In recent years, obesity has become a global public health issue. It is closely associated with the occurrence of several chronic diseases, such as diabetes and cardiovascular diseases. Some edible ...and medicinal plants show anti-obesity activity, such as fruits, vegetables, spices, legumes, edible flowers, mushrooms, and medicinal plants. Numerous studies have indicated that these plants are potential candidates for the prevention and management of obesity. The major anti-obesity mechanisms of plants include suppressing appetite, reducing the absorption of lipids and carbohydrates, inhibiting adipogenesis and lipogenesis, regulating lipid metabolism, increasing energy expenditure, regulating gut microbiota, and improving obesity-related inflammation. In this review, the anti-obesity activity of edible and medicinal plants was summarized based on epidemiological, experimental, and clinical studies, with related mechanisms discussed, which provided the basis for the research and development of slimming products. Further studies should focus on the exploration of safer plants with anti-obesity activity and the identification of specific anti-obesity mechanisms.
Diabetes mellitus has become a serious and growing public health concern. It has high morbidity and mortality because of its complications, such as diabetic nephropathy, diabetic cardiovascular ...complication, diabetic neuropathy, diabetic retinopathy, and diabetic hepatopathy. Epidemiological studies revealed that the consumption of tea was inversely associated with the risk of diabetes mellitus and its complications. Experimental studies demonstrated that tea had protective effects against diabetes mellitus and its complications via several possible mechanisms, including enhancing insulin action, ameliorating insulin resistance, activating insulin signaling pathway, protecting islet β-cells, scavenging free radicals, and decreasing inflammation. Moreover, clinical trials also confirmed that tea intervention is effective in patients with diabetes mellitus and its complications. Therefore, in order to highlight the importance of tea in the prevention and management of diabetes mellitus and its complications, this article summarizes and discusses the effects of tea against diabetes mellitus and its complications based on the findings from epidemiological, experimental, and clinical studies, with the special attention paid to the mechanisms of action.
Dark tea is a post-fermented tea with unique organoleptic characteristics. A unique microbial fermentation procedure is involved in dark tea processing that is considered a major factor to manage the ...quality of dark tea. Dark tea is gaining increasing attention recently because it contains various bioactive compounds with diverse biological functions.
This review summarizes the microbial fermentation process, main bioactive compounds, and important biological functions or health benefits of dark tea, emphasizing its protective effects against different diseases and relevant molecular mechanisms, and proposes the perspectives in research and application of dark tea.
Functional core microorganism-mediated bioconversion is crucial for the formation of dark tea's main quality components during the fermentation period. Dark tea contains a variety of bioactive compounds, including alkaloids, free amino acids, peptides, polyphenols, pigments, polysaccharides, and volatile compounds. Consumption of dark teas has been linked to multiple health benefits, such as antioxidant, anti-obesity, anti-diabetic, anti-cancer, cardiovascular protective, gastrointestinal protective, hepatoprotective, neuroprotective, and photoprotective activities. Future studies focusing on the health mechanisms of dark teas and the potential applications of dark tea in the food, pharmaceutical, and medical industries are guaranteed.
•Dark teas are rich in diverse bioactive compounds.•Several core microorganisms are involved in dark tea fermentation.•Dark teas possess plenty of biological functions, especially anti-obesity and cardiovascular protective effects.•It is recommended for the public to consume dark teas to prevent and manage certain chronic diseases.
With the popularity of IoT devices and cloud technology in the medical industry. Sharing EHRs (Electronic Health Records) among medical institutions improves the accuracy of medical diagnosis and ...promotes the development of public medical. However, it is difficult to share EHRs among hospitals, and patients typically don't know about the usage of their health records. In this paper, we propose a patient-controlled EHRs sharing scheme based on cloud computing collaborating blockchain technology. The medical abstract and the access strategy are stored in the blockchain to avoid being tampered with. To achieve the fine-grained access control, we propose the attribute-based encryption scheme and multi-keyword encryption scheme to encrypt EHRs. Moreover, we proposed a node-state-checkable Practical Byzantine Fault Tolerance consensus algorithm (sc-PBFT) to prevent the Byzantine nodes from sneaking into the consortium blockchain. First, we check the state of the elected master node to avoid the master node having any malicious records. Then, using pre-prepared, prepare, and commit processes to complete the consensus request submitted by the client. At last, the proposed consensus algorithm evaluates the state of the master node according to the completion of the three-stage process to reduce the impact of the malicious node on the whole consortium blockchain. By doing this, the malicious node will be marked and isolated into the isolation area. The experimental results show that the proposed sc-PBFT algorithm has better handling capability and lower consensus latency. Compared with the PBFT algorithm in the case of Byzantine nodes, sc-PBFT not only improves the robustness of the consortium blockchain network but also improves the handling capability.
