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Essential oils (EO) are promising feed additives for their antibacterial, antioxidant, and immune-enhancing abilities with low toxicity. Carvacrol, thymol, and cinnamaldehyde are commonly used to synthesize EO. However, few studies focus on combining these three EO in early-weaned piglets. In the present study, 24 piglets weaned at 21 d of age were randomly divided into 2 groups (6 replicate pens per group, 2 piglets per pen). The piglets were fed a basal diet (the control group) and a basal diet supplemented with 400 mg/kg EO (a blend consisting of carvacrol, thymol, and cinnamaldehyde, the EO group) for 28 days. At the end of the experiment, one piglet per pen was randomly chosen to be sacrificed. Growth performance, hematology, plasma biochemical indices, antioxidant capacity, intestinal epithelial development and immunity, colonic volatile fatty acids (VFA), and microbiota were determined. The results indicated that the diet supplemented with EO significantly improved average daily feed intake (ADFI, p < 0.01) and average daily gain (ADG, p < 0.05) in the day 0 to 28 period. EO supplementation led to a significant decrease in plasma lysozyme (p < 0.05) and cortisol levels (p < 0.01). Additionally, EO significantly promoted jejunal goblet cells in the villus, jejunal mucosa ZO-1 mRNA expression, ileal villus height, and ileal villus height/crypt depth ratio in piglets (p < 0.05). The ileal mucosal TLR4 and NFκB p-p65/p65 protein expression were significantly inhibited in the EO group (p < 0.05). Colonic digesta microbiota analysis revealed that bacteria involving the Erysipelotrichaceae family, Holdemanella genus, Phascolarctobacterium genus, and Vibrio genus were enriched in the EO group. In conclusion, these findings indicate that the EO blend improves ADG and ADFI in the day 0 to 28 period, as well as intestinal epithelial development and intestinal immunity in early-weaned piglets, which provides a theoretical basis for the combined use of EO in weaned piglets.

to analyze the effect of peppermint water spray combined with external application of cucumber slice or lip balm and conventional dipping in patients with dry mouth in intensive care unit (ICU). Methods: 120 patients with secondary xerostomia in our hospital from January 2018 to December 2019 were selected as the subjects. According to the different treatment methods, the patients were divided into A group (Peppermint water spray combined with cucumber slices for external application), group B (Peppermint water spray combined with lip gloss smear), group C (cotton swab dipped in normal saline), 40 cases in each group, and the saliva secretion and dry mouth before and after intervention in three groups were compared between the three groups. The degree of self-evaluation score and the evaluation of throat comfort and satisfaction after intervention. Results: after the intervention, the self-evaluation scores of salivary secretion and dry mouth degree of patients in group A and B were significantly higher than those before the intervention (P < 0.01), the self-evaluation scores of salivary secretion and dry mouth degree of patients in group A were significantly higher than those in group B and C (P < 0.01), and the self-evaluation scores of salivary secretion and dry mouth degree of patients in group B were significantly higher than those in group C (P < 0.01). After intervention, the total effective rate of improvement of throat comfort in group A was 87.50%, which was significantly higher than 40.00% in group B and 0.00% in group C (P < 0.01). The total effective rate of improvement of throat comfort in group B was significantly higher than that in group C (P < 0.01). 97.50% of the patients in group A were significantly higher than 72.50% in group B and 2.50% in group C (P < 0.01), and the patients in group B were significantly higher than those in group C (P < 0.01). Conclusion: homemade peppermint water spray combined with external application of cucumber spray can effectively improve the symptoms of dry mouth and throat discomfort in patients with ICU, improve their satisfaction with treatment, and is conducive to the recovery of patients’ diseases, which is worthy of clinical promotion and application.

