Transcriptome analysis of axillary buds in low phosphorus stress and functional analysis of TaWRKY74s in wheat.

BACKGROUND: Wheat is one of the main grain crops in the world, and the tiller number is a key factor affecting the yield of wheat. Phosphorus is an essential element for tiller development in wheat. However, due to decreasing phosphorus content in soil, there has been increasing use of phosphorus fertilizer, while imposing risk of soil and water pollution. Hence, it is important to identify low phosphorus tolerance genes and utilize them for stress resistance breeding in wheat. RESULTS: We subjected the wheat variety Kenong 199 (KN199) to low phosphorus stress and observed a reduced tiller number. Using transcriptome analysis, we identified 1651 upregulated genes and 827 downregulated of genes after low phosphorus stress. The differentially expressed genes were found to be enriched in the enzyme activity regulation related to phosphorus, hormone signal transduction, and ion transmembrane transport. Furthermore, the transcription factor analysis revealed that TaWRKY74s were important for low phosphorus tolerance. TaWRKY74s have three alleles: TaWRKY74-A, TaWRKY74-B, and TaWRKY74-D, and they all belong to the WRKY family with conserved WRKYGQK motifs. These proteins were found to be located in the nucleus, and they were expressed in axillary meristem, shoot apical meristem(SAM), young leaves, leaf primordium, and spikelet primordium. The evolutionary tree showed that TaWRKY74s were closely related to OsWRKY74s in rice. Moreover, TaWRKY74s-RNAi transgenic plants displayed significantly fewer tillers compared to wild-type plants under normal conditions. Additionally, the tiller numebr of the RNAi transgenic plants was also significantly lower than that of the wild-type plants under low-phosphorus stress, and increased the decrease amplitude. This suggestd that TaWRKY74s are related to phosphorus response and can affect the tiller number of wheat. CONCLUSIONS: The results of this research showed that TaWRKY74s were key genes in wheat response to low phosphorus stress, which might regulate wheat tiller number through abscisic acid (ABA) and auxin signal transduction pathways. This research lays the foundation for further investigating the mechanism of TaWRKY74s in the low phosphorus environments and is significant for wheat stress resistance breeding.

Daily higher tea consumption is associated with a reduced risk of type 2 diabetes: A cohort study and updated systematic review and meta-analysis.

Tea is abundant in phytochemicals (such as polyphenols and theaflavins), which have a hypoglycemic effect. Previous studies investigating the relationship between tea consumption and the risk of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) have yielded inconsistent results. We hypothesized that tea consumption would be associated with a reduced risk of T2DM. This cohort study used data from the China Health and Nutrition Survey, involving a total of 5199 participants initially recruited in 1997 and subsequently followed until 2009. Consumption of any variety of tea was tracked using structured questionnaires, and T2DM was diagnosed according to the American Diabetes Association's criteria. We also performed a systematic literature search of PubMed, Web of Science, and EMBASE for publications through September 2021, including 19 cohort studies comprising 1,076,311 participants. In our cohort study, the logistic regression model showed a relative risk (RR) of T2DM among tea drinkers of 1.02 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.82-1.28) compared with non-tea drinkers. Although our updated meta-analysis showed no significant association between tea consumption and T2DM on the whole (pooled RR of 0.96 [0.91-1.00]), compared with the non-tea-drinking group, participants consuming 4 or more cups of tea per day had a 17% reduced risk of T2DM, with an RR of 0.83 (95% CI, 0.76-0.90). These data support our hypothesis that tea consumption at higher doses (e.g., ≥4 cups/day) is associated with a reduced risk of T2DM.

Preparation of Solid Dispersion of Polygonum Cuspidatum Extract by Hot Melt Extrusion to Enhance Oral Bioavailability of Resveratrol.

