Objective:To explore the regulatory effect of Suaeda salsa on renal apoprosis inhibitor of macrophage (AIM) and macrophage polarization in diabetes kidney disease (DKD) model rats.Methods:A DKD rat model was established using a high-sugar and high-fat diet combined with intraperitoneal injection of streptozotocin (STZ). The rats were divided into model group, metformin group, and Suaeda salsa high-, medium-, and low-dosage groups using a random number table method, with 8 mice in each group. The normal group was set with 8 rats in this group. The metformin group was given 85.71 mg/kg of metformin solution by gavage, while the Suaeda salsa high-, medium-, and low-dosage groups were given 3.08, 1.54, and 0.77 g/kg of Suaeda salsa suspension by gavage (raw dosage). The normal group and model group were given equal volumes of saline by gavage, once a day, administered by gavage for 12 weeks of intervention. Fasting blood glucose (FBG) and glucose tolerance (OGTT) were measured, and the area under the curve (AUC) was calculated; the levels of glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c) and glycosylated serum protein (GSP) were detected; urea nitrogen (BUN), serum creatinine (SCr), and 24-hour urine protein (24 hUP) were detected; HE staining was used to observe the pathological morphology of the kidneys; Masson and PAS staining were used to observe renal tissue fibrosis; Western blot method was used for detecting AIM, CD206, CD86, TNF-α and IL-10 protein levels in renal tissue; Immunofluorescence was used to detect the average optical density values of AIM, CD206, and CD86 proteins in renal tissue.Results:Compared with the model group, the FBG, OGTT AUC, HbA1c, GSP of each dosage group of Suaeda salsa decreased ( P<0.01); the expression levels of AIM, CD206, and IL-10 proteins in renal tissue increased ( P<0.01 or P<0.05), while the expression levels of CD86 and TNF-α protein significantly decreased ( P<0.01 or P<0.05); HE, Masson, and PAS staining results showed that compared with the model group, the changes in renal microvasculature and renal fibrosis of rats in each dosage group of Suaeda salsa were improved. Conclusion:Suaeda salsa may regulate AIM, promote polarization of M2 macrophages, improve the inflammatory microenvironment of macrophages, thereby lowering blood lipids of DKD rats, and improving renal pathological damage.

AIM To investigate the effects of total Astragalus saponins on the improvement of sarcopenia in a rat model of type 2 diabetes mellitus(T2DM).METHODS The rats were divided into the normal group for a normal feeding and the model group for the feeding of high-sugar and high-fat diet combined with intraperitoneal injection of STZ to establish a T2DM model.The successful model rats were randomly divided into the model group,the metformin group(0.2 g/kg)and the total Astragalus saponins group(80 mg/kg),and given corresponding doses of drugs by gavage.After 12 weeks administration,the rats had their FBG,postprandial blood glucose(PG2h)and wet weight of skeletal muscle measured;their serum levels of INS,C-peptide(C-P),IGF-1,TNF-α and IL-1β detected by ELISA;their morphological changes of skeletal muscle observed by HE staining;their protein expressions of PI3K,p-Akt,mTOR,S6K1,FoxO1 and Murf1 in skeletal muscle detected by Western blot;and their mRNA expressions of Pi3k,Akt and mtor in skeletal muscle detected by RT-qPCR method.RESULTS Compared with the model group,the total Astragalus saponins group displayed decreased levels of FBG,PG2h,OGTT-AUC,HOMA-IR,TNF-α and IL-1β(P＜0.01);increased levels of INS,C-P,IGF-1 and wet weight of skeletal muscle(P＜0.05,P＜0.01);improved skeletal muscle atrophy and increased protein expressions of PI3K,p-Akt,mTOR and S6K1 in skeletal muscle(P＜0.05,P＜0.01);decreased protein expressions of FoxO1 and Murf1(P＜0.05,P＜0.01);and increased mRNA expressions of Pi3k,Akt and mtor(P＜0.01).CONCLUSION The improvement effects of total Astragalus saponins on sarcopenia in T2DM rats may be associated with the regulation of PI3K/Akt/mTOR and PI3K/Akt/FoxO1 pathways.

