Sodium Nitroprusside Improves Bamboo Resistance under Mn and Cr Toxicity with Stimulation of Antioxidants Activity, Relative Water Content, and Metal Translocation and Accumulation.

Sodium nitroprusside (SNP), as a single minuscule signaling molecule, has been employed to alleviate plant stress in recent years. This approach has a beneficial effect on the biological and physiological processes of plants. As a result, an in vitro tissue culture experiment was carried out to investigate the effect of high and low levels of SNP on the amelioration of manganese (Mn) and chromium (Cr) toxicity in a one-year-old bamboo plant, namely Pleioblastus pygmaea L. Five different concentrations of SNP were utilized as a nitric oxide (NO) donor (0, 50, 80, 150, 250, and 400 µM) in four replications of 150 µM Mn and 150 µM Cr. The results revealed that while 150 µM Mn and 150 µM Cr induced an over-generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) compounds, enhancing plant membrane injury, electrolyte leakage (EL), and oxidation in bamboo species, the varying levels of SNP significantly increased antioxidant and non-antioxidant activities, proline (Pro), glutathione (GSH), and glycine betaine (GB) content, photosynthesis, and plant growth parameters, while also reducing heavy metal accumulation and translocation in the shoot and stem. This resulted in an increase in the plant's tolerance to Mn and Cr toxicity. Hence, it is inferred that NO-induced mechanisms boosted plant resistance to toxicity by increasing antioxidant capacity, inhibiting heavy metal accumulation in the aerial part of the plant, restricting heavy metal translocation from root to leaves, and enhancing the relative water content of leaves.

Benzylaminopurine and Abscisic Acid Mitigates Cadmium and Copper Toxicity by Boosting Plant Growth, Antioxidant Capacity, Reducing Metal Accumulation and Translocation in Bamboo [Pleioblastus pygmaeus (Miq.)] Plants.

An in vitro experiment was conducted to determine the influence of phytohormones on the enhancement of bamboo resistance to heavy metal exposure (Cd and Cu). To this end, one-year-old bamboo plants (Pleioblastus pygmaeus (Miq.) Nakai.) contaminated by 100 µM Cd and 100 µM Cu both individually and in combination were treated with 10 µM, 6-benzylaminopurine and 10 µM abscisic acid. The results revealed that while 100 µM Cd and 100 µM Cu accelerated plant cell death and decreased plant growth and development, 10 µM 6-benzylaminopurine and 10 µM abscisic acid, both individually and in combination, increased plant growth by boosting antioxidant activities, non-antioxidants indices, tyrosine ammonia-lyase activity (TAL), as well as phenylalanine ammonia-lyase activity (PAL). Moreover, this combination enhanced protein thiol, total thiol, non-protein, glycine betaine (GB), the content of proline (Pro), glutathione (GSH), photosynthetic pigments (Chlorophyll and Carotenoids), fluorescence parameters, dry weight in shoot and root, as well as length of the shoot. It was then concluded that 6-benzyl amino purine and abscisic acid, both individually and in combination, enhanced plant tolerance under Cd and Cu through several key mechanisms, including increased antioxidant activity, improved photosynthesis properties, and decreased metals accumulation and metal translocation from root to shoot.

Sucrose and starch metabolism during Fargesia yunnanensis shoot growth.

Bamboo is one of the fastest growing plants in the world, but their shoot buds develop very slowly. Information about the sugar storage and metabolism during the shoot growth is lacking. In the present study, we determined the activity of sucrose and starch metabolizing enzymes during the developmental period of Fargesia yunnanensis from shoot buds to the young culms that have achieved their full height. The soluble sugars and starch contents were also determined and analyzed in shoot buds and shoots at different developmental stages. The results showed that there were higher sucrose contents in shoot buds than shoots, which coincides with the sweeter taste of shoot buds. As the shoot buds sprouted out of the ground, the starch and sucrose were depleted sharply. Coupled with this, the activity of soluble acid invertase (SAI), cell wall-bound invertase (CWI), sucrose synthase at cleavage direction (SUSYC) and starch phosphorylase (STP) increased significantly in the rapidly elongating internodes. These enzymes dominated the rapid elongation of internodes. The activities of SAI, CWI, SUSYC and STP and adenosine diphosphate-glucose pyrophosphorylase were higher as compared to other enzymes in the shoot buds, but were far lower than those in the developing shoots. The slow growth of shoot buds was correlated with the low activity of these enzymes. These results complement our understanding of the physiological differences between shoot buds and elongating shoots and ascertain the physiological mechanism for the rapid growth of bamboo shoots.

