Paospora carinifang n. gen., n. sp. (Microsporidia: Spragueidae), a parasite of the ridgetail white prawn, Palaemon carinicauda.

A new microsporidian disease of the pond-reared ridgetail white prawn, Palaemon carinicauda, was found in China. Light microscopy, pathology, and scanning electron microscopy showed that the parasite infected the host's skeletal muscle tissue and formed spherical sporophorous vesicles (SPOVs). Electron microscopy revealed that its merogonic life stages developed in direct contact with the host cytoplasm. The sporogonic life stages underwent octosporoblastic sporogony with the formation of eight uninucleate spores in each SPOV. Fresh SPOVs were 5.4 ± 0.55 µm in diameter. The octospores were oval and measured 2.3 × 1.5 µm (fresh) and 1.96 × 1.17 µm (fixed). The isofilar polar filament was coiled with 9-10 turns and arranged in two rows. Phylogenetic analysis based on the SSU rRNA gene suggests that this microsporidium has close affinities with members of the genera Potaspora and Apotaspora, but represents an independent generic taxon. We therefore propose the establishment of a new genus and species (Paospora carinifang n. gen., n. sp.) within the family Spragueidae. We also propose a taxonomic revision to transfer Potaspora macrobrachium to this new genus and reclassify it as Paospora macrobrachium comb. nov.

Ecytonucleospora hepatopenaei n. gen. et comb. (Microsporidia: Enterocytozoonidae): A redescription of the Enterocytozoon hepatopenaei (Tourtip et al., 2009), a microsporidian infecting the widely cultivated shrimp Penaeus vannamei.

The microsporidian Enterocytozoon hepatopenaei from Penaeus vannamei (EHPPv) was redescribed on the basis of spore morphology, life cycle, pathology, and molecular character. Compared with the Enterocytozoon hepatopenaei isolated from Penaeus monodon (EHPPm), described by Tourtip et al. in 2009, new features were found in EHPPv. Electron microscopy demonstrated that EHPPv was closely associated with the nucleus of host cell. The merogony and sporogony phages were in direct contact with the cytoplasm of host cells, whereas some of the sporoblasts and the spores were surrounded by the interfacial envelope. Mature spores of EHPPv were oval and monokaryotic, measuring 1.65 ± 0.15 µm × 0.92 ± 0.05 µm. Spores possessed many polyribosomes around a bipartite polaroplast and the polar filament with 4-5 coils in two rows. Phylogenetic analyses showed all Enterocytozoon hepatopenaei isolates shared a common ancestor. Based on the morphological and molecular analyses, we propose the establishment of a new genus Ecytonucleospora and transferring Enterocytozoon hepatopenaei to the genus Ecytonucleospora, retaining the specific epithet hepatopenaei that Tourtip et al. proposed in recognition of their first research, as the new combination Ecytonucleospora hepatopenaei n. comb. Furthermore, it was suggested Enterospora nucleophila, Enterocytozoon sp. isolate RA19015_21, and Enterocytozoon schreckii be assigned into this new genus.

Speech silence character as a diagnostic biomarker of early cognitive decline and its functional mechanism: a multicenter cross-sectional cohort study.