The aim of this study was to improve the solubility, bioavailability, and stability of resveratrol (RES-SD) Solid Dispersion in Polygonum cuspidatum extract (PCE) by hot melt extrusion (HME). In addition, the role of the auxiliary substances in PCE was also studied. The solid dispersion of Polygonum cuspidatum extract was prepared by hot-melt extrusion. The optimum formula was selected by single factor design and orthogonal test. The optimum formula was barrel temperature 140 °C, screw rotation speed 40 rpm/min, and the ratio of Polygonum cuspidatum extract to HPMCAS was 1:2. The dissolution test showed that PCE-SD increased the dissolution of RES from 46.75 ± 0.47% to 130.06 ± 0.12%. The pharmacokinetics curve of rats showed that PCE-SD increased AUC0-t of RES from 111,471.22 ± 11.4% to 160,458.968 ± 15.7%, indicating an approximately 1.44-fold increase in absorption. In addition, the rotation speed of PCE-SD screw is less than that of RES-SD screw. The bioavailability of PCE-SD was slightly better than that of RES-SD. PCE-SD is more hygroscopic than RES-SD. PCE-SD increased the solubility and oral bioavailability of RES. The auxiliary substances in Polygonum cuspidatum extract have influence on its preparation technology, stability, and bioavailability.

In vivo evaluation and mechanism prediction of anti-diabetic foot ulcer based on component analysis of Ruyi Jinhuang powder.

BACKGROUND: Diabetes is a metabolic disease with a high complication rate. Diabetic foot ulcers (DFUs) seriously affect the quality of life of patients. A total of 15%-20% of diabetic patients develop DFUs, which heal with difficulty over a long time and can result in amputation and disability. Traditional Chinese medicine has a unique effect in the treatment of skin ulcerative diseases. Ruyi Jinhuang powder (RHP) is one of the classic prescriptions in traditional Chinese medicine and is widely used in clinical practice. AIM: To verify the ability of RHP to promote wound healing by electron microscopy analysis in animal models and hematoxylin-eosin (HE) staining. The effective components of RHP were extracted and identified by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS), and the obtained chemical components were analyzed by network pharmacology methods to predict its therapeutic mechanism. METHODS: Sprague Dawley rats were injected with streptozotocin to establish the DFU model. HE staining was used to observe the wound tissue under an electron microscope. The chemical constituents of RHP were extracted first by supercritical fluid extraction and alcohol extraction, and then, GC-MS and ultra-performance liquid chromatography-MS were used to separately identify the chemical constituents. In addition, the "herb-component-target" link was established through the Traditional Chinese Medicine Systems Pharmacology database to obtain the target information, and the molecular docking of important components and key targets was performed in Discovery Studio software. Cytoscape software was used to visualize and analyze the relationship between the chemical composition, targets and Traditional Chinese Medicine network. RESULTS: RHP promoted DFU healing in rats by affecting fibroblasts and nerve cells. A total of 89 chemical components were obtained by GC-MS. Network pharmacological analysis revealed that RHP was associated with 36 targets and 27 pathways in the treatment of DFU, of which the important components were luteolin, trans caryophyllene, ar-turmerone, palmitic acid, methyl palmitate, gallic acid, demethoxycurcumin, berberine, and rheic acid. The key targets were posttranscriptional silencing, topoisomerase II alpha, muscarinic acetylcholine receptor M2, interleukin 6, tumor necrosis factor and retinoic X receptor alpha, and the key pathways were the phosphoinositide 3-kinase-protein kinase B signaling pathway, neuroactive ligand-receptor interactions, and the forkhead box O signaling pathway. CONCLUSION: Our results indicated that RHP may play a role in the treatment of DFU through these target pathways by affecting insulin resistance, altering the nervous system and immune system, participating in inflammatory responses and regulating cell proliferation, differentiation and apoptosis through other specific mechanisms.

Magnetic resonance temperature imaging of laser-induced thermotherapy using proton resonance frequency shift: evaluation of different sequences in phantom and porcine brain at 7 T.

