Protective effect of Acanthus ilicifolius extracts against acute alcoholic liver injury via suppressing TLR4/NF-κB signal pathway and modulating intestinal microbiota in mice.

Excessive alcohol consumption is leading to increased rates of liver injury and disease. A new research strategy focuses on manipulating gut microbiota to lessen alcohol-induced harm. This study examined the hepatoprotective effects of extracts from Acanthus ilicifolius (EAI) on acute alcoholic liver injury by inhibiting the TLR4/NF-κB signalling pathway and modulating intestinal microbiota in mice. The results showed that EAI dose-dependently reduced alcohol-induced elevations of AST, ALT, and ALP levels. EAI showed significant inhibitory effects on the expressions of TLR4, NF-κB, and pNF-κB proteins. Furthermore, EAI caused a notable reduction in hepatic levels of IL-1ß, IL-6, and TNF-α. Supplementation with EAI could ameliorate alcohol-induced dysbiosis of intestinal bacteria. The levels of ALT, AST, and ALP levels were negatively correlated with Ligilactobacillus, Lactobacillus, and Alistipes, but positively correlated with Helicobacter and Bacteroides. Overall, EAI alleviated alcoholic liver injury in mice by inhibiting the TLR4/NF-κB signalling pathway and modulating intestinal bacteria.

The gene polymorphisms of eNOS and MTHFR modulates the development of preeclampsia in Han population.

We explored the effects of the endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) gene -786 T > C and 894 G > T locus polymorphisms and the methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) gene 1298 A > C and 677 C > T locus polymorphisms on preeclampsia (PE) in pregnant women in Quanzhou area and provide reliable and stable predictors PE. This study included 160 normal pregnant women (normal control group) and 160 women with preeclampsia (PE group). Polymorphisms in eNOS gene and MTHFR were analyzed by the polymerase chain reaction/restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR/RFLP) technique. eNOS 894 G > T locus and MTHFR 1298 A > C locus had no significant difference between the two groups. In the PE patients, eNOS -786 T allele (OR: 2.07, p = 0.03) and MTHFR 677 C allele (OR: 1.83, p = 0.04) had significantly lower frequency. The nitric oxide (NO) level in patients with eNOS -786 C C was significantly lower than that in those with -786 TT. The homocysteine (Hcy) level in patients with MTHFR 677 TT was significantly higher than that in those with 677 C C. In conclusion, the frequency of the eNOS -786 C C genotype and MTHFR 677 TT genotype are higher in women with PE, which cause lower NO level and higher Hcy level.

PPARγ Regulates Macrophage Polarization by Inhibiting the JAK/STAT Pathway and Attenuates Myocardial Ischemia/Reperfusion Injury In Vivo.

This study aimed to investigate the role of PPARγ and underlying mechanisms in myocardial ischemia/reperfusion injury (IRI). IRI was surgically induced in mice and neonatal rat cardiomyocytes (NRCM) were exposed to oxygen-glucose deprivation and reoxygenation (OGD/R). Quantitative genetic analysis and western blotting were performed to assess mRNA and protein levels, respectively, of PPARγ, as well as of different inflammatory, fibrosis, and apoptosis markers in cells and tissues. PPARγ was overexpressed in the heart of mice and NRCMs by viral transfection. Apoptosis and fibrosis were detected by TUNEL and Masson's trichrome staining, respectively. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay was performed to detect M1 and M2 macrophage-related inflammatory factors present in mouse sera. PPARγ overexpression significantly inhibited OGD/R- and IRI-induced cardiomyocyte apoptosis and fibrosis in vitro and in vivo. Moreover, PPARγ overexpression inhibited IRI-induced secretion of M1-related proinflammatory factors, whereas it supported the secretion of M2-related anti-inflammatory factors. Notably, these events were found to be mediated by the JAK/STAT pathway. In conclusion, PPARγ regulates macrophage polarization upon IRI via the JAK/STAT pathway, which will in turn prevent myocardial apoptosis and fibrosis. Hence, PPARγ may represent a valuable target for myocardial IRI treatment.

Relation between endothelial nitric oxide synthase genetic polymorphisms and pulmonary arterial hypertension in newborns with congenital heart disease.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate whether endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) rs1799983, rs2070744, and rs61722009 gene polymorphisms are associated with pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) in South Fujian newborns with congenital heart disease (CHD). METHODS: Genotyping for the eNOS rs1799983, rs2070744, and rs61722009 polymorphisms was performed using Sanger sequencing in 50 newborns with PAH secondary to CHD [CHD PAH (+)], 52 newborns with CHD without PAH [CHD PAH (-)], and 60 healthy controls. RESULTS: The genotype and allele frequency distributions of eNOS rs1799983, rs2070744, and rs61722009 were similar between CHD and healthy controls (P > .05). The frequencies of the eNOS rs1799983 G/T allele were 85% and 15% in the CHD PAH (+) group and 96.15% and 3.85% in the CHD PAH (-) group, the frequency of the T allele was higher in the CHD PAH (+) group than in the CHD PAH (-) group(P< .05), and patients with the GT/TT genotypes of eNOS rs1799983 may present higher PAH (OR = 4.412, 95%CI:1.411-13.797, P= .011). Newborns with the GT/TT genotypes had decreased plasma NO production compared to newborns with the GG genotype (P< .01), and NO levels in the CHD PAH (+) group were significantly lower than those in the CHD PAH (-) group (P < .05). CONCLUSION: The T allele could be a risk factor for PAH in newborns with CHD in South Fujian through decreased levels of nitric oxide production by the endothelium.

