Effects of terlipressin versus splenectomy on liver regeneration after partial hepatectomy in rats: What we know so far?

To the editor:We read with great interest the article entitled "Comparative study of the effects of terlipressin versus splenectomy on liver regeneration after partial hepatectomy in rats" by Ulmer et al.[1].The aim of this study was to analyse the impact of terlipressin ver-

Neuregulin 1 isoforms could be an effective therapeutic candidate to promote peripheral nerve regeneration

Traumatic injuries of peripheral nerves represent common casualties and their social impact is considerably high. Although peripheral nerves retain a good regeneration potential, the clinical outcome after nerve lesion is far from being satisfactory and functional recovery is almost never complete, especially in the case of large nerve defects, that result in loss or diminished sensitivity and/or motor activity of the innervated target organs. Therefore, to improve the outcome after nerve damage, or in peripheral neuropathies, there is a need for further research in nerve repair and regeneration to identify factors that promote axonal regrowth, remvelination and target reinnervation.

The effect of dehydration on plant regeneration and some physiology characters in rice calli

The plant regeneration frequencies of ealli fromplant tissue and cell culture,especially that of thecalli from rice tissue culture and rice anther cul-ture,and that of the foreign-DNA-transfor-mation-derived rice calli is very low(usually 10-15%).It is therefor very important to improve theplant regeneration frequency of rice calli.A1-

Jonzac Thermal Spring Water Reinforces Skin Barrier Function of Human Skin and Presents a Soothing and Regenerating Effect

The skin is a formidable physical and biological barrier which communicates continuously with the outside of the body. And the stratum corneum, the outermost layer of human epidermis, plays a central role in the interaction between the cutaneous tissue and the external environment. The horny layer, and more generally the whole skin layers, avoid the penetration of harmful exogenous agents, produce molecules named anti-microbial peptides which impact the composition of the cutaneous microbiota, regulate the internal corporal temperature, avoid the water loss from the inside of the body and constitute an incredible efficient anti-oxidant network. Nevertheless, nowadays, the skin is more and more solicited by the different elements of the cutaneous exposome, including atmospheric pollution and solar radiations, which can cause a dramatic acceleration of the skin ageing process. As a consequence, due to the multifunctional protective role of the skin, during the recent decade the cosmetic industry invested massively in the development of new raw materials and end-products (dermo-cosmetics) able to preserve an optimal state of the skin regarding the external environment. Based on their physical-chemical properties thermal spring waters, which are extremely rich in inorganics ions, are interesting and powerful candidates to be part, as integral component, of new efficient dermo-cosmetic formulations dedicated to protect the skin from the external stimuli. The aim of the present work was to investigate and characterize the activity of Jonzac thermal spring water on the skin. Using different models, we proved for the first time that Jonzac thermal spring water reinforces the barrier function of the skin by modulating the expression of key markers including filaggrin and human beta defensin 2 on ex vivo human skin. The ex vivo and in vivo hydration activity, by Raman spectroscopy and corneometry respectively, has been also demonstrated. We have also shown that Jonzac thermal spring water ameliorates significantly the cutaneous microrelief in vivo. To conclude, we characterize the soothing effect of Jonzac thermal spring water by the analysis of histamine release in Substance P treated skin explants and by measuring the redness of the skin following UV exposure of the skin in vivo. We observed that both parameters decreased following a preventive treatment of the skin with Jonzac thermal spring water. Taken together our results indicate that Jonzac thermal spring water is a promising and powerful dermo-cosmetic which can be used to preserve an optimal state of the cutaneous tissue.

Effect of desiccation on regeneration frequency of green plantlets and some biochemical properties of calli of wild rice

Wild rice is an important resource of usefulgenes to rice breeders. However, low regener-ation frequency is an obstacle to use the valu-able genes. We used desiccation to improve theregeneration frequency and studied the bio-chemical changes of calli of wild rice after des-iccation.Materials used in this experiment werewild species O. rufipogon, O. meyeriana, O.alta, and O. brachyantha. Young panicles(0.1-0. 5 cm in length of the inflorescence)

Effect of agar concentration in media on green plantlet regeneration frequency in rice anther culture

We studied the effect of agar concentration inmedia on callus induction rate and green plant-let regeneration frequency in rice.Materialswere Fgeneration of indica/indica or indica/japonica,which were 96E76(Hei’e/Zhaiye- qing 8),96E80[(IR 24/Guanglu＇ai 4//Zhongnan’ai)/Yifengzao],96E86(Zhong- munong 9/Zhaiyeqing 8).The induction mediaused was M8+2mg/L 2,4-D,and agar con-centrations were 0.6％,0.8％,and 1.0％,respectively.Regeneration media was MS+2mg/L KT+0.5mg/L IAA+0.5mg/LNAA,and agar concentrations were 0.6％ and1.0％.Results indicated that the calli induc-

Neuroprotective effect of the Chinese medicine Tiantai No.1 and its molecular mechanism in the senescence-accelerated mouse prone 8

