Total Flavonoids from Leaves of Carya Cathayensis Ameliorate Renal Fibrosis via the miR-21/Smad7 Signaling Pathway

Background/Aims: Renal tubulointerstitial fibrosis is the most common pathway of progressive kidney injury, leading to end-stage renal disease. At present, no effective prophylactic treatment method is available. This study investigated the anti-fibrotic effects of total flavonoids (TFs) extracted from leaves of Carya Cathayensis in vivo and in vitro, and explored the underlying mechanisms. Methods: Anti-fibrotic effects of TFs were measured using a mouse model of unilateral ureteral obstruction (UUO) and in transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1)-treated mouse tubular epithelial cells (mTECs). mRNA expression and protein levels of Collagen I, Collagen III, and α-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA) were also tested by real-time reverse transcription PCR and western blot analysis. To elucidate the underlying mechanisms, expression of miR-21 was examined in mTECs treated with TFs using miR-21 mimics transfected into mTECs before TGF-β1 and TFs treatment. Regulation of mothers against decapentaplegic homolog (Smad) signaling by miR-21 was subsequently validated via overexpression and deletion of miR-21 followed by a luciferase assay. Results: TFs treatment attenuated renal fibrosis, and inhibited expression of collagens and α-SMA in the kidneys of mice subjected to UUO. In vitro, the TFs significantly decreased expression of fibrotic markers in TGF-β1-treated mTECs. Moreover, TFs reduced miR-21 expression in a time- and dose-dependent manner in mTECs, increased expression of Smad7, and decreased phosphorylation of Smad3. Treatment with miR-21 mimics abolished the anti-fibrotic effects of the TFs on the TGF-β1-treated mTECs. In addition, genetic deletion of miR-21 upregulated expression of Smad7 and suppressed phosphorylation of Smad3, attenuating renal fibrosis in mice. Bioinformatics predictions revealed the potential binding site of miR-21 in the 3′-untranslated region of Smad7, and this was further confirmed by the luciferase assay. Conclusion: TFs ameliorate renal fibrosis via a miR-21/Smad7 signaling pathway, indicating a potential therapy for the prevention of renal fibrosis

A new species of Eucapnopsis (Plecoptera: Capniidae) from China

Cao, Zhishan, Yang, Ding, Li, Weihai (2020): A new species of Eucapnopsis (Plecoptera: Capniidae) from China. Zootaxa 4779 (1): 142-148, DOI: https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.4779.1.1

Eucapnopsis yunnana Cao & Yang & Li 2020, sp. nov.

