• Animal Bioscience
• /
• v.34 no.7
• /
• pp.1221-1234
• /
• 2021

Objective: Weaning is an important stage in the life of young mammals, which is associated with intestinal inflammation, gut microbiota disorders, and even death. β-Carotene displays anti-inflammatory and antioxidant activities, which can prevent the development of inflammatory diseases. However, whether β-carotene can affect intestinal microbiota remains unclear. Methods: Twenty-four piglets were distributed into four groups: the normal suckling group (Con), the weaning group (WG), the weaning+β-carotene (40 mg/kg) group (LCBC), and the weaning+β-carotene (80 mg/kg) group (HCBC). The serum, jejunum, colon, and faeces were collected separately from each group. The effects of β-carotene on the phenotype, overall structure, and composition of gut microbiota were assessed in weaning piglets. Results: The results showed that β-carotene improved the growth performance, intestinal morphology and relieved inflammation. Furthermore, β-carotene significantly decreased the species from phyla Bacteroidetes and the genus Prevotella, and Blautia, and increased the species from the phyla Firmicutes and the genera p-75-a5, and Parabacteroides compared to the WG group. Spearman's correlation analysis showed that Prevotella and Blautia were positively correlated, and Parabacteroides and Synergistes were negatively correlated with the levels of interleukin-1β (IL-1β), IL-6, and tumour necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), while p-75-a5 showed negative correlation with IL-6 in serum samples from piglets. Conclusion: These findings indicate that β-carotene could alleviate weaning-induced intestinal inflammation by modulating gut microbiota in piglets. Prevotella may be a potential target of β-carotene in alleviating the weaning-induced intestinal inflammation in piglets.

• Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology & Nutrition
• /
• v.24 no.4
• /
• pp.392-402
• /
• 2021

Purpose: The present study assessed the role of an amino acid-based formula (AAF) in the growth of infants with cow's milk protein allergy (CMPA). Methods: Non-breastfed, term infants aged 0-6 months with symptoms suggestive of CMPA were recruited from 10 pediatric centers in China. After enrollment, infants were started on AAF for two weeks, followed by an open food challenge (OFC) with cow's milk-based formula (CMF). Infants with confirmed CMPA remained on AAF until 9 months of age, in conjunction with a cow's milk protein-free complementary diet. Body weight, length, and head circumference were measured at enrollment and 9 months of age. Measurements were converted to weight-for-age, length-for-age, and head circumference-for-age Z scores (WAZ, LAZ, HCAZ), based on the World Health Organization growth reference. Results: Of 254 infants (median age 16.1 weeks, 50.9% male), 218 (85.8%) were diagnosed with non-IgE-mediated CMPA, 33 (13.0%) tolerated CMF, and 3 (1.2%) did not complete the OFC. The mean WAZ decreased from 0.119 to -0.029 between birth and enrollment (p=0.067), with significant catch-up growth to 0.178 at 9 months of age (p=0.012) while being fed the AAF. There were no significant changes in LAZ (0.400 vs. 0.552; p=0.214) or HCAZ (-0.356 vs. -0.284; p=0.705) from the time of enrollment to age 9 months, suggesting normal linear and head growth velocity. Conclusion: The amino acid-based study formula, in conjunction with a cow's milk proteinfree complementary diet, supported normal growth till 9 months of age in a cohort of Chinese infants with challenge-confirmed non-IgE-mediated CMPA.

• Advances in concrete construction
• /
• v.11 no.1
• /
• pp.33-43
• /
• 2021

A new type of composite insulated concrete sandwich wall (ICS-wall), which is composed of a triangle truss steel wire network, an insulating layer, and internal and external concrete layers, is proposed. To study the mechanical properties of this new ICS-wall, tensile, compression, and shearing tests were performed on 22 specimens and tensile strength and corrosion resistance tests on 6 triangle truss joints. The variables in these tests mainly include the insulating plate material, the thickness of the insulating plate, the vertical distance of the triangle truss framework, the triangle truss layout, and the connecting mode between the triangle truss and wall and the material of the triangle truss. Moreover, the failure mode, mechanical properties, and bearing capacity of the wall under tensile, shearing, and compression conditions were analyzed. Research results demonstrate that the concrete and insulating layer of the ICS-wall are pulling out, which is the main failure mode under tensile conditions. The ICS-wall, which uses a graphite polystyrene plate as the insulating layer, shows better tensile properties than the wall with an ordinary polystyrene plate. The tensile strength and bearing capacity of the wall can be improved effectively by strengthening the triangle truss connection and shortening the vertical distances of the triangle truss. The compression capacity of the wall is mainly determined by the compression capacity of concrete, and the bonding strength between the wall and the insulating plate is the main influencing factor of the shearing capacity of the wall. According to the tensile strength and corrosion resistance tests of Austenitic stainless steel, the bearing capacity of the triangle truss does not decrease after corrosion, indicating good corrosion resistance.

