The potential of herbal drugs to treat heart failure:The roles of Sirt1/AMPK

Heart failure(HF)is a highly morbid syndrome that seriously affects the physical and mental health of patients and generates an enormous socio-economic burden.In addition to cardiac myocyte oxidative stress and apoptosis,which are considered mechanisms for the development of HF,alterations in cardiac energy metabolism and pathological autophagy also contribute to cardiac abnormalities and ultimately HF.Silent information regulator 1(Sirt1)and adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase(AMPK)are nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide(NAD+)-dependent deacetylases and phosphorylated kinases,respectively.They play similar roles in regulating some pathological processes of the heart through regulating targets such as peroxisome proliferator-activated receptorγcoactivator 1α(PGC-1α),protein 38 mitogen-activated protein kinase(p38 MAPK),peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors(PPARs),and mammalian target of rapamycin(mTOR).We summarized the synergistic effects of Sirt1 and AMPK in the heart,and listed the traditional Chinese medicine(TCM)that exhibit cardioprotective properties by modulating the Sirt1/AMPK pathway,to provide a basis for the development of Sirt1/AMPK activators or inhibitors for the treatment of HF and other cardiovascular diseases(CVDs).

Preparation of ZSM-5 containing vanadium and Br?nsted acid sites with high promoting of styrene oxidation using 30% H_2O_2

Design and synthesis of low cost and efficacious industrial catalyst for the oxidation of styrene has been an important research project.Herein,ZSM-5 zeolite containing tetrahedral vanadium(V)and Br?nsted acid sites(V-H-ZSM-5)was prepared,and identified by characterizations such as XRD,SEM,UV–vis,NH3-TPD,H2-TPR N2-adsorption/desorption and FTIR.V-H-ZSM-5 performed extremely enhanced catalytic activity for the oxidation of styrene with 30%H2O2 at 40°C.Moreover,in-situ FTIR spectrum was used to investigate the catalytic mechanism.The results demonstrate that Br?nsted acid site could not only increase the adsorption concentration of styrene in the micropores of V-H-ZSM-5 via theπcomplex interaction between double bond of styrene and Br?nsted acid sites,but also increase the oxidation potential of H2O2.The synergetic action of tetrahedral vanadium(V)and Br?nsted acid enhanced the catalytic activity for the oxidation of styrene with 30%H2O2.Impressively,V-H-ZSM-5 performed high reusability within five runs at a low reaction temperature(40°C)for the first time.

SlBEL11 regulates flavonoid biosynthesis,thus fine-tuning auxin efflux to prevent premature fruit drop in tomato

Auxin regulates flower and fruit abscission,but how developmental signals mediate auxin transport in abscission remains unclear.Here,we reveal the role of the transcription factor BEL1-LIKE HOMEODOMAIN11(SlBEL11)in regulating auxin transport during abscission in tomato(Solanum lycopersicum).SlBEL11 is highly expressed in the fruit abscission zone,and its expression increases during fruit development.Knockdown of SlBEL11 expression by RNA interference(RNAi)caused premature fruit drop at the breaker(Br)and 3d post-breaker(Br+3)stages of fruit development.Transcriptome and metabolome analysis of SlBEL11-RNAi lines revealed impaired flavonoid biosynthesis and decreased levels of most flavonoids,especially quercetin,which functions as an auxin transport inhibitor.This suggested that SlBEL11 prevents premature fruit abscission by modulating auxin efflux from fruits,which is crucial for the formation of an auxin response gradient.Indeed,quercetin treatment suppressed premature fruit drop in SlBEL11-RNAi plants.DNA affinity purification sequencing(DAP-seq)analysis indicated that SlBEL11 induced expression of the transcription factor gene SlMYB111 by directly binding to its promoter.Chromatin immunoprecipitation-quantitative polymerase chain reaction and electrophoretic mobility shift assay showed that S.lycopersicum MYELOBLASTOSIS VIRAL ONCOGENE HOMOLOG111(SlMYB111)induces the expression of the core flavonoid biosynthesis genes SlCHS1,SlCHI,SlF3H,and SlFLS by directly binding to their promoters.Our findings suggest that the SlBEL11-SlMYB111 module modulates flavonoid biosynthesis to fine-tune auxin efflux from fruits and thus maintain an auxin response gradient in the pedicel,thereby preventing premature fruit drop.

2003—2018年黄土高原植被光学厚度时空变化及其影响因素

植被光学厚度(VOD)是表征地表生物量和植被含水量的关键指标,准确认知黄土高原大规模植被恢复背景下的VOD变化特征对于科学评估生态工程效益具有至关重要的作用。本文基于X波段的VODCA数据,利用趋势分析、偏相关分析和残差分析等方法,探究了2003—2018年黄土高原VOD时空变化特征,量化了气候因子和人类活动对VOD的相对贡献。结果表明:(1)2003—2018年黄土高原VOD呈显著增长趋势,增速为0.28%/10a(P<0.01),且秋季增速达到0.32%/10a(P<0.01),大于春季和夏季;(2)空间分布上,黄土高原VOD呈极显著增长区域占总面积的69.7%;减少区域仅占5.4%,且主要分布在内蒙古北部和鄂尔多斯西部;(3)黄土高原VOD与降水、太阳辐射呈显著正相关的区域主要分布在西部半干旱草原地区,负相关区域主要分布在甘肃省南部的沟壑区;(4)回归分析表明,气温、降水、辐射和人类活动对VOD的相对贡献率分别为45.74%、2.09%、38.20%和13.97%,而人类活动影响逐渐增加,其影响呈增长趋势的区域占研究区的88.4%。