Liver fibrosis is a common pathologic process related to chronic liver disease. However, there are currently no effective methods to reverse liver fibrosis. Chronic liver disease is typically ...associated with a major imbalance in the intestinal flora, and targeting the regulation of the intestinal flora structure may facilitate the prevention and treatment of chronic liver disease. Therefore, in this study, we explored the effects of dietary fiber on the prevention of liver fibrosis in mice.
C57BL/6J mice were randomly divided into 4 groups: olive oil group (control), fibrosis (CCl4) group, resistant maltodextrin (RM) + CCl4 group, and wheat fiber (WF) + CCl4 group. In the latter 3 groups, liver fibrosis was established by treatment with CCl4. In the RM + CCl4 and WF + CCl4 groups, the mice were treated with soluble dietary fiber (RM) or insoluble dietary fiber (WF) for 3 wk before receiving CCl4. The effects of dietary fiber on various indexes of liver fibrosis in mice induced by CCl4 were observed.
The results showed that increasing dietary fiber intake prevented liver fibrosis in mice, reduced serum levels of proinflammatory factors (e.g., tumor necrosis factor-alpha, interleukin IL 1-beta and IL-6) and increased IL-10 and interferon-gamma levels. Moreover, increased dietary fiber intake also reduced the infiltration of cluster of differentiation (CD) 3+, 4+, and 8+ T lymphocytes in the liver, regulated the structure of the intestinal flora, and increased the Bacteroidetes/Firmicutes ratio.
Our findings revealed the complex relationships between dietary fiber, intestinal flora, and immunity, and suggested that dietary therapy could alleviate liver fibrosis.
•Dietary fiber intake could alleviate and prevent liver fibrosis.•Dietary fiber intake reduces the serum levels of proinflammatory factors and increases interleukin-10 and interferon-gamma levels.•Dietary fiber intake reduces the infiltration of clusters of differentiation 3+, 4+, and 8+ T lymphocytes in the liver.•Dietary fiber intake could regulate the structure of intestinal flora, increasing the Bacteroidetes/Firmicutes ratio.
Stroke is a major public health problem leading to high rates of death and disability in adults. Excessive stimulation of N-methyl-D-aspartate receptors (NMDARs) and the resulting neuronal nitric ...oxide synthase (nNOS) activation are crucial for neuronal injury after stroke insult. However, directly inhibiting NMDARs or nNOS can cause severe side effects because they have key physiological functions in the CNS. Here we show that cerebral ischemia induces the interaction of nNOS with postsynaptic density protein-95 (PSD-95). Disrupting nNOS-PSD-95 interaction via overexpressing the N-terminal amino acid residues 1-133 of nNOS (nNOS-N1-133) prevented glutamate-induced excitotoxicity and cerebral ischemic damage. Given the mechanism of nNOS-PSD-95 interaction, we developed a series of compounds and discovered a small-molecular inhibitor of the nNOS-PSD-95 interaction, ZL006. This drug blocked the ischemia-induced nNOS-PSD-95 association selectively, had potent neuroprotective activity in vitro and ameliorated focal cerebral ischemic damage in mice and rats subjected to middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) and reperfusion. Moreover, it readily crossed the blood-brain barrier, did not inhibit NMDAR function, catalytic activity of nNOS or spatial memory, and had no effect on aggressive behaviors. Thus, this new drug may serve as a treatment for stroke, perhaps without major side effects.
This review paper summarizes the recent progress of highly efficient copolymers with the fluorination strategy for photovoltaic applications. The resulting structure–property correlations of these ...copolymers are discussed which shall certainly facilitate widespread utilization of this strategy for constructing high-performance photovoltaic copolymers in the future. Display omitted
This review paper summarizes the recent progress of highly efficient copolymers with the fluorination strategy for photovoltaic applications. We first present a brief introduction of the fundamental principles of polymer solar cells, and then the functions of fluorine atoms on the polymer donor materials. Finally, we review the research progress of the reported copolymers by classification of the fluorinated acceptor units and donor units, respectively. The resulting structure–property correlations of these copolymers are also discussed which shall certainly facilitate widespread utilization of this strategy for constructing high-performance photovoltaic copolymers in the future.
