A Retrospective Analysis of Glucagon-Like Peptide 1 Receptor Agonists in Treating Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus Complicated by Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease

Background: The objective of this study was to compare and analyze the variations in clinical indices before and after treatment of type 2 mellitus (T2DM) combined with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) that were treated with glucagon-like peptide 1 receptor agonists (GLP-1RAs). Methods: The electronic medical record system was utilized to search for a total of 16 patients with type 2 diabetes complicated by NAFLD who were hospitalized at the First Affiliated Hospital of Yangtze University from October 2022 to April 2023 and treated with GLP-1RA for the first time. The clinical indices were compared before and after 12 weeks of treatment with GLP-1RA. Results: The liver-spleen CT ratio (L/S), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), gamma-glutamyltransferase (GGT), total cholesterol (TC), triglyceride (TG), and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) in all patients treated with GLP-1RA after 12 weeks were significantly different (P 0.05). The patients were categorized into two groups based on the types of GLP-1RAs. The changes in L/S, TC, TG, and LDL-C in the long-acting group after treatment were statistically significant (P Conclusions: GLP-1RAs can improve liver function, regulate lipid metabolism, and reduce the severity of fatty liver in patients with T2DM complicated by NAFLD, which demonstrates the importance of clinical applications.

Research Progress on the Therapeutic Mechanism of Tea Polyphenols in Neurodegenerative Diseases

In recent years, the incidence of neurodegenerative diseases, mainly Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, vascular dementia, and cerebral ischemia, has been rising gradually, which has a serious impact on the physiological state and quality of life of human beings in old age, and the current clinical drugs are unsatisfactory in terms of therapeutic efficacy and healing, which has made this kind of diseases become a social medical problem. Tea polyphenols are the main functional components of tea and have great potential in neuroprotection. In this paper, we review the research on tea polyphenols in neurodegenerative diseases, with the aim of providing a new entry point for the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases.

Reduced salinity interacts with ultraviolet radiation to alter photosystem Ⅱ function in diatom Skeletonema costatum

To investigate the effect of reduced salinity on diatoms’ capacity to cope with changing ultraviolet radiation(U VR) and photosynthetically active radiation(PAR),Skeletonema costatum was grown in a range of salinity(15,25,and 35).The photo system Ⅱ(PSⅡ) function was analyzed by increasing PAR and UVR to mimic a mixing event in turbulent waters.The re sults show that high UVR exposure significantly reduced PSII activity,especially in cells grown at low salinity.UVR,but not salinity,stimulated the ’removal’ rate of PSII protein PsbA.Salinity alone,in the range of 15 to 35,did not regulate PSⅡ acceptor region;however,the low salinity+UVR treatment decreased the energy flux for electron transport per PSⅡ reaction center in S.costatum.It showed that low salinity exacerbated the damaging effect of UVR on PSⅡ function in S.costatum by suppressing Psb A protein synthe sis and modifying the photochemistry of PSⅡ.Although higher catalase(CAT) activity and NPQs were induced,they were unable to prevent the combined damage effect of low salinity+UVR.Our findings indicate that reduced salinity and increased UVR potentially affect the abundance and distribution of S.costatum with the escalation of climate disturbances.

A critical role of PvFtsH2 in the degradation of photodamaged D1 protein in common bean

Light is required for initiating chloroplast biogenesis and photosynthesis;however,the photosystem II reaction center(PSII RC)can be photodamaged.In this study,we characterized pvsl1,a seedling-lethal mutant of Phaseolus vulgaris.This mutant showed lethality when exposed to sunlight irradiation and a yellow-green leaf phenotype when grown in a growth chamber under low-light conditions.We developed 124 insertion/deletion(INDEL)markers based on resequencing data of Dalong1 and PI60234,two local Chinese common bean cultivars,for genetic mapping.We identified Phvul.002G190900,which encodes the PvFtsH2 protein,as the candidate gene for this pvsl1 mutation through fine-mapping and functional analysis.A single-base deletion occurred in the coding region of Phvul.002G190900 in the pvsl1 mutant,resulting in a frameshift mutation and a truncated protein lacking the Zn^(2+)metalloprotease domain.Suppressed expression of Phvul.002G190900 at the transcriptional level was detected,while no change in the subcellular localization signal was observed.The seedlings of pvsl1 exhibited hypersensitivity to photoinhibition stress.In the pvsl1 mutant,abnormal accumulation of the D1 protein indicated a failure to rapidly degrade damaged D1 protein in the PSII RC.The results of this study demonstrated that PvFtsH2 is critically required for survival and maintaining photosynthetic activity by degrading photodamaged PSII RC D1 protein in common bean.

