Effects of returning paddy field to wetland on composition and stability of soil aggregates in the Yellow River Delta.

The composition and stability of soil aggregates are important indicators for measuring soil quality, which would be affected by land use changes. Taking wetlands with different returning years (2 and 15 years) in the Yellow River Delta as the research object, paddy fields and natural wetlands as control, we analyzed the changes in soil physicochemical properties and soil aggregate composition. The results showed that soil water content, total organic carbon, dissolved organic carbon and total phosphorus of the returning soil (0-40 cm) showed an overall increasing trend with returning period, while soil pH and bulk density was in adverse. There was no significant change in clay content, electrical conductivity, and total nitrogen content. The contents of macro-aggregates and micro-aggregates showed overall increasing and decreasing trend with returning period, respectively. The stability of aggregates in the topsoil (0-10 cm) increased with returning years. Geometric mean diameter and mean weight diameter increased by 8.9% and 40.4% in the 15th year of returning, respectively, while the mass proportion of >2.5 mm fraction decreased by 10.5%. There was no effect of returning on aggregates in subsoil (10-40 cm). Our results indicated that returning paddy field to wetland in the Yellow River Delta would play a positive role in improving soil structure and aggregate stability.

Biotransformation of Bioactive Metabolites in Cassiae Semen by Endogenous Enzymes and Probiotics.

The present study evaluated the potential of endogenous enzymes and probiotics in transforming bioactive metabolites to reduce the purgative effect and improve the functional activity of Cassiae Semen and verified and revealed the biotransformation effect of endogenous enzymes. Although probiotics, especially Lactobacillus rhamnosus, exerted the transformation effect, the endogenous enzymes proved to be more effective in transforming the components of Cassiae Semen. After biotransformation by endogenous enzymes for 12 h, the levels of six anthraquinones in Cassiae Semen increased by at least 2.98-fold, and free anthraquinones, total phenolics, and antioxidant activity also showed significant improvement, accompanied by an 82.2% reduction in combined anthraquinones responsible for the purgative effect of Cassiae Semen. Further metabolomic analysis revealed that the biotransformation effect of endogenous enzymes on the bioactive metabolites of Cassiae Semen was complex and diverse, and the biotransformation of quinones and flavonoids was particularly prominent and occurred by three primary mechanisms, hydrolyzation, methylation, and dimerization, might under the action of glycosyl hydrolases, SAM-dependent methyltransferases, and CYP450s. Accordingly, biotransformation by endogenous enzymes emerges as a mild, economical, food safety risk-free, and effective strategy to modify Cassiae Semen into an excellent functional food.

[Spatial Distribution and Eco-stoichiometric Characteristics of Soil Nutrient Elements Under Different Vegetation Types in the Yellow River Delta Wetland].

To clarify the distribution characteristics and the ecological stoichiometric characteristics of nutrient elements in soils under different vegetation types, four typical natural wetlands, i.e., Phragmites australis wetland, Tamarix chinensis wetland, Suaeda salsa wetland, and Tidal flat wetland, as well as Gossypium spp. fields that were reclaimed from natural wetlands, were selected as study sites in the Yellow River Delta, and comparisons between the agricultural reclamation land and natural wetlands were conducted. The results showed that the soil total organic carbon (TOC) and total nitrogen (TN) contents in the natural wetlands were as follows:P. australis wetland and T. chinensis wetland>S. salsa wetland>Tidal flat, and the contents of TOC and TN were significantly negatively related to electrical conductivity (EC) and pH values (P<0.05). The contents of TOC, TN, and total phosphorus (TP) in Gossypium spp. fields were significantly higher than those in natural wetlands (P<0.05), especially the contents of nitrate nitrogen (NO3--N) in Gossypium spp. fields, which were 9.4-11.4 times that of natural wetlands. However, no significant correlations between TOC, TN, and TP and EC and pH values (P>0.05) were observed in Gossypium spp. fields. The results of correlation analysis showed that the C/N of natural wetlands were mainly controlled by the contents of TN (P<0.05), and the C/N of the Gossypium spp. fields were significantly lower than those of natural wetlands (P<0.05). The soil C/P and N/P of natural wetlands and Gossypium spp. fields in the Yellow River Delta were low, and the variation trends were consistent with those of soil TOC and TN. Comparative analysis revealed, on the whole, that there were significantly different soil nutrient element contents, C/N, C/P, and N/P in Gossypium spp. fields compared to those of natural wetlands (P<0.05). The process of reclamation could significantly change the spatial distribution of nutrient elements in wetlands. Our results should be of importance in revealing the biogeochemical process of soil nutrient elements in coastal wetland and the influence of agricultural reclamation activities on the differentiation of soil nutrient elements.

