Protective Effect of Ascorbate-Lysine on Carbon Tetrachloride and Alcohol-Induced Liver Injury in Mice

As an essential amino acid, lysine boosts protein synthesis (Nestor et al1997). Yao et al demonstrated that, lysine also exerts protective effect against the isch-emiclesion of brain. Meanwhile, vitamin C is a natural antioxidant, which has undisputable protectiveaction against free radical damages. In order to ascertain whether their combination could affordbetter effect, we have investigated the prophylactic effect of the couplant ascorbate-lysine inliver injuries.

Social Security Development in China and Its Support to Economic Transition

In 70 years since the founding of the People’s Republic of China,China has successfully transitioned from a closed economy to an open economy with the watershed year of reform and opening up in 1978 and modernized its social security system accordingly.This paper divides the transition of China’s social security system into seven stages before and after 1978.The traditional social security system was predicated on the dominant public ownership,a highly centralized economy,and“full employment.”It was congruous with the ownership structure,income distribution,and labor systems under the closed economy.The modern social security system is developed to meet the needs of an open economy and promotes economic development by giving play to consumption and investment,facilitating labor flow,and boosting productivity.The modern social security system requires further supply-side structural reforms to promote the high-quality development of the open economy.

Transboundary water vulnerability and its drivers in China

Competitive use of transboundary freshwater resources is becoming one of the key factors influencing regional peace and political relationship among states.In China, 18 major international river basins are concentrated in three regions, of which the total annual outflow at the border is 7320×108 m3, occupying 26.8% of the total annual runoff of China, and the inflow at the border is only 172×108 m3.In this paper, we analyzed the major drivers affecting shared water vulnerability in China, namely:(1) changes in physical conditions affecting the availability of water;(2) competing objectives between economic development and ecological conservation;(3) lack of emergency response mechanisms;(4) unsound administrative institutions;and(5) shortcomings in the development of regional cooperation based on transboundary waters.We concluded by identifying four pathways for reducing vulnerability:(1) encouraging scientific research cooperation;(2) constructing information-sharing channels;(3) establishing early-warning mechanisms;and(4) promoting further coordination and negotia-tion.

Protective effects of erythropoietin pretreatment on myocardium with hypoxia/reoxygenation injury in rats

Objective: To establish the rat model with myocardial hypoxia/reoxygenation (H/R) injury, and investigate the protective effect of EPO pretreatment on the myocardium. Methods: Sixty male adult Wistar rats were randomly divided into 3 groups: control group, H/R group, and EPO group, 20 in each group. The rats in EPO group accepted injection of 5 000 U/kg recombinant human erythropoietin (RHuEPO) through vein, and the other rats accepted the injection of the same volume of saline. Twenty-four hours after the injection, rats in the EPO and H/R groups were put into the hypoxia environment for 12 h and then returned to the normoxic environment for 2 h, and then the samples of blood and myocardium were collected. Serum myocardial enzyme activity, apoptosis, ultrastructure, myocardial MDA contents, EPO receptor (EPOR) expression in cardiac myocytes and cardiac functions were tested. Results: EPOR expression was positive in cardiac myocytes of adult rat according to the result of immunonistochemitry assaying. Compared to those in H/R group, rats in EPO group presented lighter injury of myocardial ultrastructure, the reduction of serum myocardial enzyme activity, inhibition of apoptosis, the better recovery of cardiac functions, and the less production of oxygen-derived free radicals. Conclusion: Adult rat cardiac myocytes could express EPOR, and EPO pretreatment produced protective effects on myocardium with H/R injury.

Protective Effects of Vitamin E on Diabetes-induced Oxidative Stress Status and Homocysteine in the Rat Heart

