Improvement of glucose metabolism in middle-aged mice on a high-fat diet by whole-grain highland barley is related to low methionine levels

Methionine restriction(MR)is an effective dietary strategy to regulate energy metabolism and alleviate oxidative stress and inflammation in the body,especially in the middle-aged and elderly population.However,the high methionine content of meat products makes this dietary strategy impossible to combine with protein supplementation and MR.Highland barley(HB),a low-methionine cereal,not only provides the body with protein but also has improved glucose metabolism and antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties.Therefore,this study evaluated the feasibility of HB as a source of methionine-restricted dietary protein and the potential mechanisms.Middle-aged C57BL/6J mice were fed a control diet(CON),a high-fat diet(HFD),a whole-grain HB high-fat diet(HBHF),or a HBHF+methionine diet(HBHFmet)for 25 weeks.The results showed that the HBHF could keep the body weight,fasting glucose,insulin,homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance(HOMA-IR),blood lipids,inflammation,and oxidative stress of HFD mice at normal levels.Compared with the HFD groups,HBHF inhibited pancreatic cell apoptosis and improved insulin secretion while improving hepatic and skeletal muscle glucose metabolism.However,these efficacies were attenuated in HBHFmet group mice.These findings suggest that HBHF has an MR strategy.

Computed tomography-based multi-organ radiomics nomogram model for predicting the risk of esophagogastric variceal bleeding in cirrhosis

BACKGROUND Radiomics has been used in the diagnosis of cirrhosis and prediction of its associated complications.However,most current studies predict the risk of esophageal variceal bleeding(EVB)based on image features at a single level,which results in incomplete data.Few studies have explored the use of global multi-organ radiomics for non-invasive prediction of EVB secondary to cirrhosis.AIM To develop a model based on clinical and multi-organ radiomic features to predict the risk of first-instance secondary EVB in patients with cirrhosis.METHODS In this study,208 patients with cirrhosis were retrospectively evaluated and randomly split into training(n=145)and validation(n=63)cohorts.Three areas were chosen as regions of interest for extraction of multi-organ radiomic features:The whole liver,whole spleen,and lower esophagus–gastric fundus region.In the training cohort,radiomic score(Rad-score)was created by screening radiomic features using the inter-observer and intra-observer correlation coefficients and the least absolute shrinkage and selection operator method.Independent clinical risk factors were selected using multivariate logistic regression analyses.The radiomic features and clinical risk variables were combined to create a new radiomics-clinical model(RC model).The established models were validated using the validation cohort.BACKGROUND Radiomics has been used in the diagnosis of cirrhosis and prediction of its associated complications.However,most current studies predict the risk of esophageal variceal bleeding(EVB)based on image features at a single level,which results in incomplete data.Few studies have explored the use of global multi-organ radiomics for non-invasive prediction of EVB secondary to cirrhosis.AIM To develop a model based on clinical and multi-organ radiomic features to predict the risk of first-instance secondary EVB in patients with cirrhosis.METHODS In this study,208 patients with cirrhosis were retrospectively evaluated and randomly split into training(n=145)and validation(n=63)cohorts.Three areas were chosen as regions of interest for extraction of multi-organ radiomic features:The whole liver,whole spleen,and lower esophagus–gastric fundus region.In the training cohort,radiomic score(Rad-score)was created by screening radiomic features using the inter-observer and intra-observer correlation coefficients and the least absolute shrinkage and selection operator method.Independent clinical risk factors were selected using multivariate logistic regression analyses.The radiomic features and clinical risk variables were combined to create a new radiomics-clinical model(RC model).The established models were validated using the validation cohort.RESULTS The RC model yielded the best predictive performance and accurately predicted the EVB risk of patients with cirrhosis.Ascites,portal vein thrombosis,and plasma prothrombin time were identified as independent clinical risk factors.The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve(AUC)values for the RC model,Rad-score(liver+spleen+esophagus),Rad-score(liver),Rad-score(spleen),Rad-score(esophagus),and clinical model in the training cohort were 0.951,0.930,0.801,0.831,0.864,and 0.727,respectively.The corresponding AUC values in the validation cohort were 0.930,0.886,0.763,0.792,0.857,and 0.692.CONCLUSION In patients with cirrhosis,combined multi-organ radiomics and clinical model can be used to non-invasively predict the probability of the first secondary EVB.

