Dietary habits of pastoralists on the Tibetan plateau are influenced by remoteness and economic status.

In general, dietary habits of pastoralists are livestock-derived, but are also influenced by external food sources under globalization. We hypothesized that dietary habits of pastoralists would be influenced by their remoteness, and that changes from the traditional diet would result in deviations in the local ecological chain. To test this hypothesis, we determined the δ13C and δ15N values of soil, plants, and hair of animals and pastoralists (n = 885). The δ13C value in human hair reflects the proportions of protein originating from C3 and C4 plants; whereas, the δ15N value reflects the proportions of protein derived from plants and animals, with higher values indicating a greater consumption of meat. The isotopic signatures enabled us to estimate the variation in dietary habits of pastoralists across a socio-economic gradient of easily accessible to remote areas on the Tibetan plateau, and to determine the trophic transfer of the isotopes along an ecological chain. The trophic magnification factor (TMF) evaluated the trophic transfer of δ15N in the soil-plants-animals-pastoralists ecological chain. The high δ15N values in soil and plants were not recovered in animals and pastoralists in easily accessible and developed areas, indicating the use of external feed and food resources, and that they deviated from the ecological chain. The mean δ13C (-22.0 ‰) and δ15N values (6.9 ‰) of pastoralists indicated diets consisting mainly of local C3 plants and animal products. However, pastoralists in remote areas relied more on meat protein and on the local ecological chain than pastoralists in easily accessible areas, as their δ15N values and trophic magnification factor of δ15N in the ecological chain were greater. In addition to remoteness, per capita GDP influenced dietary changes in pastoralists, with richer pastoralists consuming more external food. We concluded that dietary changes of pastoralists in the easily accessible areas were due to external food resources and alterations in the local ecological chain of animals and plant-based foods available to the pastoralists.

Effects of supplementing sweet sorghum with grapeseeds on carcass parameters, and meat quality, amino acid, and fatty acid composition of lambs.

OBJECTIVE: Sweet sorghum is an important forage crop for ruminants, especially in low rainfall areas. Grapeseeds are an abundant by-product of wine-making and contain bioactive substances that can improve the antioxidant capacity of meat. We examined the effect of sweet sorghum forage with supplementary grapeseeds on carcass and meat quality in lambs. METHODS: Twenty-eight Small-tailed Han lambs (body weight = 19.1±1.20 kg), aged 3 to 4 months, were penned, and fed individually. The lambs were divided into four groups (n = 7 each) and were offered one of four diets: i) sweet sorghum silage; ii) sweet sorghum silage + grapeseeds; iii) sweet sorghum hay; and iv) sweet sorghum hay + grapeseeds. The grapeseeds were added to the concentrate at 6% DM and the diets were fed for 100 d. RESULTS: Sweet sorghum silage tended (p = 0.068) to increase hot carcass weight, while grapeseeds tended (p = 0.081) to decrease dressing percentage without affecting other carcass parameters. Lambs consuming supplementary grapeseeds increased (p<0.05) meat redness and tended to decrease (p = 0.075) concentration of methionine in meat. Lambs consuming sweet sorghum silage increased (p<0.001) water content of the meat and had a lower (p<0.05) concentration of n-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) and n-6:n-3 PUFA ratio than lambs consuming sweet sorghum hay. Saturated fatty acids content in meat was lowest (p<0.05) in lambs consuming sweet sorghum silage with grapeseeds. Lambs with supplementary grapeseeds tended (p<0.10) to increase eicosapentaenoic acid and docosahexaenoic acid and have a lower thrombogenic index than lambs not consuming grapeseeds. CONCLUSION: It was concluded that sweet sorghum with supplementary grapeseeds fed to lambs; i) improved the color of the meat to be more appetizing to the consumer; ii) tended to improve the fatty acids composition of the meat; and iii) lowered thrombogenic index of the meat.

Root exudates enhanced rhizobacteria complexity and microbial carbon metabolism of toxic plants.

