As an important endocrine organ of human body,adipose tissue secrets a large amount of endocrine fac-tors that regulate a variety of physiological functions,and role of adiponectin in cardiovascular system is especially important.At the cellular and molecular level,adiponectin possesses profound anti-inflammatory,anti-oxidative and anti-apoptotic effects,which can reduce various pathogenic factors of cardiovascular diseases(CVD).In ad-vanced stage of CVD,the expression of adiponectin in adipose tissue as well as its circulating level compensatively increased.Therefore,adiponectin has a protective effect on the cardiovascular system,and increased adiponectin level may suggest severe CVD.In this review article,we systematically introduced the role of adiponectin in CVD and discussed its application prospects as a clinical biomarker.

As an important endocrine organ of human body,adipose tissue secrets a large amount of endocrine fac-tors that regulate a variety of physiological functions,and role of adiponectin in cardiovascular system is especially important.At the cellular and molecular level,adiponectin possesses profound anti-inflammatory,anti-oxidative and anti-apoptotic effects,which can reduce various pathogenic factors of cardiovascular diseases(CVD).In ad-vanced stage of CVD,the expression of adiponectin in adipose tissue as well as its circulating level compensatively increased.Therefore,adiponectin has a protective effect on the cardiovascular system,and increased adiponectin level may suggest severe CVD.In this review article,we systematically introduced the role of adiponectin in CVD and discussed its application prospects as a clinical biomarker.

OBJECTIVE: The study aim was to investigate the effects of exposure to multiple environmental organic pollutants on cardiopulmonary health with a focus on the potential mediating role of oxidative stress. METHODS: A repeated-measures randomized crossover study involving healthy college students in Beijing was conducted. Biological samples, including morning urine and venous blood, were collected to measure concentrations of 29 typical organic pollutants, including hydroxy polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (OH-PAHs), bisphenol A and its substitutes, phthalates and their metabolites, parabens, and five biomarkers of oxidative stress. Health assessments included blood pressure measurements and lung function indicators. RESULTS: Urinary concentrations of 2-hydroxyphenanthrene (2-OH-PHE) ( β = 4.35% [95% confidence interval ( CI): 0.85%, 7.97%]), 3-hydroxyphenanthrene ( β = 3.44% [95% CI: 0.19%, 6.79%]), and 4-hydroxyphenanthrene (4-OH-PHE) ( β = 5.78% [95% CI: 1.27%, 10.5%]) were significantly and positively associated with systolic blood pressure. Exposures to 1-hydroxypyrene (1-OH-PYR) ( β = 3.05% [95% CI: -4.66%, -1.41%]), 2-OH-PHE ( β = 2.68% [95% CI: -4%, -1.34%]), and 4-OH-PHE ( β = 3% [95% CI: -4.68%, -1.29%]) were negatively associated with the ratio of forced expiratory volume in the first second to forced vital capacity. These findings highlight the adverse effects of exposure to multiple pollutants on cardiopulmonary health. Biomarkers of oxidative stress, including 8-hydroxy-2'-deoxyguanosine and extracellular superoxide dismutase, mediated the effects of multiple OH-PAHs on blood pressure and lung function. CONCLUSION Exposure to multiple organic pollutants can adversely affect cardiopulmonary health. Oxidative stress is a key mediator of the effects of OH-PAHs on blood pressure and lung function.
Humans ; Oxidative Stress/drug effects* ; Male ; Cross-Over Studies ; Female ; Young Adult ; Environmental Pollutants/toxicity* ; Environmental Exposure/adverse effects* ; Biomarkers/blood* ; Adult ; Blood Pressure/drug effects* ; Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons/urine* ; Beijing

