Fish exhibit extraordinary sexual plasticity, genetic sex determination (GSD) and environmental sex determination (ESD) alone or together affect the sex differentiation of teleosts. Little yellow croaker (Larimichthys polyactis, L. polyactis) has a transient hermaphroditic stage in the process of sex differentiation. However, the exact effect of high temperature on the sex differentiation of L. polyactis is not clear. This study was to determine the thermosensitive period of L. polyactis and the effect of temperature on sex differentiation. The results showed that from 0 dpf (days post fertilization) to 90 dpf, the male ratio at 18, 24, and 31 °C were 50.9, 57.8, and 97.9%, respectively. Additionally, juvenile fish were transferred to 18 and 31 °C every 6 ~ 9 days from 0 to 55 dpf to clarify the thermosensitive period, the results demonstrated that the thermosensitive period was 19 - 25 dpf of L. polyactis. Exposure to 31 °C resulted in 74.1% and 69.6% male ratios even during the 25 - 37 dpf period after the thermosensitive period. The histological observation indicated that juvenile fish long-term exposure to 31 °C induced oocytes or ovary degeneration, then sex reversal to the testis. The present study demonstrates that the sex differentiation of L. polyactis is significantly affected by high temperature in the thermosensitive period, and provides basic information on the sex differentiation of L. polyactis. It has also laid a theoretical foundation for the sex-controlled breeding of L. polyactis.
The incidence of neovascular eye disease is increasing year by year, seriously threatening human vision health and becoming an urgent public health problem. Tongmai fuming decoction as an experienced prescription can treat ischemic eye disease.To investigate the therapeutic effect of Tongmai fuming decoction combined with anti-VEGF therapy on neovascular ophthalmopathy.52 patients (62 eyes) with neovascular ophthalmopathy who met the inclusion criteria from January 2018 to July 2020 were randomly divided into the control and observation groups. The control group was given an intravitreal injection of antivascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) drugs once a day combined with on-demand treatment. The observation group was treated with traditional Chinese medicine Tongmai fuming decoction in addition to the treatment of anti-VEGF drugs. The best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) was examined before and after treatment, and optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA) was used to examine the mean retinal thickness and neovascularization in the macular area. Patients were followed for one year and the number of anti-VEGF injections was recorded.After treatment, the average thickness of BCVA and macular retina in the two groups significantly improved. The BCVA of the control group was 0.59 ± 0.39 3 months after treatment, and that of the experimental group was 0.42 ± 0.25 3 months after treatment. The average thickness of the macular retina in the control group was 304.8 ± 79.7 3 months after treatment, and that in the experimental group was 267.7 ± 64.6 3 months after treatment; The average number of injections of anti-VEGF therapy in the control group was 2.32 ± 1.15 times, and that in the experimental group was 1.74 ± 0.76 times. There was a significant difference between the two groups.Tongmai fuming decoction and anti-VEGF therapy have a synergistic effect in the treatment of neovascular ophthalmopathy, which can reduce the treatment times of anti-VEGF drugs.
Abstract Chick embryo egg hydrolysates (CEEH) were obtained by enzymatic hydrolysis of chick embryo egg in vitro‐simulated gastrointestinal digestion. The antioxidant activities of CEEH were investigated by employing three in vitro assays, including the 2,2′‐azinobis‐(3‐ethylbenzthiazoline‐6‐sulfonate)/1,1‐diphenyl‐2‐picrylhydrazyl (ABTS/DPPH)/hydroxyl radical‐scavenging assays. The radical‐scavenging effect of CEEH (1.0 mg/mL) was in a dose‐dependent manner, with the highest trolox equivalent antioxidant capacity for ABTS, DPPH, and that of hydroxyl radicals found to be 569, 2097, and 259.6 μ mol/L, respectively; whereas the trolox equivalent antioxidant capacity of unhatched egg for ABTS, DPPH, and that of hydroxyl radicals were found to be 199, 993, and 226.5 μ mol/L, respectively. CEEH showed stronger scavenging activity than the hydrolysates of unhatched egg against free radicals such as ABTS, DPPH, and hydroxyl radicals. The antioxidant amino acid analysis indicated that the 14‐day CEEH possess more antioxidant amino acids than that of the unhatched egg. In addition, essential amino acids analysis showed that the 14‐day CEEH have the highest nutritional value. Combined with the results of the amino acid profiles, CEEH were believed to have higher nutritive value in addition to antioxidant activities than the unhatched egg.
Abstract Molecular modeling can study the energy storage of supercapacitors at the atomistic level and has become indispensable in this research. The constant potential method (CPM) allows keeping the electric potential uniform on the electrode, which is essential for a realistic description of the charge repartition and dynamics process in supercapacitors. Prior CPM studies have been limited to the potentiostatic mode. Though widely adopted in the experiment, the galvanostatic mode has been rarely investigated in CPM simulations due to a lack of effective methods. In this work, we developed a modeling approach to simulating the galvanostatic charge-discharge of supercapacitors under constant potential (GCD-CPM). We show that, for nanoporous electrodes, GCD-CPM can capture supercapacitor dynamics in excellent agreement with experimental measurements and delineate the ion adsorption-desorption dynamics underlying the hysteresis with molecular resolutions during charging and discharging. Therefore, this GCD-CPM modeling could open up new avenues for exploring the rich physics and electrochemistry of supercapacitor dynamics.
