An agricultural drought index for assessing droughts using a water balance method: a case study in Jilin Province, Northeast China

Drought, which causes the economic, social, and environmental losses, also threatens food security worldwide. In this study, we developed a vegetation-soil water deficit (VSWD) method to better assess agricultural droughts. The VSWD method considers precipitation, potential evapotranspiration (PET) and soil moisture. The soil moisture from different soil layers was compared with the in situ drought indices to select the appropriate depths for calculating soil moisture during growing seasons. The VSWD method and other indices for assessing the agricultural droughts, i.e., Scaled Drought Condition Index (SDCI), Vegetation Health Index (VHI) and Temperature Vegetation Dryness Index (TVDI), were compared with the in situ and multi-scales of Standardized Precipitation Evapotranspiration Index (SPEIs). The results show that the VSWD method has better performance than SDCI, VHI, and TVDI. Based on the drought events collected from field sampling, it is found that the VSWD method can better distinguish the severities of agricultural droughts than other indices mentioned here. Moreover, the performances of VSWD, SPEIs, SDCI and VHI in the major historical drought events recorded in the study area show that VSWD has generated the most sensible results than others. However, the limitation of the VSWD method is also discussed

Study of Xuanhuang Pill in protecting against alcohol liver disease using ultra-performance liquid chromatography/time-of-flight mass spectrometry and network pharmacology

IntroductionXuanhuang Pill (XHP) is a traditional Chinese medicine oral formula composed of 10 herbs. This study aims to verify the hepatoprotective activity of XHP and explain its possible mechanism.MethodsThe hepatoprotective activity of XHP was evaluated by constructing a mouse model of alcoholic liver disease, and the mechanism of XHP was preliminarily explained by utilizing ultra-performance liquid chromatography/time-of-flight mass spectrometry (UPLC-QTOF/MS), proteomics and network pharmacology.ResultsThe current study demonstrated that treatment with XHP ameliorated acute alcohol-induced liver injury in mice by significantly reducing alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) levels and triglycerides (TGs) and malondialdehyde (MDA) content. Remarkably, treatment also increased superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity and glutathione (GSH) content. UPLC-QTOF/MS, 199 compounds were identified as within the make-up of the XHP. Network pharmacology analysis showed that 103 targets regulated by 163 chemical components may play an important role in the protective liver effect mediated by XHP. Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) enrichment analysis suggest that the HIF-1, FoxO, PI3K-Akt, insulin, and thyroid hormone signaling pathways are key modulators of XHP’s effects. Finally, eight key targets including Mapk1, Mapk3, Akt1, Map2k1, Pik3ca, Pik3cg, Raf1, and Prkca were verified by molecular docking and proteomics analysis, which provide insight into the hepatoprotective effect observed with XHP treatment.ConclusionIn summary, these results improved upon knowledge of the chemical composition and the potential mechanisms of hepatoprotective action of oral XHP treatment, providing foundational support for this formulation as a viable therapeutic option for alcoholic liver disease

Proteomic Analysis of Rhesus Macaque Brain Explants Treated With Borrelia burgdorferi Identifies Host GAP-43 as a Potential Factor Associated With Lyme Neuroborreliosis

BackgroundLyme neuroborreliosis (LNB) is one of the most dangerous manifestations of Lyme disease, but the pathogenesis and inflammatory mechanisms are not fully understood.MethodsCultured explants from the frontal cortex of rhesus monkey brain (n=3) were treated with live Borrelia burgdorferi (Bb) or phosphate-buffered saline (PBS) for 6, 12, and 24 h. Total protein was collected for sequencing and bioinformatics analysis. In addition, changes in protein expression in the explants over time following Bb treatment were screened.ResultsWe identified 1237 differentially expressed proteins (DEPs; fold change ≥1.5 or ≤0.67, P-value ≤0.05). One of these, growth-associated protein 43 (GAP-43), was highly expressed at all time points in the explants. The results of the protein-protein interaction network analysis of DEPs suggested that GAP-43 plays a role in the neuroinflammation associated with LNB. In HMC3 cells incubated with live Bb or PBS for 6, 12, and 24 h, real-time PCR and western blot analyses confirmed the increase of GAP-43 mRNA and protein, respectively.ConclusionsElevated GAP-43 expression is a potential marker for LNB that may be useful for diagnosis or treatment

STUDY OF NANOSCALE BIAS-INDUCED PHYSICAL PHENOMENA OF FUNCTIONAL OXIDE MATERIALS USING SCANNING PROBE MICROSCOPY

Ph.DDOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY (FOE

Effect of non-bioartificial liver support system on serum manganese levels in patients with hepatic encephalopathy

