Studies on the Isolation of Endophytic Bacteria from Tomato Plants and Their Growth-promoting Activities

[Objective] The study aimed to investigate the growth-promoting activities of endophytic bacteria from tomato plants.[Method]The endophytic bacteria isolated from different tissues of tomato plants were analyzed for the effects of their growth-promoting activities on the germination and growth of tomato plants.The bacteria with growth-promoting activity were preliminarily identified.[Result]Totally 59 endophytic bacterial strains were isolated from roots and stems of tomatoes,of which 4 showed significantly growth-promoting activity to germination and growth of tomato.The results suggest that these strains are endowed with the potential capability of growth-promoting.[Conclusion]The endophytic bacteria with growth-promoting activity were found among the isolates from tomato plants.This provided a good foundation for utilization of these bacteria with growth-promoting activity.

Utilizing the γ-Irradiated Sodium Alginate as a Plant Growth Promoter for Enhancing the Growth,Physiological Activities,and Alkaloids Production in Catharanthus roseus L.

Sodium alginate is a polysaccharide that is largely obtained from the brown algae （Sargassum sp.）.It has been used as a wonderful growth promoting substance in its depolymerized form for various plants.The aim of this study was to find out the effects of various concentrations of γ-irradiated sodium alginate （ISA）,viz.,deionized water （control,T0）,20 （T1）,40 （T2）,60 （T3）,80 （T4）,and 100 ppm （T5） on the agricultural performance of Catharanthus roseus L.（Rosea） in terms of growth attributes,photosynthesis,physiological activities,and alkaloid production.The present work revealed that ISA applied as leaf-sprays at concentrations from 20 to 100 ppm might improve growth,photosynthesis,physiological activities,and alkaloid production in C.roseus L.significantly.Of the various ISA concentrations,80 ppm proved to be the best one compared to other concentrations applied.

Antimicrobial and plant growth-promoting activities of bacterial endophytes isolated from Calotropis procera(Ait.)W.T.Aiton

Bacterial endophytes are beneficial to their hosts as they can fix nitrogen in the soil and make it available to the host.Endophytic bacteria also secrete plant growth-promoting hormones to support their host plants under normal as well as stress conditions.The current study aimed to isolate endophytic bacteria from different parts of Calotropis procera,i.e.,roots,stem and leaves of Calotropis procera(Ait.)W.T.Aiton.Plants were collected from the Lundkhwar,district Mardan.A total of 12 bacterial strains,i.e.,six from roots,three from the stem and three from the leaves were isolated.The strains were screened for their growth-promoting activity in rice plants because rice shows a quick and easy response to the bioactive compounds present in the culture filtrate(CF)of the potent endophytic strains.The rice plants were cultivated in pots containing 30 mL of 0.8%w/v water-agar medium.The pots were placed in a growth chamber,operated at 28±0.3℃ for 14 h(day);and 25±0.3℃ for 10 h(night),at 70%relative-humidity.Among the isolated strains,R1,S1,S3,L1,R5 and R6 showed visible growth promotion in rice plants.The biochemical analysis revealed that the strains were able to produce indole acetic acid(IAA)and flavonoids in higher quantities.Moreover,the strains also produced bioactive compounds that inhibited the growth of Escherichia coli and Aspergillus flavus using the well diffusion method.From the results,it was concluded that these strains can secrete potent compounds that can promote the host plant growth and inhibit the growth of pathogenic microorganisms and,therefore,can be used as bio-fertilizer and bio-control agents.

China-Israel Cultural and Trade Promotion Activities Attract Israelis

A series of China-Israel cultural and trade promotion activities were launched on January 8 at the China Cultural Center in Tel Aviv,attracting scores of Israelis.The three-day activities included a China-Israel cultural innovation program roadshow,“China Style”cultural and creative product exhibition as well as“This Moment in Pudong”photography exhibition to commemorate the 40th anniversary of China’s reform and openingup.“The Jewish Refugees and Shanghai”exhibition and“Oriental Rhythms”Yueju Opera class are also two important parts of these activities.China’s national intangible cultural heritage,pottery and porcelain,silk,embroidery,and tea ceremony were also staged.