This experiment aimed to explore the interaction of β-1,3-glucan and Clostridium perfringens on the growth performance, intestinal health and cecal microflora of broilers. A total of 384 one-day-old Arbor Acre broilers were sorted into 4 treatments with 6 replications. There were 2 factors in this trial: dietary β-1,3-glucan addition including 0 and 250 mg/kg, intestinal enteritis challenged with Clostridium perfringens attack or not. Results showed that Clostridium perfringens infection disrupted the integrity of the intestinal mucosa by reducing the jejunal Occludin and Claudin-1 mRNA expression of broiler chickens at 21 d of age (P0.05). Meanwhile, when considering Clostridium perfringens as the main effect, it also decreased the mRNA expression of the glucose transporter recombinant sodium/glucose cotransporter 1 (SGLT1) at d 21 and the fatty acid transporter liver fatty acid-binding protein (L-FABP) at d 42 (P0.05) as well as affect cecum microbial diversity, especially in relative abundance of Firmicutes and Bacteroidetes. In addition, Clostridium perfringens infection reduced body weight, daily weight gain, and feed-gain ratio (FCR) in broilers at d 42 (P0.05). The dietary β-1,3-glucan could alleviate intestinal mucosal damage caused by the Clostridium perfringens to some extent. When considering β-1,3-glucan as the main effect, it increased the SGLT1 at 42 d of age (P0.05), and stabilized gut microbiota disorder caused by Clostridium perfringens. More over dietary β-1,3-glucan addition increased body weight at 42-day-old (P0.05), and improved daily weight gain and FCR during 1 to 42 d (P0.05). In conclusion, dietary β-1,3-glucan could improve growth performance and intestinal health in broilers infected with Clostridium perfringens.

A new azaphthalide derivative, (S)-3-hydroxy-2,7-dimethylfuro [3,4-b]pyridin-5(7H)-one (1), and a new phthalide derivative, (S)-7-hydroxy-3-((S)-1-hydroxyethyl)isobenzofuran-1(3H)-one (2), were isolated from the coral-derived fungus Aspergillus sp. SCSIO41405, together with eight known compounds (3–10). Their structures, including absolute configurations, were determined by NMR and MS spectroscopic analyses, optical rotation, calculated electronic circular dichroism (ECD) and X-ray crystal data. The isolated compounds were examined for antibacterial and enzyme inhibition activities. Compounds 7 and 8 exhibited weak antibacterial activities, and 10 displayed moderate inhibition on pancreatic lipase with an IC50 value of 15.6 μg/mL.

This study examined the mediating effect of life satisfaction and the moderating effect of the availability of community recreational facilities (CRF) in the association between loneliness and depression in rural older adults and urban older adults, respectively.Quantitative data collected from 7547 Chinese older adults were analyzed using the SPSS macro PROCESS to test a moderated mediation model with life satisfaction as the mediator and CRF availability and residency type (rural vs. urban) as moderators.Loneliness negatively predicted life satisfaction, life satisfaction negatively predicted depression, and loneliness positively predicted depression. The interaction of loneliness and CRF availability had a significant effect on depression for urban older adults but not for rural older adults. The direct impact of loneliness on depression differed significantly between rural and urban older adults.Life satisfaction mediated the association between loneliness and depression in both rural and urban older adults; CRF availability unexpectedly boosted the effect of loneliness on depression in urban older adults but not in rural older adults. Given the same level of loneliness, urban older adults were more likely to be depressed than rural older adults.Psychogeriatric practitioners may embed life satisfaction into intervention programs to minimize depression among older adults. Public administrators should examine the utilization of public facilities to avoid wasted resources and counterproductive effects on older adults. Lonely urban older adults deserve special attention.

Amid population aging, the senior living industry has become an important sector of the service industry, especially in China. Population control throughout the past four decades has led to the quintessential “sandwich” family, wherein a young couple faces pressure to care for four elderly parents as well as their own child(ren). A lack of proper home care for older adults in China has thus accelerated social and economic demand for senior living institutions (SLIs). Although a growing number of SLIs are being built in the country, occupancy rates remain low. It is therefore crucial to explore why older adults are not accepting SLIs as a solution to their needs. This study broaches this topic by investigating the mechanism underlying the impact of family support for choosing an SLI on older adults’ attitudes toward these institutions. Specifically, a mediation model was proposed to investigate the roles of life satisfaction and older adults’ subjective knowledge of SLIs among 1,723 older Chinese adults. Multigroup path analysis was also carried out to test applicable sociodemographic differences. Findings revealed a significant suppressing effect of life satisfaction and a partial mediating effect of subjective knowledge along with group differences. Overall, this study provides meaningful implications for SLI marketing.

