Effect of aging process on adsorption of diethyl phthalate in soils amended with bamboo biochar.

Biochar is a carbonaceous sorbent and can be used as a potential material to reduce the bioavailability of organic pollutants in contaminated soils. In the present study, the adsorption and desorption of diethyl phthalate (DEP) onto soils amended with bamboo biochar was investigated with a special focus on the effect of biochar application rates and aging conditions on the adsorption capacity of the soils. Biochar amendment significantly enhanced the soil adsorption of DEP that increased with increasing application rates of biochar.

Fish Oil and Olive Oil Supplementation in Late Pregnancy and Lactation Differentially Affect Oxidative Stress and Inflammation in Sows and Piglets.

This study was conducted to compare the effects of fish oil and olive oil supplementation in late pregnancy and during lactation on oxidative stress and inflammation in sows and their piglets. A total of 24 sows were fed a basal diet supplemented with additional corn starch (CON), fish oil (FO) or olive oil (OO). Sows fed an OO diet during late gestation had a higher piglet birth weight compared with CON-fed and FO-fed sows (P < 0.

Oral administration of Lactococcus lactis-expressed recombinant porcine epidermal growth factor stimulates the development and promotes the health of small intestines in early-weaned piglets.

Aims: We previously generated Lactococcus lactis-expressed recombinant porcine epidermal growth factor (LL-pEGF), and demonstrated improved growth performance in early-weaned piglets. This study investigates the effect of LL-pEGF on the development and expression of genes that maintain the structural integrity and function of the small intestine in early-weaned piglets.

Methods And Results: The mitogenic effect of porcine epidermal growth factor (pEGF) was tested in vitro with the 5-Bromodeoxyuridine (BrdU) incorporation assay in fibroblast cells.

miR-222 is necessary for exercise-induced cardiac growth and protects against pathological cardiac remodeling.

Exercise induces physiological cardiac growth and protects the heart against pathological remodeling. Recent work suggests exercise also enhances the heart's capacity for repair, which could be important for regenerative therapies. While microRNAs are important in certain cardiac pathologies, less is known about their functional roles in exercise-induced cardiac phenotypes.

Vascular endothelial growth factor-expressing neural stem cell for the treatment of neuropathic pain.

Previously, we determined that vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) improves the survival of neural stem cells (NSCs) transplanted into an ischemic environment and effectively enhances angiogenesis. Here, we applied NSCs expressing VEGF (SV-VEGF-NSCs) to treat neuropathic pain. In this study, our goal was to verify the therapeutic effect of SV-VEGF-NSCs by transplanting the cells in a sciatic nerve injury model.

VE/VCO slope and its prognostic value in patients with chronic heart failure.

The minute ventilation/carbon dioxide production (VE/VCO) slope has been widely demonstrated to have strong prognostic value in patients with chronic heart failure (CHF), and the risk of mortality is believed to increase when the VE/VCO slope is >32.8; however, there is little evidence concerning the prognostic value of the VE/VCO slope in Chinese patients. In the present study, the prognostic value of the VE/VCO slope was investigated in patients with CHF.

Effect of biochar on the extractability of heavy metals (Cd, Cu, Pb, and Zn) and enzyme activity in soil.

Biochar is a carbon-rich solid material derived from the pyrolysis of agricultural and forest residual biomass. Previous studies have shown that biochar is suitable as an adsorbent for soil contaminants such as heavy metals and consequently reduces their bioavailability. However, the long-term effect of different biochars on metal extractability or soil health has not been assessed.

BRUCE regulates DNA double-strand break response by promoting USP8 deubiquitination of BRIT1.

The DNA damage response (DDR) is crucial for genomic integrity. BRIT1 (breast cancer susceptibility gene C terminus-repeat inhibitor of human telomerase repeat transcriptase expression), a tumor suppressor and early DDR factor, is recruited to DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs) by phosphorylated H2A histone family, member X (γ-H2AX), where it promotes chromatin relaxation by recruiting the switch/sucrose nonfermentable (SWI-SNF) chromatin remodeler to facilitate DDR. However, regulation of BRIT1 recruitment is not fully understood.