Self-innovating Accelerating the development and promotion of standards for E-commerce applications

The Eleventh Five-Year Plan places emphasis on enhancing the nation's innovation capabilities. Innovation forms a key part of the strategy to change China's central mode of growth to one that is based on science and technology.……

Guizhou Signs Strategic Contract with Jingdong to Promote Rural E-commerce

On September 20,the Network+ rural innovation summit that highlights the number of Jingdong online stores surpassing 1,000 was held in Zunyi County.At the summit Jingdong Group and Guizhou Provincial Commercial Department signed a joint strategic contract to promote rural e-commerce.Both sides will make best use of '3F strategy' of Jindong rural e-commerce and the advantages of Guizhou Province,to launch a batch of rural e-commerce projects of the people and for the people,to help local rural residents gain wealth and promote the restructuring of the rural economy.

Sp1 contributes to overexpression of stanniocalcin 2 through regulation of promoter activity in colon adenocarcinoma

BACKGROUND Aberrant expression of stanniocalcin 2 (STC2) is implicated in colon adenocarcinoma (COAD). A previous study identified that STC2 functions as a tumor promoter to drive development of some cancers, but the role of its overexpression in the development of COAD remains unclear. AIM To evaluate the regulation mechanism of STC2 overexpression in COAD. METHODS The expression of STC2 in COAD was assessed by TCGA COAD database and GEO (GSE50760). Methylation level of the STC2 promoter was evaluated with beta value in UALCAN platform, and the correlation between STC2 expression and survival rate was investigated with TCGA COAD. Transcription binding site prediction was conducted by TRANSFAC and LASAGNA, and a luciferase reporter system was used to identify STC2 promoter activity in several cell lines, including HEK293T, NCM460, HT29, SW480, and HCT116. Western blotting was performed to evaluate the role of Sp1 on the expression of STC2. RESULTS The central finding of this work is that STC2 is overexpressed in COAD tissues and positively correlated with poor prognosis. Importantly, the binding site of the transcription factor Sp1 is widely located in the promoter region of STC2. A luciferase reporter system was successfully constructed to analyze the transcription activity of STC2, and knocking down the expression of Sp1 significantly inhibited the transcription activity of STC2. Furthermore, inhibition of Sp1 remarkably decreased protein levels of STC2. CONCLUSION Our data provide evidence that the transcription factor Sp1 is essential for the overexpression of STC2 in COAD through activation of promoter activity. Taken together, our finding provides new insights into the mechanism of oncogenic function of COAD by STC2.

Fight fire with fire?Promoting physical activity and health through active video games

Physical inactivity has been identified as one of the leading causes of many chronic diseases such as cardiovascular disease,type 2 diabetes,and obesity.Technology such as video games plays a complicated role in physical inactivity—much like a double-edged sword.Traditionally,video games have contributed to the epidemic of physical inactivity and have

Urokinase-type plasminogen activator promotes synaptic repair in the ischemic brain

The central nervous system has a very high energy requirement. Accord- ingly, despite representing only 2% of the body＇s mass, the brain uses 20% of the total oxygen consumption. Importantly, because most of this energy is used to maintain synaptic activity, even a mild decrease in its supply to the brain has deleterious implications for synaptic function.

One-step synthesis of pyruvic acid from glycerol oxidation over Pb promoted Pt/activated carbon catalysts

One‐step production of pyruvic acid through selective oxidation of glycerol was investigated using lead promoted platinum/activated carbon(Pb‐Pt/AC)catalysts under mild conditions.The results of N2physisorption,X‐ray diffraction,X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy,and high‐resolution transmission electron microscopy revealed that the alloy phases of PtPb and PtxPb were favorable for pyruvic acid production from glycerol oxidation,whereas the Pb3(CO3)2(OH)2and surface Pb0species inhibited the glycerol conversion.The loading of Pb and the catalyst preparation method(including impregnation and deposition precipitation)affected the formation of different metal species.Pyruvic acid was obtained at a yield of18.4%on a5.0wt%Pb‐5.0wt%Pt/AC catalyst prepared by co‐deposition precipitation method and500°C argon treatment.