The complete chloroplast genome sequence of medicinal plant, Selaginella involvens.

Selaginella involvens distributed in East Asia region including China used as traditional medicine, which is an important medicinal plant for preventing and treating asthma. The complete chloroplast genome sequence of S. involvens was characterized from Illumina pair-end sequencing. The chloroplast genome of S. involvens was 126,340 bp in length, containing a large single-copy region (LSC) of 53,214 bp, a small single-copy region (SSC) of 47,561 bp, and two inverted repeat (IR) regions of 12,796 bp. The overall GC content is 38.70%, whereas the corresponding values of the LSC, SSC, and IR regions are 36.2%, 31.9%, and 43.2%, respectively. The genome contains 80 complete genes, including 61 protein-coding genes (45 protein-coding gene species), nine tRNA genes (six tRNA species), and eight rRNA genes (four rRNA species). The Neighbour-joining phylogenetic analysis showed that S. involvens and Selaginella tamariscina clustered together as sisters to other Salvia species.

Comparative Analysis of Homologous Sequences of Saccharum officinarum and Saccharum spontaneum Reveals Independent Polyploidization Events.

Sugarcane (Saccharum spp. hybrids) is an economically important crop widely grown in tropical and subtropical regions for sugar and ethanol production. However, the large genome size, high ploidy level, interspecific hybridization and aneuploidy make sugarcane one of the most complex genomes and have long hampered genome research in sugarcane. Modern sugarcane cultivars are derived from interspecific hybridization between S. officinarum and S. spontaneum with 80-90% of the genome from S. officinarum and 10-20% of the genome from S. spontaneum. We constructed bacterial artificial chromosome (BAC) libraries of S. officinarum variety LA Purple (2n = 8x = 80) and S. spontaneum haploid clone AP85-441 (2n = 4x = 32), and selected and sequenced 97 BAC clones from the two Saccharum BAC libraries. A total of 5,847,280 bp sequence from S. officinarum and 5,011,570 bp from S. spontaneum were assembled and 749 gene models were annotated in these BACs. A relatively higher gene density and lower repeat content were observed in S. spontaneum BACs than in S. officinarum BACs. Comparative analysis of syntenic regions revealed a high degree of collinearity in genic regions between Saccharum and Sorghum bicolor and between S. officinarum and S. spontaneum. In the syntenic regions, S. spontaneum showed expansion relative to S. officinarum, and both S. officinarum and S. spontaneum showed expansion relative to sorghum. Among the 75 full-length LTR retrotransposons identified in the Saccharum BACs, none of them are older than 2.6 mys and no full-length LTR elements are shared between S. officinarum and S. spontaneum. In addition, divergence time estimated using a LTR junction marker and a syntenic gene shared by 3 S. officinarum and 1 S. spontaneum BACs revealed that the S. spontaneum intergenic region was distant to those from the 3 homologous regions in S. officinarum. Our results suggested that S. officinarum and S. spontaneum experienced at least two rounds of independent polyploidization in each lineage after their divergence from a common ancestor.

[Impact of nutritional status on postoperative outcomes for patients with colorectal cancer].

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the impact of nutritional status on postoperative outcomes for patients with colorectal cancer. METHODS: Data of 289 colorectal cancer patients from the Affiliated Hospital of Putian Medical College between January 2006 and December 2009 were collected prospectively. Nutritional status was evaluated according to Reilly Nutrition Risk Score(Reilly NRS) and Nutrition Risk Screening 2002(NRS-2002). RESULTS: The postoperative mortality was 3.5%(10/289) and the complication rate was 29.4%(82/297). Patients were stratified into those at nutrition risk(n=89) and those not at risk(n=200) according to Reilly NRS and the two groups were similar in mortality rate(5.6% vs. 2.5%, P>0.05) and complication rate(36.1% vs. 26.5%, P>0.05). When stratified using NRS-2002, patients at nutritional risk(n=105) had a similar mortality rate (5.7% vs. 2.2%, P>0.05) but a higher complication rate(38.4% vs. 24.4%, P<0.05). NRS-2002 remained as an significant predictor of postoperative complications(P=0.007, OR=3.14, 95% CI:1.63-6.29) on multivariable logistic regression analysis. CONCLUSION: As a nutritional evaluation tool, NRS-2002 may predict postoperative complication for colorectal cancer.