Btbd8 deficiency reduces susceptibility to colitis by enhancing intestinal barrier function and suppressing inflammation.

Introduction: BTBD8 has been identified as a susceptible gene for inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD). However, the function of BTBD8 in normal development and IBD pathogenesis remains unknown. Methods: We administered drinking water with 3% dextran sodium sulfate (DSS) to wild-type (WT) and Btbd8 knockout (KO) mice for seven consecutive days to induce IBD. Subsequently, we further examined whether Btbd8 KO affects intestinal barrier and inflammation. Results: We demonstrated that Btbd8 deficiency partially protects mice from DSS-induced IBD, even though no obvious phenotypes were observed in Btbd8 KO mice. Btbd8 deletion leads to strengthened tight junctions between intestinal epithelial cells, elevated intestinal stem cell activity, and enhanced mucus layer. All these three mechanisms work together to improve the intestinal barrier integrity in Btbd8 KO mice. In addition, Btbd8 deficiency mitigates inflammation by reducing the expression of IL-1ß and IL-6 by macrophages. Discussion: Our studies validate the crucial role of Btbd8 in IBD pathogenesis, and reveal that Btbd8 deficiency may ameliorate DSS-induced IBD through improving the intestinal barrier integrity, as well as suppressing inflammatory response mediated by macrophages. These findings suggest that Btbd8 could be a promising therapeutic target for the treatment of IBD.

Glycolysis-Stimulated Esrrb Lactylation Promotes the Self-Renewal and Extraembryonic Endoderm Stem Cell Differentiation of Embryonic Stem Cells.

Embryonic stem cells (ESCs) favor glycolysis over oxidative phosphorylation for energy production, and glycolytic metabolism is critical for pluripotency establishment, maintenance, and exit. However, an understanding of how glycolysis regulates the self-renewal and differentiation of ESCs remains elusive. Here, we demonstrated that protein lactylation, regulated by intracellular lactate, contributes to the self-renewal of ESCs. We further showed that Esrrb, an orphan nuclear receptor involved in pluripotency maintenance and extraembryonic endoderm stem cell (XEN) differentiation, is lactylated on K228 and K232. The lactylation of Esrrb enhances its activity in promoting ESC self-renewal in the absence of the LIF and XEN differentiation of ESCs by increasing its binding at target genes. Our studies reveal the importance of protein lactylation in the self-renewal and XEN differentiation of ESCs, and the underlying mechanism of glycolytic metabolism regulating cell fate choice.

Separation of Three Phenanthrenes and Two Bibenzyls from Chloroform Fractions of Pholidota Articulata Lindl. Using HPLC.

BACKGROUND: Pholidota articulata Lindl has been used as a traditional medicine and Yi-nationality herbal medicine for the treatment of various diseases. Phenanthrenes and bibenzyls commonly found in the genus Pholidota are one of their most important natural ingredients, due to their various biological activities. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to establish an HPLC method for determination of the levels of three phenenthrenes (flavidin, lusianthridin, coelonin) and two bibenzyls (batatasin III, cirrhopetalidin) in rhizomes of P. articulata Lindl. METHOD: The separated and elucidated compounds from chloroform fractions of P. articulata Lindl were used as standards and analyzed by gradient elution HPLC with a variable wavelength detector at 274 nm. RESULTS: The calibration curves exhibited good linearity (R2 = 0.9999), ranging from 20 to 960 ng/mL, the average recoveries were between 91.5 and 102.9%, and the RSD values of precision, stability, and repeatability were <2.34%. There were significant differences in the content of phenenthrenes and bibenzyls from the plants of genus Pholidota, Dendrobium, and Bulbophyllum. Furthermore, this is the first report on the validation of a method for the quantitative analysis of flavidin and cirrhopetalidin. CONCLUSIONS: The present study provides an alternative method for the rapid separation of phenanthrenes and bibenzyls from natural products and lays a foundation for the study of biological activity. HIGHLIGHTS: When using developed method in this study for separation of phenanthrenes and bibenzyls in genus Pholidota, chemicalin formation was more abundant from chloroform fractions.

Integrated biocontrol of tobacco bacterial wilt by antagonistic bacteria and marigold.

