Abstract Aiming to provide a new way that preserves more active components in Eucommia ulmoides (EU) leaves, this paper utilizes 4 methods, i.e., microwave, steam, air heating, and frying, to process EU leaves before drying, and their respective effects on the leaves were evaluated. The antioxidant activity of EU leaves in vitro was measured by the DPPH free radical method; the contents of total flavonoids (TFC) and total phenols (TPC) were analyzed by spectrophotometry; and the contents of main active components were determined by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). The results showed the pre-process improved the quality of the EU leaves. As a simple and fast process, the microwave process is the most effective technique in the retention of flavonoids and four active ingredients except aucubin. High power (800 W) and short time (2.5 min) are more conducive to the retention of active ingredients, with high antioxidant activity. Appropriate steam and frying processes also exhibited benefits for the active components. In particular, the samples treated with steam for 10 minutes showed great potential for industrial application with the highest antioxidant activity and polyphenol content. Therefore, proper pre-processing before drying should be conducted to effectively protect the active components of EU leaves.

SUMMARY: Six Lonchura striata and six Copsychus saularis birds were selected in this study, morphological index of the small intestine was measured by quantitative biology and image analysis. The changes of goblet cells and Na+/K+ATPase were detected by AB-PAS staining and ELISA to inform the different mechanisms of the digestion and absorption of nutrients between the Lonchura striata and Copsychus saularis. The villus height, crypt depth and muscle thickness of each segment of small intestine of Lonchura striata were smaller than those of Copsychus saularis, and the difference of ileum muscle thickness was significant. In addition, the ileum villus height/crypt depth (VH/CD) value of Lonchura striata was significantly less than that of Copsychus saularis. The number of goblet cells in duodenum and jejunum of Lonchura striata and Copsychus saularis had no significant difference, but the number of goblet cells in ileum of Copsychus saularis was significantly larger than that of Lonchura striata. The vitality of Na+/K+-ATPase in different intestinal segments of the Lonchura striata and the Copsychus saularis was different. The vitality of Na+/K+-ATPase in the Lonchura striata was significantly higher than that of the Copsychus saularis. It can be concluded that the digestion and absorption capacity of Copsychus saularis and Lonchura striata are significantly different, and the reason may be due to their different diets and intestinal floras.

RESUMEN: En este estudio se seleccionaron seis aves Lonchura striata y seis Copsychus saularis, a las cuales se midió mediante biología cuantitativa y análisis de imágenes el índice morfológico del intestino delgado. Los cambios de las células caliciformes y Na+/K+ATPasa se detectaron mediante tinción AB- PAS y ELISA para informar los diferentes mecanismos de digestión y absorción de nutrientes entre Lonchura striata y Copsychus saularis. La altura de las vellosidades, la profundidad de las criptas y el grosor del músculo de cada segmento del intestino delgado de Lonchura striata fueron menores que los de Copsychus saularis, y se observó una diferencia significativa en el grosor de la músculatura del íleon. Además, el valor de la altura de la vellosidad del íleon/profundidad de la cripta (VH/CD) de Lonchura striata fue significativamente menor que el de Copsychus saularis. En el número de células caliciformes del duodeno y del yeyuno de Lonchura striata y Copsychus saularis no hubo una diferencia significativa, pero el número de células caliciformes en el íleon de Copsychus saularis fue significativamente mayor que el de Lonchura striata. Hubo diferencias en la vitalidad de Na+/K+-ATPasa en diferentes segmentos intestinales de Lonchura striata y Copsychus saularis. La vitalidad de Na+/K+-ATPasa en Lonchura striata fue significativamente mayor que la de Copsychus saularis. Se puede concluir que la capacidad de digestión y absorción de Copsychus saularis y Lonchura striata son significativamente diferentes, posiblemente debido a sus distintas dietas y floras intestinales.

ABSTRACT Introduction: We determined the prevalence of anxiety and the associated risk factors in frontline nurses under COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted from February 20, 2020, to March 20, 2020, and involved 562 frontline nurses. The effective response rate was 87.68%. After propensity score matched, there were 532 participants left. Extensive characteristics, including demographics, dietary habits, life-related factors, work-related factors, and psychological factors were collected based on a self-reported questionnaire. Specific scales measured the levels of sleep quality, physical activity, anxiety, perceived organization support and psychological capital. Adjusted odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals were determined by binary paired logistic regression. Results: Of the nurses enrolled in the study, 33.60% had anxiety. Five independent risk factors were identified for anxiety: poor sleep quality (OR=1.235), experienced major events (OR=1.653), lower resilience and optimism of psychological capital (OR=0.906, and OR=0.909) and no visiting friend constantly (OR=0.629). Conclusions: This study revealed a considerable high prevalence of anxiety in frontline nurses during the COVID-19 outbreak, and identified five risk factors, which were poor sleep quality, experienced major events, lower resilience and optimism of psychological capital, and no visiting friend constantly. Protecting mental health of nurses is important for COVID-19 pandemic control and their wellbeing. These findings enrich the existing theoretical model of anxiety and demonstrated a critical need for additional strategies that could address the mental health in frontline nurses for policymakers.

