Top quark decays with flavor violation in the B-LSSM

The decays of top quark $t\rightarrow c\gamma,\;t\rightarrow cg,\;t\rightarrow cZ,\;t\rightarrow ch$ are extremely rare processes in the standard model (SM). The predictions on the corresponding branching ratios in the SM are too small to be detected in the future, hence any measurable signal for the processes at the LHC is a smoking gun for new physics. In the extension of minimal supersymmetric standard model with an additional local $U(1)_{B-L}$ gauge symmetry (B-LSSM), new gauge interaction and new flavor changing interaction affect the theoretical evaluations on corresponding branching ratios of those processes. In this work, we analyze those processes in the B-LSSM, under a minimal flavor violating assumption for the soft breaking terms. Considering the constraints from updated experimental data, the numerical results imply $Br(t\rightarrow c\gamma)\sim5\times10^{-7}$, $Br(t\rightarrow cg)\sim2\times10^{-6}$, $Br(t\rightarrow cZ)\sim4\times10^{-7}$ and $Br(t\rightarrow ch)\sim3\times10^{-9}$ in our chosen parameter space. Simultaneously, new gauge coupling constants $g_{_B},\;g_{_{YB}}$ in the B-LSSM can also affect the numerical results of $Br(t\rightarrow c\gamma,\;cg,\;cZ,\;ch)$.Comment: 20 pages, 4 figures, published in EPJC. arXiv admin note: substantial text overlap with arXiv:1803.0990

Anti-hyperprolactinemic effect of Ficus pumila Linn extract in rats

Purpose: To investigate the anti-hyperprolactinemic effect of Ficus pumila Linn. extract (FPLE) in rats.Methods: Hyperprolactinemic rats were generated by subcutaneous injection of metoclopramide dihydrochloride (50 mg/kg). A high dose (800 mg/kg), moderate dose (400 mg/kg), or low dose (200 mg/kg) of FPLE was administered into the stomach of hyperprolactinemic rats for 30 days, after which serum sex hormones and pituitary prolactin-positive cell number and mRNA expression were measured.Results: FPLE had a significant effect on measures of hyperprolactinemia. Compared with hyperprolactinemic rats without FPLE treatment, hyperprolactinemic rats that received a high dose of FPLE showed altered serum estradiol, progesterone,  prolactin, follicle-stimulating hormone, and luteinizing hormone levels (p < 0.05), as well as decreased pituitary prolactin-positive cell number (p < 0.05) and mRNA expression (p < 0.05).Conclusion: FPLE can potentially be used as an anti-hyperprolactinemia treatment but further studies are required to ascertain its suitability.Keywords: Ficus pumila, Hyperprolactinemia, Prolactin, Metoclopramide, Estradiol, Follicle-stimulating and luteinizing hormones, Sex hormone

Effect of Bushen yixue decoction on follicular development in experimental androgen-sterilized anovulatory rats and its possible mechanism of action

Purpose: To explore the activities of Bushen yixue decoction (BSY) against follicular development in anovulatory rats.Methods: Rats were divided into normal, normal control, clomifene citrate (positive control, orally, 5 mg/kg), and BSY (orally, 50, 100, 200 mg/kg) groups. Anovulatory rats were prepared by testosterone propionate injection (1.5 mg/rat). After 70 days, daily vaginal smears were performed for 10 days until no obvious sexual cycle was observed, indicating that androgen-sterilized anovulatory rats were successfully established. High performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) was used to analyse BSY chemical composition. Levels of follicular stimulating hormone (FSH), luteinizing hormone (LH), oestradiol (E2), progesterone (P), prolactin (PRL), inhibin (INH), activin (ACT) and follistatin (FS) were determined by radioimmunoassay or enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Western blotting was used to determine Bcl-2, cleaved-caspase-3, Bax, MMP-9 and VEGF in ovarian tissues.Results: BSY increased (p < 0.05) the levels of FSH, LH, E2 (p < 0.05) and ACT, but decreased (p < 0.05) the levels of PRL, INH and FS, relative to control rats. Expressions of VEGF (p < 0.01), MMP-9 (p < 0.05) and Bcl-2 (p < 0.01) were up-regulated by BSY, whereas Bax (p < 0.01) and C-caspase-3 (p < 0.01) were down-regulated.Conclusion: BSY promotes follicular development of anovulatory rats via regulating INH-ACT-FS hormones, VEGF, MMP-9, Caspase-3, Bax, and Bcl-2. Thus, BSY may have the potential to be developed for clinical management of infertility.Keywords: Bushen yixue decoction, Follicular development, Inhibin-Activin-Follistatin (INH-ACT-FS) system, Androgen-sterilized anovulatory rat

Benzyl 2-ethyl­hexyl sulfoxide

The mol­ecule of the title compound, C15H24OS, shows S conformations for the S atom and the asymmetric C atom of the isooctyl group. The long axes of the mol­ecules are directed along the c axis. In the crystal structure, the mol­ecules are linked by weak inter­molecular bifurcated C—H⋯O hydrogen bonds

Polymorphism in exon 1 of adiponectin gene and its association with water holding capacity, IMF and abdominal fat in duck

