Comparative transcriptomic analysis of genes involved in stem lignin biosynthesis in woody and herbaceous Paeonia species.

Paeonia is recognized globally due to its ornamental value. However, the mechanisms behind the formation of distinct levels of lignification in Paeonia stems remain largely unknown. In this study, we selected three representative Paeonia species, namely P.

Clinical features and risk factors associated with severe COVID-19 patients in China.

Background: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), which is caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), has rapidly spread throughout the world. In this study, we aimed to identify the risk factors for severe COVID-19 to improve treatment guidelines.

Methods: A multicenter, cross-sectional study was conducted on 313 patients hospitalized with COVID-19.

A comprehensive study of three species of Paeonia stem and leaf phytochemicals, and their antioxidant activities.

Ethnopharmacological Relevance: Paeonia plants have been widely used as traditional Chinese medicinal materials for more than 2,000 years in the treatment of cardiovascular, extravasated blood and female genital diseases; paeoniflorin and paeonol have been implicated as the plants' primary active ingredients.

Aim Of The Study: Previous studies have been singularly focused on the chemical constituents and content variation of the Paeonia roots in the advancement of traditional Chinese medicine, with the plants' stems and leaves considered useless. This study aims to explore the chemical constituents, content variation, and antioxidant capacity in Paeonia stems and leaves for the future utilization of traditional Chinese medicine, given that current practices of digging and trade endanger Paeonia in the wild.

Ecotopic over-expression of PoCHS from Paeonia ostii altered the fatty acids composition and content in Arabidopsis thaliana.

Chalcone synthase (CHS) is the key enzyme in the flavonoid biosynthetic pathway and has been studied in many plants, but the function of the CHS gene has not been well characterized in Paeonia ostii. In this study, we obtained a CHS homolog gene from P. ostii, which possessed the putative conserved amino acids of chalcone synthase by multiple alignment analysis and demonstrated the highest expression in developing seeds.

Predictive factors of cough after uniportal video-assisted thoracoscopic pulmonary resection.

Background: Cough is one of the shared complications after lung surgery. In this study, a prospective analysis was conducted for exploring the risk factors of persistent cough after uniportal video-assisted thoracoscopic pulmonary resection.

Methods: One hundred thirty-five patients with pulmonary nodules who underwent surgical treatment in the same surgical group from November 2019 to January 2020 were enrolled in this prospective study.

Outstanding antioxidant pickering high internal phase emulsions by co-assembled polyphenol-soy β-conglycinin nanoparticles.

This work reports a kind of novel antioxidant Pickering high internal phase emulsions (HIPEs; with an oil fraction, ϕ > 0.74) stabilized by soy β-conglycinin (β-CG) and polyphenol complex nanoparticles, as outstanding protective containers for lipophilic nutraceuticals. The nanoparticles with a representative polyphenol ((-)-epigallocatechin-3-gallate; EGCG) encapsulated were fabricated through an ethanol-mediated dissociation and re-assembly process of β-CG, with greater particle size and higher surface hydrophilicity observed at higher initial EGCG concentrations.

MiR-122 is involved in immune response by regulating Interleukin-15 in the orange-spotted grouper (Epinephelus coioides).

Epinephelus coioides is an important economic culture marine fish and is susceptible to various pathogenic diseases. Increasingly evidences showed that miRNAs participated in the regulation of the cell proliferation, differentiation and immune response. MiR-122 has been reported to play an essential role in immune response by triggering an inflammatory reaction.

A Novel Laboratory-Based Model to Predict the Presence of Obstructive Coronary Artery Disease.

Commonly used tools to assess the probability of obstructive-coronary artery disease (CAD) were derived based on Caucasian cohorts, with their performance in China is still unknown. Furthermore, most were established based on non-laboratory variables, contributing to the limited predictive ability to some extent. Thus, we developed and internally validated a laboratory-based model with data from a Chinese cohort of 8963 inpatients, with suspected stable chest pain, referred to catheter-based coronary angiography (CAG) from September 2007 to April 2019, and then compared the present model's performance with the four most commonly used prediction tools, Coronary Artery Disease Consortium 1/2 Score (CAD1/2), Duke clinical score (DCS), and Diamond-Forrester score (DF).

