DiDang Tang Inhibits Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress-Mediated Apoptosis Induced by Oxygen Glucose Deprivation and Intracerebral Hemorrhage Through Blockade of the GRP78-IRE1/PERK Pathways.

DiDang Tang (DDT), a Chinese traditional medicine formula, contains 4 Chinese traditional medicine substances, has been widely used to treat intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) patients. However, the molecular mechanisms of DDT for protecting neurons from oxygen and glucose deprivation (OGD)-induced endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress and apoptosis after ICH still remains elusive. In this study, high-performance liquid chromatography fingerprint analysis was performed to learn the features of the chemical compositions of DDT.

Sequence Analysis of the Fusion Protein Gene of Human Respiratory Syncytial Virus Circulating in China from 2003 to 2014.

The human respiratory syncytial virus (HRSV) fusion (F) protein is important for HRSV infection, but few studies have examined the genetic diversity of the F gene from Chinese samples. In this study, a total of 330 HRSV F sequences collected from different regions of China between 2003 and 2014 were analyzed to understand their genetic characteristics. In addition, these sequences were compared with 1150 HRSV F sequences in Genbank from 18 other countries.

Diversity and predictive metabolic pathways of the prokaryotic microbial community along a groundwater salinity gradient of the Pearl River Delta, China.

Almost half of the groundwater in the Pearl River Delta (PRD) contains salt water originally derived from paleo-seawater due to the Holocene transgression, which then generates intense physicochemical gradients in the mixing zone between freshwater and saltwater. Although some studies have been conducted on the hydrological and geochemical characteristics of groundwater in the PRD to monitor the intrusion of seawater, little attention has been paid to the microbial community of this particular region. In this study, we implemented a high-throughput sequencing analysis to characterize the microbial communities along a salinity gradient in the PRD aquifer, China.

Identification and detection sensitivity of Microcystis aeruginosa from mixed and field samples using MALDI-TOF MS.

To verify the applicability of identifying Microcystis aeruginosa by matrix-assisted laser desorption-ionization-time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS), mixed and field samples were employed to study the sensitivity and the analysis power, respectively. Series diluted samples and artificially mixed samples by the M. aeruginosa NIES-843 strain were designed to verify the sensitivity.

Effects of 17α‑ethinylestradiol on caudal fin regeneration in zebrafish larvae.

The ability to restore tissue function and morphology after injury is a key advantage of many fish for a greater chance of survival. The tissue regeneration process is regulated by multiple pathways, and it can therefore be hypothesized that environmental contaminants targeting components of these signaling pathways, may disrupt the fish's capability to repair or regenerate. This could lead to higher mortality and eventually even to a decline in populations.

Ginsenoside Rb3 exerts protective properties against cigarette smoke extract-induced cell injury by inhibiting the p38 MAPK/NF-κB and TGF-β1/VEGF pathways in fibroblasts and epithelial cells.

Cigarette smoke causes many adverse effects such as inflammation, oxidative stress, and excessive accumulation of the extracellular matrix (ECM). Ginsenoside Rb3 has anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidative effects, which may contribute to delaying the injury caused by cigarette smoke. In this study, we used cigarette smoke extract (CSE) to establish cell injury models in WI-38 human fetal lung fibroblasts and 16HBE human bronchial epithelial cells.

Effects of different concentrations of Microcystis aeruginosa on the intestinal microbiota and immunity of zebrafish (Danio rerio).

Microcystis aeruginosa is a primary species of toxin-producing cyanobacteria. This study explored the effects of short-term exposure (96 h) to M. aeruginosa on the intestinal microflora variation and immune function of zebrafish.

The combined toxicity effect of nanoplastics and glyphosate on Microcystis aeruginosa growth.

Waste plastics can be degraded to nanoplastics (NPs, diameter<1 μm) by natural forces. NPs not only directly affect aquatic organisms but also adsorb other pollutants, causing combined pollution. Glyphosate is one of the most widely used herbicides and is commonly monitored in freshwater systems.

Ecological Effects of Single-Walled Carbon Nanotubes on Soil Microbial Communities and Soil Fertility.