• Nutrition Research and Practice
• /
• v.15 no.1
• /
• pp.26-37
• /
• 2021

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Hyperuricemic nephropathy is a common cause of acute kidney injury. Resveratrol can ameliorate kidney injury, but the explicit mechanism remains unclear. We investigated the effects of resveratrol on the inflammatory response and renal injury in hyperuricemic rats. MATERIALS/METHODS: A rat model of hyperuricemic nephropathy was established by the oral administration of a mixture of adenine and potassium oxinate. Biochemical analysis and hematoxylin and eosin staining were performed to assess the rat kidney function. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays were performed to evaluate the immune and oxidative responses. RESULTS: The expression levels of urine albumin and β2-microglobulin were significantly decreased after resveratrol treatment. In addition, the levels of serum creatinine and uric acid were significantly decreased in the resveratrol groups, compared with the control group. The levels of proinflammatory factors, such as interleukin-1β and tumor necrosis factor-α, in kidney tissue and serum were also increased in the hyperuricemic rats, and resveratrol treatment inhibited their expression. Moreover, the total antioxidant capacity in kidney tissue as well as the superoxide dismutase and xanthine oxidase levels in serum were all decreased by resveratrol treatment. CONCLUSIONS: Resveratrol may protect against hyperuricemic nephropathy through regulating the inflammatory response.

• BMB Reports
• /
• v.54 no.3
• /
• pp.176-181
• /
• 2021

Bcl-x, a member of the Bcl-2 family, plays a key role in apoptosis. Alternative splicing of Bcl-x pre-mRNA through alternative 5' splice-site selection produces an anti-apoptotic mRNA isoform that includes exon 2b and a pro-apoptotic Bcl-x mRNA isoform that excludes exon 2b. Here we used Bcl-x minigene and identified SRSF2 and SRSF6 as two regulatory factors of 5' splice-site selection of Bcl-x pre-mRNA. We selected binding clusters closer to 5' splice-sites from multiple potential binding sites of SRSF2 and SRSF6 to perform loss of functions analysis through site-directed mutagenesis. Our results demonstrated that these mutations did not abolish regulatory functions of SRSF2 or SRSF6, indicating that a single binding motif or a cluster was not a functional target of these proteins in Bcl-x pre-mRNA splicing. Random deletion mutagenesis did not disrupt the role of SRSF2 and SRSF6. Importantly, mutagenesis of 5' splice-site to a conserved or a weaker score demonstrated that the weaker strength of the target 5' splice-site or higher strength of the other 5' splice-site strength limited the role of SRSF2 and SRSF6 in 5' splice-site activation.

• The Plant Pathology Journal
• /
• v.37 no.2
• /
• pp.194-199
• /
• 2021

Blackleg is a serious disease in Brassica plants, causing moderate to severe yield losses in rapeseed worldwide. Although China has not suffered from this disease yet (more aggressive Leptosphaeria maculans is not present yet), it is crucial to take provisions in breeding for disease resistance to have excellent blackleg-resistant cultivars already in the fields or in the breeding pipeline. The most efficient strategy for controlling this disease is breeding plants with identified resistance genes. We selected 135 rapeseed accessions in Sichuan, including 30 parental materials and 105 hybrids, and we determined their glucosinolate and erucic acid content and confirmed 17 double-low materials. A recently developed single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) marker, SNP_208, was used to genotype allelic Rlm1/rlm1 on chromosome A07, and 87 AvrLm1-resistant materials. Combined with the above-mentioned seed quality data, we identified 11 AvrLm1-resistant double-low rapeseed accessions, including nine parental materials and two hybrids. This study lays the foundation of specific R gene-oriented breeding, in the case that the aggressive Leptosphaeria maculans invades and establishes in China in the future and a robust and less labor consuming method to identify resistance in canola germplasm.

