Novel insights into D-Pinitol based therapies:a link between tau hyperphosphorylation and insulin resistance

Alzheimer’s disease is a neurodegenerative disorder characterized by the amyloid accumulation in the brains of patients with Alzheimer’s disease.The pathogenesis of Alzheimer’s disease is mainly mediated by the phosphorylation and aggregation of tau protein.Among the multiple causes of tau hyperphosphorylation,brain insulin resistance has generated much attention,and inositols as insulin sensitizers,are currently considered candidates for drug development.The present narrative review revises the interactions between these three elements:Alzheimer’s disease-tau-inositols,which can eventually identify targets for new disease modifiers capable of bringing hope to the millions of people affected by this devastating disease.

Low-Level Antibiotic Resistance among Staphylococcus aureus and Gram-Negative Pathogens from Infected Skin and Soft Tissues in Rural Kenya

Introduction: Bacterial skin and soft tissue infections (SSTIs) are a cause of frequent inpatient and outpatient care visits whose causative agents are associated with a high antimicrobial resistance burden. For insights on antimicrobial susceptibilities in a rural setting, we examined specimens from suspected SSTIs from two public health facilities in Kenya. We additionally assessed antibiotic use, appropriateness of empiric therapy and risk factors for SSTI. Methodology: Between 2021 and 2023, 265 patients at Kisii and Nyamira County Referral hospitals were enrolled. Wound swabs/aspirates were collected and processed following standard microbiological procedures. Identification and antimicrobial susceptibility were performed using the VITEK 2 Compact platform. Demographic, clinical, and microbiological data were analyzed with R Statistical software. Results: S. aureus was isolated in 16.2% (43/265) of patients with a methicillin resistance (MRSA) proportion of 14% (6/43). While 13/15 drugs elicited susceptibilities ranging from 84% - 100%, penicillin (16%) and trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole [TMP-SXT] (23%) yielded the lowest susceptibilities. Escherichia coli (n = 33), Klebsiella pneumoniae (n = 8), Pseudomonas aeruginosa (n = 8), and Citrobacter species (n = 4) were the most commonly isolated gram-negative species. Gram-negative strains showed high susceptibilities to most of the tested drugs (71% - 100%) with the exception of ampicillin (18%), TMP-SXT (33%), and first and second generation cephalosporins. Conclusions: The low MRSA prevalence and generally high antibiotic susceptibilities for S. aureus and gram-negative bacteria present opportunities for antibiotic stewardship in the study setting. Diminished susceptibilities against penicillin/ampicillin and TMP-SXT accord with prevailing local data and add a layer of evidence for their cautious empiric use.

Strengthening Active Aging through Older People’s Association and Economic Activity of the Older People in Nepal

Aging is a natural lifelong process ending in death. Many older people are living in poverty. Older people are generally considered dependent on others as they grow older. The purpose of this article is to explore the entrepreneurship activities of Nepalese older adults. Data for this study were collected from the project Help Age International (HAI) implemented in Nepal. Qualitative data observations and interviews were used to collect data. The findings of this study show the formation of the Older People’s Association (OPA) has supported many older people to participate outside the home in various social activities. Moreover, regular deposits through OPAs offer little help. OPAs support older people in their need of financial support to implement minor entrepreneurship. Older people who received support were pleased and were actively involved in their activities and also regularly deposited money in them. Subsequently, older people’s participation in social activities has increased and also helped to lower elderly abuse, loneliness, and depression. Local governments should promote such activities which will help with healthy aging.

Therapeutic effects of Lingguizhugan decoction in a rat model of high-fat diet-induced insulin resistance

