Septic shock leads to myocardial dysfunction and induces inflammation. Nod-like receptor family pyrin domain-containing 3 (NLRP3) inflammasomes are involved in inflammation, and gastrodin can inhibit ...the activity of inflammasomes. Our study aimed to explore the effect of gastrodin against septic shock–induced injury through inhibiting NLRP3. Before establishing septic shock mice model, the mice were injected with gastrodin of various concentrations. The cardiac function of mice was detected by a PowerLab, and the histopathological changes of mouse myocardial tissues were detected by hematoxylin-eosin staining. Apoptosis of cardiomyocytes from mice was detected by TUNEL assay, and IL-1β concentration was detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. After culture
in vitro
and treatment with gastrodin, lipopolysaccharide (LPS), and NLRP3 vector, the cell viability and apoptosis of cardiomyocytes were detected by cell counting kit-8 and flow cytometry respectively. Besides, the expressions of NLRP3, Caspase-1, IL-1β, Bax, and Bcl-2 in mouse myocardial tissue or cultured cardiomyocytes were detected by Western blot. Gastrodin improved survival and promoted the recovery of cardiac function in septic shock mice, as it reversed the abnormality of left ventricular function indices in septic shock mice. Besides, gastrodin decreased IL-1β concentration and apoptosis in myocardial tissues of septic shock mice and decreased apoptosis and increased cell viability in LPS-induced cardiomyocytes. In addition, gastrodin downregulated NLRP3, Caspase-1, IL-1β, and Bax expressions and upregulated Bcl-2 expression in myocardial tissues of septic shock mice and LPS-induced cardiomyocytes. NLRP3 overexpression reversed the effect of gastrodin on LPS-induced cardiomyocytes. Gastrodin promoted cardiac function recovery and protected cardiomyocytes against septic shock–induced injury by regulating NLRP3.
The Duroc pig originated in the United States and is a typical lean-meat pig. The breed grows fast, and the body size is large, but the meat quality is poor. The Luchuan pig is one of eight excellent ...local breeds in China; it has tender meat but is small in size. To study the factors that determine growth, we selected the longissimus dorsi muscle of Luchuan and Duroc pigs for transcriptome sequencing. The results of the transcriptome showed that 3682 genes were differentially expressed (DEGs) in the longissimus dorsi muscle of Duroc and Luchuan pigs. We screened out genes related to muscle development and selected the MYL2 (Myosin light chain-2) gene to perform preliminary research. Gene Ontology (GO) enrichment of biological functions and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) analysis showed that the gene products were mainly involved in the Akt/FoxO signaling pathway, fatty acid metabolism, arachidonic acid metabolism and glycine, serine and threonine metabolism. Such pathways contributed to skeletal muscle growth, fatty acid metabolism and intramuscular fat deposition. These results provide insight into the mechanisms underlying the formation of skeletal muscle and provide candidate genes to improve growth traits, as well as contribute to improving the growth and development traits of pigs through molecular breeding.
Fusarium root rot (FRR) seriously affects the growth and productivity of A. chinensis. Therefore, protecting A. chinensis from FRR has become an important task, especially for increasing A. chinensis ...production. The purpose of this study was to screen FRR control strains from the A. chinensis rhizosphere soil. Eighty-four bacterial strains and seven fungal strains were isolated, and five strains were identified with high inhibitory effects against Fusarium oxysporum (FO): Trichoderma harzianum (MH), Bacillus amyloliquefaciens (CJ5, CJ7, and CJ8), and Bacillus subtilis (CJ9). All five strains had high antagonistic effects in vitro. Results showed that MH and CJ5, as biological control agents, had high control potential, with antagonistic rates of 86.01% and 82.78%, respectively. In the pot experiment, the growth levels of roots and stems of A. chinensis seedlings treated with MH+CJ were significantly higher than those of control plants. The total nitrogen, total phosphorus, total potassium, indoleacetic acid, and chlorophyll contents in A. chinensis leaves were also significantly increased. In the biocontrol test, the combined MH + CJ application significantly decreased the malondialdehyde content in A. chinensis roots and significantly increased the polyphenol oxidase, phenylalanine ammonolyase, and peroxidase ability, indicating a high biocontrol effect. In addition, the application of Bacillus spp. and T. harzianum increased the abundance and diversity of the soil fungal population, improved the soil microbial community structure, and significantly increased the abundance of beneficial strains, such as Holtermanniella and Metarhizium. The abundance of Fusarium, Volutella, and other pathogenic strains was significantly reduced, and the biocontrol potential of A. chinensis root rot was increased. Thus, Bacillus spp. and T. harzianum complex bacteria can be considered potential future biocontrol agents for FRR.
To investigate the clinical features and risk factors for methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) pneumonia (MP) with secondary MRSA bloodstream infections (MRSA-BSI) (termed MP-BSI) ...compared with MP alone and to study the incidence of MP-BSI among patients with MP.