This study explored the growth-promoting effect and mechanism of the endophytic bacterium Kocuria rosea on Rehmannia glutinosa, aiming to provide a scientific basis for the development of green bacterial fertilizer. R. glutinosa 'Jinjiu' was treated with K. rosea, and the shoot parameters including leaf length, leaf width, plant width, and stem diameter were measured every 15 days. After 120 days, the shoots and roots were harvested. The root indicators(root number, root length, root diameter, root fresh weight, root dry weight, root volume, and root vitality) and secondary metabolites(catalpol, rehmannioside A, rehmannioside D, verbascoside, and leonuride) were determined. The R. glutinosa growth-promoting mechanism of K. rosea was discussed from the effect of K. rosea on the nutrient element content in R. glutinosa and rhizosphere soil and the genome information of this plant. After application of K. rosea, the maximum increases in leaf length, leaf width, plant width, and stem diameter were 35.67%(60 d), 25.39%(45 d), 40.17%(60 d), and 113.85%(45 d), respectively. The root number, root length, root diameter, root volume, root fresh weight, root dry weight, and root viability increased by 41.71%, 45.10%, 48.61%, 94.34%, 101.55%, 147.61%, and 42.08%, respectively. In addition, the content of rehmannioside A and verbascoside in the root of R. glutinosa increased by 76.67% and 69.54%, respectively. K. rosea promoted the transformation of nitrogen(N), phosphorus(P), and potassium(K) in the rhizosphere soil into the available state. Compared with that in the control, the content of available N(54.60 mg·kg~(-1)), available P(1.83 μmol·g~(-1)), and available K(83.75 mg·kg~(-1)) in the treatment with K. rosea increased by 138.78%, 44.89%, and 14.34%, respectively. The content of N, P, and K in the treatment group increased by 293.22%, 202.63%, and 23.80% in the roots and by 23.60%, 107.23%, and 134.53% in the leaves of R. glutinosa, respectively. K. rosea carried the genes related to colonization(rbsB, efp, bcsA, and gmhC), N, P, and K metabolism(narG, narH, narI, nasA, nasB, GDH2, pyk, aceB, ackA, CS, ppa, ppk, ppk2, pstS, pstA, pstB, and pstC), and indole-3-acetic acid and zeatin synthesis(iaaH and miaA). Further studies showed that K. rosea could colonize the roots of R. glutinosa and secrete indole-3-acetic acid(3.85 μg·mL~(-1)) and zeatin(0.10 μg·mL~(-1)). In summary, K. rosea promotes the growth of R.ehmannia glutinosa by enhancing the nutrient uptake, which provides a theoretical basis for the development of plant growth-promoting microbial products.
Rehmannia/metabolism* ; Endophytes/metabolism* ; Plant Roots/growth & development* ; Micrococcaceae/genetics* ; Data Mining ; Plant Leaves/metabolism* ; Genomics ; Rhizosphere

Objective:To observe the changes of serum C-terminal peptide of type Ⅰ collagen (CTX-1) and N-terminal lengthening peptide of type Ⅰ collagen (P1NP) in adult patients with skeletal fluorosis in the tea-drinking-borne endemic fluorosis area in Qinghai Province, and to find sensitive indicators for diagnosis of skeletal fluorosis.Methods:From April to August 2019, a case-control study was carried out in tea-drinking-borne endemic fluorosis area in Zhiduo County, Yushu Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, and Gangcha County, Haibei Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture of Qinghai Province. According to the Diagnostic Standard for Endemic Skeletal Fluorosis (WS/T 192-2008), the clinical diagnosis and X-ray examination of skeletal fluorosis were carried out for permanent residents ≥25 years old and living for more than 10 years in the area, combined with face-to-face inquiry and investigation of past disease history, lifestyle and clinical manifestations. The patients with skeletal fluorosis and healthy people were selected as skeletal fluorosis group and control group, respectively. Randomized urine samples and fasting venous blood from the two groups were collected. The content of fluoride in urine was determined by ion selective electrode method, and the contents of CTX-1 and P1NP in serum were determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA).Results:A total of 127 people in the disease area were investigated, including 63 cases in skeletal fluorosis group and 64 cases in control group. There was no statistically significant difference in age and sex ratio between the two groups ( t = 0.42, χ 2 = 0.07, P > 0.05). The X-ray examination results showed that the patients with skeletal fluorosis were mainly mild, accounting for 71.43% (45/63); X-ray changes were mainly ossification of interosseous membrane and tendon. The urinary fluoride in control group and skeletal fluorosis group was 1.62 (1.12, 1.95) and 3.22 (2.38, 4.89) mg/L, respectively, with statistically significant difference between the two groups ( Z = 7.07, P < 0.001). The difference of serum CTX-1 and P1NP contents between the two groups was statistically significant ( Z = 2.00, 4.89, P < 0.05). Conclusions:The levels of serum CTX-1 and P1NP in patients with skeletal fluorosis are higher than those in healthy people. Serum CTX-1 and P1NP may be used as sensitive indicators for diagnosis of skeletal fluorosis.