Advances in the Study of Exosomal miRNAs in Diabetes and Its Complications

Diabetes mellitus is a group of metabolism-related diseases characterized by elevated plasma glucose levels, and the course of diabetes mellitus is closely linked to the development of diabetes-related complications, which can be life-threatening due to poor glycemic control. Exosomes are small vesicles that encapsulate intracellular molecules and are composed of a variety of bioactive proteins, lipids and nucleic acids (including microRNAs, lncRNAs, and circ-RNAs), and recent studies have increasingly shown that miRNAs in exosomes are an important mode of intercellular and intertissued communication and play a key role in the development and progression of various diseases. This review presents the progress of the application of exosomal miRNAs in type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM), type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), and diabetes-related complications.

Meta-Analysis on Safety of Dapagliflozin in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus

Objective: To evaluate the safety of dapagliflozin for Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM). Methods: A systematic search of Pubmed, Embase, Cochrance Library, Web of Science, CNKI, Wanfang Data and VIP database for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) comparing dapagliflozin with placebo was performed up to February 2018. The index words included dapagliflozin, type 2 diabetes mellitus and randomized controlled trial. Results: A total of 19 RCTs involving 7704 participants were incorporated into the study. Compared with placebo, dapagliflozin did not increase the risk of hypoglycemia [OR = 1.14, 95%CI (0.95, 1.36), P = 0.17] and hypotension [OR = 1.43, 95%CI (0.94, 2.17), P = 0.10], but significantly increased the incidences of renal adverse events [OR = 1.57, 95%CI (1.17, 2.09), P = 0.002], genital tract infection [OR = 3.65, 95%CI (2.93, 4.56), P Conclusions: Generally, dapagliflozin had no risk of hypoglycemia and hypotension in patients with T2DM, but there were risks of renal adverse events and urogenital tract infection. Due to the limitations of this study, larger samples and RCTs with long-term follow-up are needed for further verification.

Hydrophilic solvent recovery from switched‐on microdroplet dissolution

Switchable hydrophilicity solvents(SHSs)are a unique class of chemical compounds that can be switched between their hydrophobic and hydrophilic forms.The switchable characteristics allow SHSs to be used as emerging,green solvents for sustainable extraction and separation technology.In the production of polymeric microparticles from recycled plastics,SHSs are used to dissolve the polymer and then are switched to the hydrophilic form for separation from the generated polymeric microparticles.However,it is extremely difficult to fully recover the SHS residue from the mixtures.In this work,we will identify the key parameters that determine the level of the solvent residue during the switched‐on dissolution of emulsion microdroplets.The SHS N,N‐dimethylcyclohexylamine from solvent–polymer binary emulsion droplets was switched to the hydrophilic,water‐soluble form,triggered by addition of an acid in the surrounding aqueous phase.By applying a sensitive detection method developed in this work,we compared the levels of SHS residue in polymer microparticles obtained under 30 different dynamical and chemical conditions for the switching processes.The quantitative analysis revealed that residue levels remained constant at varied addition rates and concentration of the trigger solution,but decreased with the increase in organic phase fractions or the decrease in the emulsion temperature.Trapped water in the drops during switched‐on dissolution may have contributed to the high level of solvent residue.The understanding of the new possible mechanism for residual solvent reported in this work may help develop effective approaches for the recovery of switchable solvents in environmentally friendly separation processes.

