Kinetics Absorption Characteristics of Ferrous Glycinate in SD Rats and Its Impact on the Relevant Transport Protein

Ferrous glycinate (Fe-Gly) maintains high bioavailability in animals, but its exact absorption mechanism is still unknown. Here, we studied on the absorption kinetics of ferrous glycinate and its impact on the relevant transport protein in Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats. A total of 72 SD rats (male, BW 100?±?6.25 g) were randomly allotted to three treatments. These treatments were perfused with 1 mL of normal saline, ferrous sulfate (FeSO₄), and ferrous glycinate (71.35 mg/L as iron) separately. Four rats were selected from each treatment for collection of blood from the tails at certain times (15, 30, 45, 60, 75, 90, 120, 240, and 360 min) after gavage. Moreover, other six rats selected from each treatment were slaughtered for sampling after gavage at 2, 4, and 6 h to evaluate the expression of intestinal transport protein. Pharmacokinetic parameters of iron were determined by one-compartmental analysis. Compared with FeSO₄, the peak plasma concentration of iron (C _max) is higher in the rats given gavage with Fe-Gly (P?<?0.05). Four hours after gavage with Fe-Gly, the expression of divalent metal transporter 1 (DMT1) in the duodenum is significantly decreased (P?<?0.05), but the expression of ferroportin 1 (Fpn1) is significantly increased (P?<?0.05). This study indicates that Fe-Gly as iron sources can be absorbed more and utilized faster than FeSO₄, and they had different effects on the expression of intestinal transport protein.     

Effects of different mineral supplements on fertilization of phenol-contaminated soils by Corynebacterium glutamicum

This study focused on the effects of different mineral supplements on the ability of Corynebacterium glutamicum to degrade phenol in contaminated soil and convert the phenol into useful amino acids. Three types of minerals including FeSO₄, MgSO₄, and MnSO₄ were added at several concentrations to C. glutamicum culture media containing 1% yeast extract prior to treating the soil samples with 4.24 mM phenol. The reactor was incubated at 30°C and 150 rpm for 3 days, and the treated soil was sampled daily and analyzed using gas chromatography for residual phenol and the amino acids produced. Additionally, a plant toxicity assay was employed to examine the fertilization of the phenol-contaminated soil after C. glutamicum treatment supplemented with the three minerals. Our results suggested that among various tested concentrations, 72 μM of iron showed a significant effect on the utilization of phenol by C. glutamicum for conversion to amino acids, therefore enhancing fertilization of the phenol-contaminated soil.     

2 型糖尿病神经病变患者血清IL-6、8-iso-PGF2α 检测及意义

目的:探讨2型糖尿病神经病变(DPN)患者血清IL-6、8-iso-PGF2α水平的变化及意义。方法:选择2型糖尿病患者伴神经病变的患者55例,单纯2型糖尿病不伴有神经病变的患者25例,另选25例体检健康者作为对照组。采用ELISA法分别测定各组血清IL-6、8-iso-PGF2α水平。结果:血清IL-6、8-iso-PGF2α水平在糖尿病组和糖尿病神经病变组均较对照组显著升高,差异具有统计学意义(P<0.01)。DN组8-iso-PGF2α较DM组显著升高,差异具有统计学意义(P<0.05);但IL-6在两组间差异无统计学意义(P>0.05)。结论:IL-6在糖尿病神经病变发病中的作用不能肯定。8-iso-PGF2α可能通过氧化应激作用参与糖尿病神经病变的发生发展。     

Cultivation of a highly enriched ammonia-oxidizing archaeon of thaumarchaeotal group I.1b from an agricultural soil

Nitrification of excess ammonia in soil causes eutrophication of water resources and emission of atmospheric N₂O gas. The first step of nitrification, ammonia oxidation, is mediated by Archaea as well as Bacteria. The physiological reactions mediated by ammonia‐oxidizing archaea (AOA) and their contribution to soil nitrification are still unclear. Results of non‐culture‐based studies have shown the thaumarchaeotal group I.1b lineage of AOA to be dominant over both AOA of group I.1a and ammonia‐oxidizing bacteria in various soils. We obtained from an agricultural soil a highly enriched ammonia‐oxidizing culture dominated by a single archaeal population [c. 90% of total cells, as determined microscopically (by fluorescence in situ hybridization) and by quantitative PCR of its 16S rRNA gene]. The archaeon (termed ‘strain JG1’) fell within thaumarchaeotal group I.1b and was related to the moderately thermophilic archaeon, Candidatus Nitrososphaera gargensis, and the mesophilic archaeon, Ca. Nitrososphaera viennensis with 97.0% and 99.1% 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity respectively. Strain JG1 was neutrophilic (growth range pH 6.0–8.0) and mesophilic (growth range temperature 25–40°C). The optimum temperature of strain JG1 (35–40°C) is > 10°C higher than that of ammonia‐oxidizing bacteria (AOB). Membrane analysis showed that strain JG1 contained a glycerol dialkyl glycerol tetraether, GDGT‐4, and its regioisomer as major core lipids; this crenarchaeol regioisomer was previously detected in similar abundance in the thermophile, Ca. N. gargensis and has been frequently observed in tropical soils. Substrate uptake assays showed that the affinity of strain JG1 for ammonia and oxygen was much higher than those of AOB. These traits may give a competitive advantage to AOA related to strain JG1 in oligotrophic environments. ¹³C‐bicarbonate incorporation into archaeal lipids of strain JG1 established its ability to grow autotrophically. Strain JG1 produced a significant amount of N₂O gas – implicating AOA as a possible source of N₂O emission from soils. Sequences of archaeal amoA and 16S rRNA genes closely related to those of strain JG1 have been retrieved from various terrestrial environments in which lineage of strain JG1 is likely engaged in autotrophic nitrification.     

