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Introduction We conducted analyses of the association between smoking and osteoporosis and osteoporotic fractures using a secondary dataset analysis of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) database and the two-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) method. Methods The associations between smoking and osteoporosis or osteoporotic fractures were analyzed using weighted logistic regression models for both univariate and multivariable analyses using pooled 1999–2018 NHANES data. The summary-level data of genome-wide association studies (GWAS) of smoking and osteoporosis were extracted from the IEU Open GWAS project. The inverse variance weighted method was used as the main method for the two-sample MR analysis. Results We obtained the following main findings based on the NHANES data: smoking was associated with osteoporosis according to the analyses of 30856 participants (OR=1.21; 95% CI: 1.06–1.39, p=0.004); smoking was associated with hip osteoporotic fracture according to the analyses of 30928 participants (OR=1.47; 95% CI: 1.14–1.90, p=0.004); smoking was associated with wrist osteoporotic fracture according to the analyses of 30923 participants (OR=1.33; 95% CI: 1.18–1.49, p

Abstract Background Traditional pesticides are poorly water-soluble and suffer from low bioavailability. N-succinyl chitosan (NSCS) is a water-soluble chitosan derivative, has been recently used to encapsulate hydrophobic drugs to improve their bioavailability. However, it remains challenging to synthesize pesticides of a wide variety of water-soluble drugs and to scale up the production in a continuous manner. Results A synthetic method for preparing water-soluble nanopesticides with a polymer carrier was applied. The bioactive molecule BTL-11 was loaded into hollow NSCS to promote drug delivery, improve solubility and anti-fungal activity. The synthesized nanopesticides had well controlled sizes of 606 nm and the encapsulation rate was 80%. The release kinetics, drug toxicity and drug activity were further evaluated. The inhibitory activity of nanopesticides against Rhizoctonia solani (R. solani) was tested in vivo and in vitro. In vivo against R. solani trials revealed that BTL-11 has excellent control efficiency for cultivated rice leaf and sheath was 79.6 and 76.5%, respectively. By contrast, for BTL-11@NSCS NPs, the anti-fungal ability was strongly released and afforded significant control efficiencies of 85.9 and 81.1%. Those effects were significantly better than that of the agricultural fungicide azoxystrobin (51.5 and 66.5%). The proposed mechanism was validated by successfully predicting the synthesis outcomes. Conclusions This study demonstrates that NSCS is a promising biocompatible carrier, which can enhance the efficacy of pesticides, synergistically improve plant disease resistance, protect crop growth, and can be used for the delivery of more insoluble pesticides. Graphical Abstract

Similar clinical features make the differential diagnosis difficult, particularly between lung cancer and pulmonary tuberculosis (TB), without pathological evidence for patients with concomitant TB infection. Our study aimed to build a nomogram to predict malignant pulmonary lesions applicable to clinical practice. We retrospectively analyzed clinical characteristics, imaging features, and laboratory indicators of TB infection patients diagnosed with lung cancer or active pulmonary TB at Xiangya Hospital of Central South University. A total of 158 cases from January 1, 2018 to May 30, 2019 were included in the training cohort. Predictive factors for lung cancer were screened by a multiple-stepwise logistic regression analysis. A nomogram model was established, and the discrimination, stability, and prediction performance of the model were analyzed. A total of 79 cases from June 1, 2019, to December 30, 2019, were used as the validation cohort to verify the predictive value of the model. Eight predictor variables, including age, pleural effusion, mediastinal lymph node, the number of positive tumor markers, the T cell spot test for TB, pulmonary lesion morphology, location, and distribution, were selected to construct the model. The corrected C-statistics and the Brier scores were 0.854 and 0.130 in the training cohort, and 0.823 and 0.163 in the validation cohort. Calibration plots showed good performance, and decision curve analysis indicated a high net benefit. In conclusion, the nomogram model provides an effective method to calculate the probability of lung cancer in TB infection patients, and it has excellent discrimination, stability, and prediction performance in detecting a malignant diagnosis of undiagnosed pulmonary lesions.