OBJECTIVES: Geriatric nutritional risk index (GNRI) might predict the all-cause mortality in patients with heart failure (HF). We performed a meta-analysis to evaluate the correlation between GNRI and all-cause mortality in patients with HF. METHODS: We searched the PubMed, Medline, Cochrane Library, and Embase databases for clinical trials investigating the association between GNRI and all-cause mortality in patients with HF, having the primary endpoint as all-cause mortality. RESULTS: In total, nine studies involving 7,659 subjects were included in the systematic review and meta-analysis. The results indicated that major risk and moderate risk GNRI (GNRI<92) was associated with an increased risk of all-cause mortality in elderly patients with HF (hazard ratios [HR] 1.59, 95% confidence intervals [CI] 1.37-1.85). Low risk GNRI (GNRI<98) group predicted all-cause mortality in elderly HF patients (HR 1.56, 95%CI 1.12-2.18) when compared with the high GNRI value group. A subgroup analysis indicated that the relationship between GNRI and HF might differ based on the subtype of heart failure. CONCLUSIONS: GNRI is a simple and well-established nutritional assessment tool to predict all-cause mortality in patients with HF.

Abstract Streptococcus pneumoniae is one of the most frequent opportunistic pathogens worldwide. DNA processing protein A (DprA) is an important factor involved in bacterial uptake and DNA integration into bacterial genome, but its role in S. pneumoniae virulence remains unclear. The aim of this study was to characterize the effects of the pneumococcal dprA gene on the pathogenesis of S. pneumoniae. To construct a dprA-deficient pneumococcal strain, the dprA gene of the S. pneumoniae strain D39 was inactivated. The virulence of this dprA-deficient strain, designated ΔD39, was compared with that of the wild-type strain by evaluating their respective capabilities to adhere to human pulmonary epithelial cells (PEC-A549) and by analyzing their choline-binding protein expression levels. In addition, the expression profiles of genes associated with virulence and host survival assays were also conducted with the mutant and the wild-type strain. Our results indicate that the capability of ΔD39 to adhere to the PEC-A549 airway cells was significantly lower (p < 0.01) compared with D39. Additionally, the 100-KD choline-binding protein was not detected in ΔD39. The addition of competence-stimulating peptide (CSP) lead to a significantly reduction of psaA mRNA expression in the dprA-deficient mutant and an increased level of psaA transcripts in the wild-type strain (p < 0.01). The median survival time of mice intraperitoneally infected with ΔD39 was significantly higher (p < 0.01) than that of mice infected with D39. The results of this study suggest that DprA has a significant effect on virulence characteristics of S. pneumoniae by influencing the expression of choline-binding protein and PsaA.

The electric upsetting process is an excellent electrically assisted preforming technique with electrical-thermal-mechanical multi-field coupling characteristic. The secondary upsetting defect in electric upsetting with inappropriate parameters combinations could result in folds in subsequent forging process. In order to analyze the formation process of the secondary upsetting defect, the finite element model of electric upsetting was constructed based on the multi-field coupling solver platform, MSC.Marc. It is concluded through the numerical simulation with inappropriate parameters combination that the main factor causing the secondary upsetting defect is the large temperature decrease of the deformed portion after the formation of drum-shape in the preliminary stage of electric upsetting. Subsequently, the secondary upsetting defect has been successfully avoided via a three-stage current mode. Finally, a novel optimization method based on close-cycle control of current in numerical simulation was established by developing a current subroutine in MSC.Marc, which was proved to be effective for the elimination of the secondary upsetting defect.

Hot compressions of as-cast AZ80 magnesium alloy in a wide temperature range of 523-673 K and strain rate range of 0.01-10 s–1 with a height reduction of 60% were conducted by a Gleeble-1500 thermo-mechanical test simulator. The hot flow behaviors show highly non-linear intrinsic relationships with temperature, strain and strain rate. In order to model the complicated flow behaviors, error back-propagation algorithm, a representative method to minimize the target error, was selected to train the artificial neural network. A comparative study was made on the predictabilities of the improved Arrhenius-type and BP-ANN model by using two standard statistical parameters including correlation coefficient (R) and average absolute relative error (AARE). Comparison results show that the well-trained BP-ANN has higher prediction accuracy. Three highlight applications were presented. Firstly, the strain-stress data volume was expanded by BP-ANN predictions above experimental conditions. Secondly, the expanded data were applied in the simulations of isothermal compressions, and high simulation accuracy for the load-stroke curve was achieved. Thirdly, a three-dimensional (3D) interaction space of stress, strain, temperature and strain rate was constructed based on the intensive data, which supplies the stress data to arbitrary temperature, strain rate, and strain.