美洲大蠊乙醇提取物对香烟引起小鼠肺脏氧化应激的干预效果研究

美洲大蠊提取物具有显著的抗肿瘤、抗菌和抗肝纤维化等作用,但是,其对肺脏抗氧化应激效果的研究未见报道,本文主要探讨美洲大蠊乙醇提取物对熏烟小鼠血液和肺脏抗氧化应激的效果.选用雌性KM小鼠28只,随机分为对照组、熏烟组、低剂量和高剂量美洲大蠊醇提物组各7只,除对照组灌胃生理盐水外,其他各组每天中午和下午采用烟熏处理,持续31 d,其中第17天开始高剂量和低剂量组每天晚上灌胃美洲大蠊醇提物,实验结束后计算肺脏系数,检测血浆和肺脏组织匀浆中MDA、SOD、CAT、NO、GSH-Px和肺脏SOD、GSH-PX、CAT基因mRNA表达的水平以及肺脏组织病理结构的变化.结果表明:各组间肺脏系数和血浆、肺脏中总SOD和CAT的活力差异无统计学意义(P>0.05),但是与对照组相比,熏烟组显著升高了血浆和肺脏中NO以及肺脏中MDA的含量,显著降低了血浆中GSH-PX的活力和肺脏中该基因表达,差异具有统计学意义(P<0.05);而与熏烟组相比,低剂量和高剂量美洲大螊醇提物组均显著降低了血浆和肺脏中NO和MDA的水平,显著升高了肺脏GSH-PX的活力及其基因表达,高剂量组还显著升高了血浆中GSH-PX的活力,差异均具有统计学意义(P<0.05);高剂量美洲大蠊醇提物还对香烟造成的肺组织损害具有缓解作用.研究结果表明美洲大蠊乙醇提取物对熏烟小鼠血液和肺组织具有较好的抗氧化应激功能.     

Insulin resistance in diabetes: The promise of using induced pluripotent stem cell technology

Insulin resistance(IR)is associated with several metabolic disorders,including type 2 diabetes(T2D).The development of IR in insulin target tissues involves genetic and acquired factors.Persons at genetic risk for T2D tend to develop IR several years before glucose intolerance.Several rodent models for both IR and T2D are being used to study the disease pathogenesis;however,these models cannot recapitulate all the aspects of this complex disorder as seen in each individual.Human pluripotent stem cells(hPSCs)can overcome the hurdles faced with the classical mouse models for studying IR.Human induced pluripotent stem cells(hiPSCs)can be generated from the somatic cells of the patients without the need to destroy a human embryo.Therefore,patient-specific hiPSCs can generate cells genetically identical to IR individuals,which can help in distinguishing between genetic and acquired defects in insulin sensitivity.Combining the technologies of genome editing and hiPSCs may provide important information about the genetic factors underlying the development of different forms of IR.Further studies are required to fill the gaps in understanding the pathogenesis of IR and diabetes.In this review,we summarize the factors involved in the development of IR in the insulin-target tissues leading to diabetes.Also,we highlight the use of hPSCs to understand the mechanisms underlying the development of IR.     

Tissue Aspiration and Inverse Finite Element Characterisation of Soft Tissues

In this work we examined the determination of soft tissue parameters via tissue aspiration experiments and inverse finite element characterisation. An aspiration tube was put against the target tissue. The deformation of the tissue inside the tube caused by weak suction was tracked with a video based system. A strain energy function was employed to model the elastic behaviour of soft tissue and viscoelasticity was accounted for by means of a quasi-linear viscoelastic formulation. Friction between the aspiration tube and the aspirated tissue was included in the model. Based on the assumed material model, an optimal set of material parameters was found, in order to best fit the experimental data obtained from ex-vivo experiments on pig kidney cortex. The inverse method resulted in robust determination of the unknown material parameters.     

