Search

Au-RGO/TiO2 nanotubes were prepared by anodic oxidation and electrochemical deposition, and their performance for photocatalytic degradation of ciprofloxacin was investigated.

Xiao, F, Yang, Y, Xiao, L, Xia, Z, Wang, L, Yang, K, and Wang, S. Reduction of T cells and hsa-miR150-5p in female canoeing athletes: Preliminary evidence between exercise training and immune. J Strength Cond Res 36(11): e106-e113, 2022-This article aims to reveal the alteration of immune profile in teenage canoeing athletes, by which applies a clue for regulation of exercise on human immune. Thirty-one teenagers of female canoeing athletes and age-matched subjects participated in this research. Peripheral leukocytes' microRNAs (miRNAs) were analyzed using Agilent human microRNA 2.0 and gene software. The miRNA candidates were quantified by reverse transcription real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR). The percentages of various lymphocytes were tested using flow cytometry. There were 6 miRNAs (hsa-miR150-5p, 31-5p, 3659, 4419a, 650, and 8485) lower in canoeing athletes, and the reduction of miR-150 was identified by RT-qPCR ( p = 0.021). Canoeing athletes had lower percent of CD3 + T cells than the subjects with no exercise training had ( p0.001), but the ratio of CD4 + to CD8 + and the percent of CD4 + T cells and CD8 + T cells showed no significant difference between these 2 groups. T cells and hsa-miR150-5p are sensitive to the long-time heavy exercise training, and the exercise for winning competition regulates the immune system by inhibiting T cells and hsa-miR150-5p.

The Oriental fruit fly, Bactrocera dorsalis (Hendel) (Diptera: Tephritidae), is a major pest of Hong Yang kiwifruit (Actinidia chinensis Planch cv. chinensis) grown in China. Our transcriptome analysis of the interaction between Hong Yang kiwifruit and B. dorsalis revealed numerous changes in gene expression level attributable to Oriental fruit fly feeding, resulting in the down-regulation of 112 genes and the up-regulation of 226 genes. Gene ontology analysis revealed that differential expression genes (DEGs) were mainly involved in biological processes (4,568; 56.28%), molecular function (2,297; 28.30%), and cellular components (1,251; 15.41%). By searching against the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes Pathway database (KEGG), 258 DEGs were assigned to 51 KEGG pathways belonging to five main categories: metabolism (239, 92.64%), genetic information processing (10, 3.88%), organismal systems (5, 1.94%), cellular processes (3, 1.16%), and environmental information processing (1, 0.39%). The numbers of DEGs up-regulated were much higher than those down-regulated. Expression of genes involved in the secondary metabolism was detected, and several key genes showed differential expression. Our results suggest that B. dorsalis induced defense response of Hong Yang kiwifruit, including hypersensitive response and immunity triggered by either pathogen/microbe-associated molecular patterns or immunity effectors. Metabolic process was also adjusted to adapt to these responses. Our results provide extensive transcriptome information for A. chinensis and valuable clues for elucidating the mechanism of interaction between Hong Yang kiwifruit and B. dorsalis, and will facilitate molecular breeding for Actinidia crop plants.

The present work describes a simple and rapid synthesis method of gold nanoparticles and graphdiyne (AuNPs@GDY) nanocomposites including porous structure. Moreover, the synthesized AuNPs@GDY material was decorated on the glassy carbon electrode (GCE) with a drop coating method to construct a non-enzymatic electrochemical pesticides sensor. The micro-morphology and elemental composition of the materials were characterized by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS). The electrocatalysis and conductivity of the material were studied with cyclic voltammetry (CV) and impedance method, respectively. The properties of the sensor were investigated by CV and differential pulse voltammetry (DPV). The results showed that AuNPs@GDY exhibited excellent electrocatalytic ability for methyl parathion in a wide linear range (from 0.25 ng/mL to 24.43 μg/mL) and low limit of detection value (6.2 pg/mL). Furthermore, the DPV method used in this paper was accurate and sensitive, and could be used for routine quality control of methyl parathion in kiwi fruit and tomato samples.

