Potential molecular mechanisms of Erlongjiaonang action in idiopathic sudden hearing loss: A network pharmacology and molecular docking analyses

BackgroundIdiopathic sudden hearing loss (ISHL) is characterized by sudden unexplainable and unilateral hearing loss as a clinically emergent symptom. The use of the herb Erlongjiaonang (ELJN) in traditional Chinese medicine is known to effectively control and cure ISHL. This study explored the underlying molecular mechanisms using network pharmacology and molecular docking analyses.MethodThe Traditional Chinese Medicine System Pharmacological database and the Swiss Target Prediction database were searched for the identification of ELJN constituents and potential gene targets, respectively, while ISHL-related gene abnormality was assessed using the Online Mendelian Inheritance in Man and Gene Card databases. The interaction of ELJN gene targets with ISHL genes was obtained after these databases were cross-screened, and a drug component–intersecting target network was constructed, and the gene ontology (GO) terms, Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes, and protein–protein interaction networks were analyzed. Cytoscape software tools were used to map the active components–crossover target–signaling pathway network and screened targets were then validated by establishing molecular docking with the corresponding components.ResultErlongjiaonang contains 85 components and 250 corresponding gene targets, while ISHL has 714 disease-related targets, resulting in 66 cross-targets. The bioinformatical analyses revealed these 66 cross-targets, including isorhamnetin and formononetin on NOS3 expression, baicalein on AKT1 activity, and kaempferol and quercetin on NOS3 and AKT1 activity, as potential ELJN-induced anti-ISHL targets.ConclusionThis study uncovered potential ELJN gene targets and molecular signaling pathways in the control of ISHL, providing a molecular basis for further investigation of the anti-ISHL activity of ELJN

Evaluation of an identification method for the SARS-CoV-2 Delta variant based on the amplification-refractory mutation system

The Delta variant of SARS-CoV-2 dominated the COVID-19 pandemic due to its high viral replication capacity and immune evasion, causing massive outbreaks of cases, hospitalizations, and deaths. Currently, variant identification is performed mainly by sequencing. However, the high requirements for equipment and operators as well as its high cost have limited its application in underdeveloped regions. To achieve an economical and rapid method of variant identification suitable for undeveloped areas, we applied an amplification-refractory mutation system (ARMS) based on PCR for the detection of novel coronavirus variants. The results showed that this method could be finished in 90 min and detect as few as 500 copies/mL and not react with SARS-Coronavirus, influenza A H1N1(2009), and other cross-pathogens or be influenced by fresh human blood, α- interferon, and other interfering substances. In a set of double-blind trials, tests of 262 samples obtained from patients confirmed with Delta variant infection revealed that our method was able to accurately identify the Delta variant with high sensitivity and specificity. In conclusion, the ARMS-PCR method applied in Delta variant identification is rapid, sensitive, specific, economical, and suitable for undeveloped areas. In our future study, ARMS-PCR will be further applied in the identification of other variants, such as Omicron

Lipid profiles in the cerebrospinal fluid of rats with 6-hydroxydopamine-induced lesions as a model of Parkinson’s disease

BackgroundParkinson’s disease (PD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disease with characteristic pathological abnormalities, including the loss of dopaminergic (DA) neurons, a dopamine-depleted striatum, and microglial activation. Lipid accumulation exhibits a close relationship with these pathologies in PD.MethodsHere, 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA) was used to construct a rat model of PD, and the lipid profile in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) obtained from model rats was analyzed using lipidomic approaches.ResultsEstablishment of this PD model was confirmed by apomorphine-induced rotation behaviors, loss of DA neurons, depletion of dopamine in the striatum, and microglial activation after 6-OHDA-induced lesion generation. Unsupervised and supervised methods were employed for lipid analysis. A total of 172 lipid species were identified in CSF and subsequently classified into 18 lipid families. Lipid families, including eicosanoids, triglyceride (TG), cholesterol ester (CE), and free fatty acid (FFA), and 11 lipid species exhibited significantly altered profiles 2 weeks after 6-OHDA administration, and significant changes in eicosanoids, TG, CE, CAR, and three lipid species were noted 5 weeks after 6-OHDA administration. During the period of 6-OHDA-induced lesion formation, the lipid families and species showed concentration fluctuations related to the recovery of behavior and nigrostriatal abnormalities. Correlation analysis showed that the levels of eicosanoids, CE, TG families, and TG (16:0_20:0_18:1) exhibited positive relationships with apomorphine-induced rotation behaviors and negative relationships with tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) expression in the midbrain.ConclusionThese results revealed that non-progressive nigrostriatal degeneration induced by 6-OHDA promotes the expression of an impairment-related lipidomic signature in CSF, and the level of eicosanoids, CE, TG families, and TG (16:0_20:0_18:1) in CSF may reveal pathological changes in the midbrain after 6-OHDA insult

