Peripheral Dopamine Controlled by Gut Microbes Inhibits Invariant Natural Killer T Cell-Mediated Hepatitis

Neurotransmitters have been shown to regulate immune responses, and thereby are critically related to autoimmune diseases. Here we showed that depletion of dopaminergic neurons significantly promoted activation of hepatic iNKT cells and augmented concanavalin A (Con A)-induced liver injury. The suppressive effect of dopamine on iNKT cells was mediated by D1-like receptor-PKA pathway. Clearance of gut microbiota by antibiotic cocktail reduced synthesis of dopamine in intestines and exacerbated liver damage, and that could be restored by recovery of gut microbiota or replenishment of D1-like receptor agonist. Our results demonstrate that peripheral dopamine controlled by gut microbes inhibits IL4 and IFNγ production in iNKT cells and suppresses iNKT cell-mediated hepatitis. Together, we propose a gut microbe-nervous system-immune system regulatory axis in modulating autoimmune hepatitis

Prevalence and trend of hepatitis C virus infection among blood donors in Chinese mainland: a systematic review and meta-analysis

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Blood transfusion is one of the most common transmission pathways of hepatitis C virus (HCV). This paper aims to provide a comprehensive and reliable tabulation of available data on the epidemiological characteristics and risk factors for HCV infection among blood donors in Chinese mainland, so as to help make prevention strategies and guide further research.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>A systematic review was constructed based on the computerized literature database. Infection rates and 95% confidence intervals (95% CI) were calculated using the approximate normal distribution model. Odds ratios and 95% CI were calculated by fixed or random effects models. Data manipulation and statistical analyses were performed using STATA 10.0 and ArcGIS 9.3 was used for map construction.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Two hundred and sixty-five studies met our inclusion criteria. The pooled prevalence of HCV infection among blood donors in Chinese mainland was 8.68% (95% CI: 8.01%-9.39%), and the epidemic was severer in North and Central China, especially in Henan and Hebei. While a significant lower rate was found in Yunnan. Notably, before 1998 the pooled prevalence of HCV infection was 12.87% (95%CI: 11.25%-14.56%) among blood donors, but decreased to 1.71% (95%CI: 1.43%-1.99%) after 1998. No significant difference was found in HCV infection rates between male and female blood donors, or among different blood type donors. The prevalence of HCV infection was found to increase with age. During 1994-1995, the prevalence rate reached the highest with a percentage of 15.78% (95%CI: 12.21%-19.75%), and showed a decreasing trend in the following years. A significant difference was found among groups with different blood donation types, Plasma donors had a relatively higher prevalence than whole blood donors of HCV infection (33.95% <it>vs </it>7.9%).</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>The prevalence of HCV infection has rapidly decreased since 1998 and kept a low level in recent years, but some provinces showed relatively higher prevalence than the general population. It is urgent to make efficient measures to prevent HCV secondary transmission and control chronic progress, and the key to reduce the HCV incidence among blood donors is to encourage true voluntary blood donors, strictly implement blood donation law, and avoid cross-infection.</p

Gelsolin expression in liver, spleen and blood plasma provides insights into its function in mice following acute insults

Background: Gelsolin (GSN) is an actin-binding plasma protein with a pivotal role in the systemic response to acute tissue damage. The present study investigated GSN expression in the liver, spleen and blood serum in mice after burn. Method: A murine model of thermal injury was selected, and the animals were sacrificed at 8, 24, 48 and 72 h after injury. Real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) was performed to determine the messenger RNA (mRNA) expression of GSN, and GSN protein expression was determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Results: We found that GSN mRNA and protein were expressed in the liver, spleen and blood serum of the mice. GSN expression in these tissues was the lowest among the tested time points at 8 h after burn injury. The mortality within 72 h among the mice subjected to burn injury was significantly lower in those treated with GSN than in those not treated with GSN. Treatment with GSN markedly increased the GSN levels in the liver, spleen and blood serum after injury. Conclusion: These results indicated that GSN treatment may affect the outcome of thermal injury via changes in the GSN content of multiple tissues

CuInTe2 Nanocrystals: Shape and Size Control, Formation Mechanism and Application, and Use as Photovoltaics

We report on the synthesis of CuInTe2 nanoparticles and their function in photovoltaic equipment, such as solar cells. Under certain synthesis conditions, the CuInTe2 nanocrystals form shape with nanocrystals, nanorods or nanocubes. It was found that CuTe nanocrystals could be converted to CuInTe2 by addition of an In reactant. CuInTe2 nanorods were synthesized using this method

Effects of Different-Sized Cages on the Production Performance, Serum Parameters, and Caecal Microbiota Composition of Laying Hens

The effects of four different-sized cages—huge (HC), large (LC), medium (MC), and small (SC) cages—on the productive performance, serum biochemical indices, and caecal microbiota composition of Roman laying hens were investigated. At 44 weeks of age, a total of 450 hens were selected and allocated to the four groups, with six replicates each. Equal stocking density (0.054 m2 per bird) was maintained among the four groups throughout the experiment, and number of birds/cage changed for each treatment. After 2 weeks of preliminary trial, the formal experiment was performed from 46 to 60 weeks of age. The laying rate and feed conversion ratio (FCR) were determined daily, antibody titres were measured every 3 weeks, and serum biochemical parameters and caecal microbiota composition were analysed at 60 weeks of age. Compared to HC and SC, the higher laying rate and lower FCR in MC and LC indicated positive effects on egg production and feed efficiency, while SC showed the highest body weight gain (p Methanobrevibacter was significantly higher in the SC than in the other groups (p Faecalibacterium was most abundant in the MC compared with the other groups (p R = 0.214, p = 0.0017). Lactobacillus was significantly less abundant in the LC and MC than in the HC and SC groups (p R = 0.350, p = 0.0009) but negatively correlated with laying rate and FCR. In conclusion, MC were superior to HC and LC in improving feed conversion efficiency and caecal microflora composition compared to the SC. An appropriate increase in cage size is beneficial to laying hen production and health

An above-room-temperature switchable molecular dielectric with a large dielectric change between high and low dielectric states

National Natural Science Foundation of China [21001089, 20825103, 90922031, 21021061]; 973 project from MSTC [2012CB821704]Dielectric anisotropy of anilinium perchlorate is investigated at various temperatures. Crystal structures at different temperatures reveal that significant dielectric change between low and high dielectric states is closely related to the disorder of the anilinium cation and perchlorate anion at high dielectric state; meanwhile, the conductivity after phase transition also contributes a lot to the high dielectric state