Root exudates and rhizosphere microorganisms play key roles in the colonization of toxic plants under climate change and land degradation. However, how root exudates affect the rhizosphere microorganisms and soil nutrients of toxic plants in degraded grasslands remains unknown. We compared the interaction of soil microbial communities, root exudates, microbial carbon metabolism, and environmental factors in the rhizosphere of toxic and non-toxic plants. Deterministic processes had a greater effect on toxic than non-toxic plants, as root exudates affected rhizosphere microorganisms directly. The 328 up-regulated compounds in root exudates of toxic plants affected the diversity of rhizosphere microorganisms. Rhizosphere bacteria-enriched enzymes were involved in the phenylpropanoid biosynthesis pathway. Root exudates of toxic plants form complex networks of rhizosphere microorganisms, provide high rhizosphere nutrients, and increase microbial carbon metabolism. The interaction between root exudates and rhizosphere microorganisms is the key mechanism that enables toxic plants to spread in degraded grassland habitats.

Effect of additives and filling methods on whole plant corn silage quality, fermentation characteristics and in situ digestibility.

OBJECTIVE: This project aimed to evaluate the effects of both different additives and filling methods on nutritive quality, fermentation profile, and in situ digestibility of whole plant corn silage. METHODS: Whole plant corn forage harvested at 26.72% dry matter (DM) was chopped and treated with two filling methods, i) fill silos at one time (F1), ii) fill silos at three times (F3), packing samples into one/three silo capacity at the first day, another one/three capacity at the second day, then one/three at the third day, three replicates. For each replicate, samples were treated with three additives, i) control (CTRL, no additive), ii) Sila-Max (MAX, Ralco Nutrition Inc., Marshall, MN, USA), and iii) Sila-Mix (MIX, Ralco Nutrition Inc., USA). With three replicates of each secondary treatment, there were nine silos, 54 silos in total. Each silo had a packing density of 137.61 kg of DM/m3. All silos were weighed and stored in lab at ambient temperature. RESULTS: After 60 d of ensiling, all items showed good silage fermentation under MAX filled one time or three times (p<0.01). Higher silage quality for all additives was obtained at filling one time than that filled three times (p<0.01). The highest DM and lowest DM loss rate (DMLR) occurred to MAX treatment at two filling methods (p<0.01); Digestibility of acid detergent fiber, neutral detergent fiber (NDF), and curde protein had the same results as silage quality (p<0.01). Yield of digestible DM and digestible NDF also showed higher value under MAX especially for filling one time (p<0.05). CONCLUSION: All corn silages showed good fermentation attributes (pH<4.0). The forage filled one time had higher silage quality than that filled three times (p<0.01). MAX with homofermentative lactic acid bacteria enhanced the lactic acid fermentation, silage quality and nutrient digestibility, and so improved the digestible nutrient yield.

Promising lanthanide-doped BiVO4 phosphors for highly efficient upconversion luminescence and temperature sensing.

The semiconductor oxide BiVO4 has been intensively studied as a highly efficient photocatalyst. Here we attempt to adopt trivalent lanthanide (Ln3+)-doped BiVO4 as a novel upconversion luminescence (UCL) material for achieving high-efficiency UCL and temperature sensing under near-infrared (NIR) irradiation. Er3+/Tm3+, Yb3+/Er3+, and Yb3+/Tm3+ ions were selected to co-dope the BiVO4 phosphors, achieving three primary colors of red, green, and blue (RGB) with high color-purity. At an optimal doping concentration, the upconversion quantum yield of the BiVO4:8%Yb3+,18%Er3+ phosphor reaches as high as 2.9%. Furthermore, we, for the first time, demonstrate the non-contact temperature sensing properties of a BiVO4:Er3+,Tm3+ phosphor via employing fluorescence intensity ratio technology. The results show that the maximum absolute thermal sensitivity is ≈70 × 10-4 K-1 at 473 K under 980 nm excitation, with high and stable sensitivity of more than 60 × 10-4 K-1 over a wide temperature range of 333-493 K. In addition, at a much safer wavelength of 1550 nm, this sample achieves maximum absolute sensitivity of 56 × 10-4 K-1 at 453 K. Moreover, the BiVO4:Er3+,Tm3+ phosphor presents high relative sensitivity of about 1.1% K-1 under both 980 and 1550 nm excitation at 293 K. These results indicate that the BiVO4 semiconductor oxide can be used as a novel host to achieve high UCL efficiency and promising thermal sensing performance, suggesting potential applications in the new fields of anti-counterfeiting, displays, and non-contact temperature sensors.