Sepsis-induced myocardial dysfunction (SIMD), a deadly symptom in sepsis patients, is mainly caused by cardiovascular inflammation. However, it remains unclear how systemic inflammation triggers and aggravates cardiovascular inflammation in the pathogenesis of SIMD. This study found that proinflammatory cytokines and H2 O2 concentrations were significantly induced in SIMD-mice. In particular, a microarray analysis of CD63+ exosomes isolated from sham- and SIMD-monocytes revealed a significant induction of thioredoxin-interacting protein (TXNIP) and NLR family pyrin domain-containing 3 (NLRP3). We proved that oxidative stress caused the disassociation of the TXNIP-TRX2 (thioredoxin 2) complex and the assembly of the TXNIP-NLRP3 complex. In addition, this finding showed that the latter complex could be embedded into CD63+ exosomes and traffic from monocytes to the resident heart macrophages, where it activated caspase-1 and cleaved inactive interleukin 1β (IL-1β) and IL-18. Furthermore, using an amplified luminescent proximity homogeneous assay (Alpha) with GST-TXNIP and His-NLRP3, we obtained a small molecule named PSSM1443 that could disrupt the TXNIP-NLRP3 interaction in vitro, impairing NLRP3 downstream events. Of note, after administering PSSM1443 to the SIMD-mice, we found the small molecule could significantly suppress the activation of caspase-1 and the cleavage of pro-IL-1β and pro-IL-18, reducing inflammation in the SIMD-mice. Collectively, our results reveal that monocyte-derived exosomes harbor the overexpressed TXNIP-NLRP3 complex, which traffics from circulating monocytes to local macrophages and promotes the cleavage of inactive IL-1β and IL-18 in the macrophages, aggravating cardiovascular inflammation. PSSM1443 functions as an inhibitor of the TXNIP-NLRP3 complex and its administration can decrease inflammation in SIMD-mice.

Sepsis-induced myocardial dysfunction (SIMD) is a life-threatening complication caused by inflammation, but how it is initiated is still unclear. Several studies have shown that extracellular high mobility group box 1 (HMGB1), an important cytokine triggering inflammation, is overexpressed during the pathogenesis of SIMD, but the underlying mechanism regarding its overexpression is still unknown. Herein, we discovered that CUL4A (cullin 4A) assembled an E3 ligase complex with RBX1 (ring-box 1), DDB1 (DNA damage-binding protein 1), and DCAF8 (DDB1 and CUL4 associated factor 8), termed CRL4ADCAF8, which ubiquitinated and degraded NcoR1 (nuclear receptor corepressor 1) in an LPS-induced SIMD mouse model. The degradation of NcoR1 failed to form a complex with the SP1 transcription factor, leading to the upregulation of HMGB1. Mature HMGB1 functioned as an effector to induce the expression of proinflammatory cytokines, causing inflammation and resulting in SIMD pathology. Using an in vitro AlphaScreen technology, we identified three small molecules that could inhibit the CUL4A-RBX1 interaction. Of them, PSSM0332 showed the strongest ability to inhibit the ubiquitination of NcoR1, and its administration in SIMD mice exhibited promising effects on decreasing the inflammatory response. Collectively, our results reveal that the CRL4ADCAF8 E3 ligase is critical for the initiation of SIMD by regulating the expression of HMGB1 and proinflammatory cytokines. Our results suggest that PSSM0332 is a promising candidate to inhibit the inflammatory response in the pathogenesis of SIMD, which will provide a new option for the therapy of SIMD.

This study aims to test the moderating effects of home health care, home-help service, and older adults’ attitudes toward aging on the relationship between social support and life satisfaction among Chinese older adults. The study used a sample of 5,578 Chinese home-dwelling older adults. Multiple linear regression analyses were performed to test the hypothesized effects along with gender and Hukou type differences. The results show that home health care significantly buffers the impact of social support on life satisfaction, and this buffering effect remains same across gender groups and Hukou groups. The findings of the study provide unique and contemporary theoretical and practical implications.

To identify phenotypes of Intensive Care Unit (ICU) onset sepsis and its associated harms of delayed time-to-antibiotics.The Medical Information Mart for Intensive Care IV (MIMIC-IV) database was employed to identify patients with ICU onset sepsis. The primary exposure was time-to-antibiotics, as measured from sepsis recognition to first antibiotic administered. Latent profile analysis (LPA) was used to identify phenotypes of sepsis based on individual organ failure score derived from Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (SOFA). Interactions between phenotypes and time-to-antibiotics on 28-day mortality were explored.6246 patients were enrolled in final analysis. The overall 28-day mortality was 12.7%. Delayed time-to-antibiotics was associated with increased 28-day mortality in patients with ICU onset sepsis (HR 1.12, 95% CI 1.08-1.18). Four phenotypes of sepsis were identified: phenotype 1 was characterized by respiratory dysfunction, phenotype 2 was characterized by cardiovascular dysfunction, phenotype 3 was characterized by multiple organ dysfunction, and phenotype 4 was characterized by neurological dysfunction. The adjusted HR of 28-day mortality was 1.16 (95% CI 1.08-1.25) in phenotype 1, and 1.06 (95% CI 1.00-1.13) in phenotype 2, while no significant interaction was observed.Septic patients with respiratory or cardiovascular dysfunction were associated with harms of delayed time-to-antibiotics.

