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As an emerging sequencing technology, single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-Seq) has become a powerful tool for describing cell subpopulation classification and cell heterogeneity by achieving high-throughput and multidimensional analysis of individual cells and circumventing the shortcomings of traditional sequencing for detecting the average transcript level of cell populations. It has been applied to life science and medicine research fields such as tracking dynamic cell differentiation, revealing sensitive effector cells, and key molecular events of diseases. This review focuses on the recent technological innovations in scRNA-Seq, highlighting the latest research results with scRNA-Seq as the core technology in frontier research areas such as embryology, histology, oncology, and immunology. In addition, this review outlines the prospects for its innovative application in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) research and discusses the key issues currently being addressed by scRNA-Seq and its great potential for exploring disease diagnostic targets and uncovering drug therapeutic targets in combination with multiomics technologies.

Background The role of the intersphincteric space in the pathogenesis of fistula-in-ano is being increasingly recognized. Submucosal and intersphincteric rectal abscesses have been surgically managed by laying open and draining the intersphincteric space as well as by the modified ligation of intersphincteric fistula tract (LIFT) procedure. In 2017, the transanal opening of intersphincteric space (TROPIS) technique was reported for the treatment of high, complex anal fistulae. Aim We aim to investigate the advantages of performing the TROPIS procedure in patients with fistula-in-ano. Methods This was a prospective cohort study investigating the outcomes in patients who had undergone a procedure using the TROPIS technique for the treatment of fistula-in-ano. Preoperative magnetic resonance imaging scans and electronic colonoscopies were performed on all patients. A clinical database evaluating the following variables was constructed: age, gender, body mass index (BMI), previous fistula surgery, type of fistula, postoperative complications, duration of follow-up, success rate, and incontinence scores pre- and postoperatively. Results The TROPIS procedure was performed on 41 patients with fistula-in-ano with a follow-up time of 6-23 months. The characteristics of the patients were as follows: 36 males, 6 females, mean age 38.6±13.2 years, and mean BMI 23.5±3.9 kg·m−2. All patients (41) had transsphincteric fistulae, and 90.2% (37) had high fistula. Of the 41 patients, 22% (9) had recurrent fistulae, 29.27% (12) had horseshoe fistulae, 7.3% (3) had supralevator fistulae, and 14.6% (6) had an associated abscess. The fistula healed completely in 85.3% (35) of patients and failed to heal in 14.7% (6) of patients, and the healing of high fistula was 86.5% (32). Of those patients who had not healed completely, 2 were found to have contracted iatrogenic infections due to foreign residues and underwent surgery with the passing of a loose seton. The additional 4 patients who had not healed underwent a fistulotomy and healed completely thereafter. There were no significant changes in incontinence scores. The incontinence scores were .15 ± .36 preoperatively and .22 ± .47 3 months postoperatively (t = −1.438, P = .16). Conclusions The TROPIS technique is a novel sphincter-preserving procedure, which can be effectively used in treating fistula-in-ano.

Based on the traffic and transportation energy consumption, the carbon emissions of traffic and transportation energy consumption are obtained by using the estimation model of carbon emissions from 1999 to 2011 in Jilin Province, and the dynamic changes and the Environmental Kuznets Curve (EKC) of carbon emissions are analyzed. The result indicates that the carbon emission of traffic and transportation energy consumption increased continuously from 99.3750×104 t to 331.8255×104 t between 1999 and 2011 in Jilin Province, the change process is divided into three stages which include the stage of the stationary growth phase, accelerated growth stage and slow growth stage, the large consumption of diesel energy is the main reason of the rapid growth in carbon emissions. The EKC of carbon emission shows the inverted U shape roughly and the turning point appeared in 2011, after 2011, carbon emissions will decrease along with the economic growth. Based on the STIRPAT model, the study reveals that elasticity coefficients of driving factors such as population, per capita GDP, the unit GDP energy consumption, the investment of traffic and transportation, city rate, the number of private cars are 0.23440.2202-0.22470.16570.2864 and 0.2163, respectively. Jilin Province must implement effective measures to change the existing development mode of traffic and transportation, change the energy structure, and increase the innovation of scientific and technological, to strive for the realization of negative growth in carbon emissions of traffic and transportation energy consumption.

Through this pot experiment of corns, the paper studied the effect of the use of FGD gypsum into the alkalization soil to improve corn output and soil property in the alkalization soil of the west of Jilin Province. The study indicated that FGD gypsum reduced effectively the PH value of the alkalization soil and improved the corn output. When the amount of FGD gypsum was 3t/667m2, the growth index of planting corn, such as the plant height, root length, plant fresh weight, was the best. But when the amount of FGD gypsum was 2t/667m2, the difference was not obvious. The results indicated that considering the factors of soil PH value and salt-resistance, when the amount of FGD gypsum was 2t/667m2, the effect of the use of FGD gypsum of the alkalization soil in the west of Jilin Province to improve soil property was the best.

