Integrated Network Pharmacology and Experimental Validation Approach to Investigate the Mechanisms of Radix Rehmanniae Praeparata - Angelica Sinensis - Radix Achyranthis Bidentatae in Treating Knee Osteoarthritis.

Background: Knee osteoarthritis (KOA) is a persistent degenerative condition characterized by the deterioration of cartilage. The Chinese herbal formula Radix Rehmanniae Praeparata- Angelica Sinensis-Radix Achyranthis Bidentatae (RAR) has often been used in effective prescriptions for KOA as the main functional drug, but its underlying mechanism remains unclear. Therefore, network pharmacology and verification experiments were employed to investigate the impact and mode of action of RAR in the treatment of KOA. Methods: The destabilization of the medial meniscus model (DMM) was utilized to assess the anti-KOA effect of RAR by using gait analysis, micro-computed tomography (Micro-CT), and histology. Primary chondrocytes were extracted from the rib cartilage of a newborn mouse. The protective effects of RAR on OA cells were evaluated using a CCK-8 assay. The antioxidative effect of RAR was determined by measuring reactive oxygen species (ROS), superoxide dismutase (SOD), and glutathione (GSH) production. Furthermore, network pharmacology and molecular docking were utilized to propose possible RAR targets for KOA, which were further verified through experiments. Results: In vivo, RAR significantly ameliorated DMM-induced KOA characteristics, such as subchondral bone sclerosis, cartilage deterioration, gait abnormalities, and the degree of knee swelling. In vitro, RAR stimulated chondrocyte proliferation and the expression of Col2a1, Comp, and Acan. Moreover, RAR treatment significantly reduced ROS accumulation in an OA cell model induced by IL-1ß and increased the activity of antioxidant enzymes (SOD and GSH). Network pharmacology analysis combined with molecular docking showed that Mapk1 might be a key therapeutic target. Subsequent research showed that RAR could downregulate Mapk1 mRNA levels in IL-1ß-induced chondrocytes and DMM-induced rats. Conclusion: RAR inhibited extracellular matrix (ECM) degradation and oxidative stress response via the MAPK signaling pathway in KOA, and Mapk1 may be a core target.

Unveiling the Etiology of Urological Tumors: A Systematic Review of Mendelian Randomization Applications in Renal Cell Carcinoma, Bladder Cancer, and Prostate Cancer.

BACKGROUND: Our study aims to address two pivotal questions: "What are the recent advancements in understanding the etiology of urological tumors through Mendelian Randomization?" and "How can Mendelian Randomization be more effectively applied in clinical settings to enhance patient health outcomes in the future?" METHODS: In our systematic review conducted in April 2023, we utilized databases like PubMed and Web of Science to explore the influence of Mendelian Randomization in urological oncological diseases. We focused on studies published from January 2018, employing keywords related to urological tumors and Mendelian Randomization, supplemented with MeSH terms and manual reference checks. Our inclusion criteria targeted original research studies, while we excluded reports and non-relevant articles.  Data extraction followed a PICO-based approach, and bias risk was independently evaluated, with discrepancies resolved through discussion. This systematic approach adhered to PRISMA guidelines for accuracy and thoroughness in reporting. RESULTS: From the initial 457 publications, we narrowed down to 43 full-text articles after screening and quality assessments.A deeper understanding of Mendelian Randomization can help us explore risk factors with a clear causal relationship to urological tumors.This insight may pave the way for future research in early diagnosis, treatment, and management of associated diseases. CONCLUSION: Our review underscores the value of MR in urogenital tumor research, highlighting its efficacy in establishing causality and its potential to clarify disease mechanisms. Despite challenges like large sample sizes and variant identification, MR offers new perspectives for understanding and managing these tumors, suggesting a trend towards more inclusive and diverse research approaches.

Electrical impedance tomography as a bedside assessment tool for COPD treatment during hospitalization.

For patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), the assessment of the treatment efficacy during hospitalization is of importance to the optimization of clinical treatments. Conventional spirometry might not be sensitive enough to capture the regional lung function development. The study aimed to evaluate the feasibility of using electrical impedance tomography (EIT) as an objective bedside evaluation tool for the treatment of acute exacerbation of COPD (AECOPD). Consecutive patients who required hospitalization due to AECOPD were included prospectively. EIT measurements were conducted at the time of admission and before the discharge simultaneously when a forced vital capacity maneuver was conducted. EIT-based heterogeneity measures of regional lung function were calculated based on the impedance changes over time. Surveys for attending doctors and patients were designed to evaluate the ease of use, feasibility, and overall satisfaction level to understand the acceptability of EIT measurements. Patient-reported outcome assessments were conducted. User's acceptance of EIT technology was investigated with a five-dimension survey. A total of 32 patients were included, and 8 patients were excluded due to the FVC maneuver not meeting the ATS criteria. Spirometry-based lung function was improved during hospitalization but not significantly different (FEV1 %pred.: 35.8% ± 6.7% vs. 45.3% ± 8.8% at admission vs. discharge; p = 0.11. FVC %pred.: 67.8% ± 0.4% vs. 82.6% ± 5.0%; p = 0.15. FEV1/FVC: 0.41 ± 0.09 vs. 0.42 ± 0.07, p = 0.71). The symptoms of COPD were significantly improved, but the correlations between the improvement of symptoms and spirometry FEV1 and FEV1/FVC were low (R = 0.1 and -0.01, respectively). The differences in blood gasses and blood tests were insignificant. All but one EIT-based regional lung function parameter were significantly improved after hospitalization. The results highly correlated with the patient-reported outcome assessment (R > 0.6, p < 0.001). The overall acceptability score of EIT measurement for both attending physicians and patients was high (4.1 ± 0.8 for physicians, 4.5 ± 0.5 for patients out of 5). These results demonstrated that it was feasible and acceptable to use EIT as an objective bedside evaluation tool for COPD treatment efficacy.

Visualizing pursed lips breathing of patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease through evaluation of global and regional ventilation using electrical impedance tomography.

Objective. This study aims to explore the possibility of using electrical impedance tomography (EIT) to assess pursed lips breathing (PLB) performance of patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).Methods. 32 patients with COPD were assigned equally to either the conventional group or the EIT guided group. All patients were taught to perform PLB by a physiotherapist without EIT in the conventional group or with EIT in the EIT guided group for 10 min. The ventilation of all patients in the final test were continuously monitored using EIT and the PLB performances were rated by another physiotherapist before and after reviewing EIT. The global and regional ventilation between two groups as well as between quite breathing (QB) and PLB were compared and rating scores with and without EIT were also compared.Results.For global ventilation, the inspiratory depth and the ratio of expiratory-to-inspiratory time during PLB was significantly larger than those during QB for both group (P< 0.001). The inspiratory depth and the ratio of expiratory-to-inspiratory time during PLB in the EIT guided group were higher compared to those in the conventional group (P< 0.001), as well as expiratory flow expiratory uniformity and respiratory stability were better (P< 0.001). For regional ventilation, center of ventilation significantly decreased during PLB (P< 0.05). The expiratory time constant during PLB in the EIT guided group was greater than that in the conventional group (P< 0.001). Additionally, Bland-Altman plots analysis suggested a high concordance between subjective rating and rating with the help of EIT, but the score rated after EIT observation significantly lower than that rated subjectively in both groups (score drop of -2.68 ± 1.1 in the conventional group and -1.19 ± 0.72 in the EIT guided group,P< 0.01).Conclusion.EIT could capture the details of PLB maneuver, which might be a potential tool to quantitatively evaluate PLB performance and thus assist physiotherapists to teach PLB maneuver to patients.

Diagnostic performance of a multiplexed gastrointestinal PCR panel for identifying diarrheal pathogens in children undergoing hematopoietic stem cell transplant.