Cytological detection of Wolbachia in squashed and paraffin embedded insect tissues

Abstract

Wolbachia localization in situ is essential for accurate analysis of the infection and its consequences. Whole cell hybridization is proposed as an easy and rapid method for detecting Wolbachia cells in paraffin embedded tissues or testis squashes of Chorthippus parallelus (Orthoptera). Wolbachia is found in whole gonads and other adjacent tissues. A higher bacterial density, however, is observed in ovarioles and testis. Small independent bacteria with strictly cytoplasmic distribution are displayed. Bacterial density differences among individuals are also revealed.     

Effects of nicotine and vitamin E on glucose 6-phosphate dehydrogenase activity in some rat tissues in vivo and in vitro

Effects of nicotine, and nicotine + vitamin E on glucose 6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G-6PD) activity in rat muscle, heart, lungs, testicle, kidney, stomach, brain and liver were investigated in vivo and in vitro on partially purified homogenates. Supplementation period was 3 weeks (n = 8 rats per group): nicotine [0.5 mg/kg/day, intraperitoneal (ip)]; nicotine + vitamin E [75 mg/kg/day, intragastric (ig)]; and control group (receiving only vehicle). The results showed that nicotine (0.5 mg/kg, ip) inhibited G-6PD activity in the lungs, testicle, kidney, stomach and brain by 12.5% (p < 0.001), 48% (p < 0.001), 20.8% (p < 0.001), 13% (p < 0.001) and 23.35% (p < 0.001) respectively, and nicotine had no effects on the muscle, heart and liver G6PD activity. Also, nicotine + vitamin E inhibited G-6PD activity in the testicle, brain, and liver by 32.5% (p < 0.001), 21.5% (p < 0.001), and 16.5% (p < 0.001) respectively, and nicotine + vitamin E activated the muscle, and stomach G-6PD activity by 36% (p < 0.05), and 20% (p < 0.001) respectively. In addition, nicotine + vitamin E did not have any effects on the heart, lungs, and kidney G-6PD activity. In addition, in vitro studies were also carried out to elucidate the effects of nicotine and vitamin E on G-6PD activity, which correlated well with in vivo experimental results in lungs, testicles, kidney, stomach, brain and liver tissues. These results show that vitamin E administration generally restores the inactivation of G-6PD activity due to nicotine administration in various rat tissues in vivo, and also in vitro.     

农杆菌介导的日本落叶松胚性细胞遗传转化研究

基于体细胞胚胎发生技术平台,利用携带pSuper1300+质粒,以潮霉素为筛选标记基因的农杆菌GV3101介导日本落叶松遗传转化,对植物受体材料生理状态、农杆菌浓度和浸染时间以及共培养时间等影响因素进行了研究、分析和讨论.结果表明:综合优化各影响因素,生长旺盛的日本落叶松胚性细胞,经浓度为0.4(OD600)的农杆菌浸染10min,共培养2d,再用含400mg/L的头孢霉素的液体培养基清洗脱菌,然后在含400mg/L的头孢霉素固体培养基上恢复培养,并置于含5mg/L潮霉素的固体培养基上多次筛选,最终共获得54个抗性细胞系,转化率平均为0.94个/g.PCR检测鉴定,所有抗性细胞系均为阳性转化体,并排除了农杆菌污染导致的假阳性.研究建立并优化了农杆菌介导的日本落叶松遗传转化技术,为进行遗传改良和基因功能鉴定提供有利平台.     

