Remodeling the tumor immune microenvironment via siRNA therapy for precision cancer treatment

How to effectively transform the pro-oncogenic tumor microenvironments(TME)surrounding a tumor into an anti-tumoral never fails to attract people to study.Small interfering RNA(siRNA)is considered one of the most noteworthy research directions that can regulate gene expression following a process known as RNA interference(RNAi).The research about siRNA delivery targeting tumor cells and TME has been on the rise in recent years.Using siRNA drugs to silence critical proteins in TME was one of the most efficient solutions.However,the manufacture of a siRNA delivery system faces three major obstacles,i.e.,appropriate cargo protection,accurately targeted delivery,and site-specific cargo release.In the following review,we summarized the pharmacological actions of siRNA drugs in remolding TME.In addition,the delivery strategies of siRNA drugs and combination therapy with siRNA drugs to remodel TME are thoroughly discussed.In the meanwhile,the most recent advancements in the development of all clinically investigated and commercialized siRNA delivery technologies are also presented.Ultimately,we propose that nanoparticle drug delivery siRNA may be the future research focus of oncogene therapy.This summary offers a thorough analysis and roadmap for general readers working in the field.

Effectiveness of pharmacogenomics on the response and remission of treatment-resistant depression: a metaanalysis of randomised controlled trials

Background Pharmacogenomics(PGx)is a promising tool to realise tailored drug therapy for depression.Aims To investigate the treatment efficacy of PGxfor treatment-resistant depression(TRD)compared with treatmentas usual.Methods A systematic search was conducted in PubMed,Embase,the Cochrane Library,Web of Science and PsyclNFO to identify relevant studies published from inception to 15 April 2023.Two-arm randomised controlled trials(RCTs)exploring the efficacy of PGx-guided versus unguided treatment for TRD were included.The risk of bias in the included studies was evaluated using the Cochrane risk of bias assessment tool.The overall quality of evidence was assessed using the Grading of Recommendations,Assessment,Development and Evaluation(GRADE)approach.Results Seven RCTs(n=3003)comparing PGx-guided(n=1492)and unguided(n=1511)groups were identified and analysed.PGx-guided treatment was superior to treatment as usual in response(relative risk(RR)=1.31;95%confidence interval(95%Cl):1.15 to 1.49;p<0.001)and remission(RR=1.40;95%Cl:1.09 to 1.80;p=0.009)improvements.Effect sizes for acceptability(RR=0.90;95%Cl:0.80 to 1.02;p=0.100)and side effect burden(RR=0.58;95%Cl:0.29 to 1.15;p=0.120)between the two groups were not statistically different.The overall quality of evidence was rated from'very low'(25%)to low'(75%)based on the GRADE criteria.Conclusions PGx-guided treatment has shown a small overall effect in improving the response and remission rates for patients with TRD.However,these results should be interpreted cautiously because of the few included studies and the low quality of evidence.Further high-quality clinical trials are warranted to confirm the findings.

Effects of Nitrogen Addition on the Mixed Litter Decomposition in Stipa baicalensis Steppe in Inner Mongolia

During the past two centuries, global changes (i.e., enhanced nitrogen deposition) have exerted profound effects on ecological processes of steppe ecosystems. We used litterbag method and mixed litters of three different plant species tissues (Stipa baicalensis: Sb, Leymus chinensis: Lc and Artemisia frigid: Af), endemic to Stipa baicalensis Steppe, and measured the mass loss of mixtures over 417 days under the N addition treatment. We studied the effect of N addition (N0: no N addition;N15: 1.5 g N/m2·a;N30: 3.0 g N/m2·a;N50: 5.0 g N/m2·a;N100: 10.0 g N/m2·a;N150: 15.0 g N/m2·a) on the rate of mixed litter decomposition and nutrient dynamics change. The decomposition constant (k) of leaf mixtures was higher than that of root mixtures. The k values of leaf mixed combinations were 0.880 (Sb + Lc), 1.231 (Lc + Af), 1.027 (Sb + Lc + Af), respectively. The k value of stem was 0.806 (Lc + Af) and the root mixed combinations were 0.665 (Sb + Lc), 0.979 (Lc + Af) and 1.164 (Sb + Lc + Af), respectively. The results indicated that N addition had significantly effect on the mixed litter decomposition and nutrient releasing. The rate of plant tissues litter decomposition had different response to N addition. In the context of N addition, litter decomposition rate and nutrient dynamics were changed by synthetic effect of decaying time, specie types and N addition dose. Our findings suggested that prairie plants may adapt to environmental change by adjusting litter quality, thus retaining the stability of the steppe ecosystem.