Discovery and Optimization of Non-bile Acid FXR Agonists as Preclinical Candidates for the Treatment of Nonalcoholic Steatohepatitis.

Farnesoid X receptor (FXR) plays a key role in bile acid homeostasis, inflammation, fibrosis, and metabolism of lipid and glucose and becomes a promising therapeutic target for nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) or other FXR-dependent diseases. The phase III trial results of obeticholic acid demonstrate that the FXR agonists emerge as a promising intervention in patients with NASH and fibrosis, but this bile acid-derived FXR agonist brings severe pruritus and an elevated risk of cardiovascular disease for patients. Herein, we reported our efforts in the discovery of a series of non-bile acid FXR agonists, and 36 compounds were designed and synthesized based on the structure-based drug design and structural optimization strategies. Particularly, compound 42 is a highly potent and selective FXR agonist, along with good pharmacokinetic profiles, high liver distribution, and preferable in vivo efficacy, indicating that it is a potential candidate for the treatment of NASH or other FXR-dependent diseases.

Effects of Dietary Supplementation of Recombinant Plectasin on Growth Performance, Intestinal Health and Innate Immunity Response in Broilers.

The present study was conducted to evaluate the effects of dietary supplementation of recombinant plectasin (Ple) on the growth performance, intestinal health, and serum immune parameters in broilers. A total of 288 1-day-old male broilers (Arbor Acres) were randomly allotted to four dietary treatments including the basal diet (NC) and basal diet supplemented with 10 mg enramycin/kg (PC), 100 mg Ple/kg (LPle), and 200 mg Ple/kg (HPle) diets. The results indicated Ple increased (P < 0.01) average daily gain and decreased (P ≤ 0.02) feed to gain ratio of broilers. In addition, the supplementation of Ple in the diets increased (P ≤ 0.01) duodenal lipase (day 21) and trypsin (day 42) activities compared with the NC group. Similar as the supplementation of enramycin, Ple also increased villus height and decreased crypt depth in jejunum (day 21), and thus the villus height to crypt depth ratio (P < 0.01) was increased compared to the NC group on day 42. The serum immunoglobulin M (days 21 and 42), immunoglobulin G (day 42), complement 3 (day 21), and complement 4 (days 21 and 42) were significantly increased (P ≤ 0.02) due to the supplementation of Ple and enramycin, while the concentration of malondialdehyde in jejunum was decreased (P < 0.01) in PC, LPle, and HPle groups on day 21 compared with those in the NC group. Furthermore, Ple reduced (P < 0.01) Escherichia coli and total aerobic bacteria population in ileum and cecum of birds on days 21 and 42. These results indicate that the recombinant plectasin has beneficial effects on growth performance, intestinal health, and innate immunity in broilers.

[Analgesic effect and central mechanisms of CQ prescription on cancer invasion induced mirror image pain in model mice].