In this paper, five phenolic acids in the rhizosphere soil of Pinellia ternate were determined to have strong allelopathy to Pinellia ternate. The phenolic acids in rhizosphere soil and non continuous cropping soil of Pinellia ternate for two years were extracted and detected by GC-MS, 5 phenolic acids were found to have different content changes. By comparing the contents of phenolic acids in the rhizosphere soil before, during and after planting, and combining with the literatures, it was determined that protocatechuic acid, vanillic acid, vanillin, syringate and syringaldehyde had strong allelopathy on the growth and development of Pinellia ternate. Furthermore, the effects of the above five phenolic acids on the growth of Pinellia ternate, the growth of seedlings and the comparison of tuber size were investigated. The results showed that the five phenolic acids had inhibitory effects on the growth of Pinellia ternate.

Abstract Lung cancer remains a huge challenge to public health because of its high incidence and mortality, and lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) is the main subtype of lung cancer. Hypoxia-induced vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) release and angiogenesis have been regarded as critical events in LUAD carcinogenesis. In the present study, membrane progesterone receptor α (mPRα) is deregulated within LUAD tissue samples; increased mPRα contributes to a higher microvessel density (MVD) in LUAD tissues. mPRα knockdown in A549 and PC-9 cells significantly inhibited STAT3 phosphorylation, as well as HIF1α and VEGF protein levels, decreasing cancer cell migration and invasion. The in vivo xenograft model further confirmed that mPRα enhanced the aggressiveness of LUAD cells. Furthermore, mPRα knockdown significantly inhibited hypoxia-induced upregulation in HIF1α and VEGF levels, as well as LUAD cell migration and invasion. Under the hypoxic condition, conditioned medium (CM) derived from mPRα knockdown A549 cells, namely si-mPRα-CM, significantly inhibited HUVEC migration and tube formation and decreased VEGF level in the culture medium. In contrast, CM derived from mPRα-overexpressing A549 cells, namely mPRα-CM, further enhanced HUVEC migration and tube formation and increased VEGF level under hypoxia, which was partially reversed by STAT3 inhibitor Stattic. In conclusion, in LUAD cells, highly expressed mPRα enhances the activation of cAMP/JAK/STAT3 signaling and increases HIF1α-induced VEGF secretion into the tumor microenvironment, promoting HUVEC migration and tube formation under hypoxia.

ZnTiO3/tourmaline loaded on the nickel foam (ZnTiO3/tourmaline/Ni-foam) is prepared by a facile coating method. Morphology and structure of the photocatalyst were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electrons microscopy (SEM), raman spectroscopy, UV–vis diffuse reflectance spectrum (UV–vis DRS) and photoluminescence spectroscopy (PL). The photocatalytic properties of the materials were tested by using the Rhodamine B (RhB) solution as the target pollutant. The results indicates that the ZnTiO3/tourmaline/Ni foam exhibited higher photocatalytic activity than that of ZnTiO3 and ZnTiO3/Ni foam under ultraviolet (UV) light irradiation, and its degradation rate was up to 99.2%. Moreover, the degradation rate remained at 91.3% after eight consecutive photocatalytic reaction cycles. The outstanding photocatalytic performances of ZnTiO3/tourmaline/Ni foam was mainly attributed to the existence of tourmaline, which can help to inhibit the recombination of electron-hole paris, and the proper pore structure of the carrier. Meanwhile, the trapping experiments indicated that ·O2– was the main active species in the photocatalytic degradation of RhB.

Salvia leucantha (Lamiaceae) is an important horticultural plant with great ornamental and economic value. Here, we report the complete chloroplast genome of this species. The chloroplast genome was determined to be 151021 bp and the GC contents was 38.0%. The sequence includes a large single copy (LSC) region of 82,262 bp, a small single copy (SSC) region of 17,537 bp, and two separated inverted regions of 25,611 bp each. It contains 130 unique genes, including 85 protein-coding genes, 37 tRNA genes, and 8 rRNA genes. Based on the chloroplast genomes data of 26 species in Salvia, our result indicated that S. leucantha, S. tiliifolia, S. hispanica, and S. splendens formed one clade with Bootstrap = 100%. The four species belong to Salvia subgenus Calosphace, and S. leucantha was closely related to Salvia tiliifolia and Salvia hispanica. This result will facilitate population, genetic diversity and phylogenetic studies of S. leucantha.