This study aimed to better understand the prognostic effect of multiple genetic markers and identify more subpopulations at ultra high risk of poor outcome in bone marrow (BM) metastatic neuroblastoma (NB).We screened the MYCN, 1p36 and 11q23 loss of heterozygosity (LOH) statuses of 154 patients by interphase fluorescence in situ hybridization of BM cells. The clinical characteristics of patients with the three markers and their associations with prognosis were analysed.MYCN amplification and LOH at 1p36 and 11q23 were identified in 16.2%, 33.1% and 30.5% of patients, respectively. There were strong associations between MYCN amplification and 1p36 LOH as well as 11q23 LOH. Both MYCN amplification and 1p36 LOH were strongly associated with high levels of lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) and neuron-specific enolase, more than 3 metastatic organs, and more events. 11q23 LOH occurred mainly in patients older than 18 months, and those who had high LDH levels. In univariate analysis, patients with MYCN amplification had poorer prognosis than those without. Patients with 1p36 LOH had a 3-year event-free survival (EFS) and overall survival lower than those without. 11q23 LOH was associated with poorer EFS only for patients without MYCN amplification. In a multivariate model, MYCN amplification was independently associated with decreased EFS in all cohorts. 11q23 LOH was an independent prognostic factor for patients without MYCN amplification, whereas 1p36 LOH was not an independent marker regardless of MYCN amplification. Compared with all cohorts, patients with both MYCN amplification and 1p36 LOH had the worst outcome and clinical features.Patients with both MYCN amplification and 1p36LOH had the worst survival rate, indicating an ultra high-risk group. Our results may be applied in clinical practice for accurate risk stratification in future studies.

This study aimed to compare the effects of an 8-week creatine (CR) or placebo (PL) supplementation on muscle strength, thickness, endurance, and body composition employing different training paradigms with blood flow restriction (BFR) vs. traditional resistance training (TRAD). Seventeen healthy males were randomized between the PL ( n = 9) and CR ( n = 8) groups. Participants were trained unilaterally utilizing a within-between subject bicep curl exercise where each arm was allocated to TRAD or BFR for 8 weeks. Muscular strength, thickness, endurance, and body composition were evaluated. Creatine supplementation promoted increases in muscle thickness in TRAD and BFR compared with their placebo counterparts, however, without a significant difference between treatments ( p = 0.349). TRAD training increased maximum strength (1 repetition maximum (1RM)) compared with BFR after 8 weeks of training ( p = 0.021). Repetitions to failure at 30% of 1RM were increased in the BFR-CR group compared with the TRAD-CR group ( p = 0.004). Repetitions to failure at 70% 1RM were increased from weeks 0–4 ( p

In this study, trace amounts of heavy metal ions copper, lead, mercury and cobalt in Pinellia ternata samples were detected by ionic liquid ultrasonic assisted dispersion liquid–liquid microextraction, combined with high performance liquid chromatography-ultraviolet detector. The method used sodium diethyldithiocarbamate as complexing agent and phosphoric acid ionic liquid Trihexyl(tetradecyl) phosphine bis[(2,4,4-trimethyl)] amyl phosphonate (cyclophosphate IL104) as extractant. Methanol: 0.2% phosphoric acid (60:40) was used as mobile phase for separation and UV detector was used for detection, the flow rate was 1 mL/min and the injection volume was 10 μL. In this paper, the effects of sample pH, complexing agent concentration, ultrasonic time, centrifugation time and speed and ionic strength were optimized. Under the optimal conditions (50 μL ionic liquid cyclic phosphine IL104, pH = 5, 0.5% sodium diethyldithiocarbamate, ultrasonic time of 30 min, centrifugation speed of 4000 r/min, 0.1 g NaCl), the recovery of spiked standard was 89.0~98.2%. High performance liquid chromatography had the characteristics of low detection limit, accurate and reliable determination results, high sensitivity, strong specificity and good reproducibility.

