Rhizospheric soil fungal community patterns of Duchesnea indica in response to altitude gradient in Yunnan, southwest China.

The magnitude of the impact of altitude gradient on microbial community and diversity has been studied in recent decades. Whereas bacteria have been the focus of most studies, fungi have been given relatively less attention. As a vital part of the macro- and microscopic ecosystem, rhizosphere fungi play a key role in organic matter decomposition and relative abundance of plant species and have an impact on plant growth and development. Using Duchesnea indica as the host plant, we examined the rhizosphere soil fungal community patterns across the altitude gradient in 15 sites of Yunnan province by sequencing the fungal ITS2 region with the Illumina MiSeq platform. We determined the fungal community composition and structure. We found that, surprisingly, rhizosphere soil fungal diversity of D. indica increased with altitudinal gradient. There was a slight difference in diversity between samples from high- and medium-altitude sites, with medium-altitude sites having the greater diversity. Furthermore, the rhizosphere soil fungal community composition and structure kept changing along the altitudinal gradient. Taxonomic results showed that the extent of phylum diversity was greatest at high-altitude sites, with Ascomycota, Basidiomycota, Zygomycota, and Glomeromycota as the most dominant fungal phyla.

Integrative analysis of APOL3 gene CNV for adult cattle stature.

Copy number variations (CNVs) have been identified as another important structural variation of genome. In recent years, a large amount of CNVRs have been identified in humans and animals. However, association and dosage effects studies of CNVs are very limited. Apolipoprotein L3 (APOL3) gene plays a central role in modulating gene transcription and is located within a CNVR that encompasses quantitative trait locis (QTLs) for economic traits like meat quality. Herein, we analyzed the CNV polymorphism of APOL3 in 421 individuals from five distinct cattle breeds, and then correlated their genotypes with growth traits. Association analysis revealed that the APOL3 CNV was significantly associated with hip height and cannon circumference of Xianan (XN) cattle (P < .01), and visibly associated with body slanting length and hucklebone width of Pinan (PN) cattle (P < .05). Overall, the data provide evidence for the functional role of APOL3 CNV and a basis for future applications in cattle breeding.

Orally administered Lactobacillus casei exhibited several probiotic properties in artificially suckling rabbits.

OBJECTIVE: Lactobacilli in rabbit intestine is rare and its function on rabbit gut health is not fully understood. The present study aimed to evaluate in vivo the probiotic potential of Lactobacillus casei for suckling rabbits. METHODS: Two healthy 5-day-old suckling rabbits with similar weights from each of 12 New Zealand White litters were selected and disturbed to control group and treatment group. All rabbits were artificially fed. The treatment group had been supplemented with live Lactobacillus casei in the milk from the beginning of the trial to 13 days of age. At 15 days of age, healthy paired rabbits were slaughtered to collect intestinal samples. RESULTS: 1) Oral administration of Lactobacillus casei significantly increased the proportion of Lactobacilli in the total intestinal bacteria (P &lt; 0.01) and obviously reduced that of Escherichia-Shigella (P &lt; 0.01); 2) treatment increased the length of vermiform appendix (P &lt; 0.05); 3) a higher percentage of degranulated paneth cells was observed in the duodenum and jejunum when rabbits administered with Lactobacillus casei (P &lt; 0.01); and 4) the expression of toll-like receptor 9 (TLR9), Lysozyme (LYZ) and defensin-7-like (DEFEN) in the duodenum and jejunum was stimulated by supplemented Lactobacillus casei (P &lt; 0.05). CONCLUSION: orally administered Lactobacillus casei could increase the abundance of intestinal Lactobacilli, decrease the relative abundance of intestinal Escherichia-Shigella, promote the growth of appendix vermiform, stimulate the degranulation of paneth cells and induce the expression of defensin-7-like and Lysozyme. The results of the present study implied that Lactobacillus casei exhibited probiotic potential for suckling rabbit.

The Physiology of BDNF and Its Relationship with ADHD.

Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) is a major neurotrophin in the central nervous system that plays a critical role in the physiological brain functions via its two independent receptors: tropomyosin-related kinase B (TrkB) and p75, especially in the neurodevelopment. Disrupting of BDNF and its downstream signals has been found in many neuropsychological diseases, including attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), a common mental disorder which is prevalent in childhood. Understanding the physiological functions of BDNF during neural development and its potential relationship with ADHD will help us to elucidate the possible mechanisms of ADHD and to develop therapeutic approaches for this disease. In this review, we summarized the important literatures for the physiological functions of BDNF in the neurodevelopment. We also performed an association study on the functional genetic variation of BDNF and ADHD by a case-control study in the Chinese mainland population and revealed the potential correlation between BDNF and ADHD which needs further research to confirm.

[Preparation of self-microemulsifying soft capsule and investigation of dissolution for Duyiwei].

OBJECTIVE: To prepare the self-microemulsifying soft capsule (SMESC) of Duyiwei and investigate its dissolution property. METHODS: Through solubility experiment, self-microemulsification in vitro, drawing phase diagram and investigating the stability of solution, the optimum formulation was determined for Duyiwei. The dissolution of SMESC was measured, taking the commercial capsule as reference. RESULTS: In the optimum formulation, Labrasol, Transcutol P and ethyl oleate were screened as emulsifier, co-emulsifier and oil phase, respectively. The optimized proportion was 60: 25: 15. The dissolution of SMESC in water was more than 85% in 10 minutes, while that of the commercial capsule was less than 50% in 60 minutes. CONCLUSION: In comparison with the commercial capsule, the dissolution of SMESC is sufficiently improved in water.

[Optimization of preparative separation and purification of water-soluble substance from Salvia miltiorrhiza by macroporous resins].

OBJECTIVE: To study the optimum conditions for the isolation and purification of water-soluble substance from Salvia miltiorrhiza Bge. METHODS: The optimum macroporous resin was selected and the separation and purification process was evaluated by measuring the content of Salvianolic acid B in the fractions by HPLC. RESULTS: The XDA-5 macroporous resin was the most effective compared with other macroporous resins. The optimum conditions were screened, which were 18 mg/ml corresponding to Salvianolic acid B for concentration of extract, pH was 4, and the volume of 70% (V/V) ethanol as eluant was 3 BV. By this method, the elution efficiency of Salvianolic acid B exceeded 90%. CONCLUSION: The method is more effective for large-scale isolation and purification of water-soluble substance from Salvia miltiorrhiza Bge.