Effects of acupuncture on declined cerebral blood flow,impaired mitochondrial respiratory function and oxidative stress in multi-infarct dementia rats

Brain energy disorders and oxidative stress due to chronic hypoperfusion were considered to be the major risk factors in the pathogenesis of dementia. In previous studies, we have demonstrated that acupuncture treatment improved cognitive function of VaD patients and multi-infarct dementia (MID) rats. Acupuncture therapy also increased the activities of glycometabolic enzymes in the brain. But it is not clear whether acupuncture treatment compensates neuronal energy deficit after cerebral ischemic through enhancing the activities of glucose metabolic enzymes and preserving mitochondrial function, and whether acupuncture neuroprotective effect is associated with activations of mitochondrial antioxidative defense system. So, the effect of acupuncture therapy on cognitive function, cerebral blood flow (CBF), mitochondrial respiratory function and oxidative stress in the brain of MID rats was investigated in this study. The results showed that acupuncture treatment significantly improved cognitive abilities and increased regional CBF of MID rats. Acupuncture elevated the activities of total SOD, CuZnSOD and MnSOD, decreased the level of malondialdehyde (MDA) and superoxide anion, regulated the ratio of reduced glutathione (GSH) and oxidized glutathione (GSSG) in mitochondria, and raised the level of the respiratory control index (RCI) and P/O ratio and the activities of mitochondrial respiratory enzymes of MID rats. These results indicated that acupuncture treatment improved cognitive function of MID rats; and this improvement might be due to increased CBF, which ameliorated mitochondrial dysfunction induced by ischemia and endogenous oxidative stress system of brain.     

Development and use of striped bass-specific RFLP probes

We sought to develop nuclear DNA (nDNA) probes which could be used to complement mtDNA and DNA fingerprinting markers in distinguishing striped bass, Morone saxatilis (Walbaum), from discrete spawning systems. Restriction endonuclease-generated single copy, 10–20-kb striped bass nuclear nDNA fragments were cloned into the bacteriophage vector Lambda Dash II and tested in Southern blot analyses for their abilities to reveal population-specific polymorphisms. Three of the I7 nDNA sequences tested exhibited polymorphisms which potentially could be used to delineate striped bass populations. One probe, DSB 22, revealed significant genotypic frequency differences between Gulf of Mexico and Atlantic striped bass and among striped bass representative of some Atlantic systems. These preliminary results suggest that single copy nDNA sequences may provide sufficient polymorphisms to aid in stock identification of species which proved genetically monomorphic using other approaches.     

The Effects of Mobile Phone Radiofrequency Radiation on Cochlear Stria Marginal Cells in Sprague–Dawley Rats

To investigate the possible mechanisms for biological effects of 1,800 MHz mobile radiofrequency radiation (RFR), the radiation-specific absorption rate was applied at 2 and 4 W/kg, and the exposure mode was 5 min on and 10 min off (conversation mode). Exposure time was 24 h short-term exposure. Following exposure, to detect cell DNA damage, cell apoptosis, and reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation, the Comet assay test, flow cytometry, DAPI (4′,6-diamidino-2-phenylindole dihydrochloride) staining, and a fluorescent probe were used, respectively. Our experiments revealed that mobile phone RFR did not cause DNA damage in marginal cells, and the rate of cell apoptosis did not increase (P > 0.05). However, the production of ROS in the 4 W/kg exposure group was greater than that in the control group (P < 0.05). In conclusion, these results suggest that mobile phone energy was insufficient to cause cell DNA damage and cell apoptosis following short-term exposure, but the cumulative effect of mobile phone radiation still requires further confirmation. Activation of the ROS system plays a significant role in the biological effects of RFR. Bioelectromagnetics. © 2020 The Authors. Bioelectromagnetics published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Methylation of KvDMR1 involved in regulating the imprinting of CDKN1C gene in cattle

