Altered gut microbiota in temporal lobe epilepsy with anxiety disorders

IntroductionPatients with epilepsy are particularly vulnerable to the negative effects of anxiety disorders. In particular, temporal lobe epilepsy with anxiety disorders (TLEA) has attracted more attention in epilepsy research. The link between intestinal dysbiosis and TLEA has not been established yet. To gain deeper insight into the link between gut microbiota dysbiosis and factors affecting TLEA, the composition of the gut microbiome, including bacteria and fungi, has been examined.MethodsThe gut microbiota from 51 temporal lobe epilepsy patients has been subjected to sequencing targeting 16S rDNA (Illumina MiSeq) and from 45 temporal lobe epilepsy patients targeting the ITS-1 region (through pyrosequencing). A differential analysis has been conducted on the gut microbiota from the phylum to the genus level.ResultsTLEA patients' gut bacteria and fungal microbiota exhibited distinct characteristics and diversity as evidenced by high-throughput sequencing (HTS). TLEA patients showed higher abundances of Escherichia-Shigella (genus), Enterobacterales (order), Enterobacteriaceae (family), Proteobacteria (phylum), Gammaproteobacteria (class), and lower abundances of Clostridia (class), Firmicutes, Lachnospiraceae (family), Lachnospirales (order), and Ruminococcus (genus). Among fungi, Saccharomycetales fam. incertae sedis (family), Saccharomycetales (order), Saccharomycetes (class), and Ascomycota (phylum) were significantly more abundant in TLEA patients than in patients with temporal lobe epilepsy but without anxiety. Adoption and perception of seizure control significantly affected TLEA bacterial community structure, while yearly hospitalization frequency affected fungal community structures in TLEA patients.ConclusionHere, our study validated the gut microbiota dysbiosis of TLEA. Moreover, the pioneering study of bacterial and fungal microbiota profiles will help in understanding the course of TLEA and drive us toward preventing TLEA gut microbiota dysbiosis

The Effect of Long-Term or Repeated Use of Antibiotics in Children and Adolescents on Cognitive Impairment in Middle-Aged and Older Person(s) Adults: A Cohort Study

Objectives: We evaluated the effects of long-term/recurrent use of antibiotics in childhood on developing cognitive impairment in middle and old age from UK Biobank Database. Methods: UK Biobank recruited participants aged 37–73 years. Cognitive impairment was ascertained by fluid intelligence questionnaire. Primary outcome was the occurrence of cognitive impairment in middle and old age. Multivariate logistic regression models were used to explore the relationship between long-term/recurrent use of antibiotics and cognitive impairment. Results: Over 3.8–10.8 years’ follow-up, 4,781 of the 35,921 participants developed cognitive impairment. The odds of cognitive impairment in middle and old age among long-term/recurrent use of antibiotics in childhood were increased by 18% compared with their counterparts (adjusted odd ratio 1.18, 95% confidence interval 1.08–1.29, p < 0.01). The effect of long-term/recurrent use of antibiotics in childhood on cognitive impairment was homogeneous across different categories of various subgroup variables such as sex, age, APOE4, ethnic groups, income before tax, smoking status, alcohol status, BMI, hypertension and diabetes but the effect of long-term/recurrent use of antibiotics in childhood was modified by the educational qualification (p-value for interaction <0.05). Conclusion: Long-term/recurrent use of antibiotics in childhood may increase the risk of cognitive impairment in middle and old age

RETRACTED PAPER: Circ_0067835 acts as an oncogenic factor in colorectal cancer by increasing MAPK1 expression via sponging miR-873-5p

Many circular RNAs (circRNAs) were recognized to affect the development of colorectal cancer (CRC). Herein, we investigated the functions and mechanisms of circ_0067835 in CRC progression. Quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) assay was performed to examine the expression of circ_0067835, microRNA-873-5p (miR-873-5p) and Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase 1 (MAPK1). Cell counting kit (CCK)-8 assay and colony formation assay were used to assess cell proliferation, and flow cytometry was conducted to monitor cell apoptosis. Transwell assay was applied to detect cell migration and invasion. Western blot assay was implemented to determine the protein levels of MAPK1 and phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase/protein kinase B (PI3K/AKT) pathway-related proteins. Interaction between miR-873-5p and circ_0067835 or MAPK1 was validated by dual-luciferase reporter and RNA immunoprecipitation (RIP) assays. Moreover, the role of circ_0067835 in vivo was evaluated via xenograft model assay. Circ_0067835 and MAPK1 were highly expressed in CRC tissues and cells, while miR-873-5p expression was downregulated. Depletion of circ_0067835 suppressed cell viability, clonogenicity, migration, invasion, survival, and the activity of PI3K/AKT pathway in CRC cells, while these effects were reversed by miR-873-5p inhibition. Circ_0067835 was mainly located at the cytoplasm, and it could sponge miR-873-5p. MiR-873-5p targeted MAPK1 to hamper cell proliferation and metastasis, and inactivated PI3K/AKT pathway. Additionally, circ_0067835 deficiency exerted an inhibitory effect on tumor growth in vivo. Circ_0067835 played an oncogenic role in CRC development through the miR-873-5p-MAPK1-PI3K/AKT pathway, offering a possible molecular strategy for CRC therapy