This study aimed to analyze the analgesic effect and related central mechanisms of CQ prescription on cancer invasion induced mirror image pain (CIIMIP)in model mice.In the study, male BALB/c mice were randomly divided into normal group, operation control group (injected with 0.2 mL inactivated S180 sarcoma cell sap), model group (injected with 0.2 mL S180 sarcoma cell sap on the right leg near the greater trochanter of femur) and CQ prescription low dose group (intraperitoneally injected with CQ prescription 100 mg•kg⁻¹ on the basis of model mice), CQ prescription middle dose group (intraperitoneally injected with CQ prescription 150 mg•kg⁻¹ on the basis of model mice), and CQ prescription high dose group (intraperitoneally injected with CQ prescription 200 mg•kg⁻¹ on the basis of model mice). Mechanical withdraw threshold (MWT) of the mirror image lateral hind paws were evaluated by Von Frey hairs before modeling and after surgery. The levels of glutamate (Glu), gamma aminobutyric acid (GABA), glycine (Gly), and taurine (Tau) in the L3-L5 spinal cord were measured by the high performance liquid chromatography-fluorescence detector (HPLC-FLD); AimPlex detection technology with multiple factors was used to detect the levels of regulated on activation in normal T-cell expressed and secreted (RANTES), monocyte chemoattractant protein (MCP-3) in the L3-L5 spinal cord. Then we observed the influence of GABAa receptor antagonist (Bicuculline) on analgesic effect of CQ prescription.The results indicated that CQ prescription could remarkably increase MWT of model mice(P<0.01, P<0.05), decrease the level of Glu(P<0.01, P<0.05), improve the levels of GABA, Gly, Tau(P<0.01, P<0.05), lower the ratio of Glu/GABA(P<0.01, P<0.05), and reduce the levels of RANTES, MCP-3(P<0.05) in the L3-L5 spinal cord, and GABAa receptor antagonist significantly blocked the analgesic effect of CQ prescription at two time points(P<0.05).This study showed that CQ prescription had significant analgesic effect on CIIMIP model mice, and its mechanism was associated with regulating the balance between excitability amino acid(EAA) and inhibitory amino acid (IAA) transmitters in central nervous system, partially activating GABAa receptor, and reducing the release of RANTES and MCP-3 in the spinal cord.

Antagonistic effects of extracts from Artemisia rupetris L. and Leontopodium leontopodioides to CC chemokine receptor 2b (CCR2b).

The present study was designed to establish a suitable assay to explore CCR2b receptor antagonists from the natural products of Artemisia rupetris and Leontopodium leontopodioides. An aequorin assay was developed as a cell-based assay suitable for 384-well microplate and used for screening CCR2b receptor antagonists from natural products. Through establishing suitable conditions, the assay was shown to be suitable for screening of CCR2b receptor antagonists. Seven compounds were identified in preliminary screening. Five of them showed evident dose-response relationship in secondary screening. The structure-activity relationship study suggested that 7-position hydroxyl group of flavonoids was necessary, a polar group should be introduced on the 3-position, and the substituents on 2-position benzene ring of flavonoids have little influence on the potentency of the inhibition activity on CCR2b receptor. The ortho-position dihydroxyl structure in quinic acid compounds may be important. In conclusion, Compounds HR-1, 5, 7, and AR-20, 35 showed activity as antagonist of CCR2b receptor, which shed lights on the development of novel drugs as CCR2b receptor antagonists for preventing inflammation related diseases.

[Effect of synchronous perfusion of NaN3 in changes in content of cholinergic neurotransmitter in medial prefrontal cortex and hippocampal extra-cellular fluid].

OBJECTIVE: To observe the effect of synchronous perfusion of specific respiratory chain complex IV inhibitor sodium azide (NaN3) in brain on rat ventromedial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) and acetylcholine (ACh) and choline (Ch) contents in hippocampal extra-cellular fluid, and establish the AD rat model induced by mitochondrial acute injury. METHOD: The synchronous dual-probe dual-channel brain microdialysis sampling technology was applied to synchronously perfuse modified Ringer's solution containing NaN3 (50 micro mol L-1) and neostigmine (2 micro mol L-1) into mPFC and hippocampus of conscious, freely moving normal rats, and continuously collect dialysates from different encephalic areas. Dynamic contents of ACh and Ch were determined by high performance liquid chromatography-post-column immobilized enzyme reactor-electrochemical process. RESULT: ACh and Ch contents in mPFC extracellular fluid of normal rats were higher than that in hippocampus. During the process of perfusion, NaN3 could significantly reduce ACh in mPFC/hippocampal extra-cellular fluid, but remarkably increase Ch, and constantly inhibit the recovery of ACh and Ch contents in mPFC/hippocampus. CONCLUSION: The synchronous perfusion of NaN3in rat mPFC and hippocampus can injure functions of the cholinergic nerve projection area, and cause the acute AD model with ACh and Ch metabolic disorders. This model can be used in pathogenetic and pharmacological studies.

