Morphological and biochemical characteristics associated with autophagy in gastrointestinal diseases

Autophagy is a cellular catabolic process characterized by the formation of double-membrane autophagosomes.Transmission electron microscopy is the most rigorous method to clearly visualize autophagic engulfment and degradation.A large number of studies have shown that autophagy is closely related to the digestion,secretion,and regeneration of gastrointestinal(GI)cells.However,the role of autophagy in GI diseases remains controversial.This article focuses on the morphological and biochemical characteristics of autophagy in GI diseases,in order to provide new ideas for their diagnosis and treatment.

Effects of Accelerated Aging on Physiological and Biochemical Characteristics of Waxy and Non-waxy Wheat Seeds

Experiments were conducted to evaluate the physiological and the biochemical characteristics of waxy wheat seeds under accelerated aging conditions. Five waxy wheat lines, which were Waxy 1, Waxy 4, Waxy 8, Waxy 9, and Waxy 15; and five non-waxy wheat lines: S-39, 04J89, Jan-81, Ⅲ42-4, and Ⅲ10 were studied. The seeds were subjected to accelerated aging at 40℃, 45℃, 50℃, 55℃, and 60℃, and 90% relative humidity for 0, 2, 4, 6, and 8 days, respectively. The results showed a gradual increase in conductivity and decrease in germination rate during accelerated aging. SOD, POD and CAT activities increased at low-grade treatment, but decreased at severe treatment. On the other hand, the soluble protein content decreased at 45℃, but successively increased, then decreased 50℃. From the above study, it showed that 90% RH at 55℃ was the best accelerated aging condition for optimum efficiency in a shorter period.

Changes in Physiological and Biochemical Characteristics of Floral Organ Development in a Soybean Cytoplasmic-nuclear Male Sterile Line

[Objectives]This study was conducted to explore the mechanism of soybean cytoplasmic-nuclear male sterility.[Methods]With soybean cytoplasmic-nuclear male sterile line JLCMS9 A and its homotype maintainer line JLCMS9 B as experimental materials,the activity of superoxide dismutase(SOD),peroxidase(POD)and catalase(CAT),malondialdehyde(MDA)content,starch content,soluble protein content,soluble sugar content and free proline content in flower buds,alabastrums and mature flowers were determined,and the contents and changes of auxin(IAA),gibberellin(GA3),isopentenyl adenosine(iPA)and abscisic acid(ABA)at the three stages were analyzed.[Results]The activity of SOD and CAT and the contents of MDA and free proline in the sterile line at the flower bud stage were lower than those of the maintainer line,but the opposite was true at the alabastrum stage and the flowering stage,and their values were higher than those of the maintainer line;the POD activity of the sterile line was significantly lower than that of the maintainer line at the flower bud stage,and the opposite was true at the alabastrum stage and the flowering stage,and its values were higher than those of the maintainer line;and the starch content and soluble sugar content of sterile line 9 A showed an overall upward trend,and were significantly lower than those of the maintainer line 9 B at the alabastrum stage and the flowering stage.During the whole development process of floral organs,the content of IAA in sterile line 9 A showed a trend of first increasing and then decreasing,and the content of iPA increased gradually.The contents of hormones in the sterile line were lower than those in the maintainer line.The ratios of IAA/ABA,IAA/GA3,IAA/iPA and ABA/GA3 in the sterile line were significantly different from those in the maintainer line.It is inferred that the abnormal physiological characteristics of floral organ development are related to the cytoplasmic-nuclear male sterility of soybean.The alabastrum stage may be a critical period for the occurrence of abnormal physiological and biochemical indexes in the floral organs of soybean cytoplasmic-nuclear male sterile lines.[Conclusions]This study provides a theoretical basis for the breeding of fine sterile lines of soybean and the research on the mechanism of sterility.

