An Improved Residual Network for Pork Freshness Detection Using Near-Infrared Spectroscopy.

Effective and rapid assessment of pork freshness is significant for monitoring pork quality. However, a traditional sensory evaluation method is subjective and physicochemical analysis is time-consuming. In this study, the near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) technique, a fast and non-destructive analysis method, is employed to determine pork freshness. Considering that commonly used statistical modeling methods require preprocessing data for satisfactory performance, this paper presents a one-dimensional squeeze-and-excitation residual network (1D-SE-ResNet) to construct the complex relationship between pork freshness and NIRS. The developed model enhances the one-dimensional residual network (1D-ResNet) with squeeze-and-excitation (SE) blocks. As a deep learning model, the proposed method is capable of extracting features from the input spectra automatically and can be used as an end-to-end model to simplify the modeling process. A comparison between the proposed method and five popular classification models indicates that the 1D-SE-ResNet achieves the best performance, with a classification accuracy of 93.72%. The research demonstrates that the NIRS analysis technique based on deep learning provides a promising tool for pork freshness detection and therefore is helpful for ensuring food safety.

A Multicolor Immunosensor for Sensitive Visual Detection of Breast Cancer Biomarker Based on Sensitive NADH-Ascorbic-Acid-Mediated Growth of Gold Nanobipyramids.

Many studies have demonstrated that the extracellular domain of human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2 ECD) level in serum can act as a breast cancer biomarker and serve as a monitoring neoadjuvant therapy of breast cancer. In this study, we developed a sensitive ascorbic acid (AA)-mediated AuNBPs (gold nanobipyramids) growth method with NADH (reduced nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide I) assistance, and we further fabricated a high-resolution multicolor immunosensor for sensitive visual detection of HER2 ECD in serum by using AuNBPs as signal and antibody as recognition probe. The NADH-assisted AA-mediated method effectively suppressed color formation in the blank and greatly improved the sensitivity of mediating AuNBPs growth, allowing us to use a low concentration of AA to mediate AuNBPs growth to generate more colorful and clearer color changes. The proposed multicolor immunosensor has higher resolution and more color changes corresponding to HER2 ECD concentrations. It can be used to detect as low as 0.5 ng/mL of HER2 ECD by bare eye observation and 0.05 ng/mL of HER2 ECD by UV-visible spectrophotometry. Using the immunosensor, we have successfully detected HER2 ECD in human serum with a recovery of 94%-96% and an RSD (n = 5) < 5%. The results obtained with our immunosensor were consistent with those obtained with ELISA, verifying the immunosensor has good accuracy. The immunosensor exhibited a vivid multicolor change, has low visual detection limit, excellent specificity and reproducibility, and robust resistance to matrix. All the above features makes our immunosensor a promising assay for the early diagnosis of HER2-dependent breast cancers in clinical diagnosis.

Exonuclease-assisted multicolor aptasensor for visual detection of ochratoxin A based on G-quadruplex-hemin DNAzyme-mediated etching of gold nanorod.

An exonuclease-assisted multicolor aptasensor was developed for the visual detection of ochratoxin A (OTA). It is based on the etching of gold nanorods (AuNRs) mediated by a G-quadruplex-hemin DNAzyme. A DNA sequence (AG4-OTA) was designed that comprises a hemin aptamer and an OTA aptamer. OTA binds to AG4-OTA to form an antiparallel G-quadruplex, which halts its digestion by exonuclease I (Exo I) from the 3'-end of AG4-OTA. Thus, the retained hemin aptamer can bind to hemin to form a G-quadruplex-hemin DNAzyme. This DNAzyme has peroxidase-like activity that catalyzes the oxidation of 3,3',5,5'-tetramethylbenzidine (TMB) by H2O2 to produce its diimine derivative (TMB2+) in acidic solution. TMB2+ can etch the AuNRs by oxidizing Au(0) into Au(I). This results in the generation of rainbow-like colors and provides a multicolor platform for the visual detection of OTA. The assay is based on the use of a single isolated aptamer and possesses obvious advantages such as multi-color visual inspection, relatively high sensitivity and accuracy. It can be used to detect as little as 30 nM concentrations of OTA by visual observation and even 10 nM concentrations by spectrophotometry. The method was successfully applied to the determination of OTA in spiked beer where it gave recoveries of 101-108%, with a relative standard deviation (RSD, n = 5) of <5%. Graphical abstract Schematic of an exonuclease-assisted multicolor bioassay based on the G-quadruplex-hemin DNAzyme-mediated etching of gold nanorods (AuNRs). It enables visual detection of ochratoxin A (OTA) with a detection limit of 30 nM.

