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ObjectiveThis research aims to explore how Puerariae Lobatae Radix regulates sebaceous gland secretion using network pharmacology, and validate its effects on important targets through animal studies.MethodsThis study utilized UPLC-EQ-MS to analyze Puerariae Lobatae Radix extract and identify potential bioactive compounds. Predicted targets of these compounds were obtained from the Swiss Target Prediction database, while targets associated with sebaceous gland secretion were obtained from the GeneCards database. Common targets between the databases were identified and a protein-protein interaction (PPI) network was established using the STRING platform. The PPI network was further analyzed using Cytoscape software. Pathway enrichment analysis was performed using Reactome, and molecular docking experiments targeted pivotal pathway proteins. Animal experiments were then conducted to validate the regulatory effects of the primary active compounds of Puerariae Lobatae Radix on key pathway proteins.ResultsThis research identified 17 active compounds in Puerariae Lobatae Radix and 163 potential targets associated with the regulation of sebum secretion. Pathway enrichment analysis indicates that these targets may modulate lipid metabolism pathways through involvement in peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor α, SREB, steroid metabolism, and arachidonic acid metabolism pathways. Molecular docking analysis demonstrates that puerarin and daidzein show favorable binding interactions with key targets in these pathways. Animal experiments demonstrated that the administration of Puerariae Lobatae Radix resulted in a significant reduction in the area of sebaceous gland patches compared to the control group. Histological analysis revealed notable alterations in the structure of sebaceous glands, including reductions in size, thickness, and density. Furthermore, the expression levels of TG, DHT, and IL-6 were significantly decreased in the Puerariae Lobatae Radix group (p < 0.05), and immunoblotting indicated a significant decrease in the expression of PPARG and ACC1 (p < 0.05).ConclusionThis study demonstrates that Puerariae Lobatae Radix can regulate skin lipid metabolism by targeting multiple pathways. The primary mechanism involves inhibiting sebaceous gland growth and reducing TG secretion by modulating the expression of PPARG and ACC1. Puerarin and Daidzein are identified as key bioactive compounds responsible for this regulatory effect. These findings highlight the therapeutic potential of Puerariae Lobatae Radix in addressing sebaceous gland-related conditions. more...

BackgroundTo determine the relationship between effort-reward imbalance (ERI) and quality of working life (QWL) among medical caregivers and the mediating role of job burnout.MethodsThis was a cross-sectional survey. A total of 787 medical caregivers at seven hospitals from Sichuan and Chongqing, China, between May to September 2023 were included in this observational study. The General Information Questionnaire, Effort-Reward Imbalance Questionnaire (ERI), Maslach Burnout Inventory-General Survey (MBI-GS), and Quality of Working Life Scale (QWL7-32) were used for data collection. SPSS 26.0 and PROCESSv3.3 were used for all data analyses, including descriptive statistics.ResultsA total of 820 questionnaires were distributed, of which only 787 were valid (return rate; 95.98%). The QWL score of medical caregivers was 126.94 ± 16.69. However, QWL scores were significantly different depending on age, number of children, family support status, department, years of experience, night shift status, number of night shifts per month, number of hours worked per day, monthly income, and occurrence of errors or adverse events (p more...

Processed by sulfuric acid anodizing, several unexpected strip defects exhibited on the anodizing film of AA5252 aluminium alloy sheets. Their formation mechanism was studied in detail. The normal zone and strip zone were compared, with respect to surface brightness, porosity of anodizing film, and microstructures of the corresponding aluminium substrate tested by spectroscopic colorimeter and SEM, and SEM-EBSD. Results showed that the brightness of strip zone was lower than that of normal zone. Additionally, compared with normal zone, the porosity of anodizing film was higher, and cubic grains fewer, which located in the corresponding surface layer of aluminium substrate in strip zone. In order to further clarify the effect of grain orientation on the brightness of anodizing film, single crystal aluminium sheet with (100), (110) or (111) orientation was anodized. Results showed that the anodized (100) oriented specimen, i.e., cubic grain was brighter, whose anodizing film had lower porosity, compared with (110) and (111) oriented ones. Therefore, the formation mechanism of strip defects was proposed as uneven distribution of cubic grains. The zones with fewer cubic orientated grains were darker, and were visible as strip defects after anodizing. more...

The evolution of the microstructure and microhardness of a certain kind of Al-Mn alloies during homogenization treatment at 610 °C is investigated by scanning electron microscopy, energy depressive spectroscopy and microhardness measurement. The results show that the discontinuous dendrite dissolves adequately after homogenization at 610 °C for 4 h. With the increase of annealing time, skelecton- like shaped phase transforms into block-like shape gradually, and the ratio of the transfor-mation from β-Als(MnFe) phase to a-Al (MnFe)Si phase also increases. Furthermore, the proper homogenizing process for this Al-Mn alloy is at 610 °C for 10 h, which is in agreement with the results from the homogenizing kinetic equation. Under this process, most of the particles in this alloy become smaller and good dispersed phases, and the ratio of α-Al(MnFe)Si phase increases obviously. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] more...