In this study, UPLC-Q-Exactive-MS/MS was used to rapidly analyze the chemical constituents of Meconopsis quintupli-nervia, and the anti-liver fibrosis mechanism of M. quintuplinervia was preliminarily analyzed by network pharmacology, molecular docking, and cell experiments. The chemical constituents of M. quintuplinervia were identified according to the information of MS~1 and MS~2, as well as the data in the literature and databases. SwissTargetPrediction and TargetNet were used to predict the potential targets. The targets related to liver fibrosis were collected from GeneCards and OMIM. The protein-protein interaction(PPI) network was constructed by STRING. Cytoscape 3.6.1 was used to construct and analyze the "constituent-target-disease" network to obtain key targets and their corresponding constituents in the network. DAVID 6.8 was used for GO analysis and KEGG signaling pathway enrichment analysis. Finally, the preliminary verification was carried out by molecular docking and cell experiments. As a result, 106 chemical constituents were identified from M. quintuplinervia, including 66 flavonoids, 16 alkaloids, 18 phenolic acids, 1 anthocyanin, and 5 other constituents. Among them, 3 constituents were identified as potential new compounds, and 59 constituents were reported in M. quintuplinervia for the first time. Network pharmacology analysis showed that M. quintuplinervia presumably acted on AKT1, SRC, JUN, EGFR, STAT3, HSP90 AA1, MAPK3, and other core targets through luteolin, isorhamnetin, quercetin, apigenin, kaempferide, amurine, 2-methylflavinantine, allocryptopine, the multi and other active compounds, thereby regulating the PI3 K/AKT signaling pathway, pathways in cancer, proteoglycans in cancer, FoxO signaling pathway, and other pathways to exert anti-liver fibrosis effects. M. quintuplinervia extract(MQE) could significantly down-regulate PI3 K and AKT protein levels in the HSC-T6 cell model induced by TGF-β1, suggesting that MQE may have the ability to regulate the PI3 K/AKT signaling pathway. The findings of this study indicated that the anti-liver fibrosis effect of M. quintuplinervia had multi-constituent, multi-target, and multi-pathway characteristics, which may provide a scientific basis for the research on the pharmacodynamic materials, action mechanism, and quality markers of M. quintupli-nervia.
Tandem Mass Spectrometry ; Molecular Docking Simulation ; Network Pharmacology ; Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt ; Papaveraceae ; Liver Cirrhosis ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/pharmacology*

Objective:To study the epidemic status of drinking tea type endemic fluorosis in Qinghai Province.Methods:In 2019, in counties (cities, districts, referred to as counties) that had the habit of drinking brick tea in 8 cities (prefectures) of Qinghai Province, epidemiological investigation of drinking tea type endemic fluorosis was carried out in villages. Ten households were randomly selected from each village, to investigate the demographic data of each household and the drinking situation of brick tea, residents' drinking water and brick tea samples were collected to determine the fluorine content, and calculate the daily per capita tea fluorine intake. At the same time, skeletal fluorosis was examined in all adults over 25 years old, and dental fluorosis was examined in all children aged 8 to 12 years old in survey sites. The content of fluorine in tea and water was detected by ion selective electrode method; the diagnosis of skeletal fluorosis was based on "Diagnostic Criteria for Endemic Skeletal Fluorosis" (WS 192-2008), the diagnosis of dental fluorosis was based on "Diagnosis of Dental Fluorosis" (WS/T 208-2011).Results:The mean (range) of fluorine of the 3 602 water samples was 0.31 (0.20 - 1.00) mg/L. The geometric mean (range) of fluorine of the 31 067 brick tea samples was 646 (40 - 2 295) mg/kg, the fluorine content of the brick tea ≤300 mg/kg accounted for 7.80% (2 422/31 067) of the total samples. The proportion of drinking Fu brick-tea was 89.97% (27 952/31 067); and the daily per capita tea fluorine intake was 1.93 mg, the daily per capita tea fluorine intake in Guoluo, Yushu and Hainan prefectures were higher than the health standard (3.50 mg). The detection rate of skeletal fluorosis in adults was 0.16% (2 357/1 484 907), Yushu Prefecture was the highest [29.23% (592/2 025)], followed by Guoluo Prefecture, which was 8.21% (771/9 393). The detection rate of dental fluorosis in children was 4.79% (8 076/168 623), Yushu Prefecture was the highest [32.61% (1 562/4 790)].Conclusion:Drinking tea type endemic fluorosis is prevalent in Qinghai Province, with obvious regional characteristics, covering a large population. The disease is relatively popular in Yushu Prefecture and Guoluo Prefecture.