PURPOSE: The present study aimed to evaluate magnetic resonance (MR) thermometry using proton resonance frequency shift (PRFS) during laser-induced thermotherapy (LITT), and to compare the results of using different sequences at a field strength of 7-Tesla to identify the optimal for use in ablation so that the surrounding healthy tissues may be protected from damaging in real time. MATERIALS AND METHODS: LITT was applied to agarose gel phantoms and ex-vivo porcine brains. We reconstructed both magnitude and phase images to perform MR thermometry based on PRFS methods. We tested four different sequences: a gradient-echo (GRE), a segmented gradient-echo echoplanar imaging (EPI-GRE), a fast-low angle shot (FLASH), and a true fast imaging with steady precession (TRUFI). Temperature was monitored and verified using a fiber-optic thermometry device. RESULTS: All sequences showed good linear correlations (R = 0.97-0.99) between the measured temperature and the calculated MR-thermometry measurements. The phantom/porcine brain experiments revealed the temperature precisions at 1.53/0.69 °C (GRE), 0.61/0.43 °C (EPI-GRE), 1.64/1.32 °C (FLASH), and 0.58/1.52 °C (TRUFI), respectively. Furthermore, we performed a Bland-Altman analysis and the temperature accuracies were found to be - 1.32/- 0.60 °C (GRE), 0.42/- 0.33 °C (EPI-GRE), - 1.28/- 0.98 °C (FLASH), and 0.14/0.46 °C (TRUFI) in the phantom/porcine brain experiments, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Our experiments recommend that EPI-GRE sequence be the best of the all sequences for MR temperature imaging with PRFS in the LITT on 7 T magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) systems because of its relatively higher precision and accuracy.

[ZHANG Wei-hua's experience in clinical treatment of somatalgia with "point-zone-strip stimulation technique" of acupuncture].

The clinical experience in treatment of somatalgia with "point-zone-strip stimulation technique" of acupuncture of professor ZHANG Wei-hua was summarized. Professor ZHANG integrates the theories of the cutaneous region of meridian, biaoben, "taking tender point as acupoint" and local holography as a whole in treatment of somatalgia. The "point-stimulation technique" of acupuncture (subcutaneous needling technique) is adopted for the painful site less than 3 cm in diameter, the "zone-stimulation technique" (surrounding needling technique) is for the site larger than 3 cm in diameter and the "strip-stimulation technique" (cubit-tibia needling technique) is for various acute and chronic somatalgia. These three needling techniques are applicable singly or in combination in clinical practice.

Assessment of clinical competency among TCM medical students using standardized patients of traditional Chinese medicine: A 5-year prospective randomized study.

BACKGROUND: Some Western medicine schools in China established standardized patient (SP) programs for medical education. However, SP programs are rarely applied to the education of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). In this study, we evaluated the effectiveness of using standardized patient traditional Chinese medicine (SP-TCM) to improve clinical competency among TCM medical students. METHODS: This study was a prospective, 2-group, parallel-training randomized trial over the course of 5 years. Data were collected from September 2016 to December 2020. Participants in each year were randomly allocated into the traditional-method training group or the SP-TCM training group (1:1) for a 3-month curriculum. Measurement of clinical competency among all trainees was based on a standardized examination composed of scores of medical record documentation, scores of TCM syndrome differentiation and therapeutic regimen, and checklist assessment from both SP-TCMs and TCM professionals. Feedback was collected using semi-constructive questionnaires from both groups. RESULTS: Compared with those assigned to traditional-method training, those assigned to SP-TCM training demonstrated significantly greater post-training improvement in medical record documentation and TCM syndrome differentiation and therapeutic regimen. Moreover, SP-TCM trainees outscored those assigned to traditional training in the assessment for encounter performance given by independent SP-TCMs and TCM professionals. The SP-TCM method gained higher satisfaction of training efficacy and test performance than the traditional method. CONCLUSION: This SP-TCM program demonstrated great benefits for improving clinical competency among TCM medical students.

Pallidal volume reduction and prefrontal-striatal-thalamic functional connectivity disruption in pediatric bipolar disorders.

BACKGROUND: As a crucial node of the corticolimbic model, the striatum has been demonstrated in modulating emotional cues in pediatric bipolar disorders (PBD), the striatal distinction in structure and function between PBD-I and PBD-II remains unclear. METHODS: MRI data of 36 patients in PBD-I, 22 patients in PBD-II and 19 age-gender matched healthy controls (HCs) were processed. Here, we investigated structural and functional alterations of 8 subregions of striatum (bilateral nucleus accumbens, caudate, putamen and globus pallidus) by analyzing MRI data. RESULTS: We found volume reduction of the right pallidum, the significant positive correlation between the number of episodes and the functional connectivity between left pallidum and right caudate in PBD-I patients, abrupted prefrontal-striatal-thalamic functional connectivity in PBD-I group and decreased functional connectivity in PBD-II relative to HCs and PBD-I. LIMITATIONS: Future studies should enroll more subjects and adopt a longitudinal perspective, which could help to discover striatum structural or functional alterations during subject-specific clinical progress in different states. CONCLUSIONS: Results of the present study confirmed that structural and functional abnormality of striatum may be helpful in identifying PBD clinical types as distinctive biomarkers. The interruptions of the prefrontal-striatal-thalamic circuits may provide advantageous evidence for expounding the role of striatum in bipolar disorders etiology. Thus, potential mechanisms of dysfunction striatum need to be formulated and reconceptualized with multimodal neuroimaging studies in future.

