ABSTRACT To explore the functions of Txnip and its mechanism in adipocyte differentiation, the preadipocytes were isolated from subcutaneous adipose tissue of three-day-old piglets and induced into adipogenic differentiation. The expression of Txnip and ChREBP was silenced, and the Txnip overexpression was achieved in the cells with transfection of the recombinant lentivirus strategies. Txnip silencing promoted the differentiation of porcine preadipocytes and PPARγ expression, and a PPARγ inhibitor reduced this facilitation. Instead, Txnip overexpression exerted a suppressive effect on the cell differentiation and PPARγ expression, and the PPARγ agonist offset this inhibition. High glucose stimulated the preadipocyte differentiation and expressions of ChREBP and Txnip. In contrast, Txnip expression was reduced by ChREBP silencing, suggesting glucose-regulated Txnip expression through the mediation of ChREBP. Moreover, the expressions of ChREBP and Glut4 induced by high glucose and glucose uptake of the cells were reduced by Txnip-overexpression, but increased by Txnip silencing, while these changes of Txnip did not alter their expressions under low glucose. Collectively, Txnip could be an inhibitor of porcine preadipocyte differentiation, which attenuated the adipogenesis through the negative feedback regulation on PPARγ. Txnip impaired the induction of glucose on the preadipocyte differentiation through decreasing Glut4 expression and glucose uptake and subsequent decrease of the expression and transcriptional activity of ChREBP. threedayold three day old silenced strategies facilitation Instead inhibition contrast glucoseregulated regulated Moreover Glut Txnipoverexpression, Txnipoverexpression overexpression, Txnip-overexpression Collectively

The microstructures of high-Si Al alloy cylindrical simples produced by rheological squeeze-casting with bottom-up filling were investigated. The effect of process parameters on the distribution of hard phases (primary Si and Fe-rich phase) was evaluated, and flow characteristics of semi-solid slurry of high-Si Al alloy were investigated. Differences in volume fractions (VFs) of hard phases between the middle and upper layers of cylindrical samples decreased as the squeezing speed increased. Moreover, the flow state of the semi-solid alloy slurry transitioned from laminar to turbulent flow as the squeezing speed was increased. Movement of gases throughout the semi-solid alloy slurry filling process was analysed under different process parameters. The results provide insights for improving rheological casting of high-Si Al alloy and other Al matrix composites.

Abstract Aflatoxin is a carcinogenic secondary metabolite produced mainly by Aspergillus flavus and Aspergillus parasiticus, which can seriously endanger the health of humans and animals. Oxidative stress is a common defense response, and it is known that reactive oxygen species (ROS) can induce the synthesis of a series of secondary metabolites, including aflatoxin. By using mutants lacking the afap 1 gene, the role of afap 1 gene in oxidative stress and aflatoxin synthesis was assessed. The growth of the mutant strains was significantly inhibited by the increase in the concentration of H2O2, inhibition was complete at 40mmol/l. However, in the quantitative analysis by HPLC, the concentration of AFB1 increased with the increased H 2O 2 until 10mmol/l. Following an analysis based on the information provided by the NCBI BLAST analysis, it was assumed that Afap1, a basic leucine zipper (bZIP) transcription factor, was associated with the oxidative stress in this fungus. Treatment with 5mmol/l H 2O 2 completely inhibited the growth of the mutant strains in afap 1 but did not affect the growth of the CA14PTs strain (non-mutant strain). In addition, the concentration of AFB 1 in the mutant strains was approximately V of that observed in the CA14PTs strain. These results suggested that Afap1 plays a key role in the regulation of oxidative stress and aflatoxin production in A. flavus. ©2018 Published by Elsevier España, S.L.U. on behalf of Asociación Argentina de Microbiología. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (https://creativecommons.org/ licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).