Exploring the Mechanism of CircRNA-vgll3 in Osteogenically Differentiated Human Bone Marrow Mesenchymal Stem Cells

Objective:To explore the mechanism of circRNA-vgll3 in osteogenic differentiation of human bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells.Methods:BMSCs cells were transfected with circRNA-vgll3,and divided into circRNA-vgll3 high-level group,circRNA-vgll3 low-level group,and negative control group(circRNA-vgll3 not transfected)according to the amount of transfection.The proliferation and apoptosis of BMSCs osteoblasts in each group were analyzed,and the alkaline phosphatase(ALP)activity,type I collagen gray value,bone morphogenetic protein 2(BMP-2),Runx2 protein,and mRNA expression levels were detected.Results:The circRNA-vgll3 low-level group had a significant inhibitory effect on the proliferation of BMSCs osteoblasts,and the apoptosis rate of the circRNA-vgll3 low-level group was significantly higher than that of the circRNA-vgll3 high-level group(P<0.05);ALP activity,type I collagen gray value,BMP-2,Runx2 protein,and mRNA expression levels in the high-level circRNA-vgll3 group were significantly higher than those in the low-level circRNA-vgll3 group,and the difference was statistically significant(P<0.05).Conclusion:Overexpression of circRNA-vgll3 can promote the osteogenic differentiation ability of BMSCs,while low expression of circRNA-vgll3 can inhibit the osteogenic differentiation ability of BMSCs.The main mechanism of action is that circRNA-vgll3 can affect osteogenic differentiation by regulating the Runx2 protein.

Effect of “Four Passes” Training and Assessment of Nurse Specialty Knowledge on the Cultivation of Core Competence of Clinical Nurses

Background: With the development of high quality nursing service, hospitals put forward higher requirements for nurses’ service level. In recent years, the number and quality of specialized nurses remain to be improved despite the remarkable achievements in the construction of specialized nurses. Objective: This study intended to explore a standardized training mode for nurses oriented by training and assessment of nursespecialty knowledge and to summarize the practical experience of this mode. Methods: The training and assessment program was formulated by starting from the objectives of training clinical front-line nursing staff in our hospital, and the standard training and assessment were carried out from four aspects: the specialized disease knowledge, the condition observation and reporting ability, emergency and severe disease nursing, and perioperative accelerated rehabilitation guidance. These four items are hereinafter referred to as “Four Passes” training and assessment, and it was practiced in the assessment and training of nurses in our hospital from 2020 to 2022. Results: A total of 915 front-line caregivers were surveyed in our study, including 772 nurses and 143 doctors. After two years of implementation, the self-evaluation of nurses increased from (2.96 ± 0.79) points to (3.64 ± 0.78) points, and the evaluation score by doctors increased from (3.94 ± 0.74) points to (4.26 ± 0.72) points. The core competence of specialty increased from (69.22 ± 16.53) points to (85.42 ± 14.44) points. The scores of all dimensions after training were higher than those before training, with statistical significances. Conclusion: The “Four Passes” training and assessment of nurse specialty knowledge can fully mobilize the enthusiasm of managers and nurses in all departments, ensure solid specialty knowledge, improve nurses’ core competence, improve nursing quality, and create a harmonious relationship between nurses and patients as well as between doctors and patients.

