RESUMO
A lesser-known bee product called drone brood homogenate (DBH, apilarnil) has recently attracted scientific interest for its chemical and biological properties. It contains pharmacologically active compounds that may have neuroprotective, antioxidant, fertility-enhancing, and antiviral effects. Unlike other bee products, the chemical composition of bee drone larva is poorly studied. This study analyzed the chemical compostion of apilarnil using several methods. These included liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) and a combination of gas chromatography/mass spectrometry with solid phase micro-extraction (SPME/GC-MS). Additionally, antioxidant activity of the apilarnil was assessed using 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) assay. A chemical assessment of apilarnil showed that it has 6.3±0.00, 74.67±0.10 %, 3.65±0.32 %, 8.80±1.01 %, 13.16±0.94 %, and 8.79±0.49 % of pH, moisture, total lipids, proteins, flavonoids, and carbohydrates, respectively. LC-MS/MS analysis and molecular networking (GNPS) of apilarnil exhibited 44 compounds, including fatty acids, flavonoids, glycerophospholipids, alcohols, sugars, amino acids, and steroids. GC-MS detected 30 volatile compounds in apilarnil, mainly esters (24 %), ketones (23.84 %), ethers (15.05 %), alcohols (11.41 %), fatty acids (10.06), aldehydes (6.73 %), amines (5.46), and alkene (5.53 %). The antioxidant activity of apilarnil was measured using DPPH with an IC50 of 179.93±2.46â µg/ml.
Assuntos
Antioxidantes , Compostos de Bifenilo , Abelhas , Antioxidantes/farmacologia , Antioxidantes/química , Antioxidantes/isolamento & purificação , Animais , Compostos de Bifenilo/antagonistas & inibidores , Cromatografia Gasosa-Espectrometria de Massas , Picratos/antagonistas & inibidores , Espectrometria de Massas em Tandem , Cromatografia Líquida , Microextração em Fase SólidaRESUMO
BACKGROUND: Rapeseed bee pollen has been recognized as a critical treatment for chronic non-bacterial prostatitis (CNP) and it also can modulate gut microbiota and improve gut health. This study aimed to explore the anti-prostatitis effects of rapeseed bee pollen with or without wall-disruption, and to investigate the connection between this treatment and gut microbiota. RESULTS: The results reveal that rapeseed bee pollen can effectively alleviate chronic non-bacteria prostatitis by selectively regulating gut microbiota, with higher doses and wall-disrupted pollen showing greater efficacy. Treatment with a high dose of wall-disrupted rapeseed bee pollen (WDH, 1.26 g kg-1 body weight) reduced prostate wet weight and prostate index by approximately 32% and 36%, respectively, nearly the levels observed in the control group. Wall-disrupted rapeseed bee pollen treatment also reduced significantly (p < 0.05) the expression of proinflammatory cytokines (IL-6, IL-8, IL-1ß, and TNF-α), as confirmed by immunofluorescence with laser scanning confocal microscope. Our results show that rapeseed bee pollen can inhibit pathogenic bacteria and enhance probiotics, particularly in the Firmicutes-to-Bacteroidetes (F/B) ratio and the abundance of Prevotella (genus). CONCLUSION: This is the first study to investigate the alleviation of CNP with rapeseed bee pollen through gut microbiota. These results seem to provide better understanding for the development of rapeseed bee pollen as a complementary medicine. © 2023 Society of Chemical Industry.
