Effect of Baicalin on inflammatory mediator levels and microcirculation disturbance in rats with severe acute pancreatitis

Objective: To investigate the effect of Bacailin on inflammatory mediator levels and microcirculation disturbance in severe acute pancreatitis (SAP) rats and explore its therapeutic mechanism on this disease. Methods: SAP model rats were randomly divided into model control group and Baicalin treated group, 45 rats in each group. The same number of normal rats were included in sham-operated group. These groups were further subdivided into 3 h, 6 h and 12 h subgroups, respectively (15 rats in each subgroup). At 3, 6 and 12 hours after operation, rats were killed to conduct the following experiments: (1) to examine the mortality rates of rats, the ascites volume and pancreatic pathological changes in each group; (2) to determine the contents of amylase, PLA~2~, TXB~2~, PGE~2~, PAF and IL-1[beta]; in blood as well as the changes in blood viscosity.Results: (1) Compared to model control group, treatment with Baicalin is able to improve the pathological damage of the pancreas, lower the contents of amylase and multiple inflammatory mediators in blood, decrease the amount of ascitic fluid and reduce the mortality rates of SAP rats; (2) at 3 hours after operation, the low-shear whole blood viscosity in Baicalin treated group was significantly lower than that in model control group;at 12 hours after operation, both the high-shear and low-shear whole blood viscosity in Baicalin treated group were also significantly lower than those in model control group.Conclusion: Baicalin, as a new drug, has good prospects in the treatment of SAP since it can exert therapeutic effects on this disease through inhibiting the production of inflammatory mediators, lowering blood viscosity, improving microcirculation and mitigating the pathological damage of the pancreas

On the Existence of Positive Solutions of Resonant and Nonresonant Multipoint Boundary Value Problems for Third-Order Nonlinear Differential Equations

Positive solutions for a kind of third-order multipoint boundary value problem under the non-resonant conditions and the resonant conditions are considered. In the nonresonant case, by using Leggett-Williams fixed-point theorem, the existence of at least three positive solutions is obtained. In the resonant case, by using Leggett-Williams norm-type theorem due to O’Regan and Zima, existence result of at least one positive solution is established. The results obtained are valid and new for the problem discussed. Two examples are given to illustrate the main results

NIP/DuoxA is essential for Drosophila embryonic development and regulates oxidative stress response

NIP/DuoxA, originally cloned as a protein capable of binding to the cell fate determinant Numb in Drosophila, was recently identified as a modulator of reactive oxygen species (ROS) production in mammalian systems. Despite biochemical and cellular studies that link NIP/DuoxA to the generation of ROS through the dual oxidase (Duox) enzyme, the in vivo function of NIP/DuoxA has not been characterized to date. Here we report a genetic and functional characterization of nip in Drosophila melanogaster. We show that nip is essential for Drosophila development as nip null mutants die at the 1st larval instar. Expression of UAS-nip, but not UAS-Duox, rescued the lethality. To understand the function of nip beyond the early larval stage, we generated GAL4 inducible UAS-RNAi transgenes. daG32-GAL4 driven, ubiquitous RNAi-mediated silencing of nip led to profound abnormality in pre-adult development, crinkled wing and markedly reduced lifespan at 29°C. Compared to wild type flies, da-GAL4 induced nip-RNAi transgenic flies exhibited significantly reduced ability to survive under oxidative stress and displayed impaired mitochondrial aconitase function. Our work provides in vivo evidence for a critical role for nip in the development and oxidative stress response in Drosophila

Diagnosing the Ice Crystal Enhancement Factor in the Tropics

Recent modeling studies have revealed that ice crystal number concentration is one of the dominant factors in the effect of clouds on radiation. Since the ice crystal enhancement factor and ice nuclei concentration determine the concentration, they are both important in quantifying the contribution of increased ice nuclei to global warming. In this study, long-term cloud-resolving model (CRM) simulations are compared with field observations to estimate the ice crystal enhancement factor in tropical and midlatitudinal clouds, respectively. It is found that the factor in tropical clouds is ~10 3-104 times larger than that of mid-latitudinal ones, which makes physical sense because entrainment and detrainment in the Tropics are much stronger than in middle latitudes. The effect of entrainment/detrainment on the enhancement factor, especially in tropical clouds, suggests that cloud microphysical parameterizations should be coupled with subgrid turbulence parameterizations within CRMs to obtain a more accurate depiction of cloud-radiative forcing

Dual effects of gonadotropin-inhibitory hormone on testicular development in prepubertal Minxinan Black rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus)

Gonadotropin-inhibitory hormone (GnIH) is a neurohormone that not only suppresses reproduction at the brain level but also regulates steroidogenesis and gametogenesis at the gonad level. However, its function in gonadal physiology has received little attention in rabbits. The main objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of GnIH on testicular development and function in prepubertal Minxinan Black rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus). In the present study, we investigated the serum reproductive hormone concentration, testicular parameters, morphology of seminiferous tubules, apoptosis of testicular cells, and expression of reproductive-related genes in male prepubertal Minxinan Black rabbits intraperitoneally administered with 0, 0.5, 5, or 50 μg quail GnIH-related peptides (qGnIH) for 10 days. Compared with the vehicle, administration with 5 μg of qGnIH downregulated the serum testosterone concentration and mRNA levels of spermatogenic genes (PCNA, FSHR, INHβA, HSF1, and AR) and upregulated the apoptosis rate of testicular cells; administration with 50 μg of qGnIH decreased the serum testosterone concentration and hypothalamic GnIH gene mRNA level and increased the serum LH concentration, pituitary LHβ gene mRNA level, testicular weight, gonadosomatic index (GSI), and spermatogenic cell layer thickness. It is concluded that GnIH could exert dual actions on testicular development depending on the male prepubertal rabbits receiving different intraperitoneal doses

