Dry Weight Ratio Research Articles

MEF2C alleviates acute lung injury in cecal ligation and puncture (CLP)-induced sepsis rats by up-regulating AQP1.

Sepsis is a systemic inflammatory response syndrome and leads to patient's death. Objective: To investigate the effect of myocyte enhancer factor 2 (MEF2C) on acute lung injury (ALI) with sepsis and its possible mechanism. The cecal ligation and puncture (CLP)-induced sepsis rat model was established. The lung injury was determined by lung wet-dry weight ratio, the concentration of inflammatory cytokines, including tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), Interlukin (IL)-6, IL-1β, and IL-10, were measured by the enzyme-linked-immunosorbent serologic assay kit. The cell apoptosis was detected by TUNEL staining assay. Interestingly, MEF2C was down-regulated in this model. Moreover, adeno-associated virus (AAV)-MEF2C treatment markedly suppressed TNF-α, IL-1β, and IL-6 concentrations but promoted IL-10 concentration in serum in CLP-challenged rats. Besides, overexpression of MEF2C alleviates CLP-induced lung injury. Interestingly, AAV-MEF2C treatment was confirmed to suppress apoptosis in CLP-induced sepsis rats as well as promote aquaporin APQ1 expression. Mechanistically, the rescue experiments indicated that MEF2C alleviated CLP-induced lung inflammatory response and apoptosis via up-regulating AQP1. In summary, overexpression of MEF2C suppressed CLP-induced lung inflamma-tory response and apoptosis via up-regulating AQP1, providing a novel therapeutic target for sepsis-induced ALI.

A Recommendation for a Pre-Standardized Marine Microalgal Dry Weight Determination Protocol for Laboratory Scale Culture Using Ammonium Formate as a Washing Agent.

Simple SummaryMicroalgae are increasingly recognized as a source of valuable biomass with numerous health benefits. Cleaning of marine microalgal biomass is very crucial for microalgal studies as the salt on the microalgae cells will lead to overestimation of biomass determination. Incomplete washing of salt from microalgae could also interfere with the nutritional analyses. The biomass, especially dry weight, has been utilized for nutritional or compositional evaluation. Although standard methods of marine microalgal dry weight determination are available, these methods did not provide comprehensive details, and the parameters vary among themselves. Without a standard method, a comparison of results among previous studies can be misleading and unreliable. Therefore, the current study aimed to investigate and determine the ideal setting of several parameters in the marine microalgal dry weight determination for laboratory-scale culture. The present findings could assist in developing a standardized protocol to ensure a high quality of biomass for microalgal studies. Microalgal biomass is one of the crucial criteria in microalgal studies. Many reported methods, even the well-established protocol on microalgal dry weight (DW) determination, vary greatly, and reliable comparative assessment amongst published results could be problematic. This study aimed to determine the best condition of critical parameters in marine microalgal DW determination for laboratory-scale culture using four different marine microalgal species. These parameters included the washing process, grades of glass microfiber filter (GMF), GMF pretreatment conditions, washing agent (ammonium formate) concentrations, culture: washing agent ratios (v:v) and washing cycles. GMF grade GF/A with precombustion at 450 °C provided the most satisfactory DW and the highest ash-free dry weight (AFDW)/DW ratio. Furthermore, 0.05 M ammonium formate with 1:2 culture: washing agent ratio and a minimum of two washing cycles appeared to be the best settings of microalgal DW determination. The present treatment increased the AFDW/DW ratio of the four respective microalgae by a minimum of 19%. The findings of this study could serve as a pivotal reference in developing a standardized protocol of marine microalgal DW determination to obtain veracious and reliable marine microalgal DW.