Objective： We aimed to investigate protective effects ofvit E on oxidative stress status and homocysteine （Hey） in cardiac tissue of diabetic rats. Methods： Sixteen Wistar male rats were treated with STZ （streptozotocin） （60 mg/kg） to induce diabetes. Diabetic rats were divided into two groups： NTD （non-treated diabetic） and VETD （vit E-treated diabetic） rats. The VETD group received 300 mg/kg vit E with daily feeding. Eight normal rats of the same age were used as the control group. After 6 weeks, the rats were anesthetized, their cardiac tissue was removed, and homogenated supernatant was separated. Samples were assayed for TAC （total antioxidant capacity）, LPO （lipid peroxidation）, nitrite （NO2）, nitrate （NO3）, and Hcy. Key Findings： The contents of LPO, NO3 and Hcy in NTD compared to control group indicate a significant increase, but the levels of these parameters decreased in VETD （p 〈 0.05）. There was a significant decrease in the amount of TAC in the NTD group but in VETD group, that significantly increased （p 〈 0.05）. The amount of NO2 in NTD and VETD groups, compared to the control group, did not show any significant changes （p 〉 0.05）. Conclusions： Significant decrease of oxidative stress and Hey in the cardiac tissue caused by vit E supplementation strongly indicated that this radical scavenger may promote a protective effect on diabetic cardiomyopathy through the attenuation of oxidative stress and increase antioxidant defense mechanism.

Changes in Ecosystem Service of Soil Conservation Between 2000 and 2010 and Its Driving Factors in Southwestern China

Human activities significantly alter ecosystems and their services; however, quantifying the impact of human activities on ecosystems has been a great challenge in ecosystem management. We used the Universal Soil Loss Equation and county-level socioeconomic data to assess the changes in the ecosystem service of soil conservation between 2000 and 2010, and to analyze its spatial characteristics and driving factors in the southwestern China. The results showed that cropland in the southwestern China decreased by 3.74%, while urban land, forest, and grassland areas increased by 46.78%, 0.86%, and 1.12%, respectively. The soil conservation increased by 1.88 × 10^(11) kg, with deterioration only in some local areas. The improved and the degraded areas accounted for 6.41% and 2.44% of the total land area, respectively. Implementation of the Sloping Land Conversion Program and urbanization explained 57.80% and 23.90% of the variation in the soil conservation change, respectively, and were found to be the main factors enhancing soil conservation. The 2008 Wenchuan earthquake was one of the factors that led to the degradation of soil conservation. Furthermore, industrial adjustment, by increasing shares of Industry and Service and reducing those of Agriculture, has also promoted soil conservation. Our results quantitatively showed and emphasized the contributions to soil conservation improvement made by implementing ecological restoration programs and promoting urbanization. Consequently, these results provide basic information to improve our understanding of the effects of ecological restoration programs, and help guide future sustainable urban development and regional industrial restructuring.

Control and its role in the process of ensuring knowledge continuity

With the commencement of the 21st century, the information age, knowledge economy and integration of information and knowledge among production factors, organizations show increasing interest in knowledge management. Managers are trying not only to preserve knowledge and transfer it efficiently within their organization, but also to ensure that it is not lost when a knowledge employee leaves the organization. Therefore, it is indispensable for organizations to monitor, record, transfer and preserve their knowledge. In order to ensure efficient preservation of knowledge by the organization, it is essential to integrate the area of the so-called knowledge continuity into the general management and ensure its maximum value. The goal of the article is to identify the role of control in the transformation process and its impact on ensuring knowledge continuity within the organization. A partial goal lies in identifying output quality control by means of productivity One of the conclusions of the article is that in today＇s economic situation, ignoring the existence of knowledge continuity could result in a crisis of management of knowledge and its loss.

Risk factors for accidental falls in the elderly and intervention strategy

As the population ages, older people's health and quality of life are becoming a matter of public concern increasingly. Through review of the literatures and analysis of the reasons for falls in older people, we worked out some measures to cope with such a situation, provided the self-care knowledge of falls prevention for older people and improved the quality life of older persons. The recovery process is long, if the old people fall down, which brings a lot of inconvenience to individuals and families, and it can also cause a lot of complications. If wary of fall risk factors, the quality of life of older persons can be improved. According to the different conditions of the elderly, we should take effective measures to create suitable living environment for senior citizens, and propagandize the knowledge of the old people's health care, which has the great significance in preventing the elderly's fall, and improving their living quality.

Can Microalgae Act as Source of Preservatives in Food Chain？

Microalgae are a potential source for various valuable chemicals for commercial applications ranging from nutraceuticals to fuels. This review aims to focus on microalgal as preservative potential to food chain. The main compounds responsible for these properties, like carotenoids, phenolic compounds, antioxidant vitamins, sterols and polyunsaturated fatty acids are discussed because microalgae can be cultivated under controlled conditions to improve their production. We have listed several studies performed in recent years supporting the health benefits that most of these compounds can provide. Therefore, they may represent an excellent source of preservatives in food chain once their safety as a food supplement has been also confirmed.