The flavonoids from Pentorum chinense Pursh.mediates ferroptosis to alleviate sorafenib-induced liver injury in BRL-3A cells

Background:Drug-induced liver damage is a severe medical issue that affects people all over the world.Sorafenib has some side effects that cause liver injury.A dietary medicinal plant called Penthorum chinense Pursh.(PCP)has hepatoprotective properties.There are currently few reports on PCP’s protective impact and mechanism against sorafenib-induced liver injury.Methods:To create a liver injury model,sorafenib was administered to BRL-3A cells.Cell viability assays,immunofluorescence tests,Western blotting,real-time quantitative PCR,and high-content imaging systems were utilized to examine PCP’s effect and mechanism.Results:In this study,PCP treatment mitigated the liver damage caused by sorafenib by enhancing cell survival,lowering lipid reactive oxygen species and malondialdehyde levels,and elevating glutathione levels.In addition,PCP can enhance the protein expression of cystine/glutamate transporter xCT and glutathione peroxidase 4,reduce iron content and alleviate mitochondrial toxicity.Further mechanism studies revealed that PCP inhibited ferroptosis by promoting the production of nuclear factor E2-related factor 2 nuclear translocation and subsequently affecting target genes(HO-1 and NQO1).Conclusion:Together,PCP regulates the nuclear factor E2-related factor 2 pathway,which helps to lessen ferroptosis brought on by sorafenib.

基于词序扰动的神经机器翻译模型鲁棒性研究

预训练语言模型是自然语言处理领域一类十分重要的模型,预训练-微调成为许多下游任务的标准范式。先前的研究表明,将BERT等预训练语言模型融合至神经机器翻译模型能改善其性能。但目前仍不清楚这部分性能提升的来源是更强的语义建模能力还是句法建模能力。此外,预训练语言模型的知识是否以及如何影响神经机器翻译模型的鲁棒性仍不得而知。为此,使用探针方法对两类神经翻译模型编码器的句法建模能力进行测试,发现融合预训模型的翻译模型能够更好地建模句子的词序。在此基础上,提出了基于词序扰动的攻击方法,检验神经机器翻译模型的鲁棒性。多个语言对上的测试结果表明,即使受到词序扰动攻击,融合BERT的神经机器翻译模型的表现基本上优于传统的神经机器翻译模型,证明预训练模型能够提升翻译模型的鲁棒性。但在英语-德语翻译任务中,融合预训练模型的翻译模型生成的译文质量反而更差,表明英语BERT将损害翻译模型的鲁棒性。进一步分析显示,融合英语BERT的翻译模型难以应对句子受到词序扰动攻击前后的语义差距,导致模型出现更多错误的复制行为以及低频词翻译错误。因此,预训练并不总能为下游任务带来提高,研究者应该根据任务特性考虑是否使用预训练模型。

Effects of dynamic ventilatory factors on ventilatorinduced lung injury in acute respiratory distress syndrome dogs

BACKGROUND： Mechanical ventilation is a double-edged sword to acute respiratory distress syndrome （ARDS） including lung injury, and systemic inflammatory response high tidal volumes are thought to increase mortality. The objective of this study is to evaluate the effects of dynamic ventilatory factors on ventilator induced lung injury in a dog model of ARDS induced by hydrochloric acid instillation under volume controlled ventilation and to investigate the relationship between the dynamic factors and ventilator-induced lung injuries （VILI） and to explore its potential mechanisms.METHODS： Thirty-six healthy dogs were randomly divided into a control group and an experimental group. Subjects in the experimental group were then further divided into four groups by different inspiratory stages of flow. Two mL of alveolar fluid was aspirated for detection of IL-8 and TNF-α. Lung tissue specimens were also extracted for total RNA, IL-8 by western blot and observed under an electronic microscope.RESULTS： IL-8 protein expression was significantly higher in group B than in groups A and D. Although the IL-8 protein expression was decreased in group C compared with group B, the difference was not statistically significant. The TNF-a ray degree of group B was significantly higher than that in the other groups （P〈0.01）, especially in group C （P〉0.05）. The alveolar volume of subjects in group B was significantly smaller, and cavity infiltration and cell autolysis were marked with a significant thicker alveolar septa, disorder of interval structures, and blurring of collagenous and elastic fiber structures. A large number of necrotic debris tissue was observed in group B.CONCLUSION： Mechanical ventilation with a large tidal volume, a high inspiratory flow and a high ventilation frequency can cause significant damage to lung tissue structure. It can significantly increase the expression of TNF-α and IL-8 as well as their mRNA expression. Furthermore, the results of our study showed that small tidal ventilation significantly reduces the release of proinflammatory media. This finding suggests that greater deterioration in lung injury during ARDS is associated with high inspiratory flow and high ventilation rate.

