Berberine alleviates chronic pain-induced anxiety-like behaviors by inhibiting the activation of VLT-projecting cACC (Cg2) neurons.

Chronic pain is often accompanied by anxiety, and gradually increasing anxiety makes the pain itself more protracted. Berberine has been found to be able to cross the blood-brain barrier to treat psychiatric disorders, but its neurocirculatory mechanisms remain unclear. Here, we found that neurons in cingulate area 2 (Cg2) of the caudal anterior cingulate cortex (cACC), but not in Cg1 of the cACC, projected to the ventral lateral thalamus (VLT).

Isolation and Identification of Naphthalene-Degrading Bacteria and its Application in a Two-phase Partitioning Bioreactor.

Naphthalene is a persistent environmental pollutant for its potential teratogenic, carcinogenic and mutagenic effects. In this study, 10 strains of bacteria capable of degrading naphthalene were isolated from crude-oil contaminated soil. Among them, Pseudomonas plecoglossicida 2P exhibited prominent growth with 1000 mg/L naphthalene as the sole carbon source and degraded 94.

Electroacupuncture may alleviate diabetic neuropathic pain by inhibiting the microglia P2X4R and neuroinflammation.

Diabetic neuropathic pain (DNP) is a common and destructive complication of diabetes mellitus. The discovery of effective therapeutic methods for DNP is vitally imperative because of the lack of effective treatments. Although 2 Hz electroacupuncture (EA) was a successful approach for relieving DNP, the mechanism underlying the effect of EA on DNP is still poorly understood.

A Serum Metabolite Classifier for the Early Detection of Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus-Positive Hepatocellular Cancer.

Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) has been identified as an independent risk factor for hepatocellular cancer (HCC). However, there are no ideal biomarkers for the surveillance and early detection of HCC in the T2DM population at present. In this study, we aimed to explore novel metabolite biomarkers for T2DM-positive [T2DM(+)] HCC by metabolomic analysis.

Dorsal root ganglia P2X4 and P2X7 receptors contribute to diabetes-induced hyperalgesia and the downregulation of electroacupuncture on P2X4 and P2X7.

Diabetic neuropathic pain (DNP) is highly common in diabetes patients. P2X receptors play critical roles in pain sensitization. We previously showed that elevated P2X3 expression in dorsal root ganglion (DRG) contributes to DNP.

Rejuvenation of plasticity via deformation graining in magnesium.

Magnesium, the lightest structural metal, usually exhibits limited ambient plasticity when compressed along its crystallographic c-axis (the "hard" orientation of magnesium). Here we report large plasticity in c-axis compression of submicron magnesium single crystal achieved by a dual-stage deformation. We show that when the plastic flow gradually strain-hardens the magnesium crystal to gigapascal level, at which point dislocation mediated plasticity is nearly exhausted, the sample instantly pancakes without fracture, accompanying a conversion of the initial single crystal into multiple grains that roughly share a common rotation axis.

Exploring the mechanism of Buxue Yimu Pill on hemorrhagic anemia through molecular docking, network pharmacology and experimental validation.

Buxue Yimu Pill (BYP) is a classic gynecological medicine in China, which is composed of Angelica sinensis (Oliv.) Diels, Leonurus japonicus Houtt, Astragalus membranaceus (Fisch.) Bunge, Colla corii asini and Citrus reticulata Blanco.

Large plasticity in magnesium mediated by pyramidal dislocations.

Lightweight magnesium alloys are attractive as structural materials for improving energy efficiency in applications such as weight reduction of transportation vehicles. One major obstacle for widespread applications is the limited ductility of magnesium, which has been attributed to [Formula: see text] dislocations failing to accommodate plastic strain. We demonstrate, using in situ transmission electron microscope mechanical testing, that [Formula: see text] dislocations of various characters can accommodate considerable plasticity through gliding on pyramidal planes.

Evolution and conservation of polycomb repressive complex 1 core components and putative associated factors in the green lineage.

Background: Polycomb group (PcG) proteins play important roles in animal and plant development and stress response. Polycomb repressive complex 1 (PRC1) and PRC2 are the key epigenetic regulators of gene expression, and are involved in almost all developmental stages. PRC1 catalyzes H2A monoubiquitination resulting in transcriptional silencing or activation.

Effects of rhein on intestinal transmission, colonic electromyography and expression of aquaporin-3 by colonic epithelium cells in constipated mice.

Constipation is one of the most common gastrointestinal diseases in the world. This study was to investigate the effects of rhein on intestinal transmission and colonic electromyography and expression of aquaporin-3 (AQP3) in the colonic mucosa of mice with constipation. The mouse model of constipation was established using the compound diphenoxylate.

Effects of Dermatopontin gene silencing on apoptosis and proliferation of osteosarcoma MG‑63 cells.

The present study aimed to investigate the effect of Dermatopontin (DPT) gene silencing on the apoptosis and proliferation of osteosarcoma MG‑63 cells. Three eukaryotic expression vectors of short hairpin (sh)RNA fragments targeting different loci of DPT were designed and transfected into an osteosarcoma cell line MG‑63. The cells were assigned to a blank, shRNA‑control, DPT‑shRNA‑a, DPT‑shRNA‑b or DPT‑shRNA‑c group.

Conservation and diversification of polycomb repressive complex 2 (PRC2) proteins in the green lineage.

The polycomb group (PcG) proteins are key epigenetic regulators of gene expression in animals and plants. They act in multiprotein complexes, of which the best characterized is the polycomb repressive complex 2 (PRC2), which catalyses the trimethylation of histone H3 at lysine 27 (H3K27me3) at chromatin targets. In Arabidopsis thaliana, PRC2 proteins are involved in the regulation of diverse developmental processes, including cell fate determination, vegetative growth and development, flowering time control and embryogenesis.

[Dynamic Changes of Dectin-2 Expression on Dendritic Cells in Mice Infected with Trichinella spiralis].

Objective: To investigate the effect of Trichinella spiralis infection on dectin-2 expression on dendritic cells (DC) in mice.

Methods: Seventy-two female BABL/c mice were randomized into experimental and control groups (n=36 in each), and received intragastric administration of 200 muscle larvae of Trichinella spiralis and PBS respectively. Six animals were each sacrificed on days 7, 14, 21, 28, 35 and 42 after administration.

[The Immunomodulatory Role of C-type Lectin Receptors in Parasitic Infection].

C-type lectins are a group of Ca(2+)-dependent glycan-binding proteins. The C-type lectin receptors (CLRs) recognize carbohydrate ligands in a Ca(2+)-dependent manner. Recent research has demonstrated that CLRs could recognize glycoproteins and activate downstream immune responses.

Twinning-like lattice reorientation without a crystallographic twinning plane.

Twinning on the plane is a common mode of plastic deformation for hexagonal-close-packed metals. Here we report, by monitoring the deformation of submicron-sized single-crystal magnesium compressed normal to its prismatic plane with transmission electron microscopy, the reorientation of the parent lattice to a 'twin' lattice, producing an orientational relationship akin to that of the conventional twinning, but without a crystallographic mirror plane, and giving plastic strain that is not simple shear. Aberration-corrected transmission electron microscopy observations reveal that the boundary between the parent lattice and the 'twin' lattice is composed predominantly of semicoherent basal/prismatic interfaces instead of the twinning plane.