ObjectiveTo investigate the role of 4-week high-intensity interval training (HIIT) in modulating the metabolic homeostasis of the pyruvate-lactate axis in the hippocampus of rats with chronic unpredictable mild stress (CUMS) to improve their depressive-like behavior. MethodsForty-eight SPF-grade 8-week-old male SD rats were randomly divided into 4 groups: the normal quiet group (C), the CUMS quiet group (M), the normal exercise group (HC), and the CUMS exercise group (HM). The M and HM groups received 8 weeks of CUMS modeling, while the HC and HM groups were exposed to 4 weeks of HIIT starting from the 5th week (3 min (85%-90%) S_max+1 min (50%-55%) S_max, 3-5 cycles, S_max is the maximum movement speed). A lactate analyzer was used to detect the blood lactate concentration in the quiet state of rats in the HC and HM groups at week 4 and in the 0, 2, 4, 8, 12, and 24 h after exercise, as well as in the quiet state of rats in each group at week 8. Behavioral indexes such as sucrose preference rate, number of times of uprightness and number of traversing frames in the absenteeism experiment, and other behavioral indexes were used to assess the depressive-like behavior of the rats at week 4 and week 8. The rats were anesthetized on the next day after the behavioral test in week 8, and hippocampal tissues were taken for assay. LC-MS non-targeted metabolomics, target quantification, ELISA and Western blot were used to detect the changes in metabolite content, lactate and pyruvate concentration, the content of key metabolic enzymes in the pyruvate-lactate axis, and the protein expression levels of monocarboxylate transporters (MCTs). Results4-week HIIT intervention significantly increased the sucrose preference rate, the number of uprights and the number of traversed frames in the absent field experiment in CUMS rats; non-targeted metabolomics assay found that 21 metabolites were significantly changed in group M compared to group C, and 14 and 11 differential metabolites were significantly dialed back in the HC and HM groups, respectively, after the 4-week HIIT intervention; the quantitative results of the targeting showed that, compared to group C, lactate concentration in the hippocampal tissues of M group, compared with group C, lactate concentration in hippocampal tissue was significantly reduced and pyruvate concentration was significantly increased, and 4-week HIIT intervention significantly increased the concentration of lactate and pyruvate in hippocampal tissue of HM group; the trend of changes in blood lactate concentration was consistent with the change in lactate concentration in hippocampal tissue; compared with group C, the LDHB content of group M was significantly increased, the content of PKM2 and PDH, as well as the protein expression level of MCT2 and MCT4 were significantly reduced. The 4-week HIIT intervention upregulated the PKM2 and PDH content as well as the protein expression levels of MCT2 and MCT4 in the HM group. ConclusionThe 4-week HIIT intervention upregulated blood lactate concentration and PKM2 and PDH metabolizing enzymes in hippocampal tissues of CUMS rats, and upregulated the expression of MCT2 and MCT4 transport carrier proteins to promote central lactate uptake and utilization, which regulated metabolic homeostasis of the pyruvate-lactate axis and improved depressive-like behaviors.

ObjectiveThis study aimed to investigate the effects of 4-week high-intensity interval training (HIIT) on synaptic plasticity in the prefrontal cortex (PFC) of rats exposed to chronic unpredictable mild stress (CUMS), and to explore its potential mechanisms. MethodsA total of 48 male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into 4 groups: control (C), model (M), control plus HIIT (HC), and model plus HIIT (HM). Rats in groups M and HM underwent 8 weeks of CUMS to establish depression-like behaviors, while groups HC and HM received HIIT intervention beginning from the 5th week for 4 consecutive weeks. The HIIT protocol consisted of repeated intervals of 3 min at high speed (85%-90% maximal training speed, S_max) alternated with one minute at low speed (50%-55% S_max), with 3 to 5 sets per session, conducted 5 d per week. Behavioral assessments and tail-vein blood lactate levels were measured at the end of the 4th and 8th weeks. After the intervention, rat PFC tissues were collected for Golgi staining to analyze synaptic morphology. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISA) were employed to detect brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), monocarboxylate transporter 1 (MCT1), lactate, and glutamate levels in the PFC, as well as serotonin (5-HT) levels in serum. Additionally, Western blot analysis was conducted to quantify the expression of synaptic plasticity-related proteins, including c-Fos, activity-regulated cytoskeleton-associated protein (Arc), and N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor 1 (NMDAR1). ResultsCompared to the control group (C), the CUMS-exposed rats (group M) exhibited significant reductions in sucrose preference rates, number of grid crossings, frequency of upright postures, and entries into and duration spent in open arms of the elevated plus maze, indicating marked depressive-like behaviors. Additionally, the group M showed significantly reduced dendritic spine density in the PFC, along with elevated levels of c-Fos, Arc, NMDAR1 protein expression, and increased concentrations of lactate and glutamate. Conversely, BDNF and MCT1 contents in the PFC and 5-HT levels in serum were significantly decreased. Following HIIT intervention, rats in the group HM displayed considerable improvement in behavioral indicators compared with the group M, accompanied by significant elevations in PFC MCT1 and lactate concentrations. Furthermore, HIIT notably normalized the expression levels of c-Fos, Arc, NMDAR1, as well as glutamate and BDNF contents in the PFC. Synaptic spine density also exhibited significant recovery. ConclusionFour weeks of HIIT intervention may alleviate depressive-like behaviors in CUMS rats by increasing lactate levels and reducing glutamate concentration in the PFC, thereby downregulating the overexpression of NMDAR, attenuating excitotoxicity, and enhancing synaptic plasticity.

