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Tup1, a conserved transcriptional repressor, plays a critical role in the growth and development of fungi. Here, we identified a BsTup1 gene from the plant pathogenic fungus Bipolaris sorokiniana. The expression of BsTup1 showed a more than three-fold increase during the conidial stage compared with mycelium stage. Deletion of BsTup1 led to decrease hyphal growth and defect in conidia formation. A significant difference was detected in osmotic, oxidative, or cell wall stress responses between the WT and ΔBsTup1 strains. Pathogenicity assays showed that virulence of the ΔBsTup1 mutant was dramatically decreased on wheat and barely leaves. Moreover, it was observed that hyphal tips of the mutants could not form appressorium-like structures on the inner epidermis of onion and barley coleoptile. Yeast two-hybrid assays indicated that BsTup1 could interact with the BsSsn6. RNAseq revealed significant transcriptional changes in the ΔBsTup1 mutant with 2369 genes down-regulated and 2962 genes up-regulated. In these genes, we found that a subset of genes involved in fungal growth, sporulation, cell wall integrity, osmotic stress, oxidation stress, and pathogenicity, which were misregulated in the ΔBsTup1 mutant. These data revealed that BsTup1 has multiple functions in fungal growth, development, stress response and pathogenesis in B. sorokiniana.

Summary Pine wilt disease (PWD), caused by the pine wood nematode, Bursaphelenchus xylophilus, is an international quarantine forest disease that damages pine forests over extensive areas and causes massive economic losses. To provide valuable guidelines on screening pesticides against B. xylophilus and the selection of common solvents, we investigated the effects of different concentrations of emamectin benzoate, matrine and four solvents (methanol, ethanol, acetone and dimethyl sulfoxide) on the mortality and locomotor behaviour of B. xylophilus. Emamectin abamectin has nematicidal activity and mitigates locomotor activity of B. xylophilus at a low concentration. The LC50 of emamectin benzoate was 0.0354 mg l−1 at 72 h. Bursaphelenchus xylophilus mortality following exposure to matrine was low; however, nematode locomotor activity decreased by 62.5% following exposure to 500 mg l−1 matrine for 8 h. Additionally, B. xylophilus locomotor activity decreased significantly following exposure to 5 and 10% methanol, ethanol, acetone and dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) when compared with that of the water control. Emamectin benzoate and matrine, and high concentrations of four solvents (methanol, ethanol, acetone, and DMSO) inhibit B. xylophilus movement, which, in turn, could affect nematode infectivity. Moreover, low concentrations of non-lethal doses of emamectin benzoate should be considered for application in the control of nematodes, with matrine being an environmentally friendly and potentially nematicidal agent.

Dynamic of plant-parasitic nematodes population in soil is closely related to soil microorganisms. Fungi from Heterodera zeae cysts were isolated to explore the natural decline phenomenon of H. zeae population. A polyphasic method was used to identify the nematode-destroying fungal, including phylogenetic analysis of partial ITS, BenA, CaM, and RPB2 gene sequences, as well as macro- and micro-morphological analyses. The nematicidal activity of strain GX1 against H. zeae was assessed in vitro and greenhouse. Our findings revealed that strain GX1 is a novel species of Talaromyces, which named Talaromyces cystophila. It had strong parasitic and lethal effect on the H. zeae cysts with 91.11% parasitism on cysts at 3 d after treatment, and second-stage juveniles (J2s) and eggs inside the cysts appeared dense vacuoles and loss of vitality. The spore suspension and fermentation filtrate of T. cystophila inhibited significantly the hatching of H. zeae eggs and showed potential nematicidal activities on J2s. The hatching inhibition rates of eggs exposed to 1 × 108 cfu/ml spore suspensions or 20% 1-week fermentation filtrate (1-WF) for 15 days were 98.56% and 100%, respectively. The mortality of J2s exposed to 1 × 108 cfu/ml spore suspension reached 100% at 24 h, exposure to 50% 2-WF was 98.65% and 100% at 24 h and 48 h, respectively. Greenhouse experiments revealed that the spore suspension and fermentation broth considerably decreased H. zeae reproduction by 56.17%-78.76%. T. Cystophila is a potential biocontrol strain with parasitic and nematicidal activity, which deserves attention and application.