Beneficial effects of a novel shark-skin collagen dressing for the promotion of seawater immersion wound healing

Background: Wounded personnel who work at sea often encounter a plethora of difficulties. The most important of these difficulties is seawater immersion. Common medical dressings have little effect when the affected area is immersed in seawater, and only rarely dressings have been reported for the treatment of seawater-immersed wounds. The objective of this study is to develop a new dressing which should be suitable to prevent the wound from seawater immersion and to promote the wound healing.Methods: Shark skin collagen(SSC) was purified via ethanol de-sugaring and de-pigmentation and adjusted for p H. A shark skin collagen sponge(SSCS) was prepared by freeze-drying. SSCS was attached to an anti-seawater immersion polyurethane(PU) film(SSCS+PU) to compose a new dressing. The biochemical properties of SSC and physicochemical properties of SSCS were assessed by standard methods. The effects of SSCS and SSCS+PU on the healing of seawaterimmersed wounds were studied using a seawater immersion rat model. For the detection of SSCS effects on seawaterimmersed wounds, 12 SD rats, with four wounds created in each rat, were divided into four groups: the 3 rd day group, 5 th day group, 7 th day group and 12 th day group. In each group, six wounds were treated with SSCS, three wounds treated with chitosan served as the positive control, and three wounds treated with gauze served as the negative control. For the detection of the SSCS+PU effects on seawater-immersed wounds, 36 SD rats were divided into three groups: the gauze(GZ)+PU group, chitosan(CS)+PU group and SSCS+PU group, with 12 rats in each group, and two wounds in each rat. The wound sizes were measured to calculate the healing rate, and histomorphology and the immunohistochemistry of the CD31 and TGF-β expression levels in the wounded tissues were measured by standard methods.Results: The results of Ultraviolet-visible(UV-vis) spectrum, Fourier-transform infrared(FTIR) spectrum, circular dichroism(CD) spectra, sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis(SDS-PAGE), and amino acid composition analyses of SSC demonstrated that SSC is type I collagen. SSCS had a homogeneous porous structure of approximately 200μm, porosity rate of 83.57%±2.64%, water vapor transmission ratio(WVTR) of 4500 g/m2, tensile strength of 1.79±0.41 N/mm, and elongation at break of 4.52%±0.01%. SSCS had significant beneficial effects on seawater-immersed wound healing. On the 3 rd day, the healing rates in the GZ negative control, CS positive control and SSCS rats were 13.94%±5.50%, 29.40%±1.10% and 47.24%±8.40%, respectively. SSCS also enhanced TGF-in the initial stage of the healing period. The SSCS+PU dressing effectively protected woundsβ and CD31 expression from seawater immersion for at least 4 h, and accelerated re-epithelialization, vascularization and granulation formation of seawater-immersed wounds in the earlier stages of wound healing, and as well as significantly promoted wound healing. The SSCS+PU dressing also enhanced expression of TGF-n and gauze dressings.β and CD31. The effects of SSCS and SSCS+PU were superior to those of both the chitosaConclusion: SSCS has significant positive effects on the promotion of seawater-immersed wound healing, and a SSCS+PU dressing effectively prevents seawater immersion, and significantly promotes seawater-immersed wound healing.

Synthesis and antibacterial activity of brominated 2′(4′)-nitro-3-hydroxy diphenyl ethers

Eight new brominated 2＇（4＇）-nitro-3-hydroxy diphenyl ethers have been designed and synthesized. The structures of new compounds were confirmed by ^1H NMR, IR and HRMS. The bioactivity tests showed that these compounds possessed antibacterial activities against the tested bacteria. These new compounds cannot be transformed into dioxins when they were manufactured and used.

