Fluctuating levels of reprogramming factor expression in cultured human undifferentiated keratinocytes

Although human undifferentiated keratinocytes (HUKs) can be reprogrammed to become induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) with high efficiency and rapid kinetics by transducing reprogramming factors (RFs), the endogenous expression of reprogramming factors in cultured HUKs is not clear at different stages. In this study, keratinocytes were isolated from foreskin of adult subject (18 years old) and cultured on collagen type IV-coated culture dishes in a low-calcium, serum-free medium (Epilife, Invitrogen). In order to clarify the expression patterns of RFs and other stem cell markers in cultured human keratinocytes, total RNA was extracted using Trizol reagent, and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was performed using established GenBank sequences to design primers. The subsequent PCR analysis was carried out by agarose gel electrophoresis. The expression levels of RFs and other stem cell markers in human HUKs clearly fluctuated during culturing, which supports the hypothesis that HUKs might be reprogrammed into a pluripotent state when the maximum levels of RFs expression are maintained by appropriate culture conditions.Keywords: Human undifferentiated keratinocytes, reprogramming factors, expression fluctuationAfrican Journal of Biotechnology Vol. 12(35), pp. 5389-539

Commercial Chinese polyherbal preparation Zao Ren An Shen prescription for primary insomnia : a systematic review with meta-analysis and trial sequential analysis

Background: Natural products are widely used for primary insomnia (PI). This systematic review with trial sequential analysis (TSA) aimed to summarize evidence pertaining to the effectiveness and safety of Zao Ren An Shen (ZRAS) prescription, a commercial Chinese polyherbal preparation, for treating PI. Methods: Controlled clinical trials appraising ZRAS compared to controls or as an add-on treatment were systematically searched across seven databases until January 2024. Cochrane ROB 2.0 and ROBINS-I tools were adopted to determine risk of bias. Quality of evidence was assessed using the GRADE framework. Results: We analyzed 22 studies, involving 2,142 participants. The effect of ZRAS in reducing Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index scores was found to be comparable to benzodiazepines [MD = 0.39, 95%CI

High-frequency monitoring reveals how hydrochemistry and dissolved carbon respond to rainstorms at a karstic critical zone, Southwestern China

Hydrochemical behavior and dissolved carbon dynamics are highly-sensitive to hydrological variations in the monsoon-influenced karstic critical zone which has high chemical weathering rates and experiences strong anthropogenic impact. Continuous high-frequency monitoring in the spring outlet of a karstic catchment in Southwestern China revealed that most hydrochemical variables changed distinctively in response to hydrologic variations, influenced by mixing of different sources and miscellaneous biogeochemical processes. Na+, K+ and SO42− varied significantly with hydrology, showing weak chemostatic behavior controlled by dilution. The flushing effect and random behavior of NO3− and Cl− likely reflect agricultural inputs from high throughflow. Soil CO2 in infiltrated water supports carbonate weathering, enabling DIC (dissolved inorganic carbon) and weathering products (e.g., Ca2+ and Mg2+) to maintain chemostatic behavior. Biogenic DIC exhibited a stronger chemostatic response than carbonate sources and was the foremost control in DIC behavior. Carbon exchange between DIC and DOC (dissolved organic carbon) did not significantly influence DIC concentration and δ13C due to very low DOC concentration. More DOC was exported by flushing from increasing discharge. Hysteretic analysis indicated that the transport processes were controlled by proximal sources mixing and diverse mobilization in various periods responding to rainstorms. NO3− and Cl− presented different hysteresis behavior as sourced from agricultural activities. DOC increased on the hydrograph rising limb and was controlled by a transport-limited regime. However, the hysteresis behavior of most weathering products and DIC were regulated by a process-limited regime in the karstic critical zone. Overall, biogeochemical processes, hydrogeological properties, storm intensity/magnitude and the timing of storms (antecedent conditions) are main factors influencing the response of hydrochemical variables and dissolved carbon to storm events

Career considerations in nurse-led traditional Chinese medicine clinics : a two-center qualitative study