Intrastriatal glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factors for protecting dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra of mice with Parkinson disease

BACKGROUND： Substantia nigra is deep in position and limited in range, the glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor （GDNF） injection directly into substantia nigra has relatively greater damages with higher difficulty. GDNF injection into striatum, the target area of dopaminergic neuron, may protect the dopaminergic neurons in the compact part of substantia nigra through retrograde transport. OBJECTIVE： To investigate the protective effect of intrastriatal GDNF on dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra of mice with Parkinson disease （PD）, and analyze the action pathway. DESIGN： A controlled observation. SETTING： Neurobiological Laboratory of Xuzhou Medical College. MATERIALS： Twenty-four male Kunming mice of 7 - 8 weeks old were used. GDNF, 1-methy1-4-pheny1-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine （MPTP） were purchased from Sigma Company （USA）; LEICAQWin image processing and analytical system. METHODS： The experiments were carded out in the Neurobiological Laboratory of Xuzhou Medical College from September 2005 to October 2006. The PD models were established in adult KunMing mice by intraperitoneal injection of MPTP. The model mice were were randomly divided into four groups with 6 mice in each group： GDNF 4-day group, phosphate buffer solution （PSB） 4-day group, GDNF 6-day group and PSB 6-day group. Mice in the GDNF 4 and 6-day groups were administrated with 1 μ L GDNF solution （20 μ g/L, dispensed with 0.01 mol/L PBS） injected into right striatum at 4 and 6 days after model establishment. Mice in the PSB 4 and 6-day groups were administrated with 0.01 mol/L PBS of the same volume to the same injection at corresponding time points. ② On the 12^th day after model establishment, the midbrain tissue section of each mice was divided into 3 areas from rostral to caudal sides. The positive neurons of tyroxine hydroxylase （TH） and calcium binding protein （CB） with obvious nucleolus and clear outline were randomly selected for the measurement, and the number of positive neurons in unit area was counted. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES： Number of positive neurons of TH and CB in midbrain substantia nigra of mice in each group. RESULTS： All the 24 mice were involved in the analysis of results. The numbers of TH^＋ and CB^＋ neurons in the GDNF 4-day group （54.33±6.92, 46.33±5.54） were obviously more than those in the PBS 4-day group （27.67±5.01, 21.50±5.96, P 〈 0.01）. The numbers of TH^＋ and CB^＋ neurons in the GDNF 6-day group （75.67±5.39, 69.67±8.69） were obviously more than those in the PBS 6-day group （27.17±4.50, 21.33 ±5.72, P 〈 0.01） and those in the GDNF 4-day group （P 〈 0.01 ）. CONCLUSION： Intrastriatal GDNF can protect dopaminergic neurons in substantia nigra of PD mice, and it may be related to the increase of CB expression.

TNF-α,IL-6 and hs CRP in patients with melancholic,atypical and anxious depression:an antibodyyarrayanalysis related to somatic symptoms

Background The association between inflammation and major depressive disorder(MDD)remains poorly understood,given the heterogeneity of patients with MDD.Aims We investigated inflammatory markers,such as interleukin(IL)-6,high-sensitivity C reactive protein(hsCRP)and tumour necrosis factor-α.(TNF-α)in melancholic,atypical and anxious depression and explored whether baseline inflammatory protein levels could indicate prognosis.Methods The sample consisted of participants(aged 18-55 years)from a previously reported multicentre randomised controlled trial with a parallel-group design registered with ClinicalTrials.gov,including melancholic(n=44),atypical(n=37)and anxious(n=44)patients with depression and healthy controls(HCs)(n=33).Subtypes of MDD were classified according to the 30-item Inventory of Depressive Symptomatology,Self-Rated Version and the.17-item Hamilton Depression Rating Scale.Blood levels.of TNF-α,IL-6 and hsCRP were assessed using antibody array analysis.Results Patients with MDD,classified according to melancholic,atypical and anxious depression subtypes,and HCs did not differ significantly in baseline TNF-α,IL-6 and hsCRP levels after adjustment.In patients with anxious depression,hsCRP levels increased significantly if they experienced no pain(adjusted(adj.)p=0.010)or mild to moderate pain(adj.p=0.038)compared with those with severe pain.However,the patients with anxious depression and severe pain showed a lower trend in hsCRP levels than patients with atypical depression who experienced severe pain(p=0.022;adj.p=0.155).Baseline TNF-α(adj.p=0.038)and IL-6(adj.p=0.006)levels in patients in remission were significantly lower than those in patients with no remission among the participants with the atypical depression subtype at the eighth-week follow-up.Conclusions This study provides evidence of differences in inflammatory proteins in patients with varied symptoms among melancholic,atypical and anxious depression subtypes.Further studies on the immunoinflammatory mechanism underlying different subtypes of depression are expected for improved individualised therapy.