The Au(i)-catalyzed intermolecular annulation of 2-(1-alkynyl)-2-alken-1-one 1a with N-allenamide 2a is driven by the higher reactivity of the gold all-carbon 1,3-dipole species A than the gold allylic carbocation B, rather than the easier access to A.

Female ovaries degenerate about 20 years earlier than testes leading to reduced primordial follicle reserve and a reduction in oocyte quality. Here we found that bridge integrator 2 (BIN2) is enriched in mouse ovaries and oocytes and that global knockout of this protein improves both female fertility and oocyte quality. Quantitative ovarian proteomics and phosphoproteomics showed that Bin2 knockout led to a decrease in phosphorylated ribosomal protein S6 (p-RPS6), a component of the mammalian target of rapamycin pathway and greatly increased nicotinamide nucleotide transhydrogenase (NNT), the free-radical detoxifier. Mechanistically, we find that phosphorylation of BIN2 at Thr423 and Ser424 leads to its translocation from the membrane to the cytoplasm, subsequent phosphorylation of RPS6 and inhibition of Nnt translation. We synthesized a BIN2-penetrating peptide (BPP) designed to inhibit BIN2 phosphorylation and found that a 3-week BPP treatment improved primordial follicle reserve and oocyte quality in aging and after chemotherapy-induced premature ovarian failure without discernible side effects. The authors found that deleting an ovary-rich gene called Bin2 improved fertility and oocyte quality in mice. Inhibiting BIN2 with a cell-penetrating peptide improved ovarian function in aging and in chemotherapy-treated mice.

Future moderate-band (MB) high-power microwave sources will take advantage of having a small size and a low cost. However, the output power of existing designs is limited by the dc voltage supply. To tackle this issue, this article proposes a novel scalable high-power microwave source based on the concept of coherent stimulated emission. The proposed microwave source consists of an antenna array, in which the two arms of each dipole antenna are connected with a fast-rise time switch and charged by a dc voltage source. Each antenna unit is triggered by the incoming wave radiated from the previous unit and then oscillates and correspondingly produces a new electromagnetic wave to trigger the next one. Both simulations and experiments show that the output waves of multiple antenna units are in phase, and the output power is accordingly enhanced. Compared with the existing MB high-power microwave sources, the proposed microwave source is able to significantly boost the maximum output power by applying more automatically triggered antenna units, featuring strong scalability and less limitation by the dc voltage supply.

Objectives. Members of the SOX family's subgroup C include SOX4, whose high expression has been linked to carcinogenesis and the development of cancer. However, it is still unclear exactly how SOX4 functions in hypopharyngeal carcinoma (HPC). Our research's objective was to discover how SOX4 affected HPC's development, migration, and prognosis. Methods. The expression levels of SOX4 and Ki-67 in tissues were examined by immunohistochemical staining (IHC) to analyze their relationship with prognosis in this study. Changes in SOX4 gene transcript levels and protein expression levels in HPC cancer tissues and adjacent normal tissues were assessed by quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) and Western blot. Cell biology and molecular assays, as well as in vivo nude mice cancer experiments, were used to evaluate the effects of SOX4 on the viability, proliferation, and migration of Fadu cells in vitro and in vivo. Results. In HPC samples, SOX4 was considerably overexpressed, and our investigation demonstrated that this overexpression was connected with differentiation (P = 0.002), clinical stage (P P P = 0.006) and poor survival (P = 0.012). Moreover, knockdown of SOX4 can inhibit the proliferation, reduce their migration, and promote the epithelial to mesenchymal transition (EMT) phenotype in HPC cells. SOX4 knockdown inhibited tumor growth in vivo experiments. Conclusions. These findings collectively show that SOX4 promotes HPC migration and progression both in vitro and in vivo, and may be a prognostic marker for HPC patients.

