Comparative physiological, biochemical, metabolomic, and transcriptomic analyses reveal the formation mechanism of heartwood for Acacia melanoxylon.

Acacia melanoxylon is well known as a valuable commercial tree species owing to its high-quality heartwood (HW) products. However, the metabolism and regulatory mechanism of heartwood during wood development remain largely unclear. In this study, both microscopic observation and content determination proved that total amount of starches decreased and phenolics and flavonoids increased gradually from sapwood (SW) to HW.

Activation of Opioid Receptors Attenuates Ischemia/Reperfusion Injury in Skeletal Muscle Induced by Tourniquet Placement.

Method: Mice were randomly assigned to the sham, I/R, Oxy, and I/R with Oxy groups. Oxy was injected intraperitoneally 30 min before tourniquet placement. Morphological changes of the gastrocnemius muscle in these mice were assessed by hematoxylin-eosin (HE) staining and electron microscopy.

Cardioprotective effect of transcutaneous electrical acupuncture point stimulation on perioperative elderly patients with coronary heart disease: a prospective, randomized, controlled clinical trial.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of transcutaneous electrical acupoint stimulation (TEAS) on postoperative autonomic nervous system function and serum biomarkers in the elderly.

Patients And Methods: A total of 122 American Society of Anesthesiologists class II or III patients with coronary heart disease undergoing spinal surgery were randomly divided into two groups: TEAS (received TEAS at Neiguan [PC6] and Ximen [PC4] for 30 minutes before anesthesia induction until the end of surgery) and control (received electrode plate at the same acupuncture points without any electrical stimulation). Serum was isolated for the measurement of concentration of high-sensitive troponin T (hs-cTnT), CRP, and CK.

Astrocyte hepcidin is a key factor in LPS-induced neuronal apoptosis.

Inflammatory responses involving microglia and astrocytes contribute to the pathogenesis of neurodegenerative diseases (NDs). In addition, inflammation is tightly linked to iron metabolism dysregulation. However, it is not clear whether the brain inflammation-induced iron metabolism dysregulation contributes to the NDs pathogenesis.

Hepcidin is involved in iron regulation in the ischemic brain.

Oxidative stress plays an important role in neuronal injuries caused by cerebral ischemia. It is well established that free iron increases significantly during ischemia and is responsible for oxidative damage in the brain. However, the mechanism of this ischemia-induced increase in iron is not completely understood.

Activation of p38 MAPK participates in brain ischemic tolerance induced by limb ischemic preconditioning by up-regulating HSP 70.

This study investigates whether activation of p38 MAPK by the up-regulation of HSP 70 participates in the induction of brain ischemic tolerance by limb ischemic preconditioning (LIP). Western blot and immunohistochemical assays indicated that p38 MAPK activation occurred earlier than HSP 70 induction in the CA1 region of the hippocampus after LIP. P-p38 MAPK expression was up-regulated at 6h and reached its peak 12h after LIP, while HSP 70 expression was not significantly increased until 1 day and peaked 2 days after LIP.

[Establishment of B16-HLA-MAGE-3 melanoma cell line coexpressing HLA-A 0201/K(b) and MAGE-3 and its role in tumor vaccine evaluation].

Aim: To establish a tumor model in HLA-A2.1 transgenic mice to examine the efficacy of MAGE-3 vaccine, a cell line coexpressing HLA-A 0201/K(b) and MAGE-3 is established.

Methods: B16-HLA-MAGE-3 melanoma was obtained by means of cotransfection of HLA-A 0201/K(b) and MAGE-3 to B16 melanoma.

[Preparation, identification and application of anti-P450scc antibody].

Aim: To prepare rabbit anti-rat P450scc antibody, and to detect the expression of rP450scc in rat brain tissue and nerve cells.

Methods: An eight-branched polypeptide, rP450scc-16 was synthesized using solid phase synthesis (Fmoc) method. A Newzealand rabbit was immunized with rP450scc-16 and the serum was separated from the whole blood 5 days after the last immunization.

[Determination of neurosteroids in rat brain by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry].

A simplified method has been established to simultaneously characterize different neurosteroids in rat brain by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Neurosteroids were isolated separately in a two-step procedure using ethyl acetate in the first step to extract the unconjugated steroids and chloroform/2-butanol(50/50,v/v) in the second step to extract sulfated steroids. All steroid fractions were further purified by solid phase extraction (SPE) and the sulfated steroids were solvolyzed.

Effects of morphine dependence and withdrawal on levels of neurosteroids in rat brain.

Aim: To investigate the effects of morphine dependence and withdrawal on the concentrations of neurosteroids in rat brain.

Methods: A method of simultaneous quantification of neurosteroids by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) had been established.

Results: The chronic morphine administration (ip) resulted in a marked decrease in the brain concentrations of pregnenolone (PREG), progesterone (PROG), and pregenenolone sulfate (PREGS) in rats killed 6 h after the last treatment.