This study employed the "disease-medicine-dose" pattern to mine the medication rules of traditional Chinese medicine(TCM) prescriptions containing Astragali Radix in ancient Chinese medical books, aiming to provide a scientific basis for the clinical application of Astragali Radix and the development of new medicines. The TCM prescriptions containing Astragali Radix were retrieved from databases such as Chinese Medical Dictionary and imported into Excel 2020 to construct the prescription library. Statical analysis were performed for the prescriptions regarding the indications, syndromes, medicine use frequency, herb effects, nature and taste, meridian tropism, dosage forms, and dose. SPSS statistics 26.0 and IBM SPSS Modeler 18.0 were used for association rules analysis and cluster analysis. A total of 2 297 prescriptions containing Astragali Radix were collected, involving 233 indications, among which sore and ulcer, consumptive disease, sweating disorder, and apoplexy had high frequency(>25), and their syndromes were mainly Qi and blood deficiency, Qi and blood deficiency, Yin and Yang deficiency, and Qi deficiency and collateral obstruction, respectively. In the prescriptions, 98 medicines were used with the frequency >25 and they mainly included Qi-tonifying medicines and blood-tonifying medicines. Glycyrrhizae Radix et Rhizoma, Angelicae Sinensis Radix, Ginseng Radix et Rhizoma, Atractylodis Macrocephalae Rhizoma, and Citri Reticulatae Pericarpium were frequently used. The medicines with high frequency mainly have warm or cold nature, and sweet, pungent, or bitter taste, with tropism to spleen, lung, heart, liver, and kidney meridians. In the treatment of sore and ulcer, Astragali Radix was mainly used with the dose of 3.73 g and combined with Glycyrrhizae Radix et Rhizoma to promote granulation and heal up sores. In the treatment of consumptive disease, Astragali Radix was mainly used with the dose of 37.30 g and combined with Ginseng Radix et Rhizoma to tonify deficiency and replenish Qi. In the treatment of sweating disorder, Astragali Radix was mainly used with the dose of 3.73 g and combined with Glycyrrhizae Radix et Rhizoma to consolidate exterior and stop sweating. In the treatment of apoplexy, Astragali Radix was mainly used with the dose of 7.46 g and combined with Glycyrrhizae Radix et Rhizoma to dispell wind and stop convulsions. Astragali Radix can be used in the treatment of multiple system diseases, with the effects of tonifying Qi and ascending Yang, consolidating exterior and stopping sweating, and expressing toxin and promoting granulation. According to the manifestations of different diseases, when combined with other medicines, Astragali Radix was endowed with the effects of promoting granulation and healing up sores, tonifying deficiency and Qi, consolidating exterior and stopping sweating, and dispelling wind and replenishing Qi. The findings provide a theoretical reference and a scientific basis for the clinical application of Astragali Radix and the development of new medicines.
Drugs, Chinese Herbal/history* ; Humans ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional/history* ; History, Ancient ; Astragalus Plant/chemistry* ; China ; Astragalus propinquus