BACKGROUND: Language deficits frequently occur during the prodromal stages of Alzheimer's disease (AD). However, the characteristics of linguistic impairment and its underlying mechanism(s) remain to be explored for the early diagnosis of AD. METHODS: The percentage of silence duration (PSD) of 324 subjects was analyzed, including patients with AD, amnestic mild cognitive impairment (aMCI), and normal controls (NC) recruited from the China multi-center cohort, and the diagnostic efficiency was replicated from the Pitt center cohort. Furthermore, the specific language network involved in the fragmented speech was analyzed using task-based functional magnetic resonance. RESULTS: In the China cohort, PSD increased significantly in aMCI and AD patients. The area under the curve of the receiver operating characteristic curves is 0.74, 0.84, and 0.80 in the classification of NC/aMCI, NC/AD, and NC/aMCI+AD. In the Pitt center cohort, PSD was verified as a reliable diagnosis biomarker to differentiate mild AD patients from NC. Next, in response to fluency tasks, clusters in the bilateral inferior frontal gyrus, precentral gyrus, left inferior temporal gyrus, and inferior parietal lobule deactivated markedly in the aMCI/AD group (cluster-level P < 0.05, family-wise error (FWE) corrected). In the patient group (AD+aMCI), higher activation level of the right pars triangularis was associated with higher PSD in in both semantic and phonemic tasks. CONCLUSIONS: PSD is a reliable diagnostic biomarker for the early stage of AD and aMCI. At as early as aMCI phase, the brain response to fluency tasks was inhibited markedly, partly explaining why PSD was elevated simultaneously.

Exogenous Glutathione Alleviates Cadmium Toxicity in Wheat by Influencing the Absorption and Translocation of Cadmium.

Cadmium (Cd), a toxic heavy metal, is harmful to plants and human health. Glutathione (GSH) could alleviate Cd toxicity of plant species, whereas its mechanism responsible for wheat remains poorly understood. Here, we found that exogenous GSH application significantly increased the fresh and dry weight, root elongation, chlorophyll contents, while decreased the contents of malondialdehyde (MDA) and GSH, and translocation factor of Cd compared with Cd treatment. Moreover, GSH application significantly increased activities of antioxidant enzymes and expression of related genes, which involved in GSH synthesis, especially in roots. In addition, we found that GSH application suppressed Cd-induced expression of metal transporter genes TaNramp1, TaNramp5, TaHMA2, TaHMA3, TaLCT1 and TaIRT2 in roots. Taken together, our results suggested that GSH could alleviate Cd toxicity in wheat by increasing GSH synthesis gene expression or suppressing Cd transporter genes expression, and further affecting Cd uptake and translocation in wheat plants.

Effect of Anti-Hp treatment on nutritional status of children with Helicobacter Pylori-Positive Gastritis and its clinical significance.

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the outcome of anti-HP treatment on the nutritional status of children with Helicobacter pylori-positive gastritis. METHODS: Sixty children with Helicobacter pylori-positive gastritis admitted to our hospital from June 2018 to June 2020 were selected as the experimental group, and 60 healthy normal people (Hp negative) were selected as the control group. The experimental group were given anti-HP treatment, and the improvement of their clinical symptoms after treatment and the changes of nutritional indexes such as hemoglobin and serum ferritin were observed one year after treatment. Gastroscopy was performed before treatment and four weeks after treatment, and the improvement of gastric inflammation and the positive rate of Hp were compared and analyzed before and after treatment. RESULTS: The nutritional indicators of the children in experimental group were inferior compared with those in the control group (p<0.05). The clinical symptoms and signs of the experimental group were significantly alleviated after anti-Hp treatment, and the biochemical indicators were significantly improved after one Year of follow-up compared with those before treatment (p<0.05). The incidence of moderate and severe gastric mucosal inflammation in the experimental group decreased from 70% before treatment to 17% (p<0.05). The HP infection decreased from 100% before treatment to 13% (p<0.05). CONCLUSION: Helicobacter pylori infection has a negative impact on the nutritional status of children. Anti-HP therapy can improve the gastrointestinal symptoms and nutritional status of children, which plays an important role in the growth and development of children.

