Abstract Introduction: Propofol is a widely used anesthetic and its dose is closely related to aging. Telomere length (TL) is a unique heritable trait, and emerging as a biomarker of aging, health and disease. Telomerase RNA component (TERC) plays an important role in maintaining TL. We proposed a hypothesis that propofol dose in general anesthesia can be predicted by measuring TL before operation, which greatly reduced the risk of anesthesia, especially the elderly. Methods: The association between the propofol dose in anesthesia induction and: TL in the DNA of peripheral blood leukocytes; body weight; sex; difference of the Bispectral Index (BIS) before and after anesthesia induction in patients was evaluated by multivariable linear regression analyses. The mutation at the 5’end or 3’end of TERC was detected. We recruited 100 patients of elective surgery. Results: We found that propofol dose in anesthesia induction was clearly correlated significantly with TL (r = 0.78, p < 0.001), body weight (r = 0.84, p = 0.004), sex (r = 0.83, p= 0.84, p = 0.004), sex (r = 0.83, p = 0.004), and difference of BIS before and after anesthesia induction (r = 0.85, p = 0.029). By comparing the absolute values of standardized regression coefficients (0.58, 0.21, 0.19, and 0.12) of the four variables, it can be seen that TL contributes the most to the propofol dose in anesthesia induction. However, the mutation at the 5’ end or 3’ end of TERC was not found. Conclusions: These findings provide preliminary evidence that the propofol dose in anesthesia induction was clearly correlated with genetically determined TL. TL may be a promising predictor of the propofol dose, which is beneficial to improve the safety of anesthesia and reduce perioperative complications.

Resumen Objetivo. Investigar la seguridad y la eficacia de la discectomía endoscópica percutánea (DEP) y de la discectomía fenestrada (DF) en el tratamiento de la hernia de disco lumbar. Método. Se analizaron retrospectivamente los datos clínicos completos de 87 pacientes con hernia de disco lumbar. De acuerdo con el tratamiento prescrito, los pacientes fueron divididos en grupo control (DF, n = 39) y grupo de estudio (DEP, n = 48). Se compararon las condiciones básicas de funcionamiento de los dos grupos y se evaluaron los resultados de la cirugía, la incidencia de complicaciones y la calidad de vida al año de la operación. Resultados. Ambos grupos completaron la operación. En el grupo de estudio, las puntuaciones en la escala visual análoga y ODI disminuyeron significativamente, mientras que las puntuaciones JOA aumentaron significativamente. La tasa de éxito de la operación en el grupo de estudio fue significativamente mayor que en el grupo control, y la incidencia de complicaciones fue significativamente menor que en el grupo control. No hubo diferencia significativa en la calidad de vida entre los dos grupos (p > 0.05). Conclusiones. La tasa de éxito del tratamiento con DEP fue mayor, y el tiempo de recuperación fue más rápido y más seguro que con la DF.

Abstract Background. The aim of the study was to explore the safety and efficacy of percutaneous transforaminal endoscopic discectomy (PTED) and fenestration discectomy (FD) in the treatment of lumbar disc herniation (LDH). Material and methods. The complete clinical data from 87 patients with LDH from our hospital were retrospectively analyzed. Patients were divided into a control group (n = 39, treated with FD) and a research group (n = 48, treated with PTED) according to the prescribed treatments. The basic operation conditions were compared across the two groups. Surgical outcomes were assessed. The incidences of complications and the life quality of patients were evaluated 1 year after surgery. Results. The patients in both groups completed the operation. The visual analog scale and Oswestry Disability Index score of patients in the research group was significantly lower while the Orthopaedic Association Score was significantly higher after surgery. The success rate of the operation in the research group which was significantly higher and the rate of complications was significantly lower. No statistical differences in the quality of life were observed between the patients (p > 0.05). Conclusions. PTED and FD are effective in the treatment of LDH. However, our study showed that PTED has a higher rate of treatment success, faster recovery times and is safer than FD.

