Protective mechanism of Coprinus comatus polysaccharide on acute alcoholic liver injury in mice,the metabolomics and gut microbiota investigation

Coprinus comatus polysaccharide(CCP)has significant hepatoprotective effect.To explore hepatoprotective mechanism of CCP,the study analyzed preventive effect of CCP on acute alcoholic liver injury in mice by histopathological examination and biochemical analysis.Simultaneously,hepatoprotective mechanism was also analyzed in conjunction with metabolomics and proliferation of gut microbiota.The results showed that CCP significantly decreased alanine aminotransferase(ALT),aspartate aminotransferase(AST)and triglyceride(TG)levels in serum of alcoholic liver disease(ALD)mice.Histopathological examination showed that CCP can significantly improve liver damage.Metabolomics results showed that there were significant differences in the level of metabolites in liver tissue of control group,ALD group and CCP group,including taurine,xanthosine,fumaric acid and arachidonic acid,among others.Metabolites pathways analysis showed that hepatoprotective effect of CCP was related to energy metabolism,biosynthesis of unsaturated fatty acids,amino acids metabolism and lipid metabolism.Additionally,CCP inhibited an increase in the number of Clostridium perfringens,Enterobacteriaceae and Enterococcus,and a decrease in the number of Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium in the gut of ALD mice.All these findings suggested that CCP treatment reversed the phenotype of ethanol-induced liver injury and the associated metabolites pathways.

PEG-asparaginase in BFM-90 regimen improves outcomes in adults with newly diagnosed lymphoblastic lymphoma

Objective： Although L-asparaginase（L-ASP） is a standard treatment for lymphoblastic lymphoma（LBL）,hypersensitivity reactions by some patients limit its application. Polyethylene glycol-conjugated asparaginase（PEGASP） has a lower immunogenicity and is a standard treatment in all pediatric acute lymphoblastic leukemia（ALL）.In this study, we investigated the efficacy and toxicity of PEG-ASP instead of L-ASP as used in the BFM-90regimen（PEG-ASP-BFM-90） for adult LBL.Methods： Between June 2012 and July 2015, we treated 30 adult patients with newly diagnosed LBL, using PEGASP-BFM-90 in a prospective, multicenter and single-arm clinical study at 5 participating institutions in China.Results： All the 30 patients, including 19 males and 11 females with a median age of 30（range： 18–62） years,completed 128 times of the PEG-ASP, with the median of 4（range： 2–6） times. Patients did not receive radiotherapy at this time. The overall response rate was 86.7%（26/30）, with 50.0%（15/30） complete response and36.7%（11/30） partial response. The 3-year overall survival was 46.0% [95% confidence interval（95% CI）,28.2%–64.8%], and the 3-year progression-free survival was 43.0%（95% CI, 25.7%–62.0%）. Major adverse events were myelosuppression, reduced fibrinogen, liver dysfunction and digestive tract toxicities. No allergic reaction and no treatment-related mortality or severe complications were recorded.Conclusions： Our clinical data and observed outcomes indicate that 1 dose of PEG-ASP can replace multiple doses of native L-ASP in BFM-90, with predominantly grade 3–4 neutropenia for adult LBL, and no therapyrelated deaths. The effect is similar to previous reports of PEG-ASP-containing regimens for adult ALL. Major advantages include less serious allergic reactions, 2–3 weeks of action duration, and convenience for patients and physicians.

Soil restoration research advances of artificial sand-binding vegetation ecosystem in the Tengger Desert, Northern China

Soil plays an important role in desert ecosystem, and is vital in constructing a steady desert ecosystem. The management and restoration of desertified land have been the focus of much discussion. The soil in Shapotou desert region has developed remarkably since artificial sand-binding vegetation established in 1946. The longer the period of dune stabilization, the greater the thickness of microbiotic crusts and subsoil. Meanwhile, proportion of silt and clay increased significantly, and soil bulk density declinced. The content of soil organic matter, N, P, and K similarly increased. Therefore, soil has developed from aeolian sand soil to Calcic-Orthic aridisols. This paper discusses the effects brought about by dust, microbiotic soil crust and soil microbes on soil-forming process. Then, we analyzed the relation between soil formation and sand-binding vegetation evolution, in order to provide a baseline for both research on desert ecosystem recovery and ecological environment governance in arid and semi-arid areas.