Tc17 cells are associated with cigarette smoke-induced lung inflammation and emphysema.

Background And Objective: Some types of T lymphocytes, especially cytotoxic T-cells (Tc1) and T-helper (Th17) cells, play a pivotal role in cigarette smoke-induced lung diseases. However, whether Tc17 cells are involved remains largely unknown. We investigated Tc17 involvement using a cigarette smoke-exposure model.

Effects of different tidal volume ventilation on paraquat-induced acute lung injury in piglets.

Background: The aim of this study was to explore the effects of different tidal volume (VT) ventilation on paraquat-induced acute lung injury or acute respiratory distress syndrome (ALI/ARDS) in piglets.

Material And Methods: We developed ALI/ARDS models in piglets by intraperitoneal injection of paraquat (PQ). The piglets were randomly divided into three groups: small VT group (VT=6 ml/kg, n=6), middle VT group (VT=10 ml/kg, n=6), and large VT group (VT=15 ml/kg, n=6), with the positive end-expiratory pressure (PEEP) set as 10 cmH2O.

Differences in plasma metabolomics between sows fed DL-methionine and its hydroxy analogue reveal a strong association of milk composition and neonatal growth with maternal methionine nutrition.

The aim of the present study was to determine whether increased consumption of methionine as DL-methionine (DLM) or its hydroxy analogue DL-2-hydroxy-4-methylthiobutanoic acid (HMTBA) could benefit milk synthesis and neonatal growth. For this purpose, eighteen cross-bred (Landrace × Yorkshire) primiparous sows were fed a control (CON), DLM or HMTBA diet (n 6 per diet) from 0 to 14 d post-partum. At postnatal day 14, piglets in the HMTBA group had higher body weight (P= 0·02) than those in the CON group, tended (P= 0·07) to be higher than those in the DLM group, and had higher (P< 0·05) mRNA abundance of jejunal fatty acid-binding protein 2, intestinal than those in the CON and DLM groups.

Cervical open-door laminoplasty technique with simple sutures and bone grafts: a single institutional study with 30 consecutive cases.

Background: Expansive open-door laminoplasty is widely accepted as a reliable procedure for cervical myelopathy. However, one acknowledged complication is spring-back complication or closure of the door which may result in restenosis of cervical canal and neurologic deterioration. The study aimed for addressing our cervical open-door laminoplasty technique with sutures and bone grafts and subsequently the follow-up outcomes.

[Study on effect of four traditional Chinese medicines distributed along lung meridian on TLR2 and NF-κB expressions in mice with lung heat syndrome].

Objective: To investigate the effect of four traditional Chinese medicines distributed along lung meridian, namely Ephedrae Hebra, Zingiberis Rhizoma, Scutellariae Radix and Mori Cortex, on TLR2 and NF-κB expressions in mice with lung heat syndrome, in order to study the intervention effect of the four traditional Chinese medicines (TCMs) on the lung heat syndrome.

Method: One hundred KM mice were randomly divided into the normal control group, the model group, the Ephedrae Hebra group, the Zingiberis Rhizoma group, the Scutellariae Radix group and the Mori Cortex group (20, 10 g x kg(-1)), nasally dripped with streptococcus pneumoniae to establish the mouse lung heat syndrome model, and then administered with different TCMs. The expressions of TLR2, NF-κB p65 proteins in lung tissues were analyzed by the immunohistochemical method.

A mild copper-catalyzed aerobic oxidative thiocyanation of arylboronic acids with TMSNCS.

A facile and efficient transformation of arylboronic acids to their corresponding aryl thiocyanates has been successfully developed. Based on the CuCl-catalyzed oxidative cross-coupling reaction between arylboronic acids and trimethylsilylisothiocyanate (TMSNCS) under oxygen atmosphere, the transformation can be readily conducted at ambient temperature. The newly-developed protocol provided a competitive synthetic approach to aryl thiocyanates that can tolerate a broad range of reactive functional groups and/or strong electron-withdrawing groups.

Ascaris spp. and Capillaria caudinflata infections in captive-bred crested ibis (Nipponia nippon) in China.