Novel dual-band antenna for multi-mode GNSS applications

A novel dual-band antenna is proposed for mitigating the multi-path interference in the global navigation satellite system（GNSS） applications. The radiation patches consist of a shortedannular-ring reduced-surface-wave（SAR-RSW） element and an inverted-shorted-annular-ring reduced-surface-wave（ISAR-RSW）element. One key feature of the design is the proximity-coupled probe feeds to increase impedance bandwidth. The other is the defected ground structure band rejection filters to suppress the interaction effect between the SAR-RSW and the ISAR-RSW elements. In addition, trans-directional couplers are used to obtain tight coupling. Measurement results indicate that the antenna has a larger than 10 d B return loss bandwidth and a less than 3 d B axial-ratio（AR） bandwidth in the range of（1.164 – 1.255） GHz and（1.552 – 1.610） GHz. The gain of the passive antenna in the whole operating band is more than 7 d Bi.

Molecular characterization of secaloindoline genes in introduced CIMMYT primary hexaploid triticale

In order to widen gene germplasm for kernel hardness in triticale, 60 synthetic hexaploid triticales were tested by the single kernel characterization system(SKCS) and secaloindoline alleles were identified by sequencing. Phenot^ing showed that frequencies of soft, mixed and hard genotypes were 43.3%, 48.3%, and 8.4%, respectively. Genotyping identified three known secaloindoline-a alleles and four known secaloindoline-b alleles. Three new Sina-Rl alleles were designated Sina-Rld, Sina-Rle and Sina-Rlf. Compared to Sina-Dlc, Sina-Rld showed four point mutations causing changes in four amino acids, Sina-Rle had one point mutation causing an alanine to glycine substitution, and Sina-Rlf possessed five point mutations but produced the same amino add sequence as Sina-Rld. Two new Sinb-Rl alleles were discovered and designated Sinb-Rle and Sinb-Rl/. Compared to Sinb-Rla, Sinb-Rle possessed a triplet-code insertion and four point mutations causing a cysteine insertion and two amino acid substitutions, and Sinb-Rl/possessed three point mutations causing a cysteine insertion and a change of arginine to glycine.Association of hardness index with secaloindoline alleles indicated t±iat SKCS of the Sina-Rld genotype was significantly lower than that of Sina-Rle, and Sinb-Rle was significantly lower than that of the Sinb-Rld genotype. A total of eight allelic combinations of secaloindoline genes were identified; Sma-Rld/Sinb-Rle and Sina-Rle/Sinb-Rld were relatively prevalent in the triticales surveyed. The results provide valuable information for further use of these germplasms in triticale breeding program due to the diverse polymorphism in secaloindoline genes.

Feasibility of establishing cerebral ischemia models by using aerocyst-blocking bilateral ascending pharyngeal artery of piglets Imaging assessment

