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Objective: Sepsis-induced acute lung injury (ALI) is a clinically critical condition with a high mortality rate. Shenfu injection (SFI) is a Chinese herbal medicine extracted from red ginseng and Aconite, Radix Aconiti, with various pharmacological activities. This study aimed to investigate the potential mechanism of action of SFI in preventing sepsis-induced ALI. Materials and Methods: We established a mouse model of sepsis-induced ALI by cecal ligation and puncture (CLP). The mice were randomly divided into three groups (n = 8): Sham, CLP, and SFI (10 mL/kg). Bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) and lung tissue were collected for pathological analysis, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, immunohistochemistry (IHC), and protein detection. Results: Our results showed that SFI significantly ameliorated pathological damage caused by CLP-induced ALI. SFI treatment significantly decreased the lung wet-to-dry weight ratio. In addition, SFI treatment significantly reduced the protein levels and cell numbers in the BALF. SFI could significantly reduce the levels of tumor necrosis factor-α, interleukin-6 (IL-6), and IL-1β in plasma and BALF. SFI significantly reduced the protein expression of Bax and cleaved caspase-3 and increased the protein levels of Bcl-2. Western blotting and IHC results showed that SFI reduced the phosphorylation of Janus kinase 2 (JAK2) and signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3). Conclusions: In a septic ALI mouse model, SFI inhibited apoptosis and inflammation through the JAK2/STAT3 pathway, providing a candidate drug for the treatment of septic ALI.

Objective: To investigate the effects of repeated vaccination with ancestral SARS-CoV-2 (Wuhan-hu-1)-based inactivated, recombinant protein subunit or vector-based vaccines on the neutralizing antibody response to Omicron subvariants. Methods: Individuals who received four-dose vaccinations with the Wuhan-hu-1 strain, individuals who were infected with the BA.5 variant alone without prior vaccination, and individuals who experienced a BA.5 breakthrough infection (BTI) following receiving 2-4 doses of the Wuhan-hu-1 vaccine were enrolled. Neutralizing antibodies against D614G, BA.5, XBB.1.5, EG.5.1, and BA.2.86 were detected using a pseudovirus-based neutralization assay. Antigenic cartography was used to analyze cross-reactivity patterns among D614G, BA.5, XBB.1.5, EG.5.1, and BA.2.86 and sera from individuals. Results: The highest neutralizing antibody titers against D614G were observed in individuals who only received four-dose vaccination and those who experienced BA.5 BTI, which was also significantly higher than the antibody titers against XBB.1.5, EG.5.1, and BA.2.86. In contrast, only BA.5 infection elicited comparable neutralizing antibody titers against the tested variants. While neutralizing antibody titers against D614G or BA.5 were similar across the cohorts, the neutralizing capacity of antibodies against XBB.1.5, EG.5.1, and BA.2.86 was significantly reduced. BA.5 BTI following heterologous booster induced significantly higher neutralizing antibody titers against the variants, particularly against XBB.1.5 and EG.5.1, than uninfected vaccinated individuals, only BA.5 infected individuals, or those with BA.5 BTI after primary vaccination. Conclusions: Our findings suggest that repeated vaccination with the Wuhan-hu-1 strain imprinted a neutralizing antibody response toward the Wuhan-hu-1 strain with limited effects on the antibody response to the Omicron subvariants.

Summary: The ongoing emergence of SARS-CoV-2 variants poses challenges to the immunity induced by infections and vaccination. We conduct a 6-month longitudinal evaluation of antibody binding and neutralization of sera from individuals with six different combinations of vaccination and infection against BA.5, XBB.1.5, EG.5.1, and BA.2.86. We find that most individuals produce spike-binding IgG or neutralizing antibodies against BA.5, XBB.1.5, EG.5.1, and BA.2.86 2 months after infection or vaccination. However, compared to ancestral strain and BA.5 variant, XBB.1.5, EG.5.1, and BA.2.86 exhibit comparable but significant immune evasion. The spike-binding IgG and neutralizing antibody titers decrease in individuals without additional antigen exposure, and

