The purpose of this study is to explore the potential molecular mechanism of Bidentis Bipinnatae Herba against gastric cancer by using network pharmacology methods, molecular docking, and cellular ...experimental validation. Medicinal plants related to gastric cancer were queried through TCMSP, SymMap, and Herb databases. The TCSMP database (drug-likeness ≥ 0.18) was used to retrieve the bioactive constituents. TCSMP, SwissTargetPrediction, and Herb databases were used to retrieve the target genes, and Cytoscape software was used to construct the "active ingredient-target" network. After protein interaction analysis using String 11.0 platform, the hub genes were screened using CytoHubba. The obtained hub genes were uploaded to the cBioPortal for pathway enrichment. The genes involved in gastric cancer-related RTK-RAS pathway were molecularly docked and experimentally validated. Bidentis Bipinnatae Herba was common to TCMSP, SymMap, and Herb databases. A total of nine active ingredients were obtained in Bidentis Bipinnatae Herba, acting on 192 targets. Seven hub genes were obtained from these target genes and enriched in the RTK-RAS pathway in gastric cancer. MAPK1 and EGFR had good molecular docking results with their corresponding chemicals. Cellular experiments showed that the treatment of luteolin, quercetin, and Okanin reduced the expression of EGFR in AGS cells; the treatment of luteolin and quercetin could reduce the expression of MAPK1. Bidentis Bipinnatae Herba contained active components, which may be anti-gastric cancer in a multi-target (MAPK1 and EGFR) manner.
•Reduced irrigation decreased SWC, LAI, biomass, yield and ET, but improved WUE.•Increasing planting density increased LAI and ET, but reduced SWC and biomass.•Planting density had significant ...effects on yield and WUE.•MI-D2 is recommended for spring maize production in the Northwest China.
The limited availability of water resources severely restricts agricultural development in the semiarid and arid regions of Northwest China. A two-year field experiment was conducted to investigate the effects of irrigation and planting density on the soil water content (SWC), growth and development, yield, water use efficiency (WUE) and economic benefits of spring maize in arid areas under mulch drip irrigation system. The optimized combination of irrigation and planting densities for high grain yield, WUE and net return were obtained by multiple regression analysis. Experiment included three irrigation treatments (HI: 450 mm; MI: 337.5 mm; LI: 225 mm) and four planting densities (D1: 75,000 plants ha−1; D2: 90,000 plants ha−1; D3: 105,000 plants ha−1; D4: 120,000 plants ha−1). The results showed that the reduction of irrigation decreased SWC, leaf area index (LAI), aboveground biomass, yield and evapotranspiration (ET), but improved WUE. HI and MI were significantly different from LI. Increasing planting density increased LAI and ET, but reduced SWC and aboveground biomass. Planting density had significant effects on yield and WUE, which differed in both years. The overall yield, WUE and net return were greater than the two-year average of HI-D1 under an irrigation amount of 271.9–500.2 mm and a planting density range of 7.1–14.3 × 104 plants ha-1. MI-D2, with 25 % reduced irrigation, increased the two-year average yield, WUE and net return by 5.2 %, 20.2 % and 27.2 %, respectively, compared to HI-D1. Therefore, irrigation of 337.5 mm at a medium planting density of 90,000 plants ha-1 under mulch drip irrigation is recommended for spring maize production in the drylands of Northwest China in our research.
•S25 significantly increased SOC and TN at 20-40 cm soil layer.•S25 ensured a uniform distribution of SOC and TN and reduced soil stratification.•Straw incorporation (especially at 25 cm) ...significantly increased crop yield.
