基于地形梯度的黄河流域中段植被覆盖时空分异特征——以延安市为例

植被恢复是黄河流域生态保护和高质量发展的关键,深入研究植被的时空分异特征具有重要的现实意义。本研究以4期Landsat TM/OLI为遥感数据源,采用像元二分模型估算植被覆盖度,运用转移矩阵、地学信息图谱和重心迁移模型分析1988—2018年黄河流域中段延安市植被覆盖的时空演变特征;并结合地形数据,利用地形分布指数分析高程、坡度上植被覆盖的空间响应规律。结果表明: 研究期间,延安市植被覆盖呈北低南高的空间分布特征,植被覆盖受政策影响而大幅增高;1988—2018年,延安市植被变化模式以持续向好和稳定不变为主导,有50%的区域植被覆盖情况改善,83%的高植被覆盖区域保持稳定。在各高程和坡度等级上,高植被覆盖的分布优势度随时间变化而增大;在各坡度等级上,植被增加百分比和植被稳定性随坡度增加而增大。延安不同等级植被覆盖的迁移方向与植被覆盖整体的迁移趋势基本一致,总体向北偏西转移。延安植被建设已取得显著成效,但北部植被覆盖状况仍待提高,优化植被类型和结构是未来植被建设的重要方向。     

Application of germ-free NOD-scid IL2rgnull mice as a humanized model for tumor microbiome precision medicine

正In 2013, tumor immunotherapy topped the list of the top ten scientific breakthroughs(Couzin-Frankel, 2013), and it was widely used in the treatment of lung cancer, kidney cancer,and melanoma(Routy et al., 2018). However, the response rate of patients to tumor immunotherapy varies, and usually,only a small percentage of patients respond well to treatment(Sambi et al., 2019).     

Th2 polarization in target organs is involved in the alleviation of pathological damage mediated by transplanting granulocyte colony-stimulating factor-primed donor T cells

Acute graft-versus-host disease(a GVHD) is caused by allo-activated donor T cells infiltrating target organs. As a regulator of immune function, granulocyte colony-stimulating factor(G-CSF) has been demonstrated to relieve the a GVHD reaction.However, the role of G-CSF-primed donor Tcells in specific target organs is still unknown. In this study, we employed a classical MHC-mismatched transplantation mouse model(C57BL/6 into BALB/c) and found that recipient mice transplanted with GCSF-primed T cells exhibited prolonged survival compared with that of the PBS-treated group. This protective function against GVHD mediated by G-CSF-primed donor T cells was further confirmed by decreased clinical and pathological scores in this a GVHD mouse model, especially in the lung and gut. Moreover, we found that Tcells polarized towards Th2 cells and regulatory T cells were increased in specific target organs. In addition, G-CSF treatment inhibited inducible co-stimulator(ICOS) expression and increased the expression of tolerance-related genes in recipient mice. Our study provides new insight into the immune regulatory effects of G-CSF on T cell-mediated a GVHD, especially for its precise regulation in GVHD target organs.     

Shell Biosynthesis and Pigmentation as Revealed by the Expression of Tyrosinase and Tyrosinase-like Protein Genes in Pacific Oyster (Crassostrea gigas) with Different Shell Colors

Marine Biotechnology - The widely recognized color polymorphisms of molluscan shell have been appreciated for hundreds of years by collectors and scientists, while molecular mechanisms underlying...     

Advancement and properties of circular RNAs in prostate cancer: An emerging and compelling frontier for discovering

Prostate cancer (PC) is the most common carcinoma among men worldwide which results in 26% of leading causes of cancer-related death. However, the ideal and effective molecular marker remains elusive. CircRNA, initially observed in plant-infected viruses and Sendai virus in 1979, is generated from pre-mRNA back-splicing and comes in to play by adequate expression. The differential expression in prostate tissues compared with the control reveals the promising capacity in modulating processes including carcinogenesis and metastasis. However, the biological mechanisms of regulatory network in PC needs to systemically concluded. In this review, we enlightened the comprehensive studies on the definite mechanisms of circRNAs affecting tumor progression and metastasis. What''s more, we validated the potential clinical application of circRNAs serving as diagnostic and prognostic biomarker. The discussion and analysis in circRNAs will broaden our knowledge of the pathogenesis of PC and further optimize the current therapies against different condition.     

