Explore the vast range of titles available.

Ultraviolet B (UVB) radiation is a key environmental contributor to skin photoaging, primarily by inducing oxidative stress, mitochondrial dysfunction, metabolic imbalance, and downregulation of tight junction (TJ) proteins. Cedrol, the major component of the essential oil from var. , a tree species endemic to Taiwan, exhibits antioxidant properties. However, its restorative effects against UVB-induced skin damage have not been fully elucidated. In this study, HaCaT keratinocytes were used to evaluate the post-treatment effects of cedrol on UVB-induced damage to skin cells. HaCaT cells were exposed to UVB irradiation followed by cedrol treatment. Cell viability, intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS), mitochondrial membrane potential, ATP levels, mitochondrial biogenesis-related proteins (SIRT1, PGC-1α, Nrf2, TFAM), and TJ proteins (ZO-1, occludin, claudin-3) were assessed. Additionally, H-NMR-based metabolomics was conducted to evaluate UVB-induced metabolic changes. Cedrol significantly improved cell viability post-UVB exposure, decreased intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS), and restored mitochondrial membrane potential and ATP levels. It also upregulated mitochondrial biogenesis-related proteins (SIRT1, PGC-1α, Nrf2, and TFAM) and maintained TJ protein expression (ZO-1, occludin, and claudin-3), thereby preserving epithelial barrier integrity. Furthermore, H-NMR-based metabolomics revealed that cedrol mitigated UVB-induced metabolic disturbances, particularly in amino acid and energy pathways. Cedrol alleviates UVB-induced cellular damage by modulating mitochondrial function and metabolic homeostasis, indicating its potential as a natural agent for promoting skin recovery after UV exposure.

Portulaca oleracea (PO) is a commonly known medicinal crop that is an important ingredient for traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) due to its use as a vegetable in the diet. PO has been recorded to be frequently adulterated by other related species in the market of herbal plants, distorting the PO plant identity. Thus, identification of the botanical origin of PO is a crucial step before pharmaceutical or functional food application. In this research, a quick assay named “loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP)” was built for the specific and sensitive authentication of PO DNA. On the basis of the divergences in the internal transcribed spacer 2 (ITS2) sequence between PO and its adulterant species, the LAMP primers were designed and verified their specificity, sensitivity, and application for the PO DNA authentication. The detection limit of the LAMP assay for PO DNA identification specifically was 100 fg under isothermal conditions at 63 °C for 30 min. In addition, different heat-processed PO samples can be applied for use in PO authentication in the LAMP assay. These samples of PO were more susceptible to the effect of steaming in authentication by PCR than boiling and drying treatment. Furthermore, commercial PO samples pursued from herbal markets were used to display their applicability of the developed LAMP analysis for PO postharvest authentication, and the investigation found that approximately 68.4% of PO specimens in the marketplace of herbal remedies were adulterated. In summary, the specific, sensitive, and rapid LAMP assay for PO authentication was first successfully developed herein, and its practical application for the inspection of adulteration in PO samples from the herbal market was shown. This LAMP assay created in this study will be useful to authenticate the botanical origin of PO and its commercial products.

Portulaca oleracea (PO) is a commonly known medicinal crop that is an important ingredient for traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) due to its use as a vegetable in the diet. PO has been recorded to be frequently adulterated by other related species in the market of herbal plants, distorting the PO plant identity. Thus, identification of the botanical origin of PO is a crucial step before pharmaceutical or functional food application. In this research, a quick assay named “loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP)” was built for the specific and sensitive authentication of PO DNA. On the basis of the divergences in the internal transcribed spacer 2 (ITS2) sequence between PO and its adulterant species, the LAMP primers were designed and verified their specificity, sensitivity, and application for the PO DNA authentication. The detection limit of the LAMP assay for PO DNA identification specifically was 100 fg under isothermal conditions at 63 °C for 30 min. In addition, different heat-processed PO samples can be applied for use in PO authentication in the LAMP assay. These samples of PO were more susceptible to the effect of steaming in authentication by PCR than boiling and drying treatment. Furthermore, commercial PO samples pursued from herbal markets were used to display their applicability of the developed LAMP analysis for PO postharvest authentication, and the investigation found that approximately 68.4% of PO specimens in the marketplace of herbal remedies were adulterated. In summary, the specific, sensitive, and rapid LAMP assay for PO authentication was first successfully developed herein, and its practical application for the inspection of adulteration in PO samples from the herbal market was shown. This LAMP assay created in this study will be useful to authenticate the botanical origin of PO and its commercial products.