The geodynamic evolution of the Eastern Kunlun Orogen Belt (EKOB) during the late Palaeozoic–Early Mesozoic remains controversial. Here, we present new zircon UPb, element geochemical, and SrNdHf ...isotopic data for the Kaerqueka gabbros, granodiorites, and their mafic microgranular enclaves (MMEs) in the Qiman Tahg area of Qinghai Province (QTQP), western EKOB, with a view to constrain their petrogenesis and tectonic setting. New LA–ICP–MS zircon UPb ages indicate that the Kaerqueka gabbro, granodiorite, and its MMEs were emplaced at 257 ± 2, 244 ± 1, and 245–244 Ma, respectively. Based on our new ages and published data, three major episodes of magmatism (ca. 263–249, 247–240, and 237–211 Ma) during the Late Permian–Triassic are recognized in the EKOB. The gabbros are characterized by low SiO2 concentrations and are potassic with high K2O contents and K2O/Na2O ratios. They are enriched in light rare earth elements (LREEs) and large‐ion lithophile elements (LILEs) and have (87Sr/86Sr)i of 0.70737–0.70851, εNd (t) of −2.8 to −2.7 and εHf (t) of +0.7 to +2.9, indicating that the gabbros were derived from an enriched lithospheric mantle which was affected by slab‐derived fluids or melts. The MMEs and host granodiorites are enriched in LREEs and depleted in high‐field‐strength elements and have (87Sr/86Sr)i of 0.71090–0.71129, εNd (t) of −6.58 to −5.21, and εHf (t) of −5.3 to −1.8. Indistinguishable crystallization age, trace element pattern and isotopic compositions between the MMEs and host granodiorites indicate that they are cogenetic and were dominantly originated from the partial melting of Mesoproterozoic juvenile mafic lower crust. Combined with our new results and published geological, geochronological, and geochemical data, we propose that the subduction of the Palaeo‐Tethyan Ocean lasted from Late Permian to Early Triassic, and that the onset of the collision mostly occurred during the Middle Triassic in the EKOB.
Macrophages promote early host responses to infection by releasing pro-inflammatory cytokines, and they are crucial to combat amoebiasis, a disease affecting millions of people worldwide. Macrophages ...elicit pro-inflammatory responses following direct cell/cell interaction of
, inducing NLRP3 inflammasome activation with high-output IL-1β/IL-18 secretion. Here, we found that trophozoites could upregulate peroxiredoxins (Prx) expression and abundantly secrete Prxs when encountering host cells. The C-terminal of Prx was identified as the key functional domain in promoting NLRP3 inflammasome activation, and a recombinant C-terminal domain could act directly on macrophage. The Prxs derived from
triggered toll-like receptor 4-dependent activation of NLRP3 inflammasome in a cell/cell contact-independent manner. Through genetic, immunoblotting or pharmacological inhibition methods, NLRP3 inflammasome activation was induced through caspase-1-dependent canonical pathway. Our data suggest that
Prxs had stable and durable cell/cell contact-independent effects on macrophages following abundantly secretion during invasion, and the C-terminal of Prx was responsible for activating NLRP3 inflammasome in macrophages. This new alternative pathway may represent a potential novel therapeutic approach for amoebiasis, a global threat to millions.
Background
Gut microbiota plays a significant role in the colorectal cancer (CRC) process. Ectopic colonization of multiple oral bacteria is reportedly associated with CRC pathogenesis and ...progression, but the details remain unclear.
Methods
We enrolled a cohort of 50 CRC patients and 52 healthy controls from an East China population. Taxonomic and functional analysis of the fecal microbiota were performed using 16S rDNA (50 + 52 samples) and shotgun metagenomic sequencing (8 + 6 samples), respectively, with particular attention paid to gut‐colonized oral bacteria.
Results and Conclusions
The results showed more detected bacterial species but lower species evenness within the samples from CRC patients. To determine the specific bacteria enriched in each group, we analyzed their possible protective, carcinogenic, or opportunistic roles in the CRC process. Among the ectopic oral bacteria, we observed a significant increase in the abundance of Fusobacterium and decreased abundance of Prevotella and Ruminococcus in the CRC group. Main differences in the functional composition of these two groups were related to energy metabolism and biosynthesis, especially the glycolytic pathway. Furthermore, we validated the colonization of Fusobacterium nucleatum subsp. animalis within CRC tissues and studied its impact on the host intestinal epithelium and tumor cells. With high selectivity for cancerous tissues, this subspecies promoted CRC cell proliferation and induced potential DNA damage.