Ultra-sensitive UV and H2S dual functional sensors based on porous In2O3 nanoparticles operated at room temperature

A dual functional sensor for detecting both UV light and H2S gas was fabricated using the hexagonal phase porous In2O3 nanoparticles, which were prepared using the hydrothermal and calcination process. The porous In2O3 nanoparticles with large surface areas and pore volumes could provide plenty of active sites to produce much active oxygen species, which were beneficial for the UV light and H2S gas sensing reactions, thus resulting in a good sensing performance. At room temperature, the dual functional sensor based on porous In2O3 nanoparticles exhibited ultra-high responses for sensing both UV light (with a wavelength of 365 nm) and H2S gas. As a UV sensor, its response was 12886.0 for a UV power intensity of 1.287 mW/cm2 and its detection limit was 0.013 mW/cm2. As a H2S gas sensor, the sensor exhibited an ultra-high response (26268.5–1 ppm H2S) and a very low detection limit (1 ppb of H2S), and it also have excellent selectivity, reversibility and stability

Multivariate time series prediction of high dimensional data based on deep reinforcement learning

In order to improve the prediction accuracy of high-dimensional data time series, a high-dimensional data multivariate time series prediction method based on deep reinforcement learning is proposed. The deep reinforcement learning method is used to solve the time delay of each variable and mine the data characteristics. According to the principle of maximum conditional entropy, the embedding dimension of the phase space is expanded, and a multivariate time series model of high-dimensional data is constructed. Thus, the conversion of reconstructed coordinates from low-dimensional to high-dimensional can be kept relatively stable. The strong independence and low redundancy of the final reconstructed phase space construct an effective model input vector for multivariate time series forecasting. Numerical experiments of classical multivariable chaotic time series show that the method proposed in this paper has better forecasting effect, which shows the forecasting effectiveness of this method

Economic Evaluation of Drought Resistance Measures for Maize Seed Production Based on TOPSIS Model and Combination Weighting Optimization

In order to optimize the appropriate drought resistance measures in the implementation of high-efficiency and intensive production of maize seed, in 2018 and 2019, maize cultivation experiments with different drought resistance measures were carried out in the arid area of northwest China, including water retention agent (SA), white plastic film mulch (WF), black plastic film mulch (BF), straw mulch (SM), and open ground flat seed as control (CK). A total of five treatments were conducted. Ten specific indicators contained four types of attributes, namely the yield, quality, water use efficiency (WUE), and economic benefit of maize seed production, aimed at constructing a multilevel evaluation system. To improve the reliability of evaluation results, subjective and objective weights of indexes were calculated using the analytic hierarchy process (AHP) and entropy weight method (EWM), respectively. Then, based on the integrated weighting method of game theory (GT), the combined weights of subjective and objective unity were obtained. Finally, with the help of the technique for order preference by similarity to ideal solution (TOPSIS), a comprehensive benefit evaluation model was established to screen out the optimal drought resistance measures. Compared with CK, different drought resistance measures significantly improved the grain quality of seeds-production corn, and the average annual yield and WUE of black and white film treatments were improved by 49.57% and 42.97% and by 65.67% and 58.21%, respectively. This proved that black film mulching (BF) could significantly increase the yield and WUE of maize seed production and effectively improve grain quality, which could be used as the best drought-resistant cultivation mode for maize seed planting in Hexi and similar areas

Combination of Radix Astragali and Safflower Promotes Angiogenesis in Rats with Ischemic Stroke via Silencing PTGS2

Promotion of angiogenesis and restoration of the blood flow in the ischemic penumbra is an effective treatment for patients with ischemic stroke (IS). Radix astragali-safflower (AS), a classic herbal pair for accelerating blood circulation and dispersing blood stasis, has been used for thousands of years to treat patients with IS in China. Even so, the mechanism of the treatment of IS by AS is still undecipherable. In the current study, network pharmacology was firstly employed to unveil the mechanism of AS in treating IS, which showed that AS might promote angiogenesis associated with PTGS2 silence. Middle cerebral artery occlusion/reperfusion (MCAO/R) model rats were then used as the experimental animals to verify the prediction result. The experimental results revealed that treatment with AS improved the cerebral infarct volume, neurological damage, and cerebral histopathological damage; inhibited cell apoptosis; increased the contents of PDGF-BB, EPO, and TGF-&beta;1; and reduced the levels of PF4, Ang-2, and TIMP-1 in serum. Immunohistochemical staining demonstrated that the expression of PTGS2 was dramatically increased in the hippocampus and cerebral cortex of rats with MCAO/R, and this trend was reversed by the treatment of AS. Immunofluorescent staining expressed that AS reversed the down-regulation of VEGF and further promoted the expression of CD31, which indicated that AS promoted angiogenesis in MCAO/R rats. The abnormal protein or mRNA expression of PTGS2, PGI2, bFGF, TSP-1, and VEGF in the penumbra were transposed by AS or Celecoxib (an inhibitor of PTGS2). In conclusion, the protective mechanism of AS for IS promoted angiogenesis and was involved with PTGS2 silence