Immunoglobulins are key humoral immune molecules produced and secreted by B lymphocytes at various stages of differentiation. No research has reported whether immunoglobulins are present in the non-proliferative female germ cells—oocytes—and whether they are functionally important for oocyte quality, self-protection, and survival. Herein, we found that IgG was present in the oocytes of immunodeficient mice; the IgG-VDJ regions were highly variable between different oocytes, and H3K27Ac bound and regulated the IgG promoter region. Next, IgG mRNA and protein levels increased in response to LPS, and this increment was mediated by CR2 on the oocyte membrane. Finally, we revealed three aspects of the functional relevance of oocyte IgG: first, oocytes could upregulate IgG to counteract the increased ROS level induced by CSF1; second, oocytes could upregulate IgG in response to injected virus ssRNA to maintain mitochondrial integrity; third, upon bacterial infection, oocytes could secrete IgG, subsequently encompassing the bacteria, thus increasing survival compared to somatic cells. This study reveals for the first time that the female germ cells, oocytes, can independently adjust intrinsic IgG production to survive in adverse environments.

Many integral membrane proteins might act as indispensable coordinators in specific functional microdomains to maintain the normal operation of known receptors, such as Notch. Gm364 is a multi-pass transmembrane protein that has been screened as a potential female fertility factor. However, there have been no reports to date about its function in female fertility. Here, we found that global knockout of Gm364 decreased the numbers of primordial follicles and growing follicles, impaired oocyte quality as indicated by increased ROS and γ-H2AX, decreased mitochondrial membrane potential, decreased oocyte maturation, and increased aneuploidy. Mechanistically, Gm364 directly binds and anchors MIB2, a ubiquitin ligase, on the membrane. Subsequently, membrane MIB2 ubiquitinates and activates DLL3. Next, the activated DLL3 binds and activates Notch2, which is subsequently cleaved within the cytoplasm to produce NICD2, the intracellular active domain of Notch2. Finally, NICD2 can directly activate AKT within the cytoplasm to regulate oocyte meiosis and quality.

Objective To observe whether wrist-ankle acupuncture can reduce propofol dosage in painless bronchoscopy of elderly patients or not and its potential effect mechanism. Methods A total of 60 patients undergoing painless bronchoscopy were randomized into a wrist-ankle acupuncture group and a control group, 30 cases in each one. In the wrist-ankle acupuncture group, wrist-ankle acupuncture was received and the needles were retained for 30 min before entering to the operating room. In the control group, no any intervention was provided. The patients in two groups all received venous administration of midazolam, nalorphine and lidocaine and target controlled infusion of propofol. When the patient's consciousness was lost and the eyelash reflex disappeared, bronchoscopy was performed and the propofol dosage was increased accordingly during operation. Propofol dosage, vital signs and occurrence of adverse reactions, bronchoscopist satisfaction, operation time and recovering time were recorded in the patients of two groups. Results Propofol dosage in induction period and the total dosage of propofol in the wrist-ankle acupuncture group were lower than those in the control group, indicating the statistical differences (both P Conclusion In painless bronchoscopy, wrist-ankle acupuncture may effectively reduce propofol dosage, alleviate respiratory suppression, reduce adverse reaction and shorten the recovering time in elderly patients.

To observe the clinical efficacy of acupuncture plus MOTOmed intelligent motor training in treating children with spastic cerebral palsy, and analyze the effects on lower limb motor function, intelligence development level, immune function and cerebral hemodynamics. A total of 42 children with spastic cerebral palsy were selected as the observation objects, and enrolled into the observation group. Another 42 cases treated in the same period were selected as the control group. Both groups received MOTOmed intelligent motor training, and the observation group was given additional acupuncture therapy, and the control group was given additional conventional rehabilitation treatment. After 2 consecutive treatment courses, the psychomotor development index (PDI) and mental development index (MDI) of Children’s Developmental Center of China (CDCC) scale, the scores of gross motor function measure (GMFM) scale and modified Ashworth scale (MAS), and the changes in CD3+, CD4+, CD8+ and CD4+/CD8+ were observed. The peak systolic velocity (PSV) and mean flow velocity (MFV) of the anterior cerebral artery (ACA), middle cerebral artery (MCA) and posterior cerebral artery (PCA) were observed and measured. The clinical efficacy was evaluated. Compared with the same group before treatment, the scores of GMFM, PDI and MDI, levels of CD3+, CD4+ and CD4+/CD8+, PSV and MFV levels of ACA, MCA and PCA in both groups were significantly increased after treatment (all P 0.05). After treatment, the total effective rate of lower limb spasm in the observation group was 90.5%, significantly higher than 71.4% in the control group (P 0.05). Acupuncture plus MOTOmed intelligent motor training has a better clinical efficacy than conventional rehabilitation plus MOTOmed intelligent motor training in treating children with spastic cerebral palsy, and is also superior in improving lower limb motor function and the level of intellectual development. And the mechanism may be related to the improvement of cerebral hemodynamics.