Background: Growing demand exists for high-quality Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) care, particularly through Nurse-led TCM clinics (TCM-NLCs). Nurses with extensive experience in TCM departments represent a potential workforce for this healthcare model. This qualitative study aims to investigate the willingness of these candidates to engage in TCM-NLCs, with a specific focus on their main concerns and apprehensions when facing new challenges. Methods: Individual semi-structured face to face interviews were conducted with senior nurses from two TCM hospitals in Shanghai. Each participant had a minimum of three years of work experience in a TCM related department. Conventional qualitative content analysis was utilized. Results: Fourteen participants were interviewed and data saturation was achieved. Nurses exhibited strong interest in practicing in TCM-NLCs. They believed that such innovative TCM nursing service model not only extends nursing role, provides greater empowerment and opportunities for professional development but also meets patients’ diverse healthcare needs, reduces reliance on other healthcare providers such as doctors, and increases hospital revenue. However, challenges such as deficiencies in evidence-based TCM nursing education, the absence of standardized practice guidelines, and limited prescriptive privileges were identified as primary obstacles to engaging in TCM-NLCs practice, potentially undermining the specialization of this advanced nursing practice model. Conclusion: Although the nurses interviewed were highly motivated, they generally lacked confidence to practice independently in TCM-NLCs. A pressing priority is to address their concerns by providing appropriate resources as well as education and policy support to enhance their competency and ensure their practice autonomy, therefore building a more qualified pool of professionals for advanced TCM nursing practice. © 2024 Zhao et al. This work is published and licensed by Dove Medical Press Limiand

Characterization of multi-wavelength polarized light transmission in the real sea spray environment

Sea spray particles are a type of non-uniform, non-spherical, non-isotropic, and complex medium, and the study of the transmission characteristics of polarized light in a real sea spray environment can provide reference values in many fields, such as polarization imaging, marine target detection, and LiDAR, which can make up for the vacancy of polarized light transmission in a complex sea spray environment. In this paper, a real sea fog test is carried out in the Qingdao Sea area of China in the horizontal/oblique direction, and a platform for generating and detecting polarized light with multiple tilt angles is constructed by using the active test method, which realizes the test scheme for the characteristics of energy change and polarization state change in the linearly polarized light and circularly polarized light at different visibility levels in sea fog environments. The results show that it is more difficult to deflect the circularly polarized light than linearly polarized light at the same sea spray visibility level. With the increase in the tilt angle, a decrease in the polarization is observed. The polarization of the near-infrared light is always larger than that of the visible light, which indicates that the circularly polarized light has better polarization preservation than the linearly polarized light and the polarization preservation of the near-infrared light is better than that of the visible light

Reconciling results of 2019 and 2020 stellar occultations on Pluto's atmosphere. New constraints from both the 5 September 2019 event and consistency analysis

A stellar occultation by Pluto on 5 September 2019 yielded positive detections at two separate stations. Using an approach consistent with comparable studies, we derived a surface pressure of $11.478 \pm 0.55~\mathrm{\mu bar}$ for Pluto's atmosphere from the observations of this event. In addition, to avoid potential method inconsistancies highlighted by Sicardy et al. when comparing with historical pressure measurements, we reanalyzed the data by 15 August 2018 and 17 July 2019 events, respectively. All the new measurements provide a bridge between the two different perspectives on the pressure variation since 2015: a rapid pressure drop from previous studies of the 15 August 2018 and 17 July 2019 events and a plateau phase from that of the 6 June 2020 event. The pressure measurement from the 5 September 2019 event aligns with those from 2016, 2018, and 2020, supporting the latter perspective. While the measurements from the 4 June 2011 and 17 July 2019 events suggest probable V-shaped pressure variations unaccounted for by the volatile transport model (VTM) from Meza et al., the VTM remains applicable on average. And, the validity of the V-shaped variations is debatable due to the stellar faintness of the 4 June 2011 event and the grazing single-chord geometry of the 17 July 2019 event. To reveal and understand all significant pressure variations of Pluto's atmosphere, it is essential to provide constraints on both short-term and long-term evolutions of the interacting atmosphere and surface by continuous pressure monitoring through occultation observations, whenever possible, complemented by frequent spectroscopy and photometry of the surface.Comment: Accepted for publication in Astronomy & Astrophysics. 10 pages, 6 figure

Transcriptome sequencing reveals the effects of circRNA on testicular development and spermatogenesis in Qianbei Ma goats

