Oridonin restores hepatic lipid homeostasis in an LXRa-ATGL/EPT1 axis-dependent manner

Hepatosteatosis is characterized by abnormal accumulation of triglycerides(TG),leading to prolonged and chronic inflammatory infiltration.To date,there is still a lack of effective and economical therapies for hepatosteatosis.Oridonin(ORI)is a major bioactive component extracted from the traditional Chinese medicinal herb Rabdosia rubescens.In this paper,we showed that ORI exerted significant protective effects against hepatic steatosis,inflammation and fibrosis,which was dependent on LXRa signaling.It is reported that LXRa regulated lipid homeostasis between triglyceride(TG)and phosphatidylethanolamine(PE)by promoting ATGL and EPT1 expression.Therefore,we implemented the lipidomic strategy and luciferase reporter assay to verify that ORI contributed to the homeostasis of lipids via the regulation of the ATGL gene associated with TG hydrolysis and the EPT1 gene related to PE synthesis in a LXRadependent manner,and the results showed the TG reduction and PE elevation.In detail,hepatic TG overload and lipotoxicity were reversed after ORI treatment by modulating the ATGL and EPT1 genes,respectively.Taken together,the data provide mechanistic insights to explain the bioactivity of ORI in attenuating TG accumulation and cytotoxicity and introduce exciting opportunities for developing novel natural activators of the LXRa-ATGL/EPT1 axis for pharmacologically treating hepatosteatosis and metabolic disorders.

Enhanced thermoelectric properties of p-type polycrystalline SnSe by regulating the anisotropic crystal growth and Sn vacancy

Thermoelectric selenides have attracted more and more attentions recently.Herein,p-type Sn Se polycrystalline bulk materials with good thermoelectric properties are presented.By using the SnSe2 nanostructures synthesized via a wetchemistry route as the precursor,polycrystalline Sn Se bulk materials were successfully obtained by a combined heattreating process under reducing atmosphere and following spark plasma sintering procedure.As a reference,the Sn Se nanostructures synthesized via a wet-chemistry route were also fabricated into polycrystalline bulk materials through the same process.The thermoelectric properties of the Sn Se polycrystalline transformed from SnSe2 nanostructures indicate that the increasing of heattreating temperature could effectively decrease the electrical resistivity,whereas the decrease in Seebeck coefficient is nearly invisible.As a result,the maximum power factor is enhanced from 5.06×10^-4W/m·K^2 to 8.08×10^-4W/m·K^2 at 612℃.On the other hand,the reference sample,which was obtained by using Sn Se nanostructures as the precursor,displays very poor power factor of only 1.30×10^-4W/m·K^2 at 537℃.The x-ray diffraction（XRD）,scanning electron microscope（SEM）,x-ray fluorescence（XRF）,and Hall effect characterizations suggest that the anisotropic crystal growth and existing Sn vacancy might be responsible for the enhanced electrical transport in the polycrystalline Sn Se prepared by using SnSe2 precursor.On the other hand,the impact of heat-treating temperature on thermal conductivity is not obvious.Owing to the boosting of power factor,a high z T value of 1.07 at 612℃ is achieved.This study provides a new method to synthesize polycrystalline Sn Se and pave a way to improve the thermoelectric properties of polycrystalline bulk materials with similar layered structure.

Finite-thickness effect of the fluids on bubbles and spikes in Richtmyer–Meshkov instability for arbitrary Atwood numbers

This paper investigates the finite-thickness effect of two superimposed fluids on bubbles and spikes in Richtmyer–Meshkov instability(RMI) for arbitrary Atwood numbers by using the method of the small parameter expansion up to the second order. When the thickness of the two fluids tends to be infinity, our results can reproduce the classical results where RMI happens at the interface separating two semi-infinity-thickness fluids of different densities. It is found that the thickness has a large influence on the amplitude evolution of bubbles and spikes compared with those in classical RMI. Based on the thickness relationship of the two fluids, the thickness effect on bubbles and spikes for four cases is discussed. The thickness encourages(or reduces)the growth of bubbles or spikes, depending on not only Atwood number, but also the relationship of the thickness ratio of the heavy and light fluids, which is explicitly determined in this paper.

The Expression of IL-27, Th17 Cells and Treg Cells in Peripheral Blood of Patients with Allergic Rhinitis

Objective: To explore the expression of IL-27, Th17 cells and CD4+CD25+ regulatory T cells (Treg) as well as its associated cytokines in peripheral blood of patients with allergic rhinitis (AR). Method: From March 2012 to May, the peripheral blood of 24 cases of AR patients (AR group) and 16 cases of healthy volunteers (control group) was collected, and the percentage of Th17 cells and Treg cells in the peripheral blood was detected by flow cytometry (FCM);the levels of IL-27, IL-17 and IL-10 in serum was detected by ELISA. Result: The percentage of Th17 cells in AR group and the control group was 1.76% ± 0.60% and 0.59% ± 0.17%, respectively. It was higher in AR group than in control group, and the difference between two groups was statistically significant (P 0.05). Conclusion: In the peripheral blood of AR patients there was a reduction of IL-27 level and imbalance of Th17/Treg cell function. IL-27 on Th17/Treg cells adjustment may play an important role on the pathogenesis of the AR.

人体生命早期呼吸系统菌群与肺部微生物组发育特征及早期菌群稳态研究现状

人体生命早期呼吸系统菌群的组成(种类与数量)是近年儿童呼吸领域的研究热点之一,越来越多研究提示,人体生命早期呼吸道暴露于细菌环境,是影响肺部免疫系统发育的重要因素。呼吸系统菌群组成,可影响肺功能和呼吸生理,影响机体对呼吸系统病原体及外界刺激的易感性。生命早期是外界环境刺激与微生物组定植的最初暴露期,也是肺发育的关键时期。人体生命早期肺部微生物组发育特征及早期菌群稳态,可能影响肺免疫细胞分化和成熟,若肺定植微生物组失调,可能增加肺感染风险。研究表明,呼吸系统菌群随着肺疾病发生而变化,并且与肺疾病的严重程度有关。因此,探讨肺部微生物组发育特征及早期菌群稳态和宿主相互作用,对研究肺感染疾病发病机制至关重要。笔者拟对人体生命早期呼吸系统菌群组成及其来源,影响人体生命早期肺部微生物组发育特征及早期菌群稳态因素,呼吸系统正常菌群对肺部免疫系统调节作用,以及人体生命早期呼吸系统菌群异常与肺感染疾病等的最新研究进展进行阐述。