The manufacturers of single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) are continuously expanding their manufacturing and commercial markets, indicating that the environmental release and accumulation of SWCNTs in soil is inevitable. However, little is known about the effects of SWCNTs on soil physicochemical properties and soil microbial communities. Our results showed that treatment with SWCNTs resulted in an enhancement of microorganism metabolism related to soil organic compound degradation and a change in the structure of soil microbial communities, but the diversity of soil microorganisms was not significantly affected.

Evaluation by the Ames Assay of the Mutagenicity of UV Filters Using Benzophenone and Benzophenone-1.

Ultraviolet absorbing chemicals (UV filters) are widely used in personal care products for protecting human skin and hair from damage by UV radiation. Although these substances are released into the environment during production and consumption processes, little is known about their genotoxicity effects. Our previous studies have shown that benzophenone-type UV filters exhibited acute toxicity on three species of aquatic organisms.

Effects of thermal treatments on 10 major phenolics and their antioxidant contributions in leaves and flowers.

This study aimed to investigate effects of thermal treatments on major phenolics and their antioxidant contributions in leaves and flowers (ATL and ATF, respectively). With ultra performance liquid chromatography-diode array detector-quadrupole time-of-flight-mass spectrometer/mass spectrometer, phenolic compositions of ATF were first characterized and compared with those of ATL. An optimized high performance liquid chromatography fingerprint was then established, and 10 major phenolics existing in both ATL and ATF were quantified.

miR-577 suppresses cell proliferation and epithelial-mesenchymal transition by regulating the WNT2B mediated Wnt/β-catenin pathway in non-small cell lung cancer.

MicroRNAs (miRNAs/miRs) serve important roles in regulating malignant phenotype in numerous cancers, such as non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC); however, the role and function of miR-577 in NSCLC remains unknown. In the present study, miR-577 expression levels were observed to be downregulated in NSCLC via reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) assay, and inhibited cell proliferation, cell migration and invasion and epithelial-mesenchymal transition progress in NSCLC cells. The predicted target genes of miR-577 were determined by enhanced green fluorescent protein reporter assay, RT-qPCR and western blot analyses.

Simultaneous Preparation of Salidroside and -Tyrosol from by DIAION HP-20 Macroporous Resin Chromatography Combined with Silica Gel Chromatography.

The species have a long history of utilization in traditional medicine and have been considered as a source of adaptation to environmental challenges; salidroside and -tyrosol are the major responsible compounds. Here we propose a novel UPLC-guided two-step method consisting of a DIAION HP-20 adsorption and silica gel column chromatographies, which can simultaneously prepare high purities of salidroside and -tyrosol with noticeable yields from the rhizome of . Results demonstrated that DIAION HP-20 could successfully remove all impurities except crenulatin during a gradient elution with 5⁻20% ethanol, which could achieve an optimal purification of salidroside and -tyrosol with increasing rates of 29.

Inhibitory effects against α-glucosidase and α-amylase of the flavonoids-rich extract from Scutellaria baicalensis shoots and interpretation of structure-activity relationship of its eight flavonoids by a refined assign-score method.

A flavonoids-rich extract of Scutellaria baicalensis shoots and its eight high content flavonoids were investigated for their inhibitory effects against α-glucosidase and α-amylase. Results show that abilities of the extract in inhibiting the two enzymes were obviously higher than those of acarbose. Moreover, inhibitory abilities of all the eight individual flavonoids against the two enzymes show exactly a same order (i.

Compound K Inhibits Autophagy-Mediated Apoptosis Through Activation of the PI3K-Akt Signaling Pathway Thus Protecting Against Ischemia/Reperfusion Injury.

Background/aims: A series of reports revealed that autophagy and apoptosis exerted detrimental effects on the pathology of cardiac ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury. Ginsenoside compound K (CK), a major intestinal metabolite underlying the pharmacological actions of orally administered ginseng, has a protective effect against myocardial I/R injury. However, the molecular mechanisms by which CK protects against I/R injury remain unclear.

Long non-coding RNA FEZF1-AS1 promotes breast cancer stemness and tumorigenesis via targeting miR-30a/Nanog axis.

Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) have been verified to modulate the tumorigenesis of breast cancer at multiple levels. In present study, we aim to investigate the role of lncRNA FEZF1-AS1 on breast cancer-stem like cells (BCSC) and the potential regulatory mechanism. In breast cancer tissue, lncRNA FEZF1-AS1 was up-regulated compared with controls and indicated poor prognosis of breast cancer patients.

