Absence of BAX differentially affects astrocyte density in the mouse cortex and hippocampus / 生理学报

Astrocytes are a heterogenous group of macroglia present in all regions of the brain and play critical roles in many aspects of brain development, function and disease. Previous studies suggest that the B-cell lymphoma-2 associated X protein (BAX)-dependent apoptosis plays essential roles in regulating neuronal number and achieving optimal excitation/inhibition ratio. The aim of the present paper was to study whether BAX regulates astrocyte distribution in a region-specific manner. Immunofluorescence staining of SOX9 was used to analyze and compare astrocyte density in primary somatosensory cortex, motor cortex, retrosplenial cortex and hippocampus in heterozygous and homozygous BAX knockout mice at age of six weeks when cortical development has finished and glia development has reached a relatively steady state. The results showed that astrocyte density varied significantly among different cortical subdivisions and between cortex and hippocampus. In contrast to the significant increase in GABAergic interneurons, the overall and region-specific astrocyte density remained unchanged in the cortex when BAX was absent. Interestingly, a significant reduction of astrocyte density was observed in the hippocampus of BAX knockout mice. These data suggest that BAX differentially regulates neurons and astrocytes in cortex as well as astrocytes in different brain regions during development. This study provided important information about the regional heterogeneity of astrocyte distribution and the potential contribution of BAX gene during development.

Analysis of miR-34a function in brain development and behavior using knockout mouse model / 生理学报

miR-34a is a conserved microRNA highly expressed in the brain. It is thought to play critical roles in regulating many aspects of brain development and function, such as neural stem cell proliferation and differentiation, neuronal migration and apoptosis, fear memory consolidation, etc. However, the assessment of its function was mainly conducted through vector-mediated overexpression and miRNA sponge or antagomir-mediated functional suppression, therefore may suffer from nonspecific off-target effects or incomplete inactivation. We thus analyzed mouse model with a targeted deletion of miR-34a which completely abolishes its expression. To our surprise, loss of miR-34a led to neither an obvious change in brain size, morphology or cortical lamination, nor impaired marker gene expression in major excitatory and inhibitory neuron types in the neocortex. In addition, miR-34a ablation did not affect fear memory formation or consolidation, as well as the anxiety or depression related behavior. However, the performance of mice in rotarod assay was significantly affected, suggesting a defect in motor activity in miR-34a deficient mice. As neocortical parvalbumin (PV) neurons are known for high level miR-34a expression, we also tested the effect of PV-Cre-mediated conditional miR-34a deletion. Similar as germline deletion, PV neuron specific miR-34a deletion did not affect cortical lamination or PV expression in the neocortex. Our studies suggest that, although miR-34a may be involved in regulating certain aspects of brain development or function, such as motor activity, it does not play a significant role in regulating brain morphogenesis, cortical lamination or neocortical neuron subtype specification, and it is also dispensable for fear memory formation, expression and consolidation.

Impact of TDZ and NAA on adventitious bud induction and cluster bud multiplication in Tulipa edulis / 中国中药杂志

To explore the method of explants directly induced bud and establish the tissue culture system of mutiple shoot by means of direct organogenesis, core bud and daughter bulbs (the top of bud stem expanded to form daughter bulb) of T. edulis were used as explants and treated with thidiazuron (TDZ) and 1-naphthlcetic acid (NAA). The results showed that the optimal medium for bud inducted form core bud and daughter bulb were MS + TDZ 2.0 mg x L(-1) + NAA 4.0 mg x L(-1) and MS +TDZ 2.0 mg x L(-1) + NAA 2.0 mg x L(-1) respectively, both of them had a bud induction rate of 72.92%, 79.22%. The optimal medium for cluster buds multiplication was MS + TDZ 0.2 mg x L(-1) + NAA 0.2 mg x L(-1), and proliferation coefficient was 2.23. After proliferation, cluster buds rooting occurred on MS medium with IBA 1.0 mg x L(-1) and the rooting rate was 52.6%, three to five seedlings in each plant. Using core bud and daughter bulb of T. edulis, the optimum medium for adventitious bud directly inducted from daughter bulb, core bud and cluster bud multiplication were screened out and the tissue culture system of multiple shoot by means of direct organogenesis was established.

Bud stem tissue culture of Tulipa edulis / 中草药

Objective: To establish the tissue culture system of callus induction and cluster shoot proliferation with bud stems of Tulipa edulis. Methods: Bud stems were isolated from cooled T. edulis bulbs as explants. The calli were inducted on MS media with different concentration of 6-BA and NAA, and the cultural conditions of shoot differentiation and multiplication were optimized. Results: The optimal medium for callus induction was MS + 6-BA 0.5 mg/L + NAA 2.0 mg/L with a callus inducation rate of 78.54%. After subcultured in original medium, the callus was turned into differentiation medium. The optimal medium for callus differentiation was MS + 6-BA 2.0 mg/L + NAA 0.2 mg/L with a shoot differentiation rate of 66.21%. The optimal medium for the shoot multiplication was MS + 6-BA 0.5 mg/L + NAA 0.2 mg/L, and the proliferation coefficient was 2.48. Conclusion: The media for callus induction, adventitious bud differentiation, and cluster shoot proliferation are optimized. The optimal medium for the culture of T. edulis bud stems is preliminarily established.