Efficacy and safety of intravenous lidocaine in propofol-based sedation for ERCP procedures: a prospective, randomized, double-blinded, controlled trial.

Background And Aims: Propofol-based sedation is widely used in ERCP procedures, but adverse respiratory or cardiovascular events commonly occur. Intravenous injection of lidocaine has an analgesic effect and can reduce the requirements of fentanyl and propofol during abdominal surgery. The objective of this study was to assess the efficacy and safety of intravenous lidocaine on propofol requirements during ERCP procedures.

Memory T cells delay the progression of atherosclerosis via AMPK signaling pathway.

Background: Memory T cells play a key role in the development of atherosclerosis (AS). This study aimed to investigate the role of AMPK signaling pathway of spleen memory T cells in the pathogenesis of AS in high-fat diet (HFD) fed mice.

Methods: Mice were divided into 5 groups: normal group, AS group, AS + solvent group, AS + Compound C (AMPK inhibitor) group and AS + A-769662 (AMPK agonist) group.

Fatty Acid Composition, Phytochemistry, Antioxidant Activity on Seed Coat and Kernel of from Main Geographic Production Areas.

is an important woody oil plant cultivated in China on a large scale. Its seed oil is enriched with unsaturated fatty acids and a high content of alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), which are beneficial to human health. The aim of this research is to determine the qualitative traits characteristic of seed from various production areas in China.

Late Pleistocene speciation of three closely related tree peonies endemic to the Qinling-Daba Mountains, a major glacial refugium in Central China.

Determining the factors promoting speciation is a major task in ecological and evolutionary research and can be aided by phylogeographic analysis. The Qinling-Daba Mountains (QDM) located in central China form an important geographic barrier between southern subtropical and northern temperate regions, and exhibit complex topography, climatic, and ecological diversity. Surprisingly, few phylogeographic analyses and studies of plant speciation in this region have been conducted.

Modelling environmentally suitable areas for the potential introduction and cultivation of the emerging oil crop Paeonia ostii in China.

Paeonia ostii is a traditional ornamental and medicinal species that has attracted considerable interest for its high oil value. To facilitate the effective and rational cultivation and application of P. ostii in China, it is necessary to determine its potential spatial habitat distribution and environmental requirements.

Effects of arterial blood on the venous blood vessel wall and differences in percentages of lymphocytes and neutrophils between arterial and venous blood.

Vascular sclerosis mostly occurs in arteries and is mainly related to anatomic structure and hemodynamics of artery. This study aimed to investigate effects of arterial blood on vein wall and explore differences of composition between arterial and venous blood.Ultrasound was used to examine the distal venous structure of arteriovenous fistula in uremia patients.

Influence of Air Pollution on Hospital Admissions in Adult Asthma in Northeast China.

Background: Asthma is a common chronic respiratory disease and is related to air pollution exposure. However, only a few studies have concentrated on the association between air pollution and adult asthma. Moreover, the results of these studies are controversial.

Inhibition of MicroRNA-21-5p Promotes the Radiation Sensitivity of Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer Through HMSH2.

Background: This study aimed to explore the effects of microRNA-21-5p (miR-21-5p) on the radiation sensitivity of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and the involvement of human MutS homolog 2 (hMSH2) One hundred fourteen NSCLC patients at stage II or III who received surgery and postoperative radiotherapy were enrolled in this study.

Methods: The patients were assigned into radiation-sensitive and -insensitive groups. NSCLC A549 cells were transfected to generate control, Negative control (NC), miR-21-5p inhibitor, miR-21-5p mimic, small interfering hMSH2 (sihMSH2), miR-21-5p inhibitor + sihMSH2 and hMSH2 overexpression groups.

A self-assembled polyjuglanin nanoparticle loaded with doxorubicin and anti-Kras siRNA for attenuating multidrug resistance in human lung cancer.

