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On the basis of single factor test, response surface method was used to optimize the extraction process of Fructus ligustris L., and the in vitro antioxidant activity of total flavonoids from Fructus ligustris L. was studied . The results showed that the optimal process parameters were ethanol concentration of 80%, cellulase concentration of 0.3 g/L and ultrasonic temperature of 50 °C. Under these conditions, the average extraction rate of total flavonoids from Fructus ligustris L. was 4.93%, which was highly consistent with the predicted value of 4.98%, indicating that the model was reliable and could be used for the extraction of total flavonoids from Fructus ligustris L.. The results of antioxidant test showed that the IC50 value of total flavonoids extract was 186.6 mg/L for DPPH free radical scavenging and 166.8 mg/L for ABTS+ free radical scavenging, indicating that total flavonoids extract had strong antioxidant activity. The study indicates that total flavonoids of Fructus ligustris L. can be used as a natural green antioxidant in animal production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is known that a large amount of rare earth elements (REEs) is contained in phosphate rock, making it an important reserve of REEs after ion-type REEs ores. Therefore, it is significant to analyze and study the determination method for REEs in phosphate rock. Phosphate ore samples were digested with HF-HNO3-HCl-H2SO4-aqua regia. A method for the determination of 15 REEs in phosphate ores by Inductively Coupled Plasma-Mass Spectrometry (ICP-MS) was established. Some parameters affecting the determination, such as sample weight, sample digestion method, selected determination isotopes and interference correction were investigated. Matrix effect and sensitivity drift were monitored and corrected by an interior isotope of 103Rh. The recoveries of the method are 95.7%-108.0%, detection limits are 0.001-0.021 μg/g and precision (RSD) is less than 6% (n=12). The method is suitable for analysis of rare earth elements in phosphate ores.

The key to successful in vitro embryo production (IVEP) is to mimic the natural in vivo oviductal microenvironment. Although the chemically defined media in extensive use for the in vitro culture of mammalian embryos is based on the composition of oviductal fluid, the IVEP systems in current use must still bypass the oviduct to produce embryos in vitro. Extracellular vesicles (EVs) in the oviduct are versatile intercellular delivery vehicles for maternal–embryo communication, and a lack of them can be associated with failed early embryonic development under in vitro culture conditions. Herein, we isolated EVs from porcine oviduct fluid and confirmed that oviductal EV supplementation improves the embryonic development of parthenogenetically activated (PA) embryos in terms of blastocyst formation rates and total cell numbers. Our experiments also revealed that a beneficial effect of oviductal EVs on PA embryos was achievable, at least in part, by relieving endoplasmic reticulum stress. These results suggest that the maternal–embryo communication mediated by oviductal EVs benefits early embryonic development. Given the contribution of oviductal EVs to early embryonic development, these findings offer novel insights for the optimization of current IVEP systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rapid evolutionary radiations are among the most challenging phylogenetic problems, wherein different types of data (e.g. morphology and molecular) or genetic markers (e.g. nuclear and organelle) often yield inconsistent results. The tribe Arundinarieae, that is, the temperate bamboos, is a clade of tetraploid originated 22 Ma and subsequently radiated in East Asia. Previous studies of Arundinarieae have found conflicting relationships and/or low support. Here, we obtain nuclear markers from ddRAD data for 213 Arundinarieae taxa and parallel sampling of chloroplast genomes from genome skimming for 147 taxa. We first assess the feasibility of using ddRAD-seq data for phylogenetic estimates of paleopolyploid and rapidly radiated lineages, optimize clustering thresholds, and analysis workflow for orthology identification. Reference-based ddRAD data assembly approaches perform well and yield strongly supported relationships that are generally concordant with morphology-based taxonomy. We recover five major lineages, two of which are notable (the pachymorph and leptomorph lineages), in that they correspond with distinct rhizome morphologies. By contrast, the phylogeny from chloroplast genomes differed significantly. Based on multiple lines of evidence, the ddRAD tree is favored as the best species tree estimation for temperate bamboos. Using a time-calibrated ddRAD tree, we find that Arundinarieae diversified rapidly around the mid-Miocene corresponding with intensification of the East Asian monsoon and the evolution of key innovations including the leptomorph rhizomes. Our results provide a highly resolved phylogeny of Arundinarieae, shed new light on the radiation and reticulate evolutionary history of this tribe, and provide an empirical example for the study of recalcitrant plant radiations. [Arundinarieae; ddRAD; paleopolyploid; genome skimming; rapid diversification; incongruence.] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Objective Activation of hedgehog (Hh) pathway has been implicated in the development of human malignancies. Hh as well as related downstream target genes has been extensively studied in many kinds of malignant tumours for clinical diagnostic or prognostic utilities. This study aimed at investigating whether Hh molecules provides a molecular marker of hepatoblastoma malignancy. Methods We obtained tissue sections from 32 patients with hepatoblastoma as well as cholestasis and normal control. Immunohistochemical analysis were performed to determine Hh signal components in human hepatoblastoma. The prognostic significance of single expression of Hh signal components were evaluated using Cox proportional hazards regression models and Kaplan-Meier survival analysis for statistical analysis. Results Expression of Hh signal components showed an increase in hepatoblastoma compared with chole stasis and normal tissues. There was a positive correlation between Smo or Gli1 expression and tumor clinicopathological features, such as histological type, tumor grade, tumor size and clinical stage. Both Smo or Gli1 protein high expression was significantly associated with poor prognosis by univariate analyses and multivariate analyses. Conclusions Abnormal Hh signaling activation plays important roles in the malignant potential of hepatoblastoma. Gli1 expression is an independent prognostic marker.