Appropriate straw incorporation has ample agronomic and environmental benefits in the North China Plain, but most studies are limited to straw mulching or incorporation on the soil surface. To determine the effect of depth of straw incorporation on crop yield, soil organic carbon (SOC) and total nitrogen (TN), a 3-year field experiment was established with the following four treatments: (i) no straw incorporation (CK); (ii) straw incorporation at 15 cm (S15); (iii) straw incorporation at 25 cm (S25) and (iv) straw incorporation at 40 cm (S40). The results showed that straw incorporation significantly increased SOC, TN and C:N ratio (P < 0.05). Compared with CK, substantial increases (P < 0.05) in SOC and TN were observed at the 0-20 cm layer under S15, at all depths under S25 and at the 40-60 cm depth under S40. Under S25 (20-40 cm) in particular, the SOC and TN levels considerably (P < 0.05) exceeded those under CK (8.83˜17.26% of SOC and 6.28˜10.25% of TN), S15 (3.66˜9.25% of SOC and 2.13˜4.70% of TN) and S40 (4.74˜8.23% of SOC and 3.21%˜4.27% of TN). The average SOC and TN at 0-60 cm under S25 was also significantly higher (P < 0.05) than those under S15 and S40. Straw incorporation also increased the C:N ratio and the response of C:N ratio to straw incorporation differed by the depth of straw incorporation and the soil layer. Compared with S15 and S40, S25 had a significant effect on the C:N ratio at each soil layer. Both S25 and S40 decreased the stratification ratio (SR) of SOC, TN and C:N ratio and promoted a uniform distribution of SOC and TN within the 0-60 cm depth. Compared with CK, straw incorporation also significantly increased (P < 0.05) crop yields, especially under S25, by 10.83% in 2014, 13.25% in 2015 and 7.68% in 2016. The grain yields of wheat and maize were positively correlated with SOC and TN (0-20 cm and 20-40 cm). Thus, in the North China Plain, straw incorporation at the 25 cm depth would boost soil fertility and crop yield.
The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has been assumed to affect mental health of college students. The present cross-sectional study was conducted to examine levels of knowledge and ...anxiety about COVID-19, as well as attitude towards the back-to-school arrangement among college students in China in May 2020. A total of 716 students (312 males, 404 females) were included. Only 38.1% of the participants showed good knowledge about COVID-19. Moderate and severe anxiety was observed among 7.6% of the students. There were 15.6% of the participants opposing the back-to-school arrangement. Female students had more risk of having anxiety symptoms and negative attitude towards the back-to-school arrangement (p < 0.05). In addition, the level of anxiety was positively associated with the negative attitude towards the back-to-school arrangement (r = 0.11, p < 0.05). We therefore suggest that health education and psychological interventions should be given to college students, especially females and those without health-related backgrounds during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Herein, we report a simple and quick synthetic route to prepare the pure CuFeS2 quantum dots (QDs) @C composites with the unique structure of CuFeS2 QDs encapsulated in the carbon frame. When tested ...as anode materials for the lithium ion battery, the CuFeS2 QDs @C composites based electrodes exhibit excellent electrochemical performances. When charge–discharge occurred with a current density of 0.5 A g–1, the electrodes exhibit a high reversible capacity (760 mA h g–1) for as long as 700 cycles, which indicates the superior cycling life. Detailed investigations of the morphological and structural changes of CuFeS2 QDs by ex situ XRD, ex situ Raman, and ex situ TEM reveal an interesting electrochemical reaction mechanism, a hybrid of a lithium–copper iron sulfide battery and lithium–sulfur battery. The direct observation of orthorhombic FeS2 by HRTEM and the existence of Li2FeS2 detected by Raman support our assertion. We believe such an electrochemical mechanism would attract more attention to the CuFeS2 nanomaterials as lithium ion battery anode materials. The excellent electrochemical properties would be derived from the unique structure, which include CuFeS2 QDs encapsulated in the carbon frame.
Apoptosis induced by oxidative stress blocks the recovery of heart function in myocardial ischemia reperfusion injury (MIRI). Peroxiredoxin 1 (Prdx1) inhibits oxidative stress. However, the ...expression and function of Prdx1 in MIRI are unclear. In present study, Prdx1 protein level increased in rat MIRI model, associated with cardiomyocyte apoptosis. Cultured rat embryonic ventricular myocardial H9c2 cells with hypoxia/reoxygenation (H/R) treatment was utilized to mimic MIRI in vitro, showing that H/R treatment increased the ratio of p-p38/p38, p-JNK/JNK and apoptosis index. But Prdx1 ameliorate the up-regulation of p-p38/p38 ratio and p-JNK/JNK ratio, as well as decreased H9c2 cell apoptosis. SB203580 (p38 inhibitor) and SP600125 (JNK inhibitor) inhibited H9c2 cell apoptosis, and at the same time Prdx1 down-regulated the activation of p38 MAPK and JNK during H/R treatment. In addition, a ROS scavenger N-acetyl-l-cysteine (NAC) down-regulated the protein level of p-p38, p-JNK and Prdx1, and H9c2 cell apoptosis. In summary, these findings indicated that Prdx1 inhibited MAPK pathway induced cells apoptosis, and ROS is the upstream regulator of H/R induced apoptosis.
