Pharmacokinetics and tissue distribution study of liposomal albendazole in naturally Echinococcus granulosus infected sheep by a validated UPLC-Q-TOF-MS method.

Albendazole (ABZ) is the first-line drug in treating echinococcosis, which is recommended by WHO. To address the poor bioavailability of albendazole, liposomal albendazole was formulated and is available in our hospital for many years. In this study, a sensitive, reliable and accurate UPLC-Q-TOF-MS method was developed and validated for the determination of albendazole and its metabolites, albendazole sulfoxide (ABZSO), albendazole sulfone (ABZSO2) and albendazole-2-aminosulfone (ABZSO2NH2) in naturally echinococcus granulosus (E. granulosus) infected sheep plasma and tissues with mebendazole (MBZ) as the internal standard (IS). Plasma and tissues samples were prepared by protein precipitation method. The separation was performed on an ACQUITY UPLC® BEH C18 column (2.1 × 50 mm, 1.7 µm) with a gradient mobile phase consisting of methanol and water containing 0.1% formic acid at 0.4 mL/min. The detection was performed on a quadrupole time-of-flight (Q-TOF) high-resolution mass spectrometer using positive electrospray ionization (ESI) source with a chromatographic run time of 6.0 min. The detection was operated using target ions of [M + H]+ at m/z 266.096 for ABZ, m/z 282.091 for ABZSO, m/z 298.086 for ABZSO2, m/z 240.081 for ABZSO2NH2 and m/z 296.104 for IS in selective ion mode, respectively. This method was validated in terms of selectivity, linearity, precision, accuracy, recovery, matrix effect, dilution effect, carryover effects, stability, calibration curve and LLOQ. All validation parameter results were within the acceptable range described in guideline for bioanalytical method validation. This method has been successfully applied to the pharmacokinetic study following single and multiple oral dose of 10 mg/kg liposomal albendazole, and tissue distribution study following multiple oral dose of 10 mg/kg, with emulsion albendazole as the reference preparation. The results in the article will provide valuable information for use in clinical applications of liposomal albendazole and also be beneficial for further development of liposomal albendazole in future studies.

[Effects of bundled straw mulching on water consumption characteristics and grain yield of winter wheat in rain-fed semiarid region]. / ç§¸ç§†å¸¦çŠ¶è¦†ç›–å¯¹åŠå¹²æ—±é›¨å »åŒºå†¬å°éº¦è€—æ°´ç‰¹å¾å’Œäº§é‡çš„å½±å“.

To explore a new technique of planting wheat with high yield and efficiency by mulching technology in rain-fed semiarid regions in Northwest China, a two-year fixed-site trail was conducted during 2013-2015. There were five mulching modes: (1) three sowing rows by bundled straw mul-ching with alternating 30-cm-wide mulching belt and planting belt (SM1), (2) four sowing rows by bundled straw mulching with alternating 40-cm-wide mulching belt and planting belt with (SM2), (3) five sowing rows by bundled straw mulching with alternating 50-cm-wide mulching belt and planting belt (SM3), (4) whole plastic film mulching with dibbling (PMF), (5) bare field planting without any mulching (CK). We examined the effects of different mulching modes on water consumption, water use efficiency (WUE), and yield of winter wheat in rain-fed region in Northwest China. The results showed that bundled straw mulching significantly increased soil water storage. Soil water storage with bundled straw mulching was remarkably higher than that with the whole plastic mul-ching with SM1＞SM2＞SM3. Soil water storage at 0-200 cm soil layer in flowering period was increased by 15.4%-20.8%,11.2%-14.7%and 10.1%-14.5% respectively over that in the bare field. Bundled straw mulching significantly increased water consumption during the whole growing period while reduced water consumption from sowing and flowering periods. Further, it increased water consumption from flowering to maturity periods and the ratio of water consumption during this period to the total water consumption during the whole growing periods. The results showed that mulching could increase the consumption ratio of deep water storage from the soil layer below 120 cm. Compared with CK, PMF and SM significantly increased grain yield and water use efficiency by 11.9%-19.5%, 26.9%-27.1%, respectively, and increased water use efficiency by 9.8%-13.9%, 18.4%-22.0% respectively. In all, bundled straw mulching could reduce water consumption ratio in the early growing periods, improve moisture condition, increase grain yield and water use efficiency of winter wheat. Therefore, we concluded that bundled straw mulching is an environment-friendly cultivation technology suitable for the winter wheat in semi-arid region of the Loess Plateau in Northwest China.