The CDKN1C gene encodes a cyclin‐dependent kinase inhibitor and is one of the key genes involved in the development of Beckwith–Wiedemann syndrome and cancer. In this study, using a direct sequencing approach based on a single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) at genomic DNA and cDNA levels, we show that CDKN1C exhibits monoallelic expression in all seven studied organs (heart, liver, spleen, lung, kidney, muscle and subcutaneous fat) in cattle. To investigate how methylation regulates imprinting of CDKN1C in cattle, allele‐specific methylation patterns in two putative differential methylation regions (DMRs), the CDKN1C DMR and KvDMR1, were analyzed in three tissues (liver, spleen and lung) using bisulfite sequencing PCR. Our results show that in the CDKN1C DMR both parental alleles were unmethylated in all three analyzed tissues. In contrast, KvDMR1 was differentially methylated between the two parental alleles in the same tissues. Statistical analysis showed that there is a significant difference in the methylation level between the two parental alleles (P < 0.01), confirming that this region is the DMR of KvDMR1 and that it may be correlated with CDKN1C imprinting.     

PCR-generated conspecific sodium channel gene probe for the house fly.

A segment of the house fly (Musca domestica) homologue of the para (paralytic) sodium channel gene of Drosophila melanogaster was isolated by using mixed sequence oligonucleotide primers in the polymerase chain reaction (PCR). The specificity of the procedure was demonstrated by genomic Southern analysis using the housefly PCR amplification product as a probe and by DNA sequence analysis. The latter showed structural homology to the para gene, but not to the corresponding region of DSC1, another D. melanogaster gene with structural similarity to vertebrate sodium channel genes.     

Modulation of DNA synthesis in aortic smooth muscle cells by dinitrotoluenes

Studies were conducted to determine if in vivo exposure to dinitrotoluenes (DNT), which is associated with circulatory disorders of atherosclerotic etiology in humans, is associated with alterations of vascular smooth muscle cells (SMC) consistent with the atherogenic process. Sprague-Dawley rats (150-180 g) were injected IP for 5 days/week for 8 weeks with 2,4- or 2,6-DNT (0.5, 5, or 10 mg/kg) or medium chain triglyceride (MCT) oil. Histopathologic evaluation of aortae from animals exposed to either isomer showed dysplasia and rearrangement of SMC at all doses tested. Reduced ³H-thymidine incorporation was observed in primary cultures of aortic SMC from DNT-exposed animals relative to vehicle controls. This inhibitory response was maintained for up to two passages in culture after which a significant increase in thymidine incorporation was observed. Exposure of SMC from naive animals to DNT in vitro (1–100 µM) did not alter the extent of thymidine incorporation in cycling or growth-arrested cultures. In contrast, exposure to 2,4- or 2,6-diaminotoluene (DAT) (1–100 µM), carcinogens which share toxic metabolic intermediates in common with DNT, inhibited replicative DNA synthesis and stimulated unscheduled DNA synthesis in cycling and growth-arrested cultures of SMC, respectively. Our results suggest that modulation of DNA synthesis in aortic SMC by DNT metabolites generated in vivo contribute to the development of vascular lesions.Abbreviation DAT diaminotuluene - tDNT technical grade dinitrotoluene - DNT dinitrotoluenes - HU hydroxyurea - IP intraperitoneal - LDH lactate dehydrogenase - MCT oil medium chain triglyceride - NPTC non-protein thiol content - RDS replicative DNA synthesis - SEM standard error of the mean - SMC smooth muscle cells - UDS unscheduled DNA synthesis     

Estimates of relatedness and inbreeding in goose strains from DNA fingerprints

The purpose of this study was to determine if DNA fingerprints (DFPs) could be used to estimate relatedness and inbreeding of strains of geese and to compare three methods of calculating relatedness indices. Strains included a control and selected strain from each of the Chinese and Synthetic (Chinese, Hungarian and Pilgrim) breeds. DFP patterns for each strain were based on individual DNA samples from six females, or on pooled DNA from 15 females different from those used for individual samples. Three relatedness indices were used, namely, genetic distance, modified Rogers distance and band sharing. All relatedness indices showed a closer relationship of strains within than between breeds. Correlation coefficients among relatedness indices were higher based on pooled DNA (r ≥|0·97|) than those based on individual DNA (r ≥|0·741). Inbreeding estimates were higher for selected compared with control strains. It appears that the use of DFPs to estimate relatedness, regardless of index used, and inbreeding can be valuable for studying geese where there is a limited breeding history.