Proton/Deuterium Magnetic Resonance Imaging of Rodents at 9.4T Using Birdcage Coils.

The purpose of the present study was to fabricate a volume coil for proton/deuterium magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in rodents at 9.4 T. Two birdcage radiofrequency (RF) coils have been designed for proton/deuterium MRI: the rungs of two concentric birdcages were azimuthally interleaved with each other for better decoupling, and the two coils were tuned to 400.3 and 61.4 MHz for 1 H/2 H resonance at 9.4 T. Compared to a commercially available coil, the proposed 1 H/2 H RF coil provides reasonable transmission efficiency and imaging signal-to-noise ratio (SNR); the relationships among imaging parameters such as SNR, voxel size, and deuterium oxide concentrations have been quantitatively studied, and the linear correlation results together with the spectroscopic data in vivo indicate its feasibility in deuterium metabolic imaging (DMI) in vivo. Our study indicates that using the birdcage design for MRI signal excitation combined with surface coil array for signal reception can facilitate DMI investigations more effectively towards future pre-clinical and clinical applications. As a noninvasive method by measuring nonhydrogen nuclear deuterium signals to reflect metabolite information, DMI will feature prominently in future precision medicine through the whole process of diagnosis, treatment, and prognosis. © 2021 Bioelectromagnetics Society.

Valsartan-mediated chronotherapy in spontaneously hypertensive rats via targeting clock gene expression in vascular smooth muscle cells.

OBJECTIVE: This study was to investigate the underlying mechanisms of valsartan chronotherapy in regulating blood pressure variability. METHODS: RT-PCR was used to assay clock genes expression rhythm in the hypothalamus, aortic vessels, and target organs after valsartan chronotherapy. WB was used to measure Period 1 (Per1), Period 2 (Per2) protein expression in aortic vessels, as well as to measure phosphorylation of 20-kDa regulatory myosin light chain (MLC20) in VSMCs. RESULTS: Specific clock genes in the hypothalamus, and Per1 and Per2 in aorta abdominalis, exhibited disordered circadian expression in vivo. Valsartan asleep time administration (VSA) restored circadian clock gene expression in a tissue- and gene-specific manner. In vitro, VSA was more efficient in blocking angiotensin II relative to VWA, which led to differential circadian rhythms of Per1 and Per2, ultimately corrected MLC20 phosphorylation. CONCLUSION: VSA may be efficacious in regulating circadian clock genes rhythm, then concomitantly correct circadian blood pressure rhythms.

Microstructural profiles of thalamus and thalamocortical connectivity in patients with disorder of consciousness.

Thalamus and thalamocortical connectivity are crucial for consciousness; however, their microstructural changes in patients with a disorder of consciousness (DOC) have not yet been thoroughly characterized. In the present study, we applied the novel fixel-based analysis to comprehensively investigate the thalamus-related microstructural abnormalities in 10 patients with DOC using 7-T diffusion-weighted imaging data. We found that compared to healthy controls, patients with DOC showed reduced fiber density (FD) and fiber density and cross-section (FDC) in the mediodorsal, anterior, and ventral anterior thalamic nuclei, while fiber-bundle cross-section (FC) was not significantly altered in the thalamus. Impaired thalamocortical connectivity in the DOC cohort was mainly connected to the middle frontal gyrus, anterior cingulate gyrus, fusiform gyrus, and sensorimotor cortices, including the precentral gyrus and postcentral gyrus, with predominant microstructural abnormalities in FD and FDC. Correlation analysis showed that FC of the right mediodorsal thalamus was negatively correlated with the level of consciousness. Our results suggest that microstructural abnormalities of thalamus and thalamocortical connectivity in DOC were mainly attributed to axonal injury. In particular, the microstructural integrity of the thalamus is a vital factor in consciousness generation.