• Computers and Concrete
• /
• v.27 no.3
• /
• pp.283-295
• /
• 2021

Existing meso-scale models of concrete need to refine the mesh grids of aggregate and cement mortar, which may greatly reduce the computational efficiency. To overcome this problem, a novel meso-scale modeling strategy, which is based on rigid body spring method and Voronoi diagram, is proposed in this study to establish the meso-scale model of concrete. Firstly, establish numerical aggregate models according to user-defined programs. Circle aggregates are adopted due to their high efficiency in generation and packing process, and the grading of aggregate are determined according to the distribution curve proposed by Full and Thompson; Secondly, extract the centroids of aggregates, and then develop the Voronoi diagram in which aggregate centroids are defined as initial scatters; Finally, establish the rigid body spring model for concrete based on the Voronoi diagram. Aggregates are represented by rigid blocks, and assumed to be unbreakable. Cement mortar is concentrated into the interface between adjacent blocks and represented by two uniform springs. The number of grids is consistent with that of aggregates in specimens, and no mesh-refinement of aggregates and cement mortar is required. The accuracy and efficiency of the proposed modeling strategy are firstly identified by comparing the numerical results with the experimental ones, and then the applicability of the proposed strategy with different volume percentage occupied by aggregates is investigated.

• Korean Journal of Materials Research
• /
• v.31 no.6
• /
• pp.325-330
• /
• 2021

Bi₂MoO₆ (BMO) via the structure-directing role of CO(NH₂)₂ is successfully prepared via a facile solvothermal route. The structure, morphology, and photocatalytic performance of the nanoflake BMO are characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), fluorescence spectrum analysis (PL), UV-vis spectroscopy (UV-vis) and electrochemical test. SEM images show that the size of nanoflake BMO is about 50 ~ 200 nm. PL and electrochemical analysis show that the nanoflake BMO has a lower recombination rate of photogenerated carriers than particle BMO. The photocatalytic degradation of tetracycline hydrochloride (TC) by nanoflake BMO under visible light is investigated. The results show that the nanoflake BMO-3 has the highest degradation efficiency under visible light, and the degradation efficiency reached 75 % within 120 min, attributed to the unique hierarchical structure, efficient carrier separation and sufficient free radicals to generate active center synergies. The photocatalytic reaction mechanism of TC degradation on the nanoflake BMO is proposed.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
• /
• v.32 no.1
• /
• pp.6-14
• /
• 2022

Brucella spp. are facultative intracellular pathogens that invade, survive and proliferate in numerous phagocytic and non-phagocytic cell types, thereby leading to human and animal brucellosis. Outer membrane proteins (Omps) are major immunogenic and protective antigens that are implicated in Brucella virulence. A strain deleted of the omp16 gene has not been obtained which suggests that the Omp16 protein is vital for Brucella survival. Nevertheless, we previously constructed an omp16 conditional deletion strain of Brucella, ∆Omp16. Here, the virulence and immune response elicted by this strain were assessed in a mouse model of infection. Splenomegaly was significantly reduced at two weeks post-infection in ∆Omp16-infected mice compared to infection with the parental strain. The bacterial load in the spleen also was significantly decreased at this post-infection time point in ∆Omp16-infected mice. Histopathological changes in the spleen were observed via hematoxylin-eosin staining and microscopic examination which showed that infection with the ∆Omp16 strain alleviated spleen histopathological alterations compared to mice infected with the parental strain. Moreover, the levels of humoral and cellular immunity were similar in both ∆Omp16-infected mice and parental strain-infected mice. The results overall show that the virulence of ∆Omp16 is attenuated markedly, but that the immune responses mediated by the deletion and parental strains in mice are indistinguishable. The data provide important insights that illuminate the pathogenic strategies adopted by Brucella.

• Journal of Gastric Cancer
• /
• v.21 no.4
• /
• pp.439-456
• /
• 2021

Purpose: Gastric cancer (GC) has high morbidity and mortality and is a serious threat to public health. The flavonoid compound vitexin is known to exhibit anti-tumor activity. In this study, we explored the therapeutic potential of vitexin in GC and its underlying mechanism. Materials and Methods: The viability, migration, and invasion of GC cells were determined using MTT, scratch wound healing, and transwell assays, respectively. Target molecule expression was determined by western blotting. Tumor growth and liver metastasis were evaluated in vivo using nude mice. Protein expression in the tumor tissues was examined by immunohistochemistry. Results: Vitexin inhibited GC cell viability, migration, invasion, and epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) in a dose-dependent manner. Vitexin treatment led to the inactivation of phosphatidylinositol-3-kinase (PI3K)/AKT/hypoxia-inducible factor-1α (HIF-1α) pathway by repressing HMGB1 expression. Vitexin-mediated inhibition in proliferation, migration, invasion and EMT of GC cells were counteracted by hyper-activation of PI3K/AKT/HIF-1α pathway or HMGB1 overexpression. Finally, vitexin inhibited the xenograft tumor growth and liver metastasis in vivo by suppressing HMGB1 expression. Conclusions: Vitexin inhibited the malignant progression of GC in vitro and in vivo by suppressing HMGB1-mediated activation of PI3K/Akt/HIF-1α signaling pathway. Thus, vitexin may serve as a promising therapeutic agent for the treatment of GC.