Curcumin alleviates acute kidney injury in a dry‐heat environment by reducing oxidative stress and inflammation in a rat model

Curcumin exhibits anti‐inflammatory and antioxidant activities. We investigated the protective effects of curcumin in a renal injury rat model under dry‐heat conditions. We divided Sprague‐Dawley rats into four groups: dry‐heat 0‐ (normal temperature control group), 50‐, 100‐, and 150‐minute groups. Each group was divided into five subgroups (n = 10): normal saline (NS), sodium carboxymethylcellulose (CMCNa), and curcumin pretreated low, medium, and high‐dose (50, 100, and 200 mg/kg, respectively) groups. Compared to the normal temperature group, serum creatinine, blood urea nitrogen, urinary kidney injury molecule‐1, and neutrophil gelatinase‐associated load changes in lipoprotein (NGAL) levels were significantly increased in the dry‐heat environment group (P < .05); inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) and cyclooxygenase‐2 (COX‐2) expression and malondialdehyde (MDA) and related inflammatory factor levels were increased in the kidney tissue. Superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT) levels were decreased. However, following all curcumin pretreatment, the serum levels of kidney injury indicators and NGAL were decreased in the urine compared to those in the NS and CMCNa groups (P < .05), whereas renal SOD and CAT activities were increased and MDA was decreased (P < .05). Renal tissues of the 150‐minute group showed obvious pathological changes. Compared to the NS group, pathological changes in the renal tissues of the 100‐ and 200‐mg/kg curcumin groups were significantly reduced. Furthermore, iNOS and COX‐2 expression and inflammatory factor levels were decreased after curcumin treatment. Curcumin exerted renoprotective effects that were likely mediated by its antioxidant and anti‐inflammatory effects in a dry‐heat environment rat model.     

Interacting effects of water temperature and dietary protein level on hematological parameters in Nile tilapia juveniles,Oreochromis niloticus (L.) and mortality under Streptococcus iniae infection

Based on central composite rotatable experimental design and response surface method, the interacting effects of temperature (20 °C–34 °C) and dietary protein level (25%–50%) on hematological parameters including red blood cell (RBC), white blood cell (WBC) and hemoglobin (Hb) of juvenile Oreochromis niloticus were studied under laboratory conditions. The experiment lasted for 7 weeks. After the feeding trial, fish were challenged with Streptococcus iniae and mortality was recorded for within 8 days. Results showed that the linear and quadratic effects of temperature on RBC, WBC and Hb were highly significant (P < 0.01). When the dietary protein level was 25%–50%, the RBC, WBC and Hb were increased firstly and then decreased, but the linear and quadratic effects of protein level were insignificant (P > 0.05). The interacting effects of temperature and protein level on RBC and Hb were significant (P < 0.05). The regression equations of RBC, WBC and Hb toward the two factors of interest were established, with the coefficients of determination being 0.870, 0.836 and 0.881, respectively (P < 0.01). These equations could be used for prediction in practice. After the challenge, the mortalities for the combinations of 22.1 °C/28.7% and 20.0 °C/37.5% were significantly higher than 27.0 °C/37.5% (P < 0.05). The optimal temperature/dietary protein level combination was obtained at 27.9 °C/38.1% at which the lowest mortality (13.76%) was attained. This value was close to the optimal temperature/dietary protein level combination (29.4 °C/41.9%) for the greatest levels of RBC (2.560 × 10⁶ μL^?1), WBC (270.648 × 10³ μL^?1) and Hb (92.851 g L^?1). The results of this study indicated that preferred temperature/dietary protein level combination might strengthen the non-specific immunity and reduce susceptibility to S. iniae.     

Tonotopic reorganization and spontaneous firing in inferior colliculus during both short and long recovery periods after noise overexposure

Background

Noise induced injury of the cochlea causes shifts in activation thresholds and changes of frequency response in the inferior colliculus (IC). Noise overexposure also induces pathological changes in the cochlea, and is highly correlated to hearing loss. However, the underlying mechanism has not been fully elucidated. In this study, we hypothesized that overexposure to noise induces substantial electrophysiological changes in the IC of guinea pigs.

Results

During the noise exposure experiment, the animals were undergoing a bilateral exposure to noise. Additionally, various techniques were employed including confocal microscopy for the detection of cochlea hair cells and single neuron recording for spontaneous firing activity measurement. There were alterations among three types of frequency response area (FRA) from sound pressure levels, including V-, M-, and N-types. Our results indicate that overexposure to noise generates different patterns in the FRAs. Following a short recovery (one day after the noise treatment), the percentage of V-type FRAs considerably decreased, whereas the percentage of M-types increased. This was often caused by a notch in the frequency response that occurred at 4 kHz (noise frequency). Following a long recovery from noise exposure (11–21 days), the percentage of V-types resumed to a normal level, but the portion of M-types remained high. Interestingly, the spontaneous firing in the IC was enhanced in both short and long recovery groups.

Conclusion

Our data suggest that noise overexposure changes the pattern of the FRAs and stimulates spontaneous firing in the IC in a unique way, which may likely relate to the mechanism of tinnitus.