Soil alkalization severely limits plant growth and development, however, the mechanisms of alkaline response in plants remain largely unknown. In this study, we performed physiological and transcriptomic analyses using two alfalfa cultivars (Medicago sativa L.) with different sensitivities to alkaline conditions. The chlorophyll content and shoot fresh mass drastically declined in the alkaline-sensitive cultivar Algonquin (AG) following alkaline treatment (0–25 mM Na2CO3 solution), while the alkaline-tolerant cultivar Gongnong NO.1 (GN) maintained relatively stable growth and chlorophyll content. Compared with AG, GN had higher contents of Ca2+ and Mg2+; the ratios of Ca2+ and Mg2+ to Na+, proline and soluble sugar, as well as higher enzyme activities of peroxidase (POD) and catalase (CAT) under the alkaline conditions. Furthermore, transcriptomic analysis identified three categories of alkaline-responsive differentially expressed genes (DEGs) between the two cultivars: 48 genes commonly induced in both the cultivars (CAR), 574 genes from the tolerant cultivar (TAR), and 493 genes from the sensitive cultivar (SAR). Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) analyses showed that CAR genes were mostly involved in phenylpropanoid biosynthesis, lipid metabolism, and DNA replication and repair; TAR genes were significantly enriched in metabolic pathways, such as biosynthesis of amino acids and secondary metabolites including flavonoids, and the MAPK signaling pathway; SAR genes were specifically enriched in vitamin B6 metabolism. Taken together, the results identified candidate pathways associated with genetic variation in response to alkaline stress, providing novel insights into the mechanisms underlying alkaline tolerance in alfalfa.

Abstract Changes in precipitation regimes and wind velocity tend to alter structure and composition of the annual herb plant community, with consequent effects on ecological functioning and biodiversity maintenance. We examined the effects of increased precipitation and reduced wind velocity on annual herb plant community characteristics via a manipulative experiment from the middle of April to middle of August, 2016. There was significant increment in species richness with increased precipitation from June to August, and there were interactive effects between increased precipitation and reduced wind velocity especially in June and the end of July. From June to August, increased precipitation, reduced wind velocity as well as their interaction stimulated sandy plant community development. There was considerable elevation in plant coverage with increased precipitation, and also there was an interactive effect of increased precipitation with 20% reduced wind velocity. However, reduced wind velocity caused more significant stimulation (p

Objective: To compare the prognostic predictive performance of six lymph node (LN) staging schemes: American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) N stage, number of retrieved lymph nodes (NRLN), number of positive lymph nodes (NPLN), number of negative lymph nodes (NNLN), lymph node ratio (LNR), and log odds of positive lymph nodes (LODDS) among node-positive endometrioid endometrial cancer (EEC) patients.Methods: A total of 3,533 patients diagnosed with node-positive EEC between 2010 and 2016 from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database were retrospectively analyzed. We applied X-tile software to identify the optimal cutoff value for different staging schemes. Univariate and multivariate Cox regression models were used to assess the relationships between different LN schemes and survival outcomes [disease-specific survival (DSS) and overall survival (OS)]. Moreover, Akaike information criterion (AIC) and Harrell concordance index (C-index) were used to evaluate the predictive performance of each scheme in both continuous and categorical patterns.Results: N stage (N1/N2) was not an independent prognostic factor for node-positive EEC patients based on multivariate analysis (DSS: p = 0.235; OS: p = 0.145). Multivariate model incorporating LNR demonstrated the most superior goodness of fit regardless of continuous or categorical pattern. Regarding discrimination power of the models, LNR outperformed other models in categorical pattern (OS: C-index = 0.735; DSS: C-index = 0.737); however, LODDS obtained the highest C-index in continuous pattern (OS: 0.736; DSS: 0.739).Conclusions: N stage (N1/N2) was unable to differentiate the prognosis for node-positive EEC patients in our study. However, LNR and LODDS schemes seemed to have a better predictive performance for these patients than other number-based LN schemes whether in DSS or OS, which revealed that LNR and LODDS should be more helpful in prognosis assessment for node-positive EEC patients than AJCC N stage.

The rice stem borer (RSB), Chilo suppressalis (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae), is an important agricultural pest that has caused serious economic losses in the major rice-producing areas of China. To effectively control this pest, we investigated the genetic diversity, genetic differentiation and genetic structure of 16 overwintering populations in the typical bivoltine areas of northern China based on 12 nuclear microsatellite loci. Moderate levels of genetic diversity and genetic differentiation among the studied populations were detected. Neighbour-joining dendrograms, Bayesian clustering and principal coordinate analysis (PCoA) consistently divided these populations into three genetic clades: western, eastern and northern/central. Isolation by distance (IBD) and spatial autocorrelation analyses demonstrated no correlation between genetic distance and geographic distance. Bottleneck analysis illustrated that RSB populations had not undergone severe bottleneck effects in these regions. Accordingly, our results provide new insights into the genetic relationships of overwintering RSB populations and thus contribute to developing effective management strategies for this pest.