Crested ibis (Nipponia nippon), an endan gered native bird, was called the "precious stone" of oriental birds. N. nippon was considered a critically endangered species in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species and a first-class national protected animal in China.

Effect of postnatal nutrition restriction on the oxidative status of neonates with intrauterine growth restriction in a pig model.

Objective: In offspring with intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR), where oxidative stress may play an important role in inducing metabolic syndrome, nutrition restriction has been shown to improve oxidative status. In this study, we aimed to investigate the effect of postnatal nutrition restriction on the oxidative status of IUGR neonates.

Methods: A total of twelve pairs of piglets, of normal birth-weight (NBW) and with IUGR (7 days old), respectively, were randomly allocated to have adequate nutritional intake (ANI) and restricted nutritional intake (RNI) for a period of 21 days, respectively.

Stem Cell Therapies for Intervertebral Disc Degeneration: Immune Privilege Reinforcement by Fas/FasL Regulating Machinery.

As a main contributing factor to low back pain, intervertebral disc degeneration (IDD) is the fundamental basis for various debilitating spinal diseases. The pros and cons of current treatment modalities necessitate biological treatment strategies targeting for reversing or altering the degeneration process in terms of molecules or genes. The advances in stem cell research facilitate the studies aiming for possible clinical application of stem cell therapies for IDD.

Design, synthesis, and biological activity of oxime ether strobilurin derivatives containing indole moiety as novel fungicide.

Twenty-one novel oxime ether strobilurins containing indole moiety, which employed an indole group to stabilize the E-styryl group in Enoxastrobin, were designed and synthesized. The biological assay indicated that most compounds exhibited potent fungicidal activities. The structure-activity relationship study demonstrated that the synthesized methyl 3-methoxypropenoate oxime ethers 7b-e exhibited remarkably high activities among all the synthesized oxime ether compounds 7.

Differential effects of targeting Notch receptors in a mouse model of liver cancer.

Unlabelled: Primary liver cancer encompasses both hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and cholangiocarcinoma (CCA). The Notch signaling pathway, known to be important for the proper development of liver architecture, is also a potential driver of primary liver cancer. However, with four known Notch receptors and several Notch ligands, it is not clear which Notch pathway members play the predominant role in liver cancer.

Using Dynamic 99mT c-GSA SPECT/CT fusion images for hepatectomy planning and postoperative liver failure prediction.

Background: Available tools in liver surgery planning rely on the future remnant liver (FRL) volume. Inappropriate decision might be made since the same FRL volume might represent different liver functions depending on the severity of underlying liver damage. This study developed an alternative system to estimate FRL function and to predict the risk of postoperative liver failure.

Aberrantly expressed long noncoding RNAs in human intervertebral disc degeneration: a microarray related study.

Introduction: In addition to the well-known short noncoding RNAs such as microRNAs (miRNAs), increasing evidence suggests that long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) act as key regulators in a wide aspect of biologic processes. Dysregulated expression of lncRNAs has been demonstrated being implicated in a variety of human diseases. However, little is known regarding the role of lncRNAs with regards to intervertebral disc degeneration (IDD).

Effects of maternal over- and undernutrition on intestinal morphology, enzyme activity, and gene expression of nutrient transporters in newborn and weaned pigs.

Objectives: It has been suggested that maternal nutrition during gestation is involved in the offspring's intestinal development. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of maternal nutrition on digestive and absorptive function of offspring at both birth and weaning with pig as model.

Methods: Eighteen primiparous Landrace × Yorkshire gilts (ages 253 ± 9 d; body weight 148.

Threonine and tryptophan supplementation enhance porcine respiratory and reproductive syndrome (PRRS) vaccine-induced immune responses of growing pigs.

The aim of the present study was to investigate influences of threonine and tryptophan supplementation (TTS) on immune response of growing pigs inoculated with modified live porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV) vaccine. Twenty growing barrows (Landrace × Yorkshire) were randomly assigned to four groups according to the PRRS vaccination and TTS. Serum samples were collected from all pigs at days 0, 7, 14, 21, 28, 35, 49 post-vaccination (day 0 defined as the day of vaccination).