Characterisation of Staphylococcus aureus strain causing severe respiratory disease in rabbits

[EN] Staphylococcus aureus is acknowledged as one of the important pathogens isolated from humans and animals. However, the S. aureus causing severe respiratory diseases in rabbits have not been well characterised. A S. aureus named FZHW001, isolated from the lungs of dead rabbits with severe respiratory disease, was characterised by artificial infection of rabbits, detection of virulence factors, multi-locus sequencing typing and antimicrobial susceptibility test. The FZHW001 infected rabbits showed identical respiratory symptoms to those of naturally infected ones, and the isolate could spread through directed contact among rabbits. The isolate was typed into clonal complex 121 and carried 7 of 13 tested virulence factors. Furthermore, the isolate was identified to be methicillin-susceptible S. aureus and was susceptible to 7 of 12 tested antibiotics. This study first describes the characteristics of S. aureus isolated from rabbits causing severe respiratory disease, which will help in further understanding the pathogenic mechanisms of S. aureus in rabbits.This work was supported by the Outstanding Youth Fund of Fujian Academy of Agricultural Sciences (JC2018-1) and National Rabbit Industry Technology System of People’s Republic of China (CARS-43-G-5).Wang, J.; Sang, L.; Chen, Y.; Sun, S.; Chen, D.; Xie, X. (2019). Characterisation of Staphylococcus aureus strain causing severe respiratory disease in rabbits. World Rabbit Science. 27(1):41-48. https://doi.org/10.4995/wrs.2019.10454SWORD4148271Angen O., Feld L., Larsen J., Rostgaard K., Skov R., Madsen A.M., Larsen A.R. 2017. Transmission of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus to human volunteers visiting a swine farm. Appl. Environ. 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Preparation of β-lactoglobulin-derived tryptophan peptide and its effect on anxiety-like behaviors in Zebrafish

This study aimed to obtain three Trp-containing peptides from β-lactoglobulin and study their effects on anxiety-like behaviors in zebrafish. Three Trp-containing peptides were prepared from β-lactoglobulin by selective enzymatic hydrolysis and identified by UPLC-Q-TOF MS/MS. The anxiety-like behaviors of zebrafish were reduced after two weeks of administrated of β-lactoglobulin Trp peptides (LAWP), VAGTWY, VAGTW and G TW(concentration of 56 μg/mL or 500 μg/mL). As an index of serotonergic activity, we assessed the enhancing abilities of 5-HT synthesis. The treatment remarkably enhanced the 5-HT synthesis by upregulation of Trp concentration and Trp hydroxylase activation. In addition, this study further validated the anti-anxiety effects of whey protein hydrolysate with a high Trp index in animal and the experimental results were consistent with those reported in previous studies. Our results showed that β-lactoglobulin Trp peptides ingestion has a significant anti-anxiety effect as evidenced by the increasing Trp concentration, TPH activation and 5-HT level compared to the control group, with the VAGTW being the more effective

A Contribution by Ice Nuclei to Global Warming

Ice nuclei (IN) significantly affect clouds via supercooled droplets, that in turn modulate atmospheric radiation and thus climate change. Since the IN effect is relatively strong in stratiform clouds but weak in convective ones, the overall effect depends on the ratio of stratiform to convective cloud amount. In this paper, 10 years of TRMM (Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission) satellite data are analyzed to confirm that stratiform precipitation fraction increases with increasing latitude, which implies that the IN effect is stronger at higher latitudes. To quantitatively evaluate the IN effect versus latitude, large-scale forcing data from ten field campaigns are used to drive a CRM (cloud-resolving model) to generate longterm cloud simulations. As revealed in the simulations, the increase in the net downward radiative flux at the TOA (top of the atmosphere) from doubling the current IN concentrations is larger at higher latitude, which is attributed to the meridional tendency in the stratiform precipitation fraction. Surface warming from doubling the IN concentrations, based on the radiative balance of the globe, is compared with that from anthropogenic COZ . It is found that the former effect is stronger than the latter in middle and high latitudes but not in the Tropics. With regard to the impact of IN on global warming, there are two factors to consider: the radiative effect from increasing the IN concentration and the increase in IN concentration itself. The former relies on cloud ensembles and thus varies mainly with latitude. In contrast, the latter relies on IN sources (e.g., the land surface distribution) and thus varies not only with latitude but also longitude. Global desertification and industrialization provide clues on the geographic variation of the increase in IN concentration since pre-industrial times. Thus, their effect on global warming can be inferred and then be compared with observations. A general match in geographic and seasonal variations between the inferred and observed warming suggests that IN may have contributed positively to global warming over the past decades, especially in middle and high latitudes

Evaluating Clouds in Long-Term Cloud-Resolving Model Simulations with Observational Data

Two 20-day, continental midlatitude cases are simulated with a three-dimensional (3D) cloud-resolving model (CRM) and compared to Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) data. This evaluation of long-term cloud-resolving model simulations focuses on the evaluation of clouds and surface fluxes. All numerical experiments, as compared to observations, simulate surface precipitation well but over-predict clouds, especially in the upper troposphere. The sensitivity of cloud properties to dimensionality and other factors is studied to isolate the origins of the over prediction of clouds. Due to the difference in buoyancy damping between 2D and 3D models, surface precipitation fluctuates rapidly with time, and spurious dehumidification occurs near the tropopause in the 2D CRM. Surface fluxes from a land data assimilation system are compared with ARM observations. They are used in place of the ARM surface fluxes to test the sensitivity of simulated clouds to surface fluxes. Summertime simulations show that surface fluxes from the assimilation system bring about a better simulation of diurnal cloud variation in the lower troposphere