PROTECTIVE EFFECTS OF ERYTHROPOIETIN ON MYO-CARDIUM AGAINST ISCHEMIA-REPERFUSION INJURY

Objective To explore the protective effects of erythropoietin （EPO） on myocardium against ischemia-reperfusion injury （ IRI）. Methods The Langendorff model of isolated rat heart was set up and a 3-stage protocol was performed： 20 min stabilization, 30 min global ischemia, and 120 min reperfusion. Sixty SD rats were randomly divided into sham group, ischemia-reperfusion group （I/R group ） and EPO treated group （ EPO group）. Heart rate （ HR）, left ventricular developed pressure （ LVDP）, the first derivative （ △dp/dt max） and coronary flow （CF） were recorded at the 20th minute of stabilization and the 120th minute of reperfusion. Lactate dehydrogenase （LDH） and creatine phosphokinase （CK） in the coronary effluent at the 60th minute of reperfusion , the levels of myocardial nuclear factor-kappa B （NF-KB） and the myocardial content of tumor necrosis factor-α （TNF-α） ,interleukin-lβ （1L-lβ） were measured at the end of reperfusion. Results No statistically significant differences were observed on the aspect of hemodynamic parameters among the groups at the 20th minute of stabilization, but at the 120th minute of reperfusion, the recovery ratio of EPO group was higher than I/R group （P 〈0. 05）. LDH and CK in the coronary effluent, the levels of myocardial NF-KB and TNF-α,IL-lβ expression in EPO group were significantly lower than those in I/ R group, but higher than sham group （ P 〈 0. 05 ）. Conclusion EPO has protective effects on myocardium against 1RI possibly through the mechanism of relieving the myocardial inflanmtatory reaction by regulating the activation of NF-KB and then decreasing the expression of proinflammatory factors TNF-α and IL-lβ.

Coupling Relationship Analysis on Households′ Production Behaviors and Their Influencing Factors in Nature Reserves:A Structural Equation Model

A households′production behavior directly influences the quality of the environment and determines the successful development of nature reserves.Meanwhile,the households′production behaviors are complicated by interrelated factors,such as protection attitudes,resource endowment,and family wealth.This research evaluated households near the Crested Ibis National Nature Reserve in Shaanxi Province,acquiring data from 436 households around Yang County and Ningshan County in the south slope of Qinling Mountains,China.Based on the collected data,we developed a structural equation model to evaluate the coupling relationships among households′ protection attitudes,production behaviors,resource endowment,and family wealth.The results showed that:1) households with great resource endowment had more negative attitudes,probably due to their greater protection costs;2) the households with higher education levels had worse protection attitudes;3) the households with more family wealth were likely to use fewer fertilizers,pesticides,and firewood;4) the households with more resource endowment showed less production and management behaviors;5) the enhancement of households' attitudes improved production behaviors to protection the environment,but the effects were not statistically significant.Our results provide a basis for the government's protection policy making,exploring the effective management measures that are beneficial for both nature reserve management and community development.

Recommendations on Strengthening the Development of Nuclear Medicine in China

This paper outlines briefly the role of nuclear medicine in life sciences and health care. Molecular imaging by using isotopic tracers can noninvasively visualize the chemistry or hidden process in the cells and tissues inside the body, obtaining "functional" images to provide early information of any disease and revealing the secrets of life. The vitality of nuclear medicine is its ability to translate bench into new clinical application that can benefits the patients. Although nuclear medicine community in China has made significant achievement with a great effort since 1950s, there are many obstacles to future development. Recommended measures are proposed here in an attempt to solve our existing problems.

