Higher serum chromium level may be associated with the presentation of depression in patients with metabolic dysfunction-associated fatty liver disease: evidence from NHANES survey.

Background: Depressive symptoms are frequently observed in patients with Metabolic Dysfunction-Associated Fatty Liver Disease (MAFLD), a prevalent metabolic disorder that affects many individuals. It is not yet clear whether there is an association between serum chromium levels and depression. Objective: The purpose of this research was to explore the association between serum chromium level and the manifestation of depression among patients with MAFLD. Methods: The selection of 1837 patients diagnosed with MAFLD was based on data obtained from the 2017-2018 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) database in this research. The Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) was employed to evaluate the severity of depression. The researchers utilized logistic regression models that were weighted for multiple variables to investigate the association between depression and serum chromium levels. Results: In our study, we found that 8.98% of US adults with MAFLD were suffering from depression at the time of evaluation. In the logistic regression model, serum chromium levels showed an inverse association with depression (OR=0.82, 95%CI: 0.69-0.96; p=0.016), this relationship remained after adjusting for fully confounding factors (OR=0.83, 95%CI: 0.71-0.97; p=0.021), subgroup analyses showed that the association between serum chromium levels and depression existed in relatively high-prevalence of depression groups. Conclusion: Patients diagnosed with MAFLD have a greater likelihood of experiencing depression, whereas individuals with higher levels of serum chromium are less likely to suffer from depression, and this association persists even after adjusting for other factors. These findings indicate supplementing chromium may be a viable treatment for their depressive symptoms.

Enhanced meat chicken productivity in response to the probiotic Bacillus amyloliquefaciens H57 is associated with the enrichment of microbial amino acid and vitamin biosynthesis pathways.

AIMS: Sub-therapeutic use of antibiotics as a growth promoter in animal diets has either been banned or voluntarily withdrawn from use in many countries to help curb the emergence of antibiotic-resistant pathogens. Probiotics may be an alternative to antibiotics as a growth promoter. We investigated the effects of a novel probiotic strain, Bacillus amyloliquefaciens H57 (H57) on the performance and microbiome-associated metabolic potential. METHODS AND RESULTS: Broiler chickens were fed either sorghum- or wheat-based diets supplemented with the probiotic H57. The growth rate, feed intake, and feed conversion in supplemented birds were compared with those in non-supplemented control. Caecal microbial metabolic functions were studied with shotgun metagenomic sequencing. H57 supplementation significantly increased the growth rate and daily feed intake of meat chickens relative to the non-supplemented controls without any effect on feed conversion ratio. In addition, relative to the non-supplemented controls, gene-centric metagenomics revealed that H57 significantly altered the functional capacity of the caecal microbiome, with amino acid and vitamin synthesis pathways being positively associated with H57 supplementation. CONCLUSIONS: Bacillus amyloliquefaciens H57 improves the performance of meat chickens or broilers and significantly modifies the functional potential of their caecal microbiomes, with enhanced potential capacity for amino acid and vitamin biosynthesis.

Banana Pseudostem Width Detection Based on Kinect V2 Depth Sensor.

This study used Kinect V2 sensor to collect the three-dimensional point cloud data of banana pseudostem and developed an automatic measurement method of banana pseudostem width. The banana plant was selected as the research object in a banana plantation in Fusui, Guangxi. The mobile measurement of banana pseudostem was carried out at a distance of 1 m from the banana plant using the field operation platform with Kinect V2 as the collection equipment. To eliminate the background data and improve the processing speed, a cascade classifier was used to recognize banana pseudostems from the depth image, extract the region of interest (ROI), and transform the ROI into a color point cloud combined with the color image; secondly, the point cloud was sparse by down-sampling; then, the point cloud noise was removed according to the classification of large-scale and small-scale noise; finally, the stem point cloud was segmented along the y-axis, and the difference between the maximum and minimum values in the x-axis direction of each segment was calculated as its horizontal width. The center point of each segment point cloud was used to fit the slope of the stem centerline, and the average horizontal width was corrected to the stem diameter. The test results show that the average measurement error is only 2.7 mm, the average relative error was 1.34%, and the measurement time is only about 300 ms. It could provide an effective solution for the automatic and rapid measurement of stem width of banana plants and other similar plants.