Resumen La aflatoxina es un metabolito secundario cancerígeno producido principalmente por Aspergillus flavus y Aspergillus parasiticus, que pone en riesgo grave a la salud de los humanos y los animales. El estrés oxidativo es una respuesta de defensa común, y es sabido que las especies reactivas de oxígeno (ROS) pueden inducir la síntesis de una serie de metabolitos secundarios, incluida la aflatoxina. Empleando mutantes carentes del gen afap1 se evaluó el papel de Afap1 en el estrés oxidativo y la síntesis de aflatoxinas. El crecimiento de las cepas mutadas se vio significativamente inhibido con el aumento de la concentración de H 2O 2, la inhibición fue completa a 40mmol/l. Sin embargo, en el análisis cuantitativo por HPLC, la concentración de la aflatoxina AFBi aumentó con el aumento de la concentración de H 2O 2 hasta 10mmol/l. Tras un análisis apoyado en la información provista por la herramienta NCBI BLAST, se supuso que Afap1, un factor de transcripción de la cremallera de leucina básica (bZIP), estaba asociado con el estrés oxidativo en este hongo. El tratamiento con 5mmol/l de H 2O 2 inhibió completamente el crecimiento de las cepas mutantes en afap1, pero no afectó el crecimiento de la cepa CA14PTs (cepa no mutada). Además, la concentración de AFB 1 en las cepas mutadas fue de aproximadamente 1/4 de la observada en CA14PTs. Estos resultados sugieren que Afap1 juega un papel clave en la regulación del estrés oxidativo y la producción de aflatoxinas en A. flavus.

ABSTRACT Objectives: Our study aimed to investigate the associations of glucose tolerance status with insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I) and other clinical laboratory parameters of acromegalic patients before and after the patients underwent transsphenoidal adenomectomy (TSA) by conducting a single-center, retrospective study. Subjects and methods: A total of 218 patients with acromegaly who had undergone TSA as the first treatment were retrospectively analyzed. Serum IGF-I, growth hormone (GH) and glucose levels were measured before and after surgery. Results: The follow-up levels for random GH, GH nadir, and the percentage of the upper limit of normal IGF-I (%ULN IGF-I) were decreased significantly. The percentages of normal (39.0%), early carbohydrate metabolism disorders (33.0%) and diabetes mellitus (28.0%) changed to 70.2%, 16.5% and 13.3%, respectively, after TSA. %ULN IGF-I at baseline was higher in the diabetes mellitus (DM) group than in the normal glucose tolerance group and impaired glucose tolerance (IGT) /impaired fasting glucose (IFG) groups before TSA, and the DM group exhibited a greater reduction in %ULN IGF-I value after surgery. The follow-up %ULN IGF-I value after surgery was significantly lower in the improved group, and Pearson's correlation analysis revealed that the reductions in %ULN IGF-I corresponded with the reductions in glucose level. Conclusion: This study examined the largest reported sample with complete preoperative and follow-up data. The results suggest that the age- and sex-adjusted IGF-I level, which reflects altered glucose metabolism, and the change of it are associated with improved glucose tolerance in acromegalic patients both before and after TSA.

La información geomórfica se omite en muchos de los métodos de generación de Modelos Digitales de Elevación (DEM, en inglés) que se elaboran a partir de líneas de contorno, lo que resulta en errores significativos durante la interpolación. En este trabajo se presenta un esquema avanzado para el mejoramiento del método comprensivo regionalizado de interpolación lineal. Esta aproximación utiliza un método de ajuste movil para un punto interpolado y selecciona puntos de elevación representativos o características geomórficas como un todo para mejorar la calidad de la interpolación. Se seleccionaron 16 puntos de acuerdo con ciertos criterios, en ocho direcciones alrededor del punto interpolado; por lo tanto, hay dos puntos en cada dirección, lo que es suficiente para proveer una representación precisa de las características geomórficas del DEM. El método propuesto consta de puntos virtuales de control para prevenir cambios repentinos en los resultados de la interpolación, lo que ayuda a vencer los problemas relacionados a la distorsión de la distribución geoespacial local en áreas donde la información de las características geomórficas es inadecuada. Se utilizó una función de interpolación spline con puntos de intersección y puntos de control virtual, que fueron utilizados para calcular el punto de elevación. Además, se indexaron todos los valores de elevación y los puntos espaciales de las características lineales con el método de árbol-R para asegurar que los puntos relacionados a una posición interpolada pueden ser recuperados tan rápido como sea posible. Finalmente, el método fue evaluado con la configuración de elevación de una mina de carbón. Los resultados confirman que el método propuesto puede generar modelos sin problemas y, en particular, evitar complicaciones relacionadas a distorsión local.

