Water masses influence the variation of microbial communities in the Yangtze River Estuary and its adjacent waters.

The Yangtze River estuary (YRE) are strongly influenced by the Kuroshio and terrigenous input from rivers, leading to the formation of distinct water masses, however, there remains a limited understanding of the full extent of this influence. Here the variation of water masses and bacterial communities of 58 seawater samples from the YRE and its adjacent waters were investigated. Our findings suggested that there were 5 water masses in the studied area: Black stream (BS), coastal water in the East China Sea (CW), nearshore mixed water (NM), mixed water in the middle and deep layers of the East China Sea (MM), and deep water blocks in the middle of the East China Sea (DM). The CW mass harbors the highest alpha diversity across all layers, whereas the NM mass exhibits higher diversity in the surface layer but lower in the middle layers. Proteobacteria was the most abundant taxa in all water masses, apart from that, in the surface layer masses, Cyanobacterium, Bacteroidota, and Actinobacteriota were the highest proportion in CW, while Bacteroidota and Actinobacteriota were the highest proportion in NM and BS; in the middle layer, Bacteroidota and Actinobacteriota were dominant phylum in CW and BS masses, but Cyanobacterium was main phylum in NM mass; in the bottom layer, Bacteroidota and Actinobacteriota were the dominant phylum in CW, while Marininimicrobia was the dominated phylum in DM and MM masses. Network analysis suggests water masses have obvious influence on community topological characteristics, moreover, community assembly across masses also differ greatly. Taken together, these results emphasized the significant impact of water masses on the bacterial composition, topological characteristics and assembly process, which may provide a theoretical foundation for predicting alterations in microbial communities within estuarine ecosystems under the influence of water masses.

An LPS-induced TNF-α factor involved in immune response of oyster Crassostrea gigas by regulating haemocytes apoptosis.

LPS induced TNF-α Factor (LITAF) is a transcription factor widely involving in activation of Tumor Necrosis Factor (TNF) and other cytokines in the inflammatory response. In the present study, a homologue of LITAF with a conserved LITAF domain was identified from the Pacific oyster Crassostrea gigas. The transcripts of CgLITAF were detected in all examined tissues with highest expression in hepatopancrease. The immunofluorescence assay and Western blot showed that LPS stimulation induced an obvious nucleus translocation of CgLITAF protein in haemocytes. While the mRNA level of CgLITAF changed slightly after LPS stimulation. When the siRNA of CgLITAF was injected to inhibit its expression, the apoptotic level of haemocytes decreased observably after LPS stimulation. Consistently, the transcripts of CgTNF3 and CgTNF4 (LOC105343080, LOC105341146), the apoptotic-related molecules including CgBax, CgCytochrome c, CgCaspase9 and CgCaspase3, were significantly suppressed in the CgLITAF-RNAi oysters. While the mRNA expression level of CgBcl was enhanced significantly in the CgLITAF-RNAi oysters. These results indicated that CgLITAF promoted haemocyte apoptosis by regulating the expression of apoptotic-related factors, suggesting its important role in the immune response of oysters.

The involvement of interferon regulatory factor 8 in regulating the proliferation of haemocytes in oyster Crassostrea gigas.