Tobacco bacterial wilt (TBW) is seriously damages the growth of tobacco. There is an urgent need to find a safer and more effective measure to control TBW. In this study, B. amyloliquefaciens ZM9 and marigold powder were applied to the tobacco roots alone or in combination, and the potential inhibition of TBW was assessed. On the other hand, the effects of these treatments on soil physicochemical properties, rhizosphere microbial community and soil metabolites were also evaluated. The results showed that the application of B. amyloliquefaciens ZM9 or marigold powder alone significantly reduced the abundance of R. solanacearum in rhizosphere soil, while the integrated treatment showed the strongest inhibitory effect. Moreover, the integrated treatment can inhibit the secretion of chemoattractants, and affect the change of rhizosphere soil microbial composition. In conclusion, the combination of antagonistic bacteria agent B. amyloliquefaciens ZM9 with marigold powder can enhance the suppression of TBW. Furthermore, B. amyloliquefaciens ZM9 and marigold have synergistic effects on suppressing TBW by regulation soil physicochemical properties, soil metabolites and microbial structure. This study provide a promising strategy for TBW control by integrated applying of B. amyloliquefaciens ZM9 and marigold powder.

Effects of integrated biocontrol on bacterial wilt and rhizosphere bacterial community of tobacco.

Bacterial wilt as a soil-borne disease was caused by Ralstonia solanacearum, and seriously damages the growth of tobacco. Integrated biocontrol method was explored to control bacterial wilt. Nevertheless, the long-term effects of the integrated biocontrol method on soil bacterial community, soil physicochemical properties and the incidence of bacterial wilt are not well understood. In this study, B. amyoliquefaciens ZM9, calcium cyanamide and rice bran were applied to tobacco fields in different ways. The disease index and incidence of tobacco bacterial wilt (TBW), soil physicochemical properties, colonization ability of B. amyoliquefaciens ZM9, and rhizopshere bacterial community were investigated. The results showed that the integrated application of B. amyoliquefaciens ZM9, rice bran and calcium cyanamide had the highest control efficiency of TBW and bacteria community diversity. Additionally, the integrated biocontrol method could improve the colonization ability of B. amyoliquefaciens ZM9. Furthermore, the integrated biocontrol method could effectively suppress TBW by regulating soil physicochemical properties, promoting beneficial bacteria and antagonistic bacteria of rhizopshere soil. This strategy has prospect of overcoming the defects in application of a single antagonistic bacteria and provides new insights to understand how to improve the colonization capacity of antagonistic bacteria and control efficacy for TBW.

Src kinase inhibitor PP2 regulates the biological characteristics of A549 cells via the PI3K/Akt signaling pathway.

Lung cancer is one of the most prevalent types of cancer worldwide, with a poor prognosis for patients and a concomitant financial burden on society. There are a number of different pathological subtypes, with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) being the primary subtype. Although anticancer therapy has led to a marked improvement in the survival rate of patients in recent years, the survival rate remains poor. Potential reasons for this include a lack of early diagnosis and drug resistance, which is considered to be associated with mutations in components of signaling pathways, tumor suppressors and epidermal growth factor receptor, and certain other complex mechanisms to a certain extent. It is therefore imperative to develop novel therapies. In the present study, the pyrazolopyrimidine compound PP2 was used to inhibit Src family protein tyrosine kinases in A549 cells. It was demonstrated that PP2 was able to suppress cell viability, migration and invasion, and promote apoptosis via regulating the phosphoinositide 3-kinase/protein kinase B/B-cell lymphoma 2/caspase-3 signaling pathway. PP2 may therefore be useful in anti-NSCLC therapy in the future.

Combined transbronchoscopic needle aspiration (TBNA) and rapid on-site cytological evaluation (ROSE) for diagnosis of tuberculous mediastinal lymphadenitis: A case report.

INTRODUCTION: The diagnosis of tuberculous mediastinal lymphadenitis remains a challenge, and the use of transbronchoscopic needle aspiration (TBNA) combined with rapid on-site cytological evaluation (ROSE) is still unclear. A case of tuberculous mediastinal lymphadenitis was illustrated to show the diagnostic value of TBNA and ROSE. CASE PRESENTATION: In this case report, we presented a typical case of a 44-year-old male who underwent obvious odynophagia and mild symptom of dyspnea. One isolated mass positioned on posterior mediastinum was examined as positive discovery. Finally, he was diagnosed with tuberculous mediastinal lymphadenitis by using TBNA combined with ROSE and treated with anti-TB. CONCLUSIONS: TBNA is an efficacious and safe approach, which is worth popularizing for the clinical diagnosis of mediastinal masses. Meanwhile, ROSE is useful to reduce the numbers of needle passes during TBNA. We aimed to emphasize 2 key points in this case report. Firstly, a rare symptom of Tuberculosis in adults was supported by the patient. Secondly, TBNA combined with ROSE is useful for the diagnosis of tuberculous mediastinal lymphadenitis.