变形假单胞菌（

BackgroundWe tested the hypothesis that intravenous (IV) lidocaine reduces propofol requirements in painless bronchoscopy in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).MethodsA total of 93 patients who underwent bronchoscopy were included in this randomized placebo-controlled study. The patients were randomly divided into two groups. After the IV doses of nalbuphine, patients were given a bolus of propofol, which was titrated if necessary until loss of consciousness. Then patients were given IV lidocaine (2 mg/kg then 4 mg/kg/h) or the same volume of saline. The primary endpoint was the propofol requirements. Secondary endpoints were the incidence of hypoxemia, the incidence of cough during glottis examination, the systolic blood pressure (SBP) and heart rate (HR) during bronchoscopy procedures, the bronchoscopist's comforts, and the time for wakefulness before recovery.ResultsLidocaine infusion resulted in a significant reduction in propofol requirements (p p = .001) and cough (p = .003) during examination decreased significantly in the lidocaine group. During the examination, the fluctuation of SBP and HR was significantly lower than that in the control group, and the difference was statistically significant (p p p ConclusionIn painless bronchoscopy in patients with COPD, IV infusion of lidocaine resulted in a reduction in propofol dose requirements and reduce the incidence of adverse events.

Microtubule-severing proteins (MTSPs), are a family of proteins which use adenosine triphosphate to sever microtubules. MTSPs have been shown to play an important role in multiple microtubule-involved cellular processes. One member of this family, fidgetin (

Salvia leucantha (Lamiaceae) is an important horticultural plant with great ornamental and economic value. Here, we report the complete chloroplast genome of this species. The chloroplast genome was determined to be 151021 bp and the GC contents was 38.0%. The sequence includes a large single copy (LSC) region of 82,262 bp, a small single copy (SSC) region of 17,537 bp, and two separated inverted regions of 25,611 bp each. It contains 130 unique genes, including 85 protein-coding genes, 37 tRNA genes, and 8 rRNA genes. Based on the chloroplast genomes data of 26 species in Salvia, our result indicated that S. leucantha, S. tiliifolia, S. hispanica, and S. splendens formed one clade with Bootstrap = 100%. The four species belong to Salvia subgenus Calosphace, and S. leucantha was closely related to Salvia tiliifolia and Salvia hispanica. This result will facilitate population, genetic diversity and phylogenetic studies of S. leucantha.

For the detection of shallow underwater targets by the hyperspectrum, the information of the target is carried in the water-leaving radiation. However, the differences between the water-leaving radiation of the underwater target and the ocean background radiation are not significant, and the spectrum of the water-leaving radiation is sensitive to the changes of the marine environment. Therefore, taking the spectrum as the feature is not stable for hyperspectral detection of the underwater target. In this paper, we propose a parameter feature extraction method for hyperspectral detection of the shallow underwater target. The presence of an underwater target would change the optical properties of seawater in a local place. Based on that, a quasi-analytical model of the water-leaving radiation is adopted to inverse the properties of the marine environment from the radiated spectrum. Then the inversed water depth and bottom reference reflectance are taken as the features. Simulation results show that the samples which belong to the water-leaving radiation of underwater target have higher inversed depth and reference reflectance than that belong to the ocean background radiation. Furthermore, these two kinds of samples can be separated significantly and stably in a 2-dimension feature space.

