Evidence for a therapeutic effect of Braintone on ischemic brain damage

This study used a novel combination of in vivo and in vitro experiments to show that Braintone had neuroprotective effects and clarified the molecular mechanisms underlying its efficacy. The Chinese herbal extract Braintone is composed of Radix Rhodiolase Essence, Radix Notoginseng Essence, Fofium Ginkgo Essence and Rhizoma Chuanxiong. In vivo experiments showed that cerebral infarction volume was reduced, hemispheric water content decreased, and neurological deficits were alleviated in a rat model of permanent middle cerebral artery occlusion after administration of 87.5, 175 or 350 mg/kg Braintone for 7 consecutive days. Western blot analysis showed that Braintone enhanced the expression of hypoxia-inducible factor la, heme oxygenase-1 and vascular endothe- lial growth factor in the ischemic cortex of these rats. The 350 mg/kg dose of Braintone produced the most dramatic effects. For the in vitro experiments, prior to oxygen-glucose deprivation, rats were intragastrically injected with 440, 880 or 1 760 mg/kg Braintone to prepare a Braintone-co ntaining serum, which was used to pre-treat human umbilical vein endothelial cells for 24 hours. Human umbilical vein endothelial cell injury was alleviated with this pre-treatment. Western blot and real-time PCR analysis showed that the Braintone-containing serum increased the levels of hy- poxia-inducible factor la mRNA and protein, heine oxygenase-1 protein and vascular endothelial growth factor mRNA in oxygen-glucose deprived human umbilical vein endothelial cells. The 1 760 mg/kg dose produced the greatest increases in expression. Collectively, these experimental findings suggest that Braintone has neuroprotective effects on ischemia-induced brain damage via the up-regulation of hypoxia-inducible factor la, heme oxygenase-1 and vascular endothelial growth factor expression in vascular endothelial cells.

Identification of a new Hazelnut disease in Liaoning Province:Hazelnut husk brown rot

Hazelnut husk brown rot has been identified as a new disease in Liaoning Province in recent years.The objective of this study as to identify the pathogen.[Method]In this study,a standard sample of hazelnut husk brown rot was collected from Songmudao Base in Dalian City,Liaoning Province.The pathogen was identified by the studies of the morphology,pathogenicity,and analyses of ITS and LSU sequences.The pathogen was isolated and purified,which was confirmed by Koch’s postulates.The symptoms after inoculation were the same as those collected directly from a diseased tree,which showed that it was the pathogenic fungus.The cultural characteristics and conidia and the morphology of the pathogenic fungi were similar to those of Botrytis cinerea’s.The ITS sequences and LSU sequences were compared to the associated strain sequences in GenBank,with 100%identity to Botrytis cinerea(GenBank accession number:MN589848.1)and Botrytis cinerea(GenBank accession number:KU140653.1),respectively.The infection status of the pathogen on the hazelnut husks was also observed.The studies suggested that the pathogen leading to the hazelnut husk brown rot as a new disease in Liaoning Province was Botrytis cinerea.

Microbiota enterotoxigenic Bacteroides fragilis-secreted BFT-1 promotes breast cancer cell stemness and chemoresistance through its functional receptor NOD1

Tumor-resident microbiota in breast cancer promotes cancer initiation and malignant progression.However,targeting microbiota to improve the effects of breast cancer therapy has not been investigated in detail.Here,we evaluated the microbiota composition of breast tumors and found that enterotoxigenic Bacteroides fragilis(ETBF)was highly enriched in the tumors of patients who did not respond to taxane-based neoadjuvant chemotherapy.ETBF,albeit at low biomass,secreted the toxic protein BFT-1 to promote breast cancer cell stemness and chemoresistance.Mechanistic studies showed that BFT-1 directly bound to NOD1 and stabilized NOD1 protein.NOD1 was highly expressed on ALDH+breast cancer stem cells(BCSCs)and cooperated with GAK to phosphorylate NUMB and promote its lysosomal degradation,thereby activating the NOTCH1-HEY1 signaling pathway to increase BCSCs.NOD1 inhibition and ETBF clearance increase the chemosensitivity of breast cancer by impairing BCSCs.