Abstract Background MiR-924 has been reported to be a tumor suppressor in hepatocellular carcinoma. However, the functions and mechanisms of miR-924 in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) remain unclear. Methods The expression of miR-924 was determined in NSCLC tissues and cell lines using quantitative real time PCR. The Chi-squared test was used to evaluate the correlation between miR-924 levels and clinicopathological parameters in patients with NSCLC. Cell proliferation was assessed by CCK-8 assay. Cell migration and invasion were detected by transwell assay. The combination of miR-924 and RHBDD1 was analyzed via the luciferase reporter assay. The expression level of RHBDD1 was evaluated in lung cancer tissues using public microarray datasets form Oncomine and its prognostic value was assessed by Kaplan–Meier Plotter databases. A tumor xenograft mouse model was established to illustrate the effects of miR-924 on the tumorigenesis of NSCLC in vivo. Results In this study, we found miR-924 was strikingly decreased in NSCLC tissues and cell lines. Decreased miR-924 was closely correlated with advanced tumor-node-metastasis (TNM) stage and lymphatic metastasis in NSCLC patients. Noticeably, rhomboid domain-containing protein 1 (RHBDD1) was predicted and confirmed as a direct target of miR-924. Moreover, the expression level of RHBDD1 was significantly increased and inversely associated with prognosis using public microarray datasets form Oncomine and Kaplan–Meier Plotter databases. MiR-924 overexpression suppressed cell proliferation, migration and invasion. The in vivo experiments further demonstrated that miR-924 overexpression reduced NSCLC xenograft growth through inhibiting RHBDD1/Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway. Conclusions In summary, these findings demonstrated that miR-924 blocked the progression of NSCLC by targeting RHBDD1 and miR-924/RHBDD1 axis might provide a novel therapeutic target for the treatment of NSCLC.

Abstract Background Mycobacterium bovis could infect patients with immunodeficiency or immunosuppressive conditions via Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) vaccination. Tuberculosis-related hemophagocytic syndrome (HPS) is reported, but not HPS caused by Mycobacterium bovis in children. Case presentation A 4-month Chinese boy presented fever and cough. The initial laboratory investigation showed the lymphocyte count of 0.97 × 109/L, which decreased gradually. HPS was diagnosed based on the test results that fulfilled the HLH-2004 criteria. In addition, Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex was detected from his peripheral blood via metagenomic next-generation sequencing (mNGS) and M. bovis was identified by polymerase chain reaction-reverse dot blot (PCR-RDB). Thus, the patient was treated with Isoniazid, Rifampin, and Pyrazinamide, but not improved. However, parents refused to accept further therapy, and was discharged on the day 12 of admission. To confirm the pathogenesis, genetic analysis was performed. Mutation in the interleukin-2 receptor subunit gamma gene: Exon 6: c.854G > A; p. Arg285Gln was detected in the patient and the mother, which could underlie X-linked severe combined immunodeficiency. Conclusions A boy with X-SCID was diagnosed with M. bovis-associated HPS, emphasizing that X-SCID should be considered when M. bovis is detected in a male infant with low lymphocyte counts.

ObjectiveFungal infections are common in pediatric intensive care units (PICUs), but the monitoring methods are limited. This study analyzed the differences in clinical features, diagnosis, and treatment between PICU patients with and without fungal infection.MethodsThis retrospective study analyzed PICU patients at the Maternal and Child Health Hospital of Hubei Province diagnosed with severe pneumonia between January 2015 and January 2020. The patients were divided into the fungal (F) and non-fungal (NF) infection groups. Levels of 1,3-beta-D-glucan (BDG) and galactomannan (GM) in serum and bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) were analyzed. Chest computed tomography (CT) images were reviewed.ResultsA total of 357 patients were included. In the F group, fever, moist rales, coarse rales, shortness of breath, and sepsis were more common (all P < 0.05); PICU time, hospitalization duration, and BDG- and GM-positive rates in serum and BALF were all significantly higher than in the NF group (all P < 0.05). The BDG- and GM-positive rates in serum and BALF were higher in the F than in the NF group (all P < 0.05). The abnormal lymphocyte ratios in serum were higher in the F group (all P < 0.05). Wedge-shaped, patchy, streaky shadows and subpleural reticulation were higher in CT images of the F group (all P < 0.05). Tracheobronchial stenosis was more common in pulmonary fibroscopy results of the F group (P = 0.04).ConclusionPICU pneumonia patients with fungal infection have specific clinical and laboratory features compared with those without fungal infection, including higher rates of BALF, serum BDG, GM positivity and tracheobronchial stenosis.

