[Research on regional distribution and industrial status analysis of genuine medicinal resources of flowers in Henan province].

Flower medicinal materials usually refer to Chinese medicinal materials with a complete flower,inflorescence,or part of a flower as the different medicinal parts,they have an important share in the Chinese herbal medicine market and appeared frequently in Chinese medicine prescriptions. Firstly,the species and regional distribution of the flower medicinal materials resources in China were briefly summarized. Secondly,the characteristics,yield,producing area and origin distribution of the main flower medicinal materials in Henan province were discussed. Finally,the present situation and the main problems of the flower medicinal materials industry in Henan province were comprehensively analyzed,and the corresponding industrial development countermeasures were put forward.This research was intended to provide decision-making demonstration and scientific basis for the rational exploitation and utilization of resources,breeding of new varieties,planting division,production layout and the healthy and sustainable development of the flower medicinal materials industry in Henan province.

miRNAs expression profile in bast of ramie elongation phase and cell wall thickening and end wall dissolving phase.

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are 20-24 nucleotide long non-coding RNAs that play critical regulatory roles during plant development, organ morphogenesis, and cell fate determination and differentiation. In this study, miRNA microarray chips were used to explore the expression profile of ramie miRNAs between the bast of fiber elongation phase and those of cell wall thickening and end wall dissolving phase. There are 150 and 148 credible miRNAs in the bast of fiber elongation phase and cell wall thickening and end wall dissolving phase, respectively. These miRNAs distributed in 27 species and mainly concentrated in nine species. Analysis showed that 51 miRNAs were differentially expressed: 27 up-regulated (miR166, miR172, miR396, miR482, miR894 and miR2911 families) and 24 down-regulated (miR156, miR159, miR164, miR319 and miR1450 families) in the bast of fiber elongation phase compared with the bast of cell wall thickening and end wall dissolving phase. To further confirm our results, we examined the expression of three miRNAs (zma-miR172b*, pvu-miR482 and vvi-172a) by quantitative real-time reverse transcriptase-PCR. Our results will provide a molecular basis for future research miRNA function on ramie genetics and breeding.

Effect of Yak Meat to the Daily Ration of Scalded Rats for Wound Healing.

Objective: Treatment of burn wound healing involves infection, nutrition, psychology and rehabilitation, and proper nutritional support can promote wound healing, enhance immune function and reduce the incidence of complications. This study aimed to investigate the effects of feed containing yak meat on scalded rats' body condition and wound healing. Methods: Adopting a two-factor factorial design, the growth performance, food intake, body weight, and Lee's index of rats were measured. The wound conditions of scalded rats with different feeds (basic, basic + yak meat, and basic + yellow beef) were observed at different periods, and their wounds' hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) staining states were detected. The proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA)-positive cells and apoptosis were analyzed to evaluate the effects of feed on the wound healing of scalded rats. Results: The feed intake was the highest in the yellow beef feed group and the lowest in the yak meat feed group. The body weight was the highest in the yak meat feed group and the lowest in the yellow beef feed group. Furthermore, 45 days after scalding, the obesity index in the yak beef feed group was the closest to that of the rats before scalding. The wound recovery of the rats in the yak meat feed group was the best at 30 days, and the H&E staining results also proved that the recovery effect of the scalded rats in the yak meat feed group was better than other two groups. According to the results of PCNA and apoptosis, the yak meat feed group had lower positive cell rate and faster wound healing. Conclusion: The rats in the yak meat feed group recovered better than those in the other groups, and the yak beef feed had the best effect on the wound healing of the scalded rats.

[Protective effects of salidroside on vascular endothelial cells in rats with frostbite after chronic hypoxia].

