Notoginseng root enhances healing in imiquimod-induced psoriasis mice model via anti-inflammatory and antiproliferative properties

Purpose: To evaluate the beneficial effect of Panax notoginseng (PN) gel against imiquimod-induced psoriasis in a mice model.Methods: Psoriasis was induced by topical application of imiquimod cream (5 %) on the shaved skin of mice for 7 days. PN group received PN gel (1 %) twice a day with imiquimod cream (5 %) once a day for one week. The effect of PN gel was estimated by scoring skin thickness, scaling and erythema. Reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) was used for the determination of the expressions of inflammatory mediators in skin tissues of mice. Moreover, the severity of inflammation was determined by histopathological and immunohistochemical assessment of skin tissues.Results: The severity of inflammation and the expressions of inflammatory mediators were significantly reduced in PN gel-treated group, relative to the negative control group. Treatment with PN gel attenuated the histopathology of skin tissue in the imiquimod-induced psoriatic mice, and significantly decreased the level of intercellular adhesion molecule (ICAM-1), when compared to the negative control group.Conclusion: These results show that PN gel attenuates psoriasis in imiquimod-induced psoriasis mice model by decreasing skin inflammation. Thus, PN gel may be suitable for the management of psoriasis.Keywords: Psoriasis, Panax notoginseng, Inflammatory mediators, Imiquimod, Intercellular Adhesion Molecule-

Bilirubin Restrains the Anticancer Effect of Vemurafenib on BRAF-Mutant Melanoma Cells Through ERK-MNK1 Signaling

Melanoma, the most threatening cancer in the skin, has been considered to be driven by the carcinogenic RAF-MEK1/2-ERK1/2 signaling pathway. This signaling pathway is usually mainly dysregulated by mutations in BRAF or RAS in skin melanomas. Although inhibitors targeting mutant BRAF, such as vemurafenib, have improved the clinical outcome of melanoma patients with BRAF mutations, the efficiency of vemurafenib is limited in many patients. Here, we show that blood bilirubin in patients with BRAF-mutant melanoma treated with vemurafenib is negatively correlated with clinical outcomes. In vitro and animal experiments show that bilirubin can abrogate vemurafenib-induced growth suppression of BRAF-mutant melanoma cells. Moreover, bilirubin can remarkably rescue vemurafenib-induced apoptosis. Mechanically, the activation of ERK-MNK1 axis is required for bilirubin-induced reversal effects post vemurafenib treatment. Our findings not only demonstrate that bilirubin is an unfavorable for patients with BRAF-mutant melanoma who received vemurafenib treatment, but also uncover the underlying mechanism by which bilirubin restrains the anticancer effect of vemurafenib on BRAF-mutant melanoma cells

Development of sex-linked markers for gender identification of Actinidia arguta

Abstract The fruit of the dioecious plant Actinidia arguta has become a great attraction recently. It has long been difficult to distinguish the genders of hybrid seedlings before flowering, therefore increasing the expenditures of breeding. To produce reliable molecular marker for gender identification, this research utilized whole-genome re-sequencing of 15 males and 15 females from an 8-year-old cross population to develop gender specific markers. P51 and P11 were identified as sex-linked markers after verification. Both of these markers, according to the PCR results, only amplified a single band in male samples. These two markers were tested in 97 hybrids (52 females and 45 males) and 31 wild individuals (13 females and 18 males), with an accuracy of 96.88% and 96.09%, correspondingly. This research also verified the universalities of the two markers in Actinidia chinensis samples, and it could be inferred from the PCR results that neither marker was applicable to A. chinensis samples. The BLAST results of the two markers demonstrated that the two markers were closely aligned with different parts of the Y male-specific region of A. chinensis genome, thus they were likely to be useful for the research on the mechanism of sex determination of A. arguta. The two male-linked makers, P51 and P11, have already been used in sex-identification of A. arguta seedlings

Microstructures and tensile properties of Inconel 718 formed by high deposition-rate laser metal deposition

The aim of this study is to characterize microstructures and tensile properties of Inconel 718 (IN718) formed by high deposition-rate laser metal deposition (LMD), and furthermore to verify that the properties of the material are equivalent to those obtained by conventional manufacturing processes, such as casting and forging, and therefore satisfy the specifications for industrial applications. Initially, the powdery additive was characterized in terms of chemical composition, morphology, and porosity. Afterward, blocks for producing tensile specimens were deposited by applying the newly developed high deposition-rate LMD process that has a deposition rate of approximately 2 kg/h. Finally, microstructures and tensile properties of directly deposited and heat-treated material were analyzed, respectively. From the results, precipitation of an irregular shaped phase, which is believed to be Laves phase, and segregation of Nb and Mo were found at interdendritic regions of the directly deposited material. The directly deposited material exhibited relative low tensile strength and 0.2% yield strength but high elongation. Moreover, due to recrystallization that occurred in heat treatment, columnar grains in the directly deposited material transformed to equiaxed grains. By heat treatment, Laves phase was dissolved, and three extra phases, which are believed to be δ phase, strength phases γ′ and γ″, were precipitated. After heat treatment, tensile strength and 0.2% yield strength of the material were significantly enhanced, whereas the plastic elongation decreased by approximately 38%. In comparison to conventional manufacturing technology, the heat-treated IN718 presented superior tensile strength, 0.2% yield strength, and plastic elongation to aerospace material specifications for casted and wrought IN718

