Integration of multi-omics in investigations on the mechanisms of action of Chinese herbal medicine interventions in metabolic diseases

The rapid development of bioinformatics has provided novel approaches and methods for exploring the mechanisms of disease treatment via Chinese herbal medicines.Compound Chinese herbal medicines formulas have complex compositions and are characterized by their multiple constituents and diverse array of biological targets.Therefore,the mechanisms of action of most compound Chinese herbal medicines formulas cannot be adequately explained using a single pathway.Omics technologies describe high-throughput-based analytical and detection techniques,which include transcriptomics,proteomics,and metabolomics and provide multilayer parameter information that can be integrated to characterize the overall relationships involved in the therapeutic effects of Chinese herbal medicines formulas.Through their combination with network biology and drug effect networks,omics technologies also enable investigations into the mechanisms of disease treatment in traditional Chinese medicine.The integration of multiple omics technologies is in line with the concept of holism in traditional Chinese medicine and provides an approach for combining modern science and technology with traditional Chinese medicine theories.In recent years,omics technologies have been widely used to elucidate the mechanisms of action of Chinese herbal medicines.The latest studies employing multi-omics integration for investigating the mechanisms of action of Chinese herbal medicines interventions in metabolic diseases have devoted greater attention to in-depth explorations of disease pathogenesis.This paper provides a review of the following multi-omics technologies,which are used in research on the treatment of common metabolic diseases(e.g.,type-2 diabetes mellitus,nonalcoholic fatty liver disease):network pharmacology combined with metabolomics,16S rRNA sequencing combined with transcriptomics,16S rRNA sequencing combined with metabolomics,and 16S rRNA sequencing combined with network pharmacology and metabolomics.

Asymmetric migration dynamics of the tropical Asian and Australasian floras

The tropical Asian and Australasian floras have a close relationship,and is a vital distribution pattern of seed plants worldwide.As estimated,more than 81 families and 225 genera of seed plants distributed between tropical Asia and Australasia.However,the evolutionary dynamics of two floras were still vague.Here,a total of 29 plant lineages,represented the main clades of seed plants and different habits,were selected to investigate the biotic interchange between tropical Asia and Australasia by integrated dated phylogenies,biogeography,and ancestral state reconstructions.Our statistics indicated that 68 migrations have occurred between tropical Asia and Australasia since the middle Eocene except terminal migrations,and the migration events from tropical Asia to Australasia is more than 2 times of the reverse.Only 12 migrations occurred before 15 Ma,whereas the remaining56 migrations occurred after 15 Ma.Maximal number of potential dispersal events(MDE) analysis also shows obvious asymmetry,with southward migration as the main feature,and indicates the climax of bi-directional migrations occurred after 15 Ma.We speculate that the formation of island chains after the Australian-Sundaland collision and climate changes have driven seed plant migrations since the middle Miocene.Furthermore,biotic dispersal and stable habitat may be crucial for floristic interchange between tropical Asia and Australasia.

Microstructure,mechanical properties,and wear resistance of VCp-reinforced Fe-matrix composites treated by Q&P process

A quenching and partitioning(Q&P) process was applied to vanadium carbide particle(VCp)-reinforced Fe-matrix composites(VC-Fe-MCs) to obtain a multiphase microstructure comprising VC, V8 C7, M3 C, α-Fe, and γ-Fe. The effects of the austenitizing temperature and the quenching temperature on the microstructure, mechanical properties, and wear resistance of the VC-Fe-MCs were studied. The results show that the size of the carbide became coarse and that the shape of some particles began to transform from diffused graininess into a chrysanthemum-shaped structure with increasing austenitizing temperature. The microhardness decreased with increasing austenitizing temperature but substantially increased after wear testing compared with the microhardness before wear testing; the microhardness values improved by 20.0% ± 2.5%. Retained austenite enhanced the impact toughness and promoted the transformation-induced plasticity(TRIP) effect to improve wear resistance under certain load conditions.

The roles of microRNAs in spinal cord ischemia-reperfusion injury

Spinal cord ischemia/reperfusion injury is a devastating medical disorder with poor prognosis that is associated with several pathophysiological conditions.However,multiple stimuli can trigger SCII,so the underlying mechanism of this pathology has not yet been fully established.MicroRNAs(miRNAs)are a class of non-coding RNAs that mediate a variety of nervous system diseases and regulate numerous physiological functions,including apoptosis,autophagy,inflammation,and blood-spinal cord barrier damage.miRNA expression profiles are known to be altered after spinal cord ischemia/reperfusion injury.Therefore,gaining a better understanding of the significant roles that miRNAs play in spinal cord ischemia/reperfusion injury could help develop potential preventive and therapeutic strategies for spinal cord ischemia/reperfusion injury.This review summarizes the current state of our knowledge about the relationship between miRNAs and spinal cord ischemia/reperfusion injury,as well as potential miRNAs that could be targeted to treat spinal cord ischemia/reperfusion injury.