Assuntos
Brassica napus , Brassica rapa , Microbioma Gastrointestinal , Prostatite , Humanos , Masculino , Abelhas , Animais , Prostatite/tratamento farmacológico , Prostatite/metabolismo , Pólen/metabolismo , Bactérias/genéticaRESUMO
BACKGROUND: Biochar can play a key role in improving paddy soil and productivity. However, there is limited information on the effects of biochar on rice quality and starch gelatinization. In this study, four rice straw biochar dosage treatments (0, 20, 40 and 60 g kg-1 ; CK, C20, C40 and C60, respectively) were set up to investigate rice yield components, rice processing, appearance and cooking quality, and starch gelatinization. RESULTS: Addition of biochar increased the effective panicle, grain number per panicle and seed setting rate. However, it decreased the 1000-grain weight, resulting in an increase in yield. In 2019, all the biochar treatments improved the head rice rate (9.13-11.42%), whereas in 2020 only the C20 treatment improved. Low biochar dosage had little effect on grain appearance. High biochar dosage significantly decreased the chalky rice rate by 21.47% and chalkiness by 19.44% in 2019. However, it significantly increased the chalky rice rate and chalkiness by 118.95% and 85.45% in 2020, respectively. Biochar significantly lowered the amylose content except for the C20 and C40 treatments in 2020, and the gel consistency. The C40 and C60 treatments significantly increased the peak and breakdown viscosities and decreased the setback viscosity compared with CK. Correlation analysis showed that starch gelatinization characteristics were significantly correlated with the head rice rate, chalky rate and amylose content. CONCLUSION: A lower biochar dosage can improve the yield and milled rice rate and maintain a higher quality of appearance, whereas a higher biochar dosage can significantly improve starch gelatinization. © 2023 Society of Chemical Industry.
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Oryza , Amido , Amido/química , Amilose/análise , Oryza/química , Viscosidade , Grão Comestível/químicaRESUMO
Rice false smut caused by the filamentous fungus Ustilaginoidea virens is a devastating grain disease in rice. Fungicides have been an important measure for the control of this disease. In this study, baseline sensitivities of 179 isolates of U. virens to the quinone outside inhibitor (QoI) fungicides azoxystrobin and pyraclostrobin were established. The distribution of the 50% effective concentration (EC50) values of each fungicide was unimodal. The frequency distribution of logarithmically transformed EC50 values fit or fit closer to a normal distribution. The ranges of EC50 values for azoxystrobin and pyraclostrobin were 0.001 to 0.864 and 0.001 to 0.569 µg/ml, with means and standard errors of the mean values of 0.203 ± 0.012 and 0.079 ± 0.006 µg/ml, respectively. There was a statistically significant and moderately positive correlation (n = 100, r = 0.469, P = 0.001) in sensitivity between these two fungicides. No cross-resistance was found between azoxystrobin, pyraclostrobin, and carbendazim or sterol demethylation inhibitor fungicides. Each fungicide had a significantly higher mean preventive efficacy compared with its curative efficacy. Field assays showed that the control efficacy of pyraclostrobin against rice false smut was greater than that of azoxystrobin. Pyraclostrobin had the best control of rice false smut in three rice varieties, with the control efficacy ranging from 81.5 to 95.5%, whereas azoxystrobin decreased the disease index by 64.1 to 69.2% under the same conditions. These results provide us a reference point in the management of U. virens and future QoI fungicide resistance monitoring programs.
Assuntos
Fungicidas Industriais , Oryza , Fungicidas Industriais/farmacologia , Oryza/microbiologia , QuinonasRESUMO
BACKGROUND: Semi-glutinous japonica rice (SGJR) is increasingly a popular choice for rice consumption and more commonly cultivated in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River in China. Here, 58 SGJR and 75 non-semi-glutinous japonica rice (NSGJR) cultivars were evaluated for their characteristics of grain quality by assessing the taste of cooked grains, flour/paste properties, chemical compositions and starch physicochemical properties. RESULTS: Comparisons of factors related to taste showed that cooked rice characteristics of SGJR were better in appearance, lower in hardness, lower in springiness and higher in stickiness. There were no significant differences in contents of total starch and total protein between the two types of rice. Further analysis indicates that thinner lamellar thickness, smaller starch particle size, and higher contents of amylopectin and albumin of SGJR (resulting in higher weights of dried matter from rice slurries) contributed to better appearance of cooked SGJR. Lower contents of amylose and prolamin led to a weaker and less elastic gel network in rice paste samples and contributed to a stronger moisture migration capability of cooked SGJR that showed higher stickiness and lower hardness and springiness. CONCLUSION: A SGJR line with low apparent amylose content does not indicate good taste. Physicochemical properties of starch and protein contributed to better appearance, higher stickiness and lower hardness and springiness of cooked SGJR. These findings provide empirical data to help breed better-tasting cultivars of japonica rice. © 2021 Society of Chemical Industry.
