Polygoni Multiflori Radix (PMR) has been commonly used as a tonic in China for centuries. However, PMR-associated hepatotoxicity is becoming a safety issue. In our previous in vivo study, an ...interaction between stilbenes and anthraquinones has been discovered and a hypothesis is proposed that the interaction between stilbene glucoside-enriching fraction and emodin may contribute to the side effects of PMR. To further support our previous in vivo results in rats, the present in vitro study was designed to evaluate the effects of 2, 3, 5, 4′-tetrahydroxystilbene-2-O-β-D-glucopyranoside (TSG) on the cellular absorption and human liver microsome metabolism of emodin. The obtained results indicated that the absorption of emodin in Caco-2 cells was enhanced and the metabolism of emodin in human liver microsomes was inhibited after TSG treatment. The effects of the transport inhibitors on the cellular emodin accumulation were also examined. Western blot assay suggested that the depressed metabolism of emodin could be attributed to the down-regulation of UDP-glucuronosyltransferases (UGTs) 1A8, 1A10, and 2B7. These findings definitively demonstrated the existence of interaction between TSG and emodin, which provide a basis for a better understanding of the underlying mechanism for PMR-induced liver injury.
African swine fever (ASF), a fatal disease outbroken in China in August 2018, has widely attracted social concern especially in the information era. The occurrence of ASF led to an imbalance between ...supply and demand in pork and other meat markets. As a result, meat prices fluctuated greatly during the past year in 2019. To measure ASF quantitatively, the internet public concern index about ASF was created using web crawler methods. The relationships between ASF and meat prices were analyzed based on time-varying parameter vector auto-regressive (TVP-VAR) model. The results showed that there were some differences in the impact size, direction and duration of ASF on the prices of pork, chicken, beef and mutton, and the characteristics of time variability and heterogeneity were obvious. At the same time, the impact of ASF on meat prices is not consistent with the trend and degree of ASF. The impulse intensity is strongly correlated with the strength and duration of ASF, and it is generally weak in the early stage and much stronger in the middle and late periods. The results indicate that macro regulations, monitoring and early-warning system, standardizing production and circulation, and the public opinion monitoring and guidance about ASF should be given more attention in future to stabilize the market expectations and to promote a smooth functioning of the livestock markets.
The aim of this study was to investigate the feasibility of stimulating ovarian follicle development in order to improve fertility in water buffalo cows by immunization against inhibin. The ...experiment was carried out in early summer （May） and included 24 multi-parity crossbred Murrah-Swamp buffaloes that were divided into immunized （n=11） and control （n=13） groups. Each immunized cow was administered with a 2-mL immunogen of mineral oil adjuvant containing 2 mg of recombinant inhibin a-subunit fusion protein. The controls were treated with the adjuvant only. All animals received Ovsynch protocol treatment, starting on the day of the antigen administration, and they were artificially inseminated upon behavioral estrus. As a result, all of the immunized buffaloes generated antibodies against inhibin during the experimental period and had higher plasma concentrations of follicle-stimulating hormone （FSH）, activin, and estradiol （E2） related to estrous expression. A higher proportion of immunized animals expressed estrus behavior than did the controls （72% vs. 30%, P〈0.05）. On aver- age, inhibin-immunized buffaloes had significantly more large follicles （〉9 mm in diameter） than the controls （mean_＋SEM; 1.2＋0.1 vs. 0.84＋0.1, respectively; P〈0.05）and a slightly higher mean total number of follicles （〉2 mm; 11.4＋0.7 vs. 9.0＋1.1, respectively; P=0.09） and small （2-4 ram） follicles （8.81＋0.6 vs. 6.84＋1.0, respectively; P=0.12）. A higher percentage of cows ovulated in the immunized group than in the control group （91% （10/11） vs. 54% （7/13）, respectively; P〈0.05）. Moreover, inhibin-immunized cows had slightly larger corpus luteum （CL） than the controls 9 days after ovulation and significantly higher （P〈0.01） post-ovulation peak plasma progesterone （P4） concentrations. Immunization against inhibin also mar- ginally increased the conception rate 42 days after insemination （45.8% vs. 15.4%; P〉0.05）. These results demonstrate that immunization against inhibin, coupled with the treatment with the Ovsynch protocol, can constitute a new technique to increase fertility in water buffalo cows.
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•Grouping of the independent variables helps understand the adsorption mechanism of TCs by biochar.•Nonnumeric information variables input reveals the role of surface ...modification.•Simplifying variables input enables quick prediction in urgent scenario.
