The outbreak of the novel coronavirus in China (SARS-CoV-2) that began in December 2019 presents a significant and urgent threat to global health. This study was conducted to provide the international community with a deeper understanding of this new infectious disease. Epidemiological, clinical features, laboratory findings, radiological characteristics, treatment, and clinical outcomes of 135 patients in northeast Chongqing were collected and analyzed in this study. A total of 135 hospitalized patients with COVID-19 were enrolled. The median age was 47 years (interquartile range, 36-55), and there was no significant gender difference (53.3% men). The majority of patients had contact with people from the Wuhan area. Fortythree (31.9%) patients had underlying disease, primarily hypertension (13 [9.6%]), diabetes (12 [8.9%]), cardiovascular disease (7 [5.2%]), and malignancy (4 [3.0%]). Common symptoms included fever (120 [88.9%]), cough (102 [76.5%]), and fatigue (44 [32.5%]). Chest computed tomography scans showed bilateral patchy shadows or ground glass opacity in the lungs of all the patients. All patients received antiviral therapy (135 [100%]) (Kaletra and interferon were both used), antibacterial therapy (59 [43.7%]), and corticosteroids (36 [26.7%]). In addition, many patients received traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) (124 [91.8%]). It is suggested that patients should receive Kaletra early and should be treated by a combination of Western and Chinese medicines. Compared to the mild cases, the severe ones had lower Suxin Wan, Yi Xiang, and Wei Fang are the co-first authors.

Background: Neither a vaccine nor specific therapeutic drugs against 2019 novel coronavirus have been developed. Some studies have shown that Xuebijing injection (XBJ) can exert an anti-inflammatory effect by inhibiting the production of interleukin-6 (IL-6), tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α), and other cytokines.This study aimed to investigate the effect of XBJ on coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and its effects on IL-6 and tumor necrosis alpha TNF-α.Methods: A total of 42 patients, who were diagnosed with COVID-19 and treated with XBJ combined with routine treatment at Chongqing University Three Gorges Hospital between January 20, 2020, and March 11, 2020, were selected as the observation group. A control group comprising 16 patients who received routine treatment was also established, and cases were matched from the observation group on a 1:1 basis according to age, comorbidities, and mild and severe disease. The clinical symptoms, laboratory test indexes, and changes in computed tomography (CT) scans of patients in the two groups were observed at the time of admission and 7 days after treatment, and the time taken for the patients to produce a negative nucleic acid test was also recorded.Results: There were no significant differences in baseline data between the two groups. After treatment, there were significant improvements in IL-6 levels and body temperature in the observation group as compared with the control group. Particularly in severe patients, the reduction in body temperature in the observation group was greater than that in the control group (P<0.05). A higher number of patients in the observation group showed improved CT imaging results compared with the control group, and the time taken to produce a negative nucleic acid test was shorter in the observation group than in the control group;

Selenium (Se) is an essential trace element for humans. About 70% of the regions in China, including most of the Tibetan Plateau, are faced with Se deficiency problems. Turnip is mainly distributed around the Tibetan Plateau and is one of the few local crops. In the present study, we compared the absorption and translocation differences of Se (IV) selenite and Se (VI) selenate in turnip. The results showed that Se treatment, either by soil addition (0.2–2 mg Se kg−1 dry soil) or by foliar spraying (50–200 mg L−1 Se), could significantly increase the Se concentrations in turnips, and 0.5 mg Se (IV) or Se (VI) kg−1 dry matter in soils could improve the biomasses of turnips. Moreover, turnip absorbed significantly more Se (VI) than Se (IV) at the same concentration and also transferred much more Se (VI) from roots to leaves. Based on the Se concentrations, as well as the bioconcentration factors and translocation coefficients, we considered that turnip might be a potential Se indicator plant. Subsequently, we estimated the daily Se intake for adults based on the Se concentrations in turnip roots. The results indicated that Se (IV) should be more suitable as an artificial Se fertilizer for turnips, although the levels found in most samples in this study could cause selenosis to humans. In addition, we also estimated the optimum and maximum Se concentrations for treating turnips based on the linear relations between Se concentrations in turnip roots and Se treatment concentrations. The results provided preliminary and useful information about Se biofortification in turnips.