Abstract To explore a new method for the detection of soluble solids content (SSC) in apples, the reflectance spectra of apples with different SSC were obtained based on hyperspectral imaging technology in this paper, and fractal measurement of the reflection spectrum curve was carried out based on fractal theory, for using fractal dimension to quantitatively reflect its SSC. The results show that the samples with different SSC have little difference in fractal dimension, and are not sensitive to the change of apple SSC, which cannot show an obvious linear relationship. It can be considered to conduct a study on discrimination with obvious differences between spectral curves, such as variety discrimination and damage discrimination.

ABSTRACT This study investigated oxidative damage and exocrine dysfunction of fetal pancreas caused by maternal nutritional restriction. Eighteen ewes carrying singleton fetus were randomly divided into control group (CG, ad libitum, 0.67 MJ ME/BW0.75/d, n = 6), restricted group 1 (RG1, 0.33 MJ ME/BW0.75/d, n = 6), and restricted group 2 (RG2, 0.18 MJ ME/BW0.75/d, n = 6) at d 90 of pregnancy. Maternal undernutrition was imposed from d 90 to 140 of pregnancy. At 140 d of gestation, fetal blood and pancreas tissue were collected to determine fetal pancreatic extracellular matrix, antioxidant capacity, and indicators of exocrine dysfunction. With the decrease of maternal nutrition, the fetal body weight, pancreatic weight, and DNA content were reduced in RG2 compared with CG, and increased and thickened collagen fibers were observed in RG2. Fetuses in RG2 exhibited increased collagen 3 (COL3) and fibronectin (FN) levels relative to CG, and the COL1:COL3 ratio was lower than that of the CG. For RG1, we found increased COL3 compared with CG. Malondialdehyde, serum amylase, and serum lipase in fetal pancreas in RG2 increased, but the total antioxidant capacity (T-AOC) decreased compared with the CG. The impaired ovine fetal pancreas growth, antioxidant imbalance, and pancreatic exocrine dysfunction are induced by maternal undernutrition during late pregnancy.

Abstract This study aimed to investigate the molecular mechanism of Picrasma quassioides Benn against inflammation by means of network pharmacology. The paper will provide a reference for multi-target and multi-channel treatment of inflammation with traditional Chinese medicine. Through screening and analysis, 11 active ingredients and 109 anti-inflammation prediction targets were obtained and constructed a compound-target network. The targets such as VEGFA, TLR4 and STAT3 may play a crucial role. Network enrichment analysis showed that the 109 potential targets constitute a number of pathways or inflammatory reactions closely related to inflammation, including NF-κB signaling pathway and MAPK signaling pathway. The docking results indicated that the binding energy of Picrasidine Y and the inflammatory factors VEGFA is the highest. This study predicted the role of multiple active compounds in the alkaloids of Picrasma in the inflammatory response, and provided a theoretical basis for the anti-inflammatory mechanism of Picrasma.

Abstract Introduction/objectives Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a classic prototype of the multisystem autoimmune disease and follows a relapsing and remitting course. Triptolide is a diterpene triepoxide extracted from Chinese medicine Tripterygium wilfordii Hook F, with potent immunosuppressive and anti-inflammatory properties. Our previous work observed that triptolide alleviated lupus in MRL/lpr lupus mice with the upregulation of regulatory T cells (Treg) proportion in previous study. In this study, we explored the proportion of follicular T regulatory (Tfr), follicular T helper (Tfh) and germinal center (GC) B cells in lupus mice and evaluated the efficacy of triptolide for lupus treatment in vivo. Methods 20 female MRL/lpr mice were randomly divided into 2 treatment groups and treated orally with vehicle or triptolide. C3H mice were all housed as controlled group and treated orally with vehicle. The percentage of Tfr cells, Tfh cells and GC B cells in spleen of mice were detected by Flow cytometric analysis and immunohistochemistry after 13 weeks of treatment. Results We found that the percentage of Tfr cells decreased in MRL/lpr mice compared with controlled mice. The percentage of Tfh cells in MRL/lpr mice was significantly higher compared with that in controlled mice. The ratio of Tfr/Tfh is also decreased in lupus mice. After treated with triptolide in MRL/Lpr mice in vivo, the percentage of Tfr cells and ratio of Tfr/Tfh increased. The proportion of GC B cells also decreased in mice treated with triptolide by FACS and immunohistochemistry. Conclusions Our results demonstrate that the effect of triptolide in alleviating lupus is partly by reversing immune imbalance with increased percentage of Tfr cells and ratio of Tfr/Tfh. Triptolide might also has effect on immune response through inhibiting proliferating GC B cells.