Carbapenem-resistant
Klebsiella pneumoniae
(CRKP) poses a significant clinical problem given the lack of therapeutic options available. Alternative antibacterial agents, such as bacteriophages, can ...be used as a valuable tool to treat the infections caused by these highly resistant bacteria. In this study, we isolated 54 phages from medical and domestic sewage wastewater between July and September 2019 and determined their host ranges against 54 clinical CRKP isolates, collected from a tertiary hospital in eastern China. The 54 CRKP isolates were from 7 sequence types (STs) and belonged to 9 capsular K locus types, harboring
bla
KPC–
2
(
n
= 49),
bla
NDM–
1
(
n
= 5), and
bla
IMP–
4
(
n
= 3). Among them, the epidemic KPC-2-producing ST11 strains were most predominant (88.9%). The 54 phages showed different host ranges from 7 to 52 CRKP isolates. The total host ranges of three phages can potentially cover all 54 CRKP isolates. Among the 54 phages, phage P545, classified as a member of Myoviridaes, order Caudovirales, had a relatively wide host range (96.3%), a short latent period of 20 min, and a medium burst size of 82 PFU/cell and was stably maintained at different pH values (4–10) and temperatures (up to 60°C). P545 showed the ability to inhibit biofilm formation and to degrade the mature biofilms. Taken together, the results of our study showed that the newly isolated phage P545 had a relatively wide host range, excellent properties, and antibacterial activity as well as antibiofilm activity against a clinical CRKP ST11 isolate, providing a promising candidate for future phage therapy applications.
The increasing prevalence of Carbapenem-resistant
Klebsiella pneumoniae
(CRKP) poses a serious threat to global health. Phages and phage-derived enzymes gained increasing attention for controling ...CRKP infections. In this study, a lytic phage P510 infecting KL64 type
K. pneumoniae
was isolated and characterized. Whole genome analysis and electron microscopy analysis showed that phage P510 belonged to genus
Przondovirus
, family
Autographiviridae
, the order
Caudovirales
. The tail fiber protein of the phage was predicted to encode capsule depolymerase. Further analysis demonstrated that recombinant depolymerase P510dep had polysaccharide-degrading activity against KL64-types capsule of
K. pneumoniae
, and its lysis spectrum matched to host range of phage P510. We also demonstrated that the recombinant depolymerase was able to significantly inhibit biofilm formation. The discovery of the phage-derived depolymerase lays the foundation for controlling the spread of CRKPs.
Formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded (FFPE) tissues constitute a vast and valuable patient material bank for clinical history and follow-up data. It is still challenging to achieve single cell/nucleus ...RNA (sc/snRNA) profile in FFPE tissues. Here, we develop a droplet-based snRNA sequencing technology (snRandom-seq) for FFPE tissues by capturing full-length total RNAs with random primers. snRandom-seq shows a minor doublet rate (0.3%), a much higher RNA coverage, and detects more non-coding RNAs and nascent RNAs, compared with state-of-art high-throughput scRNA-seq technologies. snRandom-seq detects a median of >3000 genes per nucleus and identifies 25 typical cell types. Moreover, we apply snRandom-seq on a clinical FFPE human liver cancer specimen and reveal an interesting subpopulation of nuclei with high proliferative activity. Our method provides a powerful snRNA-seq platform for clinical FFPE specimens and promises enormous applications in biomedical research.
Strigolactones (SLs) are a class of plant hormones and rhizosphere communication signals of great interest. They perform diverse biological functions including the stimulation of parasitic seed ...germination and phytohormonal activity. However, their practical use is limited by their low abundance and complex structure, which requires simpler SL analogues and mimics with maintained biological function. Here, new, hybrid-type SL mimics were designed, derived from Cinnamic amide, a new potential plant growth regulator with good germination and rooting-promoting activities. Bioassay results indicated that compound
not only displayed good germination activity against the parasitic weed
with an EC
value of 2.36 × 10
M, but also exhibited significant inhibitory activity against
root growth and lateral root formation, as well as promoting root hair elongation, similar to the action of GR24. Further morphological experiments on
mutants revealed that
possessed SL-like physiological functions. Furthermore, molecular docking studies indicated that the binding mode of
was similar to that of GR24 in the active site of OsD14. This work provides valuable clues for the discovery of novel SL mimics.
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