Geomorphic information is omitted from many existing methods of generating gridded digital elevation models (DEMs) from contour lines, resulting in significant errors during interpolation. Here, we present an advanced schema for improvement of the comprehensive regionalized method of linear interpolation. This approach uses a moving fitting method for an interpolated point and selects elevation points that are representative of geomorphic features as a whole to improve interpolation quality. A total of 16 points are selected, according to certain criteria, in eight directions surrounding the interpolated point; thus, there are two points in each direction, which is sufficient to provide an accurate representation of the geomorphic features of the DEM. Our method introduces virtual control points to prevent sudden changes in the interpolation results, which helps to overcome problems related to the distortion of the local geospatial distribution in areas where feature geomorphic information is inadequate. We construct the spline interpolation function using intersection points and virtual control points, all of which are applied to compute the point elevation. Moreover, we index all elevation values and spatial points of linear features using the R-tree method to ensure that points related to an interpolated position can be retrieved as quickly as possible. Finally, we test our method using a coal mine elevation dataset. The results confirm that our proposed method can generate DEMs smoothly and, in particular, avoid problems related to local distortion.

ABSTRACT PURPOSE: To investigate the potential effects of pretreatment with allopurinol on renal ischemia/reperfusion injury (IRI) in a rat model. METHODS: Twenty four rats were subjected to right kidney uninephrectomy were randomly distributed into the following three groups (n=8): Group A (sham-operated group); Group B (ischemic group) with 30 min of renal ischemia after surgery; and Group C (allopurinol + ischemia group) pretreated with allopurinol at 50 mg/kg for 14 days. At 72 h after renal reperfusion, the kidney was harvested to assess inflammation and apoptosis. RESULTS: Pretreatment with allopurinol significantly improved renal functional and histological grade scores following I/R injury (p<0.05). Compared with Group B, the expression levels of caspase-3 and Bax were markedly reduced in Group C, meanwhile, whereas expression of bcl-2 was clearly increased (p<0.05). A newly described marker of inflammation, High Mobility Group Box 1(HMGB1), showed reduced expression in Group C (p<0.05). CONCLUSION: Pretreatment with allopurinol had a protective effect on kidney ischemia/reperfusion injury, which might be related to the inhibition of HMGB1 expression.

ABSTRACT A loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) assay was developed for rapid, sensitive and specific detection of African swine fever virus (ASFV). A set of LAMP primers was designed based on the sequence of the ASFV gene K205R. Reaction temperature and time were optimized to 64 oC and 60 min, respectively. LAMP products were detected by agarose gel electrophoresis or visually with the addition of fluorescent dye. The detection limit of the LAMP assay was approximately 6 copies of the target gene per microliter, 100 times more sensitive than conventional PCR. LAMP is a simple and inexpensive molecular assay format for ASFV detection. To date, African swine fever has not been reported in China. LAMP can be used to monitor ASFV spread into China, thereby reducing the threat of ASF.

This study investigated the effects of visfatin on the structure and the immunity levels in the small intestine of LPS-induced rats. Forty Wistar male and female SPF rats were randomly and equally divided into four groups: the saline (control), vistfatin, lipopolysaccharide (LPS), and visfatin+LPS co-stimulated. The functions of visfatin in the intestinal mucosal immunity were investigated by examining the variation of tissue structure, inflammation and immunity-related proteins in the intestine of immunologically stressed rats using HE staining, ELISA, immunohistochemistry and Western Blot. The results showed that, when compared with the control group, the visfatin-treated group showed a decrease in the intestinal villus height and width, and a significant increase in the levels of IL-6 and TNF-ð as well as Immunoglobulin A (IgA) positive cells. Additionally, when compared with the LPS-treated group, the visfatin+LPS co-stimulated group showed a decrease in the villus height and width as well as the levels of IL-6 and TNF-ð, and an increase in IgA levels, implying a shrinking response to LPS injection. All the results suggest that, under normal physiological conditions, visfatin disturbs the body's homeostasis and causes intestinal villus atrophy by increasing IgA expression. While under immune response conditions, LPS acts as an exogenous antigen to promote visfatin against LPS-induced inflammation by decreasing the expression of IgA. Under immune stress conditions, visfatin as an exogenous stimulus promotes the immune response by regulating the protein levels of IL-6, TNF-ð and IgA.

