Sequence analysis of the first B5 subgenogroup strain of enterovirus 71 isolated in Korea

Journal of Microbiology - Enterovirus A71 (EV71), the main etiological agent of handfoot- mouth disease (HFMD), circulates in many areas of the world and has caused large epidemics since 1997,...     

CaСl2 Salt Signaling in Primary Root Architecture and Lateral Root Emergence in Arabidopsis thaliana

Russian Journal of Plant Physiology - Plant root architecture modulates during developmental stages and adjusts with the environmental condition. The cytosolic calcium which is a ubiquitous...     

Atg3 promotes Atg8 lipidation via altering lipid diffusion and rearrangement

Atg3‐catalyzed transferring of Atg8 to phosphatidylethanolamine (PE) in the phagophore membrane is essential for autophagy. Previous studies have demonstrated that this process requires Atg3 to interact with the phagophore membrane via its N‐terminal amphipathic helix. In this study, by using combined biochemical and biophysical approaches, our data showed that in addition to binding to the membranes, Atg3 attenuates lipid diffusion and enriches lipid molecules with smaller headgroup. Our data suggest that Atg3 promotes Atg8 lipidation via altering lipid diffusion and rearrangement.     

Could the recycled yarns substitute for the virgin cotton yarns: a comparative LCA

Purpose

Cotton yarns spun from natural fibers are widely used in the apparel industry. Most of waste cotton goods are now disposed by incineration or landfill, which brings resource and environmental challenges to the society. Using the waste cotton to spin yarns is an alternative way to forward a more sustainable future. In this research, two scenarios for the environmental impacts of yarns spun from corresponding fibers are investigated, including recycled cotton fibers and virgin cotton fibers.

Methods

The life cycle assessment (LCA) has been conducted according to the collected data from on-site investigation of typical production factories. The life cycle for the recycled cotton yarn production is divided into five stages, i.e., raw material acquisition, transportation, breaking, mixing, and spinning. The life cycle of virgin cotton yarn production is been divided into four stages, i.e., raw material acquisition, transportation, mixing, and spinning. The functional unit is 1000 kg produced yarns which are used for weaving into the fabrics. Notable impacts on climate change, fossil depletion, water depletion, and human toxicity were observed.

Results

The life cycle impact assessment (LCIA) results show that environmental impacts of recycled cotton yarns are far less than those of virgin cotton yarns, except for climate change and water depletion. The reason is that the land occupation and irrigation water have great impact on environmental impacts of cotton cultivation. In spinning, the electricity is the key factor whose environmental impacts account for the most in the virgin cotton yarn scenario, while the electricity and water consumptions are the key factors for the recycled cotton yarn scenario in the life cycle of yarn production. The sensitivity analysis indicates that improving energy efficiency can significantly reduce environmental burdens for both the two scenarios. The uncertainty distribution of water depletion, human toxicity, fossil depletion, and climate change of the two scenarios were determined with a 90% confidence interval.

Conclusions

The LCIA results reveal recycled cotton yarn is a viable alternative to relieve resource and environmental pressure. About 0.5 ha of agricultural land can be saved, 6600 kg CO₂ eq can be reduced, and 2783 m³ irrigation water can be saved by using 1000 kg of the recycled cotton yarns. It can be concluded that the recycled cotton fibers can be served as a substitute for virgin cotton fibers to reduce agricultural land and avoid environmental impacts generated from the cotton planting.

     

达格列净对2型糖尿病大鼠肾脏葡萄糖转运蛋白2及葡萄糖转运蛋白4基因表达的影响*

目的:探讨达格列净对2型糖尿病大鼠肾脏葡萄糖转运蛋白2(GLUT2)和葡萄糖转运蛋白4(GLUT4)基因表达的影响。方法:使用高脂饲料和一次性注射40 mg/kg链脲佐菌素(STZ)建立2型糖尿病大鼠模型,造模大鼠以空腹血糖(FBG)含量≥16.7 mmol/L时视为造模成功。造模成功后随机分为模型组(B组,生理盐水)、达格列净低剂量组(C组,0.75 mg/kg)、达格列净中剂量组(D组,1.5 mg/kg)、达格列净高剂量组(E组,3.0 mg/kg),每组6只;另选取6只健康的SD大鼠作为正常对照组(A组,生理盐水)。各组均为灌胃给药,每天1次,连续7周。灌胃给药7周后测定大鼠的体重以及血清FBG、糖化血红蛋白(HbA1c)、血尿素氮(BUN)、血肌酐(Scr)的变化;采用酶联免疫吸附测定血清及肾组织丙二醛(MDA)、超氧化物歧化酶(SOD)和谷胱甘肽过氧化物酶(GSH-Px);采用HE观察肾脏病理学变化;采用Western blot检测肾脏组织中GLUT2、GLUT4蛋白表达;RT-qPCR检测肾脏组织中GLUT2、GLUT4 mRNA相对表达量。结果: 与A组比较,各组大鼠的体重及SOD、GSH-PX水平明显降低(P＜ 0.05),FBG、HbA1c、BUN、Scr、MDA水平明显升高(P＜0.05),肾脏病理损伤严重,肾组织GLUT2、GLUT4 mRNA相对表达量和蛋白表达均明显降低(P均＜0.05)。与B组比较,C组、D组和E组大鼠的体重、SOD、GSH-PX水平和肾组织GLUT2、GLUT4 mRNA相对表达量明显升高(P＜0.05),FBG、HbA1c、BUN、Scr、MDA水平明显降低(P＜ 0.05);D组和E组肾脏病理损伤明显减轻,肾组织GLUT2、GLUT4蛋白表达均明显升高(P均＜0.05)。结论:达格列净可缓解2型糖尿病模型大鼠的病情,并上调肾脏GLUT2及GLUT4基因的表达。