BACKGROUND Lingguizhugan(LGZG)decoction is a widely used classic Chinese medicine formula that was recently shown to improve high-fat diet(HFD)-induced insulin resistance(IR)in animal studies.AIM To assess the therapeutic effect of LGZG decoction on HFD-induced IR and explore the potential underlying mechanism.METHODS To establish an IR rat model,a 12-wk HFD was administered,followed by a 4-wk treatment with LGZG.The determination of IR status was achieved through the use of biochemical tests and oral glucose tolerance tests.Using a targeted metabolomics platform to analyze changes in serum metabolites,quantitative real-time PCR(qRT-PCR)was used to assess the gene expression of the ribosomal protein S6 kinase beta 1(S6K1).RESULTS In IR rats,LGZG decreased body weight and indices of hepatic steatosis.It effectively controlled blood glucose and food intake while protecting islet cells.Metabolite analysis revealed significant differences between the HFD and HFDLGZG groups.LGZG intervention reduced branched-chain amino acid levels.Levels of IR-related metabolites such as tryptophan,alanine,taurine,and asparagine decreased significantly.IR may be linked to amino acids due to the contemporaneous increase in S6K1 expression,as shown by qRT-PCR.CONCLUSIONS Our study strongly suggests that LGZG decoction reduces HFD-induced IR.LGZG may activate S6K1 via metabolic pathways.These findings lay the groundwork for the potential of LGZG as an IR treatment.

The Impact and Intervention of Handheld Tai Chi Water-Resistance Fitness Ball on Middle-Aged and Elderly Patients with Parkinson’s Disease

Through the use of a survey and statistical methods, this study explores the effects and interventions of handheld Tai Chi water resistance fitness balls on the elderly with Parkinson’s disease. Firstly, a questionnaire on exercise compliance for patients with Parkinson’s disease was developed, and its reliability and validity were tested. Then, a survey was conducted to investigate the current status of exercise compliance among Parkinson’s disease patients, including general information, scoring status, and single and multiple factor analyses of influencing factors [1]. The results of the study show that through qualitative research, the dimensions and item pools of the questionnaire were initially constructed, and the reliability analysis of the questionnaire was conducted through Delphi expert consultation, with favorable results in terms of its reliability and validity [2]. Regarding the current status of exercise compliance among Parkinson’s disease patients, the study found that the level of exercise compliance needs improvement, and there are significant differences in exercise compliance levels among patients under different circumstances. Finally, the research results were discussed and conclusions were drawn. The innovation of this study lies in the development of a questionnaire on exercise compliance for patients with Parkinson’s disease and the preliminary qualitative research and Delphi expert consultation conducted on it, providing new ideas and methods for the study of exercise compliance. However, the study also has limitations as it did not examine the effects of other interventions on Parkinson’s disease, so further research should be conducted [3].

Historical review and reflections on the participation of acupuncture and moxibustion in the treatment of epidemics in the People’s Republic of China (from 1950 until now)

Since the establishment of the People’s Republic of China, both the Communist Party and the government have placed great emphasis on the advancement of traditional Chinese medicine. Acupuncture and moxibustion have been actively involved in combating major epidemics such as malaria, schistosomiasis, and COVID-19. This article conducts a historical review of these three significant cases to elucidate how the acupuncture community has effectively utilized its unique advantages and characteristics through theoretical discussions, clinical practices, experimental research, as well as receiving administrative leadership and political support from the Communist Party of China and government. We provide an objective evaluation of their effectiveness while summarizing historical experiences to serve as a reference for future utilization of acupuncture and moxibustion therapy in epidemic relief efforts. Additionally, propose four suggestions: strengthening Party leadership and enhancing political support;timely summarization of experiences to establish programs and systems;deepening scientific research by integrating experimental findings with clinical practice;focusing on public awareness campaigns and education to solidify grassroots foundations.

Regard History as a Mirror and Create a New World of Peace,Development and Cooperation—In Commemoration of the 60^(th) Anniversary of the Victory of the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the World's Anti-Fascist War

The year 2005 marks the 60th anniversary of the victory of the Chinese People’s War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the world’s anti-fascist war. China and many other countries have held all kinds of activities to commemorate this event that has most deeply impacted human history. The Second World War, the crudest war

Flavor Amidst Plainness:An Examination of the Subjectivity of the“People’s Films”From the Perspective of Classical Aesthetics

The“People’s Films,”when examined from the perspective of classical aesthetics,present a unique visual style that creates artistic conceptions through sparse filming and deliver a scenery-based ideology through background shots,contributing to the overall aesthetic taste dominated by plainness.Chinese national aesthetic tastes,distinguished by implicitness,symbolism,and ethereality,have the magical power to present charming conceptions via plain and simple scenes,thus endowing the“People’s Films”with natural,plain,and harmonious frames that are unique to China.Behind the silent and plain scenes are representations of personal cultivation and essential values cherished by the Chinese people,which are achieved via the momentary presence and entirety of scenes photographed in the films,delivering an internal transcendence of people’s consciousness.

