Search

Seborrheic dermatitis (SD) and dandruff (DF) are common chronic inflammatory skin diseases characterized by recurrent greasy scales, sometimes with erythema and itchiness. Although the exact pathophysiology of the disease is still unclear, current theories highlight the role of microbes on the skin surface in the pathogenesis of SD. Here, we conducted a systematic review to investigate the skin microbiome alterations in patients with SD/DF. We searched Medline/PubMed, Embase and Web of Science for research studies published in English between 1 January 2000 and 31 December 2020. A total of 12 studies with 706 SD/DF samples and 379 healthy samples were included in this study. The scalp and face were predominated by the fungi of Ascomycota and Basidiomycota and the bacteria of Actinobacteria and Firmicutes. In general, the included studies demonstrated an increased Malassezia restricta/Malassezia globosa ratio and a reduction in the Cutibaterium/Staphylococcus ratio in the setting of SD/DF. Staphylococcus was associated with epidermal barrier damage, including elevated levels of trans-epidermal water loss and pH, while Cutibacterium had a positive correlation with water content. Malassezia was also found to be related to an increased itching score and disease severity. Further studies focusing on the interactions between various microbes and the host and microbes can help us to better understand the pathogenesis of SD/DF.

Emission amount of blast furnace gas (BFG) is huge per year and it cannot be directly combusted due to its low heat value. Separating and Enriching CO from blast furnace gas provides an effective w...

Eleven new seco-iridoids, valeridoids G-Q (1-6 and 8-12), along with four known products, 9-epi-valtral C (7), desacylbaldrinal (13), 11-methoxyviburtinal (14) and baldrinal (15), were obtained from Valeriana jatamansi. Among them, the new compounds were identified by their NMR, HR-ESI-MS spectroscopic data and ECD calculation. Moreover, valeridoid N and O were a pair of C

Hormone receptor 3 (HR3), an early-late gene of the 20-hydroxyecdysone (20E) signaling pathway, plays a critical role in insect metamorphosis and development. In this study, we identified and characterized an HR3 gene (LsHR3) from the cigarette beetle, Lasioderma serricorne. The open reading frame of LsHR3 is 1581 bp encoding a 527 amino acid protein that contains a conserved DNA binding domain and a ligand binding domain. LsHR3 was mainly expressed in the fourth-instar larvae, prepupae, and pupae and showed high expression in the fat body. The expression of LsHR3 was induced by 20E, while it was significantly suppressed by silencing of six 20E synthesis and signaling pathway genes. RNA interference (RNAi)-aided knockdown of LsHR3 in the fourth-instar larvae disrupted the larval–pupal molting and caused 100% mortality. The 20E titer of LsHR3-depletion larvae was decreased, and expressions of five 20E synthesis genes were dramatically decreased. Silencing LsHR3 reduced chitin content and downregulated the expression of genes involved in chitin synthesis and degradation. Hematoxylin and eosin staining of abdominal cuticle showed that no apolysis occurred after silencing LsHR3. These results suggest that LsHR3-mediated 20E signaling is involved in the regulation of chitin metabolism during the molting process of L. serricorne, and targeting this gene by RNAi has potential in controlling this pest.

Recently, 5G networks have gradually surrounded our living environments to color our everyday lives and make our daily activities more convenient than before. However, in 5G networks, packet P transmitted from local UPFA of a 5G network, e.g., 5G-A, to UPFB in P’s destination 5G network, e.g., 5G-B, is not secure, even not encrypted, particularly via the Internet, A ≠ B. This conducts a risk of data leakage along the connection established between UPFA and UPFB. To solve this problem, in this study, we propose an architecture that encrypts/decrypts P to prevent it from being attacked. P is encrypted by an edge computer, e.g., ECA in 5G-A before it is sent to its destination, and decrypted by another edge computer, e.g., ECB in 5G-B. In this paper, the scenario includes data transmission between two users or among n-party users, n > 2. For the former, the cryptography systems used are symmetric and asymmetric encryption/decryption approaches. For the n-party scheme, we adopt Initial Key Agreement (IKA) mechanism which employs Upflow and Downflow processes to establish a secret key for all participating ECs. Besides, message authentication code, and time stamp are also utilized to enhance the security level of data transmission. Our analyses show that this proposed approach can effectively avoid some types of attacks.

