Effect of polyphenol extract from Zanthoxylum bungeanum Maxim. on endocrine hormones and monoamine oxidase activity in a mouse model of climacteric depression

Purpose: To investigate the effects of polyphenol extract from Zanthoxylum bungeanum Maxim. (ZPPC) on endocrine hormones, monoamine  oxidase activity and behavior in a mouse model of climacteric depression.Methods: Institute of Cancer Research (ICR) female albino mice (n = 50) weighing 24 – 26 g (mean wt = 25.0 ± 1.0 g) were randomly assigned to five groups of ten rats each: normal control group, negative control, and ZPPC (50 mg/kg), ZPPC (100 mg/kg) and ZPPC (200 mg/kg) groups. Depression was induced in the mice via oral administration of moclobemide at a dose of 20 mg/kg, and intraperitoneal injection of imipramine (20 mg/kg) 1 h and 30 min, before treatment. Tail suspension, forced swimming and voluntary activity tests were performed on the mice. The activity of monoamine oxidase (MAO) in mouse brain and the levels of endocrine hormones were also determined.Results: Treatment of depressed mice with ZPPC significantly and dose-dependently increased their tail suspension and immobility time (p < 0.05). The activity of monoamine oxidase in the brains of mice in the negative control group was significantly higher than that of normal control mice, but was significantly and dose-dependently reduced by ZPPC treatment (p < 0.05). Similarly, treatment of depressed mice with ZPPC significantly and dose-dependently reduced their serum adrenocorticotropin and corticosterone levels (p < 0.05).Conclusion: The results of this study indicate that ZPPC exerts antidepressant effect via suppression of brain MAO activity. Keywords: Climacteric depression, Endocrine hormones, Menopause, Monoamine oxidase, Polyphenol

Hydrogen injection reduces ammonia nitrogen and changes microbial community composition in aquaculture water

The study aimed to investigate the effect of hydrogen on nitrogen and phosphorus removal and microbial community composition in aquaculture water. Two groups were designed separated: Group H was charged with hydrogen and Group D was set as control. Water samples were collected at 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7 days after hydrogen injection to detect not only the content of total nitrogen, ammonia nitrogen and phosphorus, but also microbial community composition in aquaculture water. Our findings have demonstrated that 7-days’ hydrogen treatment could effectively reduce ammonia nitrogen in aquaculture water. And in Day 7, the concentration of ammonia nitrogen in Group D was 1.66 times as that in Group H. Meanwhile, microbial structures in the water bodies of these two groups were significantly different. The abundance of bacteria such as Proteobacteria, Firmicutes, Bacteroidetes, and Desulphuria increased clearly in Group H, which means nitrification and denitrification occurred in the effect of hydrogen injection. These findings suggested that hydrogen could significantly improve aquaculture water health and reduce the production of ammonia nitrogen, which means hydrogen could be used as a functional external method to protect the aquaculture environment

Improvement of Corrosion Protection of Coating System via Inhibitor Response Order

This study aims at investigating the effect of inhibitor response order on anticorrosion properties of AA2024 with coating system. The inhibitor response order was constructed by adding different inhibitor in sol-gel primer or epoxy top coating of the coating system. Nanocontainers of graphene oxide/layered double hydroxides (GO/LDHs) were loaded with 2-mercaptobenzothiazole (MBT) and vanadate separately to get the inhibitors of GO/LDHs-MBT and GO/LDHs-VOx, which were used in this work. The protection performances of the coating systems with different inhibitor combination and different inhibitor response order were investigated. The best protective coating system is composed of sol-gel coating with GO/LDHs-MBT and epoxy coating with GO/LDHs-VOx. It is contributed to inhibitor combination and a proper response order of the inhibitors. When filiform corrosion occurs, MBT anions from the sol-gel coating are close to the alloy and they inhibit the corrosion in anodic areas immediately, and then vanadate anions from the out and thick epoxy coating reduce the kinetics of the cathodic oxygen reduction reaction. Response order enhances the corrosion protection properties provided by inhibitor combination, which gives a promising way to design good anticorrosive coating system

Study on Breeding of a New Hybrid Cymbidium Variety Yuqinglan

【Objective】To carry out cross breeding of high-quality Hybrid Cymbidium by using Hybrid Cymbidium germplasm resources, observe the performance of main target traits of offspring, and obtain new Hybrid Cymbidium varieties that meet the requirements of target traits.【Method】With Cymbidium sinense Yunv and C. lancifolium Wen Yin-1 as parents, conventional hybridization and seed culture of Hybrid Cymbidium were carried out. The characters of hybrid offspring were investigated and analyzed, and compared with their parents and control varieties Moye Amethyst.【Result】A new excellent Hybrid Cymbidium variety Yuqinglan was bred through the mixed selection breeding program. The collective hybrid was registered in the British Royal Horticultural Society under the name of Cymbidium SCAU Love Song. The results of variety comparison and many years of multi-point experiments show that Yuqinglan has compact plant type, erect leaves, erect inflorescences, 9.5 flowers on average, yellow white flowers with light fragrance, 5.6 cm in horizontal diameter and 5.9 cm in vertical diameter. It is cultivated in simple greenhouses in Guangzhou, and starts to flower in late December. Its single flower life is 30 days, and its ornamental period is 50 days. It is different from its parents in plant type, leaf type, and flower type, and its ornamental period is better than their parents, and it is more ornamental and disease resistant than the control Moye Amethyst, and it also has the characteristics of continuous flowering and forming flower lateral branches, which is the first report on orchids.【Conclusion】The new excellent Hybrid Cymbidium variety Yuqinglan, which has been bred through cross breeding and innovative improvement methods, has good characters and strong ornamental ability, and has broad prospects for popularization and application

Prevalence and predictors of mild cognitive impairment in Xi'an: a community-based study among the elders.

Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) is an intermediate stage between normal cognitive function and dementia among aging individuals. This study was designed to estimate the prevalence of MCI and explore the possible risk factors including gender disparities among community-dwelling older individuals. The study was conducted in Xi'an, China. This is a cross-sectional study. A total of 815 individuals, 60 years and older were selected by stratified random cluster sampling. Cognitive function was measured using the mini-mental status examination (MMSE), the Chinese version of the Dementia Rating Scales (CDRS) was used to apply the diagnostic of non-dementia, and activities of daily living (ADL) and instrumental activities of daily living (IADL) systems were used to functional status. The association between sociodemographic characteristics, lifestyle, history of chronic diseases and MCI were evaluated separately for men and women using the Pearson χ²-test and binary logistic regression. Of the 815 community-dwelling individuals, 145 were found to have MCI. Overall, the prevalence of MCI was 18.5%, with a prevalence of 19.6% in women (105/535), and 15.3% (40/261) in men. The results of the binary logistical regression analysis indicated that age and history of stroke were associated with MCI in men. For women, the risk factors were lower level of educational and lack of religious attendance. Results suggested that the factors capable of influencing MCI differed profoundly between older men and older women. For this reason, different preventative measures should be adopted to delay or reverse cognitive impairment among community-dwelling older men and women

Forest graphs of the meta-analysis of anti-CCP antibody status and response to anti-TNFα agents.

<p>The overall analysis of anti-CCP antibody status showed a pooled RR of 0.88 (95% CI: 0.76–1.03, p = 0.11) and an I² of 67%. Subgroup analyses on different response criteria revealed no significant differences.</p

The results of an assessment for bias in accordance with Hayden's criteria.

<p>Unsure: not enough information to evaluate.</p><p>Low, low risk of bias; moderate, moderate risk of bias; high, high risk of bias.</p><p>*One of the domains was assessed as “unsure” due to unavailable information even after the authors were contacted.</p

The Status of Rheumatoid Factor and Anti-Cyclic Citrullinated Peptide Antibody Are Not Associated with the Effect of Anti-TNFα Agent Treatment in Patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis: A Meta-Analysis

<div><p>Objectives</p><p>This meta-analysis was conducted to investigate whether the status of rheumatoid factor (RF) and anti-cyclic citrullinated peptide (anti-CCP) antibody are associated with the clinical response to anti-tumor necrosis factor (TNF) alpha treatment in rheumatoid arthritis (RA).</p><p>Methods</p><p>A systemic literature review was performed using the MEDLINE, SCOPUS, Cochrane Library, ISI Web of Knowledge, and Clinical Trials Register databases, and Hayden's criteria of quality assessment for prognostic studies were used to evaluate all of the studies. The correlation between the RF and anti-CCP antibody status with the treatment effect of anti-TNFα agents was analyzed separately using the Mantel Haenszel method. A fixed-effects model was used when there was no significant heterogeneity; otherwise, a random-effects model was applied. Publication bias was assessed using Egger's linear regression and a funnel plot.</p><p>Results</p><p>A total of 14 studies involving 5561 RA patients meeting the inclusion criteria were included. The overall analysis showed that the pooled relative risk for the predictive effects of the RF and anti-CCP antibody status on patient response to anti-TNFα agents was 0.98 (95% CI: 0.91–1.05, p = 0.54) and 0.88 (95% CI: 0.76–1.03, p = 0.11), respectively, with I² values of 43% (p = 0.05) and 67% (p<0.01), respectively. Subgroup analyses of different anti-TNFα treatments (infliximab vs. etanercept vs. adalimumab vs. golimumab), response criteria (DAS28 vs. ACR20 vs. EULAR response), follow-up period (≥6 vs. <6 months), and ethnic group did not reveal a significant association for the status of RF and anti-CCP.</p><p>Conclusions</p><p>Neither the RF nor anti-CCP antibody status in RA patients is associated with a clinical response to anti-TNFα treatment.</p></div

Forest graphs of the meta-analysis of RF status and response to anti-TNFα agents.

<p>The overall analysis of RF status showed a pooled RR of 0.98 (95% CI: 0.91–1.05, p = 0.54) and an I² of 43%. Subgroup analyses on different response criteria revealed no significant differences.</p

Data extracted from the included studies.

<p>*Pro, prospective clinical trial; Retro, retrospective study; N/A, not available; INF, infliximab; ADA, adalimumab; ETA, etanercept; MTX, methotrexate; LEF, leflunomide; NSAIDs, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs; DMARDs, disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs; CSs, corticosteroids.</p>#<p>Different prior biologic agents used may introduce potential heterogeneity, though the available data were insufficient for a sub-analysis.</p><p>Disease of duration, age, No. of swollen joints, No. of tender joints, DAS28 are presented as the mean (SD).</p