Objective To investigate the effect of plasma exchange with non-bioartificial liver support system on serum manganese levels in patients with hepatic encephalopathy and its clinical significance. Methods A total of 22 inpatients with hepatic encephalopathy who were admitted to our hospital from October 2007 to July 2011 were treated with plasma exchange, and were divided into improvement group and aggravation group based on prognosis. The serum manganese level was dynamically determined using graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrophotometry, and the changes in manganese levels after treatment and relief or worsening of disease were analyzed. Comparison between the two groups was made using t test. Results After treatment, the 22 patients all showed significantly reduced manganese levels (22.6±6.9 μg/L vs 36.4±10.6 μg/L, t=4.789, P=0.000). After treatment, 8 cases improved and 14 cases aggravated, and the improvement group showed a significantly lower manganese level than the aggravation group (18.9±6.3 μg/L vs 39.2±9.8 μg/L, t=4.816, P=0.000). Conclusion Non-bioartificial liver support system can reduce serum manganese levels in patients with hepatic encephalopathy, and the serum manganese level may influence the disease progression

Proof-of-concept preparation and characterization of dual-drug amorphous nanoparticle complex as fixed-dose combination of poorly soluble drugs

Objectives: To carry out a proof-of-concept study on the development of dual-drug amorphous nanoparticle complex (nanoplex in short) as a potential formulation platform for fixed-dose combination (FDC) of poorly-soluble drugs. Significance: FDC has been proven effective in improving patient compliance for treatment that requires complex multidrug regimen. Currently, there is growing interest to develop FDC of poorly-soluble drugs due to the increased number of drugs exhibiting poor solubility thus low bioavailability. Methods: The dual-drug nanoplex was prepared by electrostatically-driven co-complexation of drug molecules with oppositely charged dextran sulfate, using ciprofloxacin (CIP) and itraconazole (ITZ) as the model poorly-soluble drugs. Results: We first verified that the co-complexation products were dual-drug CIP-ITZ nanoplex, and not binary mixtures of the single-drug CIP and ITZ nanoplexes, by demonstrating their distinct thermal behaviors and dissolution characteristics. Depending on the preparation condition, the dual-drug nanoplex exhibited size and zeta potential of 160–410 nm and −35–50 mV, respectively. The individual drug payloads were readily manipulated by varying the CIP/ITZ mass ratio in the feed, resulting in CIP and ITZ payloads in the range of 60-30% and 15-45%, respectively. The CIP-ITZ nanoplex, however, exhibited diminished CIP supersaturation generation, thus lower CIP solubility enhancement, compared to the single-drug CIP nanoplex. The CIP-ITZ nanoplex, nonetheless, remained capable of generating high ITZ supersaturation level. Conclusion: Dual-drug nanoplex was successfully prepared with a high degree of control over its physical characteristics. Nevertheless, whether dual-drug nanoplex always exhibits diminished solubility enhancement compared to its single-drug counterparts needs to be investigated using different poorly-soluble drugs

A supersaturating delivery system of silibinin exhibiting high payload achieved by amorphous nano-complexation with chitosan

The therapeutic potentials of silibinin – a phytochemical isolated from milk thistle plants – have not been fully realized due to its poor oral bioavailability caused by the low aqueous solubility. Existing solubility enhancement strategies of silibinin by nanonization were limited by their low payload. Herein we developed a supersaturating delivery system of silibinin exhibiting a high payload (≈ 76%) in the form of amorphous silibinin–chitosan nanoparticle complex (or silibinin nanoplex in short) prepared by self-assembly drug-polysaccharide complexation. The effects of (1) pH and (2) charge ratio of chitosan to silibinin on the nanoplex's physical characteristics (i.e. size, zeta potential, and payload) and preparation efficiency (i.e. silibinin utilization, overall yield) were investigated. The formation of nanoplex (≈ 240 nm) was feasible only in a narrow pH range (5.1–5.8) and favored charge ratio below unity. At the optimal condition (pH 5.8 and charge ratio of 0.30), the nanoplex preparation exhibited 87% silibinin utilization rate and 63% yield signifying its high efficiency. The amorphous state and colloidal stabilities of the nanoplex during storage, and prolonged supersaturation generation (3 h) at more than 10 × of the saturation solubility were successfully demonstrated.Accepted versio

Role of MMP-2(-1306 C/T) and TIMP-2(-418G/C) Polymorphism in Chinese Han Patients with Acne Vulgaris

Acne is the most common chronic inflammatory skin diseases. Multiple factors, such as hormonal, environmental, immunological, and genetic factors, are thought to be involved in acne. However, genetic studies have yet to elucidate the full mechanism of acne. The aim of this study was to investigate the association of MMP-2 (-1306C/T) and TIMP-2 (-418G/C) polymorphisms with the risk of acne vulgaris in a Chinese Han population. We also analyzed the correlation of clinical parameters and family history in patients with acne vulgaris. This study included 251 acne patients and 121 age- and sex-matched healthy controls. Genomic DNA was extracted from peripheral blood, and genotyping was performed by PCR and DNA sequencing techniques. There is a significant correlation between the MMP-2 (-1306C/T) polymorphism and the acne vulgaris (P<0.001). Although no association was found between the TIMP-2 (-418G/C) polymorphism and the acne vulgaris, patients with the MMP-2 CT/TIMP-2 GG or GC allele are at higher risk of acne vulgaris. There is also a significant difference in the severity of the disease between acne vulgaris patients with and without family history (P<0.001). This study indicated that the MMP-2 (-1306C/T) polymorphism, in combination with the TIMP-2 (-418G/C) polymorphism, contributes to acne vulgaris susceptibility in the Chinese Han population