The Mechanism of Action of Qihuang Jiangtang Capsule in the Treatment of Type 2 Diabetes Based on Network Pharmacology and Molecular Docking Technology

Objective Our objective was to investigate the potential mechanism of action of Qihuang Jiangtang capsule(QHJTC)in the treatment of type 2 diabetes mellitus(T2DM)through network pharmacology and molecular docking.Methods The active components of materia medica in the formula of QHJTC were searched on the Traditional Chinese Medicine Systems Pharmacology Database and Analysis Platform and Encyclopedia of Traditional Chinese Medicine.The targets related to the active components were obtained via PubChem database.The targets related to T2DM were retrieved through the GeneCards database.The targets corresponding to the active components and diabetes mellitus were uploaded to the Venn diagrams website to get the Venn diagram,and the intersecting targets were the potential targets of QHJTC in treating T2DM.The active components and potential targets were imported into Cytoscape 3.7.2 software to construct the active component–potential target network,and the key compounds and targets were screened by the Network Analyzer module in the Tools module.The potential targets were imported into the STRING database to obtain the interaction relationships,so as to analyze and construct the protein–protein interaction(PPI)network by Cytoscape 3.7.2 software.The intersecting targets were introduced into Metascape for gene ontology(GO)functional enrichment analysis and Kyoto encyclopedia of genes and genomes(KEGG)pathway enrichment analysis.The top 20 signaling pathways obtained by the KEGG pathway enrichment analysis and the related targets and the corresponding targets were analyzed by using Cytoscape 3.7.2 software to construct the“active component–important target-key pathway network”for the intervention of T2DM with QHJTC.The molecular docking of active components and core targets was performed with AutoDock software.Results A total of 237 active components and 281 related targets were obtained from QHJTC,as well as 1362 T2DM targets and 155 potential targets of QHJTC in treating T2DM.There were 32 key components and 49 key targets identified by the active component–potential target network topology analysis.There were 471 terms obtained from GO functional enrichment analysis,among which 248 related to biological processes,125 related to molecular functions,and 98 related to cellular components.There were 299 signaling pathways obtained from KEGG pathway enrichment analysis.The active components of QHJTC were found spontaneously binding to the core targets.Conclusions QHJTC can treat T2DM through multi-components,multi-targets,and multi-pathways.

Characteristics of Soil Organic Carbon, Total Nitrogen, and C/N Ratio in Chinese Apple Orchards

Soil organic carbon and nitrogen are used as indexes of soil quality assessment and sustainable land use management. At the same time, soil C/N ratio is a sensitive indicator of soil quality and for assessing the carbon and nitrogen nutrition balance of soils. We studied the characteristics of soil organic carbon and total nitrogen by investigating a large number of apple orchards in major apple production areas in China. High apple orchard soil organic carbon content was observed in the provinces of Heilongjiang, Xinjiang, and Yunnan, whereas low content was found in the provinces of Shandong, Henan, Hebei, and Shaanxi, with the values ranging between 6.44 and 7.76 g·kg-1. Similar to soil organic carbon, soil total nitrogen content also exhibited obvious differences in the 12 major apple producing provinces. Shandong apple orchard soil had the highest total nitrogen content (1.26 g·kg-1), followed by Beijing (1.23 g·kg-1). No significant difference was noted between these two regions, but their total nitrogen content was significantly higher than the other nine provinces, excluding Yunnan. The soil total nitrogen content for Xinjiang, Heilongjiang, Hebei, Henan, and Gansu was between 0.87 and 1.03 g·kg-1, which was significantly lower than that in Shandong and Beijing, but significantly higher than that in Liaoning, Shanxi, and Shaanxi. Six provinces exhibited apple orchard soil C/N ratio higher than 10, including Heilongjiang (15.42), Xinjiang (13.38), Ningxia (14.45), Liaoning (12.24), Yunnan (11.03), and Gansu (10.63). The soil C/N ratio was below 10 in the remaining six provinces, in which the highest was found in Shaanxi (9.47), followed by Beijing (8.98), Henan (7.99), and Shanxi (7.62), and the lowest was found in Hebei (6.80) and Shandong (6.05). Therefore, the improvement of soil organic carbon should be given more attention to increase the steady growth of soil C/N ratio.

Development of a rapid test kit for SARS-CoV-2:an example of product design

We present an example of applying'need-driven'product design principle to the development of a rapid test kit to detect SARS-COV-2(COVID-19).The tests are intended for use in the field and,longer term,for home use.They detect whether a subject is currently infected with the virus and is infectious.The urgent need for large numbers of tests in field setting imposes constraints such as short test time and lack of access to specialist equipment,laboratories and skilled technicians to perform the test and interpret results.To meet these needs,an antigen test based on RT-LAMP with colorimetric readout was chosen.Direct use of swab sample with no RNA extraction was explored.After extensive experimental study(reported elsewhere),a rapid test kit has been fabricated to satisfy all design criteria.

