[Research progress on the role of type II innate lymphoid cells in liver diseases].

Type II innate lymphoid cell (ILC2) is a newly identified innate immunological cell that belongs to the lymphocyte lineage in cell morphology, resides in the body's mucosal tissues, and has the dual functions of innate and adaptive immunity to promote tissue remodeling and repair after injury. Additionally, it is involved in the occurrence and development of a variety of liver diseases and plays an important role in maintaining the immunological homeostasis of the liver region. This article reviews the differentiation, development, and biological functions of ILC2, with particular attention to the research progress in liver diseases.

Bioinformatics-based design of a fusion vaccine with CTLA-4 variable region to combat Brucella.

Brucellosis has become a global zoonotic disease, seriously endangering the health of people all over the world. Vaccination is an effective strategy for protection against Brucella infection in livestock in developed countries. However, current vaccines are pathogenic to humans and pregnant animals, which limits their use. Therefore, it is very important to improve the safety and immune protection of Brucella vaccine. In this study, different bioinformatics approaches were carried out to predict the physicochemical properties, T/B epitope, and tertiary structure of Omp2b and Omp31. Then, these two proteins were sequentially linked, and the Cytotoxic T lymphocyte associated antigen-4 (CTLA-4) variable region was fused to the N-terminal of the epitope sequence. In addition, molecular docking was performed to show that the structure of the fusion protein vaccine had strong affinity with B7 (B7-1, B7-2). This study showed that the designed vaccine containing CTLA-4 had high potency against Brucella, which could provide a reference for the future development of efficient brucellosis vaccines.

Bioinformatics-based design of a fusion vaccine with CTLA-4 variable region to combat Brucella

Brucellosis has become a global zoonotic disease, seriously endangering the health of people all over the world. Vaccination is an effective strategy for protection against Brucella infection in livestock in developed countries. However, current vaccines are pathogenic to humans and pregnant animals, which limits their use. Therefore, it is very important to improve the safety and immune protection of Brucella vaccine. In this study, different bioinformatics approaches were carried out to predict the physicochemical properties, T/B epitope, and tertiary structure of Omp2b and Omp31. Then, these two proteins were sequentially linked, and the Cytotoxic T lymphocyte associated antigen-4 (CTLA-4) variable region was fused to the N-terminal of the epitope sequence. In addition, molecular docking was performed to show that the structure of the fusion protein vaccine had strong affinity with B7 (B7-1, B7-2). This study showed that the designed vaccine containing CTLA-4 had high potency against Brucella, which could provide a reference for the future development of efficient brucellosis vaccines.

Time resolved absolute extreme ultraviolet radiation measurement on the ENN XuanLong-50 spherical tokamak.

A plasma radiation measurement system for a wide spectral range, based on compact Absolute eXtreme UltraViolet (AXUV) silicon photodiodes, has been implemented on the newly constructed ENN XuanLong-50 (EXL-50) spherical tokamak. The system consists of two 16-channel AXUV16ELG arrays and one AXUV63HS1 single-cell detector mounted on ceramic sockets. The two arrays, facing toward the EXL-50 slim central post from two locations inside a top and a side ConFlat 400 port, have 32 view chords covering the interested plasma region in a poloidal cross section at toroidal 330°. The single-cell detector, seated on a retractable feedthrough, could be arranged flexibly with the help of an ultra-high vacuum compatible gate valve. The design details together with considerations on the EXL-50 specific engineering realities and physics requirements are described. Preliminary results from the EXL-50 2020 experimental campaign are presented.

LncRNA TUG1 promotes osteoarthritis-induced degradation of chondrocyte extracellular matrix via miR-195/MMP-13 axis.

