To date, the relationship between conjunctivitis and air pollutants has been widely concerned, but the conclusions are not very unified. This study aims to explore the short-term effects of ambient ozone (O3) on the conjunctivitis outpatient visits in Pudong New Area, Shanghai. A quasi-Poisson model combined with the distributed lag nonlinear model (DLNM) was performed to study the short-term effects of O3 on the risk of outpatient visits for conjunctivitis, after controlling the effects of...

Since 1982, China’s blue carbon management policies have made significant contributions to blue carbon’s development. Blue carbon is carbon captured and stored by marine ecosystems and it plays an important role in addressing climate change. Analyzing the evolution of blue carbon management policy is necessary to understand its potential to contribute to climate action, and to improve its management and maximize its effectiveness. This paper considers these issues in China. It used content analysis and...

Isoginkgetin (ISO), a natural biflavonoid, exhibited cytotoxic activity against several types of cancer cells. However, its effects on hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) cells and mechanism remain unclear. Here, we revealed that ISO effectively inhibited HCC cell proliferation and migration in vitro. LC3-II expression and autophagosomes were increased under ISO treatment. In addition, ISO-induced cell death was attenuated by treatment with chloroquine or knockdown of autophagy-related genes (ATG5 or ULK1). ISO significantly suppressed SLC2A1/GLUT1 (solute carrier family...

Platycodon grandiflorus, a perennial flowering plant widely distributed in China and South Korea, is an excellent resource for both food and medicine. The main active compounds of P. grandiflorus are triterpenoid saponins. WRKY transcription factors (TFs) are among the largest gene families in plants and play an important role in regulating plant terpenoid accumulation, physiological metabolism, and stress response. Numerous studies have been reported on other medicinal plants; however, little is known about WRKY genes...

Brassinosteroids (BRs) regulate of maize (Zea mays L.) growth, but the underlying molecular mechanism remains unclear. In this study, we used a multi-disciplinary approach to determine how BRs regulate maize morphology and physiology during development. Treatment with the BRs promoted primary root the elongation and growth during germination, and the early development of lateral roots. BRs treatment during the middle growth stage increased the levels of various stress resistance factors, and enhanced resistance to lodging,...

Cadmium (Cd) causes serious damage to plants. Although calcium (Ca) signal has been found to respond to certain stress, the localization of Ca and molecular mechanisms underlying Ca signal in plants during Cd stress are largely unknown. In this study, Ca2+-sensing fluorescent reporter (GCaMP3) transgenic duckweed showed the Ca2+ signal response in Lemna turionifera 5511 (duckweed) during Cd stress. Subsequently, the subcellular localization of Ca2+ has been studied during Cd stress by transmission electron microscopy,...

Poststroke depression (PSD) is a common complication that seriously affects the functional recovery and prognosis of an individual. As some patients with PSD fail to respond to drug therapy, it is urgent to find a viable alternative treatment. An active exercise program known as foraging exercise (FE), using food as bait, was designed. First, focal ischemia and chronic unpredictable mild stress (CUMS) were used to establish a PSD model in rats. FE was then performed...

Circular (circ) RNAs are differentially expressed in gastric cancer (GC) and participate in the biological growth of tumor cells. Given that, investigations were performed to unravel the function of circ_0000654 in GC. GC tissue and normal tissue specimens were obtained, in which circ_0000654, microRNA (miR)-149-5p, and inhibin-beta A (INHBA) levels were examined. GC cell line (BGC-823) was transfected to alter circ_0000654 and miR-149-5p expression, thereby observing cell malignancy. Stably-transfected BGC-823 cells were injected into nude...

Bupleurum chinense DC. is a perennial herb plant belonging to the Umbelliferae family, genus Bupleurum, that is used as a traditional Chinese medicine. Coumarins are characteristic secondary metabolites of the Apiaceous family, which possess anti-inflammatory, anti-cancer and antiviral activities, among others. Few studies on the coumarin biosynthesis pathways in B. Chinese have been reported. In this study, we identified 89 differentially expressed genes belonging to 7 gene families involved in the synthesis of coumarins in...

