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SUMMARY Loss of chlorophyll (Chl) is a hallmark of leaf senescence, which may be regulated by Chl catabolic genes, including NON‐YELLOW COLORING 1 (NYC1)‐like (NOL). The objective of this study was to determine molecular factors and metabolic pathways underlying NOL regulation of leaf senescence in perennial grass species. LpNOL was cloned from perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne L.) and found to be highly expressed in senescent leaves. Transient overexpression of LpNOL accelerated leaf senescence and Chl b degradation in Nicotiana benthamiana. LpNOL RNA interference (NOLi) in perennial ryegrass not only significantly blocked Chl degradation in senescent leaves, but also delayed initiation and progression of leaf senescence. This study found that NOL, in addition to functioning as a Chl b reductase, could enact the functional stay‐green phenotype in perennial grass species, as manifested by increased photosynthetic activities in NOLi plants. Comparative transcriptomic analysis revealed that NOL‐mediated functional stay‐green in perennial ryegrass was mainly achieved through the modulation of Chl catabolism, light harvesting for photosynthesis, photorespiration, cytochrome respiration, carbohydrate catabolism, oxidative detoxification, and abscisic acid biosynthesis and signaling pathways.

Objectives. Hyperuricemia (HUA) is a disease caused by increased production of uric acid (UA) or reduced excretion of UA in the body. Results of an epidemiological survey show that 60% of patients with HUA have hyperlipidemia (HPA). Dendrobium officinalis (DOF) six nostrum (DOS) is based on the theory of traditional Chinese medicine for the transformation of the traditional Chinese nostrum Si Miao Wan. In this article, we aim to discuss the efficacy and mechanism of DOS in reducing UA and regulating lipid metabolism. The rat model of HUA with HPA was induced by potassium oxonate (PO) combined with high-fat sorghum feed. We monitored the serum UA and blood lipids. Liver xanthine oxidase (XOD), adenosine deaminase (ADA), lipoprotein lipase (LPL), and fatty acid-binding protein (FABP1) activities were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) after the last administration of DOS. We performed a histopathological examination of rat kidney and intestine. Immunohistochemistry (IHC) was used to detect the expression of renal inflammatory proteins NLRP3 / Caspase-1 and intestinal inflammatory proteins TLR4 / NLRP3. We used western blot for measurement of liver hypoxanthine-guanine phosphoribosyl transferase (HPRT1) protein expression and renal PDZ domain protein kidney 1 (PDZK1) protein expression. DOS administration significantly reduced serum UA, total cholesterol (TC), and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-c) level, and improved liver steatosis in the model rat. At the same time, DOS treatment effectively inhibited liver XOD and ADA, increased the level of liver HPRT1, and reduced the production of UA. Additional studies had shown that DOS can restore normal UA excretion function in the intestine and kidney and regulated liver lipids metabolism. IHC and histopathological sections showed that DOS reduced the level of kidney, intestinal inflammatory body (NLRP3, Caspase-1, and TLR4), improved inflammation of the kidney and intestinal tract in rats. DOS is a promising drug that can effectively reduce serum UA and lipid level in the model rat. The mechanism of action may be related to inhibition of UA production, promotion of UA excretion, regulation of lipids metabolism, and anti-inflammatory response.

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Background: The etiology and pathogenesis of granulomatous lobular mastitis (GLM) remain unknown, with no unified evaluation criteria or standard treatments. This study aimed to assess the etiology and features of GLM, as well as the effects of surgery (lesion excision + stage I breast reconstruction; LE + BR) for GLM.Methods: This study evaluated 178 female GLM patients retrospectively in 2006-2015. The surgery and non-surgery groups included 164 and 14 patients, respectively. All patients received conservative therapy (traditional Chinese medicine combined with regional wet compress and pus drainage). In addition, the surgery group (n=164) underwent LE + BR. Clinical data, including disease course, causes, lesion size, marital status, and treatment approaches, were assessed.Results: Follow-up was 13-117 months. Seventy-five of the 178 patients had no overt causes (42.1%); meanwhile, 63 (35.4%) and 16 (9.0%) had congenital nipple retraction and a history of psychotropic drugs for >1 year, respectively. The surgery group showed lesions significantly shrunk (≤1 quadrant) with acute inflammation fully controlled; 8 showed recurrence, indicating a cure rate of 95.1% (156/164). In the nonsurgery group, 4 cases showed relapse after 6-14 months (cure rate =71.4%; 10/14). Therefore, surgical treatment was significantly more efficient than non-surgical treatment (P=0.001). Kaplan-Meier survival curves for the two treatment types showed a significant difference in recurrence (log rank =11.84, P<0.001). Conclusions:In GLM patients, LE + BR is safe and effective with respect to cosmetic results, recovery time, and recurrence. Successful surgery should be performed for patients whose lesions ≤1 quadrant, aim to achieve optimal GLM treatment.