OBJECTIVE: Osteoarthritis is a degenerative disease characterized by articular cartilage degradation. Long non-coding ribonucleic acid (lncRNA) plays important roles in a series of biological processes, but its role in osteoarthritis is still not quite clear. This study aims to investigate the regulatory role of taurine upregulated gene 1 (TUG1) in osteoarthritis. PATIENTS AND METHODS: The expression level of lncRNA-TUG1 in cartilages of patients with osteoarthritis and those of normal people was compared using Reverse Transcription-Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-PCR). Primary chondrocytes were induced by interleukin-1 beta (IL-1ß) and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), followed by expression detection of lncRNA-TUG1, microRNA-195 (miR-195), and matrix metalloproteinase-13 (MMP-13). In addition, in vitro regulatory roles of lncRNA-TUG1 and miR-195 in osteoarthritis were verified by transfection of lncRNA-TUG1 and miR-195 plasmids. The dimethylmethylene blue (DMMB) assay was performed to analyze the secretion and formation of soluble sulfated glycosaminoglycan (sGAG). RESULTS: The expression levels of lncRNA-TUG1 and MMP-13 in cartilages of patients with osteoarthritis were higher than those in cartilages of normal people, while the level of miR-195 decreased in cartilages of patients with osteoarthritis. After chondrocytes were induced by IL-1ß and TNF-α, the expression of lncRNA-TUG1 increased. Overexpression of lncRNA-TUG1 decreased the expressions of miR-195, collagen, and aggrecan, but increased the expression of MMP-13. LncRNA-TUG1 knockdown obtained the opposite results. CONCLUSIONS: LncRNA-TUG1 regulates the degradation of extracellular matrix in osteoarthritis via lncRNA-TUG1/miR-195/MMP-13 axis.

Selective activation of parvalbumin interneurons prevents stress-induced synapse loss and perceptual defects.

Stress, a prevalent experience in modern society, is a major risk factor for many psychiatric disorders. Although sensorimotor abnormalities are often present in these disorders, little is known about how stress affects the sensory cortex. Combining behavioral analyses with in vivo synaptic imaging, we show that stressful experiences lead to progressive, clustered loss of dendritic spines along the apical dendrites of layer (L) 5 pyramidal neurons (PNs) in the mouse barrel cortex, and such spine loss closely associates with deteriorated performance in a whisker-dependent texture discrimination task. Furthermore, the activity of parvalbumin-expressing inhibitory interneurons (PV+ INs) decreases in the stressed mouse due to reduced excitability of these neurons. Importantly, both behavioral defects and structural changes of L5 PNs are prevented by selective pharmacogenetic activation of PV+INs in the barrel cortex during stress. Finally, stressed mice raised under environmental enrichment (EE) maintain normal activation of PV+ INs, normal texture discrimination, and L5 PN spine dynamics similar to unstressed EE mice. Our findings suggest that the PV+ inhibitory circuit is crucial for normal synaptic dynamics in the mouse barrel cortex and sensory function. Pharmacological, pharmacogenetic and environmental approaches to prevent stress-induced maladaptive behaviors and synaptic malfunctions converge on the regulation of PV+ IN activity, pointing to a potential therapeutic target for stress-related disorders.

Expression levels and roles of EMC-6, Beclin1, and Rab5a in the cervical cancer.

OBJECTIVE: This study is to investigate the role of EMC-6 in the pathogenesis of cervical cancer, especially concerning its relationship with autophagy. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Totally 100 invasive cervical cancer, 80 cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN), and 80 normal cervical tissue samples were obtained. Expression levels of EMC-6, Beclin1, and Rab5a in the tissues were detected by immunohistochemistry. RESULTS: Our results showed that positive staining of EMC-6 was mainly located in the nucleus. Compared with the normal cervical tissue, the positive rates of EMC-6 were significantly increased in the CIN and cervical cancer tissues. Moreover, the EMC-6 positive rate in the CIN tissue was higher than the cervical cancer tissue. No significant association was observed between the expression levels of EMC-6 and the clinicopathological features of cervical cancer, including age, FIGO staging, tumor size, tumor type, histological type, cell differentiation, and lymph node metastasis. Compared with the normal cervical tissue, the positive rate of Beclin1 in the CIN tissue was significantly declined, which was further significantly down-regulated in the cervical cancer tissue. However, the positive rate of Rab5a in the CIN tissue was significantly higher than the normal cervical tissue. Moreover, compared with the normal cervical and CIN tissues, the positive rate of Rab5a in the cervical cancer tissue was further significantly increased. EMC-6 was not associated with Beclin1 and Rab5a. CONCLUSIONS: The expression level of EMC-6 is significantly elevated in cervical cancer, without significant correlation with Beclin1 and Rab5a. These findings might contribute to the understanding of the pathogenesis of cervical cancer and the involved role of EMC-6.

