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Excessive activation of voltage-gated sodium channel Nav1.3 has been recently reported in secondary traumatic brain injury (TBI). However, the molecular mechanisms underlying regulating voltage-gated sodium channel (Nav1.3) have not been well understood. The present study used a TBI rat model induced by a fluid percussion device and performed a circular RNA (circRNA) microarray (n = 3) to profile the altered circRNAs in the hippocampus after TBI. After polymerase chain reaction (PCR) validation, certain circRNAs were selected to investigate the function and mechanism in regulating Nav1.3 in the TBI rat model by intracerebroventricular injection with lentivirus. The neurological outcome was evaluated by Morris water maze test, modified Neurological Severity Score (mNSS), brain water content measurement, and hematoxylin and eosin staining. The related molecular mechanisms were explored with PCR, Western blotting, luciferase reporter, chromatin immunoprecipitation assay, and electrophoretic mobility shift assay (EMSA). A total of 347 circRNAs were observed to be differentially expressed (fold change [FC] ≥ 1.2 and p < 0.05) after TBI, including 234 up-regulated and 113 down-regulated circRNAs. Among 10 validated circRNAs, we selected circRNA_009194 with the maximized up-regulated fold change (n = 5, FC = 4.45, p < 0.001) for the in vivo functional experiments. Down-regulation of circRNA_009194 resulted in a 27.5% reduced mNSS in rat brain (n = 6, p < 0.01) after TBI and regulated the expression levels of miR-145-3p, Sp1, and Nav1.3, which was reversed by sh-miR-145-3p or Sp1/Nav1.3 overexpression (n = 5, p < 0.05). Mechanistically, circRNA_009194 might act as a sponge for miR-145-3p to regulate Sp1-mediated Nav1.3. This study demonstrated that circRNA_009194 knockdown could improve neurological outcomes in TBI in vivo by inhibiting Nav1.3, directly or indirectly. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study was aimed at investigating the cellular responses of Penaeus monodon haemocytes to poly I:C stimulation using flow cytometric assay. Total haemocyte count (THC), percentages of different haemocyte subpopulations [hyaline cells (HC), semigranular cells (SGC) and granular cells (GC)], non-specific esterase activity (EA), total reactive oxygen species/reactive nitrogen species (ROS/RNS) production, nitric oxide (NO) production, apoptotic haemocyte ratio and plasmic phenoloxidase (PO) activity were determined in poly I:C-injected shrimp. Results showed that poly I:C at a low dose (5 μg shrimp −1 ) caused obvious increases in THC, GC proportion, ROS/RNS production and NO production, but had no significant effect on EA, apoptosis and PO activity. In the early stage of poly I:C injection at a high dose (20 μg shrimp −1 ), THC and GC proportion improvements could also be observed, suggesting that GC might be induced to release from hemocytopoietic or other tissues to participate in immune response, and this subpopulation might be the main cell type involved in the cellular defence against virus. In the later period, proportions of both GC and SGC reduced paralleled by THC reduction, indicating that depletion of GC and SGC was mainly contributed to the reduced count of circulating haemocyte. Obvious increases in ROS/RNS production and NO production were induced in haemocyte of shrimp under a high dose of poly I:C stimulation, but only slight rise of EA and suppression of PO activity could be observed in poly I:C-stimulated shrimp, suggesting that ROS/RNS-dependent system was vital in the immune defence of shrimp against virus. On the other hand, increase of apoptotic haemocyte ratio and THC reduction were presented after the drastic increases of ROS/RNS and NO productions, implying that the stimulated ROS/RNS might be excess and harmful, and was the major factor for the haemocyte apoptosis and depletion. THC recovered after 48 h injection, while haemocyte apoptosis also returned to the control level, suggesting that apoptosis might be contributed to eliminate damaged, weak or infected haemocytes to renew the circulating haemocytes, and it could be considered as an important defending strategy against virus. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Oxidative burst, release of reactive oxygen species/reactive nitrogen species (ROS/RNS) contributed to microorganisms killing, is a vital immune response of crustacean haemocyte. Three morphologic haemocyte types (hyaline cells, HC; semigranular cells, SGC; granular cells, GC) have been defined in crustaceans, and found to play different roles in immune defense. However, oxidative burst activities of different haemocyte subpopulations in crustaceans are currently not documented. In the present study, we investigated the oxidative burst activities of the three haemocyte types in the freshwater prawn Macrobrachium rosenbergii using the common ROS fluorescent probe dichlorofluorescin-diacetate (DCFH-DA). Nitric oxide (NO) donor sodium nitroprusside (SNP) improved the DCF fluorescence in haemocytes, while NO scavenger C-PTIO (2-(4-carboxyphenyl)-4,4,5,5-tetramethylimidazoline-1-oxyl-3-oxide) and NO-synthase inhibitor N G -monomethyl- l -arginine (L-NMMA) reduced the fluorescence, suggesting that DCF fluorescence intensity could also be modified by intracellular NO level and activity of NO-synthase pathway. ROS/RNS was also produced in the untreated haemocytes. GC contained most non-induced ROS/RNS production, while oxidative activity of HC was rather weak. No significant impact of PMA could be observed on ROS/RNS level in all the three cell types. Both zymosan A (ZA) and lipopolysaccharide (LPS) significantly triggered the production of ROS/RNS in SGC and GC, whereas they had no effect on those of HC, suggesting that SGC and GC were the primary cell types involved in pathogens killing by ROS/RNS pathway. Cytochalasin B (Cyt B) inhibited the ZA-induced ROS/RNS production, but could not change the ROS/RNS level stimulated by LPS. For unstimulated haemocytes, ROS/RNS productions decreased 29.6%, 44.1% and 48.6% in SGC, and decreased 44.5%, 28.4% and 57.3% in GC, in the presence of L-NMMA, Fccp and DPI respectively, whereas apocynin could not modulate DCF fluorescence in both SGC and GC, suggesting that mitochondrial oxidative pathway was relatively more dominant in SGC, and NO-synthase (NOS) pathway appeared more active in GC. For LPS-stimulated haemocytes, oxidative activities decreased 22.9%, 42.9%, 29.6% and 60.0% in SGC, and reduced 40.6%, 25.2%, 26.7% and 70.6% in GC with the presence of L-NMMA, apocynin, Fccp and DPI respectively, suggesting that NADPH-oxidase (NOX) pathway in both SGC and GC was activated by LPS, and it became the predominant oxidative pathway in stimulated SGC, while NOS pathway was the relative main source for ROS/RNS production in stimulated GC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Different haemocyte types have been reported to play diverse roles in immune defense of shrimp. To investigate the roles of the three haemocyte types [hyaline cells (HC), semigranular cells (SGC) and granular cells (GC)] of shrimp in immune responses against lipopolysaccharide (LPS), percentage, non-specific esterase activity (EA), reactive oxygen species (ROS) production and nitric oxide (NO) production of the three haemocyte subpopulations were analyzed in LPS-injected Penaeus monodon using flow cytometry. Results showed that percentage of HC increased after 3 h injection, and returned to the original level after 48 h. Proportion of SGC and GC reduced after 6–36 h and 3–12 h respectively, and recovered to the initial level after 48 and 24 h respectively. Loss of SGC and GC might be related to degranulation to release proPO system, and degranulation of GC seemed more sensitive to LPS stimulation. EA of both HC and SGC improved after 3–6 h injection, while EA of GC was induced after 3–24 h. No significant effect of LPS injection could be found in ROS production and NO production of HC. Enhanced ROS levels was observed in SGC and GC after 3–24 h and 3–36 h respectively, and NO production of SGC and GC improved after 3–48 h injection. These results demonstrated that SGC and GC possessed strong capabilities for LPS-induced EA, ROS production and NO production, while HC only displayed EA response to LPS, suggesting that GC and SGC play the main role in immune defense of shrimp against Gram-negative bacteria. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Owing to high quantum efficiency, adjustable composition and antioxidation properties of oxynitride phosphors, extensive investigations have focused on their photoluminescence properties under low-energy light excitation (UV or blue light). However, the vacuum ultraviolet (VUV) luminescence properties of oxynitride phosphors are rarely researched. Present work studies the structure and VUV luminescence properties of an oxynitride phosphor: AlON: Eu, Mg, which is synthesized by solid-state reaction. Under 147 nm excitation, it was found that AlON: Eu, Mg phosphor shows a blue emission band centered at about 470 nm. The first principle calculation is used to analyze the origin of the VUV absorption. Compared with BaMgAl10O17: Eu2+ phosphor, AlON: Eu, Mg phosphor shows better thermal stability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two-dimensional graphene is easy to aggregate and hard to transfer because of the van der Waals forces between graphene layers. The three-dimensional (3D) graphite-like capsules (GCs) disperse well and exhibit robust structural stability and have a potential for promising applications in energy storage, drug delivery, catalyst substrate, etc. Here, we develop a catalytic chemical vapor deposition route for the synthesis of 3D GCs with unprecedented thickness and morphology control. The theoretical results indicate that the strong chemisorption and charge transfer between ZnO and acetylene allow the layer-by-layer formation of GCs that is later confirmed by the experimental data. The 3D GCs are synthesized with thickness control from three atomic layers to ∼300 atomic layers over various oxides with predesigned shapes of microscale tetrapods, nanospheres, nanorods, nanocubes, etc. In particular, the formation mechanism of GCs is investigated using the ZnO surface as a catalyst through systematically experimental approaches. In addition to the high-quality of 3D GCs, this approach provides an unprecedented facile methodological control of coating/functionalizing carbon over various oxides including ZnO, TiO2, SnO2, BaFe12O19, etc. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Accumulation of nitrite in water is highly toxic to aquatic animals. To understand immune responses in shrimp under such environmental stress, a digital gene expression (DGE) technology was applied to detect the gene expression profile of the Litopenaeus vannamei hemocytes in response to nitrite for 48 h. A total of 1922 differently expressed unigenes were generated. Of these transcripts, 1269 and 653 genes were up- or down-regulated respectively. Functional categorization and pathways of the differentially expressed genes revealed that immune defense, xenobiotics biodegradation and metabolism, amino acid and nucleobase metabolic process, apoptosis were the differentially regulated processes occurring during nitrite stress. We selected 19 differential expression transcripts (DETs) to validate the sequencing results by real time quantitative PCR (qPCR). The Pearson’s correlation coefficient (R) of the 19 DETs was 0.843, which confirmed the consistency and accuracy between these two approaches. Subsequently, we screened 10 genes to examine the changes in the time course of gene expression in more detail. The results indicated that expressions of ATP-binding cassette transporter (ABC transporter), caspase10, QM protein, C type lectin 4 (CTL4), protein disulfide isomerase (PDI), serine protease inhibitor 8 (SPI8), transglutaminase (TGase), chitinase1, inhibitors of apoptosis proteins (IAP) and cytochrome P450 enzyme (CYP450) were induced to participate in the anti-stress defense against nitrite. These results will provide a reference for follow-up study of molecular toxicology and valuable gene information for better understanding of immune response in L. vannamei under environmental stress. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study was aimed at investigating the in vivo effects of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) injection on Penaeus monodon haemocytes at a cellular level. Cellular responses of LPS-injected shrimp were analysed using flow cytometry. Results showed that LPS injection caused total haemocyte count (THC) and count of large cells (semigranular and granular cells) decline. In LPS-injected shrimp, percentage of large cells decreased at the initial stage, and returned to the original level later. After LPS infection, non-specific esterase activity, reactive oxygen species (ROS) production and nitric oxide (NO) production in haemocytes were significantly induced, while apoptotic cell ratio of haemocytes increased. PO activity in plasma increased in shrimp received LPS at 2 μg g −1 after 3–12 h and at 8 μg g −1 after 3–6 h, and then returned to the initial levels. These results demonstrated that LPS induced immune responses on haemocytes, including production of ROS and NO, and release of esterase and PO. On the other hand, THC reduction might be due to the ROS/NO-induced apoptosis. Haemocyte apoptosis which would eliminate damaged or weak cells and contribute to haemocyte renewal, may be a defending strategie against pathogens. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper proposes a robust gain-scheduled H ∞ controller for lateral stability control of four-wheel-independent-drive electric vehicles via linear parameter-varying technique. The controller aims at tracking the desired yaw rate and vehicle sideslip angle by controlling the external yaw moment. In the design of controller, uncertain factors such as vehicle mass and tire cornering stiffness in vehicle lateral dynamics are represented via the norm-bounded uncertainty. To address the importance of time-varying longitudinal velocity for vehicle lateral stability control, a linear parameter-varying polytopic vehicle model is built, and the built vehicle model depends affinely on the time-varying longitudinal speed that is described by a polytope with finite vertices. In order to reduce conservative, the hyper-rectangular polytope is replaced by a hyper-trapezoidal polytope. Simultaneously, the quadratic D -stability is also applied to improve the transient response of the closed-loop system. The resulting gain-scheduling state-feedback controller is finally designed, and solved utilizing a set of linear matrix inequalities derived from quadratic H ∞ performance and D -stability. Simulations using Matlab/Simulink-Carsim® are carried out to verify the effectiveness of the proposed controller with a high-fidelity, CarSim®, full-vehicle model. It is found from the results that the robust gain-scheduled H ∞ controller suggested in this paper provides improved vehicle lateral stability, safety and handling performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A number of potential traumatic brain injury (TBI) biomarkers have been proposed and evaluated in the laboratory and clinic. This study investigated the temporal profile of circulating biomarkers of astrocytic and neuronal injury over the first 24 h and relevant histopathological changes after experimental moderate TBI. Twenty male rats were randomly assigned to either moderate parasagittal fluid percussion or sham injury. Blood serum samples were collected 2 d prior to TBI (baseline) and at 3, 6, and 24 h after TBI. A single cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) sample was collected from the cisterna magna 24 h after TBI, followed by euthanasia and brain harvesting for histology. Serum and CSF samples were analyzed for neuronal (ubiquitin carboxy-terminal hydrolase L1 [UCH-L1]) and astroglial (glial fibrillary acidic protein [GFAP]) protein levels using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Brain histology included GFAP immunostaining and Fluoro-Jade histofluorescence. Serum and CSF levels of GFAP were near zero in sham animals. Serum GFAP levels were significantly elevated at 3 and 6 h post-TBI, compared with baseline and time-matched sham values, while UCH-L1 was significantly elevated only at 3 h post-TBI. Both CSF GFAP and UCH-L1 at 24 h post-TBI were significantly elevated, compared with sham. GFAP immunohistochemistry and FJ histofluorescence of degenerating neurons were performed in the same animals after 24 h survival. Histology revealed characteristic acute neuronal degeneration in the ipsilateral hippocampus and parietal cortex and reduction in GFAP immunostaining in areas of neuronal cell loss. The data provide evidence of a causal relationship between TBI-induced acute brain pathology and circulating neuronal and glial markers, further demonstrating their role as candidate markers for TBI. Studies of relative changes in biomarker levels in CSF and serum suggest that different mechanisms may underlie the transport and/or clearance of UCH-L1 and GFAP in these two compartments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The accurate measurement and reconstruction of submerged topography in sediment-laden flow or muddy water is vital for the analysis of riverbed erosion and deposition. This paper describes a novel method of measuring and reconstructing submerged model topography by using B-mode ultrasound imaging technique to obtain video images. The distribution of gradient and grayscale in the image has a process of mutation. This mutation process is used to automatically track and extract the boundary lines of imaging topographies based on the continuity of topography in the horizontal direction. The extracted topographic lines are one pixel width and processed by wavelet denoising method with self-adaption. The last obtained topographic lines are used to reconstruct the original 3D submerged topography. Compared with the actual topography, the measuring error is within 0.5 mm and the reconstructing error is within 1.0 mm. This method is suitable for the reconstruction of all current model topographies. In particular, it has a strong penetrability for sediment-laden flow in movable-bed experiment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Background: The extensive use of major hepatectomy for liver malignancies with cirrhosis increases the risk of posthepatectomy liver failure (PHLF), which is associated with a high frequency of postoperative complications, mortality, and an increased length of hospital stay. Remnant liver volume-to-body weight ratio (RLV-BWR) is more specific than the ratio of RLV-to-total liver volume (RLV-TLV) in predicting postoperative course after major hepatectomy in normal liver. Patients having normal liver with an anticipated RLV-BWR ≤0.5% are at considerable risk for hepatic dysfunction and postoperative mortality. In the present study, the critical value of RLV-BWR after liver resection in cirrhotic liver was investigated. Patients and methods: Thirty one patients who underwent hepatectomy for hepatocellular carcinoma in one medical treatment unit of West China Hospital from September 2012 to December 2012 were retrospectively enrolled in study. Volumetric measurements of TLV using computed tomography were obtained before hepatectomy. PHLF was diagnosed by the “50–50 criteria.” The influence of RLV-TLV and RLV-BWR on the occurrence of PHLF was investigated, and the critical value of RLV-BWR was concluded. Results: According to the occurrence of PHLF, the patients were retrospectively divided into PHLF group and non-PHLF group. There were no statistical differences of preoperative indicators between the two groups. The intraoperative indicators including the resected liver volume, RLV-TLV, and RLV-BWR were statistically significant (P < 0.05) between the two groups. The postoperative indicators including total bilirubin (TBIL), international normalized ratio, and peritoneal drainage fluid at the third and the fifth day after surgery were statistically significant (P < 0.05) between the two groups. Area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC curve) predicted by RLV-BWR to the incidence of PHLF was 0.864 (P = 0.019) with 95% confidence interval (95% CI = 0.608–0.819), and the sensitivity and specialty rate were 70% and 95%, which were more than 50% and 70%, respectively. It suggested that the critical value of RLV-BWR (1.4%) had a certain predictive value on PHLF. Area under the receiver operating characteristic curve predicted by RLV-TLV to the incidence of PHLF was 0.568 (P = 0.628) with 95% confidence interval (95% CI = 0.376–0.747), and the sensitivity and specialty rate were 42.9% and 82.6%, respectively. The sensitivity (42.9%) <50% suggested that the critical value of RLV-TLR (51%) had a poor predictive value on PHLF. According to the curve critical value 1.4% of RLV-BWR, the patients were divided into RLV-BWR ≥1.4% group and RLV-BWR <1.4% group, and the incidence of PHLF between the two groups was statistically significant (P = 0.006). Conclusions: RLV-BWR was more specific than RLV-TLV in predicting PHLF after major hepatectomy of cirrhotic liver. Patients with an anticipated RLV-BWR <1.4% are at considerable risk for PHLF. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