De novo assembly and characterization of the Welsh onion (Allium fistulosum L.) transcriptome using Illumina technology.

Welsh onion (Allium fistulosum L.) has long been cultivated as a vegetable and spice for its flavor and aroma. However, transcriptomic and genomic data for A. fistulosum remain scarce. The goal of this study was to generate transcript sequences for functional genomic analyses, and identify genes potentially involved in sulfur, selenium, and vitamin metabolism. In total, 53,378,674 high-quality reads were generated, and de novo assembly resulted in 103,286 contigs and 53,837 unigenes. The average unigene length was 619 bp with an N50 of 832 bp. Similarity searches revealed that 36,155 sequences were similar to those of known proteins in public databases. Of these, 35,250 unigenes sequences were significantly similar to sequences in the NCBI non-redundant protein database and 22,804 were annotated in the Swiss-Prot database. Additionally, 13,125 and 26,660 unigenes were annotated in the Cluster of Orthologous Group and Gene Ontology databases, respectively. A total of 20,680 unigenes were classified into 128 pathways via functional annotation against the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes pathway database. Key enzymes involved in sulfur and selenium metabolism were also identified. Additionally, our transcriptome revealed a number of unigenes encoding important enzymes involved in vitamin metabolism. We also identified 2014 simple sequence repeats in 1892 unigenes. This transcriptome analysis provides valuable information to further our understanding of the molecular mechanisms regulating the biosynthesis of organic sulfur compounds. The detected simple sequence repeats may facilitate marker-assisted selection in Welsh onion breeding experiments.

Curcumin attenuates cardiac fibrosis in spontaneously hypertensive rats through PPAR-γ activation.

AIM: To investigate the effects of curcumin (Cur) on cardiac fibrosis in spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHRs) and the mechanisms underlying the anti-fibrotic effect of Cur in rat cardiac fibroblasts (CFs) in vitro. METHODS: SHRs were orally treated with Cur (100 mg·kg(-1)·d(-1)) or Cur (100 mg·kg(-1)·d(-1)) plus the PPAR-γ antagonist GW9662 (1 mg·kg(-1)·d(-1)) for 12 weeks. Cultured CFs were treated with angiotensin II (Ang II, 0.1 µmol/L) in vitro. The expression of relevant proteins and mRNAs was analyzed using Western blotting and real-time PCR, respectively. The expression and activity of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-γ (PPAR-γ) were detected using Western blotting and a DNA-binding assay, respectively. RESULTS: Treatment of SHRs with Cur significantly decreased systolic blood pressure, blood Ang II concentration, heart weight/body weight ratio and left ventricle weight/body weight ratio, with concurrently decreased expression of connective tissue growth factor (CTGF), plasminogen activator inhibitor (PAI)-1, collagen III (Col III) and fibronectin (FN), and increased expression and activity of PPAR-γ in the left ventricle. Co-treatment with GW9662 partially abrogated the anti-fibrotic effects of Cur in SHRs. Pretreatment of CFs with Cur (5, 10, 20 µmol/L) dose-dependently inhibited Ang II-induced expression of CTGF, PAI-1, Col III and FN, and increased the expression and binding activity of PPAR-γ. Pretreatment with GW9662 partially reversed anti-fibrotic effects of Cur in vitro. Furthermore, pretreatment of CFs with Cur inhibited Ang II-induced expression of transforming growth factor-ß1 (TGF-ß1) and phosphorylation of Smad2/3, which were reversed by GW9662. CONCLUSION: Cur attenuates cardiac fibrosis in SHRs and inhibits Ang II-induced production of CTGF, PAI-1 and ECM in CFs in vitro. The crosstalk between PPAR-γ and TGF-ß1/Smad2/3 signaling is involved in the anti-fibrotic and anti-proliferative effects of Cur.

