Resistant effects determination of Lactobacillus supplementation on broilers to consecutive hydrogen sulfide exposure.

Hydrogen sulfide (H2S) is one of the most irritant gases present in rearing stalls that suppress broilers' healthy growth, which is seriously required an effective alleviation method. In this study, Lactobacillus was supplemented to investigate the alleviative effects on broilers reared under consecutive H2S exposure. A total of 180 healthy 1-day-old male AA broilers with similar body weight (40.8 ± 1.0 g) were randomly allotted into the control treatment (CON), the hydrogen sulfide treatment (H2S), and the Lactobacillus supplement under H2S exposure treatment (LAC) for a 42-d-long feeding process. Growth and carcass performances, immunity-related parameters, intestinal development and cecal microbial communities, and blood metabolites were measured. Results showed that Lactobacillus supplement significantly increased the body weight gain (BWG) while reduced the mortality rate, abdominal fat and bursa of fabricius weight during the whole rearing time compared with H2S treatment (P < 0.05). Serum LPS, IL-1ß, IL-2, and IL-6 contents were observed significantly increased after H2S treatment while remarkably decreased after Lactobacillus supplementation(P < 0.05). Intestinal morphology results showed a significant higher in the development of ileum villus height (P < 0.05). Cecal microbiota results showed the bacterial composition was significantly altered after Lactobacillus supplement (P < 0.05). Specifically, Lactobacillus supplement significantly decreased the relative abundance of Faecalibacterium, while significantly proliferated the relative abundance of Lactobacillus, Bifidobacterium, Clostridium, and Campylobacter (P<0.05). Metabolic results indicated that Lactobacillus supplement may alleviate the harmful effects caused by H2S through regulating the pyrimidine metabolism, starch and sucrose metabolism, fructose and mannose degradation, and beta-alanine metabolism. In summary, Lactobacillus supplement effectively increased BWG and decreased mortality rate of broilers under H2S exposure by enhancing the body's immune capacity, proliferating beneficial microbes (e.g., Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium), and regulating the physiological pyrimidine metabolism, starch and sucrose metabolism, and beta-alanine metabolism.

A novel oxidative-stress related lncRNA signature predicts the prognosis of clear cell renal cell carcinoma.

Clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) is a primary malignant tumour of tubular epithelial origin and is most common in the urinary tract. Growing evidence suggests that oxidative stress (OS), generates high levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and free radicals, and plays a critical role in cancer in humans. However, the predictive value of OS-related long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) in ccRCC remains unclear. We constructed a predictive signature of survival based on OS-related lncRNAs that were obtained from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA-KIRC), to predict the prognosis of patients with ccRCC. The signature comprised seven lncRNAs: SPART-AS1, AL162586.1, LINC00944, LINC01550, HOXB-AS4, LINC02027, and DOCK9-DT. OS-related signature of lncRNAs had diagnostic efficiency higher than that of clinicopathological variables, with an area of 0.794 under the receiver operating characteristic curve. Additionally, the nomogram based on risk scores and clinicopathological variables (age, gender, grade, stage, M-stage, and N-stage) showed strong predictive performance. Patients with high-risk were found to be more sensitive to the therapeutic drugs ABT.888, AICAR, MS.275, sunitinib, AZD.2281, and GDC.0449. Our constructed the predictive signature can independently predict the prognosis of patients with ccRCC; however, the underlying mechanism needs further investigation.

Comparing the diagnostic performance of QuantiFERON-TB Gold Plus with QFT-GIT, T-SPOT.TB and TST: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: QuantiFERON-TB Gold Plus (QFT-Plus) is an important test that has emerged in recent years for detecting TB infection. We conducted a review to compare the sensitivity, specificity and positive rate of QFT-Plus with that of QuantiFERON-TB Gold In-Tube (QFT-GIT), T-cell spot of tuberculosis assay (T-SPOT.TB) and Tuberculin test (TST). METHODS: PubMed and Embase were searched, without language restrictions, from 1 January 2015 to 31 March 2022 using "Mycobacterium tuberculosis Infections" and "QuantiFERON-TB-Plus" as search phrases. We estimated the sensitivity from studies of patients with active tuberculosis, specificity from studies of populations with very low risk of TB exposure, and positive rate from studies of high-risk populations. The methodological quality of the eligible studies was assessed, and a random-effects model meta-analysis was used to determine the risk difference (RD). We assessed the pooled rate by using a random-effects model. This study was registered in PROSPERO (CRD 42021267432). RESULTS: Of 3996 studies, 83 were eligible for full-text screening and 41 were included in the meta-analysis. In patients with active TB, the sensitivity of QFT-Plus was compared to that of QFT-GIT and T-SPOT.TB, respectively, and no statistically differences were found. In populations with a very low risk of TB exposure, the specificity of QFT-Plus was compared with that of QFT-GTI and T-SPOT.TB, respectively, and no statistically differences were found. Two studies were eligible to compare the specificity of the QFT-Plus test with that of the TST test, and the pooled RD was 0.12 (95% CI 0.02 to 0.22). In high-risk populations, 18 studies were eligible to compare the positive rate of the QFT-Plus test with that of the QFT-GIT test, and the pooled RD was 0.02 (95% CI 0.01 to 0.03). The positive rate of QFT-Plus was compared with that of T-SPOT.TB and TST groups, and no statistically differences were found. CONCLUSIONS: The diagnostic performance of QFT-Plus was similar to that of QFT-GIT and T-SPOT.TB, but was slightly more specific than TST.