Comparative Analysis of Sugar Production Cost in Guangxi and World Major Producing Countries

Guangxi is the largest sugar producing area in China and shoulders heavy responsibilities for the development of China’s sugar industry.In recent years,China’s sugar industry has been greatly impacted by the foreign low-cost sugar industry,and the planting area of sugarcane has been declining.The development foundation of the sugar industry is the sugarcane seed industry.Under the impact of foreign low-price sugar,China’s sugarcane industry is under greater pressure for development,and the sugarcane seed industry shoulders more arduous responsibilities.In order to cope with international competition,the development of Guangxi’s sugarcane industry urgently needs to establish a development model oriented towards improved varieties,scale and mechanization of sugarcane,so as to promote the high-quality development of Guangxi’s sugarcane industry and effectively respond to the pressure of competition in the international sugarcane industry.

Targeting metabolism:A potential strategy for hematological cancer therapy

Most hematological cancer-related relapses and deaths are caused by metastasis;thus,the importance of this process as a target of therapy should be considered.Hematological cancer is a type of cancer in which metabolism plays an essential role in progression.Therefore,we are required to block fundamental metastatic processes and develop specific preclinical and clinical strategies against those biomarkers involved in the metabolic regulation of hematological cancer cells,which do not rely on primary tumor responses.To understand progress in this field,we provide a summary of recent developments in the understanding of metabolism in hematological cancer and a general understanding of biomarkers currently used and under investigation for clinical and preclinical applications involving drug development.The signaling pathways involved in cancer cell metabolism are highlighted and shed light on how we could identify novel biomarkers involved in cancer development and treatment.This review provides new insights into biomolecular carriers that could be targeted as anticancer biomarkers.

Investigation and Analysis on Production Cost of Guangxi Sugar Industry

Guangxi is the largest cane sugar production base in China,with more than 20 million sugar related personnel,and sugar related personnel account for about 50%of the total population in Guangxi.The development of cane sugar industry plays an important role in Guangxi and even the whole country.At present,there are still many difficulties and problems in Guangxi sugar industry,such as imperfect industrial chain,high industrial operation cost and weak comprehensive competitiveness.In this paper,by analyzing production cost of cane sugar,management cost,financial cost and cane consumption of sugar per ton in Guangxi,and starting from the problems in cane sugar production of Guangxi,development countermeasures of Guangxi sugar industry reducing cost and increasing efficiency under the new situation are put forward.

High-quality Development of Selenium-enriched Industry in Guangxi Driven by Scientific and Technological Innovation

As the largest natural selenium-enriched soil area in China,Guangxi has achieved a leapfrog development in its selenium-enriched industry through the implementation of major scientific and technological projects driven by selenium-enriched innovation.The selenium-enriched industry has also become a new force in the poverty alleviation industry in Guangxi,making remarkable achievements.While summarizing and sorting out the effective measures and effects of scientific and technological innovation driving the development of selenium-enriched industry,the present paper analyzed some shortcomings and problems in the high-quality development of the selenium-enriched industry driven by the scientific and technological innovation.Finally,in view of the problems,it came up with pertinent recommendations and countermeasures,to better promote high-quality development of the selenium-enriched industry and boost the rural revitalization.

Synthesis of reusable NH_(2)-MIL-125(Ti)@polymer monolith as efficient adsorbents for dyes wastewater remediation