The Effect of Different Growing Environments on Seedling Development in Transplanting Paddy Production

In the world, the seedling planting method comes into prominence to save on irrigation water due to climatic changes, to increase the yield per unit area with lengthy vegetation varieties, and to reduce chemical input in pest and disease control. The basic element of being successful in transplanting paddy production is to grow healthy and quality seedlings. For machine transplanting, it is necessary to grow in a special viol environment. For paddy seedlings in trays, it is required to prepare special mortars rich in plant nutrients and economical. In this research, four replications were carried out in an unheated polyethylene greenhouse of Ondokuz Mayıs University Agricultural Research and Application Center in 2020 with 20 different mortar media and three paddy varieties (Baldo, Vasco and Tosya Güneşi). To determine the seedling quality, seedling length, seedling stem diameter, leaf number, root length, root number, above ground and root wet weight, above ground, and root dry matter ratio values were examined 21 days after planting. According to the research results, the effect of different medium crosses, cultivars, and environment x cultivar combinations used on the seedling quality characteristics was statistically significant. The results showed that seedling length was 68.39-218.19 mm, seedling stem diameter was 0.97-2.64 mm, number of leaves was 2.0-4.0, root length was 16.95 - 98.35, number of roots was 4.25-10.75, shoot wet weight 5.40-131.55 mg, root wet weight 3.03-104.28, shoot dry weight ratio was 5.95-27.42%, and root dry weight ratio was 1.37-15.13%. The biplot analysis results showed that the Vasco variety had the best quality of seedlings in growth media numbers 13 and 18. The evaluation of growth media's quality, economically and ecologically, showed that growth media number 13 was the best media, and media numbers 18 and 19 could be used as alternatives.

干旱对不同品种小麦幼苗的生理生化胁迫以及外源5-氨基乙酰丙酸的缓解作用

<p id="C3">Drought stress happens frequently in Huang-Huai winter wheat planted area, causing severe injury on photosynthetic apparatus of wheat seedlings. To characterize the traits of photosynthetic physiology in different wheat cultivars in response to water deficit, the newly in-lab cultivated Zhengmai 1860, as well as Bainong 207 and Zhoumai 18 were used as materials in this study. We explored the effects of water deficit on photosynthetic traits, antioxidant enzyme activities, and related gene transcription of seedlings in different cultivars, as well as the drought alleviation effect of exogenous application of 5-aminolevulinic acid (ALA). The results were as follows: Zhengmai 1860 had comparatively higher root dry weight and root shoot ratio than the other two cultivars under drought stress. Compared to Zhoumai 18, the drought resistant cultivars (Zhengmai 1860 and Bainong 207) had lower reduction in chlorophyll content and increased MDA content, enhanced the activities of SOD and CAT, and lowered reductions in chlorophyll fluorescence parameters and the photosynthetic parameters. Meanwhile, water deficit obviously improved the transcriptions of antioxidant enzyme-encoded genes <italic>CAT</italic>, <italic>SOD-Cu/Zn</italic>, <italic>MnSO</italic>, and<italic> FeSOD</italic>, which showed a correlation between the increasing level with the drought resistant ability. The exogenous pretreatment of ALA further enhanced the activities of SOD and CAT to lower the damage to membrane lipid peroxidation by inducing the transcriptions of <italic>CAT</italic>, <italic>SOD-Cu/Zn</italic>, and <italic>MnSOD</italic>. ATPase activity was also increased to alleviate water deficit on the damage to photosynthetic physiology. Moreover, we found for the first time that the transcriptional maintenance of chloroplast photosynthetic apparatus related <italic>psb28</italic> gene had a correlation with the drought resistance between different wheat cultivars, which was also significantly induced by the exogenously pretreated ALA. These results in this study proposed that the transcriptions of antioxidant enzymes and chloroplast photosynthesis related genes had a close relationship with the drought resistant ability of wheat and the alleviation effect of exogenous ALA in wheat.

Gibberellins regulate lateral root development that is associated with auxin and cell wall metabolisms in cucumber

Cucumber is an economically important crop cultivated worldwide. Gibberellins (GAs) play important roles in the development of lateral roots (LRs), which are critical for plant stress tolerance and productivity. Therefore, it is of great importance for cucumber production to study the role of GAs in LR development. Here, the results showed that GAs regulated cucumber LR development in a concentration-dependent manner. Treatment with 1, 10, 50 and 100 μM GA3 significantly increased secondary root length, tertiary root number and length. Of these, 50 μM GA3 treatment had strong effects on increasing root dry weight and the root/shoot dry weight ratio. Pairwise comparisons identified 417 down-regulated genes enriched for GA metabolism-related processes and 447 up-regulated genes enriched for cell wall metabolism-related processes in GA3-treated roots. A total of 3523 non-redundant DEGs were identified in our RNA-Seq data through pairwise comparisons and linear factorial modeling. Of these, most of the genes involved in auxin and cell wall metabolisms were up-regulated in GA3-treated roots. Our findings not only shed light on LR regulation mediated by GA but also offer an important resource for functional studies of candidate genes putatively involved in the regulation of LR development in cucumber and other crops.

