Fasting up‐regulates ferroportin 1 expression via a Ghrelin/GHSR/MAPK signaling pathway

The significant positive correlation between ghrelin and iron and hepcidin levels in the plasma of children with iron deficiency anemia prompted us to hypothesize that ghrelin may affect iron metabolism. Here, we investigated the effects of fasting or ghrelin on the expression of hepcidin, ferroportin 1 (Fpn1), transferrin receptor 1 (TfR1), ferritin light chain (Ft‐L) proteins, and ghrelin, and also hormone secretagogue receptor 1 alpha (GHSR1α) and ghrelin O‐acyltransferase (GOAT) mRNAs in the spleen and/or macrophage. We demonstrated that fasting induces a significant increase in the expression of ghrelin, GHSR1α, GOAT, and hepcidin mRNAs, as well as Ft‐L and Fpn1 but not TfR1 proteins in the spleens of mice in vivo. Similar to the effects of fasting on the spleen, ghrelin induced a significant increase in the expression of Ft‐L and Fpn1 but not TfR1 proteins in macrophages in vitro. In addition, ghrelin was found to induce a significant enhancement in phosphorylation of ERK as well as translocation of pERK from the cytosol to nuclei. Furthermore, the increased pERK and Fpn1 induced by ghrelin was demonstrated to be preventable by pre‐treatment with either GHSR1α antagonist or pERK inhibitor. Our findings support the hypothesis that fasting upregulates Fpn1 expression, probably via a ghrelin/GHSR/MAPK signaling pathway.     

鸡肉源沙门氏菌对喹诺酮和氟喹诺酮类抗生素耐药状况及相关基因

【目的】研究分离于陕西、河南、四川和北京四省(市)鸡肉源沙门氏菌对喹诺酮和部分氟喹诺酮类抗生素的药敏性及相关耐药基因,更好地了解耐药性的产生和传播途径,确保食品安全。【方法】用琼脂稀释法测定沙门氏菌的药敏性,用PCR和基因序列测定法确定耐药沙门氏菌中与(氟)喹诺酮类抗生素耐药相关的喹诺酮类抗性决定区基因突变及质粒携带的耐药基因。【结果】390株沙门氏菌中,63.59%的菌株对萘啶酮酸产生抗性,21.28%、16.67%和14.62%的菌株分别对环丙沙星、左氧氟沙星和加替沙星产生抗性。248株萘啶酮酸抗性菌中,aac(6’)-Ib-cr、qnrA、qnrB和qnrS基因的检出率分别为20.16%、10.89%、10.08%和1.61%。83株耐环丙沙星的菌株中,gyrA和parC基因的点突变共199个;其中gyrA基因中以Ser83Phe和Asp87Gly双突变最为常见,其次分别为Ser83Phe和Asp87Asn双突变、Ser83Tyr、Ser83Phe、Asp87Gly;parC基因的65个点突变均为Ser80Arg突变。【结论】四省市中鸡肉源沙门氏菌耐药状况严重,其解旋酶和拓扑异构酶基因突变及质粒携带的耐药基因是导致沙门氏菌耐药的重要机制。     

NaCl、KC1和NaNO3对盐地碱蓬生长以及植物体内离子组成和分布的效应

盐生植物盐地碱蓬(Suaeda salsa)的幼苗分别用0、50、100和200 mmol·L-1的NaCl、KCl和NaNO3处理15和30 d后取样并测定干鲜重、肉质化和离子含量的变化的结果显示(1)NaCl处理后植株鲜重和干重均随着NaCl浓度的增大而升高,NaNO3的效应次之,KCl则起抑制作用;(2)三种盐处理后植株肉质化水平依次为NaCl＞NaNO3＞KCl1(3)离子含量变化为,Na 含量依次为NaCl＞NaNO3＞KCl;K 含量依次为KCl＞NaCl＞NaNO3;Cl-含量依次为KCl＞NaCl＞NaNO3;(4)盐地碱蓬对NaCl的响应特别显著并具有很强的依赖性,200mmol·L-1NaCl处理30d后植物体内Na 和Cl-含量分别占干重的13.5%和10.1%.显然,盐地碱蓬是一种专性盐生植物,是一种钠和氯的超富集植物.     

Resting-state brain activity in adult males who stutter

Although developmental stuttering has been extensively studied with structural and task-based functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), few studies have focused on resting-state brain activity in this disorder. We investigated resting-state brain activity of stuttering subjects by analyzing the amplitude of low-frequency fluctuation (ALFF), region of interest (ROI)-based functional connectivity (FC) and independent component analysis (ICA)-based FC. Forty-four adult males with developmental stuttering and 46 age-matched fluent male controls were scanned using resting-state fMRI. ALFF, ROI-based FCs and ICA-based FCs were compared between male stuttering subjects and fluent controls in a voxel-wise manner. Compared with fluent controls, stuttering subjects showed increased ALFF in left brain areas related to speech motor and auditory functions and bilateral prefrontal cortices related to cognitive control. However, stuttering subjects showed decreased ALFF in the left posterior language reception area and bilateral non-speech motor areas. ROI-based FC analysis revealed decreased FC between the posterior language area involved in the perception and decoding of sensory information and anterior brain area involved in the initiation of speech motor function, as well as increased FC within anterior or posterior speech- and language-associated areas and between the prefrontal areas and default-mode network (DMN) in stuttering subjects. ICA showed that stuttering subjects had decreased FC in the DMN and increased FC in the sensorimotor network. Our findings support the concept that stuttering subjects have deficits in multiple functional systems (motor, language, auditory and DMN) and in the connections between them.     