Mou-chun Gong,&ast; Wei-qing Chen,&ast; Zhao-qing Jin, Jia Lyu, Li-hao Meng, Hai-yan wu, Fei-hua Chen Department of General Surgery, First People’s Hospital of Hangzhou Lin’an District, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, 311300, People’s Republic of China&ast;These authors contributed equally to this work.Correspondence: Fei-hua ChenDepartment of General Surgery, First People’s Hospital of Hangzhou Lin’an District, 548 Yijin Road, Street Jincheng, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, 311300, People’s Republic of ChinaEmail 13396510518@189.cnBackground: Topoisomerase 2-alpha (TOP2A) has been identified as a hub gene that played an important role in the initiation and progression of thyroid carcinoma (THCA). However, the exact function of TOP2A in papillary thyroid cancer (PTC) remained elusive. The current study aimed to evaluate the TOP2A expression, prognosis significance and key signaling pathways involved in PTC.Methods: We firstly evaluated the expression of TOP2A in PTC via UALCAN, cBioportal, HPA and LinkdedOmics databases. Genetic alteration of TOP2A in PTC was then explored in cBioportal. Prognostic impacts of TOP2A expression on disease-free survival (DFS) of PTC patients were subsequently evaluated using Kaplan–Meier plotter and Gepia databases. Taking gender, age, cancer stage, T, N and M stages into consideration, we compared survival difference between TOP2A high and low expression groups. KEGG pathway analysis in WebGestalt and GSEA analysis were further performed to reveal the potential TOP2A-associated signaling pathways involved in PTC. Finally, the upstream microRNAs of TOP2A were assessed using DIANA, TargetScan, miRDB and miRWALK database, followed by mechanism exploration of upstream microRNAs.Results: 1) The mRNA and protein of TOP2A were highly expressed in PTC tissue compared with normal thyroid tissue. TOP2A expression was associated with patient’s age, N stage and cancer stage (all P< 0.05). TOP2A protein was mainly localized to nucleoplasm. 2) Most of samples occurred the missense substitution, and mutation site was located at K1199E. Nucleotide mutations were mainly presented as G>A (35.29%). 3) TOP2A high expression significantly influenced the DFS of PTC patients (P=0.015). Restricted survival analysis showed that TOP2A high expression caused poorer DFS of female patients (P=0.003) and those with age < 60 years old (P=0.002), early clinical stage (P=0.012), N0 stage (P=0.002) or M0 stage (P=0.040). 4) Pathway analysis suggested that TOP2A positively participated in the cell cycle, oocyte meiosis and p53 signaling pathways (all P< 0.05) involved in thyroid cancer.Conclusion: The expression of TOP2A was higher in PTC tissue, which resulted in a worse DFS of patients with PTC. TOP2A might act as an effective therapeutic target for PTC treatment.Keywords: TOP2A, high expression, poor prognosis, pathway

Harmful red tides in China have caused paralytic shellfish toxins (PSTs) pollution and led to severe socioeconomic effects in shellfish aquaculture. Although shellfish can survive harmful algal blooms, the effects on their Condition Index (CI) have been underestimated. This study sought to evaluate the effects of the profiles and levels of paralytic shellfish toxins on variations in the CI in bivalves under natural blooming conditions. We observed clear soft tissue lesions to varying degrees except in Mytilus galloprovincialis after toxin exposure. Among the five species of shellfish exposed in situ, only M. galloprovincialis accumulated PSTs content above the maximum permitted level (800 μg STX di-HCl eq./kg). The highest toxin content in all sample tissues was observed in Patinopecten yessoensis. Significant interspecies differences in PSTs accumulation among the five bivalve species were observed in the hepatopancreas. A total of nine PSTs components and four new C-11 hydroxyl metabolites (so-called M-toxins) toxins were detected, and detoxification diversity was observed among bivalves. We observed a higher proportion of M-toxin in early stages, and the proportions changed only slightly over time in M. galloprovincialis and Magallana gigas, thus accounting for the significantly higher metabolism rate. Notably, the CI in M. gigas and Argopecten irradians was positively correlated with lowest toxin accumulation of PSTs content, but significantly inhibited. In conclusion, our results revealed a significant inhibitory effect on the CI in shellfish, in a species specific manner, with distinct levels of inhibition correlated with different toxin metabolites. Our study revealed the toxin content of different bivalves exposed to a natural red tide environment and the consequent effects on growth, thus building a foundation for research on the mechanisms underlying the effects of PSTs on growth. These data establish the ecological and economic significance of the effects of harmful algal blooms on bivalves.

