Computer-aided investigation of Traditional Chinese Medicine mechanisms: A case study of San-Ao decoction in asthma treatment

The San-Ao Decoction (SAD) is a well-known Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) formula used to alleviate respiratory symptoms, including asthma. However, its precise mechanisms of action have remained largely unknown. In this study, we utilized computer-aided approaches to explore these mechanisms. Firstly, we conducted a comprehensive analysis of the chemical composition of SAD, which allowed us to identify the 28 main ingredients. Then, we employed computer simulations to investigate the potential active ingredients of SAD and the corresponding binding sites of transient receptor potential vanilloid 1 (TRPV1). The simulations revealed that D509 and D647 were the potential binding sites for TRPV1. Notably, molecular dynamics (MD) studies indicated that site D509 may function as an allosteric site of TRPV1. Furthermore, to validate the computer-aided predictions, we performed experimental studies, including in vitro and in vivo assays. The results of these experiments confirmed the predictions made by our computational models, providing further evidence for the mechanisms of action of San-Ao Decoction in asthma treatment. Our findings demonstrated that: i) D509 and D647 of TRPV1 are the key binding sites for the main ingredients of SAD; ii) SAD or its main ingredients significantly reduce the influx of Ca2+ through TRPV1, following the TCM principle of "Jun, Chen, Zuo, Shi"; iii) SAD shows efficiency in comprehensive in vivo validation. In conclusion, our computer-aided investigation of San-Ao Decoction in asthma treatment has provided valuable insights into the therapeutic mechanisms of this TCM formula. The combination of computational analysis and experimental validation has proven effective in enhancing our understanding of TCM and may pave the way for future discoveries in the field.

Efficient degradation of the refractory organic pollutant by underwater bubbling pulsed discharge plasma: performance, degradation pathway, and toxicity prediction

It is essential to develop an efficient technology for the elimination of refractory contaminants due to their high toxicity. In this study, a novel underwater bubbling pulsed discharge plasma (UBPDP) system was proposed for the degradation of Orange II (OII). The degradation performance experiments showed that by enhancing the peak voltage and pulse frequency, the degradation efficiency of OII increased gradually. The removal efficiencies under different air flow rates were close. Reducing OII concentration and solution conductivity could promote the elimination of OII. Compared with neutral and alkaline conditions, acidic condition was more beneficial to OII degradation. The active species including ·OH, ·O2-, 1O2, and hydrated electrons were all involved in OII degradation. The concentrations of O3 and H2O2 in OII solution were lower than those in deionized water. During discharge, the solution pH increased while conductivity decreased. The variation of UV-vis spectra with treatment time indicated the effective decomposition of OII. Possible degradation pathways were speculated based on LC-MS. The toxicity of intermediate products was predicted by the Toxicity Estimation Software Tool. Coexisting constituents including Cl-, SO42-, HCO3-, and humic acid had a negative effect on OII removal. Finally, the comparison with other technology depicted the advantage of the UBPDP system.

Internet searches for "insomnia" and "suicide" mediated by stay-at-home behaviors in 45 countries during the first 12 months of the COVID-19 pandemic

BACKGROUND

This study aimed to investigate (1) the mental health impacts (i.e., insomnia and suicide ideas) of the COVID-19 pandemic and (2) the mediation effects of stay-at-home levels on those impacts.

METHODS

This study investigated monthly national COVID-19 deaths, stay-at-home levels, and internet searches for words for "insomnia" and "suicide" across 45 countries during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic (March 1, 2020, to February 28, 2021). We used the changes of internet search volumes for "insomnia" and "suicide" (from the Google Trends database) to represent the mental health impacts, and the time of cell phone activity at the residence (from Google Location History) to estimate the stay-at-home effects. We computed the proportion mediated (PM) caused by stay-at-home levels in the COVID-19 impacts on insomnia and suicide ideas, respectively.

