[Effects of spraying salicylic acid and potassium dihydrogen phosphate on physiological cha-racteristics and grain yield of single-season rice under high temperature condition]. / é«˜æ¸©ä¸‹å–·æ–½æ°´æ¨é ¸å’Œç£·é ¸äºŒæ°¢é’¾å¯¹ä¸­ç¨»ç”Ÿç†ç‰¹å¾å’Œäº§é‡çš„å½±å“.

To explore new practical means of alleviating the negative effect of heat stress on rice plants during the heading-flowering stage, a field experiment was conducted in Ji'an, Yugan, and Nanchang counties of Jiangxi Province from 2017 to 2018 with three indica hybrid rice varieties. Under ambient high temperature condition during the heading-flowering period, we sprayed five concentrations of salicylic acid (SA) (SA1-SA5: 100, 500, 1000, 1500, 2000 µmol·L-1) and five concentrations of KH2PO4 (K1-K5: 7.35, 14.70, 22.05, 29.40, 36.75 mmol·L-1) on the leave of rice, with deionized water as the control (CK), to mesure the physiological characteristics and grain yield. The results showed that compared to CK,plants treated with SA and KH2PO4 had higher chlorophyll content, soluble sugar content, soluble protein content, proline content, supero-xide dismutase activity, and peroxidase activity, but a lower malonaldehyde content, among which SA2 and K3 treatments performed the best. The treatments of SA2, SA3, K3, and K4 increased the number of grains per panicle, seed-setting rate, and grain yield, with the effects of SA2 and K3 treatments being significant. Compared to CK, the SA2 treatments enhanced the number of grains per panicle, seed-setting rate, and grain yield by 7.0%, 4.0%, and 11.9%, respectively; the K3 treatments enhanced the number of grains per panicle, seed-setting rate, and grain yield by 3.9%, 4.7%, and 6.6%, respectively. The optimal measure was spraying 500 µmol·L-1 SA or 22.05 mmol·L-1 KH2PO4, which could significantly increase grain yield of single-season rice under high temperature condition during the heading-flowering period.

Differential regulation of glial reactions in the central facial tract and the facial nucleus after facial neurorrhaphy.

We previously reported that perineuronal astrocytic and microglial reactions are drastically upregulated in the facial nucleus after facial axotomy at the brain stem surface or the stylomastoid foramen. Furthermore, periaxonal astrocytic and microglial reactions develop retrogradely in the central facial tract which contains proximal facial axons in the brain stem. Because reconnection of interrupted peripheral nerve by microsurgical suture is a common clinical practice, the aim of this study was to investigate the spatiotemporal patterns of glial reactions in the central facial tract and the facial nucleus after facial neurorrhaphy. Here, we show immunofluorescent and immunohistochemical evidence that facial neurorrhaphy at the stylomastoid foramen largely prevented axotomy-induced astrocytic and microglial activation in the central facial tract. In contrast, glial reactions in the facial nucleus were still highly elevated after facial neurorrhaphy. Microglial and astrocytic processes were observed to ensheath the facial motoneurons in the facial nucleus. Nevertheless, the transformation of ramified to amoeboid shape of microglia, occurring at 10 weeks after facial axotomy, was not seen after neurorrhaphy. We further examined the effect of N-nitro-l-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME), an inhibitor of nitric oxide synthase (NOS), on glial reactions after neurorrhaphy. Western blot analyses demonstrate that inhibition of nitric oxide (NO) production significantly reduced microglial but not astrocytic reaction in the facial nucleus after neurorrhaphy. Taken together, these results indicate that in contrast to the intense glial reactions in both the central facial tract and the facial nucleus after facial axotomy, glial reactions are differentially regulated in these two compartments after facial neurorrhaphy. NO is involved in the activation of microglia in the facial nucleus after facial neurorrhaphy.

Paeoniflorin attenuates hippocampal damage in a rat model of vascular dementia.

