Regional cerebral metabolic levels and turnover in awake rats after acute or chronic spinal cord injury

Spinal cord injury (SCI) is a common cause of disability, which often leads to sensorimotor cortex dysfunction above the spinal injury site. However, the cerebral regional effects on metabolic information after SCI have been little studied. Here, adult Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into acute and chronic treatment groups and sham groups with day-matched periods. The Basso, Beatte, and Bresnahan scores method were utilized to evaluate the changes in behaviors during the recovery of the animals, and the metabolic information was measured with the 1 H-observed/13 C-edited NMR method. Total metabolic concentrations in every region were almost similar in both treated groups. However, the metabolic kinetics in most regions in the acute group were significantly altered (P < .05), particularly in the cortical area, thalamus and medulla (P < .01). After long-term recovery, some metabolic kinetics were recovered, especially in the temporal cortex, occipital cortex, and medulla. The metabolic kinetic changes revealed the alteration of metabolism and neurotransmission in different brain regions after SCI, which present evidence for the alternation of brain glucose oxidation. Therefore, this shows the significant influence of SCI on cerebral function and neuroscience research. This study also provides the theoretical basis for clinical therapy after SCI, such as mitochondrial transplantation. Keywords: NMR; brain regions; metabolic kinetics; neurotransmitters; spinal cord injury

The prebiotic effects of oats on blood lipids, gut microbiota, and short-chain fatty acids in mildly hypercholesterolemic subjects compared with rice: a randomized, controlled trial

20openInternationalInternational coauthor/editorPhytochemicals derived from oats are reported to possess a beneficial effect on modulating dyslipidemia, specifically on lowering total and LDL cholesterol. However, deeper insights into its mechanism remain unclear. In this randomized controlled study, we assigned 210 mildly hypercholesterolemic subjects from three study centers across China (Beijing, Nanjing, and Shanghai) to consume 80 g of oats or rice daily for 45 days. Plasma lipid profiles, short chain fatty acids (SCFAs), and fecal microbiota were measured. The results showed that total cholesterol (TC) and non-high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (non-HDL-C) decreased significantly with both oats and rice intake after 30 and 45 days. The reduction in TC and non-HDL-C was greater in the participants consuming oats compared with rice at day 45 (p = 0.011 and 0.049, respectively). Oat consumption significantly increased the abundance of Akkermansia muciniphila and Roseburia, and the relative abundance of Dialister, Butyrivibrio, and Paraprevotella, and decreased unclassified f-Sutterellaceae. In the oat group, Bifidobacterium abundance was negatively correlated with LDL-C (p = 0.01, r = −0.31) and, TC and LDL-C were negatively correlated to Faecalibacterium prausnitzii (p = 0.02, r = −0.29; p = 0.03, r = −0.27, respectively). Enterobacteriaceae, Roseburia, and Faecalibacterium prausnitzii were positively correlated with plasma butyric acid and valeric acid concentrations and negatively correlated to isobutyric acid. HDL-C was negatively correlated with valeric acid (p = 0.02, r = −0.25) and total triglyceride (TG) was positively correlated to isovaleric acid (p = 0.03, r = 0.23). Taken together, oats consumption significantly reduced TC and LDL-C, and also mediated a prebiotic effect on gut microbiome. Akkermansia muciniphila, Roseburia, Bifidobacterium, and Faecalibacterium prausnitzii, and plasma SCFA correlated with oat-induced changes in plasma lipids, suggesting prebiotic activity of oats to modulate gut microbiome could contribute towards its cholesterol-lowering effect.openXu, Dengfeng; Feng, Meiyuan; Chu, YiFang; Wang, Shaokang; Shete, Varsha; Tuohy, Kieran M; Liu, Feng; Zhou, Xirui; Kamil, Alison; Pan, Da; Liu, Hechun; Yang, Xian; Yang, Chao; Zhu, Baoli; Lv, Na; Xiong, Qian; Wang, Xin; Sun, Jianqin; Sun, Guiju; Yang, YuexinXu, D.; Feng, M.; Chu, Y.; Wang, S.; Shete, V.; Tuohy, K.M.; Liu, F.; Zhou, X.; Kamil, A.; Pan, D.; Liu, H.; Yang, X.; Yang, C.; Zhu, B.; Lv, N.; Xiong, Q.; Wang, X.; Sun, J.; Sun, G.; Yang, Y

A systematic review on the family planning and reproductive healthcare aspects of post-abortion care in China

Induced abortion is a remedial measure following contraceptive failure and accidental pregnancy. The annual global abortionwas43 million times and China reached 8.3 million times in 2003. Post-abortion care (PAC) refers to services provided for women after abortion, which is an approach for reducing abortion and their related complications and improving women’s reproductive health. This project aims to review post-abortion care (PAC) in China specifically focuses on the family planning and reproductive health aspects. The objectives are to assess the need for integrating PAC, the impact of PAC, and to explore the PAC for women in China related to family planning and reproductive health. Two electronic databases Pubmed and National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI) were systematically searched by key words. 18 articles that met the criteria were reviewed. In China, the main abortion reasons were not using contraceptive methods ranged from 42.6% to 66.7% and contraceptive failure ranged from 30.5% to 55.6%. The rate of repeated abortions ranged from 28.9% to 64.4%, and the number of abortions undergone was between one and nine. And the knowledge of reproductive health among Chinese females is generally poor. Besides, PAC can reduce the repeated abortion rate and incidence of abortion complications effectively. PAC in China was under-development although females undergoing abortion demand PAC strongly.published_or_final_versionPublic HealthMasterMaster of Public Healt

Effects of silver nitrate on shoot regeneration of Artemisia annua L.

