Exogenous calcium enhances the physiological status and photosynthetic capacity of rose under drought stress

Drought(water shortage)can substantially limit the yield and economic value of rose plants(Rosa spp.).Here,we characterized the effect of exogenous calcium(Ca^(2+))on the antioxidant system and photosynthesis-related properties of rose under polyethylene glycol 6000(PEG6000)-induced drought stress.Chlorophyll levels,as well as leaf and root biomass,were significantly reduced by drought;drought also had a major effect on the enzymatic antioxidant system and increased concentrations of reactive oxygen species.Application of exogenous Ca^(2+)increased the net photosynthetic rate and stomatal conductance of leaves,enhanced water-use efficiency,and increased the length and width of stomata following exposure to drought.Organ-specific physiological responses were observed under different concentrations of Ca^(2+).Application of 5 mmol·L^(-1)Ca^(2+)promoted photosynthesis and antioxidant activity in the leaves,and application of 10 mmol·L^(-1)Ca^(2+)promoted antioxidant activity in the roots.Application of exogenous Ca^(2+)greatly enhanced the phenotype and photosynthetic capacity of potted rose plants following exposure to drought stress.Overall,our findings indicate that the application of exogenous Ca^(2+)enhances the drought resistance of roses by promoting physiological adaptation and that it could be used to aid the cultivation of rose plants.

Exogenous insulin autoimmune syndrome:A case report and review of literature

BACKGROUND Insulin autoimmune syndrome(IAS)is a severe manifestation of spontaneous hypoglycemia.It is characterized by elevated levels of immune-reactive insulin and highly potent insulin autoantibodies(IAAs),which are induced by endogenous insulin circulating in the bloodstream.It is distinguished by recurring instances of spontaneous hypoglycemia,the presence of IAA within the body,a substantial elevation in serum insulin levels,and an absence of prior exogenous insulin administration.Nevertheless,recent studies show that both conventional insulin and its analogs can induce IAS episodes,giving rise to the notion of nonclassical IAS.Therefore,more attention should be paid to these diseases.CASE SUMMARY In this case report,we present a rare case of non-classical IAS in an 83-year-old male patient who present with symptoms of a psychiatric disorder.Upon symptom onset,the patient exhibited Whipple's triad(including hypoglycemia,blood glucose level less than 2.8 mmol/L during onset,and rapid relief of hypoglycemic symptoms after glucose administration).Concurrently,his serum insulin level was significantly elevated,which contradicted his C-peptide levels.After a comprehensive examination,the patient was diagnosed with exogenous insulin autoimmune syndrome.Considering that the patient had type 2 diabetes mellitus and a history of exogenous insulin use before disease onset,it was presumed that non classical IAS was induced by this condition.The PubMed database was used to search for previous cases of IAS and non-classical IAS to analyze their characteristics and treatment approaches.CONCLUSION The occurrence of non-classical IAS is associated with exogenous insulin or its analogs,as well as with sulfhydryl drugs.Symptoms can be effectively alleviated through the discontinuation of relevant medications,administration of hormones or immunosuppressants,plasma exchange,and lifestyle adjustments.

Effects of Different Exogenous Substances on Seed Germination of Isatis indigotica Under Drought Stress and Chemical Composition of Isatis indigotica leaves