BACKGROUND： The cerebral ischemia and ischemia/reperfusion animal models are used to simulate the human cerebrovascular diseases is one of the popular topics of neurological science recently. To study the pathophysiology, pathogenesis, prophylaxis and treatment of ischemic cerebrovascular diseases and to establish the ideal animal model that is the most similar to the human cerebral ischemia, are the topics that the people generally cared about. OBJECTIVE： To evaluate the effects of aerocyst-blocking bilateral ascending pharyngeal artery on the establishment of cerebral ischemia models by using digital subtraction angiography （DSA）, magnetic resonance diffusion-weighted imaging （DWI） and magnetic resonance perfusion-weighted imaging （PWI）. DESIGN： Repetitive measure animal experiment. SETTING： Zhongshan Hospital Affiliated to Dalian University. MATERIALS： The experiment was carried out in the Animal Laboratory （Provincial Laboratory）, Zhongshan Hospital of Dalian Univeristy from January to May 2006. A total of 14 domestic piglets, of 6 months old, weighing 12-15 kg, of either gender, were selected from Animal Experimental Center, Dalian University. Multistar T.O.P digital subtraction angiography machine was provided by Siemens Company, German. METHODS： Aerocyst-blocking bilateral ascending pharyngeal artery was used to establish cerebral ischemia models. And then, Multistar T.O.P. DSA was used for imaging of cerebral vessels before blocking, during blocking and at 0.5 and 2 hours after ischemia perfusion. GE Signa 1.5 T supraconduction magnetic resonance imaging was used for DWI examination; in addition, PWI was used based on focal sites and areas. Otherwise, magnetic resonance imaging （MRI） was used to detect signal changes of T1WI and T2WI in ischemic areas. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES： Analytic results of DSA, DWI, PWI and MRI. RESULTS： All 14 experimental piglets were involved in the final analysis. ① DSA： The blood flow of bilateral ascending pharyngeal arteries and its branch were blocked at blocking phase, which restored 0.5 and 2 hours after reperfusion. ② DWI and PWI： There were no observable abnormalities in PWI and DWI at pre-blocking. Abnormal increased signals were found on both DWI and PWI at during and post-blocking. There were reduction in ADC and rCBF and delay in rTTP at all time points except pre-blocking. ③ MRI： There were no abnormal signals observable at any time of pre- and post-blocking in T1WI and T2WI. CONCLUSION： It is feasible to establish this kind of animal experimental models, and it can simulate the ischemic state; meanwhile, the existence and extent can be showed directly by DSA, DWI, and PWI.

Impacts of Four Invasive Asteraceae on Soil Physico-Chemical Properties and AM Fungi Community

Invasive Asteraceae are an important group of plants and might have universal impacts on invaded ecosystems. However, research data on the ecological impacts of specific plants are still lacking. Chromolaena odorata, Ageratina adenophora, Flaveria bidentis, and Mikania micrantha are four typical alien Asteraceae in China. The involvement of soil biota, in particular, the community structure of arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi in their invasion process was tested in present research. It was found that invasion by the four Asteraceae changed, to different extents, the nutrient levels in soils. Invasion by C. odorata, A. adenophora, and F. bidentis followed common patterns: 1) decreasing pH value;2) increasing the soil AM fungal diversity and species richness. Invasion by all four Asteraceae tested increased nitrogen pools and accelerated nitrogen fluxes with a decrease in the phosphorus pool, especially available phosphorus. It was suggested that mycorrhizal symbiosis might partially promote successful invasion of these Asteraceae by affecting the metabolism of phosphorus in soil. The impacts on soil ecosystems of these Asteraceae tested were also species-specific, and different invasion strategies were exhibited.

Effects of the combination of second-generation antipsychotics on serum concentrations of aripiprazole and dehydroaripiprazole in Chinese patients with schizophrenia

Background Aripiprazole(ARI)is often prescribed alone or in combination with other second-generation antipsychotics(SGAs)to treat patients with schizophrenia.However,this may increase the potential clinical significance of drug-drug interactions.Therapeutic drug monitoring(TDM)is an important and fundamental tool both when administering ARI alone and in combination with other SGAs to monitor ARI pharmacokinetics,adjust the dosage and thereby achieve more effective and safer treatment.Aims This study retrospectively investigated the effects of four SGA comedications(clozapine,risperidone,quetiapine(QTP)and olanzapine)and other potential factors(sex,age and ARI dose)on the serum concentrations of ARI and dehydroaripiprazole(DARI)in Chinese patients with schizophrenia using TDM data.Methods High-performance liquid chromatography was used to test the serum concentrations of ARI,DARI and ARI+DARI.In addition,steady-state dose-adjusted serum concentrations(ie,concentration-to dose ratios,C:D ratios)of ARI,DARI and ARI+DARI;sex;age;ARI dose and SGA comedication dose between 299 inpatients with schizophrenia who received ARI or SGA comedication were all collected and analysed.Spearman’s correlation and multiple linear regression analysis were used to evaluate bivariate associations between ARI dose and serum ARI and DARI concentrations and describe the effect of independent variables on serum ARI and DARI concentrations,respectively.Results There were significant differences in the C:D ratios of ARI(χ^(2)=−3.21,p=0.001)and ARI+DARI(χ^(2)=−2.50,p=0.01)between the ARI and SGA groups,as well as in the C:D ratios of ARI(χ^(2)=−3.59,p<0.001)and ARI+DARI(χ^(2)=−3.10,p=0.002)between the female patients in the two groups.Of the four SGAs,only QTP had significant effects on the C:D ratios of ARI(Z=−4.12,p<0.001)and ARI+DARI(Z=−3.62,p<0.001)when compared with the ARI group in the whole sample and on the C:D ratios of ARI,DARI and ARI+DARI(Z=−3.96,p<0.001;Z=−2.22,p=0.03;Z=−3.75,p<0.001,respectively)in women when compared with their counterparts in the ARI group.Conclusion Comedication with SGAs resulted in lower C:D ratios of ARI and ARI+DARI compared with ARI monotherapy,and comedication with QTP resulted in lower C:D ratios of ARI and ARI+DARI than ARI monotherapy.Despite this statistical significance of our findings,whether the presently observed effect has clinical significance requires exploration by further research.TDM and dosage regulation of ARI should be performed in Chinese inpatients with schizophrenia who are receiving SGA comedication(especially QTP)to maintain a safe and effective dose-adjusted serum concentration of ARI and DARI.