In order to further increase the shoot regeneration frequency of Artemisia annua L., the effects of silver nitrate on this process was investigated in this study. Different concentration of silver nitrate was added to the shoot induction medium, which was MS basic medium containing 1.0 mgl(-1) 6-benzyladenine (6-BA) and 0.05 mgl(-1) alpha-napthaleneacetic acid (NAA). When 2 mgl(-1) silver nitrate was added to the shoot induction medium, the shoot induction frequency and shoot number per explants was significantly higher than that of the control (without silver nitrate). In addition, silver nitrate at all the tested concentrations could significantly reduce callus formation of the explants. Silver nitrate had also positive influence on shoot elongation in the first 20 days. Furthermore, silver nitrate did not affect the sensitivity of A. annua shoots to Kanamycin (KM); therefore, silver nitrate could be used to improve shoot regeneration capacity and frequency in A. annua genetic transformation

effectoftemperatureongrowthandartemisininbiosynthesisinhairyrootculturesofartemisiaannua

本实验研究了不同温度(15℃～35℃)对青蒿毛状根生长和青蒿素生物合成的影响，发现25℃有利于毛状根生长，30℃促进了青蒿素生物合成。通过温度改变的二步培养技术(培养前20d温度控制在25℃，后10d温度提高到30℃)，青蒿素的产量得到明显提高，高于在恒温培养时(25℃或30℃)的结果

Effects of silver nitrate on shoot regeneration of Artemisia annua L.

In order to further increase the shoot regeneration frequency of Artemisia annua L., the effects of silver nitrate on this process was investigated in this study. Different concentration of silver nitrate was added to the shoot induction medium, which was MS basic medium containing 1.0 mgl(-1) 6-benzyladenine (6-BA) and 0.05 mgl(-1) alpha-napthaleneacetic acid (NAA). When 2 mgl(-1) silver nitrate was added to the shoot induction medium, the shoot induction frequency and shoot number per explants was significantly higher than that of the control (without silver nitrate). In addition, silver nitrate at all the tested concentrations could significantly reduce callus formation of the explants. Silver nitrate had also positive influence on shoot elongation in the first 20 days. Furthermore, silver nitrate did not affect the sensitivity of A. annua shoots to Kanamycin (KM); therefore, silver nitrate could be used to improve shoot regeneration capacity and frequency in A. annua genetic transformation

Sensitive determination of domoic acid in mussel tissue using dansyl chloride derivatization and liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry

This paper describes a new method for sensitive determination of domoic acid (DA), the causative toxin of amnesic shellfish poisoning (ASP), in shellfish. The method involves extraction of tissue homogenates with 50% methanol followed by a highly selective strong anion exchange solid phase extraction and a derivatization with dansyl chloride (DNS-Cl) to form the dansyl derivative of domoic acid (DNS-DA). Reaction times were very rapid and proceeded under ambient conditions to yield stable derivatives. A study of the collision-induced dissociation of ESI-produced protonated DNS-DA was carried out to identify the most sensitive transitions to use in development of a selected reaction monitoring detection method. Compared with un-derivatized DA, DNS-DA showed a 5-fold increase in sensitivity of MS/MS detection and improved retention on a reversed phase LC stationary phase. Resolution of DNS-DA and its isomers was achieved using isocratic elution in 15 min.Peer reviewed: YesNRC publication: Ye

effectoftemperatureongrowthandartemisininbiosynthesisinhairyrootculturesofartemisiaannua

本实验研究了不同温度(15℃～35℃)对青蒿毛状根生长和青蒿素生物合成的影响，发现25℃有利于毛状根生长，30℃促进了青蒿素生物合成。通过温度改变的二步培养技术(培养前20d温度控制在25℃，后10d温度提高到30℃)，青蒿素的产量得到明显提高，高于在恒温培养时(25℃或30℃)的结果

Down-regulation of PER2 increases apoptosis of gliomas after X-ray irradiation

Period2 (PER2), a core circadian gene, not only modulates circadian rhythm but also may play an important role in other biological processes including pathways involved in the proliferation and apoptosis of tumor cells. In this study, we investigated the mechanism by which downregulated expression of PER2 promotes apoptosis of wild-type TP53 human glioma U343 cells exposed to X-rays. U343 cells were irradiated with 6mV 10Gy X-ray irradiation after infection with shRNA lentivirus to reduce expression of PER2, and then analyzed by several methods such as SCGE analysis, flow cytometry, RT-PCR, and western blotting. Compared with controls, U343 cells expressing low levels of PER2 showed serious DNA damage when exposed to X-ray irradiation in SCGE analysis (P<0.05), and higher death rates in flow cytometry assay (P<0.05). RT-PCR and western blot analysis both revealed decreased expression of ATM and TP53, which regulate DNA damage and repair via the ATM-TP53 pathway, and an increased expression of C-MYC, which is related to cell apoptosis. Thus, our research suggests that PER2 may play an important role in tumor radiotherapy, which is attributable to enhanced ATM-TP53 signaling and pro-apoptotic processes. These findings provide a new target for the clinical treatment of glioma, and a reliable basis for postradiation therapy and gene therapy for glioma and other cancers