Xuebijing injection alleviates liver injury by inhibiting secretory function of Kupffer cells in heat stroke rats

AbstractObjectiveTo evaluate the effects of Xuebijing (XBJ) injection in heat stroke (HS) rats and to investigate the mechanisms underlying these effects.MethodsSixty anesthetized rats were randomized into three groups and intravenously injected twice daily for 3 days with 4 mL XBJ (XBJ group) or phosphate buffered saline (HS and Sham groups) per kg body weight. HS was initiated in the HS and XBJ groups by placing rats in a simulated climate chamber (ambient temperature 40°C, humidity 60%). Rectal temperature, aterial pressure, and heart rate were monitored and recorded. Time to HS onset and survival were determined, and serum concentrations of tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, interleukin (IL)-1β, IL-6, alanine-aminotransferase (ALT), and aspartate-aminotransferase (AST) were measured. Hepatic tissue was harvested for pathological examination and electron microscopic examination. Kupffer cells (KCs) were separated from liver at HS initiation, and the concentrations of secreted TNF-α, IL-β and IL-6 were measured.ResultsTime to HS onset and survival were significantly longer in the XBJ than in the HS group. Moreover, the concentrations of TNF-α, IL-1β, IL-6, ALT and AST were lower and liver injury was milder in the XBJ than in the HS group. Heat-stress induced structural changes in KCs and hepatic cells were more severe in the HS than in the XBJ group and the concentrations of TNF-α, IL-β and IL-6 secreted by KCs were lower in the XBJ than in the HS group.ConclusionXBJ can alleviate HS-induced systemic inflammatory response syndrome and liver injury in rats, and improve outcomes. These protective effects may be due to the ability of XBJ to inhibit cytokine secretion by KCs

Genome-Wide Expression Analysis in Down Syndrome: Insight into Immunodeficiency

Down syndrome (DS) is caused by triplication of Human chromosome 21 (Hsa21) and associated with an array of deleterious phenotypes, including mental retardation, heart defects and immunodeficiency. Genome-wide expression patterns of uncultured peripheral blood cells are useful to understanding of DS-associated immune dysfunction. We used a Human Exon microarray to characterize gene expression in uncultured peripheral blood cells derived from DS individuals and age-matched controls from two age groups: neonate (N) and child (C). A total of 174 transcript clusters (gene-level) with eight located on Hsa21 in N group and 383 transcript clusters including 56 on Hsa21 in C group were significantly dysregulated in DS individuals. Microarray data were validated by quantitative polymerase chain reaction. Functional analysis revealed that the dysregulated genes in DS were significantly enriched in two and six KEGG pathways in N and C group, respectively. These pathways included leukocyte trans-endothelial migration, B cell receptor signaling pathway and primary immunodeficiency, etc., which causally implicated dysfunctional immunity in DS. Our results provided a comprehensive picture of gene expression patterns in DS at the two developmental stages and pointed towards candidate genes and molecular pathways potentially associated with the immune dysfunction in DS

Acetate favors more phosphorus accumulation into aerobic granular sludge than propionate during the treatment of synthetic fermentation liquor

Anaerobic digestion (AD) is an efficient biotechnology widely applied for energy and resource recovery from organic waste and wastewater treatment. The effluent from AD or fermentation liquor containing organic substances like volatile fatty acids (VFAs) and mineral nutrients (such as N and P), however, will trigger serious environmental issues if not properly dealt with. In this study two identical sequencing batch reactors (SBRs), namely Ra and Rp were used to cultivate aerobic granules for P recovery from synthetic fermentation liquor, respectively using acetate and propionate as additional carbon source. Larger and more stable granules were achieved in Ra with higher P removal capability (9.4 mg P/g-VSS·d) and higher anaerobic P release (6.9 mg P/g-VSS·h). In addition to much higher P content (78 mg P/g-SS), bioavailable P in Ra-granules increased to 45 mg P/g-SS, approximately 2-times those of seed sludge and Rp-granules. Microbial community analysis indicated that more GAOs were accumulated in Rp-granules

Exosomes Derived From Heat Stroke Cases Carry miRNAs Associated With Inflammation and Coagulation Cascade