Mechanical transport revealed by optical textures of heavy minerals in aeolian sand: A case study in the Badain Jaran Desert, Northwestern China.

Determining whether and to what extent the relative abundance of heavy minerals in original detrital assemblage has been modified by mechanical transport is beneficial for understanding regional historical climate changes and acquiring modern sediment provenance information. Utilizing the frequency of surface mechanical optical textures of heavy minerals may be an effective approach to address this question. However, the connection between the frequency surface mechanical optical textures of heavy minerals and the variations in the relative abundance of these minerals remains uncertain. In this study, 12 modern aeolian sand samples were collected from the Badain Jaran Desert in hyper arid region of northwestern China, characterized by weak weathering to analyze their relative contents of five major heavy minerals. Then, 3796 transparent heavy mineral grains were photographed under the parallel light of a polarizing microscope, and the frequency of 13 surface mechanical optical textures were calculated. The results reveal that the variations in the relative abundance of heavy minerals are substantially influenced by mechanical transport. The decrease in the relative abundance of heavy minerals with weak mechanical stability primarily attributed to mechanical collision. Conversely, the variations in the relative abundance of heavy minerals with strong mechanical stability are primarily influenced by mechanical abrasion. Therefore, mechanical transport impact on the relative abundance of heavy minerals in regions with weak chemical weathering. Establishing heavy mineral characteristic indices for provenance studies using the relative abundance of mechanically unstable minerals may not directly indicate transport distance but rather the strength of wind forces, which have significant potential in palaeo wind regime studies. This study expands the research field of sediment surface micromorphology and has potential applications in inferring past climate changes and determining modern sediment provenance.

Deep learning model shows promise for detecting and grading sesamoiditis in horse radiographs.

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to develop a robust machine-learning approach for efficient detection and grading of sesamoiditis in horses using radiographs, specifically in data-limited conditions. SAMPLE: A dataset of 255 dorsolateral-palmaromedial oblique (DLPMO) and dorsomedial-palmarolateral oblique (DMPLO) equine radiographs were retrospectively acquired from Hagyard Equine Medical Institute. These images were anonymized and classified into 3 categories of sesamoiditis severity (normal, mild, and moderate). METHODS: This study was conducted from February 1, 2023, to August 31, 2023. Two RetinaNet models were used in a cascaded manner, with a self-attention module incorporated into the second RetinaNet's classification subnetwork. The first RetinaNet localized the sesamoid bone in the radiographs, while the second RetinaNet graded the severity of sesamoiditis based on the localized region. Model performance was evaluated using the confusion matrix and average precision (AP). RESULTS: The proposed model demonstrated a promising classification performance with 92.7% accuracy, surpassing the base RetinaNet model. It achieved a mean average precision (mAP) of 81.8%, indicating superior object detection ability. Notably, performance metrics for each severity category showed significant improvement. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: The proposed deep learning-based method can accurately localize the position of sesamoid bones and grade the severity of sesamoiditis on equine radiographs, providing corresponding confidence scores. This approach has the potential to be deployed in a clinical environment, improving the diagnostic interpretation of metacarpophalangeal (fetlock) joint radiographs in horses. Furthermore, by expanding the training dataset, the model may learn to assist in the diagnosis of pathologies in other skeletal regions of the horse.

Dual therapy with phospholipase and metalloproteinase inhibitors from Sinonatrix annularis alleviated acute kidney and liver injury caused by multiple snake venoms.