Interferon regulatory factor 8 (IRF8) is an important transcriptional regulatory factor involving in multiple biological process, such as the antiviral immune response, immune cell proliferation and differentiation. In the present study, the involvement of a previously identified IRF8 homologue (CgIRF8) in regulating haemocyte proliferation of oyster were further investigated. CgIRF8 mRNA transcripts were detectable in all the stages of C. gigas larvae with the highest level in D-veliger (1.76-fold of that in zygote, p < 0.05). Its mRNA transcripts were also detected in all the three haemocyte subpopulations of adult oysters with the highest expression in granulocytes (2.79-fold of that in agranulocytes, p < 0.01). After LPS stimulation, the mRNA transcripts of CgIRF8 in haemocytes significantly increased at 12 h and 48 h, which were 2.04-fold and 1.65-fold (p < 0.05) of that in control group, respectively. Meanwhile, the abundance of CgIRF8 protein in the haemocytes increased significantly at 12 h after LPS stimulation (1.71-fold of that in seawater, p < 0.05). The immunofluorescence assay and Western blot showed that LPS stimulation induced an obvious nucleus translocation of CgIRF8 protein in haemocytes. After the expression of CgIRF8 was inhibited by the injection of CgIRF8 siRNA, the percentage of EdU positive haemocytes, the proportion of granulocytes, and the mRNA expression levels of CgGATA and CgSCL all declined significantly at 12 h after LPS stimulation, which was 0.64-fold (p < 0.05), 0.7-fold (p < 0.05), 0.31-fold and 0.54-fold (p < 0.001) of that in the NC group, respectively. While the expression level of cell proliferation-related protein CgCDK2, CgCDC6, CgCDC45 and CgPCNA were significantly increased (1.99-fold, and 2.41-fold, 3.76-fold and 4.79-fold compared to that in the NC group respectively, p < 0.001). Dual luciferase reporter assay demonstrated that CgIRF8 was able to activate the CgGATA promoter in HEK293T cells after transfection of CgGATA and CgIRF8. These results collectively indicated that CgIRF8 promoted haemocyte proliferation by regulating the expression of CgGATA and other related genes in the immune response of oyster.

Distinct Assembly Processes Structure Planktonic Bacterial Communities Among Near- and Offshore Ecosystems in the Yangtze River Estuary.

The estuarine system functions as natural filters due to its ability to facilitate material transformation, planktonic bacteria play a crucial role in the cycling of complex nutrients and pollutants within estuaries, and understanding the community composition and assembly therein is crucial for comprehending bacterial ecology within estuaries. Despite extensive investigations into the composition and community assembly of two bacterial fractions (free-living, FLB; particle-attached, PAB), the process by which bacterioplankton communities in these two habitats assemble in the nearshore and offshore zones of estuarine ecosystems remains poorly understood. In this study, we conducted sampling in the Yangtze River Estuary (YRE) to investigate potential variations in the composition and community assembly of FLB and PAB in nearshore and offshore regions. We collected 90 samples of surface, middle, and bottom water from 16 sampling stations and performed 16S rRNA gene amplicon analysis along with environmental factor measurements. The results unveiled that the nearshore communities demonstrated significantly greater species richness and Chao1 indices compared to the offshore communities. In contrast, the nearshore communities had lower values of Shannon and Simpson indices. When compared to the FLB, the PAB exhibit a higher level of biodiversity and abundance. However, no distinct alpha and beta diversity differences were observed between the bottom, middle, and surface water layers. The community assembly analysis indicated that nearshore communities are predominantly shaped by deterministic processes, particularly due to heterogeneous selection of PAB; In contrast, offshore communities are governed more by stochastic processes, largely due to homogenizing dispersal of FLB. Consequently, the findings of this study demonstrate that nearshore and PAB communities exhibit higher levels of species diversity, while stochastic and deterministic processes exert distinct influences on communities among near- and offshore regions. This study further sheds new light on our understanding of the mechanisms governing bacterial communities in estuarine ecosystems.

Construction of Nomogram prediction model of myopia risk and lifestyle among primary school students in Tianjin City / 中国学校卫生