This study was to investigate the effects of three exogenous substances on chemical constituents of Isatis indigotica leavesand their efficacy in alleviating drought stress, and explore the methods of applying exogenous substances to efficient cultivationof Isatis indigotica. Polyethylene glycol (PEG) was used to simulate drought stress to deal with seeds of Isatis indigotica at thegermination stage (concentration: 0, 10%, 15%, and 20%). Simultaneous operation of exogenous growth regulators [microbialinoculum (MI), γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) and salicylic acid (SA)] and PEG were implemented in seeds of Isatis indigotica.The effects of drought stress and the mitigation of exogenous substances were observed by statistics of seed germination potential,germination rate, hypocotyl length, and radicle length of each treatment. The effects of exogenous substances on the content ofalkaloids, crude protein and free amino acids in the leaves of Isatis indigotica grown in a greenhouse were determined after sprayingexogenous substances on the plants. The differences of germination potential, germination rate, hypocotyl length, and radicle lengthamong 15% PEG stress treatment, 10% PEG stress treatment and the control were significant (P<0.05). According to the predesignedgermination standard, the seeds did not germinate under 20% PEG stress treatment. When the PEG concentration was 15%, the resultsof seed germination potential and germination rate after adding MI were significantly different from those under stress alone (P<0.05).When exposed to 10% PEG stress, the supplementation of GABA led to a notable increase in radicle length of Isatis indigotica seeds,showing significant differences compared to other three treatments. The application of MI and GABA under 15% PEG stress resultedin a significant increase in the radicle and hypocotyl length of Isatis indigotica seeds compared to other two treatments. The contentof the total alkaloids in leaves of Isatis indigotica was significantly increased after spraying GABA. Meanwhile, the contents of crudeprotein and the total free amino acids were kept constant after spraying exogenous substances. Application of MI and GABA couldalleviate drought stress of Isatis indigotica. The content of the total alkaloids in leaves of Isatis indigotica could significantly increaseafter spraying GABA.

Dietary supplementation with xylooligosaccharides and exogenous enzyme improves milk production,energy utilization efficiency and reduces enteric methane emissions of Jersey cows

Background Sustainable strategies for enteric methane(CH_(4))mitigation of dairy cows have been extensively explored to improve production performance and alleviate environmental pressure.The present study aimed to investigate the effects of dietary xylooligosaccharides(XOS)and exogenous enzyme(EXE)supplementation on milk production,nutrient digestibility,enteric CH_(4) emissions,energy utilization efficiency of lactating Jersey dairy cows.Forty-eight lactating cows were randomly assigned to one of 4 treatments:(1)control diet(CON),(2)CON with 25 g/d XOS(XOS),(3)CON with 15 g/d EXE(EXE),and(4)CON with 25 g/d XOS and 15 g/d EXE(XOS+EXE).The 60-d experimental period consisted of a 14-d adaptation period and a 46-d sampling period.The enteric CO_(2)and CH_(4) emissions and O2 consumption were measured using two GreenFeed units,which were further used to determine the energy utilization efficiency of cows.Results Compared with CON,cows fed XOS,EXE or XOS+EXE significantly(P<0.05)increased milk yield,true protein and fat concentration,and energy-corrected milk yield(ECM)/DM intake,which could be reflected by the significant improvement(P<0.05)of dietary NDF and ADF digestibility.The results showed that dietary supplementation of XOS,EXE or XOS+EXE significantly(P<0.05)reduced CH_(4) emission,CH_(4)/milk yield,and CH_(4)/ECM.Furthermore,cows fed XOS demonstrated highest(P<0.05)metabolizable energy intake,milk energy output but lowest(P<0.05)of CH_(4) energy output and CH_(4) energy output as a proportion of gross energy intake compared with the remaining treatments.Conclusions Dietary supplementary of XOS,EXE or combination of XOS and EXE contributed to the improvement of lactation performance,nutrient digestibility,and energy utilization efficiency,as well as reduction of enteric CH_(4) emissions of lactating Jersey cows.This promising mitigation method may need further research to validate its long-term effect and mode of action for dairy cows.

Recent advances in endogenous and exogenous stimuli-responsive nanoplatforms for bacterial infection treatment