Este estudio investigó los efectos de la visfatina sobre la estructura y los niveles de inmunidad en el intestino delgado de ratas inducidas por lipopolisacáridos (LPS). Cuarenta ratas Wistar se dividieron aleatoriamente e igualmente en cuatro grupos: solución salina (control), vistafin, LPS y visfatina + LPS co-estimuladas. Las funciones de la visfatina en la inmunidad de la mucosa intestinal se investigaron mediante el examen de variación de la estructura del tejido, la inflamación y las proteínas relacionadas con la inmunidad en el intestino de ratas estresadas inmunológicamente; usando tinción HE, ELISA, inmunohistoquímica y Western Blot. Los resultados mostraron que, en comparación con el grupo control, el grupo tratado con visfatina presentó una disminución en la altura y ancho de las vellosidades intestinales, y un aumento significativo en los niveles de IL-6 y TNF-ð, así como inmunoglobulina A (IgA células positivas). Además, al comparar este grupo con el grupo tratado con LPS- el grupo visfatina + LPS co-estimulado mostró una disminución en la altura y ancho de las vellosidades, así como en los niveles de IL-6 y TNF-ð, y un aumento en los niveles de IgA, lo que implica reducción de una respuesta a la inyección LPS. Todos los resultados sugieren que, en condiciones fisiológicas normales, la visfatina perturba la homeostasis del cuerpo y provoca la atrofia de las vellosidades intestinales mediante el aumento de la expresión de IgA. Mientras que bajo condiciones de la respuesta inmune, LPS actúa como un antígeno exógeno para promover visfatina contra la inflamación inducida por LPS por la disminución de la expresión de IgA. En condiciones de estrés inmunológico, la visfatina como estímulo exógeno promueve la respuesta inmune mediante la regulación de los niveles de proteína de IL-6, TNF-ð e IgA.

Objective To analyze surgical methods and evaluate treatment efficacy and safety for managing adrenal cystic lesions. Materials and methods All patients presenting with adrenal lesions of the West China Hospital were reviewed retrospectively from January 2003 to April 2013 and 47 were diagnosed as adrenal cysts. Basic information, clinical history, physical examination, laboratory investigations, abdominal ultrasound and enhanced computed tomography were detailed noted. Cysts with different surgical management were analyzed and surgery option operative time, postoperative complications and after-surgery hospital stay were all noted. The final diagnosis was judged by histopathology. Patients were followed from 3 month to 10 years. Results All the 47 patients with a mean age of 43.8 years were managed by surgical intervention. Compared laparoscopic technology with open technology, the laparoscopic has the advantage of a shorter operation time, shorter hospital stay after surgery and enhanced cosmesis. The histopathologic result was: 23 (50%) were endothelial cysts and 16 (35%) were pseudocysts. One patient had evidence to recurrence at the followed-up stage. Conclusion Adrenal cysts are rare and with the development of imaging techniques many of these are diagnosed incidentally. CT has advantages in detecting the cysts with haemorrhage, intracystic debris, calcification and mixed adrenal mass. Minimally invasive surgery offers equivalent efficacy to traditional open procedures, while providing a shorter operation time, shorter convalescence and improved cosmesis. Patients after surgical resection should be followed up closely especially if functional cysts and histopathology of cystic tumor are present.

