An analytic derivation of the empirical correlations of gamma-ray bursts

Empirical correlations between various key parameters have been extensively explored ever since the discovery of gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) and have been widely used as standard candles to probe the Universe. The Amati relation and the Yonetoku relation are two good examples, which have been paid special attention to. The former reflects the connection between the peak photon energy (Ep) and the isotropic $\gamma$-ray energy release (Eiso), while the latter links Ep with the isotropic peak luminosity (Lp), both in the form of a power law function. Most GRBs are found to well follow these correlations, but a theoretical interpretation is still lacking. Meanwhile, there are also some obvious outliers, which may be off-axis GRBs and may follow different correlations as compared with the on-axis ones. Here we present a simple analytical derivation for the Amati relation and the Yonetoku relation in the framework of the standard fireball model, the correctness of which are then confirmed by numerical simulations. The off-axis Amati relation and Yonetoku relation are also derived, which differ from the corresponding on-axis relation markedly. Our results reveal the intrinsic physics lying behind the radiation processes of GRBs, and highlight the importance of viewing angle in the empirical correlations of GRBs.Comment: 20 pages, 7 figures, 2 tables. Submitted to A&

{μ-trans-N,N′-Bis[(diphenyl­phosphan­yl)meth­yl]benzene-1,4-diamine-κ2 P:P′}bis­{(acetonitrile-κN)[dipyrido[3,2-a:2′,3′-c]phenazine-κ2 N 4,N 5]copper(I)} bis­(tetra­fluoridoborate)

In the centrosymmetric dinuclear title compound, [Cu2(C2H3N)2(C18H10N4)2(C32H30N2P2)](BF4)2, the CuI centre is coordinated by two N atoms from a dipyridophenazine ligand, one P atom from an N,N′-bis­[(diphenyl­phosphan­yl)meth­yl]benzene-1,4-diamine (bpbda) ligand, and one N atom from an acetonitrile mol­ecule in a distorted tetra­hedral geometry. The bpbda ligand, lying on an inversion center, bridges two CuI centres into a Z-shaped complex. Intra­molecular π–π inter­actions between the dipyridophenazine ligand and the benzene ring of the bpbda ligand are observed [centroid–centroid distance = 3.459 (3) Å]. The crystal structure also involves inter­molecular π–π inter­actions between the dipyridophenazine ligands [centroid–centroid distance = 3.506 (3) Å], which lead to a one-dimensional supra­molecular structure

Effects of Astragalus

This paper studied the chronic fatigue induced by excessive exercise and the restoration effects of Astragalus polysaccharides (APS) on mitochondria. In vivo, we found that excessive exercise could cause oxidative stress statue which led to morphological and functional changes of mitochondria. The changes, including imbalance between mitochondria fusion-fission processes, activation of mitophagy, and decrease of PGC-1α expression, could be restored by APS. We further confirmed in vitro, and what is more, we found that APS may ameliorate mitochondrial dysfunction through Sirt1 pathway. Based on the results, we may figure out part of the molecular mechanism of mitochondrial amelioration by APS

Transcriptomic analysis of reproductive damage in the epididymis of male Kunming mice induced by chronic infection of Toxoplasma gondii PRU strain

This work was supported, in part, by grants from the National Key Research and Development Programme of China (2017YFD0501305), National Natural Science Foundation of China (31972707), Major Scientific Research Projects (Characteristic Innovation) of Guangdong Province (2017KTSCX018), the Key Research and Development Programme of Guangdong Province (2019B020218004), the Guangzhou Zoo Project (h2016141), the Natural Science Foundation of Guangdong Province (2019A1515011534, 2016A030313396), and Huizhou Science and Technology Projects (2015B040009001).According to results of a bioinformatics analysis, Gene Ontology (GO) function is divided into three categories: Cellular component, molecular function and biological process. Upon performing GO analysis, we found that some DEGs correlated with an integral part of membrane, protein complex, cell surface, ATP binding, immune system process, signal transduction and metabolic process which are responsible for the epididymal injury. DEGs were mapped to 101 unique KEGG pathways. Pathways such as cytokine-cytokine receptor interaction, glycolysis/gluconeogenesis and apoptosis are closely related to sperm quality. Moreover, Tnfsf10 and spata18 can damage the mitochondria in sperm, which decreases sperm motility and morphology. Conclusions: We sequenced the reproductive system of male mice chronically infected with T. gondii, which provides a new direction for research into male sterility caused by Toxoplasma infection. This work provides valuable information and a comprehensive database for future studies of the interaction between T. gondii infection and the male reproductive system. $a Background: Some researchers have reported that Toxoplasma gondii can cause serious reproductive impairment in male animals. Specifically, T. gondii destroy the quality of sperm in the epididymis, which affects their sexual ability. However, among such studies, none have investigated the male reproductive transcriptome. Therefore, to investigate the relationship between T. gondii and sperm maturation, we infected mice with T. gondii prugniaud (PRU) strain and performed transcriptome sequencing of the epididymis. Results: Compared with the control group, 431 upregulated and 229 downregulated differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were found (P-value < 0.05, false discovery rate (FDR) < 0.05 and l og2 (fold change)