Abstract The purpose of this work was to systematically evaluate the intervention effects of video games training (VGT) on the gross motor skills (GMS) development of children with cerebral palsy (CP). Seven Chinese and English databases (PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, Wanfang, EBSCO) were searched. Data were retrieved from randomized controlled trials on the GMS among individuals with CP. The retrieval was from the inception of each database to March 16, 2021. The included studies were evaluated quantitatively using the PEDro Scale. Then, relevant data were inputted and analyzed in Review Manager 5.4. Thirteen papers were included: seven written in English and six in Chinese. In the three subordinate concept of GMS, VGT could significantly improve locomotor skills (LS) (standardized mean difference = 0.80, 95% confidence interval 0.55-105, P<0.00001), and non-locomotor skills (NLS) (standardized mean difference = 0.83, 95% confidence interval 0.38-1.28, P=0.0003) in CP. However, there was no significant difference in object control skills (OCS), when compared with the control group (standardized mean difference = 0.55, 95% confidence interval -0.01-0.72, P=0.05). VGT can improve LS and NLS in CP, but the effect on OCS is uncertain; therefore, it is recommended that additional high-quality literature be included in the future. In general, VGT has been proven an effective intervention tool on the GMS development in CP.

Resumen Este artículo intentó evaluar sistemáticamente el efecto de la intervención del entrenamiento con videojuegos (VGT) en el desarrollo de las habilidades motoras gruesas (GMS) de niños con parálisis cerebral (CP), basándose en un cuerpo de datos logrado de las conclusiones de pruebas controladas aleatorias sobre las habilidades motoras gruesas de niños con CP, obtenidos de la búsqueda sistemática en siete bases de datos chinos y extranjeros, tales como PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, Wanfang y EBSCO. El lapso de búsqueda fue desde la fecha de establecimiento de cada base de datos hasta el 16 de marzo del 2021. Se aplicó la escala PEDro para realizar un estudio cuantitativo y después, se analizaron los datos relevantes con Review Manager 5.4. Se incluyeron 13 publicaciones, 7 artículos escritos en inglés y 6 en chino. En el marco del concepto de los tres subordinados de GMS, la VGT podría mejorar significativamente la habilidad locomotora (LS) (diferencia de medias estandarizada = 0.80, intervalo de confianza del 95%: 0.55-105, P<0.00001), y las habilidades no locomotoras (NLS) (diferencia de medias estandarizada = 0.83, intervalo de confianza del 95%: 0.38-1.28, P= 0,0003) en PC; pero no hubo una diferencia significativa en las habilidades de control de objetos (OCS), cuando se compararon con el grupo control (diferencia de medias estandarizada= 0,55, intervalo de confianza del 95% -0,01-0,72, P= 0,05). En conclusión, el VGT puede mejorar las LS y NLS en CP, pero el efecto sobre OCS es incierto; por lo que se recomienda la inclusión de literatura adicional de alta calidad en el futuro. De este modo se pudo demostrar que el VGT es una herramienta de intervención eficaz en el desarrollo de las GMS en niños con CP.

Abstract The study investigated that clinic significance and molecular mechanism of Plin5 in spinal cord injury (SCI). Serum levels of Plin5 was down-regulated and there is a negative correlation between Plin5 and IL-1β levels in patients with SCI,. Human Plin5 protein could reduce inflammation, and prevented spinal cord injury in rat model of SCI. Over-expression of Plin5 reduced inflammation divisors via activation of SIRT1 and suppression of NLRP3 in vitro model of SCI; down-regulation of Plin5 promoted inflammation divisors via inactivation of SIRT1 and induction of NLRP3 in vitro model of SCI. SIRT1 is important targets of Plin5 in inflammation divisors of SCI. The inhibition of SIRT1 reduced the effects of Plin5 on inflammation divisors of SCI. The activation of NLRP3 also reduced the effects of Plin5 on inflammation divisors of SCI. We concluded that clinic Serum levels of Plin5 is therapeutic target of SCI and Plin5 reduced inflammation in SCI via SIRT1 dependent suppression of NLRP3 Inflammasome.