A phytochemical investigation on the aerial parts of Laggera pterodonta resulted in the isolation and identification of 23 compounds, including twelve sesquiterpenoids (1–12), two norisoprenoids (13, 14), three alkaloids (15-17), one lignan (18), and five flavonoids (19-23). Among them, norpterodonols A (1) and B (2) are two undescribed norsesquiterpenoid derivatives. Their structures were established on the basis of NMR and HR-ESI-MS spectroscopic analysis. All isolates were evaluated for their inhibitory effects on the NO production in LPS-induced RAW 264.7 macrophages, and compounds 8, 10, 16, 18, 20, 21, and 23 were shown to have obvious anti-inflammatory effects.

A phytochemical investigation on the roots of Sophora flavescens resulted in the isolation of two undescribed lavandulylated acylphloroglucinols, flavescenols A (1) and B (2), together with biogenetically related analogues (3–6). Their structures were established on the basis of 1D, 2D NMR, and HR-ESI-MS spectroscopic analysis. Since flavescenols represent the first example of lavandulylated acylphloroglucinols, the biogenetical relationship of compounds 1-6 is proposed. In addition, all isolates were evaluated for their antiproliferative activity against HepG2 cell lines and inhibitory effects on LPS-induced NO production in RAW 264.7 cells.

An aerobic copper-catalyzed cascade oxidative isomerization/[4+4] cyclization of 2,2'-disubstituted stilbenes is described. Under the mild CuCl/DBED/air catalytic system, various 5,10-heteroatom-containing tetrahydroindeno[2,1-a]indenes were efficiently prepared through the difunctionalizations of alkenes in a highly atom economic manner. Mechanistic investigations suggested the bicyclic product was likely formed through a sequence of rapid single-electron oxidation/[4+4] cyclization from 2,2'-disubstituted stilbene. The antarafacial manner of the thermally allowed [4+4] cyclization was further proven by series of control experiments and density functional theory calculations. Our findings provide an important addition to the aerobic copper-catalyzed oxidative cyclization.

Thirteen undescribed dihydroagarofuran sesquiterpenes, hypogricins A-M, were isolated from the twigs of Tripterygium hypoglaucum. Extensive spectroscopic techniques were used for the structural elucidation of these compounds. All the compounds showed no significant cytotoxicity against adriamycin-sensitive HepG-2 and adriamycin-resistant HepG-2/Adr cell lines. When HepG-2/Adr cell line was co-treated with those compounds plus adriamycin, hypogricins A and B showed potent activity to reverse multidrug resistance (MDR) of HepG2/Adr cells to adriamycin (reversal fold: RF = 102 and 200, respectively). In addition, hypogricins E, H, and L showed moderate activity to inhibit NO production in LPS-stimulated RAW264.7 cells with the IC50 of 22.3, 17.8, and 19.8 μM, respectively.

Two novel inorganic–organic hybrid 3D TM–Ln incorporated POM-based frameworks, H2[Cu2OL3(H2O)2][Ce(L)(H2O)3(PW11O39)]·17H2O (1) and H4[CuL3]2[Ln(H2O)3(PW11O39)]2·28H2O (2) (L = 4,4′-bipyridine), were hydrothermally synthesized at different temperatures. Structural analysis reveals that both compounds are constructed from [Ln(PW11O39)]4− polyoxoanions and different copper complexes. Interestingly, in compound 1, 2D copper complex layers and 1D chain [Ln(PW11O39)]4− polyoxoanions interconnect to form a 3D framework. In contrast, in compound 2, 1D copper complex chains join the 2D [Ln(PW11O39)]4− layers to give rise to a 3D framework. Both compounds exhibit excellent chemical stability. Furthermore, the dye adsorption and proton conduction properties of both compounds were also investigated. The conductivities of 1 and 2 are 3.175 × 10−4 S cm−1 and 1.750 × 10−4 S cm−1 at 85 °C and 98% RH, respectively. Dye adsorption studies indicate that they can selectively adsorb cationic dyes MB, CV and BR over anionic dyes MO, AO and large cationic RhB.