Accuracy for cytological evaluation in the detection of breast cancer among patients with pathologic nipple discharge:a PRISMA-compliant meta-analysis

Background:Nipple discharge cytology is a simple non-invasive method that may provide valuable information for detecting underlying malignancy.Several studies have investigated the diagnostic value of cytology in breast cancer patients with pathological nipple discharge,but the results have been highly variable.Herein we presented a systematic review and meta-analysis of published studies pertaining to the diagnostic capacity of nipple discharge cytology in patients with breast cancer.Methods:A systematic literature search was performed(Medline/PubMed,Embase,Cochrane Library databases,and Google Scholar)to identify studies that investigated the diagnostic capacity of cytology with regard to breast cancer in patients with pathologic nipple discharge.Two independent researchers identified articles that assessed the sensitivity and specificity of cytological evaluation for breast cancer detection in patients with pathologic nipple discharge published between January 2000 and October 2018.Articles were only included in the meta-analysis if they met predetermined criteria.The characteristics of each study and the data they yielded were summarized.Quality assessment of all articles included was performed using the Methodological Index for Non-randomized Studies Criteria(MINORS)and the Quality Assessment of Diagnostic Accuracy Study 2(QUADAS-2).Heterogeneity was tested via Cochran Q test and the I2 statistic using Stata 12.0 and Meta-DiSc 1.4 software,and meta-analysis was performed.Results:A total of 286 articles were identified,of which 12 articles including a total of 1476 patients were deemed eligible for inclusion in the meta-analysis.A random-effects model assessing the capacity of nipple discharge cytology to predict breast cancer yielded pooled sensitivity 63%(95%confidence interval[CI]:53%-72%),specificity 95%(95%CI:87%-98%),positive likelihood ratio 12.35(95%CI:4.87-31.34),and negative likelihood ratio 0.39(95%CI:0.30-0.50).The diagnostic odds ratio was 31.88(95%CI:11.30-89.98).The area under the summary receiver operating characteristic curve was 0.79(95%CI:0.75-0.82).Conclusion:The current meta-analysis suggests that nipple discharge cytology is a useful diagnostic modality for detection of breast cancer in patients with pathological nipple discharge,with moderate sensitivity and high specificity.

Simplified pulmonary embolism severity index is associated with recurrent venous thromboembolism in patients with pulmonary embolism

Pulmonary embolism(PE)patients have a high recurrence rate of venous thromboembolism(VTE)and recurrences are more often fatal.Recurrence can be effectively prevented by prolonged anticoagulation treatment,but the risk of bleeding also increases.Consequently,risk assessment of VTE recurrence is important in PE patients,as high-risk patients will benefit from long-term anticoagulation treatment,whereas low-risk patients will unnecessarily be exposed to an increased bleeding risk.Several risk factors for VTE recurrence have been identified in non-Asian populations,including male gender,advanced age,thrombophilia,obesity,persistent elevation of D-dimer one month after discontinuation of anticoagulation and residual thrombosis.However,risk factors for VTE recurrence have not been clearly evaluated in Chinese and Asian populations.A recent study found that the European Society of Cardiology(ESC)risk stratification for PE patients(2008 version),which is used to assess the disease severity of acute PE patients,was associated with VTE recurrence.[1]The simplified pulmonary embolism severity index(sPESI)is also widely validated for the assessment of disease severity of PE,has good prognostic value for early and even long-term mortality.It is less clear whether the model predicts VTE recurrence.The aim of this prospective study was to investigate the short-term and long-term incidence of recurrent VTE after a first episode of acute PE and associated risk factors of recurrent VTE.The association between VTE recurrence and disease severity assessed by sPESI was also evaluated.

Assembly dynamics of East Asian subtropical evergreen broadleaved forests: New insights from the dominant Fagaceae trees

The dominant species of a biome can be regarded as its genuine indicator.Evergreen broadleaved forests(EBLFs) in subtropical East Asia harbor high levels of species biodiversity and endemism and are vital to regional carbon storage and cycling.However,the historical assembly of this unique biome is still controversial.Fagaceae is the most essential family in East Asian subtropical EBLFs and its dominant species are vital for the existence of this biome.Here,we used the dominant Fagaceae species to shed light on the dynamic process of East Asian subtropical EBLFs overtime.Our results indicate high precipitation in summer and low temperature in winter are the most influential climatic factors for the distribution of East Asian subtropical EBLFs.Modern East Asian subtropical EBLFs did not begin to appear until 23 Ma,subsequently experienced a longlasting development in the Miocene and markedly deteriorated at about 4 Ma,driven jointly by orogenesis and paleoclimate.We also document that there is a lag time between when one clade invaded the region and when its members become dominant species within the region.This study may improve our ability to predict and mitigate the threats to biodiversity of East Asian subtropical EBLFs and points to a new path for future studies involving multidisciplinary methods to explore the assembly of regional biomes.