Effects of treadmill exercise on learning and memory of the vascular dementia rats and its mechanism / 解剖学报

Objective To observe the effects of 4-week low intensity treadmill exercise on the learning and memory, amino acid levels and the protein expression of protein kinase A ( PKA) , cyclic adenosine monophosphate response element binding protein( CREB) and brain-derived neurotrophic factor(BDNF) in the prefrontal cortex (PFC) of the vascular dementia (VD) rats. Methods Thirty-nine SD rats were randomly allocated to 3 groups, sham group (sham, n= 13) , vascular dementia group (VD, n= 13) and vascular dementia treaded with exercise group (VD + EX, n= 13). Chronic cerebral ischemia model in VD group and VD+EX group rats were established by permanent ligation of bilateral, then VD+EX group rats were submitted to 4-week low intensity treadmill exercise. After exercise, spatial learning and memory ability were evaluated by Moms water maze test ( MWM ) , glutamic ( Glu ) and gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) levels in the PFC were measured by high performance liquid chromatography( HPLC) ; the protein expression of PKA, CREB and BDNF in the PFC of rats were detected by Western blotting. Results The result of the MWM showed the average escape latency of rats in the VD group on the 1 -5 days was significantly higer than sham group, the time to first find the original platform was significantly prolonged and the platform crossings decreased significantly ( P 0. 05 ) between the two groups. Conclusion Four-week low-intensity running exercise improves the learning and memory ability of VD rats through enhancing the Glu level and activating PKA-CREB-BDNF signaling in the PFC of rats.

Study of TLRs recognition in the immune response post tumor chemotherapy / 中国免疫学杂志

Toll like receptor ( TLRs) is a highly conserved transmembrane protein expressed in epithelial cells and immune cells,which is a kind of important receptor to identify the damage associated molecular patterns (DAMPs). TLRs and DAMP produced by tumor cells after chemotherapy combine to produce the corresponding biological effects via MyD88 dependent and independent path-ways. At present,the research application of TLRs identifying DAMP clinically is mainly focused on promoting the release of the DAMP and enhancing the expression of TLRs to strengthen the immune effect of chemotherapy drugs.

Oxidized low-density lipoprotein modulates differentiation of murine memory CD8T cell subpopulations / 南方医科大学学报

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To investigate effect of oxidized low-density lipoprotein (ox-LDL) on memory CD8T cell subpopulation differentiation in mice with autoimmune diabetes.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Cultured splenic CD8T cells from pre-diabetic NOD mice isolated with magnetic beads were treated with 30 µg/mL ox-LDL and 10 U/mL interleukin-2 (IL-2) for 24 h and the control cells were treated with IL-2 only. Flow cytometry was used to determine the percentage of splenic CD8IFN-γT cells, expressions of CD8, CD44 and CD62L on the T cells, and the activation of T cell factor-1 (TCF-1) and STAT-3. The CD127memory T cells were purified and transplanted into the pre-diabetic NOD mice via the tail vein, and the blood glucose was recorded weekly and survival time of the mice was monitored.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Treatment with ox-LDL significantly reduced islet β cell-specific cytotoxic CD8T cells as compared with the control group [(0.7∓0.03)% vs (2.7∓0.14)%, P<0.01]. The percentage of effector memory CD8T cells (Tem) in the total memory CD8T cells was reduced [(10.3∓0.71)% vs (30.3∓1.36)%, P<0.01] and that of stem cell-like memory T cells was significantly increased [(72.3∓3.8)% vs (55.1∓2.61)%, P<0.05] following ox-LDL treatment, which also resulted in significantly decreased activation of TCF-1 [(14.5∓0.82)% vs (34.2∓1.23)%, P<0.01] and pSTAT-3 [(3.3∓0.12)% vs (22.1∓1.1)%, P<0.01]. Transplantation of ox-LDL-treated memory T cells in pre-diabetic NOD mice obviously inhibited the increase of blood glucose and prolonged the survival time of the mice (P<0.05).</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Ox-LDL decreases the activation of transcriptional factors TCF-1 and phosphorylation of STAT-3, inhibits the formation of effector memory CD8T cells with long-term cytotoxicity, but promote the generation of stem cell-like memory CD8T cells, which result in suppression of islet β cell-specific effector cytotoxic CD8T cell differentiation to lessen autoimmune injury to the islet β cells.</p>

[Diversity and faunal analysis of crustaceans in Potatso National Park, Shangri-La, China].

