In order to compare the differences in growth and secondary metabolite accumulation of Panax quinquefolius between understory and field planting, growth indexes, photosynthetic characteristics, soil enzyme activities, secondary metabolite contents, and antioxidant activities of P. quinquefolius under different planting modes were examined and compared, and One-way analysis of variance(ANOVA) and correlation analyses were carried out by using the software SPSS 25.0 and GraphPad Prism 9.5. The Origin 2021 software was used for plotting. The results showed that compared with those under field planting, the plant height, leaf length, leaf width, photosynthetic rate, and chlorophyll content of P. quinquefolius under understory planting were significantly reduced, and arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi(AMF) infestation rate and infestation intensity, ginsenoside content, and antioxidant activity were significantly increased. The activities of inter-root soil urease, sucrase, and catalase increased, while the activities of non-inter-root soil urease and alkaline phosphatase increased. Correlation analyses showed that the plant height and leaf length of P. quinquefolius plant were significantly positively correlated with net photosynthetic rate, transpiration rate, chlorophyll content, and electron transfer rate(P<0.05), while ginsenoside content was significantly negatively correlated with net photosynthetic rate, chlorophyll content, and electron transfer rate(P<0.05) and significantly positively correlated with AMF infestation rate and infestation intensity(P<0.05). In addition, ginsenoside content was significantly positively correlated with the activities of inter-root soil sucrase, urease, and catalase(P<0.05). This study provides basic data for revealing the mechanism of secondary metabolite accumulation in P. quinquefolius under understory planting and for exploring and practicing the ecological mode of P. quinquefolius under understory planting.
Panax/microbiology* ; China ; Secondary Metabolism ; Soil/chemistry* ; Photosynthesis ; Plant Leaves/metabolism* ; Chlorophyll/metabolism* ; Mycorrhizae

This study explored the potential therapeutic targets and mechanisms of Danggui Shaoyao San(DSS) in the prevention and treatment of Alzheimer's disease(AD) through transcriptomics and metabolomics, combined with animal experiments. Fifty male C57BL/6J mice, aged seven weeks, were randomly divided into the following five groups: control, model, positive drug, low-dose DSS, and high-dose DSS groups. After the intervention, the Morris water maze was used to assess learning and memory abilities of mice, and Nissl staining and hematoxylin-eosin(HE) staining were performed to observe pathological changes in the hippocampal tissue. Transcriptomics and metabolomics were employed to sequence brain tissue and identify differential metabolites, analyzing key genes and metabolites related to disease progression. Reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction(RT-qPCR) was employed to validate the expression of key genes. The Morris water maze results indicated that DSS significantly improved learning and cognitive function in scopolamine(SCOP)-induced model mice, with the high-dose DSS group showing the best results. Pathological staining showed that DSS effectively reduced hippocampal neuronal damage, increased Nissl body numbers, and reduced nuclear pyknosis and neuronal loss. Transcriptomics identified seven key genes, including neurexin 1(Nrxn1) and sodium voltage-gated channel α subunit 1(Scn1a), and metabolomics revealed 113 differential metabolites, all of which were closely associated with synaptic function, oxidative stress, and metabolic regulation. RT-qPCR experiments confirmed that the expression of these seven key genes was consistent with the transcriptomics results. This study suggests that DSS significantly improves learning and memory in SCOP model mice and alleviates hippocampal neuronal pathological damage. The mechanisms likely involve the modulation of synaptic function, reduction of oxidative stress, and metabolic balance, with these seven key genes serving as important targets for DSS in the treatment of AD.
Animals ; Alzheimer Disease/genetics* ; Male ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/administration & dosage* ; Mice ; Mice, Inbred C57BL ; Metabolomics ; Transcriptome/drug effects* ; Maze Learning/drug effects* ; Hippocampus/metabolism* ; Humans ; Disease Models, Animal ; Memory/drug effects*

