Protoporphyrin Treatment Modulates Susceptibility to Experimental Autoimmune Encephalomyelitis in miR-155-Deficient Mice

We previously identified heme oxygenase 1 (HO-1) as a specific target of miR-155, and inhibition of HO-1 activity restored the capacity of miR-155 ^-/- CD4⁺ T cells to promote antigen-driven inflammation after adoptive transfer in antigen-expressing recipients. Protoporphyrins are molecules recognized for their modulatory effect on HO-1 expression and function. In the present study, we investigated the effect of protoporphyrin treatment on the development of autoimmunity in miR-155-deficient mice. MiR-155-mediated control of HO-1 expression in promoting T cell-driven chronic autoimmunity was confirmed since HO-1 inhibition restored susceptibility to experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) in miR-155-deficient mice. The increased severity of the disease was accompanied by an enhanced T cell infiltration into the brain. Taken together, these results underline the importance of miR-155-mediated control of HO-1 expression in regulating the function of chronically-stimulated T cells in EAE.     

Comparison Study of Bone Defect Healing Effect of Raw and Processed Pyritum in Rats

To evaluate and compare the effect of raw and processed pyritum on tibial defect healing, 32 male Sprague Dawley rats were randomly divided into four groups. After tibial defect, animals were produced and grouped: sham and control group were orally administrated with distilled water (1 mL/100 g), while treatment groups were given aqueous extracts of raw and processed pyritum (1.5 g/kg) for successive 42 days. Radiographic examination showed that bone defect healing effect of the treatment groups was obviously superior compared to that of the control group. Bone mineral density of whole tibia was increased significantly after treating with pyritum. Inductively coupled plasma-optical emission spectrometry showed that the contents of Ca, P, and Mg in callus significantly increased in the treatment groups comparing with the control. Moreover, serological analysis showed that the concentration of serum phosphorus of the treatment groups significantly increased compared with that of the control group. By in vitro study, we have evaluated the effects of drug-containing serum of raw and processed pyritum on osteoblasts. It was manifested that both the drug-containing sera of raw and processed pyritum significantly increased the mRNA levels of alkaline phosphatase and collagen type I. Protein levels of phosphorylated Smad2/3 also increased. The mRNA levels of osteocalcin and transforming growth factor β (TGF-β) type I and II receptors, as well as the protein levels of TGF-β1 in the processed groups, were higher than those in the control. In summary, both raw and processed pyritum-containing sera exhibited positive effects on osteoblasts, which maybe via the TGF-β1/Smad signaling pathway. Notably, the tibia defect healing effect of pyritum was significantly enhanced after processing.     

Alleviation of Liver Dysfunction,Oxidative Stress,and Inflammation Underlines the Protective Effects of Polysaccharides from Cordyceps cicadae on High Sugar/High Fat Diet-Induced Metabolic Syndrome in Rats

This study investigated the protective effects of two polysaccharides (CPA-1 and CPB-2) from Cordyceps cicadae against high fructose/high fat diet (HF/HFD) induced obesity and metabolic disorders in rats. Rats were either fed with normal diet or HF/HFD and treated with CPA-1 and CPB-2 (100 and 300 mg/kg) for 11 weeks. Administration of CPA-1 and CPB-2 significantly and dose dependently reduced body and liver weight, insulin and glucose tolerance, serum insulin and glucose levels. Furthermore, serum and hepatic lipid profiles, liver function enzymes and proinflammatory cytokines (TNF-α, IL-1β and IL-6) were markedly reduced. Additionally, CPA-1 and CPB-2 treatment alleviated hepatic oxidative stress by reducing lipid peroxidation level (MDA) and upregulating glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px), superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT) activities as well as ameliorated histological alterations through the reduction of hepatic lipid accumulation. These results suggested that the polysaccharides from C. cicadae showed protective effects against HF/HFD induced metabolic disturbances and may be considered as a dietary supplement for treating obesity.     

Fractionation of the Biopolyols from Lignocellulosic Biomass for the Production of Rigid Foams

The objective of this investigation was to find a simple method for the production of phenolic-rich products and sugar derivatives via separation of liquefied lignocellulosic materials. After liquefaction, the liquefied products were separated by addition of a sufficient amount of water. It was found that those hydrophobic phenolics could be largely separated from aqueous solutions. Preparation of polyurethane foams using biopolyol and isocyanate was studied. Water was used as an environmentally friendly blowing agent. The factors influencing the cell structure of foams such as catalyst, dosage of blowing agent, and mass ratio of biopolyol to PEG were studied. The microstructure of synthesized foams was characterized by SEM.     