Prevalence and Molecular Characterization of Echinococcus granulosus Sensu Stricto in Northern Xinjiang, China.

Echinococcus granulosus is an important zoonotic parasite globally causing cystic echinococcosis (CE) in humans and animals. In this study, prevalence of CE and variation of cox1 gene sequence were analyzed with isolates E. granulosus collected from different areas in northern Xinjiang, China. The survey showed that 3.5% of sheep and 4.1% of cattle were infected with CE. Fragment of cox1 was amplified from all the positive sheep and cattle samples by PCR. In addition, 26 positive samples across the 4 areas were included. The isolates were all E. granulosus sensu stricto (s.s.) containing 15 haplotypes (Hap1-15), and clustered into 2 genotypes, G1 (90.1%, 91/101) and G3 (9.9%, 10/101). Hap1 was the most common haplotype (48.5%, 49/101). Hap9 were found in humans samples, indicating that sheep and cattle reservoir human CE. It is indicate that E. granulosus may impact on control of CE in livestock and humans in the region.

[Effect of straw belt-mulching on soil temperature and yield of winter wheat in rain-fed semiarid region.] / ç§¸ç§†å¸¦çŠ¶è¦†ç›–å¯¹åŠå¹²æ—±é›¨å »åŒºå†¬å°éº¦ç”°åœ°æ¸©å’Œäº§é‡çš„å½±å“.

To evaluate the effects of straw belt-covering on soil temperature and yield of winter wheat in rain-fed semiarid region in Northwest China, five mulching modes, including flat field planting without any mulching (CK), whole plastic film mulching (PM), straw mulching by 30 cm covering belt with an interval of 30 cm planting belt with three-row sowing (SM1), straw mulching by 40 cm covering belt with an interval of 40 cm planting belt with four-row sowing (SM2), and straw mulching by 50 cm covering belt with an interval of 50 cm planting belt with five-row sowing (SM3), were set by two-year fixed-site trails in 2013-2015. The results showed that soil temperature significantly varied among different growth stages and soil layers in all treatments. SM1, SM2 and SM3 significantly decreased soil temperature by 1.0-1.3 ℃, 0.7-0.9 ℃ and 0.7-1.1 ℃ in the 0-25 cm soil layer, respectively. The mulching had double effects with increasing and decreasing soil temperatures. The straw mulching significantly increased soil temperature in the duration of seedling to overwintering stage, but greatly decreased soil temperature in the duration of reviving to mature stage. The temperature-increasing effect of film mulching was stronger than that of straw mulching, which was opposite to the temperature-decreasing effect. Straw mulching significantly reduced in the effective accumulated temperature and the daily temperature variations during the whole growth stages. The effective accumulated temperature under straw mulching decreased by 3.4-33.5 ℃·d, and the soil temperature difference decreased by 0.6-2.0 ℃. During over-wintering stage, the straw mulching showed a higher average soil temperature (0.2-0.3 ℃) and negative accumulated temperature (0.4-17.0 ℃·d) than those under the CK. The straw mulching significantly increased grain yield by 11.9%-19.5%. The variations of spikes per unit area were the main factor responsible for yield difference. The findings indicated that that straw mulching method is suitable for winter wheat production in rain-fed region of Northwest China.

Regulatory effects of bundled straw covering on winter wheat yield and soil thermal-moisture utilization in dryland.

