Cell division cycle 42 (CDC42) regulates T helper (Th) cell differentiation and is related to psychological disorders. This study aimed to assess the correlation between blood CDC42 and Th cells, and their association with mental issues in stroke patients. Peripheral blood samples were obtained from 264 stroke patients and 50 controls. Then, serum CDC42 was measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, and Th1, Th2, and Th17 cells were detected by flow cytometry. Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) and Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE) were applied to patients. CDC42 was decreased (P<0.001), Th1 (P=0.013) and Th17 (P<0.001) cells were elevated, while Th2 cells (P=0.108) showed no difference in stroke patients compared to controls. In addition, CDC42 was negatively associated to Th1 (P=0.013) and Th17 (P<0.001) cells in stroke patients but were not associated with Th2 cells (P=0.223). Interestingly, CDC42 was negatively associated with HADS-anxiety (P<0.001) and HADS-depression scores (P=0.034) and positively associated with MMSE score (P<0.001) in stroke patients. Lower CDC42 was associated to lower occurrence of anxiety (P=0.002), depression (P=0.001), and cognitive impairment (P=0.036) in stroke patients. Furthermore, increased Th17 cells were positively correlated with HADS-anxiety and HADS-depression scores and inversely correlated with MMSE score, which were also associated with higher occurrence of anxiety, depression, and cognitive impairment in stroke patients (all P<0.05). Blood CDC42 and Th17 cells were correlated, and both of them were linked to the risk of anxiety, depression, and cognitive impairment. However, the findings need further large-scale validation, and the implicated mechanism needs more investigation.

Vineyard row orientation plays a critical role in determining cluster microclimate. This study aimed to figure out how cluster positions determined by vineyard row orientation affect grape flavonoids and aroma profiles of Cabernet Sauvignon and Italian Riesling grapes. Three cluster positions (two canopy sides and the inner canopy) of NS and EW oriented row Cabernet Sauvignon and NS oriented row Italian Riesling were selected for the experiment. Microclimate data was monitored around clusters from both canopy sides of different row orientations. The south canopy side had higher daytime temperatures and PAR than the north canopy side in EW row orientation. Flavonoids of grape skins and seeds were separated and determined by LC-MS, and aroma compounds of grape must were determined by GC-MS. Results showed that flavanols were affected by orientations, and EW orientation had higher berries skin flavanol concentration than NS orientation. EW-IN berries had fewer glucuronide form flavonols and 3'-hydroxylated flavonols than the other two positions in EW orientation. Inner canopy berries had lower flavonol concentration than other positions in EW orientation of CS and NS orientation of IR. To aromas, C6/C9 were the main compounds significantly affected by row orientations. EW orientation berries had higher C6 alcohols concentration such as (E)-3-Hexen-1-ol, (E)-2-Hexen-1-ol and (Z)-3-Hexen-1-ol than NS orientation, while NS orientation berries had higher C6 aldehyde concentrations such as Hexanal and (E)-2-hexenal than EW orientation. EW-IN berries had more abundant C6/C9 compounds than the other two positions. The study provided preliminary scientific evidence for vineyard viticulture practice and harvest strategy.

Iguratimod (IGU, also known as T-614), a novel disease modifying antirheumatic drug intended to cure patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). The purpose of this study is to evaluate the effect of IGU on the pharmacokinetics of CYP2C9 probe drug diclofenac and its metabolite 4′-hydroxy diclofenac in vivo and in vitro. In in vivo experiments, 24 rats were randomly assigned to three groups consisting of the control group (Normal saline), low dose IGU group (10 mg/kg) and high dose IGU group (30 mg/kg). Blood samples were collected from orbital sinuses vein before 1 hour and serial times of giving diclofenac (15 mg/kg) to all the rats. Plasma concentration of diclofenac and its metabolite 4´-hydroxy diclofenac were assayed by high performance liquid chromatography. Pharmacokinetic parameters were assessed by Winnonlin 6.4 pharmacokinetic software. Moreover, in vitro studies were performed in recombinant human CYP2C9 yeast cell system. IGU at low dose showed no significant differences in the pharmacokinetic parameters of diclofenac and 4-hydroxy diclofenac in vivo when compared with control group (p>0.005). However, at the high dose of IGU, the pharmacokinetic parameters of 4´-hydroxy metabolite of diclofenac increase in half-life (T1/2) and mean area under the curve (AUC0→24), while a decrease in mean clearance (CL, mL/h/kg) and volume of distribution Vz (mL/kg). In addition, in in vitro study, high doses of IGU reduces the metabolism rate of diclofenac. IGU at high dose significantly increase the pharmacokinetics parameters of 4´-hydroxy diclofenac in rats. Additionally, it also showed the potent inhibitory effect on diclofenac metabolism in recombinant human CYP2C9 yeast cells.