To investigate the protective effect of electroacupuncture (EA) at "Zusanli"(ST36)and "Weiwanxiashu"(EX-B3) on capillary function around the renal tubule and renal tubule structure in diabetic mice based on two-photon microscopy (TPM) imaging, so as to providing visualizable evidence for the regulatory effect of EA on diabetic renal vascular microcirculation.Spontaneous type Ⅱ diabetes mellitus mice (db/db) were employed for this study. Twenty db/db mice were randomly divided into model group (Compared with the control group, the proportion of mice with decreased body mass in the model group was increased, accounting for 40%, while that in the control group was 0%; and fasting blood glucose, urine production and water consumption were significantly increased in the model group (EA at ST36 and EX-B3 can ameliorate renal vascular microcirculation disorder to relieve the renal structure damage and improve renal function in diabetes mice.

Six undescribed triterpenoids (euphokanols A-F), two undescribed C

Tinea capitis is an infection of the scalp and hair shaft caused by dermatophytes that predominantly occurs in children. Skin fungal infections have been found to be associated with alterations in the overall bacterial and fungal communities. However, the scalp microbiome in tinea capitis have not been fully investigated.To investigate and compare the scalp bacterial and fungal microbiomes between children with tinea capitis and healthy children and between children and adults.Skin samples were collected from the scalp. Bacterial and fungal community compositions were analysed by amplification sequencing of the V3-V4 of 16S rDNA and ITS1-5F, respectively.The predominant fungi detected using amplicon sequencing were consistent with the culture- or real-time PCR-positive pathogens in most samples. Children with tinea capitis had lower fungal and higher bacterial Shannon diversity than healthy children. A higher relative abundance of pathogenic fungi and significant alterations in the bacterial community in the lesional sites of tinea capitis than healthy scalps. Compared with adults, healthy children were characterised by higher Shannon diversities with significantly lower relative abundances of Malassezia and Cutibacterium and higher relative abundances of Candida and Streptococcus.We demonstrated that tinea capitis was characterised by significant alterations in both fungal and bacterial communities and amplicon sequencing could be a complementary method for pathogen identification.

This study was performed to explore bone remodelling in children with intracapsular condylar fractures after the condylar fracture fragments were fixed using long screws and to offer possible explanations about the underlying mechanism.Records of children (less than 12 y old) who sustained intracapsular condylar fractures and fixed with long screws from May 2012 to January 2015 were retrieved. Age, gender, dates of injury, admission, and discharge, mechanism of trauma, location and pattern of fracture, other mandibular fractures, treatment methods, and time of review were recorded and analyzed. Image dates of pretreatments and posttreatments, including the date of review, were also recorded.A total of 8 patients completed their follow-up, and all patients (n=5) who were followed up after more than 3 months showed serious resorption of the condylar head. The condylar head resorbed until the height (or articular surface) dropped and aligned with the surface of the screw. The shortest time of absorption, as shown by the computed tomography scan was 106 days, and the longest time was 171 days (average time of 141.8 d).Intracapsular condyle fractures in children should be managed conservatively as much as possible. However, if the height of the fracture fragments drops remarkably, open reduction and rigid internal fixation become possible choices.

Twenty-six iridoids, including six undescribed ones (iridoidvols A-F) and an undescribed natural one, along with ten known sesquiterpenoids were isolated from the roots and rhizomes of Valeriana officinalis. Structurally, iridoidvol A is the first example of iridoid with sesquiterpenoid acid ester. In addition, all of the isolates were evaluated for anti-inflammatory and anti-influenza virus activities. Among them, isovaltrate isovaleroyloxyhydrin exhibited a significant inhibitory effect on NO production with an IC

A new norsesquiterpene, wilfordonol E (1), and a new lignan, dipsalignan E (3), together with a known norsesquiterpene and eleven known lignans were isolated from the roots and rhizomes of Valeriana jatamansi. The structures of new compounds were determined by their NMR and HR-ESI-MS spectra. Additionally, some compounds were evaluated for their anti-influenza A virus effects.