Impact of copper nanoparticles and ionic copper exposure on wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) root morphology and antioxidant response.

Copper nanoparticles (nCu) are widely used in industry and in daily life, due to their unique physical, chemical, and biological properties. Few studies have focused on nCu phytotoxicity, especially with regard to toxicity mechanisms in crop plants. The present study examined the effect of 15.

Intraconversion of Polar Ginsenosides, Their Transformation into Less-Polar Ginsenosides, and Ginsenoside Acetylation in Ginseng Flowers upon Baking and Steaming.

Heating is a traditional method used in ginseng root processing, however, there aren't reports on differences resulting from baking and steaming. Moreover, ginseng flowers, with 5.06 times more total saponins than ginseng root, are not fully taken advantage of for their ginsenosides.

Chronic exposure to low concentrations of lead induces metabolic disorder and dysbiosis of the gut microbiota in mice.

Unlabelled: Lead (Pb) is one of the most prevalent toxic, nonessential heavy metals that can contaminate food and water. In this study, effects of chronic exposure to low concentrations of Pb on metabolism and gut microbiota were evaluated in mice. It was observed that exposure of mice to 0.

Investigation of Rhizospheric Microbial Communities in Wheat, Barley, and Two Rice Varieties at the Seedling Stage.

The plant rhizosphere microbiota plays multiple roles in plant growth. We investigated the taxonomic and functional variations in the rhizosphere microbial community, examining both prokaryotes and eukaryotes, of four crops at the seedling stage: wheat, barley, and two rice varieties ( indica and japonica) seeded in paddy soil. The diversity of rhizosphere communities in these four species was determined.

Pathogenicity analysis of variations and prenatal diagnosis in a hereditary coagulation factor XIII deficiency family.

Objectives: Prenatal diagnosis (PND) procedure is urgent to be established for timely management and fatal consequence prevention of factor XIII deficiency (FXIIID), and variations data among Chinese are very scanty. We aimed to find a novel mutation among Chinese and establish a rapid and precise PND procedure with pathogenicity analysis to contribute to the prevention of postpartum hemorrhage in pregnant women and central nervous system bleeding in newborns.

Methods: FXIIID was diagnosed by qualitative and quantitative tests of clot solubility test and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, respectively.

Developmental neurotoxicity of Microcystis aeruginosa in the early life stages of zebrafish.

Accumulating evidence suggests that cyanotoxins can exert neurotoxic effects on exposed aquatic organisms but most studies have focused on purified toxins rather than on the more complex effects of cyanobacterial blooms. To evaluate this issue in an environmentally relevant model, we assessed the developmental neurotoxicity induced by Microcystis aeruginosa on newly hatched zebrafish. After four days of exposure, the locomotor activity of zebrafish larvae was significantly decreased with increasing algae concentration.

Emergence of BA9 genotype of human respiratory syncytial virus subgroup B in China from 2006 to 2014.

A study was conducted to investigate the circulation of HRSV subgroup B (HRSVB) in China in recent years. HRSVB sequences from 365 samples collected in 1991, 2004 and 2008-2014 in China, together with 332 Chinese HRSVB sequences obtained from GenBank were analyzed to determine the geographic and yearly distribution of HRSVB. Phylogenetic analysis revealed these HRSVB sequences clustered into 4 genotypes with different frequencies: BA (83%), CB1 (11%), SAB (3.

Acute Toxicity and Ecological Risk Assessment of Benzophenone-3 (BP-3) and Benzophenone-4 (BP-4) in Ultraviolet (UV)-Filters.

Ultraviolet (UV)-absorbing chemicals (UV filters) are used in personal care products for the protection of human skin and hair from damage by UV radiation. Although these substances are released into the environment in the production and consumption processes, little is known about their ecotoxicology effects. The acute toxicity and potential ecological risk of UV filters benzophenone-3 (BP-3) and benzophenone-4 (BP-4) on , , and were analyzed in the present study.

Reproductive and endocrine-disrupting toxicity of Microcystis aeruginosa in female zebrafish.

Microcystis aeruginosa, a primary species in cyanobacterial blooms, is ubiquitously distributed in water. Microcystins (MCs) purified from M. aeruginosa can exert reproductive toxicity in fish.