Background: Programmed death ligand-1 (PD-L1) is a biomarker for assessing the immune microenvironment, prognosis, and response to immune checkpoint inhibitors in the clinical treatment of lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD), but it does not work for all patients. This study aims to discover alternative biomarkers.Methods: Public data were obtained from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO). Weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA) and gene ontology (GO) were used to determine the gene modules relevant to tumor immunity. Protein–protein interaction (PPI) network and GO semantic similarity analyses were applied to identify the module hub genes with functional similarities to PD-L1, and we assessed their correlations with immune infiltration, patient prognosis, and immunotherapy response. Immunohistochemistry (IHC) and hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) staining were used to validate the outcome at the protein level.Results: We identified an immune response–related module, and two hub genes (PSTPIP1 and PILRA) were selected as potential biomarkers with functional similarities to PD-L1. High expression levels of PSTPIP1 and PILRA were associated with longer overall survival and rich immune infiltration in LUAD patients, and both were significantly high in patients who responded to anti–PD-L1 treatment. Compared to PD-L1–negative LUAD tissues, the protein levels of PSTPIP1 and PILRA were relatively increased in the PD-L1–positive tissues, and the expression of PSTPIP1 and PILRA positively correlated with the tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes.Conclusion: We identified PSTPIP1 and PILRA as prognostic biomarkers relevant to immune infiltration in LUAD, and both are associated with the response to anti–PD-L1 treatment.

Improving the line-spectrum detection capability of a single hydrophone is of great significance for the passive detection of small underwater platforms. In this paper, we propose a single-hydrophone cross-power spectrum (SHCS) method based on time-domain coherence. This method uses the coherence of the line spectrum and the non-coherence of the continuous spectrum noise to obtain coherent gain and improve the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of the line spectrum. The effects of the input SNR, number of averaging operations, and overlap ratio on the performance of the SHCS method under a background of Gaussian white noise are simulated and analyzed. The results show that when the overlap ratio is 0 and the number of averaging operations reaches saturation, the SHCS method can achieve the best performance and about 15 dB coherence gain is obtained. The performance of the SHCS method was verified by sea experiments. Under the extremely low input SNR, in which the line spectrum was almost completely submerged in the marine environmental noise, the SHCS method can obtain about 10 dB coherence gain. Under the conventional input SNR, in which the line spectrum could be observed, the SHCS method can obtain about 13 dB coherence gain. The results of processing the radiated noise from an actual cargo ship also demonstrate the effectiveness of the SHCS method.

This work constructed an ultrasensitive electrochemical bisphenol AF (BPAF) sensor using ultra-stable graphdiyne-templated platinum nanoparticles (PtNPs@GDY) as a sensing platform. PtNPs@GDY nanocomposite was synthesized by a chemical reduction method, and the preparation process was simple and rapid. GDY, with its natural porous structure, was used as substrate to stabilize PtNPs. Due to the high adsorption ability of GDY, it can prevent PtNPs from aggregation and inactivation. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM), high-resolution TEM (HRTEM) and Energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) were used to characterize the microstructure and morphologies of the materials. Cyclic voltammetry (CV), Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) and differential pulse voltammetry (DPV) were employed to investigate the electrochemical properties of the material and the performance of the sensor. At an optimized condition, the sensor exhibited excellent catalytic activities towards BPAF. The linear ranges were from 0.4 to 15.4 μM and 35.4 to 775.4 μM. The limit of detection was 0.09 μM. In addition, the electrochemical sensor showed good reproducibility, stability and anti-interference.