Study on Original Ecological Tridimensional Slope Vegetation

No matter from the perspective of slope protection, landscape effect and construction cost, or from the perspective of ecological benefit, the development of original ecological tridimensional vegetation has become the inevitable trend for slope vegetation in pursuit of protecting ecological condition, decreasing soil erosion, maintaining ecological balance and beautifying environment of slope. The concept of original ecological tridimensional slope vegetation is proposed in this paper, and the original ecological tridimensional slope vegetation is studied through theoretical analysis and experiments. Specifically, the mechanical effect of slope vegetation in reinforcing the cohesion and shear strength of soil mass is firstly discussed, and then experiments are performed to study the water interception and containing function of slope under various vegetation conditions. Moreover, the relation between soil moisture and cohesion, the relation between root distribution density and cohesion, and the relation between root distribution density and soil shear strength are also studied based on experiments.Finally, based on field observation, the soil erosion states of slope under various vegetation conditions are comparatively studied. It is found that the original ecological tridimensional slope, which combines grass,shrub and tree, can generate comprehensive slope protection effects, and hence strengthen the slope protection ability and bring multiple slope protection benefits. Thereby, the theoretical foundation for developing original ecological tridimensional slope vegetation is established.

Erythropoietin： From a Biosimilar to Innovative Products Protected by Industrial Property Assets

Aim： EPO （erythropoietin） is a hormone that stimulates the erythropoiesis and is mainly produced by the kidneys. In the early 1990s among the emerging biotech drugs, the recombinant human EPO （rhEPO） was the best-selling product worldwide, reaching nearly three billion dollars annually. The CIM （center of molecular immunology） produced and sold the rhEPO as commercial strategy to recover the investment made in its new facilities. This work summarizes the inventions that protect the innovative products developed by three Cuban institutions, starting from rhEPO, and the industrial property strategy followed by them. Methods： The information was obtained from the United States Patent, Trademark Office （USPTO） database, Patentscope, Espacenet, patent databases of Center for Pharmaceutical Research and Drug Development （CIDEM） and Cuban Industrial Property Office. Conclusions： The manufacturing process of CIM＇s EPO has its own patent family. From a manufacturing by product an innovative formulation protected by patent was obtained. There is a patent family around the nasal formulation and it continues enlarging. From a biosimilar pharmaceutical innovative products impacting on human health have been obtained.

HORMONAL CONTROL OF THE VITELLOGENESIS IN THE JAPANESE OAK SILKWORM, ANTHERAEA YAMAMAI (LEPIDOPTERA : SATURNIIDAE)

Effects of ecdysteroid and juvenile hormone (JH) on vitellogenesis of the Japanese oak silkworm, Antheraea yamamai are reported in this article. After topical treatment with 20 hydroxyecdysone alone or JH analog (i.e. methoprene) alone and combined treatment with these two chemicals, vitellogenin (Vg) titers in the fat body and haemolymph at the pupal stage were mostly higher than those of the control, indicating that both ecdysteroid and JH exerted a promoting effect on the synthesis of Vg. In contrast, the Vg uptake was markedly inhibited by JH while stimulating effect of the ecdysteroid could be shown that vitellin (Vt) titer in the ovary was lower after methoprene treatments, but higher after 20 hydroxyecdyson treatments. Meanwhile, effects of these two hormones on Vg synthesis in the fat body were also tested with the incubation in vitro with Grace medium containing 3H leucine and the hormones. The results demonstrated that Vg synthesis was stimulated after treating with methoprene alone or 20 hydroxyecdysone alone and combined treating with these two chemicals, and particularly ecdysteroid had more marked positive effect. To comprehensively concluded our results, it could be regarded that ecdysteroid play the main role in the regulation of vitellogenesis for the Japanese oak silkworm.

Gossypol: phytoalexin of cotton

Sesquiterpenoids are a class of 15-carbon secondary metabolites that play diverse roles in plant adaptation to environment. Cotton plants accumulate a large amount of sesquiterpene aldehydes （including gossypol） as phytoalexins against pathogens and herbivores. They are stored in pigment glands of aerial organs and in epidermal layers of roots. Several enzymes of goss- ypol biosynthesis pathway have been characterized, including 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A reductase （HMGR） and farnesyl diphosphate synthase （FPS） that catalyze the formation of the precursor farnesyl diphosphate （FPP）, （＋）-6-cadinene synthase （CDN） which is the first enzyme committed to gossypol biosynthesis, and the downstream enzymes of CYP706B 1 and methyltransferase. Expressions of these genes are tightly regulated during cotton plants development and in- duced by jasmonate and fungi elicitors. The transcription factor GaWRKY1 has been shown to be involved in gossypol path- way regulation. Recent development of new genomic platforms and methods and releases of diploid and tetraploid cotton ge- nome sequences will greatly facilitate the elucidation of gossypol biosynthetic pathway and its regulation.