The beet armyworm, Spodoptera exigua, is a significant agricultural pest of numerous crops and has caused serious economic losses in China. To effectively control this pest, we analyzed its genetic variation, population genetic structure and demographic history. We used mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) fragments of the cytochrome oxidase subunit I (COI) and eight nuclear microsatellite loci to investigate genetic diversity and population genetic structure of S. exigua populations at 14 sampling sites in western China. Both mtDNA and microsatellite data indicated low levels of genetic diversity among all populations. A moderate genetic differentiation among some S. exigua populations was detected. Neighbor-joining dendrograms, STRUCTURE, and principal coordinate analysis (PCoA) revealed two genetically distinct groups: the KEL group and the remaining population group. Isolation by distance (IBD) results showed a weak significant correlation between geographic distance and genetic differentiation. Haplotype networks, neutrality testing, and mismatch distribution analysis indicated that the beet armyworm experienced a recent rapid expansion without a recent genetic bottleneck in western China. Thus, the results of this population genetic study can help with the development of strategies for managing this highly migratory pest.

Soil alkalization triggers ion toxicity and osmotic and alkaline (high pH) stresses in plants, damaging their growth and productivity. Therefore, we investigated whether priming with abscisic acid (ABA) increases the tolerance of alfalfa seedlings to alkaline stress, and then examined the underlying molecular mechanisms. Alfalfa seedlings were pretreated with ABA (10 μM) for 16 h and then subjected to alkaline stress using a 15 mM Na2CO3 solution (pH 10.87). Compared with the control, ABA pretreatment significantly alleviated leaf damage and improved the fresh weight, water content, and survival rate of alfalfa seedlings under alkaline conditions. Abscisic acid pretreatment reduced accumulation of reactive oxygen species (ROS), increased activities of the antioxidant enzymes superoxide dismutase (SOD) and peroxidase (POD), maintained higher ratios of K+/Na+, Ca2+/Na+, and Mg2+/Na+, and increased accumulation of proline. In addition, ABA upregulated the expression of genes involved in proline biosynthesis (P5CS) and the sequestration of Na+ in vacuoles (NHX1 and AVP) under alkaline conditions. Abscisic acid priming increased tolerance to alkaline stress by maintaining homeostasis of ROS and metal ions and upregulating osmoprotection and the expression of stress tolerance-related genes.

On 8 August 2017 an earthquake (MS7.0) occurred within Jiuzhaigou County, Northern Aba Prefecture, Sichuan Province, China, triggering 4834 landslides with an individual area greater than 7.8 m2 over a more than 400 km2 region. Instead of correlating geological and topographic factors with the coseismic landslide distribution pattern, this study has attempted to reveal the control from seismic landslide susceptibility mapping, which relies on the calculation of critical acceleration values using a simplified Newmark block model. We calculated the average critical acceleration for each cell of the gridded study area (1 km×1 km), which represented the seismic landslide susceptibility of the cell. An index of the potential landslide area generation rate was defined, i.e., the possible landsliding area in each grid cell. In combination with PGA (peak ground acceleration) distribution, we calculated such indexes for each cell to predict the possible landslide hazard under seismic ground shaking. Results show that seismic landslide susceptibility plays an important role in determining the coseismic landslide pattern. The places with high seismic landslide susceptibility tends to host many landslides. Additionally, the areas with high potential landslide area generation rates have high real landslide occurrence rates, consistent with dominant small-medium scale landslides by this earthquake. This approach can aid assessment of seismic landslide hazards at a preliminary stage. Additionally, it forms a foundation for further research, such as the rapid evaluation of post-earthquake landslides and identifying highly impacted areas to help decision makers prioritize disaster relief efforts.