Silicon Mechanisms to Ameliorate Heavy Metal Stress in Plants.

The increased contaminants caused by anthropogenic activities in the environment and the importance of finding pathways to reduce pollution caused the silicon application to be considered an important detoxification agent. Silicon, as a beneficial element, plays an important role in amelioration of abiotic stress, such as an extreme dose of heavy metal in plants. There are several mechanisms involved in silicon mediation in plants, including the reduction of heavy metal uptake by plants, changing pH value, formation of Si heavy metals, and stimulation of enzyme activity, which can work by chemical and physical pathways. The aim of this paper is to investigate the major silicon-related mechanisms that reduce the toxicity of heavy metals in plants and then to assess the role of silicon in increasing the antioxidant enzyme and nonenzyme activities to protect the plant cell.

Efficacy of acupuncture for degenerative lumbar spinal stenosis: protocol for a randomised sham acupuncture-controlled trial.

INTRODUCTION: Degenerative lumbar spinal stenosis (DLSS) is a major public health problem and the primary reason why older adults seek lumbar spine surgery. Acupuncture may be effective for DLSS, but the evidence supporting this possibility is still limited. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: A total of 80 participants with DLSS will be randomly allocated to either an acupuncture group or a sham acupuncture (SA) group at a ratio of 1:1. 24 treatments will be provided over 8 weeks. The primary outcome is the score change of the Modified Roland-Morris Disability Questionnaire (RMDQ) responses from baseline to week 8. The secondary outcomes include the assessment of lower back pain and leg pain using the Numeric Rating Scale (NRS), the change in the number of steps per month, and the assessment of the specific quality of life using the Swiss Spinal Stenosis Questionnaire (SSSQ). We will follow-up with the participants until week 32. All of the participants who received allocation will be included in the statistical analysis. ETHICS/DISSEMINATION: This protocol has been approved by the Research Ethical Committee of Guang'anmen Hospital (Permission number: 2015EC114) and Fengtai Hospital of Integrated Traditional and Western Medicine (Permission number: 16KE0409). The full data set will be made available when this trial is completed and published. Applications for the release of data should be made to ZL (principal investigator). TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: NCT02644746.

High Throughput Sequencing of T Cell Antigen Receptors Reveals a Conserved TCR Repertoire.

The T-cell receptor (TCR) repertoire is a mirror of the human immune system that reflects processes caused by infections, cancer, autoimmunity, and aging. Next-generation sequencing has become a powerful tool for deep TCR profiling. Herein, we used this technology to study the repertoire features of TCR beta chain in the blood of healthy individuals.Peripheral blood samples were collected from 10 healthy donors. T cells were isolated with anti-human CD3 magnetic beads according to the manufacturer's protocol. We then combined multiplex-PCR, Illumina sequencing, and IMGT/High V-QUEST to analyze the characteristics and polymorphisms of the TCR.Most of the individual T cell clones were present at very low frequencies, suggesting that they had not undergone clonal expansion. The usage frequencies of the TCR beta variable, beta joining, and beta diversity gene segments were similar among T cells from different individuals. Notably, the usage frequency of individual nucleotides and amino acids within complementarity-determining region (CDR3) intervals was remarkably consistent between individuals. Moreover, our data show that terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase activity was biased toward the insertion of G (31.92%) and C (27.14%) over A (21.82%) and T (19.12%) nucleotides.Some conserved features could be observed in the composition of CDR3, which may inform future studies of human TCR gene recombination.

Osteopontin Exacerbates Pulmonary Damage in Influenza-Induced Lung Injury.

The level of osteopontin (OPN) increases during bacterial lung infection. However, the OPN level in virus-induced lung injury is unclear, and the relationship between the hyer-production of OPN and lung injury remains to be thoroughly understood. Therefore, we sought to determine whether a relationship exists between OPN and pulmonary damage. Particularly, pulmonary edema and the destruction of pulmonary tissue. In this study, we found that the OPN level was significantly elevated in patients with pulmonary damage, and there was a positive correlation between the OPN serum level and disease severity in influenza lung injury. The epithelial sodium channel (ENaC) is the main mechanism of clearance of pulmonary edema fluid, and matrix metalloproteinase 7 (MMP7) can degrade the extracellular matrix. In lung epithelial cells, OPN markedly decreased the mRNA expression of the α-subunit of ENaC through integrin ß3 and CD44 (OPN receptors); however, the expression of MMP7 was promoted by OPN interaction with integrin ß1 and CD44. In addition, OPN increased the levels of tumor necrosis factor-α and interleukin-6. These findings suggested that OPN might increase influenza virus-induced lung injury by augmenting lung epithelial cell apoptosis and impairing ENaC and extracellular matrix destruction.