Relationship between myocardial enzyme levels, hepatic function and metabolic acidosis in children with rotavirus infection diarrhea.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the relationship between myocardial enzymes, liver function and metabolic acidosis in children with rotavirus infection diarrhea. METHODS: The data of 70 children with infectious diarrhea treated in Baoding Children's Hospital, China, from October 2017 to April 2018 were retrospectively studied. The antigen of rotavirus in feces was positive by colloidal gold method. According to the clinical features of biochemical indicators and mental status, the patients were divided into four groups, an acidosis-free group, a mild acidosis group, a moderate acidosis group and a severe acidosis group, in line with acidosis severity. In addition to detecting the hepatic functions of the pediatric patients in the four groups, including aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransfer (ALT) levels, and myocardial enzyme levels (e.g., creatine kinase, or CK, and creatine kinase isoenzyme, or CK-MB), the relationships of hepatic function, myocardial enzyme levels and acidosis severity of the patients with infectious diarrhea caused by rotavirus infection were also analyzed. RESULTS: There was no significant difference in sex and age among the four groups (P>0.05). However, there was a significant difference in the frequency of diarrhea and vomiting (p<0.05). In addition, there were significant differences in creatine kinase, CK-MB, AST and ALT levels in children with metabolic acidosis of different severities. CONCLUSION: With the aggravation of metabolic acidosis, infectious diarrhea caused by rotavirus is characterized by the aggravation of hepatic function and myocardial cells.

PITUITARY STALK THICKENING IN A LARGE COHORT: TOWARD MORE ACCURATE PREDICTORS OF PITUITARY DYSFUNCTION AND ETIOLOGY.

Objective: To summarize the characteristics of patients with pituitary stalk thickening, analyze the association between pituitary stalk width and hypopituitarism, and develop a diagnostic model to differentiate neoplastic and inflammatory origins. Methods: A total of 325 patients with pituitary stalk thickening in a tertiary teaching hospital between January 2012 and February 2018 were enrolled. Basic characteristics and hormonal status were evaluated. Indicators to predict etiology in patients with histologic diagnoses were analyzed. Results: Of the 325 patients, 62.5% were female. Deficiency in gonadotropin was most common, followed by corticotropin, growth hormone, and thyrotropin. The increase in pituitary stalk width was associated with a risk of central diabetes insipidus (odds ratio [OR], 3.57; P<.001) and with a combination of central diabetes insipidus and anterior pituitary deficiency (OR, 2.28; P = .029). The cut-off pituitary stalk width of 4.75 mm had a sensitivity of 69.2% and a specificity of 71.4% for the presence of central diabetes insipidus together with anterior pituitary deficiency. Six indicators (central diabetes insipidus, pattern of pituitary stalk thickening, pituitary stalk width, neutrophilic granulocyte percentage, serum sodium level, and gender) were used to develop a model having an accuracy of 95.7% to differentiate neoplastic from inflammatory causes. Conclusion: Pituitary stalk width could indicate the presence of anterior pituitary dysfunction, especially in central diabetes insipidus patients. With the use of a diagnostic model, the neoplastic and inflammatory causes of pituitary stalk thickening could be preliminarily differentiated. Abbreviations: APD = anterior pituitary dysfunction; AUC = area under the curve; CDI = central diabetes insipidus; GH = growth hormone; MRI = magnetic resonance imaging; OR = odd ratio; PHBS = posterior hypophyseal bright spots; PST = pituitary stalk thickening; PSW = pituitary stalk width.

Altered spontaneous brain activity in Cushing's disease: a resting-state functional MRI study.