Tiantai No.1, a Chinese medicine predominantly composed of powdered Rhizoma Gastrodiae, Radix Ginseng, and Ginkgo leaf at a ratio of 2：1：2 and dissolved in pure water, is neuroprotective in animal models of various cognitive disorders, but its molecular mechanism remains unclear. We administered Tiantai No.1 intragastrically to senescence-accelerated mouse prone 8（SAMP8） mice（a model of Alzheimer＇s disease） at doses of 50, 100 or 150 mg/kg per day for 8 weeks and evaluated their behavior in the Morris water maze and expression of Alzheimer＇s disease-related proteins in the brain. Tiantai No.1 shortened the escape latency in the water maze training trials, and increased swimming time in the target quadrant during the spatial probe test, indicating that Tiantai No.1 improved learning and memory in SAMP8 mice. Immunohistochemistry revealed that Tiantai No.1 restored the proliferation potential of Ki67-positive cells in the hippocampus. In addition, mice that had received Tiantai No.1 had fewer astrocytes, and less accumulation of amyloid-beta and phosphorylated tau. These results suggest that Tiantai No.1 is neuroprotective in the SAMP8 mouse model of Alzheimer＇s disease and acts by restoring neuronal number and proliferation potential in the hippocampus, decreasing astrocyte infiltration, and reducing the accumulation of amyloid-beta and phosphorylated tau.

Electroacupuncture pretreatment exhibits antidepressive effects by regulating hippocampal proteomics in rats with chronic restraint stress

The clinical effect of electroacupuncture on depression is widely recognized. However, the signal transduction pathways and target proteins involved remain unclear. In the present study, rat models of chronic restraint stress were used to explore the mechanism by which electroacupuncture alleviates depression. Rats were randomly divided into control, model, and electroacupuncture groups. Chronic restraint stress was induced in the model and electroacupuncture groups by restraining rats for 28 days. In the electroacupuncture group, electroacupuncture pretreatment at Baihui（GV20） and Yintang（GV29） acupoints was performed daily（1 m A, 2 Hz, discontinuous wave, 20 minutes） prior to restraint for 28 days. Open field tests and body weight measurements were carried out to evaluate the depressive symptoms at specific time points. On day 28, the crossing number, rearing number, and body weights of the model group were significantly lower than those in the control group. Behavior test results indicated that rat models of depressive-like symptoms were successfully established by chronic restraint stress combined with solitary raising. On day 28, an isobaric tag for a relative and absolute quantitation-based quantitative proteomic approach was performed to identify differentially expressed proteins in hippocampal samples obtained from the model and electroacupuncture groups. The potential function of these differential proteins was predicted through the use of the Cluster of Orthologous Groups of proteins（COG） database. Twenty-seven differential proteins（uncharacteristic proteins expected） were selected from the model and electroacupuncture groups. In addition to unknown protein functions, COG are mainly concentrated in general prediction function, mechanism of signal transduction, amino acid transport and metabolism groups. This suggests that electroacupuncture improved depressive-like symptoms by regulating differential proteins, and most of these related proteins exist in nerve cells.

Breviscapine reduces neuronal injury caused by traumatic brain injury insult:partly associated with suppression of interleukin-6 expression

Breviscapine,extracted from the herb Erigeron breviscapus,is widely used for the treatment of cardiovascular diseases,cerebral infarct,and stroke,but its mechanism of action remains unclear.This study established a rat model of traumatic brain injury induced by controlled cortical impact,and injected 75 μg breviscapine via the right lateral ventricle.We found that breviscapine significantly improved neurobehavioral dysfunction at 6 and 9 days after injection.Meanwhile,interleukin-6 expression was markedly down-regulated following breviscapine treatment.Our results suggest that breviscapine is effective in promoting neurological behavior after traumatic brain injury and the underlying molecular mechanism may be associated with the suppression of interleukin-6.

Age-related connectivity differences between attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder patients and typically developing subjects：a resting-state functional MRI study

Attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder（ADHD） is a disorder characterized by behavioral symptoms including hyperactivity/impulsivity among children,adolescents,and adults.These ADHD related symptoms are influenced by the complex interaction of brain networks which were under explored.We explored age-related brain network differences between ADHD patients and typically developing（TD） subjects using resting state f MRI（rs-f MRI） for three age groups of children,adolescents,and adults.We collected rs-f MRI data from 184 individuals（27 ADHD children and 31 TD children;32 ADHD adolescents and 32 TD adolescents;and 31 ADHD adults and 31 TD adults）.The Brainnetome Atlas was used to define nodes in the network analysis.We compared three age groups of ADHD and TD subjects to identify the distinct regions that could explain age-related brain network differences based on degree centrality,a well-known measure of nodal centrality.The left middle temporal gyrus showed significant interaction effects between disease status（i.e.,ADHD or TD） and age（i.e.,child,adolescent,or adult）（P 0.001）.Additional regions were identified at a relaxed threshold（P 0.05）.Many of the identified regions（the left inferior frontal gyrus,the left middle temporal gyrus,and the left insular gyrus） were related to cognitive function.The results of our study suggest that aberrant development in cognitive brain regions might be associated with age-related brain network changes in ADHD patients.These findings contribute to better understand how brain function influences the symptoms of ADHD.