Synthesis and properties of binaphthyl chiral thermally activated delayed fluorescence molecules using thioxanthone as acceptor

The currently reported axial chiral molecules based on the 3,3'-substitution of the binaphthyl skeleton are limited by intrinsic fluorescence properties,resulting in generally low device efficiencies(EQE<5%)of related organic light emitting diodes(OLEDs).Herein,we designed and synthesized four pair of chiral binaphthyl enantiomers(R/S-1-R/S-4)adopting acceptor-donor-donor-acceptor(ADDA)structure by introducing different thioxanthone modification groups on the 3,3'-position of 2,2'-dimethoxy-1,1'-binaphthalene.Among them,emitter R/S-2 and R/S-4 obtained by enhancing intramolecular charge transfer exhibited TADF characteristics due to relatively small Est of 0.12eV and 0.17eV,and relatively moderate SOC matrix elements of 0.28 cm^(-1)and 0.10 cm^(-1)between the 1CT and 3LE states.The CD spectra of these enantiomers in diluted solutions showed perfect mirror images and reasonable gabs for small organic molecules(10^(-4)-10^(-3)).And the external quantum eficiencies(EQE)of 10.9%and 8.32%for device A and B based on emitter S-2 and S-4 were highest compared with currently reported axial chiral molecules based on the 3,3'-position substitution of binaphthyl skeleton,providing simple molecular design strategies to construct efficient CP-OLED device.

Source apportionment of VOCs in a typical medium-sized city in North China Plain and implications on control policy

Characteristics of atmospheric VOCs(volatile organic compounds) have been extensively studied in megacities in China, however, they are scarcely investigated in medium/smallsized cities in North China Plain(NCP).A comprehensive research on possible sources of VOCs was conducted in a medium-sized city of NCP, from May to September 2019.A total of 143 canister samples of 8 sites in Xuchang city were collected, and 57 VOC species were detected.The average VOC concentrations were 42.6 ± 31.6 μg/m3, with 53.7 ± 31.0 μg/m3 and 32.1 ± 27.8 μg/m^(3), in the morning and afternoon, respectively.Alkenes and aromatics contributed 80% of the total ozone formation potential(OFP).Aromatics accounted for more than 95% of secondary organic aerosol potential(SOAP).VOCs were dominated by the local emission with significant transport from the southeast direction.PMF analysis extracted 6 sources, which were combustion(33.1%), LPG usage(19.3%), vehicular exhaust & fuel evaporation(15.8%), solvent usage(15.2%), industrial(9.11%) and biogenic(7.51%), respectively and they contributed 33.4%, 17.6%, 12.9%, 18.6%, 9.28% and 8.22% to the OFP, respectively.Combustion and LPG usage were the dominant VOC sources;and combustion, solvent usage and LPG usage were the main sources of OFP in Xuchang city, which were different to megacities in China with a high contribution from vehicular exhaust, solvent usage and industry,suggesting specific control strategies on VOCs need to be implemented in medium-sized city such as Xuchang city.

Changes of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) burden globally and in China over three decades: a secondary analysis of global HIV statistics

Background: A more comprehensive understanding of the trends of incidence, prevalence, and mortality in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), and their complex interrelationships, may provide important evidence for decision-making related to HIV prevention and control. The variances in these indices between different population groups, genders, and ages are critical to decipher evolving patterns of the HIV epidemic in specific populations.Methods: A secondary analysis of relevant data was conducted using data extracted from the Global Burden of Disease study of 2019. HIV/acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) incidence, prevalence, AIDS-related mortality, and mortality-to-prevalence ratio (MPR) for annual percentage change, average annual percentage change (AAPC), and corresponding 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated using joinpoint regression statistical analysis.Results: The AAPC of HIV/AIDS incidence, prevalence, AIDS-related mortality rate, and MPR were -1.4 (95% CI: -1.6, -1.2), 4.1 (95% CI: 4.0, 4.3), 2.0 (95% CI: 1.7, 2.3), and -2.1 (95% CI: -2.3, -1.8) between 1990 and 2019 globally, and were 3.5 (95% CI: 2.2, 4.8), 6.9 (95% CI: 6.8, 7.0), 8.1 (95% CI: 7.1, 9.1), and 1.2 (95% CI: 0.1, 2.3) in China during the same period. In terms of differences in the preceding indicators by gender, we observed a similar pattern of trends for male and female genders both globally and in China during the entire study period. Each specific age group exhibits a distinct pattern in terms of incidence, prevalence, mortality rate, and MPR both globally and in China.Conclusions: Prevalence and mortality rates of HIV/AIDS have increased between 1990 and 2019 globally and in China. While the incidence rate and MPR have declined globally over the past three decades, these two indicators are observed to present an increasing trend in China. There is a high HIV burden among young and middle-aged adults globally;however, the elderly have a high HIV burden in China. HIV screening at older age should be scaled up, and patients with advanced HIV disease should be provided early with additional care and health resources.