Abstract To study the exact effect of purple wheat (PW) on dyslipidaemia in rats so as to lay the foundation of a dietary therapy for hyperlipidaemia. A total of 42 rats were randomly divided into two groups: normal control group (NC) consisting of 12 rats were fed with standard diet in the whole testing process, the other group rats were fed with high-fat diet to induce dyslipidaemia. The dyslipidaemic rats were averagely divided into three groups: dyslipidaemia control group (DC) with 60% common wheat flour, PW1 group with diet containing 60% purple wheat Jizimai1 flour, PW3 group with 60% purple wheat Jizimai3 flour. Six weeks later, the weight-gain-ratio of the rats in PW1 and PW3 groups were lower as compared to the rats in DC and NC groups. Further, we found that the levels of triglyceride, total cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein in the PW1 and PW3 groups were significantly reduced to almost that of normal levels. Finally, the results of hematoxylin and eosin staining showed that intaking of Jizimai1 and Jizimai3 could repair hepatocyte steatosis and kidney injury due to dyslipidaemia. Purple wheat diet therapy reduced lipid metabolism disorders and the liver tissue and renal injury in hyperlipidaemic rats.

Abstract Selenium (Se) is a nutritionally important micronutrient for humans. The use of Se fertilizers is often the most feasible approach to precisely increase Se contents in rice grains, but the effects of common commercial Se fertilizers on producing Se-rich rice remain to be investigated. In this study, we compared the effects of liquid and granular Se fertilizers on the accumulation of Se and heavy metals in rice grains of four different varieties in field. Results showed that Se accumulation in rice grains was affected by the form of fertilizers, applied concentrations of Se fertilizers, and rice varieties. Liquid fertilizer displayed significantly higher Se transfer efficiency than granular fertilizer, whereas the granular fertilizer had a slightly higher effect on organic Se accumulation. More than 95.5% Se in grains were organic Se, with selenomethionine (SeMet) being the dominant one. The proportion of organic selenocysteine (SeCys2) in grains was significantly higher in treatments with liquid fertilizer. Both forms of fertilizers significantly reduced the accumulation of cadmium, lead, and arsenic. Collectively, our study provides a reference for producing Se-rich rice in a more competitive manner in practice.

Abstract Due to the good functional characteristics and nutritional value, ovalbumin (OVA) has a widely ranges of applications in food industry. But the characteristics of being susceptible to external conditions, such as processing, storage conditions and food ingredients, makes it display a relative lower functional property and limits its applications. Glycosylation is a natural, green approach of protein modifications that has an impact on its functional properties. In this work, we prepared the OVA-pectin conjugates through wet-heating and ultrasound glycosylation to investigate the effects on the functional and structural properties of OVA. Both wet-heating and ultrasound treated OVA at present of pectin showed higher emulsify and foam properties than untreated OVA. The results of particle size, SDS-PAGE, FT-IR, and SEM indicated that the covalent binding of pectin with OVA molecule. This study suggests that wet-heating and ultrasound glycosylation with pectin are promising method to improve the functional properties of OVA.

SUMMARY OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to investigate the value of next-generation sequencing for the diagnosis of Streptococcus suis meningitis. METHODS: Patients with meningitis in the Department of Neurology of the Hainan General Hospital were recruited and divided into a next-generation sequencing group and a control group. In the next-generation sequencing group, we used the next-generation sequencing method to detect the specific pathogenic bacteria in the patients. In the control group, we used the cerebrospinal fluid bacterial culture method to detect the specific pathogenic bacteria in the patients. RESULTS: A total of 28 participants were recruited for this study, with 14 participants in each group. The results showed similarities in both the average age and average course of the disease between the two groups (p>0.05). The white blood cell count, percentage of neutrophils, and level of C-reactive protein in the next-generation sequencing group were significantly higher than those in the control group (p<0.05). There were similarities in both the temperature and intracranial pressure between the two groups (p>0.05). In the next-generation sequencing group, all patients (100%) were detected as having had the S. suis meningitis infection by next-generation sequencing, while only 6 (43%) patients in the control group had been detected as having the S. suis meningitis infection by cerebrospinal fluid bacterial culture. CONCLUSIONS: The positive detection rate of S. suis by the next-generation sequencing method was significantly higher compared with using a cerebrospinal fluid bacterial culture. Therefore, the next-generation sequencing method is valuable for the diagnosis of S. suis meningitis and is worthy of clinical application.