KOMPOSISI MEDIA UNTUK MEMACU PERTUMBUHAN CABUTAN KULIM Scorodocarpus borneensis Becc.

Scorodocarpus borneensis becc. is one of the type that is increasingly endangered in natural forests. Borneensis is a special type of wood, especially in Riau, so it is used as a raw material for community industry such as shipbuilding, masts and door frames. The cultivation efferts of resulted in the use wood in nature as a place for the preparation of wood, the effect of planting media composition on growth of Scorodocarpus bornensis Becc. the composition of the best growing media for growth of S.bornensis Becc. Extract the experiment was done by using complete randomized design (CRD) consisting of 4 treatments. Each treatment consisted of 3 replications and used 10 replications each time, with a total total of 120 pieces. Response measured to see the influence of S.bornensis Becc. Revocation on seedling growth is the percentage of seedling life, high seedling increase, increase in the number of leaves on seedlings, dry weight and top root ratio. The difference in the composition of the planting media affects the growth S.bornensis Becc. On average media compositions (clay + trichokompos 1: 1) with the finest results. The P1 (clay + trichokompos 1: 1) treatment showed the best result as a media composition S.bornensis becc. are percentage of live seedlings 93,3 %, high growth of 20,63 cm, and dry weight of 7,48g.

Effect of Packing System, Calcium Chloride and Chlorine on the Storage Life of Strawberry Fruits (Fragaria ananassa cv. Kordistan)

Effect of packing system, calcium chlorite and chlorine was evaluated on storage life of strawberry fruits. Fruits were treated with commercial grade of chlorine (calcium hypochlorite at 0, 25, 50 and 100 ppm and sodium hypochlorite at 0, 25, 50 and 100 ppm with distilled water) for one minute and then treated with different grades of calcium chlorite 0, 0.5, 1 and 1.5 percentage for five minutes, then were divided to two groups; packed and non packed with plastic cover. Then fruits were evaluated for changes in quantity parameters; pH, TA (Titratable acidity), TSS (Total soluble solids), Dry and fresh weight ratio, water content, Anthocyanin, Ascorbic acid, Ca2+, Sugar and pectin. The results showed that the packed fruits treated with calcium chloride (at 0.5 and 1 percentage) and chlorine (at 50 ppm) remained better when compared with non packed fruits. It was found that packing treatment had not a significant effect on pH. It can also deduce that packed treated fruits showed a lower TA, Anthocyanin, calcium, sugar and pectin while TSS, fresh to dry weight ratio, water content and ascorbic acid was higher in packed treated fruits.

Physiological and Expressional Regulation on Photosynthesis, Starch and Sucrose Metabolism Response to Waterlogging Stress in Peanut.

Waterlogging has negative effects on crop yield. Physiological and transcriptome data of two peanut cultivars [Zhongkaihua 1 (ZKH 1) and Huayu 39 (HY 39)] were studied under normal water supply and waterlogging stress for 5 or 10 days at the flowering stage. The results showed that the main stem height, the number of lateral branches, lateral branch length, and the stem diameter increased under waterlogging stress, followed by an increase in dry matter accumulation, which was correlated with the increase in the soil and plant analysis development (SPAD) and net photosynthetic rate (Pn) and the upregulation of genes related to porphyrin and chlorophyll metabolism and photosynthesis. However, the imbalance of the source–sink relationship under waterlogging was the main cause of yield loss, and waterlogging caused an increase in the sucrose and soluble sugar contents and a decrease in the starch content; it also decreased the activities of sucrose synthetase (SS) and sucrose phosphate synthetase (SPS), which may be due to the changes in the expression of genes related to starch and sucrose metabolism. However, the imbalance of the source–sink relationship led to the accumulation of photosynthate in the stems and leaves, which resulted in the decrease of the ratio of pod dry weight to total dry weight (PDW/TDW) and yield. Compared with ZKH 1, the PDW of HY 39 decreased more probably because more photosynthate accumulated in the stem and leaves of HY 39 and could not be effectively transported to the pod.