Mitochondrial injury-triggered podocyte apoptosis is a major risk factor for diabetic nephropathy (DN). However, the detailed relationship between mitochondrial homeostasis and podocyte apoptosis remains unclear. The present study aimed to explore the role and functional mechanism of germacrone in DN in type I diabetes (type I DN). A mouse model of type I DN was established by injecting streptozocin, and a podocyte injury model was constructed using high glucose (HG) induction. Histopathology was detected by...

Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) has increased morbidity and mortality rate worldwide. The current NSCLS therapies are associated with poor outcomes and need further improvement. CircRNAs were shown to regulate NSCLC progression. However, little is known re garding the functions and mechanisms of circ_0017639 in NSCLC, which requires further extensive studies. The circ_0017639 expression in NSCLC tissues and cell lines was evaluated via qRT-RCR. Moreover, using ectopic plasmid incorporation and shRNA assays, we analyzed the...

Glioma is one of the leading causes of tumor-related deaths worldwide, but its potential mechanism remains unclear. This study aimed to explore the biological role and potential mechanism of argininosuccinate synthase 1 (ASS1) in glioma. The relative expression levels of ASS1 in glioma specimens and cell lines were calculated by quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) and Western blotting. The biological functions of ASS1 were demonstrated using the 5-ethynyl-2ʹ-deoxyuridine (EdU) assay, transwell assay, and in...

Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs)-derived exosomes (Exo) are beneficial in the use of brain damages. Restrictively, the mechanism of Exo expressing miR-124-3p in hypoxic-ischemic brain damage (HIBD) is not completely comprehended. Thereupon, this work was put forward to reveal the action of bone marrow MSCs-derived Exo (BMSCs-Exo) expressing miR-124-3p in the illness. BMSCs were isolated and transfected with miR-124-3p agomir. Then, BMSCs-Exo were extracted and identified. The newborn HIBD rats were injected with miR-124-3p-modified BMSCs-Exo or...

Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs)-derived exosomes (Exo) are beneficial in the use of brain damages. Restrictively, the mechanism of Exo expressing miR-124-3p in hypoxic-ischemic brain damage (HIBD) is not completely comprehended. Thereupon, this work was put forward to reveal the action of bone marrow MSCs-derived Exo (BMSCs-Exo) expressing miR-124-3p in the illness. BMSCs were isolated and transfected with miR-124-3p agomir. Then, BMSCs-Exo were extracted and identified. The newborn HIBD rats were injected with miR-124-3p-modified BMSCs-Exo or...

In the present study, we aimed to investigate the role of long non-coding RNA terminal differentiation-induced non-coding RNA (TINCR) in cisplatin (DDP) resistance of choroidal melanoma (CM) and the potential molecular mechanisms. CM and non-CM tissues were collected from 60 CM patients. DDP-resistant CM cells were obtained by selection with linearly increased DDP treatment. The expression levels of TINCR, microR-19b-3p (miR-19b-3p), and extracellular signal-regulated kinase 2 (ERK-2) were detected by quantitative real-time PCR. Cholecystokinin octapeptide...

Massive infiltrated and enriched decidual macrophages (dMφ) have been widely regarded as important regulators of maternal-fetal immune tolerance and trophoblast invasion, contributing to normal pregnancy. However, the characteristics of metabolic profile and the underlying mechanism of dMφ residence remain largely unknown. Here, we observe that dMφ display an active glycerophospholipid metabolism. The activation of ENPP2-lysophosphatidic acid (LPA) facilitates the adhesion and retention, and M2 differentiation of dMφ during normal pregnancy. Mechanistically, this process is mediated...

Massive infiltrated and enriched decidual macrophages (dMφ) have been widely regarded as important regulators of maternal-fetal immune tolerance and trophoblast invasion, contributing to normal pregnancy. However, the characteristics of metabolic profile and the underlying mechanism of dMφ residence remain largely unknown. Here, we observe that dMφ display an active glycerophospholipid metabolism. The activation of ENPP2-lysophosphatidic acid (LPA) facilitates the adhesion and retention, and M2 differentiation of dMφ during normal pregnancy. Mechanistically, this process is mediated...