As drug-resistant bacterial infections escalate and antimicrobial resources become insufficient,new alternative therapies are critical.The emergence of nano drug delivery system,in addition to giving drugs sustained,targeted or longer half-life characteristics,also plays an important role in improving the therapeutic effect and reducing the toxic side effects of conventional drugs.Despite its potential benefits,the traditional nanomedical drug delivery system has some practical limitations,including incomplete and slow drug release,as well as insufficient accumulation at infection sites.Stimuli responsive nanoplatforms are hence developed to overcome the disadvantages of conventional nanoparticles,which can provide several advantages like:enhancing the pharmacokinetics and biodistribution of antimicrobial drugs,increasing their effective bioavailability,reducing their dosage frequency,and improving their antimicrobial efficacy against biofilm-related infections,while slowing down the development of antimicrobial resistance,which is expected to trigger a medical revolution in the field of human health,thus bringing huge clinical benefits.In this review,we provide an extensive review of the recent progress of endogenous and exogenous stimuli-responsive nanoplatforms in the antibacterial area.Using specific infectious microenvironments(pH,enzymes,reactive oxygen species and toxins),this review systematically presents the design principles of nano delivery systems and the mechanisms by which endogenous stimuli induce changes in the morphology or properties of delivery systems to achieve programmed drug release.Furthermore,exogenous stimuli such as light,heat,and magnetic fields can also control the release of drugs.Last but not least,we discussed the challenges and opportunities for future clinical translation of stimuli-responsive nanoplatforms in bacterial infections.

QTL Mapping for the Sensitivity of the Traits Related to Outcrossing of Japonica Rice to Exogenous GA_3

[Objective] The research aimed to map QTL for the sensitivity of the traits related outcrosssing of Japonica rice to exogenous GA3 and provide theoretical basis for breeding and improving the high-sensitivity sterile line.[Method] Taking Japonica rice Xiushui 79 and C bao and their recombinant inbred line population 260 lines as test materials,the sensitivity of 4 traits related outcrossing to Exogenous GA3 and their QTL mapping were studied by using composite interval mapping..[Result]Three QTLs,which cont...

Effects of Exogenous Hormones on Subculture Multiplication and Root Induction of Tissuecultured Seedlings of Mulberry

Objective The purpose of this experiment was to investigate the effects of exogenous hormone factors on subculture multiplication and root induction of tis-suecultured seedlings in mulberry. [Method] The aseptic seedlings of Guisangyou 12 were used as the materials and the comparative experiment on subculture multi-plication and root induction used different kinds,concentrations and combinations of exogenous hormones. [Result] The hormone combination of 0.1 mg/L IBA＋1.5 mg/L 6-BA＋0.03 mg/L TDZ showed the best effects to bud multiplication, and the multiple of bud multiplication was 5.28. The effects of NAA was better than IBA and IAA on root induction. The hormone combination of 2.0 mg/L NAA＋1.0 mg/L PP333 was most suitable to the root induction, in which the rooting rate arrived to 100%, the root number was 7.01 and the root length was 1.38 cm on average. [Conclusion] The results wil provide some technical reference for large-scale propagation of mul-berry seedlings in vitro.

The effect of exogenous sugar solution and high concentration of CO_2 on the contents of sugar and protein of Betula platyphylla leaves

The content of total sugar, sucrose, fructose and protein in the leaves of3-yr.-old Betula platyphylla was measured after the treatment by three exogenous sugar solutions(sucrose, fructose, glucose) and three high concentrations of CO_2 (700, 1 400, 2 100 μL/L·L^(-1))for about a month in 1998. The results showed that spraying three exogenous sugar solutionsincreased markedly the content of sugar and protein of leaves under 700 μL·L^(-1) and 1 400μL·L^(-1) CO_2 The effect of spraying exogenous sucrose solution was the best among the threeexogenous sugars. The treatment of spraying exogenous sugar solution and 2 100 μL·L^(-1) CO_2constrained the accumulation of total sugar and protein of leaves. There was no difference inprotein content of leaves when spraying glucose and fructose solutions under 700 μL·L^(-1) and 1400 μL·L^(-1) CO_2. The treatment of 2 100 μL·L^(-1) CO_2 concentration significantly increasedthe contents of total sugar, sucrose, fructose, and protein of leaves compared with that of the 700μL·L^(-1) and 1 400 μL·L^(-1) CO_2 except the plants spraying fructose solution. There waspositive correlation between the content of sugar of leaves and CO_2 concentration when sprayingsame exogenous sugar solution.