This study investigated the effect of continuous temperature decrease on hemocyte apoptosis of the white shrimp Litopenaeus vannamei. In the stress group, water temperature decreased from 26 to 17 °C at a rate of 1 °C/h. Shrimp kept at 26 ± 0.5 °C were used as control group. Total hemocyte count (THC), reactive oxygen species (ROS) production, cytoplasmic free-Ca (CF-Ca) concentration, mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP), apoptotic cell ratio, and caspase-3 activity of L. vannamei hemocytes were determined when water temperature decreased to 23, 20, and 17 °C, respectively. Increased ROS production in hemocytes was observed when water temperature decreased to 20 and 17 °C. Decreased THC and cellular MMP, increased CF-Ca concentration, apoptotic cell ratio, and caspase-3 activity were shown when water temperature decreased to 17 °C. These results indicate that water temperature decrease can induce oxidative stress on shrimp hemocytes and then cause mitochondria and caspase-3 mediated hemocyte apoptosis and THC reduction, when water temperature decreased to an unconformable level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Excessive active voltage-gated sodium channels are responsible for the cellular abnormalities associated with secondary brain injury following traumatic brain injury (TBI). We previously presented evidence that significant upregulation of Nav1.3 expression occurs in the rat cortex at 2 h and 12 h post-TBI and is correlated with TBI severity. In our current study, we tested the hypothesis that blocking upregulation of Nav1.3 expression in vivo in the acute stage post-TBI attenuates the secondary brain injury associated with TBI. We administered either antisense oligodeoxynucleotides (ODN) targeting Nav1.3 or artificial cerebrospinal fluid (aCSF) at 2 h, 4 h, 6 h, and 8 h following TBI. Control sham animals received aCSF administration at the same time points. At 12 h post-TBI, Nav1.3 messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA) levels in bilateral hippocampi of the aCSF group were significantly elevated, compared with the sham and ODN groups ( p<0.01). However, the Nav1.3 mRNA levels in the uninjured contralateral hippocampus of the ODN group were significantly lowered, compared with the sham group ( p<0.01). Treatment with antisense ODN significantly decreased the number of degenerating neurons in the ipsilateral hippocampal CA3 and hilar region ( p<0.01). A set of left-to-right ratio value analyzed by magnetic resonance imaging T2 image on one day, three days, and seven days post-TBI showed marked edema in the ipsilateral hemisphere of the aCSF group, compared with that of the ODN group ( p<0.05). The Morris water maze memory retention test showed that both the aCSF and ODN groups took longer to find a hidden platform, compared with the sham group ( p<0.01). However, latency in the aCSF group was significantly higher than in the ODN group ( p<0.05). Our in vivo Nav1.3 inhibition studies suggest that therapeutic strategies to block upregulation of Nav1.3 expression in the brain may improve outcomes following TBI. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study evaluated the effects of clinically relevant concentrations of amantadine (AMT) on cognitive outcome and hippocampal cell survival in adult rats after lateral fluid percussion traumatic brain injury (TBI). AMT is an antagonist of the N-methyl-D-aspartate-type glutamate receptor, increases dopamine release, blocks dopamine reuptake, and has an inhibitory effect on microglial activation and neuroinflammation. Currently, AMT is clinically used as an antiparkinsonian drug. Amantadine or saline control was administered intraperitoneally, starting at 1 h after TBI followed by dosing three times daily for 16 consecutive days at 15, 45, and 135 mg/kg/day. Terminal blood draws were obtained from TBI rats at the time of euthanasia at varying time points after the last amantadine dose. Pharmacokinetics analysis confirmed that the doses of AMT achieved serum concentrations similar to those observed in humans receiving therapeutic doses (100-400 mg/day). Acquisition of spatial learning and memory retention was assessed using the Morris water maze (MWM) on days 12-16 after TBI. Brain tissues were collected and stained with Cresyl-violet for long-term cell survival analysis. Treatment with 135mg/kg/day of AMT improved acquisition of learning and terminal cognitive performance on MWM. The 135-mg/kg/day dosing of AMT increased the numbers of surviving CA2-CA3 pyramidal neurons at day 16 post-TBI. Overall, the data showed that clinically relevant dosing schedules of AMT affords neuroprotection and significantly improves cognitive outcome after experimental TBI, suggesting that it has the potential to be developed as a novel treatment of human TBI. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: A flow cytometric method to measure the production of intracellular nitric oxide (NO) was adapted for use with shrimp haemocytes. We applied fluorescent probe 4-amino-5-methylamino-2′,7′-difluorofluorescein diacetate (DAF-FM DA) for NO detection in haemocytes from the tiger shrimp Penaeus monodon, and used flow cytometry to quantify fluorescence intensity in individual haemocyte. The optimized protocol for intracellular NO analysis consists to incubate haemocytes with DAF-FM DA at 10 μM for 60 min to determine the mean fluorescence intensity. Result showed that NO was also produced in the untreated shrimp haemocytes. NO level in granular cells and semigranular cells were much higher than that in hyaline cells. Defined by different characteristic of NO content, three subsets of haemocytes were observed. Zymosan A at dose of 10 or 100 particles per haemocyte triggered higher DAF-FM fluorescence intensity in granular and semigranular cells, than PMA that had no significant impact on all three cell types. These results indicate that granular and semigranular cells are the primary cells for NO generation. Cytochalasin B significantly inhibited the NO level induced by zymosan A. NG-Monomethyl-L-arginine (L-NMMA) and diphenylene iodonium chloride (DPI) significantly suppressed the DAF-FM fluorescence in haemocytes, but apocynin could not modulate it, indicating that the DAF-FM fluorescence was closely related to the activity of NO-synthase pathway. The NO donor sodium nitroprusside (SNP) improved the DAF-FM fluorescence in haemocytes, while the NO scavenger C-PTIO (2-(4-carboxyphenyl)-4,4,5,5-tetramethylimidazoline-1-oxyl-3-oxide) significantly decreased the fluorescence, demonstrating that the fluorescence intensity of DAF-FM is mainly dependent on the intracellular NO level. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Apoptotic cell ratio and mRNA expression of caspase-3, cathepsin B (CTSB), heat shock protein 70 (HSP70), manganese superoxide dismutase (MnSOD), catalase (CAT), glutathione peroxidase (GPx) and thioredoxin (TRx) in hemocytes of white shrimp Litopenaeus vannamei exposed to nitrite-N (20mg/L) was investigated at different stress time (0, 4, 8, 12, 24, 48 and 72h). The apoptotic cell ratio and mRNA expression level of CTSB were significantly increased in shrimp exposed to nitrite-N for 48 and 72h. Caspase-3 mRNA expression level significantly increased by 766.50% and 1811.16% for 24 and 48h exposure, respectively. HSP70 expression level significantly increased at 8 and 72h exposure. MnSOD mRNA expression in hemocytes up-regulated at 8 and 48h, while CAT mRNA expression level increased at 24 and 48h. GPx expression showed a trend that increased first and then decreased. Significant increases of GPx expression were observed at 8 and 12h exposure. Expression level of TRx reached its highest level after 48h exposure. These results suggest that nitrite exposure induces expression of apoptosis-related genes in hemocytes, and subsequently caused hemocyte apoptosis. Meanwhile, expression levels of HSP70 and antioxidant enzymes up-regulated to protect the hemocyte against nitrite stress. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: This study was aimed at investigating the toxicity mechanism of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) on Penaeus monodon haemocytes at a cellular level. Reactive oxygen species (ROS) production, nitric oxide (NO) production, non-specific esterase activity, cytoplasmic free-Ca2+ (CF-Ca2+) concentration, DNA damaged cell ratio and apoptotic cell ratio of in vitro LPS-treated haemocytes were measured by flow cytometry. Two concentrations of Escherichia coli LPS (5 and 10μgmL−1) were used. Results showed that ROS production, NO production and CF-Ca2+ concentration were significantly induced in the LPS-treated haemocytes. Ratio of DNA damaged cell and apoptotic cell increased caused by LPS, while esterase activity increased at the initial 60min and dropped later. The initial increase in esterase activity suggested that LPS activated the release of esterase, and the later decrease might result from apoptosis. These results indicated that LPS would induce oxidative stress on shrimp haemocytes, and cause Ca2+ release, DNA damage and subsequently cell apoptosis. This process of ROS/RNS-induced Ca2+-mediated apoptosis might be one of the toxicity mechanisms of LPS on shrimp haemocytes. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: This study investigated the in vitro effects of nitrite on reactive oxygen species (ROS) production, NO production, esterase activity and cell apoptosis of Penaeus monodon haemocytes. Haemocytes were in vitro exposed to different dose of nitrite (0, 0.1, 0.5, 1, 5 and 10μM). Cellular responses of nitrite-treated haemocytes were determined by flow cytometry. The results revealed that haemocytes treated by nitrite in vitro showed conspicuous time- and dose-dependent decreases in ROS and NO production as well as esterase activity. Additionally, 0.1 and 0.5μM nitrite did not affect the apoptotic cell ratio during the 3h experimental time, while significant increases in apoptotic cells were observed after haemocyte exposure to nitrite at 1μM for 3h, and at 5 or 10μM for 1h. These results indicated that nitrite suppresses cellular functions, including production of ROS and NO, and activity of esterase. Cell apoptosis of haemocytes would be induced by extracellular nitrite as doses exceed 1μM. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: This study was aimed at investigating the cytotoxicity of nitrite on haemocytes of the black tiger shrimp, Penaeus monodon. Total haemocyte count (THC), reactive oxygen species (ROS) production, DNA damaged cell ratio and apoptotic cell ratio of shrimp were determined after exposure to different concentrations of nitrite-N (0, 1, 10 and 20mgL−1) for 0, 6, 12, 24 and 48h. There was no significant effect on the analytic indicator of shrimp exposed to 1mgL−1 nitrite-N. THC decreased after 48h exposure to 10mgL−1 nitrite-N, and after 24h exposure to 20mgL−1 nitrite-N. Production of ROS was induced after 48h exposure to 10mgL−1 nitrite-N, and after 12h exposure to 20mgL−1 nitrite-N. The percentage of DNA damaged cell increased in P. monodon following 48h exposure to 10mgL−1 nitrite-N, and 24h exposure to 20mgL−1 nitrite-N. Apoptotic cell ratio increased after 48h exposure to 10mgL−1 nitrite-N, and 12h exposure to 20mgL−1 nitrite-N. These results indicated that nitrite-N would induce overproduction of ROS, and then resulted in DNA damage and cell apoptosis, and subsequently caused THC reduction. This process of oxidative stress was one of the toxicity mechanisms of nitrite on shrimp. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The aim of this study was to investigate the cellular toxicity of copper-induced injury to the black tiger shrimp Penaeus monodon. The 24h, 48h, 72h and 96h LC50 (median lethal concentration) of Cu2+ on P. monodon (11.63±1.14g) were found to be 3.49, 1.54, 0.73 and 0.40mgL−1, respectively. Total haemocyte count (THC), phagocytic activity, respiratory burst (RB), cytoplasmic free-Ca2+ (cf-Ca2+) concentration and apoptotic cell ratio of shrimp were determined after exposure to different concentrations of Cu2+ (0, 0.05, 0.5, 1.5 and 3.5mgL−1) for 0, 6, 12, 24 and 48h. There was no significant effect on the analytic indicator of shrimp exposed to 0.05mgL−1 Cu2+. THC decreased after Cu-exposure to 0.5mgL−1 for 48h, 1.5mgL−1 for 24h and 3.5mgL−1 for 12h. Phagocytic activity decreased in P. monodon following 48h exposure to 3.5mgL−1 Cu2+. RB was induced after 6h exposure to 0.5, 1.5 and 3.5mgL−1 Cu2+. cf-Ca2+ concentration increased after 48h exposure to 0.5mgL−1 Cu2+, and 12h exposure to 1.5 and 3.5mgL−1 Cu2+. The percentage of apoptotic cells increased to 9.5%, 16.3% and 18.6% respectively following 48h exposure to 0.5, 1.5 and 3.5mgL−1 Cu2+. These results indicate that Cu can induce oxidative stress, elevation of cf-Ca2+ and cell apoptosis, and inhibit phagocytic activity in the shrimp P. monodon, and the lethal injury of Cu2+ to P. monodon may be mainly due to the sharp reduction of THC caused by ROS-induced apoptosis. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: In this study, the cell size, viability, respiratory burst (RB) and mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP) of lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-treated haemocytes from Litopenaeus vannamei were measured by flow cytometry, and phenoloxidase (PO) activity of the cell supernatants was also determined. Three concentrations of LPS (1, 3 and 5µgml−1) were used to determine the effects of LPS on haemocytes. The results revealed that haemocytes treated by LPS in vitro showed conspicuous dose- and time-dependent decreases in cell size and viability. The addition of trypsin inhibitor (TI) which inhibits serine proteinases further delayed the cell size reduction and cell death caused by LPS, implying that serine proteinases were involved in the cell responses. PO activities of the supernatants from LPS-treated cells were significantly higher than that from the control. These results indicated that cell size reduction caused by LPS appeared to be related to degranulation of semigranular and granular cells to release components of proPO system. RB activities were induced by LPS, but not by PMA. Sustaining and tremendous increase of RB occurred during the course of experiment, suggesting that LPS is a more efficient activator to RB of L. vannamei haemocytes than PMA. Specially, MMP of the LPS-treated haemocytes rose at first and then dropped, and which was significantly lower than that of control after 120min incubation with LPS. The initial increase in MMP may have a relation to energy supply for cellular processes, and the later decrease of MMP represent cell apoptosis. Decreases on cell viability and MMP may be related to the overfull product of ROS which oxidized mitochondrial membrane and cell constituents. Though LPS stimulated PO activity of L. vannamei, LPS at the concentrations used in the present study is cytotoxic. These facts suggest that LPS should be carefully used as immunomodulator for shrimp. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The analytic helicity amplitudes of Z → 3γ, γγ → Zγ and γZ → γγ via W-loop and charged scalar-loop are presented. There is some difference between our results and those in Ref. 13 for Z → 3γ via W-loop and fermion-loop, which has different physical meanings. We have calculated the unpolarized and polarized cross-sections for γγ → γZ process. We find that the total cross-section of γγ → γZ is larger than that of γγ → γγ at 500 GeV of γγ c.m.s. energy. In principle this process provides a test of the non-Abelian nature of the standard model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A novel heterometallic platinum(II)–silver(I) alkynyl complex [PtAg(dppm)2(C≡CC6H4COOCH3-4)2Cl] (1) (dppm = bis(diphenylphosphino)methane) forms two different crystalline polymorphs that can be separately obtained on manipulating the recrystallization solvents. Two crystalline structures were confirmed by X-ray crystallography. Morphology-dependent photoluminescence behaviours were observed. Pale yellow rod-like crystals 1·CH2Cl2 (1a) exhibit strongly cyan luminescence (λem = 476 nm, τ = 10.8 μs) at room temperature and have a rhombohedral Pbca structure, while weak green luminescent prismatic crystals 1·2CH3OH (1b) (λem = 491 nm, τ = 3.3 μs) have a triclinic P1¯ structure with shorter Pt⋯Ag distance (3.0418(3) Å), and significant intra/inter-molecular hydrogen bonds between O–H protons from different methanol molecules as H donors and an oxygen atom of the alkynyl ligand (dO–H⋯O = 2.185 Å) from the 1 unit, and the Cl atom from the neighbouring 1 unit (dO–H⋯Cl = 2.335 Å). Meanwhile, 1a displays significant mechanochromism, with an intriguing emission color change from cyan to green under UV irradiation at 365 nm. The powder XRD test results indicate that the morphology transition between crystalline and partial amorphous states is responsible for the mechanochromism phenomenon of 1a. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is a challenge to recover copper from low grade ore in an environmentally sustainable way, especially from low-grade copper sulfide resources. This paper introduces Zijinshan Mine where an integrated process was developed and applied to recover copper from low-grade copper sulfide ore and acid mine drainage (AMD). The process includes the main operations of milling-flotation, heap bioleaching, solvent extraction-electrowinning (HBL-SX-EW) and copper precipitation. Ore with a grade higher than 0.25% Cu is fed to milling-flotation plant to produce copper concentrates, while the ore with grade lower than 0.25% Cu is sent to HBL-SX-EW to produce copper cathode via SX-EW. Because the copper resource consists mainly of secondary copper sulfides with high pyrite, and the mine is located in a region of high rainfall, a large volume of acid mine drainage is generated. In order to protect the environment, recover copper and make acid and iron balance, the acid mine drainage is respectively distributed to heap bioleaching, SX and sulfide precipitation, depending on the copper concentration of the wastewater. The paper also introduces the progress of tailings utilization, environmental protection and mine ecological restoration at Zijinshan mine. • An integrated process to recover copper from low-grade copper sulfide ore is introduced • Acid mine drainage (AMD) treatment is integrated into the extractive process flow sheet • Overall water management and site remediation form part of the active extractive process [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Finding a catalyst for overall water splitting (OWS) with robust thermodynamic stability and optimal electronic characteristics remains a significant challenge. This study investigates the thermodynamic stability and interfacial properties of zigzag and armchair MoS 2 /WS 2 in-plane heterostructures using ab-initio molecular dynamics (AIMD) and density functional theory (DFT) simulations. The motivation behind this research is to identify highly efficient and stable catalysts for OWS. The AIMD simulations confirm the thermodynamic stability of both heterostructures under working conditions. Notably, the zigzag MoS 2 /WS 2 in-plane heterostructure demonstrates superior charge separation efficiency, with larger conduction band (0.91 eV) and valence band (0.71 eV) offsets compared to the armchair configuration. The unique chemical bonding and type-II band alignment at the zigzag junction enhance charge transfer, resulting in excellent catalytic activities with ultralow overpotentials for oxygen (0.96 V) and hydrogen (0.3 V) evolution reactions at pH = 0. Additionally, the zigzag heterostructure achieves a high solar-to-hydrogen (STH) conversion efficiency of 12.29%, making it a promising candidate for practical applications in OWS. These findings contribute to the advancement of water splitting technology and encourage further research on in-plane interface formation among diverse materials. [Display omitted] • Electronic properties and stability studied via DFT and molecular dynamics simulations. • Photocatalytic characteristics of in-plane heterostructures thoroughly examined. • Zigzag in-plane heterostructure showed excellent catalytic activity and low overpotentials. • Zigzag in-plane heterostructure has 