The objective of the present study was to investigate the effect of polymorphism in adiponectin gene on meat quality traits, serum total cholesterol, serum triglyceride and abdominal fat of 170 individuals from Cherry Valley duck (CV), Jinding duck (JD) and Hybrid duck (CV × JD) (HB) populations. PCR-SSCP technique was developed to analyze a 230 bp region of the adiponectin gene exon 1. Three genotypes (CC, CD and DD), which were the products of two alleles (C and D) were observed. Alignment sequences’ results showed that four SNPs (C86T, C104T, C146T and C155T) were found and all of those nucleotide variations were nonsense mutations. Association analysis indicated that all of these traits had significant population effects except meat colour (P < 0.05) and then the birds with homozygote (CC) had significant lower than homozygotes (DD) for IMF, water holding capacity and abdominal fat (P < 0.05). The research suggested that genotype DD may be an advantage genotype for fat deposition in duck. The adiponectin gene exon 1 polymorphism could be used in marker assistant selection (MAS) as a genetic marker for the birds’ fat deposition.Key words: Duck, adiponectin gene, polymorphism, meat quality, fatness

Anti-hyperuricemic effect of Plantago depressa Willd extract in rats

Purpose: To investigate the effects of Plantago depressa Willd. extract (PDWE) on hyperuricemia in rats.Methods: The effect of PDWE was investigated in hyperuricemic rats induced by potassium oxonate. PDWE were fed to hyperuricemic rats daily at a dose of 160, 320 and 640 mg/kg for 10 days; allopurinol (5 mg/kg) was given as positive control. Serum and urine levels of uric acid and creatinine were determined by colorimetric method.Results: PDWE inhibited xanthine oxidase (XOD) activity in serum (16.36 ± 1.16 U/L, p < 0.05) and liver (72.15 ± 5.26 U/g protein, p < 0.05), and also decreased levels of serum uric acid (2.43 ± 0.59 mg/L, p < 0.05), serum creatinine (0.42 ± 0.15 μmol/L) and blood urea nitrogen (BUN, 9.58 ± 0.72 mmol/L, p < 0.05), but increased levels of urine uric acid (39.23 ± 8.22 mg/L, p < 0.05) and urine creatinine (32.24 ± 1.69 mmol/L, p < 0.05) in the renal tissue of hyperuricemic rats.Conclusion: PDWE exerts uricosuric action by regulating renal urate transporters to ameliorate renal dysfunction in hyperuricemic rats.Keywords: Plantago depressa Willd., Hyperuricemic, Renal urate transporters, Renal dysfunction, Uricosuric actio

Spatio-temporal expression of a novel neuron-derived neurotrophic factor (NDNF) in mouse brains during development

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Neuron-derived neurotrophic factor (NDNF) is evolutionarily well conserved, being present in invertebrate animals such as the nematode, <it>Caenorhabditis elegans</it>, as well as in the fruit fly, <it>Drosophila melanogaster</it>. Multiple cysteines are conserved between species and secondary structure prediction shows that NDNF is mainly composed of beta-strands. In this study, we aimed to investigate the function of NDNF.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>NDNF is a glycosylated, disulfide-bonded secretory protein that contains a fibronectin type III domain. NDNF promoted migration and growth and elicited neurite outgrowth of mouse hippocampal neurons in culture. NDNF also protected cultured hippocamal neurons against excitotoxicity and amyloid beta-peptide toxicity. Western blotting showed that NDNF was exclusively expressed in the brain and spinal cord. Immunostaining indicated that NDNF was expressed by neurons and not by astrocytes. Cajal-Retzius cells, cortex neurons, hippocampus neurons, olfactory mitral cells, cerebellar purkinje cells, cerebellar granular cells and spinal neurons were found to be NDNF-positive. NDNF expression was observed in the neurons during development.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>The results of this study indicated that NDNF is a novel neurotrophic factor derived from neurons that may be useful in the treatment of neuronal degeneration diseases and nerve injuries.</p

Cationic liposomes induce cytotoxicity in HepG2 via regulation of lipid metabolism based on whole-transcriptome sequencing analysis

Abstract Backgroud Cationic liposomes (CLs) can be used as non-viral vectors in gene transfer and drug delivery. However, the underlying molecular mechanism of its cytotoxicity has not been well elucidated yet. Methods We herein report a systems biology approach based on whole-transcriptome sequencing coupled with computational method to identify the predominant genes and pathways involved in the cytotoxicity of CLs in HepG2 cell line. Results Firstly, we validated the concentration-dependent cytotoxicity of CLs with an IC50 of 120 μg/ml in HepG2 exposed for 24 h. Subsequently, we used whole-transcriptome sequencing to identify 220 (77 up- and 143 down-regulated) differentially expressed genes (DEGs). Gene ontology (GO) and pathway analysis showed that these DEGs were mainly related to cholesterol, steroid, lipid biosynthetic and metabolic processes. Additionally, “key regulatory” genes were identified using gene act, pathway act and co-expression network analysis, and expression levels of 11 interested altered genes were confirmed by quantitative real time PCR. Interestingly, no cell cycle arrest was observed through flow cytometry. Conclusions These data are expected to provide deep insights into the molecular mechanism of CLs cytotoxicity.https://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/144776/1/40360_2018_Article_230.pd