Orchestrated cellular,biochemical,and biomechanical optimizations endow platelet-rich plasma-based engineered cartilage with structural and biomechanical recovery

Recently,biomaterials for cartilage regeneration has been intensively investigated.However,the development of scaffolds that capture regenerated cartilage with biomechanical and structural recovery has rarely been reported.To address this challenge,platelet-rich plasma(PRP)-based cartilage constructs with a well-orchestrated symphony of cellular,biochemical and biomechanical elements were prepared by simultaneously employing chondrogenic progenitor cells(CPCs)as a cell source,optimizing platelet concentration,and adding an enzyme-ion activator.It was shown that this triple-optimized PRP+CPC construct possessed increased biomechanical properties and suitable biochemical signals.The following in vitro study demonstrated that the triple-optimized PRP+CPC constructs generated cartilage-like tissue with higher expression levels of chondrogenic-specific markers,more deposition of cartilage-specific extracellular matrix(ECM),and greater biomechanical values than those of the other constructs.Twelve weeks after the construct was implanted in a cartilage defect in vivo,histological analysis,qPCR,and biomechanical tests collectively showed that the triple-optimized constructs yielded a more chondrocyte-like cell phenotype with a higher synthesis of Col-Ⅱand aggrecan.More importantly,the triple-optimized constructs facilitated cartilage regeneration with better biomechanical recovery than that of the other constructs.These results demonstrate the efficacy of the triple-optimization strategy and highlight the simplicity and potency of this PRP+CPC construct for cartilage regeneration.

Nearly 100% exciton utilization in highly efficient red OLEDs based on dibenzothioxanthone acceptor

Improving the utilization of excitons has always been an important topic for the development of electroluminescence devices.In this work,we designed and synthesized three red TADF emitters TPA-DBT12,TPA-DBT3 and DTPA-DBT by employing dibenzothioxanthone(DBT)acceptor framework to stabilize the locally excited triplet state to participate in the reverse intersystem crossing(RISC)process.The fast RISC process and singlet radiation decay process gave rise to evidently enhanced exciton utilization.All of the red OLEDs based on these materials showed maximum EQE over 11% and high exciton utilization close to 100%.This work not only extend the acceptor framework for red materials but also provide a new perspective for the design of highly efficient red TADF materials with 100% exciton utilization by managing locally excited triplet state.

The pyramid representation of the functional network using resting-state fMRI

Background Resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging(RS-fMRI)has been proved to be a useful tool to study the brain mechanism in the quest to probe the distinct pattern of inter-region interactions in the brain.As an important application of RSfMRI,the graph-based approach characterizes the brain as a complex network.However,the network is susceptible to its scale that determines the trade-off between sensitivity and anatomical variability.Objective To balance sensitivity and anatomical variability,a pyramid representation of the functional network is proposed,which is composed of five individual networks reconstructed at multiple scales.Methods The pyramid representation of the functional network was applied to two groups of participants,including patients with Alzheimer’s disease(AD)and normal elderly(NC)individuals,as a demonstration.Features were extracted from the multi-scale networks andwere evaluated with their inter-group differences between AD andNC,aswell as the discriminative power in recognizing AD.Moreover,the proposed method was also validated by another dataset from people with autism.Results The different features reflect the highest sensitivity to distinguish AD at different scales.In addition,the combined features have higher accuracy than any single scale-based feature.These findings highlight the potential use ofmulti-scale features asmarkers of the disrupted topological organization in AD networks.Conclusion We believe that multi-scale metrics could provide a more comprehensive characterization of the functional network and thus provide a promising solution for representing the underlying functional mechanism in the human brain on a multi-scale basis.