Control Efficacy of Jingdusha against Corynespora cassiicola (Hyphomycetales: Dematiaceae) on Cucumber

Aims: The paper aimed to clarify the effect of cucumber target leaf spot (TLS) under the Jingdusha (JDS) treatment. Study Design: We applied the method of artificial inoculation in the pot, and analyzed the changes in growth indexes and physiological characteristics. Place and Duration of Study: In 2018, these experiments were conducted in College of Bioscience and Biotechnology of Shenyang Agricultural University (Lab 240). Methodology: The seedlings in the two-leaf period were induced by the best application scheme of JDS, then inoculated Corynespora cassiicola for 24 h. Cucumber seedlings of each treatment group were randomly selected for photographing and growth index determination after inoculation for 5 d. The leaves of cucumber seedlings in each treatment group were randomly collected at 1 d, 3 d, 5 d, 7 d, and 9 d after inoculation for the determination of physiological and biochemical indicators. Results: When C. cassiicola infects cucumber, JDS can effectively improve the growth and photosynthetic pigment content of cucumber, reduce the degradation of chlorophyll (Chl) under the stress of C. cassiicola, strengthen the variety of metabolic responses in the plant, repair the enzyme protection system of cucumber leaves, reduce the accumulation of reactive oxygen species, shorten the process of membrane lipid peroxidation in blades. Conclusion: Taken together, these results suggest that JDS can improve the resistance of cucumber seedlings to C. cassiicola by regulating growth indexes and physiological characteristics. This work will provide a theoretical basis for further elucidating the molecular mechanism of JDS in cucumber defense against C. cassiicola.

Differentially Expressed mRNA in Streptozotocin-Induced Diabetic Bladder Using RNA Sequencing Analysis / 대한배뇨장애요실금학회지

Purpose@#To detect elements governing the pathogenesis of diabetic cystopathy (DC), mRNA sequencing was carried out for bladder tissues from normal rats and those with induced diabetes mellitus (DM). This research therefore offers possible underlying molecular pathways for the advancement of DC in relation to differential mRNA expression, together with visceral functional and architectural alterations noted in individuals with this condition. @*Methods@#An intraperitoneal injection of streptozotocin (STZ) was utilized to provoke DM in male Sprague-Dawley rats. Dysregulation and significant variations between normal rats and those with induced DM were then identified by a fold change of ≥ 1.5 with a false discovery rate P < 0.05. Hierarchical clustering/heat map and Gene Ontology/DAVID reference sources were generated. Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway analysis and protein-protein interaction analysis were then performed. @*Results@#The diabetic rodent group exhibited a greater residual urine volume (4.0 ± 0.4 mL) than their control counterparts (0.7 ± 0.2 mL, P < 0.01) at 12 weeks after diagnosis of diabetes. Expression analysis revealed 16 upregulated and 4 downregulated genes in STZDM bladder samples. A notable increase in expression was seen in PTHLH, TNFAIP6, PRC1, MAPK10, LOC686120, CASQ2, ACTG2, PDLIM3, FCHSD1, DBN1, NKD2, PDLIM7, ATF4, RBPMS2, ITGB1 and HSPB8. A notable decrease in expression was seen in SREBLF1, PBGFR1, PBLD1 and CELF1. Major genetic themes associated with mRNA upregulation and downregulation ware identified via Gene Ontology analysis and KEGG pathways. Protein to protein interaction analysis detected PDLIM3, PDLIM7, ITGB1, ACTG2 as core high frequency nodes within the network. @*Conclusions@#Changes in mRNA expression together with biological process and pathways that contribute to the etiologies underlying visceral impairment of the bladder in DM are evident. Our strategy is promising for recognizing mRNAs exclusive to the bladder in DM that might offer useful targets for diagnosis and treatment.

Enhanced Hypoxia-Associated Genes in Impaired Contractility From Bladder Outlet Obstruction

Background@#Hypoxia damages the bladder wall and contributes to the initiation of bladder dysfunction. The change of hypoxia is not well known in impaired bladder contractility caused by long-term bladder outlet obstruction (BOO). We aimed to find out whether hypoxia of bladder tissue is present and what signaling mechanisms are involved in the decompensated bladder in BOO. @*Methods@#Twenty 6-week-old female Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into 2 groups, 10 rats each: group 1, sham operation; group 2, BOO for 8 weeks. Eight weeks after the onset of BOO, we did cystometric evaluation and processed polymerase chain reaction (PCR) array for hypoxia pathway using bladder tissues. The PCR array consists of 84 genes known to be involved in the hypoxic response, cell differentiation, and metabolism. We did quantitative PCR (qPCR) and immunohistochemical staining of bladder tissue for hypoxia. @*Results@#Eight genes were at least 2-fold upregulated and 3 genes were at least 2-fold downregulated in BOO group, compared with the sham operation group. The up-regulated genes (fold change) belonging to the hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF) 1 interactor included Cdkn2a (11.0), and the down-regulated genes belonging to HIF and co-transcription factors included Hif3a (−39.6) and Per1 (−5.1) by BOO. Genes influenced each other by means of TGFβ1, TNF, and TP53. @*Conclusion@#Hypoxia genes were increased in impaired contractility because of long-term BOO. The gene expression profiles could explain the molecular mechanisms of hypoxia in impaired contractility because of long-term BOO.