Carbon–carbon (C–C) coupling is critically important in organic synthesis. Direct C–C coupling to replace two C–H bonds is preferred over coupling of two prefunctionalized C–intermediates but is sy...

To improve the photocatalytic activity of TiO2 NBs under irradiation of solar light, an immobilized Z-scheme composite photocatalyst CdS/Au/TiO2 NBs has been constructed. For the unique architectures, the TiO2 NBs provide more absorption and reaction sites, the CdS nanoparticles enhance overall light harvesting, and Au acts as the electron transfer mediator, promoting the interfacial charge transfer and efficient separation of electrons and holes. The morphology, elements, crystal structure, optical and photoelectrochemical properties, and photocatalytic activity of CdS/Au/TiO2 NBs were characterized. Results showed that CdS/Au/TiO2 NBs possesses higher photocatalytic activity toward the degradation of antibiotic norfloxacin under irradiation of simulated sunlight, which is attributed to the synergetic interaction of increased light absorption and separation of photogenerated electrons and holes. Besides, the degradation of norfloxacin was promoted by HCO3-, but inhibited by NO3- and Cl-. The radicals trapping experiments proved that superoxide radicals (O2-) was the dominating active species during the photocatalysis process. The photocatalytic degradation products of norfloxacin was analyzed, and nine intermediates were identified. Moreover, the photocatalytic degradation mechanism and photostability of CdS/Au/TiO2 NBs were analyzed in detail. The matched energy levels and unique ternary Z-scheme design are the key for improved photocatalytic activity. The deactivation of CdS/Au/TiO2 NBs after recycles mainly due to the release of CdS by photocorrosion and the loss of deposited Au.

Polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) is a major severe ovary disorder affecting 5–10% of reproductive women around the world. PCOS can be considered a metabolic disease because it is often accompanied by obesity and diabetes. Brown adipose tissue (BAT) contains abundant mitochondria and adipokines and has been proven to be effective for treating various metabolic diseases. Recently, allotransplanted BAT successfully recovered the ovarian function of PCOS rat. However, BAT allotransplantation could not be applied to human PCOS; the most potent BAT is from infants, so voluntary donors are almost inaccessible. We recently reported that single BAT xenotransplantation significantly prolonged the fertility of aging mice and did not cause obvious immunorejection. However, PCOS individuals have distinct physiologies from aging mice; thus, it remains essential to study whether xenotransplanted rat BAT can be used for treating PCOS mice. In this study, rat-to-mouse BAT xenotransplantation, fortunately, did not cause severe rejection reaction, and significantly recovered ovarian functions, indicated by the recovery of fertility, oocyte quality, and the levels of multiple essential genes and kinases. Besides, the blood biochemical index, glucose resistance, and insulin resistance were improved. Moreover, transcriptome analysis showed that the recovered PCOS F0 mother following BAT xenotransplantation could also benefit the F1 generation. Finally, BAT xenotransplantation corrected characteristic gene expression abnormalities found in the ovaries of human PCOS patients. These findings suggest that BAT xenotransplantation could be a novel therapeutic strategy for treating PCOS patients.

If a mean-field spin ring interact with a cold external thermal reservoir, the system might first evolve to the paramagnetic metastable state along the paramagnetic path, and then fluctuate around the metastable state for a long period due to an energy barrier. The spin system must absorb sufficient energy from the thermal reservoir to achieve a phase transition to the final ferromagnetic equilibrium state. However, if an external magnetic field is applied to the system, the energy barrier becomes smaller, which can reduce the relaxation time of the system significantly. Moreover, if the magnetic intensity is strong enough, the energy barrier vanishes and the system evolves directly to the equilibrium state.