The Colorado potato beetle (CPB)

El nematodo agallador de la raíz (NAR; Meloidogyne spp. o RKN, por sus siglas en inglés), es un fitopatógeno importante del tomate (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill.) que causa pérdidas en el rendimiento de sus cultivares. Las condiciones climáticas afectan la incidencia del NAR; sin embargo, se conoce poco del efecto del clima subtropical en los nematodos epidémicos que afectan al tomate invernal en China. Para estudiar la dinámica de poblaciones de los NAR en la rizósfera del cultivo de tomate invernal, y para analizar la relación entre tomates injertados y no injertados y sus rendimientos, se realizaron experimentos de campo en las localidades de Shuangqiao y Taiping en la provincia china de Guangxi entre 2014 y 2016. Los campos experimentales de tomates de siembra temprana y tardía se ubicaron en Shuangqiao y Taiping, respectivamente. El ANDEVA y la prueba de comparación de medias (Tukey; p≤0.05) se efectuaron con el paquete estadístico SPSS, v. 19.0. Los resultados mostraron que los NAR (Meloidogyne incognita) formaron tres generaciones en tomate de siembra temprana y tardía. En tomate temprano, a los 0-31, 32-113, y 114-155 días después del trasplante (DDT), las cuales requirieron 31, 81 y 28-42 d, respectivamente. Durante la temporada de cultivo de tomate de siembra tardía, hubo tres generaciones a los 0-60, 47-101 y 88-157 DDT; los nematodos requirieron 46-60, 40 y 55 d para completar cada generación. Algunos nematicidas se aplicaron para suprimir a las poblaciones juveniles de segunda generación (J2) en los campos en los cuales las poblaciones J2 alcanzaron niveles máximos. El rendimiento del tomate injertado fue mayor (p≤0.05) que el del tomate no injertado. Este resultado indica que la tolerancia al NAR en portainjertos de tomates injertados fue mayor que en el tomate no injertado.

Hypertension is one of the major sources of global incidence of cardiovascular diseases and one of the leading causes of global morbidity and mortality. It is necessary to search for natural products which have not adverse effects like many synthetic drugs as potential development agents for treating hypertension. Dracocephalum tanguticum Maxim, a perennial herb for Tibetan medicine in China, is widely used for the treatment of many diseases. In the present study, two new glucosides, Dratanguticumide G (1) and Dratanguticumide H (2), and seven known compounds (3-9) were isolated from D. tanguticum. The new structures were elucidated by spectroscopic data and the known ones were identified by comparison with spectroscopic data, physical and chemical data of reported references. The vasodilatory effects and the underlying mechanisms of the components of D. tanguticum on rat aortic rings were investigated. The result showed that the new compounds exhibited significant endothelium-dependent vasodilatory effects on the aortic rings, and the NO-dependent pathway and PI3K/AKT pathway might play a pivotal role in the vasodilatory effect, as did five of known compounds. Our findings firstly showed that some natural compounds of 95% ethanol extract of D. tanguticum had significant vasodilatory effects and could be the potential development agents for treating hypertension.

In the last 5 years, paralytic shellfish toxins (PSTs) have been recurrently detected in mollusks farmed in the mussel culture area of Qinhuangdao city, along with the occurrence of toxic outbreaks linked to dinoflagellate species of the Alexandrium genus. To understand the formation mechanism and variation of these events, continuous and comprehensive PSTs monitoring was carried out between 2017 and 2020. Through the analysis of both phytoplankton and cysts via light microscopy and quantitative polymerase chain reaction, it was shown that Alexandrium catenella was responsible for the production of PSTs, which consisted mainly of gonyautoxins 1,4 (GTX1/4, 87%) and GTX2/3 (13%). During bloom events in 2019, mussels accumulated the highest PSTs value (929 μg STX di-HCl eq·kg

