Objective To explore the application value of anhydrous ethanol as an alternative to methanol in the preparation of chromosomal specimens from peripheral blood lymphocytes, and to establish a set of quantitative analytical methods for objectively evaluating the effectiveness of specimen preparation. Methods Residual blood samples from routine laboratory slide preparation were used for lymphocyte culture. The standard slide preparation method was employed. The fixative in the control group was methanol and glacial acetic acid (3∶1). Four experimental groups were set up based on the ratio of anhydrous ethanol to glacial acetic acid in the fixative (volume ratios of 3∶1, 5∶1, 7∶1, and 9∶1 for experimental groups 1, 2, 3, and 4, respectively). A chromosomal analysis was conducted using an automated chromosome scanning/image analysis system to evaluate the morphology and dispersion of metaphase chromosomes in both control and experimental groups. Comparisons were made between the control and experimental groups regarding the dic + r aberration rate, ace aberration rate, chromosomal aberration rate, chromosome dispersion index, chromosome overlapping ratio, and dispersion index/overlapping ratio. Results Microscopic evaluation revealed that the preparation quality of experimental groups 1 and 2 was comparable to the control group. No statistically significant differences were observed in dic + r aberration rate between each of the experimental groups and the control (P > 0.05). All experimental groups except group 4 showed no significant differences in ace aberration rate and chromosome aberration rate compared with the control group (P > 0.05). Experimental groups 1 and 2 showed no significant differences in chromosome dispersion index, overlapping ratio, and dispersion index/overlapping ratio compared with the control group (P > 0.05). Conclusion A mixture of anhydrous ethanol and glacial acetic acid at a 5∶1 ratio is recommended for use as a fixative in the preparation of chromosomal specimens from peripheral blood lymphocytes. A quantitative index system for assessing the quality of chromosomal specimens was established, enabling objective evaluation of slide preparation effectiveness.

To explore the regulatory mechanism of drought stress on the synthesis of chlorogenic acid and luteoloside in Lonicera japonica, we designed five drought gradients (soil water contents of 30%, 24%, 17%, 14%, and 10%) and screened and verified the differentially expressed genes (DEGs) by RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) and reverse transcription quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR). Furthermore, we employed HPLC to systematically measure the content changes of chlorogenic acid and luteoloside. The results revealed that drought significantly reduced the accumulation of secondary metabolites, and severe drought led to more obvious reductions. Under extreme drought (soil water content of 10%), the content of chlorogenic acid and luteoloside decreased significantly to 25.73 mg/g and 11.33 mg/g (with the decrease rates of 37.85% and 9.58%, respectively). A total of 77 454 genes were identified via transcriptome analysis, among which the number of DEGs reached 1 128 under the extraordinary drought. Gene ontology (GO) and Kyoto encyclopedia of genes and genomes (KEGG) enrichment analyses revealed that the DEGs were mainly involved in flavonoid synthesis, secondary metabolite biosynthesis, plant hormone signal transduction and the plant-pathogen interaction pathways, and the expression of key genes regulating the synthesis of chlorogenic acid and luteoloside was significantly downregulated. RT-qPCR verified the accuracy of the RNA-seq data. This study revealed that drought stress reduced the content of chlorogenic acid and luteoloside, the main secondary metabolites, by inhibiting the expression of key genes in the secondary metabolism pathways. The findings provide candidate gene resources for molecular breeding of drought-tolerant Lonicera japonica.
Lonicera/physiology* ; Chlorogenic Acid/metabolism* ; Droughts ; Stress, Physiological ; Gene Expression Regulation, Plant ; Glucosides/metabolism* ; Luteolin

In order to understand the current status of the knowledge, attitude and practice (KAP) about prevention and control of COVID -19 in college students, and to provide theoretical basis for prevention and control work in college campus. This study investigated the KAP of COVID -19 of 1 847 college students in Shaanxi province by questionnaire using the convenience sampling method. Chisquare test and multivariate logistic regression analysis were used to analyze the influencing factors for the KAP of COVID -19. The results demonstrated that 48.3% of the students had a higher knowledge level of COVID -19, 11.7% had a fear attitude and 39.6% had good protective practices. Logistic regression results showed that female and urban household college students had higher cognitive level of COVID -19. The college students with anxiety state were more likely to have fear attitude. Students of female, urban household, anxiety, higher cognition and fear attitude showed better protective practices. The above results indicated that the knowledge level of COVID -19 in college students are not enough, and the attitude and protective practices need to be further improved. Therefore, relevant departments should follow the rules of KAP, carry out targeted propaganda and education on COVID -19 for college students, to improve their ability to cope with public health emergencies.