Rice canopy temperature is affected by nitrogen fertilizer

Canopy temperature strongly influences crop yield formation and is closely related to plant physiological traits.However, the effects of nitrogen treatment on canopy temperature and rice growth have yet to be comprehensively examined. We conducted a two-year field experiment with three rice varieties(HD-5, NJ-9108, and YJ-805) and three nitrogen treatments(zero-N control(CK), 200 kg ha~(–1)(MN), and 300 kg ha~(–1)(HN)). We measured canopy temperature using a drone equipped with a high-precision camera at the six stages of the growth period. Generally,canopy temperature was significantly higher for CK than for MN and HN during the tillering, jointing, booting, and heading stages. The temperature was not significantly different among the nitrogen treatments between the milky and waxy stages. The canopy temperature of different rice varieties was found to follow the order: HD-5>NJ-9108>YJ-805, but the difference was not significant. The canopy temperature of rice was mainly related to plant traits, such as shoot fresh weight(correlation coefficient r=–0.895), plant water content(–0.912), net photosynthesis(–0.84), stomatal conductance(–0.91), transpiration rate(–0.90), and leaf stomatal area(–0.83). A structural equation model(SEM) showed that nitrogen fertilizer was an important factor affecting the rice canopy temperature.Our study revealed:(1) A suite of plant traits was associated with the nitrogen effects on canopy temperature,(2) the heading stage was the best time to observe rice canopy temperature, and(3) at that stage, canopy temperature was negatively correlated with rice yield, panicle number, and grain number per panicle. This study suggests that canopy temperature can be a convenient and accurate indicator of rice growth and yield prediction.

Clinical Characteristics in Patients with Liver Cirrhosis Induced by HBV Infection and Combined with Mild Alcohol Intake

Objective To investigate the differences of clinical and biochemical characteristics between patients with liver cirrhosis induced by HBV infection combined with and without mild alcohol intake.Methods Data of patients with liver cirrhosis who were hospitalized in the First Hospital Affiliated to Xinjiang Medical University were retrospectively analyzed. Patients were divided into three groups: patients with liver cirrhosis induced by HBV infection and combined with mild alcohol intake, patients with HBV-related cirrhosis, and patients with alcohol-related cirrhosis. Biochemical detections including liver function, fasting lipid profiles, lipoprotein, kidney function, glucose, uric acid and regular blood tests were carried out and results were compared among three groups. Data were analyzed through STATA software and co-variant analysis. Results Total of 2 350 patients with liver cirrhosis were included, 732 patients had cirrhosis induced by HBV infection combined with mild alcohol intake, 1 316 patients had HBV-related liver cirrhosis, 302 patients had alcohol-related cirrhosis. The highest mean level of white cell count, mean corpuscular volume, γ-glutamyltranspeptidase and uric acid were observed in HBV infection combined with mild alcohol intake group. Multivariate regression analysis revealed that HBV infection, excessive alcohol intake, male and age were risk factors for hepatocellular carcinoma(HCC) in patients with liver cirrhosis. Conclusions HBV infection combined with mild alcoholic-related liver cirrhosis group showed the highest oxidative stress compared with alcoholic liver cirrhosis group, which suggested that mild alcohol intake may increase the incidence of liver cirrhosis in HBV infected patients and may not increase the incidence of HCC.

Physiological Responses of Dendrobium officinale under Exposure to Cold Stress with Two Cultivars

This study aimed to explore the cold tolerance of two cultivars of Dendrobium officinale(MG1,MG2)grown in different regions of China.Under-2℃ incubation,cultivar MG1 remained active after 3 d,and continued to grow after returning to room temperature.However,MG2 could only maintain its activity after 2 d treatment at−2℃,and the seedlings died with the low temperature treatment time.Investigation of the characteristics of the plants grown in the south(Hangzhou)or north(Zhengzhou)of China indicated that the leaves of MG1 also had reduced stomatal density,the highest thickness,and a compact microstructure.The contents of proline and soluble sugars were higher in MG1 than those in MG2.The cultivar MG1 had higher SOD enzyme activity than MG2,while CAT and POD activities in samples from Zhengzhou were higher than those from Hangzhou.The contents of polysaccharides and alkaloids in stems of in MG1 were higher than those in MG2,while the content of flavonoids in the Zhengzhou samples was higher than that in the Hangzhou samples.In addition,plant heights,stem diameters,and chlorophyll content were higher in MG1.Overall,MG1 had better cold resistance than MG2.MG1 is a cold tolerant cultivar with thick leaves and reduced stomatal density,higher contents of soluble sugars,proline,CAT,POD,polysaccharides,flavonoids and alkaloids,which together make it more adaptable to low temperatures.Thus,the cultivar MG1,with its demonstrated cold tolerance,can accordingly be grown on a large scale in cold regions,thereby expanding the available planting area for this important traditional medicinal plant to meet the increasing commercial demand for it.

Characteristics of biochemical markers in patients with pulmonary hypertension related to left heart disease

Objective To investigate the differences of biochemical markers between the patients with pulmonary hypertension related to left heart disease(PH-LHD)and LHD;to explore the sensitive biomarkers which may predict PH in LHD patients.Methods A total of 355 LHD patients admitted to our hospital from 2014-01 to