A real-time recombinase polymerase amplification assay for fast and accurate detection of Ditylenchus destructor.

Ditylenchus destructor is a plant-parasitic nematode that seriously infests sweet potato crop in China. Thus, fast and accurate detection of D. destructor in soil and plant tissue samples is of great significance. In this study, a real-time recombinase polymerase amplification (RPA) assay was developed for the rapid and accurate detection of D. destructor in various samples. The RPA assay could be easily operated and detected as low as 1/500 individual J4 nematode DNA per reaction in 20 min at 39 °C with high specificity. The assay meets the requirements of rapid detection prior to port quarantine as well as on-site real-time detection and can be applied to detect the parasite in soil and plant samples. The modified gDNA extraction method for a single nematode established in this study significantly reduced the time of detection and improved the applicability of the real-time RPA assay for on-site detection in different environments. The real-time RPA assay to detect D. destructor will be useful for epidemiological investigations in the field as well as for quarantine processes in the sweet potato and potato trade.

A study of adeno-associated virus in cortical-thalamostriatal pathway.

The cortical-thalamostriatal pathway constitutes the cortico-basal ganglia circuit and plays a critical role in the control of movement. Emerging evidence shows that center median/parafascicular (CM/Pf) neurons are lost in Parkinson's disease (PD) patients with motor deficits and CM/Pf neurons send massive and topographically organized projections to specific regions of the dorsal striatum, but provide only minor inputs to the cerebral cortex. However, anatomical connectivity in the cortical-thalamostriatal pathway are poorly understood at present. In the present study, we used a neural tracing method with adeno-associated virus (AAV) to monitor the cortical-thalamostriatal connectivity in rats. We found that parafascicular nucleus (PF) not only project directly to the striatum but send minor inputs to the cortical regions. It was manifested by green fluorescent protein (GFP) expressing fibers observed in dorsolateral striatum (DLS) and the primary motor cortex (M1) after adeno-associated virus serotype 2/9 (AAV2/9)-GFP injection into PF and GFP expressing cells observed in PF after injection AAV2/retro-GFP into M1. And the PF also receive projections from the DLS and it was demonstrated by GFP expressing fibers in PF after AAV2/9-GFP injection into DLS and GFP expressing cells in DLS after injection AAV2/retro-GFP into PF. Histological and behavioral analysis revealed that AAV vector transduction cause damage in neurons on the injection sites and also damage motor activity of rats suggesting caution in clinical application.

Lycium barbarum polysaccharide reduces hyperoxic acute lung injury in mice through Nrf2 pathway.

INTRODUCTION: The disruption of the balance between antioxidants and oxidants plays a vital role in the pathogenesis of acute lung injury (ALI). Evidence has shown that Lycium barbarum polysaccharide (LBP) has antioxidant feature. We examined the efficacy and mechanisms of LBP on hyperoxia-induced acute lung injury (ALI) in the present study. MATERIALS AND METHODS: C57BL/6 wild-type (WT) mice and nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2)-deficient (Nrf2-/-) mice were used in the present study. LBP was fed by gavages once daily for 1 week. Then, the mice were exposed to hyperoxia or room air for 72 h. Additional dosage of LBP was given per 24 h. RESULTS: Reactive oxygen species production was increased in WT mice exposed to hyperoxia. Inflammatory cytokines including interleukin (IL)-1ß as well as IL-6, and inflammatory cells were increased infiltration in the lung after 3 days hyperoxia exposure. Hyperoxia exposure also induced pulmonary edema and histopathological changes. These hyperoxia-induced changes were improved in LBP treated group. Moreover, elevated activities of heme oxygenase-1 and glutathione peroxidase and enhanced activation of Nrf2 were observed in mice treated with LBP. However, the benefit of LBP on hyperoxic ALI was abolished in Nrf2-/- mice. Moreover, our cell study showed that the LBP-induced activation of Nrf2 was dampened in pulmonary microvascular endothelial cells when the AMPK signal was inhibited by siRNA. CONCLUSIONS: LBP improves hyperoxic ALI via Nrf2-dependent manner. The LBP-induced activation of Nrf2 is mediated, at least in part, by AMPK pathway.

Dietary Flaxseed Oil Prevents Western-Type Diet-Induced Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease in Apolipoprotein-E Knockout Mice.