Edaravone combined with dexamethasone exhibits synergic effects on attenuating smoke-induced inhalation lung injury in rats

Inhalational lung injury often leads to morbidity and mortality during fire disasters. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the protective effects of edaravone combined with dexamethasone on smoke-induced inhalational lung injury. Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into five groups, namely, the control, model (inhalation), and three treatment groups (edaravone, dexamethasone, and edaravone combined with dexamethasone). After drug intervention in the acute lung injury model, arterial blood gas, wet:dry weight ratio of the lung tissue, bronchoalveolar lavage fluid, and pulmonary histopathology were determined. The production of reactive oxygen species (ROS), mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP), inflammatory cytokines, peroxidase and apoptosis were further analyzed to explore the underlying mechanisms. The results of blood gas and inflammatory cytokine analysis and the histopathological data demonstrated that edaravone combined with dexamethasone had obvious protective effects on smoke infiltration and tissue injury. Moreover, after the co-administration of edaravone and dexamethasone, malondialdehyde and myeloperoxidase levels in the lung tissue decreased, whereas those of glutathione peroxidase and superoxide dismutase were elevated. In addition, this drug combination could inhibit smoke-induced apoptosis in lung tissues by reducing the cleavage of caspase-3, caspase-9, and poly ADP-ribose polymerase (PARP), and also reverse smoke-mediated mitochondrial dysfunction, including ROS generation, loss of MMP, early release of cytochrome C, second mitochondrial activator of caspases, and apoptosis-inducing factor. In conclusion, edaravone combined with dexamethasone had a protective effect on smoke-induced inhalational lung injury in rats and can be further explored as an attractive therapeutic option for the treatment of smoke inhalation-induced pulmonary dysfunction.

Sweet Sorghum Genotypes Tolerant and Sensitive to Nitrogen Stress Select Distinct Root Endosphere and Rhizosphere Bacterial Communities.

The belowground microbiomes have many beneficial functions that assist plant growth, including nutrient cycling, acquisition and transport, as well as alleviation of stresses caused by nutrient limitations such as nitrogen (N). Here we analyzed the root endosphere, rhizosphere and soil bacterial communities of seven sweet sorghum genotypes differing in sensitivity to N-stress. Sorghum genotypes were grown in fields with no (low-N) or sufficient (high-N) N. The dry shoot weight ratio (low-N/high-N) was used to determine N-stress sensitivity. Our hypothesis was that genotypes tolerant and sensitive to N-stress select distinct bacterial communities. The endosphere and rhizosphere bacterial community structure were significantly different between the N-stress sensitive and tolerant genotypes in the high-N field, but not in the low-N field. However, significant changes in the relative abundance of specific bacterial taxa were observed in both fields. Streptomyces, a bacterial genus known to alleviate plant abiotic stresses, was enriched in the endosphere and rhizosphere of the tolerant genotypes in the low-N field. Our study indicates that sweet sorghum genotypes tolerant to N-stress select taxa that can potentially mitigate the N-stress, suggesting that the interactions between N-stress tolerant lines and the root-associated microbiome might be vital for coping with N-stress.

EFFECT OF SOME BIOCIDES ON THE VASE LIFE OF CARNATION (DIANTHUS CARYOPHYLLUS L.) CUT FLOWERS

The current study was carried out at Antoniades Research Branch, Ornamental Plants and Landscape Gardening Res. Dept., Hort. Res. Inst., ARC, Alexandria, Egypt, over two consecutive seasons of 2019 and 2020. The aim of this study was to compare the effects of silver nitrate (AgNO3) at (20, 30, and 40 mg l-1), 8-hydroxyquinoline sulfate (8-HQS) at (50, 100, and 200 mg l-1), citric acid (CA) at (50, 100, and 150 mg l-1) and salicylic acid (SA) at (100, 150, and 200 mg l-1) as holding preservative solutions for reducing bacterial decay and prolonging the vase life on cut carnation (Dianthus caryophyllus L.) flowers. The following records were evaluated at the conclusion of the experiment: vase life (days), which was calculated as the number of days before the flowers started to wilt, loss of flower fresh weight percentage (LFFW percent), final water uptake (g), flower fresh weight/flower dry weight ratio (FWR), relative fresh weight, vase solution uptake rate, and several chemical component tests. The results showed that the highest significant improvement in most measurements were obtained when treated with silver nitrate AgNO3 at a concentration of 30 mg l-1 including improved vase life, final water uptake, flower fresh weight/flower dry weight ratio, chlorophyll a & b, carotene content, and sugars content. It also reduced the number of bacterial colonies in the vase water. The treatment with 8-hydroquinoline sulfate at 200 mg l-1 was the closest to that treatment in most of the studied characteristics