Carcass parameters and meat quality of Tibetan sheep and Small-tailed Han sheep consuming diets of low-protein content and different energy yields.

Today, consumers are very health conscious and are more aware of the nutritional value of food, especially of meat, than they were in the past. The aim of this study was to evaluate the carcass parameters and meat quality of Tibetan sheep and Small-tailed Han sheep when consuming a diet of low-protein (~7%) and different energy yields (digestible energy, 8.21, 9.33, 10.45 and 11.57 MJ/kg) in the cold season. Twelve sheep of each breed were divided randomly into four treatments of different diets with three replicates per treatment per breed. Crude protein of the meat decreased linearly (p < .05), whereas energy increased linearly (p < .05) with an increase in energy level. Tibetan sheep tended to have a higher (p < .1) dressing percentage and rib eye area, while live body weight and hot carcass weight did not differ between breeds but increased linearly (p < .01) with an increase in energy level. Water holding capacity, as indicated by pressing loss and drip loss, did not differ between breeds and was not affected by dietary energy. The concentration of n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) was greater in Tibetan sheep meat but saturated fatty acids (SFAs), monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFAs) and n-6 PUFA did not differ between breeds. With an increase in energy content of the diet, SFA decreased (p < .05), whereas MUFA increased (p < .05). The n-6:n-3 PUFA ratio was lower (p < .001) in Tibetan sheep meat, while the atherogenic index did not differ between breeds, but tended to decrease (p < .1) with an increase in dietary energy content. The essential amino acid (EAA) content and ratio of EAA:NEAA (non-essential amino acid) were close to the world standards for healthy meat. In summary, (a) Tibetan sheep meat was preferable to Small-tailed Han sheep meat, although differences between breeds were small; and (b) some carcass parameters and meat quality were improved with an increase in dietary energy level when a low-protein diet was offered.

Effect of p53ß on human gastric cancer cells treated with recombinant mutated human TNF and cisplatin.

The present study aimed to investigate the role of tumour protein 53 isoform b (p53ß) on human gastric cancer (GC) cell lines treated with recombinant mutated human tumour necrosis factor (rmhTNF) and cisplatin. The Cell Counting Kit­8 assay was used to assess growth in the GC cell lines MKN45 and SGC7901, following treatment with rmhTNF in the presence or absence of cisplatin. Levels of p53ß and bcl­2 apoptosis regulator (bcl­2) mRNA were assessed using reverse transcription­polymerase chain reaction. The results demonstrated that growth was significantly inhibited by either cisplatin or rmhTNF treatments alone in MKN45 cells, and combination treatment with cisplatin and rmhTNF had a synergistic effect on growth inhibition of MKN45 cells. Notably, these observations were not evident in SGC7901 cells, where a mutant form of p53 is present. Treatment of MKN45 cells with rmhTNF did not affect bcl­2 or p53ß mRNA expression levels. However, treatment of MKN45 cells with cisplatin induced upregulation of p53ß and downregulation of bcl-2 mRNA expression levels, and these effects were enhanced by combination treatment with rmhTNF. Pearson correlation analysis revealed a negative correlation between the expression of p53ß and bcl­2 mRNA, and a negative correlation between bcl-2 mRNA expression and the inhibition of cell growth. In conclusion, the inhibitory effect of cisplatin on the growth of MKN45 GC cells was enhanced by rmhTNF via unknown mechanisms that involved p53ß, indicating that p53ß may be an appropriate therapeutic target for the treatment of GC.

Expression of p53ß and Δ133p53 isoforms in different gastric tissues.

