OBJECTIVES: Exposure to rare earth elements (REEs) has been linked to various systemic diseases, but their impact on the offspring blood-brain barrier (BBB) via the gut-brain axis remains unclear. This study aims to investigate the effects of maternal exposure to neodymium oxide (Nd₂O₃) on the BBB integrity of offspring rats, and to evaluate the potential protective role of bifidobacterium tetrad viable tablets (BTVT) against Nd₂O₃-induced intestinal and BBB damage. METHODS: Healthy adult SD rats were mated at a 1:1 male-to-female ratio, with the day of vaginal plug detection marked as gestational day 0. A total of 60 pregnant rats were randomly assigned to the following groups: Control, 50 mg/(kg·d) Nd₂O₃, 100 mg/(kg·d) Nd₂O₃, 200 mg/(kg·d) Nd₂O₃, and 200 mg/(kg·d) Nd₂O₃ + BTVT group. Treatments were administered by daily oral gavage throughout pregnancy and lactation. On postnatal day 21 (weaning), offspring feces, brain, and colon tissues were collected. Hematoxylin and eosin (HE) staining was used to assess structural changes in brain and intestinal tissues. Short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) in feces were quantified by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Evans Blue (EB) dye extravasation assessed BBB permeability. Gene and protein expression levels of tight junction proteins occludin and zonula occludens-1 (ZO-1) were measured by reverse transcription PCR (RT-PCR) and Western blotting (WB), respectively. Neodymium levels in brain tissue were determined via inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). RESULTS: HE staining revealed that maternal Nd₂O₃ exposure caused mucosal edema, increased submucosal spacing, and lymphocyte infiltration in offspring colon, as well as neuronal degeneration and vacuolization in brain tissue. BTVT intervention alleviated these changes. GC-MS analysis showed that levels of acetic acid, propionic acid, butyric acid, and isobutyric acid significantly decreased, while valeric acid and isovaleric acid increased in offspring of Nd₂O₃-exposed mothers (P<0.05). BTVT significantly restored levels of acetic, propionic, and isobutyric acids and reduced valeric acid content (P<0.05). EB permeability was significantly elevated in Nd₂O₃-exposed offspring brains (P<0.05), but reduced with BTVT treatment (P<0.05). RT-PCR and WB showed downregulation of occludin and ZO-1 expression following Nd₂O₃ exposure (P<0.05), which was reversed by BTVT (P<0.05). ICP-MS results indicated significantly increased brain neodymium levels in offspring from all Nd₂O₃-exposed groups (P<0.05), while BTVT significantly reduced neodymium accumulation compared to the 200 mg/(kg·d) Nd₂O₃ group (P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS Maternal exposure to Nd₂O₃ during pregnancy and lactation disrupts intestinal health and BBB integrity in offspring, elevates brain neodymium accumulation, and induces neuronal degeneration. BTVT effectively mitigates Nd₂O₃-induced intestinal and BBB damage in offspring, potentially through modulation of the gut-brain axis.
Animals ; Female ; Blood-Brain Barrier/pathology* ; Pregnancy ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Rats ; Male ; Neodymium/toxicity* ; Prenatal Exposure Delayed Effects/prevention & control* ; Lactation ; Maternal Exposure/adverse effects* ; Brain

Objective To develop the assessment scale of proactive health behavior ability for the disabled elderly in nursing homes and to test its reliability and validity.Methods The first draft of the scale was formed by literature review,qualitative interviews and Delphi method.From December 2023 to March 2024,525 disabled elderly people from 9 nursing homes in Sichuan Province and Chongqing City were selected as the survey subjects,and item analysis and reliability and validity test were carried out on the scale.30 disabled elderly people were re-investigated after 2 weeks to calculate the retest reliability of the scale.Results The scale consisted of 4 dimensions and 27 items.Exploratory factor analysis extracted 4 common factors,with the cumulative vanance contribution rate of 65.992％,and confirmatory factor analysis showed that the modified model fitting index was within acceptable range.The content validity index at item level was 0.917-1.000,and that at scale level was 0.997.The Cronbach's α coefficient,test-retest reliability and split-half reliability of the total scale were 0.944,0.997 and 0.882,respectively.Conclusion The scale has good reliability and validity,and it can be used to evaluate the proactive health behavior ability of the disabled elderly in nursing homes.

