Explore the vast range of titles available.

Hypertension pathogenesis increasingly implicates gut microbiota-host crosstalk, where immune regulation bridges gut dysbiosis and renal dysfunction. Phlegm-dampness hypertension-a prevalent Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) syndrome typified by metabolic, immune, and renal anomalies-demands novel interventions. Modified Zexie Decoction (MZXD), a TCM formula with documented antihypertensive and anti-inflammatory properties, may target the gut-immune-kidney axis. This study investigated MZXD's efficacy in Stage I phlegm-dampness hypertension via this axis. Thirty Stage I phlegm-dampness hypertension patients received MZXD for 42 days. Pre- and post-treatment measurements included blood pressure, serum immune markers, renal function parameters, gut microbiota, and short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs). MZXD significantly reduced systolic/diastolic blood pressure (P < 0.05). Gut microbiota diversity increased, shifting toward healthy profiles. SCFA levels rose markedly (P < 0.01). Immune markers (P < 0.05) and renal function improved (P < 0.05). MZXD alleviates phlegm-dampness hypertension by modulating the gut-immune-kidney axis: enhancing microbial diversity, boosting SCFAs, attenuating inflammation, and improving renal function. This first systematic validation positions MZXD as a promising multi-target therapy. Future studies should explore clinical scalability and mechanistic depth.

Background Sarcopenia is closely associated with activity limitations, falls and fractures, all serving as major causes of physiological deterioration and even mortality in older adults. The purpose of this study was to develop and validate a novel nomogram for predicting the risk of sarcopenia in Chinese older adults from rural areas. Methods Overall, 611 older adults were enrolled from the Thyroid Diseases in Older Population (TOPS) study and randomly assigned to the training and validation datasets in a ratio of 8:2. Based on the risk factors for sarcopenia identified by stepwise multivariate logistic regression, a nomogram to predict sarcopenia in older adults was created. Its discrimination ability, calibration accuracy and clinical utility were assessed via the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve, calibration curve, and decision curve analysis (DCA), respectively. Additionally, a web-based nomogram was developed. Results A nomogram to predict sarcopenia in older adults was created by incorporating the following variables: age (years), sex, body mass index (BMI, kg/m 2 ), free triiodothyronine (FT3), total cholesterol (TC), triglyceride (TG), and TG/HDL-C. The area under the curve (AUC) of the nomogram was 0.813 (95% CI 0.775–0.846) in the training dataset and 0.819 (95% CI 0.739–0.883) in the validation dataset. Both calibration curves and DCA verified high calibration accuracy and clinical utility of the nomogram. Conclusions A nomogram is created based on routine laboratory values of blood testing, showing an outstanding ability to predict sarcopenia in older adults from rural areas in China accurately, specifically and cost-effectively.

Bismuth layered-structure oxides in the Bi 3 Ti(Ta x Nb 1−x )O 9 quasi-binary system were synthesized by the conventional solid state reaction approach, and their ferroelectric and piezoelectric properties were evaluated together with the structures. The XRD analysis showed that all the ceramics were the single phase. It was found that the remnant polarization (Pr) reached a maximum of 4.2 µC/cm 2 when x = 0.5 mol%. In addition, a bright up-conversional photoluminescence (UC) can be measured by partial substituting Er 3+ for Bi 3+ . Under 980 nm radiation excitation, three emission bands located at green (534, 549 nm) and red (670 nm) wavelength regions were obtained at room temperature. These Er 3+ doped Bi 3 Ti(Ta 0.5 Nb 0.5 )O 9 based ferroelectrics could be used as a multifunctional material for a wide range of applications.

Bismuth layered-structure oxides in the Bi sub(3)Ti(Ta sub(x)Nb sub(1-x))O sub(9) quasi-binary system were synthesized by the conventional solid state reaction approach, and their ferroelectric and piezoelectric properties were evaluated together with the structures. The XRD analysis showed that all the ceramics were the single phase. It was found that the remnant polarization (Pr) reached a maximum of 4.2 mu C/cm super(2) when x = 0.5 mol%. In addition, a bright up-conversional photoluminescence (UC) can be measured by partial substituting Er super(3+) for Bi super(3+). Under 980 nm radiation excitation, three emission bands located at green (534, 549 nm) and red (670 nm) wavelength regions were obtained at room temperature. These Er super(3+) doped Bi sub(3)Ti(Ta sub(0.5)Nb sub(0.5))O sub(9) based ferroelectrics could be used as a multifunctional material for a wide range of applications.

