Influence of Lisu People’s Religious Beliefs on their Traditional Medicine

The Lisu, inhabitants of Nujiang River Canyon in China’s northwestern Yunnan Province, believe in three set of religious beliefs: their own primitive religion, Christianity and Catholicism, introduced by Western missionaries in the 18th century (Yang et al. (Eds.), 1993). Religious convictions permeate all aspects of life conducted by Lisu and do have a profound impact upon various aspects of their traditional culture. The present article explores how religious tenets have helped shape and have affected traditional Lisu medicine, investigating the relationship between religion, culture, and traditional medicine, tracking the path from Lisu ancient history down to modern times

Uncovering the candidate genes related to sheep body weight using multi-trait genome-wide association analysis

In sheep, body weight is an economically important trait. This study sought to map genetic loci related to weaning weight and yearling weight. To this end, a single-trait and multi-trait genome-wide association study (GWAS) was performed using a high-density 600 K single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) chip. The results showed that 43 and 56 SNPs were significantly associated with weaning weight and yearling weight, respectively. A region associated with both weaning and yearling traits (OARX: 6.74–7.04 Mb) was identified, suggesting that the same genes could play a role in regulating both these traits. This region was found to contain three genes (TBL1X, SHROOM2 and GPR143). The most significant SNP was Affx-281066395, located at 6.94 Mb (p = 1.70 × 10−17), corresponding to the SHROOM2 gene. We also identified 93 novel SNPs elated to sheep weight using multi-trait GWAS analysis. A new genomic region (OAR10: 76.04–77.23 Mb) with 22 significant SNPs were discovered. Combining transcriptomic data from multiple tissues and genomic data in sheep, we found the HINT1, ASB11 and GPR143 genes may involve in sheep body weight. So, multi-omic anlaysis is a valuable strategy identifying candidate genes related to body weight

Relieving Effect of Rosa roxburghii Tratt. Juice Fermented by Lactobacillus paracasei SR10-1 on Dextran Sulfate Sodium-Induced Ulcerative Colitis in Mice

Objective: To investigate the protective effect of Rosa roxburghii Tratt. juice (RRTJ) fermented by Lactobacillus paracasei SR10-1 against ulcerative colitis (UC) in mice. Methods: SR10-1 fermented Rosa roxburghii Tratt. juice was prepared in the laboratory. A mouse model of UC induced by dextran sulfate sodium (DSS) was created. The experiments were designed using five groups, i.e., blank control, DSS-induced model, positive control (mesalazine), lactic acid bacteria fermented RRTJ (LAB-RRTJ) and RRTJ. Disease activity index (DAI) score, visceral organ indices, colon length, colon pathological changes, the levels of inflammatory factors including interleukin (IL)-1β, IL-6, IL-10, IL-17A, tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) and interferon-γ (IFN-γ), the levels of oxidative stress indicators including malondialdehyde (MDA), superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione (GSH), the activity of myeloperoxidase (MPO), and the expression levels of gut barrier-related genes (claudin-3, ZO-1 and MUC2) were analyzed in UC mice. Results: Compared with the DSS-induced model group, LAB-RRTJ significantly reduced the DAI score (P < 0.05), and relieved diarrhea, bloody stools, colonic atrophy and pathological changes of mice. In addition, the colon length was significantly increased (P < 0.001), and the spleen and liver indices were significantly decreased (P < 0.001 and P < 0.05, respectively). The levels of IL-1β, IL-6, IL-17A, TNF-α, and IFN-γ were significantly decreased (P < 0.05), while the level of IL-10 was significantly increased (P < 0.05). The levels of MDA and MPO were significantly decreased (P < 0.05), the activities of SOD and GSH were significantly increased (P < 0.001 and P < 0.05), and the expression levels of claudin-3, ZO-1 and MUC2 were significantly increased (P < 0.01). Conclusion: Fermented Rosa roxburghii Tratt. juice with Lactobacillus paracasei SR10-1 could reduce intestinal damage in UC mice by improving inflammatory responses and regulating the level of oxidative stress and intestinal barrier function

Sulfonated microporous polymer membranes with fast and selective ion transport for electrochemical energy conversion and storage

Membranes with fast and selective transport of protons and cations are required for a wide range of electrochemical energy conversion and storage devices, such as proton-exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cells and redox flow batteries. Here we report a new approach to designing solution-processable ion-selective polymer membranes with both intrinsic microporosity and ion-conductive functionality. This was achieved by synthesizing polymers with rigid and contorted backbones, which incorporate hydrophobic fluorinated and hydrophilic sulfonic acid functional groups, to produce membranes with negatively-charged subnanometer-sized confined ionic channels. The facilitated transport of protons and cations through these membranes, as well as high selectivity towards nanometer-sized redox-active molecules, enable efficient and stable operation of an aqueous alkaline quinone redox flow battery and a hydrogen PEM fuel cell. This membrane design strategy paves the way for producing a new-generation of ion-exchange membranes for electrochemical energy conversion and storage applications

Taurine alleviates Streptococcus uberis-induced inflammation by activating autophagy in mammary epithelial cells

Streptococcus uberis infection can cause serious inflammation and damage to mammary epithelial cells and tissues that can be significantly alleviated by taurine. Autophagy plays an important role in regulating immunity and clearing invasive pathogens and may be regulated by taurine. However, the relationships between taurine, autophagy, and S. uberis infection remain unclear. Herein, we demonstrate that taurine augments PTEN activity and inhibits Akt/mTOR signaling, which decreases phosphorylation of ULK1 and ATG13 by mTOR and activates autophagy. Activating autophagy accelerates the degradation of intracellular S. uberis, reduces intracellular bacterial load, inhibits over-activation of the NF-κB pathway, and alleviates the inflammation and damage caused by S. uberis infection. This study increases our understanding of the mechanism through which taurine regulates autophagy and is the first to demonstrate the role of autophagy in S. uberis infected MAC-T cells. Our study also provides a theoretical basis for employing nutritional elements (taurine) to regulate innate immunity and control S. uberis infection. It also provides theoretical support for the development of prophylactic strategies for this important pathogen

Molecular epidemiology and antimicrobial resistance of outbreaks of Klebsiella pneumoniae clinical mastitis in Chinese dairy farms

Klebsiella pneumoniae is an opportunistic pathogen that causes serious infections in humans and animals. However, the availability of epidemiological information on clinical mastitis due to K. pneumoniae is limited. To acquire new information regarding K. pneumoniae mastitis, data were mined about K. pneumoniae strains on dairy cattle farms (farms A to H) in 7 Chinese provinces in 2021. Hypermucoviscous strains of K. pneumoniae were obtained by the string test. MICs of antimicrobial agents were determined via the broth microdilution method. Ten antimicrobial resistance genes and virulence genes were identified by PCR. The prevalence of K. pneumoniae was 35.91% (65/181), and 100% of the bacteria were sensitive to enrofloxacin. Nine antimicrobial resistance genes and virulence genes were identified and compared among farms. The hypermucoviscous phenotype was present in 94.44% of isolates from farm B, which may be a function of the rmpA virulence gene. Based on these data, the multidrug-resistant strains SD-14 and HB-21 were chosen and sequenced. Genotypes were assayed for K. pneumoniae isolates from different countries and different hosts using multilocus sequence typing (MLST). Ninety-four sequence types (STs) were found, and 6 STs present a risk for spreading in specific regions. Interestingly, ST43 was observed in bovine isolates for the first time. Our study partially reveals the current distribution characteristics of bovine K. pneumoniae in China and may provide a theoretical basis for the prevention and treatment of bovine K. pneumoniae mastitis