Effects of Exogenous Calcium(Ca) on the Growth of Watermelon Seedlings under NaCl Stress

[Objective] This study was conducted to reveal the effect of exogenous calcium （Ca） in mitigating the damage caused by NaCI stress to watermelon seedlings. [Method] To the liquid medium containing 100 mmol/L NaCI, CaSO4 was added to the final concentrations of 4, 6, 10 and 14 mmol/L. The morphological and physiological indices including plant height, stem diameter, number of leaves per plant, maximum leaf length, maximum leaf width, seedling fresh weight and dry weight, malondialdehyde （MDA） content, relative permeability of plasma membrane, ascorbic acid （AsA） content, free proline content, soluble sugar content and soluble protein content in leaves of the seedlings treated with above media for 10 d were measured. [Result] NaCI stress significantly inhibited the growth of watermelon seedlings. The membrane permeability and MDA content in leaves were significantly increased under NaCI stress, and the contents of proline, soluble sugar, soluble protein and AsA were increased to different extents. Exogenous CaSO4 influenced the morphological and physiological indices of seedlings under NaCI stress in a manner. Treated with 6 mmol/L CaSO4, the growth of seedlings under salinity was significantly improved; membrane permeability and MDA content were drastically reduced, the contents of proline, soluble sugar, soluble pro- tein and AsA in leaves were significantly increased. [Conclusion] Exogenous CaSO＋ alleviates lipid peroxidation and inhibition of seedling growth under NaCI stress by improving the abilities of antioxidation and osmotic adjustment, and 6 mmol/L CaSO4 showed the best effect.

Effects of Exogenous GA_3 on Seed Germination and Seedling Growth of Salicornia europaea L. under Salt Stress

[Objective] The paper was to study the effects of exogenous GA3 on seed germination and seedling growth of Salicornia europaea L.under salt stress.[Method] With the combination of different concentrations of NaCl（50,100,150,200,250,300,350,400 mmol/L）with 10 μmol /L GA3 treatments,the effects of exogenous GA3 on seed germination and seedling growth of S.europaea under salt stress were studied.[Result] Exogenous GA3 promoted the seed germination rate,germination capacity,germination index and seed vigor index of S.europaea under salt stress.Under the treatment of exogenous GA3,the root system vigor,the lengths of roots and stems and the salt-tolerance of S.europaea were higher than that of single salt stress treatment.[Conclusion] Within a certain concentration range,exogenous GA3 could alleviate the inhibition effects of salt stress on seed germination and seedling growth of S.europaea.

Genetic Determination and Exogenous Influence in Sex Differentiation in Crustacean

The mechanisms of sex determination and the influence of exogenous factors on sex differentiation in crustacean were reviewed in the paper.Most of crustecea have not obviously sex chromosome.Androgenic gland was reported as the most important sex differentiation factors,implanting or cuting AG can change the sexal characterization of larval in crustacean.Although sex differentiation of crustacean is determined by gene,it is affected by exogenous factors such as parasite,photoperiod,temperature or hormone.Most cultured species have different body weight and length between male and female,this can be used in aquaculture to produce all male or female crusteceans to improve the production.

Effects of Exogenous Amylases and Metal Ions on the Amylase Specific Activities and Starch Degradation of the Upper Leaves of ‘KRK_(26)' during Flue-curing