Effect of essential oils on vase life of cut flowers of Solidago canadensis L. (Golden rod)

The present study was done at Antoniades Research Branch, Ornamental Plants Research and Landscape Gardening Res. Dept., Hort. Res. inst., ARC, Alexandria, Egypt, during the two successive seasons of 2019 and 2020. The aim of this work was to evaluate the ability to use Nigella sativa, Rosmarinus officinalis and Citrus lemon essential oils (EOs) at 0.0,50,100,200 mg/l as holding solution on reducing bacterial decay and prolonging the vase life of solidago cut spike. The highest significant increase in vase life was obtained after application of Nigella EO at 200 mg/l which was 15.78days in the first and 16.85 in the second season respectively as the compared to rosemary , lemon oils and control treatments. While the vase life of control treatment was 6.98 and7.00 days in both seasons respectively. Also, this treatment recorded the highest significant increase in final water uptake, shoot fresh weight/shoot dry weight ratio and chlorophyll a & b content. Moreover, this treatment caused decreased in the loss of flower fresh weight and reduced the number of bacterial colonies in vase solution.

Saturated Hydraulic Conductivity (Ks) Of Earth Materials In The Weathering Profile Over A Porphyritic Biotite Granite At The Kuala Lumpur - Karak Highway In Peninsular Malaysia

Three broad zones can be differentiated within the weathering profile over porphyritic biotite granite at Km 31 of the Kuala Lumpur - Karak Highway. The top Zone I (pedological soil) is 12 m thick and comprises A, B and C soil horizons; the C horizon (saprolite) being a clayey sand with indistinct relict bedrock textures. The intermediate Zone II (saprock) is some 30 m thick and consists of silty sands that indistinctly to distinctly preserve the minerals, textures and structures of the original granite. Zone II can be differentiated into four sub-zones; the upper II A and II B sub-zones marked by an absence of core boulders, whilst the lower II C and II D sub-zones have some to many core-boulders. The bottom Zone III (bedrock), whose upper surface is marked by an unconfined groundwater table, is a continuous granite outcrop with effects of weathering along and between discontinuity planes. Constant head permeability tests show saturated hydraulic conductivity (Ks) to vary with depth and texture; clayey sand from saprolite having a conductivity of 0.2420 cm/hr and silty sand from sub-zone II B, a conductivity of 0.7464 cm/hr. Silty sands from sub-zone II D have saturated hydraulic conductivity values of 1.5313, and 1.9585, cm/hr, whilst a silty sand from sub-zone II C has a conductivity of 4.1131 cm/hr due to it being collected at a relict pegmatite pod. Regression analyses show variable trends with low to moderate correlation coefficients (R2 &lt;0.600) for hydraulic conductivity versus index properties as clay and sand contents, but large correlation coefficients (R2 &gt;0.820) for hydraulic conductivity versus physical properties as dry unit weight and void ratio.

Indica rice restorer lines with large sink potential exhibit improved nutrient transportation to the panicle, which enhances both yield and nitrogen-use efficiency

The yield and nitrogen use efficiency (NUE) of hybrid rice combinations are closely related to restorer line. Therefore, it is essential to evaluate the agronomic characteristics of restorer lines with high yield and high NUE (HYHN). However, it is unclear which restorer lines are HYHN, and neither have the common agronomic traits of the HYHN restorer lines been identified. Aiming to address this issue, we conducted two filed experiments using three nitrogen applications, which screened five HYHN restorer lines from 15 indica restorer lines. Yield, NUE and nutrient transportation of restorer lines with different yields and NUE types were examined. Yield and total nitrogen absorption in aboveground biomass (TNA) increased, whereas NUE for grain production decreased with increasing nitrogen application levels. The HYHN restorer lines had large spikelets and high weight per panicle that were significantly positively correlated with yield and NUE. Therefore, large sink potential may be beneficial for both yield and NUE. We further studied the differences in nutrient transportation to panicles between the HYHN and low yield and low NUE (LYLN) restorer lines and found that the former had a higher nitrogen absorption level and dry matter weight ratios of panicle in maturity. Moreover, the HYHN lines also had a higher root and neck-panicle node bleeding intensity per stem after heading and more developed vascular bundles of neck-panicle nodes and leaves than the LYLN lines, which could contribute to the transportation of nutrients from root to ground and from stem and leaf to spike. Therefore, the advantages of large sink potential of the HYHN restorer lines include large nutrient accumulation in and distribution to the panicles and smooth flow of nutrients along the transportation channels.