Bundled straw covering (BSC), using corn whole straw for partial coverage planting, is a novel dryland cultivation technique. To examine the effects of BSC on the thermal-moisture status and winter wheat yield under typical arid and semiarid conditions in the Loess Plateau of Northwest China, soil temperature, soil water content and consumption, grain yield and water-use efficiency were compared for four treatments, including no-tillage with straw mulch (NTS), whole field plastic mulching with soil covering on the top of the plastic mulch and bunch-seeding (PFM), open field cultivation (CK) and BSC during three growing seasons from 2013 to 2016. The results showed that PFM significantly increased soil temperature of 5-20 cm depth before jointing stage, while the warming effect of BSC and NTS was mainly in the wintering period. The three kinds of coverage methods after jointing stage had significant cooling effects. Both BSC and PFM significantly improved soil water storage effect during the fallow period. BSC significantly elevated soil moisture in the depth of 0 to 200 cm in the whole growing season. The improvement of soil moisture by PFM and NTS mainly occurred before the heading stage, and soil moisture in PFM treatment gradually decreased after heading stage. BSC and PFM significantly increased water consumption in the whole growth period and increased that during the jointing stage to the flowering stage, and promoted the utilization of soil moisture below 120 cm. Compared with CK, BSC, NTS and PFM significantly increased the number of panicles per unit area and biomass at maturity. In those three treatments, grain yield was increased by 19%-52%, 14%-30% and 15%-60%, respectively, and the annual water use efficiency was increased by 19%-61%, 14%-31% and 15%-58%, respectively. BSC had the same potential for increasing yield and water use efficiency as PFM. Based on factors such as winter wheat yield, soil thermal-moisture utilization and annual water consumption, BSC is a high-yield and efficient cultivation method that is conducive to the sustainable development of dryland agriculture in Northwest China.

Safety markers for rhabdomyosarcoma cells using an in vivo imaging system.

In vivo imaging system (IVIS) is a novel and rapidly expanding technology that is widely applied in life sciences, including cell tracing. IVIS is able to quantify biological events, including tumor proliferation, through counting the number of photons emitted from a specimen. PLA802-enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP), PLA802-monomeric cherry fluorescent protein (mCherry), RH30-EGFP and RH30-mCherry tumor cells were injected into 18 BALB/c female nude mice subcutaneously with 5×106 cells in 100 µl to quantitatively analyze EGFP and mCherry cells traced by IVIS. Inversion fluorescence microscopy revealed no transfection efficiency difference between PLA802-EGFP (95.3±1.2%) and PLA802-mCherry (95.8±1.7%), or between RH30-EGFP (94.7±2.1%) and RH30-mCherry (95.2±1.9%). Transfection did not influence the cell morphology of PLA802 or RH30. The cell migration, invasion and proliferation assay results of lentivirus-EGFP and lentivirus-mCherry revealed no significant difference prior to or following transfection. Therefore, lentivirus-EGFP and lentivirus-mCherry may serve as safety biological markers for PLA802 and RH30 cells. In vivo experiments demonstrated that lentivirus-EGFP and lentivirus-mCherry tumor luminescence signals were observed in all mice by IVIS. Hematoxylin-eosin staining and immunohistochemistry indicated that PLA802-EGFP, PLA802-mCherry, RH30-EGFP and RH30-mCherry cell lines exhibited rhabdomyosarcoma (RMS) characteristics like the maternal cells. In summary, mCherry and green fluorescent protein in human RMS PLA802 and RH30 cancer cells may be safely and stably expressed for a long time in vitro and in vivo.

CT Scanning in Identification of Sheep Cystic Echinococcosis.

OBJECTIVE: We aim to determine the efficiency of CT in identification of cystic echinococcosis in sheep. METHODS: Fifty-three sheep with liver cysts confirmed by ultrasonography were subject to CT scan to evaluate the number, size, and type of the cysts in liver and lung, confirmed using necropsy. The correlation of numbers between liver cysts and lung cysts was calculated using Pearson analysis. RESULTS: Necropsy indicated a 98% consensus on size, location, number, and activity compared with CT scan. The viable cysts were 53.1% and 50.6% in the liver and lung, respectively. Among the cysts in liver, 35.5%, 9.5%, 5.7%, 10.2%, and 39.1% were Types CE1, CE2, CE3, CE4, and CE5, respectively. The cysts in the lungs, 17.4%, 26.9%, 12.1%, 11.6%, and 32.1%, were Types CE1, CE2, CE3, CE4, and CE5, respectively. A significant correlation was noticed between the number of cysts in liver and those in lung (R = 0.770, P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: CT scan is a suitable tool in determining the size and type of cystic hydatid cysts in both liver and lung of sheep. A significant correlation was noticed between the numbers in liver and lung, indicating that lung infection was likely due to the expansion of liver cyst burden pressure.