Physiological Responses of Two Contrasting Kiwifruit (Actinidia spp.) Rootstocks against Waterlogging Stress

Rootstocks from Actinidia valvata are much more tolerant to waterlogging stress than those from Actinidia deliciosa, which are commonly used in kiwifruit production. To date, the tolerance mechanism of A. valvata rootstocks’ adaptation to waterlogging stress has not been well explored. In this study, the responses of KR5 (A. valvata) and ‘Hayward’ (A. deliciosa) to waterlogging stress were compared. Results showed that KR5 plants performed much better than ‘Hayward’ during waterlogging by exhibiting higher net photosynthetic rates in leaves, more rapid formation of adventitious roots at the base of stems, and less severe damage to the main root system. In addition to morphological adaptations, metabolic responses of roots including sufficient sucrose reserves, modulated adjustment of fermentative enzymes, avoidance of excess lactic acid and ethanol accumulation, and promoted accumulation of total amino acids all possibly rendered KR5 plants more tolerant to waterlogging stress compared to ‘Hayward’ plants. Lysine contents of roots under waterlogging stress were increased in ‘Hayward’ and decreased in KR5 compared with their corresponding controls. Overall, our results revealed the morphological and metabolic adaptations of two kiwifruit rootstocks to waterlogging stress, which may be responsible for their genotypic difference in waterlogging tolerance

Study of process window development for high deposition-rate laser material deposition by using mixed processing parameters

For several years, the interest in additive manufacturing is continuously expanding, owing to the paradigm shift that new production processes, such as laser material deposition (LMD), provide over conventional manufacturing technologies. With LMD, three-dimensional, complex components out of a wide range of materials can be manufactured consecutively layer-by-layer. However, aiming for the production of large components with LMD, the currently achieved deposition-rates of approximately 0.5 kg/h remain a major concern in regards to processing time and economic feasibility. In this respect, an experimental setup for high-deposition rate LMD is built up in the current work. Furthermore, an approach for developing a process window for resource efficient, high-deposition rate LMD is investigated in this paper. For the production of sound layers with LMD, the processing parameters need to be considered in an appropriate relation. Thus, by setting the main processing parameters: powder mass flow, traversal speed, laser power, and laser spot diameter into proportion, the mixed processing parameters: energy mass density and energy area density can be defined. Based on the metallographic investigation of laser deposited Inconel 718 single tracks regarding dilution, aspect ratio of track (ratio of track width to track height) and level of porosity, upper and lower limits for these two parameters can be set which represent process window boundaries. With this approach, a processing parameter field can be defined, to deposit sound Inconel 718 single tracks with a deposition-rate of approximately 5 kg/h and powder capture efficiency higher than 90%

Laser Metal Deposition of Ti6Al4V—A Brief Review

Laser metal deposition (LMD) is one of the most important laser additive manufacturing processes. It can be used to produce functional coatings, to repair damaged parts and to manufacture metal components. Ti6Al4V is one of the most commonly used titanium alloys, since it features a good balance of the mechanical properties of strength and ductility. The LMD of Ti6Al4V is attracting more and more attention from both science and engineering. The interest in processing Ti6Al4V with LMD in industry, especially in aerospace and medical branches, has been increasing in the last few years. In this paper, the state of the art for LMD of Ti6Al4V is reviewed. In the first part, the basics for Ti6Al4V, including, for example, the development history, the material properties, the applications, the crystal structure, the heat treatment and the mechanical properties, are introduced. In the second part, the main emphasis is on state of the art for LMD of Ti6Al4V. Initially, the process parameters of the current state of the art in the last years and their effects are summarized. After that, the typical microstructure after LMD is discussed. Then, the conducted heat treatment methods and the achievable mechanical properties are presented. In the end, some of the existing, current challenges are mentioned, and the possible research directions for the future are proposed

Transcriptome-Wide Identification and Functional Characterization of CIPK Gene Family Members in <i>Actinidia valvata</i> under Salt Stress

Fruit plants are severely constrained by salt stress in the soil due to their sessile nature. Ca2+ sensors, which are known as CBL-interacting protein kinases (CIPKs), transmit abiotic stress signals to plants. Therefore, it is imperative to investigate the molecular regulatory role of CIPKs underlying salt stress tolerance in kiwifruit. In the current study, we have identified 42 CIPK genes from Actinidia. valvata (A.valvata). All the AvCIPKs were divided into four different phylogenetic groups. Moreover, these genes showed different conserved motifs. The expression pattern analysis showed that AvCIPK11 was specifically highly expressed under salt stress. The overexpression of AvCIPK11 in ‘Hongyang’ (a salt sensitive commercial cultivar from Actinidia chinensis) enhanced salt tolerance by maintaining K+/Na+ homeostasis in the leaf and positively improving the activity of POD. In addition, the salt-related genes AcCBL1 and AcNHX1 had higher expression in overexpression lines. Collectively, our study suggested that AvCIPK11 is involved in the positive regulation of salt tolerance in kiwifruit