Paeoniflorn (PF), the principal bioactive component of Paeoniae radix prescribed in traditional Chinese medicine, possesses a wide range of biological effects and exhibits neuroprotective effects in numerous diseases. Previous studies have demonstrated that PF significantly attenuates memory impairment in rats with vascular dementia (VD). In the present study, a bilateral common carotid artery occlusion (BCCAO) rat model was used to explore the underlying mechanisms of PF. The expression levels of neuron-specific enolase (NSE), S100ß, B-cell lymphoma 2 (Bcl-2), Bcl-2 associated X protein, cytochrome c and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) in the hippocampus were measured by western blot analysis. The results showed that administration of PF for 28 days significantly decreased the expression levels of NSE and S100ß, both sensitive markers for brain damage, in vascular dementia (VD) model rats. In addition, PF inhibited the initiation of apoptotic cell death and attenuated the decreased expression levels of BDNF induced by bilateral common carotid artery occlusion. These data confirm the neuroprotective effects of PF on VD and provide a novel insight into the long-term use of PF as a potential treatment in the stages of early cognitive impairment in VD.

Effect of daily milk supplementation on serum and umbilical cord blood folic acid concentrations in pregnant Han and Mongolian women and birth characteristics in China.

Many studies have demonstrated the efficacy of folic acid (FA) supplementation in prevention of neural tube defects (NTDs), although the extent of NTDs varies among individuals of different races and ethnic origin. China is a multi-ethnic country with no standard practice for FA-fortified food. Milk is consumed by women, but little is known about the effects of milk on folate concentration in maternal blood and neonatal umbilical cord blood in Han and Mongolian women after stopping taking the supplement for a month and five month, respectively. The objective of this study was to determine whether only daily consumption of liquid milk can increase the blood folate concentration in pregnant women and whether there are differences in blood folate concentrations between Han and Mongolian women after cessation of FA supplementation. Of the 4052 women enrolled in the parallel group design study. Three thousand five hundred and twenty-six women had confirmed pregnancies and were randomized to receive liquid milk or not until delivery. Women who consumed the liquid milk had significantly increased serum folate concentrations at 16 and 32 weeks of gestation as well as cord blood at birth compared to control groups in both ethnic groups. Infants born to women drinking milk also had better the term birth weight and height, which may be related to the increased concentration of folate. In conclusion, daily consumption of milk can increase the serum folate concentration in pregnant Han and Mongolian women in China (differences in the efficacy of FA and milk supplementation) and may enhance birth outcomes.

Tanshinol protects hippocampus and attenuates vascular dementia development.

Tanshinol (3-(3',4'-dihydroxyphenyl)-(2R)-lactic acid, TSL) is widely used in traditional Chinese medicine for the treatment of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases. Here, we assessed whether TSL protected hippocampus and attenuated vascular dementia (VD) development in rats. The behavioral analysis showed that TSL could decrease the distance and latency time, and increase the swim speed in water maze in rats subjected to VD. TSL remarkably increased acetylcholine level and decreased acetylcholinesterase activity in rats subjected to VD. Likewise, TSL remarkably decreased malondialdehyde and increased superoxide dismutase levels in rats subjected to VD. Furthermore, treatment with TSL reduced the level of dead neurons in dentate gyrus. In addition, TSL upregulated growth-associated protein 43 (GAP43) and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) expression and downregulated phosphorylated Akt (p-AKt) and phosphorylated glycogen synthase kinase (p-GSK3ß) expression in hippocampus in rats subjected to VD. These results suggest that TSL may be a potential compound in VD model.

Sperm head vacuoles--light microscopic and ultrastructural observations: a case report.

BACKGROUND: Sperm head vacuoles are easily detectable in human spermatozoa under the electron microscope. A sperm head vacuole is considered abnormal when it exceeds 20% of the head's cross-sectional area. The authors report a rare case of primary spermatozoa deformity with 100% vacuolated head and evaluate the correlation between presence of head vacuoles/nucleus vacuoles and abnormal transformation of nucleoprotamine types, defects of nucleoprotamine, and gene disorders of chromatin/chromosome/spermatogenesis. METHODS: A 43-year-old male patient with infertility came to the Reproduction Health Center, Hebei, China. Semen was examined in accordance with the WHO criteria, and the spermatozoa were counted. Two hundred spermatozoa were observed both under light microscope and the electronic microscope. RESULTS: About 50% of the spermatozoa had head deformities. In the intact spermatozoa, the heads were 100% vacuolated. Under ultrastructural observation, abnormalities were observed and two major types of spermatozoa were detected. In the head of those incompletely mature spermatozoa, four kinds of the nucleus vacuoles were observed. CONCLUSION: Abnormal spermatozoa with head vacuoles account for the patient infertility.