The heterogeneity of berry heterogeneity is a commonly occurring phenomenon that has a big influence on fruit composition and wine quality. To clarify this relationship, 'Cabernet Sauvignon' grapes were collected at harvest from a single vineyard and divided into three categories in two consecutive years: small (≤ 0.75 g), medium (0.76-1.25 g), and large (> 1.25 g). The medium berries were present in the highest frequency, accounting for more than 50% of the berry populations. The standard physicochemical parameters of the fruit were significantly affected by berry size. The relative skin mass and soluble solids contents, as well as total phenolic and anthocyanin concentrations, decreased with the berry size, while the relative seed mass, pH and malic acid content were positively correlated with berry weight. Accordingly, the wine composition also varied with berry size, as the wines made from small berries showed the highest alcohol and residual sugar content. CIELab parameters of the resulting wines showed the small berries were more desirable for making wine with a deeper and more saturated colour. With regard to volatile compounds, berry size showed a limited effect. Only 1-hexanol and /aevo-2,3-butanediol showed consistent and significant trends across vintages for wine volatiles, which showed the highest levels in wines made from the small category of berries.

ABSTRACT Tomato is one of the most important vegetables in the world. Decay after harvest is a major issue in the development of tomato industry. Currently, the most effective method for controlling decay after harvest is storage of tomato at low temperature combined with usage of chemical bactericide; however, long-term usage of chemical bactericide not only causes pathogen resistance but also is harmful for human health and environment. Biocontrol method for the management of disease after tomato harvest has great practical significance. In this study, antagonistic bacterium B-6-1 strain was isolated from the surface of tomato and identified as Enterobacter cowanii based on morphological characteristics and physiological and biochemical features combined with sequence analysis of 16SrDNA and ropB gene and construction of dendrogram. Effects of different concentrations of antagonistic bacterium E. cowanii suspension on antifungal activity after tomato harvest were analyzed by mycelium growth rate method. Results revealed that antifungal activity was also enhanced with increasing concentrations of antagonistic bacterium; inhibitory rates of 1 × 105 colony-forming units (cfu)/mL antagonistic bacterial solution on Fusarium verticillioides, Alternaria tenuissima, and Botrytis cinerea were 46.31%, 67.48%, and 75.67%, respectively. By using in vivo inoculation method, it was further confirmed that antagonistic bacterium could effectively inhibit the occurrence of B. cinerae after tomato harvest, biocontrol effect of 1 × 109 cfu/mL zymotic fluid reached up to 95.24%, and antagonistic bacterium E. cowanii has biocontrol potential against B. cinerea after harvest of fruits and vegetables.

Particular climate conditions in a low-latitude and high-altitude region endow grape berries with distinctive quality characteristics. So far, few reports have been concerned with the formation of berry flavour in such a region. This study aimed to investigate the accumulation pattern of flavonoids in Vitis vinifera L. cv. Cabernet Sauvignon grape berries growing at different altitudes of the highland in southwest China in two consecutive vintages. In addition to the 3-0-monoglucosides and 3-0-acyl monoglucosides of the five main anthocyanidins (delphinidin, cyanidin, peonidin, petunidin and malvidin), some uncommon anthocyanins, such as three diglucosides of anthocyanidins and pelargonidin-3-O-glucoside, were detected in the grape berries. Higher altitude cultivation greatly promoted the production of anthocyanins and flavonols, particularly cyanidin-type anthocyanins and quercetin-type flavonols from the F3'H branch of the flavonoid biosynthetic pathway. Flavan-3-ols from both branches were comparatively less influenced by vineyard altitude. Vintage in this high-altitude region also had a dramatic influence on the accumulation of flavonoids. Most of the anthocyanin and flavonol components were affected more by vineyard altitude than by vintage, whereas the accumulation of flavan-3-ols differed mainly between vintages. The present data will not only improve the understanding of flavonoid accumulation in grapes from a high-altitude region with different climates, but also provide practical guidance for the production of high-quality grapes and wine.