iASPPsv antagonizes apoptosis induced by chemotherapeutic agents in MCF-7 cells and mouse thymocytes

iASPP was an inhibitory member of ASPP family and could specifically inhibit the apoptotic function of p53. iASPPsv was identified by our lab as the short isoform of iASPP, which encoded a 407aa protein and highly matched the carboxyl terminus of iASPP. In this study, iASPPsv was stably transfected into the breast cancer cell line MCF-7 by means of lentivirus to explore the effects of iASPPsv on biological functions of MCF-7. Thymocytes from iASPP/iASPPsv transgenic mice were also used to explore the effects of iASPP/iASPPsv on cell biological function. The results demonstrated that iASPPsv antagonized the growth inhibition induced by etoposide (VP-16) in MCF-7 cells. iASPPsv also down-regulated proapoptotic genes (Bax, Puma and Noxa) expression to inhibit apoptosis caused by VP-16. Moreover, iASPP and iASPPsv could both help the thymocytes of transgenic mice to resist the growth inhibition and apoptosis caused by dexamethasone (Dex) or VP-16. At the same time, DNA double strand break damage accumulated in either iASPPsv MCF-7 cells or iASPP/iASPPsv thymocytes. These findings showed that iAPSS/iASPPsv reduced the growth inhibition and apoptosis induced by Dex or VP-16, with DNA damage accumulating which might promote the pathogenesis and/or progression of cancer.     

阴囊黄癣痂样石膏样小孢子菌感染1例

报道1例石膏样小孢子菌感染引起阴囊黄癣痂样皮损。患者,男,20岁,阴囊黄色痂皮3周。皮损取材真菌镜检可见分隔菌丝,培养为石膏样小孢子菌。口服伊曲康唑200mg/d,连续2周。停药时皮损消退,真菌学检查阴性。     

鼻咽癌相关新基因NPCEDRG表达对CNE2细胞生长的影响

为研究鼻咽癌相关新基因NPCEDRG的功能,探讨其对鼻咽癌细胞生长特性的影响,利用Tet-on调控系统,建立受强力霉素(deoxycycline,Dox)诱导NPCEDRG基因表达的CNE2细胞系.运用RT-PCR选择背景表达低、诱导活性高的细胞克隆,以不同浓度Dox诱导CNE2/Tet/TRE-NPCEDRG细胞,确定Dox的最佳诱导浓度.借助形态学观察、细胞生长曲线、软琼脂克隆形成试验和流式细胞仪分析等方法,对Dox诱导NPCEDRG高表达后CNE2细胞的生物学行为进行了检测.结果显示,NPCEDRG高表达后CNE2细胞增殖速度显著减慢(P<0.05),克隆形成能力显著降低(P<0.01),瘤细胞群体中处于G0/G1期细胞数增加,S期细胞数减少,细胞阻滞于G0/G1期.Tet调控NPCEDRG基因表达CNE2细胞系成功建立,恢复NPCEDRG表达能部分逆转CNE2的恶性表型,证明NPCEDRG是一个鼻咽癌相关的抑瘤基因.     

Parasiticidal activity of human α-defensin-5 against <Emphasis Type="Italic">Toxoplasma gondii</Emphasis>

Human defensins play a fundamental role in the initiation of innate immune responses to some microbial pathogens. In this paper, we show that human α-defensin-5 displays a parasiticidal role against Toxoplasma gondii, the causative agent of toxoplasmosis. Exposure of the tachyzoite form of T. gondii to defensin induced aggregation and significantly reduced parasite viability in a concentration-dependent peptide. Pre-incubation of tachyzoites with human α-defensin-5 followed by exposure to a mouse embryonal cell line (NIH/3T3) significantly reduced T. gondii infection in these cells. Thus, human α-defensin-5 is an innate immune molecule that causes severe toxocity to T. gondii and plays an important role in reducing cellular infection. This is the first report showing that human α-defensin-5 causes aggregation, leading to Toxoplasma destruction.