The detection of tetracyclines (TCs) adsorption performance by specific adsorbent is a time-consuming process. Thus, developing prediction framework based on existing data to quickly evaluate adsorption performance is necessary especially in the urgent scenario. Herein, we employ machine learning to deliver the accurate prediction of TCs adsorption performance by biochar via grouping numeric/nonnumeric information over physiochemical properties of biochar and environmental pressures. We find the TCs adsorption by biochar is a purely physical behavior where porous filling is the primary mechanism. Porous structure of biochar and environmental pressures co-determine the adsorption amount, and the synergism of physiochemical properties of biochar and environmental pressures determines adsorption capacity. Adsorption kinetics is subject to physical properties and environmental pressures. Chemical properties of biochar have a limited influence on adsorption performance and its main contribution is delivered via the interactions between C-contained or O-contained functional groups and TCs. Simplifying model only with reduced variables input can also accurately predict TCs adsorption performance by biochar. This strategy enables the portable prediction in the urgent scenario since expensive instruments and complex detections can be avoided. These findings provide a comprehensive understanding of the way of physiochemical characteristics and environmental pressures on adsorption performance, and offer useful tips in designing biochar-based adsorbents for TCs removal.
The existence of black holes of masses – has important implications for the formation and evolution of star clusters and supermassive black holes. One of the strongest candidates to date is the ...hyperluminous X-ray source (HLX1), possibly located in the S0–a galaxy ESO 243–49, but the lack of an identifiable optical counterpart had hampered its interpretation. Using the Magellan telescope, we have discovered an unresolved optical source with mag and mag within HLX1’s positional error circle. This implies an average X-ray/optical flux ratio . Taking the same distance as ESO 243–49, we obtain an intrinsic brightness mag, comparable to that of a massive globular cluster. Alternatively, the optical source is consistent with a main-sequence M star in the Galactic halo (for example an M4.4 star at kpc). We also examined the properties of ESO 243–49 by combining Swift/Ultraviolet/Optical Telescope (UVOT) observations with stellar population modelling. We found that the overall emission is dominated by a -Gyr-old stellar population, but the UV emission at Å is mostly due to ongoing star formation at a rate of yr−1. The UV emission is more intense (at least a enhancement above the mean) north-east of the nucleus, in the same quadrant as HLX1. With the combined optical and X-ray measurements, we put constraints on the nature of HLX1. We rule out a foreground star and a background AGN. Two alternative scenarios are still viable. HLX1 could be an accreting intermediate mass black hole in a star cluster, which may itself be the stripped nucleus of a dwarf galaxy that passed through ESO 243–49, an event which might have caused the current episode of star formation. Or, it could be a neutron star in the Galactic halo, accreting from an M4–M5 donor star.
Obesity presents a serious threat to human health and broiler performance. The expansion of adipose tissue is mainly regulated by the differentiation of preadipocytes. The differentiation of ...preadipocytes is a complex biological process regulated by a variety of transcription factors and signaling pathways. Previous studies have shown that the transcription factor HMG-box protein 1 (HBP1) can regulate the differentiation of mouse 3T3-L1 preadipocytes by activating the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway. However, it is unclear whether HBP1 involved in chicken preadipocyte differentiation and which signaling pathways it regulates. The aim of the current study was to explore the biological function and molecular regulatory mechanism of HBP1 in the differentiation of chicken preadipocytes. The expression patterns of chicken HBP1 in abdominal adipose tissue and during preadipocyte differentiation were analyzed by RT-qPCR and Western blot. The preadipocyte stably overexpressing HBP1 or knockout HBP1 and their control cell line were used to analyze the effect of HBP1 on preadipocyte differentiation by oil red O staining, RT-qPCR and Western blot. Cignal 45-Pathway Reporter Array was used to screen the signal pathways that HBP1 regulates in the differentiation of chicken preadipocytes. Chemical inhibitor and siRNA for signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) were used to analyze the effect of STAT3 on preadipocyte differentiation. The preadipocyte stably overexpressing HBP1 was transfected by the siRNA of STAT3 or treated with a chemical inhibitor of STAT3 for the rescue experiment. The results of gene expression analysis showed that the expression of HBP1 was related to abdominal fat deposition and preadipocyte differentiation in chickens. The results of function gain and loss experiments indicated that overexpression/knockout of HBP1 in chicken preadipocytes could inhibit/promote (P<0.05) lipid droplet deposition and the expression of adipogenesis-related genes. Mechanismlly, HBP1 activates (P<0.05) the signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) signaling pathway by targeting janus kinase 2 (JAK2) transcription. The results of functional rescue experiments indicated that STAT3 signaling mediated the regulation of HBP1 on chicken preadipocyte differentiation. In conclusion, HBP1 inhibits chicken preadipocyte differentiation by activating the STAT3 signaling pathway via directly enhancing JAK2 expression. Our findings provided new insights for further analysis of the molecular genetic basis of chicken adipose tissue growth and development.
