Detection of virus-like particles in the coremia of Penicillium claviforme.

A double-stranded ribonucleic acid (dsRNA) was isolated from coremial extracts of wild type P. claviforme, by methylated-albumin kieselguhr chromatography. Differential centrifugations of the coremial extracts from WT and Sh mutant strains yielded two classes of virus-like particles (VLP), of dimensions 25-30 nm, and 50-70 nm. The possible ecological significance of fungal viruses is discussed.     

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.     

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.     

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.     

Asymmetric reduction of prochiral ketones to chiral alcohols catalyzed by plants tissue

As an important organic compound, chiral alcohols are the key chiral building blocks to many single enantiomer pharmaceuticals. Asymmetric reduction of the corresponding prochiral ketones to produce the chiral alcohols by biocatalysis is one of the most promising routes. Asymmetric reduction of different kinds of non-natural prochiral ketones catalyzed by various plants tissue was studied in this work. Acetophenone, 4'-chloroacetophenone and ethyl 4-chloroacetoacetate were chosen as the model substrates for simple ketone, halogen-containing aromatic ketone and beta-ketoesters, respectively. Apple (Malus pumila), carrot (Daucus carota), cucumber (Cucumis sativus), onion (Allium cepa), potato (Soanum tuberosum), radish (Raphanus sativus) and sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas) were chosen as the biocatalysts. It was found that these kinds of prochiral ketoness could be reduced by these plants tissue with high enantioselectivity. Both R- and S-form configuration chiral alcohols could be obtained. The e.e. and chemical yield could reach about 98 and 80% respectively for acetophenone and 4'-chloroacetophenone reduction reaction with favorable plant tissue. And the e.e. and yield for ethyl 4-chloroacetoacetate reduction reaction was about 91 and 45% respectively.     

Deformability Assessment of Waterborne Protozoa Using a Microfluidic-Enabled Force Microscopy Probe

Many modern filtration technologies are incapable of the complete removal of Cryptosporidium oocysts from drinking-water. Consequently, Cryptosporidium-contaminated drinking-water supplies can severely implicate both water utilities and consumers. Existing methods for the detection of Cryptosporidium in drinking-water do not discern between non-pathogenic and pathogenic species, nor between viable and non-viable oocysts. Using FluidFM, a novel force spectroscopy method employing microchannelled cantilevers for single-cell level manipulation, we assessed the size and deformability properties of two species of Cryptosporidium that pose varying levels of risk to human health. A comparison of such characteristics demonstrated the ability of FluidFM to discern between Cryptosporidium muris and Cryptosporidium parvum with 86% efficiency, whilst using a measurement throughput which exceeded 50 discrete oocysts per hour. In addition, we measured the deformability properties for untreated and temperature-inactivated oocysts of the highly infective, human pathogenic C. parvum to assess whether deformability may be a marker of viability. Our results indicate that untreated and temperature-inactivated C. parvum oocysts had overlapping but significantly different deformability distributions.