BACKGROUND: Diarrhea is a common complication of hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) and is associated with substantial morbidity, but its etiology is often unknown. Etiologies of diarrhea in this population include infectious causes, chemotherapy- or medication-induced mucosal injury and graft-versus-host disease (GVHD). Distinguishing these potential causes of diarrhea is challenging since diarrheal symptoms are often multifactorial, and the etiologies often overlap in transplant patients. The objectives of this study were to evaluate whether the FilmArray gastrointestinal (GI) panel would increase diagnostic yield and the degree to which pre-transplantation colonization predicts post-transplantation infection. METHODS: From November 2019 to February 2021, a total of 158 patients undergoing HSCT were prospectively included in the study. Stool specimens were obtained from all HSCT recipients prior to conditioning therapy, 28 ± 7 days after transplantation and at any new episode of diarrhea. All stool samples were tested by the FilmArray GI panel and other clinical microbiological assays. RESULTS: The primary cause of post-transplantation diarrhea was infection (57/84, 67.86%), followed by medication (38/84, 45.24%) and GVHD (21/84, 25.00%). Ninety-five of 158 patients were colonized with at least one gastrointestinal pathogen before conditioning therapy, and the incidence of infectious diarrhea was significantly higher in colonized patients (47/95, 49.47%) than in non-colonized patients (10/63, 15.87%) (P < 0.001). Fourteen of 19 (73.68%) patients who were initially colonized with norovirus pre-transplantation developed a post-transplantation norovirus infection. Twenty-four of 62 (38.71%) patients colonized with Clostridium difficile developed a diarrheal infection. In addition, FilmArray GI panel testing improved the diagnostic yield by almost twofold in our study (55/92, 59.78% vs. 30/92, 32.61%). CONCLUSIONS: Our data show that more than half of pediatric patients who were admitted for HSCT were colonized with various gastrointestinal pathogens, and more than one-third of these pathogens were associated with post-transplantation diarrhea. In addition, the FilmArray GI panel can increase the detection rate of diarrheal pathogens in pediatric HSCT patients, but the panel needs to be optimized for pathogen species, and further studies assessing its clinical impact and cost-effectiveness in this specific patient population are also needed.

Monitoring of spontaneous pneumothorax using electrical impedance tomography: A case report.

Pneumothorax is an emergency in thoracic surgeries and respiratory medicine. A technique is warranted for real-time monitoring of pneumothorax at the bedside so that rapid diagnosis and timely intervention can be achieved. We report herein a case in which electrical impedance tomography (EIT) was employed at the bedside to monitor lung ventilation of a patient with spontaneous pneumothorax during treatment. It was found that the affected side/healthy side ventilation ratio and global inhomogeneity were strongly correlated with the severity of pneumothorax. The use of EIT allowed intuitive observation of the effect of pneumothorax on ventilation, which helped the doctors make immediate diagnosis and intervention. After timely and successful treatment, the patient was discharged. This is the first case reporting a complete therapeutic course of spontaneous pneumothorax assessed with EIT. Our case demonstrated that EIT could monitor regional ventilation loss of the affected side of pneumothorax patients at the bedside, and dynamically assess the treatment effect of pneumothorax, which provides an important imaging basis for clinical pneumothorax treatment.

Accuracy of digital implant impressions obtained using intraoral scanners: a systematic review and meta-analysis of in vivo studies.

PURPOSE: This systematic review aimed to investigate the accuracy of intraoral scan (IOS) impressions of implant-supported restorations in in vivo studies. METHODS: A systematic electronic search and review of studies on the accuracy of IOS implant impressions were conducted to analyze the peer-reviewed literature published between 1989 and August 2023. The bias analysis was performed by two reviewers. Data on the study characteristics, accuracy outcomes, and related variables were extracted. A meta-analysis of randomized control trials was performed to investigate the impact of IOS on peri-implant crestal bone loss and the time involved in the impression procedure. RESULTS: Ten in vivo studies were included in this systematic review for final analysis. Six studies investigated the trueness of IOS impressions, but did not reach the same conclusions. One study assessed the precision of IOS impressions for a single implant. Four clinical studies examined the accuracy of IOS implant impressions with a follow-up of 1-2 years. In full arches, IOS impression procedure needed significantly less time than conventional one (mean difference for procedure time was 8.59 min [6.78, 10.40 min], P < 0.001), prosthetic survival rate was 100%, and marginal bone levels of all participants could be stably maintained (mean difference in marginal bone loss at 12 months was 0.03 mm [-0.08, 0.14 mm], P = 0.55). CONCLUSIONS: The accuracy of IOS impressions of implant-supported restorations varied greatly depending on the scanning strategy. The trueness and precision of IOS in the partial and complete arches remain unclear and require further assessment. Based on follow-up clinical studies, IOS impressions were accurate in clinical practice. However, these results should be interpreted with caution, as some evidences are obtained from the same research group.