<i>Eucapnopsis yunnana</i> sp. nov. <p> <b>Adult habitus.</b> (Figs. 1, 2, 6). Body generally brown to dark brown. Wings macropterous, hyaline with brown veins. Two crossveins between the C vein and Sc 1 vein (Fig. 2). Head slightly wider than pronotum, with three pale ocelli, compound eyes dark. Antennae slender, approximately same length as forewing. Pronotum wider than long, corner obtuse, with dark rugosities. Legs brown to dark brown (Fig. 1). Cerci slender and brown, distinctly shorter than the abdomen, with 4–5 segments in the types. The length of each segments gradually getting longer towards apex, the basal one nearly 0.1 mm, but the distal segment ca. 0.2 mm. Segments clubbed, covered with thick setae, and distal portion of each segment enlarged (Figs. 6 c–6d).</p> <p> <b>Male</b> (Figs. 2–6). Body length 4.8–4.9 mm. Forewing length 5.5–5.6 mm, hindwing length 5.1–5.2 mm. Terga 5–10 with sclerotized anterior margins. Tergum 9 slightly concave at midlength and sclerotized at anterior margin, without posteromedial lobe. In lateral view, not elevated (Figs. 3 b–3c). Tergum 10 strongly sclerotized at anterior margin, with a deep subtriangular indentation (Figs. 3a, 3d). Sternum 9 bearing an elliptical, hairy medium sized to large, longer than wide vesicle, posteriorly nearly reaching 1/2 of the subgenital plate. Subgenital plate semi-elliptical with sclerotized margins (Figs. 3b, 6 a–6b). Paraprocts apical part medium long and tapering. Fusion plate long and narrow (Figs. 3b, 5d). The main epiproct sclerite generally quadrate, corners obtuse, bears a hook at the apex. Concavity between main sclerites trapezoidal. Additionally, the inner margin of main sclerite slightly constricted at 1/6 and dilated at 5/6 (Figs. 3e, 4b, 5 a–5c). In frontal view, basal sclerite divided from two main epiproct sclerites, with a medial opening between the two main epiproct sclerites (Fig. 4a). In the lateral view, the main epiproct sclerite subtriangular, the basis of apical flattened but the hook obvious (Figs. 3c, 5b). In the ventral view, the main epiproct sclerite cleft and rectangular (Fig. 5d).</p> <p> <b>Female</b> (Figs. 1, 7). Body length 5.5–5.6 mm, forewing length 5.6–5.7 mm, hindwing length 5.0– 5.1 mm. Terga 2–10 sclerotized anterior margin, and with membranous medial portion on terga 2–8 (Fig. 1). Sternum 7 forming a large trapezoidal sclerite, covering 3/4 width of the sternum, the lateral margin sinuous, a small slender subrectangular sclerite present on each side of the plate. The subgenital plate triangular and wide, not protruding beyond sternum 8, anterior to the plate occurring a subtriangular medial sclerite, the sclerite as wide as the membranous area of it. Sternum 8 with two lateral sclerites that extend medially, the lateral margin of the sclerites covering most of the length of the sternum (Fig. 7).</p> <p> <b>Type Material.</b> Holotype male (HIST), China: Yunnan Province, Deqing County, Baima Mountain, 98°57′E, 27°24′N, 4295m, 13. IV. 2009, W. Li. Paratypes: 5 males and 4 females, same locality and data as holotype, 2 fe- males, same locality and collector, 22. III. 2016.</p> <p> <b>Distribution.</b> Yunnan Province, China. The type series is only known from a stream draining Baima Snow Mountain in northwestern Yunnan Province, an area of alpine coniferous forests.</p> <p> <b>Etymology.</b> The species refers to the province where the type locality of the new species is located.</p> <p> <b>Remarks.</b> The new species is generally similar to <i>E. stigmatica.</i> The male genitalia of the <i>E. yunnana</i> is most similar to the <i>E. s. stigmatica</i>. The main sclerite of epiproct of <i>E. yunnana</i> is subquadrate in dorsal view, whereas the epiproct of <i>E. s. stigmatica</i> epiproct is rounded. In frontal view, the epiproct of <i>E. yunnana</i> lacks a rounded medial opening that occurs in <i>E. s. stigmatica</i>. The opening between the two main epiproct sclerites of <i>E. s. stigmatica</i> is narrow, but in <i>E. yunnana</i>, it is wide and its inner margin straight. The subgenital plates of the females of both species are different. The two lateral sclerites in <i>E. s. stigmatica</i> is smaller than that in <i>E. yunnana.</i> The forewing of <i>E. s. stigmatica</i> has six crossveins between the C vein and Sc 1 vein, whereas <i>E. yunnana</i> has only two crossveins. In addition, <i>E. yunnana</i> is also similar to <i>E. s. transversa</i>, but male main epiproct sclerite of <i>E. s. transversa</i> is characteristically flattened (both in lateral view and in frontal view). The male of <i>E. yunnana</i> is also similar to <i>E. quattuorsegmentata</i> and <i>E. brevicauda</i> (Judson & Nelson 2012, Murányi <i>et al.,</i> 2014) in the variable morphology of the epiproct, but typical specimens differ in the shape of the two main epiproct sclerites, and the opening between the two main epiporct sclerites. The females of <i>E. quattuorsegmentata</i> and <i>E. brevicauda</i> are distinctly different from <i>E. yunnana</i> by possessing entirely pale subgenital plates.</p>Published as part of <i>Cao, Zhishan, Yang, Ding & Li, Weihai, 2020, A new species of Eucapnopsis (Plecoptera: Capniidae) from China, pp. 142-148 in Zootaxa 4779 (1)</i> on pages 143-146, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4779.1.11, <a href="http://zenodo.org/record/3831660">http://zenodo.org/record/3831660</a&gt