Objective: To investigate the protective effects of salidroside on endothelial cells in rats with frostbite after chronic hypoxia. Methods: Healthy male SD rats, randomly divided into 3 groups with 10 rats in each group, which included the sham injury group, the model group, and the model +salidroside group. The rats in each group were placed in a composite low-pressure chamber to simulate a environment with a pressure of 54.1 kpa and a temperature of 23~25°C. The rats were exposed to hypoxia under these conditions for 14 days, during the experimental time the rats in the model+salidroside group were treated with 50 mg/kg salidroside daily. After the rats were removed from the low-pressure chamber, except for the sham injury group, frozen iron sheets were applied tightly to the back of the rats for 30 s, supplemented with low temperature for frostbite modeling. Blood and skin tissues were collected at 12 hours after modeling for testing. The structural changes in tissue and vascular endothelial cells were observed in the frostbite region. Vascular endothelial cell particulate EMP levels were detected. The levels of ICAM-1, sEPCR, vWF, ET-1 and NO secretion were determined. The expression levels of HIF-1α, p-PI3K, p-Akt and VEGF were detected by Western blot. Results: Salidroside could effectively reduce skin collapse in frostbitten areas. It could reduce the injury of frostbitten tissues, and improve the subcutaneous tissue necrosis and inflammatory cell infiltration. The autophagy of vascular endothelial cells was reduced. Compared with the model group (0.250±0.165)%, the expression of EMPs in the model+salidroside group (2.453±0.196)% was increased significantly (P＜0.01). In addition, the contents of NO (2.622±0.219)pg/ml was also significantly higher than that of the model group (1.616±0.152)pg/ml (P＜0.01), and the content of vWF (233.50±13.43)pg/ml was lower than that of the model group (315.60±8.78)pg/ml (P＜0.05). There was no significant difference in the levels of ICAM-1, sEPCR and ET-1. Salidroside significantly decreased the expressions of p-PI3K, p-Akt, VEGF and HIF-1α protein in vascular endothelial cells of rats with frostbite (P＜0.01). Conclusion: Salidroside can reduce endothelial cell damage, reduce endothelial cell autophagy and promote endothelial cell regeneration. Based on the PI3K/Akt pathway, salidroside has a good protective effect on endothelial cells of rats with frostbite after chronic hypoxia.

Cloning and expression profiling of the VLDLR gene associated with egg performance in duck (Anas platyrhynchos).

BACKGROUND: The very low density lipoprotein receptor gene (VLDLR), a member of the low density lipoprotein receptor (LDLR) gene family, plays a crucial role in the synthesis of yolk protein precursors in oviparous species. Differential splicing of this gene has been reported in human, rabbit and rat. In chicken, studies showed that the VLDLR protein on the oocyte surface mediates the uptake of yolk protein precursors into growing oocytes. However, information on the VLDLR gene in duck is still scarce. METHODS: Full-length duck VLDLR cDNA was obtained by comparative cloning and rapid amplification of cDNA ends (RACE). Tissue expression patterns were analysed by semi-quantitative reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). Association between the different genotypes and egg performance traits was investigated with the general linear model (GLM) procedure of the SAS® software package. RESULTS: In duck, two VLDLR transcripts were identified, one transcript (variant-a) containing an O-linked sugar domain and the other (variant-b) not containing this sugar domain. These transcripts share ~70 to 90% identity with their counterparts in other species. A phylogenetic tree based on amino acid sequences showed that duck VLDLR proteins were closely related with those of chicken and zebra finch. The two duck VLDLR transcripts are differentially expressed i.e. VLDLR-a is mainly expressed in muscle tissue and VLDLR-b in reproductive organs. We have localized the duck VLDLR gene on chromosome Z. An association analysis using two completely linked SNP sites (T/C at position 2025 bp of the ORF and G/A in intron 13) and records from two generations demonstrated that the duck VLDLR gene was significantly associated with egg production (P < 0.01), age of first egg (P < 0.01) and body weight of first egg (P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Duck and chicken VLDLR genes probably perform similar function in the development of growing oocytes and deposition of yolk lipoprotein. Therefore, VLDLR could be a candidate gene for duck egg performance and be used as a genetic marker to improve egg performance in ducks.

[Expression of cyclin-dependent kinase 2-associated protein 1 in chicken embryos of different sexes].

To investigate the expression and functions of cyclin-dependent kinase 2-associated protein 1 (cdk2ap1) screened by suppression subtractive hybridization in chicken embryo development, a pair of primers was designed to amplify the cdk2ap1 fragment by RT-PCR and subsequently the fragment obtained was cloned into the plasmid pGEM-T. Sense and antisense probes labeled with digoxigenin were generated using SP6 and T7 RNA polymerases, respectively, and used to examine cdk2ap1 expression in chicken embryos of both sexes by whole-mount in situ hybridization. In both sexes, cdk2ap1 was expressed in the head mesenchyme, rhombencephalon, optic vesicles, spinal neural tube, and forelimb of 4.0-day-old embryos and the expression in males was significantly higher than that in females. In addition, in the genital ridge and hindlimb of the 4.0-day-old chicken embryo, cdk2ap1 was obviously expressed in the males but not in females. It is supposed that cdk2ap1 may play a role in the sexual differentiation and development of gonad of chicken embryo.