A novel biochemistry approach combined with MALDI-TOF MS to discriminate Escherichia coli and Shigella species.

Escherichia coli and Shigella spp. are closely related, making it crucial to accurately identify them for disease control and prevention. In this study, we utilized MALDI-TOF MS to identify characteristic peaks of decarboxylation products of lysine and ornithine to distinguish between E. coli and Shigella spp. Our findings indicate that the peak at m/z 103.12 ± 0.1 of the product cadaverine from lysine decarboxylase is unique to E. coli, while all Shigella species lack the m/z 103.12 ± 0.1 peak. However, S. sonnei and S. boydii serotype C13 exhibit a specific peak at m/z 89.10 ± 0.1, which is the product of putrescine from ornithine decarboxylase. We were able to correctly identify 97.06% (132 of 136) of E. coli and Shigella isolates and 100% (8 of 8) of S. sonnei isolates using this biochemical-based MALDI-TOF MS detection system. This technology is advantageous for its high-throughput, high quality, and ease of operation, and is of significant value for the diagnosis of E. coli and Shigella-related diseases.

Epidemiological and clinical characteristics of a family cluster of psittacosis: A case report.

Psittacosis accounts for 1-2 % of community-acquired pneumonia. In recent years, reports of psittacosis are increasing. Most reported cases of psittacosis are sporadic. Here, we report a familial cluster of five patients infected with Chlamydophila in a northwest Chinese region and share our diagnosis and treatment experience. The epidemiological characteristics, clinical features, laboratory examinations of family cluster psittacosis were collected and analyzed. We closely followed up all the family members and analyzed their clinical outcome. Five cases of family clustered pneumonia were mainly characterized by fever, cough and fatigue. mNGS rapidly identified the infecting agent as Chlamydophila in case 1 followed by RT-PCR analysis. A newly purchased pet parrot, which had diarrhea, was probably the primary source of infection. The main change of inflammation index in five patients was the decrease of lymphocyte counts. Chest CT showed peripheral or subpleural involvement of patchy high-density shadows with bronchial ventilation signs and blurred edges, mostly unilateral lesions. Five cases were completely cured with moxifloxacin and azithromycin. Our findings suggest that a familial cluster of Chlamydophila infection maybe caused by contact with sick pet parrot or human to human transmission in one close family. For this community-acquired pneumonia, epidemiological characteristics and use of mNGS is very important for improving accuracy in the early diagnosis.

BuShen JianGu Fang alleviates cartilage degeneration via regulating multiple genes and signaling pathways to activate NF-κB/Sox9 axis.

BACKGROUND: Osteoarthritis (OA) is an inflammatory response in chondrocytes, causing extracellular matrix (ECM) degradation and cartilage destruction, affecting millions of people worldwide. Chinese herbal formulae BuShen JianGu Fang (BSJGF) has been clinically applied for treating OA-related syndromes, but the underlying mechanism still unclear. METHODS: The components of BSJGF were analyzed by liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS). To make a traumatic OA model, the anterior cruciate ligament of 6-8-week-old male SD rats were cut and then the 0.4 mm metal was used to destroy the knee joint cartilage. OA severity was assessed by histological and Micro-CT. Mouse primary chondrocytes were utilized to investigate the mechanism of BSJGF alleviate osteoarthritis, which was examined by RNA-seq technology combined with a series of functional experiments. RESULTS: A total 619 components were identified by LC-MS. In vivo, BSJGF treatment result in a higher articular cartilage tissue area compared to IL-1ß group. Treatment also significantly increased Tb.Th, BV/TV and BMD of subchondral bone (SCB), which implied a protective effect on maintaining the stabilization of SCB microstructure. In vitro results indicated BSJGF promoted chondrocyte proliferation, increased the expression level of cartilage-specific genes (Sox9, Col2a1, Acan) and synthesized acidic polysaccharide, while inhibiting the release of catabolic enzymes and production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) induced by IL-1ß. Transcriptome analysis showed that there were 1471 and 4904 differential genes between IL-1ß group and blank group, BSJGF group and IL-1ß group, respectively, including matrix synthesis related genes (Col2a1, H19, Acan etc.), inflammation related genes (Comp, Pcsk6, Fgfr3 etc.) and oxidative stress related genes (Gm26917, Bcat1, Sod1 etc.). Furthermore, KEGG analysis and validation results showed that BSJGF reduces OA-mediated inflammation and cartilage damaged due to modulation of NF-κB/Sox9 signaling axis. CONCLUSION: The innovation of the present study was the elucidation of the alleviating cartilage degradation effect of BSJGF in vivo and in vitro and discovery of its mechanism through RNA-seq combined with function experiments, which provides a biological rationale for the clinical application of BSJGF for OA treatment.

