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Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) are released into the environment from a wide range of sources. The aim of the present study was to investigate the effect of the PCBs extracted from the Zhanjiang mangrove sediments on the immune function of zebrafish. The sediments were collected from 3 mangrove forest points in Zhanjiang (Guangdong Province, China), and the results showed that PCB153 was detected in the sediments of the Guangdong Zhanjiang Mangrove National Nature Reserve (MNNR) and Gaoqiao Mangrove Reserve (GMR), while PCB101, PCB112, PCB155, and PCB198 were detected in the sediments of the Leizhou Peninsula (LP). The zebrafish were exposed to different concentrations of PCBs, i.e., control group, positive control group (Aroclor1254; 10 μg/L), low dose group (LD; 0.6 μg/L), medium-dose group (MD; 3.0 μg/L) and high dose group (HD; 15 μg/L) for 14 days. As compared to the control group, the liver index increased significantly in all PCB treated groups. The liver tissue structure was destroyed in all PCB-treated groups as compared to the control group. In addition, the relative mRNA expression of the target genes (IL-1β, IL-8, and TNF-α) was significantly expressed in each concentration group. Therefore, these findings suggest that exposure of zebrafish to PCBs can destroy the liver histology and increase the liver index and mRNA expression of inflammatory cytokines in a dose and time-dependent manner.

Microplastics are easily consumed by marine animals, thereby entering the food chain and endangering animal health. However, there are few studies focusing on the effects of microplastics in mangrove sediments on microbial communities. In order to study the influence of microplastics on microorganisms, microplastics and microorganisms were extracted from Zhanjiang (Guangdong Province, China) mangrove sediments and analyzed. The results showed that there were differences in Shannon and Simpson indices of the microbial community in microplastics (p 0.05), and there were also differences between JG30_KF_CM45 and Natranaerovirga at the genus level, indicating that microplastics may affect the diversity and composition of microorganisms in sediments. In addition, FAPROTAX function prediction analysis showed that microplastics may affect the nitrification of microbial communities. The results from this study indicate that microplastics affected the diversity and richness of microorganisms in mangrove sediments, which provides an experimental basis for the relationship between microplastics and microorganisms.

The development of organic solid-state luminescent materials, especially those sensitive to aggregation microenvironment, is critical for their applications in devices such as pressure-sensitive elements, sensors, and photoelectric devices. However, it still faces certain challenges and a deep understanding of the corresponding internal mechanisms is required. Here, we put forward an unconventional strategy to explore the pressure-induced evolution of the aggregation microenvironment, involving changes in molecular conformation, stacking mode, and intermolecular interaction, by monitoring the emission under multiple excitation channels based on a luminogen with aggregation-induced emission characteristics of di(p-methoxylphenyl)dibenzofulvene. Under three excitation wavelengths, the distinct emission behaviors have been interestingly observed to reveal the pressure-induced structural evolution, well consistent with the results from ultraviolet-visible absorption, high-pressure angle-dispersive X-ray diffraction, and infrared studies, which have rarely been reported before. This finding provides important insights into the design of organic solid luminescent materials and greatly promotes the development of stimulus-responsive luminescent materials.

Depolymerized real lignin products are very complex mixtures. Comprehensive assessment of the decomposition efficiency and characterizing of depolymerized products still remain extremely challenging. In this study, based on depolymerization solution of commercially available sodium lignosulfonate under mild conditions, an improved method was well established for characterization of real lignin depolymerized products using GC–MS, which enabled the detection of main 37 lignin-based aromatic products. The effects of acid-catalyzed temperature, time and catalyst/lignin ratio on the depolymerization products were systematically investigated. The result revealed that ~ 25 wt% of lignosulfonate was depolymerized into lignin-derived aromatic products under optimized mild acid-catalyzed reaction conditions of 130 °C for 60 min with a catalyst/lignin ratio of 2.334. Most of the identified products were common commercial compounds, while the obtained bisphenols were potential compounds for new applications such as bio-based polymer building blocks. Preliminary studies also highlight that the depolymerization behavior seems to present selectivity to some extent during these specified acid-catalyzed reaction.

To investigate the effect of electroacupuncture (EA) on cognitive function in D-galactose (D-gal)-induced aging rats, and the correlation between the effect and nucleotide-binding oligomerization domain (NOD)-like receptor protein 3 (NLRP3)-ASC-Caspase-1 signaling pathway. Forty-six male Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats were randomly divided into a control group (n=10), a model group (n=12), an EA-7 d group (n=12) and an EA-21 d group (n=12). Except the control group, the other three groups received 42 consecutive days of intraperitoneal injection of D-gal to establish aging rat models with cognitive dysfunction. The control group received the same amount of normal saline via intraperitoneal injection. Two EA groups were given EA therapy for 21 consecutive days (began from the 22nd day of modeling) or 7 consecutive days (began from the 36th day of modeling) accordingly at Dazhui (GV 14), Baihui (GV 20), Shenshu (BL 23) and Zusanli (ST 36). After modeling/intervention, all four groups received behavioral evaluations by Morris water maze (MWM) test, novel object recognition (NOR) test and step-down passive avoidance (SDPA) test followed by the Western blot (WB) detection of the expression levels of hippocampal NLRP3 inflammasome-associated proteins NLRP3, ASC and Caspase-1. MWM (place navigation test, PNT) results showed that the escape latency in the model group was significantly longer than that in the other three groups (P 0.05). From the 2nd day to the 4th day of the test, there was no significant difference between the EA-21 d group and the control group (P>0.05) in the escape latency; the escape latency was significantly shorter in the EA-21 d group than in the model group and the EA-7 d group (P 0.05). NOR results showed that there was no significant difference in the recognition ratio between the EA-7 d group and the EA-21 d group (P>0.05), and the recognition ratio was significantly higher in the two EA groups than in the model group (P 0.05). The model group had the shortest step-down latency, followed by the EA-7 d group, the EA-21 d group and the control group in order (P 0.05). NLRP3 inflammasome may be involved in the development of cognitive decline in aging rats; 7 consecutive days of EA intervention can partially improve the cognitive impairment in aging rats though the effect is rather limited; 21 consecutive days of EA intervention may improve the learning and memory abilities in aging rats via down-regulating the expression levels of NLRP3 inflammasome-associated proteins in hippocampus.