CONTEXT AND OBJECTIVE: Cushing's disease (CD) provides a unique and naturalist model for studying the influence of hypercortisolism on the human brain and the reversibility of these effects after resolution of the condition. This cross-sectional study used resting-state fMRI (rs-fMRI) to investigate the altered spontaneous brain activity in CD patients and the trends for potential reversibility after the resolution of the hypercortisolism. We also aim to determine the relationship of these changes with clinical characteristics and cortisol levels. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: Active CD patients (n = 18), remitted CD patients (n = 14) and healthy control subjects (n = 22) were included in this study. Amplitude of low-frequency fluctuation (ALFF) and regional homogeneity (ReHo) values were calculated to represent spontaneous brain activity. RESULTS: Our study resulted in three major findings: (i) active CD patients showed significantly altered spontaneous brain activity in the posterior cingulate cortex (PCC)/precuneus (PCu), occipital lobe (OC)/cerebellum, thalamus, right postcentral gyrus (PoCG) and left prefrontal cortex (PFC); (ii) trends for partial restoration of altered spontaneous brain activity after the resolution hypercortisolism were found in several brain regions; and (iii) active CD patients showed a significant correlation between cortisol levels and ALFF/ReHo values in the PCC/PCu, a small cluster in the OC and the right IPL. CONCLUSIONS: This study provides a new approach to investigating brain function abnormalities in patients with CD and enhances our understanding of the effect of hypercortisolism on the human brain. Furthermore, our explorative potential reversibility study of patients with CD may facilitate the development of future longitudinal studies.

Volumetric magnetic resonance imaging analysis in patients with short-term remission of Cushing's disease.

OBJECTIVE: The data on patients with short-term remission of Cushing's disease (CD) might provide information that is not available from previous long-term remission studies. We aimed to investigate structural changes in the brain in these patients and to examine whether these changes were associated with clinical characteristics. DESIGN: A cross-sectional study was performed. METHODS: Thirty-four patients with CD (14 with CD in short-term remission and 20 with active CD) and 34 controls matched for age, sex and education underwent clinical evaluation and magnetic resonance imaging brain scans. Biometric measurements, disease duration and remission duration data were collected. Grey matter volumes in the whole brain were examined using voxel-based morphometry (VBM). RESULTS: No differences were observed in the grey matter volumes of the medial frontal gyrus (MFG) and cerebellum between the patients with remitted CD and healthy controls, whereas patients with active CD had smaller grey matter volumes in these two regions compared with controls and patients with remitted CD. Furthermore, significant correlations were found between remission time and grey matter values in these regions in short-term remission patients with CD. Additionally, greater grey matter volumes in the bilateral caudate of short-term remission patients with CD were observed. CONCLUSIONS: Trends for structural restoration were found in CD patients with short-term remission. This finding was associated with the number of days elapsed since curative surgery and the current age of the patients. This study enhances our understanding of potential reversibility after the resolution of hypercortisolism in CD patients.

Non-negligible impact of microplastics on wetland ecosystems.

There has been much concern about microplastic (MP) pollution in marine and soil environments, but attention is gradually shifting towards wetland ecosystems, which are a transitional zone between aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems. This paper comprehensively reviews the sources of MPs in wetland ecosystems, as well as their occurrence characteristics, factors influencing their migration, and their effects on animals, plants, microorganisms, and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. It was found that MPs in wetland ecosystems originate mainly from anthropogenic sources (sewage discharge, and agricultural and industrial production) and natural sources (rainfall-runoff, atmospheric deposition, and tidal effects). The most common types and forms of MPs identified in the literature were polyethylene and polypropylene, fibers, and fragments. The migration of MPs in wetlands is influenced by both non-biological factors (the physicochemical properties of MPs, sediment characteristics, and hydrodynamic conditions) and biological factors (the adsorption and growth interception by plant roots, ingestion, and animal excretion). Furthermore, once MPs enter wetland ecosystems, they can impact the resident microorganisms, animals, and plants. They also have a role in global warming because MPs act as unique exogenous carbon sources, and can also influence GHG emissions in wetland ecosystems by affecting the microbial community structure in wetland sediments and abundance of genes associated with GHG emissions. However, further investigation is needed into the influence of MP type, size, and concentration on the GHG emissions in wetlands and the underlying mechanisms. Overall, the accumulation of MPs in wetland ecosystems can have far-reaching consequences for the local ecosystem, human health, and global climate regulation. Understanding the effects of MPs on wetland ecosystems is essential for developing effective management and mitigation strategies to safeguard these valuable and vulnerable environments.

Association of baseline serum sodium with long-term outcomes in newly diagnosed coronary heart disease patients without heart failure: a prospective cohort study.