12.29% solar-to-hydrogen conversion efficiency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A prospective observational study collected temperature data from 51 patients in 11 neurosurgical centers and follow-up outcome information at 6 months in 49 patients. Brain temperature (Tbr) was measured directly by an intraventricular temperature sensor. Axillary temperature (Tax) and rectal temperature (Tre) were measured by electric thermometers. Tbr was 0.4 to 1.5°C higher than body temperature. Tre correlated well with the Tbr (coefficient: 0.7378; p < 0.05). Among all patients, Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) scores on admission were significantly lower in the patients with post-operatively extreme peak temperature (Tpeak, < 37°C or >39°C in first 24 h) and major temperature variation (Tvari > 1°C in first 12 h; p < 0.05, p < 0.01, respectively). Among the patients with no temperature intervention, the extreme Tpeak group showed a lower Glasgow Outcome Scale-Extended (GOS-E) score at 6 months (p < 0.05) with lower GCS scores on admission (p < 0.01), compared with the moderate Tpeak group. Remarkably, the major Tvari group showed significantly lower GOS-E scores (p < 0.05) with the same GCS scores as the minor Tvari group. Thus, Tre is the better candidate to estimate Tbr. Spontaneously extreme Tpeak in TBI represents both more serious injury on admission and worse prognosis, and Tvari might be used as a novel prognostic parameter in TBI. Brain temperature is therefore one of the critical indicators evaluating injury severity, prognostication, and monitoring in the management of TBI. This prospective observational study has been registered in ClinicalTrials.gov (https://clinicaltrials.gov), and the registration number is NCT03068143. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Global Navigation Satellite System Interferometric Reflectometry (GNSS-IR) is a new remote-sensing technique; it can be used to estimate near-surface soil moisture from signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) data. Considering the advantages of multi-satellite convergence and the time and space scale of soil moisture, based on multi-satellite fusion, non-linear sliding estimation method of soil moisture is proposed. Firstly, the direct and reflection signals of Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) satellites are separated by means of a low-order polynomial fitting, and then, by establishing the sinusoidal fitting model of reflection signals, the relative delay phase of the SNR interferogram is obtained. Finally, a linear regression model is used to analyse and select the phase of the SNR interferogram, and a sliding estimation method of soil moisture using the least squares Support Vector Machine based on multi-satellites fusion is established. Based on the monitoring data provided by the Plate Boundary Observations network, the feasibility and effectiveness of using single and multiple GNSS satellites to slide estimate soil moisture are compared and analysed. Theoretical analysis and experimentation show that GNSS-IR can provide full play to the advantages of artificial intelligence and effectively integrate the performance of each satellite. The fitting process is stable, and the model needs less modelling data; the sliding method can achieve a long time estimation, and the estimation error is relatively stable. Based on the satellites which the correlation coefficient (r) between the phase of the SNR interferogram and the soil moisture is greater than 0.50, the fusion satellites model is established; the results are better than that of using single satellites; the r between estimated results and reference values of soil moisture is greater than or equal to 0.94, and the root mean square error and mean absolute error are less than 0.060 and 0.050, respectively. Therefore, the estimation of soil moisture can be treated as a non-linear event, and multi- satellite fusion estimation is feasible and effective. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The facile preparation of ZnO possessing high visible luminescence intensity remains challenging due to an unclear luminescence mechanism. Here, two basic approaches are proposed to enhance the luminescent intensity based on the theoretical analysis over surface defects. Based on the deduction, we introduce a methodology for obtaining hybrid tetrapod-like zinc oxide (T-ZnO), decorated by carbon nanomarterials on T-ZnO surfaces through the catalytic chemical vapor deposition approach. The intensity of the T-ZnO green emission can be modulated by topography and the proportion of carbon. Under proper experiment conditions, the carbon decorating leads to dramatically enhanced luminescence intensity of T-ZnO from 400 to 700 nm compared with no carbon decorated, which elevates this approach to a simple and effective method for the betterment of fluorescent materials in practical applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this study was to further evaluate the role of myxoma virus (MYXV) as an oncolytic agent against experimental human gliomas in vitro, and analyze the effect of MYXV on malignant glioma cells at different incubation periods and infected at different multiplicities of infection. Neuroglioma cell lines U251 and A172 were cultured with various infective doses of myxoma virus at different time points (0-3 days) and cellular survival rates were evaluated using an MTT assay. Cell viability and cell death rates were assessed using Annexin V/propidium iodide and applying flow cytometry. Furthermore, the expression levels of phosphorylated AKT (p-AKT) in malignant gliomas were detected by western blot analysis to investigate the possible cell signaling targets in the pathway. MYXV exhibited a dose and time-dependent cytotoxic effect on neuroglioma cells, and there was increased expression of p-AKT in malignant gliomas. The present study confirms that MYXV induces oncolysis of malignant gliomas through regulating the activation of AKT. As such, MYXV is a potential therapeutic agent against human malignant gliomas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of the present study was to investigate the effects of different doses of dietary Eucommia ulmoides leaf extract (ELE) on juvenile red claw crayfish (Cherax quadricarinatus). A total number of 720 red claw crayfish (initial body weight of 0.24 ± 0.01 g) were randomly assigned to six groups and fed diets containing 0 (Diet 1), 0.5 (Diet 2), 1 (Diet 3), 2 (Diet 4), 4 (Diet 5) and 10 (Diet 6) g dry weight (dw) ELE kg (dw)−1 diets for eight weeks and challenged with microcystin-LR stress. The results indicated that dietary supplementation with 1–2 g dw ELE kg (dw)−1 diet could significantly improve the weight gain rate (WGR) and specific growth rate (SGR) of crayfish. Muscle crude protein contents of crayfish fed Diet 2, Diet 3, and Diet 4 were significantly higher than those of the control group. Compared with the control group, dietary ELE could increase total antioxidant capacity (T-AOC), superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione peroxidase (GPx), acid phosphatase (ACP), alkaline phosphatase (AKP), and phenoloxidase (PO) activities and decrease malondialdehyde (MDA) level of crayfish. Dietary ELE significantly increased the relative expression levels of SOD, thioredoxin 1 (TRX1), GPx, selenium-dependent glutathione peroxidase (Se-GPx), cytochrome P450 (CYP450), anti-lipopolysaccharide factor (ALF) and C-type lysozyme (C-LZM) mRNA of crayfish compared with the control group during the feeding experiment. When subjected to MC-LR stress for 48 h, the mRNA expression levels of SOD, GPx, Se-GPx, glutathione-s-transferase 1 (GST1), ALF, hemocyanin (HEM), and C-LZM in the hepatopancreas could be improved to varying degrees compared with the Diet 1. Supplementation of 1–2 g dw ELE kg (dw)−1 diet could improve the survival rate (SR) of crayfish under MC-LR stress. These results indicated that dietary ELE (1–2 g dw ELE kg (dw)−1 diet) could improve the growth performance, muscle protein, and non-specific immune response and increase the SR of crayfish under MC-LR stress by regulating the mRNA expression levels of the immune- and antioxidant-related genes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Small ubiquitin-related modifier protein (SUMO) is an evolutionarily conserved protein in a broad range of eukaryotic organisms. De-SUMOylation, the reverse reaction of SUMOylation, is regulated by a family of SUMO-specific proteases (SENPs). SENP1 is a member of the de-SUMOylation protease family involved in the de-SUMOylation of a variety of SUMOylated proteins. The present study demonstrates that small hairpin RNA (shRNA)-mediated downregulation of SENP1 inhibits cell proliferation and migration, and promotes apoptosis in human glioma cells. Firstly, LN-299 cells were transfected with a plasmid expressing SENP1 shRNA (pGenesil-1-SENP1). The messenger RNA and protein expression of SENP1 was detected by reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction and western blot analysis, respectively. Cell proliferation in vitro was assessed using a methyl thiazolyl tetrazolium assay. Flow cytometry (FCM) was used to detect the apoptosis of LN-299 cells. The effect of the downregulation of SENP1 on cell migration was detected by a Transwell migration system. The present results showed that, compared with the control shRNA group, the expression of SENP1 was significantly reduced in the SENP1 shRNA group. The proliferation was markedly inhibited in the SENP1 shRNA group. FCM findings revealed that apoptosis increased significantly in the SENP1 shRNA group. In addition, it was found that downregulation of SENP1 evidently suppressed tumor cell migration. Downregulation of SENP1 expression inhibited the proliferation and migration and promoted apoptosis in LN-299 cells. These results indirectly demonstrate that SENP1 is likely to play a critical role in human glioma cells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