Effects of Transgenic Bt+CpTI Cotton Cultivation on Functional Diversity of Microbial Communities in Rhizosphere Soils

[Objective] This study aimed to investigation the effects of tranagenic Bt ＋ CpTI cotton cultivation on functional diversity of microbial communities in rhizospbere soils. E Method] By using the Biolog method, a comparative study was conducted on the utilization level of single carbon source by microbes in the rhi- zosphere soils of transgenic Bt ＋ CpTI cotton sGK321 and its parental conventional cotton ＇ Shiyuan 321＇ at different growth stages. [ Result ] The results showed that, compared with the parental conventional cotton, the average well-color development （AWCD） value of micmhial communities in rhizospbere soils of transgenie Bt ＋ CpTI cotton were significantly higher （P 〈 O. 05） at seedling stage and budding stage while significantly lower at flower and boll stage and bell opening stage. Shannon-Wiener diversity index （H） and Simpson dominance index （D） of microbial communities in rhlzesphere soils of transgenic cotton and conventional cotton varied with the different growth stages, whereas the Shannon-Wiener evenness index （E） showed no significant difference between transgenie cotton and convention- al cotton at four growth stages. Principal component analysis indicated that the patterns of carbon source utilization by microbial communities in rhizospbere soils were similar among transgenic cotton at seeding stage and flower and boll stage and parental conventional cotton at seeding stage and budding stage, which were also similar between tranagenic cotton at budding stage and parental conventional cotton at flower and boll stage. [ Conclusion] Analysis of different carbon sources indi- cated that the main carbon sources utilized by soil microbes were carbohydrates, amino acids, carboxylie acids and polymers.

Stem cell therapy for idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis: How far are we from the bench to the bedside?

Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is characterized by exuberant apoptosis and inadequate regeneration of lung parenchyma cells. Intratracheal alveolar type II epithelial cell instillation alleviates lung inflammation and fibrosis. Resident lung epithelial stem cells, as well as exogenous mesenchymal stem cells, are capable of differentiating into lung epithelial cells and repair the injured lung. It is thus supposed that, either engraftment of exogenous stem cells, or methods facilitating endogenous lung stem cell proliferation, are promising treatments for IPF, a devastating disease. Arrays of cellular and animal studies have shown the potential of stem cells in alleviating experimental lung fibrosis. Moreover, clinical trials have been launched to investigate the potentials of cell-based therapy in IPF patients. We intend to discuss the newest advances on stem cell therapy in pulmonary fibrosis, particularly the advantages, promises, and possible hurdles to pass from the successes in laboratory experiments to the eventual clinical applications.