The types and intensity of anthropogenic pressure in the same sea area may differ spatially and may change as time passes, but response of benthic biotic indices to different pressure is different, which makes it unreasonable to use the same benthic biotic indices in a large sea area. We provided a new way of thinking as to selecting benthic biotic indices according to pressure type. The study took six bays under eutrophication and sediment heavy metal pollution to different levels in Fujian coastal water, East China sea, as examples, analysed the response of five benthic biotic indices, namely AZTI marine biotic index (AMBI), multivariate AMBI (M-AMBI), Shannon-Wiener diversity index (H'), benthic opportunistic polychaetes amphipods (BOPA) and benthic polychaetes amphipods (BPA), to eutrophication factors and sediment heavy metal pollution factors firstly. The result indicated that AMBI well responded to dissolved inorganic nitrogen (DIN) and dissolved inorganic phosphorus (DIP); M-AMBI responded soundly in the range of DIN0.131 mg L

Summary Objectives: The aim of this study is to investigate the clinical usefulness of metagenomic Next-generation sequencing (mNGS) on bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) samples to discriminate pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB) from Non-TB community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) in PTB suspects. Methods: We investigate the performance of mNGS on BALF samples from 110 PTB suspects, in comparison with conventional microbiological testing (solid media culture, acid-fast bacilli staining (AFS), Xpert) of BALF or sputum samples and final clinical diagnosis. Results: We finally clinically diagnosed 48 cases of pulmonary tuberculosis patients and 62 cases of non-tuberculosis patients. Comparing to the final clinical diagnosis, mNGS produced a sensitivity of 47.92%, which was similar to that of Xpert (45.83%) and culture (46.81%), but much higher than that of AFS (29.17%) for TB diagnosis in BALF samples. Apart from detecting Mycobacterium tuberculosis, mNGS also identified mixed infections in PTB patients, including 3 fungal cases and 1 bacteria case. Meanwhile, mNGS efficiently identified 14 of 22 (63.63%) cases of non-tuberculous mycobacteria (NTM), 7 cases of fungi, 1 case of viral infection, and other common bacterial pathogens in Non-PTB group. Finally, mNGS identified 67.23% infection cases within 3 days, while the conventional methods identified 49.58% infection cases for over 90 days. Conclusion: Our data show that mNGS of BALF represents a potentially effective tool for the rapid diagnosis of PTB suspects.

A new chromone glycoside, 8-O-β-D-Glucopyranosyl-2-methylchromone (1), together with eight known compounds (2-9) were isolated from the Tibetan medicine plant of Swertia punicea. All compounds of this plant were reported for the first time. The structures of these metabolites were elucidated by analysis of their HR-ESI-MS, 1D and 2D NMR spectroscopic data and comparison with data reported in the literature. In vitro test, all compounds were evaluated for their anti-inflammatory activity through the determination of nitric oxide production. Compounds 1-2 were evaluated for cytotoxic activities against three human cancer cell lines (HeLa, MDA-MB-231 and A375) by 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyl tetrazolium bromide (MTT) method. Furthermore, the chemotaxonomic significance of these compounds has also been described.

The adsorption characteristics and mechanisms of modified sepiolite as an adsorbent to recover Pd(II) from acidic solutions were studied. The Pd(II) adsorption properties were analyzed through isotherm, kinetic and thermodynamic models. In addition, SEM−EDS, TEM and XPS were applied to investigating the Pd(II) adsorption mechanisms onto modified sepiolite. The equilibrium data were well fitted to Langmuir isotherm model with maximum Pd(II) adsorption capacity of 322.58 mg/g at 30 °C. The kinetic data could be satisfactorily simulated by the pseudo- second order model, indicating that the rate-controlling step was chemical adsorption. 99% of Pd(II) could be recovered using 1 g/L modified sepiolite when initial concentration of Pd(II) was 100 mg/L. The results of reusability studies indicated the modified sepiolite had an acceptable stability and reusability. This study indicated that the modified sepiolite might be an efficient and cost-effective material for Pd(II) recovery.