People's Well-rounded Development:The Value Orientation of Common Prosperity in the New Era

Achieving common prosperity for all is an important feature of Chinese modernization and an essential requirement of socialism with Chinese characteristics,with the core value orientation of promoting the people’s well-rounded development.This reflects the close relationship between people’s well-rounded development and common prosperity and implies that common prosperity is not just an economic issue,but also a political matter,a moral subject,and a human rights goal.Being“people-centered”is the core positioning of common prosperity,with its inherent collective and individual attributes.In terms of the object dimension of prosperity,it encompasses a wide range of rights such as material and spiritual well-being,which are advanced in a coordinated manner,and a deepening level of guarantee gradually improving.In the practical concept of“shared development,”it emphasizes the unity of state obligations and individual responsibilities,as well as the phased approach and promotion of common prosperity through the rule of law.Therefore,the essence of common prosperity lies in shifting from a“material-centered”perspective to a“people’s well-rounded development-centered”perspective.It combines the principles of fairness and inclusiveness with the recognition of diverse developmental needs.The focus is on enhancing the subjective initiative of the people,aiming to truly achieve the happiness of the people and promote people’s well-rounded development through the realization of“common prosperity.”

Lignans from Patrinia scabiosaefolia improve insulin resistance by activating PI-3K/AKT pathway and promoting GLUT4 expression

Patrinia scabiosaefolia,is used as wild vegetable in China for more than 2000 years,with a variety of pharmacological activities,including anti-inflammatory,anti-tumor and hypoglycemic.Based on our ongoing research on chemical constituents and hypoglycemic activity of P.scabiosaefolia,4 lignan compounds,(+)-isolariciresinol(1),7R,7’R,8S,8’S-(+)-neo-olivil-4-O-β-D-glucopyranoside(2),4-O-methylcedrusin(3)and patrinian A(4),were isolated and identifi ed.The hypoglycemic activity showed that compounds 2 and 3 could extremely signifi cantly improve insulin resistance at 100(P<0.001),50(P<0.001)and 25μmol/L(P<0.01)in IR 3T3-L1 cells.While compound 4 only promoted glucose uptake by IR 3T3-L1 cells at 100μmol/L(P<0.01).Western blotting experiments showed that compounds 2 and 4 up-regulated the protein expressions of p-IRS,PI-3K,p-AKT and glucose transporter 4(GLUT4),and promoted the transcription of GLUT4 mRNA.Therefore,the mechanisms of compounds 2 and 4 were presumed to improve IR by activating PI-3K/AKT signaling pathway.

Human Rights in China:Exploration and Development of Whole-process People’s Democracy

Whole-process people’s democracy represents a new exploration of socialism with Chinese characteristics for a new era as well as a novel and important method for protecting the human rights of the Chinese people.It is conducive to solving a multitude of problems hindering the protection of civil rights and political rights.The greatest highlight of whole-process people’s democracy is that the people are the masters of their own country and exercise the power to govern the state through“extensive participation and consultation.”China’s experience and approaches in advancing whole-process people’s democracy provide a reference for other countries.

主流媒体视觉表达中的国家形象建构——基于《人民日报》海外版抖音“People's Daily”的分析

讲好中国故事,在国际社会积极传播中国形象,对提高中国在国际社会上的话语权具有积极的现实意义。研究发现,《人民日报》海外版抖音“People’s Daily”立足中国历史、地理、文化、艺术以及人民故事等丰富资源,涉及国内外多元声音,巧妙运用传播技巧多方位建构中国的立体国家形象。

The Prevalence of Drug-Resistant Tuberculosis among People Living with HIV (PLHIV) in Abia State