Inflammatory pathways represented by TLR4/NF-κB (Toll-like receptor 4/Nuclear factor-κB) axis signaling are activated in the pathogenesis of endotoxin-induced myocardial dysfunction (EIMD). However, the underlying mechanism by which NF-κB coordinates with other transcriptional coactivators/corepressors to regulate the expression of proinflammatory cytokine genes remains unclear. We established an EIMD-mouse model by intraperitoneal injection of lipopolysaccharides (LPS), and we discovered that NCOA1 (nuclear receptor coactivator 1) assembled with CBP (CREB binding protein) and NF-κB subunits to form a transcriptional complex that specifically bound to promoters of proinflammatory cytokine genes to activate their expression. LPS treatment also inhibited DNMT1 (DNA methyltransferase 1) expression, thereby decreasing DNA methylation of a CpG island located on the promoter of NCOA1 and causing NCOA1 overexpression. Screening small molecules that abolished NCOA1-CBP interaction in a yeast system identified a compound PSSM2126 that effectively blocked the NCOA1-CBP interaction in vitro and in vivo. Administration of PSSM2126 to EIMD mice significantly alleviated the inflammation response and improved cardiac function. Collectively, our results reveal that an NCOA1-dependent transactivation mechanism can regulate proinflammatory cytokine expression, thereby improving our understanding of the activation of NF-κB targets. The promising inhibition of the NCOA1-CBP interaction by PSSM2126 may provide a new therapeutic option for EIMD.

Objectives: This study aims to test the mediating effect of attitude toward aging and the moderating effect of social support in the association between perceived health status and depression in older adults. Methods: The study hypotheses were tested by using quantitative data collected from 6485 Chinese older adults. SPSS macro PROCESS was employed to analyze the data. Results: The results show that the relationship between perceived health status and depression in older adults is mediated by their attitude toward aging. In addition, both direct and indirect impacts of perceived health status on depression are significantly buffered by social support. Conclusions: This study suggests a potential mediating role of attitude toward aging and a moderating role of social support in the association between physical health and mental health among older adults. Clinical Implications: The findings of the study suggest that clinicians might need to consider attitudes toward aging along with social support as they work with older adults with comorbid physical illnesses and depression. The findings also reveal that social support is not only about the external resources that older adults need to cope with stressful life events, but also serves as an inner sustenance to make older adults less sensitive to the deleterious effects of poor health status and negative attitude toward aging.

As health declines with age, it is critical to explore moderators that could buffer the impact of declining health on life satisfaction of elderly people. This study aims to test the moderating effects of social support, attitudes toward aging, and senior privilege on the relationship between perceived health and life satisfaction among elderly people. The study used a sample of 5809 Chinese elderly people. Multiple regression analyses were performed to test the moderating effects of the study variables along with gender difference. The results show that social support and attitudes toward aging do not moderate the relationship between perceived health and life satisfaction; senior privilege however, amplifies the impact of perceived health on life satisfaction for female elderly people. The findings recommend personalized provision of senior privilege based on health status and types of diseases, rather than only based on age; and suggest tailored female-oriented social services such as psychological counseling and humanistic care.

This study uses the entropy method to measure the comprehensive evaluation index of 30 provincial samples, with the exception of the Tibet, Hong Kong, Macao, and Taiwan regions, of farmland intensive utilization and new-type urbanization in China. This study also builds a coupling coordination model to measure the coupling degree, coordination degree, and relative development degree. The kernel density estimation method and Theil index describe its evolution situation and spatial differences. The results showed that the coupling degree, coordination degree, and relative development degree of cultivated land intensive use and new-type urbanization were highly coupled, barely coordinated, and that cultivated land intensive use lagged, respectively. Kernel density estimation shows that the coupling degree, coordination degree, and relative development degree of cultivated land intensive use and new-type urbanization decrease as a whole and the regional differences increase. Theil index analysis shows that the differences of coupling degree, coordination degree, and relative development degree in eastern, central, and western regions are mainly caused by intragroup differences. Therefore, according to the economic situation and resource endowment conditions of each province and city, the benign interaction between the intensive use of cultivated land and new-type urbanization should be promoted according to local conditions. Food security is an important basis of national security. Cultivated land is not only a key element to ensure food security, but also a strong driving force for promoting high-quality, green, and sustainable development of agriculture and coordinated urban–rural development. By improving agricultural infrastructure and production conditions, China could choose to establish a strict arable land protection system and other measures to improve the level of intensive utilization of cultivated land.

