Butanol Extract of Acanthopanax senticosus (Rupr. et Maxim.) Harms Alleviates Atherosclerosis in Apolipoprotein E-Deficient Mice Fed a High-Fat Diet

This study investigated the effect of butanol extract of AS (ASBUE) on atherosclerosis in apolipoprotein E-deficient (ApoE^−/−) mice. The mice were administered ASBUE (390 or 130 mg/kg/day) or rosuvastatin (RSV) via oral gavage for eight weeks. In ApoE^−/− mice, ASBUE suppressed the abnormal body weight gain and improved serum and liver biochemical indicators. ASBUE remarkably reduced the aortic plaque area, improved liver pathological conditions, and lipid metabolism abnormalities, and altered the intestinal microbiota structure in ApoE^−/− mice. In the vascular tissue of ASBUE-treated mice, P-IKKβ, P-NFκB, and P-IκBα levels tended to decrease, while IκB-α increased in high fat-diet-fed atherosclerotic mice. These findings demonstrated the anti-atherosclerotic potential of ASBUE, which is mediated by the interaction between the gut microbiota and lipid metabolism and regulated via the Nuclear Factor-kappa B (NF-κB) pathway. This work paves the groundwork for subsequent studies to develop innovative drugs to treat atherosclerosis.     

High-Resolution Performance of Polycaprolactone Functionalized with Guanidinium Ionic Liquid for Gas Chromatography

This work firstly reported a new polycaprolactone based material functionalized with guanidinium ionic liquid (PCL-GIL) as the stationary phase with high resolution performance for capillary gas chromatography (GC). It is composed of polycaprolactone (PCL) and guanidinium ionic liquid (GIL) with amphiphilic conformation. The PCL-GIL capillary column coated by static method exhibited high column efficiency of 3942 plates/m and moderate polarity. As a result, the PCL-GIL column exhibited high-resolution capability. For a mixture of 27 analytes with a wide ranging polarity and outperformed the PCL-2OH and HP-35 columns, showing its advantageous separation capability for analytes of diverse types. Moreover, the PCL-GIL column showed high resolving capability for various positional isomers and cis-/trans-isomers, including alkylbenzenes, chlorobenzenes, naphthalenes, bromonitrobenzenes, chloronitrobenzenes, benzaldehydes, phenols, alcohols, respectively. In a word, PCL derivatized by GIL units as a new type of stationary phase has a promising future in GC separations.     

Ventilatory and hematopoietic responses to chronic hypoxia in two rat strains.

Hilltop (H) and Madison (M) strains of Sprague-Dawley rats exhibit strikingly different susceptibilities to the effects of chronic altitude exposure. The H rats develop greater polycythemia, hypoxemia, and pulmonary hypertension. We studied ventilation, pulmonary gas exchange, tissue oxygenation, and hematologic adaptations in the two rat strains during a 50-day exposure to a simulated altitude (HA) of 5,500 m (18,000 ft). There were no strain differences among the variables we studied under sea level (SL) conditions. Within the first 14 days of hypoxic exposure, the only significant strain differences were that erythropoietin (EPO) rose much higher and erythroid activity was greater in the H rats, even though arterial Po2 and PCo2 (Pao2 and PaCo2, respectively), renal venous PO2 (Prvo2), and ventilation (VE) were equivalent in the two strains during this time. By day 14 at HA, the H rats had significantly higher erythroid activity, hematocrit (Hct), and EPO levels, significantly lower PaO2 and PrvO2, but equivalent VE and PaCO2. These changes persisted for the remainder of the exposure, except that the Hct continued to rise and the increase was greater in H rats. Despite the greater O2-carrying capacity of H rats in the later stages of hypoxic exposure, PaO2 and PrvO2 were significantly lower in H rats. There were no strain differences at either SL or HA in ventilatory responses to hypercapnia or hypoxia, in blood O2 affinity or 2,3-diphosphoglycerate, in extrarenal production of EPO, or in EPO clearance. We conclude that early in the hypoxic exposure the H rats produce more EPO at apparently equivalent levels of hypoxia, and this is the first step in the pathogenesis of the maladaptation to HA manifest by H rats. We find no consistent evidence that differences in VE contribute to the variable susceptibility to hypoxia in the two rat strains.     

四种水蛭抗凝血酶作用的研究

本文研究了水蛭的抗凝血酶作用,并比较了4种提取方法对抗凝作用的影响。冷浸和温浸,抗凝活性强度为菲牛蛭>日本医蛭》两种宽体金线蛭。煎煮后,前两种的活性锐碱,而两种宽体金线蛭的活性几乎不变。     

Hepatitis C virus core protein interacts with the cytoplasmic tail of lymphotoxin-beta receptor.