Objective@#To explore the relationship between lifestyle and myopia and construct Nomogram model to predict myopia risk among primary school students in Tianjin, so as to provide a scientific basis for precision myopia prevention and control.@*Methods@#From April to July of 2022, a census method was used to conduct vision testing and lifestyle related questionnaires among 373 180 primary school students in 15 districts of Tianjin. The relationship between lifestyle and myopia was analyzed by the multivariate Logistic regression, and a nomogram prediction model was constructed to predict myopia risk.@*Results@#The detection rate of myopia among primary school students in Tianjin was 37.6%. The results of the multivariate Logistic regression showed that daily outdoor activity time of 1-2 h ( OR =0.94) and >2 h ( OR =0.84), time of using daily electronic devices of >2 h ( OR =1.03), daily paper materials reading and writing time of 1-2 h ( OR =1.02) and >2 h ( OR =1.09), weekly fresh vegetable intake of 2-6 times ( OR =0.93) and ≥7 times ( OR =0.88) were statistically correlated with myopia ( P <0.01). The Nomogram prediction model showed that the factors associated with myopia were grade, family history of myopia, gender, daily outdoor activity time, weekly frequency of fresh vegetable intake, daily paper materials reading and writing time, and time of using daily electronic devices time.@*Conclusions@#The lifestyle of primary school students in Tianjin is associated with myopia. The constructed nomogram model could provide a scientific basis for identifying key intervention populations for myopia prevention and taking targeted prevention and control measures.

Biochar addition regulates soil phosphorus fractions and improves release of available phosphorus under freezing-thawing cycles.

Currently, the shortage of phosphorus resources is becoming more and more serious. In general, phosphorus fertilizer is poorly utilized in soil and tends to gradually accumulate. Freezing-thawing cycles (FT) are seasonal phenomenon occurring in high latitudes and altitudes regions, which have obvious influence on the form of phosphorus in soil. This study investigates the effect of biochar on soil physicochemical properties, phosphorus form and availability under FT and thermostatic incubation (TH) condition. Compared with treatment without biochar, 4 % biochar addition increased the soil pH value, electrical conductivity, organic matter and Olsen-P of soil by a maximum of 0.76, 285.55 µS/cm, 28.60 g/kg and 139.27 mg/kg, respectively. Moreover, according to Hedley-P classification results, under FT condition, the content of labile phosphorus pool is always higher than those under TH. FT may promote the conversion of phosphorus from other fractions to labile phosphorus pool. Redundancy analysis results show that biochar addition and FT can not only directly change the soil phosphorus pool, but also alter the soil physicochemical properties and microbial community, which further affect the adsorption and mineralization of phosphorus in soil. The results of this study will be devoted to understanding the changes in soil phosphorus fractions under the effects of biochar addition and FT, providing references for agricultural production in areas where FT occur.

Artificial humic acid facilitates biological carbon sequestration under freezing-thawing conditions.

Freezing-thawing events contribute to the accumulation of soil organic matter and the formation of high fertility black soil. On this base, we explore the influence of the combination of liquid artificial humic acid (LA-HA) and freezing-thawing events on strengthening carbon sequestration in soils. The measurements of the total organic carbon (TOC) and dissolved organic carbon (DOC) content illustrate that the applications of LA-HA indeed largely enhanced the persistent carbon reservoirs during freezing-thawing cycles, and the highest TOC net increment was found as up to 4000 mg/kg (0.36 wt% C with the control treatment versus 0.79 wt% C with 300 mL/kg LA-HA (3LA-HA) treatment after 10 freezing-thawing cycles). Spectral analysis reveals that LA-HA treatments accelerated the formation of additional humic substances under freezing-thawing events, i.e., the transformation of labile carbon to resistant carbon. Finally, the results of highthroughput sequencing corresponding to cbbL gene demonstrate that 3LA-HA functioned to optimizing the community structure of carbon sequestration bacteria and improving the dominant position of part bacteria with strong carbon fixation ability to reduce soil carbon loss after thawing, e.g., Mycolicibacterium gadium and Starkeya novella.

Toxicological effect assessment of aged biochar on Escherichia coli.