Sodium is crucial for maintaining cardiovascular health, especially in relation to heart failure. The impact of baseline serum sodium concentrations on the outcomes of newly diagnosed coronary heart disease (CHD) without heart failure remains unclear. This prospective cohort study included 681 patients who were newly diagnosed with CHD. Cox proportional hazards models and restricted cubic spline (RCS) analysis were used to assess the relationship between serum sodium concentrations and major adverse cardiovascular events. The improvement in traditional prediction models by the addition of serum sodium concentrations was assessed using changes in the C-statistic, net reclassification improvement (NRI), and integrated discrimination improvement (IDI). During a median follow-up of 51.04 months (IQR: 40.88-53.80 months), 131 events were recorded. Multivariate Cox proportional hazards models showed that the L2 group (136-138.9 mmol/L) had the highest MACE risk. Compared to L2, the hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for the L1 (130-135.9 mmol/L), L3 (139-140.9 mmol/L), L4 (141-142.9 mmol/L), and L5 (143-147.0 mmol/L) groups were 0.31 (0.14-0.70, P = 0.005), 0.48 (030-0.78, P = 0.003), 0.56 (0.34-0.92, P = 0.022), and 0.37 (0.22-0.64, P < 0.001), respectively. Including serum sodium concentrations in the prediction model significantly improved the C-statistic from 0.647 to 0.679 (P = 0.022), with an NRI of 0.338 (P < 0.001) and an IDI of 0.026 (P < 0.001). RCS analysis showed a nonlinear relationship: within the 130-138 mmol/L sodium range, MACE risk gradually increased with higher sodium levels (HR 1.39, 95% CI 1.09-1.76, P = 0.008); whereas within the 138-147 mmol/L range, the risk gradually decreased (HR 0.88, 95% CI 0.80-0.98, P = 0.014). Baseline serum sodium concentrations are significantly associated with long-term cardiovascular risk in newly diagnosed CHD patients, showing an inverted U-shaped relationship, whereas low serum sodium may be specifically linked to higher risks of death and nonfatal myocardial infarction. Further research is needed to explore the impact of long-term changes in serum sodium concentrations on disease prognosis.

Modified Roux-en-Y gastric bypass for type 2 diabetes mellitus in China.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of modified Roux-en-Y gastric bypass for type 2 diabetes mellitus. METHODOLOGY: Forty-five type 2 diabetes mellitus patients underwent modified Roux-en-Y gastric bypass at WeiFang People's Hospital. Data on patient demographics, fasting plasma glucose (FPG), body mass index (BMI), medication use, remission and hemoglobin A1c (HbAlc) were prospectively collected and analyzed. RESULTS: At 6 months after surgery, all of these 45 patients obtained remission or a marked improvement. FPG was in the normal range in 39 (86.7%) patients stopping medicine treatment for their diabetes. Six patients (13.3%) had an obvious reduced abnormal FPG and they only required lower drug dosage. No statistically significant differences were found between the obese or non-obese groups (p=0.311). The mean BMI dropped from 28.9±3.0 kg/m2 to 27.4±2.8 kg/m2 (p=0.000) at the third month and 26.3±2.5 kg/m2 (p=0.000) at the sixth month. HbAlc decreased from their preoperative values of 7.4%±2.2% to 6.3%±1.5% (p=0.000) at the third month and 5.1%±0.9% (p=0.000) at the sixth month. CONCLUSIONS: Modified Roux-en-Y gastric bypass was effective in treating type 2 diabetes mellitus, independent of body mass index.