NH_(2)-MIL-125(Ti)is a Ti-MOFs(MOFs:metal-organic frameworks)with high adsorption properties and is therefore widely used for wastewater purification.However,the powdered MOF material suffers from the disadvantages of being difficult to separate and being potentially wasted due to easy agglomeration,which limits its application in practical applications.Here,a mesoporous Ti-MOF/polymer(PEG,PVA,and PAM)monolithic material was prepared by freeze casting in liquid nitrogen(-196℃)as an adsorbent for wastewater remediation.The composites could be easily picked up with tweezers and used for recovery tests.Characterization results such as XRD,BET,FT-IR,and SEM proved the successful synthesis of Ti-MOF/polymer.Adsorption tests using 100 mg/L methylene blue(MB)simulated wastewater showed that the Ti-MOF/PEG monolithic material had the best adsorption capacity.The order of adsorption was Ti-MOF@PEG10(747.4 mg/g)>Ti-MOF@PVA10(687.4 mg/g)>Ti-MOF@PAM10(633.7 mg/g)>NH_(2)-MIL-125(Ti)(571.4 mg/g).The effects of polymer dosage,different pollutants(methylene blue,methyl orange,indigo,actual textile wastewater),pH,anions,and cations on the adsorption effect of Ti-MOF/polymer were also investigated.It was demonstrated that all the above pollutants were well adsorbed by this Ti-MOF/polymer in the pH range 3-9.The adsorption isotherms and kinetic data are fully consistent with the Langmuir and pseudo-secondary models.This suggests that the adsorption between the pollutant and the adsorbent is a chemical interaction.Thermodynamic studies indicate that the adsorption process is exothermic and spontaneous.This work provides the potential methods to fabricate Ti-MOF/polymer monolith to avoid the pollution from powdery adsorbents that could be practical applications.

The structure of turbulent flow through submerged flexible vegetation

The hydrodynamics of turbulent flow through submerged flexible vegetation is investigated in a flume using acoustic Doppler velocimetery(ADV)measurements.The flow characteristics such as the energetics and momentum transfer derived from convcntional spectral and quadrant analyses are considered as the flow encounters a finite vegetation patch.Consistent with numerous canopy flow experiments,a shear layer and coherent vortex structures near the canopy top emerge caused by Kelvin-Helmholtz instabilities after the flow equilibrates with the vegetated layer.These in stabilities are commonly attributed to velocity differences between non-vegetated and vegetated canopy layers in agreement with numerous experiments and simulations conducted on dense rigid canopies.The power-spectral density function for vertical velocity turbulent fluctuations at different downstream positions starting from the edge of the vegetation layer are also computed.For a preset water depth,the dominant dimensionless frequency is found to be surprisingly invariant around 0.027 despite large differences in vegetation densities.The ejection and sweep events significantly contribute to the Reynolds stresses near the top of the vegetation.The momentum flux carried by ejections is larger than its counterpart carried by the sweeps above the canopy top.However,the momentum flux carried by sweeps is larger below the top of the canopy.

Sea cucumber enzymatic hydrolysates relieve osteoporosis through OPG/RANK/RANKL system in ovariectomized rats

Osteoporosis harms human health and has a variety of causes,among which the imbalance of bone metabolism caused by menopause is an important one.Studies have shown that sea cucumbers have a variety of physiological activities such as anti-inflammation.Sea cucumber enzymatic hydrolysates(SCEH)were prepared and characterized for peptides and polysaccharides,and then the effects on relieving osteoporosis were explored by feeding ovariectomized Sprague-Dawley rats for 90 days.Bone density and microstructure were measured using micro-CT and pathological sectioning.Serum markers for bone metabolism,and inflammation were measured using ELISA kits.Gene transcription and expression of the OPG/RANKL system in bone were measured using qRT-PCR and western blots.Results showed that SCEH could improve the bone density,strength,microstructure and mass,and inhibit the generation of osteoclasts.The abnormally elevated markers for bone resorption,formation and inflammation were reduced with the intake of SCEH.The mRNA and protein expressions of RANKL were also decreased by feeding SCEH,thereby up-regulating the ratio of OPG to RANKL.These results suggested that SCEH could inhibit the bone resorption by inhibiting the NF-κB pathway related to osteoclast generation via the down-regulation of both the RANKL level and inflammatory response,and also improve the balance of bone metabolism,thus obtaining the effects of increasing bone density and relieving osteoporosis.SCEH with a medium-dose(1000 mg/kg body weight)had the best remission effect and could be used as a potential starting material to develop healthy foods that can assist in treating osteoporosis.

A Novel Magnetic Resonance Rectography for Rectal Cancer Staging

To the Editor： Magnetic resonance （MR） imaging plays an important role in rectal cancer （RC） treatment decision-making. There is controversy about whether it is necessary to use rectal contrast materials during MR imaging for RC. Feces and gas in the rectum may affect the display of lesions and induce artifacts, especially on diffusion-weighted image （DWI）.