快速、无损大豆种子连续取样技术及其DNA制备

建立简便、快速和无损种子连续取样技术流程及基因型鉴定技术体系,可节约种植成本及缩短鉴定周期,提高基因功能研究和育种效率。该研究利用微型电钻和空气泵等简单装置设计了一种连续且无损钻取大豆(Glycine max)种子组织的方法,并优化了利用384深孔微孔板高通量提取DNA及基因型鉴定技术体系。该方法也可用于水稻(Oryzasativa)和玉米(Zea mays)等多种主要作物的种子取样及基因型鉴定。

Static Recrystallization and Precipitation Behavior of a Weathering Steel Microalloyed with Vanadium

The static recrystallization （SRX） and precipitation behavior of a weathering steel microalloyed with vanadium were investigated through double-pass compression tests under controfled conditions using the MMS-300 thermal-mechanical simulator. The deformation temperatures ranged from 800 °C to 1000 °C, and the inter- pass time from 1 s to 500 s. The simulation results showed that SRX occurred after 5-10 s at the first compression deformation. The softening fraction of SRX was found to increase with increasing the deformation temperature and the pre-strain. However, the softening fraction scarcely changed during the process of strain-induced precipitation. In addition, the kinetics of SRX was described by the Avrami equation, and the Avrami exponent appeared to be closely associated with the deformation temperature. The microstructure evolution was investigated at the initiation and completion of recrystallization. The amount and distribution of the precipitates were analyzed. The relationship between the driving force of SRX and the pinning force of precipitation was discussed. Besides, the recrystallization inhibition was detected at the early stage of precipitation, and the pinning forces were found to be of a magnitude comparable to the driving force. Moreover, the pinning forces were found to increase with the degree of precipitation and reach a peak at the intermediate stage of precipitation, and finally reduce as the particles coarsened.

Identification and characterization of the cellular subclones that contribute to the pathogenesis of mantle cell lymphoma

Mantle cell lymphoma(MCL)is a B-cell malignancy with poor clinical outcome and undefined pathogenesis.Development of clinically relevant cellular models for MCL research is an urgent need.Our preliminary observations lead the development of two novel hypotheses that we tested in this study:1.multicellular spheroid might be a unique growth mode of earlystage cells in MCL;2.MCL might be a polyclonal tumor.We made the following original observations that have not been reported:First,we have provided a new experiment method for enriching MCL early-stage cells and characterized the spheroid mode of growth as a unique feature of early-stage MCL cells in cell line as well as in clinical samples.Second,we have established a clinically relevant cellular model of MCL,the JeKo-1-spheroid cell line,that was highly enriched in early-stage sub-clones.JeKo-1-spheroid cells and the spheroid growing cells enriched from MCL patients exhibited comparably enhanced tumorigenic abilities and similar biological features.Third,Immunophenotypic analysis has revealed that MCL may be derived from precursor-B(pre-B),immature-B and mature-B cells,not only the mature-B cells as WHO classified in 2016.Fourth,MCL may be a polyclonal disease composed of CD19e/IgMe,CD19 e/IgMt,CD19t/IgMt three sub-clones,of which the CD19e/IgMt sub-clone might be the dominant sub-clone with the strongest tumorigenic ability.Fifth,CD19t/IgMe that differentiates MCL and normal B cells may represent a new marker for MCL early detection,minor residual disease monitoring after therapies and prognosis.

QNE1 is a key flowering regulator determining the length of the vegetative period in soybean cultivars

The soybean E1 gene is a major regulator that plays an important role in flowering time and maturity.However,it remains unclear how cultivars carrying the dominant E1 allele adapt to the higher latitudinal areas of northern China.We mapped the novel quantitative trait locus QNE1(QTL near E1) for flowering time to the region proximal to E1 on chromosome 6 in two mapping populations.Positional cloning revealed Glyma.06G204300,encoding a TCP-type transcription factor,as a strong candidate gene for QNE1.Association analysis further confirmed that functional single nucleotide polymorphisms(SNPs) at nucleotides 686 and 1,063 in the coding region of Glyma.06G204300 were significantly associated with flowering time.The protein encoded by the candidate gene is localized primarily to the nucleus.Furthermore,soybean and Brassica napus plants overexpressing Glyma.06G204300 exhibited early flowering.We conclude that despite their similar effects on flowering time,QNE1 and E4 may control flowering time through different regulatory mechanisms,based on expression studies and weighted gene co-expression network analysis of flowering time-related genes.Deciphering the molecular basis of QNE1 control of flowering time enriches our knowledge of flowering gene networks in soybean and will facilitate breeding soybean cultivars with broader latitudinal adaptation.