Status and Development Proposals of Structure Lipid Industry in China

The three macronutrients of lipid, protein and carbohydrate are closely related to human health, and their supply is basically sufficient. However, with the increasing number of patients suffered from hyperlipidemia, obesity, etc., as well as the deepening of the aging process, traditional nutrients can not fulfill the nutritional needs of these people anymore. Therefore, nutritional, processing and organoleptic properties of these three major nutrients need to be enhanced by the deep-processing. Nowadays, the recombinant protein and carbohydrate industries have made great progress in China, but the recombinant lipid industry is just in its infancy. Hence, this paper briefly introduced the status, development opportunities and challenges of domestic structure lipid industry，and expounded the underlying efficacy mechanisms of several main structure lipids. The latest research progress on the health effects and preparation technology of structure lipid were also presented. In addition, in view of the existing problems, future development advices are proposed from the perspectives of theoretical breakthrough, technological innovation, and industrial upgrading, aiming to provide valuable references for the development of domestic structure industry

A Transcriptome Analysis : Various Reasons of Adverse Pregnancy Outcomes Caused by Acute Toxoplasma gondii Infection

Toxoplasma gondii (T. gondii) is an obligate intracellular parasite, which can affect the pregnancy outcomes in infected females by damaging the uterus, and the intrauterine environment as well as and the hypothalamus resulting in hormonal imbalance. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying the parasite-induced poor pregnancy outcomes and the key genes regulating these mechanisms remain unclear. Therefore, this study aimed to analyze the gene expression in the mouse's uterus following experimentally-induced acute infection with T. gondii RH strain. Three groups of female mice were intraperitoneally injected with tachyzoites as follow; 3 days before pregnancy (FBD6), after pregnancy (FAD6), and after implantation (FID8) as the experimental groups. Another corresponding three groups served as control, were injected with normal saline at the same time. Transcriptome analysis of the total RNA extracted from both infected and non-infected mouse uterus samples was performed using RNA sequencing (RNA-Seq). The three experimental groups (FBD6, FAD6, and FID8) had a total of 4,561, 2,345, and 2,997 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) compared to the controls. The significantly upregulated and downregulated DEGs were 2,571 and 1,990 genes in FBD6, 1,042 and 1,303 genes in FAD6 and 1,162 and 1,835 genes in FID8 group, respectively. The analysis of GO annotation, and KEGG pathway showed that DEGs were mainly involved in anatomical structure development, transport, cell differentiation, embryo development, hormone biosynthetic process, signal transduction, immune system process, phagosome, pathways in cancer, and cytokine-cytokine receptor interaction pathways. T. gondii infection can induce global transcriptomic changes in the uterus that may cause pregnancy hypertension, destruct the intrauterine environment, and hinder the normal development of placenta and embryo. Our results may help to understand the molecular mechanisms of the acute T. gondii infection, which could promote the development of new therapeutics or prophylactics for toxoplasmosis in pregnancy

A Chinese Herbal Formula to Improve General Psychological Status in Posttraumatic Stress Disorder: A Randomized Placebo-Controlled Trial on Sichuan Earthquake Survivors

Introduction. Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is accompanied by poor general psychological status (GPS). In the present study, we investigated the effects of a Chinese herbal formula on GPS in earthquake survivors with PTSD. Methods. A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial compared a Chinese herbal formula, Xiao-Tan-Jie-Yu-Fang (XTJYF), to placebo in 2008 Sichuan earthquake survivors with PTSD. Patients were randomized into XTJYF (n = 123) and placebo (n = 122) groups. Baseline-to-end-point score changes in the three global indices of the Symptom Checklist-90-Revised (SCL-90-R) and rates of response in the SCL global severity index (GSI) were the primary endpoints. A subanalysis of the nine SCL factors and the sleep quality score were secondary endpoints. Results and Discussion. Compared to placebo, the XTJYF group was significantly improved in all three SCL global indices (P = 0.001~0.028). More patients in the XTJYF group reported “much improved” than the placebo group (P = 0.001). The XTJYF group performed significantly better than control in five out of nine SCL factors (somatization, obsessive-compulsive behavior, depression, anxiety, and hostility (P = 0.001~0.036)), and in sleep quality score (P < 0.001). XTJYF produced no serious adverse events. These findings suggest that XTJYF may be an effective and safe treatment option for improving GPS in patients with PTSD

A transcriptome analysis: Various reasons of adverse pregnancy outcomes caused by acute Toxoplasma gondii Infection