General education in biological courses such as "Principal Biology" is an essential avenue for gaining an understanding of life science and developing an interest in the field. The reform of biological education teaching mode based on interdisciplinary approaches aims to foster cross-disciplinary talents, which is crucial for the rapid development of China's bioeconomy. Teaching method that simply superimposes different subjects is difficult to discover the value of interdisciplinary education. To address this, a novel teaching system and an innovative teaching mode were proposed for "Principal Biology" course by integrating science and engineering subjects, based on the cross-disciplinary feature in Beijing Institute of Technology. The system involves the design of cross-disciplinary course content and the integration of multiple disciplines and knowledge points based on students' majors, taking into account the characteristics of students' physical and mental development. To improve students' scientific literacy and interdisciplinary thinking ability, differentiated and major-driven teaching modes were applied by incorporating the "1+N" mixed and immersive cross-thinking training. The effectiveness of tailored cross-disciplinary teaching was evaluated using "in-teaching" and "post-teaching" data feedback models, which promote the optimization of teaching process and enhance the quality of education in cross-disciplinary biological science.
Humans ; Students ; Curriculum ; Biological Science Disciplines/education* ; Universities ; Biology/education*

ObjectiveTraditional Chinese medicine， namely Dahuang Zhechongwan （DHZCW） was used to treat myocardial fibrosis in model rats， observe its effect on myocardial fibrosis in rats， and explore its action mechanism. MethodThirty-six SPF male Kunming rats were divided into blank group， model group， low-， medium-， high-dose groups of DHZCW （0.056， 0.084， 0.168 g·kg^-1）， captopril group （10 mg·kg^-1）， with six rats in each group. Except for the blank group， the other groups were intraperitoneally injected isoproterenol solution of 5 mg·kg^-1 for 15 consecutive days to replicate the myocardial fibrosis model. At the beginning of modeling， the rats in each group took drugs， and they were sacrificed 28 days after administration. Serum and heart tissue were collected for the corresponding detection. Hematoxylin-eosin （HE） staining and Masson staining were used to observe tissue inflammation， cellular degeneration， necrosis， and fibrosis. The contents of hydroxyproline （HYP）， tumor necrosis factor-α （TNF-α）， interleukin-1β （IL-1β）， interleukin-6 （IL-6）， hyaluronic acid （HA）， laminin （LN）， type-Ⅲ procollagen （PC Ⅲ） in serum of rats and rats were determined by enzyme-related immunosorbent assay （ELISA）. The expression levels of key pathway proteins transforming growth factor-β₁ （TGF-β₁）， α-smooth muscle actin （α-SMA）， Smad2， Smad3， and Smad7 were detected by Western blot. The expression levels of key pathway genes TGF-β₁， α-SMA， Smad2， Smad3， Smad7， miR-29a-5p， miR-29b-2-5p， and miR-29c-5p were detected by Real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction （Real-time PCR）. ResultCompared with the blank group， the pathological changes of fibrosis in the model group were obvious， the contents of serum HYP， TNF-α， IL-1β， IL-6， HA， LN， and PCⅢ were increased （P<0.01）， the protein expression levels of TGF-β₁， α-SMA， Smad2， and Smad3 were increased； the protein expression level of Smad7 was decreased （P<0.01）. The mRNA expression levels of TGF-β₁， α-SMA， Smad2， and Smad3 were increased （P<0.05， P<0.01）， while those of Smad7， miR-29a-5p， miR-29b-2-5p， and miR-29c-5p were decreased （P<0.01）. Compared with the model group， after 28 days of administration， serum HYP， TNF-α， IL-1β， IL-6， HA， LN， and PCⅢ in high-， medium-， and low-dose groups of DHZCW and captopril groups were decreased （P<0.01）. Except for the low-dose group， the protein contents of TGF-β₁， α-SMA， Smad2， and Smad3 were decreased， while the protein content of Smad7 was increased （P<0.01）. The mRNA expression levels of TGF-β₁， Smad2， α-SMA， and Smad3 in high-dose group of DHZCW were decreased （P<0.05，P<0.01）， while those of Smad7， miR-29a-5p， miR-29b-2-5p， and miR-29c-5p were increased （P<0.05）. The mRNA expressions of TGF-β₁， Smad2， and Smad3 in the medium-dose group of DHZCW were decreased （P<0.05， P<0.01）， while mRNA expression of Smad7 was increased （P<0.01）. The mRNA levels of TGF-β₁ and Smad2 in the low-dose group of DHZCW were decreased （P<0.01）. ConclusionDHZCW can improve myocardial fibrosis in rats， and its action mechanism may be related to the regulation of the TGF-β₁/Smads/miR-29 pathway. In addition， there is dose dependence in the range of 0.056-0.168 g·kg^-1， and the effect of the high-dose group is more stable.