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Oryza , Amilose/química , Oryza/química , Melhoramento Vegetal , Rios , Amido/químicaRESUMO
BACKGROUND: Bee pollen is considered as a treasure trove of human and animal nutrients as a result of its extensive nutritional and therapeutic properties. However, the sophisticated pollen wall can largely limit the digestibility and bioavailability of these nutrients. RESULTS: An ultrasonication and high shear technique was used to break the walls of five species of bee pollen, including rape bee pollen, lotus bee pollen, camellia bee pollen, wuweizi bee pollen and apricot bee pollen. We compared the digestibilities of bee pollen with or without wall-disruption. After in vitro and in vivo digestion, unbroken bee pollen grains were still intact and the fragments of wall-disrupted bee pollen still remained as fragments. Mouse in vivo digestion results suggested that the wall-disrupted bee pollen was more easily emptied from the gastrointestinal tract than unbroken bee pollen. After dynamic in vitro digestion, the digestibilities of protein and crude fat in wall-disrupted bee pollen significantly increased to more than 80%; similarly, the release rates of amino acids and reducing sugars in all wall-disrupted samples were almost 1.5 and 2 times as much as those of unbroken samples. CONCLUSION: Based on the results obtained in the present study, we strongly recommend that bee pollen should be wall-disrupted. © 2020 Society of Chemical Industry.
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Parede Celular/química , Proteínas de Plantas/metabolismo , Pólen/química , Pólen/metabolismo , Aminoácidos/análise , Aminoácidos/metabolismo , Animais , Abelhas , Disponibilidade Biológica , Parede Celular/metabolismo , Digestão , Trato Gastrointestinal , Nutrientes/análise , Nutrientes/metabolismo , Proteínas de Plantas/químicaRESUMO
BACKGROUND: Nitrogen management of crops, especially when mid-stage nitrogen is applied, is a key factor affecting the yield and grain quality of rice (Oryza sativa). Here, the timing of mid-stage nitrogen application was evaluated for its effect on rice grain quality by assessing the morphological structure and physicochemical properties of starch from two japonica rice cultivars growing in fields (Nangeng 9108 and Nangeng 5055). RESULTS: The experiment was arranged in a split-plot design, with the two rice cultivars as the main plot factor and three timings of mid-stage nitrogen application as the within-plot factor. Briefly, three applications were made: at the emergence of the top-sixth-leaf (ahead), the top-fourth-leaf (normal), and the top-second-leaf (delayed) of the main stem. Delaying mid-stage nitrogen application caused the starch granule surface to become uneven and significantly reduced its particle size, whereas it increased the polished rice rate, chalkiness degree, and protein content. Furthermore, the apparent amylose content decreased with a delay in mid-stage nitrogen application, thereby resulting in higher relative crystallinity, swelling power, water solubility, gelatinization enthalpy, and low retrogradation. Finally, we also found that delaying this nitrogen application lowered the characteristic values of rice flour viscosities, leading to cooking quality deterioration. CONCLUSION: These results therefore suggest that delaying mid-stage nitrogen application enhances the processing and nutritional qualities of japonica rice but evidently has an adverse effect upon its appearance and cooking qualities. © 2020 Society of Chemical Industry.
Assuntos
Nitrogênio/metabolismo , Oryza/metabolismo , Sementes/química , Amido/química , Culinária , Fertilizantes/análise , Géis/química , Géis/metabolismo , Nitrogênio/análise , Oryza/química , Sementes/metabolismo , Solubilidade , Amido/metabolismo , ViscosidadeRESUMO
Traumatic nerve injuries have become a common clinical problem, and axon regeneration is a critical process in the successful functional recovery of the injured nervous system. In this study, we found that peripheral axotomy reduces PTEN expression in adult sensory neurons; however, it did not alter the expression level of PTEN in IB4-positive sensory neurons. Additionally, our results indicate that the artificial inhibition of PTEN markedly promotes adult sensory axon regeneration, including IB4-positive neuronal axon growth. Thus, our results provide strong evidence that PTEN is a prominent repressor of adult sensory axon regeneration, especially in IB4-positive neurons.