Regional variability in peatland burning at mid- to high-latitudes during the Holocene

Acknowledgements This work developed from the PAGES (Past Global Changes) C-PEAT (Carbon in Peat on EArth through Time) working group. PAGES has been supported by the US National Science Foundation, Swiss National Science Foundation, Swiss Academy of Sciences and Chinese Academy of Sciences. We acknowledge the following financial support: UK Natural Environment Research Council Training Grants NE/L002574/1 (T.G.S.) and NE/S007458/1 (R.E.F.); Dutch Foundation for the Conservation of Irish Bogs, Quaternary Research Association and Leverhulme Trust RPG-2021-354 (G.T.S); the Academy of Finland (M.V); PAI/SIA 80002 and FONDECYT Iniciación 11220705 - ANID, Chile (C.A.M.); R20F0002 (PATSER) ANID Chile (R.D.M.); Swedish Strategic Research Area (SRA) MERGE (ModElling the Regional and Global Earth system) (M.J.G.); Polish National Science Centre Grant number NCN 2018/29/B/ST10/00120 (K.A.); Russian Science Foundation Grant No. 19-14-00102 (Y.A.M.); University of Latvia Grant No. AAp2016/B041/Zd2016/AZ03 and the Estonian Science Council grant PRG323 (TrackLag) (N.S. and A.M.); U.S. Geological Survey Land Change Science/Climate Research & Development Program (M.J., L.A., and D.W.); German Research Foundation (DFG), grant MA 8083/2-1 (P.M.) and grant BL 563/19-1 (K.H.K.); German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD), grant no. 57044554, Faculty of Geosciences, University of Münster, and Bavarian University Centre for Latin America (BAYLAT) (K.H.K). Records from the Global Charcoal Database supplemented this work and therefore we would like to thank the contributors and managers of this open-source resource. We also thank Annica Greisman, Jennifer Shiller, Fredrik Olsson and Simon van Bellen for contributing charcoal data to our analyses. Any use of trade, firm, or product name is for descriptive purposes only and does not imply endorsement by the U.S. Government.Peer reviewedPostprin

Social Network Site (SNS) Brand Page Participation and Commitment: A Comparison between China and Korea

The wide use of Social Network Site (SNS) brand pages by companies has renovated brand strategies in the new era. This study is to provide meaningful implications to companies’ effective use of SNS brand pages, and help global companies with their development of brand strategies. Using survey, this study investigates the motivating factors (functional benefits, hedonic benefits, economic benefits, intrinsic benefits, and brand reputation) influencing individuals’ SNS brand page participation and commitment as well as the impact on purchase intention. Potential cultural differences between Chinese and Korean users are also studied. The results show that prior motivating factor in traditional online communities still hold for SNS brand pages in both countries, but there are differences in the significance and importance between the two countries. Implications and contributions are discussed

Social Media and Attitude Change: Information Booming Promote or Resist Persuasion?

Emerging social media platforms such as Twitter and its Chinese equivalent Weibo have become important in information-sharing and communication. They are also gradually becoming stronger in guiding public opinion. When compared with traditional media, these platforms have salient characteristics, such as highly efficient dissemination of information and interactive commentary, which can contribute to information overload. In earlier research, only the effect of social media on attitude change has been studied, but the specific mechanism of this effect in the context of information overload has not been found. To answer this question, we measured the attitude change of participants after they read Weibo posts about street vendors. A 2 (post-attitude: positive posts vs. negative posts) x 4 (reading time: 35 vs. 25 vs. 15 vs. 5 min) experiment was set up, and the Single Category Implicit Attitude Test was used to measure the implicit attitudes. The interaction effect revealed that in both positive and negative posts, less reading time (i.e., information overload) had a stronger influence. Users were more easily persuaded by posts under high overload. Furthermore, the changes in the attitudes of users were not simply stronger with more information. We found three stages, namely, obedience, resistance, and acceptance, with different mechanisms. Therefore, in the positive information overload condition, the attitudes of individuals eventually change in a positive way. In the negative information overload condition, individuals tend to be biased against the group being reported

Pharmacokinetics of Eprinomectin in Plasma and Milk following Subcutaneous Administration to Lactating Dairy Cattle