[Several changes of Indocalamus leaf active ingredients contents].

In this paper, the leaves of Indocalamus herklotsii, Indocalamus decorus, and Indocalamus latifolius were collected from Nanjing in different seasons to study the seasonal changes of the total flavonoids, tea polyphenols, and soluble sugar contents in the leaves. There existed significant differences in the test active ingredients contents among the leaves of the three Indocalamus species. The leaf total flavonoids content of the three Indocalamus species in different seasons ranged in 1.7%-2.7%, being the highest for I. herklotsii and I. decorus in spring and for I. latifolius in winter. The leaf tea polyphenols content varied from 5.5% to 7.6%; and the leaf soluble sugar content was 1.0%-8.5%, with the maximum in spring. Within the three months after leaf unfolding, the active ingredients contents in I. herklotsii and I. decorus leaves increased with leaf age. The optimal period for harvesting Indocalamus leaves was from December to next March. Among the three Indocalamus species, I. latifolius had the highest contents of the three active ingredients in leaves, suggesting that I. latifolius had greater potential value in the utilization of its leaf active ingredients than the other two species.

Efficacy of electroacupuncture at Zhongliao point (BL33) for mild and moderate benign prostatic hyperplasia: study protocol for a randomized controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: Acu-point specificity is a key issue in acupuncture. To date there has not been any satisfactory trial which can ratify the specific effect of acupuncture. This trial will evaluate the specific effect of BL33 for mild and moderate benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) on the basis of its effectiveness. The non-specific effect will be excluded and the therapeutic effect will be evaluated. METHOD: This is a double-blinded randomized controlled trial. 100 Patients will be randomly allocated into the treatment group (n = 50) and the control group (n = 50). The treatment group receives needling at BL33 and the control group receives needling at non-point. The needling depth, angle, direction, achievement of De Qi and parameters of electroacupuncture are exactly the same in both groups. The primary outcome measure is reduction of international prostate symptom score (IPSS) at the 6th week and the secondary outcome measures are reduction of bladder residual urine, increase in maximum urinary flow rate at the 6th week and reduction of IPSS at the 18th week. DISCUSSION: This trial will assess the specific therapeutic effect of electroacupuncture at BL33 for mild and moderate BPH. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Protocol Registration System of Clinical Trials.gov NCT01218243.

[Effect of processing parameters on the degradation of calcium polyphosphate bioceramic for bone tissue scaffolds].

This study was undertaken to elucidate the degradation regularity of calcium polyphosphate (CPP) scaffolds with different preparation parameters. CPP scaffolds with different main crystalline phases were prepared by controlling the particle size of the calcining stuff and the calcining heat. Specimens were soaked into Tris-buffer solution and simulated body fluid (SBF) for 60 days. Results show: alpha-CPP degrades faster than does beta-CPP, and beta-CPP degrades faster than does gamma-CPP; the lower the sinter temperature, the better the degradation of CPP morever, the degradation rate of CPP is inversely proportional to the original particle size. These data suggest that crystal type, sinter temperature and particle size influence the degradation rate of CPP markedly.

[Study on spectral behavior of trimethoxyphenylflurone with cadmium in microemulsion].

In the present paper, the spectral behavior of cadmium with trimethoxyphenylflurone (TM-PF) in microemulsion was studied. In the buffer medium of borax-NaOH at pH 10.40, cadmium (II) reacts with TM-PF to form a stable 1:2 complex. Its apparent molar absorptivity is 6.10 x 10(4) L x mol(-1) x cm(-1) at 560 nm. Beer's law is obeyed in the range of 0-0.60 microg x mL(-1). The coexistent metal ions can be separated, and cadmium can be enriched by sulfhydryl dextrane gel (SDG), greatly improving the selectivity and sensibility of the system. The method possesses high sensitivity as well as h igh selectivity, and can be used to determine trace amount of cadmium in environmental samples successfully.