Background: Toxoplasma gondii (T. gondii) is an obligate intracellular parasite, which can affect the pregnancy outcomes in infected females by damaging the uterus, and the intrauterine environment as well as and the hypothalamus resulting in hormonal imbalance. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying the parasite-induced poor pregnancy outcomes and the key genes regulating these mechanisms remain unclear. Therefore, this study aimed to analyze the gene expression in the mouse’s uterus following experimentally-induced acute infection with T. gondii RH strain. Three groups of female mice were intraperitoneally injected with tachyzoites as follow; 3 days before pregnancy (FBD6), after pregnancy (FAD6), and after implantation (FID8) as the experimental groups. Another corresponding three groups served as control, were injected with normal saline at the same time. Transcriptome analysis of the total RNA extracted from both infected and non-infected mouse uterus samples was performed using RNA sequencing (RNA-Seq). Results: The three experimental groups (FBD6, FAD6, and FID8) had a total of 4,561, 2,345, and 2,997 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) compared to the controls. The significantly upregulated and downregulated DEGs were 2,571 and 1,990 genes in FBD6, 1,042 and 1,303 genes in FAD6 and 1,162 and 1,835 genes in FID8 group, respectively. The analysis of GO annotation, and KEGG pathway showed that DEGs were mainly involved in anatomical structure development, transport, cell differentiation, embryo development, hormone biosynthetic process, signal transduction, immune system process, phagosome, pathways in cancer, and cytokine-cytokine receptor interaction pathways. Conclusion: T. gondii infection can induce global transcriptomic changes in the uterus that may cause pregnancy hypertension, destruct the intrauterine environment, and hinder the normal development of placenta and embryo. Our results may help to understand the molecular mechanisms of the acute T. gondii infection, which could promote the development of new therapeutics or prophylactics for toxoplasmosis in pregnancy.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Transcriptomic analysis of reproductive damage in the epididymis of male Kunming mice induced by chronic infection of Toxoplasma gondii PRU strain

BACKGROUND: Some researchers have reported that Toxoplasma gondii can cause serious reproductive impairment in male animals. Specifically, T. gondii destroy the quality of sperm in the epididymis, which affects their sexual ability. However, among such studies, none have investigated the male reproductive transcriptome. Therefore, to investigate the relationship between T. gondii and sperm maturation, we infected mice with T. gondii prugniaud (PRU) strain and performed transcriptome sequencing of the epididymis. RESULTS: Compared with the control group, 431 upregulated and 229 downregulated differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were found (P-value < 0.05, false discovery rate (FDR) < 0.05 and |log2 (fold change)| ≥ 1). According to results of a bioinformatics analysis, Gene Ontology (GO) function is divided into three categories: cellular component, molecular function and biological process. Upon performing GO analysis, we found that some DEGs correlated with an integral part of membrane, protein complex, cell surface, ATP binding, immune system process, signal transduction and metabolic process which are responsible for the epididymal injury. DEGs were mapped to 101 unique KEGG pathways. Pathways such as cytokine-cytokine receptor interaction, glycolysis/gluconeogenesis and apoptosis are closely related to sperm quality. Moreover, Tnfsf10 and spata18 can damage the mitochondria in sperm, which decreases sperm motility and morphology. CONCLUSIONS: We sequenced the reproductive system of male mice chronically infected with T. gondii, which provides a new direction for research into male sterility caused by Toxoplasma infection. This work provides valuable information and a comprehensive database for future studies of the interaction between T. gondii infection and the male reproductive system.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Therapeutic effects of Jiaotai pill on rat insomnia via regulation of GABA signal pathway

Purpose: To investigate the therapeutic effects of Jiaotai pill (JTP) on rats with insomnia induced by pchlorophenylalanine (PCPA).Methods: Rats with PCPA-induced insomnia were divided into 5 groups (n = 10), made up of control group, positive treatment group (estazolam 0.1 mg/kg), and 3 JTP treatment groups (0.6, 1.2 and 2.4 g/kg). Another group of 10 rats were treated as normal group. Rats in normal and control groups were treated with normal saline (10 mL/kg). After 14 days of drug treatment, the rats were injected intraperitoneally with sodium pentobarbital (45 mg/kg) and thereafter, latent period and sleeping time were recorded, while contents of γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) and glutamic acid (Glu) in hypothalamus were determined by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Furthermore, the expressions of glutamate decarboxylase 65 (GAD-65), glutamate decarboxylase 67 (GAD-67), GABAaminotransferase (GABA)-T, anti-GABA transporter 1 (GAT)-1, anti-GABA transporter (GAT)-3, and GABA receptors (GABA-A and GABA-B) in the hypothalamus were analyzed by western blotting assay.Results: The results showed that JTP (0.6, 1.2 and 2.4 g/kg) significantly shortened latent period and prolonged sleeping time (p &lt; 0.01). JTP also increased GABA level (p &lt; 0.01), but decreased Glu contents of the rat hypothalamus (p &lt; 0.01). Western blotting data indicate that JTP significantly upregulated the levels of GAD-65 (p &lt; 0.01), GAD-67 (p &lt; 0.05), GAT-1 (p &lt; 0.01), GAT-3 (p &lt; 0.01), GABA-A (p &lt; 0.01) and GABA-B (p &lt; 0.01), while the level of GABA-T was down-regulated.Conclusion: The results demonstrate that JTP possesses significant sedative effects on insomnia in rats, most probably through a mechanism involving GABA signal pathway.Keywords: Jiaotai pill, Insomnia, GABA, Glutamate, Estazolam, GABA signal pathwa