Abstract Background To analyze the application of neurally adjusted ventilatory assist in ventilator weaning of infants. Methods A total of 25 infants (15 boys and 10 girls) who were mechanically ventilated by PICU in Hubei Maternal and Child Health Hospital were selected as the study subjects. After the improvement of the basic disease, regular spontaneous breathing, and the withdrawal of the ventilator, all the children obtained the electrical activity of the diaphragm (EAdi) signal. Then, each child was given CPAP and NAVA mode mechanical ventilation 1 h before the withdrawal of the ventilator. Each detection index was recorded 30 min after each mode of ventilation. Results Two of the 25 children were tracheotomized because of respiratory muscle weakness and could not be converted to NAVA mode without the EAdi signal. Hemodynamic indexes were not statistically different between the two groups of CPAP and NAVA. PaCO2 is not significantly different in the two modes, and both were at normal levels. The PIP in NAVA mode is lower than that in CPAP mode (p

Several studies have indicated a positive effect of exercise (especially resistance exercise) on the mTOR signaling that control muscle protein synthesis and muscle remodeling. However, the relationship between exercise, mTOR activation and leucine-sensing requires further clarification. Two month old Sprague-Dawley rats were subjected to aerobic exercise (treadmill running at 20 m/min, 6° incline for 60 min) and resistance exercise (incremental ladder climbing) for 4 weeks. The gastrocnemius muscles were removed for determination of muscle fibers diameter, cross-sectional area (CSA), protein concentration and proteins involved in muscle leucine-sensing and protein synthesis. The results show that 4 weeks of resistance exercise increased the diameter and CSA of gastrocnemius muscle fibers, protein concentration, the phosphorylation of mTOR (Ser2448), 4E-BP1(Thr37/46), p70S6K (Thr389), and the expression of LeuRS, while aerobic exercise just led to a significant increase in protein concentration and the phosphorylation of 4E-BP1(Thr37/46). Moreover, no difference was found for Sestrin2 expression between groups. The current study shows resistance exercise, but not aerobic exercise, may increase muscle protein synthesis and protein deposition, and induces muscle hypertrophy through LeuRS/mTOR signaling pathway. However, further studies are still warranted to clarify the exact effects of vary intensities and durations of aerobic exercise training.

The cultivar of Rehmannia glutinosa (Orobanchaceae) is one of the four famous ‘Huai’ medicine cultivar species endemic to Henan Province in central China. In this study, we report the complete chloroplast (cp) genome of R. glutinosa cultivar Wen 85-5. The cp genome of R. glutinosa cultivar Wen 85-5 was 155,499 bp in length and contained a pair of inverted repeat regions (IR, 25,748 bp) separated by a small single copy (SSC, 17,600 bp) and a large single copy (LSC, 84,403 bp) region. Chloroplast genome sequences of two cultivar of R. glutinosa (Wen 85-5 and Jiwang 1) are identical to each other. The sequence of cp genome of R. glutinosa cultivar Wen 85-5 was 99.70% similar to the wild population of R. glutinosa. Some distinctive insert and deletion in R. glutinosa cultivar Wen 85-5 by comparison with wild population were reported. The maximum-likelihood phylogenetic analysis revealed that R. glutinosa cultivar Wen 85-5.was sister to the R. glutinosa cultivar Jiwang 1 (BS = 100%), and further clustering with R. glutinosa (BS = 100%). This result will be helpful for the conservation and breeding programs of the cultivar of R. glutinosa.

Skeletal muscle anabolic resistance (i.e., the decrease in muscle protein synthesis (MPS) in response to anabolic stimuli such as amino acids and exercise) has been identified as a major cause of age-related sarcopenia, to which blunted nutrition-sensing contributes. In recent years, it has been suggested that a leucine sensor may function as a rate-limiting factor in skeletal MPS via small-molecule GTPase. Leucine-sensing and response may therefore have important therapeutic potential in the steady regulation of protein metabolism in aging skeletal muscle. This paper systematically summarizes the three critical processes involved in the leucine-sensing and response process: (1) How the coincidence detector mammalian target of rapamycin complex 1 localizes on the surface of lysosome and how its crucial upstream regulators Rheb and RagB/RagD interact to modulate the leucine response; (2) how complexes such as Ragulator, GATOR, FLCN, and TSC control the nucleotide loading state of Rheb and RagB/RagD to modulate their functional activity; and (3) how the identified leucine sensor leucyl-tRNA synthetase (LARS) and stress response protein 2 (Sestrin2) participate in the leucine-sensing process and the activation of RagB/RagD. Finally, we discuss the potential mechanistic role of exercise and its interactions with leucine-sensing and anabolic responses.

