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- Author or Editor: X. Yang x
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Abstract
After an acute exposure to lanthanum chloride, the pharmacokinetics of calcium uptake in rats was studied by radioactive 47Ca tracer. The accumulated doses of calcium in the left femurs during 24 hours were determined. The results showed that the area under the curves (AUC), specific activity of maximal blood 47Ca concentration (C max ), distribution rate constant (K a ) and the accumulated dose of calcium in the left femur decreased while time to C max (T peak ) increased with the rising dosage of lanthanum exposure. It indicated that lanthanum expose had a negative effect on calcium absorption.
The aim of the present study was to investigate whether co-administration of nerve growth factor (NGF) and butyrate regulates vanilloid receptor 1 (VR1) and substance P (SP) levels in cultures of rat dorsal root ganglion (DRG) neurons. DRG was dissected out from embryonic 15-day-old Wistar rat and cultured as dissociated cells for 2 days then exposed to NGF (10 ng/ml), butyrate (1 mmol/L), NGF (10 ng/ml) plus butyrate (1 mmol/L) for another 4 days. The neurons cultured continuously in media served as normal control. After that, the cultures were processed for detecting expression of mRNA for VR1 and SP in DRG neurons by RT-PCR, and expression of VR1 protein by Western blot. SP basal release levels were measured by radioimmunoassay (RIA). Capsaicin-evoked SP release was measured by RIA after stimulation with capsaicin (100 nmol/L) for 10 minutes. The neurons exposed to vehicle solution served as vehicle control. Either NGF (10 ng/ml) or butyrate (1 mmol/L) promoted expression of SP mRNA, VR1 mRNA, and VR1 protein in DRG neurons and capsaicin-evoked SP release from DRG neurons. Co-administration of NGF and butyrate showed a synergistic effect on expression of VR1 mRNA, and VR1 protein in DRG neurons and capsaicin-evoked SP release from DRG neurons and a ceiling effect on SP mRNA expression. The elevation of SP mRNA, VR1 mRNA, and VR1 protein promoted by NGF and/or butyrate may be associated with increases of SP release evoked by capsaicin. The mechanisms of the effects of co-administration of NGF and butyrate should be clarified by further study.
Abstract
Heat capacities of the carbon nanotubes (CNTs) with different sizes have been measured by modulated temperature differential scanning calorimetry (MDSC) and reported for the first time. The results indicated the values of C p increased with shortening length of CNTs when the diameters of CNTs were between 60 and 100 nm. However, the values of C p of CNTs were not affected by their diameter when the lengths of CNTs were 1–2 um, or not affected by the length of CNTs when their diameters were below 10 nm. The thermal stabilities of the CNTs have been studied by TG-DTG-DSC. The results of TG-DTG showed that thermal stabilities of CNTs were enhanced with their diameters increase. With lengths increase, the thermal stabilities of CNTs increased when their diameters were between 60 and 100 nm, but there is a slight decrease when their diameters were less than 60 nm. The further DSC analyses showed both released heat and T onset increased with the increase of CNTs diameters, which confirms the consistency of the results from both TG-DTG and DSC on CNTs thermal stability.
Aegiolops kotschyi cytoplasmic male sterile system often results in part of haploid plants in wheat (Triticum aestivum L.). To elucidate the origin of haploid, 235 wheat microsatellite (SSR) primers were randomly selected and screened for polymorphism between haploid (2n = 3x = 21 ABD) and its parents, male-sterile line YM21 (2n = 6x = 42 AABBDD) and male fertile restorer YM2 (2n = 6x = 42 AABBDD). About 200 SSR markers yielded clear bands from denatured PAGE, of which 180 markers have identifiable amplification patterns, and 20 markers (around 8%) resulted in different amplification products between the haploid and the restorer, YM2. There were no SSR markers that were found to be distinguishable between the haploid and the male sterile line YM21. In addition, different distribution of HMW-GS between endosperm and seedlings from the same seeds further confirmed that the haploid genomes were inherited from the maternal parent. After haploidization, 1.7% and 0.91% of total sites were up- and down-regulated exceeding twofold in the shoot and the root of haploid, respectively, and most of the differentially expressed loci were up/down-regulated about twofold. Out of the sensitive loci in haploid, 94 loci in the shoot, 72 loci in the root can be classified into three functional subdivisions: biological process, cellular component and molecular function, respectively.
Bee pollen is a health food with a wide range of nutritional and therapeutic properties. However, the bioactive compounds of bee pollen have not been extensively revealed due to low efficacy in separation. High-speed counter-current chromatography (HSCCC) and solvent extraction were applied to separate tyrosinase inhibitors from camellia pollen in this study. The camellia pollen extracts prepared with petroleum ether, ethyl acetate, and n-BuOH have tyrosinase inhibitory activity. Acidic hydrolysis could promote the tyrosinase inhibitory activity of crude sample. Three fractions with tyrosinase inhibitory activity were separated from the hydrolysate by a one-step HSCCC procedure. Among the fractions, two chemicals were sufficiently purified and identified to be levulinic acid (LA) and 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (5-HMF). The recovery was 0.80 g kg−1 pollen for LA and 1.75 g kg−1 pollen for 5-HMF; and their purity was all over 98%. The study demonstrates that HSCCC method is powerful for preparative separation of tyrosinase inhibitors from camellia pollen.