Assuntos
Regeneração Nervosa/fisiologia , Proteínas do Tecido Nervoso/antagonistas & inibidores , Crescimento Neuronal/fisiologia , PTEN Fosfo-Hidrolase/antagonistas & inibidores , Fenantrenos/farmacologia , Lectinas de Plantas/análise , Neuropatia Ciática/fisiopatologia , Células Receptoras Sensoriais/metabolismo , Animais , Células Cultivadas , Regulação para Baixo/efeitos dos fármacos , Gânglios Espinais/citologia , Regulação da Expressão Gênica/efeitos dos fármacos , Camundongos , Camundongos Knockout , Regeneração Nervosa/efeitos dos fármacos , Proteínas do Tecido Nervoso/biossíntese , Proteínas do Tecido Nervoso/deficiência , Proteínas do Tecido Nervoso/genética , Crescimento Neuronal/efeitos dos fármacos , PTEN Fosfo-Hidrolase/deficiência , PTEN Fosfo-Hidrolase/fisiologia , RNA Mensageiro/biossíntese , RNA Mensageiro/genética , Células Receptoras Sensoriais/química , Células Receptoras Sensoriais/classificação , Células Receptoras Sensoriais/efeitos dos fármacosRESUMO
The anatomical structure of the mammalian cerebral cortex is the essential foundation for its complex neural activity. This structure is developed by proliferation, differentiation, and migration of neural progenitor cells (NPCs), the fate of which is spatially and temporally regulated by the proper gene. This study was used in utero electroporation and found that the well-known oncogene c-Myc mainly promoted NPCs' proliferation and their transformation into intermediate precursor cells. Furthermore, the obtained results also showed that c-Myc blocked the differentiation of NPCs to postmitotic neurons, and the expression of telomere reverse transcriptase was controlled by c-Myc in the neocortex. These findings indicated c-Myc as a key regulator of the fate of NPCs during the development of the cerebral cortex.
Assuntos
Córtex Cerebral/crescimento & desenvolvimento , Células-Tronco Neurais/citologia , Proteínas Proto-Oncogênicas c-myc/genética , Células-Tronco/citologia , Animais , Diferenciação Celular/genética , Proliferação de Células/genética , Córtex Cerebral/metabolismo , Desenvolvimento Embrionário/genética , Feminino , Regulação da Expressão Gênica no Desenvolvimento/genética , Camundongos , Células-Tronco Neurais/metabolismo , Neurogênese/genética , Neurônios/citologia , Neurônios/metabolismo , Gravidez , Células-Tronco/metabolismoRESUMO
The inflammatory response is a critical regulator for the regeneration of axon following nervous system injury. Nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-κB) is characteristically known for its ubiquitous role in the inflammatory response. However, its functional role in adult mammalian axon growth remains elusive. Here, we found that the NF-κB signaling pathway is activated in adult sensory neurons through peripheral axotomy. Furthermore, inhibition of NF-κB in peripheral sensory neurons attenuated their axon growth in vitro and in vivo. Our results also showed that NF-κB modulated axon growth by repressing the phosphorylation of STAT3. Furthermore, activation of STAT3 significantly promoted adult optic nerve regeneration. Taken together, the findings of our study indicated that NF-κB/STAT3 cascade is a critical regulator of intrinsic axon growth capability in the adult nervous system.
