The abnormalities in brain function and structure of patients with functional constipation (FC) have been identified using multiple neuroimaging studies and have confirmed the abnormal processing of ...visceral sensation at the level of the central nervous system (CNS) as an important reason for FC. As an important basis for central information transfer, the role of the white matter (WM) networks in the pathophysiology of FC has not been investigated. This study aimed to explore the topological organization of WM networks in patients with FC and its correlation with clinical variables.
In this study, 70 patients with FC and 45 age- and gender-matched healthy subjects (HS) were recruited. Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) data and clinical variables were acquired from each participant. WM networks were constructed using the deterministic fiber tracking approach, and the global and nodal properties of the WM networks were compared using graph theory analysis between patients with FC and HS. The relationship between the representative nodal characteristics-nodal betweenness and clinical parameters was assessed using partial correlation analysis.
Patients with FC showed increased nodal characteristics in the left superior frontal gyrus (orbital part), right middle frontal gyrus (orbital part), and right anterior cingulate and paracingulate (
< 0.05, corrected for false discovery rate) and decreased nodal characteristics in the left caudate and left thalamus (
< 0.05, corrected for false discovery rate) compared with HS. The duration of FC was negatively correlated with the nodal betweenness of the left thalamus (
= -0.354,
= 0.04, corrected for false discovery rate).
The results indicated the alternations in WM networks of patients with FC and suggested the abnormal visceral sensation processing in the CNS from the perspective of large-scale brain WM network.
Photoperiod/temperature‐sensitive genic male sterility (P/TGMS) is widely applied for improving crop production. Previous investigations using the reversible male sterile (rvms) mutant showed that ...slow development is a general mechanism for restoring fertility to P/TGMS lines in Arabidopsis. In this work, we isolated a restorer of rvms–2 (res3), as the male sterility of rvms–2 was rescued by res3. Phenotype analysis and molecular cloning show that a point mutation in UPEX1 l in res3 leads to delayed secretion of callase A6 from the tapetum to the locule and tetrad callose wall degradation. Electrophoretic mobility shift assay and chromatin immunoprecipitation analysis demonstrated that the tapetal transcription factor ABORTED MICROSPORES directly regulates UPEX1 expression, revealing a pathway for tapetum secretory function. Early degradation of the callose wall in the transgenic line eliminated the fertility restoration effect of res3. The fertility of multiple known P/TGMS lines with pollen wall defects was also restored by res3. We propose that the remnant callose wall may broadly compensate for the pollen wall defects of P/TGMS lines by providing protection for pollen formation. A cellular mechanism is proposed to explain how slow development restores the fertility of P/TGMS lines in Arabidopsis.
During pollen development, a temporary callose wall is essential for normal pollen wall formation and male fertility; delayed degradation of this callose wall facilitates the restoration of fertility in photoperiod/temperaturesensitive genic male sterile Arabidopsis.
IntroductionTaiji has been proven to be effective for regulating both the physical and mental state compared with simple aerobic exercise. However, whether the improvement of Taiji for constipation ...is related to regulate imbalanced brain–gut axis and emotional disorder for functional constipation (FC) remains uncertain. The results of the study will demonstrate the differences in regulation brain–gut balance between Taiji and simply aerobic exercise for patients with FC and provide a potential therapy for clinical treatment of FC, and a new approach for the research of mind–body exercise.Methods and analysisIn this randomised controlled neuroimaging trial, 80 patients with FC will be allocated into two groups: Taiji group and aerobic exercise group. The two groups will receive 10 weeks of Taiji exercise or aerobic exercise, respectively. The stool diary, Cleveland Constipation Score and Patient Assessment of Constipation Symptom, Patient Assessment of Constipation Quality of Life Questionnaire will be used to evaluate the clinical efficacy, the Self-rating Depression Scale, Self-rating Anxiety Scale, Eysenck Personality Questionnaires and Mini-Mental State Examinations will be used to assess the mental state at the baseline, the 5-week intervention and the end of intervention. The 24-hour heart rate variability will be used for assessing the autonomic nervous function, functional MRI and positron emission tomography-CT will be performed for detecting the cerebral functional changes at the baseline and the end of the intervention. The clinical data and multimodal imaging data will be analysed, respectively. Correlation analysis will be conducted to investigate the relationship between cerebral functional changes and symptom improvement.Ethics and disseminationThe procedures have been approved by the Sichuan Regional Ethics Review Committee on Traditional Chinese Medicine (No. 2018KL-047) and conformed to the Declaration of Helsinki. Results will be disseminated through policy briefs, workshops, peer-reviewed publications and conferences.Trial registration numberChinese Clinical Trial Registry (ChiCTR1800019781).