Activation of inflammatory cells and upregulations of a number of cytokines in the central nervous system (CNS) of patients with prion diseases are frequently observed. To evaluate the potential changes of some brain cytokines that were rarely addressed during prion infection, the levels of 17 different cytokines in the brain homogenates of mice infected with different scrapie mouse-adapted agents were firstly screened with Luminex assay. Significant upregulations of interferon gamma-induced protein 10 (IP10), keratinocyte chemoattractant (KC) and macrophage colony stimulating factor (M-CSF) were frequently detected in the brain lysates of many strains of scrapie infected mice. The upregulations of those three cytokines in the brains of scrapie infected mice were further validated by the individual specific ELISA and immunohistochemical assay. Increased specific mRNAs of IP10, M-CSF and KC in the brains of scrapie infected mice were also detected by the individual specific qRT-PCRs and IP10-specific digital PCR. Dynamic analyses of the brain samples collected at different time points post infection revealed the time-dependent increases of those three cytokines, particularly IP10 during the incubation period of scrapie infection. In addition, we also found that the levels of IP10 in cerebral spinal fluid (CSF) of 45 sporadic Creutzfeldt–Jakob disease (sCJD) patients were slightly but significantly higher than those of the cases who were excluded the diagnosis of prion diseases. These data give us a better understanding of inflammatory reaction during prion infection and progression of prion disease. ELECTRONIC SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL: The online version of this article (10.1007/s12250-020-00216-3) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Although perovskite light-emitting diodes (PeLEDs) are promising for next-generation displays and lighting, their efficiency is still considerably below that of conventional inorganic and organic counterparts. Significant efforts in various aspects of the electroluminescence process are required to achieve high-performance PeLEDs. Here, we present an improved flexible PeLED structure based on the rational interface engineering for energy-efficient photon generation and enhanced light outcoupling. The interface-stimulated crystallization and defect passivation of the perovskite emitter are synergistically realized by tuning the underlying interlayer, leading to the suppression of trap-mediated nonradiative recombination losses. Besides approaching highly emissive perovskite layers, the outcoupling of trapped light is also enhanced by combining the silver nanowires-based electrode with quasi-random nanopatterns on flexible plastic substrate. Upon the collective optimization of the device structure, a record external quantum efficiency of 24.5% is achieved for flexible PeLEDs based on green-emitting CsPbBr3 perovskite.

Background Insulinoma is a subtype of pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors. Many patients with insulinoma are obese due to frequent food intake. Ghrelin is associated with obesity and blood levels of insulin. It is not clear if plasma levels of ghrelin in insulinoma patients correlate with hyperinsulinemia and obesity. Expression of ghrelin and its receptor has not been well demonstrated in insulinoma. Objective To study if plasma levels of ghrelin is associated with obesity and hyperinsulinemia or hyperproinsulinemia in patients with insulinoma, and to detect the expression of ghrelin and its receptor in insulinoma. Methods Plasma levels of acylated ghrelin, insulin, and proinsulin were measured in 37 patients with insulinoma and 25 controls by ELISA. Expression of ghrelin and its receptor GHS-R1A was examined in 20 insulinoma and paired pancreatic specimens by immunostaining. P ≤ 0.05 was considered significant. Results The plasma levels of acylated ghrelin in patients with insulinoma were significantly lower than that in the controls (median 15 pg/ml vs. 19 pg/ml, respectively, P = 0.016). The reduced plasma levels of acylated ghrelin in patients were significantly correlated with obesity, hyperinsulinemia, and hyperproinsulinemia (P = 0.029 and P = 0.028, respectively). Expression of ghrelin and its receptor GHS-R1A was shown in the majority of insulinoma specimens. The expression of GHS-R1A was positively correlated with ghrelin expression in insulinoma (P = 0.014). Conclusions Plasma levels of acylated ghrelin decreased in patients with insulinoma, probably due to the hyperinsulinemia and obesity in the patients. Expression of both ghrelin and its receptor is common in insulinoma.

The prevalence of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) is increasing rapidly. In addition to the metabolic disease risks, GDM might increase the risks of cryptorchidism in children. However, its mechanism involved in abnormalities of the male reproductive system is still unclear. The purpose of this study was to study the effects of GDM on the development of mouse fetal Leydig cells (FLCs) and Sertoli cells (SCs). Pregnant mice were treated on gestational days 6.5 and 12.5 with streptozotocin (100 mg/kg) or vehicle (sodium citrate buffer). Leydig cell and SC development and functions were evaluated by investigating serum testosterone levels, cell number and distribution, genes, and protein expression. GDM decreased serum testosterone levels, the anogenital distance, and the level of desert hedgehog in SCs of testes of male offspring. FLC number was also decreased in testes of GDM offspring by delaying the commitment of stem Leydig cells into the Leydig cell lineage. RNA-seq showed that FOXL2, RSPO1/β-catenin signaling was activated and Gsk3β signaling was inhibited in GDM offspring testis. In conclusion, GDM disrupted reproductive tract and testis development in mouse male offspring via altering genes related to development.

