In silico screening of potentially bioactive-anti-functional dyspepsia constituents of Magnoliae officinalis Cortex based on molecular docking and network pharmacology

Purpose: To screen for bioactive anti-functional dyspepsia compounds from Magnoliae officinalis Cortex (Hou Po) and to identify the mechanism(s) of action involved.Methods: The compounds of Hou Po were collected from the literature. The related target proteins were identified from DrugBank. Through  “Libdock” module of Discovery Studio 3.5, the compounds were matched with related target proteins. Taking the Libdock score of the original ligand with target protein as standard, components with higher scores than this standard were considered as potential bioactive compounds. Based on Cytoscape software, the interaction networks of the bioactive compound-target protein complexes were mapped. On the other hand, the online DAVID database was used to analyze the GO enrichment and KEGG pathway of each target.Results: A total of 199 chemical constituents and 13 correlated target proteins were obtained. One hundred and thirty-nine (139) potential bioactive constituents were acquired based on molecular docking. Thirty-one (31) bioactive compounds were selected based on degree values in networkanalysis. “Palmitone” and “magnolignan G” which had the highest degree values were considered promising and leading compounds. The result of gene enrichment analysis showed that the bioactive compounds exerted their effects mainly via “neuroactive ligand-receptor interaction” pathway and “Cholinergic synapse” pathways.Conclusion: Based on molecular docking and network pharmacology technique, the material basis for the use of Hou Po in the treatment of FD has been revealed. This finding provides a useful guide in the development of Hou Po-based anti-FD drugs. Keywords: Magnolia officinalis, Hou Po, Molecular docking, Functional dyspepsia, Network pharmacolog

Correlation between the Hemoglobin, Albumin, Lymphocyte, and Platelet (HALP) Score and Left Ventricular Hypertrophy in Older Patients with Hypertension

Introduction: Hypertension and left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) have emerged as significant risk factors for cardiovascular events and all-cause mortality. Inflammation and nutrition play critical roles in the development of hypertension and damage to target organs. The HALP Score, which assesses levels of hemoglobin, albumin, lymphocytes, and platelets, is an index closely associated with inflammation and nutrition, and has been demonstrated to be particularly effective in the older population. Hence, the objective of this study was to examine the correlation between the HALP Score and LVH in older patients with hypertension. Methods: We collected and retrospectively analyzed data from 234 older patients, including clinical data, and routine blood, liver function, kidney function, and cardiac ultrasound parameters. All patients were categorized into a non-left ventricular hypertrophy (NLVH) group (n = 131) or an LVH group (n = 103). The association between the HALP Score and LVH was investigated, and potential influencing factors were considered. Results: The LVH group had a significantly lower HALP Score than the NLVH group. Logistic regression analysis revealed that a lower HALP Score and female sex were independent factors associated with LVH in older patients with hypertension (OR = 0.944, 9.962, 95% CI: 0.910–0.979, 3.866–24.300, P = 0.002, <0.001). The area under the curve for the HALP Score in diagnosing LVH in older patients with hypertension was 0.708 (95% CI: 0.641–0.776, P = 0.002). Conclusion: The HALP Score is significantly associated with LVH in older patients with hypertension: lower scores indicate a greater likelihood of LVH. The HALP Score has moderate diagnostic value for LVH in this population

The role of alerting in the attentional boost effect

Stimuli presented simultaneously with behaviorally relevant events (e.g., targets) are better memorized, an unusual effect defined as the attentional boost effect (ABE). We hypothesized that all types of behaviorally relevant events, including attentional cues, can promote the encoding process for the stimuli paired with them, and the attentional alerting network can amplify the ABE. The two experiments we conducted demonstrated that not all behaviorally relevant events, including alerting cues, benefit the processing of concurrently paired stimuli. We also found that the presence of a cue prior to a target can extend the memory advantage produced by target detection, but this advantage can only be observed within a limited range of time. Overall, our study provides the first evidence that the alerting network plays an important role in the ABE

Engineering of MSC-Derived Exosomes: A Promising Cell-Free Therapy for Osteoarthritis

Osteoarthritis (OA) is characterized by progressive cartilage degeneration with increasing prevalence and unsatisfactory treatment efficacy. Exosomes derived from mesenchymal stem cells play an important role in alleviating OA by promoting cartilage regeneration, inhibiting synovial inflammation and mediating subchondral bone remodeling without the risk of immune rejection and tumorigenesis. However, low yield, weak activity, inefficient targeting ability and unpredictable side effects of natural exosomes have limited their clinical application. At present, various approaches have been applied in exosome engineering to regulate their production and function, such as pretreatment of parental cells, drug loading, genetic engineering and surface modification. Biomaterials have also been proved to facilitate efficient delivery of exosomes and enhance treatment effectiveness. Here, we summarize the current understanding of the biogenesis, isolation and characterization of natural exosomes, and focus on the large-scale production and preparation of engineered exosomes, as well as their therapeutic potential in OA, thus providing novel insights into exploring advanced MSC-derived exosome-based cell-free therapy for the treatment of OA

Using a Xenogeneic Acellular Dermal Matrix Membrane to Enhance the Reparability of Bone Marrow Mesenchymal Stem Cells for Cartilage Injury

Due to its avascular organization and low mitotic ability, articular cartilage possesses limited intrinsic regenerative capabilities. The aim of this study is to achieve one-step cartilage repair in situ via combining bone marrow stem cells (BMSCs) with a xenogeneic Acellular dermal matrix (ADM) membrane. The ADM membranes were harvested from Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats through standard decellularization procedures. The characterization of the scaffolds was measured, including the morphology and physical properties of the ADM membrane. The in vitro experiments included the cell distribution, chondrogenic matrix quantification, and viability evaluation of the scaffolds. Adult male New Zealand white rabbits were used for the in vivo evaluation. Isolated microfracture was performed in the control (MF group) in the left knee and the tested ADM group was included as an experimental group when an ADM scaffold was implanted through matching with the defect after microfracture in the right knee. At 6, 12, and 24 weeks post-surgery, the rabbits were sacrificed for further research. The ADM could adsorb water and had excellent porosity. The bone marrow stem cells (BMSCs) grew well when seeded on the ADM scaffold, demonstrating a characteristic spindle-shaped morphology. The ADM group exhibited an excellent proliferative capacity as well as the cartilaginous matrix and collagen production of the BMSCs. In the rabbit model, the ADM group showed earlier filling, more hyaline-like neo-tissue formation, and better interfacial integration between the defects and normal cartilage compared with the microfracture (MF) group at 6, 12, and 24 weeks post-surgery. In addition, neither intra-articular inflammation nor a rejection reaction was observed after the implantation of the ADM scaffold. This study provides a promising biomaterial-based strategy for cartilage repair and is worth further investigation in large animal models

From mouse to mouse‐ear cress: Nanomaterials as vehicles in plant biotechnology

Biological applications of nanomaterials as delivery carriers have been embedded in traditional biomedical research for decades. Despite lagging behind, recent significant breakthroughs in the use of nanocarriers as tools for plant biotechnology have created great interest. In this Perspective, we review the outstanding recent works in nanocarrier-mediated plant transformation and its agricultural applications. We analyze the chemical and physical properties of nanocarriers determining their uptake efficiency and transport throughout the plant body