Diaqua­bis(5-carb­oxy-2-methyl-1H-imidazole-4-carboxyl­ato-κ2 N 3,O 4)manganese(II)

The title complex, [Mn(C6H5N2O4)2(H2O)2], was obtained by hydro­thermal synthesis. The MnII atom, which lies on an inversion centre, displays a slightly distorted octa­hedral geometry. In the crystal packing, complex mol­ecules are linked by inter­molecular O—H⋯O and N—H⋯O hydrogen bonds to form a three-dimensional supramolecular structure. The title complex is isostructural with the corresponding cadmium(II) complex [Nie, Wen, Wu, Liu & Liu (2007 ▶). Acta Cryst. E63, m753–m755]

Effects of sea-buckthorn leaves on performance and serum metabolic profiles in Altay lambs

In this study, the effects of sea-buckthorn (Hippophae rhamnoides L.) leaves (SL) on the biochemical parameters and metabolomic profiling in Altay lamb (Ovis aries) were observed. Sixty six-month-old male Altay lambs (body weight 28.0 ± 3.5 kg) were randomly assigned to four groups (n=15). The experimental groups were named as CON, 2.5%, 5.0% and 7.5%. The group CON, contained animals fed with a basal diet. Animals of the other groups were fed a treatment diet consisting of 2.5% (Group 2.5%), 5.0% (Group 5.0%) and 7.5% (Group 7.5%) SL. The experimental period lasted 56 days. The results showed that the average daily gain (ADG) and average daily feed intake (ADFI) increased with the increase in the levels of dietary SL. Dietary SL showed a direct relationship with total protein (TP), albumin, globulin and total cholesterol (TC) content of the experimental animals. However, an indirect relationship was observed between dietary SL and the concentration of urea nitrogen (UN). The concentrations of glucose, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) showed quadratic change. Additional changes occurred in the endogenous metabolites involving multiple pathways. The pathways were tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle, the metabolism of protein and amino acid and the metabolism of fatty acid and steroid. The changes in metabolites primarily revealed an increase in amino acids and carbohydrates and a decrease in lipid metabolites. These findings provide a comprehensive insight into the effects of the metabolic aspects of sea-buckthorn leaves on Altay lambs. In addition, the present research results provide a better understanding to the development and utilization of sea-buckthorn as a healthy additive for small ruminant production.Keywords: Hippophae rhamnoides L., lamb, metabolomics, growth performance, serum parameter

Magnetic properties of Fe intercalation FexTaSe2

Intercalation of transition metal dichalcogenides with magnetic elements has been the subject of increasing research interest, aiming to explore novel magnetic materials with anisotropy and spin-orbit coupling. In this paper, two magnetic samples with varying Fe content have been prepared using different growth conditions via the chemical vapor transport method. A comprehensive investigation of the magnetic properties of the materials has been conducted using the Physical Property Measurement System (PPMS, EvercoolⅡ-9T, Quantum Design). The results reveal distinct features in the studied materials. Fe0.12TaSe2 exhibits significant ferromagnetism with a Curie transition temperature of 50 K. However, its in-plane magnetism is weak and no significant hysteresis loop is observed below the Curie temperature. On the other hand, Fe0.25TaSe2 exhibits antiferromagnetism without any hysteresis loop and has a Néel temperature up to 130 K. This finding is quite different from the intercalated iron in FexTaS2, where only an antiferromagnetic state occurs with x larger than 0.4. Our study thus provides updated insights into the magnetic properties of this new system and serves as a reference for future investigations of TaSe2 compounds with varying iron content

Microstructure and structural modulation of lutetium dihydride LuH2 as seen via transmission electron microscopy

Structural investigations conducted using transmission electron microscopy (TEM) on LuH2 synthesized under atmospheric pressure (AP-LuH2) and nitrogen-doped LuH2 synthesized under high pressure (HP-LuH2) have revealed numerous microstructural phenomena. Both materials show a clear superstructure modulation with wave vector, q^* = 1/4 (2-20), and this modulation can be well interpreted by the displacements of Lu atoms. Further investigations on the nitrogen-doped HP-LuH2 materials reveal the appearance of high-density antiphase boundaries, in particular, domain walls of a few atomic layer thickness without structural modulation can be observed, suggesting possible interface properties could be detected in this system. In-situ TEM observations of AP-LuH2 suggest that no evident structural phase transition occurs between 94 K and 673 K.Comment: 8 pages, 7 figure

Do the mutations of C1GALT1C1 gene play important roles in the genetic susceptibility to Chinese IgA nephropathy?

Background: The deficiency of beta 1,3 galactose in hinge region of IgA1 molecule played a pivotal role in pathogenesis of IgA nephropathy (IgAN). Cosmc, encoded by C1GALT1C1 gene, was indispensable to beta 1,3 galactosylation of IgA1. We designed a serial study to investigate the relationship between the mutations of C1GALT1C1 gene and the genetic susceptibility to IgAN. Methods: Nine hundred and thirty-eight subjects, including 661 patients with IgAN and 277 healthy controls were enrolled in the study. Firstly, single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the promoter region of C1GALT1C1 gene were screened. Then the c.-347-190G> A was analyzed by PCR-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) for further case-control association analysis. Secondly the somatic mutations of DNAs from peripheral blood B lymphocytes were detected in 15 patients and 7 normal controls. Results: No significant association was observed between the different alleles or genotypes of c.347-190G>A and IgAN. The patients with different genotypes of C1GALT1C1 gene did not significantly associate with clinical manifestations, including hematuria, proteinuria, and serum creatinine of patients with IgAN. There was no somatic mutation detected in total 202 clones of 22 individuals. Conclusion: The c.-347-190G>A polymorphism and the somatic mutation of encoding region of C1GALT1C1 gene were not significantly related to the genetic susceptibility to IgAN in Northern Chinese population.http://gateway.webofknowledge.com/gateway/Gateway.cgi?GWVersion=2&SrcApp=PARTNER_APP&SrcAuth=LinksAMR&KeyUT=WOS:000271285100001&DestLinkType=FullRecord&DestApp=ALL_WOS&UsrCustomerID=8e1609b174ce4e31116a60747a720701Genetics & HereditySCI(E)PubMed1ARTICLE1011

Differences in iNOS and Arginase Expression and Activity in the Macrophages of Rats Are Responsible for the Resistance against T. gondii Infection

Toxoplasma gondii infects humans and warm blooded animals causing devastating disease worldwide. It has long been a mystery as to why the peritoneal macrophages of rats are naturally resistant to T. gondii infection while those of mice are not. Here, we report that high expression levels and activity of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) and low levels of arginase-1 (Arg 1) activity in the peritoneal macrophages of rats are responsible for their resistance against T. gondii infection, due to high nitric oxide and low polyamines within these cells. The opposite situation was observed in the peritoneal macrophages of mice. This discovery of the opposing functions of iNOS and Arg 1 in rodent peritoneal macrophages may lead to a better understanding of the resistance mechanisms of mammals, particularly humans and livestock, against T. gondii and other intracellular pathogens