Evaluation of Heavy Metal Pollution in Dazhai Mellow-soil Field

In order to determine the pollution condition of heavy metal in Dazhai mellow-soil field,the content of Zn,Cr,Cu,Ni,Pb,As,Cd and Hg in this area were analyzed,the content of heavy metals in soils in Shanxi Soil Environment Quality Standard and the secondary standard of National Soil Environment Quality Standard were used as evaluation standard. Based on the single factor index method,the result showed that the content of 8 heavy metals in soil didn't exceed the secondary standard of National Soil Environment Quality Standard,while the content of As,Hg,Ni,Pb exceeded Shanxi Soil Environment Quality Standard. The soil in the study areas reached high pollution of As,Hg,Pb,and the pollution index of Cu,Ni,Zn,Cd reached a high level. The potential ecological risk index order was Hg ﹥ Cd ﹥ As ﹥ Pb ﹥ Ni﹥ Cu ﹥ Zn ﹥ Cr. The pollution level risk intensity was mild. The correlation analysis indicated that Cr,Ni,Zn,Cu,Cd and As were probably from the same source,while Hg and other heavy metals were not correlated. Heavy metals with high levels of pollution were closely related to agricultural fertilization,tourism,transportation,construction,daily life and production activities.

Quality Analysis and High-Performance Liquid Chromatographic Fingerprint Analysis of New Cultivated Kind of <i>Lonicerae japonicae</i>Flos “Hua Jin 6” from Different Harvest Times

Lonicerae japonicaeFlos (LJF) is widely used in traditional Chinese medicines for the treatment of various diseases, which is now in great demand every year and has a broad development prospect. However, the flowering phase of common LJF varieties is so short, which seriously restricts the development of LJF industry. As a new cultivated kind of Lonicerae japonicae Flos, “Hua Jin 6” has characteristics in long flowering phase and conveniently picking, which makes it have a broad development prospect. The aim of this study is to provide scientific guidance for its suitable harvest period by measuring yield and quality of “Hua Jin 6” from different harvest time. Studies show that flower size had a slowly rising trend from the first day to the seventh day, and then slowly declined or kept stable. There were no significant differences of total phenolic acid contents in different samples from different days, but contents of total flavonoids were on the rise and up to maximum in the ninth day. The contents of total iridoids had an increasing tendency from the first day to the fifth day and then kept relatively stable in other days. We demonstrated that the quality of “Hua Jin 6” is relatively stable and suitable for harvesting in all flower buds white stage in term of HPLC fingerprints. Our findings can make it possible to select the suitable time for different harvest purpose.

二十世纪以来嵇康研究简述

通过对二十世纪以来嵇康研究的基本情况的梳理,发现嵇康研究在基础文本的整理与校订,嵇康家世、生平与思想研究,嵇康文、诗歌研究等方面都取得了丰硕的成果,为以后的研究工作打下了坚实良好的基础,但尚存在一些不足,突出表现为研究的不均衡性和整体性不强。

Effects of Macronutrients on Primary and Secondary Metabolism in Scutellaria baicalensis Georgi

[Objectives] This study was conducted to clarify the roles of macronutrients in regulating plant primary and secondary metabolism of Scutellaria baicalensis Georgi. [Methods] The contents of chlorophyll(Chl) and soluble sugar were detected with ultraviolet spectrophotometry. The activities of phenylalanine ammonia-lyase(PAL), cinnamate 4-hydroxylase(C_4H) and chalcone synthase(CHS) were determined with ultraviolet spectrophotometry. Secondary metabolites were detected by high performance liquid chromatography(HPLC). [Results] The content of chlorophyll in treatments N, P and K was increased, showing significant difference from that of the control(P<0.05). Among them, Treatment N has the highest content of chlorophyll. Soluble sugar content in treatments N, P and K(K>N>P>CK) was increased considerably and had significant difference from that of the control(P<0.05). Compared with the control, PAL and C_4H activity in treatments N, P and K were increased dramatically by 186.57%, 134.09%, 306.91% and 73.21%, 28.91%, 247.57%, respectively. CHS activity was also increased sharply in treatments N, P and K. Scutellarin, baicalin, wogonoside, baicalein, wogonin and oroxylin A contents in all treatments N, P and K(K>N>P) were increased, and had significant difference from that of the control(P<0.05). [Conclusions] The results showed that macronutrients can increase leaf chlorophyll content, soluble sugar content, PAL activity, C_4H activity and secondary metabolites of S. baicalensis.