Assuntos
Axônios/fisiologia , NF-kappa B/metabolismo , Proteínas Proto-Oncogênicas c-myc/metabolismo , Regeneração/fisiologia , Fator de Transcrição STAT3/metabolismo , Animais , Anticorpos , Células Cultivadas , Feminino , Regulação da Expressão Gênica/efeitos dos fármacos , Regulação da Expressão Gênica/fisiologia , Gliceraldeído 3-Fosfato/farmacologia , Peptídeos e Proteínas de Sinalização Intracelular/farmacologia , Camundongos , Camundongos Endogâmicos C57BL , Camundongos Endogâmicos ICR , NF-kappa B/antagonistas & inibidores , NF-kappa B/genética , Nervo Óptico , Prolina/análogos & derivados , Prolina/farmacologia , Proteínas Proto-Oncogênicas c-myc/genética , Fator de Transcrição STAT3/antagonistas & inibidores , Fator de Transcrição STAT3/genética , Nervo Isquiático , Tiocarbamatos/farmacologiaRESUMO
While axon regeneration is a key determinant of functional recovery of the nervous system after injury, it is often poor in the mature nervous system. Influx of extracellular calcium (Ca2+ ) is one of the first phenomena that occur following axonal injury, and calcium/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II (CaMKII), a target substrate for calcium ions, regulates the status of cytoskeletal proteins such as F-actin. Herein, we found that peripheral axotomy activates CaMKII in dorsal root ganglion (DRG) sensory neurons, and inhibition of CaMKII impairs axon outgrowth in both the peripheral and central nervous systems (PNS and CNS, respectively). Most importantly, we also found that the activation of CaMKII promotes PNS and CNS axon growth, and regulatory effects of CaMKII on axon growth occur via affecting the length of the F-actin. Thus, we believe our findings provide clear evidence that CaMKII is a critical modulator of mammalian axon regeneration.
Assuntos
Actinas/genética , Proteína Quinase Tipo 2 Dependente de Cálcio-Calmodulina/genética , Regeneração Nervosa/genética , Crescimento Neuronal/genética , Animais , Axônios/metabolismo , Axônios/patologia , Cálcio/metabolismo , Sistema Nervoso Central/crescimento & desenvolvimento , Sistema Nervoso Central/metabolismo , Gânglios Espinais/crescimento & desenvolvimento , Gânglios Espinais/metabolismo , Cones de Crescimento/metabolismo , Humanos , Camundongos , Nervos Periféricos/crescimento & desenvolvimento , Nervos Periféricos/patologia , Células Receptoras Sensoriais/metabolismo , Células Receptoras Sensoriais/patologiaRESUMO
BACKGROUND: Pollen collected by honey bees contains a substantial amount of nutrients and has a high nutritive value. However, it can be difficult to digest and absorb a high level of nutrients due to the complex wall of bee pollen. RESULTS: We observed that amino acids were mostly distributed inside the cell wall of lotus bee pollen, rape bee pollen, apricot bee pollen, wuweizi bee pollen, and camellia bee pollen, using time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (TOF-SIMS). Thus, five species of bee pollen were wall disrupted with a combination of ultrasonication and high shear technique (US-HS). After the treatment, bee pollen walls were completely broken into fragments, and a large number of nutrients were released. The amino acid, fatty acid, protein, crude fat, reducing sugar, ß-carotene, calcium, iron, zinc, and selenium content increased after wall disruption. CONCLUSION: Overall, our study demonstrated that US-HS can disrupt bee pollen walls to release nutrients. Further studies are therefore being conducted to compare the digestibility and absorptivity of pollen nutrients before and after wall disruption. Time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry seems to be a reliable mapping technique for determining the distribution of food ingredients. © 2018 Society of Chemical Industry.
Assuntos
Parede Celular/química , Pólen/química , Aminoácidos/análise , Animais , Abelhas , Ácidos Graxos/análise , Espectrometria de Massas , Valor Nutritivo , UltrassomRESUMO
AURKA (aurora kinase A) has been confirmed as an oncogene in cancer development; however, its role and underlying mechanisms in the metastasis of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) remain unknown. In this study, We found that AURKA was up-regulated in HCC tissues and correlated with pathological stage and distant metastasis. Further found that AURKA was involved in the cancer metastases after radiation in HCC. While overexpression of AURKA induced epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) and cancer stem cell (CSC) behaviors though PI3K/AKT pathway, silencing AURKA suppressed radiation-enhanced cell invasiveness of HCC. Taken together, our results suggested that AURKA contributed in metastasis of irradiated residul HCC though facilitating EMT and CSC properties, suggesting the potential clinical application of AURKA inhibitors in radiotherapy for patients with HCC.