Previous studies have found that Panax quinquefolius saponins (PQS) combined with dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT) of aspirin and clopidogrel enhances antithrombotic effects while reducing gastric mucosal injury induced by DAPT. We investigated the effects of the combined drug therapy (PQS+DAPT) through the COX/PG pathways.Acute myocardial infarction (AMI) was induced in Wistar rats by ligation of the left anterior descending (LAD) coronary artery, and the animals were randomly divided into Model, DAPT, and PQS+DAPT groups. Rats in the sham group did not undergo artery ligation. They were intragastrically treated for 14 days. Myocardial infarct size; myocardial pathology; platelet aggregation rate, CD62p activation, concentrations of thromboxane B2 (TXB2), 6-keto-PGF1α, tissue plasminogen activator (t-PA), and plasminogen activator inhibitor (PAI), the TXB2/6-keto-PGF1α ratio were measured. The ultrastructure of the gastric mucosa was observed by scanning electron microscopy. The expression of PGE2 and 6-keto-PGF1α in gastric mucosa was measured by radioimmunoassay, and levels of COX-1, COX-2, and VEGF in gastric mucosa were assessed using immunohistochemistry.The addition of Panax quinquefolius saponins (PQS+DAPT) to standard DAPT therapy significantly decreased the myocardial infarct area, degree of myocardial lesions, TXB2 and PAI levels, and the TXB2/6-keto-PGF1α ratio, while increasing 6-keto-PGF1α and t-PA levels and reducing the degree of gastric mucosal injury. Expression of PGE2, 6-keto-PGF1α, COX-2, and VEGF in the gastric mucosa was upregulated in the PQS+DAPT group compared with the standard DAPT group.PQS increases the degree of DAPT inhibition of myocardial necrosis and antiplatelet effects in AMI rats, as well as reducing damage to the gastric mucosa caused by DAPT. The mechanism may be related to inhibition of TXB2 and PAI activity and elevation of 6-keto-PGF1α and t-PA levels in blood, and may be associated with upregulated expression of COX-2, PGE2, PGI2, and VEGF in gastric tissue.

Alkaline stress (high pH) severely damages root cells, and consequently, inhibits rice (Oryza sativa L.) seedling growth. In this study, we demonstrate the accumulation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in root cells under alkaline stress. Seedlings of two rice cultivars with different alkaline tolerances, ‘Dongdao-4’ (moderately alkaline-tolerant) and ‘Jiudao-51’ (alkaline-sensitive), were subjected to alkaline stress simulated by 15 mM sodium carbonate (Na2CO3). Alkaline stress greatly reduced seedling survival rate, shoot and root growth, and root vigor. Moreover, severe root cell damage was observed under alkaline stress, as shown by increased membrane injury, malondialdehyde accumulation, and Evan’s Blue staining. The expression of the cell death-related genes OsKOD1, OsHsr203j, OsCP1, and OsNAC4 was consistently upregulated, while that of a cell death-suppressor gene, OsBI1, was downregulated. Analysis of the ROS contents revealed that alkaline stress induced a marked accumulation of superoxide anions (O2•-) and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) in rice roots. The application of procyanidins (a potent antioxidant) to rice seedlings 24 h prior to alkaline treatment significantly alleviated alkalinity-induced root damage and promoted seedling growth inhibition, which were concomitant with reduced ROS accumulation. These results suggest that root cell damage, and consequently growth inhibition, of rice seedlings under alkaline stress is closely associated with ROS accumulation. The antioxidant activity of superoxide dismutase, catalase, peroxidase, and ascorbate peroxidase increased under alkaline stress in the roots, probably in response to the cellular damage induced by oxidative stress. However, this response mechanism may be overwhelmed by the excess ROS accumulation observed under stress, resulting in oxidative damage to root cells. Our findings provide physiological insights into the molecular mechanisms of alkalinity-induced damage to root cells, and will contribute to the improvement of alkaline stress tolerance in rice plants.