CD4+CD25+Foxp3+ Treg and TGF-beta play important roles in pathogenesis of Uygur cervical carcinoma.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of the study was to evaluate the function of CD4+CD25+ and Foxp3+ T (Treg) cell and related cytokine in the Uygur patients with cervical carcinoma and CIN (cervical intraepithelial neoplasia). MATERIALS AND METHODS: 170 Uygur women were recruited in the study from January 2007 to January 2011. The study group was comprised of normal controls, cases of primary cervical carcinoma/CIN, and cervical carcinoma/CIN treated with surgery. The following parameters were examined: clinicopathologic features of patients, percentage of CD4+CD25+Foxp3+ Treg cell in blood and Foxp3 mRNA expression in CD4+CD25 high T cell concentration of serum cytokine. Women with primary cervical carcinoma/CIN after being treated with surgery were compared to the normal controls. Where appropriate, univariate and multivariate analyses were used to identify the function of the Treg and related cytokine. RESULTS: The percentages of CD4+CD25+ Treg were detected as well as in the blood of carcinoma patients and CIN II/III, but the number of cells was much higher compared to both control and CIN I groups (p < 0.01). Moreover, a significant correlation between the expression of Foxp3 mRNA and pathological changes was found. The secretion levels of IL-10, and TGF-beta correlated positively with the process of carcinoma. Furthermore, after surgical operation, the number of Treg cells and related cytokines were decreased. CONCLUSIONS: Finally, the authors would like to highlight that CD4+CD25+ Treg, especially the CD4+CD25+Foxp3+ Treg and TGF-beta play important roles in Uygur cervical carcinoma, and may have a correlation with survival. Therefore, the inhibitory function of TGF-beta depletion of Treg cells in combination with other anti-tumor therapies could optimize eradication of malignancies.

[Effect of storage methods on breaking seed dormancy of Trollius chinensis Bge].

OBJECTIVE: Exploring the best seed storage method for Trollius chinensis. METHOD: Different temperatures were applied to the seed storage in wet sand and dry sand, and the embryo-endosperm ratio and germination rate were inspected. RESULT: The dormancy of T. chinensis seeds could only be broken in lower temperatures. The newly collected seeds set out to germinate after 75 days of storage at 5-6 degrees C when the embryo-endosperm ratio reached 47%, and the time of seed germination varied with the length of storage time before low-temperature treatment. CONCLUSION: The best storage method for the seed of T. chinensis is keeping it in dry for 6-8 months with an additional 1 month of low-temperature treatment to follow.

Utility of immobilon-bound phosphoproteins as substrates for protein phosphatases from neutrophils.

Immobilon-bound phosphoproteins labeled with 32P were utilized as substrates to study the enzymes in neutrophils that are active against the major products of protein kinase C. The labeled proteins were separated by sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) and transferred electrophoretically to immobilon-P membranes. Both particulate and soluble phosphatases were found to be active against the blotted phosphoproteins. Reactions were followed by autoradiography as the loss of 32P from individual protein bands. The tumor promoter okadaic acid and the hepatoxin microcystin-LR inhibited these reactions in a manner consistent with the enzymes being type 1 and/or 2A protein phosphatases.