The development of a single-dose tetanus vaccine based on Poly(Lactic acid) (PLA) or Poly(Lactide-co-Glycolide) (PLGA) microspheres has been complicated due to the instability of tetanus toxoid (TT) ...inside these systems. Herein we report an attempt to re-design PLGA microspheres by co-encapsulating TT in the dry solid state together with potential protein stabilizers, such as trehalose, bovine serum albumin, alginate, heparin, dextran or poloxamer 188 and by using an appropriate microencapsulation technique. These newly developed PLGA microspheres were able to release in vitro antigenically active TT for at least 5 weeks, the amount released being highly dependent on the stabilizing excipient used. More specifically, results showed that dextran and heparin provided a particularly stabilizing environment for TT inside the microspheres during the polymer degradation process. The efficacy of this strategy was demonstrated by the high, long lasting titers of neutralizing antibodies achieved after in vivo administration of dextran-containing microspheres with a small amount of alum-adsorbed TT, as compared to the commercial adsorbable tetanus vaccine. These findings suggest that future developments in the area of vaccinology depend on ability to combine a detailed knowledge of the microencapsulation technology with a rational choice of stabilizing excipient or combination of excipients.
The aberrant static functional connectivity of brain network has been widely investigated in patients with functional constipation (FCon). However, the dynamics of brain functional connectivity in ...FCon patients remained unknown. This study aimed to detect the brain dynamics of functional connectivity states and network topological organizations of FCon patients and investigate the correlations of the aberrant brain dynamics with symptom severity. Eighty‐three FCon patients and 80 healthy subjects (HS) were included in data analysis. The spatial group independent component analysis, sliding‐window approach, k‐means clustering, and graph‐theoretic analysis were applied to investigate the dynamic temporal properties and coupling patterns of functional connectivity states, as well as the time‐variation of network topological organizations in FCon patients. Four reoccurring functional connectivity states were identified in k‐means clustering analysis. Compared to HS, FCon patients manifested the lower occurrence rate and mean dwell time in the state with a complex connection between default mode network and cognitive control network, as well as the aberrant anterior insula–cortical coupling patterns in this state, which were significantly correlated with the symptom severity. The graph‐theoretic analysis demonstrated that FCon patients had higher sample entropy at the nodal efficiency of anterior insula than HS. The current findings provided dynamic perspectives for understanding the brain connectome of FCon and laid the foundation for the potential treatment of FCon based on brain connectomics.
The current study provided dynamic perspectives for understanding the brain connectome of patients with functional constipation. The results demonstrated the disruptions of dynamic functional connectivity patterns in patients with functional constipation from the respects of the absence of default mode network–cognitive control network connection states, abnormality of anterior insula–cortical coupling patterns, as well as atypical dynamics of regional topological organizations.
The epidemic situation of COVID-19 is a great public health emergency worldwide characterized by fastest spreading, widest infection range and the mostly difficult to prevent and control in recent ...years. According to medical experience, traditional Chinese exercises (TCE) have been applied for COVID-19 prevention, adjuvant treatment or rehabilitation, and achieved some curative effects. They can enhance the body immunity, improve the function of organs, especially cardiopulmonary function, promote physical and mental rehabilitation by adjusting the body, regulating the breath, regulating the mind. This paper aims to investigate the potential value of TCE for health preservation in the prevention and adjuvant treatment for COVID-19 according to an overview of application and analysis of existing evidence. On this basis, this review proposed the TCE plan by visiting clinical and practice experts, so as to provide some references for the prevention and treatment of COVID-19 with TCE in the world.