OBJECTIVE This study aimed to assess whether ramus height is restored in children with extracapsular condylar fractures treated by conservative or surgery procedures. METHODS The sample consisted of 35 children (collected consecutively) less than 12 years old who presented with extracapsular condylar fractures and treated within an 8-year period (June 2011 to April 2019). Data on the age, gender, date of injury, mechanism of trauma, location and pattern of mandibular condylar fracture, associated injuries and treatment methods were recorded and analyzed. Ramus height restoration is the main evaluation indicator during the follow-up period. RESULTS Within the 8-year record retrieval, the 35 children sustained 41 extracapsular condylar fractures. For the sample size, 10 (24.4%) and 31 (75.6%) had condylar neck and base fractures, respectively. Deviation and green-stick fracture were the predominant types in condylar neck and base fractures, accounting for more than 3 quarters (31, 75.6%). The majority (33, 80.5%) of patients were treated with nonsurgical treatment, and 8 (19.5%) were treated by open reduction and internal fixation (ORIF). During the follow-up period (1-1419 days, average time of 110.6 days), only 1 patient (with bilateral extracapsular condylar fractures) had their ramus height restored (follow-up period, 256 days). Most members of the ORIF group (5 of 8, 62.5%) postoperatively showed bended ramus (deviated angularly/fragment angulation). CONCLUSION Conservative treatment could hardly restore the ramus height of children with extracapsular condylar fractures. Anatomically or totally restoring the ramus height is difficult even with the surgical treatment of ORIF; however, surgical treatment of ORIF can substantially restore the ramus height for dislocated fractures or seriously displaced fractures.

Objective This study aims to reveal the reconstruction process in pediatric patients with extracapsular condylar fractures after conservative treatment. We clarify that the "upright" position (or "recontouring" or favorable prognosis) of condyles is not a result of the anatomical reduction of the deviated condylar processes but originates from the remodeling of the skeleton. We also explore the related mechanism. Methods The sample consisted of 27 pediatric patients aged less than 12 years who presented with extracapsular condylar fractures and were treated conservatively within an 8-year period (June 2011-April 2019). Data on the age, gender, date of injury, mechanism of trauma, location and pattern of mandibular condylar fracture and associated injuries and treatment methods of the patients were obtained. The process of bone remodeling in condyles was also recorded and analyzed. Results The 27 children in this study sustained 33 extracapsular condylar fractures over the 8-year period of record retrieval. Amongst these fractures, 8 (24.2%) and 25 (75.8%) were condylar neck and condylar base fractures, respectively. Deviation and green-stick fractures were the predominant types and accounted for over 3 quarters of the condylar neck and base fractures (28, 84.8%), followed by dislocation fracture (3, 9.1%), displacement fracture (1, 3.0%), and non-displaced fracture (1, 3.0%). The period of follow-up ranged from 2 days to 257 days (average, 58.78 days). Only 1 patient with bilateral extracapsular condylar fractures showed vertically reconstructed condyles, which indicates an upright position of the condylar processes. One patient showed less angulation after treatment than before treatment, 1 patient revealed greater angulation after treatment than before treatment and all other patients (20 patients) showed the same angulation pre- and post-treatment. Both patients with only extracapsular condylar fractures showed no obvious deviations in dentition and facial asymmetry after their injury and treatment. The shortest and longest times observed for bone remodeling were 33 and 256 days, respectively. Children whose condylar head remained completely or at least partly inside the glenoid fossa showed satisfactory remodeling results during follow-up. Computed tomography scan during follow-up generally showed bone regeneration in the lateral condyle articular surface and the medial portion of the ascending ramus and bone resorption in the displaced direction (ie, the medial condyle head became sharp). Condylar heads displaced completely outside of the glenoid fossa showed serious shortening of the ascending ramus, and no obvious bone remodeling was observed. Only 1 patient with bilateral extracapsular condylar fractures showed a normal contour (ie, a vertically reconstructed condyle reflecting the upright position of the condylar processes) after 8 months. Conclusion Stress stimulation originating from the glenoid fossa and ascending ramus of the mandible is a prerequisite for good condylar reconstruction. Conservative treatment could be carried out if the condylar head remains completely or at least partly inside the glenoid fossa. When the condylar head is dislocated completely outside the glenoid fossa, the glenoid-condylar relationship ceases to exist, joint function is lost and the height of the ascending ramus is significantly reduced. In this case, open reduction may be suitable.