Current indices of saline-alkaline (SA) tolerance are mainly based on the traditional growth and physiological indices for salinity tolerance and likely affect the accuracy of alfalfa tolerance predictions. We determined whether the inclusion of soil alkalinity-affected indices, particularly Ca2+, Mg2+, and their ratios to Na+ in plants, based on the traditional method could improve the prediction accuracy of SA tolerance in alfalfa, determine important indices for SA tolerance, and identify suitable alfalfa cultivars in alkaline salt-affected soils. Fifty alfalfa cultivars were evaluated for their SA tolerance under SA and non-SA field conditions. The SA-tolerance coefficient (SATC) for each investigated index of the alfalfa shoot was calculated as the ratio of SA to non-SA field conditions, and the contribution of SATC under different growth and physiological indices to SA tolerance was quantified based on the inclusion/exclusion of special alkalinity-affected indices. The traditional method, excluding the special alkalinity-affected indices, explained nearly all of the variation in alfalfa SA tolerance, and the most important predictor was the SATC of stem length. The new method, which included these special alkalinity-affected indices, had similar explanatory power but instead identified the SATC of shoot Ca2+/Na+ ratio, followed by that of stem length, as key markers for the field evaluation of SA tolerance. Ca2+, Mg2+, and their ratios to Na+ hold promise for enhancing the robustness of SA-tolerance predictions in alfalfa. These results encourage further investigation into the involvement of Ca2+ in such predictions in other plant species and soil types under more alkaline salt-affected conditions.

Bacterial blight, which is caused by Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae (Xoo), is one of the most devastating rice diseases worldwide. The development and use of disease-resistant cultivars have been the most effective strategy to control bacterial blight. Identifying the genes mediating bacterial blight resistance is a prerequisite for breeding cultivars with broad-spectrum and durable resistance. We herein describe a genome-wide association study involving 172 diverse Oryza sativa ssp. indica accessions to identify loci influencing the resistance to representative strains of six Xoo races. Twelve resistance loci containing 121 significantly associated signals were identified using 317,894 single nucleotide polymorphisms, which explained 13.3-59.9% of the variability in lesion length caused by Xoo races P1, P6, and P9a. Two hotspot regions (L11 and L12) were located within or nearby two cloned R genes (xa25 and Xa26) and one fine-mapped R gene (Xa4). Our results confirmed the relatively high resolution of genome-wide association studies. Moreover, we detected novel significant associations on chromosomes 2, 3, and 6-10. Haplotype analyses of xa25, the Xa26 paralog (MRKc; LOC_Os11g47290), and a Xa4 candidate gene (LOC_11g46870) revealed differences in bacterial blight resistance among indica subgroups. These differences were responsible for the observed variations in lesion lengths resulting from infections by Xoo races P1 and P9a. Our findings may be relevant for future studies involving bacterial blight resistance gene cloning, and provide insights into the genetic basis for bacterial blight resistance in indica rice, which may be useful for knowledge-based crop improvement.

In the cation of the title hydrated salt, C19H21N2O2S2+·I−·H2O, the benzothiazolium ring system is approximately planar [maximum deviation = 0.0251 (15) Å], and it makes a small dihedral angle of 1.16 (18)° with the plane of the thiophene ring. In the crystal, the cations, anions and crystalline water molecules are linked by classical O—H...O, O—H...I and weak C—H...O hydrogn bonds, forming a three-dimensional supramolecular network. π–π stacking is observed between parallel thiazole rings of adjacent cations [centroid–centroid distance = 3.5945 (16) Å].

The Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau (QTP) has become one of the hotspots for phylogeographical studies due to its high species diversity. However, most previous studies have focused on the effects of the Quaternary glaciations on phylogeographical structures and the locations of glacial refugia, and little is known about the effects of the aridization of interior Asia on plant population structure and speciation. Here the chloroplast DNA (cpDNA) trnT-trnF and trnS-trnfM sequences were used to investigate the differentiation and phylogeographical history of 14 Ephedra species from the QTP and northern China, based on a sampling of 107 populations. The phylogeographical analysis, together with phylogenetic reconstruction based on combined four cpDNA fragments (rbcL, rpl16, rps4, and trnS-trnfM), supports three main lineages (eastern QTP, southern QTP, and northern China) of these Ephedra species. Divergence of each lineage could be dated to the Middle or Late Miocene, and was very likely linked to the uplift of the QTP and the Asian aridification, given the high drought and/or cold tolerance of Ephedra. Most of the Ephedra species had low intraspecific variation and lacked a strong phylogeographical structure, which could be partially attributed to clonal reproduction and a relatively recent origin. In addition, ten of the detected 25 cpDNA haplotypes are shared among species, suggesting that a wide sampling of species is helpful to investigate the origin of observed haplotypes and make reliable phylogeographical inference. Moreover, the systematic positions of some Ephedra species are discussed.