This was a retrospective, single-center study with clinical data derived from previous medical records. The cases were divided into groups: MP alone and MP-BSI. The determination of independent risk factors for MP-BSI relied on logistic regression analysis. Additionally, the crude outcomes were compared.
A total of 435 patients with MP were recruited, with 18.9% (82/435) having MP-BSI. The median age was 62 (interquartile range, 51,72) years, and 74.5% of the patients were male. Multivariate analysis revealed that immunosuppression, community-acquired MP (CA-MP), time from initial to targeted antibiotic use, high Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (SOFA) score, increased respiratory rate, and elevated γ-GT level (all p < 0.05) were independent risk factors for MP-BSI, while targeted treatment with linezolid was a protective factor. Patients with MP-BSI had a longer duration of hospitalization (median days, 27.5 vs. 19, p = 0.001), a higher 28-day mortality rate (24.4% vs. 11.0%, p = 0.001), and a higher in-hospital mortality rate (26.8% vs. 14.7%, p = 0.009) than those with MP alone.
Secondary MRSA-BSI among patients with MP is not rare. Immunosuppression, CA-MP, time from initial to targeted antibiotic use, high SOFA score, increased respiratory rate and elevated γ-GT level are all independent risk factors for MP-BSI; however, linezolid, as a targeted antibiotic, is a protective factor. Moreover, patients with MP may have worse clinical outcomes when they develop MRSA-BSI.
•Secondary MRSA bloodstream infection is not uncommon in MRSA pneumonia.•Some factors (e.g., high SOFA score) are predictors of bloodstream infection.•Linezolid as a targeted antibiotic is a protective factor.•Secondary bloodstream infection will worsen clinical outcomes of pneumonia.
Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, Pneumonia, Bloodstream infections, Risk factors.
•SF mitigated the liver cell apoptosis of traumatic hemorrhagic shock rats.•SF mitigated the liver function impairment in traumatic hemorrhagic shock rats.•SF mitigated the liver inflammation of ...traumatic hemorrhagic shock rats.•SF activated the Nrf2/HO-1 pathway to play its effect on traumatic hemorrhagic shock rats.
The protective effects of sulforaphane on liver injury induced by high-fat diet and sodium valproate were previously reported. The present study preliminarily investigated the effect of sulforaphane on liver injury induced by traumatic hemorrhagic shock.
After a traumatic hemorrhagic shock model was established in rats, the survival of rats during the first 24 hours was analyzed by Kaplan-Meier analysis. The serum levels of alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), total bilirubin (TB), tumor necrosis factor α (TNF-α), and interleukin 1β (IL-1β) were measured using a biochemical analyzer or enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The cell apoptosis and histopathology of liver tissues were examined by TUNEL and hematoxylin-eosin (HE) staining. The mRNA and protein expressions of B-cell lymphoma-2 (Bcl-2), Bcl2 associated X (Bax), Caspase-3, TNF-α, IL-1β, Cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2), nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), nuclear factor E2-related factor 2 (Nrf2), and heme oxygenase 1 (HO-1) in the liver tissues were determined by immunohistochemical staining, quantitative reverse transcription PCR (qRT-PCR) or western blot.
Sulforaphane promoted the health of the animal, reduced liver cell apoptosis and ameliorated the histopathological damage in the liver of rats with traumatic hemorrhagic shock. Sulforaphane downregulated the expressions of liver function-related factors (ALT, AST, TB), inflammation-related factors (TNF-α, IL-1β, COX-2, iNOS), and apoptosis-related factors (Bax, Caspase-3) and upregulated the expressions of factors related to apoptosis (Bcl-2) and Nrf2/HO-1 pathway (Nrf2, HO-1).
Sulforaphane protected the liver against traumatic hemorrhagic shock through ameliorating the apoptosis and inflammation of the liver via activating the Nrf2/HO-1 pathway.
Abstract Many studies have analyzed the relation about xeroderma pigmentosum group D (XPD) Lys751Gln polymorphism on esophageal cancer risk; however, the results were inconclusive. The present study ...was designed to assess the relationship in China. We searched the relevant articles from the databases of PubMed, Springer Link, Ovid, Chinese Wanfang Database, CNKI and Chinese Biology Medicine up to December 2019. An OR with the corresponding 95%CI was adopted to evaluate this association. This meta-analysis included 12 studies with 4195 esophageal cancer cases and 4762 controls. Overall, a positive association between XPD Lys751Gln and esophageal cancer risk was found in all the analysis model (Gln vs. Lys, OR= 1.26, 95% CI= 1.14-1.44; Gln/Gln vs. Lys/Lys, OR= 1.73, 95% CI= 1.29-2.31; Gln/Gln vs. Lys/Lys + Asp/Asn, OR= 1.63, 95% CI= 1.22-2.18; Gln/Gln+ Asp/Asn vs. Lys/Lys, OR= 1.25, 95% CI= 1.13-1.39). Subgroup analyses by geographic area and source of controls were further conducted; there was no substantial change in subgroup analyses. Our study suggested that XPD Lys751Gln polymorphism could increase the risk of esophageal cancer in China. Further studies in other ethnic populations are wanted to confirm these conclusions.