Cloning and characterization of an Echinococcus granulosus ecdysteroid hormone nuclear receptor HR3-like gene.

Cystic echinococcosis is an important parasitic zoonosis caused by the dog tapeworm Echinococcus granulosus. Little is known about adult worm development at the molecular level. Transcription analysis showed that the E. granulosus hormone receptor 3-like (EgHR3) gene was expressed in protoscoleces and adult worms, indicating its role in early adult development. In this study, we cloned and characterized EgHR3 showing that its cDNA contains an open reading frame (ORF) of 1890 bp encoding a 629 amino acid protein, which has a DNA-binding domain (DBD) and a ligand-binding domain (LBD). Immunolocalization revealed the protein was localized in the parenchyma of protoscoleces and adult worms. Real-time PCR analysis showed that EgHR3 was expressed significantly more in adults than in other stages of development (p<0.01) and that its expression was especially high in the early stage of adult worm development induced by bile acids. EgHR3 siRNA silenced 69-78% of the level of transcription in protoscoleces, which resulted in killing 43.6-60.9% of protoscoleces after 10 days of cultivation in vitro. EgHR3 may play an essential role in early adult worm development and in maintaining adult biological processes and may represent a novel drug or vaccine target against echinococcosis.

Felodipine inhibits ox-LDL-induced reactive oxygen species production and inflammation in human umbilical vein endothelial cells.

Oxidative stress and inflammation are involved in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis. Calcium channel blockers (CCBs) inhibit the development of atherosclerosis, although the underlying molecular basis has not been completely elucidated. The present study was designed to investigate the effects of felodipine, a CCB, on inflammation and oxidative stress in human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) and to examine the underlying mechanisms of action. Oxidized low­density lipoprotein (ox­LDL) was used to induce an inflammatory response in HUVECs. The effects of felodipine were investigated by measuring the content of nitric oxide (NO) and reactive oxygen species (ROS), the mRNA and protein levels of intercellular adhesion molecule 1 (ICAM­1) and vascular cell adhesion protein 1 (VCAM­1), and the mRNA levels of endothelial NO synthase (eNOS) and inducible NO synthase (iNOS), in addition to the adhesion ability of U937 cells to HUVECs. ROS and NO levels were significantly increased in HUVECs following 24­h treatment with 25 mg/l ox­LDL (P<0.01). The increase in ROS was reversed by treatment with felodipine. In addition, NO levels were increased following treatment with 1 µmol/l felodipine (P<0.05). The mRNA expression of ICAM­1, VCAM­1, eNOS and iNOS was increased (P<0.05). Administration of 0.1 µM felodipine significantly decreased the expression of ICAM­1, VCAM­1, and iNOS (P<0.05). The number of U937 cells adhered to ox­LDL­treated HUVECs was significantly increased compared with control, which was reversed by felodipine (0.1 µM). In conclusion, felodipine was demonstrated to inhibit oxidative stress and inflammatory responses, suggesting that it may be used to treat atherosclerosis.

Efficacy of radiotherapy for the treatment of cystic echinococcosis in naturally infected sheep.

BACKGROUND: Radiotherapy is commonly used to treat cancers. To date, there has been no study focusing on the effects of radiotherapy on hydatid disease in large animals. In this study, we aim to investigate the efficiency and safety of radiotherapy for treating hydatid disease caused by Echinococcus granulosus in naturally infected sheep. METHODS: Ultrasound was used to screen naturally infected sheep in an echinococcosis endemic area in Xinjiang, China. A computer tomography (CT) scan confirmed the presence of hydatid cysts. Twenty sheep naturally infected with E. granulosus in the liver and/or lungs were randomly assigned into four groups receiving no irradiation, or X-ray irradiation of low (30 Gy), medium (45 Gy), and high dose (60 Gy), respectively. After three months of radiotherapy, a CT scan was performed to measure the changes in the cysts. The hepatic parasite cysts and host tissues were collected for histology and gene expression analysis. RESULTS: In the animals subject to irradiation, no significant differences were observed in their appetite, daily activities, and weight before and after radiotherapy. Severe calcification was noticed in the cysts subject to a high dose of radiation compared with the groups subject to low and medium doses. Hematoxylin and eosin staining showed that irradiation contributed to the damage of the cyst structure and nucleus in the germinal layers. Quantitative PCR demonstrated that expression of TPX and HSP70 significantly decreased in a dose-dependent manner (P < 0.05). The expression of the EPC1 decreased in the medium- and high-dose groups compared with the low-dose group (P < 0.05). Meanwhile, the expression of radiation-related apoptosis genes caspase-3 and Gadd45 decreased with an increase in the irradiation dose. CONCLUSIONS: Radiotherapy is an option with satisfactory efficiency and safety for treating cystic echinococcosis in sheep with partial response or stable disease at month 3. In future, inhibition of cystic activity using radiotherapy may serve as a new regimen for treating hydatid disease.