Background Cooking oil fumes are closely related to immune response, and adipose tissue also plays an important role in immune regulation. At present, the biological effect and mechanism of inflammation of adipose tissue induced by oil fume exposure are not clear yet. Objective To investigate the inflammatory effect of different exposure duration of cooking fumes on adipose tissue in mice and explore the role of Nod-like receptor pyrin domain 3 (NLRP3)/cysteinyl aspartate specific proteinase 1 (Caspase 1)/interleukin (IL)-1β signaling pathway. Methods Forty 8-week-old female C57BL/6J mice were randomly divided into 3-day control group (CON₃ group), 7-day control group (CON₇ group), 3-day oil fume exposure group (COF₃ group), and 7-day oil fume exposure group (COF₇ group), with 10 mice in each group. The mice were exposed to oil fumes in a cooking oil fume formation and exposure equipment (COFFEE) for 20 min, followed by a 10-min pause, 1 h a day for consecutive 3 d or 7 d. General condition of mice was observed and body weight was measured every day. After exposure, blood was sampled from the eyeball. Serum levels of IL-6, IL-27, and IL-1β were detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The adipose tissue of mice was collected and observed after hematoxylin-eosin (HE) staining. The percentages of CD4⁺ and CD8⁺T cells in adipose tissue were detected by flow cytometry. Real-time quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR) was used to detect the expression levels of nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB), NLRP3, Caspase 1, and IL-1β in adipose tissue. Western blot was used to detect the expression levels of NLRP3, Caspase 1, and IL-1β in adipose. Results Compared with the corresponding control group, serum IL-6, IL-27, and IL-1β contents in the COF₃ group and the COF₇ group were significantly increased (P<0.05) except IL-6 in the COF₃ group, and the levels in the COF₇ group were significantly higher than those in the COF₃ group (P<0.05). Vacuolar lipid droplets in adipocytes decreased, cytoplasm shrank, and inflammatory cells infiltrated in the COF₇ group after HE staining. The flow cytometry results showed that the proportions of CD4⁺ and CD8⁺T cells in adipocytes of the COF₃ group and the COF₇ group were increased compared to the corresponding control group, with a significant increase in the COF₇ group (P<0.05), and the CD4⁺/CD8⁺T ratio also significantly increased progressively in the two groups (P<0.05). The results of RT-qPCR showed that compared with the corresponding control group, the mRNA expression levels of NF-κB, NLRP3, Caspase 1, and IL-1β in adipose tissue of mice in the COF₃ group and the COF₇ group were significantly increased (P<0.05, P<0.01). The mRNA expression levels of mice in each exposure group gradually increased over time. The Western blot results showed that compared with the corresponding control group, the protein expressions of NLRP3 and Caspase 1 in the COF₃ group were significantly increased (P<0.01), and the expression of IL-1β protein also increased but without statistical significance. The protein expressions of NLRP3, Caspase 1, and IL-1β in the COF₇ group were significantly higher than those in the CON₇ group (P<0.05, P<0.01). Conclusion Acute exposure to cooking oil fumes can induce significant inflammatory response in adipose tissue, and the effect gradually increases with the extension of exposure time. The mechanism of action may be related to the activation of NLRP3 inflammasome signaling pathway.