First Report on Cyanotoxin (MC-LR) Removal from Surface Water by Multi-Soil-Layering (MSL) Eco-Technology: Preliminary Results

Cyanobacteria blooms occur frequently in freshwaters around the world. Some can produce and release toxic compounds called cyanotoxins, which represent a danger to both the environment and human health. Microcystin-LR (MC-LR) is the most toxic variant reported all over the world. Conventional water treatment methods are expensive and require specialized personnel and equipment. Recently, a multi-soil-layering (MSL) system, a natural and low-cost technology, has been introduced as an attractive cost-effective, and environmentally friendly technology that is likely to be an alternative to conventional wastewater treatment methods. This study aims to evaluate, for the first time, the efficiency of MSL eco-technology to remove MC-LR on a laboratory scale using local materials. To this end, an MSL pilot plant was designed to treat distilled water contaminated with MC-LR. The pilot was composed of an alternation of permeable layers (pozzolan) and soil mixture layers (local sandy soil, sawdust, charcoal, and metallic iron on a dry weight ratio of 70, 10, 10, and 10%, respectively) arranged in a brick-layer-like pattern. MSL pilot was continuously fed with synthetic water containing distilled water contaminated with increasing concentrations of MC-LR (0.18–10 µg/L) at a hydraulic loading rate (HLR) of 200 L m−2 day−1. The early results showed MC-LR removal of above 99%. Based on these preliminary results, the multi-soil-layering eco-technology could be considered as a promising solution to treat water contaminated by MC-LR in order to produce quality water for irrigation or recreational activities.

Acute Over‐Ventilation Does Not Cause Lung Damage in Hemorrhaged Swine

Airway management is important in trauma and critically ill patients. Prolonged mechanical ventilation results in over-ventilation induced lung barotrauma, but few studies have examined the consequence of acute (1 h or less) over-ventilation. We hypothesized that acute hyperventilation, as might inadvertently be performed in pre-hospital settings, would elevate systemic inflammation and cause lung damage. Female Yorkshire pigs (40-50 kg, n=10/group) were anesthetized, instrumented for hemodynamic measurements and blood sampling, and. underwent a 25% controlled hemorrhage followed by 1 h of: 1) spontaneous breathing; 2) “normal” bag ventilation (4.8 L minute volume, ~400 mL tidal volume, 12 breaths/minute); 3) bag hyperventilation (9 L minute volume, ~750 mL tidal volume, 12 breaths/minute); 4) maximum hyperventilation (15 L minute volume, ~750 mL tidal volume, 20 breaths/minute); or, 5) mechanical ventilation. Pigs then regained consciousness and recovered for 24 hrs, followed by euthanasia and collection of blood and tissue samples. No level of manual ventilation had any significant impact on hemodynamic variables. Blood markers of tissue damage and plasma cytokines (IL-1a, IL-1β, IL-2, IL-4, IL-6, IL-8, IL-10, IL-12, IL-18, and TNF-α) were not statistically different between groups with the exception of a transient increase in IL-1β and IL-2; but all values returned to baseline by 24 hrs. Wet to dry lung weight ratios were not significantly different between groups, an indication that any edema caused by over-inflation dissipates by 24 hours. This was confirmed by pathology review; severity and distribution of lung edema was not significantly different between groups. Additionally, there were no differences in congestion, hemorrhage, or presence of thrombi. These data indicate that acute over-ventilation, as could be seen in the pre-hospital phase of trauma care, does not produce evidence of adverse effects on the lungs following hemorrhage.