The pathological mechanism underlying heat stroke (HS) is associated with the dysbalanced inflammation and coagulation cascade. Cell-derived circulating extracellular vesicles (EVs), as a novel pathway mediating intercellular communication, are associated with the immune response and inflammation in critical inflammatory syndromes, such as sepsis. Although these vesicles contain genetic material correlated with their biological function, their molecular cargo during HS remains unknown. In this study, we evaluate the presence of microRNAs (miRNAs) and messenger RNAs (mRNAs) associated with inflammatory responses and coagulation cascade in exosomes of patients with HS. Blood samples were collected from three patients with HS at the time of admission to the intensive care unit; three healthy volunteers were selected as control. Exosomes were isolated using ultracentrifugation, and their miRNA content was profiled using next-generation sequencing; mRNA content was evaluated using qPCR array. Compared with those from healthy volunteers, exosomes from patients with HS showed substantial changes in the expression of 202 exosomal miRNAs (154 upregulated and 48 downregulated miRNAs). The most upregulated miRNAs included miR-511-3p, miR-122-5p, miR-155-3p, miR-1290, and let7-5p, whereas the most downregulated ones included miR-150-3p, 146a-5p, and 151a-3p. Gene ontology enrichment of the miRNAs of patients with HS compared with control subjects were associated mostly with inflammatory response, including T cell activation, B cell receptor signaling, dendritic cell chemotaxis and leukocyte migration, and platelet activation and blood coagulation. The identified miRNAs were primarily enriched to the signal transduction pathways namely, T cell receptor signaling, Ras signaling, chemokine signaling, platelet activation, and leukocyte transendothelial migration, all of which are associated with inflammation and hemostasis. Multiple targeted mRNAs associated with the inflammatory response, blood coagulation, and platelet activation were further verified in serum exosomes. Exosomes from patients with HS convey miRNAs and mRNAs associated with pathogenic pathways, including inflammatory response and coagulation cascade. Exosomes may represent a novel mechanism for intercellular communication during HS

Experimental and numerical studies on progressive debonding of grouted rock bolts

Understanding the mechanism of progressive debonding of bolts is of great significance for underground safety. In this paper, both laboratory experiment and numerical simulation of the pull-out tests were performed. The experimental pull-out test specimens were prepared using cement mortar material, and a relationship between the pull-out strength of the bolt and the uniaxial compressive strength (UCS) of cement mortar material specimen was established. The locations of crack developed in the pull-out process were identified using the acoustic emission (AE) technique. The pull-out test was reproduced using 2D Particle Flow Code (PFC2D) with calibrated parameters. The experimental results show that the axial displacement of the cement mortar material at the peak load during the test was approximately 5 mm for cement-based grout of all strength. In contrast, the peak load of the bolt increased with the UCS of the confining medium. Under peak load, cracks propagated to less than one half of the anchorage length, indicating a lag between crack propagation and axial bolt load transmission. The simulation results show that the dilatation between the bolt and the rock induced cracks and extended the force field along the anchorage direction; and, it was identified as the major contributing factor for the pull-out failure of rock bolt

An atlas of DNA methylomes in porcine adipose and muscle tissues

It is evident that epigenetic factors, especially DNA methylation, have essential roles in obesity development. Here, using pig as a model, we investigate the systematic association between DNA methylation and obesity. We sample eight variant adipose and two distinct skeletal muscle tissues from three pig breeds living within comparable environments but displaying distinct fat level. We generate 1,381 Gb of sequence data from 180 methylated DNA immunoprecipitation libraries, and provide a genome-wide DNA methylation map as well as a gene expression map for adipose and muscle studies. The analysis shows global similarity and difference among breeds, sexes and anatomic locations, and identifies the differentially methylated regions. The differentially methylated regions in promoters are highly associated with obesity development via expression repression of both known obesity-related genes and novel genes. This comprehensive map provides a solid basis for exploring epigenetic mechanisms of adipose deposition and muscle growth

Correlation analysis of omega-3 fatty acids and mortality of sepsis and sepsis-induced ARDS in adults: data from previous randomized controlled trials

Abstract Objective This study aimed to investigate the possible effect of omega-3 fatty acids on reducing the mortality of sepsis and sepsis-induced acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) in adults. Methods Medline, Embase, Cochrane Library, China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI) database, WangFang database, and Chinese BioMedical Literature Database from their inception to March 6, 2017, were searched using systematic review researching methods. Five factors were analyzed to investigate the correlation between omega-3 fatty acids (either parenteral or enteral supplementation) and mortality rate. Results Forty randomized controlled trials (RCTs) were initially included, but only 25 of them assessed mortality. Of these RCTs, nine used enteral nutrition (EN) and 16 used parenteral nutrition (PN). The total mortality rate in the omega-3 fatty acid group was lower than that in the control group. However, the odds ratio (OR) value was not significantly different in the EN or PN subgroup. Eighteen RCTs including 1790 patients with similar severity of sepsis and ARDS were also analyzed. The OR value was not significantly different in the EN or PN subgroup. Omega-3 fatty acids did not show positive effect on improving mortality of sepsis-induced ARDS (p = 0.39). But in EN subgroup, omega-3 fatty acids treatment seemed to have some benefits in reducing mortality rate (p = 0.04). In the RCTs including similar baseline patients, partial correlation analysis found that the concentration ratio of n-6 to n-3 fatty acids had positive correlation with reduction of mortality (RM) (γ = 0.60, P = 0.02), whereas the total number of each RCT had negative correlation with RM (γ = − 0.54, P = 0.05). Conclusions This review found that omega-3 fatty acid supplementation could reduce the mortality rate of sepsis and sepsis-induced ARDS. However, further investigation based on suitable concentrations and indications is needed to support the findings