Lung cancer is a leading cause of cancer-associated mortality worldwide, which has a low survival rate. Multidrug resistance (MDR) is a major obstacle that hinders the treatment of lung cancer. Doxorubicin (DOX) is an anthracycline glycoside antibiotic, having a broad spectrum of anticancer activity against various solid tumors.

Genetic analyses reveal independent domestication origins of the emerging oil crop Paeonia ostii, a tree peony with a long-term cultivation history.

Paeonia ostii, a member of tree peony, is an emerging oil crop with important medical and oil uses and widely cultivated in China. Dissolving the genetic diversity and domestication history of this species is important for further genetic improvements and deployments. We firstly selected 29 simple sequence repeats (SSRs) via transcriptome mining, segregation analyses and polymorphism characterizations; then, 901 individuals from the range-wide samples were genotyped using well-characterized SSR markers.

MicroRNA-7 inhibits cell proliferation, migration and invasion in human non-small cell lung cancer cells by targeting FAK through ERK/MAPK signaling pathway.

Objective: To investigate the effects of microRNA-7 (miR-7) on the proliferation, migration and invasion of non-small cell lung cancer NSCLC) cells by targeting FAK through ERK/MAPK signaling pathway.

Methods: NSCLC tissues and adjacent normal tissues were obtained from 160 NSCLC patients after operation. NSCLC cell lines (A549, H1299 and H1355) and a normal human fetal lung fibroblast cell line (MRC-5) were obtained.

Quinazolinone azolyl ethanols: potential lead antimicrobial agents with dual action modes targeting methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus DNA.

Aim: Due to bacterial drug resistance, a new series of quinazolinone azolyl ethanols were synthesized and evaluated.

Results: In vitro antibacterial assay showed that triazolyl ethanol quinazolinone 3a was the most active compound, especially against methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) with minimal inhibitory concentration value of 8 µg/ml, which was superior to chloromycin and comparable to norfloxacin. Molecular docking study displayed that compound 3a could interact with MRSA DNA by the formation of hydrogen bonds.

MicroRNA-126 Targeting PIK3R2 Inhibits NSCLC A549 Cell Proliferation, Migration, and Invasion by Regulation of PTEN/PI3K/AKT Pathway.

Background: Our study explored whether the microRNA-126 (miR-126)-mediated PTEN/PI3K/AKT (phosphatase and tensin homology deleted on chromosome 10/phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase regulatory subunit-β/AKT) signaling pathway by targeting PIK3R2 affects the proliferation, migration, and invasion of non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) A549 cells.

Materials And Methods: Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction was used to measure the expression of miR-126 in A549 cells. The MTT (methyl thiazolyl tetrazolium) assay, cell scratch test, Transwell assay, and Western blot were used to detect the proliferation, migration, and invasion of A549 cells and protein expression in A549 cells, respectively.

CD4(+)CD25(-)Foxp3(+) T cells play a role in tuberculous hydrothorax rather than malignant hydrothorax.

Background: Foxp3(+) T cells regulate inflammation and tumorigenesis. However, little is known about the role of different subsets of Foxp3(+) T cells in malignant or tuberculous hydrothorax.

Methods: The numbers of CD4(+)CD25(+)Foxp3(+), CD4(+)CD25(-)Foxp3(+) T cells and the levels of some inflammatory cytokines in patients with tuberculous hydrothorax, malignant hydrothorax, and healthy controls (HCs) were examined by flow cytometry and ELISA.

A simple U-HPLC-MS/MS method for the determination of liensinine and isoliensinine in rat plasma.

An ultra-high performance liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (U-HPLC-MS/MS) method was developed and validated to determine liensinine and isoliensinine in rat plasma simultaneously. Plasma samples were prepared using protein precipitation with acetonitrile. The two analytes and the internal standard pirfenidone were separated on an Acquity U-HPLC BEH C18 column with the mobile phase of acetonitrile and 1% formic acid in water with gradient elution at a flow rate of 0.