This paper was aimed at highlighting the impact of loading waveforms on the cyclic liquefaction resistance of sand. The test specimens were reclaimed by the dry tamping method with Hostun 31 sand, and the density of sand matrix was controlled to be 0.70. Three sets of undrained cyclic triaxial tests were performed by altering the loading waveforms as follows: triangular, sine and rectangular waves. The impact of the loading waveform was experimentally observed as axial cyclic stress was applied. Under the same amplitude of loading, it was found that the rectangular wave led to the most severe liquefaction as a result of greater imposed force acting for a longer duration. The triangular wave led to the lowest liquefaction softening, and the sine wave was the case in between. Consequently, in terms of the cyclic strength curves, diverse curves related to the imposed waveform were observed, and the curve for rectangular wave was located in the lowest part of the graph, thereby reconfirming its higher liquefaction potential. An in-depth analysis of the dynamic properties suggested that the development of the damping ratio with the progression of shearing is intrinsic for a given sand fabric under a certain initial confining stress. A unique relationship between the damping ratio and the amplitude of shear strain could be roughly established. However, the number of cycles required to trigger a certain level of shear strain remained a function of the amplitude and waveform. A novel parameter was proposed in this paper on the basis of the Arias intensity in order to unify the sand liquefaction response. Compared with the conventional method, one of its advantages is its ability to express the combined influence of the amplitude and waveform through a time-integral for a given imposed loading.

Freezing of gait (FOG) is a disabling phenomenon that is described by patients with Parkinson’s disease (PD). Not only gait may be involved in the freezing phenomenon, but also some nonmotor symptoms, such as freezing of urination (FOU) in this case. The characters of urinary dysfunctions in this case resemble “off” freezing: (1) abrupt difficulty in starting or continuing in urination; (2) the urinary dysfunctions fluctuated with medication state; and (3) the urinary dysfunctions could be alleviated dramatically by an external cueing. Urinary dysfunctions in this patient (and maybe more PD patients) are associated not only with the classical “nonmotor symptoms” but also the freezing phenomenon. FOU could be a part of the spectrum of freezing symptoms. The subtypes of the freezing phenomenon will shed light on the PD pathophysiology and clinical treatment.

This study was aimed at highlighting the effect of loading frequency on the sand liquefaction response by performing cyclic triaxial tests in both stress-controlled and strain-controlled modes. For the first case, dense (IDmat = 0.70) and medium-dense (IDmat = 0.55) sand specimens were subjected to alternative and non-alternative axial stresses; whilst dense (IDmat = 0.70) sand specimens were subjected to alternative axial strain over a wide range of loading frequencies in the second case. It was experimentally found that in the case of alternative loading for test specimens with IDmat = 0.70 in stress-controlled mode, the effect of the loading frequency was not notable for dry sand specimens. In contrast, the effect of the loading frequency was significant for saturated sand specimens in both the loading modes. This was because, upon shearing, transient deformation occurred with the presence of excess pore water pressure, during which the inertia force needed to be taken into account. In the axial direction, the inertia force opposing the external loading certainly increased the liquefaction resistance by suppressing the complete development of the sand liquefaction. As for non-alternative loading in stress-controlled mode for test specimens with IDmat = 0.55, the loading frequency played a vital role in pure extensional loading, which could also be logically attributed to the presence of the axial inertia force appearing in the large strain and transient deformation stages. However, the effect of the loading frequency on the compressive pattern was unclear due to the following two reasons: (i) the inertia force in the lateral direction appeared in the form of enhancing lateral confinement, thereby impeding the relative sliding; and (ii) during shearing, the rearrangement of the sand grains occurred in a more stable direction. These two aspects both provided beneficial contribution to sand liquefaction resistance, thereby preventing the occurrence of transient deformation. Under the circumstance, the sand specimens deformed only moderately, thereby eliminating the need to consider the role of the loading frequency.