Germination Characteristics and Secondary Metabolism Regulation of Scutellaria baicalensis Georgi Under Osmotic Stress with PEG

[Objectives]This study was conducted to study the Germination characteristics and secondary metabolism regulation of Scutellaria baicalensis Georgi under osmotic stress.[Methods]The activity of praline,soluble sugar and protein was detected with ultraviolet spectrophotometry.The activity of phenylalanine ammonia-lyase(PAL)and cinnamic acid 4-hydroxylase(C_4H)was determined with ultraviolet spectrophotometry.The secondary metabolites were detected by high performance liquid chromatography(HPLC).[Results]The germination percentage,germination potentiality and germination index decreased at first and increased subsequently along with the enhancement of PEG concentration.The praline content,the soluble sugar content and the soluble protein content in S.baicalensis seedlings increased along with the enhancement of PEG concentration and the differences from the CK were significant(P<0.05).The PAL and C_4H in S.baicalensis seedlings decreased after osmotic stress and the differences from the CK were significant(P<0.05).The results indicate that,the scutellarin,baicalin,wogonoside,baicalein,wogonin and oroxylinA contents decreased after osmotic stress and the differences from the CK were significant(P<0.05).[Conclusions]The quality of the skullcaps could be improved by improving the activity of PAL and C_4H.

Effects of Temperature on Seed Germination and Metabolism of Scutellaria baicalensis Georgi

[Objectives]To explore the effects of temperature on the primary and secondary metabolism of Scutellaria baicalensis Georgi during the seed germination.[Methods]The superoxide dismutase(SOD)activity was determined using riboflavin-NBT;peroxidase(POD)activity was determined using guaiacol colorimetric method,catalase(CAT),ascorbate peroxidase(APX),phenylalanine ammonia lyase(PAL)and cinnamic acid-4-hydroxylase(C4H)activity were detected by ultraviolet spectrophotometry,and chalcone synthase(CHS)activity and the content of secondary metabolites were measured by high performance liquid chromatography(HPLC).[Results]The germination rate,germination potential and germination index of S.baicalensis seeds were significantly affected by temperature.The most suitable temperature for the germination of S.baicalensis seeds was 25℃.The activities of SOD,POD and CAT in S.baicalensis seeds treated at low and high temperature were higher than that treated at suitable temperature;the activities of PAL,C4H and CHS of S.baicalensis seeds treated at low and high temperature were lower than that treated at suitable temperature.There was a good positive correlation between flavonoids and soluble sugar,PAL activity and C4H activity,and the correlation coefficients were R=0.894*,R=0.956*and R=0.951*,respectively.[Conclusions]In adverse environment,S.baicalensis seeds have good defense capabilities.During the germination of seeds,the formation of secondary metabolites is significantly correlated to the activity of key enzymes.Therefore,high-quality medicinal materials can be obtained by taking measures to improve the activity of key enzymes.

Using the improved position specific scoring matrix and ensemble learning method to predict drug-binding residues from protein sequences

Identification of the drug-binding residues on the surface of proteins is a vital step in drug discovery and it is important for understanding protein function. Most previous researches are based on the structural information of proteins, but the structures of most proteins are not available. So in this article, a sequence-based method was proposed by combining the support vector machine (SVM)-based ensemble learning and the improved position specific scoring matrix (PSSM). In order to take the local environment information of a drug-binding site into account, an improved PSSM profile scaled by the sliding window and smoothing window was used to improve the prediction result. In addition, a new SVM-based ensemble learning method was developed to deal with the imbalanced data classification problem that commonly exists in the binding site predictions. When performed on the dataset of 985 drug-binding residues, the method achieved a very promising prediction result with the area under the curve (AUC) of 0.9264. Furthermore, an independent dataset of 349 drug- binding residues was used to evaluate the pre- diction model and the prediction accuracy is 84.68%. These results suggest that our method is effective for predicting the drug-binding sites in proteins. The code and all datasets used in this article are freely available at http://cic.scu.edu.cn/bioinformatics/Ensem_DBS.zip.