The prevalence of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) has dramatically increased globally during recent decades. Intake of n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs), mainly eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA, C20:5n-3) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA, C22:6n-3), is believed to be beneficial to the development of NAFLD. However, little information is available with regard to the effect of flaxseed oil rich in α-linolenic acid (ALA, C18:3n-3), a plant-derived n-3 PUFA, in improving NAFLD. This study was to gain the effect of flaxseed oil on NAFLD and further investigate the underlying mechanisms. Apolipoprotein-E knockout (apoE-KO) mice were given a normal chow diet, a western-type high-fat and high-cholesterol diet (WTD), or a WTD diet containing 10% flaxseed oil (WTD + FO) for 12 weeks. Our data showed that consumption of flaxseed oil significantly improved WTD-induced NAFLD, as well as ameliorated impaired lipid homeostasis, attenuated oxidative stress, and inhibited inflammation. These data were associated with the modification effects on expression levels of genes involved in de novo fat synthesis (SREBP-1c, ACC), triacylglycerol catabolism (PPARα, CPT1A, and ACOX1), inflammation (NF-κB, IL-6, TNF-α, and MCP-1), and oxidative stress (ROS, MDA, GSH, and SOD).

Berberine alleviates postoperative cognitive dysfunction by suppressing neuroinflammation in aged mice.

Postoperative cognitive dysfunction (POCD) is a significant cause of morbidity after surgery, especially for the elderly. Accumulating evidence has demonstrated that neuroinflammation plays a key role in the pathogenesis of POCD. Thus, we hypothesized that berberine, an isoquinoline alkaloid with anti-inflammatory effects, could improve surgery-induced cognitive impairment. Twenty-month-old male C57BL/6 mice were subjected to exploratory laparotomy with isoflurane anesthesia to mimic the clinical human abdominal surgery. For the interventional studies, mice received berberine (10mg/kg) or vehicle intraperitoneally. For the in vitro study, we examined the effects of berberine on lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced inflammatory mediators by cultured BV2 cells. Behavioral tests, expressions of IBA1, tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), interleukin-1ß (IL-1ß), and IL-6 were performed at the indicated time points. In the present study, we showed that surgery impaired the contextual fear memory, as evidenced by the significantly decreased freezing time to the context. This behavioral change coincided with marked increases in IBA1, TNF-α, IL-1ß, and IL-6 in the prefrontal cortex and hippocampus only at 24h but not 7 d after surgery. In BV2 cells, LPS induced significantly increased TNF-α and IL-1ß expressions. Notably, berberine treatment rescued surgery-induced cognitive impairment and inhibited the release of IBA1, IL-1ß, and IL-6 in the hippocampus. In line with the in vivo study, berberine treatment suppressed LPS-stimulated production of TNF-α and IL-1ß in BV2 cells. In conclusion, our study suggests that berberine could alleviate POCD by suppressing neuroinflammation in aged mice.

[Effects-of combined calories restriction and polyunsaturated fatty acids on colitis in rats].

OBJECTIVE: To explore the effect of n-6 and n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids combined with calorie restriction( CR) in DSS induced ulcerative colitis rats. METHODS: Forty female rats were randomly divided into five groups, control group, model group, CR group, 5:1 PUFA ad libitum group, 5: 1 PUFA CR group. CR groups provided with a limited daily food allotment of 60% of that eaten by the ad libitum animals for 14 weeks. Ulcerative colitis model in rats were given 5. 0% dextran sulfate sodium in their drinking water for 7 days. RESULTS: 5:1 PUFA CR group significantly decreased body weight, disease activity index, macroscopic and histological score compared to model group. In addition, administration of 5: 1 PUFA CR effectively inhibited MPO activity. The levels of TNF-α and IL-6 in the serum with colitis were decreased by 5: 1 PUFA CR (P <0. 05). CONCLUSION: These results suggest that combination of calories restriction and n-6/n-3 =5:1 PUFA may be more beneficial in attenuating the progression of DSS induced ulcerative colitis.

Folic acid and soybean isoflavone combined supplementation protects the post-neural tube closure defects of rodents induced by cyclophosphamide in vivo and in vitro.