Sphingosine-1-Phosphate Alleviates Irradiation Induced Salivary Gland Hypofunction through Preserving Endothelial Cells and Resident Macrophages.

Radiotherapy for head-and-neck cancers frequently causes long-term hypofunction of salivary glands that severely compromises quality of life and is difficult to treat. Here, we studied effects and mechanisms of Sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P), a versatile signaling sphingolipid, in preventing irreversible dry mouth caused by radiotherapy. Mouse submandibular glands (SMGs) were irradiated with or without intra-SMG S1P pretreatment. The saliva flow rate was measured following pilocarpine stimulation. The expression of genes related to S1P signaling and radiation damage was examined by flow cytometry, immunohistochemistry, quantitative RT-PCR, Western blotting, and/or single-cell RNA-sequencing. S1P pretreatment ameliorated irradiation-induced salivary dysfunction in mice through a decrease in irradiation-induced oxidative stress and consequent apoptosis and cellular senescence, which is related to the enhancement of Nrf2-regulated anti-oxidative response. In mouse SMGs, endothelial cells and resident macrophages are the major cells capable of producing S1P and expressing the pro-regenerative S1P receptor S1pr1. Both mouse SMGs and human endothelial cells are protected from irradiation damage by S1P pretreatment, likely through the S1pr1/Akt/eNOS axis. Moreover, intra-SMG-injected S1P did not affect the growth and radiosensitivity of head-and-neck cancer in a mouse model. These data indicate that S1P signaling pathway is a promising target for alleviating irradiation-induced salivary gland hypofunction.

Induced autologous stem cell transplantation for treatment of rabbit type 1 diabetes.

We have examined the effects of induced autologous stem cells on blood sugar levels in a rabbit model of type 1 diabetes. Rabbit skin fibroblasts were induced to dedifferentiate into multipotent stem cells, and were transplanted into the treatment group via the pancreatic artery. After the fibroblasts had been induced for 72 h, some of them became multipotent stem cells. Four weeks after cell transplantation, blood glucose levels of the induced stem cell treatment group were significantly lower. The plasma insulin and plasma C-peptide levels of the treated group were significantly increased (P < 0.05). The shape and number of islets was different. In the control group, induced cell treatment group and non-induced cell treatment group. In the control group, islet ß-cell nucleoli were obvious, and cell volumes were larger with more abundant cytoplasm. The rough endoplasmic reticulum was well-developed and a large number of secretory granules could be seen within the cytoplasm. In the induced cell treatment group, islet ß cells were scattered, and their nuclei were oval and slightly irregular in shape. The cytoplasm of these cells contained a nearly normal number of secretory granules. In the non-induced cell treatment group, islet ß-cells were atrophied and cell volumes were reduced. Cytoplasmic endocrine granules were significantly reduced or absent. In conclusion, treatment with induced multipotent stem cells can reduce blood sugar levels, improve islet cell function, and repair damaged pancreas in a rabbit model of type 1 diabetes.

[Regulation of photosynthesis by light quality and its mechanism in plants].

Photosynthesis is the basis of plant growth and development. The regulations of photosynthesis by light quality include regulations of stomatal movement, leaf growth, chloroplast structure, photosynthetic pigment, D1 protein and its gene and photosynthetic carbon assimilation by visible light, and effect of ultraviolet light on photosystem II in plant. Blue light and red light can promote the opening of stomata, while the green light can close stomata. Blue light can improve the development of chloroplast, complex light of red, blue and green lights can expand leaf area, and red light can increase the accumulation of photosynthesis production. Effects of different light quality differ in various plants, organs and tissues. Blue light and far red light can promote the accumulation of psbA gene transcription. Most higher plants and green algae have highest photosynthesis rate in orange and red lights, secondly in blue-violet light, and minimum in green light. Ultraviolet light can decline the electron transfer activity of photosystem II. Moreover, questions regarding the effect of light quality on photosynthesis and some topics for future study were also discussed in this paper.

[Environmental regulation of Citrus photosynthesis].

Recent researches on the mechanisms of environmental regulation of citrus photosynthesis showed that the photoinhibition of photosynthesis induced by strong light or ultraviolet radiation was related to the inactiveness of PS II reaction center, and photorespiration and xanthophyll cycle played a pivotal role in protecting photosynthetic apparatus. Under temperature stress, lower CO2 assimilation was mainly due to the decrease of RuBPCase activity and the inactiveness of PS II reaction center, and species sensitivity existed. The decline of photosynthetic CO2 assimilation under high water stress was due to non-stomatal limitation, while that under low water stress was due to stomatal limitation. The citrus growth, yield and quality could be increased by increasing photosynthesis under elevated CO2 concentration. The mechanisms of photosynthesis regulation by minerals such as nitrogen, phosphorus, sulfur and iron, as well as the effects of salt stress on photosynthesis were discussed, and the directions for future research were suggested.