A Network Analysis of Cross-Occupational Skill Transferability for the Hospitality Industry

Purpose: This paper aims to examine transferable skills and viable career transition pathways for hospitality and tourism workers. Future career prospects are discussed, along with the importance of reskilling for low-wage hospitality workers. Design/methodology/approach: A network analysis is conducted to model skill relationships between the hospitality industry and other industries such as health-care and information technology. Multiple data are used in the analysis, including data from the US Department of Labor Occupational Information Network (O*NET), wage data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics and job computerization data (Frey and Osborne, 2017). Findings: Although hospitality workers have lower than average skills scores when compared to workers from other career clusters included in the analysis, they possess essential soft skills that are valuable in other industries. Therefore, improving hospitality workers\u27 existing soft skills may help them enhance their cross-sector mobility, which may allow them to obtain jobs with a lower likelihood of computerization. Practical implications: The findings shed light on workforce development theories and practice in the hospitality industry by quantitatively analyzing cross-sector skill correlations. Sharpening transferable soft skills will be essential to enhancing hospitality workers\u27 career development opportunities. Originality/value: To the best of the authors\u27 knowledge, this is the first study that specifically examines the skill taxonomy for the hospitality industry and identifies its connection with other in-demand career clusters

Rapid resolution liquid chromatography coupled with quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry-based metabolomics approach to study the effects of jieduquyuziyin prescription on systemic lupus erythematosus.

Jieduquyuziyin prescription (JP), a traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) prescription, has been widely used for the clinical treatment of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). However, the complex chemical constituents of JP and the multifactorial pathogenesis of SLE make research on the therapeutic mechanism of JP in SLE challenging. In this paper, a serum metabolomics approach based on rapid resolution liquid chromatography coupled with quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (RRLC-Q-TOF/MS) was employed to acquire the metabolic characteristics of serum samples obtained from mice in the SLE model group, JP-treated group, prednisone acetate (PA)-treated group and control group. The orthogonal partial least squares (OPLS) was applied to recognize metabolic patterns, and an obvious separation of groups was obtained. Thirteen metabolites, namely, phosphatidylethanolamine (PE 20:3), hepoxilin B3, lyso- phosphatidylethanolamine (lyso-PE 22:6), 12S-hydroxypentaenoic acid (12S-HEPE), traumatic acid, serotonin, platelet-activating factor (PAF), phosphatidylcholine (PC 20:5),eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), 12(S)-hydroxyei- cosatetraenoic acid (12S-HETE), 14-hydroxy docosahexaenoic acid (14-HDOHE), lyso-phosphatidylcholine (lyso-PC 20:4), and indole acetaldehyde, were identified and characterized as differential metabolites involved in the pathogenesis of SLE. After treatment with JP, the relative content of 12(S)-HETE, PAF, 12(S)-HEPE, EPA, PE (20:3), Lyso-PE(22:6), and 14-HDOHE were effectively regulated, which suggested that the therapeutic effects of JP on SLE may involve regulating disturbances to the metabolism of unsaturated fatty acid, tryptophan and phospholipid. This research also demonstrated that metabolomics is a powerful tool for researching complex disease mechanisms and evaluating the mechanism of action of TCM

Induction and Characterization of Tetraploids from Seeds of Bletilla striata (Thunb.) Reichb.f.