Water Soluble Propolis and Royal Jelly Enhance the Antimicrobial Activity of Honeys and Promote the Growth of Human Macrophage Cell Line

Due to the overuse and misuse of antibiotic, an increase in antibiotic resistance of pathogenic bacteria is evolving. Attention should be focused on natural alternatives to antibiotics, like propolis, royal jelly （R J） and honeys. They all have strong antibacterial properties due to the active substances they contain. This study investigated the effect of combination of water soluble propolis （WSP） Greitl20 or fresh royal jelly （F-RJ） （MiZigoj） and Forest honeys as antibacterial against Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Proteus mirabilis, Acinetobacter baumanii, Staphylococcus aureus, methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus （MRSA）, Streptococcus pyogenes, Streptococcus agalactiae and Candida albicans. These substances are also cell growth promoters for human macrophage （TLT） cell line. WSP Greitl20, F-RJ （M） and different Forest honeys were prepared in saline as 10% solutions. The antimicrobial activity was expressed as the minimal inhibitory concentration （MIC） in mg/mL. The growth promotion activity was measured at optical density （OD） 595 nm. The combination ofWSP Greitl20 with different Forest honeys is better than F-RJ （M） in same combination with different Forest honeys. The best antibacterial/antifungal activity was found with the combination of 10% WSP Greit 120 in the Forest honey （1：10） from Italy or Spain. When measuring the growth promoting activity of TLT cell line, the best activity was detected at the combination of 10% WSP Greitl20 in the Forest honey from Italy （GI3 = 0.796 ± 0.014 and GI5 = 1.133± 0.022）. Antimicrobial and growth promoting activities are correlated and WSP-dependent.

Pharmarcogenetic Mechanism of ACE liD Polymorphism Adversely Responding to ACE Inhibitors in Regulating the ACE Promoter Activity in Neurons

The ACE （angiotensin converting enzyme） inhibitors are not only drugs widely prescribed drugs in cardiovascular diseases, but also potentially therapeutic agents in dementia. Based on the findings that the ACE inhibitors could activate the c-Jun N-terminal kinase signal to increase the ACE gene expression and that the Alu element of the human ACE gene involved in regulating ACE promoter activity, we aimed to investigate whether there are different pharmacogenetic responses of ACE I/D polymorphism to the ACE inhibitors in neurons. The three reporter vectors, pACEpro（0-SEAP, p-I-ACEpro-SEAP, and p-D-ACEpro-SEAP were used to examine the transcriptional activity of the vectors responding to the lisinopril treatment using a transient-transfection method in SH-SY5Y cells. Our results showed that lisinopril increased the promoter activity of an ACE gene by 16.7%. Additionally, we found the lisinopril enhanced the ACE promoter activity of the I-form vector by 17.2%, but adversely reduced that of the D-form vector by 16.8%, as compared with the respective control without the lisinopril treatment. Firstly, our findings had proved that the UD polymorphism of ACE gene contrarily responds to the ACE inhibitors in regulating the ACE expression in neurons, which provide a novel insight suggesting genetic testing to tailor the treatment regimens in AD （Alzheimer＇s disease） patients.

Step it up： Promoting physical activity in school-aged children and adolescents in China

In this special issue of the Journal of Sport and Health Science, a series of articles describe the results of the 2016 Physical Activity and Fitness in China--The Youth Study. The results show a relatively high prevalence of sedentary behaviors, unhealthy weight, lower fitness levels, and lower levels of engagement in physical exercise and fitness activities than antici- pated.

