Environmental Supply Chain Cooperation and Its Effect on the Circular Economy Practice‐Performance Relationship Among Chinese Manufacturers

Due to resource scarcity and environmental degradation, a new development concept emphasizing environmental concerns, called the circular economy (CE), has been enacted in legislation in China. This environmental management concept can be implemented at three levels, namely, region, industrial zone, and individual enterprise, with the objective of boosting economic development while lessening environmental and resource challenges. Environmental supply chain cooperation (ESCC), an approach that utilizes customer and supplier cooperation in environmental management, has been initiated among Chinese enterprises. Using survey data collected from 396 Chinese manufacturers, we examine the role of ESCC practices in influencing the relationship between implementing CE practices and the achievement of performance outcomes by testing the moderation and mediation effects of ESCC practices on the CE practice‐performance relationship through hierarchical regression analysis. Our data analyses indicate that ESCC practices are useful by moderation and, in some cases, essential by mediation, for Chinese manufacturers seeking to realize the performance targets desired in CE practices. The results highlight the need for Chinese manufacturers to improve supply chain coordination in their implementation of CE. On the policy side, our research findings suggest that ESCC practices are beneficial and, in some cases, necessary for the development of CE in China.     

鲍肽素对血管性痴呆大鼠学习与记忆能力的干预及机制研究

目的：观察鲍肤索对血管性痴呆大鼠学习与记忆能力的干预及机制。方法：制备生物鲍肤索,分剂量喂饲血管性痴呆大鼠,测试学习与记忆能力、红细胞和血红蛋白。结果：鲍肤素提高大鼠Y型迷宫测试的分值和红细胞、血红蛋白水平。结论：鲍肤素能提高血管性痴呆大鼠的学习与记忆能力和红细胞、血红蛋白水平。     

Development of a fluorescent probe hydrolysis-insulated isothermal PCR for rapid and sensitive on-site detection of African swine fever virus

Highlights
1. A probe-based insulated isothermal PCR (iiPCR) assay was developed for rapid and onsite detection of ASFV.
2. The developed iiPCR showed similar sensitivity and specificity with OIE recommended real-time PCR.
3. Blood samples could be directly applied as PCR template in iiPCR without DNA extraction.     

A DNA Vaccine Encoding a Codon-Optimized Human Papillomavirus Type 16 E6 Gene Enhances CTL Response and Anti-tumor Activity

Summary The HPV oncoproteins E6 and E7 are consistently expressed in HPV-associated cancer cells and are responsible for their malignant transformation. Therefore, HPV E6 and E7 are ideal target antigens for developing vaccines and immunotherapeutic strategies against HPV-associated neoplasms. Recently, it has been demonstrated that codon optimization of the HPV-16 E7 gene resulted in highly efficient translation of E7 and increased the immunogenicity of E7-specific DNA vaccines. Since vaccines targeting E6 also represent an important strategy for controlling HPV-associated lesions, we developed a codon-optimized HPV-16 E6 DNA vaccine (pNGVL4a-E6/opt) and characterized the E6-specific CD8⁺ T cell immune responses as well as the protective and therapeutic anti-tumor effects in vaccinated C57BL/6 mice. Our data indicated that transfection of human embryonic kidney cells (293 cells) with pNGVL4a-E6/opt resulted in highly efficient translation of E6. In addition, vaccination with pNGVL4a-E6/opt significantly enhanced E6-specific CD8⁺ T cell immune responses in C57BL/6 mice. Mice vaccinated with pNGVL4a-E6/opt are able to generate potent protective and therapeutic antitumor effects against challenge with E6-expressing tumor cell line, TC-1. Thus, DNA vaccines encoding a codon-optimized HPV-16 E6 may be a promising strategy for improving the potency of prophylactic and therapeutic HPV vaccines with potential clinical implications.     

