Mechanism of action of resolvin D1 in inhibiting the progression of aortic dissection in mice.

BACKGROUND: To investigate the protective effect of resolvin D1 (RvD1) on aortic dissection (AD) in mice and explore the related mechanisms. METHODS: Mice were randomly divided into a blank group, model group, and RvD1 group. The RvD1 and model groups were administered 0.4% ß-aminopropionitrile (BAPN) solution, while the blank group was administered distilled water. When the experiment began, whether mice had AD was determined by echocardiogram. The RvD1 group was also administered RvD1 (30 µg/kg), while the model and blank groups were administered saline intraperitoneally. After 21 d, body weight trend and survival rate in the three groups were compared. The diameter of the ascending aorta of mice was detected by echocardiography. Then, the mice were sacrificed, and histopathological staining procedures were performed. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was used to detect cytokines and chemokines in blood and tissue, respectively. RESULTS: At 21 d, there was no statistically significant difference in body weight between three groups (P>0.05). The survival rate showed a significant difference between the RvD1 and model group (P<0.05). Echocardiography revealed that compared with the RvD1 and blank groups, aortic dilatation was significant in the model group. Pathological staining showed that the destruction of the aortic wall structure and inflammatory cell infiltration were more noticeable in the model group than in the RvD1 group. A slight disintegration of elastic fibers and collagen in the aorta was observed in the RvD1 group, and the aortic structure was clear. The results of ELISA showed that the inflammatory factors levels in the RvD1 group, although higher than those in blank group, were significantly decreased compared with the model group. The ELISA results of AD tissue showed that at 21 d, interleukin-6 (IL-6) and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) levels in the aorta were significantly decreased in the RvD1 group compared with the model group (P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Administration of RvD1 significantly delayed aortic dilation and disintegration and inhibited local macrophage and neutrophil infiltration in the early stages of aortic injury. Moreover, RvD1 significantly downregulated the expression of cytokines and chemokines in aortic tissues and serum and improved aortic remodeling.

Association of perfusate oxygenation with cardiovascular disorder in tetralogy of fallot children: A nested case-control study.

BACKGROUND: Little is known regarding whether hyperoxic reoxygenation was associated with higher risk of cardiovascular disorder following tetralogy of Fallot repair. METHODS: We performed a nested case-control study among patients aged 1 month-18 years undergoing complete repair of tetralogy of Fallot in 2012-2018. We measured the highest perfusate oxygenation (PpO2) during aortic occlusion in 107 cardiovascular disorder cases and in 321 controls matched 1:3 to the cases on date of surgery, sex, and area of residence. We analyzed the association between PpO2 and outcome using multivariable conditional logistic regression adjusted for covariates. We further identified and integrated the risk covariates to build prediction nomograms. RESULTS: Cases had higher percentage of exposure to PpO2 > 200 mmHg (86.0% vs. 76.1%, p = .019) than controls. Patients with PpO2 > 200 mmHg had an increased risk of cardiovascular disorder compared to those with PpO2 ≤ 200 mmHg (odd ratio [OR] = 2.075, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.035, 4.158, p = .039) adjusted for matching, clinical and procedural covariates. Categorical PpO2, lower body mass index, lower SpO2, untreated minor aortopulmonary collateral arteries, high immediately postoperative central venous pressure, and longer cardiopulmonary bypass time were independent risk factors for cardiovascular disorder (all p < .05). Combining PpO2 nomogram slightly improved discrimination compared with covariate-based nomogram alone for training cohort (area under receiver operating characteristic curve [AUC] = 0.768 vs. 0.761) and for internal validation (AUC = 0.759 vs. 0.753). CONCLUSION: Our findings suggest association exists between high PpO2 during aortic occlusion and cardiovascular disorder risk, and nomogram integrating clinical and procedural factors may be useful in management of patients with tetralogy of Fallot.

Integrated chemical and transcriptomic analyses unveils synthetic characteristics of different medicinal root parts of Angelica sinensis.