Abstract Oil Tea (Camellia oleifera) is an important woody edible oil plant in China. Oil Tea suffers from low rate of fruit set during production, which is related to poor pollination and fertilization. Pollen vigor is directly related to pollination and fertilization. Using the interspecific hybrid Y3 (C. grijsii × C. oleifera) as plant material, we studied the effects of sucrose, H3BO3, MgSO4, and IAA on pollen germination using an orthogonal design to determine the best culture medium. Results indicated that pollen germination rates were significantly affected by medium components and ranged from 29.13% to 56.84%. Pollen tube length was the longest in the T5 medium surpassing the control group by 489.36 μm. MgSO4 turned out to be the most important germination medium component having great effect on the pollen germination rate. The optimal culture medium to promote pollen tube growth of Oil Tea Y3 was: 1% agar, 150 g·L-1 sucrose, 0.15 g·L-1 H3BO3, 0.07 g·L-1 MgSO4, and 0.01 g·L-1 IAA. The results of this paper may provide information for foliar application of Mg and IAA, which can improve pollen tube growth of Oil Tea in practice.

Naringenin (NAR) is a major flavanone in citrus fruits that has multiple pharmacological attributes such as anticancer and antiatherogenic. This study aims to investigate the mechanism of NAR in high-fat-diet (HFD)-induced atherosclerosis (AS) in apolipoprotein E-knockout (ApoE-/-) mice. A HFD-induced AS ApoE-/- mouse model was established. The mice were treated with HFD, different doses of NAR and simvastatin (Simv). After drug treatment, the levels of total cholesterol (TC), triglyceride (TG), low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px), malondialdehyde (MDA), superoxide dismutase (SOD), and alanine aminotransferase (ALT) were determined. The expression of interleukin-6 (IL-6) and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) was detected using qRT-PCR and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The plaque area of the aorta of AS mice was determined using oil red O staining. Western blot analysis was applied to measure the levels of autophagy-related proteins [protein 1 light chain 3B (LC3B), beclin 1, and p62]. The TC, TG, LDL-C, TNF-α, ALT, and MDA levels were significantly increased while the HDL-C, SOD, and GSH-Px levels were decreased in the HFD-induced AS ApoE-/- mice. NAR treatment reversed the expression of the above indicators in mice. After they were treated with different doses of NAR, the LC3B and beclin 1 levels were improved while the p62 protein level was decreased. This study suggested that NAR could promote cell autophagy to improve HFD-induced AS in ApoE-/- mice.

Abstract Background: Diosmetin is a bioflavonoid compound naturally abundant in citrus fruits. It is found to perform a variety of activities, while its antitumor property in osteosarcoma, a malignant tumor with unmet clinical treatment, remained unknown. Methods: Colony formation assay, cell cycle analysis and apoptosis analysis were conducted respectively to observe the effect of diosmetin on cell proliferation and apoptosis in human osteosarcoma cells. Western blot and immunoprecipitation were used to detect the expression of apoptotic molecules and activation of STAT3/c-Myc pathway in Saos-2 and U2SO cells. Results: Diosmetin significantly inhibited cell proliferation, induced cell cycle arrest at G2/M phase and promoted cell apoptosis in both Saos-2 and U2SO cells. Moreover, Diosmetin downregulated the expression of anti-apoptotic protein Bcl-xL while upregulated the levels of pro-apoptotic proteins including cleaved Caspase-3, cleaved-PARP and Bax. Furthermore, diosmetin dose-dependently inhibited STAT3 phosphorylation, reduced the expression of its downstream protein c-Myc and impeded the interaction between STAT3 molecules. Conclusions: These results suggest that diosmetin exerts anti-osteosarcoma effects by suppressing cell proliferation and inducing apoptosis via inhibiting the activation of STAT3/c-Myc signaling pathway, which provide the possibility for diosmetin to be a chemotherapeutic candidate for osteosarcoma.