Celastrol alleviates sepsis-induced acute lung injury in rats by inhibiting the Toll-like receptor 4/nuclear factor-κB inflammatory pathway

To investigate the protective effect and mechanism of celastrol in acute lung injury (ALI) of septic rats. According to random number table, 24 male Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats were divided into control group (Con group), Sham operation group (Sham group), sepsis-induced ALI group by cecal ligation and perforation (CLP group) and celastrol intervention group (CLP+celastrol group, 2 mg/kg intraperitoneal administration 1 hour before surgery), 6 rats in each group. The abdominal aortic blood of the rats was collected for blood gas analysis 24 hours after the surgery, and then the rats were sacrificed and the lung tissues were taken to calculate the lung wet to dry weight ratio (W/D). The pathological characteristics of lung tissues were observed under light microscope and calculated the lung injury score. The protein levels of Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4), interleukins (IL-6, IL-10), and nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) of cytoplasm and nucleus in lung tissues were detected by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The partial arterial oxygen pressure (PaO2), lung W/D ratio, lung injury score and the protein levels of inflammatory factor in lung tissues had no differences between Con group and Sham group. Compared with the Con group, PaO2 in the CLP group was significantly decreased [mmHg (1 mmHg = 0.133 kPa): 60.33±2.01 vs. 109.20±2.99], the lung W/D ratio and lung injury score were significantly increased (lung W/D ratio: 4.44±0.05 vs. 3.27±0.04, lung injury score: 10.67±0.42 vs. 0.50±0.22), and the protein levels of TLR4, IL-6, IL-10 and the nucleus NF-κB in the lung tissues were significantly increased [TLR4 (pg/L): 21.87±0.66 vs. 3.27±0.09, IL-6 (ng/L): 861.10±8.28 vs. 120.30±3.91, IL-10 (ng/L): 212.40±2.57 vs. 41.73±1.02, nuclear NF-κB (ng/L): 707.70±16.82 vs. 403.30±7.46], but the protein level of cytoplasm NF-κB was significantly decreased (ng/L: 213.70±8.67 vs. 408.30±8.71), with statistically significant differences (all P < 0.05). Compared with the CLP group, PaO2 in CLP+celastrol group was significantly increased (mmHg: 76.83±3.21 vs. 60.33±2.01), the lung W/D ratio and lung injury score were significantly decreased (lung W/D ratio: 3.82±0.03 vs. 4.44±0.05, lung injury score: 5.00±0.37 vs. 10.67±0.42), and the protein levels of TLR4, IL-6, IL-10 and nucleus NF-κB in the lung tissue were significantly decreased [TLR4 (pg/L): 7.57±0.21 vs. 21.87±0.66, IL-6 (ng/L): 380.90±6.55 vs. 861.10±8.28, nuclear NF-κB (ng/L): 533.80±9.42 vs. 707.70±16.82], and the protein level of cytoplasm NF-κB was significantly increased (ng/L: 342.70±14.96 vs. 213.70±8.67), with statistically significant differences (all P < 0.05), while the protein level of IL-10 in lung tissues had no significant difference (ng/L: 210.50±3.16 vs. 212.40±2.57, P > 0.05). Celastrol may regulate the expression and release of inflammatory factors by inhibiting the TLR4/NF-κB pathway, thereby alleviating the ALI induced by sepsis in rats.

Reconstruction of local-scale plant community characteristics using phytolith: A case study of a forested region in Northeast China

Understanding local-scale paleoecological processes and their driving mechanisms is a major challenge in plant community ecology. However, phytolith records have the potential to retrieve localized signals of the evolution and patterns of past ecosystems. As a case study, we selected a forested region in Northeast China. We first established a modern phytolith reference dataset which enabled numerical estimates to be made of various aspects of the plant community. We then apply the dataset to a phytolith record from a sedimentary profile (HN) from the Changbai mountain region in order to quantitatively reconstruct the evolution of the vegetation since the last deglaciation. The results of partial least squares regression were used demonstrate that modern phytoliths can quantitatively estimate plant community coverage, species diversity and dry weight ratio; three numerical estimates respectively explained 62.3%, 50.3% and 49.5% of the variance. These quantitative relationships can provide reliable modern phytolith analogues for paleoecological reconstructions. The modern phytolith-based vegetation reconstruction indicates that the Changbai mountain region was dominated by forest communities since the late glacial period. The temporal development of the vegetation can be summarized as follows: boreal or coniferous forest, sparse and species-poor → mixed broadleaf-conifer forest, relatively dense and species-rich → mixed broadleaf-conifer forest, dense and species-rich. The phytolith-inferred changes in plant community coverage, dry weight ratio and species diversity correspond well with climatic changes. This supports the view that the environmental background mainly dominates ecosystem evolution, and it also confirms the utility of phytolith records to resolve local paleovegetation patterns and evolution.