Biochar (BC) is a biomass material that has a wide range of applications on the remediating heavy metals. In this experiment, we prepared BC (300 ºC, 500 ºC, and 700 ºC) and applied them to adsorb lead ions (Pb2+) to simulate BC treatment of Pb2+-contaminated soil. The retention capacity of BC for heavy metals was altered by means of bacterial culture, and the heavy metals released by BC can have toxicological effects on bacteria. This approach was used to assess the effects of long-term application of BC in heavily contaminated land with heavy metals on soil microorganisms. The results show that Escherichia coli survived in the medium containing lower doses of Pb2+-aged BC prepared at 300 ºC and 500 ºC (25 mg/L and 50 mg/L), depending on its ability of tolerating a certain amount of Pb2+. The addition of 100 mg/L Pb2+-aged BC prepared at 700 ºC not only significantly inhibited the growth of E. coli, but also promoted the release of citric acid from E. coli, which in turn triggered BC releasing more Pb2+. It is hoped that this will provide foundation to support the long-term application of BC in the remediation of heavy metal contaminated soils.

Integrated Network Pharmacology and Metabolomics Analysis to Reveal the Potential Mechanism of Siwu Paste on Aplastic Anemia Induced by Chemotherapy Drugs.

Purpose: This study aimed to reveal the multicomponent synergy mechanisms of SWP based on network pharmacology and metabolomics for exploring the relationships of active ingredients, biological targets, and crucial metabolic pathways. Materials: Network pharmacology, including TRRUST, GO, and KEGG, enrichment was used to discover the active ingredients and potential regulation mechanisms of SWP. LC-MS and multivariate data analysis method were further applied to analyze serum metabolomics profiling for discovering the potential metabolic mechanisms of SWP on AA induced by Cyclophosphamide (CTX) and 1-Acetyl-2-phenylhydrazine (APH). Results: A total of 27 important bioactive ingredients meeting the ADME (absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion) screening criteria from SWP were selected. Interaction networks were constructed and validated based on the 10 associated ingredients with the relevant targets. A total of 125 biomarkers were found by Metabolomics approach, which associated with the development of AA, mainly involved in amino acid metabolism and lipid metabolism. While SWP can reverse the above 12 metabolites changed by AA. Network analysis revealed the synergistic effects of SWP through the 43 crucial pathways, including Sphingolipid signaling pathway, Sphingolipid metabolism, Arginine and proline metabolism, VEGF signaling pathway, Estrogen signaling pathway. Conclusion: The study suggested that SWP is a useful alternative for the treatment of AA induced by CTX + APH. Its potential mechanisms are to improve hematopoietic microenvironment and promote bone marrow hematopoiesis therapies.

Carbon Materials Advancing Microorganisms in Driving Soil Organic Carbon Regulation.

Carbon emission from soil is not only one of the major sources of greenhouse gases but also threatens biological diversity, agricultural productivity, and food security. Regulation and control of the soil carbon pool are political practices in many countries around the globe. Carbon pool management in engineering sense is much bigger and beyond laws and monitoring, as it has to contain proactive elements to restore active carbon. Biogeochemistry teaches us that soil microorganisms are crucial to manage the carbon content effectively. Adding carbon materials to soil is thereby not directly sequestration, as interaction of appropriately designed materials with the soil microbiome can result in both: metabolization and thereby nonsustainable use of the added carbon, or-more favorably-a biological amplification of human efforts and sequestration of extra CO2 by microbial growth. We review here potential approaches to govern soil carbon, with a special focus set on the emerging practice of adding manufactured carbon materials to control soil carbon and its biological dynamics. Notably, research on so-called "biochar" is already relatively mature, while the role of artificial humic substance (A-HS) in microbial carbon sequestration is still in the developing stage. However, it is shown that the preparation and application of A-HS are large biological levers, as they directly interact with the environment and community building of the biological soil system. We believe that A-HS can play a central role in stabilizing carbon pools in soil.

Precise Investigation of the Efficacy of Multicomponent Drugs Against Pneumonia Infected With Influenza Virus.