Identification and Promoter Activity Analysis of Porcine miR-181 and miR-1

Since its discovery a decade ago, microRNA has been identified as one of the major regulatory gene families in eukaryotic cells. Many functions of microRNAs have been revealed both in flora and fauna in recent years, but the transcriptional regulation of microRNA genes is not well-understood. In the present study, a series of primers were designed in the 2 000 nt upstream regions of porcine miR-181 and miR-1 and then the sequences were cloned into pGL3-basic vector to test their transcriptional activity. Dual-luciferase reporter assays showed that, the activity of 5＂-flanking sequence of miR-181 started on construct -51, decreasing with the length of the fragment up to -444. The upstream 590 bp confer maximal transcriptional activity and the basal promoter activity is located within the -82 to ＋16 bp region. For miR-1, the activity starts on construct -50, decreasing with the length of the fragment up to -1 254 in despite of a bit of fluctuation, and the basal promoter activity is located within the -50 to ＋47 bp region. Furthermore, some putative regulation elements of both miR-181 and miR-1 were located. In addition, tissue distribution revealed that miR-181 is expressed at a relatively low level.

Improving school physical education to increase physical activity and promote healthy growth of Chinese school-aged children Time for action

Throughout its more than 5000-year history, China has a long tradition of encouraging active engagement in physical and sport activities This enduring tradition, however, has been facing some major headwinds as China continues to expe- rience demographic and environmental changes related to aging, urbanization, and lifestyle shifts.

Decrease of Matrix Plasticity Promotes Fibroblast Activation in Fibrosis

This work identified the important role of matrix mechanical plasticity in mediating fibroblast activation.Many existing studies have highlighted the important effects of biochemical cues(e.g.,transforming growth factor-β1)and mechanicalstiffness on fibroblast activation.Our results indicated that self-assembled collagen hydrogels showed high plasticity and in which fibroblasts remain undifferentiated.However,when we decreased the plasticity of collagen hydrogels by increasing covalent crosslinking,fibroblasts showed a significant fibrotic response as reflected by the increasedα-SMA expression.Since the material systems we constructed have low and the same initial modulus,this process is stiffness independent.Although it has been reported that covalently crosslinked hydrogels are more difficult to degrade and matrix degradability has an important impact on cell behaviors,no significant changes of fibroblast activation were observed when proteases were broadly inhibited in our experiments.Importantly,the hydrogels we constructed showed similar plastic behaviors under creep and recovery tests compared to native normal and fibrotic tissues.These highlight the importance of matrix plasticity in mimicking the mechanical microenvironment of native fibrotic tissues.Mechanistically,we found that the enhanced fibroblast activation in low plastic matrix is mediated through integrin-actin pathway and nuclear localization of YAP.In high plastic collagen,matrix cannot provide effective resistance to actin contraction because of the rupture of weak crosslinks and the slippage of local fibers.On the contrary,in low plastic collagen,deformation energy can be stored in the network due to the existence of strong covalent crosslinks,thus enabling the build-up of cell traction and the formation of a robust cell-matrix interaction.Experiments of inhibiting or promoting cytoskeletal contractility and CGMD simulation both verified the above points.Our results clarify plasticity changes on the development of fibrotic diseases and highlight plasticity as an important mechanical cue in understanding cell-matrix interactions.

Promotion effect of adsorbed water/OH on the catalytic performance of Ag/activated carbon catalysts for CO preferential oxidation in excess H_2

Activated carbon （AC） supported silver catalysts were prepared by incipient wetness impregnation method and their catalytic performance for CO preferential oxidation （PROX） in excess H2 was evaluated. Ag/AC catalysts, after reduction in H2 at low temperatures （≤200 ℃） following heat treatment in He at 200 ℃ （He200H200）, exhibited the best catalytic properties. Temperature-programmed desorption （TPD）, X-ray diffraction （XRD） and temperature-programmed reduction （TPR） results indicated that silver oxides were produced during heat treatment in He at 200 ℃ which were reduced to metal silver nanoparticles in H2 at low temperatures （≤200 ℃）, simultaneously generating the adsorbed water/OH. CO conversion was enhanced 40% after water treatment following heat treatment in He at 600 ℃. These results imply that the metal silver nanoparticles are the active species and the adsorbed water/OH has noticeable promotion effects on CO oxidation. However, the promotion effect is still limited compared to gold catalysts under the similar conditions, which may be the reason of low selectivity to CO oxidation in PROX over silver catalysts. The reported Ag/AC-S-He catalyst after He200H200 treatment displayed similar PROX of CO reaction properties to Ag/SiO2. This means that Ag/AC catalyst is also an efficient low-temperature CO oxidation catalyst.