The dried fruits of Psoralea corylifolia Linn are called Psoraleae Fructus (FP), widely used in postmenopausal osteoporosis treatment. However, FP-induced hepatotoxicity has been reported, which might be caused by bakuchiol, psoralen and isopsoralen. In our study, bakuchiol, psoralen and isopsoralen were removed from the EtOH extract of FP by petroleum ether extraction, finally yielding the flavonoids of FP (FFP). The anti-osteoporosis efficacy of FFP was evaluated on both zebrafish and ovariectomized (OVX) rats. FFP mitigated the decline in mineralization induced by retinoic acid in zebrafish. A noteworthy decline in trabecular bone volume and sharply uterus atrophy was observed in OVX rats. FFP alleviated uterus atrophy and promoted bone strength in OVX rats. BMD, BV/TV, Tb.Th, Tb.N was increased, while Tb.Sp and the bone turnover marker PINP and CTX was decreased in FFP group. FFP promoted Runx2 expression, reduced the number of osteoclasts, and increased the ratio of OPG/RANKL in osteoblasts.

Ovarian sex steroids can modulate new vessel formation and development, and the clarification of the underlying mechanism will provide insight into neovascularization-related physiological changes and pathological conditions. Unlike estrogen, which mainly promotes neovascularization through activating classic post-receptor signaling pathways, progesterone (P4) regulates a variety of downstream factors with angiogenic or antiangiogenic effects, exerting various influences on neovascularization. Furthermore, diverse progestins, the synthetic progesterone receptor (PR) agonists structurally related to P4, have been used in numerous studies, which could contribute to unequal actions. As a result, there have been many conflicting observations in the past, making it difficult for researchers to define the exact role of progestogens (PR agonists including naturally occurring P4 and synthetic progestins). This review summarizes available evidence for progestogen-mediated neovascularization under physiological and pathological circumstances, and attempts to elaborate their functional characteristics and regulatory patterns from a comprehensive perspective.

The species of Belamcanda chinensis (L.) Redouté. is one of the Chinese traditional medicinal herb. In this study, we first report the complete chloroplast (cp) genome of B. chinensis. The chloroplast (cp) genome was determined to be 153,735 bp and the GC contents was 37.9%. The sequence includes a large single-copy (LSC) region of 83, 199 bp, a small single-copy (SSC) region of 18,168 bp, and two separated inverted regions of 26,184 bp each. It contains 132 genes, including 86 protein-coding genes, 38 tRNA genes, and 8 rRNA genes. Based on 10 chloroplast genomes data, the maximum likelihood phylogenetic analysis revealed that B. chinensis was sister to Iris (Bootstrap = 100%) within Iridaceae. This result will be helpful for the conservation and breeding programs of the B. chinensis.

The familial placement of Wightia has been controversial in the Lamiales, and the genus is currently placed in Paulowniaceae in APG IV. Phylogenetic analyses of Wightia and its close relatives in Lamiales are conducted using sequences of the complete chloroplast genomes as well as sequence data from nine chloroplast DNA regions (atpB, matK, ndhF, psbBTNH, rbcL, rps4, rps16 intron, trnL-F, and trnV-atpE) and one mitochondrial gene rps3. The maximum likelihood and Bayesian analyses do not support a close relationship between Wightia and Paulownia of Paulowniaceae; instead the enigmatic Wightia is sister to Phrymaceae with strong support in all analyses. Hence Wightia should not be placed in Paulowniaceae. Because morphological data show Wightia’s affinity to both Phrymaceae and Paulowniaceae and prior nrITS data suggest its sister relationship to Paulownia of Paulowniaceae, it is likely that Wightia may have had a hybrid origin between early lineages of Phrymaceae and Paulowniaceae. It is therefore the best to exclude Wightia from Paulowniaceae and place the genus as unassigned until further nuclear data to test the hybrid hypothesis. The seven species of Paulownia constitute a monophyletic group, and Paulowniaceae is supported to be a monogeneric family, consistent with a series of morphological and floral development characters. The genus Brandisia, which was sometimes regarded as a close relative of Wightia, is supported to be nested within Orobanchaceae, as sister to Pterygiella. This sister relationship can be corroborated by fruit, seed and pollen morphological characters.