Background: Viral pneumonia is one of the most serious respiratory diseases, and multicomponent traditional Chinese medicines have been applied in the management of infected patients. As a representative TCM, HouYanQing (HYQ) oral liquid shows antiviral activity. However, the unclear mechanisms, as well as the ambiguous clinical effects, limit widespread application of this treatment. Therefore, in this study, a proteomics-based approach was utilized to precisely investigate its efficacy. Methods: Based on the efficacy evaluation of HYQ in a mouse model of pneumonia caused by influenza A virus (H1N1) and the subsequent proteomics analysis, specific signatures regulated by HYQ treatment of viral pneumonia were identified. Results: Experimental verifications indicate that HYQ may show distinctive effects in viral pneumonia patients, such as elevated galectin-3-binding protein and glutathione peroxidase 3 levels. Conclusion: This study provides a precise investigation of the efficacy of a multicomponent drug against viral pneumonia and offers a promising alternative for personalized management of viral pneumonia.

The treatment zone size and its decentration influence axial elongation in children with orthokeratology treatment.

BACKGROUND: To investigate whether the treatment zone size (TZS) and treatment zone decentration (TZD) will affect the axial elongation in myopic children undergoing orthokeratology treatment. METHODS: A self-controlled retrospective study was conducted on 352 children who met the inclusion criteria. Axial length was measured before and at 12 months after the initial lens wear. Corneal topography was measured at baseline and at each follow-up after lens wear. The Corneal topography obtained from the 12-month visit was used to quantify TZS and TZD for each subject. Cycloplegic refraction was required for all children before fitting the orthokeratology lenses. RESULTS: Axial elongation was significantly associated with age, baseline spherical equivalent (SE), TZS, and TZD with univariate linear regression. In groups with both small and large TZS, axial elongation was significantly decreased with large TZD (both P < 0.01). In groups with both small and large TZD, axial elongation was significantly decreased with small TZS (P = 0.03 for small TZD, P = 0.01 for large TZD). Age, SE, and TZD were significantly associated with axial elongation in multiple regression (all P < 0.01). CONCLUSION: Relatively smaller TZS and larger TZD may be beneficial in slowing myopia progression in children with orthokeratology treatment.

Artificial humic substances improve microbial activity for binding CO2.

Humic substances (HS) are an indicator of fertile soils, but more and more soils keep losing there humic matter. This is mostly due to anthropogenic over-cultivation. Artificial humic acid (A-HA) and artificial fulvic acid were synthesized from agricultural litter, with high similarity to natural HS extracted from soil. These samples were added to black soils, and soil activity and nutrients availability were analyzed. The results demonstrate that the content of dissolved organic matter and total organic carbon (TOC) largely increased. The increase in TOC 28 days after addition of A-HA was 21.4 g/kg. This was much higher than the amount of the added A-HA carbon, which was 0.3 g/kg. As a "secondary" benefit, nutrient availability is increased, promoting the growth of plants. Using high-throughput sequencing we revealed that A-HA strongly supports the growth of photosynthetic Rubrivivax gelatinosus, which induced the carbon sequestration. Thus, application of artificial HS shows potential for biologically amplified carbon sequestration within black soils.

Preparation and characterization of boron-doped corn straw biochar: Fe (â ¡) removal equilibrium and kinetics.

Nowadays, iron ions as a ubiquitous heavy metal pollutant are gradually concerned and the convenient and quick removal of excessive iron ions in groundwater has become a major challenge for the safety of drinking water. In this study, boron-doped biochar (B-BC) was successfully prepared at various preparation conditions with the addition of boric acid. The as-prepared material has a more developed pore structure and a larger specific surface area (up to 897.97 m²/g). A series of characterization results shows that boric acid effectively activates biochar, and boron atoms are successfully doped on biochar. Compared with the ratio of raw materials, the pyrolysis temperature has a greater influence on the amount of boron doping. Based on Langmuir model, the maximum adsorption capacity of 800B-BC1:2 at 25 °C, 40 °C, 55 °C are 50.02 mg/g, 95.09 mg/g, 132.78 mg/g, respectively. Pseudo-second-order kinetic model can better describe the adsorption process, the adsorption process is mainly chemical adsorption. Chemical complexation, ions exchange, and co-precipitation may be the main mechanisms for Fe2+ removal.

Application of typical artificial carbon materials from biomass in environmental remediation and improvement: A review.