Objective Preliminary study on the protective effect of intraoperative direct electrical stimulation motor ⁃ evoked potential (DES ⁃ MEP) on motor function during brainstem tumor surgery. Methods Total 136 patients with brainstem tumor surgery from January 2017 to May 2020 were enrolled, including 68 patients treated with intraoperative routine electrophysiological monitoring combined with neuronavigation and 68 patients with DES ⁃ MEP combined with neuronavigation on the basis of routine electrophysiological monitoring. According to the changes of muscle strength (Lovett Muscle Strength Classification) before and after operation, the patients were judged to have new dyskinesia motor function or not. The true positive, false positive, true negative and false negative were judged by DES ⁃ MEP monitoring and postoperative motor function prognosis. The sensitivity and specificity, positive predictive value and negative predictive value, and accuracy of DES ⁃ MEP monitoring results in predicting postoperative motor function prognosis were calculated. Results Patients undergoing DES⁃MEP combined with routine electrophysiological monitoring had 16.18% (11/68) of severe new dyskinesia (Lovett Muscle Strength Classification reduction ≥ 2 grade) 2 weeks after surgery, which was lower than patients undergoing routine electrophysiological monitoring [32.35% (22/68); χ2 = 4.841, P = 0.028]. There were 44 true positive cases, 4 false positive cases, 7 true negative cases, and 13 false negative cases detected by DES ⁃ MEP. The sensitivity and specificity of DES ⁃ MEP were 77.19% (44/57) and 7/11, the positive predictive value and negative predictive value of DES ⁃ MEP were 91.67% (44/48) and 35% (7/20), and accuracy of DES ⁃ MEP was 75% (51/68), respectively. Conclusions The application of DES ⁃ MEP in brainstem tumor surgery can effectively protect the brainstem motor function and make up for the deficiency of intraoperative neural monitoring technology in the protection of brainstem corticospinal tract function. DOI:10.3969/j.issn.1672⁃6731.2020.11.004

Purpose This randomized, double-blind study evaluated the effectiveness and limitations of continuous serratus anterior plane block (cSAPB) by comparing the effect of cSAPB to patient-controlled intravenous analgesia (PCIA) on postoperative acute pain after thoracoscopic surgery in adults. Patients and Methods Sixty-six patients who underwent elective video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) were randomly allocated to cSAPB or PCIA groups (n=33 per group) after surgery. For the cSAPB group, patients were treated by an initial does of 20 mL ropivacaine (0.375%), followed by continuous infusion at a rate of 5 mL/h of ropivacaine (0.2%) and a patient-controlled bolus of 5 mL ropivacaine (0.2%). PCIA started with an initial does of 0.03 µg/kg sufentanil, followed by a basal infusion of 0.03 µg/kg/h sufentanil and a patient-controlled bolus of 0.03 µg/kg sufentanil. Visual analog scale (VAS) and other items were examined postoperatively. The area under the curve of VAS-time (AUCVAS-time) at rest and on coughing in the first 24 hours postoperatively were primary outcomes. Results At the first 24 hours postoperatively, patients in the cSAPB group exhibited a smaller AUCVAS-time at rest (44.0±17.1 vs 68.9±11.8 cm·h, P

The influenza pandemic continues to threaten public health due to its high morbidity and mortality rates, despite some successes in antiviral research. Natural drugs are important alternative therapies in the treatment of and recovery from influenza and have been the subjects of intense investigation during the last few decades. Many reports have shown that the development of novel bioactive chemicals extracted from natural drugs has significant advantages. Oseltamivir is a successful case of an anti-influenza drug synthesized using two natural products, quinic acid, and shikimic acid, as starting materials. In China, traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) plays an important role in the treatment of influenza. TCM herbal extracts and prescriptions or their isolated bioactive constituents have shown significant therapeutic and preventive effects against influenza. For example, the roots of Isatis indigotica (Banlangen) fight viral infection by targeting both the virus and the host and have significantly different effects than those of synthetic chemicals. Lianhuaqingwen capsule exerts its anti-influenza activity by regulating the immune response to interfere with both viral and host reactions and might well be an alternative therapeutic option to treat influenza virus infection. This paper reviews the chemical ingredients, crude extracts, and TCM prescriptions with anti-influenza activity reported during the period of 2010-September 2019. We hope that this comprehensive review will not only fuel research on anti-influenza active natural products and TCM research but also provide a promising alternative candidate for further anti-influenza drug development.