When performing cyclic triaxial tests, the connection process between loading piston and specimen could have significant effect on the test results. Tensile pre-shearing effect occurs during saturation and consolidation stages in screw-based configurations and compressive pre-shearing stress is induced while making the connection between loading piston and specimen in vacuum-based configurations. In order to overcome these technical problems, a special auto compensation system was incorporated into an existing cyclic triaxial apparatus, allowing: (1) no physical contact between loading piston and specimen to achieve an isotropic consolidation state, (2) the later connection between these two components to be easily accomplished with almost insignificant disturbance on the specimen (maximum 100 N in axial force). To assess the performance of this auto compensation system, two experiments of same dense reference sand specimens were respectively conducted, and the results were found to be similar, showing the good repeatability. Moreover, as compared with screw-based configuration, the test specimen did not undergo an adverse tensile pre-shearing. As a result, the test specimen became more resistant to cyclic mobility. On the contrary, as compared with another vacuum-based configuration (without auto compensation) well-documented in the literature, the obtained result was less stable since the employment of auto compensation system ensured that there was no beneficial compressive pre-shearing during the connection stage. The results obtained in this study showed the good performance of the developed auto compensation system in the triaxial test apparatus for liquefaction analysis.

Dry and moist tamping methods are widely used for the investigation of sandy soil liquefaction. However, the effect of these two tamping-based reconstitution methods on composite soil liquefaction behavior have been rarely assessed. In this study, the dry and moist tamping methods were assessed using loose silica sand matrix (HN31) containing various amounts of non-plastic silt particles (C500), and by performing a series of undrained triaxial compression tests. Microstructural observations using a high-resolution optical microscope were also performed on loose silty sand specimens that had the similar initial states to those for the undrained triaxial tests. Triaxial results show that for silty sand specimens prepared by dry tamping method, a global dilatant behavior was observed and the undrained shear strength decreased as the fraction of silt particles increased. By contrast, a total reversed phenomenon was observed for those prepared by moist tamping method: all specimens showed more or less limited liquefaction behavior and silt particles mitigated the contractive tendency, which provided beneficial contribution to the undrained shear strength. Microstructural observations show that in the dry tamping method, overall structure formed by the host sand and silt particles was regularly deposited, promoting a more stable strain-hardening response. Moreover, some silt particles were found to be located near sand-sand contact points, significantly loosening the sand matrix. On the contrary, by using moist tamping method, the sand was uniformly covered by bulked silt particles, and the aggregated sand formed the metastable structure, facilitating the occurrence of static liquefaction. Moreover, with the increase of fines fraction, this metastable structure was weakened, characterized by the filling of large inter-sand voids, leading to the increase of undrained shear strength. Thus, a critical value of total fines fraction FcTot equalling to 21% was determined, which theoretically verified the insignificant effect of specimen preparation methods on the undrained shear strength. In that case, the metastable structure in specimen prepared by moist tamping method was expected to disappear and the overall response of specimen changed from the dominance of host sand to that of fines.

Ophiocordyceps sinensis, an entomopathogenic fungus of the Tibetan Plateau is one of the most valuable traditional Chinese medicines. A fungal pathogen of O. sinensis, Polycephalomyces sp. GIMCC 3.570 (isolate 2010A-0818) was characterized by morphology, related to sequences of six genes (SSU, ITS, LSU, TEF1-α, RPB1 and ATP6) found in a BLAST search and five genes (SSU, LSU, TEF1, RPB1 and RPB2) by phylogenetic analysis using maximum parsimony, maximum likelihood and Bayesian methods. The results strongly support placement of P. sp. GIMCC 3.570 in the genus Polycephalomyces. To determine the influence of P. sp. GIMCC 3.570 on the reproduction of its host, 30 artificially infected O. sinensis samples were compared with 30 uninfected controls. In the infected fungus, the life span of the stroma was significantly shorter and significantly fewer ascospores were produced compared with uninfected O. sinensis (p

Background We evaluated factors associated with mortality in patients with moderate/severe generalized tetanus. Methods This retrospective study included patients with moderate/severe generalized tetanus admitted to the Affiliated Hospital of Nantong University (China) between January 2005 and January 2017. Clinical data were extracted from medical records. Patients were divided into two groups based on outcome (survival or death). Factors associated with mortality were analyzed using univariate and multivariate logistic regression. Results Seventy-five patients were included (57.3% male; age, 57.9 ± 18.4 years; APACHE II score, 10.6 ± 3.4; severe tetanus, 49.3%; mortality, 25.3%). Multivariate analysis identified severe tetanus (odds ratio [OR], 30.364; 95% confidence interval [CI], 2.459–374.896) and APACHE II score (OR, 1.536; 95%CI, 1.051–2.243) as positively associated with mortality, whereas high-calorie nutrition (OR, 0.027; 95%CI, 0.002–0.359) and dexmedetomidine use (OR, 0.035; 95%CI, 0.003–0.467) were negatively associated with mortality (all P Conclusion Tetanus severity and APACHE II score were associated with mortality in patients with generalized tetanus, whereas high-calorie nutrition and dexmedetomidine use reduced the odds of death. High-calorie nutrition and dexmedetomidine administration may improve prognosis in adult patients with moderate/severe generalized tetanus.