The aim of this study was to investigate postprandial effects of two Chinese liquors on s elected cardiovascular disease risk factors in humans. Sixteen healthy men were randomized into three groups in a three-way crossover study: tea-flavor liquor (TFL), traditional Chinese liquor (TCL) and water control (WC). Every subject consumed 60 mL of either liquor (45% (v/v) ethanol) or water together with a high-fat meal, respectively. Compared with baseline, serum uric acid was significantly increased in TFL group (0.5-hour: P = 0.012; 1-hour: P = 0.001; 2-hour: P = 0.008) and it was significantly decreased in WC group (1-hour: P = 0.001; 2-hour: P = 0.001; 4-hour: P < 0.001), while uric acid was non-significantly increased in the TCL group. High-sensitive C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) was significantly increased in the TCL (P = 0.014) and WC (P = 0.008) groups at postprandial 4 hours compared with baseline. There was no significant difference between groups during the postprandial period for these two parameters or other biochemical parameters. In conclusion, both liquors increased postprandial uric acid, and no significant difference was observed for the effects of TFL and TCL on the measured biochemical parameters.
The waxy wheat shows special starch quality due to high amylopectin content. However, little information is available concerning the development and degradation of amyloplast from waxy wheat endosperm. To address this problem, waxy wheat variety, Yangnuo 1, and a non-waxy wheat variety, Yangmai 13, were chosen to investigate the development and degradation of endosperm amyloplast during wheat caryopsis development and germination stage respectively using histochemical staining and light microscopy. Changes of morphology, the soluble sugar and total starch content were indistinguishable in the process of caryopsis development of two wheat varieties. The developing endosperm of non-waxy was stained blue-black by I2-KI while the endosperm of waxy wheat was stained reddish-brown, but the pericarp of waxy and non-waxy wheat was stained blue-black. In contrast to nonwaxy wheat, endosperm amyloplast of waxy wheat had better development status and higher proportion of small amyloplast. During seed germination many small dissolution pores appeared on the surface of endosperm amyloplast and the pores became bigger and deeper until amyloplast disintegrated. The rate of degradation of waxy wheat endosperm amyloplast was faster than non-waxy wheat. Our results may also be helpful to the use of waxy starch in food and nonfood industry.
Aegilops sharonensis (Sharon goatgrass) is a valuable source of novel high molecular weight glutenin subunits, resistance to wheat rust, powdery mildew, and insect pests. In this study, we successfully hybridized Ae. sharonensis as the pollen parent to common wheat and obtained backcross derivatives. F1 intergeneric hybrids were verified using morphological observation and cytological and molecular analyses. The phenotypes of the hybrid plants were intermediate between Ae. sharonensis and common wheat. Observations of mitosis in root tip cells and meiosis in pollen mother cells revealed that the F1 hybrids possessed 28 chromosomes. Chromosome pairing at metaphase I of the pollen mother cells in the F1 hybrid plants was low, and the meiotic configuration was 25.94 I + 1.03 II (rod). Two pairs of primers were screened out from 150 simple sequence repeat markers, and primer WMC634 was used to identified the presence of the genome of Ae. sharonensis. Sequencing results showed that the F1 hybrids contained the Ssh genome of Ae. sharonensis. The sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis profile showed that the alien high molecular weight glutenin subunits of Ae. sharonensis were transferred into the F1 and backcross derivatives. The new wheat-Ae. sharonensis derivatives that we have produced will be valuable for increasing resistance to various diseases of wheat and for improving the quality of bread wheat.
Abstract
Conversion of economic microcrystalline cellulose (MCC) into high value-added prebiotic glucans, is not only stimulates utilisation of renewable lignocellulosic biomass, but also provides cheap prebiotics to reduce high incidence of obesity and metabolic syndrome. Herein, glucans (C0.25–C0.50–C1.00) from MCC were prepared by pre-impregnation with dilute sulphuric acid (0.25–0.50–1.00%) and ball-milling treatment for 1 h. NMR spectroscopy and gel-permeation chromatography of the glucan products showed a significant reduction in the degree of polymerisation (DP) and molecular weights (Mw). All prepared glucans improved gut stress evaluated by in vitro digestion and fermentation (young and aging mouse faecal inocula). C1.00 with lower DP and Mw showed better water solubility, earlier peak, and exhibited increased 1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl activity, higher ratios of Lactobacillus to Escherichia coli, and a higher level of short chain fatty acids better than C0.25 and C0.50 treatment (P < 0.05). Better prebiotic effects were observed in aging mice than in young mice. The highest ratio of Lactobacillus to E. coli was a 2.13-fold increase for aging mice compared to a 1.79-fold increase for young mice, relative to the initial value after C1.00 treatment. The study provides a novel pathway and a new resource for producing glucan.
Abstract
Dodecylamine hydrochloride C12H25NH3·Cl(s) and bis-dodecylammonium tetrachlorozincate (C12H25NH3)2ZnCl4(s) were synthesized by the method of liquid phase reaction. The constant-volume energy of combustion of dodecylamine hydrochloride was measured by means of a RBC-II precision rotating-bomb combustion calorimeter at T = (298.15 ± 0.001) K. The standard molar enthalpy of formation of C12H25NH3·Cl(s) was calculated to be 
(C12H25NH3·Cl, s) = −(706.79 ± 3.97) kJ mol−1 from the constant-volume energy of combustion. In accordance with Hess’ law, a reasonable thermochemical cycle was designed and the enthalpy change of the synthesis reaction of the complex (C12H25NH3)2ZnCl4(s) was determined by use of an isoperibol solution-reaction calorimeter. The standard molar enthalpy of formation of (C12H25NH3)2ZnCl4(s) was calculated as 
[(C12H25NH3)2ZnCl4, s] = −(1862.14 ± 7.95) kJ mol−1 from the standard molar enthalpy of formation of C12H25NH3·Cl(s) and other auxiliary thermodynamic data.