Promoting Active Living and Healthy Eating among Inner-City Youth through Community Health Workers: From Clinic to Neighborhood

The promotion of physical activity and healthy eating to prevent obesity among youth is a pressing challenge. The current study examined the feasibility of community health workers (CHWs) conducting a physical activity (PA) and healthy eating intervention strategy with links to community supports and programs. Youth aged 10 - 18 years were recruited from three clinical sites serving inner-city families. Trained CHWs conducted assessment and counseling for PA and healthy eating among youth and their families and provided customized plans and navigation to neighborhood PA and nutrition programs. Measures of daily PA by self-report, weekday and weekend day sedentary behaviors, fruit and vegetable intake, avoidance of fatty foods, and avoidance of sugary drinks were assessed at baseline and follow-up. Twenty-five patients (mean age = 12.9 years) were exposed to ~9 months of intervention from baseline. Pre- and post-assessments revealed significant changes in reported PA, sedentary behaviors on weekdays, sedentary behaviors on weekend days, fruit and vegetable intake, avoidance of fatty foods, and avoidance of sugary drinks. Results demonstrated the feasibility of having CHWs effectively influenced the PA and eating behaviors of inner-city youth. Greater success was evident when assessment and counseling for PA and healthy eating were accompanied by navigation to neighborhood resources. The use of CHWs may be a cost-effective approach impacting the PA, sedentary, and dietary behaviors of youth.

Experiences on Participation in Literary Activities: Intellectual Stimuli Empower People with Mental Health Problems

Some research acknowledges engagement in creative and literary activities as constructively impacting rehabilitation and recovery. Nevertheless, there is a deficit of literature describing experiences of participation in literary activities. This study examined how members of a non-profit association for mental health, with experiences of mental problems or illnesses, experienced group-based literary activities facilitated of a bi-disciplinary research team during one semester. This study held a constructive/naturalistic design and used a qualitative methodology with a latent analysis to describe how participants experienced literary activities (creative writing, reading and conversations about published and own written poetry and prose texts). Both individual and focus-group interviews were performed early 2014. Despite previous negative experiences, the findings showed that the participants perceived the literary activities empowering. Four categories were created: Presumptions of personal literacy, leadership role, participants’ role, and literacy development. These were abstracted and interpreted into three themes: Identifying a reading and writing self-image, challenging and redefining one’s reading and writing identity, and strengthening one’s intellectual and humanistic capacity. Literary activities seemed to positively change the participants’ attitudes towards writing and reading, and also enhanced their literacy skills. We argue that literacy skills are interconnected with health literacy. Involvement of literary activities into rehabilitation in mental health practice may be beneficial for some groups, and merits further studies.

The immunity-promoting activity of porcine placenta in mice as an immunomodulator for functional foods

This study was to explore the immunity-promoting activity of porcine placenta as a potential raw material for functional foods.Porcine placenta was subjected to the analysis for its bioactive substances,and their immunity-promoting activity was determined in mice supplemented with porcine placenta extract(PPE)and freeze-dried porcine placenta powder at high(PPH)and low(PPL)dosage.Results showed that porcine placenta contained placental peptides and 15 free amino acids,and the amounts of estrogen and progesterone in products developed from porcine placenta were within the limit of national standard.Mice model experiment revealed that compared with the control,the PPH treatment significantly improved the spleen index(P<0.05)by increasing the phagocytic rate of macrophages from 20%to 60%and the conversion rate of T lymphocytes from 8%to 60%.The q PCR analysis disclosed that the porcine placenta powder enhanced mice immunity via promoting the expression of Th1 cytokines of interleukin-2(IL-2)and IFN-γ,especially the former,by almost 8 times in the spleens of male mice,while inhibited Th2 cytokines of IL-4 and IL-10.This investigation has provided a reference for the development of porcine placenta as a raw material applied in functional foods to improve human immunity.