Itch is a complex aversive sensory and emotional experience. As a most upsetting symptom in many dermatological and systemic diseases, it lacks efficient treatments. The lateral habenula nucleus ...(LHb) encodes negative emotions in the epithalamus and has been implicated in pain and analgesia. Nevertheless, the role of the lateral habenula nucleus in the pruritic sensation and emotion remains elusive. Here we defined the crucial role of glutamatergic neurons within the lateral habenula nucleus (Glu
) in itch modulation in mice. We established histamine-dependent and histamine-independent models of acute pruritus, as well as the acetone-ether-water (AEW) model of chronic pruritus. We first assessed the effects of pruritogen injection on neural activation in both medial and lateral divisions of LHb in vitro. We then demonstrated that the population activity of Glu
neurons was increased during the acute itch and chronic itch-induced scratching behaviors in vivo. In addition, electrophysiological data showed that the excitability of Glu
neurons was enhanced by chronic itch. Chemogenetic suppression of Glu
neurons disrupted both acute and chronic itch-evoked scratching behaviors. Furthermore, itch-induced conditioned place aversion (CPA) was abolished by Glu
neuronal inhibition. Finally, we dissected the LHb upstream brain regions. Together, these findings reveal the involvement of LHb in processing both the sensational and emotional components of pruritus and may shed new insights into itch therapy.
Adakitic rocks and related Cu–Au mineralization are widespread along eastern Jiangnan Orogen in South China. Previous studies have mainly concentrated on those in the Dexing area in northeastern ...Jiangxi Province, but information is lacking on the genesis and setting of those in northwestern Zhejiang Province. The Jiande copper deposit is located in the suture zone between the Yangtze and Cathaysia blocks of South China. This paper presents systematic LA–ICP–MS zircon U–Pb dating and element and Sr–Nd–Hf isotopic data of the Jiande granodiorite porphyry. Zircon dating showed that the Jiande granodiorite porphyry was produced during the Middle Jurassic (ca. 161 Ma). The Jiande granodiorite porphyry is characterized by adakitic geochemical affinities with high Sr/Y and LaN/YbN ratios but low Y and Yb contents. The absence of a negative Eu anomaly, extreme depletion in Y and Yb, relatively low MgO contents, and relatively high 207Pb/204Pb ratios, indicated that the Jiande granodiorite porphyry was likely derived from partial melting of the thickened lower continental crust. In addition, the Jiande granodiorite porphyry shows arc magma geochemical features (e.g., Nb, Ta and Ti depletion), with bulk Earth‐like εNd (t) values (−2.89 to −1.92), εHf (t) values (−0.6 to +2.8), and initial 87Sr/86Sr (0.7078 to 0.7105). However, a non‐arc setting in the Middle Jurassic is indicated by the absence of arc rocks and the presence of rifting‐related igneous rock associations in the interior of South China. Combined with the regional Neoproterozoic Jiangnan Orogeny, it indicates that these arc magma geochemical features are possibly inherited from the Neoproterozoic juvenile continental crust formed by the ancient oceanic crust subduction along the Jiangnan Orogen. The geodynamic environment that is responsible for the development of the Middle Jurassic Jiande granodiorite porphyry is likely a localized intra‐continental extensional environment along the NE‐trending Jiangshan‐Shaoxing Deep Fault as a tectonic response to far‐field stress at the margins of the rigid South China Plate during the early stage of the paleo‐Pacific plate subduction. In terms of Cu mineralization, we suggest that the metal Cu was released from the subducted oceanic slab and reserved in the juvenile crust during Neoproterozoic subduction along the eastern Jiangnan Orogen region. Partial melting of the Cu rich Neoproterozoic juvenile crust during the Middle Jurassic time in the Jiande area caused the formation of adakitic rocks and the Cu deposit.
The Jiande adakitic granodiorite porphyry formed in an intra‐continental extensional setting. They was generated by the partial melting of the thickened lower crust. Jiande Cu mineralization was controlled by Neoproterozoic juvenile crust.
•The dynamic operating efficiency of typical source-storage equipment at an oilfield well site is analysed.•The flexible electric load transfer model in the oilfield well site is built.•The optimized ...operation and regulation strategy of a multi-energy complementary system in an oilfield well site is proposed.
The multi-energy complementary system can accomplish the coordinated operation of creating heterogeneous energy and has become an effective means for the development of new energy from oilfields and the transformation of low-carbon energy. However, the influence of the dynamic characteristics and load flexibility of the equipment on the control process is not currently considered. In this paper, the dynamic characteristics and regulation strategy of the source load storage to optimize the operation of multi-energy complementary systems in an oilfield well site are studied. Based on the multiple load demands and heterogeneous energy endowment on the oilfield well site, the electro-thermal coupled interconnect structure and energy flow model are constructed; the operating efficiency of the typical source storage equipment in the oilfield well site is analysed, its dynamic analysis model is studied, and the flexible electric load transfer model which takes into account new energy consumption and electricity price mechanisms in the oilfield well site is built. On this basis, considering the energy cost and system loss, a regulation strategy for optimizing the operation of the multi-energy complementary systems in oilfield well sites is proposed. The effectiveness of the optimal regulation strategy is verified by case analysis.
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