Artificial carbon materials (ACMs), notably hydrochar, pyrochar, and artificial humic substances, etc., are considered to be sustainable and eco-friendly materials for environmental remediation and improvement. At present, almost relevant literature mainly focuses on biochar, and it is necessary to systematically summarize and expand studies on ACMs. ACMs are widely used to solve pollution problems in water and soil environments, as well as to remediate and improve soil quality. This review focuses on the following issues: 1. Reveal the synthetic mechanisms and compositional reactions effects of the charring process; 2. Define artificial humus as a novel class of ACMs and discuss the application of environmental remediation and relative enhancement effects; 3. Research the relative mechanisms and significance of ACMs during remediation process, involving removal and fixation of heavy metal ions (HMs)/organic pollutants (OPs), modification of soil physicochemical properties, affecting microbial community effects, and improving fertility for crop growth. Finally, the cost-benefit analysis and security-risk evaluation of ACMs are pointed out.

Natural and artificial humic substances to manage minerals, ions, water, and soil microorganisms.

The chemistry of humic substances (HSs) occurs hidden from our sight, but is of key importance to agriculture and the environment, and nowadays even to medicine and technology. HSs are nowadays not only natural, but extracted and engineered, and in the past 20 years such products have been widely used in soil improvement and environment governance. In this review, we collate and summarize the applications and working principles of such HSs in agriculture and environmental ecology, mainly to elaborate the multiple roles of this functional polymer along with physical chemical quantification. Then several of the latest synthesis technologies, including hydrothermal humification technology (HTH), hydrothermal carbonization technology (HTC) and hydrogen peroxide oxidation technology (HOT) are presented, which were introduced to prepare artificial humic substances (A-HSs). The availability of reproducible and tunable synthetic A-HSs is a new chemical tool, and effects such as solubilization of insoluble phosphorus minerals, recovery of phosphorus, improvement of soil fertility for crop growth and reduction of toxicity of typical pollutants, can now be analyzed in detail and quantified. As a result, we can provide an effective chemical technology for utilizing biomass side products ("biowaste") to generate A-HSs of different types, thus realizing improvement in agricultural production and control of environmental pollution by the macro-synthesis of A-HSs-.

Sustainable advances on phosphorus utilization in soil via addition of biochar and humic substances.

The intervention of human in phosphorus pool seems to be a vicious circle. The rapid population growth leads to the global food shortage, which leads to the massive use of phosphate fertilizer and the continuous exploitation of phosphate rocks. With the massive loss and fixation of phosphate fertilizer in the soil, the unavailable phosphorus in the soil becomes superfluous, while the phosphate mineral resources turn to scarce. Interestingly, exogenous carbonaceous materials, notably, biochar and humic substances, have been widely used as soil conditioners in agricultural production up to date, among other actions to interfere with the balance between the different phosphate species, which offer effective roles for increasing soil available phosphorus. This article reviews the regulation mechanisms of biochar and humic substances on phosphorus availability and circulation, including improving soil physicochemical characteristics, regulating microbial community structure, and directly interacting with phosphorus to affect the fate of phosphorus in soil. Finally, the prospects for future research directions are made, and it is hoped that the review of this article can arouse people's attention to the current plight of agricultural production and provide some methods for improving the efficiency of phosphate fertilizer use in the future.

Siwu Paste protects bone marrow hematopoietic function in rats with blood deficiency syndrome by regulating TLR4/NF-κB/NLRP3 signaling pathway.