Chinese pollination-constant and non-astringent persimmon (C-PCNA) has important application values in the genetic improvement of PCNA for its trait of natural deastringency controlled by a single dominant gene. However, the key genes and the regulatory networks are still not fully understood. The process of C-PCNA natural deastringency may be associated with the acetaldehyde-mediated coagulation of soluble tannins, but the functions of ALDH2 genes related to the metabolism of acetaldehyde are not clear. In this work, three types of persimmon cultivars, ‘Eshi 1’ and ‘Luotian Tianshi’ (C-PCNA type), ‘Youhou’ (J-PCNA type), and ‘Mopanshi’ (non-PCNA type), were sampled. Two members of ALDH2 family genes, DkALDH2a and DkALDH2b , were isolated from ‘Eshi 1’ persimmon fruit. Gene expression patterns indicated that they may be involved in “coagulation effect”, which leads to natural deastringency in C-PCNA persimmon fruit. Transient expression in ‘Eshi 1’ leaves further demonstrated that their expression can reduce the consumption of soluble tannins and inhibit the astringency removal process. Therefore, DkALDH2a and DkALDH2b are negatively correlated with natural deastringency in C-PCNA persimmon.

ObjectiveThis is the first cross-region epidemiological study of myasthenia gravis (MG) in China. We estimated the incidence, prevalence, and medical costs of MG in southern China and explored the differences between the southern and northern Chinese populations.MethodsWe collected and analyzed records from 20 hospitals in the southern city, Guangzhou, 13 hospitals in the northern city, Harbin, and two healthcare insurance systems: job based and residence based in Guangzhou during 2000–2017.Results(1) The estimated annual incidence of MG was 1.55–3.66 per 100,000, and the estimated prevalence of MG was 2.19–11.07 per 100,000 in southern China based on insurance records. (2) The proportion of hospitalized MG patients in the south-based hospital records was three times as high as that in the north-based hospital records. (3) Female MG prevalence was significantly higher than male MG prevalence in Guangzhou, while the similar gender difference in Harbin was not statistically significant due to higher variation in earlier years. (4) The average expense was $35–42 for each outpatient service and $2526–2673 for each hospitalization expense in the south. (5) Contrary to the increase of insurance-based estimate of MG prevalence, the proportion of hospitalized MG patients did not increase over the years, suggesting rising awareness and utilization of health insurance.ConclusionsThe southern MG population had a significantly higher prevalence and a lower response threshold to medication than the northern MG population. These results are calling for further investigations on the genetic, cultural, and environmental variations of the Chinese MG populations between north and south.

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) can be prevented and treated, although presenting with persistent airflow restriction; the airflow restriction caused by COPD is mostly progressive. In recent years, more attention has been paid to the home-based pulmonary rehabilitation (PR) and its influence on COPD. Exercise training is the basic constituent of PR. However, it is not clear which exercise trainings are the ideal ways to deliver home-based PR.In this review, we focus on the effect of home-based exercise training on patients with COPD. We searched literature, which was necessarily required to be randomized controlled trails (RCTs) from the establishment of the four respective databases (Medline, PubMed, Web of Science, and China National Knowledge Infrastructure) from January 2008 to January 2018. We used the Cochrane collaborative “risk of bias” tool to assess the quality of evidence. A total of 21 trials (1694 participants) were included. Through the analysis of the literature, we find that a simple, low-cost, and low-intensity family-based lung-rehabilitation plan to adapt to the real life may lead to the improvement of the ability to exercise, the reduction of the difficulty in breathing, and the improvement of carrying out daily activities.In the exercise training of home-based PR, lower limb exercise (LLE) training demonstrated a more perceptible effect in improving the quality of life of patients with COPD. At the same time, the combination of LLE training, breathing training, and upper limb exercise training is more obvious than the simple LLE training. In addition, home-based low-intensity aerobic training may sometimes be no less than the outpatient or center intervention to improve dyspnea, health status, and exercise tolerance. In conclusion, the simple and easy home-based PR exercise program is useful. Long-term home-based PR may require an enhanced need for maintenance.A simple, low-cost, and low-intensity high blood pressure response (HBPR) plan to adapt to the real life may lead to an augmentation in the ability to exercise, a reduction of the difficulty in breathing, and an improvement in carrying out day-to-day activities. HBPR strategies can benefit patients (elderly patients with COPD at home) in the long term.