Malnutrition, mainly caused by inadequate energy intake, predicts poor prognostic outcome in chronic kidney disease (CKD) patients. In this study, we aim to explore the effect of non-protein energy supplement in CKD stage 3b-5 (CKD3b-5) malnourished patients with or without receiving continuous peritoneal dialysis (PD).30 patients with CKD3b-5 and 20 patients who received PD were identified as malnourished according to Subjective Global Assessment (SGA), and enrolled into this clinical study. Compared with the control group which just received regular nutrition counseling, an additional non-protein energy supplement (600 kcal) was given to the participants for 12 weeks in the intervention group. Before and after study, the nutritional status of patients was judged by human body composition measurement, anthropometric parameters, physical fitness test, and quality of life survey. Other biochemical indexes relating to nutrition, renal function and inflammatory response were also included for disease evaluation.After 12 weeks of oral non-protein energy supplementation, the body weight, body fat and associated anthropometric parameters significantly increased upon intervention. Also, the participants showed enhanced physical fitness and better life quality in the intervention group. Consistently, the improved nutritional status was further confirmed by biochemical examinations. However, we did not observe a perceptible change of renal function, measured residual renal function, or general inflammatory response indices after intervention.12 weeks of oral non-protein energy supplement could efficiently improve the nutritional status of CKD3b-5 patients and those who receive peritoneal dialysis; meanwhile, it has little effect on renal function and inflammatory response.
Background: Cigarette smoke exposure (CSE) is a major cause of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). The smoke disrupts cell-cell adhesion by inducing epithelial barrier damage to the tight junction (TJ) proteins. Even though the inflammatory mechanism of chemokine (C-C motif) ligand 3 (CCL3) in COPD has gained increasing attention in the research community, however, the underlying signaling pathway, remains unknown. Objectives: To identify the relationship of CCL3 in the pathogenesis of tight junction impairment in COPD and the pathway through which CSE causes damage to TJ in COPD via CCL3, both in vivo and in vitro . Methods: We screened the inflammatory factors in the peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) from healthy controls and patients at each GOLD 1-4 stage of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. RT-PCR, western blot, and ELISA were used to detect the levels of CCL3, ZO-1, and occludin after Cigarette smoke exposure. Immunofluorescence was applied to examine the impairment of the TJs in 16-HBE and A549 cells. The reverse assay was used to detect the effect of a CCR5 antagonist (DAPTA) in COPD. In the CSE-induced COPD mouse model, H&E staining and lung function tests were used to evaluate the pathological and physical states in each group. Immunofluorescence was used to assess the impairment of TJs in each group. ELISA and RT-PCR were used to examine the mRNA or protein expression of CCL3 or miR-4456 in each group. Results: The in vivo and in vitro results showed that CCL3 expression was increased in COPD compared with healthy controls. CCL3 caused significant injury to TJs through its C-C chemokine receptor type 5 (CCR5), while miR-4456 could suppress the effect of CCL3 on TJs by binding to the 3′-UTR of CCL3. Conclusion: miR-4456/CCL3/CCR5 pathway may be a potential target pathway for the treatment of COPD.
Regular maintenance of non-communicable chronic diseases can constrain disease progression in diabetic and hypertensive patients. To identify the individual and social factors that are associated with positive health-seeking behaviors and regular maintenance of chronic diseases, we have conducted a follow up study in 2015 on diabetic and hypertensive patients in Hubei Province. We used binary logistic regression models to determine specific factors associated with diabetic and hypertensive patients that sought healthcare services for their conditions in accordance with current Chinese Centers for Disease Prevention and Control (CDC) guidelines. Our findings show that 42.16% of 510 people living with chronic conditions (PLCDs) sought health services in line with existing guidelines. Findings also show a higher probability (8.418 times) for PLCDs seeking healthcare services at higher-tiered hospitals (secondary and tertiary hospitals) than for PLCDs seeking care at primary hospitals (odds ratio (OR) = 8.418, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 4.82, 14.27, p < 0.001). These analyses underscore the importance of having patient advocates who can provide support, where necessary, and encourage positive health-seeking behavior. The study also shows a negative impact on regular maintenance for PLCDs in households with high financial constraints. In contrast, the study shows positive impacts for increased household income, age, and residency in rural locations. In sum, this study underscores the importance of primary hospitals as key points of care and critical players in care coordination for PLCDs. The study provides more evidence for Chinese policymakers seeking to contain costs and improve population health. The findings also underscore the need for community-based interventions, specifically interventions that link local primary hospitals, friends/family members, and PLCDs.
In Brief BACKGROUND: High mobility group box 1 (HMGB1), a key mediator of inflammation, has been shown to inhibit phagocytosis of apoptotic cells in sepsis. Lidocaine has been proven to protect macrophages in mice with septic peritonitis by attenuating the production of cytokines. However, it is currently unknown whether lidocaine also affects HMGB1. In this study, we sought to detect the effect of lidocaine on the release of HMGB1 from RAW264.7 macrophages after lipopolysaccharide (LPS) stimulation. METHODS: The levels of HMGB1 in the supernatant of RAW264.7 cells incubated with LPS and different concentrations of lidocaine were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays. HMGB1 mRNA expression was assessed by real-time polymerase chain reaction. The immunocytochemistry was used to detect the release and translocation of HMGB1 from the nucleus to cytoplasm. Nuclear factor (NF)-κB levels in the nuclear fraction of RAW264.7 cells were measured with the Active Motif NF-κB family kit. RESULTS: We found that lidocaine suppressed the translocation of HMGB1 from the nucleus to cytoplasm and decreased the expression of HMGB1 mRNA in RAW264.7 cells induced by LPS. Furthermore, the LPS-stimulated translocation of NF-κB from the cytoplasm to nucleus was inhibited by lidocaine in a dose-dependent manner. CONCLUSIONS: Our data suggest that lidocaine functions as an antiinflammatory by inhibiting expression of HMGB1 mRNA, and translocating both HMGB1 and NF-κB from the nucleus to cytoplasm. The mechanism of these effects might be involved, at least partly, in the inhibition of the NF-κB signal pathway. Published ahead of print February 2, 2011
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