Astragalus polysaccharide improves the growth, meat quality, antioxidant capacity and bacterial resistance of Furong crucian carp (Furong carp♀ × red crucian carp♂).

To evaluate the functional effects of APS (Astragalus polysaccharide) on Furong crucian carp, APS-supplemented diets (0.00 %, 0.05 %, 0.10 % and 0.15 %) were prepared and utilized in feeding experiment. The results showed that the 0.05 % APS group has the highest weight gain rate and specific growth rate, and the lowest feed coefficient rate. In addition, 0.05 % APS supplement could improve muscle elasticity, adhesiveness and chewiness. Moreover, the 0.15 % APS group had the highest spleen-somatic index and the 0.05 % group had the maximum intestinal villus length. 0.05 % and 0.10 % APS addition significantly increased T-AOC and CAT activities while MDA contents decreased in all APS groups. The plasma TNF-α levels in all APS groups significantly increased (P<0.05), and the 0.05 % group showed the highest TNF-α level in spleen. In APS addition groups, the tlr8, lgp2 and mda5 gene expressions were significantly elevated, while xbp1, caspase-2 and caspase-9 expressions decreased in uninfected and A. hydrophila-infected fish. Finally, higher survival rate and slower disease outbreak rate were observed in APS-supplemented groups after being infected by A. hydrophila. In conclusion, Furong crucian carp fed by APS-supplemented diets possesses elevated weight gain rate and specific growth rate, and improved meat quality, immunity and disease resistance.

Epigallocatechin-3-gallate: A phytochemical as a promising drug candidate for the treatment of Parkinson's disease.

Epigallocatechin 3-gallate (EGCG), an abundant polyphenolic component derived from green tea extract, possesses versatile bioactivities that can combat many diseases. During the last decade, EGCG was shown to be effective in experimental models of Parkinson's disease (PD). Several experimental studies have suggested that it has pleiotropic neuroprotective effects, which has enhanced the appeal of EGCG as a therapeutic strategy in PD. In this review, we compiled recent updates and knowledge of the molecular mechanisms underlying the neuroprotective effects of EGCG in PD. We focused on the effects of EGCG on apoptosis, oxidative stress, inflammation, ferroptosis, modulation of dopamine production, and the aggregation of α-synuclein. The review highlights the pharmacological features of EGCG and its therapeutic implications in PD. Taken together, the accumulated data indicate that EGCG is a promising neuroprotective compound for the treatment of PD.

YY1 cooperates with TFEB to regulate autophagy and lysosomal biogenesis in melanoma.

Autophagy is a self-proteolytic process that degrades intracellular material to maintain cellular homeostasis. Transcription factor EB (TFEB) is the master activator that regulates the transcription of genes involved in autophagy and lysosomal biogenesis. However, the cotranscriptional factors of TFEB are rarely identified. Here, we found that Yin Yang 1 (YY1) regulated autophagy and lysosome biogenesis in melanoma cells. YY1 cooperates with TFEB to regulate autophagy through controlling the transcription of autophagy and lysosome biogenesis related genes. Moreover, suppression of YY1 enhanced the antitumor efficiency of vemurafenib both in vitro and in vivo. Collectively, these studies identify YY1 as a novel cotranscription factor of TFEB in regulating autophagy and lysosomal functions and suggest YY1 could be a therapeutic target in cancer treatment.

Producing a synthetic zeolite from secondary coal fly ash.

Secondary coal fly ash is known as a by-product produced by the extracting alumina industry from high-alumina fly ash, which is always considered to be solid waste. Zeolitization of secondary coal fly ash offers an opportunity to create value-added products from this industrial solid waste. The influence of synthesis parameters on zeolite NaA such as alkalinity, the molar ratio of SiO2/Al2O3, crystallization time and temperature was investigated in this paper. It was found that the types of synthetic zeolites produced were to be highly dependent on the conditions of the crystallization process. Calcium ion exchange capacity and whiteness measurements revealed that the synthesized product meets the standard for being used as detergent, indicating a promising use as a builder in detergent, ion-exchangers or selective adsorbents. Yield of up to a maximum of 1.54 g/g of ash was produced for zeolite NaA from the secondary coal fly ash residue. This result presents a potential use of the secondary coal fly ash to obtain a high value-added product by a cheap and alternative zeolitization procedure.

[Phytoplankton' s community structure and its relationships with environmental factors in an aquaculture lake, Datong Lake of China].

From December 2008 to October 2009, a seasonal investigation was conducted on the phytoplankton' s community structure and its relationships with environmental factors in Datong Lake. With the comparison of the historical data in 1960, the potential effects of intensive aquaculture on the aquatic environment were analyzed, aimed to provide theoretical support for the sustainable fishery of freshwater lakes. A total of 98 phytoplankton species belonging to 7 phyla and 54 genera were collected, among which, Peridinium bipes, Chroomonas acuta, Chlorella vulgaris, Crytomonas ovate, Cyclotella meneghiniana, Crytomonas erosa, Anabaena circinalis, Microcystis aeruginosa, and Anabaena azotica were the dominant species, and had obvious seasonal variations. The mean annual cell density of the phytoplankton was 1.84 x 10(6) cells x L(-1), being the highest in summer (16.4 x 10(6) cells x L(-1)) and ranged from 1.71 x 10(6) to 1.98 x 10(6) cells x L(-1) in the other three seasons. The values of the abundance index, Shannon index, and Pielou index of the phytoplankton community were 2.01-4.55, 1.26-2.69, and 0.69-1.27, respectively. Canonical correlation analysis (CCA) showed that water depth, water temperature, transparency, and water total phosphorus content, oxidation-reduction potential, and electrical conductivity were the main environmental factors affecting the phytoplankton community structure in the Lake.