Objective To construct 5 machine-learning models and compare their performance in predicting the associations between pre-pregnancy socio-psycho-behavioral exposures of both spouses and preconception outcomes.Methods Based on Chongqing Preconception Reproductive Health and Birth Outcome Cohort of volunteers recruited from Chongqing Health Center for Women and Children during January 2019 and March 2022,5 447 couples were recruited and surveyed through interviewer-interview for the demographic and social-psychological-behavioral data of both spouses(221 variables).According to the inclusion and exclusion criteria,4 097 couples were finally included,and randomly assigned into a training set(n=2 867 spouses)and a validation set(n=1 230 spouses)at a ratio of 7∶3.Feature analysis and collinear screening were applied to select the potential exposure factors.In consideration of difficulty to carry out semen parameters analysis in primary healthcare institutions,feature Set 1 including sperm parameters and feature Set 2 excluding semen parameters were constructed by including or excluding sperm quality simultaneously in the training set and the validation set.Five algorithms,that is,Logistic Regression,Naive Bayes,Random Forest,Gradient Boosting Machine,and Support Vector Machine,were used to construct preconception outcome prediction models,and the parameters of each model were optimized using random search combined with grid search.The predictive performance of each model was compared using precision,recall,F1 score,area under the receiver operating characteristic curve(AUC),and calibration curve.The optimal model was then selected by comparing the changes in the predictive ability of the questionnaire data for fertility outcomes with or without semen parameters.Results There were 24 variables screened out in feature Set 1,and 16 variables in feature Set 2.In feature Set 1,the gradient boosting machine performed better,with a relatively higher AUC value(0.651)and better F1 score(0.61).The logistic regression model performed stably(AUC value=0.647)and was suitable as the reference model.The random forest(AUC value=0.641),Naive Bayes(AUC value=0.641),and support vector machine(AUC value=0.634)performed second-best.By utilizing the gradient boosting machine,comparable results were found between the predictions from feature sets with or without semen parameters,as in feature Set 1,the AUC value of its validation set was 0.651(95%CI:0.629～0.681),the prediction accuracy was 0.63,the recall rate was 0.65,and the average precision value F1 was 0.61;and in feature Set 2,the AUC value of its validation set was 0.649(95%CI:0.624～0.663),and both the calibration curves were close to the ideal curve.The prediction results indicated that in feature Set 1,the features highly negatively correlated with preconception outcomes were female age,male age,and no pregnancy within 1 year without contraception,while the features highly positively correlated with preconception outcomes were female pregnancy history,total sperm vitality,and use of contraceptive measures before enrollment.Conclusion Among the 5 machine-learning algorithms performed in this cohort data,the gradient boosting machine shows slightly better performance.There are 24 factors being associated with preconception outcomes in both spouses,and the performance of the simplified model excluding semen parameters is not significantly declined.It is feasible to use machine-learning methods to predict human preconception outcomes through social-psychological-behavioral questionnaires.

AIM To sequence the chloroplast genome of Artemisia vestita Wall.ex Bess.METHODS Based on ethnobotanical surveys,sample collection and original plant identification were carried out.The chloroplast genome was sequenced using the Illumina platform,followed by assembly and annotation.A comprehensive comparative analysis was conducted with six Artemisia species.The maximum likelihood(ML)phylogenetic tree was constructed based on the chloroplast genome sequences of A.vestita and 32 other Asteraceae species,with Leptocodon hirsutus D.Y.Hong of Campanulaceae as outgroup.RESULTS The chloroplast genome of A.vestita was 151 204 bp in length,including a small single-copy region of 18 331 bp,a large single-copy region of 82 949 bp,and inverted repeat regions of 24 962 bp,with a total GC content of 37.45％.134 genes were annotated,including 89 protein-coding genes,8 ribosomal RNA genes,and 37 transfer RNA genes.A total of 67 SSRs and 44 LSRs were detected in the chloroplast genome.Comparative analysis with closely related species of Artemisia revealed 3 highly variable genes(clpP,rpl36,ycf1)and 6 highly variable intergenic regions(trnK-UUU-matK,rps18-rpl20,rpl36-infA,rpl14-rpl16,rpl16-rpl3 and trnL-UAG-ccsA),which could serve as candidate DNA barcodes for Artemisia identification.Phylogenetic analysis showed that Artemisia formed a highly supportive monophyletic group,with A.vestita and A.gmelinii Web.ex Stechm.being closely related.CONCLUSION This study may provide fundamental data for phylogenetic analysis of Artemisia,taxonomic identification and DNA barcoding construction of Tibetan herb.