A balance between activating and repressive histone modifications regulates cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) expression in vivo

The genetic mechanisms that regulate CFTR, the gene responsible for cystic fibrosis, have been widely investigated in cultured cells. However, mechanisms responsible for tissue-specific and time-specific expression are not completely elucidated in vivo. Through the survey of public databases, we found that the promoter of CFTR was associated with bivalent chromatin in human embryonic stem (ES) cells. In this work, we analyzed fetal (at different stages of pregnancy) and adult tissues and showed that, in digestive and lung tissues, which expressed CFTR, H3K4me3 was maintained in the promoter. Histone acetylation was high in the promoter and in two intronic enhancers, especially in fetal tissues. In contrast, in blood cells, which did not express CFTR, the bivalent chromatin was resolved (the promoter was labeled by the silencing mark H3K27me3). Cis-regulatory sequences were associated with lowly acetylated histones. We also provide evidence that the tissue-specific expression of CFTR is not regulated by dynamic changes of DNA methylation in the promoter. Overall, this work shows that a balance between activating and repressive histone modifications in the promoter and intronic enhancers results in the fine regulation of CFTR expression during development, thereby ensuring tissue specificity.     

Molecular conformation changes along the malignancy revealed by optical nanosensors

An interdisciplinary approach employing functionalized nanoparticles and ultrasensitive spectroscopic techniques is reported here to track the molecular changes in early stage of malignancy. Melanoma tissue tracking at molecular level using both labelled and unlabelled silver and gold nanoparticles has been achieved using surface enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) technique. We used skin tissue from ex vivo mice with induced melanoma. Raman and SERS molecular characterization of melanoma tissue is proposed here for the first time. Optical nanosensors based on Ag and Au nanoparticles with chemisorbed cresyl violet molecular species as labels revealed sensitive capability to tissues tagging and local molecular characterization. Sensitive information originating from surrounding native biological molecules is provided by the tissue SERS spectra obtained either with visible or NIR laser line. Labelled nanoparticles introduced systematic differences in tissue response compared with unlabelled ones, suggesting that the label functional groups tag specific tissue components revealed by proteins or nucleic acids bands. Vibrational data collected from tissue are presented in conjunction with the immunohistochemical analysis. The results obtained here open perspectives in applied plasmonic nanoparticles and SERS for the early cancer diagnostic based on the appropriate spectral databank.     

黄腻舌苔和薄白舌苔微生物种群差异

【背景】舌苔是指舌头上覆盖的由食物残渣、微生物、舌苔上皮角质细胞组成的物质。根据舌苔的厚度、颜色等苔质情况来鉴别病人的健康与疾病状况,是“望”诊的重要内容之一,是中医临床辨证施治的主要依据之一。但是舌苔苔质的形成和微生物菌群的关系还有待深入研究。【目的】探索黄腻舌苔和薄白舌苔菌群群落组成的差异及与舌苔苔质形成的关系。【方法】以薄白舌苔和黄腻舌苔为研究对象,用刮舌板刮取青年学生人群的舌苔表面,获得舌苔样品进行总DNA提取,PCR扩增微生物16S rRNA基因,通过高通量测序获得16S rRNA基因序列,然后通过交互序列分析软件分析样品中细菌菌群种类及差异。【结果】黄腻和薄白舌苔原核微生物群落组成具有明显差异。其中,在门水平上,Patescibacteria和蓝细菌门细菌在黄腻舌苔上明显比薄白舌苔多,具有极显著差异(P<0.01);在属和种水平上,放线菌(Actinomyces)的组成具有显著差异(P<0.05),黄腻舌苔中放线菌含量明显高于薄白舌苔;而薄白舌苔中的卟啉单胞菌属(Porphyromonas)和莫拉氏菌属(Moraxella)的含量明显高于黄腻舌苔,差异显著(P<0.05)。【结论】黄腻舌苔苔厚、色黄、有异味,有可能是放线菌含量过高导致。而且,有些放线菌可以导致侵袭性细菌性疾病,称作放线菌病。因此,健康人出现黄腻苔,可在一定程度上提示体内潜在的炎性预警。薄白舌苔正常菌群莫拉氏菌属(Moraxella)和卟啉单胞菌属(Porphyromonas)显著比黄腻舌苔上的多,说明这两种正常菌群可能在维护正常口气和舌苔功能方面具有重要的作用。