Adiponectin improves NF-κB-mediated inflammation and abates atherosclerosis progression in apolipoprotein E-deficient mice.

BACKGROUND: Atherosclerosis is a common pathological basis of cardiovascular disease. Adiponectin (APN) has been shown to have an anti-atherosclerosis effect, and the underlying mechanisms, however, are largely unknown. Nuclear factor κB (NF-κB) has also been regarded as a proatherogenic factor, mainly because of its regulation of a variety of the proinflammatory genes linked to atherosclerosis. It was hypothesized that the inhibitory effects of adiponectin on the atherosclerosis is through the inhibition of NF-κB signaling pathway. METHODS: We injected adenovirus of Ad-eGFP virus (control group) or the same amount of Ad-APN-eGFP virus (APN group) in ApoE(-/-) mice tail-intravenously. Blood samples and aorta were executed at 0 day, 4, and 8 week of high-fat diet feeding. Histopathological changes of aortic arch root were detected. Levels of TC, TG, HDL-C, LDL-C were measured. Adiponectin and Matrix metalloproteinases-9 (MMP-9) concentration were detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Gene and protein levels of adiponectin, eNOS, IL-6, MCP-1,VCAM-1, and other inflammatory factors were determined. Adiponectin, NF-κB p65 in aortic arch root were determined by immunofluorescence and western blot. RESULTS: Transduction of Ad-APN inhibited the formation of atherosclerotic plaque in aorta when compared with control group. The lesion formation in aortic arch root was inhibited significantly (P < 0.01). Lesion lumen ratio decreased significantly (P < 0.001). The expression of adiponectin attenuated the increases of serum TC (P < 0.001), TG (P < 0.001), and LDL-C (P < 0.001) induced by the high-fat diet, and the increase in body weight (P < 0.05). As increasing serum adiponectin, the levels of MMP-9 were significantly decreased (P < 0.05). The exogenous adiponectin increased the gene expression of the anti-inflammatory factors eNOS (P < 0.05) and IL-10 (P < 0.001), and reduced the gene expression of inflammatory factors tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) (P < 0.001), IL-6 (P < 0.001), VCAM-1 (P < 0.05), respectively. Adiponectin effectively inhibited the activation of NF-κB pathway and the expression of NF-κB nuclear protein p65. CONCLUSIONS: Adiponectin may protect the aorta from atherosclerotic injury by reducing inflammation. The molecular mechanism may involve inhibited the expression of downstream components of NF-κB and its transcription factors.

H2-EB1 Molecule Alleviates Allergic Rhinitis Symptoms of H2-Eb1 Knockout Mice.

BACKGROUND: H2-EB1 molecule which is the homolog of Human HLA-DRB1 is proposed to be associated with allergic rhinitis (AR). Construction of H2-Eb1 knockout animal models provides a tool to elucidate the role of H2-EB1 and AR pathogenesis. OBJECTIVE: To establish the H2-Eb1 knockout model and investigate the H2-EB1 functions in H2-Eb1 knockout mice as a model of AR. METHODS: The Cre/LoxP system and ES gene knockout technology were applied to create heterozygous H2-Eb1 (+/-) knockout mice and their offspring of knockout homozygous(-/-), heterozygous (+/-) and wild type (+/+) H2-Eb1 mice. After identification, offspring of heterozygous (+/-) and homozygous (-/-) H2-Eb1 knockout mice were randomly selected to establish AR models to demonstrate the role of H2-Eb1 in AR pathogenesis. RESULTS: The H2-Eb1 knockout mice model was successfully established. The reproduction and feeding of the homozygous (-/-) H2-Eb1 knockout mice were successful. Compared with the control group, the serum OVA-IgE and IL-4 levels significantly increased, while IFN-γ levels significantly dropped (p<0.05) in the experimental groups. For the two experimental groups, the homozygous (-/-) mice group had lower serum OVA-IgE and IL-4 levels, and higher IFN-γ levels than their heterozygous (+/-) counterparts (p<0.05), concomitant with slighter allergic symptoms (gentle behavior and less eosinophils in nasal mucosa). CONCLUSION: Our study demonstrated that knockout of H2-Eb1 gene could alleviate mouse AR Symptoms, indicating H2-Eb1 may play an important role in regulating Th1/Th2 balance during the pathogenesis of AR.