Morphological and skeletal comparison and ecological adaptability of Mandarin fish Siniperca chuatsi and big-eye Mandarin fish Siniperca kneri

Most of the closely related fish species are similar in appearance,with slight differences.This study evaluated 35 morphological characteristic parameters and the number,shape,and spatial location of bones in the skull and vertebrae of the mandarin fish Siniperca chuatsi and big-eye mandarin fish Siniperca kneri.We can understand their ecological adaptability,compare their morphological and skeletal differences,and elucidate the relationship between their phenotypic trait differences and skeletal characteristics.The results were as follows:1.The Student’s t-test results revealed significant differences between S.chuatsi and S.kneri in terms of head depth,head back length,snout length,interorbital distance,distance of the eyes from the oral fissure,and width between the posterior trunk and base of the caudal fin.Principal component and discriminant analysis showed that the main morphological differences between S.chuatsi and S.kneri were in the eye position,head hump and body shape.2.There was no significant difference in the number and shape of the skull and vertebrae between S.chuatsi and S.kneri,but they differed in spatial position.The terminus of the maxilla in S.chuatsi is located at the lower border of the postorbital bone,but at the anterior in S.kneri.The size of head hump is closely related to the spatial location of the splanchnocranium in S.chuatsi and S.kneri.The angles between the caudal vertebrae centrum and each of the following:the neural arch and spine;haemal arch and spine of S.chuatsi are larger than those of S.kneri.In conclusion,the morphological differences between S.chuatsi and S.kneri are closely related to the spatial position of skeleton.These phenotypic differences reflect the ecological adaptation of mandarin fish to different natural environments.

Effect of Intercritical Annealing Time on the Microstructures and Tensile Properties of a High Strength TRIP Steel

A new Mn-Si-Al-Mo-Nb transformation-induced plasticity steel was annealed by intercritical annealing for different durations to investigate the partitioning of C element and the volume fraction change of the microstructural constituents. Direct experimental evidence confirms the partitioning of C elements in different phases during heat treatment by Electron probe microanalysis and X ray diffraction. The distribution of the precipitates was investigated as well. It was revealed that the microstructures and mechanical properties of the investigated steels were affected by the intercritical annealing time. According to the present experiment, the volume fraction of retained austenite and the product of tensile strength and total elongation of investigated steel decrease with increasing intercritical annealing time. It was observed that high tensile strength of 1,103 MPa, total elongation of 21.3%, and strength-ductility product of 23,493.9 MPa % could be successfully produced in this experimental steel at intercritical annealing temperature of 830 ℃, holding for 1 min, and isothermal bainite treatment of 440 ℃ for 5 min holding time.

Waterlogging risk assessment for winter wheat using multi-source data in the middle and lower reaches of Yangtze River

Waterlogging is a serious agro-meteorological disaster caused by excessive soil water,which usually causes tremendous crop yield losses.The region of middle and lower reaches of Yangtze River in China is an important production base of winter wheat,and is an area prone to waterlogging.The risk assessment of winter wheat waterlogging can provide more thorough understanding about the risk-prone environment related with food safety in this region.This study combined a variety of environmental and agricultural factors and assessed the waterlogging risk of winter wheat from the aspects of sensitivity of hazard formative environments,hazard risk,and vulnerability of hazard-affected body using multi-source data.Furthermore,it constructed a compound waterlogging risk assessment model to classify the study area into high,relatively high,moderate,and low risky areas,respectively.The results showed that the proposed model could more comprehensively reflect the occurrence mechanism of winter wheat waterlogging by synchronizing geographical,agricultural,and meteorological factors.The waterlogging regionalization based on the model could reasonably represent the spatial distribution and differentiate regional characteristics of winter wheat waterlogging in the study area.