Tuberculosis (TB) is a chronic disease caused by mycobacterium tuberculosis and transmitted from person to person, through inhalation of droplet nuclei aerosolized by coughing of an infected person. It reached epidemic proportions in Europe and North America during the 18th and 19th centuries. The incubation period is 2 - 6 weeks and the control has been complicated with emergence of HIV and drug-resistant TB. In 1993, World Health Organization (WHO) declared TB a global emergency. However, despite the concerted effort of National TB control programs, adoption and implementation of Stop TB strategy, TB has remained a major public health challenge with high mortality rate, especially in developing countries. Methodology: This is a descriptive study, evaluated using the positivist/quantitative approach. The study was conducted at FederalMedical Centre Umuahia, a tertiary specialist hospital with comprehensive TB/HIV treatment services. All the presumptive drug-resistant TB cases and symptomatic PLHIV were screened for HIV and their sputum specimens were tested for tuberculosis using the Gene xpert and the Ziehl- Neelsen technique for detecting Acid Fast bacilli. A pretested structured questionnaire was used tocollect the demographic data and other essential data from the presumptive TB and laboratory registers such as total number of TB presumptive cases registered HIV status, AFB status and rifampicin status within the study period. Result: A total of 493 presumptive TB cases were screened in the study, 49.9% were HIV positive while 50.05% were HIV negative. More so, 77.85% of thescreened cases were AFB negative and 22.15% were AFB positive. Moreover, 11% of the TB/HIV co-infected patients were rifampicin positive. Interestingly among the 493 cases screened with gene xpert machine, 3.6% were rifampicin positive. Furthermore, 3.6% of the HIV negative cases were rifampicin positive while 1.6% of the HIV positive cases were rifampicin positive. Discussion: The data depict lower rifampicin resistance among HIV positive cases than HIV negative cases. The implication for public health professionals is to intensify equitable and unbiased search for resistant TB cases among smear negative and positive cases.

Resistance -induced Effect of Several Chemical Reagents on Cucumber against Pseudoperonospora cubensis

[ Objectlve] The paper was to compare the induced resistance of several chemicals on cucumber against Pseudoperonospora cubensis [ Method ] When the cucumber seedlings grew to 4-leaf stage, the second true leaf was treated with salicylic acid, oxalate, chitosan, calcium nitrate and Na2HPO4, the activity of protective enzymes in the third leaf was determined after 7 d. At the same time, inoculation test was also conducted after induced treatment, and the disease condi- tion was coumed. [ Result ] These chemical treatments promoted protective enzyme activities （POD, SOD, PAL, PPO） in different degree, improved the ultra-weak luminescence, and reduced the disease index of cucumber leaves. [ Conclusion] Five chemical treatments expressed good effects on induced resistance. Among the treatments, oxalate had the best induced effect, followed by salicylic acid, chitosan, Na2 HPO4 and calcium nitrate.

People’s Daily对我国应对新冠疫情的报道研究

本文用定量与定性相结合的研究方法构建了《人民日报》英文版People’s Daily对我国应对新冠肺炎疫情报道的语料库,从新闻文本、话语实践、社会实践三个维度对其进行批评性话语分析,发现其中或明或暗的意识形态、不甚清晰的权力结构以及政治控制等话语特征,并在此基础上得出相关结论,提出相关建议。

Phage therapy: An alternative to antibiotics in the age of multi-drug resistance

The practice of phage therapy, which uses bacterial viruses(phages) to treat bacterial infections, has been around for almost a century. The universal decline in the effectiveness of antibiotics has generated renewed interest in revisiting this practice. Conventionally, phage therapy relies on the use of naturally-occurring phages to infect and lyse bacteria at the site of infection. Biotechnological advances have further expanded the repertoire of potential phage therapeutics to include novel strategies using bioengineered phages and purified phage lytic proteins. Current research on the use of phages and their lytic proteins against multidrug-resistant bacterial infections, suggests phage therapy has the potential to be used as either an alternative or a supplement to antibiotic treatments. Antibacterial therapies, whether phage-or antibiotic-based, each have relative advantages and disadvantages; accordingly, many considerations must be taken into account when designing novel therapeutic approaches for preventing and treating bacterial infection. Although much about phages and human health is still being discovered, the time to take phage therapy serious again seems to be rapidly approaching.