Objective] The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of exoge-nous amylases and Ca2＋, Mn2＋ and K＋ on the amylase specific activities and starch degradation of the upper leaves of ＇KRK26＇ planted in Yunnan Province during flue-curing. [Method] The amylase specific activities and starch degradation of the leaves were determined by using spectrophotometry. [Result] The 8 U/g exogenous α-amy-lase could improve the specific activity of the leaf α-amylase at yel owing and color-fixing stages, but could not at stem-drying stage, and similarly, the 80 U/g exoge-nous β-amylase could improved the specific activity of the leaf β-amylase at the yel owing stage and the early period of color-fixing stage. The leaf starch could be enhanced to degrade by the exogenous α- or β-amylases and the enhancing effect of the former was stronger than that of the later. 1.50 mg/ml Ca2＋ improved the specific activity of the leaf （α＋β）-amylase mainly due to its enhancing effect on the leaf α-amylase, and increased the starch degradation. 4 mmol/L Mn2＋ inhibited the leaf α-amylase from yel owing to the early period of color-fixing and the β- and （α＋β）-amylases from the yel owing to the later period of color-fixing, but enhanced the leafα-amylase from the later period of color-fixing to the later period of stem-drying and the β- and （α＋β）-amylases at the later period of stem-drying. Meanwhile, Mn2＋ ham-pered the starch degradation during yel owing, but promoted it from the early period of color-fixing to stem-drying. 1 mg/ml K＋ enhanced the leaf α-, β- and （α＋β）-amy-lases during the yel owing stage, but lowered them from the early period of color-fix-ing to the later period of stem-drying, and always inhibited the leaf starch degrada-tion. [Conclusion] The exogenous α-, β- amylases and Ca2＋ of suitable concentra-tions could be used to treat the tobacco leaves before flue-curing to improve the leaf starch degradation during the curing.

Review on Effects of Application of Exogenous Growth Regulating Substance on Fruits Weight of Peach

The effects of exogenous growth regulating substance on the fruit weight of peach were reviewed. Paclobutrazol could increase the single fruit weight in dif- ferent degree, and cytokinins could also increase the single fruit weight. GA3 and B9 had no effect on fruit size or on reducing single fruit weight. Chlorflurenol-methy, ABT and salicylic acid had no effect on fruit size. Suggestions on the future re- search were put forward.

Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi combined with exogenous calcium improves the growth of peanut(Arachis hypogaea L.)seedlings under continuous cropping

The growth and yield of peanut are negatively affected by continuous cropping.Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi(AMF)and calcium ions(Ca^(2+))have been used to improve stress resistance in other plants,but little is known about their roles in peanut seedling growth under continuous cropping.This study investigated the possible roles of the AMF Glomus mosseae combined with exogenous Ca^(2+)in improving the physiological responses of peanut seedlings under continuous cropping.G.mosseae combined with exogenous Ca^(2+)can enhance plant biomass,Ca^(2+)level,and total chlorophyll content.Under exogenous Ca^(2+)application,the F_v/F_m in arbuscular mycorrhizal(AM)plant leaves was higher than that in the control plants when they were exposed to high irradiance levels.The peroxidase,superoxide dismutase,and catalase activities in AM plant leaves also reached their maximums,and accordingly,the malondialdehyde content was the lowest compared to other treatments.Additionally,root activity,and content of total phenolics and flavonoids were significantly increased in AM plant roots treated by Ca^(2+)compared to either G.mosseae inoculation or Ca^(2+)treatment alone.Transcription levels of AhCaM,AhCDPK,AhRAM1,and AhRAM2 were significantly improved in AM plant roots under exogenous Ca^(2+)treatment.This implied that exogenous Ca^(2+)might be involved in the regulation of G.mosseae colonization of peanut plants,and in turn,AM symbiosis might activate the Ca^(2+)signal transduction pathway.The combination of AMF and Ca^(2+)benefitted plant growth and development under continuous cropping,suggesting that it is a promising method to cope with the stress caused by continuous cropping.