OBJECTIVE: To establish an in vitro cell model simulating acute graft-versus-host disease (aGVHD) bone marrow microenvironment injury with the advantage of mouse serum of aGVHD model and explore the effect of serum of aGVHD mouse on the adipogenic differentiation ability of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs). METHODS: The 6-8-week-old C57BL/6N female mice and BALB/c female mice were used as the donor and recipient mice of the aGVHD model, respectively. Bone marrow transplantation (BMT) mouse model (n=20) was established by being injected with bone marrow cells (1×10⁷ per mouse) from donor mice within 4-6 hours after receiving a lethal dose (8.0 Gy, 72.76 cGy/min) of γ ray general irradiation. A mouse model of aGVHD (n=20) was established by infusing a total of 0.4 ml of a mixture of donor mouse-derived bone marrow cells (1×10⁷ per mouse) and spleen lymphocytes (2×10⁶ per mouse). The blood was removed from the eyeballs and the mouse serum was aspirated on the 7^th day after modeling. Bone marrow-derived MSCs were isolated from 1-week-old C57BL/6N male mice and incubated with 2%, 5% and 10% BMT mouse serum and aGVHD mouse serum in the medium, respectively. The effect of serum in the two groups on the in vitro adipogenic differentiation ability of mouse MSCs was detected by Oil Red O staining. The expression levels of related proteins PPARγ and CEBPα were detected by Western blot. The expression differences of key adipogenic transcription factors including PPARγ, CEBPα, FABP4 and LPL were determined by real-time quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR). RESULTS: An in vitro cell model simulating the damage of bone marrow microenvironment in mice with aGVHD was successfully established. Oil Red O staining showed that the number of orange-red fatty droplets was significantly reduced and the adipogenic differentiation ability of MSC was impaired at aGVHD serum concentration of 10% compared with BMT serum. Western blot experiments showed that adipogenesis-related proteins PPARγ and CEBPα expressed in MSCs were down-regulated. Further RT-qPCR assay showed that the production of PPARγ, CEBPα, FABP4 and LPL, the key transcription factors for adipogenic differentiation of MSC, were significantly reduced. CONCLUSION The adipogenic differentiation capacity of MSCs is inhibited by aGVHD mouse serum.
Animals ; Mesenchymal Stem Cells/cytology* ; Mice ; Mice, Inbred BALB C ; Mice, Inbred C57BL ; Adipogenesis ; Female ; Cell Differentiation ; Graft vs Host Disease/blood* ; Bone Marrow Cells/cytology* ; PPAR gamma/metabolism* ; Disease Models, Animal ; CCAAT-Enhancer-Binding Protein-alpha/metabolism*

OBJECTIVE: To explore the efficacy and apoptosis of allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT) in the treatment of acute myeloid leukemia (AML) with ASXL1 mutation. METHODS: The clinical data of 80 AML patients with ASXL1 mutation treated in our hospital from January 2019 to December 2021 were retrospectively analyzed. The clinical characteristics of the patients were summarized, and the therapeutic effect and prognostic factors of allo-HSCT for the patients were analyzed. RESULTS: Among the 80 patients, 38 were males and 42 were females, and the median age was 39(14-65) years. There were 17 patients in low-risk group, 25 patients in medium-risk group and 38 patients in high-risk group. ASXL1 mutation co-occurred with many other gene mutations, and the frequent mutated genes were TET2 (71.25%), NRAS (18.75%), DNMT3A (16.25%), NPM1 (15.00%), CEBPA (13.75%). Among medium and high-risk patients, 29 underwent allo-HSCT, while 34 received chemotherapy. The 2-year overall survival (OS) rate and disease-free survival (DFS) rate of the allo-HSCT group were 72.4% and 70.2%, while those of the chemotherapy group were 44.1% and 34.0%, respectively. The statistical analysis showed significant differences between the two groups (both P < 0.01). Multivariate analysis showed that age at transplantation >50- years and occurrence of acute graft-versus-host disease after transplantation were poor prognostic factors for OS and DFS in transplantation patients. CONCLUSION Allo-HSCT can improve the prognosis of AML patients with ASXL1 mutation.
Humans ; Leukemia, Myeloid, Acute/therapy* ; Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation ; Female ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Mutation ; Adult ; Repressor Proteins/genetics* ; Adolescent ; Retrospective Studies ; Aged ; Nucleophosmin ; Young Adult ; Transplantation, Homologous ; Prognosis ; Survival Rate