Brazilein is an active small molecular compound extracted from Caesalpinia sappan L. with favorable pharmacological properties on immune system, cardiovascular system, and nervous system. C. sappan ...has been used as a traditional medicine in China for hundreds of years for various diseases. However, the general reproductive toxicity of brazilein is still unknown. The purpose of the present study was to thoroughly evaluate the general reproductive toxicity of brazilein in ICR mice to support the future drug development and modernization of this potent traditional Chinese medicine. The results showed that, although no apparent toxicity on the reproducibility of the male was observed, brazilein might cause considerable risks to the fetuses and females as indicated by the ratios of dead fetuses and reabsorptions. In conclusion, our results from the present study provided some useful insights about the safety profile of brazilein, suggesting that brazilein should be used with caution in pregnant women.
The evolution of precipitates and mechanical properties of AZ80A magnesium alloy with aging time was studied by in situ observation with SEM, TEM and tensile testing. The results show that the ...continuous precipitation (CP) phases near the reaction front (RF) are replaced by the discontinuous precipitation (DP) phases at the early aging stage. In DP regions, the elliptical phases coarsen obviously with the increase of aging time, which results in a slightly slow reduction of the intracrystalline hardness of DP regions. In CP regions, some small plate phases reprecipitate simultaneously with the growth of the initial precipitates, which contributes to a slight increase in the intracrystalline hardness in CP regions at the later aging stage. The aging hardening of DP regions is faster and stronger than that of CP regions. However, the age strengthening of CP regions not only compensates for the overaging softening of DP regions but also improves the strength of the alloy.
Spotted leaf (spl) mutant is a type of leaf lesion mimic mutants in plants. We obtained some lesion mimic mutants from ethyl methane sulfonate (EMS)-mutagenized wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) cultivar ...Guomai 301 (wild type, WT), and one of them was named as white stripe leaf (wsl) mutant because of the white stripes on its leaves. Here we report the heredity and gene mapping of this novel wheat mutant wsl. There are many small scattered white stripes on the leaves of wsl throughout its whole growth period. As the plants grew, the white stripes became more severe and the necrotic area expanded. The mutant wsl grew only weakly before the jointing stage and gradually recovered after jointing. The length and width of the flag leaf, spike number per plant and thousand-grain weight of wsl were significantly lower than those of the WT. Genetic analysis indicated that the trait of white stripe leaf was controlled by a recessive gene locus, named as wsl, which was mapped on the short arm of chromosome 6B by SSR marker assay. Four SSR markers in the F2 population of wsl×CS were linked to wsl in the order of Xgpw1079-Xwmc104-Xgwm508-wsl-Xgpw7651 at 7.1, 5.2, 8.7, and 4.4 cM, respectively and three SSR markers in the F2 population of wsl×Jimai 22 were linked to wsl in the order of Xgwm508-Xwmc494-Xgwm518-wsl at 3.5, 1.6 and 8.2 cM, respectively. In comparison to the reference genome sequence of Chinese Spring (CS), wsl is located in a 91-Mb region from 88 Mb (Xgwm518) to 179 Mb (Xgpw7651) on chromosome 6BS. Mutant wsl is a novel germplasm for studying the molecular mechanism of wheat leaf development.
The characteristics of heavy precipitation occurrence in autumn (the month of September) over North China are investigated using daily observational data. Results indicate that heavy precipitation ...events experienced a significant decadal increase in 2000/2001. Further investigation reveals a close connection between heavy precipitation occurrence and simultaneous North Pacific SST. The SST anomaly over the North Pacific can result in intensification of the western North Pacific subtropical high and increased water vapor transport from the tropical ocean, which benefits the occurrence of heavy precipitation over North China. However, the key region of North Pacific SST influencing heavy precipitation events over North China was different in the periods 1960-2000 and 2001-2014, being located over the eastern Ocean to China in the first period but more eastward in the second period. This drift in the key region of SST is partly responsible for the decadal increase in heavy precipitation events over North China since 2000/2001. Additionally, the changes in SST variability (a decrease in the eastern Ocean to China and an increase to its east) may have been the main reason for the eastward movement of the key region in the latter period. Certainly, more work is needed in the future to verify the findings of this study.
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