Asymmetric migration dynamics of the tropical Asian and Australasian floras

The tropical Asian and Australasian floras have a close relationship,and is a vital distribution pattern of seed plants worldwide.As estimated,more than 81 families and 225 genera of seed plants distributed between tropical Asia and Australasia.However,the evolutionary dynamics of two floras were still vague.Here,a total of 29 plant lineages,represented the main clades of seed plants and different habits,were selected to investigate the biotic interchange between tropical Asia and Australasia by integrated dated phylogenies,biogeography,and ancestral state reconstructions.Our statistics indicated that 68 migrations have occurred between tropical Asia and Australasia since the middle Eocene except terminal migrations,and the migration events from tropical Asia to Australasia is more than 2 times of the reverse.Only 12 migrations occurred before 15 Ma,whereas the remaining56 migrations occurred after 15 Ma.Maximal number of potential dispersal events(MDE) analysis also shows obvious asymmetry,with southward migration as the main feature,and indicates the climax of bi-directional migrations occurred after 15 Ma.We speculate that the formation of island chains after the Australian-Sundaland collision and climate changes have driven seed plant migrations since the middle Miocene.Furthermore,biotic dispersal and stable habitat may be crucial for floristic interchange between tropical Asia and Australasia.

Antiproliferative effects of cinobufacini on human hepatocellular carcinoma HepG2 cells detected by atomic force microscopy

AIM:To investigate the antiproliferative activity of cinobufacini on human hepatocellular carcinoma HepG2 cells and the possible mechanism of its action.METHODS:HepG2 cells were treated with different concentrations of cinobufacini.Cell viability was measured by methylthiazolyl tetrazolium(MTT) assay.Cell cycledistribution was analyzed by flow cytometry(FCM).Cytoskeletal and nuclear alterations were observed by fluorescein isothiocyanate-phalloidin and DAPI staining under a laser scanning confocal microscope.Changes in morphology and ultrastructure of cells were detected by atomic force microscopy(AFM) at the nanoscale level.RESULTS:MTT assay indicated that cinobufacini significantly inhibited the viability of HepG2 cells in a dosedependent manner.With the concentration of cinobufacini increasing from 0 to 0.10 mg/m L,the cell viability decreased from 74.9% ± 2.7% to 49.41% ± 2.2% and 39.24% ± 2.1%(P < 0.05).FCM analysis demonstrated cell cycle arrest at S phase induced by cinobufacini.The immunofluorescence studies of cytoskeletal and nuclear morphology showed that after cinobufacini treatment,the regular reorganization of actin filaments in HepG2 cells become chaotic,while the nuclei were not damaged seriously.Additionally,high-resolution AFM imaging revealed that cell morphology and ultrastructure changed a lot after treatment with cinobufacini.It appeared as significant shrinkage and deep pores in the cell membrane,with larger particles and a rougher cell surface.CONCLUSION:Cinobufacini inhibits the viability of HepG2 cells via cytoskeletal destruction and cell membrane toxicity.

Efficacy of poly-unsaturated fatty acid therapy on patients with nonalcoholic steatohepatitis

AIM: To examine whether poly-unsaturated fatty acid(PUFA) therapy is beneficial for improving nonalcoholic steatohepatitis(NASH).METHODS: In total, 78 patients pathologically diagnosed with NASH were enrolled and were randomly assigned into the control group and the PUFA therapy group(added 50 mL PUFA with 1:1 ratio of EHA and DHA into daily diet). At the initial analysis and after 6mo of PUFA therapy, parameters of interest including liver enzymes, lipid profiles, markers of inflammation and oxidation, and histological changes were evaluated and compared between these two groups.RESULTS: At the initial analysis, in patients with NASH, serum levels of alanine aminotransferase(ALT)and aspartase aminotransferase(AST) were slightly elevated. Triglyceride(TG), total cholesterol(TC) and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels, markers of systemic inflammation [C-reactive protein(CRP)] and oxidation [malondialdehyde(MDA)], as well as fibrosis parameters of type Ⅳ collagen and pro-collagen typeⅢ pro-peptide were also increased beyond the normal range. Six months later, ALT and AST levels were significantly reduced in the PUFA group compared with the control group. In addition, serum levels of TG and TC, CRP and MDA, and type Ⅳ collagen and procollagen type Ⅲ pro-peptide were also simultaneously and significantly reduced. Of note, histological evaluation showed that steatosis grade, necroinflammatory grade, fibrosis stage, and ballooning score were all profoundly improved in comparison to the control group, strongly suggesting that increased PUFA consumption was a potential way to offset NASH progression.CONCLUSION: Increased PUFA consumption is a potential promising approach for NASH prevention and reversal.