Assuntos
Aurora Quinase A/genética , Carcinoma Hepatocelular/genética , Transição Epitelial-Mesenquimal , Regulação Neoplásica da Expressão Gênica , Neoplasias Hepáticas/genética , Células-Tronco Neoplásicas/metabolismo , Idoso , Aurora Quinase A/antagonistas & inibidores , Aurora Quinase A/metabolismo , Carcinoma Hepatocelular/metabolismo , Carcinoma Hepatocelular/patologia , Carcinoma Hepatocelular/radioterapia , Feminino , Raios gama/uso terapêutico , Humanos , Neoplasias Hepáticas/metabolismo , Neoplasias Hepáticas/patologia , Neoplasias Hepáticas/radioterapia , Metástase Linfática , Masculino , Pessoa de Meia-Idade , Estadiamento de Neoplasias , Células-Tronco Neoplásicas/patologia , Células-Tronco Neoplásicas/efeitos da radiação , Fosfatidilinositol 3-Quinases/genética , Fosfatidilinositol 3-Quinases/metabolismo , Proteínas Proto-Oncogênicas c-akt/genética , Proteínas Proto-Oncogênicas c-akt/metabolismo , RNA Interferente Pequeno/genética , RNA Interferente Pequeno/metabolismo , Transdução de SinaisRESUMO
Specnuezhenide (SPN), one of the main ingredients of Chinese medicine "Nü-zhen-zi", has anti-angiogenic and vision improvement effects. However, studies of its effect on retinal neovascularization are limited so far. In the present study, we established a vascular endothelial growth factor A (VEGFA) secretion model of human acute retinal pigment epithelial-19 (ARPE-19) cells by exposure of 150 µM CoCl2 to the cells and determined the VEGFA concentrations, the mRNA expressions of VEGFA, hypoxia inducible factor-1α (HIF-1α) & prolyl hydroxylases 2 (PHD-2), and the protein expressions of HIF-1α and PHD-2 after treatment of 3-(5'-hydroxymethyl-2'-furyl)-1-benzylindazole (YC-1, 1.0 µg/mL) or SPN (0.2, 1.0 and 5.0 µg/mL). Furthermore, rat pups with retinopathy were treated with SPN (5.0 and 10.0 mg/kg) in an 80% oxygen atmosphere and the retinal avascular areas were assessed through visualization using infusion of ADPase and H&E stains. The results showed that SPN inhibited VEGFA secretion by ARPE-19 cells under hypoxia condition, down-regulated the mRNA expressions of VEGFA and PHD-2 slightly, and the protein expressions of VEGFA, HIF-1α and PHD-2 significantly in vitro. SPN also prevented hypoxia-induced retinal neovascularization in a rat model of oxygen-induced retinopathy in vivo. These results indicate that SPN ameliorates retinal neovascularization through inhibition of HIF-1α/VEGF signaling pathway. Therefore, SPN has the potential to be developed as an agent for the prevention and treatment of diabetic retinopathy.