ВЛИЯНИЕ ТЯЖЕЛЫХ МЕТАЛЛОВ НА РАЗВИТИЕ СОРТОВ КУКУРУЗЫ

Heavy metals are some of the most harmful chemicals in the environment today. Today, many scientists believe that the main factor that negatively affects the plant in saline conditions is the osmotic effect of salts. In conditions of soil salinity, the lack of plants causes dehydration of proteins, which negatively affects the physiological and biochemical processes of plants. Plants absorb heavy metals in different ways. It absorbs heavy metals from the soil through the roots and from the air through the stomata of the leaves, mainly through dust. The aim of the research is to study the influence of heavy metals on the physiological and biochemical processes of growth and development of maize varieties. The article presents the research results of the heavy metals influence on the elongation of seedlings and the synthesis of photosynthetic pigments during the germination of maize varieties. It is obvious that heavy metals affect the growth and plant development from the initial germination stage of corn kernels. The results of monitoring various effects of heavy metals on photosynthetic pigments are also presented. In addition, the length of the above- water and underground parts of the biomass, the ratio of dry weight to actual weight is the heavy metals effect on plants. For example, the leaves turned dark green, the stems twisted, did not fully open and turned pink. Under the influence of heavy metals, plant development, metabolism and photosynthesis are disrupted, as well as the normal course of respiration and photosynthesis. According to the results obtained, the impact of heavy metals on maize varieties significantly inhibits the accumulation and growth of biomass. In particular, the processes of plant root growth are suppressed. Differences in the tolerance of different varieties of heavy metals can be explained by their varietal characteristics and genetic basis. Currently, there is a theoretical and practical interest in the identification of ion-resistant forms of heavy metals, their ability to detect and reveal their nature, the development of ways to increase the impact and resistance of heavy metals on plants. Formulating the results of the study, it was found that different heavy metals concentrations (CuSO4 and CdSO4) negatively affect the growth of corn varieties. This can be seen from the tables below (tables 1, 2, 3, 4).

Effect of the KCa3.1 blocker, senicapoc, on cerebral edema and cardiovascular function after cardiac arrest — A randomized experimental rat study

AimFormation of cerebral edema and cardiovascular dysfunction may worsen brain injury following cardiac arrest. We hypothesized that administration of the intermediate calcium-activated potassium (KCa3.1) channel blocker, senicapoc, would reduce cerebral edema and augment mean arterial pressure in the early post-resuscitation period. MethodMale Sprague-Dawley rats, aged 11–15 weeks, were utilized in the study. Rats were exposed to 8 min of asphyxial cardiac arrest. Shortly after resuscitation, rats were randomized to receive either vehicle or senicapoc (10 mg/kg) intravenously. The primary outcome was cerebral wet to dry weight ratio 4 h after resuscitation. Secondary outcomes included mean arterial pressure, cardiac output, norepinephrine dose, inflammatory cytokines and neuron specific enolase levels. Additionally, a sub-study was conducted to validate intravenous administration of senicapoc. ResultsThe sub-study revealed that senicapoc-treated rats maintained a significantly higher mean arterial pressure during administration of SKA-31 (a KCa3.1 channel opener).The plasma concentration of senicapoc was 1060 ± 303 ng/ml 4 h after administration. Senicapoc did not reduce cerebral edema or augment mean arterial pressure 4 h after resuscitation. Likewise, cardiac function and norepinephrine dose did not vary between groups. Inflammatory cytokines and neuron specific enolase levels increased in both groups after resuscitation with no difference between groups. Senicapoc enhanced the PaO2/FiO2 ratio significantly 4 h after resuscitation. ConclusionSenicapoc was successfully administered intravenously after resuscitation, but did not reduce cerebral edema or increase mean arterial pressure in the early post-resuscitation period.