Higher alcohols that contain more than two carbon atoms have better fuel properties than ethanol, making them important supplements and alternatives to fossil fuels. Using microbes to produce higher alcohols from renewable biomass can alleviate the current energy and environmental crises, and has become a major future direction for green biomanufacturing. Since natural microbes can only produce a few higher alcohols in small amounts, it is necessary to reconstruct the synthetic pathways for higher alcohols in model industrial strains through metabolic engineering and synthetic biology to overcome the metabolic bottlenecks. A series of milestones have been accomplished in past decades. The authors of this review have witnessed the entire journey of this field from its first success to the leaping development. On the 30th anniversary of the founding of the discipline of metabolic engineering, this review dates back to the great milestones in achieving heterologous production of higher alcohols in non-native strains. The design and optimization of high alcohol biosynthetic pathways, the expansion of feedstock, the engineering of host strains and the industrialization process are summarized. This review aims to draw further attention to microbial synthesis of higher alcohols, inspire the development of novel techniques and strategies of metabolic engineering, and promote the innovation and upgrade of China's biofuel industry.
Alcohols ; Biofuels ; Biosynthetic Pathways ; Ethanol ; Metabolic Engineering ; Synthetic Biology

Objective: To investigate the mutual prediction relationship between peer relationship and internalizing problem. Methods: One-year follow up survey was conducted with a sample of 220 preschool children from 4 kindergartens in Shandong province. The quality of peer relationship and degree of internalizing problem were evaluated with the Peer Relationship Scale and the Child Behavior Checklist Cross-lagged panel analysis was used for mutual prediction among variables. Results: The quality of preschool children’s peer relationship showed an increasing trend with grade(F=6.40, 4.81, P<0.01), while the degree of internalizing problem showed a downward trend(F=7.65, 5.46, P<0.01). The predictive effect of pre-test peer relationship and internalizing problem on post-test corresponding behaviors were all statistically significant (β=0.56, 0.49, P<0.01). The predictive effect of pre-test peer relationship on post-test internalizing problem was statistically significant(β=-0.19, P<0.05). Conclusion Both peer relationship and internalizing problem has a certain stability across time, and early peer relationship and internalizing problem could predict later corresponding behaviors. Early peer relationship can predict later internalizing problem, while early internalizing problem cannot predict later peer relationship.