Configuration of prosocial motivations to enhance employees' innovation behaviors: From the perspective of coupling of basic and applied research.

Prosocial motivation refers to the employees' willingness to invest for the sake of helping others. It improves basic and applied research behaviors of employees and the interaction between them. Employees' innovation behavior depends on prosocial motivation because the motivation to protect the interests of others may promote knowledge sharing and knowledge coupling. However, there is a research gap in solving the optimal solution of prosocial motivations that facilitates different types of innovation behaviors based on the combination of prosocial motivations. We perform a qualitative comparative study on the effect of the motivation configurations on innovation behaviors. We find that highly basic and highly applied research behaviors share in common collectivism-based, principlism-based, contextual, and situational motivations which work in all configurations. But the core conditions between the two are different, which are principlism-based and situational motivations, respectively. In addition, both highly basic-to-applied and highly applied-to-basic transformation behaviors share the same core condition and the same secondary conditions with highly basic and highly applied research behaviors, respectively. Moreover, the behaviors of non-highly basic research and non-highly basic-to-applied transformation share the severe absence of egoism-based motivation as the core condition in common. Non-highly behaviors of applied research and applied-to-basic transformation have a common point of the severe absence of the pressure-based type as the key. Finally, we also analyze active and passive prosocial degrees of all types of high/non-high innovation behaviors. Our study deepens the academics' thinking on multi-dimensional prosocial motivation and the classification management of coupling innovation behavior and provides implications for practice.

Characterization of Roasting Time on Sensory Quality, Color, Taste, and Nonvolatile Compounds of Yuan An Yellow Tea.

Roasting is crucial for producing Yuan An yellow tea (YAYT) as it substantially affects sensory quality. However, the effect of roasting time on YAYT flavor quality is not clear. To investigate the effect of roasting time on the sensory qualities, chemical components, odor profiles, and metabolic profile of YAYTs produced with 13 min roasting, 16 min roasting, 19 min roasting, 22 min roasting, and 25 min roasting were determined. The YAYTs roasted for 22 min got higher sensory scores and better chemical qualities, such as the content of gallocatechin (GC), gallocatechin gallate (GCG), free amino acids, solutable sugar, meanwhile the lightness decreased, the hue of tea brew color (b) increased, which meant the tea brew got darker and yellower. YAYTs roasted for 22 min also increased the contents of key odorants, such as benzaldehyde, nonanal, ß-cyclocitral, linalool, nerol, α-cedrol, ß-ionone, limonene, 2-methylfuran, indole, and longiborneol. Moreover, non-targeted metabolomics identified up to 14 differentially expressed metabolites through pair-wise comparisons, such as flavonoids, phenolic acids, sucrose, and critical metabolites, which were the main components corresponding to YAYT roasted for 22 min. In summary, the current results provide scientific guidance for the production of high quality YAYT.