FePO4/LiFePO4 (FP/LFP) interfacial strain, giving rise to substantial variation in interfacial energy and lattice volume, is inevitable in the (de)lithiation process of LiFePO4, a prototype of Li ion battery cathodes. Extensive theoretical and experimental research has been focused on the effect of lattice strain energy on FP/LFP interface propagation orientation and cyclic stability of the electrode. However, the essential effect of strain induced lattice distortion on Li+ transport at the FP/LFP interface is typically overlooked. In this report, a coherent interface model is derived to evaluate quantitatively the correlation between FP/LFP lattice distortion and Li+ conduction. The results illustrate that the effect of lattice strain on Li+ conduction depends strongly on FP/LFP interface orientations. Lattice strain induces a 90% decrease of Li+ conductivity in ac-plane oriented (de)lithiation at room temperature. The opposite effect of lattice strain on delithiation and lithiation for ab- and bc-orientations is elucidated. In addition, the effect of lattice strain tends to be more pronounced at a lower working temperature. This study provides an efficient platform to comprehend and manipulate Li+ conduction in the charge and discharge of lithium ion batteries, the large-scale application of which is frequently challenged by limited in-cell ion conduction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aimed to investigate the effects of Elephantopus scaber extract on the GIFT (genetic improvement of farmed tilapia) strain of Nile tilapia Oreochromis niloticus. A total of 800 tilapia with an initial body weight of 1.34 ± 0.09 g each were randomly divided into five groups. The tilapia in the control group (E0 group) were fed on a basal diet only. Meanwhile, tilapia in the four experimental groups were fed on a basal diet supplemented with 1 g/kg (E1 group), 3 g/kg (E2 group), 5 g/kg (E3 group), and 7 g/kg (E4 group) of E. scaber extract for 10 weeks. Results showed that the survival rate was higher in the experimental groups than in the control group. Compared with the control group, some growth parameters (FW, WGR, SGR, VSI, and HSI) were significantly improved in the E1 group and E2 group. The crude lipid content in the dorsal muscle and liver was lower in the E1 group than in the control group. After E. scaber extract supplementation, activities of immunity-related enzymes (ACP, AKP, T-AOC, SOD, CAT, GSH-Px and LZM) in plasma, liver, spleen and head kidney, and expressions of immunity-related genes (IL-1β, IFN-γ, TNF-α, and CCL-3) in liver, spleen and head kidney showed various degrees of improvement, while MDA content and Hsp70 expression level were decreased. The survival rate of tilapia increased in all the supplementation groups after Streptococcus agalactiae treatment. E. scaber extract addition changed the species composition, abundance, and diversity of intestinal microbiota in tilapia. These results demonstrate that E. scaber extract supplementation in diet can improve the growth, immunity, and disease resistance of GIFT against S. agalactiae. E. scaber extract supplementation can also change intestinal microbiota and reduce crude lipid content in dorsal muscle and liver. The above indicators show that the optimal dose of E. scaber extract for GIFT is 1 g/kg. • Supplementation with 1–3 g/kg of Elephantopus scaber extract significantly improve growth of tilapia. • Dietary E. scaber extract affect intestinal microbiota and reduce crude lipid content. • Dietary E. scaber extract enhanced the immunity and resistance against Streptococcus agalactiae. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The limited activity and stability of conventional anodes in seawater have posed a significant obstacle to sustainable green hydrogen production directly from seawater via electrolysis. To address these challenges, we engineered Ti 3 C 2 Tx-MXene by incorporating iron and boron into its matrix (tagged FBT) for selective oxygen evolution reaction (OER). Positioning B underneath the top layer induces charge disparity on the Fe-sites, which influences the subsequent growth of the ZIF-67 metal-organic framework (MOF) on the MXene surface through Fe-O-Co ionic bonds. DFT calculations reveal a favorable binding energy of −2.30 eV at the heterointerface for ZIF-67 adsorption to the surface of FBT via O-Co bond, a shortened bond length of 1.94 Å, confirming the formation of ionic bonds. These ionic bonds tune the active sites for an enhanced and selective OER over chlorine evolution reaction (CER), preventing active Fe species' leaching and ensuring stability at >1.56 A cm−2 in 6 M alkaline seawater over 370 hours. Further, FBT and ZIF-67/FBT require low overpotentials of 521.2 and 508 mV, respectively, to deliver 1 A cm−2 in 6 M alkaline seawater. Our findings demonstrate a robust strategy to significantly expand the potential of MXenes from simple conductive substrates to efficient OER catalysts for seawater splitting and beyond. [Display omitted] • Fe and B were successfully incorporated into the matrix of Ti 3 C 2 T x MXene (tagged FBT) while preserving the 2D morphology. • B underneath the top layer induces charge disparity on the Fe-sites, which aided the growth of ZIF-67 MOF on the FBT surface. • FBT and ZIF-67 are connected at the heterointerface through Fe-O-Co ionic bonds. • With Fe acting as the main active site, both FBT and ZIF-67/FBT exhibit ampere level OER activity in seawater. • The ionic bonding at the heterointerface ensures long-term stability and tune the active sites for selective OER over CER [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Tgfbi, a fasciclin family extracellular matrix protein, has various roles in human diseases from corneal dystrophies to cancer. However, the molecular mechanisms that underlie its functions are poorly understood. Here, we studied the role of Tgfbi during Xenopus embryogenesis. During gastrulation and immediately after, Xtgfbi is expressed at developmentally important signaling centers including the dorsal marginal zone, notochord and floorplate. Xtgfbi knockdown by anti-sense morpholinos causes defective organizer induction, patterning and differentiation of muscle, neuron and neural crests, similar to suppression of canonical Wnt signaling. In Xenopus embryos and animal caps as well as DLD-1 cells, we show that Tgfbi is strongly required for the full activation of the canonical Wnt pathway by promoting phosphorylation of GSK3β and consequently enhancing the stabilization and nuclear localization of β-catenin. Further analysis shows that Tgfbi is likely to promote GSK3β phosphorylation through integrin-linked kinase. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Variation of 19 free amino acids (FAA) in serum and hepatopancreas, glucose in serum and glycogen in hepatopancreas were investigated in white shrimp, Litopenaeus vannamei (IBW 5.0±0.3g) when water temperature dropped from 28 to 13°C within 4days, in order to provide basic data for biochemical changes of the species during cold stress. The results showed that, concentrations of 14 FAA in serum decreased directly with decreasing temperature, with a magnitude of between 12.15% and 400.89%. Concentrations of 5 FAA in hepatopancreas increased directly with decreasing temperature, while that of 8 FAA, remained unchanged or declined at the last stage of the cold stress when water temperature decreased from 18°C to 13°C. Exceptionally, concentration of taurine in hepatopancreas continually decreased during the entire procedure. Serum glucose content gradually increased with decreasing temperature, while hepatopancreas glycogen content just sharply declined at the early stage of the cold stress (28 to 23°C) but slightly changed then (23 to 13°C). We conclude that quick utilization of glycogen as a temporary energy source occurs in L. vannamei during the early stage of cold stress. Variation of FAA in serum and hepatopancreas reflects a balance of protein degradation and synthesis under the combined stress of cold stress and starvation, and also gives information that FAA may play important roles such as functional substrates or energy utilization for the animal to sustain prolonged and intensified cold stress. So, dietary protein quality and quantity during cold stress should be paid more attention during feed formulation. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Five new C19 diterpene alkaloids, leucanthumsines A (1), B (2), C (3), D (4), and E (5), were isolated from the Chinese medicinal herb Aconitum sungpanense var. leucanthum, together with the known C19 diterpene alkaloids pseudaconine, neoline, 1-O-methyldelphisine, crassicaudine, chasmanine, talatisamine, indaconitine, ezochansmanine, and leueantine D. The structures of these new alkaloids were elucidated by HR-MS and advanced NMR methods, including 1H- and 13C-NMR (DEPT), 1H,1H-COSY, HMQC, and HMBC experiments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study was performed to investigate the effects of dietary trehalose on growth, muscle composition, non-specific immune responses, gene expression and desiccation resistance of juvenile red claw crayfish (Cherax quadricarinatus). A total of 540 (body weight of 0.41 ± 0.05) crayfish were randomly divided into six groups for a feeding experiment. Six diets with trehalose levels at 0 (Diet 1), 1 (Diet 2), 2 (Diet 3), 5 (Diet 4), 10 (Diet 5) and 15 (Diet 6) g kg−1 were prepared to feed juvenile red claw crayfish for 8 weeks. The results showed that the weight gain rate (WGR) and specific growth rate (SGR) of crayfish in Diet 4, Diet 5 and Diet 6 groups were significantly improved compared with the control group (Diet 1). Muscle crude protein contents of crayfish fed Diet 4, Diet 5 and Diet 6 were significantly higher than those of the control group. The activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and alkaline phosphatase (AKP) in hepatopancreas and hemolymph of crayfish for Diet 4, Diet 5, and Diet 6 groups were significantly increased while malondialdehyde (MDA) content was significantly reduced when compared with the control. The total antioxidant capacity (T-AOC), catalase (CAT) and glutathione peroxidase (GPx) activities in the hepatopancreas and hemolymph of crayfish fed Diet 5 and Diet 6 were significantly higher than those in the control group. However, acid phosphatase (ACP) activity was not significantly different among all experimental groups. The hepatopancreas and intestine trehalose contents of crayfish showed an upward trend with the increase of dietary trehalose levels. Compared with the control group, supplementation of 5–15 g kg−1 trehalose in the feed up-regulated the expression levels of GPx, C-type lysozyme (C-LZM), antilipolysacchride factor (ALF), facilitated trehalose transporter homolog isoform X2 (Tret1-2) and facilitated trehalose transporter isoform X4 (Tret1-4) mRNA. In