[Study on correlation between neuropsychological features and Chinese medical syndrome types in patients with Wilson's disease].

OBJECTIVE: To explore the correlation between neuropsychological features and Chinese medical syndrome types in Wilson's disease (WD) patients, thus providing evidence for early intervention by syndrome typing. METHODS: Totally 96 WD patients were assigned to Gan-Dan damp-heat syndrome (GDDHS, 31 cases), Gan-Shen yin deficiency syndrome (GSYDS, 47 cases), and qi-blood deficiency syndrome (QBDS, 18 cases) by syndrome typing. Three items of neuropsychological testing were performed in them, i.e., Raven's standard progressive matrices (R'SPM), Stroop color-word test (CWT), trail making test (TMT). The correlations between the integrals of Chinese medical syndrome types and results of the 3 tests were analyzed. RESULTS: (1) There was statistical difference in the total scores of R'SPM, the word interference time of CWT, and interference effects of TMT among the 3 syndrome types (P <0.01, P <0.05). There was statistical difference in the total scores of R'SPM and the word interference time of CWT in patients of QBDS, when compared with those of GDDHS and GSYDS (P <0.05). There was statistical difference in interference effects of TMT in patients of GDDHS, when compared with those of QBDS and GSYDS (P <0.05). (2) The integrals of the 3 syndrome types were negatively correlated with the total scores of R'SPM (P <0.01). The integral of GDDHS was significantly positively correlated with the interference effects of TMT (P <0.01). The integral of GSYDS was significantly positively correlated with TMT-B time consumption and interference effects of TMT (P <0. 05). The integral of QBDS was significantly positively correlated with the word interference time of CWT (P <0.05). CONCLUSIONS: There was correlation between neuropsychological changes of WD patients and Chinese medical syndrome types. The severity of asthenia syndrome was sequenced from high to low as QBDS > GSYDS > GDDHS. The severity of asthenia was higher than that of asthenia.

[Analgesic effect of CQM on prosopalgia model rats and its impact on exciting amino acid neurotransmitters].

OBJECTIVE: To observe the analgesic effect of CQM on photochemically-induced prosopalgia model rats, and discuss its impact on the exciting amino acid neurotransmitter-glutamate (Glu). METHOD: Male SD rats were randomly divided into the sham operation group and the prosopalgia group. And the latter was subdivided into the model group, the gabapentin group (100 mg kg(-1)), and the CQM low-dose (35 mg x kg(-1)) and CQM high-dose (70 mg x kg(-1)) groups. The mechanical allodynia test was adopted to evaluate the pain behavior of rats, and reflect the efficacy with the mechanical withdrawal thresholds. The rat striatum extra-cellular fluid was collected by brain micro-dialysis. The Glu level of samples was measured by high performance liquid chromatography-fluorescene detector (HPLC-FLD). RESULT: Compared to the control group, the threshold of the mechanical allodynia of the IoN injury group was decreased significantly (P < 0.05), and the concentration of Glu was increased dramatically (P < 0.05). Compared to the model group, the mechanical allodynia of photochemically-induced prosopalgia model rats increased significantly (P < 0.01), with a notable increase in brain Glu concentration (P < 0.05). Compared with the model group, all of mechanical withdrawal thresholds increased. Among them, the CQM high-dose group showed a remarkably growth at three time points (P < 0.05), with the maximum up to (23 +/- 7.3) g. And the gabapentin group showed a remarkably growth at two time points (P < 0.05), with the maximum up to (20.5 +/- 9.2) g. All of the drug groups showed significantly lower Glu concentrations in rat brains than the model group (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: CQM can ease the mechanical allodynia of photochemically-induced prosopalgia model rats. Its analgesic effect may be related to the decrease of Glu concentrations in striatum extra-cellular fluid.