There has been an increasing number of studies on the potential effects of land-use change on the carbon (C) balance. However, few of these studies have focused on arid regions. Cropland in Xinjiang, a typical arid region in China, has expanded dramatically over the last 40 years. This study applied the Carbon Bookkeeping Model to estimate the changes in C stocks resulting from cropland expansion in Xinjiang from 1975 to 2015. The results showed that...

There has been an increasing number of studies on the potential effects of land-use change on the carbon (C) balance. However, few of these studies have focused on arid regions. Cropland in Xinjiang, a typical arid region in China, has expanded dramatically over the last 40 years. This study applied the Carbon Bookkeeping Model to estimate the changes in C stocks resulting from cropland expansion in Xinjiang from 1975 to 2015. The results showed that...

In this paper, we investigated the electro-optical properties of the dilute magnetic polymer dispersed liquid crystals (PDLCs) prepared with the liquid crystal colloids containing low concentrations of γ-Fe2O3 nanoparticles. The doped nanoparticles have hardly changed the morphology of PDLCs, but they have significantly changed the threshold voltage, saturation voltage, and contrast ratio of PDLCs. Such changes result from ionic adsorption in competition with the concentration of the nanoparticles. When the concentration of the nanoparticles was...

In this paper, we investigated the electro-optical properties of the dilute magnetic polymer dispersed liquid crystals (PDLCs) prepared with the liquid crystal colloids containing low concentrations of γ-Fe2O3 nanoparticles. The doped nanoparticles have hardly changed the morphology of PDLCs, but they have significantly changed the threshold voltage, saturation voltage, and contrast ratio of PDLCs. Such changes result from ionic adsorption in competition with the concentration of the nanoparticles. When the concentration of the nanoparticles was...

Macroautophagy/autophagy is a conserved cellular mechanism to degrade unneeded cytoplasmic proteins and organelles to recycle their components, and it is critical for embryonic stem cell (ESC) self-renewal and somatic cell reprogramming. Whereas autophagy is essential for early development of embryos, no information exists regarding its functions during the transition from naive-to-primed pluripotency. Here, by using an in vitro transition model of ESCs to epiblast-like cells (EpiLCs), we find that dynamic changes in ATG7-dependent autophagy are...

Muscle development is a complex process that was regulated by many factors, among which non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs) play a vital role in regulating multiple life activities of muscle cells. Circular RNA (circRNA), a type of non-coding RNA with closed-loop structure, has been reported to affect multiple life processes. However, the roles of circRNAs on muscle development have not been fully elucidated. The present study aimed to determine whether and how circRIMKLB affects muscle development. Our...

Raw palygorskite (RPal) and its structural evolution products (OPal) were modified with silane coupling agent KH-570 to form silanized KRPal and KOPal nanorods, which were used as eco-friendly nanofillers to prepare polypropylene/KRPal (PP/KRPal) and polypropylene/KOPal (PP/KOPal) organic–inorganic composites. Structure characterization results revealed that moderate oxalic acid (OA) leaching process can break Si-O-M bonds (M represents Mg, Al, etc.) of RPal nanorods to produce more active silanol groups, thereby improving the dispersibility, surface reactivity and surface...

Raw palygorskite (RPal) and its structural evolution products (OPal) were modified with silane coupling agent KH-570 to form silanized KRPal and KOPal nanorods, which were used as eco-friendly nanofillers to prepare polypropylene/KRPal (PP/KRPal) and polypropylene/KOPal (PP/KOPal) organic–inorganic composites. Structure characterization results revealed that moderate oxalic acid (OA) leaching process can break Si-O-M bonds (M represents Mg, Al, etc.) of RPal nanorods to produce more active silanol groups, thereby improving the dispersibility, surface reactivity and surface...