Eprinomectin is only available as a topically applied anthelmintic for dairy cattle. To determine whether eprinomectin can be applied as an injectable formulation in dairy cattle, a novel injectable formulation was developed and was subcutaneously delivered to four lactating dairy cattle at a dose rate of 0.2 mg/ kg. Plasma and milk samples were collected. The concentrations of eprinomectin in all samples were determined by HPLC. The peak plasma concentration (Cmax)of 44.0±24.2 ng/ml occurred 39±19.3 h after subcutaneous administration, equivalent to the Cmax (43.76±18.23 ng/ml) previously reported for dairy cattle after a pour-on administration of 0.5 mg/kg eprinomectin. The area under the plasma concentration–time curve (AUC) after subcutaneous administration was 7354±1861 (ng h)/ml, higher than that obtained after pour-on delivery (5737.68±412.80 (ng h)/ml). The mean residence time (MRT) of the drug in plasma was 211±55.2 h. Eprinomectin was detected in the milk at the second sampling time. The concentration of drug in milk was parallel to that in plasma, with a milk to plasma ratio of 0.16±0.01. The highest detected concentration of eprinomectin in milk was 9.0 ng/ml, below the maximum residue limit (MRL) of eprinomectin in milk established by the Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives in 2000. The amount of eprinomectin recovered in the milk during this trial was 0.39%±0.08% of the total administered dose. This study demonstrates that subcutaneous administration of eprinomectin led to higher bioavailability and a lower dose than a pour-on application, and that an injectable formulation of eprinomectin may be applied in dairy cattle with a zero withdrawal period.Fil: Baoliang, Pan. China Agricultural University. College of Veterinary Medicine; República de ChinaFil: Yuwan, Wang. Beijing China Agricultural University; República de China. Biological Technique Limited Corporation; República de ChinaFil: Zhende, Pan. Biological Technique Limited Corporation; República de China. Beijing China Agricultural University; República de ChinaFil: Lifschitz, Adrian Luis. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Tandil. Centro de Investigación Veterinaria de Tandil. Universidad Nacional del Centro de la Provincia de Buenos Aires. Centro de Investigación Veterinaria de Tandil. Provincia de Buenos Aires. Gobernación. Comision de Investigaciones Científicas. Centro de Investigación Veterinaria de Tandil; Argentina. Universidad Nacional del Centro de la Provincia de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Veterinarias. Departamento de Fisiopatología. Laboratorio de Farmacología; ArgentinaFil: Ming, Wang. China Agricultural University. College of Veterinary Medicine; República de Chin

Effects of vascular endothelial growth factor 165 on bone tissue engineering.

To study the relationship between vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and formation and repair of engineering bone, second-generation bone marrow stromal cells (BMSCs) of New Zealand white rabbits that were separated in vitro were transfected with VEGF 165 gene vectors by adenovirus to detect gene expressions. Transfected BMSCs and β-tricalcium phosphate material were complexed and implanted at the femoral injury sites of the study group (n = 12), and the control group (n = 12) were implanted with engineering bones that were not transfected with VEGF. Femoral recoveries of the two groups were observed on the 15th, 30th, 45th and 60th days, and their vascularization and ossification statuses were observed by immunohistochemical methods. The BMSCs transfected with VEGF highly expressed VEGF genes and excreted VEGF. The two groups both experienced increased vascularization and bone volume after implantation (t = 7.92, P<0.05), and the increases of the study group were significantly higher than those of the control group (t = 6.92, P<0.05). VEGF is clinically applicable because it can accelerate the formation and repair of engineering bone by promoting vascularization and ossification

Investigation on Primary Breakup of High-Pressure Diesel Spray Atomization by Method of Automatic Identifying Droplet Feature Based on Eulerian–Lagrangian Model

To investigate primary breakup close to an injector, this paper presents both experimental and numerical research on high-pressure common-rail diesel injection. We propose a new method named SD-ELSA model to realize automatically identifying droplet features for high-pressure diesel spray based on the classic ELSA (Eulerian Lagrangian Spray Atomization) model; this method is suitable for varied injection operation conditions. The SD-ELSA first identifies the liquid bulk due to breakup of the continuous phase in near field, and then converts the Eulerian liquid bulk into Lagrangian particles to complete the calculation of the total spray atomization. The SD-ELSA model adopts two key criteria, i.e., the sphericity (S) and the particle diameter (D); the qualified liquid mass is transformed into Lagrangian particle, realizing the coupling of the Eulerian–Lagrangian model. The SD-ELSA model illustrates the total diesel spray atomization process from the breakup liquid column to the droplets