[Relationship between physical activity and the incidence of metabolic syndrome in Chinese adults: a prospective cohort study].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the association between physical activity (PA) and the incidence of metabolic syndrome (MS) in Chinese adults. METHODS: Data on PA and other variables were obtained at the baseline examination of China Multi-center study of Cardiovascular Epidemiology in 1998 and of International Collaborative study of Cardiovascular Disease in Asia(InterASIA) during 2000 - 2001. Follow-up study was conducted in 2007 - 2008. A total of 11 512 Chinese adults aged 35 - 74 years (5563 men and 5949 women) were included in the final data analysis. Information on demographics, PA, smoking and alcohol consumption were obtained and components of MS were examined. Participants were divided into four groups according to quartile of total metabolic equivalent (MET) values per day. In addition, subjects were grouped into the following categories according to occupational PA: inactive, light, moderate and vigorous. Binary logistic model was used to examine the association between PA and the incidence of MS. RESULTS: A total of 2527 cases with MS were documented during an average following up of 8.1 years. The annual incidence rate of MS was 2.71% (2527/93 178.68). After multivariate logistic regression analysis, compared with participants with total PA volume < 32.0 MET×h×d(-1) (annual incidence rate was 3.19% (697/21 830.74)), the RR (95%CI) value of participants with total PA volume during 32.00 - 37.85, 37.86 - 52.29, and ≥ 52.30 MET×h×d(-1) was 1.05(0.92 - 1.19), 0.98(0.86 - 1.12), and 0.68(0.59 - 0.80), respectively (χ(2)trend = 34.23, P < 0.05), with corresponding annual incidence rates of 2.82% (690/24 504.25), 2.73% (661/24 179.36) and 2.11% (479/22 664.33). In addition, compared to inactive occupational PA (annual incidence rate was 2.76% (402/14 588.33)), the corresponding RR (95%CI) value was 0.80 (0.69 - 0.92), 0.70 (0.59 - 0.82), and 0.54 (0.45 - 0.65) (χ(2)trend = 42.34, P < 0.05), and the annual incidence rates were 2.86% (648/22 663.41), 2.40% (455/18 956.14) and 1.89% (344/18 173.86) in participants with light, moderate and vigorous occupational PA, respectively. CONCLUSION: Both increased total PA volume and occupational PA intensity are significantly associated with decreased risk of incidence of MS.

Microplastics distribution and microbial community characteristics of farmland soil under different mulch methods.

The widespread use of plastic film in agricultural production has resulted in the accumulation of large amounts of residual plastic film in the soil, and most of the plastic residuals eventually break up into microplastics (MPs). However, the effects of different film mulching methods on the soil ecosystems are largely unexplored. Therefore, we investigated the MPs distribution and the physicochemical properties and microbial community structure in the farmland soil tillage layer covered with different mulching method of film. The results indicate that the film mulching method had no significant effect on the soil pH and organic matter content, however, the respiration intensity of the soil covered with mulching film (MF) (60.11-84.99 µg/g) and shed film (SF) (56.10-65.68 µg/g) was significantly higher than that covered with shed film & mulching film (SMF) (17.25-39.16 µg/g). The MPs abundance in the soil covered with MF (1367 particles/kg soil) was significantly higher than that covered with SF (800 particles/kg soil) and slightly higher than that with SMF (1000 particles/kg soil). The small-sized (0-0.5 mm) MPs abundance was increased with the tillage layer depth (0-20 cm), while the large-sized (1-5 mm) MPs abundance was the opposite. In addition, in the soil covered with agricultural film, the dominant phylum and genera of the bacteria were Proteobacteria (relative abundance was 64.06 %) and Pseudomonas (13.16 %), respectively. In the soil without agricultural film application as a control treatment, the diversity of the soil bacterial community was higher than that in the soil covered with agricultural film, and the relative abundances of the top 10 genera were all less than 5 %. Overall, this study provides essential information for understanding the effects of different film mulching methods on the agricultural systems. Overall, this study provides essential information for understanding the effects of different film mulching methods on the distribution of MPs and the biogeochemical properties of farmland soils.

Advances in translational therapy for locally advanced gastric cancer.