Assuntos
Inibidores da Angiogênese/farmacologia , Glucosídeos/farmacologia , Subunidade alfa do Fator 1 Induzível por Hipóxia/antagonistas & inibidores , Hipóxia/tratamento farmacológico , Ligustrum/química , Piranos/farmacologia , Neovascularização Retiniana/tratamento farmacológico , Fator A de Crescimento do Endotélio Vascular/antagonistas & inibidores , Inibidores da Angiogênese/isolamento & purificação , Animais , Hipóxia Celular , Linhagem Celular , Cobalto/farmacologia , Retinopatia Diabética/tratamento farmacológico , Retinopatia Diabética/genética , Retinopatia Diabética/metabolismo , Retinopatia Diabética/patologia , Modelos Animais de Doenças , Células Epiteliais/citologia , Células Epiteliais/efeitos dos fármacos , Células Epiteliais/metabolismo , Regulação da Expressão Gênica , Glucosídeos/isolamento & purificação , Humanos , Hipóxia/complicações , Hipóxia/genética , Hipóxia/patologia , Subunidade alfa do Fator 1 Induzível por Hipóxia/genética , Subunidade alfa do Fator 1 Induzível por Hipóxia/metabolismo , Prolina Dioxigenases do Fator Induzível por Hipóxia/genética , Prolina Dioxigenases do Fator Induzível por Hipóxia/metabolismo , Indazóis/farmacologia , Extratos Vegetais/química , Piranos/isolamento & purificação , Ratos , Ratos Sprague-Dawley , Neovascularização Retiniana/etiologia , Neovascularização Retiniana/genética , Neovascularização Retiniana/patologia , Epitélio Pigmentado da Retina/citologia , Epitélio Pigmentado da Retina/efeitos dos fármacos , Epitélio Pigmentado da Retina/metabolismo , Transdução de Sinais , Fator A de Crescimento do Endotélio Vascular/genética , Fator A de Crescimento do Endotélio Vascular/metabolismoRESUMO
BACKGROUND: Two types of pancreatic duct stents are used to improve postoperative outcomes of pancreatic anastomosis. The aim of this meta-analysis was to evaluate and compare the postoperative outcomes of patients with internal or external stenting during pancreaticoduodenectomy (PD). METHODS: We searched PubMed, EMBASE, the Cochrane Library and Web of Science databases until the end of December, 2014. Studies comparing outcomes of external vs. internal stent placement in PD were eligible for inclusion. Included literature was extracted and assessed by two independent reviewers. RESULTS: Seven articles were identified for inclusion: three randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and four observational clinical studies (OCS). The meta-analyses revealed that use of external stents had advantage on reducing the incidences of pancreatic fistula (PF) in total [odds ratio (OR) =0.69; 95% confidence interval (CI), 0.48-0.99; P=0.04], PF in soft pancreas (OR =0.30; 95% CI, 0.16-0.56; P=0.0002) and delayed gastric emptying (DGE) (OR =0.58; 95% CI, 0.38-0.89; P=0.01) compared with internal stents. There were no significant differences in other postoperative outcomes between two stenting methods, including postoperative morbidity (OR =0.93; 95% CI, 0.39-2.23; P=0.88), overall mortality (OR =0.70; 95% CI, 0.22-2.25; P=0.55), and intra-abdominal collections (OR =0.67; 95% CI, 0.26-1.71; P=0.40). CONCLUSIONS: Based upon this meta-analysis, the use of external pancreatic stents might have potential benefit in reducing the incidence of PF and DGE. Due to the limited number of original studies, more RCTs are needed to further support our result and clarify the issue.
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The preparation process and composition design of heavy-section ductile iron are the key factors affecting its fracture toughness. These factors are challenging to address due to the long casting cycle, high cost and complex influencing factors of this type of iron. In this paper, 18 cubic physical simulation test blocks with 400 mm wall thickness were prepared by adjusting the C, Si and Mn contents in heavy-section ductile iron using a homemade physical simulation casting system. Four locations with different cooling rates were selected for each specimen, and 72 specimens with different compositions and cooling times of the heavy-section ductile iron were prepared. Six machine learning-based heavy-section ductile iron fracture toughness predictive models were constructed based on measured data with the C content, Si content, Mn content and cooling rate as input data and the fracture toughness as the output data. The experimental results showed that the constructed bagging model has high accuracy in predicting the fracture toughness of heavy-section ductile iron, with a coefficient of coefficient (R2) of 0.9990 and a root mean square error (RMSE) of 0.2373.