Exogenous brain-derived neurotrophic factor attenuates cognitive impairment induced by okadaic acid in a rat model of Alzheimer's disease

Decreased expression of brain-derived neurotrophic factor（BDNF） plays an important role in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer＇s disease, and a typical pathological change in Alzheimer＇s disease is neurofibrillary tangles caused by hyperphosphorylation of tau. An in vivo model of Alzheimer＇s disease was developed by injecting okadaic acid（2 μL） and exogenous BDNF（2 μL） into the hippocampi of adult male Wister rats. Spatial learning and memory abilities were assessed using the Morris water maze. The expression levels of protein phosphatase 2 A（PP2 A）, PP2 Ac-Yp307, p-tau（Thr231）, and p-tau（Ser396/404） were detected by western blot assay. The expression levels of BDNF, TrkB, and synaptophysin mRNA were measured by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction. Our results indicated that BDNF expression was suppressed in the hippocampus of OA-treated rats, which resulted in learning and memory deficits. Intra-hippocampal injection of BDNF attenuated this OA-induced cognitive impairment. Finally, our findings indicated an involvement of the PI3 K/GSK-3β/AKT pathway in the mechanism of BDNF in regulating cognitive function. These results indicate that BDNF has beneficial effect on Alzheimer＇s disease, and highlight the potential of BDNF as a drug target for treatment of Alzheimer＇s disease.

Exogenous abscisic acid coordinating leaf senescence and transport of assimilates into wheat grains under drought stress by regulating hormones homeostasis

Drought at the grain filling stage of wheat will cause premature leaf senescence, thus leading to considerable loss of wheat yield. Therefore, this paper aims to establish a cultivation technology for strong drought resistance, delayed senescence, and yield improvement based on the analysis of hormones homeostasis obtained by applying chemical control substances. Experiments were conducted with two genotypes of wheat. Four water irrigation treatments were applied to impose the water deficit, including well-watered control treatment(WW), mild water deficit(MiWD), moderate water deficit(MoWD), and severe water deficit(SWD). Exogenous abscisic acid(ABA) was sprayed on the plants at the anthesis stage of the wheat. As a result, exogenous ABA reduced initial senescence rate(r0), total duration of chlorophyll(Chltotal), rapid senescence phase(Chlloss), and the accumulated temperature at an inflection point(M) but improved the persistence phase(Chlper) of flag leaves under all of the four treatments. However, exogenous ABA produced inconsistent effects on photoassimilate relocation and grain weight under different treatments. It produced positive regulatory effects on grain weight under WW, MiWD, and MoWD treatments. On the one hand, spraying ABA during the persistence phase of flag leaves reduced the ratios of zeatin to gibberellin(Z/GA3), spermine to spermidine(Spm/Spd), and salicylic acid to ABA(SA/ABA),which prolonged active photosynthesis by stimulating high level of proline(Pro) and increased the activities of antioxidant enzymes, such as superoxide dismutase(SOD), peroxidase(POD), catalase(CAT), and ascorbate peroxidase(APX). Therefore, drought tolerance was enhanced, and more photosynthetic assimilates were accumulated. On the other hand, the rapid senescence phase and the transport rate of assimilates into grains were accelerated, resulting in higher grain weight, yield, and water use efficiency(WUE). However, under SWD treatment, exogenous ABA improved the ratio of SA/ABA, leading to low Pro content and low antioxidant enzyme activity of flag leaves in the rapid loss phase. Meanwhile,drought resistance declined and the transport duration of assimilates into grains was shortened, thus making photosynthetic assimilates redundant. Therefore, exogenous ABA can lead to the reduction in grain weight, yield, and WUE of wheat under SWD treatment.

Intake of Volatile N-nitrosamines and Their Ability to Exogenously Synthesize in the Diet of Inhabitants from High-risk Area of Esophageal Cancer in Southern China

Objective Nan'ao County in Guandong Province is a high-risk area of esophageal cancer in Southern China. Of the suspected etiological factors in the environment, N-nitrosamines and their precursors have received the greatest attention. Methods Sixty samples of the diet ingested by the inhabitants were collected and detected for volatile N-nitrosamines and their precursors. Five N-nitrosamines detected by Gas Chromatography-Thermal Energy Analyzer were N-nitrosodimethylamine, N-nitrosodiethylamine, N-nitrosopyrrolidine, N-nitrosopiperidine and N-nitrosomethyl-benzylamine. Results The average content of 5 volatile N-nitrosamines in the diet was 312.0 μg/kg (median). The daily intake of the nitrosamines was 286.5 μg/head/day. Only the ability to exogenously synthesize N-nitrosopiperidine was powerful among 5 volatile N-nitrosamines. By a computerized stepwise regression analysis and curve fitting, we studied the correlation among the nitrosamines, the precursors and the major food items in the samples. Conclusion It demonstrated that a relatively high content of volatile N-nitrosamines was present in the diet collected in the area.