A comprehensive review of natural products against atopic dermatitis: Flavonoids, alkaloids, terpenes, glycosides and other compounds.

Atopic dermatitis (AD) is considered a great challenge for human communities and imposes both physiological and mental burdens on patients. Natural products have widely been used to treat a wide range of diseases, including cancer, gastrointestinal diseases, asthma, neurological disorders, and infections. To seek potential natural products against AD, in the current review, we searched the terms "atopic dermatitis" and "natural product" in Pubmed, Medline, Web of Science，Science Direct, Embase, EBSCO, CINAHL, ACS. The results show that many natural products, especially puerarin, ferulic acid and ginsenosides, cound protect against AD. Meanwhile, we discussed the therapeutic mechanisms and showed that the natural products exert their anti-inflammatory effects by suppressing the quantity and activity of many inflammatory cell types and cytokines, including neutrophils, monocytes, lymphocytes, Langerhans cells, interleukins (ILs, including IL-1α, IL-1ß, IL-4), TNF-α, and TSLP, IgE. via inhibition of JAK/STAT, MAPKs and NF-κB signaling pathways, thereby, halting the inflammatory cascade. Future investigations should focus on studies with more reflective of the clinical characteristics and demographics, so as to develop natural products that will be hopefully available for the treatment of human AD disease.

Herb-sourced emodin inhibits angiogenesis of breast cancer by targeting VEGFA transcription.

Anti-angiogenesis is an important and promising strategy in cancer therapy. However, the current methods using anti-vascular endothelial growth factor A (VEGFA) antibodies or inhibitors targeting VEGFA receptors are not as efficient as expected partly due to their low efficiencies in blocking VEGFA signaling in vivo. Until now, there is still no method to effectively block VEGFA production in cancer cells from the very beginning, i.e., from the transcriptional level. Here, we aimed to find bioactive small molecules to block VEGFA transcription. Methods: We screened our natural compound pool containing 330 small molecules derived from Chinese traditional herbs for small molecules activating the expression of seryl-tRNA synthetase (SerRS), which is a newly identified potent transcriptional repressor of VEGFA, by a cell-based screening system in MDA-MB-231 cell line. The activities of the candidate molecules on regulating SerRS and VEGFA expression were first tested in breast cancer cells. We next investigated the antiangiogenic activity in vivo by testing the effects of candidate drugs on the vascular development in zebrafish and by matrigel plug angiogenesis assay in mice. We further examined the antitumor activities of candidate drugs in two triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC)-bearing mouse models. Furthermore, streptavidin-biotin affinity pull-down assay, coimmunoprecipitation assays, docking analysis and chromatin immunoprecipitation were performed to identify the direct targets of candidate drugs. Results: We identified emodin that could greatly increase SerRS expression in TNBC cells, consequently reducing VEGFA transcription. Emodin potently inhibited vascular development of zebrafish and blocked tumor angiogenesis in TNBC-bearing mice, greatly improving the survival. We also identified nuclear receptor corepressor 2 (NCOR2) to be the direct target of emodin. Once bound by emodin, NCOR2 got released from SerRS promoter, resulting in the activation of SerRS expression and eventually the suppression of VEGFA transcription. Conclusion: We discovered a herb-sourced small molecule emodin with the potential for the therapy of TNBC by targeting transcriptional regulators NCOR2 and SerRS to suppress VEGFA transcription and tumor angiogenesis.

Effects of pyrolysis temperature on soil-plant-microbe responses to Solidago canadensis L.-derived biochar in coastal saline-alkali soil.

Because salinity of coastal soils is drastically increasing, the application of biochars to saline-alkali soil amendments has attracted considerable attention. Various Solidago-canadensis-L.-derived biochars prepared through pyrolysis from 400 to 600 °C were applied to coastal saline-alkali soil samples to optimise the biochar pyrolysis temperature and investigate its actual ecological responses. All biochars reduced the soil bulk density and exchangeable sodium stress and increased soil water-holding capacity, cation exchange capacity, and organic matter content. Principal-component-analysis results showed that pyrolysis temperature played an important role in the potential application of biochars to improve the coastal saline-alkali soil, mainly contributed to ameliorating exchangeable sodium stress and decreasing biochar-soluble toxic compounds. Furthermore, soil bulk density and organic matter, as well as carboxylic acids, phenolic acids and amines of biochar were major driving factors for bacterial community composition. Compared to low-temperature biochar (pyrolyzed below 550 °C), which showed higher toxicity for Brassica chinensis L. growth due to the higher content of carboxylic acids, phenols and amines, high-temperature biochar (pyrolyzed at or above 550 °C) possessed less amounts of these toxic functional groups, more beneficial soil bacteria and healthier for plant growth. Therefore, high-temperature biochar could be applied as an effective soil amendment to ameliorate the coastal saline-alkali soil with acceptable environmental risk.