Effects of Soil C/N Ratio on Apple Growth and Nitrogen Utilization,Residue and Loss

Soil C /N ratio is an important influencing factor in soil nitrogen cycling. Two-year old apple trees( Borkh. cv. ‘Fuji'/Malus hupehensis) were used to understand the effect of soil C/N ratio [6. 52( CK),10,15,20,25,30,35 and 40]on apple growth and nitrogen utilization and loss by using15N trace technique. The results showed that,with the increasing of soil C/N ratio,apple shoot length and fresh weight increased at first,and then decreased; the higher apple shoot length and fresh weight appeared in C/N = 15,20 and 25 treatments,and there were no significant differences among these three treatments,but significantly higher than the other treatments. Statistical analysis revealed that there was significant difference in nitrogen utilization rate between the different treatments,the highest N utilization rate was occurred in soil C/N = 25 treatment which value was 22. 87%,and there was no significant difference between soil C/N = 25 and C/N = 20 treatments,but both the two treatments were significantly higher than the other treatments; Soil C/N = 40 had the lowest N utilization rate which value was 15. 43%,and this value was less than CK( 16. 65%). The proportion of plant absorption nitrogen from fertilizer was much higher when the value of soil C/N ratio in the range of 15- 25,but the percentage of plant absorption nitrogen from soil was much higher when the soil C/N ratio was too low( < 15) or high( < 25). Amount of residual nitrogen in soil increased gradually with the soil C/N ratio increasing,the amount of residual nitrogen in C/N = 40 treatment was 1. 32 times than that in CK. With the increasing of soil C/N ratio,fertilizer nitrogen loss decreased at first,and then increased,fertilizer nitrogen loss was the minimum in C/N = 25 treatments( 49. 87%) and the maximum were occurred in CK( 61. 54%). Therefore,regarding the apple growth and nitrogen balance situation,the value of soil C/N ratio in the range of 15- 25 would be favorable for apple growth and could increase effectively nitrogen fixed by soil,reduce nitrogen loss,and improve the nitrogen utilization ratio.

Corrosion Behavior of High-Chromium Alloys in Molten LiCl-KCl Eutectic

Pyrochemical reprocessing utilizing a molten LiCl-KCl eutectic medium is regarded as the most promising approach for recovering uranium and transuranic elements from spent metallic nuclear fuels.However,the harsh corrosiveness of molten chloride poses a significant challenge to the durability of structural materials.Herein,we report the corrosion behavior of 304 SS,316H SS and Inconel 800H in LiCl-KCl eutectic salt at 550°C for 100 h under an argon atmosphere.Experimental results indicate that all three materials can form a rather continuous Cr_(2)O_(3)-based scale through oxidation reaction at the beginning,but only the scale developed on 800H maintains excellent protection against corrosion throughout the entire exposure period.In contrast,both 304 SS and 316H SS experience considerable active dissolution on the bare substrate under a detached scale.We suggest that the primary reasons for the outstanding resistance of 800H to molten salt corrosion are the high concentration of noble Ni in the system,which lowers the inclination for active dissolution,and the beneficial addition of Al,which accelerates the formation of a less defective Cr_(2)O_(3)-based scale.Our work offers an in-depth understanding on the corrosion performance of high-Cr alloys in molten chloride,insights critical for the selection and subsequent development of structural materials for pyrochemical reprocessing applications.

Enhanced N2O emission rate in field soil undergoing conventional intensive fertilization is attributed to the shifts of denitrifying guilds

The emission of greenhouse gas N2O in agricultural soil is modulated by N fertilization that could be converted to N2O by denitrifiers under anaerobic condition. Nevertheless, the effect of denitrifiers on N2O emission has not been thoroughly elucidated. In this study, we explored the denitrifying gas kinetics,nitrate content, transcribed denitrifying functional genes(narG, nirS, nirK, and nosZ), and the active bacteria during anaerobic incubation of soils with conventional intensive N fertilization(CNS) and reduced N fertilization(RNS), both sampled from a vegetable greenhouse experimental site. The CNS sample showed significantly higher N2O emission rates relative to the RNS sample. However, the difference in N2O emission between the soils was neither because of the cumulative nitrate content nor the quantity of denitrifying gene transcripts. The distinct fertilization regimes shaped the significantly different bacterial communities in these soils. The absolute abundance of bacteria that produce N2O but lack the nosZ gene for N2O reduction(for example, the dominant Kaistobacter) was higher in CNS than in RNS. Meanwhile, the abundance of two operational taxonomy units(OTUs), namely Rhodanobacter,belonging to the most abundant genus in denitrifying guilds, was strongly enriched in CNS and showed significant positive correlation with N2O/(N2O +N2). The predominance of these bacterial OTUs in the CNS denitrifying guild strongly suggested that high N2O emission from the soil with long-term conventional intensive fertilization might be primarily attributed to the reshaping of distinct denitrifying guilds in their bacterial communities.