Heavy metal (HM) pollution is a global environmental problem that threatens ecosystem and human health. Cadmium (Cd) pollution is the most prominent HM pollution type because of its high toxicity, strong migration, and the large polluted area globally. Phytoremediation of contaminated soil is frequently practiced because of its cost-effectiveness and operability and because it has no associated secondary pollution. High-accumulation plants, including those identified as hyperaccumulators, play an important role in phytoremediation. Therefore, screening of plants to identify hyperaccumulators is important for continued phytoremediation. In the present study, we investigated the Cd tolerance and accumulation capabilities of 18 turnip landraces from China under a soil experiment with known Cd level. The results indicated that turnip has a high capacity for Cd accumulation. Furthermore, significant differences in Cd tolerance and accumulation characteristics were found among different landraces when they grew at 50 mg kg-1 (dry weight) Cd concentration. Among the studied landraces, five turnip landraces met the requirements of Cd hyperaccumulators and three landraces were identified as potential candidates. However, the total Cd content accumulated by individual plant of different turnip landraces was dependent on both the Cd accumulation capacity and plant biomass. Compared with some reported Cd hyperaccumulators, turnip not only shows a high Cd-accumulation capacity but also has rapid growth and a wide distribution area. These advantages indicate that turnip may have considerable potential for phytoremediation of Cd-contaminated soil. Furthermore, the study also indicates that it is not advisable to consume turnip cultivated in an environment that exceeds safe Cd levels.

The cation diffusion facilitator (CDF) family is one of the gene families involved in metal ion uptake and transport in plants, but the understanding of the definite roles and mechanisms of most CDF genes remain limited. In the present study, we identified 18 candidate CDF genes from the turnip genome and named them BrrMTP1.1–BrrMTP12. Then, we performed a comparative genomic analysis on the phylogenetic relationships, gene structures and chromosome distributions, conserved domains, and motifs of turnip CDFs. The constructed phylogenetic tree indicated that the BrrMTPs were divided into seven groups (groups 1, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, and 12) and formed three major clusters (Zn-CDFs, Fe/Zn-CDFs, and Mn-CDFs). Moreover, the structural characteristics of the BrrMTP members in the same group were similar but varied among groups. To investigate the potential roles of BrrMTPs in turnip, we conducted an expression analysis on all BrrMTP genes under Mg, Zn, Cu, Mn, Fe, Co, Na, and Cd stresses. Results showed that the expression levels of all BrrMTP members were induced by at least one metal ion, indicating that these genes may be related to the tolerance or transport of those metal ions. Based on the roles of different metal ions for plants, we hypothesized that BrrMTP genes are possibly involved in heavy metal accumulation and tolerance to salt stress apart from their roles in the maintenance of mineral nutrient homeostasis in turnip. These findings are helpful to understand the roles of MTPs in plants and provide preliminary information for the study of the functions of BrrMTP genes.

Cancer poses a significant threat to human health worldwide, and many therapies have been used for its palliative and curative treatments. Vincristine has been extensively used in chemotherapy. However, there are two major challenges concerning its applications in various tumors: (1) Vincristine's antitumor mechanism is cell-cycle-specific, and the duration of its exposure to tumor cells can significantly affect its antitumor activity and (2) Vincristine is widely bio-distributed and can be rapidly eliminated. One solution to these challenges is the encapsulation of vincristine into liposomes. Vincristine can be loaded into conventional liposomes, but it quickly leak out owing to its high membrane permeability. Numerous approaches have been attempted to overcome this problem. Vincristine has been loaded into PEGylated liposomes to prolong circulation time and improve tumor accumulation. These liposomes indeed prolong circulation time, but the payout characteristic of vincristine is severer, resulting in a compromised outcome rather than a better efficacy compared to conventional sphingomyelin (SM)/cholesterol (Chol) liposomes. In 2012, the USA Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved SM/Chol liposomal vincristine (Marqibo Õ ) for commercial use. In this review, we mainly focus on the drug's rapid leakage problem and the potentially relevant solutions that can be applied during the development of liposomal vincristine and the reason for conventional liposomal vincristine rather than PEGylated liposomes has access to the market.

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The heavy metal ATPase (HMA) subfamily is mainly involved in heavy metal (HM) tolerance and transport in plants, but an understanding of the definite roles and mechanisms of most HMA members are still limited. In the present study, we identified 14 candidate HMA genes named BrrHMA1–BrrHMA8 from the turnip genome and analyzed the phylogeny, gene structure, chromosome distribution, and conserved domains and motifs of HMAs in turnip (Brassica rapa var. rapa). According to our phylogenetic tree, the BrrHMAs are divided into a Zn/Cd/Co/Pb subclass and Cu/Ag subclass. The BrrHMA members show similar structural characteristics within subclasses. To explore the roles of BrrHMAs in turnip, we compared the gene sequences and expression patterns of the BrrHMA genes between a Cd-tolerant landrace and a Cd-sensitive landrace. Most BrrHMA genes showed similar spatial expression patterns in both Cd-tolerant and Cd-sensitive turnip landraces; some BrrHMA genes, however, were differentially expressed in specific tissue in Cd-tolerant and Cd-sensitive turnip. Specifically, BrrHMA genes in the Zn/Cd/Co/Pb subclass shared the same coding sequence but were differentially expressed in Cd-tolerant and Cd-sensitive turnip landraces under Cd stress. Our findings suggest that the stable expression and up-regulated expression of BrrHMA Zn/Cd/Co/Pb subclass genes under Cd stress may contribute to the higher Cd tolerance of turnip landraces.