Resveratrol, a phytoalexin, is reported to activate AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) in vascular cells. Activation of AMPK induces vasorelaxation to lower blood pressure (BP). Whether resveratrol via activation of AMPK decreases, BP remains unknown.Male wild-type (WT) mice and mice deficient in AMPKα2 (AMPKα2(-/-)) were fed with resveratrol (400 mg/kg). After 7 d, mice were implanted with deoxycorticosterone acetate (DOCA)-salt (150 mg/kg) for 35 d. BP was detected by the radiotelemetry method. Vessel contraction was determined by organ chamber. Active RhoA, Rho-associated kinase (ROCK) activity, phosphorylations of myosin light chain (MLC), and myosin phosphatase targeting subunit 1 (MYPT1) were assayed by western blot.Implantation of DOCA-salt dramatically increased systemic BPs (systolic BP and diastolic BP) in WT and AMPKα2(-/-) mice. However, treatment of resveratrol significantly decreased systemic BP in WT mice but not in AMPKα2(-/-) mice. In the organ chamber study, resveratrol inhibited agonist-induced vessel relaxation in WT mice aortas. Loss of AMPKα2 or AMPK inhibition by compound C reversed resveratrol-suppressed vasoconstriction in isolated mice aortas. In cultured vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs), activation of AMPK by resveratrol inhibited phenylephrine-enhanced MLC phosphorylation in a dose-dependent manner.Resveratrol via activation of AMPK lowers BP in DOCA-hypertensive mice through an AMPK/RhoA/ROCK2/MLCMLC pathway.

A simple and sensitive high-performance liquid chromatographic (HPLC) method is developed for the determination of osthole in rat plasma and applied to a pharmacokinetic study in rats after administration of Fructus Cnidii extract. After addition of fluocinonide as an internal standard, plasma samples are extracted with diethyl ether. HPLC analysis of the extracts is performed on a Hypersil ODS2 analytical column, using methanol-0.4% acetic acid (65:35, v/v) as the mobile phase. The UV detector is set at 322 nm. The standard curve is linear over the range 0.0520-5.20 microg/mL (r = 0.9979). The mean extraction recoveries of osthole at three concentrations were 81.0%, 91.2%, and 90.7%, respectively. The intra- and interday precisions have relative standard deviations from 1.9% to 4.9%. The limit of quantitation is 0.0520 microg/mL. The HPLC method developed can easily be applied to the determination and pharmacokinetic study of osthole in rat plasma after the animals are given the Fructus Cnidii extract. The plasma concentration of osthole from six rats showed a Cmax of 0.776 +/- 0.069 microg/mL at Tmax of 1.0 +/- 0.3 h.

To investigate the effect of blood-activating Chinese medicinal compounds and water-draining Chinese medicinal compounds on tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) and nuclear factor kappaB (NF-κ B) expressions in rats with intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) at the acute stage, and to monitor their therapeutic effect and mechanism of action on inflammation and cerebral edema.A rat model of cerebral hemorrhage was achieved by injecting autologous arterial blood into the caudate nucleus. A total of 168 rats were randomly divided into 4 groups: blood-activating medicine group (n=42), water-draining medicine group (n=42), sham operated group (n=42), and the model group (n=42). A series of brain samples were obtained at days 1, 3 and 5 after ICH from rats in all groups. Protein expression levels of TNF-α and NF-κ B were measured by immunohistochemical staining and gene expression levels of TNF-α and NF-κ B were measured by real-time fluorescent PCR.Compared to the sham operated group, protein expression levels of TNF-α and NF-κ B in the model group significantly increased (P0.01). Protein and gene expressions of TNF-α from the blood-activating medicine group and water-draining medicine group significantly decreased when compared to those in the model group P0.05). Meanwhile, compared to the model group, the expression of NF-κ B in the blood-activating medicine group significantly decreased (P0.05), while expression of NF-κ B in the water-draining medicine group did not differ (P0.05).Blood-activating Chinese medicinal compounds and water-draining Chinese medicinal compounds can alleviate inflammation of peripheral tissue and cerebral edema. However, the blood-activating Chinese medicinal compounds were more effective than the water-draining Chinese medicinal compounds. The possible effective mechanism may be by means of inhibiting the activation of NF-κ B so as to suppress the transcription of target genes including gene expression of TNF-α.