RESULTS

Throughout the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic, national COVID-19 deaths significantly correlated to increased internet searches for "insomnia" but decreased searches for "suicide". In addition, the mediation effect was significant in the first six-month of COVID-19-related increases in insomnia (PM = 42.6 %, p = 0.016), but this effect was not significant (PM = 13.1 %, p = 0.270) in the second six-month. By contrast, the mediation effect was not significant in the first six-month of COVID-19-related decrease in suicide ideation (PM = 8.1 %, p = 0.180), but this effect was significant (PM = 39.6 %, p = 0.014) in the second six-month.

CONCLUSIONS

Stay-at-home levels significantly mediated both increased insomnia and decreased suicide ideas, but within different time frames.

A review of avocado waste-derived adsorbents: Characterizations, adsorption characteristics, and surface mechanism

Avocado is one of the most important fruits with a high nutritional content; this fruit is consumed and cultivated worldwide. It is originally grown in Central America and the West Indies islands. But it is now cultivated in the tropical and subtropical regions of the world. Avocado waste is an abundantly available raw material that can be converted into adsorbents to remove different pollutants from aqueous solutions. This review article explores the utilization of avocado waste as raw material to develop an efficient adsorbent and its use against various toxicants. Many research papers have been published on the use of avocado waste-derived adsorbents in the recent past. The factors that affect the adsorption processes are examined in light of published references. Some critical adsorption parameters, such as equilibrium (isotherms), kinetics, and thermodynamics, have been reported in the published literature; these parameters and their data are critically discussed. The characterization, mechanism, and surface chemistry of avocado waste-derived adsorbents are also discussed. To date, no review article on avocado waste-derived adsorbents is available, where researchers can get an overview of the preparation, characterization, and adsorption attributes of avocado waste adsorbents against various pollutants. Recent literature demonstrates the effective utilization of avocado waste as a cleaner and sustainable raw material for the production of adsorbents.

A turn-on fluorescence sensor based on Cu2+ modulated DNA-templated silver nanoclusters for glyphosate detection and mechanism investigation

The abuse application of glyphosate can result in a potential hazard for environment and human, however its ultrasensitive detection remains challenging. Herein, a Cu2+ modulated DNA-templated silver nanoclusters (DNA-AgNCs) sensor was constructed to sensitively determine glyphosate based on the turn-on fluorescence strategy. The fluorescence quenching of DNA-AgNCs occurred with the existence of Cu2+. Upon the presence of glyphosate, the functional groups on the surface of glyphosate could chelate with Cu2+, following the fluorescence recovery of DNA-AgNCs. Through the stoichiometric methods, we unveil that Cu2+-trigged fluorescence quenching mode is a combination of static and dynamic quenching with the static mode being predominant. In DNA-AgNCs/Cu2+ system, the carboxylate, amine, and phosphonate groups of glyphosate interact with Cu2+ through chelation, in which the carboxylate oxygen, the phosphonate oxygen atoms, and the monoprotonated secondary amine nitrogen atom and Cu2+ form chelate rings. This fluorescence sensor showed a desired linearity of glyphosate analysis under the optimum conditions, ranging from 15 to 100 μg/L with a low detection down to 5 μg/L. Moreover, the proposed sensor was successfully utilized to measure glyphosate in real samples, indicating a promising application in pesticide residues detection.

The adsorption behavior and mechanism investigation of Pb(II) removal by flocculation using microbial flocculant GA1

In this work, microbial flocculant GA1 (MBFGA1) was used to remove Pb(II) ions from aqueous solution. A series of experimental parameters including initial pH, MBFGA1 dose, temperature and initial calcium ions concentration on Pb(II) uptake was evaluated. Meanwhile, the flocculation mechanism of MBFGA1 was investigated. The removal efficiency of Pb(II) reached up to 99.85% when MBFGA1 was added in two stages, separately. The results indicated that Pb(II) adsorption could be described by the Langmuir adsorption model, and being the monolayer capacity negatively affected with an increase in temperature. The adsorption process could be described by pseudo-second-order kinetic model. Fourier transform-infrared spectra and environmental scanning electron microscope analysis indicated that MBFGA1 had a large number of functional groups, which had strong capacity for removing Pb(II). The main mechanisms of Pb(II) removal by MBFGA1 could be charge neutralization and adsorption bridging.