Snakebite envenomation often induces acute kidney injury (AKI) and acute liver injury (ALI), leading to augmented injuries and poor rehabilitation. Phospholipase A2 (PLA2) and metalloproteinase (SVMP) present in venom are responsible for the envenomation-associated events. In this study, mice envenomed with Deinagkistrodon acutus, Naja atra, or Agkistrodon halys pallas venom exhibited typical AKI and ALI symptoms, including significantly increased plasma levels of myoglobin, free hemoglobin, uric acid, aspartate aminotransferase, and alanine aminotransferase and upregulated expression of kidney NGAL and KIM-1. These effects were significantly inhibited when the mice were pretreated with natural inhibitors of PLA2 and SVMP isolated from Sinonatrix annularis (SaPLIγ and SaMPI). The inhibitors protected the physiological structural integrity of the renal tubules and glomeruli, alleviating inflammatory infiltration and diffuse hemorrhage in the liver. Furthermore, the dual therapy alleviated oxidative stress and apoptosis in the kidneys and liver by mitigating mitochondrial damage, thereby effectively reducing the lethal effect of snake venom in the inhibitor-treated mouse model. This study showed that dual therapy with inhibitors of metalloproteinase and phospholipase can effectively prevent ALI and AKI caused by snake bites. Our findings suggest that intrinsic inhibitors present in snakes are prospective therapeutic agents for multi-organ injuries caused by snake envenoming.

Zishen Yutai Pills Promote Angiogenesis at the Maternal-Fetal Interface in Recurrent Spontaneous Abortion Mice by Regulating miR-187/VEGF Axis.

Ethnopharmacological Relevance: Zishen Yutai pills (ZYP), a traditional Chinese patent medicine, was listed in China in 1981. It is composed of 15 traditional Chinese medicines and has the effects of regulating menstruation, helping pregnancy, and preventing abortion. In clinical practice, it is effective in preventing habitual and threatened miscarriages, and continuing to explore its mechanism of action is very meaningful research. Aim of the Study: To explore the possible mechanism of ZYP promoting angiogenesis at the maternal-fetal interface in recurrent spontaneous abortion (RSA). Materials and Methods: In vitro experiments, placental trophoblast cells (PTCs) were isolated from the placental tissue of RSA mice and divided into six groups: Control group, Model group, ZYP group, miR-187 inhibitor NC group, miR-18 7 inhibitor group, and miR-187 inhibitor+ZYP group. Cell viability and cell cycle were measured using CCK8 and flow cytometry, respectively. The expression levels of miR-187, VEGF, VEGF-R1, and VEGF-R2 were measured using RT-qPCR, WB, and IF staining. Animal experiments first establish an RSA mice model (CBA/J × DBA/2) and then randomly divide the mice into four groups (n=10): normal pregnancy group, RSA model group, ZYP group, and progesterone capsule group. Observed the changes in embryo absorption rate, pathological morphology of decidual tissue, and ultrastructure of vascular endothelial cells in each group of mice. RT-qPCR, WB, and IF staining methods were used to determine the expression of miR-187, VEGF, VEGF-R1, and VEGF-R2. Results: In vitro, ZYP promoted the viability of PTCs and regulated their cell cycle, and ZYP down-regulated miR-187, up-regulated VEGF, VEGF-R1 and VEGF-R2 levels. miR-187 inhibitor showed the same effects, and further ZYP intervention enhanced the effects. In vivo, ZYP remarkably reduced embryo resorption rates, and improved the pathological morphology of decidual tissues and ultrastructure of vascular endothelial cells. Moreover, ZYP down-regulated miR-187, up-regulated VEGF, VEGF-R1 and VEGF-R2. Conclusion: In summary, ZYP can regulate the expression of VEGF via miR-187, then promote the angiogenesis at the maternal-fetal interface, and playing a therapeutic role in RSA.

Diastereomers of Coibamide A Show Altered Sec61 Client Selectivity and Ligand-Dependent Activity against Patient-Derived Glioma Stem-like Cells.