Objective: Why are different medicinal parts including heads, bodies and tails of Angelicae Sinensis Radix (ASR) distinct in pharmaceutical activities? Here we explored their discrepancy in chemical constituents and transcriptome. Methods: ASR were separated into three medicinal parts: heads (rootstocks with petiole traces of ASR), bodies (taproots of ASR) and tails (lateral roots of ASR), and chemical and transcriptomic analyses were conducted simultaneously. Results: High performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) fingerprint results showed that five widely used active ingredients (ferulic acid, senkyunolide H, senkyunolide A, n-butylphathlide, and ligustilide) were distributed unevenly in the three ASR medicinal parts. Partial least squares-discriminant analysis (PLS-DA) demonstrated that the heads can be differentiated from the two other root parts due to different amounts of the main components. However, the content of ferulic acid (a main quality marker) was significantly higher in tails than in the heads and bodies. The transcriptome analysis found that 25,062, 10,148 and 29,504 unigenes were specifically expressed in the heads, bodies and tails, respectively. WGCNA analysis identified 17 co-expression modules, which were constructed from the 19,198 genes in the nine samples of ASR. Additionally, we identified 28 unigenes involved in two phenylpropanoid biosynthesis (PB) pathways about ferulic acid metabolism pathways, of which 17 unigenes (60.7%) in the PB pathway were highly expressed in the tails. The expression levels of PAL, C3H, and CQT transcripts were significantly higher in the tails than in other root parts. RT-qPCR analysis confirmed that PAL, C3H, and CQT genes were predominantly expressed in the tail parts, especially PAL, whose expression was more than doubled as compared with that in other root parts. Conclusion: Chemical and transcriptomic analyses revealed the distribution contents and pivotal transcripts of the ferulic acid biosynthesis-related pathways. The spatial gene expression pattern partially explained the discrepancy of integral medicinal activities of three medicinal root parts.

[Ecological benefits of transfer payment of natural forest protection projects and their impact mechanisms]. / å¤©ä¿å·¥ç¨‹è½¬ç§»æ”¯ä»˜çš„æ£®æž—ç”Ÿæ€æ•ˆç›ŠåŠå ¶å½±å“æœºåˆ¶.

The policy of natural forest protection project (NFPP) is of great significance to the protection and restoration of natural forests. It remains unclear about how to play the role of NFPP transfer payment in forest ecological benefits. Based on panel data of "China Forestry Statistical Yearbook" from 2011 to 2017, we used forest management area and forest tending area as indicators to measure forest ecological benefits, and used spatial lag model and intermediary effect model to analyze the impacts of the transfer payment funds of NFPP on the forest ecological benefits in key state-owned forest areas. The results showed that forest ecological benefits in the key state-owned forest areas in the second phase of NFPP had improved year by year. There was a significant spatial spillover effect of forest ecological benefits of forestry bureaus. The transfer funds of NFPP had a significant positive effect on the ecological benefits of forest resources in key state-owned forest areas. There was a partial intermediary effect between the improvement of human capital and the establishment of first-line management and protection stations. The central government should increase investment in the transfer payment funds of NFPP. Forest administrations should increase the proportion of funds used in improving human capital and establishing first-line management and protection stations.

[Catalytic Degradation of Rhodamine B by FeOCl Activated Hydrogen Peroxide].

The wide application of traditional Fenton reactions was firmly restricted by the requirement for harsh acid conditions, as well as the inevitable generation of iron slurry. The FeOCl nanosheets, prepared by the chemical vapor transformation method, were used to degrade RhB via activation of H2O2. The FeOCl was characterized by a field emission scanning electron microscope (FE-SEM) and X-Ray Diffractometer (XRD), the results showed that FeOCl exhibited a fine crystal structure and nanosheet-like morphology, which was favorable for exposure of active sites. The results of degradation experiments showed that the RhB was totally removed within 15 min under the conditions of[H2O2]=1.67 mmol·L-1 and[FeOCl]=200 mg·L-1. The initial pH plays a negative role in RhB degradation, and the initial pH increased from 3 to 7 as the RhB removal efficiency decreased from 100% to 84%. Typically, when the initial pH was 9, the RhB degradation sharply decreased to 57.6%. Compared with traditional Fenton reactions, the FeOCl/H2O2 system widened the pH range, which resulted in superior organics removal even under a mild-acidic to medium pH condition. The quenching experiments demonstrated that the·OH was the major reactive oxygen species. Additionally, Electron Paramagnetic Resonance (EPR) results showed that intense DMPO-HO·signals were detected in the FeOCl/H2O2 system, which further demonstrated the important role of·OH in RhB degradation.