Glycyrrhizic-Acid-Based Carbon Dots with High Antiviral Activity by Multisite Inhibition Mechanisms.

With the gradual usage of carbon dots (CDs) in the area of antiviral research, attempts have been stepped up to develop new antiviral CDs with high biocompatibility and antiviral effects. In this study, a kind of highly biocompatible CDs (Gly-CDs) is synthesized from active ingredient (glycyrrhizic acid) of Chinese herbal medicine by a hydrothermal method. Using the porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV) as a model, it is found that the Gly-CDs inhibit PRRSV proliferation by up to 5 orders of viral titers. Detailed investigations reveal that Gly-CDs can inhibit PRRSV invasion and replication, stimulate antiviral innate immune responses, and inhibit the accumulation of intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) caused by PRRSV infection. Proteomics analysis demonstrates that Gly-CDs can stimulate cells to regulate the expression of some host restriction factors, including DDX53 and NOS3, which are directly related to PRRSV proliferation. Moreover, it is found that Gly-CDs also remarkably suppress the propagation of other viruses, such as pseudorabies virus (PRV) and porcine epidemic diarrhea virus (PEDV), suggesting the broad antiviral activity of Gly-CDs. The integrated results demonstrate that Gly-CDs possess extraordinary antiviral activity with multisite inhibition mechanisms, providing a promising candidate for alternative therapy for PRRSV infection.

Metabolite profiling of traditional Chinese medicine XIAOPI formula: An integrated strategy based on UPLC-Q-Orbitrap MS combined with network pharmacology analysis.

XIAOPI formula has been approved for mammary hyperplasia treatment by National Medical Products Administration in China. However, the absorbed substances of XIAOPI formula and their influences on metabolic pathways are largely remained unknown. Liquid chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry was used to identify the substances existing in the serum. Network pharmacology was utilized to explore the underlying metabolic targets and pathways involved in. Western blotting and immunofluorescence assays were carried out for target validation. The exogenous results demonstrated 196 compounds were filtered as absorbed substances, among which 63 constituents or metabolites were tentatively identified in rat serum, and the metabolites of tanshinone II and tanshinone I were found to act as the major metabolic pathways. Subsequently, the endogenous results revealed that XIAOPI formula could significantly regulate serum biochemical indices and the bile acid secretion signaling ranks as top1 among all the involved pathways. The levels of intermediates including cholic acid, glycocholic acid, taurochenodeoxycholic acid and taurocholic acid were significantly upregulated following XIAOPI treatment, accompanied by increased expression of key enzyme CYP7A1, indicating that XIAOPI formula could accelerate the bile acid metabolism pathway. Our study presented a comprehensive metabolic profile of XIAOPI formula in vivo for the first time, and bile acid synthesis pathway might be one of the key mechanisms contributing to the pharmacological function of the formula.

Genome sequence and comparative analysis of Jiangella alba YIM 61503T isolated from a medicinal plant Maytenus austroyunnanensis.

A draft genome sequence of Jiangella alba YIM 61503T revealed a genome size of 7,664,864 bp arranged in 33 scaffolds. The genome was predicted to contain 7196 predicted genes, including 51 coding for RNA. Phylogenetic and comparative analyses of the draft genome of J. alba YIM 61503T with the available genomes of other Jiangella species suggested a proximal similarity between strains J. alba YIM 61503T and J. muralis DSM 45357T, while indicating a high divergence between J. gansuensis YIM 002T and other Jiangella species. The genome of J. alba YIM 61503T also revealed genes involved in indole-3-acetic acid biosynthesis and an alkylresorcinols gene cluster. Further, detection of phosphotransferase genes in the genome of all Jiangella species indicated that they can uptake and phosphorylate sugars. The presences of TreX-Z, TreS and OtsA-OtsB genes in some of the Jiangella strains also indicated a possible mechanism for their tolerance of high salinity. Besides providing new insights into its genetic features, our results suggested that J. alba YIM 61503T could be a potential strain for further genome mining studies. The release of this genome may, therefore, provide a better prospect for understanding "evolutionary taxonomy" about this genus in future.

