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Age‐related macular degeneration (AMD), a leading cause of blindness, is characterized by mitochondrial dysfunction of retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) cells. EUK‐134 is a mimetic of SOD2 and catalase, widely used for its antioxidant properties in models of light‐induced damage or oxidative stress. However, its effects on the retina are not yet clear. Here, we investigated the capability of EUK‐134 in averting AMD using sodium iodate (NaIO3)‐induced Balb/c mouse and ARPE‐19 cells (adult RPE cell line). In vivo, EUK‐134 effectively antagonized NaIO3‐induced retinal deformation and prevented outer and inner nuclear layer thinning. In addition, it was found that the EUK‐134‐treated group significantly down‐regulated the expression of cleaved caspase‐3 compared with the group treated with NaIO3 alone. Our results found that EUK‐134 notably improved cell viability by preventing mitochondrial ROS accumulation‐induced membrane potential depolarization‐mediated apoptosis in NaIO3‐inducted ARPE‐19 cells. Furthermore, we found that EUK‐134 could inhibit p‐ERK, p‐p38, p‐JNK, p‐p53, Bax, cleaved caspase‐9, cleaved caspase‐3, and cleaved PARP by increasing Bcl‐2 protein expression. Additionally, we employed MAPK pathway inhibitors by SB203580 (a p38 inhibitor), U0126 (an ERK inhibitor), and SP600125 (a JNK inhibitor) to corroborate the aforementioned observation. The results support that EUK‐134 may effectively prevent mitochondrial oxidative stress‐mediated retinal apoptosis in NaIO3‐induced retinopathy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Kombucha, a functional beverage rich in glucuronic acid, is fermented in the presence of acetic acid bacteria and yeast as the primary microorganisms. Glucuronic acid is recognized for its various physiological benefits, such as detoxification, antioxidation, and anti-inflammation. To optimize the glucuronic acid content in kombucha, various strain combinations by selecting fermented sources were accomplished. According to the experimental results, kombucha produced through co-fermentation with Pichia anomala and Komagataeibacter hansenii, with glucose-added black tea as the carbon source, exhibited the highest glucuronic acid production. A response surface methodology found that under optimized conditions of a 12.27% (w/v) carbon source concentration, a 10.07% (w/v) substrate concentration, and a 28.4 °C temperature, the highest glucuronic acid production reached 80.16 g/L, which represented a 2.39-fold increase compared to the original kombucha. Furthermore, the total polyphenol content increased by 3.87-fold, while DPPH and ABTS free radical–scavenging capacities increased by 1.86- and 2.22-fold, respectively. To sum up, these observations reveal the potential for commercial production of glucuronic acid–enriched kombucha and contribute to the development of functional food products related to kombucha in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Several guidelines do not recommend beta-blocker as the first-line treatment for hypertension because of its inferior efficacy in stroke prevention. Combination therapy with beta-blocker is commonly used for blood pressure control. We compared the clinical outcomes in patients treated with amlodipine plus bisoprolol (A + B), a ß1-selective beta-blocker and amlodipine plus valsartan (A + V). A population-based cohort study was performed using data from the Taiwan National Health Insurance Research Database. From 2012 to 2019, newly diagnosed adult hypertensive patients who received initial amlodipine monotherapy and then switched to A + V or A + B were included. The efficacy outcomes included all-cause death, atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) event (cardiovascular death, myocardial infarction, ischemic stroke, and coronary revascularization), hemorrhagic stroke, and heart failure. Multivariable Cox proportional hazards model was used to evaluate the relationship between outcomes and different treatments. Overall, 4311 patients in A + B group and 10980 patients in A + V group were included. After a mean follow-up of 4.34 ± 1.79 years, the efficacy outcomes were similar between the A + V and A + B groups regarding all-cause death (adjusted hazard ratio [aHR] 0.99, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.83–1.18), ASCVD event (aHR 0.97, 95% CI 0.84–1.12), and heart failure (aHR 1.06, 95% CI 0.87–1.30). The risk of hemorrhagic stroke was lower in A + B group (aHR 0.70, 95% CI 0.52–0.94). The result was similar when taking death into consideration in competing risk analysis. The safety outcomes were similar between the 2 groups. There was no difference of all-cause death, ASCVD event, and heart failure in A + B vs. A + V users. But A + B users had a lower risk of hemorrhagic stroke. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Matsu Islands Tern Refuge comprises eight reefs located at a relay station on the East Asian bird migration route, and it attracts many transiting, wintering, or breeding birds to inhabit and live on the reefs every year. In order to understand the compositions of plant communities as a breeding habitat for seabirds, we investigated the plant communities of the eight reefs. A total of 130 plots of 10 × 10 square meters were established, from which we found 107 species of plants in 102 genera and 51 families. Among this, we found one critically endangered (CR) species, four vulnerable (VU) species, and three near-threatened (NT) species. The result of two-way indicator species analysis (TWINSPAN) and indicator value (IndVal) showed 130 samples were divided into 11 vegetation types; most of the vegetation types had significant indicator species. We also use the two-way to present the plot of detrended correspondence analysis (DCA) by vegetation types and reefs. Moreover, this result reveals that these samples were more clearly cluster divided by islands. Our results reveal that the compositions and characteristics of plant communities were related clearly to the environmental factors for each reef in the Matsu Islands Tern Refuge. Canonical correspondence analysis (CCA) indicated that species composition of vegetation yielded high correlation with soil property, especially with soil pH. In addition, we found that the traces of bird activity is relevant to the characteristics and structures of plant communities. We found that the plant communities comprising low-grass shrubs would provide relatively soft nesting materials and sheltering effects for eggs or hatchlings for terns. Compared to low-grass shrubs, the traits of high-grass shrubs would not be beneficial to nest for breeding of terns on the ground, and no nested trace was found in these plant communities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, we utilized a mixture random effects model and pairwise comparisons to conduct our analysis. Furthermore, we employed visualization techniques, specifically line plots in Python, to illustrate the tonal variations in disyllabic words among Polish learners of Mandarin. Our findings indicate that Polish learners experience more difficulty with the tonal contours of Tone 1 (T1) and Tone 2 (T2) compared to Taiwanese Mandarin (TM) natives, particularly due to the lower pitch range required. We provide potential pedagogical recommendations based on these results. We suggest that integrating training on T1 and T2 accompanied with Tone 3 (T3) and Tone 4 (T4), because of their lower endpoint tones, may offer a more effective learning strategy for these learners. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lead (Pb) is nonbiodegradable and toxic to the lungs. To investigate the potential mechanisms of Pb‐induced reactive oxygen species (ROS) accumulation and cell death in the lungs, human non‐small lung carcinoma H460 cells were stimulated with Pb(NO3)2 in this study. The results showed that Pb(NO3)2 stimulation increased cell death by inducing cell apoptosis which showed a reduced Bcl‐2 expression and an enhanced caspase 3 activation. Pb(NO3)2 also caused the production of H2O2 in H460 cells that triggering the buildup of ROS and mitochondrial membrane potential loss. We found that Pb(NO3)2 modulates oxidoreductive activity through reduced the glutathione‐disulfide reductase and glutathione levels in Pb(NO3)2‐exposed H460 cells. Furthermore, the superoxide dismutase (SOD) upstream molecule sirtuin 3 (SIRT3) was increased with Pb(NO3)2 dose. Collectively, these results demonstrate that Pb(NO3)2 promotes lung cell death through SIRT3/SOD‐mediated ROS accumulation and mitochondrial dysfunction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]