To investigate the effects of electroacupuncture (EA) on the behaviors of rat with anxiety disorder, and the expressions of hippocampal neurotransmitters including 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT), norepinephrine (NE) and dopamine (DA), and the expressions of hippocampal B-cell lymphoma-2 (Bcl-2) and Bcl-2 associated X (Bax). Forty-six male Wistar rats were randomly divIDed into a control group (n=10), a model group (n=12), an EA group (n=12), and a drug group (n=12). Except the control group, the other three groups were established into rat models of anxiety disorder using uncertain empty bottle stimulation. Rats in the EA group and the drug group received corresponding interventions for 15 consecutive days [EA group was given EA at Baihui (GV 20) and Sanyinjiao (SP 6); the drug group was given aqueous solution of alprazolam via intragastric administration]. After intervention, all four groups received open-field test (OFT) and elevated plus-maze (EPM) for behavioral evaluations. The expressions of 5-HT, NE and DA in hippocampus were determined by fluorescence spectroscopy (FS) while the expressions of Bcl-2 and Bax proteins in hippocampus were determined by Western blot (WB). The OFT horizontal scores in the control group, EA group and drug group were significantly higher than that in the model group (all P 0.05); the OFT vertical scores in the model group, EA group and drug group were significantly lower than the score in the control group (all P 0.05); though the percent of open-arm total time (OT%) in the EA group was lower than that in the control group (P 0.05), and it was significantly higher than that in the model group (P 0.05). The expression of NE in the model group was significantly higher than that in the other three groups (P 0.05). The expression of DA in the EA group was significantly higher than that in the control group and the drug group (both P 0.05). The expression of Bax in the model group was significantly higher than that in the other three groups (all P 0.05). Bax/Bcl-2 in the EA group was significantly higher than that in the control group (P 0.05). EA shows promising effects in attenuating rats' anxiety disorder, which may be achieved by the downregulation of the expressions of 5-HT and NE in the hippocampus and/or inhibition of hippocampal neuronal apoptosis. The efficacy is comparable to that of intervention with alprazolam.

The physical properties of most 2D materials are highly dependent on the nature of their interlayer interaction. In-depth studies of the interlayer interaction are beneficial to the understanding of the physical properties of 2D materials and permit the development of related devices. Layered magnetic NiPS3 has unique magnetic and electronic properties. The electronic band structure and corresponding magnetic state of NiPS3 are expected to be sensitive to the interlayer interaction, which can be tuned by external pressure. Here, we report an insulator-metal transition accompanied by the collapse of magnetic order during the 2D-3D structural crossover induced by hydrostatic pressure. A two-stage phase transition from a monoclinic (C2/m) to a trigonal $$(P\bar 31m)$$ lattice is identified via ab initio simulations and confirmed via high-pressure X-ray diffraction and Raman scattering; this transition corresponds to a layer-by-layer slip mechanism along the a-axis. Temperature-dependent resistance measurements and room temperature infrared spectroscopy under different pressures demonstrate that the insulator-metal transition and the collapse of the magnetic order occur at ∼20 GPa, which is confirmed by low-temperature Raman scattering measurements and theoretical calculations. These results establish a strong correlation between the structural change, electric transport, and magnetic phase transition and expand our understanding of layered magnetic materials. Moreover, the structural transition caused by the interlayer displacement has significance for designing similar devices at ambient pressure.

To observe the efficacy and safety of dexzopiclone plus auricular acupressure in intervening primary insomnia. A total of 72 participants who met the inclusion criteria were enrolled in a randomized controlled trial, with 36 cases allocated to a treatment group and 36 cases allocated to a control group. Both groups were given dexzopiclone as the routine treatment. Patients in the treatment group were given auricular acupressure with Wang Bu Liu Xing (Semen Vaccariae) seeds at the auricular acupoints related to sleep and emotion based on meridian theory, whereas for patients in the control group, the medical plasters with Wang Bu Liu Xing (Semen Vaccariae) seeds were only gently stuck to acupoints unrelated to sleep without stimulation. Patients in both groups were required to visit the hospital once a week for replacing the seeds and plasters. The course of intervention lasted for 8 weeks and the patients were followed up for another 4 weeks. Pittsburgh sleep quality index (PSQI) and Karolinska sleep diary (KSD) were used to evaluate the outcomes. Meanwhile, adverse effects were monitored and recorded. In the enrolled 72 cases, 4 patients (one in the treatment group and three in the control group) reported thirst and a bitter taste, and one case in the control group reported nausea and vomiting. At last, 3 cases in the control group dropped out for adverse reactions, and 69 cases completed the clinical trial. After 8 weeks of treatment, the global scores of PSQI in both treatment and control groups decreased significantly compared with the baseline (both P 0.05). According to KSD, both treatment protocols could prolong the total sleep time, shorten sleep-onset latency, improve sleep efficacy and sleep quality significantly, and the changes in the treatment group were more significant. The total effective rate was 88.9% in the treatment group, higher than 81.8% in the control group, though the difference was statistically insignificant (P>0.05). Dexzopiclone plus auricular acupressure is effective and safe for patients with primary insomnia both in short and long terms, and it is more effective than monotherapy of dexzopiclone.