[Study on interaction between ginsenosides Rg_1,Rb_1 and Ro and bovine serum albumin].

Small molecules with physiological or pharmacological activities need to interact with biological macromolecules in order to function in the body. As the protein with the highest proportion of plasma protein,serum albumin is the main protein binding to various endogenous or exogenous small molecules. Serum albumin interacts with small molecules in a reversible non-covalent manner and transports small molecules to target sites. Bovine serum albumin( BSA) is an ideal target protein for drug research because of its low cost and high homology with human serum albumin. The research on the interaction between drugs and BSA has become a hotspot in the fields of pharmacy,medicine,biology and chemistry. In this research,molecular docking method was used to study the interaction between three small ginsenosides with high pharmacological value( Rg_1,Rb_1,Ro) and bovine serum albumin( BSA),and the binding mode information of three ginsenosides interacting with BSA was obtained. The results of molecular docking showed that ginsenosides and amino acid residues in the active pocket of proteins could be combined by hydrophobic action,hydrogen bonding and electrostatic action. The interaction between small ginsenosides and bovine serum albumin is not the only form,and their interaction has many forms of force. The interaction between these molecules and various weak forces is the key factor for the stability of the complex. The results of this study can provide the structural information of computer simulation for the determination of the interaction patterns between active components and proteins of ginseng.

INPP4B promotes colorectal cancer cell proliferation by activating mTORC1 signaling and cap-dependent translation.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Inositol polyphosphate 4-phosphatase type II (INPP4B) is over-expressed in CRC tissues, and emerges as an oncogene. However, the mechanism by which INPP4B regulates CRC cell proliferation remains largely unclear. In this study, we aimed to investigate the regulatory mechanisms of INPP4B in CRC. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The expression levels of mRNA were detected by qRT-PCR. The expression levels of protein were determined by Western blot. Cell Counting Kit-8 (CCK-8) assays and BrdU incorporation assays were performed to evaluate cell proliferation abilities. Bicistronic luciferase assays and the m7GTP pull down assay were performed to measure the cap-dependent translation in cells. RESULTS: INPP4B promotes CRC cell proliferation by increasing mTORC1 activity. Furthermore, it was shown that the activation of mTORC1 signaling by INPP4B led to increased cap-dependent translation, which is essential for INPP4B-mediated CRC cell proliferation. Finally, it was demonstrated that increased AKT and serum and glucocorticoid-inducible kinase 1 activity contributed to the activation of cap-dependent translation induced by INPP4B. CONCLUSION: Collectively, the present study reveals INPP4B promotes colorectal cancer cell proliferation by activating mTORC1 signaling and cap-dependent translation.

[Transcriptome profiling and analysis of Panax japonicus var. major].

The rhizome of Panax japonicus var. major have been used as the natural medicinal agent by Chinese traditional doctors for more than thousand years. Most of the therapeutic effects of P. japonicus var. major had been reported due to the presence of tetracyclic or pentacyclic triterpene saponins. In this study, Illumina pair-end RNA-sequencing and de novo splicing were done in order to understand the pathway of triterpenoid saponins in this species. The valid reads data of 15. 6 Gb were obtained. The 62 240 unigenes were finally obtained by de novo splicing. After annotation, we discovered 19 unigenes involved in ginsenoside backbone biosynthesis. Additionally, 69 unigenes and 18 unigenes were predicted to have potential function of cytochrome P450 and UDP-glycosyltransferase based on the annotation results, which may encode enzymes responsible for ginsenoside backbone modification. This study provides global expressed datas for P. japonicus var. major, which will contribute significantly to further genome-wide research and analysis for this species.

[Endophytic fungal communities of Stipa sp. roots in different types of steppes in northern China].