Predictive value of circulating miR-328 and miR-134 for acute myocardial infarction

MicroRNA (miRNAs) is demonstrated to be present in the blood of humans and has been increasingly suggested as a novel biomarker for various pathological processes in the heart, including myocardial infarction, myocardial remodeling and progression to heart failure. In this study, we aim to evaluate the diagnostic and prognostic value of circulating miR-328 and miR-134 in patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI). Circulating levels of miR-328 and miR-134 were detected by quantitative real-time PCR in plasma samples from 359 AMI patients and 30 healthy volunteers. Concentrations of high-sensitivity cardiac troponin T (hs-cTnT) were measured using electrochemiluminescence-based methods. MiRNAs were assessed for discrimination of a clinical diagnosis of AMI and for association with primary clinical endpoint defined as a composite of cardiogenic death and development of heart failure within 6 months after infarction. Results showed that levels of plasma miR-328 and miR-134 were significantly higher in AMI patients than in healthy controls. Receiver operating characteristic curve analyses showed significant diagnostic value of miR-328 and miR-134 for AMI. However, neither of them was superior to hs-cTnT for the diagnosis. Additionally, increased miRNA levels were strongly associated with increased risk of mortality or heart failure within 6 months for miR-328 (OR 7.35, 95 % confidence interval 1.07–17.83, P < 0.001) and miR-134 (OR 2.28, 95 % confidence interval 1.03–11.32 P < 0.001). In conclusion, circulating miR-328 and miR-134 could be potential indicators for AMI, and the miRNA levels are associated with increased risk of mortality or development of heart failure.     

Inhibition of severe acute respiratory syndrome virus replication by small interfering RNAs in mammalian cells

Severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) is an acute respiratory infectious disease that spread worldwide in early 2003. The cause was determined as a novel coronavirus (CoV), SARS-associated CoV (SARS-CoV), with a single-stranded, plus-sense RNA. To date, no effective specific treatment has been identified. To exploit the possibility of using RNA interference as a therapeutic approach to fight the disease, plasmid-mediated small interfering RNAs (siRNAs) were generated to target the SARS-CoV genome. The expression of siRNAs from two plasmids, which specifically target the viral RNA polymerase, effectively blocked the cytopathic effects of SARS-CoV on Vero cells. These two plasmids also inhibited viral replication as shown by titer assays and by an examination of viral RNA and protein levels. Thus, our results demonstrated the feasibility of developing siRNAs as effective anti-SARS drugs.     

The WEE1 regulators CPEB1 and miR-15b switch from inhibitor to activators at G2/M

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) in the AGO-containing RISC complex control messenger RNA (mRNA) translation by binding to mRNA 3′ untranslated region (3′UTR). The relationship between miRNAs and other regulatory factors that also bind to mRNA 3′UTR, such as CPEB1 (cytoplasmic polyadenylation element-binding protein), remains elusive. We found that both CPEB1 and miR-15b control the expression of WEE1, a key mammalian cell cycle regulator. Together, they repress WEE1 protein expression during G1 and S-phase. Interestingly, the 2 factors lose their inhibitory activity at the G2/M transition, at the time of the cell cycle when WEE1 expression is maximal, and, moreover, rather activate WEE1 translation in a synergistic manner. Our data show that translational regulation by RISC and CPEB1 is essential in cell cycle control and, most importantly, is coordinated, and can be switched from inhibition to activation during the cell cycle.     

HFRSV在平皿表面室温暴露后存活力的定量研究

将肾综合症出血热病毒布于玻璃平皿表面,室温条件下分别暴露0、30、60、90和120min,观察病毒的定量存活情况.结果在经过120min的暴露后,HFRSV的效价仍高达104.23 TCID50.这一结果为HFRS的流行病学及其防治研究提供了重要的基础数据.     

Different antigen presentation tendencies of granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor-induced bone marrow-derived macrophages and peritoneal macrophages

Granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF)-induced bone marrow-derived cells (BMCs) and primary peritoneal exudate cells (PECs) are usually used for antigen presentation in in vitro experiments. In order to expound their tendency for uptake and antigen presentation, we compared differences in the degree of phagocytosis, the expression of co-stimulatory molecules, and the activation of T lymphocytes between these two cell types. These assays used the F4/80 marker expression, as it is the general marker for macrophages. The BMC population was found to contain both F4/80(bright) and F4/80(dim) subtypes, while PECs were mainly composed of the F4/80(bright) subtype. Expression levels of cell surface co-stimulatory molecules, CD80, CD86, CD54, and CD40, were significantly higher for F4/80(+)BMCs than F4/80(+)PECs. Their expressions were further upregulated for F4/80(+)BMCs than for F4/80(+)PECs after stimulation with flagellin. F4/80(+)BMCs had a weaker ability to phagocytize microbeads than F4/80(+)PECs (P?相似文献