Enzymes are widely used in medical and biopharmaceuticals. They can be used not only for various disease treatments, but also clinical diagnosis. The use of microorganisms to express heterologous proteins has become the easiest and fastest way to obtain enzymes. In order to obtain high concentration and high-quality heterologous proteins, a common method is codon optimization of gene sequences. The traditional codon optimization strategy is mainly based on codon bias and GC content, ignoring complex and varied factors such as translational dynamics and metabolic levels. We provide here comprehensive codon optimization strategy based on gene level, transcriptional level, translational level, post-translational level and metabolic level, mainly including codon bias, codon harmonization, codon sensitivity, adjustment of gene sequence structure and some other influencing factors. We also summarize the aspects of strategy content, theoretical support and application. Besides, the advantages and disadvantages of each strategy are also systematically compared, providing an all-round, multi-level and multi-selection optimization strategy for heterogeneous protein expression, and also providing references for the enzyme industry and biopharmaceuticals.
Base Composition ; Codon

Gene engineering has attracted worldwide attention because of its ability of precise location of disease mutations in genome. As a new gene editing technology, clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR)/CRISPR-associated 9 (Cas9) system is simple, fast, and accurate to operate at a specific gene site. It overcomes the long-standing problem of conventional operation. At the same time, stem cells are a good foundation for establishing disease model in vitro. Therefore, it has great significance to combine stem cells with the rapidly developing gene manipulation techniques. In this review, we mainly focus on the mechanism of CRISPR/Cas9 technology and its application in stem cell genomic editing, so as to pave the way for promoting rapid application and development of CRISPR/Cas9 technology.

Objective To investigate the prevalence and the related factors of female breast disease in Zhengzhou City, Henan Province, and to provide a targeted prevention guide for female breast disease. Methods A total of 6310 women were enrolled in this study. In addition to breast ultrasound, mammography and pathology assays were performed. Finally, the prevalence and influencing factors for female breast disease were analyzed. Results The prevalence of breast cancer and the total prevalence of breast diseases was 0.06% and 24.94%, respectively. The prevalence of female breast diseases was significantly correlated to age, educational level, occupa-tion, menstruation, reproductive age and a history of abortion. Logistic regression analysis showed that the occupa-tional type had a significant effect on the prevalence of female breast. Conclusion The prevalence of female breast disease is relatively high in Zhengzhou City, and it is affected by many factors. The targeted surveys and breast dis-ease screening should be conducted, and the secondary prevention of female breast disease should be strengthened.

OBJECTIVE:To explore the repairing effect and mechanism of Huazhuo jiedu yukui formula on the mucosal dam-age of rats with ulcerative colitis (UC). METHODS:72 rats were randomly divided into blank group,model group,mesalamine group(positive control,0.3 g/kg),Huazhuo jiedu yukui formula low-dose,medium-dose,high-dose groups(5,10,20 g/kg),12 in each group. Except for blank group,other groups were induced UC model. After 4 d of modeling,rats in administration groups received related medicines,ig,blank group and model group received normal saline,ig,once a day,for 2 weeks. After administra-tion,disease activity index(DAI)and mucosal damage index(CMDI)of rats were observed;IL-8,TNF-α contents in serum and cyclooxygenase 2 (COX-2) expression in colon tissue were detected. RESULTS:Compared with blank group,DAI and CMDI scores in model group were increased;IL-8,TNF-α contents in serum were increased;COX-2 expression in colon tissue was en-hanced,with statistical significances (P<0.05). Compared with model group,DAI and CMDI scores in model group were de-creased;IL-8,TNF-α contents in serum were reduced;COX-2 expression in colon tissue was weakened,with statistical signifi-cances (P<0.05). Compared with mesalamine group, the above-mentioned indicators in Huazhuo jiedu yukui formula medi-um-dose,high-dose groups changed more obviously (P<0.05),and effects of Huazhuo jiedu yukui formula showed significant dose-effect relationship. CONCLUSIONS:Huazhuo jiedu yukui formula can improve disease activity status of UC rats and reduce colon mucosal damage,and the effects of medium-dose and high-dose Huazhuo jiedu yukui formula were better than mesalamine, which may be related to reducing inflammatory reaction and inhibiting COX-2 expression in colon tissue.