Objective: To explore the mechanism of the Peiyuan Jieyu formula in treating depression by assessing its impact on a lipopolysaccharide-induced (LPS-induced) depression mouse model. Methods: We created a mouse model of depression by exposing mice that had previously received chronic stress to intraperitoneal LPS injections. The mice were divided into the following groups: control, model, fluoxetine, Tiansi Yin, Sini powder, and low-, medium-, and high-dose Peiyuan Jieyu formula groups. Forced swim and tail suspension tests were used to assess the efficacy of the depression (despair) model, and weight gain rates were also measured. Furthermore, serum levels of various depression and inflammation-associated molecules, including tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), interferon-γ (IFN-γ), tryptophan, 5-hydroxytryptamine, kynurenine (KYN), and kynurenic acid (KA) were assessed. Furthermore, the expression levels of ionic calcium-binding adaptor molecule-1 (IBA-1) and indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase (IDO) mRNA in hippocampal microglia were measured. Results: The model group displayed greater despair-associated immobility, which was shortened in response to various doses of Peiyuan Jieyu formula. Furthermore, formula administration significantly reduced serum TNF-α levels and hippocampal IDO mRNA expression. The high formula dose also reduced IFN-γ and IBA-1 levels, the latter was also decreased in response to the medium formula dose. However, the low formula dose reduced serum KYN level and KYN/tryptophan (TRP) and KYN/KA ratios. Conclusion The Peiyuan Jieyu formula holds immense potential in treating depression in a mouse model, potentially inhibiting inflammation and improving TRP-KYN metabolic disorders.

The cartilage-protective effect of ginkgolide C(GC)on the two modeling modalities was investigated based on joint pain,degree of cartilage pathology,ECM degradation process,and level of inflammatory mediator production in rats.Twenty-five SD rats were selected and randomly di-vided into five groups:the control group(Control group),model 1 group(ACLT group),adminis-tration 1 group(ACLT+GC group),model 2 group(MIA group),and administration 2 group(MIA+GC group.)The rats were euthanized after 4 weeks of the test.Femur,tibia and blood samples were collected from the right hind limb of rats.The degree of pathology in the femur and tibia of rats was assessed by saffron O solid green staining and OARSI score.Immunohistochemis-try was used to detect the expression levels of collagen Ⅱ and MMP-13 in cartilage.ELISA was used to detect the changes in the levels of MMP-3,MMP-13,CTX-Ⅱ,COMP,COX-2,INOS,IL-1β,and TNF-α in the serum of rats.Cold sensitivity test and knee extension vocalization test were conducted to detect the degree of joint pain in rats.ACLT could cause more severe structural dam-age to articular cartilage compared with the MIA group.The OARSI scores and the expression of MMP-13 in femur and tibia,and the serum levels of MMP-13,MMP-3,CTX-Ⅱ,and COMP were higher in the ACLT group than those in the MIA group.However,the levels of inflammatory me-diators COX-2,IL-1β,and TNF-α were significantly lower in the ACLT group than in the MIA group(P＜0.0l).GC intervention reduced the OARSI score(P＜0.05 or P＜0.01)and pain scores,inhibited the ECM matrix degrading enzymes(MMP-13,MMP-3),cartilage metabolism markers(CTX-11,COMP),and inflammatory mediators(COX-2,INOS,IL-1β and TNF-α)ex-pression,and promoted collagen Ⅱ synthesis.Both modeling methods resulted in cartilage damage.In particular,the OA model constructed by ACLT+PMMx method in rats had obvious joint dam-age,which was favorable to investigate the degree of cartilage structural damage.GC attenuated cartilage pathological changes,pain severity and inflammatory response in the rat OA model in both groups,thus exerting a cartilage-protective effect.