Coibamide A (CbA) is a cyanobacterial lariat depsipeptide that selectively inhibits multiple secreted and integral membrane proteins from entering the endoplasmic reticulum secretory pathway through binding the alpha subunit of the Sec61 translocon. As a complex peptide-based macrocycle with 13 stereogenic centers, CbA is presumed to adopt a conformationally restricted orientation in the ligand-bound state, resulting in potent antitumor and antiangiogenic bioactivity. A stereochemical structure-activity relationship for CbA was previously defined based on cytotoxicity against established cancer cell lines. However, the ability of synthetic isomers to inhibit the biosynthesis of specific Sec61 substrates was unknown. Here, we report that two less toxic diastereomers of CbA, [L-Hiv2]-CbA and [L-Hiv2, L-MeAla11]-CbA, are pharmacologically active Sec61 inhibitors. Both compounds inhibited the expression of a secreted reporter (Gaussia luciferase), VEGF-A, and a Type 1 membrane protein (VCAM1), while [L-Hiv2]-CbA also decreased the expression of ICAM1 and BiP/GRP78. Analysis of 43 different chemokines in the secretome of SF-268 glioblastoma cells revealed different inhibitory profiles for the two diastereomers. When the cytotoxic potential of CbA compounds was compared against a panel of patient-derived glioblastoma stem-like cells (GSCs), Sec61 inhibitors were remarkably toxic to five of the six GSCs tested. Each ligand showed a distinct cytotoxic potency and selectivity pattern for CbA-sensitive GSCs, with IC50 values ranging from subnanomolar to low micromolar concentrations. Together, these findings highlight the extreme sensitivity of GSCs to Sec61 modulation and the importance of ligand stereochemistry in determining the spectrum of inhibited Sec61 client proteins.

Silicon composition and stoichiometric ratios with other nutrients in the lower Minjiang River, Southeast China.

Over the past decades, rivers have delivered imbalanced nutrient loads to coastal marine ecosystems due to human activities, which leads to serious regional or global eutrophication problems. The Minjiang River is heavily influenced by human activities. To understand the changing characteristics of nutrient transport ratios in the Minjiang River waters, we measured the seasonal variations of carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus and silicon nutrients in the lower surface waters of the Minjiang River between July 2019 and July 2020. The results showed that the annual average contents of dissolved silicon (DSi), lithogenic silicon (LSi) and biogenic silicon (BSi) in the surface waters of the lower Minjiang River were 5.30, 4.58 and 2.37 mg·L-1, respectively. There were large seasonal differences among these parameters, with higher content of DSi than LSi and BSi in summer, higher content of DSi than BSi and LSi in autumn and higher content of LSi than DSi and BSi in winter. The proportions of DSi in total silicon tended to decrease gradually from land to sea, while the proportion of BSi was on the contrary. In term of stoichiometric ratios, the Minjiang River mostly presented carbon or phosphorus limitation and was unlimited by silicon or nitrogen. About 1.03×1010 mol DSi and 0.46 ×1010 mol BSi were delivered via the Minjiang River to the ocean yearly, showing a decreasing trend year by year. Based on the data in recent years, the nutrient loads of carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus transported by Minjiang River showed an increasing trend. The imbalanced nutrient loads may lead to changes in the structure and function of the river, estuary, and offshore ecosystems. The study of nutrient stoichiometric ratios can provide a theoretical basis for solving the problems in structural balance of nutrients and eutrophication in Minjiang River estuary and adjacent marine waters.

Clinical characteristics and prognosis of gastrointestinal stromal tumors with rare site metastasis (Review).

Gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GIST) are the most common stromal-derived tumors of the gastrointestinal tract and have a potential metastatic capacity in almost half of all cases, with the most common sites of metastasis being the liver and peritoneum. However, there is evidence that GIST metastasizes to sites other than the liver and peritoneum, which poses challenges for clinical diagnosis and treatment. Therefore, the Cochrane and Medline databases were searched via PubMed in July 2022 using relevant keywords to acquire the literature associated with the metastasis of GIST to rare sites published since from 2000 onwards. Study data comprising age, sex, primary location, metastatic site, mean survival time, clinical signs and symptoms, imaging, pathological features immunohistochemical indices, treatment and prognosis were recorded and analyzed. The 118 metastases at rare sites reported in the literature included bone (n=31), lung (n=10), lymph nodes (n=13), intracranial sites (n=13), skin and subcutaneous tissue (n=10), heart (n=7), skeletal muscle (n=7), orbit and choroid (n=6), pancreas (n=3), spleen (n=2), bone marrow (n=1), testis (n=3), scrotum (n=1), epididymis (n=1), penis (n=1), ovary (n=2), cervix (n=1), kidney (n=1), bladder (n=1), adrenal gland (n=2) and thyroid gland (n=2). From the reviewed studies, it may be concluded that when metastases from gastrointestinal stromal tumors occur at rare sites, the initial symptoms may help in the identification of these sites. In addition, the site-dependent imaging of different metastatic locations may further define the metastases, and the findings of pathological or immunohistochemical analyses may be used to confirm the diagnosis.

Epidemiological Characteristics of COVID-19 under Government-Mandated Control Measures during January-February 2020 in Inner Mongolia, China.

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has had severe health impacts worldwide. We aim to provide suggestions to the government for managing serious infectious disease outbreaks in remote regions having relatively poor medical resources. Basic reproduction number (R0), incubation period, time from symptom onset to confirmation, and duration of hospitalization were analyzed. We compared the compositions of imported and local secondary cases and cases with mild/common and severe/critical illnesses according to age, sex, and clinical symptoms. From January 23 to February 19, 2020 (less than one month), 75 local COVID-19 cases were confirmed in Inner Mongolia. Among these, the median age was 45.0 years, and 33 (44.0%) were imported cases. More than 80.0% cases had mild/common illness. The case fatality rate was 1.3%, and R0 was estimated to be 2.3. The median incubation period was 8.5 days. There was a significant difference in the incubation period between imported and local secondary cases (P < 0.001). Early and mandatory control strategies implemented by the government were associated with a rapid reduction in COVID-19 incidence in Inner Mongolia.

Mechanisms of Traditional Chinese Medicine Bushenantai granules in promoting angiogenesis at the maternal-fetal interface of recurrent spontaneous abortion mice.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the effects of Bushenantai (BSAT) granule() on angiogenesis-related factors [E2, P, and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF)] at the maternal-fetal interface of recurrent spontaneous abortion (RSA) mice, and to evaluate the role of BSAT in promoting angiogenesis at the maternal-fetal interface by influencing the expression of sex hormones, and VEGF. METHODS: A mouse model with normal pregnancy and another with Clark's classic RSA were established. The RSA mice were randomly assigned to six groups: normal, model, progesterone, high-doseBSAT granule (BSAT-H), medium-dose-BSAT granule (BSAT-M), and low-dose-BSAT granule (BSAT-L) (n = 10 for each group). The embryo loss rate and the histopathological changes in the decidual tissues were measured. Serum levels of estrogen (E2), progesterone (P), and VEGF were detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The mRNA and protein expressions of estradiol receptor (ER), progesterone receptor (PR), VEGF, and vascular endothelial growth factor receptor 2 (VEGFR2) in the decidual tissues were identified by immunohistochemistry, Western blotting, and quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction. RESULTS: The embryo loss rate in all groups that received BSAT treatment was reduced, while the number of blood vessels at decidual tissues was increased. The serum levels of E2, P and VEGF were elevated, and the mRNA and protein expressions of ER, PR, VEGF, and VEGFR2 in the decidual tissues were enhanced. CONCLUSION: BSAT can improve angiogenesis at the maternal-fetal interface and reduce the embryo loss rate, which may be associated with its ability to increase the serum levels of estrogen, progesterone, and VEGF, in addition to up-regulation of mRNA and protein expression of ER, PR, VEGF, and VEGFR2 in the decidual tissue.

Tanshinone IIA inhibits lipopolysaccharide­induced inflammatory responses through the TLR4/TAK1/NF­κB signaling pathway in vascular smooth muscle cells.

