Effect of JUNCAO-cultivated Ganoderma lucidum spent mushroom substrate-hot water extract on immune function in mice

Purpose: To evaluate the effect of JUNCAO-cultivated Ganoderma lucidum spent mushroom substratehot water extract (SMSG-HWE) on murine immunity.Methods: Five groups of mice (n = 10) received water with 0.00, 0.14, 0.28, 0.84, or 1.68 g/kg of SWSG-HWE, respectively, orally for 30 days. Various biochemical parameters of serum and tissues, including spleen and thymus indices, were determined were determined for the miceResults: The following markers were significantly higher in the 0.84 g/kg SMSG-HWE group than in the control group (all p < 0.05): splenic lymphocyte proliferation, a marker of cell-mediate immunity; dinitrofluorobenzene-induced delayed hypersensitivity; and the number of haemolytic plaque-forming cells, as a marker of humoral immunity. Phagocytic rate, which evaluates mononuclear-macrophage function as a marker of innate immunity, was significantly higher in both the 0.84 g/kg HWE and 1.68 g/kg SWSG-HWE groups, while phagocytic index was significantly higher in the 0.28 g/kg SWSG-HWE group, compared to the control group (all p < 0.05). Natural killer cell activity also was significantly enhanced in the 0.84 g/kg and 1.68 g/kg SWSG-HWE groups (p < 0.05).Conclusion: These findings indicate that SWSG-HWE enhances murine immune function, and may be suitable as a potential additive in animal feed.Keywords: Hot water extract, Cell-mediated immune function, Concanavalin A, Mononuclearmacrophage function, Haemolytic plaque, Humoral immunity, Innate immunity, Animal feed additiv

A Pervasive Sensor Node Architecture

Abstract. A set of sensor nodes is the basic component of a sensor network. Many researchers are currently engaged in developing pervasive sensor nodes due to the great promise and potential with applications shown by various wireless remote sensor networks. This short paper describes the concept of sensor node architecture and current research activities on sensor node development at ICTCAS

Nitrogen addition delays the emergence of an aridity-induced threshold for plant biomass

Crossing certain aridity thresholds in global drylands can lead to abrupt decays of ecosystem attributes such as plant productivity, potentially causing land degradation and desertification. It is largely unknown, however, whether these thresholds can be altered by other key global change drivers known to affect the water-use efficiency and productivity of vegetation, such as elevated CO2 and nitrogen (N). Using >5000 empirical measurements of plant biomass, we showed that crossing an aridity (1–precipitation/potential evapotranspiration) threshold of ∼0.50, which marks the transition from dry sub-humid to semi-arid climates, led to abrupt declines in aboveground biomass (AGB) and progressive increases in root:shoot ratios, thus importantly affecting carbon stocks and their distribution. N addition significantly increased AGB and delayed the emergence of its aridity threshold from 0.49 to 0.55 (P < 0.05). By coupling remote sensing estimates of leaf area index with simulations from multiple models, we found that CO2 enrichment did not alter the observed aridity threshold. By 2100, and under the RCP 8.5 scenario, we forecast a 0.3% net increase in the global land area exceeding the aridity threshold detected under a scenario that includes N deposition, in comparison to a 2.9% net increase if the N effect is not considered. Our study thus indicates that N addition could mitigate to a great extent the negative impact of increasing aridity on plant biomass in drylands. These findings are critical for improving forecasts of abrupt vegetation changes in response to ongoing global environmental change.This research was supported by the Second Tibetan Plateau Scientific Expedition and Research (2019QZKK0305), the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities (lzujbky-2022-ct01), "111" Project (BP0719040) and "Innovation Star" project of Gansu Province's outstanding graduate students in 2023 (2023CXZX-132). FTM is supported by Generalitat Valenciana (CIDEGENT/2018/041) and the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation (EUR2022-134048). ZZ is supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (41901122) and the Shenzhen Fundamental Research Program (GXWD20201231165807007- 20200814213435001). JP is supported by the Spanish Government grant TED2021-132627B-I00 funded by MCIN, AEI/10.13039/501100011033 and the European Union NextGenerationEU/PRTR, the Fundación Ramón Areces grant CIVP20A6621, and the Catalan Government grant SGR2021-1333

Effect of Restricted Grazing Time on the Foraging Behavior and Movement of Tan Sheep Grazed on Desert Steppe