Bismuth layered-structure oxides in the Bi3Ti(TaxNb1-x)O9 quasi-binary system were synthesized by the conventional solid state reaction approach, and their ferroelectric and piezoelectric properties were evaluated together with the structures. The XRD analysis showed that all the ceramics were the single phase. It was found that the remnant polarization (Pr) reached a maximum of 4.2 µC/cm2 when x = 0.5 mol%. In addition, a bright up-conversional photoluminescence (UC) can be measured by partial substituting Er3+ for Bi3+. Under 980 nm radiation excitation, three emission bands located at green (534, 549 nm) and red (670 nm) wavelength regions were obtained at room temperature. These Er3+ doped Bi3Ti(Ta0.5Nb0.5)O9 based ferroelectrics could be used as a multifunctional material for a wide range of applications.

Grain protein content (GPC) affects rice nutrition quality. Here, we identify two stable quantitative trait loci (QTLs), qGPC-1 and qGPC-10 , controlling GPC in a mapping population derived from indica and japonica cultivars crossing. Map-based cloning reveals that OsGluA2 , encoding a glutelin type-A2 precursor, is the candidate gene underlying qGPC-10 . It functions as a positive regulator of GPC and has a pleiotropic effect on rice grain quality. One SNP located in OsGluA2 promoter region is associated with its transcript expression level and GPC diversity. Polymorphisms of this nucleotide can divide all haplotypes into low ( OsGluA2 LET ) and high ( OsGluA2 HET ) expression types. Population genetic and evolutionary analyses reveal that OsGluA2 LET , mainly present in japonica accessions, originates from wild rice. However, OsGluA2 HET , the dominant type in indica , is acquired through mutation of OsGluA2 LET . Our results shed light on the understanding of natural variations of GPC between indica and japonica subspecies. Grain protein content determines rice nutrition quality. Here, the authors show that a single nucleotide polymorphism in the promoter region of OsGluA2, encoding a glutelin type-A2 precursor, is responsible for glutelin content difference between the indica and japonica rice subspecies.

Neuroinflammation has been proven to exert an important effect on brain injury after intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH). Previous studies reported that Didymin possessed anti-inflammatory properties after acute hepatic injury, hyperglycemia-induced endothelial dysfunction, and death. However, the role of Didymin in microglial pyroptosis and neuroinflammation after ICH is unclear. The current study aimed to investigate the effect of Didymin on neuroinflammation mediated by microglial pyroptosis in mouse models of ICH and shed some light on the underlying mechanisms. In this study, we observed that Didymin treatment remarkably improved neurobehavioral performance and decreased BBB disruption and brain water content. Microglial activation and neutrophil infiltration in the peri-hematoma tissue after ICH were strikingly mitigated by Didymin as well. At the molecular level, administration of Didymin significantly unregulated the expression of Rkip and downregulated the expression of pyroptotic molecules and inflammatory cytokines such as Nlrp3 inflammasome, GSDMD, caspase-1, and mature IL-1β, TNF-α, and MPO after ICH. Besides, Didymin treatment decreased the number of Caspase-1-positive microglia and GSDMD-positive microglia after ICH. Inversely, Locostatin, an Rkip-specific inhibitor, significantly abolished the anti-pyroptosis and anti-neuroinflammation effects of Didymin. Moreover, Rkip binding with Asc could interrupt the activation and assembly of the inflammasome. Mechanistically, inhibition of Caspase-1 by VX-765 attenuated brain injury and suppressed microglial pyroptosis and neuroinflammation by downregulation of GSDMD, mature IL-1β, TNF-α, and MPO based on Locostatin-treated ICH. Taken together, Didymin alleviated microglial pyroptosis and neuroinflammation, at least in part through the Asc/Caspase-1/GSDMD pathway via upregulating Rkip expression after ICH. Therefore, Didymin may be a potential agent to attenuate neuroinflammation via its anti-pyroptosis effect after ICH.