To aim of the present study was to determine whether Tanshinone IIA (Tan IIA) inhibits lipopolysaccharide (LPS)­induced inflammation in vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) from rats and elucidate the underlying molecular mechanism. VSMCs were primarily cultured and then treated with LPS (1 µg/l) and Tan IIA (25, 50 and 100 µmol/l) for 24 h. Monocyte chemoattractant protein (MCP)­1, interleukin (IL)­6 and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)­α levels were detected by ELISA and reverse transcription­quantitative polymerase chain reaction. Nitric oxide (NO) production was measured using the Griess reaction. The expression of Toll­like receptor 4 (TLR4), nuclear factor (NF)­κB (p65), and inducible NO synthase (iNOS), and the phosphorylation of transforming growth factor­ß­activated kinase 1 (TAK1) were detected by western blot analysis. Tan IIA inhibited the LPS­induced expression of MCP­1, IL­6, and TNF­α in a concentration­dependent manner and inhibited iNOS­mediated NO production. In addition, Tan IIA suppressed the expression of TLR4, the phosphorylation of TAK1, and the nuclear translocation of NF­κB (p65). The anti­TLR4 antibody and TAK1 inhibitor 5Z­7­oxozeaenol partially attenuated the LPS­induced expression of proinflammatory cytokines. In conclusion, Tan IIA inhibits LPS­induced inflammatory responses in VSMCs in vitro through the partial suppression of the TLR4/TAK1/NF­κB signaling pathway.

[Prophylactic immunization of dangguibuxue decoction against Cryptosporidium infection in immune suppressed mice].

OBJECTIVE: To explore the prophylaxis of dangguibuxue decoction, a traditional Chinese medicine made from Angelica sinensis and Radix astragalus, on immunosuppressed mice infected by Cryptosporidium parvum. METHODS: 48 BALB/c mice were randomly divided into 4 groups: normal control (A), immunosuppressed control (B), high dose (C), and low dose (D). Mice in groups B, C and D were intragastrically administered with dexamethasone (DXM) for 8 days, and in the same time mice in groups C and D were given high dose (2 g/kg) and low dose (1 g/kg) dangguibuxue decoction respectively. On the ninth day all mice in groups B, C and D were orally inoculated by 1 x 10(6) oocysts of C. parvum. The amount of oocysts in feces was examined daily since being infected. 11 days after infection, the subset of T lymphocytes in peripheral blood was analyzed with flow cytometry, sIL-2R in serum and sIgA of intestinal fluid were detected by ELISA. Pathological change of duodenum and jejunum was observed microscopically. RESULTS: Compared with the immuno-suppressed control group, there were less oocysts in feces (35.0 +/- 4.21) (P < 0.01) and lighter injury in the intestinal mucosa in mice of the high dose dangguibuxue decoction group. Both the number of CD4+ T lymphocytes (47.483 +/- 4.082) and the ratio of CD4+/CD8+ (2.271 +/- 0.378) increased, sIgA [(320.19 +/- 1.94) ng/ml] in the intestinal fluid elevated and sIL-2R [(321.34 +/- 6.66) ng/ml] in peripheral blood decreased in the high dose group, with a significant difference in comparison to the immunosuppressed group (P < 0.01). All the above-mentioned indices in low dose dangguibuxue decoction group showed no significant difference with the immunosuppressed control group (P > 0.05). CONCLUSION: Administration of high dose dangguibuxue decoction plays a role of prophylaxis on the infection of C. parvum in immunosuppressed mice through improving the immune status.

Ion-imprinted magnetic nanoparticles for specific separation and concentration of ultra-trace methyl mercury from aqueous sample.