Effects of exogenous enzymes, Lactobacillus acidophilus or their combination on feed performance response and carcass characteristics of rabbits fed sugarcane bagasse

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of Lactobacillus acidophilus（LAC）, exogenous enzymes of ZAD（exogenous enzyme preparation） or their combination on feed conversion, and dressing of rabbits fed different treatments of sugarcane bagasse（SCB）. Five rations were allotted randomly to five groups of New-Zealand White（NZW） rabbits（n=10） with initial live body weight of（838±42.4） g and 5 weeks of age. Rabbits were fed on diets with different sources of fiber as follows,（i） a control diet composed of 100% berseem hay and 0% SCB,（ii） 50% berseem hay and 50% untreated SCB（USCB）,（iii） 50% berseem hay and 50% SCB treated with L. acidophilus（LAC）,（iv） 50% berseem hay and 50% SCB treated with ZAD（ZAD）, and（v） 50% berseem hay and 50% SCB treated with a combination of LAC＋ZAD（LZ）. Treatments of SCB with L. acidophilus, ZAD and LAC＋ZAD had the highest feed conversion ratio than both USCB and control. The dressing percentage of rabbits that fed the LAC and LZ diets was higher（P〈0.05） compared with that in the other groups. Performance index（PI） for LAC group was improved（P〈0.05） compared to that for the other groups; however, PI for USCB group was the lowest（P〈0.05）. It could be concluded that treating SCB with L. acidophilus, exogenous enzymes of ZAD or their combination improved feed conversion and performance with more positive effects with L. acidophilus than the other treatments.

Finite-time control of linear parameter-varying systems with norm-bounded exogenous disturbance

In this paper, a new approach is presented for finite-time control problems for linear systems subject to time-varying parametric uncertainties and exogenous disturbance. The disturbance is assumed to be time varying and bounded. Sufficient conditions are obtained for the existence of a linear parameter-dependent state feedback gain, which can ensure that the closed-loop system is finite-time bounded （FTB）. The conditions can be reduced to feasibility problems involving LMIs. Numerical examples show the validity of the proposed methodology.

Protective effects of exogenous gangliosides on ROS-induced changes in human spermatozoa

This article summarizes the available evidence on the efficacy of gangliosides to reduce the degree of reactive oxygen species （ROS）-mediated damage. The antioxidative efficacy of exogenous gangliosides in protecting different cells encouraged us to examine their ability to protect human spermatozoa. Gangliosides are sialic acid-containing glycosphingolipids with strong amphiphilic character due to the bulky headgroup made of several sugar rings with sialic acid residues and the double-tailed hydrophobic lipid moiety. The amphiphilicity of gangliosides allows them to exist as micelles in aqueous media when they are present at a concentration above their critical micellar concentration. The protective effect of ganglioside micelles on spermatozoa is believed to stem from their ability to scavenge free radicals and prevent their damaging effects, In our study, we particularly focused our attention on the protective effect of ganglioside micelles on DNA in human spermatozoa exposed to cryopreservation. The results indicate that ganglioside micelles can modulate the hydrophobic properties of the sperm membrane to increase tolerance to DNA fragmentation, thus protecting the DNA from cryopreservation-induced damage. Further actions of ganglioside micelles, which were documented by biochemical and biophysical studies, included （i） the modulation of superoxide anion generation by increasing the diffusion barrier for membrane events responsible for signal translocation to the interior of the cell; （ii） the inhibition of iron-catalysed hydroxyl radical formation due to the iron chelation potential of gangliosides; and （iii） inhibition of hydrogen peroxide diffusion across the sperm membrane.