Metformin treatment enhances insulin-stimulated glucose transport in skeletal muscle of Sprague-Dawley rats

Although the glucose-lowering properties of metformin are well-established, its effects on glucose metabolism in skeletal muscle have not been clearly defined. We tested the effects of metformin in young adult male Sprague-Dawley rats, which have a documented reduced response to insulin in skeletal muscle. Rats were treated with metformin for 20 days (320 mg/kg/day) in the drinking water. During this period, metformin completely prevented the increase in food intake and decreased adiposity by 30%. Metformin also reduced insulin secretion by 37% following an intra-peritoneal injection of glucose. Finally, metformin enhanced transport of [3H]-2-deoxyglucose in isolated strips of soleus muscle. Metformin substantially increased insulin-stimulated transport, while having no effect on basal transport. In control rats, a maximal concentration of insulin stimulated transport 77% above basal. In metformin-treated rats, insulin stimulated transport 206% above basal. We conclude that in the Sprague-Dawley rat model, metformin causes a significant increase in insulin-responsiveness.     

Assessment of hepatoprotective potential of Radix Fici Hirtae on alcohol-induced liver injury in Kunming mice

ObjectiveThe objective of the present study was to investigate the hepatoprotective role of Radix Fici Hirtae on acute alcohol-induced liver injury in mice.MethodsThe component of Radix Fici Hirtae was extracted using petroleum ether, chloroform, ethyl acetate and n-butanol and divided into three dose groups of high, medium and low according to the clinical man's normal dose of the 50 g crude drug/d (0.83 g/kg body weight). Saline in concentration of 10 mg/mL, 5 mg/mL and 2.5 mg/mL and a dose of mouse lavage (0.2 mL/10 g mouse body weight) were added to the solution. Histopathlogical analysis of liver was performed. Finally, liver protection was validated by examining the effect of aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), alkaline phosphatase (AKP), and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) on the hepatic function of mice in alcohol-induced liver injury model.ResultsExcept for group with saturated n-butyl alcohol, for the rest of the groups, pathological changes of hepatic lipid and inflammatory cells infiltration were alleviated and liver sinus was normal. As compared to model group, the concentrations of AST, ALT, AKP and LDH in chloroform groups and ethyl acetate groups were significantly decreased.ConclusionsExtracts of Radix Fici Hirtae are effective for the prevention of alcohol-induced hepatic damage in mice. The results revealed that extracts of Radix Fici Hirtae could be used as hepatoprotective agent.     

Retinal Gangliosides in RCS Mutant Rats

Abstract: The distribution of retinal gangliosides was studied in normal and mutant rats with retinal dystrophy at 30 and 180 days of age. The loss of photoreceptor cells in the retinal dystrophic RCS rats was not associated with a significant reduction in the relative distribution of any of the major retinal gangliosides. The loss of photoreceptors, however, caused a marked increase in total retinal ganglioside concentration. These findings suggest that photoreceptor cells contain a low concentration of gangliosides and that no major retinal ganglioside is localized or concentrated in these cells. The cellular localization and function of the most abundant retinal ganglioside, G_D3, is discussed.     

CD1 molecules efficiently present antigen in immature dendritic cells and traffic independently of MHC class II during dendritic cell maturation

Upon exposure to Ag and inflammatory stimuli, dendritic cells (DCs) undergo a series of dynamic cellular events, referred to as DC maturation, that involve facilitated peptide Ag loading onto MHC class II molecules and their subsequent transport to the cell surface. Besides MHC molecules, human DCs prominently express molecules of the CD1 family (CD1a, -b, -c, and -d) and mediate CD1-dependent presentation of lipid and glycolipid Ags to T cells, but the impact of DC maturation upon CD1 trafficking and Ag presentation is unknown. Using monocyte-derived immature DCs and those stimulated with TNF-alpha for maturation, we observed that none of the CD1 isoforms underwent changes in intracellular trafficking that mimicked MHC class II molecules during DC maturation. In contrast to the striking increase in surface expression of MHC class II on mature DCs, the surface expression of CD1 molecules was either increased only slightly (for CD1b and CD1c) or decreased (for CD1a). In addition, unlike MHC class II, DC maturation-associated transport from lysosomes to the plasma membrane was not readily detected for CD1b despite the fact that both molecules were prominently expressed in the same MIIC lysosomal compartments before maturation. Consistent with this, DCs efficiently presented CD1b-restricted lipid Ags to specific T cells similarly in immature and mature DCs. Thus, DC maturation-independent pathways for lipid Ag presentation by CD1 may play a crucial role in host defense, even before DCs are able to induce maximum activation of peptide Ag-specific T cells.