Antioxidant catalase rescues against high fat diet-induced cardiac dysfunction via an IKKß-AMPK-dependent regulation of autophagy.

Autophagy, a conservative degradation process for long-lived and damaged proteins, participates in a variety of biological processes including obesity. However, the precise mechanism of action behind obesity-induced changes in autophagy still remains elusive. This study was designed to examine the role of the antioxidant catalase in high fat diet-induced changes in cardiac geometry and function as well as the underlying mechanism of action involved with a focus on autophagy. Wild-type (WT) and transgenic mice with cardiac overexpression of catalase were fed low or high fat diet for 20 weeks prior to assessment of myocardial geometry and function. High fat diet intake triggered obesity, hyperinsulinemia, and hypertriglyceridemia, the effects of which were unaffected by catalase transgene. Myocardial geometry and function were compromised with fat diet intake as manifested by cardiac hypertrophy, enlarged left ventricular end systolic and diastolic diameters, fractional shortening, cardiomyocyte contractile capacity and intracellular Ca²âº mishandling, the effects of which were ameliorated by catalase. High fat diet intake promoted reactive oxygen species production and suppressed autophagy in the heart, the effects of which were attenuated by catalase. High fat diet intake dampened phosphorylation of inhibitor kappa B kinase ß(IKKß), AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) and tuberous sclerosis 2 (TSC2) while promoting phosphorylation of mTOR, the effects of which were ablated by catalase. In vitro study revealed that palmitic acid compromised cardiomyocyte autophagy and contractile function in a manner reminiscent of fat diet intake, the effect of which was significantly alleviated by inhibition of IKKß, activation of AMPK and induction of autophagy. Taken together, our data revealed that the antioxidant catalase counteracts against high fat diet-induced cardiac geometric and functional anomalies possibly via an IKKß-AMPK-dependent restoration of myocardial autophagy. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled: Autophagy and protein quality control in cardiometabolic diseases.

Adiponectin abates atherosclerosis by reducing oxidative stress.

BACKGROUND: We investigated whether the anti-atherosclerosis of adiponectin (APN) relates to the reduction of oxidative stress. We observed the overexpression of adiponectin gene with different titers on atherosclerosis (AS) models of high-fat apolipoprotein E-deficient (ApoE-/-) mice. MATERIAL AND METHODS: We divided 48 male ApoE-/- mice into 4 groups: control group, high-fat diet group, low adiponectin group, and high adiponectin group. The low and high adiponectin group mice were treated with recombinant adenovirus expressing mice adiponectin (Ad-APN) with low-dose adiponectin 1.0×108 p.f.u. and high-dose adiponectin 5.0×108 p.f.u. via the tail every 2 weeks and given a high-fat diet for the last 8 weeks. On the 14th day after injection, blood samples were obtained from the vena cava. RESULTS: Along with increased serum adiponectin, serum superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity increased (P<0.05) and concentration of malondialdehyde (MDA) was decreased (P<0.05). Levels of total cholesterol (TC), triglyceride (TG), and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) were decreased, especially TC and LDL-C (P<0.05). A real-time fluorescent quantitative polymerase chain reaction test was used to analyze levels of mRNA expression for endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) and adiponectin in the aorta. Along with increased adiponectin, the mRNA expression of eNOS in the aorta was increased significantly (P<0.05). The lesion formation in the aortic sinus was inhibited by 25% and 31% in the low-APN group and high-APN group, respectively (P<0.05). Along with the increase of adiponectin doses, the damage of atherosclerosis gradually eased. However, the differences between the low-APN group and high-APN group had no statistical significance. CONCLUSIONS: Adiponectin may protect the aorta from atherosclerosis injury by reducing oxidative stress, reducing lesion formation size in the aortic root and reducing TC, TG, and LDL-C in serum. The molecular mechanism may involve preservation of SOD, reducing MDA in serum, and increasing eNOS and adiponectin mRNA expression in the aorta.