Abstract The ankle joint, which connects the lower limbs and the sole of the foot, is prone to sprain during walking and sports, which leads to ankle arthritis. Supratroleolar osteotomy is an ankle ...preserving operation for the treatment of ankle arthritis, in which the osteotomy is an important fixing and supporting part. In order to avoid stress shielding effect as much as possible, the osteotomy block is designed as a porous structure. In this study, the osteotomy block was designed based on three-period minimal surface, and the designed structure was manufactured by 3D printing. The mechanical properties of different structures were studied by mechanical test and finite element simulation. In mechanical tests, the Gyroid structure showed a progressive failure mechanism from bottom to bottom, while the Diamond structure showed a shear failure zone at 45° Angle, which was not conducive to energy absorption and was more prone to brittle fracture than the Gyroid structure. Therefore, the Gyroid structure is valuable for further research in the development of porous osteotomy.
Cutaneous tuberculosis with various manifestations can be divided into several clinical types according to the host's immune status and infective route. However, the etiological factors of this ...disease remain unclear. The objective of this study is to investigate the pathogens associated with the occurrence and different types of cutaneous tuberculosis.
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strains isolated from cutaneous tuberculosis over the last 20 years were sequenced and analyzed for genomic characteristics including lineage distribution, drug-resistance mutations, and mutations potentially associated with different sites of infection.
The
strains from four major types of cutaneous tuberculosis and pulmonary tuberculosis shared similar genotypes and genomic composition. The strains isolated from cutaneous tuberculosis had a lower rate of drug resistance. Phylogenic analysis showed cutaneous tuberculosis and pulmonary tuberculosis isolates scattered on the three. Several SNPs in metabolism related genes exhibited a strong correlation with different infection sites.
The different infection sites of TB may barely be affected by large genomic changes in
isolates, but the significant difference in SNPs of drug resistance gene and metabolism-related genes still deserves more attention.
It has been demonstrated that neuronal nitric oxide synthase (nNOS) negatively regulates adult neurogenesis. However, the cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying are poorly understood. Here, we ...show that nNOS from neural stem cells (NSCs) and from neurons play opposite role in regulating neurogenesis. The NSCs treated with nNOS inhibitor N(5)-(1-imino-3-butenyl)-L- ornithine (L-VNIO) or nNOS gene deletion exhibited significantly decreased proliferation and neuronal differentiation, indicating that NSCs-derived nNOS is essential for neurogenesis. The NSCs cocultured with neurons displayed a significantly decreased proliferation, and deleting nNOS gene in neurons or scavenging extracellular nitric oxide (NO) abolished the effects of coculture, suggesting that neurons-derived nNOS, a source of exogenous NO for NSCs, exerts a negative control on neurogenesis. Indeed, the NSCs exposed to NO donor DETA/NONOate displayed decreased proliferation and neuronal differentiation. The bidirectional regulation of neurogenesis by NSCs- and neurons-derived nNOS is probably related to their distinct subcellular localizations, mainly in nuclei for NSCs and in cytoplasm for neurons. Both L-VNIO and DETA/NONOate inhibited telomerase activity and proliferation in wild-type (WT) but not in nNOS(-/-) NSCs, suggesting a nNOS-telomerase signaling in neurogenesis. The NSCs exposed to DETA/NONOate exhibited reduced cAMP response element binding protein (CREB) phosphorylation, nNOS expression, and proliferation. The effects of DETA/NONOate were reversed by forskolin, an activator of CREB signaling. Moreover, disrupting CREB phosphorylation by H-89 or LV-CREB133-GFP simulated the effects of DETA/NONOate, and inhibited telomerase activity. Thus, we conclude that NSCs-derived nNOS stimulates neurogenesis via activating telomerase, whereas neurons-derived nNOS represses neurogenesis by supplying exogenous NO that hinders CREB activation, in turn, reduces nNOS expression in NSCs.