Evaluation of the effectiveness and safety of icariin in the treatment of knee osteoarthritis: A protocol for a systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Knee osteoarthritis (KOA) is a chronic degenerative disease involving cartilage and surrounding tissues. It causes a huge burden to social and medical resources and seriously affects people's living and working ability. In recent years, people have become increasingly interested in the application of Chinese medicine monomers to treat KOA. Among them, icariin plays an important role in the clinical treatment of KOA. Therefore, to evaluate the effectiveness and safety of icariin in the treatment of KOA, we conducted this study to provide a new basis for the clinical treatment of KOA. METHODS: We propose a systematic search of the PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, Wanfang, and China Biomedical databases for all randomized controlled trials examining the use of icariin in the treatment of KOA patients up to October 20, 2021. The screening and data extraction processes will be performed independently by 2 researchers. We will use the Cochrane risk bias assessment tool to evaluate the quality of the studies that met the inclusion criteria. The data will be statistically analyzed using RevMan5.3 software. RESULT: This study will provide high-quality evidence for the effectiveness and safety of icariin in the treatment of KOA. CONCLUSION: The purpose of this study was to explore the efficacy of icariin in the treatment of KOA and to provide clinicians and patients with new treatment strategies. INPLASY REGISTRATION NUMBER: INPLASY2021110015.

κ Opioid Receptor Agonist Inhibits Myocardial Injury in Heart Failure Rats through Activating Nrf2/HO-1 Pathway and Regulating Ca2+-SERCA2a.

OBJECTIVES: We aimed to observe the protective effect of κ opioid receptor (κ-OR) agonist on myocardial injury in heart failure (HF) rats and its effect on Ca2+-SERCA2a and to explore the regulatory mechanism with the Nrf2/HO-1 signaling pathway. METHODS: 50 Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into the following groups: the sham operation group (sham group), HF model group (HF group), HF+κ-OR agonist U50488 group (HU group), HF+U50488H+novel calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II (CaMKII) agonist (oleic acid) (HUO group), and HF+U50488H+Nrf2 inhibitor (HUM group). The HF rat's model was established through surgical ligation of the left anterior descending coronary artery and the exhausting swimming exercise. After that, rat's cardiac function was monitored by echocardiography. HE and MASSON staining was used to detect the myocardial injury, and TUNEL staining was used to detect the myocardial apoptosis. ELISA was performed to detect the biomarkers of oxidative stress. Moreover, the distribution of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and Nrf2 was detected under immunofluorescence. The expression of sarco/endoplasmic reticulum calcium (Ca2+) ATPase (SERCA) 2a, calmodulin, endoplasmic reticulum stress- (ERS-) related proteins, and Nrf2/HO-1 signaling pathway-related proteins were detected by Western Blotting. RESULTS: κ-OR agonist U50488H can significantly enhance rat's cardiac function, reduce the injury and apoptosis of myocardial cells, and alleviate endoplasmic reticulum stress injury in HF rats via upregulating the SERCA2a expression and inhibiting the Ca2+ influx. Furthermore, U50488H could also inhibit the phosphorylation of CaMKII and cAMP-response element binding protein (CREB). Additionally, administration of CaMKII-specific agonist could partially block the therapeutic effect of κ-OR agonist on the myocardium of HF rats. Interestingly, the antagonist of Nrf2 could also significantly reverse the therapeutic effect of κ-OR agonist. Therefore, these results suggested that the effect of U50488H on HF rats is dependent on regulating CaMKII phosphorylation and activating the Nrf2/HO-1 pathway. CONCLUSION: κ-OR agonists U50488H can improve ERS in cardiomyocytes and relieve myocardial injury in HF rats through activating the Nrf2/HO-1 pathway and regulating Ca2+-SERCA2a to inhibit Ca2+ influx.

Novel Strategy for Rapidly and Safely Distinguishing Bacillus anthracis and Bacillus cereus by Use of Peptide Mass Fingerprints Based on Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption Ionization-Time of Flight Mass Spectrometry.

The objective of this study was to construct a rapid, high-throughput, and biosafety-compatible screening method for Bacillus anthracis and Bacillus cereus based on matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization-time of flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS). MALDI-TOF MS coupled to ClinProTools was used to discover MALDI-TOF MS biomarker peaks and generate a classification model based on a genetic algorithm (GA) to differentiate between different Bacillus anthracis and Bacillus cereus isolates. Thirty Bacillus anthracis and 19 Bacillus cereus strains were used to construct and analyze the model, and 40 Bacillus strains were used for validation. For the GA screening model, the cross-validation values, which reflect the ability of the model to handle variability among the test spectra, and the recognition capability values, which reflect the model's ability to correctly identify its component spectra, were all 100%. This model contained 10 biomarker peaks (m/z 3,339.9, 3,396.3, 3,682.4, 5,476.7, 6,610.6, 6,680.1, 7,365.3, 7,792.4, 9,475.8, and 10,934.1) used to correctly identify 28 Bacillus anthracis and 12 Bacillus cereus isolates from 40 Bacillus isolates, with a sensitivity and specificity of 100%. With the obvious advantages of being rapid, highly accurate, and highly sensitive and having a low cost and high throughput, MALDI-TOF MS ClinProTools is a powerful and reliable tool for screening Bacillus anthracis and Bacillus cereus strains.

