[Methods for Creating Medium and Large Animal Models of Peripheral Atherosclerosis].

Atherosclerosis (AS) is the main pathological basis for the occurrence of many vascular diseases and has a strong association with metabolic syndrome. Peripheral arterial diseases caused by AS have high morbidities and mortalities but lack still effective treatment. AS animal models are highly valuable for research on peripheral arteriosclerotic diseases.

Rhynchophylline ameliorates myocardial ischemia/reperfusion injury through the modulation of mitochondrial mechanisms to mediate myocardial apoptosis.

Rhynchophylline (RP), the primary active ingredient of Uncaria rhynchophylla, has an anti‑hypertensive effect and protects against ischemia‑induced neuronal damage. The present study aimed to examine the roles and mechanisms of RP in myocardial ischemia‑reperfusion (MI/R) injury of rat cardiomyocytes. Cell viability, reactive oxygen species, mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP) and cell apoptosis were examined by a Cell Counting Kit‑8 assay and flow cytometry, respectively.

Effects of Lithium and 2,4-Dichlorophenol on Zebrafish: Circadian Rhythm Disorder and Molecular Effects.

The aim of this study was to investigate lithium and 2,4-dichlorophenol (2,4-DCP)-induced circadian rhythm disorder and their genome-wide effects in zebrafish. Zebrafish larvae were exposed to 250 ppm LiCl (n = 40) or 20 ppm 2,4-DCP. RNA was subsequently extracted and determined quantitatively.

Stochastic effects in adaptive reconstruction of body damage: implied the creativity of natural selection.

After an injury occurs, mechanical/biochemical loads on muscles influence the composition and structure of recovering muscles; this effect likely occurs in other tissues, cells and biological molecules as well owing to the similarity, interassociation and interaction among biochemical reactions and molecules. The 'damage and reconstruction' model provides an explanation for how an ideal cytoarchitecture is created by reducing components not suitable for bearing loads; in this model, adaptive changes are induced by promoting the stochasticity of biochemical reactions. Biochemical and mechanical loads can direct the stochasticity of biochemical reactions, which can in turn induce cellular changes.

[Effects of heavy metals pollution on paddy soil aggregates composition and heavy metals distribution].

Topsoil samples were collected from a polluted and an adjacent non-polluted paddy field in the Taihu Lake region of China. Different particle size fractions of soil aggregates were separated by low-energy dispersion procedure, and their mass composition and Pb, Cd, Hg, and As concentrations were determined. Under heavy metals pollution, the mass composition of sand-sized fractions reduced, while that of clay-sized fractions increased.

[Effect of planting densities on yields and zinc and cadmium uptake by Sedum plumbizincicola].

A field plot experiment was conducted to study the effects of planting densities on the growth and heavy metals uptake by Sedum plumbizincicola. The results showed that yields of Sedum plumbizincicola were enhanced with the increase of planting density; however, there was no further increase when planting density was too high. With planting density increasing from 1.

[Subcellular distribution and chemical forms of Cd and Zn in Sedum jinianum].

With water culture and by using differential centrifugation technique and sequential extraction, the subcellular distribution and chemical forms of Cd and Zn in the root, stem and leaf of Sedum jinianum were studied. In treatment 10 micromol Cd x L(-1), most of Cd in S. jinianum was in the soluble fraction of cell; while in treatment 100 miromol Cd x L(-1), the Cd in root was mainly deposited on cell wall, the Cd in stem was mainly on cell wall and in soluble fraction, and over 90% of Cd in leaf were in soluble fraction.