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) poses a serious threat to people’s health worldwide. Artesunate (ART), one of the classical antimalarial drugs, has recently been shown to exert significant cytotoxicity in various cancers, but its bioavailability is low. Cyclometalated iridium(iii) complexes have emerged as a promising class of anticancer therapeutic agents. Herein, through conjugation of two of them, three novel Ir(iii)–ART conjugates, [Ir(C–N)2(bpy-ART)](PF6) (bpy = 2,2′-bipyridine, C–N = 2-phenylpyridine (ppy, Ir-ART-1), 2-(2-thienyl)pyridine (thpy, Ir-ART-2), and 2-(2,4-difluorophenyl)pyridine (dfppy, Ir-ART-3)) have been synthesized, and their potential as anti-HCC agents was evaluated. We demonstrate that Ir-ART-1–3 display higher cytotoxicity against HCC cell lines than normal liver cells, and they can especially locate to mitochondria of HepG2 cells and induce a series of mitochondria-mediated apoptosis events. Moreover, Ir-ART-1–3 can regulate the cell cycle and inhibit metastasis of HepG2 cells. Finally, in vivo antitumor evaluation also demonstrates the inhibitory activity of Ir-ART-1 on tumor growth. Taken together, these Ir(iii)–ART conjugates have the potential to become drug candidates for future anti-HCC treatments.

Four new quinolizidine alkaloids, including three matrine-type alkaloids, 8α-hydroxysophocarpine (1), 13β-hydroxyoxymatrine (2), 9α-acetoxymatrine (3), and one sparteine-type alkaloid, 14β-hydroxylupanine (4), together with four known ones, were isolated from the flowers of Sophora viciifolia. Their structures were elucidated by extensive spectroscopic methods including 1D-, 2D-NMR, and HR-ESI-MS. All of the isolates were evaluated for their anti-inflammatory and anti-influenza virus activities. Unfortunately, none of them were active towards these assays.

Bioassay-guided isolation of the aerial part of Scutellaria barbata (Labiatae) yielded six new neo-clerodane diterpenoids scutegxbatines A–F (1-6), together with thirteen known analogues (7-20). Their structures were elucidated on the basis of extensive spectroscopic analyses. Compounds 3, 7, 12, and 15 at 20 μmol/L were able to reverse multi-drug resistance of HepG2/Adr cells to adriamycin (reversal fold: 5.2–20.3).

Our study was to understand the autophagy induce by different ratios and concentrations of LA/DHA on Raw264.7 cell, and then to investigate the effect of Raw264.7 autophagy on the clearance of Staphylococcus aureus. Raw264.7 cells was treated by LA/DHA in different concentrations (50/100 µmol/L) and ratios (4:1, 6:1, 8:1, 1:4, 1:6 and 1:8) for 6/12/24 h, cell viability assay was assessed by Cell Counting Kit-8, LC3B, p62, P-mTOR, P-Akt, P-PI3K and BECN 1 were detected by the Western blot. LA/DHA could induce autophagy of Raw264.7 cells through the PI3K-Akt-mTOR signaling pathway, the strong effect on autophagy by the concentration is 100 µmol/L, the ratio is 6:1 of LA/DHA, and the treatment time is 24 h. Compared with the images in the control group obtained by merging red and green fluorescence channels, the treatment of LA, DHA in a ratio of 6:1 at a concentration of 100 µmol/L for 24 h significantly lead to a substantial number of autophagosomes (yellow) as well as autolysosomes (red), enhancing autophagy flux. Autophagy induce by LA/DHA can devour and damage intracellular and extracellular Staphylococcus aureus. These results indicate that LA/DHA cloud induce autophagy and enhance the phagocytosis and killing ability of macrophages to intracellular parasitic bacteria.