Potatso National Park was the first national park in mainland China, preceded by the earlier Bitahai Nature Reserve. Located in the northwest of Yunnan and on the southeast of Qinghai-Tibet plateau, Potatso is a typical low latitude and high elevation wetland nature reserve, with large areas of coniferous forest around alpine lakes and both wetland and water area ecosystems. In August, 2011, we undertook a survey of crustaceans in the park, sampling lakes, ponds, streams, and rivers throughout Potatso. We found a total of 29 species (including varieties) belonging to 24 genera and 11 families. Notable discoveries include Parartemiopsis sp, Arctodiaptomus parvispinus and Simocephalus congener, which are the first examples of these species to be recorded in China. Likewise, Gammarus bitaensis is a unique crustacean found only in Potatso National Park and Thermocyclops dumonti and Gammarus paucispinus are both endemic species to northwestern Yunnan. The overall faunal characteristics of crustaceans in the park also revealed several things about Potatso: (1) Cosmopolitan and Palaearctic elements reach 48.27% and 37.93%, clearly showing the Palaearctic element as the dominant fauna; (2) most of the crustacean, such as Arctodiaptomus parvispinus and Gammarus, are typical alpine types, confirming that Potatso has feature typical of alpine and plateau fauna; and (3) the proportion of endemic and rare crustacean species in Potatso National Park is approximately 10%, suggesting that the Potatso National Park in particular and the northwest of Yunnan in general have a unique geological and evolutionary history.

Expression of metastasis associated 1 family member 2 (MTA2) in gastric cancer and its relationship with transcription factor Sp1 / 中华肿瘤杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To determine the expression patterns of metastasis associated 1 family member 2 (MTA2) in gastric cancer and non-cancerous gastric mucosa, and analyze its relationship with nuclear transcription factor Sp1 expression.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Tissue samples and clinicopathological information from 83 gastric cancer patients, who underwent surgery, were collected from Shanghai Rui Jin Hospital. All samples included cancer tissue and non-cancerous mucosa which was 5 cm away from the tumor lesion. The expression of MTA2 and Sp1 were detected by immunohistochemistry (IHC) staining. The mRNA of MTA2 was also detected by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). SPSS software was used for statistical analysis.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The expression of MTA2 protein was significantly higher in primary lesions of the gastric cancer than that in non-cancerous mucosa by IHC (31.3% vs 12.0%, P < 0.01). MTA2 expression was closely related with tumor invasion or T staging (χ(2) = 5.677, P < 0.05). Yet, no significant relationship was observed between MTA2 expression and other clinicopathological parameters, including the age, sex, tumor differentiation, Lauren classification, lymph node metastasis, distant metastasis, as well as pathological staging. Furthermore, MTA2 expression was concomitant with Sp1 expression (r = 0.320, P < 0.05). Elevated MTA2 expression was observed in Sp1 positive cancer tissues (χ(2) = 9.565, P < 0.01). RT-PCR results also demonstrated that MTA2 mRNA was also highly expressed in the tissue samples with Sp1 expression.</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>MTA2 is highly expressed in the primary lesions of gastric cancer than that in adjacent non-cancerous tissues, and is closely related with tumor invasion. MTA2 expression is elevated in Sp1 positive gastric cancer.</p>

Impacts of Bevacizumab on vascular endothelial growth factor and Sp1 expression in gastric cancer xenografts / 中华胃肠外科杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To evaluate the effects of Bevacizumab on the tumor growth, proliferation and apoptosis of gastric cancer xenograft, and the impacts on the VEGF and Sp1 expression.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Gastric cancer xenografts in nude mice were established using SGC-7901 gastric cancer cell line. The nude mice were randomly divided into two groups, Bevacizumab treatment group and PBS group. The tumor sizes were measured for tumor growth curve. The proliferation and angiogenesis were evaluated by immunohistochemistry (IHC) staining of Ki67 and CD34. TUNEL assay was used for apoptosis evaluation. The expression of VEGF and Sp1 in tumor cells were detected by IHC and Western blot.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Compared to the PBS group, the tumor growth decreased significantly (P<0.05), the proliferation of tumor cells and angiogenesis decreased, and apoptosis index increased significantly [(5.3 ± 1.8)% vs. (16.7 ± 6.7)%, P<0.01] in Bevacizumab group. The results of IHC and Western blot demonstrated that the expression of VEGF and the microvessel density (MVD) was decreased (4.0 ± 1.0 vs. 16.3 ± 1.5, P<0.001) in Bevacizumab treatment group. No obvious changes of Sp1 expression were observed in Bevacizumab treatment group.</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>Bevacizumab can inhibit the growth of gastric cancer xenografts in nude mice, decrease the VEGF expression and MVD. However, the compensatory up-regulation of transcription factor Sp1 is not affected by Bevacizumab.</p>

[Genetic diversity of eukaryotic picoplankton of eight lakes in Nanjing].