Hyperinsulinemia,Insulin Resistance and Cognitive Decline in Older Cohort

Objective decline of resistance whether H Type 2 diabetes has been recently recognized as an important risk factor for cognitive patients with Alzheimer＇s disease （AD）. But the roles of hyperinsulinemia （HI） and insulin （IR） in the development of AD are still controversial. This study was designed to evaluate or IR influenced the cognitive functions of older cohort. Methods The cognitive functions of 328 consecutive elderly patients were evaluated with a battery of cognitive rating scales. Their fasting blood glucose （FBG） and fasting insulin （FINS） were analyzed and IR was calculated with modified-Homa. The cognitive scores in different groups and the correlation of cognitive functions with HI or IR were analyzed. Results In our study, there were 180 participants with HI and 148 without HI, and 192 with iR and 136 without IR. The participants with HI showed worse cognitive functions than those without HI in MMSE, MOCA, CDR, orientation, delayed memory, and attention/calculation domains. Similarly, the elderly with IR had lower cognitive scores than those without IR in MMSE, MOCA, CDR, GDS, orientation, delayed memory, and attention/calculation domains. The insulin levels and Homa IR had negative correlation with the scores of MMSE and delayed memory, not only in the model I adjusted for FBG and diabetes history, but also in the model 2 adjusted for all nine demographic characteristics. Conclusion HI and IR are important risk factors for cognitive decline of the elderly, especially for the dysfunctions in delayed memory domains.

Effect of Rare Earths on the Wear Resistance and High Temperature Oxidation Resistance of H13 Steel Surface-Treated with S-N-C Co-diffusion

Steel H13 was put in non toxic salt bath with addition of CeO 2 for co diffusion of sulfur, nitrogen and carbon and followed by oxidation treatment. The effect of rare earths on the improvement of wear resistance and high temperature oxidation resistance of steel H13 was studied using scanning electron microscope, energy dispersive spectrometry and X ray diffraction. The results show that compared to the surface treatment without rare earth addition, the treatment with addition of rare earths improves the wear resistance and high temperature resistance to oxidation of steel H13. Under the conditions of 30 N and 2 h, the wear weight loss was decreased by 40%, and the friction coefficient was reduced from 0 25 to 0 22; whereas for 150 N and 0 2 h, the wear weight loss was decreased by 24%, and the friction coefficient was reduced from 0 35 to 0 32. For the oxidation at 700 ℃ and 4 h, the rate of weight gain decreased to only about 1/30 of that without rare earths.

Herbicide resistance: Development of wheat production systems and current status of resistant weeds in wheat cropping systems

Herbicide resistance in crops has extended the scope of herbicide applications to control weeds. The introduction of herbicide resistant crops resulted in a major shift in the way that herbicides are used in many crops, but not necessarily increased the prevalence of herbicide use, especially in wheat. Wheat is one of the most widely grown crops in the world and currently only two major herbicide-resistant wheat groups have been commercialized to manage weeds in a cost-effective manner. However, sustainable wheat production is threatened by the expanding occurrence of herbicide-resistant weed populations with limited efforts to discover new herbicide molecules. Selective control of certain problematic weeds in wheat was impossible until development and introduction of the technologies, Clearfield and Co AXium Production Systems. However, the current limitations of reliance on specific herbicides and evolution of resistant weeds mandate precautions and considerations when using these systems to prevent the loss of existing herbicide resources and continue sustainable wheat production. The focus of this review is to provide an overview of natural pre-existing herbicide resistance and development of herbicide-resistant technologies in wheat. The mechanisms of resistance to herbicides in wheat as well as the weed populations in wheat cropping systems, and implications for weed management are discussed.

Simulation of people's evacuation in tunnel fire

The simulation model Tunev（tunnel evacuation） was developed for people＇s evacuation in tunnel fire. It contains simple database of the people＇s behavioral reaction and structure characteristic parameters of tunnel fireproofing. The model can be used to calculate the total evacuation time in various scenes when fire occurs in the different locations of the tunnel. Combined with fire simulation soft ware CFD- POENICS3.5, Tunev model can be used to calculate the fire danger coming time; by comparing with these two kinds of time, it can be used to assess the safety of the evacuation, and the evacuation process also have a dynamic demo. The simulation results show that the Tunev model can be used to predict the reliability of safe evacuation for people in tunnel fire and provide references for people＇s safe escape scheme. Some relevant concepts of the model were described and an evacuation simulation of a typical tunnel case, i.e. Xuefeng Mountain Tunnel was performed by using this model. And the model＇s validation and actual aoolication were also described.