For rapidly and sensitively determining ultra-trace methyl mercury (MeHg) in aqueous environment, we herein synthesized a MeHg ion-imprinted magnetic nanoparticle (MeHg IIMN) to simply and specifically extract/concentrate ultra-trace MeHg from water samples. The MeHg IIMN employed core-shell Fe3O4@SiO2 nanoparticles (Fe3O4@SiO2 NPs) as supporting structure, the complex ion of 1-pyrrolidinecarbodithioic acid and MeHg (PDC-CH3Hg+) as template, methacrylic acid (MAA) as functional monomer and trimethylolpropane trimethacrylate (TMPTM) as cross linker. The MeHg IIMN offered obvious advantages such as low cost, easy manipulation, better specificity and stability, and recycling characteristics. It can be used to separate/concentrate ultra-trace MeHg from natural water sample within 30min with a recovery >95%, an enrichment factor of 250, a relative standard deviation (RSD, n=5) <7%, a 25mg MeHg/g of maximum adsorption capacity, 50 times of recycling, and without obvious interference of other ions. Combining with capillary electrophoresis-inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (CE-ICP-MS), it can be used for the accurate detection of ultra-trace methyl mercury in natural water samples with a limit of detection of 0.084pg/mL, a recovery of 92-99% and a RSD (n=5)<8%. The success of this study promises a valuable technique for relatively simple detection of ultra-trace methyl mercury in aqueous environment.

[Effects of different LED light qualities on photosynthetic characteristics, fruit production and quality of strawberry].

Taking 'Miaoxiang No.7' strawberry as material, full red light, full blue light, full yellow light, full white light, red/blue/yellow (7/2/1), red/blue (7/2) light generated by light emitting diode (LED) was applied to accurately modulate with white light generated as control. The indicators of photosynthetic and fluorescence parameters, pigment content, fruit production and quality, root activity were investigated. The effects of light quality under the light intensity (500 µmol · m(-2) · s(-1)) on the photosynthetic characteristic, fruit production and quality of strawberry were studied. The results showed that the red light could increase photosynthetic parameters (Pn, Tr), while blue light had inhibitory effect. Intercellular CO2 concentration (Ci) and conductance (g(s)) were the highest under blue light. The fluorescence parameters were significantly affected by light quality, Fo, Fm and Φ PS II the highest under red light, but values of the maximal photochemical of PS II (Fv/Fm), Fv/Fo and Fm/Fo highest under red/blue/yellow (7/2/1). In addition, the soluble solids content and vitamin C were highest under red light, the blue light could increase protein and titratable acid, sugar-acid ratio was the highest under red/blue/yellow (7/2/1). Comprehensive analysis indicated that red/blue/yellow (7/2/1) was more beneficial to the increase of pigment contents of leaves, fruit production and some qualities of strawberry.

[Effect of cadmium stress on physiological characteristics of garlic seedlings and the alleviation effects of exogenous calcium].

In the experiment, the effects of exogenous cadmium (Cd2+) and calcium (Ca2+) in nutrient solution on growth, photosynthetic characteristics, enzymes activities, main mineral elements absorption of garlic seedlings were studied. The results showed that cadmium could obviously inhibit the growth of garlic seedlings, decrease the pigment contents and photosynthetic parameters (P(n), E, g(s)) of leaves, reduced the enzymes (SOD, POD, CAT) activities and increase the MDA content of leaves, and also could reduce the N, P, K, Ca, Mg contents and increase the Cd content of roots. The growth was promoted after adding exogenous calcium to garlic seedlings under cadmium stress, which reflected that the morphological indexes were increased at first and then decreased with the increase of exogenous calcium concentrations, and were maximized when the exogenous calcium was 2 or 3 mmol x L(-1). At the same time, the pigment contents and photosynthetic parameters (P(n), E, g(s)) of leaves showed a similar tendency with the morphological indexes, and they were the highest when the exogenous calcium was 2 or 3 mmol x L(-1). In addition, adding exogenous calcium to garlic seedlings under cadmium stress enhanced the enzymes (SOD, POD, CAT) activities and decreased the MDA content of leaves, also added the N, P, K, Ca, Mg contents and reduced the Cd content of roots, and the effect was best when the exogenous calcium concentration was 2 or 3 mmol x L(-1).