The method of terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism (T-RFLP) was used to study the genetic diversity of eukaryotic picoplankton (0.2-5.0 microm) in the pelagic and littoral zones in 8 lakes with different trophic status in Nanjing. The objectives of this study were to confirm the difference of the genetic diversity of eukaryotic picoplankton among lakes and the main factors affecting this difference. T-RFLP indicated that there were various fingerprints among lakes and zones. The average terminal restriction fragments (T-RFs) in the littoral and pelagic zones were 16.4 and 15.9, respectively. The littoral zone in Lake Nan and the pelagic zone in Lake Mochou had 30 T-RFs and 27 T-RFs, respectively. The T-RFs were the least abundant (10) in the pelagic zone in Lake Baijia with relatively low trophic status. The genetic diversity of eukaryotic picoplankton was higher in the littoral zone than that in the pelagic zone except Lake Pipa and Mochou. The cluster analysis indicated that the similarities of the littoral zones and the pelagic zones were very high except Lake Baijia, Qian and Nan. The canonical correspondence analysis between the genetic diversity of eukaryotic picoplankton and environmental factors revealed the concentration of chlorophyll a had the most important impact on the eukaryotic picoplankton communities (p = 0.004). The results indicated that the genetic diversity of eukaryotic picoplankton is affected by the trophic status and has the difference in the pelagic and littoral zones.

[Genetic diversity of eukarytic microplankton in different areas of Lake Taihu].

The methods of DGGE and cloning/sequencing were used to study the diversity and community structures of small planktons (0.8 - 20 microm) in different areas of Lake Taihu. DGGE indicated that there were markly various fingerprints in different areas and the diversities were higher in areas with low trophic status than those with relatively high trophic status. There were 23, 24 DGGE bands in East Taihu and Gonghu Bay, respectively (Shannon index were 3.135 and 3.178) and 18 bands in both Meiliang Bay and Wuli Bay (Both shannon index were 2.890). The result of cloning/sequencing indicated that there was a high diversity of small planktons in Lake Taihu and most of them phototrophic flagellate, heterotrophic flagellate, ciliate and fungi. There were various community structures in the three different clone libraries. In Meilang Bay, 28.6% OTUs(operational taxonomic unit)belonged to heterotrophic flagellate, followed by Cryptophyta (22.9%) and Chrysophyta (14.3%). In Central Lake, 25.7% OTUs belonged to Chrysophyta, followed by heterotrophic flagellate (20.0%) and Cryptophyta (14.3 %). In East Taihu, ciliates were the dominant group and only a few heterotrophic flagellates (40.9%) were detected. In addition, fungi were relatively abundant (12.2%) in this area.

Negative effects of Microcystis blooms on the crustacean plankton in an enclosure experiment in the subtropical China.

Effects of Microcystis blooms on the crustacean plankton were studied using enclosure experiments during July-September, 2000. Eight enclosures were set in the hypereutrophic Donghu Lake. Different nutrient concentrations through additional nutrient and sediment in enclosures were expected to result in different abundance of Microcystis. From July to early August, the phytoplankton community was dominated by Chlorophyta, Cryptophyta, Bacillariophyta and Cyanophyta other than Microcystis aeruginosa. M. aeruginosa showed a rapid increase during early August in all enclosures and predominated. Crustacean plankton was dominated by the herbivorous Moina micrura, Diaphanosoma brachyurum and Ceriodaphnia cornuta, and the predaceous Mesocyclops sp. and Thermocyclops taihokuensis. During the pre-bloom period, the dynamics of M. micrura population appeared to be mainly affected by the predaceous cyclopoids. With the development of Microcystis blooms, such interaction between M. micrura and cyclopoids seemed weakened, especially when the Microcystis biomass was high. But there was no apparent influence on the interaction between Leptodora kindti and its zooplanktonic prey. The density of two cyclopoids decreased with the enhancement of Microcystis. The density decline of M. micrura was caused by both predation and inhibition by Microcystis. The low food availability of other edible phytoplankton during the blooms led to low densities of both C. cornuta and D. brachyurum by late August. It appears that dense Microcystis blooms exert strong negative effects on the herbivorous cladocerans and the predaceous cyclopoids.

Present status and changes of the phytoplankton community after invasion of Neosalanx taihuensis since 1982 in a deep oligotrophic plateau lake, Lake Fuxian in the subtropical China.

Phytoplankton assemblages in the subtrophical oligotrophic Lake Fuxian, the second deepest lake in China, were investigated monthly from September 2002 to August 2003. A total of 113 species belonging to seven phyla were identified, among them, a filamentous green alga, Mougeotia sp., dominated almost throughout the study period and comprised most of the total phytoplankton biomass. Mougeotia sp. has made a substantial development during the past decades: it was absent in 1957, only occasionally present in 1983, increased substantially in 1993, and became predominant in 2002-2003. It is likely that natural invasion of the Taihu Lake noodlefish (Neosalanx taihuensis) has led to a change of dominant herbivorous zooplankton from small to large calanoid, which has increased grazing pressure on small edible algae, and thus has indirectly favored the development of the inedible filamentous Mougeotia sp.