Cilostazol inhibits plasmacytoid dendritic cell activation and antigen presentation

Background Cilostazol, an anti-platelet drug for treating coronary heart disease, has been reported to modulate immune cell functions Plasmacytoid dendritic cells （pDCs） have been found to participate in the progression of atherosclerosis mainly through interferon ct （IFN-ct） production. Whether cilostazol influences pDCs activation is still not clear. In this study, we aimed to investigate the effects of cilostazol on cell activation and antigen presentation ofpDCs in vitro in this study. Methods Peripheral blood mononuclear cells isolated by Ficoll cen- trifugation and pDCs sorted by flow cytometry were used in this study. After pretreated with cilostazol for 2 h, cells were stimulated with CpG-A, R848 or virus for 6 h or 20 h, or stimulated with CpG-B for 48 h and then co-cultured with naive T cell for five days. Cytokines in supernatant and intracellular cytokines were analyzed by ELISA or flow cytometry respectively. Results Our data indicated that cilostazol could inhibit IFN-α and tumor necrosis factor α （TNF-α） production from pDCs in a dose-dependent manner. In addition, the ability of priming na ve T cells of pDCs was also impaired by cilostazol. The inhibitory effect was not due to cell killing since the viability of pDCs did not change upon cilostazol treatment. Conclusion Cilostazol inhibits pDCs cell activation and antigen presentation in vitro, which may explain how cilostazol protects against atherosclerosis.

Inhibitory effects of chloroquine on the activation of plasmacytoid dendritic cells in SIVmac239-infected Chinese rhesus macaques

It is currently widely accepted that immune activation in HIV-infected individuals leads to a severe loss of CD4＋ T cells and the progression to AIDS. However, the underlying mechanism of this immune activation remains unclear. Experimental data suggest that the activation of plasmacytoid dendritic cells （pDCs） by plasma viremia may play a critical role in HIV-induced immune activation. In this study, we found that the level of immune activation was higher in the late phase of SIVmac239 infection compared with chronic infection, which suggests that immune activation might be related to disease progression in SIVmac239-infected non-human primate models. Our work also showed that chloroquine could effectively inhibit the activation of pDCs in vitro and in vivo. However, chloroquine treatment of SIVmac239-infected macaques had no significant influence on the Cellular composition of peripheral blood in these animals.

Effects of green bonds on bioenergy development under climate change: A case study in Taiwan province, China

Bioenergy development improves energy security and mitigates climate change.Because the stable supply of agricultural resources provides a solid basis for efficient bioenergy production,the climate-induced impacts such as changes in lempeniture and precipitation that potentially alter the farming decisions and cropping patterns should be taken into account.This study designs two-stage stochastic programming with recourse model to investigate the net bioenergy production and emission reduction,as well as the bioenergy producers'strategies under various market operations and climate scenarios.The results show that the net production of biopower and biofuel are relatively stable because the supply of bioenergy feedstocks could remain at a constant level,but the farming decisions,cropping pattern,and resource utilization are likely to be altered by climate-induced impacts.The results also indicate that for efficient bioenergy production,approximately 41.5 billion TWD(9.65 billion CNY)and 33.6 billion TWD(7.81 billion CNY)of bond principal should be invested in crop-based and residual-based technology,respectively.In the face of strict environmental regulations and emission management,biopower technology becomes more competitive,and under such a circumstance,more than 98.3%of the low-cost bond should be invested in biopower development to achieve development efficiency.