Protective Effects of Acupuncture Against Gentamicin-Induced Ototoxicity in Rats: Possible Role of Neurotrophin-3.

BACKGROUND The aim of this study was to investigate the protective effects of acupuncture against gentamicin-induced ototoxicity and explore the possible protective role of neurotrophin-3 (NT-3). MATERIAL AND METHODS Twenty-four rats were divided randomly into 4 groups: control group, gentamicin group, neitinggong group, and tinggong group. Rats in the gentamicin, neitinggong, and tinggong groups received intraperitoneal injection of gentamicin (100 mg/kg) for 14 consecutive days. Rats in the neitinggong and tinggong groups further received acupuncture at neitinggong or tinggong acupoints once every 2 days for 20 days. Rats in the control group received intraperitoneal injection of saline. Auditory brainstem response (ABR) was tested in all rats on the day before treatment (day 0), and again on day 14 and day 20 to determine the average threshold value of ABR for each treatment group. The expression of NT-3 in the cochlear nucleus and the inferior colliculus nucleus were detected by immunohistochemical staining. RESULTS The average threshold value of ABR was significantly higher in the gentamicin group as compared with that of the control group on day 14 (P<0.05). On day 20, the average threshold values of ABR in the neitinggong and tinggong groups were significantly lower than that of the gentamicin group (P<0.05). No statistically significant differences in NT-3 expression in the cochlear nucleus were observed among the groups (P>0.05). However, the expression of NT-3 in the inferior colliculus nucleus in both the neitinggong and tinggong groups was significantly higher than that of the gentamicin group (P<0.01). CONCLUSIONS A decrease in NT-3 expression in the inferior colliculus nucleus may contribute to gentamicin-induced ototoxicity in rats. Acupuncture at neitinggong or tinggong acupoints effectively improved hearing, which was attributed partially to the rescue of NT-3 expression in the inferior colliculus nucleus. Therefore, preserving NT-3 expression in the auditory system may be a viable strategy to counteract gentamicin-induced ototoxicity.

[Comparative study of the clinical observation on traumatic perforation of tympanic membrane].

OBJECTIVE: To explore the clinical treatment effects of sea buckthorn oil for in different size traumatic perforation of tympanic membrane in different size. METHOD: Prospective, randomized study of 199 outpatients with traumatic perforation of tympanic membrane who were enrolled between December 2012 and December 2014 after informed consent. The patients were divided into treatment group (101 cases) and control group (98 cases). According to the size of the perforations, patients in each group were divided into large perforation group, middle perforation groups and small perforation group. The cases in large perforation group, middle perforation groups and small perforation group were 36, 34, 31 in treatment group and 35, 33, 30 in control group. The patients in treatment group were treated with sea buckthorn oil once a week, while the patient in control group were self-healing and checked once a week. All the patients were followed-up in two months. The healing rate of two groups was applied for the evaluation indicator of clinical effect. We compared the healing rate, average healing time and phological change of tympanic membrane of patients at the first and second month. RESULT: The total healing ratio of patients in treatment group is 62.4% and 79.2% compared with 29.6% and 57.1% in control group at the first and second month (P < 0.05). There is statistical significance between the healing ratios of middle, large perforation groups in treatment group and control group (P < 0.05). There is no statistical significance between the healing ratios of small perforation group in treatment group and control group (P > 0.05). The average healing time of large, middle and small perforation group at the second month are significantly shorter than the control group. CONCLUSION: It is better to apply observation method and let it self-healed for small traumatic tympanic membrane perforation according to its higher healing ratio. While, it is better to apply sea buckthorn oil method for middle and large traumatic tympanic membrane perforation according to its lower healing ratios. Sea buckthorn oil treatment is benefitial for increasing the ratio of perforation healing, shorten the healing time, resumpting of the middle ear function earlier, helping most of the patients to avoid operation and the reduce medical expense. Therefore, it is valuable to promote the method in clinical treatment.