Alzheimer's Disease and Stem Cell Therapy

The loss of neuronal cells in the central nervous system may occur in many neurodegenerative diseases. Alzheimer's disease is a common senile disease in people over 65 years, and it causes impairment characterized by the decline of mental function, including memory loss and cognitive impairment, and affects the quality of life of patients. However, the current therapeutic strategies against AD are only to relieve symptoms, but not to cure it. Because there are only a few therapeutic strategies against Alzheimer's disease, we need to understand the pathogenesis of this disease. Cell therapy may be a powerful tool for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease. This review will discuss the characteristics of Alzheimer's disease and various available therapeutic strategies.

In vivo Tracking of Human Neural Stem Cells Following Transplantation into a Rodent Model of Ischemic Stroke

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Ischemic stroke caused by middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAo) is the major type of stroke, but there are currently very limited options for cure. It has been shown that neural stem cells (NSCs) or neural precursor cells (NPCs) can survive and improve neurological deficits when they are engrafted in animal models of various neurological diseases. However, how the transplanted NSCs or NPCs are act in vivo in the injured or diseased brain is largely unknown. In this study, we utilized magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) techniques in order to understand the fates of human NSCs (HB1.F3) following transplantation into a rodent model of MCAo. METHODS AND RESULTS: HB1.F3 human NSCs were pre-labeled with ferumoxides (Feridex(R))-protamine sulfate complexes, which were visualized and examined by MRI up to 9 weeks after transplantation. Migration of the transplanted cells to the infarct area was further confirmed by histological methods. CONCLUSIONS: Based on these observations, we speculate that the transplanted NSCs have the extensive migratory ability to the injured site, which will in turn contribute to functional recovery in stroke.

Electrochemical investigation of the effect of some organic phosphates on haemoglobin.

The effects of DPG,IHP,GTP,GDP and GMP on the structure and stability of haemoglobin were electrochemically investigated with an iodide-modified silver electrode in 0.01 M KNO 3 at pH 7.0.Anodic and cathodic peaks of haemoglobin were observed at 250 mV and 12 mV with a formal potential value of 133 mV vs.Ag/AgCl.The effects of different concentrations of DPG,IHP,GTP,GDP and GMP on the anaerobic redox reaction were determined. The results showed that DPG and IHP can lead to a positive shift in the reduction peak of haemoglobin,indicating that the oxidation peak shift of haemoglobin was small as a result of stabilization of the reduced state and destabilization of the R-like state of haemoglobin.GTP elicited a more positive shift in the cathodic and anodic peaks of haemoglobin at a higher concentration,signifying that it has a low-affinity binding site on haemoglobin.The positive shift of the cathodic and anodic peaks revealed a slight variation in the structure and indicated the unfolding of haemoglobin in the presence of high concentrations of GTP.Our study also showed that GDP and GMP did not cause significant shift the cathodic and anodic peaks of haemoglobin even at high concentrations,refuting the existence of specific GDP-and GMP-binding sites on the protein.Moreover,the iodide-modified silver electrode method proved to be easy and useful in investigating the effects of ligands or other effectors on haemoglobin in solution.

Epidemiology of human ancylostomiasis among rural villagers in Nanlin County (Zhongzhou village), Anhui Province, China: age-associated prevalence, intensity and hookworm species identification.

Hookworm infection has traditionally been highly endemic to Anhui Province, China. Zhongzhou village in southwestern Anhui was identified as an endemic focus of infection caused by the hookworm Ancylostoma duodenale. This species was found to predominate over Necator americanus in ratios ranging from 35:1 based on the recovery of third-stage infective larvae (L,) to 21:1 based on the recovery of adult hookworms after anthelmintic chemotherapy. The overall prevalence of Ancylostoma infection in Zhongzhou was 33.2% with a greater prevalence among males. Unlike the age-associated prevalence patterns for N. americanus in Hainan and other southern Chinese provinces that show increasing prevalence with age and the highest prevalence among the elderly, the age-associated prevalence for A. duodenale in Zhongzhou exhibited a peak in middle-aged adults with subsequent decline. The age-associated intensity pattern exhibited a similar trend although the most of the hookworm infections were light or moderate infections as defined by quantitative egg counts.

Sequential changes of traumatic vertebral compression fracture on MR imaging

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the sequential signal intensity changes in post-traumatic vertebral compression fractures of varying ages. Sixty-six patients with 115 post-traumatic vertebral compression fractures underwent MR imaging. The ages of fractures at the time of MR images ranged from 1 day to 6 years. Sequential follow-up MR imagings were obtained in 4 patients for 2 years after initial MR examination. The fracture sites in all 52 fractures with traumatic events less than 3 months prior were hypointense on T1-weighted images and hyperintense on T2-weighted images (type I). A type I fracture could be subdivided into 3 patterns depending on its morphologic appearance: diffuse (type Ia); patchy (type Ib); and bandlike (type Ic). In 12 fractures of 3 to 5 months after trauma, six showed focal hypointensity (type II) in all pulse sequences, and six showed isointensity (type IV). Four of 51 fractures with trauma over 5 months showed focal hyperintensity on T1-weighted images and isointensity on T2-weighted images (type III); and the remaining 47 fractures showed isointensity on all sequences (type IV). In conclusion, MR imaging is useful in predicting the age of known traumatic compression fractures, so familiarity with these sequential MR findings would be helpful in distinguishing benign from malignant fractures.