To investigate the effect of restricted grazing time on behavior of Tan sheep on desert steppe, forty 4-months old male Tan sheep with an original body weight (BW) of 15.62±0.33 kg were randomly allocated to 4 grazing groups which corresponded to 4 different restricted grazing time treatments of 2 h/d (G2), 4 h/d (G4), 8 h/d (G8) and 12 h/d (G12) access to pasture. The restricted grazing times had a significant impact on intake time, resting time, ruminating time, bite rate and movement. As the grazing time decreased, the proportion of time spent on intake, bite rate and grazing velocity significantly (p<0.05) increased, but resting and ruminating time clearly (p<0.05) decreased. The grazing months mainly depicted effect on intake time and grazing velocity. In conclusion, by varying their foraging behavior, Tan sheep could improve grazing efficiency to adapt well to the time-limited grazing circumstance

The latest edition of WHO and ELN guidance and a new risk model for Chinese acute myeloid leukemia patients

ObjectiveDiagnosis classification and risk stratification are crucial in the prognosis prediction and treatment selection of acute myeloid leukemia (AML). Here, we used a database of 536 AML patients to compare the 4th and 5th WHO classifications and the 2017 and 2022 versions of ELN guidance.MethodsAML patients were classified according to the 4th and 5th WHO classifications, as well as the 2017 and 2022 versions of the European LeukemiaNet (ELN) guidance. Kaplan–Meier curves with log-rank tests were used for survival analysis.ResultsThe biggest change was that 25 (5.2%), 8 (1.6%), and 1 (0.2%) patients in the AML, not otherwise specified (NOS) group according to the 4th WHO classification, were re-classified into the AML-MR (myelodysplasia-related), KMT2A rearrangement, and NUP98 rearrangement subgroups based on the 5th WHO classification. Referring to the ELN guidance, 16 patients in the favorable group, six patients in the adverse group, and 13 patients in the intermediate group based on the 2017 ELN guidance were re-classified to the intermediate and adverse groups based on the 2022 ELN guidance. Regrettably, the Kaplan–Meier curves showed that the survival of intermediate and adverse groups could not be distinguished well according to either the 2017 or 2022 ELN guidance. To this end, we constructed a risk model for Chinese AML patients, in which the clinical information (age and gender), gene mutations (NPM1, RUNX1, SH2B3, and TP53), and fusions (CBFB::MYH11 and RUNX1::RUNX1T1) were included, and our model could help divide the patients into favorable, intermediate, and adverse groups.ConclusionThese results affirmed the clinical value of both WHO and ELN, but a more suitable prognosis model should be established in Chinese cohorts, such as the models we proposed

Prevalence, associated factors and outcomes of pressure injuries in adult intensive care unit patients: the DecubICUs study

Funder: European Society of Intensive Care Medicine; doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/501100013347Funder: Flemish Society for Critical Care NursesAbstract: Purpose: Intensive care unit (ICU) patients are particularly susceptible to developing pressure injuries. Epidemiologic data is however unavailable. We aimed to provide an international picture of the extent of pressure injuries and factors associated with ICU-acquired pressure injuries in adult ICU patients. Methods: International 1-day point-prevalence study; follow-up for outcome assessment until hospital discharge (maximum 12 weeks). Factors associated with ICU-acquired pressure injury and hospital mortality were assessed by generalised linear mixed-effects regression analysis. Results: Data from 13,254 patients in 1117 ICUs (90 countries) revealed 6747 pressure injuries; 3997 (59.2%) were ICU-acquired. Overall prevalence was 26.6% (95% confidence interval [CI] 25.9–27.3). ICU-acquired prevalence was 16.2% (95% CI 15.6–16.8). Sacrum (37%) and heels (19.5%) were most affected. Factors independently associated with ICU-acquired pressure injuries were older age, male sex, being underweight, emergency surgery, higher Simplified Acute Physiology Score II, Braden score 3 days, comorbidities (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, immunodeficiency), organ support (renal replacement, mechanical ventilation on ICU admission), and being in a low or lower-middle income-economy. Gradually increasing associations with mortality were identified for increasing severity of pressure injury: stage I (odds ratio [OR] 1.5; 95% CI 1.2–1.8), stage II (OR 1.6; 95% CI 1.4–1.9), and stage III or worse (OR 2.8; 95% CI 2.3–3.3). Conclusion: Pressure injuries are common in adult ICU patients. ICU-acquired pressure injuries are associated with mainly intrinsic factors and mortality. Optimal care standards, increased awareness, appropriate resource allocation, and further research into optimal prevention are pivotal to tackle this important patient safety threat

Correction to: Prevalence, associated factors and outcomes of pressure injuries in adult intensive care unit patients: the DecubICUs study

The original version of this article unfortunately contained a mistake