Bletilla striata (Thunb.), an ornamental and medicinal plant, is on the list of endangered plants in China. Its pseudobulb is abundant in polysaccharide and has been used for centuries as a herbal remedy. However, a recent rise in demand has placed it at risk of extinction, and therefore, research on its propagation and genetic improvement is essential. Since polyploids tend to possess advantageous qualities, we incubated B. striata seeds with colchicine with the aim of creating tetraploid plantlets. Aseptic seeds treated with 0.1% colchicine for 7 days showed the highest tetraploid induction rate of 40.67 ± 0.89%. Compared with the wild-type, the tetraploids could be identified by their morphological characteristics including larger stomata at a lower density, larger leaf blades, and a thicker petiole. Contents of polysaccharide and phenolic compounds were also determined in the tetraploid pseudobulbs, revealing significantly higher values than in the wild-type. In vitro colchicine treatment can therefore be used to successfully produce B. striata tetraploids with superior pseudobulbs

Involvement of Flavonoids from the Leaves of Carya cathayensis Sarg. in Sirtuin 1 Expression in HUVEC Senescence

Atherosclerosis is the commonest cause of death in the world and one of the most important processes that occurs with increasing age because it is accompanied by progressive endothelial dysfunction. Recent studies demonstrated that Sirtuin 1 (SIRT1) might potentially affect cell senescence. However, the effect of SIRT1 on the regulation of human umbilical vein endothelial cell (HUVEC) senescence with total flavonoids (TFs) has not been addressed previously. This study investigated how SIRT1 functions in the process of HUVEC senescence when TFs are present and identified the potential molecular mechanisms involved. Using a model of HUVEC senescence induced by angiotensin II, TFs pretreatment reduced the percentage of senescence-associated β-galactosidase (SA-β-gal) cells and p53 mRNA expression. The level of SIRT1 protein and E2F1 decreased during HUVEC senescence and could be partially recovered when cells were coincubated with TFs, while the levels of proteins p53 and p21 increased during cell senescence and diminished in response to the TFs treatment. When coincubated with 20 mM nicotinamide, the results with SA-β-gal-positive cells and the expression of SIRT1, E2F1, p53, and p21 were contrary to that obtained with only TFs pretreatment. The data indicate that the TFs exert their effect on HUVEC senescence through SIRT1

Antiplatelet Aggregation and Antithrombosis Efficiency of Peptides in the Snake Venom of Deinagkistrodon acutus: Isolation, Identification, and Evaluation

Two peptides of Pt-A (Glu-Asn-Trp 429 Da) and Pt-B (Glu-Gln-Trp 443 Da) were isolated from venom liquor of Deinagkistrodon acutus. Their antiplatelet aggregation effects were evaluated with platelet-rich human plasma in vitro; the respective IC50 of Pt-A and Pt-B was 66 μM and 203 μM. Both peptides exhibited protection effects on ADP-induced paralysis in mice. After ADP administration, the paralysis time of different concentration of Pt-A and Pt-B lasted as the following: 80 mg/kg Pt-B (152.8 ± 57.8 s) < 40 mg/kg Pt-A (163.5 ± 59.8 s) < 20 mg/kg Pt-A (253.5 ± 74.5 s) < 4 mg/kg clopidogrel (a positive control, 254.5 ± 41.97 s) < 40 mg/kg Pt-B (400.8 ± 35.9 s) < 10 mg/kg Pt-A (422.8 ± 55.4 s), all of which were statistically shorter than the saline treatment (666 ± 28 s). Pulmonary tissue biopsy confirmed that Pt-A and Pt-B prevented the formation of thrombi in the lung. Unlike ADP injection alone, which caused significant reduction of peripheral platelet count, Pt-A treatment prevented the drop of peripheral platelet counts; interestingly, Pt-B could not, even though the same amount of Pt-B also showed protection effects on ADP-induced paralysis and thrombosis. More importantly, intravenous injection of Pt-A and Pt-B did not significantly increase the hemorrhage risks as clopidogrel