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) core protein is a multifunctional protein. We examined whether it can interact with cellular proteins, thus contributing to viral pathogenesis. Using the HCV core protein as a bait to screen a human liver cDNA library in a yeast two-hybrid screening system, we have isolated several positive clones encoding cellular proteins that interact with the HCV core protein. Interestingly, more than half of these clones encode the cytoplasmic domain of lymphotoxin-beta receptor (LT betaR), which is a member of the tumor necrosis factor receptor family. Their binding was confirmed by in vitro glutathione S-transferase fusion protein binding assay and protein-protein blotting assay to be direct and specific. The binding sites were mapped within a 58-amino-acid region of the cytoplasmic tail of LT betaR. The binding site in the HCV core protein was localized within amino acid residues 36 to 91 from the N terminus, corresponding to the hydrophilic region of the protein. In mammalian cells, the core protein was found to be associated with the membrane-bound LT betaR. Since the LT betaR is involved in germinal center formation and developmental regulation of peripheral lymphoid organs, lymph node development, and apoptotic signaling, the binding of HCV core protein to LT betaR suggests the possibility that this viral protein has an immunomodulating function and may explain the mechanism of viral persistence and pathogenesis of HCV.     

尖吻蝮咬伤与心脏损害：附20例分析

本文报告尖吻蝮咬伤并心脏受累20例。经中西医结合治愈19例(95％),死亡1例(5％),并对其发病机理及治疗进行了讨论。     

Relationship between rate of gluconeogenesis and content of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide in renal cortex

Gluconeogenesis in rat renal cortex was measured using tissue slices incubated with or without appropriate substrates. Immediately after incubation the tissue slices were snap-frozen and the content of oxidized nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD⁺) was determined. Incubation with 10 mM α-ketoglutarate or L-glutamate led to enhanced glucose production and an increase in tissue content of NAD⁺. Quinolinate and 3-mercaptopicolinate inhibited the rate of gluconeogenesis from L-glutamate and α-ketoglutarate respectively, and decreased the tissue levels of NAD⁺. The enhanced rate of gluconeogenesis was associated with an increase of NAD⁺ in the cytosol fraction (10⁵ × g supernatant) but not in the particulate fraction (10⁵ × g pellet) of renal cortex homogenate. Present results indicate that NAD⁺ content changes in parallel with the rate of gluconeogenesis in renal cortical tissue.     

Role of surface exclusion genes in lethal zygosis in Escherichia coli K12 mating

Summary We find that diaminopimelic acid in the recipient membrane is released into the medium during bacterial matings, indicating that membrane damage was inflicted on the recipient by the donor, probably for forming a channel for DNA transfer. When the damage is extensive, as in matings with an excess of Hfr bacteria, the F^- bacteria are killed (lethal zygosis). The transfer of a large amount of DNA in Hfr matings appears to enhance the killing. In analogous F⁺xF^- (Nal^r) matings, on the other hand, killing of F^- bacteria does not occur unless F plasmid transfer is inhibited by a substance like nalidixic acid. The F^- bacteria are killed, suggesting that F plasmids contain genes that express immunity to lethal zygosis in the recipient. For example, bacteria containing surface exclusion-deficient mutants of F plasmids, such as traS ^- and traT ^-, induce lethal zygosis in F^- bacteria and are susceptible to it. Various tra ^- polar mutants that abolish surface exclusion are also susceptible to lethal zygosis when mated with Hfr bacteria. Kinetic experiments indicate that in F⁺ (wild type) x F^- matings, immunity to lethal zygosis is expressed in the F^- recipient within 1/4 division time, whereas a complete expression of surface exclusion requires more than 1 division time. Thus, a complete change in all receptor sites seems to be required for the expression of surface exclusion.     

Enzyme assay in cultures of Escherichia coli by a continuous flow method based on lysis from without by a phage ghost.

Lysis of Escherichia coli from without by excess of phage ghost has been shown to give excellent yield of several enzymes. The application of lysis from without to a continuous determination of enzymes in growing cultures of E. coli is illustrated with β-galactosidase. This application can be used in studies on changes of a large number of enzymes during metabolic perturbation (induction, repression, etc.) of growing cultures of E. coli.     

Effect of 1,10-phenanthroline on bacterial conjugation in Escherichia coli K-12: inhibition of maturation from preliminary mates into effective mates.

The addition of 1 mM orthophenanthroline (OP) into a mating mixture drastically reduced the production of recombinants. Examination of the effect of OP on each step of conjugation showed that the effect on the following steps could not account for the up to 500-fold reduction of recombinant formation: (i) preliminary mate formation and (ii) deoxyribonucleic acid transfer and integration. Taking these results and additional experiments together, we conclude that OP inhibits the maturation of preliminary mates into effective mates. Kinetic experiments showed that there were two phases in the maturation of preliminary (OP-sensitive) mates into effective (OP-resistant) mates. The half-time (the time required to reach 50% OP-resistant mates) was 2.5 min for the first phase and 4 min for the second phase, with an overall half-time of 7.5 min. In contrast, only 3 min was required to reach 50% Zn2+-resistant mates. The difference in half-time suggests that there is an intermediate step involved to form an effective mate from a preliminary mate.