Sugarcane brown rust disease caused by Puccinia melanocephala is one of the important fungal diseases affecting sugarcane yield around the world. Cultivar resistance is the most appropriate control method for this disease. In this study, 62 introgression lines chosen from the crossing Saccharum officinarum L. cv. Ludashi x Erianthus rockii Yunnan 95-19 were evaluated for brown rust resistance using artificial inoculation. More than 30% of the introgression lines were identified as resistant. Clones Yunye 09-609, Yunye 09-618, Yunye 09-622, Yunye 09-636, Yunye 09-637, Yunye 09-645, Yunye 09-647 and Yunye 09-652 were shown to have high levels of resistance. The resistant lines identified in this study could be used as sources of brown rust resistance in sugarcane breeding programs.

La investigación de la vegetación y las comunidades presentes en bosques tropicales han tendido a centrarse en el componente arbóreo, y se ha prestado poca atención a la vegetación del sotobosque. La diversidad de especies y la composición del sotobosque de los bosques tropicales estacionales fueron inventariados en un área de 625m² (identificación de árboles jóvenes) y un área de 100 m² (capa de plántulas/hierbas) en tres parcelas de 1 ha. Hemos encontrado 3 068 individuos pertenecientes a 309 especies, 192 géneros y 89 familias. La familia más importante según lo determinado por el Valor de Importancia por Familia (FIVFamily Important Value) fue Rubiaceae, tanto en la capa de árboles jóvenes como para la de plántulas y hierbas. En términos del Índice de Valor de Importancia (IVI-Importance Value Index), el arbusto Mycetia gracilis (Rubiaceae) fue la especie más importante en la capa de árboles jóvenes y la pteridofitas Selaginella delicatula (Selaginellaceae) fue la especie más importante ecológica en la capa de plántulas e hierbas. Mucho más especies de plantas vasculares fueron inventariadas en el sotobosque que en el estrato arbóreo de las tres parcelas juntas. La diversidad de especies no difirió significativamente entre la capa de árboles, la de árboles jóvenes y la de plántulas y de hierbas. Teniendo en cuenta que aún sabemos poco sobre la comunidad de plantas del sotobosque, los resultados del presente estudio indican que debe prestarse más atención a la vegetación del sotobosque durante el proceso de toma de decisiones para la conservación de la biodiversidad en los bosques tropicales.

Tropical forests vegetation and community research have tended to focus on the tree component, and limited attention has been paid to understory vegetation. Species diversity and composition of the understory of tropical seasonal rain forest were inventoried in a 625m² area (for sapling layer) and a 100m² area (for herb/seedling layer) in three 1ha plots. We found 3068 individuals belonging to 309 species, 192 genera and 89 families. The most important family as determined by the Family Importance Value (FIV) was Rubiaceae in both sapling and herb/seedling layers. In terms of Importance Value Index (IVI), the shrub Mycetia gracilis (Rubiaceae) was the most important species in the sapling layer and the pteridophyte Selaginella delicatula (Selaginellaceae) was the most ecological significant species in the herb/seedling layer. Much more vascular plant species were registered in the understory than in the tree layer totaled among the three plots. The species diversity did not differ significantly among the tree layer, sapling layer and herb/seedling layer. Given that we still know little about the understory plant community for growth forms other than trees, the results from the present study indicate that more attention should be paid to the understory vegetation during the decision-making process for biodiversity conservation in the tropical forests. Rev. Biol. Trop. 59 (1): 455-463. Epub 2011 March 01.

Aluminum-doped zinc oxide (AZO) films were prepared on glass substrate by mid-frequency direct current reactive magnetron sputtering (MF-DC-MS). The influence of surface texture by NH4Cl aqueous solution on the surface morphology, electrical and optical properties of the AZO films was systematically investigated by scanning electron microscope, four-point probe and ultraviolet-visible-near infrared spectrophotometer, respectively. The results indicate that textured AZO film obtains a better texture surface for light trapping. The reflectivity for textured AZO film decreases drastically in visible light region and the electrical resistivity increases, which can be explained by the textured surface morphology of AZO film. The results above prove that NH4Cl aqueous solution is an appropriate candidate for AZO wet etching because of its easy control and relatively low cost.