丁香属次生代谢产物及其与系统演化和地理环境的关联

环境塑造的植物次生代谢产物富于变化,也可能带有系统演化的信息。由于完整或具有系统学代表性的专属植物收集存在较大困难,使得次生代谢产物与系统学的关联研究尚不多见。通过文献汇总获得了存在于丁香属(Syringa)植物根、茎、叶和花中的10类377个次生代谢产物,主要涉及甲戊二羟酸途径、脱氧木酮糖磷酸酯途径以及莽草酸途径。在叠加丁香属的系统演化背景后发现:在先分化的组系中特定类型次生代谢产物的优势度较高,后继分化的组系成分优势度降低,化学多样性呈增加趋势,各类次生代谢产物的相对占比趋于均衡;苯丙素类和环/裂环烯醚萜类化合物的表达具有明显的系统保守性。在叠加了地理分布跨度后发现:部分后继分化的局域种比在先分化的广布种具有更为多样的次生代谢成分;木脂素类成分的占比优势与环境胁迫相关。该文为化学多样性与进化的关联研究及次生代谢调控的系统性研究提供了新的启示。

Single-cell RNA Sequencing Reveals Thoracolumbar Vertebra Heterogeneity and Rib-genesis in Pigs

Development of thoracolumbar vertebra(TLV)and rib primordium(RP)is a common evolutionary feature across vertebrates,although whole-organism analysis of the expression dynamics of TLV-and RP-related genes has been lacking.Here,we investigated the single-cell transcriptome landscape of thoracic vertebra(TV),lumbar vertebra(LV),and RP cells from a pig embryo at 27 days post-fertilization(dpf)and identified six cell types with distinct gene expression signatures.In-depth dissection of the gene expression dynamics and RNA velocity revealed a coupled process of osteogenesis and angiogenesis during TLV and RP development.Further analysis of cell type-specific and strand-specific expression uncovered the extremely high level of HOXA103′-UTR sequence specific to osteoblasts of LV cells,which may function as anti-HOXA10-antisense by counteracting the HOXA10-antisense effect to determine TLV transition.Thus,this work provides a valuable resource for understanding embryonic osteogenesis and angiogenesis underlying vertebrate TLV and RP development at the cell type-specific resolution,which serves as a comprehensive view on the transcriptional profile of animal embryo development.

Isolation and characterization of a thermophilic Bacillus shackletonii K5 from a biotrickling filter for the production of polyhydroxybutyrate

Polyhydroxyalkanoates（PHAs） are aliphatic polyesters accumulated intracellularly by both Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria. However, compared to the PHAs of Gramnegative bacteria, few endotoxins（lipopolysaccharides, LPS）, which would be co-purified with PHAs and cause immunogenic reactions, are found in the PHAs produced by Gram-positive bacteria. A thermophilic Gram-positive bacterium K5, which exhibited good growth and polyhydroxybutyrate（PHB）-accumulating ability, has been isolated and characterized from a biotrickling filter designed for the removal of NOx from flue gas in a coal-fired power plant in China. Based on the biochemical characterization and 16 S rRNA gene sequence（Genbank accession no. JX437933）, the strain K5 has been identified as Bacillus shackletonii, which has rarely been reported in the literature, and this report is the first time that B. shackletonii has been found to accumulate PHB. The strain K5 was able to utilize glucose as carbon source to synthesize PHB at a broad range of temperatures（from 35 to 50 °C）, and the ideal temperature was 45 °C. The strain K5 could effectively yield PHB of up to 69.9% of its cell dry weight（CDW）（2.28 g/L） in flask experiments employing glucose as carbon source at 45 °C, followed by 56.8% and 52.3% of its CDW when using sodium succinate and glycerol as carbon source, respectively. For batch cultivation, the strain K5 was able to produce PHB of up to 72.6% of its cell dry weight（9.76 g/L） employing glucose as carbon source at 45 °C and pH 7.0.