Translational therapy refers to a combination of chemotherapy, radiotherapy, targeted therapy, and immunotherapy for patients with advanced gastric cancer who are initially unable to undergo R0 resection. This treatment can achieve partial or complete remission of the unresectable tumors to meet the criteria for R0 resection, thus enabling the patients to prolong their survival time and improve their quality of life. In gastric cancer, translational therapy has been tried and improved. At present, there are a large number of patients with locally advanced gastric cancer in China, and the selection of suitable patients for translational therapy to prolong objective survival and improve survival quality is one of the hot spots in the field of gastric cancer research.

Transcriptome alterations in chicken HD11 cells with steady knockdown and overexpression of RIPK2 gene.

Receptor interacting protein kinase 2 (RIPK2) is involved in a variety of signaling pathway to produce a series of inflammatory cytokines in response to a diverse of bacterial, viral and protozoal pathogens. However, the underlying regulating of RIPK2 remain unknown. Transcriptome alterations in chicken HD11 cells following RIPK2 overexpression or silencing by shRNA were analyzed by next-generation sequencing. Both overexpression and knockdown of the RIPK2 gene caused wide-spread changes in gene expression in chicken HD11 cells. Differentially expressed genes (DEGs) caused by altered RIPK2 gene expression were associated with multiple biological processes linked with biological regulation, response to stimulus, cell communication, and signal transduction etc. KEGG analysis revealed that many of the DEGs were enriched in VEGF signaling pathway, ECM-receptor interaction, Focal adhesion, TGF-beta signaling pathway etc. Moreover, we show that initiation genes, TGFB1 and TGFB3, in the TGF-beta signaling pathway are biological targets regulated by RIPK2 in chicken HD11 cells. This is the first transcriptome-wide study in which RIPK2-regulated genes in chicken cells have been screened. Our findings elucidate the molecular events associated with RIPK2 in chicken HD11 cells.

Newly synthesized bis-benzimidazole derivatives exerting anti-tumor activity through induction of apoptosis and autophagy.

In this study, a new series of bis-benzimidazole derivatives were designed and synthesized. Most of these new compounds showed significant anti-tumor activity in vitro compared to Hoechst 33258. Among them, the most potent compound 8 had the IC(50) values of 0.56µM for HL60 (Human promyelocytic leukemia cells) tumor cell line and 0.58µM for U937 (Human leukemic monocyte lymphoma cells) tumor cell line. Subsequent toxicity study on human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) showed that compound 8 exhibited less toxicity than 5-FU. We also found that apoptosis and autophagy were simultaneously induced by compound 8 in HL60 cells, and inhibition of autophagy by 3-MA decreased compound 8-induced apoptosis, indicating that they acted in synergy to exert tumor cell death.

First report of haemosporidia and associated risk factors in red junglefowl (Gallus gallus) in China.

BACKGROUND: Avian haemosporidia infect both domestic and wild birds, causing anemia, acute tissue degeneration, and depopulation in wild birds. Poultry and wild birds have been reported as common reservoirs of haemosporidia, but limited information is available for red junglefowl (Gallus gallus) in China. The present study investigated the prevalence and molecular characterization of haemosporidia in red junglefowl. METHODS: Blood samples were collected from 234 red junglefowl from Jinghong City of Yunnan Province, and genomic DNA was extracted from these samples. The prevalence of haemosporidia was determined by nested PCR targeting the mitochondrial cytochrome b (cytb) gene. Molecular characterization was investigated based on phylogenetic analysis of cytb sequences, and associated risk factors were analyzed using the Chi-square (χ2) test. RESULTS: The overall prevalence of haemosporidia was 74.8% (175/234), and three species were identified, namely Haemoproteus enucleator, Leucocytozoon californicus, and Plasmodium juxtanucleare. The prevalence of haemosporidia in adult fowl (81.1%, 107/132) was significantly higher (χ2 = 6.32, df = 1, P = 0.012) than that in juveniles (66.7%, 68/102). Three novel haemosporidian lineages were revealed. CONCLUSIONS: This study examined the prevalence and identified species of avian haemosporidians in red junglefowl, providing new information on the molecular epidemiology and geographical distribution of haemosporidian parasites. Our results indicated high prevalence and diverse species distribution of these haemosporidians in red junglefowl. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first record of haemosporidian infection in red junglefowl in China.