The central oscillator is believed to be the key mechanism by which plants adapt to new environments. However, impacts from hybridization, the natural environment, and human selection have rarely been assessed on the oscillator of a crop. Here, from clearly identified alleles at oscillator loci (OsCCA1/LHY, OsPRR95, OsPRR37, OsPRR59, and OsPRR1) in ten diverse genomes of Oryza sativa, additional accessions, and functional analysis, we show that rice’s oscillator was rebuilt primarily by new alleles from recombining parental sequences and subsequent 5′ or/and coding mutations. New alleles may exhibit altered transcript levels from that of a parental allele and are transcribed variably among genetic backgrounds and natural environments in RIL lines. Plants carrying more expressed OsCCA1_a and less transcribed OsPRR1_e flower early in the paddy field. 5′ mutations are instrumental in varied transcription, as shown by EMSA tests on one deletion at the 5′ region of highly transcribed OsPRR1_a. Compared to relatively balanced mutations at oscillator loci of Arabidopsis thaliana, 5′ mutations of OsPRR37 (and OsCCA1 to a less degree) were under negative selection while those of OsPRR1 alleles were under strong positive selection. Together, range expansion of Asian rice can be elucidated by human selection on OsPRR1 alleles via local flowering time-yield relationships.

Irx1 and Irx2 (Irx1/2) are two closely linked and widely expressed members of the conserved Iroquois homeobox family of transcription factors. Despite mounting evidence suggesting the importance of homologs of these genes in many aspects of vertebrate development and function, the role of Irx1/2 in mammals has remained largely unknown. Here, we used mice carrying our newly generated Irx1flox and Irx1floxIrx2del mutant alleles to perform a stepwise genetic ablation of Irx1 and Irx2 levels. Our analysis revealed reduced postnatal growth and viability of Irx1KO mice with gross histological defects in the lung and gut and demonstrated that ablation of one copy of Irx2 in these mice results in neonatal lethality with exacerbated phenotypic defects. Conversely, while Irx2KO mice appear normal, ablation of one copy of Irx1 in these mutants leads to lethality at weaning. Furthermore, we found that homozygous deletion of both Irx1 and Irx2 results in embryonic lethality by mid-gestation with defective extraembryonic vasculature. Our results illustrate that Irx1 and Irx2 play distinct dose-dependent cooperative functions during both the early and late stages of mouse development. Competing Interest Statement The authors have declared no competing interest.

In this study, we analyzed diffusion tensor imaging （DTI） results of brain white matter in rhesus macaques （Macaca mulatta） with four different parameter settings and found that the sequence A （b=1000 s/mm^2, spatial resolution=1.25 mm ×1.25 mm× 1.25 mm, numbers of direction=33, NSA=3） and B （b=800 s/mm^2, spatial resolution= 1.25 mm× 1.25 mm× 1.25 mm, numbers of direction=33, NSA=3） could accurately track coarse fibers. The fractional anisotropy （FA） derived from sequence C （b=1000s/mm^2, spatial resolution=0.55 mm×0.55 mm×2.5 mm, direction number=33, NSA=3） was too fuzzy to be used in tracking white matter fibers. By comparison, the high resolution and the FA with high contrast of gray matter and white matter derived from sequence D （b=800 s/mm^2, spatial resolution=1.0 mm×1.0 mm ×1.0 mm, numbers of direction=33, NSA=3） qualified in its application in tracking both thick and thin fibers, making it an optimal DTI setting for rhesus macaques.