To evaluate the neuroprotective effect of folic acid (FA) and soybean isoflavone (SIF) combined supplementation on the post-neural tube closure of rodents induced by cyclophosphamide (CPA) in vitro and in vivo, pregnant rats were randomly divided into control, model, solo-FA intervention, solo-SIF intervention and co-intervention of FA and SIF groups. Rats in solo-intervention groups and co-intervention group were treated with FA 0.7 mg/kg, SIF 160 mg/kg and FA 0.7 mg/kg+SIF 160 mg/kg at the duration of pregnancy, respectively. On the 13th day of gestation, control rats were given physiological saline and the other four groups were treated with CPA12.5mg/kg. On the 14th day of gestation, three rats selected randomly from every group were executed and the ultrastructure, DNA damage and the proteins expressions of Bcl-2, Bax and P53 on embryo brains were checked. The rest of the rats were executed on the 20th day, the frequency of neural tube closure defects and fetus' development indices were measured. In addition, T-SOD, MDA and NO in serum of the pregnant rats were checked. In vitro, the effect of FA and genistein on the apoptosis was determined. Compared with the model group, the malformation incidence was lower but fetus' development indices were higher in the combination treated group. The combination decreased the damage of CPA, such as damaged nuclear DNA, early apoptotic morphological changes, Bax and P53 expressions on embryo brains and in vivo. Furthermore, T-SOD activity in serum of the pregnant rats increased and the levels of MDA and NO decreased in the combined supplementation group. Our study indicates the neuroprotection of FA and SIF combined administration is superior to solo treatment. Decrease of DNA damage and neuron apoptosis involved in the mechanisms. Furthermore, the up-regulation of Bcl-2 and the down-regulation of Bax and P53 proteins also participate in the effect.

[Effects of doubled CO2 concentration on Erigeron breviscapus growth and its active constituent accumulation].

With medicinal plant Erigeron breviscapus as test material, its biomass and the contents and yields of scutellarin and caffeate were monitored under doubled (800 +/- 100) micromol x mol(-1) and natural (400 +/- 25) micromol x mol(-1) CO2 concentration. Comparing with those under natural CO2 concentration, the biomass of E. breviscapus under doubled CO2 concentration increased by 22%, the contents of scutellarin and caffeate increased by 23% and 26%, and the yields of these two constituents increased by 37.6% and 45.3%, respectively. Different organs had different responses in their biomass and active constituent contents to the elevated CO2 concentration. Under doubled CO2 concentration, the plant N content decreased by 47.2% and was negatively correlated with active constituent contents, being accorded well to the C/N balance hypothesis, and the biomass was positively correlated with the active constituent contents while no trade-off was observed between plant growth and secondary metabolism, suggesting that rational application of CO2 could improve the yield and quality of E. breviscapus.

Phytase supplemented poultry diets affect soluble phosphorus and nitrogen in manure and manure-amended soil.

Understanding P and N dynamics in manure-amended soil is essential for estimating the environmental impact of manure utilization in land applications. A laboratory incubation study was conducted to assess, (i) the effect of feeding a standard Australian commercial diet, and diets modified with phytase supplementation and reduced nonphytase phosphorus (NPP), on the concentrations of P and N (total and soluble) in the manure derived from layer hens (Gallus domesticus L.), and (ii) the change in water-soluble phoshorus (P(WSP)) and mineral N (NH(4)-N and NO(3)-N) when used as a soil amendment, applied at rates equivalent to 200 kg ha(-1) (200N) and 400 kg ha(-1) (400N). Phytase supplementation increased %P(WSP) by 8 to 12% in the manures, regardless of the levels of NPP in the diets, and in the manure-amended soils by 27 to 30% at the 200N application rate, and up to 54% at the 400N rate. Phytase significantly (P < 0.05) reduced total nitrogen (TN) content (by 12-31%) of the manures but generally produced greater nitrate accumulation in the manure-amended soils. Net nitrification, which commenced 4 wk after incubation, was accompanied by a simultaneous decrease in soil pH (by one pH unit) and a concomitant decline in %P(WSP). The decline in %P(WSP) was primarily attributed to P retention by the soil as it became more acidic. This study suggests that phytase addition not only reduces manure total N content, and increases water-soluble P, but its effects on manure total phosphorus (TP) and 2 mol L(-1) KCl extractable mineral N is influenced by the NPP level in the diet.