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The high performance of a multistage thermoelectric cooler (multi-TEC) used in a wide low-temperature range depends on the optimized thermoelectric (TE) performance of materials during the corresponding working temperature range for each stage. Despite decades of research on the commercial TE materials of Bi2Te3, the main research is still focused on temperatures above 300 K, lacking suitable hierarchical low-temperature n-Bi2Te3 for multistage TEC. In this work, we systematically investigated the influence of doping concentration and matrix material compositions on the TE performance of n-Bi2Te3 below room temperature by the high-energy ball milling and hot deformation. Consequently, two hierarchical n-Bi2Te3 materials with excellent mechanical properties working below 248 and around 298 K, respectively, have been screened out. The Bi2Te2.7Se0.3 + 0.03 wt % TeI4 can be adopted in a low-temperature range that exhibits the high average figure of merit (zTave) of 0.61 within 173-248 K. Meanwhile, the Bi2Te2.7Se0.3 + 0.05 wt % TeI4 sample displays a competitive zTave of 0.85 within 248-298 K, which can be applied above 248 K. The research of hierarchical TE materials provides valuable insights into the high-performance design of multistage TE cooling devices.
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Crop straw boards, a novel nursery material, has proven effective for cultivating dense, young rice seedlings suitable for mechanized transplanting, thereby saving labor. However, under high-density nursery conditions, the biomass accumulation and yield formation in rice vary with different seedling ages, necessitating exploration of optimal seeding densities and seedling ages to achieve high yields. This study aims to determine the appropriate seeding densities and seedling ages using crop straw boards to maximize rice yield. Over two years, field studies were conducted using crop straw boards for rice cultivation at seeding densities of 150, 200, 250, 300, and 350 g/tray (labeled as D1, D2, D3, D4, and D5) and seedling ages of 10, 15, 20, and 25 days (labeled as A1, A2, A3, and A4).The results indicated that D4A2 significantly enhanced tiller number, dry matter accumulation, and photosynthetic capacity, resulting in a yield increase of 2.89% compared to the conventional method of D1A3. High-density and short-aged seedlings cultivated with crop straw boards can enhance rice yield by improving photosynthetic capacity and crop quality. This study emphasizes the importance of using crop straw boards for rice nursery practices, as well as selecting the appropriate seeding densities and seedling ages for optimizing rice production.
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To maintain the purity of the seeds and rice quality of the high-quality rice varieties, five lines with similar field and yield traits were selected from the Nanjing46 population in Liyang and used as study materials, and the original progeny were used as the control material for comparing rice quality and lipid metabolites in this study. The rice quality of the five lines still differed compared to CKN1. The Badh2-E2 gene was detected in all five lines, but its 2-AP content differed. The C11:0 content in CKN1 and VN1 was significantly greater than that in the other four lines. Most of the differentially abundant metabolites were phospholipids, including PA(16:0/18:2), PC(15:0/16:0) and PG(16:0/16:0). These metabolites can be used as potential metabolic markers for identifying quality variation. This study presents a novel methodology and theoretical framework for investigating varietal degradation and ensuring seed purity authentication.
RESUMO
To determine the appropriate seeding rate for machine-transplanted hybrid rice, field experiments were conducted during 2022-2023 using the hybrid rice variety Huazhe You 210 as the material. Four seeding rate treatments were set up: 40 (T1), 60 (T2), 80 (T3) and 100 g tray-1 (T4), to investigate the effects of seeding rate on the seedling quality, transplanting quality, yield formation, and economic benefits of high-quality indica hybrid rice seedlings. The results showed that with increasing seeding rate, the seedling base stem diameter and seedling plumpness of hybrid rice seedlings decreased, but the root entwining force gradually increased, leading to a deterioration in individual seedling quality but an improvement in collective characteristics. As the seeding rate increased, the missing hill rate during mechanical planting of hybrid rice significantly decreased, while the number of seedlings per hill and the damaged seedling rate showed an upward trend. The growth volume of tillers, tillering spikelet rate, and harvest index of hybrid rice in the field showed an overall downward trend with increasing seeding rate, while the accumulation of dry matter initially increased and then decreased. The yield and economic benefits of hybrid rice grains showed an initial increase followed by a decrease with increasing seeding rate, with the highest yield and economic benefits achieved with the T2 treatment. In conclusion, the appropriate seeding rate for machine-transplanted hybrid rice is T2 (60 g tray-1), which can maintain good seedling quality and improve transplanting quality, coordinate larger collective growth and appropriate harvest index, contributing to high yield and good economic benefits.