Light quality regulates growth and flavonoid content in a widespread forest understorey medicinal species Georgi.

Introduction: Introduction: Light is not only essential for plant photosynthesis and growth, but also acts as a signal to regulate its secondary metabolism. Despite the influence of light quality on the yield and flavonoid compounds in commercial crops is well-documented, its role in regulating wild understorey species, particularly medicine plants whose flavonoid biosynthesis driven by multiple spectral regions of canopy sunlight, is less understood.

Methods: To address it, we conducted a light-quality manipulation experiment on Georgi, a widespread understorey medicinal species, with light-emitting diodes (LED).

Cistanche deserticola polysaccharide alleviates constipation by regulating intestinal barrier function and intestinal microbiota and their metabolites.

Constipation is a clinical condition characterized by reduced intestinal motility, dry and hardened stool, and prolonged retention. Common constipation medicines are less stable, and prolonged use can lead to dependency and side effects. , a well-known Traditional Chinese Medicine, is frequently used to alleviate constipation.

Single-cell sequencing of the vermiform appendix during development identifies transcriptional relationships with appendicitis in preschool children.

Background: The development of the human vermiform appendix at the cellular level, as well as its function, is not well understood. Appendicitis in preschool children, although uncommon, is associated with a high perforation rate and increased morbidity.

Methods: We performed single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) on the human appendix during fetal and pediatric stages as well as preschool-age inflammatory appendices.

Extramatrical mycelial biomass is mediated by fine root mass and ectomycorrhizal fungal community composition across tree species.

In many ecosystems, a large fraction of gross primary production is invested in mycorrhiza. Ectomycorrhizal (ECM) mycelium is involved in regulating soil carbon and nutrient cycling. However, little is known about how mycelial biomass, production and turnover differ depending on ECM fungal community composition and associated tree species.

Assessing the dynamics and trigger factors of drought propagation in the China-Pakistan economic corridor: A three-dimensional perspective.

Effectively managing drought in the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) region requires a precise understanding of the three-dimensional characteristics of meteorological drought (MD) and agricultural drought (AD), as well as the factors that trigger their propagation. This study employed non-stationary drought indices (NSPEI and SSMI) to develop a cutting-edge 3-dimensional drought identification model. This model was used to detect MD and AD patterns from 1981 to 2022 in the CPEC region and was integrated with binomial logistic regression to identify the critical factors that drive drought propagation.

Serine 3.39 and isoleucine 4.60 are key sites for 5-HTR-mediated G signaling.

Certain amino acid sites of 5-HTR play crucial roles in interacting with various G proteins. Hallucinogens and non-hallucinogens both act on 5-HTR but mediate different pharmacological effects, possibly due to the coupling of different G proteins. Therefore, this study identified the binding sites of hallucinogens and non-hallucinogens with 5-HTR through molecular docking.

The prevalence of preterm and low birth weight infants among migrant women in the Pearl River Delta region, China: a population-based birth cohort study.

Background: The existing literature evaluating the association between neonatal morbidity and migrant status presents contradictory results. The purpose of this study was to compare the risk of preterm birth (PTB) and low birth weight (LBW) among newborns from local and migrant women in China's Pearl River Delta (PRD) region.

Methods: In this observational population-based study, we included all live singleton deliveries from PRD region local women and migrant women.

Echocardiographic findings and pregnancy outcomes for fetuses with complete closure of the ductus arteriosus.

Objective: We aimed to analyze the echocardiographic characteristics and pregnancy outcomes for fetuses with premature complete closure of the fetal ductus arteriosus.

Methods: A retrospective analysis was performed for eight cases of premature ductus arteriosus closure diagnosed by prenatal ultrasonography in the Hunan Maternal and Child Health Hospital from July 2019 to August 2022, and the characteristics of fetal echocardiography and pregnancy outcomes of the eight cases were analyzed and summarized.

Results: In all cases, the intima of the ductus arteriosus was thickened and occluded, the ductus arteriosus could be seen with slightly hyperechogenic, and no blood flow signal was found in the ductus arteriosus by Doppler ultrasonography.

Optimizing biochar application for enhanced cotton and sugar beet production in Xinjiang: a comprehensive study.

Background: Optimizing biochar application is vital for enhancing crop production and ensuring sustainable agricultural production. A 3-year field experiment was established to explore the effects of varying the biochar application rate (BAR) on crop growth, quality, productivity and yields. BAR was set at 0, 10, 50 and 100 t ha in 2018; 0, 10, 25, 50 and 100 t ha in 2019; and 0, 10, 25 and 30 t ha in 2020.

The potential mechanism of Aidi injection against neuroblastoma-an investigation based on network pharmacology analysis.

Aidi injection, a classic traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) formula, has been used on a broader scale in treating a variety of cancers. In this study, we aimed to explore the potential anti-tumor effects of Aidi injection in the treatment of neuroblastoma (NB) using network pharmacology (NP). To elucidate the anti-NB mechanism of Aidi injection, an NP-based approach and molecular docking validation were employed.

Mechanisms and therapeutic strategies to combat the recurrence and progression of hepatocellular carcinoma after thermal ablation.

Thermal ablation (TA), including radiofrequency ablation (RFA) and microwave ablation (MWA), has become the main treatment for early-stage hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) due to advantages such as safety and minimal invasiveness. However, HCC is prone to local recurrence, with more aggressive malignancies after TA closely related to TA-induced changes in epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) and remodeling of the tumor microenvironment (TME). According to many studies, various components of the TME undergo complex changes after TA, such as the recruitment of innate and adaptive immune cells, the release of tumor-associated antigens (TAAs) and various cytokines, the formation of a hypoxic microenvironment, and tumor angiogenesis.

