iTRAQ-based quantitative proteomic analyses the cycle chronic heat stress affecting liver proteome in yellow-feather chickens.

Heat stress (HS) is one of the main environmental factors affecting the efficiency of poultry production. The yellow-feather chickens (YFC) as an indigenous strain of chicken is a popular poultry breed in China. Our previous study used the RNA-seq to analyze the gene expression profiles of male YFC under HS and showed that the lipid and energy metabolism pathways are activated in livers of YFC exposed to acute HS (38°C, 4 h and 25°C recovery 2 h). In this study, we used quantitative proteome analysis based on iTRAQ to study the liver response of YFC to cycle chronic HS (38 ± 1°C, 8 h/d, 7 d, CyCHS). The male YFCs treatment used the CyCHS from 22 to 28 days of age. The liver tissue samples were collected at 28 d old. A total of 39,327 unique peptides matches were detected using iTRAQ analysis and 4,571 proteins exhibited a false discovery rate of 1% or less. Forty-six significant differentially expressed proteins (DEPs) were detected in the CyCHS group compared with the control group for the liver samples, including up- and down-regulated DEPs were 18 and 28, respectively. We found that the enriched biological process terms of the DEPs expressed in the liver were related to DNA metabolic process, oxidation-reduction process, oxidative stress and gluconeogenesis. In KEGG pathway analysis. Most of the hepatic DEPs were annotated to glutathione metabolism and TCA cycle in response to CyCHS. The up-regulation of 5 DEPs (GPX1, GSTT1, GSTT1L, RRM2, and LOC100859645) in the glutathione metabolism pathway likely reflects an attempt to deal with oxidative damage by CyCHS. The down-regulation of 3 DEPs (Isocitrate dehydrogenase [IDH3A], IDH3B, and phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase 1) in the TCA cycle pathway contributes to the regulation mechanism of energy metabolism and probably to cope with the balance of heat production and dissipation during CyCHS in order to adapt to high temperature environments. Our results provide insights into the potential molecular mechanism in heat-induced oxidative stress and energy in YFCs and future studies will investigate the functional genes associated with the response to HS.

Laser Shock Peening of SiCp/2009Al Composites: Microstructural Evolution, Residual Stress and Fatigue Behavior.

SiC particle reinforced aluminum alloy has a wide application in the aerospace industries. In this study, laser shock peening (LSP), an advanced surface modification technique, was employed for SiCp/2009Al composite to reveal its microstructure, microhardness and residual stress evolution. After peening, high densities of dislocations were induced in the aluminum substrate, and stacking faults were introduced into the SiC particle. The microhardness was increased from 155-170 HV to 170-185 HV, with an affected depth of more than 1.5 mm. Compressive residual stresses of more than 200 MPa were introduced. The three-point bending fatigue of the base material, laser peened and milled after laser peened specimens with artificial crack notch fabricated by a femtosecond laser was investigated. The average fatigue lives of laser peened and milled after laser peened specimens were increased by up to 10.60 and 2.66 times, compared with the base material. This combined fundamental and application-based research seeks to comprehensively explore the applicability of LSP on metal matrix composite.

Regulating Intestinal Microbiota in the Prevention and Treatment of Alcohol-Related Liver Disease.

When alcohol-related liver disease occurs, the number and composition ratio of intestinal microorganisms will accordingly change. The alcohol-induced changes in the intestinal microbiota play a pivotal role in the process of developing the alcohol-related liver disease through the translocation of microbial products due to increased intestinal permeability. In recent years, therapeutic interventions with a concentration on regulating intestinal microbiota have been conducted for patients with alcohol-related liver disease. We aimed to provide a critical review and updates on the prevention and treatment of alcohol-related liver disease through regulating intestinal microbiota. A literature search was performed on the PubMed database for studies published in English about the therapeutic intervention with microbiota using animal models and patients with alcohol-related liver disease (1/2010-4/2020). The accumulating pieces of evidence suggest that the therapeutic use of probiotics, prebiotics, antibiotics, phages, or fecal microbial transplantation may have several influences on alcohol-related liver disease patients. Emergent data unveiled that these interventions can further regulate the composition of intestinal microbiota, minimize the negative impact of microbiota on the liver, and prevent disease progression from mild to severe alcoholic hepatitis, fibrosis, cirrhosis, or even liver cancer. The current review provides updates on the advances of therapeutic interventions with the effects of regulating intestinal microbiota on patients who have alcohol-related liver disease. In addition, the data gaps and research directions on further exploration of the role of intestinal microbiota for the management of the alcohol-related liver disease are also discussed.