addition, supplementation of 5–15 g kg−1 trehalose in the feed could improve the survival rate of red claw crayfish under desiccation stress. These results suggested that supplementation of 5–15 g kg−1 trehalose in feed could significantly improve the growth performance, muscle protein, non-specific immunity and desiccation resistance of juvenile red claw crayfish. • Dietary trehalose improved growth performance and non-specific immunity of crayfish. • Dietary trehalose increased muscle crude protein content and reduced lipid content. • Dietary trehalose increased trehalose content in hepatopancreas and intestine. • Supplementation of 5–15 g kg−1 trehalose improved the resistance to desiccation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Besides developing a large number of catalysts for hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) in alkaline electrolytes, its conversion efficiency remained low. Herein, we have developed mixed-dimensional heterostructures of niobium disulfide (NbS 2) with graphene foam grown on nickel foam (NbS 2 -Gr-NF). The strong lateral fusion results in activating the catalytic sites of NbS 2 , the three-dimensional substrate provides easy access of electrolyte to active sites and increased electrochemically active surface area, while enhanced conductivity provides faster transfer of electrons to and from active sites. Therefore, NbS 2 -Gr-NF heterostructures resulted in an exceptionally high current density of 500 mA cm−2 at a very low overpotential of 306 mV in 1 M KOH solution and even can achieve the current density values of 914 mAcm−2 at 338 mV only at a slight increase in overpotential (32 mV). Moreover, a Tafel value of ~72 mV dec−1 confirms that as-developed heterostructure provides fast reaction kinetics where the reaction is mainly controlled by the Volmer step. Achieving such high current density at a faster rate with high stability makes NbS 2 -Gr-NF heterostructures a potential candidate for water-splitting, especially in alkaline electrolytes. [Display omitted] • Synthesis of heterostructures of NbS 2 -graphene as a working electrocatalyst. • An exceptionally high current density ~500 mAcm−2 at a low overpotential ~306 mV. • A current density 914 mAcm−2 at 338 mV only at a slight increase in overpotential. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Glioblastoma multiforme, the most aggressive and malignant primary brain tumor, is characterized by rapid growth and extensive infiltration to neighboring normal brain parenchyma. Our previous studies delineated a crosstalk between PI3K/Akt and JNK signaling pathways, and a moderate anti-glioblastoma synergism caused by the combined inhibition of PI3K p110β (PI3Kβ) isoform and JNK. However, this combination strategy is not potent enough. MLK3, an upstream regulator of ERK and JNK, may replace JNK to exert stronger synergism with PI3Kβ. Methods: To develop a new combination strategy with stronger synergism, the expression pattern and roles of MLK3 in glioblastoma patient's specimens and cell lines were firstly investigated. Then glioblastoma cells and xenografts in nude mice were treated with the PI3Kβ inhibitor AZD6482 and the MLK3 inhibitor URMC-099 alone or in combination to evaluate their combination effects on tumor cell growth and motility. The combination effects on cytoskeletal structures such as lamellipodia and focal adhesions were also evaluated. Results: MLK3 protein was overexpressed in both newly diagnosed and relapsing glioblastoma patients' specimens. Silencing of MLK3 using siRNA duplexes significantly suppressed migration and invasion, but promoted attachment of glioblastoma cells. Combined inhibition of PI3Kβ and MLK3 exhibited synergistic inhibitory effects on glioblastoma cell proliferation, migration and invasion, as well as the formation of lamellipodia and focal adhesions. Furthermore, combination of AZD6482 and URMC-099 effectively decreased glioblastoma xenograft growth in nude mice. Glioblastoma cells treated with this drug combination showed reduced phosphorylation of Akt and ERK, and decreased protein expression of ROCK2 and Zyxin. Conclusion: Taken together, combination of AZD6482 and URMC-099 showed strong synergistic anti-tumor effects on glioblastoma in vitro and in vivo. Our findings suggest that combined inhibition of PI3Kβ and MLK3 may serve as an attractive therapeutic approach for glioblastoma multiforme. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Glioblastoma multiforme, the most aggressive and malignant primary brain tumor, is characterized by rapid growth and extensive infiltration to neighboring normal brain parenchyma. Our previous studies delineated a crosstalk between PI3K/Akt and JNK signaling pathways, and a moderate anti-glioblastoma synergism caused by the combined inhibition of PI3K p110β (PI3Kβ) isoform and JNK. However, this combination strategy is not potent enough. MLK3, an upstream regulator of ERK and JNK, may replace JNK to exert stronger synergism with PI3Kβ. Methods: To develop a new combination strategy with stronger synergism, the expression pattern and roles of MLK3 in glioblastoma patient's specimens and cell lines were firstly investigated. Then glioblastoma cells and xenografts in nude mice were treated with the PI3Kβ inhibitor AZD6482 and the MLK3 inhibitor URMC-099 alone or in combination to evaluate their combination effects on tumor cell growth and motility. The combination effects on cytoskeletal structures such as lamellipodia and focal adhesions were also evaluated. Results: MLK3 protein was overexpressed in both newly diagnosed and relapsing glioblastoma patients' specimens. Silencing of MLK3 using siRNA duplexes significantly suppressed migration and invasion, but promoted attachment of glioblastoma cells. Combined inhibition of PI3Kβ and MLK3 exhibited synergistic inhibitory effects on glioblastoma cell proliferation, migration and invasion, as well as the formation of lamellipodia and focal adhesions. Furthermore, combination of AZD6482 and URMC-099 effectively decreased glioblastoma xenograft growth in nude mice. Glioblastoma cells treated with this drug combination showed reduced phosphorylation of Akt and ERK, and decreased protein expression of ROCK2 and Zyxin. Conclusion: Taken together, combination of AZD6482 and URMC-099 showed strong synergistic anti-tumor effects on glioblastoma in vitro and in vivo. Our findings suggest that combined inhibition of PI3Kβ and MLK3 may serve as an attractive therapeutic approach for glioblastoma multiforme. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Amomi fructus as edible and medicinal food can be used as a flavoring in the daily cooking and herbal tea, the consumption of A. fructus is gradually aggregate in recent years. The quality of A. fructus from Yangchun city of Guangdong province in China is familiar as the best and the value is higher than other areas, the flavor and pharmacological activities is mostly affected by its quality. However, geographical origin confusion often occurs in the market, so it is obligatory to develop technology to differentiate the geographical origin of A. fructus. Objectives: The objective of this study is to assess the antioxidant activity of A. fructus and discriminate the geographical origin of A. fructus using nontarget metabolomics technology. Materials and Methods: Ultra-performance liquid chromatography-quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry was used for acquired data in positive ionization modes, principal component analysis, and orthogonal partial least-squares discrimination analysis. The online analysis website Metabo Analyst 4.0 (https://www.metaboanalyst.ca/) was used for the ensuing analysis. A reducing power test, chelating power of ferrous ions test, 1,1-diphenyl-2-picryl-hydrazyl-hydrate assay, and hydroxyl radicals scavenging ability assays were used to assess the differences in antioxidant activity between the samples from the two geographical locations. Results: Eleven differential metabolites were attained, among which eight were established as marker compounds with the greatest contribution to the discernment between the two production areas. The antioxidant activity happens obvious differences due to dissimilar geographical origin. Conclusion: Untargeted metabolomics combined with multivariate statistical analysis is a commanding strategy to extricate the samples from the same species and to comprehend the quality differences from the viewpoint of overall metabolic profile. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Imidacloprid enters the water environment through rainfall and causes harm to aquatic crustaceans. However, the potential chronic toxicity mechanism of imidacloprid in crayfish has not been comprehensively studied. In this study, red claw crayfish (Cherax quadricarinatus) were exposed to 11.76, 35.27, or 88.17 μg/L imidacloprid for 30 days, and changes in the physiology and biochemistry, gut microbiota, and transcriptome of C. quadricarinatus and the interaction between imidacloprid, gut microbiota, and genes were studied. Imidacloprid induced oxidative stress and decreased growth performance in crayfish. Imidacloprid exposure caused hepatopancreas damage and decreased serum immune enzyme activity. Hepatopancreatic and plasma acetylcholine decreased significantly in the 88.17 μg/L group. Imidacloprid reduced the diversity of the intestinal flora, increased the abundance of harmful flora, and disrupted the microbiota function. Transcriptomic analysis showed that the number of up-and-down-regulated differentially expressed genes (DEGs) increased significantly with increasing concentrations of imidacloprid. DEG enrichment analyses indicated that imidacloprid inhibits neurotransmitter transduction and immune responses and disrupts energy metabolic processes. Crayfish could alleviate imidacloprid stress by regulating antioxidant and detoxification-related genes. A high correlation was revealed between GST , HSPA1s , and HSP90 and the composition of gut microorganisms in crayfish under imidacloprid stress. This study highlights the negative effects and provides detailed sequencing data from transcriptome and gut microbiota to enhance our understanding of the molecular toxicity of imidacloprid in crustaceans. [Display omitted] • Imidacloprid strongly inhibited the growth performance of Cherax quadricarinatus. • Imidacloprid suppressed immunity and caused hepatopancreatic damage in C. quadricarinatus. • Imidacloprid reduces the diversity and destroys the balance in the intestinal flora of crayfish. • Imidacloprid may alter gene expression by affecting intestinal flora. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aquaculture traditionally used antibiotics, leading to environmental contamination, food residue, and antibiotic-resistant superbugs. Probiotics offer a promising antibiotic alternative. In this study, a strain of Bacillus subtilis W2Z was isolated from aquaculture environments and can inhibit pathogens in aquaculture food production through chemical compounds. Eight-weeks C. quadricarinatus cultivation experiments revealed that B. subtilis W2Z, as a probiotic, contributes to increasing the yield of red claw crayfish. The supplementation of strain W2Z in the feed enhanced the crayfish's resistance to Aeromonas hydrophila by increasing immune-related enzyme activity and improving intestinal microbiota. B. subtilis W2Z has significant potential as a bioresource for exploring probiotics in crustacean aquaculture. Adding B. subtilis W2Z to C. quadricarinatus feed at a concentration of 1 × 108 to 1 × 109 colony forming unit (CFU)/g is recommended. • Isolated B. subtilis W2Z has potential as a probiotic. • Dietary supplement of B. subtilis W2Z increased the yield of red claw crayfish. • Dietary supplement of B. subtilis W2Z enhanced the immunity of red claw crayfish. • Dietary supplement of B. subtilis W2Z improved intestinal microbiota structure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs), which are widely present in animals and plants, have a broad distribution, strong broad-spectrum antibacterial activity, low likelihood of developing drug resistance, high thermal stability and antiviral properties. The present study investigated the effects of adding AMPs from Hermetia illucens larvae on the growth performance, muscle composition, antioxidant capacity, immune response, gene expression, antibacterial ability and intestinal microbiota of Cherax quadricarinatus (red claw crayfish). Five experimental diets were prepared by adding 50 (M1), 100 (M2), 150 (M3) and 200 (M4) mg/kg of crude AMP extract from H. illucens larvae to the basal diet feed, which was also used as the control (M0). After an eight-week feeding experiment, it was discovered that the addition of 100–150 mg/kg of H. illucens larvae AMPs to the feed significantly improved the weight gain rate and specific growth rate of C. quadricarinatus. Furthermore, the addition of H. illucens larvae AMPs to the feed had no significant effect on the moisture content, crude protein, crude fat and ash content of the C. quadricarinatus muscle. The addition of 100–150 mg/kg of H. illucens larvae AMPs in the feed also increased the antioxidant capacity, nonspecific immune enzyme activity and related gene expression levels in C. quadricarinatus , thereby enhancing their antioxidant capacity and immune function. The H. illucens larvae AMPs improved the structure and composition of the intestinal microbiota of C. quadricarinatus , increasing the microbial community diversity of the crayfish gut. Finally, the addition of 100–150 mg/kg of H. illucens larvae AMPs in the feed enhanced the resistance of C. quadricarinatus against Aeromonas hydrophila , improving the survival rate of the crayfish. Based on the aforementioned findings, it is recommended that H. illucens larvae AMPs be incorporated into the C. quadricarinatus feed at a concentration of 100–150 mg/kg. • Dietary AMPs improved the growth performance and non-specific immunity of crayfish. • Dietary AMPs effectively reduced the abundance of Proteobacteria in crayfish intestine. • Dietary AMPs enhanced the crayfish's resistance to A. hydrophila infection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to study the occurrence mechanism of rock burst in L-shaped zone during a fully mechanized mining period, the No. 705 working face which is located in Baojishan Colliery is taken as a typical engineering background. By means of in situ investigation, theoretical analysis, numerical simulation, in situ tests, and relevant monitoring methods, the occurrence mechanism of rock burst and corresponding prevention technology are studied. The results show that a coal pillar with some confining pressure in the L-shaped zone is established by FLAC3D numerical simulation software, and the numerical simulation results indicate that the change in static load has a greater effect than dynamic load on coal pillar unstable failure; the static load plays a role in storing energy, and dynamic load plays a role in inducing rock burst; the bolt-mesh-cable support and high-pressure water jet unloading combined technology is put forward to prevent rock burst in roadways, and the numerical simulation results show that stress distribution of surrounding rock meets the model of strong-soft-strong (3S) structure, and the moment distribution is reasonable. In the follow-up mining, a limit value of coal fines is used to determine that this measure is a reasonable method to prevent rock burst. The study conclusions provide theoretical foundation and new guidance for preventing rock burst by synergistic effect technology in roadways. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Glioblastoma multiforme, the most aggressive and malignant primary brain tumor, is characterized by rapid growth and extensive infiltration to neighboring normal brain parenchyma. Our previous studies delineated a crosstalk between PI3K/Akt and JNK signaling pathways, and a moderate anti-glioblastoma synergism caused by the combined inhibition of PI3K p110β (PI3Kβ) isoform and JNK. However, this combination strategy is not potent enough. MLK3, an upstream regulator of ERK and JNK, may replace JNK to exert stronger synergism with PI3Kβ. Methods: To develop a new combination strategy with stronger synergism, the expression pattern and roles of MLK3 in glioblastoma patient's specimens and cell lines were firstly investigated. Then glioblastoma cells and xenografts in nude mice were treated with the PI3Kβ inhibitor AZD6482 and the MLK3 inhibitor URMC-099 alone or in combination to evaluate their combination effects on tumor cell growth and motility. The combination effects on cytoskeletal structures such as lamellipodia and focal adhesions were also evaluated. Results: MLK3 protein was overexpressed in both newly diagnosed and relapsing glioblastoma patients' specimens. Silencing of MLK3 using siRNA duplexes significantly suppressed migration and invasion, but promoted attachment of glioblastoma cells. Combined inhibition of PI3Kβ and MLK3 exhibited synergistic inhibitory effects on glioblastoma cell proliferation, migration and invasion, as well as the formation of lamellipodia and focal adhesions. Furthermore, combination of AZD6482 and URMC-099 effectively decreased glioblastoma xenograft growth in nude mice. Glioblastoma cells treated with this drug combination showed reduced phosphorylation of Akt and ERK, and decreased protein expression of ROCK2 and Zyxin. Conclusion: Taken together, combination of AZD6482 and URMC-099 showed strong synergistic anti-tumor effects on glioblastoma in vitro and in vivo. Our findings suggest that combined inhibition of PI3Kβ and MLK3 may serve as an attractive therapeutic approach for glioblastoma multiforme. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: H7N9 avian influenza is an infection of public health concern, in part because of its high mortality rate and pandemic potential. Aims: To describe the clinical features of H7N9 avian influenza and the response to treatment. Methods: Clinical, radiological and histopathological data, and treatment‐related of H7N9‐infected patients hospitalised during 2014–2017 were extracted and analysed. Results: A total of 17 H7N9 patients (three females; mean age, 58.4 ± 13.7 years) was identified; of these six died. All patients presented with fever and productive cough; four patients had haemoptysis and 13 had chest distress and/or shortness of breath. Early subnormal white blood cell count and elevation of serum liver enzymes were common. Multilobar patchy shadows, rapid progression to ground‐glass opacities, air bronchograms and consolidation were the most common imaging findings. Histopathological examination of lung tissue of three patients who died showed severe alveolar epithelial cell damage, with inflammatory exudation into the alveolar space and hyaline membrane formation; widened alveolar septae, prominent inflammatory cell infiltration; and hyperplasia of pneumocytes. Viral inclusions were found in the lung tissue of two patients. All patients received antiviral drugs (oseltamivir ± peramivir). Four patients carried the rs12252‐C/C interferon‐induced transmembrane protein‐3 (IFITM3) genotype, while the others had the C/T genotype. Conclusions: H7N9 virus infection causes human influenza‐like symptoms, but may rapidly progress to severe pneumonia and even death. Clinicians should be alert to the possibility of H7N9 infection in high‐risk patients. The presence of the IFITM3 rs12252‐C genotype may predict severe illness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Microglia are the primary immune cells in the central nervous system and undergo significant morphological and transcriptional changes after traumatic brain injury (TBI). However, their exact contribution to the pathogenesis of TBI is still debated and remains to be elucidated. In the present study, thy-1 GFP mice received a colony-stimulating factor 1 receptor inhibitor (PLX3397) for 21 consecutive days, then were subjected to moderate fluid percussion injury (FPI). Brain samples were collected at 1 day and 3 days after FPI for flow cytometry analysis, immunofluorescence, dendrite spine quantification, terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase dUTP nick end labeling assay, and Western blot. We found that PLX3397 treatment significantly attenuated the percentages of resident microglia and infiltrated immune cells. Depletion of microglia promoted neurite outgrowth, preserved dendritic spines and reduced total brain cell and neuronal apoptosis after FPI, which was accompanied by decreased the protein levels of endoplasmic reticulum stress marker proteins, C/EBP-homologous protein and inositol-requiring kinase 1α. Taken together, these findings suggest that microglial depletion may exert beneficial effects in the acute stage of FPI. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]