A fully convolutional network for weed mapping of unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) imagery.

Appropriate Site Specific Weed Management (SSWM) is crucial to ensure the crop yields. Within SSWM of large-scale area, remote sensing is a key technology to provide accurate weed distribution information. Compared with satellite and piloted aircraft remote sensing, unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) is capable of capturing high spatial resolution imagery, which will provide more detailed information for weed mapping. The objective of this paper is to generate an accurate weed cover map based on UAV imagery. The UAV RGB imagery was collected in 2017 October over the rice field located in South China. The Fully Convolutional Network (FCN) method was proposed for weed mapping of the collected imagery. Transfer learning was used to improve generalization capability, and skip architecture was applied to increase the prediction accuracy. After that, the performance of FCN architecture was compared with Patch_based CNN algorithm and Pixel_based CNN method. Experimental results showed that our FCN method outperformed others, both in terms of accuracy and efficiency. The overall accuracy of the FCN approach was up to 0.935 and the accuracy for weed recognition was 0.883, which means that this algorithm is capable of generating accurate weed cover maps for the evaluated UAV imagery

The liver sinusoidal endothelial cell damage in rats caused by heatstroke

This study was designed to explore whether liver sinusoidal endothelial cells (SECs) play a pathological role in liver injury of heatstroke (HS) in rats. An HS rat model was prepared in a pre-warmed incubator. Rats were randomized into four groups: HS-sham group (SHAM group), the 39°C group, the 42°C group, and the HS group. The serum concentrations of SEC injury biomarkers including hyaluronic acid (HA), von Willebrand factor (vWF), thrombomodulin (TM), were measured. Plasma alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) activities and endothelium-derived vasoactive substances including endothelin-1 (ET-1) and nitric oxide (NO) were determined using a commercially available kit. Hepatic tissues were obtained for histopathological examination, electron microscopy examination, immunohistochemistry, and reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (PCR) analysis. Our study team found increased levels of plasma ALT/AST during the course of HS. We were also able to detect microcirculation changes and inflammatory injury of the liver (especially in the sinusoidal areas). In addition, markers of SEC injury were significantly elevated. Thrombosis-related markers including vWF and TF expression levels were significantly upregulated and TM levels downregulated. Furthermore, imbalance between ET-1 and NO levels were detected. In conclusion, damage of SECs could result in microcirculation disturbances and pro-inflammatory injury in the liver during HS, which could prove to be a potential pathogenic mechanism of liver injury in HS

A Semantic Labeling Approach for Accurate Weed Mapping of High Resolution UAV Imagery

Weed control is necessary in rice cultivation, but the excessive use of herbicide treatments has led to serious agronomic and environmental problems. Suitable site-specific weed management (SSWM) is a solution to address this problem while maintaining the rice production quality and quantity. In the context of SSWM, an accurate weed distribution map is needed to provide decision support information for herbicide treatment. UAV remote sensing offers an efficient and effective platform to monitor weeds thanks to its high spatial resolution. In this work, UAV imagery was captured in a rice field located in South China. A semantic labeling approach was adopted to generate the weed distribution maps of the UAV imagery. An ImageNet pre-trained CNN with residual framework was adapted in a fully convolutional form, and transferred to our dataset by fine-tuning. Atrous convolution was applied to extend the field of view of convolutional filters; the performance of multi-scale processing was evaluated; and a fully connected conditional random field (CRF) was applied after the CNN to further refine the spatial details. Finally, our approach was compared with the pixel-based-SVM and the classical FCN-8s. Experimental results demonstrated that our approach achieved the best performance in terms of accuracy. Especially for the detection of small weed patches in the imagery, our approach significantly outperformed other methods. The mean intersection over union (mean IU), overall accuracy, and Kappa coefficient of our method were 0.7751, 0.9445, and 0.9128, respectively. The experiments showed that our approach has high potential in accurate weed mapping of UAV imagery