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the role of activating transcription factor 3 (ATF3) in atherosclerotic plaques for regulating inflammatory responses during atherosclerosis (AS) progression. METHODS: Human coronary artery specimens from autopsy cases were examined for ATF3 protein expression and localization using immunofluorescence staining and Western blotting. Apolipoprotein E-deficient (ApoE^-/-) mouse models of AS induced by high-fat diet (HFD) feeding for 12 weeks were subjected to tail vein injection of adeno-associated virus serotype 9 (AAV9) to knock down ATF3 expression. After an additional 5 weeks of HFD feeding, the mice were euthanized for analyzing structural changes of the aortic plaques, and the expression levels of ATF3, inflammatory factors (CD45, CD68, IL-1β, and TNF-α), and NF-κB pathway proteins (P-IKKα/β and P-NF-κB p65) were detected. In the cell experiment, THP-1-derived foam cells were transfected with an ATF3-overexpressing plasmid or an ATF3-specific siRNA to validate the relationship between ATF3 and NF‑κB signaling. RESULTS: In human atherosclerotic plaques, ATF3 expression was significantly elevated and partially co-localized with CD68. ATF3 knockout in ApoE^-/- mice significantly increased aortic plaque volume, upregulated the inflammatory factors, enhanced phosphorylation of the NF‑κB pathway proteins, and increased the expressions of VCAM1, MMP9, and MMP2 in the plaques. In THP-1-derived foam cells, ATF3 silencing caused activation of the NF‑κB pathway, while ATF3 overexpression suppressed the activity of the NF-κB pathway. CONCLUSIONS AS promotes ATF3 expression, and ATF3 deficiency exacerbates AS progression by enhancing plaque inflammation via activating the NF-κB pathway, suggesting the potential of ATF3 as a therapeutic target for AS.
Animals ; Activating Transcription Factor 3/metabolism* ; Signal Transduction ; NF-kappa B/metabolism* ; Humans ; Mice ; Plaque, Atherosclerotic/metabolism* ; Inflammation/metabolism* ; Apolipoproteins E ; Atherosclerosis/metabolism* ; Diet, High-Fat

Noise-induced hearing loss is a worldwide public health issue that is characterized by temporary or permanent changes in hearing sensitivity. This condition is closely linked to inflammatory responses, and interventions targeting the inflammatory gene tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNFα) are known to mitigate cochlear noise damage. TNFα-induced proteins (TNFAIPs) are a family of translucent acidic proteins, and TNFAIP6 has a notable association with inflammatory responses. To date, there have been few reports on TNFAIP6 levels in the inner ear. To elucidate the precise mechanism, we generated transgenic mouse models with conditional knockout of Tnfaip6 (Tnfaip6 cKO). Evaluation of hair cell morphology and function revealed no significant differences in hair cell numbers or ribbon synapses between Tnfaip6 cKO and wild-type mice. Moreover, there were no notable variations in hair cell numbers or hearing function in noisy environments. Our results indicate that Tnfaip6 does not have a substantial impact on the auditory system.
Animals ; Mice, Knockout ; Hair Cells, Auditory, Inner/pathology* ; Mice ; Mice, Transgenic ; Hearing Loss, Noise-Induced ; Evoked Potentials, Auditory, Brain Stem/physiology*

