ABSTRACT
Apomixis has been widely concerned because of its great potential in heterosis fixation. Artificial apomixis is an important direction of current apomixis research. Mitosis instead of Meiosis (MIME) produces diploid gametes that is identical with the maternal genetic composition and is a key step in the artificial creation of apomixes. This paper reviews the occurrence of MIME and its application in crop apomixis and the problems encountered, in an aim to provide reference for expanding the application of MIME in crop apomixis.
Subject(s)
Apomixis , Crops, Agricultural , Genetics , Diploidy , Germ Cells , Meiosis , MitosisABSTRACT
AIMS: To investigate the antitumor effects of probiotics Clostridium butyricum and Bacillus subtilis on colorectal cancer (CRC) progression. MATERIALS & METHODS: The effects of C. butyricum and B. subtilis on CRC cells were studied. Male C57BL/6 mice with 1,2-dimethylhydrazine dihydrochloride (DMH)-induced CRC were intervened by these two probiotics and the antitumor effects were examined by comparing the tumor incidence and detecting the inflammatory and immune-related markers. RESULTS & CONCLUSIONS: C. butyricum and B. subtilis inhibited the proliferation of CRC cells, caused cell cycle arrest and promoted apoptosis. In vivo, these two probiotics inhibited the development of DMH-induced CRC. The molecular mechanism involved reduced inflammation and improved immune homeostasis. This work establishes a basis for the protective role of probiotics B. subtilis and C. butyricum in intestinal tumorigenesis.
Subject(s)
Bacillus subtilis/physiology , Carcinogenesis , Clostridium butyricum/physiology , Colorectal Neoplasms/prevention & control , Probiotics , 1,2-Dimethylhydrazine , Administration, Oral , Animals , Apoptosis , Cell Cycle Checkpoints , Cell Line, Tumor , Colorectal Neoplasms/chemically induced , Culture Media, Conditioned , Disease Progression , Homeostasis , Inflammation/therapy , Male , Mice, Inbred C57BLABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: High SOCS3 expression in intestinal epithelial cells (IECs) of patients with ulcerative colitis (UC) in remission reflects the shorter time to relapse. We investigated whether high SOCS3 increased risk for relapse through violating STAT3-dependent protective effects of interleukin (IL)-22 during UC remission. METHODS: Expression of IL-22 and c-Myc in UC remission mucosa was analyzed by immunohistochemistry. Effects of IL-22 on migration and proliferation of IEC cell lines with enforced SOCS3 expression were assessed with wounding assay and CCK-8 assay, respectively. Influence of STAT3 interference and SOCS3 overexpression on IL-22-regulated expression of antimicrobial peptide and proliferation-related molecules, including DMBT1, c-Myc, Survivin, Bcl-2, and Bcl-xL, were performed with quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction or Western blot. RESULTS: Patients with UC in remission showed significantly more IL-22-positive immune cells, but no difference of epithelial c-Myc levels, in mucosa compared with healthy controls. Overexpression of SOCS3 nearly abolished IL-22-induced activation of STAT3. By inhibiting STAT3 signaling, SOCS3 influenced IL-22-induced expression of DMBT1, c-Myc, Survivin, and Bcl-2 as well as proliferation and migration processes in cultured IEC cell line. CONCLUSIONS: SOCS3 overexpression impairs IL-22-mediated epithelial homeostasis and mucosal wound healing, which could be the mechanism for high SOCS3 IEC expression contributed early relapse of mucosal inflammation. Prevention of SOCS3 expression or enhancement of IL-22/STAT3 signaling in IEC seems to be rational therapeutic strategies for UC remission maintenance.
Subject(s)
Colitis, Ulcerative/metabolism , Colitis, Ulcerative/pathology , Gene Expression Regulation/drug effects , Interleukins/genetics , Intestinal Mucosa/metabolism , STAT3 Transcription Factor/metabolism , Suppressor of Cytokine Signaling Proteins/metabolism , Adult , Apoptosis/drug effects , Blotting, Western , Case-Control Studies , Cell Movement/drug effects , Cell Proliferation/drug effects , Cells, Cultured , Colitis, Ulcerative/genetics , Female , Follow-Up Studies , Humans , Immunoenzyme Techniques , Interleukins/metabolism , Intestinal Mucosa/cytology , Intestinal Mucosa/drug effects , Male , Middle Aged , Phosphorylation/drug effects , Prognosis , RNA, Messenger/genetics , Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction , Remission Induction , Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction , STAT3 Transcription Factor/genetics , Signal Transduction/drug effects , Suppressor of Cytokine Signaling 3 Protein , Suppressor of Cytokine Signaling Proteins/genetics , Interleukin-22ABSTRACT
Hepatic echinococcosis, also called echinococcosis, is a health-threatening disease commonly found in pasture, and belongs to parasitic zoonoses. The purpose of this study was to investigate the prevalence and the risk factors of echinococcosis in Qinghai province in order to provide fundamental data for prevention and control of echinococcosis in Qinghai province. A total of 23 445 people from 21 counties were enrolled in this study by multi-stage stratified random sampling. Echinococcosis was diagnosed by using B-mode ultrasonography and serological tests. The results showed that the prevalence of echinococcosis was 4.47% (95%CI: 4.21%-4.73%) and serum positive rate (seroprevalence) was 15.47% (95%CI: 14.92%-16.02%) in 2010. The distribution of echinococcosis differed in age, sex, ethnicity, occupation and regions in Qinghai (P<0.05). GLMM analysis revealed that gender (female vs. male), ethnicity (Tibetan vs. other ethnicities), profession (herders vs. other professions) and region (autonomous prefectures vs. cities) were significant risk factors for echinococcosis (P<0.05). It was concluded that the prevalence of echinococcosis in 2010 was about 4% in Qinghai province, and the distribution of echinococcosis in Qinghai was associated with age, sex, ethnicity and profession.