This paper presents a likelihood-based algorithm for identifying different phase shift keying (PSK) modulations, i.e., BPSK, QPSK, and 8PSK. This algorithm selects the modulation type that maximizes a loglikelihood function that is based on the known original constellation associated with the constellation of the received signals for the candidate modulation types. However, there are two problems in non-cooperative underwater acoustic Multiple Phase Shift Keying (MPSK) modulation identification based on the likelihood method. One is the original constellation, which as prior information is unknown. The other is the underwater acoustic multipath channel makes the constellation distort seriously. In this paper, we solved these problems by combining sparse bayesian learning (SBL) with expectation maximization (EM). The specific steps are as follows. Firstly, blind channel equalization can be achieved by channel impulse response (CIR), which is estimated by sparse bayesian learning in single input multi output (SIMO) underwater acoustic channel. Subsequently, we used expectation maximization to compensate amplitude attenuation and phase offset, as the original constellation of MPSK is unknown. Finally, modulation can be successfully identified by the Quasi Hybrid Likelihood Ratio Test (QHLRT). The simulation results show that the channel estimation method based on SBL can eliminate the influence of channel effectively, and the EM algorithm can make the received constellation converge to the preset constellation in the case of unknown original transmit constellation, which effectively solves these two problems. We use the proposed SBL-EM-QHLRT method to achieve an identification rate of more than 95% in underwater acoustic multipath channels with Signal to Noise Ratio (SNR) higher than 15 dB, which provides a new idea for modulation identification of non-cooperative underwater acoustic MPSK.

Sarcopenia is defined as the progressive loss of muscle mass with age, and poses a serious threat to the physiological and psychological health of the elderly population with consequential economic and social burdens. Chronic low-grade inflammation plays a central role in the development of sarcopenia such that it alters cellular protein metabolism to favor proteolysis over synthesis, and thereby accelerates muscular atrophy. The purpose of this review is to highlight how exercise and nutrition intervention strategies can attenuate or treat sarcopenia. Resistance exercise increases not only muscle mass but also muscle strength, while aerobic exercise is able to ameliorate the age-related metabolic disorders. Concurrent exercise training integrates the advantages of both aerobic and resistance exercise, and may exert a significant synergistic effect in the aging organism. Higher protein intakes rich in the amino acid leucine appear to restore skeletal muscle protein metabolism balance by rescuing protein synthesis in older adults. There is good reason to believe that a multimodal treatment, a combination of exercise and increased leucine consumption in the diet, can combat some of the muscle loss associated with aging. Future research is needed to consolidate these findings to humans, and to further clarify to what extent and by which mechanisms protein metabolism might be directly involved in sarcopenia pathogenesis and the multimodal treatment responses.

Xian-ling-gu-bao (XLGB) is a well-known patented traditional Chinese prescription widely used to treat osteoporosis, osteoarthritis, aseptic bone necrosis, or climacteric syndrome. However, recent reports have suggested that XLGB may cause liver injury in humans. In the present study, we aimed to evaluate the efficacy of XLGB in the prevention of osteoporosis in the zebrafish and ovariectomized (OVX) rats, both of which have been used as osteoporosis models. The safety of XLGB after long-term administration to OVX rats was also assessed. OVX rats were administered by oral gavage 270 mg/kg (recommended daily dose), 1350 mg/kg, and 1800 mg/kg of XLGB for 26 weeks. Bone mineral density, relative bone surface to bone volume, relative bone volume to total volume, trabecular number, mean trabecular thickness, and mean trabecular spacing in OVX rats were examined at the end of the 26-week dosing period. Additionally, OPG and RANKL expression in the femur were determined by western blot and immunohistochemical staining. To evaluate the safety of XLGB, body weight, hematology, serum biochemistry markers related to toxicology, and organ histopathology were determined in each group of OVX rats. Conversely, the zebrafish was treated with prednisolone to induce osteoporosis in the embryo. Disodium etidronate was used as a treatment control. XLGB was shown to be effective in preventing osteoporosis in both the OVX rats and the prednisolone-treated zebrafish. Similarly, XLGB increased OPG protein and decreased RANKL protein in OVX rats. Interestingly, no obvious toxicity was observed in the heart, liver, kidney, small intestine, or stomach at dosages of up to 1800 mg/kg after treating the OVX rats for 26 weeks. XLGB was shown to be very effective in treating osteoporosis in OVX rats. No obvious toxicity or adverse effects developed in OVX rats at dosages up to 1800 mg/kg, which is equivalent to six times the daily-recommended dose. Therefore, XLGB should be considered a good option for the treatment of post-menopausal osteoporosis.