Effects of high frequency noise on female rat's multi-organ histology.

To investigate the pathological damage of high-frequency stable noise exposure on the brain, heart, liver, and spleen of female rat's. Controlled animal intervention study. Twenty female Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into experimental and control groups with 10 rats in each group. Rats in the experimental group were exposed to continuous high-frequency stable noise for 2 weeks (3 h/day)followed by the pathological damages in the rat's brain, heart, liver, and spleen were compared with those of the control group. After 2 weeks' continuous exposure to high-frequency stable noise, compared with the control group, the most prominent histopathologic changes in the brain tissue structures of the experimental group included loose disorder, hyperemia, edema, blood vessels expand, glial cell hyperplasia, mild atypia in some areas (hyperchromatic nuclei, irregular karyotype), and no degeneration and necrosis. There were dilatation and congestion of central vein, hepatic sinus, and interlobular veins of liver tissue. The structure of hepatic lobule was destroyed by inflammatory cell infiltration, as well as lymphoid nodule formation. There was hyperemia in spleen, but the structure was clear. There was extravasated blood, and the splenic sinuses were highly expanded by a blood clot. Hyperplasias of the lymphoid of white pulp were also active. There was dilation and congestion in myocardial interstitial vascular, and there was mild degeneration and hyperemia in myocardial cells. No hemorrhage and myocardial necrosis were observed. High-frequency stable noise can cause pathological damage in brain, liver, spleen, and heart tissues of female rat at a various degree.

[Genetic analysis of accumulation and remobilization of water soluble carbohydrates regulated by drought in wheat RIL stem at grain-filling stage].

Recombinant inbred lines (RIL, Longjian 19 x Q9086, F8) and their parents were undertaken to study characteristics of quantitative genetics of water soluble carbohydrates (WSC) accumulation, remobilization and its contribution to grain mass in different main stem internodes at the grain-filling stage as well as the correlations among the target traits under the rainfed (DS) or well-watered (WW) condition. All of the target traits of RIL had wide variations under both water conditions. The variation coefficient ranged from 2.7% to 62.1% under the DS, and from 1.9% to 52.1% under the WW. The diversity index varied from 0.61 to 0.90 under the DS, and from 0.64 to 0.89 under the WW. All tested traits were significantly affected by the genotype, water condition, internode and growth stage. The growth stage exerted strong impacts on the WSC content. The water condition and internode greatly influenced the WSC remobilization rate. But, the WSC contribution rate to grain was jointly controlled by the genotype, water condition and internode. There were significantly positive correlations between the WSC contents at the early flowering and grain-filling stages, the WSC remobilization rate and its contribution rate to grain at pre-anthesis stage, with the higher correlation coefficients under the DS than under the WW. All traits showed low heri- tability under both water conditions (hB2 = 0.31-0.56 under the DS, 0.44-0.67 under the WW). The numbers of gene pairs controlling all traits ranged from 6 to 29 under the DS, and from 3 to 19 under the WW. It indicated that alleles responsible for all the target traits of RIL showed substantially transgressive segregation and greatlysignificant sensitivity to the water condition, confirming the characteristics of quantitative traits.

Liver cancer-related gene CYP2E1 expression in HBV transgenic mice with acute liver injury.