Combination of Radix Astragali and Safflower Promotes Angiogenesis in Rats with Ischemic Stroke via Silencing PTGS2

Promotion of angiogenesis and restoration of the blood flow in the ischemic penumbra is an effective treatment for patients with ischemic stroke (IS). Radix astragali-safflower (AS), a classic herbal pair for accelerating blood circulation and dispersing blood stasis, has been used for thousands of years to treat patients with IS in China. Even so, the mechanism of the treatment of IS by AS is still undecipherable. In the current study, network pharmacology was firstly employed to unveil the mechanism of AS in treating IS, which showed that AS might promote angiogenesis associated with PTGS2 silence. Middle cerebral artery occlusion/reperfusion (MCAO/R) model rats were then used as the experimental animals to verify the prediction result. The experimental results revealed that treatment with AS improved the cerebral infarct volume, neurological damage, and cerebral histopathological damage; inhibited cell apoptosis; increased the contents of PDGF-BB, EPO, and TGF-β1; and reduced the levels of PF4, Ang-2, and TIMP-1 in serum. Immunohistochemical staining demonstrated that the expression of PTGS2 was dramatically increased in the hippocampus and cerebral cortex of rats with MCAO/R, and this trend was reversed by the treatment of AS. Immunofluorescent staining expressed that AS reversed the down-regulation of VEGF and further promoted the expression of CD31, which indicated that AS promoted angiogenesis in MCAO/R rats. The abnormal protein or mRNA expression of PTGS2, PGI2, bFGF, TSP-1, and VEGF in the penumbra were transposed by AS or Celecoxib (an inhibitor of PTGS2). In conclusion, the protective mechanism of AS for IS promoted angiogenesis and was involved with PTGS2 silence

Estimating the Actual Evapotranspiration Using Remote Sensing and SEBAL Model in an Arid Environment of Northwest China

Evapotranspiration (ET) is an important channel for water transport and energy conversion in land–air systems, and the spatial quantification of actual ET is crucial for water resource management and scheduling in arid areas. Using the Surface Energy Balance Algorithm for Land (SEBAL) model and satellite images, this study determined the actual ET during the growing season of 2020 in the Shiyang River Basin of northwest China and investigated the driving mechanism of ET using a principal component regression. The results showed that the ET obtained using the Penman-Monteith equation exhibited a good correlation with the ET estimated using SEBAL (R2 = 0.85). Additionally, SEBAL overestimated ET to some extent compared to the Moderate-Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) ET (MOD16) product. The daily ET (ETd) in the Shiyang River Basin showed a single-peak variation during the growing season, with the maximum value occurring around mid-July. Spatially, the ET gradually increased from northeast to southwest with the variation in the land use/land cover (LULC) type. Among the six LULC types, ETd was higher for woodland, water body, and grassland, all exceeding 5.0 mm/d; farmland and built-up land had ETd close to 3.9 mm/d; and barren land had the lowest ETd of below 2.5 mm/d. Furthermore, the standardized regression coefficients indicated that the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) is the main driving factor influencing ET. Overall, the SEBAL model has the potential to estimate spatially actual ET, and the study results provide a scientific basis for water resource accounting and hydrological analysis in arid areas

Natural Vegetation Area Design in an Arid Region Based on Water Resource Carrying Capacity—Taking Minqin County as an Example

Water resource management and natural vegetation distribution status are important for the sustainable development of agricultural, ecological and socio-economic systems in arid areas, and the carrying area of vegetation is limited by the established water resources. This study proposed the concept of natural vegetation area design in arid areas based on water resource design carrying capacity and took Minqin County belonging to a typical inland arid area as an example and socio-economic water consumption, ecological water consumption and water resource utilization efficiency in the study area as the main selected factors as well as reference indicators. By calculating the water ecological footprint, water resource carrying and water resource ecological pressure index of the main natural vegetation design area in Minqin County in 2017, we analyzed and evaluated its water resource carrying status and predicted the natural vegetation areas in 2025. The results showed that there was a large gap (the increase was 13.25–9.29%) between the actual area of various types of natural vegetation in 2017 and that in 2025. The water resource utilization was more effective in various types of natural vegetation in Minqin County under the stable development model, and the water ecological deficit was approaching 0, but the utilization of forest trees other than shrubs and herbaceous plants was in an insecure state, and the water ecological deficit was less than 0. The water resource allocation schemes under the restoration model and the optimization model were safer ecological development models for natural vegetation in Minqin County, which was in a state of water-ecological surplus, and the water-ecological surplus value was greater than 0. Thus, it could be seen that coordinating the water resource supply among various types of natural vegetation in an arid area was a preferred strategy to ensure the sustainable development of regional ecology as well as an effective countermeasure to improve the water use efficiency of natural vegetation in the county to a certain extent. This study aimed to evaluate the carrying capacity of a natural vegetation area and the water pressure index under certain water supply conditions, which could provide a reasonable theoretical reference for water resource management in arid areas