Rapid urbanization in China profoundly impacts terrestrial carbon stocks, necessitating robust assessment and prediction frameworks. This study employed a coupled InVEST-PLUS model to analyse carbon stock dynamics and the economic value of carbon sinks in Jiangsu Province, a rapidly urbanizing region. We evaluated historical changes (2000–2020) and projected future impacts (2020–2040) under various land-use planning scenarios and climate emission pathways (SSP1-2.6, SSP2-4.5, SSP5-8.5). Our findings reveal a significant historical carbon stock decrease of 14.34 Tg in Jiangsu Province between 2000 and 2020, with 86.11% of this reduction occurring from 2000 to 2010. The conversion of cropland to built-up land emerged as a critical driver of carbon loss and diminished carbon sink economic value. Projections indicate that Cropland Protection (CP) and Ecological Protection (EP) scenarios are crucial for mitigating these declines. Integrating climate change, we found carbon sink losses escalated stepwise with increasing emission intensity, with soil carbon losses consistently exceeding those from vegetation. Policy effectiveness varied, with the EP scenario performing optimally under low emission conditions. This study underscores the urgent need for strategic land-use planning to safeguard carbon stocks and economic stability, thereby contributing to carbon neutrality goals.

The brown alga Sargassum fusiforme (SF) is historically consumed as a food material in Japan. A steaming process is often required for SF products on the market due to their moderate hardness and astringent taste. This investigation aimed to elucidate the effect of steaming on the anti-diabetic activity of SF and its related chemical components. Acetone extracts of SF were prepared after it were steamed for 0, 1, 2, or 4 h (SF-0h, SF-1h, SF-3h, and SF-4h, respectively). Alpha-glucosidase inhibitory profiles of each SF extract were made based on activity-guided separation. The active fractions were collected and NMR was applied for a further chemical composition analysis. Our results suggested that total polyphenol levels decreased drastically after steaming, which resulted in a drop in α-glucosidase inhibitory activity. The fatty acid, pheophytin a, and pyropheophytin a contents were elevated significantly after steaming, which contributed to the majority of the activity of steamed SF (SF-1h). However, prolonging the steaming time did not significantly affect the activity of SF further since the content of free fatty acids in steamed SF (SF-2h and SF-4h) almost did not change with a longer time of steaming. Moreover, palmitic acid, 8-octadecenoic acid, and tetradecanoic acid were identified as the top three important fatty acids for the inhibition of α-glucosidase by steamed SF. Further molecular docking results revealed that these fatty acids could interact with residues of α-glucosidase via hydrogen bonds, salt bridges, and hydrophobic interactions. In conclusion, steaming altered the α-glucosidase inhibitory properties of SF by changing the contents of polyphenols, fatty acids, and chlorophyll derivatives.

Pollen tubes, which carry plant sperm, need to grow from where they land in the flower to where the ovule is. Zhong et al. now show how pollen from related plant species race to reach the ovule first. One set of fast-evolving peptide signals is tuned to speed up growth of conspecific pollen tubes. A related set of evolutionarily ancient peptides is tuned to attract all pollen tubes. Thus, fertilization is more likely to happen through conspecific pollen tubes, but a fail-safe system encourages even the laggards to get where they need to go. Science , this issue p. eaau9564 Competition between fast- and slow-growing pollen tubes driven by peptide signals favors conspecific fertilization. Reproductive isolation is a prerequisite for speciation. Failure of communication between female tissues of the pistil and paternal pollen tubes imposes hybridization barriers in flowering plants. Arabidopsis thaliana LURE1 (AtLURE1) peptides and their male receptor PRK6 aid attraction of the growing pollen tube to the ovule. Here, we report that the knockout of the entire AtLURE1 gene family did not affect fertility, indicating that AtLURE1-PRK6–mediated signaling is not required for successful fertilization within one Arabidopsis species. AtLURE1s instead function as pollen tube emergence accelerators that favor conspecific pollen over pollen from other species and thus promote reproductive isolation. We also identified maternal peptides XIUQIU1 to -4, which attract pollen tubes regardless of species. Cooperation between ovule attraction and pollen tube growth acceleration favors conspecific fertilization and promotes reproductive isolation.