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Objective: The Chinese medicine Jianpi-Huayu decoction (健脾化瘀方, JPHY) can alleviate cancer-related fatigue in patients with liver cancer. However, its mechanism remains unclear. In this study, we used BALB/c mice with liver cancer model to investigate whether JPHY alleviates cancer-related fatigue by regulating Th1/Th2 immune balance; and the possible association with the IL-27/STAT1 signaling pathway. Methods: We established a mouse model of liver cancer fatigue. Mice were gavaged with physiological saline, low, medium, or high concentrations of JPHY respectively; and intraperitoneal injection of fludarabine (STAT1 pathway inhibitor) with JPHY for 21 days. We recorded the general condition of the mice, and assessed fatigue using scoring criteria and Exhausted Swimming Test. We calculated the spleen and thymus indices, performed H&E staining and immunohistochemical analysis on liver tumor tissues to observe the tumor proliferation marker ki67. We quantified the secretion levels of IFN-γ and IL-2 produced by Th1 cells in serum and splenic lymphocytes, as well as the secretion of IL-4, IL-10 by Th2 cells, and IL-27 in the signaling pathway through ELISA analysis. We evaluated the expression levels of p-STAT1 and STAT1 in spleen tissues using Western blot analysis. Results: JPHY exhibits a therapeutic effect on hepatocellular carcinoma-induced splenomegaly in murine models by upregulating the pro-inflammatory cytokines IFN-γ and IL-2 and downregulating the anti-inflammatory cytokines IL-4 and IL-10. Moreover, JPHY suppresses ki67 expression, reduces tumor-related inflammation infiltration, and ameliorates cancer-associated fatigue. Additionally, the expression of phosphorylated protein p-STAT1 is down-regulated. Conclusion: JPHY may improve the Th1/Th2 immune balance through its anti-inflammatory effects and promotion of IL-27-induced STAT1 phosphorylation, thereby alleviating fatigue in mice with liver cancer.

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a progressive and degenerative disorder accompanied by cognitive decline, which could be promoted by mitochondrial dysfunction induced by mitochondrial Ca 2+ (mCa 2+) homeostasis Mitochondrial calcium uniporter (MCU), a key channel of mCa 2+ uptake, may be a target for AD treatment. In the present study, we reveal for the first time that MCU knockdown in hippocampal neurons improves the memory performance of APP/PS1/tau mice through radial arm maze task. Western blot analysis, transmission electron microscopy (TEM), Golgi staining, immunohistochemistry (IHC) and ELISA results demonstrate that MCU knockdown in hippocampal neurons upregulates the levels of postsynaptic density protein 95 (PSD95) and synaptophysin (SYP), and increases the numbers of synapses and dendritic spines. Meanwhile, MCU knockdown in hippocampal neurons decreases the neuroinflammatory response induced by astrogliosis and high levels of IL-1β and TNF-α, and improves the PINK1-Parkin mitophagy signaling pathway and increases the level of Beclin-1 but decreases the level of P62. In addition, MCU knockdown in hippocampal neurons recovers the average volume and number of mitochondria. These data confirm that MCU knockdown in hippocampal neurons improves the memory performance of APP/PS1/tau mice through ameliorating the synapse structure and function, relieving the inflammation response and recovering mitophagy, indicating that MCU inhibition has the potential to be developed as a novel therapy for AD.

Organic and inorganic nitrogen play important roles in plant nitrogen nutrition. However, how the coapplication of organic and inorganic nitrogen affects root growth, plant nitrogen metabolism, and soil nitrogen content is still unclear. Plant shoot and root growth, nitrogen uptake and metabolism, and soil nitrogen content were studied in maize (Zea mays L.) through pot experiments with different nitrogen treatments, including NH4+ -N (Amm), NO3− -N (Nit), NH4+ -N + NO3− -N (Amm + Nit), NH4+ -N + NO3− -N + glutamate-N (Amm + Nit + Glu), and NH4+ -N + NO3− -N + glycine-N (Amm + Nit + Gly). The results show that the shoot nitrogen uptake of maize treated with Amm + Nit + Gly was the highest among all the nitrogen treatments. In addition, the coapplication of glycine and inorganic nitrogen increased glutamine synthetase (GS) activity in the maize leaves, promoted nitrogen metabolism levels, and was conducive to the accumulation of amino acids and soluble protein in leaves. Compared with inorganic nitrogen, glycine combined with inorganic nitrogen increased the total root length and root surface area. A correlation analysis showed that total root length and root surface area had a significant positive effect on nitrogen uptake. When ammonium, nitrate, and glycine were applied together, the content of inorganic nitrogen and total nitrogen in soil was higher than that for other inorganic nitrogen treatments. Therefore, we conclude that glycine combined with inorganic nitrogen can increase soil nitrogen content, promote maize root growth, and thus facilitate nitrogen uptake and metabolism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Accurate quantification of net primary productivity (NPP) is key to estimating vegetation productivity and studying the global carbon cycle. However, C3 and C4 plants vary in their living environments and potential productivity due to their different photosynthetic pathways. This study thus explored the potential of the near-infrared radiance of vegetation (NIRv,Rad) to track hourly and daily changes in C3 and C4 plants and investigate whether their photosynthetic pathways affect the relationship between NPP and NIRv,Rad. Statistics including long-term spectral data, the growth environment, and physiological indicators were collected using an automatic spectral monitoring system. The vegetation index NIRv,Rad was extracted from the collected spectral data and NPP was calculated using the collected net photosynthetic rate and leaf area index. The results showed that NIRv,Rad can effectively respond to NPP changes in C3 and C4 plants on hourly and daily scales. The NPP–NIRv,Rad relationship on the hourly scale was superior, with R2 values for winter wheat and summer maize of 0.81 and 0.70, respectively. Furthermore, when the accumulation of NPP was equal, the NIRv,Rad of summer maize showed larger changes, indicating that it was more sensitive to NPP change for this species than for winter wheat. Overall, the study demonstrated that NIRv,Rad can serve as an effective proxy indicator of NPP. In addition, this study provides a theoretical basis and scientific guidance for the construction of new simple models and realizing efficient agriculture, as well as a new method for rapid and accurate quantification of the NPP of C3 and C4 plants at geospatial scales in future research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Development and utilization of hydrogen energy is an effective way to achieve carbon neutrality, only hydrogen production through electrolytic water splitting meets the goal of zero carbon emission. To facilitate the large‐scale commercialization of water splitting devices, the development of highly efficient and low‐cost catalysts to reduce the energy consumption is essential. MoS2 has been regarded as a promising electrocatalyst to replace platinum in hydrogen evolution reaction due to its low price and unique 2D layered structure. However, the poor conductivity and inert basal planes of MoS2 limited its wide‐spread application. Recently, researches have demonstrated that the conductivity and active sites of MoS2 can be improved by heteroatoms doping or constructing of heterogeneous structures. In this review, the recent progress of Mo‐based catalysts are summarized centered on MoS2 based on interface engineering and anion engineering, including MoS2–MoO2, MoS2–Mo2C, MoS2–MoNx, MoS2–MoP, and MoS2–MoSe2. The preparation method, structure, and performance of the catalysts are introduced and the possible mechanism behind the improved catalytic activity are revealed to give readers an overall comprehension on the progress of the Mo‐based electrocatalysts for hydrogen evolution reaction. In addition, an outlook on future opportunities and development directions of Mo‐based catalysts are proposed to facilitate the development of Mo‐based catalysts for hydrogen production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]