A method for quantifying relative competitive advantage and the combined effect of co-invasion for two invasive plants

Invasive plants affect the composition of native habitats,often triggering the loss of biodiversity(Kuebbing et al.,2014,2016;Wang et al.,2021a,2021b).Hence,understanding the mechanisms that underlie successful biological invasion has become a major issue in invasion ecology.The invasion of one habitat by two or more invasive plants is referred to as co-invasion(Sheppard,2019;Wang et al.,2020,2022;Wei et al.,2020a).The invasional meltdown hypothesis posits that the successful colonization of one invasive plant can create a favorable environment for the successful colonization of a second invasive plant(Simberloff,2006;Green et al.,2011;Kuebbing et al.,2016;Braga et al.,2017).

Clinical and muscle magnetic resonance image findings in patients with late-onset multiple acyl-CoA dehydrogenase deficiency

Background:Late-onset multiple acyl-coA dehydrogenase deficiency (MADD) is an autosomal recessive inherited metabolic disorder. It is still unclear about the muscle magnetic resonance image (MRI) pattern of the distal lower limb pre- and post-treatment in patients with late-onset MADD. This study described the clinical and genetic findings in a cohort of patients with late-onset MADD, and aimed to characterize the MRI pattern of the lower limbs.Methods:Clinical data were retrospectively collected from clinic centers of Peking University People's Hospital between February 2014 and February 2018. Muscle biopsy, blood acylcarnitines, and urine organic acids profiles, and genetic analysis were conducted to establish the diagnosis of MADD in 25 patients. Muscle MRI of the thigh and leg were performed in all patients before treatment. Eight patients received MRI re-examinations after treatment.Results:All patients presented with muscle weakness or exercise intolerance associated with variants in the electron transfer flavoprotein dehydrogenase gene. Muscle MRI showed a sign of both edema-like change and fat infiltration selectively involving in the soleus (SO) but sparing of the gastrocnemius (GA) in the leg. Similar sign of selective involvement of the biceps femoris longus (BFL) but sparing of the semitendinosus (ST) was observed in the thigh. The sensitivity and specificity of the combination of either "SO+/GA-" sign or "BFL+/ST-" sign for the diagnosis of late-onset MADD were 80.0% and 83.5%, respectively. Logistic regression model supported the findings. The edema-like change in the SO and BFL muscles were quickly recovered at 1 month after treatment, and the clinical symptom was also relieved.Conclusions:This study expands the clinical and genetic spectrums of late-onset MADD. Muscle MRI shows a distinct pattern in the lower limb of patients with late-onset MADD. The dynamic change of edema-like change in the affected muscles might be a potential biomarker of treatment response.

Effect of Cordyceps sinensis on the Treatment of Experimental Autoimmune Encephalomyelitis： A Pilot Study on Mice Model

Background： As a traditional Chinese medicine, Cordyceps sinensis （CS） possesses a variety of immunoregulatory properties. This study aimed to explore the therapeutic potential of CS in a mice model of multiple sclerosis （MS）-experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis （EAE）. Methods： Female C57BL/6 mice were immunized with myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein35–55 to induce EAE, followed by an instant intragastric feeding with a low dosage of CS （low CS group, n = 5）, high dosage of CS （high-CS group, n = 5）, or the same volume of normal saline （control group, n = 5）.All the mice were observed for clinical assessment. Over the 30 days of CS treatment, flow cytometry was used to detect the frequency of helper T-cell （Th） subsets, Th1 and Th17, and CD4＋ CD25＋ regulatory T cells in the spleen and lymph nodes. Meanwhile, pathological changes in brain were determined using both hematoxylin-eosin and luxol fast blue staining. Data were analyzed using the one-way analysis of variance （ANOVA）. Results： Over the 15 and 30 days of CS treatment, the clinical assessment for EAE demonstrated that both high-CS group （2.51 ± 0.31 and 2.26 ± 0.39 scores, respectively） and low-CS group （2.99 ± 0.40 and 2.69 ± 0.46, respectively） had lower disease severity scores than those of control group （3.57 ± 0.53 and 3.29 ± 0.53, all P 〈 0.01, respectively）. Meanwhile, after 15 and 30 days, the high-CS group （19.18 ± 1.34 g and 20.41 ± 1.56 g, respectively） and low-CS group （18.07 ± 1.18 g and 19.48 ± 1.69 g, respectively） had a lower body weight, as compared with control group （16.85 ± 1.15 g and 18.22 ± 1.63 g, all P 〈 0.01, respectively）.At 30 days post-CS treatment, there was a lower Th1 frequency in the lymph nodes （2.85 ± 1.54% and 2.77 ± 1.07% vs. 5.35 ± 1.34%, respectively; P 〈 0.05） and spleens （3.96 ± 1.09% and 3.09 ± 0.84% vs. 5.07 ± 1.50%, respectively; P 〈 0.05） and less inflammatory infiltration and demyelination in the brain of CS-treated mice than that of control group. Conclusions： Our preliminary study demonstrated that CS efficiently alleviated EAE severity and EAE-related pathology damage and decreased the number of Th1s in the periphery, indicating its effectiveness in the treatment of murine EAE. Thus, our findings strongly support the therapeutic potential of this agent as a new traditional Chinese medicine approach in MS treatment.