N-phenylglucosylamine hydrolysis: a mechanistic probe of ß-glucosidase.

The spontaneous hydrolysis of glycosylamines, where the aglycone is either a primary amine or ammonia, is over a hundred million-times faster than that of O- or S-glycosides. The reason for this (as pointed out by Capon and Connett in 1965) is that, in contrast to the mechanism for O- or S-glycoside hydrolysis, hydrolysis of these N-glycosides (e.g., glc-NHR) involves an endocyclic C-O bond cleavage resulting in formation of an imine (iminium ion) which then reacts with water. Since ring-opening is kinetically favored with glycosylamines, compounds such as phenylglucosylamine can be a useful probes of enzymes that have been suggested to possibly follow this mechanism. With ß-glucosidase from sweet almonds, the enzyme is highly efficient in catalyzing the hydrolysis of phenyl glucoside (k(cat)/k(non)∼10(14)) and phenyl thioglucoside (k(cat)/k(non)∼10(10)) while with either the almond or the Aspergillus niger enzyme or with yeast α-glucosidase, there is no detectable catalysis of phenylglucosylamine hydrolysis (k(cat)/k(non)<20). These results are consistent with the generally accepted mechanism involving exocyclic bond cleavage by these enzymes.

Effect of electroacupuncture on glial fibrillary acidic protein and nerve growth factor in the hippocampus of rats with hyperlipidemia and middle cerebral artery thrombus.

Electroacupuncture (EA) has been shown to reduce blood lipid level and improve cerebral ischemia in rats with hyperlipemia complicated by cerebral ischemia. However, there are few studies on the results and mechanism of the effect of EA in reducing blood lipid level or promoting neural repair after stroke in hyperlipidemic subjects. In this study, EA was applied to a rat model of hyperlipidemia and middle cerebral artery thrombosis and the condition of neurons and astrocytes after hippocampal injury was assessed. Except for the normal group, rats in other groups were fed a high-fat diet throughout the whole experiment. Hyperlipidemia models were established in rats fed a high-fat diet for 6 weeks. Middle cerebral artery thrombus models were induced by pasting 50% FeCl3 filter paper on the left middle cerebral artery for 20 minutes on day 50 as the model group. EA1 group rats received EA at bilateral ST40 (Fenglong) for 7 days before the thrombosis. Rats in the EA1 and EA2 groups received EA at GV20 (Baihui) and bilateral ST40 for 14 days after model establishment. Neuronal health was assessed by hematoxylin-eosin staining in the brain. Hyperlipidemia was assessed by biochemical methods that measured total cholesterol, triglyceride, low-density lipoprotein and high-density lipoprotein in blood sera. Behavioral analysis was used to confirm the establishment of the model. Immunohistochemical methods were used to detect the expression of glial fibrillary acidic protein and nerve growth factor in the hippocampal CA1 region. The results demonstrated that, compared with the model group, blood lipid levels significantly decreased, glial fibrillary acidic protein immunoreactivity was significantly weakened and nerve growth factor immunoreactivity was significantly enhanced in the EA1 and EA2 groups. The repair effect was superior in the EA1 group than in the EA2 group. These findings confirm that EA can reduce blood lipid, inhibit glial fibrillary acidic protein expression and promote nerve growth factor expression in the hippocampal CA1 region after hyperlipidemia and middle cerebral artery thrombosis. All experimental procedures and protocols were approved by the Animal Use and Management Committee of Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, China (approval No. BUCM-3-2018022802-1002) on April 12, 2018.