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: Siwu Paste (SWP) was recorded in the first national Pharmacopoeia of China, "Tai Ping Hui Min He Ji Ju Fang", it showed excellent effects in regulating all syndromes relevant to blood. AIM OF THE STUDY: This study aimed to investigate the protective effects of Siwu Paste (SWP) on bone marrow hematopoietic by using rats' model with blood deficiency syndrome induced by chemotherapy. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Animal model with blood deficiency syndrome was successfully established by evaluating their peripheral blood cell level and erythrocyte membrane energy metabolism enzyme activity. Serum hematopoietic cytokine levels were detected by using Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Hematoxylin-Eosin (HE) staining method was used to observe the pathological morphology of femur bone marrow, and the viability of BMSC was detected by Cell Counting Kit (CCK-8). Furthermore, the expression of toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4), nuclear transcription factor kB (NF-κB), and NOD-like receptor protein 3 (NLRP3) protein in femur bone marrow were detected by using Western-blotting and High-content cell imaging analysis system (HCA). RESULTS: Obtained results showed that SWP could significantly improve the status of anemia, regulate the expressions of serum hematopoietic cytokines, and protect bone marrow hematopoietic cells. Furthermore, the expressions of TLR4, NF-κB, and NLRP3 protein were inhibited in bone marrow hematopoietic cells. CONCLUSIONS: Siwu Paste (SWP) could recover the bone marrow hematopoietic functions in rats with blood deficiency syndrome. The therapeutic mechanism may be related to the regulation of serum hematopoietic cytokines, and inhibition of TLR4/NF-κB/NLRP3 signaling pathway.

Xiaoerfupi alleviates the symptoms of functional dyspepsia by regulating the HTR3A and c-FOS.

AIM: To evaluate whether Xiaoerfupi (XEFP), a traditional Chinese medicine formula, can ameliorate functional dyspepsia (FD) through regulation of the HTR3A and c-FOS. METHOD: The FD rat model was established through administration of iodoacetamide (IA) and interval fasting. XEFP group rats received XEFP for 3 weeks. Detection of gastric emptying and gastrin were performed to assess the interventional effect of XEFP. The constituents of XEFP were submitted to BATMAN-TCM, an online bioinformatics analysis tool, to predict the targets related to dyspepsia. Furthermore, the prediction was validated via Western blot assay. RESULTS: XEFP enhanced gastric emptying of rats (XEFP middle dose vs. FD model: 71.87 ±â€¯15.21% vs. 30.07 ±â€¯12.76%, P <  0.01) and simultaneously increased gastrin in FD rats (XEFP middle dose vs. FD model: 63.61 ± 17.90 vs. 26.14 ± 7.78 pg/ml, P <  0.01). KEGG enrichment analysis revealed that the neuroactive ligand-receptor interaction was successfully enriched (P-value = 2.2E-13, Benjamini = 2.0E-11). Combining different Bioinformatics analysis implied that XEFP regulates HTR3A and c-FOS. Subsequently molecular biological studies confirmed that the expression of HTR3A and c-FOS in the model group was upregulated in rats in comparison with the control group. Furthermore, the expression of HTR3A and c-FOS in the XEFP group (middle dose) compared with the model group was significantly reduced (P <  0.01). CONCLUSION: XEFP may ameliorate FD through regulation of the HTR3A and c-FOS.

Precise and systematic survey of the efficacy of multicomponent drugs against functional dyspepsia.

Functional dyspepsia (FD) is one of the most prevalent functional gastrointestinal disorders, and more and more multicomponent drugs represented by traditional Chinese medicines have provided a favorable therapeutic effect in its treatment. However, their precise localization in the clinic, as well as corresponding mechanism, is ambiguous, thus hindering their widespread use. To meet this requirement, a precise and systematic approach based on a restriction of special disease-related molecules and the following network pharmacology analysis was developed and applied to a multicomponent conventional drug, XiaoErFuPi (XEFP) granules. Experimental verification of the results indicates that this approach can facilitate the prediction, and the precise and systematic efficacy of XEFP could be easily revealed, which shows that XEFP has an advantage over the positive control drug on lactate, gastrin, interleukin 4 and calcitonin gene-related peptide. Moreover, by the proteomics analysis, its superposition of multi-target effects was revealed and a new candidate target for the treatment of FD, striatin, was obtained and verified. This study provides a practicable precise approach for the investigation of the efficacy of multicomponent drugs against FD and offers a promising alternative for the systematical management of FD.