Prenatal diagnosis of Pallister-Killian syndrome and literature review

Pallister-Killian syndrome (PKS) is a rare sporadic genetic disorder usually caused by mosaicism of an extra isochromosome of 12p (i(12p)). This retrospective study analysed the prenatal ultrasound manifestations and molecular and cytogenetic results of five PKS foetuses. Samples of amniotic fluid and/or cord blood, skin biopsy and placenta were collected. Conventional karyotyping and single nucleotide polymorphism array (SNP array) were performed on all the amniotic fluid or cord blood samples. Copy number variants sequencing (CNV-seq) and fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) were also used for the validation for one foetus. All the five foetuses were from pregnancies with advanced parental age. Two foetuses involved structural abnormalities and one foetus had only soft markers, all of which included increased nuchal translucency. The rest two foetuses had normal ultrasounds in the second trimester, which has rarely been reported before. The karyotype revealed typical i(12p) in four cases and a small supernumerary marker chromosome consisting of 12p and 20p in the remaining one case. The proportion of cells with i(12p) ranged from 0 to 100% in cultural cells, while SNP array results suggested 2−4 copies of 12p. For one foetus, metaphase FISH showed normal results, but the interphase FISH suggested cell lines with two, three and four copies of 12p in the amniotic fluid. Advanced parental age may be an important risk factor for PKS, and there were no typical ultrasound manifestations related to PKS. A combination of karyotype analysis and molecular diagnosis is an effective method for the diagnosis of PKS.     

Plant Photosynthesis-Irradiance Curve Responses to Pollution Show Non-Competitive Inhibited Michaelis Kinetics

Photosynthesis-irradiance (PI) curves are extensively used in field and laboratory research to evaluate the photon-use efficiency of plants. However, most existing models for PI curves focus on the relationship between the photosynthetic rate (Pn) and photosynthetically active radiation (PAR), and do not take account of the influence of environmental factors on the curve. In the present study, we used a new non-competitive inhibited Michaelis-Menten model (NIMM) to predict the co-variation of Pn, PAR, and the relative pollution index (I). We then evaluated the model with published data and our own experimental data. The results indicate that the Pn of plants decreased with increasing I in the environment and, as predicted, were all fitted well by the NIMM model. Therefore, our model provides a robust basis to evaluate and understand the influence of environmental pollution on plant photosynthesis.     

Associations between White Matter Hyperintensities and β Amyloid on Integrity of Projection,Association, and Limbic Fiber Tracts Measured with Diffusion Tensor MRI

The goal of this study was to assess the relationship between Aβ deposition and white matter pathology (i.e., white matter hyperintensities, WMH) on microstructural integrity of the white matter. Fifty-seven participants (mean age: 78±7 years) from an ongoing multi-site research program who spanned the spectrum of normal to mild cognitive impairment (Clinical dementia rating 0–0.5) and low to high risk factors for arteriosclerosis and WMH pathology (defined as WMH volume >0.5% total intracranial volume) were assessed with positron emission tomography (PET) with Pittsburg compound B (PiB) and magnetic resonance and diffusion tensor imaging (DTI). Multivariate analysis of covariance were used to investigate the relationship between Aβ deposition and WMH pathology on fractional anisotropy (FA) from 9 tracts of interest (i.e., corona radiata, internal capsule, cingulum, parahippocampal white matter, corpus callosum, superior longitudinal, superior and inferior front-occipital fasciculi, and fornix). WMH pathology was associated with reduced FA in projection (i.e., internal capsule and corona radiate) and association (i.e., superior longitudinal, superior and inferior fronto-occipital fasciculi) fiber tracts. Aβ deposition (i.e., PiB positivity) was associated with reduced FA in the fornix and splenium of the corpus callosum. There were interactions between PiB and WMH pathology in the internal capsule and parahippocampal white matter, where Aβ deposition reduced FA more among subjects with WMH pathology than those without. However, accounting for apoE ε4 genotype rendered these interactions insignificant. Although this finding suggests that apoE4 may increase amyloid deposition, both in the parenchyma (resulting in PiB positivity) and in blood vessels (resulting in amyloid angiopathy and WMH pathology), and that these two factors together may be associated with compromised white matter microstructural integrity in multiple brain regions, additional studies with a longitudinal design will be necessary to resolve this issue.