Ophiocordyceps sinensis, one of the best known entomopathogenic fungi in traditional Chinese medicine, parasitizes larvae of the moth genus Thitarodes, which lives in soil tunnels. However, little is known about the spatial distribution of O. sinensis in the soil. We established a protocol for DNA extraction, purification, and quantification of O. sinensis in soil with quantitative real-time PCR targeting the internal transcribed spacer region. The method was assessed using 34 soil samples from Tibet. No inhibitory effects in purified soil DNA extracts were detected. The standard curve method for absolute DNA quantification generated crossing point values that were strongly and linearly correlated to the log10of the initial amount of O. sinensis genomic DNA (r2= 0.999) over 7 orders of magnitude (4 × 101to 4 × 107fg). The amplification efficiency and y-intercept value of the standard curve were 1.953 and 37.70, respectively. The amount of O. sinensis genomic DNA decreased with increasing soil depth and horizontal distance from a sclerotium (P < 0.05). Our protocol is rapid, specific, sensitive, and provides a powerful tool for quantification of O. sinensis from soil.

Aims: The aim of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of Physiologic remote ischemic training (PRIT) to second MI and the difference of variable durations of PRIT against myocardial infarction. Methods: A myocardial infarction model was first established in 64 male Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats, and after one week the modeled animals were equally randomized into two groups: the PRIT group, which was further divided into1-, 2-, 4- and 6-week PRIT subgroups as 1w, 2w, 4w and 6wPRIT, and the pure myocardial infarction group, which were further divided into 1-, 2-, 4- and 6-week myocardial infarction groups as 1wMI, 2wMI, 4wMI and 6wMI as controls.. At the end of scheduled time points, all rats received the second MI. Myocardial infarct size, vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), capillary density and were determined. Results: The infarct size in PRIT groups was reduced significantly compared to control MI groups (p

Thitarodes pui, one of the host species of entomopathogenic fungus Ophiocordyceps sinensis, has great economic importance in the Tibetan Plateau. We report here, for the first time, a gregarine parasite found in the coelom of 7th instar and adults of T. pui. Gregarine gamonts (ovoid, ∼15 × 8 μm) underwent syzygy to produce reproductive gametocysts in T. pui larval hemolymph. All infected T. pui carried 2–17 mature gametocysts filled with numerous oocysts (lemon-shaped, 17.17 ± 0.73 × 6.49 ± 0.4 μm). Transmission electron microscopy showed that these oocysts contained vacuoles of various sizes and amylopectin granules in the cytoplasm; scanning electron microscopy revealed a number of small bumps all over the surface of these oocysts. Small subunit ribosomal DNA sequence analysis showed a close relationship between the gregarine and the species of Ascogregarina (Eugregarinorida: Lecudinidae). Internal transcribed spacers and 5.8S ribosomal DNA from this gregarine exhibited 76% highest sequence identity with that from Ascogregarina culicis Ross.

Ophiocordyceps sinensis (Berk.) Sung, Sung, Hywel-Jones & Spatafora (syn. Cordyceps sinensis) one of the entomopathogenic fungi, is a rare Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) found in the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau. Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) and Fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) methods are necessary to identify the mycelia or spores of O. sinensis from its habitat and to monitor its dispersal, colonization and infectivity. To develop both primers and probe specific to O. sinensis, ribosomal DNA (rDNA) amplified with universal primers from O. sinensis genomic DNA and seven closely related fungi were sequenced. According to these sequences, the upper and lower primers (OsT-F and OsT-R) were designed within internal transcribed spacer region 1 (ITS1) and ITS2 and flanked by universal primers ITS5 and ITS4, respectively. The designed primers were used for general PCR, touchdown PCR, or both together with the universal primers for nested-touchdown PCR. The results showed that only the extracted DNA of O. sinensis was specifically amplified. The sensitivity of nested-touchdown PCR with extracted DNA of O. sinensis is as low as 10(-14)g (10 fg) and at least 1000 times higher than the other PCR methods. In addition, Cy5-labeled probe (OsLSU) for cytoplasmic LSU rRNA was hybridized with the ascospores of O. sinensis. It showed a strong red fluorescence throughout the whole cell but did not cross-react with other entomopathogenic fungi. Taken together, these methods were useful for studying the biology and ecology of O. sinensis.