This study aims to detect the mRNA of p53ß and Δ133p53 isoforms in three gastric carcinoma cell lines and tissues of superficial gastritis, atrophic gastritis, gastric carcinoma, or paracancerous area. Nested reverse transcription PCR was used to detect the mRNA of p53ß and Δ133p53 isoforms in tissues of superficial gastritis, chronic atrophic gastritis, gastric cancer cell lines (SGC-7901, MKN45, KATO III), gastric adenocarcinoma, and paracancerous lesion. The amplified products were shown by agarose gel electrophoresis. The expression difference among various tissues was analyzed by x(2) tests. The positive rates of ∆133p53 mRNA were 73.3% (11/15) in gastric adenocarcinoma and 20% (3/15) in paracancerous tissue, whereas the positive rates of p53ß mRNA were 20% (3/15) in gastric adenocarcinoma and 66.7% (10/15) in paracancerous tissue. The difference between adenocarcinoma and paracancerous tissues was significant (P<0.05). The positive rates of ∆133p53 mRNA were 25% (5/20), 50% (15/30), and 75% (15/20), respectively, in superficial gastritis, atrophic gastritis, and gastric adenocarcinoma; the positive rates of p53ß mRNA were 65% (13/20), 33.3% (10/30), and 25% (5/20), respectively, in superficial gastritis, atrophic gastritis, and gastric adenocarcinoma. The difference between adenocarcinoma and superficial gastritis samples was significant (P<0.05). Both p53ß and ∆133p53 mRNAs were positive in MKN45; only p53ß mRNA was detected in SGC7901; neither p53ß nor ∆133p53 mRNA was detected in KATO III. ∆133p53 and p53ß, which are possible indicators for the diagnosis and biological therapy of gastric carcinoma, were expressed differentially in different gastric tissues.

Role of p53ß in the inhibition of proliferation of gastric cancer cells expressing wild-type or mutated p53.

p53 is a tumor suppressor gene whose mutation is highly associated with tumorigenesis. The present study investigated the role of p53ß in the inhibition of proliferation of gastric cancer cell lines expressing wild-type or mutated p53. Wild-type p53 is expressed in MKN45 cells, but deleted in KATOIII cells, whereas mutated p53 is expressed in SGC7901 cells. The mRNA expression levels of p53ß and Δ133p53 were detected in MKN45, SGC-7901 and KATOIII gastric cancer cell lines using nested polymerase chain reaction (PCR). The mRNA expression levels of p53, p53ß and B-cell lymphoma 2-associated X protein (Bax) were detected in the MKN45 and SGC-7901 cells following treatment with cisplatin by reverse transcription-PCR. The inhibition of cellular proliferation following treatment with cisplatin was measured by MTT assay. The results of the present study demonstrated that both p53ß and Δ133p53 mRNA were expressed in the MKN45 cells, whereas only p53ß mRNA was expressed in the SGC7901 cells. No expression of p53ß or Δ133p53 mRNA was detected in the KATOIII cells. Following treatment with cisplatin, the number of both MKN45 and SGC-7901 cells was significantly reduced (P<0.001). In the MKN45 cells, p53ß, p53 and Bax mRNA expression levels gradually increased with the dose of cisplatin, and the expression of p53ß was positively correlated with the expression of p53 (tr=6.358, P<0.05) and Bax (tr=8.023, P<0.05). In the SGC-7901 cells, the expression levels of p53ß, p53 and Bax mRNA did not alter with the dose of cisplatin, and the expression of p53ß was positively correlated to the expression of p53 (tr=26.41, P<0.01) but not that of Bax. The present study identified the different roles of the p53ß isoform in gastric cancer cells with different p53 backgrounds. Enhanced knowledge regarding the p53 status is required for the development of specific biological therapies against gastric cancer.

Anti-inflammatory effect of Diammonium Glycyrrhizinate in a rat model of ulcerative colitis.

AIM: To explore the anti-inflammatory mechanism of Diammonium Glycyrrhizinate in a rat model of ulcerative colitis induced by acetic acid. METHODS: Spragur-Dawley female rats were divided into four groups: Diammonium Glycyrrhizinate group, dexamethasone group, acetic acid control and normal control group. Colonic inflammation was evaluated by disease activity index, gross morphologic damage, histological injury and colonic myeloperoxidase activity. Immunohistochemistry was used to detect the expression of NF-kappaB, TNF-alpha and ICAM-1 in colonic mucosa. RESULTS: Compared to the acetic acid control, both Diammonium Glycyrrhizinate and dexamethasone showed a significant anti-inflammatory effect (P < 0.01). The expression of NF-kappaB, TNF-alpha and ICAM-1 in colonic mucosa was significantly lower in the Diammonium Glycyrrhizinate group and dexamethasone group than in the acetic acid group. CONCLUSION: Diammonium Glycyrrhizinate could reduce inflammatory injury in a rat model of ulcerative colitis. This may occur via suppression of NF-kappaB, TNF-alpha and ICAM-1 in colonic mucosa.