Restored intestinal integrity,nutrients transporters,energy metabolism,antioxidative capacity and decreased harmful microbiota were associated with IUGR piglet's catch-up growth before weanling

Background:Intrauterine growth restriction(IUGR)is a major inducer of higher morbidity and mortality in the pig industry and catch-up growth(CUG)before weanling could significantly restore this negative influence.But there was limited knowledge about the underlying mechanism of CUG occurrence.Methods:Eighty litters of newborn piglets were divided into normal birth weight(NBW)and IUGR groups according to birth weight.At 26 d,those piglets with IUGR but over average body weight of eighty litters of weaned piglets were considered as CUG,and the piglets with IUGR still below average body weight were considered as NCUG.This study was conducted to systemically compare the intestinal difference among NBW,CUG and NCUG weaned piglets considering the crucial role of the intestine for piglet growth.Results:The results indicated that the m RNA expression of nutrients(amino acids,glucose,and fatty acids)transporters,and mitochondrial electron transport chain(ETC)I were upregulated in CUG piglets'gut with improved morphology compared with those NCUG,as well as the ratio of P-AMPK/AMPK protein expression which is the indicator of energy metabolism.Meanwhile,CUG piglet's gut showed higher antioxidative capacity with increased SOD and GSHPx activity,decreased MDA levels,as well as higher m RNA expressions of Nrf2,Keap1,SOD,and GSH-Px.Furthermore,inflammatory parameters including TNF-α,IL-1β,IL-6,and IL-12 factors,and the activation of MAPK and NF-κB signaling pathways were significantly elevated in the NCUG intestine,while the protein expression of ZO-1,Occludin and Claudin-1 was reduced.The alpha diversity of fecal microbiota was higher in CUG piglets in contrast with NCUG piglets,and the increased beneficial bacteria and decreased pathogenic bacteria was also observed in CUG piglets.Conclusions:CUG piglet's intestine showed comprehensive restoration including higher nutrients transport,energy metabolism,antioxidant capacity,and intestinal physical barrier,while lower oxidative stress,inflammatory response,and pathogenic microbiota.

Spatial Downscaling of Remote Sensing Precipitation Data in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei Region

Precipitation is an important part of the global hydrological cycle. The large- scale, high-precision continuous precipitation data obtained by satellite remote sensing detection technology has become an important source of spatial precipitation data. However, because the spatial resolution of remote sensing precipitation data is still low, it is difficult to meet the needs of hydrological research, which restricts their application in drought and flood analysis, hydrological simulation, etc. In response to this problem, this paper takes the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region as the research area, downscaling the TRMM data and the GPM data space of the continuation plan, and increasing the spatial resolution of the data to 1 km. Compared with the original data, spatial downscaling data not only greatly improves the spatial resolution, but also increases the accuracy of the data, which has better applicability.

Ginkgo biloba leaf extract improves the cognitive abilities of rats with D-galactose induced dementia

Standardized Ginkgo biloba leaf extract has been used in clinical trials for its beneficial effects on brain func- tions, particularly in dementia. Substantial experimental evidences indicated that Ginkgo biloba leaf extract （EGB） protected neuronal cells from a variety of insults. We investigated the effect of EGB on cognitive ability and protein kinase B （PKB） activity in hippocampal neuronal cells of dementia model rats. Rats received an intra- peritoneal injection of D-galactose to induce dementia. Forty-eight Spraque-Dawley rats were randomly divided into six groups, including the control group, D-galactose group （Gal）, low-dose EGB group （EGB-L）, mid-dose EGB group （EGB-M）, high-dose EGB group （EGB-H） and treatment group. The EGB-L, EGB-M and EGB-H groups were administered with EGB and D-galactose simultaneously. Y-maze, cresyl violet staining, TUNEL assays and immunohistochemistry staining were performed to detect learning and memory abilities, morpho- logical changes in the hippocampus, neuronal apoptosis and the expressing level of phospho-PKB, respectively. Rats in the Gal group showed decreased abilities of learning and memory, and hippocampal pyramidal cell layer was damaged, while EGB administration improved learning and memory abilities. The Gal group exhibited many stained, condensed nuclei and micronuclei, either isolated or within the cytoplasm of cells （39.5 ± 1.4）. Apoptotic cells decreased in the groups of EGB-L （35.9±0.9）, EGB-M （16.8± 1.0） and EGB-H （10.1±0.8）, and there were statistical significances compared with the Gal group. Immunoreactivity of phospho-PKB was localized diffusely throughout the cytosol of cells in all groups, while the immunoreactivity of the Gal group was weak. EGB signifi- cantly attenuated learning and memory impairment in a dose-dependent manner, while it could decrease the nmber of TUNEL-positive cells, and increase the activity of PKB. Our results demonstrated that EGB attenuated memory impairment and cell apoptosis in galactose-induced dementia model rats by activating PKB.

Effect of oxcarbazepine on immune function, thyroid function and related factors in epilepsy patients

Objective: To investigate the effects of oxcarbazepine on immune function, thyroid function and related factors in epilepsy patients. Method: 90 patients with epilepsy who visited our hospital from January 2015 to May 2018 were selected as the observation group and 90 healthy volunteers were selected as control group. All patients in the observation group were treated with oxcarbazepine alone. T lymphocyte subsets, IgA, IgG, IgM, T3, T4, FT3, FT4, TSH, hs-CRP and Hcy in observation group were detected before treatment, 3 months after treatment and 6 months after treatment. The results were compared with those of the control group. Results: The levels of CD3+ and CD4+ in the control group were (65.25±9.51)% and (43.29±6.74)% respectively, which were higher than those in the observation group (P<0.05). The levels of CD8+, IgA and IgG in the control group were (22.40±6.41)%, (2.22±0.51) g/L, (9.99±1.28) g/L respectively, which were lower than those in the observation group (P<0.05). The levels of CD3+ and CD4+ in the observation group after 3 months and 6 months of treatment were significantly higher than those before treatment (P<0.05). The levels of CD8+, IgA and IgG in the observation group after 3 months and 6 months of treatment were significantly lower than those before treatment (P<0.05). There was no significant difference in the level of IgM between the observation group and the control group at each time point (P>0.05). The levels of thyroid hormones in the observation group before treatment and 3 months after treatment were not significantly different from those in the control group (P>0.05). The FT4 of the observation group was (14.98±1.03) pmol/L 6 months after treatment, which was significantly lower than that of the control group before treatment and 3 months after treatment (P<0.05). The levels of T3, T4, FT3 and TSH at each time point in the observation group were not significantly different from those in the control group (P>0.05). Before treatment, there was no significant difference in hs-CRP and Hcy levels between the observation group and the control group (P>0.05). The levels of hs-CRP and Hcy in the observation group were (4.82±0.67) mg/L and (13.36±1.51) umol/L respectively after 3 months of treatment. The levels of hs-CRP and Hcy in the observation group after 3 months of treatment were significantly higher than those before treatment and in the control group, and the difference was statistically significant (P<0.05). The levels of hs-CRP and Hcy in the observation group were (4.99±0.47) mg/L and (16.83±1.94) umol/L respectively after 6 months of treatment. The levels of hs-CRP and Hcy in the observation group were significantly higher than those in the control group after 3 months of treatment and before treatment (P<0.05). Conclusion: Oxcarbazepine can effectively improve the immune function of epilepsy patients, but with the prolongation of medication time, it may have adverse effects on thyroid function, hs-CRP and Hcy.