Lenvatinib, sintilimab plus transarterial chemoembolization for advanced stage hepatocellular carcinoma: A phase II study.

Background & Aims: Our retrospective study has suggested encouraging outcomes of lenvatinib combined with PD-1 inhibitor and transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) on advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). This phase II trial was conducted to prospectively investigate the efficacy and safety of lenvatinib, sintilimab (a PD-1 inhibitor) plus TACE (Len-Sin-TACE) in patients with advanced stage HCC.

Methods: This was a single-arm phase II trial.

Postnatal treatment and evolution patterns of giant fetal hepatic hemangioma: a case series of 29 patients.

Objectives: To explore the clinical characteristics, postnatal treatment and prognosis of giant fetal hepatic hemangioma (GFHH).

Method: Retrospective analysis was performed on children with giant fetal hepatic hemangioma (maximum tumor diameter > 40 mm) diagnosed by prenatal ultrasound and MRI from December 2016 to December 2020. These patients were observed and treated at the Children's Hospital of Fudan University after birth.

Modulation of DOM-Induced Head-Twitch Response by mGluR2 Agonist/Inverse Agonist is Associated with 5-HTR-Mediated G Signaling Pathway.

Hallucinogenic 5-HT receptor (5-HTR) agonists-induced head-twitch response (HTR) is regulated by G signaling pathway. Formation of heterodimers between 5-HTR and metabotropic glutamate mGlu2 receptor (mGluR2) is essential for the hallucinogenic 5-HTR agonist-induced HTR. In order to investigate the effects of mGluR2 agonists and inverse agonists on hallucinogenic 5-HTR agonists DOM-induced HTR, C57BL/6 mice were pretreated with mGluR2 agonists (LY379268, LY354740, LY404039) or the inverse agonist LY341495, and the HTR was manually counted after administering DOM immediately.

Microbiota-indole 3-propionic acid-brain axis mediates abnormal synaptic pruning of hippocampal microglia and susceptibility to ASD in IUGR offspring.

Background: Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) has been associated with intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR), but the underlying mechanisms are unclear.

Results: We found that the IUGR rat model induced by prenatal caffeine exposure (PCE) showed ASD-like symptoms, accompanied by altered gut microbiota and reduced production of indole 3-propionic acid (IPA), a microbiota-specific metabolite and a ligand of aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AHR). IUGR children also had a reduced serum IPA level consistent with the animal model.

Gestational dexamethasone exposure impacts hippocampal excitatory synaptic transmission and learning and memory function with transgenerational effects.

The formation of learning and memory is regulated by synaptic plasticity in hippocampal neurons. Here we explored how gestational exposure to dexamethasone, a synthetic glucocorticoid commonly used in clinical practice, has lasting effects on offspring's learning and memory. Adult offspring rats of prenatal dexamethasone exposure (PDE) displayed significant impairments in novelty recognition and spatial learning memory, with some phenotypes maintained transgenerationally.

Fecal Microbiota Underlying the Coexistence of Schizophrenia and Multiple Sclerosis in Chinese Patients.

Both schizophrenia (SZ) and multiple sclerosis (MS) affect millions of people worldwide and impose a great burden on society. Recent studies indicated that MS elevated the risk of SZ and vice versa, whereas the underlying pathological mechanisms are still obscure. Considering that fecal microbiota played a vital role in regulating brain functions, the fecal microbiota and serum cytokines from 90 SZ patients and 71 age-, gender-, and BMI-matched cognitively normal subjects (referred as SZC), 22 MS patients and 33 age-, gender-, and BMI-matched healthy subjects (referred as MSC) were analyzed.

The effect of NK cell therapy on sepsis secondary to lung cancer: A case report.

Patients with sepsis face high mortality rates and a bleak prognosis, prompting the need for advanced therapeutic interventions. A male patient diagnosed with moderately low-differentiated squamous cell carcinoma received diverse treatments, including radiotherapy, chemotherapy, immunotherapy, and targeted therapy to inhibit angiogenesis. Subsequently, he developed sepsis after comprehensive treatment, and conventional antibiotic combinations proved ineffective in combating the infection.

Bazi Bushen alleviates skin senescence by orchestrating skin homeostasis in SAMP6 mice.

Bazi Bushen, a Chinese-patented drug with the function of relieving fatigue and delaying ageing, has been proven effective for extenuating skin senescence. To investigate the potential mechanism, senescence-accelerated mouse prone 6 (SAMP6) was intragastrically administered with Bazi Bushen for 9 weeks to induce skin homeostasis. Skin homeostasis is important in mitigating skin senescence, and it is related to many factors such as oxidative stress, SASP, apoptosis, autophagy and stem cell.

Extreme temperature exposure increases the risk of preterm birth in women with abnormal pre-pregnancy body mass index: a cohort study in a southern province of China.

Background: Prior literature has found that extreme temperature exposure is associated with preterm birth (PTB). However, current evidence provides heterogeneous conclusions, and data on extreme cold and across different pre-pregnancy body mass index (BMI) statuses are limited.

Methods: We conducted a population-based retrospective cohort of 251,257 women between 2014 and 2017 in Guangdong, China, to evaluate whether the association between extreme temperature exposure and PTB varied in pre-pregnancy BMI status.