Lyn kinase represses mucus hypersecretion by regulating IL-13-induced endoplasmic reticulum stress in asthma.

In asthma, mucus hypersecretion is thought to be a prominent pathological feature associated with widespread mucus plugging. However, the current treatments for mucus hypersecretion are often ineffective or temporary. The potential therapeutic targets of mucus hypersecretion in asthma remain unknown. Here, we show that Lyn is a central effector of endoplasmic reticulum stress (ER stress) and mucous hypersecretion in asthma. In Lyn-transgenic mice (Lyn-TG) and wild-type (WT) C57BL/6J mice exposed to ovalbumin (OVA), Lyn overexpression attenuates mucus hypersecretion and ER stress. Interleukin 13 (IL-13) induced MUC5AC expression by enhancing ER stress in vitro. Lyn serves as a negative regulator of IL-13-induced ER stress and MUC5AC expression. We further find that an inhibitor of ER stress, which is likely involved in the PI3K p85α/Akt pathway and NFκB activity, blocked MUC5AC expression in Lyn-knockdown cells. Furthermore, PI3K/Akt signaling is required for IL-13-induced ER stress and MUC5AC expression in airway epithelial cells. The ER stress regulation of MUC5AC expression depends on NFκB in Lyn-knockdown airway epithelial cells. Our studies indicate not only a concept of mucus hypersecretion in asthma that involves Lyn kinase but also an important therapeutic candidate for asthma.

Ion-unquenchable and thermally "on-off" reversible room temperature phosphorescence of 3-bromoquinoline induced by supramolecular gels.

Ion-unquenchable and thermally on-off reversible room temperature phosphorescence (RTP) can be induced by entrapping 3-bromoquinoline (3-BrQ) into supramolecular gels formed by the self-assembly of a sorbitol derivative (DBS). In comparison with conventional substrates inducing RTP, the gel state 3-BrQ/DBS can produce strong RTP due to the efficient restriction of the vibration of 3-BrQ. Notably, the rather inconvenient deoxygenation is no longer necessary in the preparation of 3-BrQ/DBS gels. The produced RTP was found to be very fast to reach stable, not depending on the standing time. As a reference, in the liquid state of 3-BrQ/sodium deoxycholate (NaDC), stable RTP can be observed after standing for 5 h. The investigation of RTP quenching indicates that the mechanism of RTP induced by DBS gels mainly involves the microenvironment in which 3-BrQ is located. 3-BrQ was entrapped in the hydrophobic 3D network structure of DBS gels, thereby restricting the motion and collision of 3-BrQ and avoiding RTP quenching and additionally quenching by ions. Furthermore, the RTP of 3-BrQ/DBS gels show an excellent "on-off" effect at 10 or 80 °C. This indicates that the solid DBS gel is beneficial for the preparation of RTP sensor devices.

25-Hydroxyvitamin D3-deficiency enhances oxidative stress and corticosteroid resistance in severe asthma exacerbation.

Oxidative stress plays a significant role in exacerbation of asthma. The role of vitamin D in oxidative stress and asthma exacerbation remains unclear. We aimed to determine the relationship between vitamin D status and oxidative stress in asthma exacerbation. Severe asthma exacerbation patients with 25-hydroxyvitamin D3-deficiency (V-D deficiency) or 25-hydroxyvitamin D-sufficiency (V-D sufficiency) were enrolled. Severe asthma exacerbation with V-D-deficiency showed lower forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1) compared to that with V-D-sufficiency. V-D-deficiency intensified ROS release and DNA damage and increased TNF-α, OGG1 and NFκB expression and NFκB phosphorylation in severe asthma exacerbation. Supplemental vitamin D3 significantly increased the rates of FEV1 change and decreased ROS and DNA damage in V-D-deficiency. Vitamin D3 inhibited LPS-induced ROS and DNA damage and were associated with a decline in TNF-α and NFκB in epithelial cells. H2O2 reduces nuclear translocation of glucocorticoid receptors in airway epithelial cell lines. V-D pretreatment enhanced the dexamethasone-induced nuclear translocation of glucocorticoid receptors in airway epithelial cell lines and monocytes from 25-hydroxyvitamin D3-deficiency asthma patients. These findings indicate that V-D deficiency aggravates oxidative stress and DNA damage, suggesting a possible mechanism for corticosteroid resistance in severe asthma exacerbation.

