management of placenta accreta spectrum disorder: a large retrospective study.

BACKGROUND: The two-child policy implemented in China resulted in a surge of high-risk pregnancies among advanced maternal aged women and presented a window of opportunity to identify a large number of placenta accreta spectrum (PAS) cases, which often invoke severe blood loss and hysterectomy. We thus had an opportunity to evaluate the surgical outcomes of a unique conservative PAS management strategy for uterus preservation, and the impacts of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in PAS surgical planning. METHODS: Cross-sectional study, comparing the outcomes of a new uterine artery ligation combined with clover suturing technique (UAL + CST) with the existing conservative surgical approaches in a maternal public hospital with an annual birth of more than 20,000 neonates among all placenta previa cases suspecting of PAS between January 1, 2015 and December 31, 2018. RESULTS: From a total of 89,397 live births, we identified 210 PAS cases from 400 singleton pregnancies with placenta previa. Aside from 2 self-requested natural births (low-lying placenta), all PAS cases had safe cesarean deliveries without any total hysterectomy. Compared with the existing approaches, the evaluated UAL + CST had a significant reduction in intraoperative blood loss (ß=-312 ml, P < .001), RBC transfusion (ß=-1.08 unit, P = .001), but required more surgery time (ß = 16.43 min, P = .01). MRI-measured placenta thickness, when above 50 mm, can increase blood loss (ß = 315 ml, P = .01), RBC transfusion (ß = 1.28 unit, P = .01), surgery time (ß = 48.84 min, P < .001) and hospital stay (ß = 2.58 day, P < .001). A majority of percreta patients resumed normal menstrual cycle within 12 months with normal menstrual fluid volume, without abnormal urination or defecation. CONCLUSIONS: A conservative surgical management approach of UAL + CST for PAS is safe and effective with a low complication rate. MRI might be useful for planning PAS surgery. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: ChiCTR2000035202.

Cancer cell-derived exosomal miR-425-3p induces white adipocyte atrophy.

White adipose tissue wasting plays a critical role in the development and progression of cancer cachexia. However, the mechanism behind the loss of adipose tissue remains ill-defined. In this study, we found that cancer cell-derived exosomes highly expressed miR-425-3p. Administration of cancer cell-derived exosomes significantly inhibited proliferation and differentiation of human preadipocytes-viscereal (HPA-v) cells. In mature adipocytes, cancer cell-derived exosomes activated cAMP/PKA signalling and lipophagy, leading to adipocyte lipolysis and browning of white adipocytes. These exosomes-induced alterations were almost abolished by endocytosis inhibitor cytochalasin D (CytoD) and antagomiR-425-3p, or reproduced by miR-425-3p mimics. In addition, bioinformatics analysis and luciferase reporter assay revealed that miR-425-3p directly targeted proliferation-related genes such as GATA2, IGFBP4, MMP15, differentiation-related gene CEBPA, and phosphodiesterase 4B gene (PDE4B). Depletion of PDE4B enhanced cAMP/PKA signalling and lipophagy, but had no effects on HPA-v proliferation and differentiation. Taken together, these results suggested that cancer cell-derived exosomal miR-425-3p inhibited preadipocyte proliferation and differentiation, increased adipocyte lipolysis, and promoted browning of white adipocytes, all of which might contribute to adipocyte atrophy and ultimately the loss of adipose tissue in cancer cachexia.Abbreviations: ADPN: adiponectin; aP2: adipocyte protein 2 or fatty acid binding protein 4 (FABP4); BCA: bicinchoninic acid assay; BFA: bafilomycin A1; BMI: body mass index; C/EBP: CCAAT/enhancer binding protein; CEBPA: CCAAT/enhancer-binding protein-alpha; C-Exo: cancer cell-derived exosomes; CNTL: control; CREB: cAMP-response element binding protein; CytoD: cytochalasin D; ECL: chemiluminescence; GATA2: GATA Binding Protein 2; HFD: high fat diet; HSL: hormone-sensitive lipase; IGFBP4: insulin like growth factor binding protein 4; IRS-1: insulin receptor substrate-1; ISO: isoproterenol hydrochloride; KD: knockdown; KO: knock out; LC3: microtubule-associated protein 1A/1B-light chain 3; LMF: lipid mobilizing factor; LPL: lipoprotein lipase; MMP15: matrix metallopeptidase 15; Mir-Inh-C-Exo: cancer cell-derived exosomes with miR-425-3p inhibition; mTOR: mammalian target of rapamycin; Mut: mutant; N-Exo: normal cell-derived exosomes; NSCLC: non-small cell lung cancer; PBS, phosphate buffered saline; PGC-1: peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-gamma coactivator-1; PDEs: phosphodiesterases; PKI: PKA inhibitor; PKA: cAMP-dependent protein kinase; PLIN1: Perilipin 1; PTHRP: parathyroid hormone-related protein; PVDF: polyvinylidene difluoride; shRNA: short hairpin RNA; UCP1: uncoupling protein 1; WT: wild type.

Advanced asymmetric supercapacitors with a squirrel cage structure Fe3O4@carbon nanocomposite as a negative electrode.

Carbon materials have been used as negative electrodes for supercapacitor applications; nevertheless, owing to the low capacitance, they have limited ability to enhance the supercapacitor electrochemical properties. Here, we employ a facile chemical precipitation method for preparing a squirrel cage structure Fe3O4@carbon nanocomposite. In this architecture, the carbonized crosslinked bovine serum albumin (C) will play critical roles, serving as a skeleton for the deposition of Fe3O4 and a transportation pathway like "high-speed rail" for electrons, maintaining the structural stability as well as accommodating the volume expansion of Fe3O4 and facilitating electron transportation and the electrolyte ion diffusion. The iron oxide nanoparticles (Fe3O4) exhibit superior reversible redox characteristics, hence increasing the supercapacitor performance. Benefiting from a stable structure, an aqueous asymmetric supercapacitor using a CNT@Ni(OH)2 positive electrode (cathode) and Fe3O4@C negative electrode (anode) has also been assembled, which presents a high energy density of 17.3 W h kg-1 at a power density of 700 W kg-1. The strategy for choice of Fe3O4@C composites will provide new opportunities for future supercapacitors with superior cyclability and high power density.

Low-Crystalline FeOOH Nanoflower Assembled Mesoporous Film Anchored on MWCNTs for High-Performance Supercapacitor Electrodes.

Crystalline iron oxides/hydroxides are generally preferred as supercapacitor electrode materials instead of the low-crystalline structure, despite the fact that an amorphous phase could have a comprehensive electrochemical performance owing to its structural disorder. Herein, we present a facile and scalable method for preparing amorphous FeOOH nanoflowers@multi-walled carbon nanotubes (FeOOH NFs@MWCNTs) composites. The resulting hybrid nanoflowers hold a distinctive heterostructure composed of a self-assembled amorphous FeOOH nanofilm on the MWCNTs surface. The low-crystalline 1FeOOH NFs@1MWCNTs composites at pH 8 exhibit a high comprehensive capacitive performance, which may be attributed to the advantageous structural features. In a -0.85 to 0 V vs Ag/AgCl potential window, the prepared hybrid electrode delivers a high specific capacitance of 345 F g-1 at a current density of 1 A g-1, good cycling stability (76.4% capacity retention over 5000 consecutive cycles), and outstanding rate performance (167 F g-1 at 11.4 A g-1). This work may trigger the possibilities of these nanomaterials for further application in supercapacitor electrodes, specifically low-crystalline oxide/hydroxide-based electrode materials.