Nitrogen removal of decentralized swine wastewater by pilot-scale source reduction - anaerobic baffled reactor - zoning constructed wetlands at low temperatures.

The study developed a cost-effective integrated technology to treat swine wastewater at the pilot-scale small pigsty. The swine wastewater, which was separated rinse water after flowing through the slatted floor and the innovatively constructed liquid-liquid separate collection device, was subsequently pumped into an anaerobic baffled reactor (ABR) and then through zoning constructed wetlands (CWs) comprised of CW1, CW2, and CW3. The liquid-liquid separate collection device effectively reduced COD, NH-N, and TN by 57.

Berberine Improves Intestinal Motility and Visceral Pain in the Mouse Models Mimicking Diarrhea-Predominant Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS-D) Symptoms in an Opioid-Receptor Dependent Manner.

Background And Aims: Berberine and its derivatives display potent analgesic, anti-inflammatory and anticancer activity. Here we aimed at characterizing the mechanism of action of berberine in the gastrointestinal (GI) tract and cortical neurons using animal models and in vitro tests.

Methods: The effect of berberine was characterized in murine models mimicking diarrhea-predominant irritable bowel syndrome (IBS-D) symptoms.

Living cell imaging and Rac1-GTP levels of CXCL12-treated migrating neural progenitor cells in stripe assay.

This data article contains three figures and three videos related to the research article entitled "Applications of Stripe Assay in the Study of CXCL12-mediated Neural Progenitor Cell Migration and Polarization" Zhang et al. (2015) [1], which uses stripe assay to study mouse neural progenitor cell (NPC) migration and polarization. The current article describes the neurosphere method used to culture NPCs.

Applications of stripe assay in the study of CXCL12-mediated neural progenitor cell migration and polarization.

The polarization and migration of neural progenitor cells (NPCs) are critical for embryonic brain development and neurogenesis after brain injury. Although stromal-derived factor-1α (SDF-1α, CXCL12) and its receptor CXCR4 are well-known to mediate the migration of NPCs in the developing brain, the dynamic cellular processes and structure-related molecular events remain elusive. Transwell and microfluidic-based assays are classical assays to effectively study cellular migration.

CXCR7 Mediates Neural Progenitor Cells Migration to CXCL12 Independent of CXCR4.

Neural progenitor cell (NPC) migration is an essential process for brain development, adult neurogenesis, and neuroregeneration after brain injury. Stromal cell-derived factor-1 (SDF-1, CXCL12) and its traditional receptor CXCR4 are well known to regulate NPC migration. However, the discovery of CXCR7, a newly identified CXCL12 receptor, adds to the dynamics of the existing CXCL12/CXCR4 pair.

Self-amplifying autocrine actions of BDNF in axon development.

A critical step in neuronal development is the formation of axon/dendrite polarity, a process involving symmetry breaking in the newborn neuron. Local self-amplifying processes could enhance and stabilize the initial asymmetry in the distribution of axon/dendrite determinants, but the identity of these processes remains elusive. We here report that BDNF, a secreted neurotrophin essential for the survival and differentiation of many neuronal populations, serves as a self-amplifying autocrine factor in promoting axon formation in embryonic hippocampal neurons by triggering two nested positive-feedback mechanisms.

A selective filter for cytoplasmic transport at the axon initial segment.

Distinct molecules are segregated into somatodendritic and axonal compartments of polarized neurons, but mechanisms underlying the development and maintenance of such segregation remain largely unclear. In cultured hippocampal neurons, we observed an ankyrin G- and F-actin-dependent structure that emerged in the cytoplasm of the axon initial segment (AIS) within 2 days after axon/dendrite differentiation, imposing a selective filter for diffusion of macromolecules and transport of vesicular carriers into the axon. Axonal entry was allowed for KIF5-driven carriers of synaptic vesicle protein VAMP2, but not for KIF17-driven carriers of dendrite-targeting NMDA receptor subunit NR2B.

Regulated ATP release from astrocytes through lysosome exocytosis.

Release of ATP from astrocytes is required for Ca2+ wave propagation among astrocytes and for feedback modulation of synaptic functions. However, the mechanism of ATP release and the source of ATP in astrocytes are still not known. Here we show that incubation of astrocytes with FM dyes leads to selective labelling of lysosomes.