Vitamin C mitigates oxidative stress and tumor necrosis factor-alpha in severe community-acquired pneumonia and LPS-induced macrophages.

Oxidative stress is an important part of host innate immune response to foreign pathogens. However, the impact of vitamin C on oxidative stress and inflammation remains unclear in community-acquired pneumonia (CAP). We aimed to determine the effect of vitamin C on oxidative stress and inflammation. CAP patients were enrolled. Reactive oxygen species (ROS), DNA damage, superoxide dismutases (SOD) activity, tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), and IL-6 were analyzed in CAP patients and LPS-stimulated macrophages cells. MH-S cells were transfected with RFP-LC3 plasmids. Autophagy was measured in LPS-stimulated macrophages cells. Severe CAP patients showed significantly increased ROS, DNA damage, TNF-α, and IL-6. SOD was significantly decreased in severe CAP. Vitamin C significantly decreased ROS, DNA damage, TNF-α, and IL-6. Vitamin C inhibited LPS-induced ROS, DNA damage, TNF-α, IL-6, and p38 in macrophages cells. Vitamin C inhibited autophagy in LPS-induced macrophages cells. These findings indicated that severe CAP exhibited significantly increased oxidative stress, DNA damage, and proinflammatory mediator. Vitamin C mitigated oxidative stress and proinflammatory mediator suggesting a possible mechanism for vitamin C in severe CAP.

[Submerged majority of primary molars associated with permanent teeth deletion and cone-shaped lateral incisor: a case report].

The combination of submerged primary molars and permanent teeth deletion is rare. This article reported a case of several submerged primary molars, permanent teeth deletion and a cone-shaped maxillary lateral incisor and discussed based on relevant literatures.

Budesonide suppresses pulmonary antibacterial host defense by down-regulating cathelicidin-related antimicrobial peptide in allergic inflammation mice and in lung epithelial cells.

BACKGROUND: Glucocorticoids are widely regarded as the most effective treatment for asthma. However, the direct impact of glucocorticoids on the innate immune system and antibacterial host defense during asthma remain unclear. Understanding the mechanisms underlying this process is critical to the clinical application of glucocorticoids for asthma therapy. After sensitization and challenge with ovalbumin (OVA), BALB/c mice were treated with inhaled budesonide and infected with Pseudomonas aeruginosa (P. aeruginosa). The number of viable bacteria in enflamed lungs was evaluated, and levels of interleukin-4 (IL-4) and interferon-γ (IFN-γ) in serum were measured. A lung epithelial cell line was pretreated with budesonide. Levels of cathelicidin-related antimicrobial peptide (CRAMP) were measured by immunohistochemistry and western blot analysis. Intracellular bacteria were observed in lung epithelial cells. RESULTS: Inhaled budesonide enhanced lung infection in allergic mice exposed to P. aeruginosa and increased the number of viable bacteria in lung tissue. Higher levels of IL-4 and lower levels of IFN-γ were observed in the serum. Budesonide decreased the expression of CRAMP, increased the number of internalized P. aeruginosa in OVA-challenged mice and in lung epithelial cell lines. These data indicate that inhaled budesonide can suppress pulmonary antibacterial host defense by down-regulating CRAMP in allergic inflammation mice and in cells in vitro. CONCLUSIONS: Inhaled budesonide suppressed pulmonary antibacterial host defense in an asthmatic mouse model and in lung epithelium cells in vitro. This effect was dependent on the down-regulation of CRAMP.

[Farmland parcel extraction based on high resolution remote sensing image].