Objectives:To investigate the association between normal-weight central obesity with new-onset cardiovascular disease and all-cause mortality risk. Methods:A prospective cohort study was conducted,selecting a total of 93885 participants from the Kailuan Study who had their first physical examination in 2006-2007.According to waist circumference (central obesity:male waist circumference ≥90 cm,female waist circumference ≥85 cm;no central obesity:male waist circumference<90 cm,female waist circumference<85 cm) and body mass index (BMI,normal weight:18.5 kg/m2≤BMI<24.0 kg/m2;overweight/obesity:BMI ≥24.0 kg/m2),the participants were divided into 4 groups:normal weight no central obesity group (G1 group),normal weight central obesity group (G2 group),overweight/obesity no central obesity group (G3 group) and overweight/central obesity group (G4 group);Using the Kaplan-Meier method,the cumulative incidence of new-onset cardiovascular diseases (including hemorrhagic stroke,ischemic stroke and myocardial infarction) and all-cause mortality in different groups was calculated,and the Log-rank test was used for intergroup comparisons.Furthermore,the associations between the different groups and the risk of new-onset cardiovascular diseases and all-cause mortality were analyzed using the multivariate Cox proportional hazard regression model. Results:After a median follow-up of 14.97 (14.55,15.17) years,the cumulative incidence of new-onset cardiovascular diseases in G1 group,G2 group,G3 group and G4 group was 7.62％,10.84％,8.67％,12.91％ respectively (log-rank P<0.05) and the cumulative incidence of all-cause mortality was 12.83％,19.72％,10.65％,16.33％ respectively (log-rank P<0.01).After adjusting for confounding factors,Cox regression analysis showed that the HR (95％CI) of new-onset cardiovascular diseases in G2 group,G3 group and G4 group were 1.14 (1.04-1.25),1.07 (1.01-1.14),1.27 (1.21-1.34),respectively compared with G1 group (all P<0.05).The HR (95％CI) of all-cause mortality were 1.06 (1.00-1.14),0.90 (0.85-0.95),0.97 (0.93-1.01) compared with G1 group,and P values were 0.07,<0.01,0.15,respectively.The results of sensitivity analysis were consistent with the above major studies after excluding overweight/obesity and cancer participants during follow-up. Conclusions:Normal-weight central obesity increases the risk of new-onset cardiovascular diseases and all-cause mortality.

Objective:To explore the relation of childhood trauma to marital satisfaction in divorce partici-pants and the mediating role of conflict resolution styles.Methods:Totally 305 divorced participants were selected by convenient sampling and evaluated with the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire(CTQ),the marital satisfaction subscale and the conflict resolution subscale of Olson Enrich Marital Inventory(ENRICH).Results:The detection rate of childhood trauma among the divorced participants was 67.5％.The CTQ scores were negatively correlated with the scores of conflict resolution styles and marital satisfaction(r=-0.14,-0.25,Ps＜0.05).The conflict resolution styles mediated entirely the relationship between childhood trauma and marital satisfaction in divorced participants,with a total effect of-0.06(95％CI:-0.11--0.01).Conclusion:It suggests that childhood trau-ma of divorcing participants may be associated with marital satisfaction and conflict resolution styles.

Objective:To explore the correlation between serum 1, 5-anhydroglucitol (1, 5-AG) and mild cognitive impairment (MCI) in elderly patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM).Methods:A total of 160 patients with T2DM aged 60-75 years old who visited the First Hospital of Hebei Medical University from May 2021 to July 2022 were selected. According to the Montreal cognitive assessment (MoCA), all patients were divided into T2DM with MCI group (T2DM+ MCI group, n=81) and T2DM without MCI group (T2DM group, n=79). All research subjects were tested for glycated hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c), serum 1, 5-AG, serum β-amyloid peptide 42 (Aβ42), and blood biochemical indicators.SPSS 25.0 statistical software was used for data analysis. The t test, Mann-Whitney U test and χ2 test were used to compare the two groups. Binary Logistic regression analysis was used to examine the relevant influencing factors. Results:(1) Compared with T2DM group, patients in T2DM+ MCI group had significantly higher age, systolic pressure and HbA1c(all P<0.05).The level of 1, 5-AG in T2DM+ MCI group was significantly lower than that in T2DM group( (15.65±2.56 )μg/mL, (18.17±3.72 )μg/mL, P<0.01), and the level of Aβ42 was higher than that of T2DM group (2.95 (3.36) pg/mL, 1.91 (2.48) pg/mL, P<0.05). (2) Binary Logistic regression analysis results showed that HbA1c( β=0.230, OR=1.259, 95% CI=1.010-1.568, P=0.040) and Aβ42( β=0.188, OR=1.206, 95% CI=1.033-1.409, P=0.018) were the independent risk factors for MCI in elderly patients with T2DM, while 1, 5-AG ( β=-0.240, OR=0.786, 95% CI=0.698-0.886, P<0.001) was the protective factor for MCI. Conclusion:There is a positive correlation between serum 1, 5-AG and cognitive function, and the decrease of 1, 5-AG level was associated with the increased risk of MCI in elderly patients with T2DM.