Circular RNAs (circRNAs) play an important role in regulating the mammalian reproductive system, especially testicular development and spermatogenesis. However, their functions in testicular development and spermatogenesis in the Qianbei Ma goat, the Guizhou endemic breed are still unclear. In this study, tissue sectioning and circRNAs transcriptome analysis were conducted to compare the changes of morphology and circular RNAs gene expression profile at four different developmental stages (0Y, 0-month-old; 6Y, 6-month-old; 12Y, 12-month-old; 18Y, 18-month-old). The results showed that the circumferences and area of the seminiferous tubule gradually increased with age, and the lumen of the seminiferous tubule in the testis differentiated significantly. 12,784 circRNAs were detected from testicular tissues at four different developmental stages by RNA sequencing, and 8,140 DEcircRNAs (differentially expressed circRNAs) were found in 0Y vs. 6Y, 6Y vs. 12Y, 12Y vs. 18Y and 0Y vs. 18Y, 0Y vs. 12Y, 6Y vs. 18Y Functional enrichment analysis of the source genes showed that they were mainly enriched in testicular development and spermatogenesis. In addition, the miRNAs and mRNAs associated with DECircRNAs in 6 control groups were predicted by bioinformatics, and 81 highly expressed DECircRNAs and their associated miRNAs and mRNAs were selected to construct the ceRNA network. Through functional enrichment analysis of the target genes of circRNAs in the network, some candidate circRNAs related to testicular development and spermatogenesis were obtained. Such as circRNA_07172, circRNA_04859, circRNA_07832, circRNA_00032 and circRNA_07510. These results will help to reveal the mechanism of circRNAs in testicular development and spermatogenesis, and also provide some guidance for goat reproduction

Rainfall and conduit drainage combine to accelerate nitrate loss from a karst agroecosystem: insights from stable isotope tracing and high-frequency nitrate sensing

Understanding where nitrate is mobilized from and under what conditions is required to reduce nitrate loss and protect water quality. Low frequency sampling may inadequately capture hydrological and biogeochemical processes that will influence nitrate behavior. We used high-frequency isotope sampling and in-situ nitrate sensing to explore nitrate export and transformation in a karst critical zone. Nitrate was mobilised during light rainfall, and transferred from soil layers to the karst matrix, where some nitrate was retained and denitrified. Nitrate isotopic composition changed rapidly during the rising limb of events and slowly during the falling limb. The main nitrate source was synthetic fertiliser (up to 80% during event flow), transported by conduit flow following high rainfall events, and this contribution increased significantly as discharge increased. Soil organic nitrogen contribution remained constant indicating at baseflow this is the primary source. Isotope source appointment of nitrate export revealed that synthetic fertilizer accounted for more than half of the total nitrate export, which is double that of the secondary source (soil organic nitrogen), providing valuable information to inform catchment management to reduce nitrate losses and fluvial loading. Careful land management and fertilizer use are necessary to avoid nitrate pollution in the karst agroecosystem, for example by timing fertilizer applications to allow for plant uptake of nitrate before rainfall can flush it from the soils into the karst and ultimately into catchment drainage

The Roles of E93 and Kr-h1 in Metamorphosis of Nilaparvata lugens

Metamorphosis is a crucial process in insect development. Ecdysone-induced protein 93 (E93) is a determinant that promotes adult metamorphosis in both hemimetabolous and holometabolous insects. Krüppel-homolog 1 (Kr-h1), an early juvenile hormone (JH)-inducible gene, participates in JH signaling pathway controlling insect metamorphosis. In the current study, an E93 cDNA (NlE93) and two Kr-h1 cDNA variants (NlKr-h1-a and NlKr-h1-b) were cloned from Nilaparvata lugens (Stål), one of the most destructive hemimetabolous insect pests on rice. Multiple sequence alignment showed that both NlE93 and NlKr-h1 share high identity with their orthologs from other insects. The expression patterns revealed that decreasing NlKr-h1 mRNA levels were correlated with increasing NlE93 mRNA levels and vice versa. Moreover, RNA interference (RNAi) assays showed that the knockdown of one of the two genes resulted in significantly upregulated expression of the other. Correspondingly, phenotypical observation of the RNAi insects revealed that depletion of NlE93 prevented nymph–adult transition (causing a supernumerary nymphal instar), while depletion of NlKr-h1 triggered precocious formation of incomplete adult features. The results suggest that Nlkr-h1 and NlE93 are mutual repressors, fitting into the MEKRE93 pathway. The balance between these two genes plays a critical role in the metamorphosis of N. lugens determining the proper timing for activating metamorphosis during the nymphal stage