A new method of farmland parcel extraction from high resolution remote sensing image based on wavelet and watershed segmentation was proposed in the present paper. First, classification results were used to enhance the contrast of gray-scale value of typical pixels in the original image using the high resolution remote sensing image's spectral information. Second, wavelet transform and watershed segmentation were applied to the enhanced image, then improved region merger algorithm was used to solve the problem of over-segmentation. Finally, inverse wavelet transform was taken to get the reconstructed image, then Canny operator was introduced to add the edge information, and the result of farmland parcel segmentation was obtained. To validate the proposed approach, experiments on Quickbird images were performed, we rapidly extracted the farmland parcel from the test image, and the results had a high accuracy. Despite it had a lot to do in extracting the small size parcels, on the whole the method this paper proposed had a very good robustness. Compared with the traditional methods, it had the following advantages: (1) it was an automatic extraction method, did not need too much manual intervention, and could extract the large area of farmland parcels accurately and effectively. (2) It was a very good solution to the problem of over-segmentation by using improved region merger algorithm, and improved the accuracy of the extraction. All these indicated that the proposed approach was an effective farmland parcel extraction method based on high resolution remote sensing image.

[Estimation of vegetation coverage based on an improved sub-pixel model].

Vegetation coverage is an important parameter in terrestrial ecological process, meteorological, and climatic models. By eliminating the errors from the precision of image classification and the noises of remote sensing images, and by using the actual data from fieldwork, this paper determined the maximum and minimum values of normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI), improved the sub-pixel model, and verified this model by calculating the vegetation coverage of Beijing. The results showed that the estimation value of the improved model was very close to the measurements, especially for the herbaceous plants whose vegetation types were the same but the densities were different. However, the estimation error of arborous vegetation coverage was relatively large, probably due to the effects of remote sensing image resolution, vegetation fragmentation, and mixed pixel model.

[Biomass structure analysis of Atractylodes lancea in different ecological environments].

OBJECTIVE: To study the ecological environments of Atractylodes lancea by biomass structural analysis. METHOD: Through the scientific investigation in Maoshan, the sampling spots were set up, the relation between growth and ecological environments was researched and the ecological environments of A. lancea were divided as following: the vegetation layer, the shrub layer, the shrub-weed layer and the weed layer. The ramet biomass, height, leaves and coverage of A. lancea were studied. RESULT: The several factors (ramet biomass, height, leaves and coverage) showed the regular change. Among maximum, minimum and average, the shrub layer was the biggest, the shrub and weed layer was the second biggest and the vegetation layer and the weed layer was the least. CONCLUSION: A. lancea tends to distribute in the shrub layer and the shrub-weed layer.

[Study on dynamical changes of Ginkgo biloba resources in Pizhou city of Jiangsu Province base on RS and GIS].

OBJECTIVE: To analyse the dynamical changes of the Ginkgo biloba's resources from 2001 to 2006, in Pizhou city, Jiangshu province by useing spatial analytical function of GIS and RS technology. METHOD: Use the GIS and RS technology, extracted the information of G. biloba by scientific investigation, researched the spatial distribution and dynamical changes of G. biloba based on landsat 5 TM: the Apr. 3rd, 2001; Jan. 16th, 2005; July 30th, 2006. RESULT: Ginkgo biloba's resource was 1.61 x 10(5) hm2 in 2001, 1.84 x 10(5) hm2 in 2005, 1.88 x 10(5) hm2 in 2006. CONCLUSION: Ginkgo biloba's resource rised from 1.61 x 10(5) hm2 to 1.88 x 10(5) hm2 from 2001 to 2006, showed the gradually rise.

[Measurement and dynamic analysis of ecological capital of terrestrial ecosystem in China].

Based on remote sensing and ecological principles, an estimation model of ecological capital was established in this paper. The estimation showed that the ecological capital of terrestrial ecosystem in China was 8.148, 10.86 and 12.44 trillion yuan (RMB) in 1992, 1995 and 2000, respectively. Forest had the highest value (24 673 yuan x hm(-2)), and followed by wetland (21 353 yuan x hm(-2)), both of which gave the most contribution to the ecological capital. According to its spatial distribution, the ecological capital of terrestrial ecosystem in China descended from east to west, and ascended from middle to northeast and south of this country, which was accordant with the vegetation distribution. Owing to the climate change and human activity, the ecological capital of Chinese terrestrial ecosystem ascended from 1992 to 2000, and the spatial distribution of its largest value moved obviously from north to south, with a total change rate of about 20%. However, the ratio between ecological capital and GDP descended significantly in the 1990s.