Effects of flower bud removal and artificial pollination on growth and yield of Tulipa edulis / 中国中药杂志

The study was conducted to explore the response of growth and yield of Tulipa edulis to flower bud removal and artificial pollination. And flower bud removal and artificial pollination were carried out in the squaring period and bloom stage respectively. The morphological index and biomass indicators were determined and the yield was counted in harvest time. Result showed that flower bud removal was beneficial to the growth of T. edulis, resulting in increasing growth index, biomass as well as the yield of bulb. The diameter and dry weight of T. edulis fruit by artificial pollination were increased significantly compared with the control. Seed setting percentage increased to 100%, and the number of seed as well as the single grain weight increased by 69.03% and 16.48%, respectively, which did not significantly affect the bulb production. In conclusion, Flower bud removal treatment accelerates bulb biomass increase, so as to improve its yield. Artificial pollination raised significantly seed setting percentage, seed number as well as the single grain weight.

Construction of a recombinant Lactobacillus acidophilus expressing high levels of Helicobacter pylori adhesin Hp0410 / 南方医科大学学报

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To construct a recombinant Lactobacillus acidophilus that expresses high levels of Helicobacter pylori (Hp) adhesin Hp0410.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>The gene fragment encoding Hp0410 was amplified by PCR from the DNA of H. pylori NCTC11639 strain and cloned into the shuttle plasmid pMG36e to construct pMG36e-Hp0410, which was transformed into Lactobacillus acidophilus by electroporation. The target protein was confirmed with SDS-PAGE and silver nitrate staining and analyzed by Western blotting. The stability of the recombinant plasmid was assessed by drawing the growth curve of the recombinant Lactobacillus acidophilus.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>A 750-bp fragment was inserted into the pMG36e plasmid and transformed into Lactobacillus lactis. The transformed bacterium expressed the target protein with a relative molecular mass of about 34 kD. Western blotting confirmed that the expressed proteins could be recognized by the serum of patients with Hp infection. The recombinant plasmid pMG36e-Hp0410 exhibited good stability in the presence or absence of erythromycin.</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>The recombinant Lactobacillus acidophilus with high constitutive expression of Hp0410 has been constructed successfully.</p>

Effects of Chinese Traditional Medicine on hemiplegia after stroke / 中国康复理论与实践

@#ObjectiveTo observe the effects of Chinese Traditional Medical therapy of supplementing Qi, nourishing Yin and strengthening genuine Qi on hemiplegia after stroke.Methods102 cases of hemiplegic patients were divided into 2 groups randomly, observational group (52 cases) and control group (50 cases), who were all treated with routine medicine and early rehabilitation. Observational group accepted Shenqi Fuzheng Injection or Shengmai Injection according to their syndrome for 28 days. Before and after treatment (within 3 days), simple Fug-Meyer Assessment Scale, modified Barthel index and gait analysis were used to evaluate the function of motor, activity of daily living (ADL) and walking.ResultsBoth groups improved their function of upper and lower limb's movement, ADL and walking significantly (P<0.001) after treatment. Compared with the control group, except for motor of upper limps, the patients in observational group improved their function more significantly (P<0.05).ConclusionChinese Traditional Medical therapy of supplementing Qi, nourishing Yin and strengthening genuine Qi may help the recovery of hemiplegia after stroke.

Effect of early electroacupuncture on motor function in patients with cerebral infarction / 中国康复理论与实践

@#ObjectiveTo study the effect of early electroacupuncture(EA) associated with motor relearning program therapy during the recovery stage for the limb function in patients with cerebral infarction.Methods128 patients with cerebral infarction at the recovery stage were divided into two groups: electroacupuncture group (57 cases) and control group(71 cases).Patients in the two groups were given clinical treatment and regularly motor relearning program therapy.The patients in electroacupuncture group were given electroacupuncture additionally for 10～14 d at the acute stage. The evaluation was done pre- and post-treatment respectively with Fugl-Meyer Assessment (FMA).ResultsThe motor scores in each group improved after treatment(P<0.01). The scores in the electroacupuncture group were obviously higher than that in the control group (P<0.01). ConclusionEarly electroacupuncture associated with motor relearning program therapy during the recovery stage can significantly promote the limb function in patients with cerebral infarction.

Effects of simvastatin on TGF-beta system of diabetic rat kidneys / 中南大学学报(医学版)

OBJECTIVE@#To investigate the effects and mechanism of renal benefit of simvastatin on diabetic rat kidneys.@*METHODS@#Twenty STZ-induced SD rats and 10 normal rats were assigned to diabetic rat (DM) group, simvastatin [ 4 mg/( kg x d) ] treatment (S) group and normal control (C) group. Immunohistochemistry, RT-PCR and western-blot were employed to examine the changes of the mRNA and protein expression of TGF-beta1 and Tbeta II R in the kidneys of the rats.@*RESULTS@#Compared with the normal control group, both the mRNA and protein expression of TGF-beta1 and Tbeta II R in the diabetic rat group and treatment group were significantly increased (P < 0.05). Compared with the diabetic rat group, simvastatin could markedly decrease the mRNA and protein expression of TGF-beta1 and Tbeta II R (P < 0.05).@*CONCLUSION@#Simvastatim may play a protective role in the diabetic kidneys by down-regulating TGF-beta1 and Tbeta II R and inhibiting the TGF-beta signal pathway.