Rhynchophylline (Rhy) is an alkaloid isolated from Uncaria which has long been recommended for the treatment of central nervous diseases. In our study, the neuroprotective effect of Rhy was investigated in a stroke model, namely permanent middle cerebral artery occlusion (pMCAO). Rats were injected intraperitoneally once daily for four consecutive days before surgery and then received one more injection after surgery. The protein and mRNA levels of p-Akt, p-mTOR, apoptosis-related proteins (p-BAD and cleaved caspase-3), TLR2/4/9, NF-κB, MyD88, BDNF and claudin-5 were examined. Following pMCAO, Rhy treatment not only ameliorated neurological deficits, infarct volume and brain edema, but also increased claudin-5 and BDNF expressions (p < 0.05). Moreover, Rhy could activate PI3K/Akt/mTOR signaling while inhibiting TLRs/NF-κB pathway. Wortmannin, a selective PI3K inhibitor, could abolish the neuroprotective effect of Rhy and reverse the increment in p-Akt, p-mTOR and p-BAD levels. In conclusion, we hypothesize that Rhy protected against ischemic damage, probably via regulating the Akt/mTOR pathway.

Triaenophora shennongjiaensis (Orobanchaceae sensu lato) is a recently described rare and endangered species endemic to Central China. In this study, the complete chloroplast (cp) genome of T. shennpongjiaensis was assembled based on reads obtained with the Illumina HiSeq platform. The cp genome of T. shennongjiaensis was 15,5319 bp in length and contained a pair of inverted repeat (IR, 27,484 bp) regions separated by a small single copy (SSC, 15,450 bp) and a large single copy (LSC, 84,901 bp) region. It encoded 112 genes including 78 protein-coding genes, 30 tRNA genes, and eight ribosomal RNA genes. The overall AT content of T. shennongjiaensis cp genome is 61.9%. The maximum likelihood phylogenetic analysis supports T. shennongjiaensis as sister to Rehmannia. This result will be helpful for the systematics, conservation, and breeding programs of Triaenophora.

Utilization of CdSe nanoparticle suspension for latent fingermarks on a multitude of non-porous and semi-porous surfaces has been demonstrated in this paper. Whether it is dark or light, the color of adhesives has no effect on the results of developing, because of the strong fluorescence excited by irradiation with UV LEDs. Enough contrast could be obtained for imaging. As an effective stabilizer for suspension which is commonly used in fingermark developing, Tween 20 with different concentration was also applied for better results. However, it did not work for nanometer-sized particles, which have already been stable in suspension. To broaden the scope of its application, different excitation systems were adopted. Well-contrast images could be obtained when 365 nm UV light, 440 nm blue light and daylight were applied. TiO2 SPR (small particle reagent) and gentian violet were used to compare with CdSe nanoparticle suspension under daylight. The results indicated that it produced significantly less background development and better contrast.

Previously we have found vicagrel, a new acetate derivative of clopidogrel, underwent hydrolysis to 2-oxo-clopidogrel and subsequent conversions to its pharmacological active metabolite (AM) and inactive carboxylic acid metabolite (CAM). This study demonstrated the interspecies differences of the vicagrel bioactivation by comparing the critical vicagrel metabolites formation in rats, dogs and human. The pharmacokinetic studies with rats and dogs were conducted after intragastric administration of vicagrel, followed by in vitro metabolism investigation in venous system, intestinal/hepatic microsomes from rats, dogs and human. An obvious disparity was observed in system exposure to AM (99.0 v.s 635.1μg∙h/L, p