Objective To investigate the improvement effect and mechanism of marmesin on cognitive impairment in Alzheimer's disease(AD)mice.Methods Fifty mice were randomly divided into five groups:blank group,model group,low-and high-dose marmesin groups and donepezil(positive drug)group,with 10 mice in each group.After 21 days of continuous administration,except for the blank group,the mice in other groups were given intraperitoneal injection of scopolamine to establish the AD model.Network pharmacology was used to construct the protein-protein interaction(PPI)network of common targets of marmesin in the treatment of AD,and gene ontology(GO)and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes(KEGG)enrichment analysis were performed to provide further research direction.The cognitive function of AD model mice was evaluated by Morris water maze,open field test and new object recognition test.Nissl staining was used to observe the damage of hippocampal neurons.The levels of acetylcholine(Ach),acetylcholine transferase(ChAT),acetylcholinesterase(AChE),reactive oxygen species(ROS),malondialdehyde(MDA)and catalase(CAT)in hippocampus of mice were detected by kit.The protein expression levels of interleukin 6(IL-6),interleukin 1β(IL-1 β),tumor necrosis factor α(TNF-α),nuclear factor E2-related factor 2(NRF2),silent information regulator homologous protein 3(SIRT3),Kelch-like ECH-associated protein 1(KEAP1),quinone oxidoreductase 1(NQO1)and heme oxygenase 1(HO-1)in hippocampus were detected by Western Blot.Results Compared with the model group,the latency of Morris water maze test was significantly shortened in the high-dose marmesin group,the time of entering the target area in the open field new object test and the movement distance in the central area of the open field were prolonged,the number of neurons in the hippocampal CA1 and CA3 regions was significantly increased,the levels of ChAT and Ach in the hippocampus were significantly increased,AChE level was significantly decreased,CAT level was significantly increased,ROS and MDA levels were significantly decreased,TNF-α expression level was decreased,SIRT3 and HO-1 expression levels were increased,and KE AP1 protein expression level was decreased,the differences being statistically significant(P＜0.05 or P＜0.01 or P＜0.001).Conclusion Marmesin can effectively improve the learning and memory impairment of AD mice,and its mechanism may be related to the activation of NRF2/SIRT3 signaling pathway,thereby alleviating oxidative stress level and neuroinflammation,and repairing cholinergic neuron function.

Objective:To analyze the epidemiological and clinical characteristics of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infection in children in Jiangsu Province from 2014 to 2023.Methods:The acute respiratory infection cases in children aged 0-14 years were selected from outpatient/emergency or inpatient departments in 2 surveillance sentinel hospitals, respectively, in Nanjing, Suzhou and Taizhou of Jiangsu from 1 July 2014 to 31 December 2023, and RSV nucleic acid test was conducted and the intensity of the RSV infection was accessed by WHO influenza epidemiological threshold method, and case information and clinical data were collected. χ2 test was used to compare the differences between groups, and the Bonferroni method was used for pairwise comparisons between groups. Results:In 4 946 cases of acute respiratory infections, the RSV positive rate was 8.21% (406/4 946), and the age M( Q1, Q3) of the cases was 1 (0, 3) years. The RSV positive rate was 10.92% (258/2 362) during 2014-2019 and 6.06% (118/1 948) during 2019-2023, the difference was significant ( χ2=31.74, P<0.001). RSV infection mainly occurred from October to March during 2014-2019, with the incidence peak in December and moderate or higher intensity. The seasonality of RSV infection was not obvious during 2019-2023, with low intensity. The RSV positive rate was highest in children in age group 0- years (17.85%, 151/846), and the positive rate declined gradually with age ( χ2=184.51, P<0.001). The RSV positive rate was higher in inpatient cases (9.84%, 244/2 480) than in outpatient/emergency cases (6.57%, 162/2 466) ( χ2=17.54, P<0.001). In the 155 RSV infection cases with complete clinical data, the clinical symptoms mainly included cough (99.35%, 154/155), fever (55.48%, 86/155), and shortness of breath (45.16%, 70/155). In the cases aged <6 months, the proportion of those with fever was low, but the proportion of those with shortness of breath, transferred to intensive care units, and receiving oxygen therapy were higher (all P<0.05). Children aged <6 months and those with underlying diseases were more likely to have severe RSV infection (all P<0.05). Conclusions:RSV infection in children in Jiangsu Province showed seasonal prevalence in winter from 2014 to 2019. Since 2020, the seasonal characteristics of the epidemic have changed, the epidemic period has been dispersed and the epidemic intensity has decreased. Infants <1 year old were at high risk for RSV infection, and those <6 months old and with underlying diseases might have severe infection.