To explore the incidence and risk factors of readmission of elderly patients with hip fracture after hip hemiarthroplasty.A retrospective analysis of 237 elderly hip fracture patients who underwent hip hemiarthroplasty from February 2015 to October 2020 were performed. According to the readmission status of the patients at 3 months postoperatively, the patients were divided into readmission group (39 cases)and non-readmission group(198 cases). In readmission group, there were 7 males and 32 females with an average age of(84.59±4.34) years old, respectively, there were 34 males and 164 females with average age of (84.65±4.17) years old in non-readmission group. The general information, surgical status, hip Harris score and complications of patients in two groups were included in univariate analysis, and multivariate Logistic regression was used to analyze independent risk factors of patients' readmission.The proportion of complications(cerebral infarction and coronary heart disease) in readmission group was significantly higher than that of non-readmission group (The complications of the elderly patients who were readmission after hip hemiarthroplasty for hip fractures were significantly higher than those who were non-readmission. Cerebral infarction, infection, delirium, dislocation, anemia and venous thrombosis are risk factors that lead to patient readmission. Corresponding intervention measures can be taken clinically based on these risk factors to reduce the incidence of patient readmissions.

Oxidative stress and inflammation seem to be the main factors responsible for cognitive impairment in sepsis. Genistein (GEN) is claimed to exert many beneficial effects on health, however, its possible effects on brain sepsis remains unclear. Here, we assess the influence and underling mechanisms of GEN on cognitive impairments in cecal ligation and puncture (CLP)-induced septic model. Rats were randomly divided into Sham, Sham + GEN, CLP, CLP + GEN gropus. Rats were treated with GEN (15 mg/kg at 0 and 12 h after CLP, i.p). Twenty-four hours after CLP, protein levels of cytokines, NF-kB and Nrf2, myeloperoxidase (MPO) activity, oxidative damage to lipids and proteins, the activities of antioxidant enzymes and the expression of Nrf2-target genes were evaluated in the hippocampus. At 10 days after sepsis induction, behavioral tests were conducted to evaluate cognitive impairment. The results indicate that GEN can enhance survival percentage and improve cognitive function. Genistein administration significantly reduced TNF-α and IL-1β levels, MPO activity and protein level of NF-kB in the hippocampus of septic rats. Genistein also decreased the levels of oxidative stress parameters (MDA and protein carbonyls) and elevated the activities of the antioxidant enzymes superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT) in septic rats. Furthermore, nuclear Nrf2 and the expression of HO-1 and NQO-1 were also elevated by GEN treatment. These findings suggest that GEN improves cognition impairment in septic rats via decreasing inflammatory responses and oxidative stress, and activation of the Nrf2 pathway.

Rehmannia and Triaenophora form a clade and are widely accepted as being closely allied with Orobanchaceae in Lamiales. However, the taxonomic rank of this clade and its geographical origins are understudied and poorly known. The genera have together been recognized as Orobanchaceae tribe Rehmannieae or Rehmanniaceae. To re-evaluate the taxonomy and systematic position and affinities of these genera, we reconstructed a phylogenety using complete plastid genomes (plastomes) and performed an analysis of comparative floral development. Additionally, we investigated the geographical distributions of Rehmannia and Triaenophora to determine the centre of diversity and origin. The phylogenetic analyses showed that Rehmannia and Triaenophora formed a clade that is sister to all other Orobanchaceae. This relationship was also supported by fruit and floral morphological traits, such as capsules partly or half exserted from the persistent calyx tubes, reticulate testa of seeds, cochlear ascending corolla (rhinanthoid aestivation), late sympetalous corolla tube and axile placentation. In addition, the loss of the adaxial stamen leaving a gap at its expected initiation site and two lateral bracteoles in Rehmannia and Triaenophora may be derived or represent a phylogenetic transitional form in Lamiales. We suggest that Rehmannia and Triaenophora clade should be treated as Orobanchaceae tribe Rehmannieae rather than as a distinct family of Lamiales. The distribution pattern of Rehmannia and Triaenophora indicate that the Shennongjia-Wushan region in central China represents the geographical origin and centre of diversification of the genera.