The objective of this research was to study the CYP2E1 gene expression in carbon tetrachloride (CCl4)-induced acute liver injury in hepatitis B virus (HBV) transgenic mice. Twenty-four HBV(-) and 24 HBV(+) transgenic mice aged 8 to 10 weeks were selected for the present study. Intraperitoneal injection of 1.0 µL/g of CCl4 (1:4 dissolved in olive oil) to mice was performed to induce acute liver injury model. Eight normal clean-grade C57BL/6 mice were taken as the control group. The control group received saline intraperitoneally. The mice in each group were killed 3, 6, 12, 24, 48, and 72 h after injection. The liver tissue samples of mice were collected. The liver histological changes at different time points in each group were observed under light microscope. The quantitative PCR methods were utilized to measure the relative mRNA levels of CYP2E1 gene in liver tissues. Immunohistochemistry and Western blot techniques were used to observe tissue expression levels of CYP2E1 in each group. Compared with that of the control group, mRNA and protein expression levels of CYP2E1 significantly increased both in the HBV(-) group and in the HBV(+) group after the CCl4 induced the acute liver injury, and it reached the peak at 72h after the CCl4 injection. Compared with the HBV(-) group, the mice in the HBV(+) group had severe liver damage and significantly increased CYP2E1 gene and protein expression levels. In the CCl4-induced acute liver injury of HBV transgenic mice, the CYP2E1 gene expression significantly increased. The results provided evidence for the HBV-induced liver damage and liver cancer pathogenesis.

[Effects of source-sink regulation on water soluble carbohydrates of vegetative organs and thousand-grain mass of wheat under different water conditions].

Two winter wheat cultivars with different drought tolerance were selected to investigate the effects of source-sink regulation on the vegetative organs water soluble carbohydrates (WSC) content and 1000-grain mass (TGM) of wheat under drought stress (DS) and well watered (WW) conditions. Sink-cutting increased the WSC content of different vegetative organs significantly, and promoted the relative transportation of the WSC positively; while source-cutting caused opposite responses. The effects of source-sink regulation on the WSC content and its relative transportation amount (TA) and transportation rate (TR) were significantly higher under DS and sink-cutting than under WW and source-cutting, for drought-resistant cultivar (Longjian 19) than for drought-sensitive Q9086, and for peduncle internode and PedI than for penultimate internode and PenI. Under source-cutting, the superior organs of Longjian 19 in the TR of total WSC were sheath, PedI, and PenI, which also contributed to the fructan TR of the two cultivars, while those of Q9086 were the PenI and the third internode from top (ThiI). Source-cutting decreased the TGM of Longjian 19 and Q9086 significantly, with the decrement being 27.3% and 31.7% under DS and 25.3% and 12.1% under WW, respectively. The correlation coefficients of the WSC content and its TA and TR and the TGM were significantly higher under sink-cutting than under source-cutting, and also, under DS than under WW. There existed a higher correlation coefficient (r2 > 0.900) of the TGM and the total WSC and fructan contents in different vegetative organs. The vegetative organs with closer correlation between their WSC content and its TA and TR and the TGM were mainly sheath and PedI. Under DS, the traits associated with the total WSC content had a higher correlation with TGM; under WW, the traits associated with sucrose and glucan contents generally showed a higher correlation with TGM. It was suggested that the effects of source-sink regulation on the WSC content of vegetative organs and the TGM were significantly affected by soil water environment, wheat genotype, and vegetative organs location.

[Effects of mulching on soil moisture in a dryland winter wheat field, Northwest China].

This paper studied the effects of different mulching modes on the soil moisture in a semi-arid rainfed area of Loess Plateau, Northwest China. Seven treatments were installed, i. e., mulching plastic film in summer (T1), mulching plastic film in autumn (T2), mulching 5 cm long wheat straw in summer (T3), mulching whole wheat straw in summer (T4), mulching plastic film in summer plus wheat straw (T5), mulching used plastic film after harvest (T6), and un-mulching (CK). In T6, the soil moisture in different layers at different crop growth stages was all higher than that in CK. In the other five mulching treatments, the soil moisture in 0-90 cm layer before flowering stage was obviously higher, but that in 0-90 cm layer after flowering stage and in 90-200 cm layer during the whole growth season was lower than that of CK. The soil moisture in 0-200 cm layer in T6 during the whole growth period was significantly higher than that in CK, with a difference of 0.9%, but the soil moisture in 0-200 cm layer in other mulching treatments was lower. As compared with plastic film mulching, straw mulching increased the soil moisture in 0-200 cm layer. The soil moisture under mulching with used plastic film after harvest was higher than that under mulching with new plastic film. As compared to CK, the grain yield of winter wheat with plastic film mulching was increased by 20.3%-29.0%, and that With straw mulching was increased by 5.0%-16.7%. There was a significant positive correlation between the crop productivity and the soil water consumption during the growth period (r = 0.77*).