Objective:To summarize and compare the characteristics of oral microbiota in women during the preconception period and the third trimester.Methods:This retrospective cohort study involved 55 women who were recruited in the Preconceptional Offspring Trajectory Study (PLOTS) conducted by Fudan University and followed up to the third trimester in the Maternal and Child Health Care Hospital of Jiading District of Shanghai from September 2016 to December 2019. A total of 110 unstimulated saliva samples were collected in the preconception period ( n=55) and the third trimester ( n=55). Features of oral microbiota in the samples were analyzed by 16S rRNA gene-based sequencing. Moreover, the related factors were also analyzed. Paired t test or Wilcoxon matched-pairs signed-ranks test were used to analyze the differences in α-diversity during preconception and the third trimester; t test, analysis of variance (ANOVA), Kruskal-Wallis test and Mann-Whitney U test for comparison between groups with different characteristics and permutational multivariate analysis of variance (PerMANOVA) for β-diversity were used; Linear discriminant analysis (LDA) effect size (LEfSe 1.0) was used to identify the iconic oral flora. Results:(1) The Ace index of oral microbiota was significantly lower in the third trimester than that in the preconception period [661.14(578.15-752.85) vs 730.64 (632.40-911.00), T=1 077.00, P=0.010]. There was also a significance difference in β-diversity ( F=12.539, R2=0.104, P=0.001). Some species such as Saccharibacteria_TM7_G3, Prevotella_7, Absconditabacteria_SR1_G1, Porphyromonas, Ruminococcaceae_UCG_014, Prevotella, Peptostreptococcus, Prevotella_2, Alloprevotella, Parvimonas, Solobacterium and Eubacterium_nodatum_group in saliva were statistically more abundant in the third trimester than those in the preconception period (all P<0.05). (2) The third-trimester Shannon index was lower among those with lower income [5.44 (5.08-5.77) vs 5.75 (5.44-6.12), U=219.00, P=0.029] and those with gargle habit after meal or dessert [5.36 (4.91-5.48) vs 5.72 (5.44-6.05), U=374.00, P=0.046]. Conclusions:The features of oral microbiota vary in women during the preconception period and the third trimester. There is a significant increase in the abundance of oral pathogenic and opportunistic bacteria in the third trimester.

Objective To investigate the levels of serum Vitamin D(VD) from preconception to pregnancy in Jiading district of Shanghai, and explore the risk factors of VD concentration deficiency in the second and third trimester of pregnancy. Methods A total of 94 women who planned to have antenatal care and delivery in Maternal and Child Health Hospital of Jiading district of Shanghai from September 2016 to December 2018 were recruited as the study participants. Chemiluminescent immunoassay (CLIA) was used to examine the concentration of women’s serum VD from preconception to pregnancy. A total of 282 serum samples were detected. Results The prevalence of VD deficiency among 94 women from preconception to pregnancy were 40.4%,57.4% and 48.9% respectively. Results of the mixed linear model showed that women who had dyed or permed hair within the past 1 year had significantly lower serum VD levels during pregnancy (P<0.05), and women who often drank milk and ate deep-sea fish during pregnancy had higher VD levels during pregnancy (P<0.05). Conclusions VD deficiency was common among women in Jiading district of Shanghai, and it should be emphasized to supplement VD before and during pregnancy.

The preconception cohort is of great importance to explore and analyze the impact of multiple factors before and during pregnancy on human reproductive health, pregnancy outcomes and offspring health. This paper summarizes the information and characteristics of the preconception cohort studies in recent years in China.

OBJECTIVE: The primary objective of this study was to examine the validity and reliability of a semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) among Chinese children aged 12-17 years. METHODS: A semi-quantitative 72-food item FFQ was developed for children aged 12-17 years. The reliability and validity of this FFQ were evaluated against 24-h dietary recalls (24 h DRs) to measure the consumption of foods and nutrients. We administered two FFQs and three DRs to children (N = 160) over a period of 1 month to evaluate the reliability and validity. Reliability was examined by quartile agreement and intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs), and validity was examined by quartile agreement, Bland-Altman plots and correlation with DRs. RESULTS: For reliability, the ICCs between the two FFQs ranged from 0.21 to 0.76 for foods and nutrients, and the quartile agreement ranged from 70.0% to 95.0% in the same or adjacent quartiles. Spearman's correlation coefficients of foods and nutrients between the second FFQ and the 24 h DRs ranged from -0.04 to 0.59. The Bland-Altman plots demonstrated good agreement across the range of intakes among nutrients. The quartile agreement ranged from 50.0% to 100.0%, with infrequent misclassification. CONCLUSION The FFQ assessment of dietary intakes demonstrated acceptable relative validity and high reproducibility for Chinese children aged 12-17 years.
Adolescent ; Child ; Diet Records ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Reproducibility of Results ; Surveys and Questionnaires