Ophiocordyceps sinensis is a well-known entomogenous and medicinal fungus. After its anamorphs parasitize the larvae of the genus Thitarodes, fruit-bodies may form to be used as medicine. However, its developmental mechanisms remain unknown. The distribution of O. sinensis was determined in different tissues of the Thitarodes larvae and the dominant plant species using real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) and fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) technique, respectively. We found that more fungal material was located in plants than in larvae, especially in Ranunculus tanguticus. A considerable amount was detected in larval intestinal-wall and plant roots. It is suggested that plants are the potential hosts of O. sinensis, which modifies our understanding of the life cycle of O. sinensis and indicates that the phytophagous larvae may become infected as they feed. Our research may contribute to the study of systematic evolution and population ecology of O. sinensis, elucidate its developmental mechanism and promote sustainable harvesting.

Ophiocordyceps sinensis , one of the most important income sources of rural Tibetan families, is an entomopathogenic fungus that parasitizes the ghost moth Thitarodes larvae, which live in alpine meadows on the Tibetan Plateau and in the Himalayas. The annual yield of O. sinensis has gradually declined in recent years. However, there is no effective method to sustain or increase the yield of O. sinensis artificially because the life cycle of the O. sinensis anamorph remains unclear. Here we detected O. sinensis in alpine plant roots by nested-touchdown polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Forty-two alpine plant species were screened. The roots from 23 alpine plant species (54.76 %) tested positive including 13 families and 18 genera. The detection results indicate that O. sinensis is present in the plant roots during the anamorph life cycle, to deal with harsh conditions in alpine habitats and have an increased opportunity to infect the larvae. The finding provides new information regarding the biology and ecology of O. sinensis that may be used to sustain this valuable resource.

Ophiocordyceps sinensis, an entomogenous fungus parasitic in the larvae of moths (Lepidoptera), is one of the most valuable medicinal fungi, and it only distributed naturally on the Tibetan Plateau. The parasitical amount of O. sinensis in various tissues of the host Thitarodes larvae has an important role in study the occurrence and developmental mechanisms of O. sinensis, but there no an effective method to detect the fungal anamorph. A real-time quantitative PCR (qPCR) system, including a pair of species-specific ITS primers and its related program, was developed for O. sinensis assay with high reliability and efficiency. A calibration curve was established and exhibited a very good linear correlation between the fungal biomass and the C T values (R (2)=0.999419) by the qPCR system. Based on this method, O. sinensis was detected rapidly in four tissues of its host caterpillars, and the results were shown as following: the maximum content of O. sinensis parasitized in the fat-body, and next came body-wall; both of them were much larger than that observed in the haemolymph and intestinal-wall. Taken together, these results show that qPCR assays may become useful tools for study on developmental mechanism of O. sinensis.

Ischemic heart diseases are the leading cause of death with increasing numbers of patients worldwide. Despite advances in revascularization techniques, angiogenic therapies remain highly attractive. Physiological ischemia training, which is first proposed in our laboratory, refers to reversible ischemia training of normal skeletal muscles by using a tourniquet or isometric contraction to cause physiologic ischemia for about 4 weeks for the sake of triggering molecular and cellular mechanisms to promote angiogenesis and formation of collateral vessels and protect remote ischemia areas. Physiological ischemia training therapy augments angiogenesis in the ischemic myocardium by inducing differential expression of proteins involved in energy metabolism, cell migration, protein folding, and generation. It upregulates the expressions of vascular endothelial growth factor, and induces angiogenesis, protects the myocardium when infarction occurs by increasing circulating endothelial progenitor cells and enhancing their migration, which is in accordance with physical training in heart disease rehabilitation. These findings may lead to a new approach of therapeutic angiogenesis for patients with ischemic heart diseases. On the basis of the promising results in animal studies, studies were also conducted in patients with coronary artery disease without any adverse effect in vivo, indicating that physiological ischemia training therapy is a safe, effective and non-invasive angiogenic approach for cardiovascular rehabilitation. Preconditioning is considered to be the most protective intervention against myocardial ischemia-reperfusion injury to date. Physiological ischemia training is different from preconditioning. This review summarizes the preclinical and clinical data of physiological ischemia training and its difference from preconditioning.