Inhibition of nitric oxide synthase promotes facial axonal regeneration following neurorrhaphy.

Reconnection of interrupted peripheral nerve by microsurgical suture is a common clinical practice. However, the extent to which peripheral neurorrhaphy improves nerve regeneration and functional recovery remains unsatisfactory. Here, we used anatomical and electrophysiological techniques to investigate the temporal correlation between the expressions of oxidative stress-related biomarkers such as neuronal nitric oxide synthase (nNOS) and the facial axonal regeneration after an immediate facial nerve repair in adult rats since peripheral nerve lesion is well known to induce a dramatic increase of NOS expression in the affected neuronal cell bodies. We found that compared to nerve cut without suture, facial nerve repair not only caused the facial axonal regeneration but also consistently prevented the fluctuations of expressions of oxidative stress-related biomarkers in 10 weeks postlesion. To further elucidate the role of nitric oxide (NO) in the axonal degeneration/regeneration, four different NOS inhibitors were applied to additional rats after facial nerve cut or repair. Both of facial nerve cut+NOS inhibition and facial nerve repair+NOS inhibition were seen to prevent the alterations of expressions of the biomarkers, no matter which NOS inhibitor was used. Moreover, we found that facial nerve repair+NOS inhibition promoted earlier and better axonal regeneration than facial nerve repair, demonstrated by labeling of neuromuscular junctions, retrograde tracing, and electromyography. These results provide direct evidence that peripheral nerve suture and/or treatment of NOS inhibitors can maintain the homeostasis of oxidative stress-related biomarkers, especially nNOS in neuronal cell bodies. These actions may thus facilitate the axonal regeneration.

Dechlorination of trichloroethylene by immobilized autotrophic hydrogen-bacteria and zero-valent iron.

The efficiency of removing trichloroethylene (TCE) using co-immobilized zero-valent iron and autotrophic hydrogen-bacteria has been studied in this research. Laboratory results show that the combined physicochemical and biological system is much superior to either physicochemical or biological system alone in dechlorination of TCE. In addition to catalyzed hydrogenolysis reactions occurring between hydrogen gas and zero-valent iron particle surface, as well as autotrophic dechlorination of hydrogen-bacteria, the FeS produced by sulfate-reducing bacteria also contributes to the catalytic dechlorination mechanisms. In the presence of hydrogen gas, corrosion of iron powder is somewhat alleviated, thus extending the useful life of iron powder for treating pollution. The results of membrane feeding substrate bioreactor (MFSB) reveal that the TCE removal rate of the combined system is 3.5 times faster than the zero-valent iron method, and 5 times faster than the biological treatment method in removing TCE. The potential of using co-immobilized zero-valent iron and autotrophic hydrogen-bacteria to clean up sites contaminated by chlorinated hydrocarbons is demonstrated by the results presented in this paper.

Reductive dechlorination of trichloroethylene by combining autotrophic hydrogen-bacteria and zero-valent iron particles.

The objective of this study was to evaluate the dechlorination rate (from an initial concentration of 180 micromol l(-1)) and synergistic effect of combining commercial Fe(0) and autotrophic hydrogen-bacteria in the presence of hydrogen, during TCE degradation process. In the batch test, the treatment using Fe(0) in the presence of hydrogen (Fe(0)/H(2)), showed more effective dechlorination and less iron consumption than Fe(0) utilized only (Fe(0)/N(2)), meaning that catalytic degradation had promoted transformation of TCE, and the iron was protected by cathodic hydrogen. The combined use of Fe(0) and autotrophic hydrogen-bacteria was found to be more effective than did the individual exercise even though the hydrogen was insufficient during the batch test. By the analysis of XRPD, the crystal of FeS transformed by sulfate reducing bacteria (SRB) was detected on the surface of iron after the combined treatment. The synergistic impact was caused by FeS precipitates, which enhanced TCE degradation through catalytic dechlorination. Additionally, the dechlorination rate coefficient of the combined method in MFSB was 3.2-fold higher than that of iron particles individual use. Results from batch and MFSB experiments revealed that, the proposed combined method has the potential to become a cost-effective remediation technology for chlorinated-solvent contaminated site.