Correlation of hair risperidone concentration and serum level among patients with schizophrenia

Background Risperidone (RSP) has a rapid onset in vivo, low dosage and high plasma protein binding rate, therefore therapeutic drug monitoring (TDM) is needed to ensure safety in clinical treatment. However, compared with blood, hair is non-invasive, safe, non-infectious and easy to transport and store. Aims This study aims to investigate the correlations among the drug concentrations of RSP in hair and serum, which provides an experimental basis to explore hair as a novel biomaterial to meet the needs of clinical detection. Methods 34 patients with schizophrenia treated with RSP for more than 3 months were enrolled in this study. About 1 cm section of hair near the scalp was taken from the subjects, pretreated and detected by liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry. A correlation analysis was conducted among the drug concentrations in hair, the serum concentrations and the daily dosage. The data were analysed usi叩 SPSS 20.0 software. Results There was significant correlation between the hair concentration of RSP (two-tailed test, r=0.440, p=0.009) with the serum concentration of RSP, and the hair concentration of 9-hydroxyrisperidone (9-HR) with the serum concentration of 9-HR had no significant correlation (two-tailed test, r=-0.217, p=0.217);the total concentration of the RSP and 9-HR had no significant correlation between hair and serum (r=0.227, p=0.196). The dosage had no statistically significant correlation with the concentration of RSP in hair (r=0.207, p=0.241), 9-HR in hair (r=-0.194, p=0.271) and the total concentration of RSP and 9-HR in hair (r=0.188, p=0.288). There was no statistical correlation between the dosage and the concentration of RSP in serum (r=-0.059, p=0.741), but significant correlation between the dosage and 9-HR in serum (r=0.581 p<0.001) was found, and the correlation between the dosage and the total concentration of the two drugs RSP and 9-HR in serum was also significant (r=0.437, p=0.01). Conclusion The correlation analysis showed that the concentration of RSP in hair was statistically significant with the serum RSP concentration. In this study, we provided some experimental basis for hair as a new biomaterial to monitor the therapeutic drug concentration.

Effects of the grazing systems on germinable soil seed bank of desert steppe

We studied a soil seed bank in the Stipa breviflora desert steppe under three grassland management systems, namely continuous grazing, rotational grazing, and no grazing, from 1999 until 2007. The germinable seed bank species in rotational, continuous and no gazing were 11, 9 and 8 species, respectively. Rotational grazing increased the number of seed bank plant species and perenni- al grasses. The density of germinal soil seed bank was significantly higher in the enclosed area （19,533.33 seeds/m2） than those in rotational （3,233.33 seeds/mz） and continuous grazing areas （2,553.60 seeds/m2）. The vertical distribution of the soil seed bank had a similar trend： 75.06%-83.19% of the seeds are distributed in the top 0-5 cm soil layer, 14.16%-21.68% in the 5-10 cm lay- er, and 2.65%-4.95% in the 10-15 cm layer, which varied between the grazing treatments. Density of the soil seed bank was sig- nificantly higher in the enclosed area, and there was no significant difference between rotational and continuous grazing. The Margalef and Shannon-Wiener indices for the soil seed bank were higher for rotational grazing treatment than for continuous grazing. The Sorensen＇s similarity index for the soil seed bank between the enclosed and rotational grazing areas reached 0.857.

Experimental and numerical study on ignition and combustion characteristics of boron-magnesium composite powders

A high-pressure laser ignition and combustion system with adjustable oxidizer gas atmosphere is established to investigate the ignition and combustion characteristics of boron-magnesium(BM)com-posite powders.An ignition and combustion model of BM powders is established and validated in the present study.The results show that increasing water content,O_(2) content and Mg content all result in shorter ignition delay time of BM powders,among which the effect of water content is the most obvious.However,ignition delay time increases as pressure increases.The combustion time decreases with increasing Mg content and ambient pressure but increases with water content.With the increase of O_(2) content,combustion time of BM powders first increases and then decreases,which means a critical O_(2) content exists above which combustion time decreases.The results show that there exists a trade-off between ignition and combustion performance of BM composite powders.