Abstract A prospective cohort study was conducted to determine whether chromosome aneuploidy increases the risk of early spontaneous abortions in patients with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). A ...total of 1461 patients who conceived after IVF and embryo transfer were followed; 100 patients who had experienced clinical spontaneous abortion were recruited, 32 with PCOS and 68 without PCOS. Before 2013, genetic analysis comprised conventional cultured villus chromosome karyotyping and a multiplex ligation-dependent probe amplification subtelomere assay combined with fluorescence in-situ hybridization; since 2013, array-based comparative genomic hybridization technique combined with chromosome karyotyping has been used. Age, BMI, pregnancy history, gestational age and total gonadotrophin dosage did not differ significantly between the PCOS and non-PCOS groups. In the PCOS group, 28.1% of abortuses demonstrated aneuploidy, which was significantly lower ( P = 0.001) than in the non-PCOS group (72.1%). Further statistical analyses controlling for maternal age demonstrated that abortuses of women with PCOS were significantly less ( P = 0.001) likely to have chromosome aneuploidy. Embryonic aneuploidy does not play a vital role in early spontaneous abortion in women with PCOS. Maternal factors resulting in endometrial disorders are more likely to be responsible for the increased risk of early spontaneous abortion in patients with PCOS.
Hybrid wild boar husbandry is an important component of livestock production in Northeast China. However, the current disease situation of these animals is largely unknown due to a lack of disease ...surveillance. The present study was conducted to determine the prevalence of several important viral diseases in the hybrid wild boar population of Northeast China. Between September 2015 to December 2016, 169 blood and 61 tissue samples were collected from apparently healthy hybrid wild boars from farms in Jilin, Inner Mongolia and Heilongjiang provinces. ELISA detected serum antibodies against classical swine fever virus (CSFV), porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV), pseudorabies virus (PRV), porcine circovirus type 2 (PCV2) and Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV), but not against African swine fever virus (ASFV), with PCV2 having the highest seropositive rate (87.2-100％ in different farms). RT-PCR or PCR performed on the processed samples detected only PCV2, with 33.1％ (56/169) of blood samples and 32.8％ (20/61) of spleen samples being positive, respectively, indicating widespread PCV2 infection in hybrid wild boars. Phylogenetic analysis of 15 PCV2 ORF2 sequences showed that they belong to genotypes PCV2a, PCV2b and PCV2d, with nucleotide and deduced amino acid homologies of 88.5-100％ and 88.1-100％, respectively.
Fourfold benzocyclobutene-functionalized perylene bisimide（PBI 4） has been synthesized and its structure was characterized by FTIR,MS and NMR.PBI 4 can react either with itself,or the appropriate ...dienophiles to form the corresponding products under appropriate temperature.The polymer film obtained from the reaction of PBI 4 with methyl vinyl silicone rubber possessed excellent film forming properties including flatness.The optical properties of PBI 4 and polymer film obtained from the reaction of PBI 4 and methyl vinyl silicone rubber have been determined by UV/vis and fluorescence spectroscopy.
The (COCl)2/Hantzsch ester is found to be an effective system for the metal-free reduction of tertiary phosphine oxides. The reaction proceeds under mild conditions, and is applicable to ...triarylphosphine oxides and alkyldiarylphosphine oxides to produce the corresponding tertiary phosphines in good to excellent yields.
The (COCl)2/Hantzsch ester is found to be an effective system for the metal-free reduction of tertiary phosphine oxides. The reaction proceeds under mild conditions, and is applicable to triarylphosphine oxides and alkyldiarylphosphine oxides to produce the corresponding tertiary phosphines in good to excellent yields. This new finding provides a practical, convenient and metal-free method for the reduction of tertiary phosphine oxides to tertiary phosphines, and shows potential application in organic synthesis.
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