Farmland abandonment and its determinants in the different ecological villages of the Koshi river basin, central Himalayas: Synergy of high-resolution remote sensing and social surveys.

Globally, there is a noticeable increasing trend in farmland abandonment, which directly affects farmers' livelihood and food security. The abandonment status, its determinants and impact vary by spatial and socioeconomic context. In order to study this important issue, we selected three different villages representing three ecological regions (Mountain, Hill, and Tarai) in the Koshi River Basin (KRB), and applied two methods: the Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) and a social survey. The UAV captured 3711 images and we carried out 162 households' survey with structured questionnaires. Pix4Dmapper and ArcGIS tools were used for combining and processing the images. On-screen digitalization and binary logistic regression (BLR) were applied to examine the status and determinants of farmland abandonment. The results show a higher proportion of farmland abandonment in the villages located in the Hill and Mountain regions compared to those in the Tarai region. Almost 10.3% area of total land and 22.3% area of total farmland was abandoned in the Hill village. The Tarai village had the least farm abandonment (3.7%). Farmers perceived that climate change (less precipitation, increasing temperatures, and drought), shifting occupations, crops damaged by wildlife, migration, lack of irrigation, and a labor shortage are the leading determinants of farmland abandonment. These factors varied slightly across the different ecological regions. The BLR model was a good fit with Nagelkerke's R2 = 0.776, with a correct model prediction (87.7%) and p = 0.032. The results from the regression model suggest that an increase in temperature (p = 0.000), decrease in rainfall (p = 0.001), lack of machinery used for farm-work (p = 0.000), lack of irrigation (p = 0.000), and reduction of labor-force (p = 0.000) are the main contributing determinants of farmland abandonment. This synergy of high-resolution remote sensing and farmers' perception-based findings facilitates the improvement of land-use governmental policies to improve farmers' quality of life and build sustainable farmland management.

Increasing sensitivity of alpine grasslands to climate variability along an elevational gradient on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau.

Monitoring and mapping the sensitivity of grassland ecosystems to climate change is crucial for developing sustainable local grassland management strategies. The sensitivity of alpine grasslands to climate change is considered to be high on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau (QTP), yet little is known about its spatial pattern, and particularly the variations between different elevations. Here, based on the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) and three climate variables (air temperature, precipitation, and solar radiation), we modified a vegetation sensitivity index-approach to capture the relative sensitivity of alpine grassland productivity to climate variability on the QTP during 2000-2016. The results show that alpine grasslands on the southern QTP are more sensitive to climate variability overall, and that the climate factors driving alpine grassland dynamics are spatially heterogeneous. Alpine grasslands on the southern QTP are more sensitive to temperature variability, those on the northeastern QTP display strong responses to precipitation variability, and those on the central QTP are primarily influenced by a combination of radiation and temperature variability. The sensitivity of alpine grasslands to climate variability increases significantly along an elevational gradient, especially to temperature variability. This study underscores that alpine grasslands at higher elevations on the QTP are more sensitive to climate variability than those at lower elevations at the regional scale.

Current challenges in distinguishing climatic and anthropogenic contributions to alpine grassland variation on the Tibetan Plateau.