In order to explore the endophytic fungal communities of Stipa sp. roots in different types of steppes in the north of China, root tissues of Stipa sp. were collected from six different types of steppes, i.e., subalpine meadow, alpine meadow, Gobi desert, desert steppe, typical steppe, and meadow steppe across Xinjiang, Gansu and Inner Mongolia. A total of 213 isolates were obtained and sequenced, which were divided into 51 operational taxonomic units (OTUs) at the 97% similarity threshold and classified to 4 phyla, 7 classes, 23 families and 27 genera. Ascomycota was found to be the predominant flora (93.4% of the total isolates) at the level of phylum and distributed in all the six steppe types. The dominant genera other than Fusarium. (41.3 of the total isolates) in the six steppe types were different, such as Microdochium in subalpine meadow, Saccharicola and Aureobasidium in alpine meadow, Curvularia and Rhizopus in Gobi desert and Trichoderma in typical steppe. The endophytic fungal community from the alpine meadow contained the most abundant groups at the level of genus and phylum, and had the highest Margalef index, Shannon index and second highest evenness index after the desert steppe. By contrast, the lowest Margalef index was observed in the desert steppe and the lowest Shannon index and evenness index were found in the typical steppe. Furthermore, endophytic fungal communities from alpine meadow and desert steppe showed low similarity coefficients (0.12-0.25 and 0.13-0.22, respectively) with other steppe types. However, the similarity coefficients among the other four steppe types were relatively high, especially between the typical steppe and the meadow steppe (0.60). Redundancy analysis (RDA) showed that the altitude and latitude were the main environmental factors affecting endophytic fungal community distribution in the roots of Stipa sp. in the six steppe types.

[The spectral line profile with different electric microfield distribution functions].

According to Stark broadening theory, Stark broadening spectral line profile is asymmetric in essence considering plasma ions impact. The electric microfield distribution function is very important for the spectral line profile. The Stark broadening spectral line profile is described with different electric microfield distribution functions. The results show that the Stark broadening spectral line profile is similar with the Holtsmark distribution and nearest-neighbor field distribution, and it is diversification with Mayer model. With the decrease in the electrons impact broadening parameter, the influence of different electric microfield distribution functions is diminished. With the decrease in the plasma ions impact parameter, the influence of different electric microfield distribution functions is trailing off. The results also show that the action of electric microfield distribution functions is similar when the plasma ions impact parameter is very small. It is illustrated that the intense impact of plasma ions has great influence on the spectral line profile. The results may have important reference for the plasma diagnosis.

[The Stark broadening and Stark shift with different electric microfield distribution functions].

The Stark broadening and Stark shift were described with different electric microfield distribution functions. These microfield distribution functions include Holtsmark, Neutral Point, Nearest-Neighbor and Mayer model microfield distribution function. The Stark profiles with four microfield distribution functions were studied and the Stark broadening and Stark shift were obtained from the Stark profiles to study the influence of different electric microfield distribution functions on Stark broadening and Stark shift. The results show that the influence of different electric microfield distribution functions on Stark broadening and Stark shift increases with the plasma ions impact parameter with the same electrons impact broadening parameter. With the increase in the plasma electrons impact parameter the influence of different electric microfield distribution functions increases with the same ion impact broadening parameter. Especially, the influence of Mayer model electric microfield distribution function is very distinct when the ion impact broadening parameter is larger. It is illuminated that the plasma ions intense impact has great influence on the spectral line profile. It is very important for the plasma diagnosis to select appropriate electric microfield distribution function. The results have important reference for the plasma diagnosis.

[A strategy based on comparative genomics to align ESTs of maize].

In this study, a new strategy to locate ESTs on maize linkage groups was described. In the strategy, the rice (Oryza sativa L.) genomic sequence database of was employed to locate maize EST on rice linkage groups, and then to locate on maize linkage group by comparative genetics mapping between rice and maize genome. The aligned ESTs information should available for further study on genomics and gene cloning. As an example, 139 ESTs of maize were assayed, and 96 maize ESTs (69%) were homologous with rice genomic sequence, 55% (77/139) ESTs were located on maize linkage groups based on the strategy, indicating that the locating approach of ESTs is feasible and available.