Long non-coding (lnc)RNA NCK1 antisense RNA 1 (NCK1-AS1) has been characterized as an oncogene in cervical cancer, while its role in prostate cancer (PC) remains unknown. It was revealed in the ...present study that plasma NCK1-AS1 was upregulated in patients with PC when compared with patients with benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) and healthy controls. Upregulation of NCK1-AS1 distinguished patients with PC from patients with BPH and healthy controls. Overexpression of NCK1-AS1 led to significantly upregulated transforming growth factor (TGF)-β1, while TGF-β1 overexpression failed to significantly affect NCK1-AS1 in PC cells. NCK1-AS1 overexpression led to promoted migration and invasion. TGF-β inhibitor played an opposite role and attenuated the effects of NCK1-AS1 overexpression. Therefore, NCK1-AS1 may upregulate TGF-β1 to promote PC.
Fusarium root rot (FRR) seriously affects the growth and productivity of A. chinensis. Therefore, protecting A. chinensis from FRR has become an important task, especially for increasing A. chinensis ...production. The purpose of this study was to screen FRR control strains from the A. chinensis rhizosphere soil. Eighty-four bacterial strains and seven fungal strains were isolated, and five strains were identified with high inhibitory effects against Fusarium oxysporum (FO): Trichoderma harzianum (MH), Bacillus amyloliquefaciens (CJ5, CJ7, and CJ8), and Bacillus subtilis (CJ9). All five strains had high antagonistic effects in vitro. Results showed that MH and CJ5, as biological control agents, had high control potential, with antagonistic rates of 86.01% and 82.78%, respectively. In the pot experiment, the growth levels of roots and stems of A. chinensis seedlings treated with MH+CJ were significantly higher than those of control plants. The total nitrogen, total phosphorus, total potassium, indoleacetic acid, and chlorophyll contents in A. chinensis leaves were also significantly increased. In the biocontrol test, the combined MH + CJ application significantly decreased the malondialdehyde content in A. chinensis roots and significantly increased the polyphenol oxidase, phenylalanine ammonolyase, and peroxidase ability, indicating a high biocontrol effect. In addition, the application of Bacillus spp. and T. harzianum increased the abundance and diversity of the soil fungal population, improved the soil microbial community structure, and significantly increased the abundance of beneficial strains, such as Holtermanniella and Metarhizium. The abundance of Fusarium, Volutella, and other pathogenic strains was significantly reduced, and the biocontrol potential of A. chinensis root rot was increased. Thus, Bacillus spp. and T. harzianum complex bacteria can be considered potential future biocontrol agents for FRR.
Abstract Many studies have analyzed the relation about xeroderma pigmentosum group D (XPD) Lys751Gln polymorphism on esophageal cancer risk; however, the results were inconclusive. The present study ...was designed to assess the relationship in China. We searched the relevant articles from the databases of PubMed, Springer Link, Ovid, Chinese Wanfang Database, CNKI and Chinese Biology Medicine up to December 2019. An OR with the corresponding 95%CI was adopted to evaluate this association. This meta-analysis included 12 studies with 4195 esophageal cancer cases and 4762 controls. Overall, a positive association between XPD Lys751Gln and esophageal cancer risk was found in all the analysis model (Gln vs. Lys, OR= 1.26, 95% CI= 1.14-1.44; Gln/Gln vs. Lys/Lys, OR= 1.73, 95% CI= 1.29-2.31; Gln/Gln vs. Lys/Lys + Asp/Asn, OR= 1.63, 95% CI= 1.22-2.18; Gln/Gln+ Asp/Asn vs. Lys/Lys, OR= 1.25, 95% CI= 1.13-1.39). Subgroup analyses by geographic area and source of controls were further conducted; there was no substantial change in subgroup analyses. Our study suggested that XPD Lys751Gln polymorphism could increase the risk of esophageal cancer in China. Further studies in other ethnic populations are wanted to confirm these conclusions.
Soluble starch synthase is a key enzyme in the starch biosynthesis pathway, and its enzyme activity significantly influences starch components in cassava storage root. However, studies on the ...regulation mechanism of soluble starch synthase gene are rare. In this study, we cloned the 5′ flanking sequence of the MeSSIIb gene and predicted the distribution of cis-elements. The region from −453 to −1 was considered the primary core promoter by the quantitative detection of GUS activity in transgenic tobacco plants containing 5′ truncated promoters fused with the GUS gene. Analysis results clarified that the region from −531 to −454 significantly repressed promoter activity. The region from −453 to −388 was a repressive domain of ethylene, and some unknown drought responsive cis-elements were located in the region from −387 to −1. These findings will provide useful information on the functional assay and transcriptional regulation mechanisms of the MeSSIIb gene.
PDF