Hybrid microbial electrolytic/UV system for highly efficient organic pollutants removal

This study for the first time proposed an efficient microbial electrolyte/UV system for Methyl Orange decomposition. With an external applied voltage of 0.2 V and cathode aeration of20 mL/min, H2O2 could be in-situ generated from two-electron reduction of oxygen in cathode, reaching to 8.1 mg/L in 2 hr and continued to increase. The pollutant removal efficiency of approximate 94.7% was achieved at initial neutral pH, with the activation of ·OH in the presence of UV illumination. Although the nature of its guiding principles remain on the vista of practical exploration, this proof-of-concept study provides an alternative operation pattern of solar–microbial hybrid technology for future wastewater treatment from a basic but multidisciplinary view.

POSH is involved in Eiger-Basket (TNF-JNK) signaling and embryogenesis in Drosophila

TNFα can trigger different signaling pathways, including the JNK pathway, to regulate various biological functions such as cell death, differentiation and proliferation. The scaffold protein POSH （Plenty of SH3 Domains） has been shown to be an important regulator of the JNK pathway, but whether it is involved in TNF-signaling has not been reported. Although POSH has been implicated to play a role in development in zebrafish, it has not been studied in null mutants and the underlying mechanism of its effects is still not clear. In this study, we provide evidence that the JNK pathway scaffold protein, POSH, is involved in TNF （Eiger） signaling in Drosophila. POSH is likely to act downstream of dTAB2 and upstream of dTAK1 in the TNF-JNK signaling pathway. In addition, we found that POSH is essential during Drosophila embryogenesis, including epidermal dorsal closure, similar to other JNK pathway components such as Silpper, Hemipterous, and Basket. We observed defects in F-actin accumulation and adherens junction formation during dorsal closure in different posh null mutants, suggesting that POSH is required for epidermal cell migration and cell-shape change during epidermal dorsal closure.

Comparison of the effectiveness and pregnancy outcomes of labor induction with dinoprostone or single-balloon catheter in term nulliparous women with borderline oligohydramnios

Backgrounds:At present,there is no consensus on the induction methods in term pregnancy with borderline oligohydramnios.This study aimed to compare the effectiveness and pregnancy outcomes of labor induction with dinoprostone or single-balloon catheter(SBC)in term nulliparous women with borderline oligohydramnios.Methods:We conducted a retrospective cohort study from January 2016 to November 2018.During the study period,a total of 244 cases were enrolled.Of these,103 cases were selected for induction using dinoprostone and 141 cases were selected for induction with SBC.The pregnancy outcomes between the two groups were compared.Primary outcomes were successful vaginal delivery rates.Secondary outcomes were maternal and neonatal adverse events.Multivariate logistic regression was used to assess the risk factors for vaginal delivery failure in the two groups.Results:The successful vaginal delivery rates were similar between the dinoprostone group and the SBC group(64.1%[66/103]vs.59.6%,[84/141]P=0.475),even after adjustment for potential confounding factors(adjusted odds ratio[aOR]:1.07,95%confidence interval[CI]:0.57-2.00,P=0.835).The incidence of intra-amniotic infection was lower in the dinoprostone group than in the SBC group(1.9%[2/103]vs.7.8%[11/141],P<0.001),but the presence of non-reassuring fetal heart rate was higher in the dinoprostone group than in the SBC group(12.6%[13/103]vs.0.7%,[1/141]P<0.001).Multivariate logistic regression showed that nuchal cord was a risk factor for vaginal delivery failure after induction with dinoprostone(aOR:6.71,95%CI:1.96-22.95).There were three factors related to vaginal delivery failure after induction with SBC,namely gestational age(aOR:1.51,95%CI:1.07-2.14),body mass index(BMI)>30 kg/m^(2)(aOR:2.98,95%CI:1.10-8.02),and fetal weight>3500 g(aOR:2.49,95%CI:1.12-5.50).Conclusions:Term nulliparous women with borderline oligohydramnios have similar successful vaginal delivery rates after induction with dinoprostone or SBC,with their advantages and disadvantages.In women with nuchal cord,the risk of vaginal delivery failure is increased if dinoprostone is used in the induction of labor.BMI>30 kg/m^(2),large gestational age,and estimated fetal weight>3500 g are risk factors for vaginal delivery failure after induction with SBC.