Quantifying the impact of climate change and human activities on grassland dynamics is an essential step for developing sustainable grassland ecosystem management strategies. However, the direction and magnitude of climate change and human activities in driving alpine grassland dynamic over the Tibetan Plateau remain under debates. Here, we systematically reviewed the relevant studies on the methods, main conclusions, and causes for the inconsistency in distinguishing the respective contribution of climatic and anthropogenic forces to alpine grassland dynamic. Both manipulative experiments and traditional statistical analysis show that climate warming increase biomass in alpine meadows and decrease in alpine steppes, while both alpine steppes and meadows benefit from an increase in precipitation or soil moisture. Overgrazing is a major factor for the degradation of alpine grassland in local areas with high level of human activity intensity. However, across the entire Tibetan Plateau and its subregions, four views characterize the remaining controversies: alpine grassland changes are primarily due to (1) climatic force, (2) nonclimatic force, (3) combination of anthropogenic and climatic force, or (4) alternation of anthropogenic and climatic force. Furthermore, these views also show spatial inconsistencies. Differences on the source and quality of remote sensing products, the structure and parameter of models, and overlooking the spatiotemporal heterogeneity of human activity intensity contribute to current disagreements. In this review, we highlight the necessity for taking the spatiotemporal heterogeneity of human activity intensity into account in the models of attribution assessment, and the importance for accurate validation of climatic and anthropogenic contribution to alpine grassland variation at multiple scales for future studies.

Ultrasonic-Assisted Dispersion of ZnO Nanoparticles and Its Inhibition Activity to Trichoderma viride.

The activity inhibition of fungi by ZnO nanoparticles (NPs) has shown huge potential applications in the area of hygienic coatings. However, the inhibition efficiency was limited due to the agglomeration of NPs. To obtain well-dispersed and highly stabilized ZnO nanofluids, ZnO NPs were capped with four kinds of surfactants under ultrasonication. The capping procedure was optimized by varying the dosage of surfactants, the ultrasonic duration, ultrasonic power and temperature. Capped ZnO nanofluids were then used for the inhibition of Trichoderma viride. The influence on the activity of the capping conditions, illumination, ZnO NPs content, humidity and temperature were investigated in details. Results suggest that well-dispersed ZnO NPs were obtained through ultrasonic-assisted functionalization using sodium polyacrylate as a dispersant. Moreover, capped ZnO nanofluids revealed long-term stability at pH above 6. The optimal capping procedure was obtained for a sonication power of 250 W, treatment duration of 40 min, dosage of 0.4% and temperature of 60 °C. Antifungal tests indicated that capped ZnO NPs showed an inhibition ability versus T. viride even in the dark. The antifungal ability of ZnO NPs increased with the increasing ZnO content, and humidity and temperature only affected the growth of fungi. Capped ZnO NPs showed an excellent antifungal performance even in the circumstance that was beneficial for the fungi growth (temperature of 30 °C, humidity of 95%), demonstrating the antimicrobial capability in practical applications.

Changes in body composition in children with acute graft-versus-host disease within the first 100 days after hematopoietic stem cell transplantation.

BACKGROUND: Acute graft-versus-host-disease (aGVHD) is one of the main complications of hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT). This study investigated the changes in body composition of pediatric patients with aGVHD during the first 100 days after HSCT. METHODS: Fifty-five children receiving HSCT were divided into two groups (aGVHD and non-aGVHD). Body mass index Z-scores (BMI-z), arm muscle area index (AMAI), fat mass index (FMI), and fat-free mass index (FFMI) were measured on the day of transplantation (H0), and on the 30th (H30), 60th (H60), and 100th day (H100) after the transplantation. The correlative factors on body composition were evaluated. RESULTS: In the aGVHD group, the rates of absolute change of BMI-z at H30, H60, and H100 showed a significant increase as compared to that at H0, especially at H30 which was remarkably higher than that of the non-aGVHD group (P = 0.008). AMAI showed a continuous decrease from H0 to H100 in the aGVHD group; also FFMI was found to be lower than that of the non-aGVHD group during the first 100 days after transplantation, however, no significant differences were found between the two groups. At H60 and H100, FFMI in the aGVHD group was lower than that in the non-aGVHD group (P = 0.014, P = 0.032, respectively). Glucocorticoid treatment and the occurrence of mucositis were the key factors for changes in body composition in the aGVHD group. CONCLUSIONS: Changes in body composition are characterized by a lean reduction in body mass and increase in adipose tissues in the early stage of post-transplantation in the aGVHD children. Glucocorticoid treatment and occurrence of mucositis are the two important factors that were found to affect body composition after HSCT.