•Along the current pandemic of COVID-19, more and more evidence has been supported for Traditional Chinese Exercises (TCE) in adjunct treatment and protection from COVID-19. So this paper has systematically summarized the evidence of TCE for COVID-19 aimed to provide some references for TCE application in clinic.•As the post- COVID-19 period, the rehabilitations of COVID-19 is the key problem in public healthy area. This paper has proposed the TCE practice protocol for public to improve the COVID-19 recovery-stage.
•A magnetic imprinted polymer was prepared.•Computational simulation was performed to select functional monomers.•Selectively adsorbing diosmetin was achieved by the imprinted ...polymers.•Diosmetin/SMIPs achieves efficient recovery of diosmetin from lemon peel sample.
As a typical bioflavonoid, diosmetin is desirable in the field of natural medicine, healthy food, and cosmetics by anti-cancer, antibacterial, antioxidant, estrogen-like and anti-inflammatory activities, and it comes from a wide range of sources in traditional Chinese medicine like spider fragrance, spearmint and chrysanthemum, as well as in Citrus fruit. However, traditional analytical methods such as silica gel column chromatography face multiple challenges in the selective extraction of diosmetin from biological materials and traditional Chinese medicinal materials. Therefore, it is urgent to develop a new type of absorbent with high efficiency, recyclability and good specificity to diosmetin. In this investigation, a magnetic surface molecularly imprinted polymer (labeled as Diosmetin/SMIPs) was synthesized employing magnetic nanoparticles as the carrier and 4-vinylpyridinyl (4-VP) as the functional monomer by surface imprinting technology. The functional monomer was screened by the binding energy (ΔE) between functional monomers and template molecules via computational simulation. The Diosmetin/SMIPs had a high level of specific recognition and adsorption capability towards diosmetin with a 20.25 mg g-1 adsorption capacity and an imprinting factor (IF) of 2.28. Additionally, it demonstrated excellent regeneration performance with 8 adsorption/desorption cycles. In addition, 91.20 %–94.16 % of spiked diosmetin was recovered from the lemon peel samples. The strategy of constructing Diosmetin/SMIPs based on computational simulation can effectively enhance the specific adsorption performance of diosmetin. Meanwhile, Diosmetin/SMIPs synthesized by imprinting polymerization showed excellent anti-interference and reusability, and realized efficient targeted extraction of diosmetin from lemon peel samples. The results of this investigation provide a promising adsorbent for selective enrichment of diosmetin from Citrus fruit and complicated materials.
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Previous work on the encapsulation of proteins and antigens in poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) microspheres has led to the conclusion that microencapsulated antigens are frequently inactivated ...due to their interaction with the polymer. To improve the compatibility of the antigen with the polymer, we have devised a novel microencapsulated system consisting of a blend of PLGA 50:50 and poloxamer 188 (Pluronic F68) and applied it to the delivery of tetanus antigen.
Tetanus toxoid was encapsulated in microspheres containing different amounts of poloxamer using an anhydrous procedure based on an oil-in-oil solvent extraction process. The compatibility of the polymers was studied by Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy. Microspheres were assayed in vitro and in vivo for their ability to deliver active antigen for extended periods of time.
Analysis by FT-IR spectroscopy evidenced the miscibility of both polymers by a hydrogen bonding mechanism. In vitro release studies revealed that microspheres containing poloxamer released antigenically active TT, in a pulsatile manner, for up to 50 days. In addition, it was observed that the intensity and duration of the pulses were dependent on both poloxamer content and TT loading in the microspheres. The in vivo evaluation of this new system showed that the neutralizing antibodies elicited by the TT encapsulated in poloxamer-PLGA microspheres were considerably higher and more prolonged than those obtained after administration of the aluminum phosphate-adsorbed toxoid.
These results indicate the importance of devising new microencapsulation approaches specially adapted for preserving the activity of protein antigens incorporated within PLGA microspheres.
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