Influence of Salvia miltiorrhizae on the Mesenteric Lymph Node of Rats with Severe Acute Pancreatitis or Obstructive Jaundice

Objective. To observe the effect of salvia miltiorrhizae injection on inflammatory mediator levels and mesenteric lymph nodes in severe acute pancreatitis (SAP) and obstructive jaundice (OJ) rats and explore the protective mechanism of salvia miltiorrhizae on the lymph nodes of these rats. Methods. A total of 288 rats were used in SAP-associated and OJ-associated experiments. The rats were randomly divided into sham-operated group, model control group, and treated group. At various time points after operation, the pathological changes in mesenteric lymph nodes of rats in each group were observed, respectively. Results. The pathological severity scores in lymph nodes of SAP rats in treated group were significantly lower than those in model control group (P < .05) while the pathological changes in lymph nodes of OJ rats in treated group also showed varying degrees of mitigation. Conclusion. Salvia miltiorrhizae can exert protective effects on the lymph nodes of SAP or OJ rats via a mechanism that is associated with reducing the contents of inflammatory mediators in blood

Establishment and Development of Oral Microflora in 12–24 Month-Old Toddlers Monitored by High-Throughput Sequencing

A cohort study was conducted to evaluate oral microbial diversity among toddlers aged 12–24 months, and to describe the dynamic processes of colonization, development, and stabilization of the oral microflora during tooth eruption using high-throughput sequencing technology. A total of 20 healthy toddlers aged 12 months were included at baseline and followed up through 18–24 months. Clinical oral examinations of dental caries status and visible plaque index were carried out at three follow-up time points. Pooled supragingival plaque biofilm samples were also collected at ages 12, 18, and 24 months. Plaque biofilm DNA was extracted and analyzed by MiSeq sequencing. A total of 18 toddlers completed three follow-ups. At 12 months of age, all the toddlers only had eruption of the anterior teeth, without dental caries. At ages 18 and 24 months, one and two toddlers showed two and three teeth with carious white spots, respectively. Depth, Good's coverage, and sample size of sequencing were reasonable. The dominant bacterial genera in the oral cavity of 12-month-old toddlers were Capnocytophaga, Neisseria, Streptococcus, Kingella, and Leptotrichia; the oral microflora composition was relatively stable by 18 months of age and included unclassified Enterobacteriaceae, Selenomonas, Prevotella, Leptotrichia, and Veillonella as the dominant genera; unclassified Enterobacteriaceae, Streptococcus, Neisseria, Leptotrichia, and Selenomonas were the dominant genera by 24 months. There were significant differences among microbial compositions in the oral cavities of 12, 18, and 24-month-old toddlers, with relatively small differences observed between the 18 and 24 months samples. In conclusion, oral microbial community of toddlers showed a trend of dynamic development. Significant differences in oral microbial diversity among toddlers aged 12–24 months were observed, while the microbial diversity differences among toddlers aged 18–24 months tended to be more similar. The findings indicated that the oral microbial community gradually matures and tends to stabilize with the growth and development of toddlers

Biological cohesion as the architect of bed movement under wave action

Funding for this project was provided by the National Key Research and Development Project, MOST, China (2018YFC0407506), the National Natural Science Foundation of China (51620105005), and the China Postdoctoral Science Foundation (2020M680580). D. M. Paterson acknowledges NERC funding (NE/N016009/1).Cohesive extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) generated by microorganisms abundant on Earth are regarded as bed “stabilizers” increasing the erosion threshold in sedimentary systems. However, most observations of this phenomenon have been taken under steady flow conditions. In contrast, we present how EPS affect the bed movement under wave action, showing a destabilization of the system. We demonstrate a complex behavior of the bio‐sedimentary deposits, which encompasses liquefaction, mass motion, varying bed formations and erosion, depending on the amount of EPS present. Small quantities of EPS induce higher mobility of the sediments, liquefying an otherwise stable bed. Bed with larger quantities of EPS undergoes a synchronized mechanical oscillation. Our analysis clarifies how biological cohesion can potentially put coastal wetlands at risk by increasing their vulnerability to waves. These findings lead to a revised understanding of the different roles played by microbial life, and their importance as mediators of seabed mobility.Publisher PDFPeer reviewe

Analyses of associations between three positionally cloned asthma candidate genes and asthma or asthma-related phenotypes in a Chinese population

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Six asthma candidate genes, ADAM33, NPSR1, PHF11, DPP10, HLA-G, and CYFIP2, located at different chromosome regions have been positionally cloned following the reported linkage studies. For ADAM33, NPSR1, and CYFIP2, the associations with asthma or asthma-related phenotypes have been studied in East Asian populations such as Chinese and Japanese. However, for PHF11, DPP10, and HLA-G, none of the association studies have been conducted in Asian populations. Therefore, the aim of the present study is to test the associations between these three positionally cloned genes and asthma or asthma-related phenotypes in a Chinese population.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Two, five, and two single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the identified top regions of PHF11, DPP10, and HLA-G, respectively, were genotyped in 1183 independent samples. The study samples were selected based on asthma affectation status and extreme values in at least one of the following three asthma-related phenotypes: total serum immunoglobulin E levels, bronchial responsiveness test, and skin prick test. Both single SNP and haplotype analyses were performed.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>We found that DPP10 was significantly associated with bronchial hyperresponsiveness (BHR) and BHR asthma after the adjustment for multiple testing; while the associations of PHF11 with positive skin reactions to antigens and the associations of HLA-G with BHR asthma were only nominally significant.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Our study is the first one to provide additional evidence that supports the roles of DPP10 in influencing asthma or BHR in a Chinese population.</p