Subject(s)
Adolescent , Adult , Aged , Animals , Child , Child, Preschool , Female , Humans , Male , Middle Aged , Young Adult , Age Factors , Antibodies, Helminth , Blood , China , Epidemiology , Echinococcosis, Hepatic , Diagnostic Imaging , Epidemiology , Parasitology , Echinococcus , Allergy and Immunology , Physiology , Epidemics , Host-Parasite Interactions , Occupations , Prevalence , Risk Factors , Seroepidemiologic Studies , Sex Factors , UltrasonographyABSTRACT
This study investigated the mental health status of medical students in China, and analyzed the influencing factors in order to provide evidence for mental health education for medical students. A stratified cluster sampling method was used to recruit medical students from Huazhong University of Science and Technology, China. The questionnaire survey on general information and Symptom Checklist 90 (SCL-90) were used for investigation and analysis. The results showed among the 1137 valid questionnaires, 278 (24.45%) participants had SCL-90 score ≥ 160. The top three mental problems of medical students were obsessive-compulsive disorder, interpersonal sensitivity and depression in terms of the factor score ≥ 2.5 and the number of participants who reflected on the diseases. The third-year medical students had the worst mental health status, and fifth-year medical students had the best mental health status. Students from rural area had more psychological problems than those from urban area; furthermore, students with high professional satisfaction, those who were the single child of the family, non-poor students, and those whose parents had high education level had better mental health status. It was concluded that the mental health of medical students is not optimistic in China. Medical students have some mental health problems of different degrees. Factors that influence the mental health of medical students include academic pressure, professional satisfaction level and family environment.
ABSTRACT
Hepatic echinococcosis, also called echinococcosis, is a health-threatening disease commonly found in pasture, and belongs to parasitic zoonoses. The purpose of this study was to investigate the prevalence and the risk factors of echinococcosis in Qinghai province in order to provide fundamental data for prevention and control of echinococcosis in Qinghai province. A total of 23 445 people from 21 counties were enrolled in this study by multi-stage stratified random sampling. Echinococcosis was diagnosed by using B-mode ultrasonography and serological tests. The results showed that the prevalence of echinococcosis was 4.47% (95%CI: 4.21%-4.73%) and serum positive rate (seroprevalence) was 15.47% (95%CI: 14.92%-16.02%) in 2010. The distribution of echinococcosis differed in age, sex, ethnicity, occupation and regions in Qinghai (P<0.05). GLMM analysis revealed that gender (female vs. male), ethnicity (Tibetan vs. other ethnicities), profession (herders vs. other professions) and region (autonomous prefectures vs. cities) were significant risk factors for echinococcosis (P<0.05). It was concluded that the prevalence of echinococcosis in 2010 was about 4% in Qinghai province, and the distribution of echinococcosis in Qinghai was associated with age, sex, ethnicity and profession.
ABSTRACT
This study investigated the mental health status of medical students in China, and analyzed the influencing factors in order to provide evidence for mental health education for medical students. A stratified cluster sampling method was used to recruit medical students from Huazhong University of Science and Technology, China. The questionnaire survey on general information and Symptom Checklist 90 (SCL-90) were used for investigation and analysis. The results showed among the 1137 valid questionnaires, 278 (24.45%) participants had SCL-90 score ≥ 160. The top three mental problems of medical students were obsessive-compulsive disorder, interpersonal sensitivity and depression in terms of the factor score ≥ 2.5 and the number of participants who reflected on the diseases. The third-year medical students had the worst mental health status, and fifth-year medical students had the best mental health status. Students from rural area had more psychological problems than those from urban area; furthermore, students with high professional satisfaction, those who were the single child of the family, non-poor students, and those whose parents had high education level had better mental health status. It was concluded that the mental health of medical students is not optimistic in China. Medical students have some mental health problems of different degrees. Factors that influence the mental health of medical students include academic pressure, professional satisfaction level and family environment.