Self-shrinking supramolecular nanoparticles syndicate energy suppression and NIR-II mild photothermal amplification of mitochondrial oxidative stress for breast cancer therapy

Photothermal therapy(PTT)may lead to healthy tissue damage,tumor metastasis,and recurrence,which makes mild photothermal therapy(mild PTT)stand out.However,overcoming heat resistance,insufficient therapeutic effect,and poor photothermal conversion efficiency has become new challenge.Herein,we report a dynamic supramolecular nanocarrier formed from amide-sericin and aldehyde-polyhydroxy glucan(denoted as SDA),the loose cavity of which can be filled by using the pharmaceutical combination of lonidamine(LND)and NIR-II photothermal agent of IR-1061,producing SDLI with a tighter inner hole,smaller and uniform particle size and excellent stability due to multiple pulling forces.Moreover,the intricate internal network structure prevents the hydrophobic IR-1061 from forming aggregates in the small cavity,and the photothermal conversion efficiency(PCE)can reach 48.9%.At the acidic tumor microenvironment of pH 6.5,the controlled release of LND can solve the problem of heat resistance of NIR-II mild PTT and significantly improve the therapeutic effect of NIR-II mild PTT.Meanwhile,SDLI also shows a reasonable tumor inhibition rate,so the synergistic strategy of inhibiting tumor energy metabolism and NIR-II mild PTT to magnify mitochondrial oxidative stress,continuous cell stress state-induced immunogenic cell death to promote the induction of tumor apoptosis is proposed to achieve more effective cancer treatment.

“Three-in-one” strategy of trifluoromethyl regulated blood-brain barrier permeable fluorescent probe for peroxynitrite and antiepileptic evaluation of edaravone

Epilepsy,as a chronic neurological disease of the brain,is closely related to oxidative stress,and the peroxynitrite(ONOO-)significantly rise up in this event.Therefore,ONOO-is considered as a potential biomarker for early prediction of epilepsy.However,some potential diagnostic reagents for epilepsy are hindered by the blood-brain barrier(BBB).Meanwhile,“drug repurposing”is attracting a growing interest.Edaravone(EDA),as a first-line drug in the clinical treatment of cerebral ischemia,plays antioxidant roles in scavenging free radicals,promising potential antiepileptic activity.Thus,it is imperative to develop fluorescent probes for monitoring ONOO-fluctuations in the epileptic brain.Hence,we proposed a novel fluorescent probe with the thiocarbonate as the promising recognition unit for ONOO-and dicyanoisophorone derivative as the fluorophore.Moreover,by the“three-in-one”strategy,the introduction of trifluoromethyl into DCI-ONOO-3 can extend the emission wavelength of the fluorophore,shorten the response and increase lipophilicity.Consequently,DCI-ONOO-3 was used for monitoring ONOO-fluxes in brain of epileptic mice and evaluating the antiepileptic efficacy of EDA.It opens up a new way for the design of BBB permeable fluorescent probes,and provides a convincing new method for the diagnosis and treatment of epilepsy.

A new TiO_(2) nanorods/MoTe_(2) quantum dots/Al_(2)O_(3) composite photocatalyst for efficient photoelectrochemical water splitting under simulated sunlight

The solar-to-hydrogen conversion using the photoelectrochemical(PEC)method is a practical approach to producing clean energy.However,it relies on the availability of photocatalyst materials.In this work,a novel photocatalyst comprising molybdenum telluride quantum dots(MoTe_(2) QDs)-modified titanium dioxide nanorods(TiO_(2) NRs)was prepared for the enhancement of the PEC water splitting performance after combination with a Al_(2)O_(3) layer using the atomic layer deposition(ALD)technique.MoTe_(2) QDs were initially prepared,and then they were loaded onto TiO_(2) NRs using a warm water bath-based heating method.After a layer of Al_(2)O_(3) was deposited onto resulted TiO_(2) NRs/MoTe_(2) QDs,the composite TiO_(2) NRs/MoTe_(2) QDs/Al_(2)O_(3) was finally obtained.Under simulated sunlight(100 mW·cm^(-2)),such a composite exhibited a maximum photocurrent density of 2.25 mA·cm^(-2) at 1.23 V(versus RHE)and an incident photon-to-electron conversion efficiency of 69.88%at 380 nm,which are 4.33 and 6.66 times those of pure TiO_(2) NRs,respectively.Therefore,the composite photocatalyst fabricated in this work may have promising application in the field of PEC water splitting,solarcells andotherphotocatalyticdevices.