Based on the water quality survey data of Luoyuan Bay from 2004 to 2019, this paper analyzed the multi-year change characteristics of water quality, spatial distribution characteristics and pollution causes. The research results can serve as a reference for water quality improvement and ecosystem restoration in Luoyuan Bay. Our study revealed that there was serious eutrophication during the spring over the past years in Luoyuan Bay. Despite the apparent improvement after 2015, water quality failed to meet the second class of sea water quality standard (GB3097-1997). Specifically, there was a serious imbalance in the nitrogen and phosphorus ratio, with an excess of dissolved inorganic nitrogen (DIN) and that is more polluting than dissolved inorganic phosphate (DIP). The differences in the multi-year spatial distribution of DIN and DIP were small, and the pollution levels displayed a generalized feature. After 2015, the spatial distribution of DIN and DIP tended to be more serious at the top of the bay. The abolition of aquaculture was an important reason for the improvement of water quality after 2015. Land-sourced pollution was the primary source of water pollution in Luoyuan Bay after 2015. The synergistic effect of the reduction of tidal intake caused by reclamation was identified as the primary reason for more serious pollution at the top of the bay.

This paper proposes the design of an ecological classification management method based on ecological sensitivity and disturbance of road network construction that reflects the characteristics of an island ecosystem using geographical information system and remote sensing technologies. This method evaluates the ecological impacts during the high-intensity development of the island, classifies different ecological management types, and shows the key areas and management strategies for improving the ecological and environmental quality of the island and implementing ecological restoration. The proposed method is applied to Haitan Island, which has been in a period of high-intensity development since 2012. The results show that (1) the ecological sensitivity evaluation method of the island established in this study fully considers the key ecological issues of an island ecosystem. The evaluation results of highly and moderately sensitive areas cover surface water and its conservation area, woodland, and beach, objectively reflecting the relative spatial heterogeneity of ecological sensitivity within Haitan Island. (2) The distribution of high disturbance areas of road network construction is in line with the overall planning pattern of Pingtan Comprehensive Experimental Zone, which matched with the objectivity reality. The high and moderate disturbance areas of the Haitan Island increased by 6.80 and 27.60 km2, respectively, in the last 10 years, and the no disturbance area decreased by 73.70 km2. The impact on highly ecologically sensitive areas is little, and the key ecological areas are strictly protected in the high-intensity development activities. (3) The areas of ecological protection priority area, ecological restoration priority area, general control zone, and ecological reconstruction area on Haitan Island are 92.74, 9.27, 113.57, and 34.42 km2, respectively. The ecological classification management should be implemented for different areas, and targeted ecological protection and restoration strategies should be adopted, which is conducive to improving the overall ecological environment quality of Haitan Island.

Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in the world due to losing regenerative capacity in the adult heart. Frogs possess remarkable capacities to regenerate multiple organs, including spinal cord, tail, and limb, but the response to heart injury and the underlying molecular mechanism remains largely unclear. Here we demonstrated that cardiomyocyte proliferation greatly contributes to heart regeneration in adult X. tropicalis upon apex resection. Using RNA-seq and qPCR, we found that the expression of Fos-like antigen 1 (Fosl1) was dramatically upregulated in early stage of heart injury. To study Fosl1 function in heart regeneration, its expression was modulated in vitro and in vivo. Overexpression of X. tropicalis Fosl1 significantly promoted the proliferation of cardiomyocyte cell line H9c2. Consistently, endogenous Fosl1 knockdown suppressed the proliferation of H9c2 cells and primary cardiomyocytes isolated from neonatal mice. Taking use of a cardiomyocyte-specific dominant-negative approach, we show that blocking Fosl1 function leads to defects in cardiomyocyte proliferation during X. tropicalis heart regeneration. We further show that knockdown of Fosl1 can suppress the capacity of heart regeneration in neonatal mice, but overexpression of Fosl1 can improve the cardiac function in adult mouse upon myocardium infarction. Co-immunoprecipitation, luciferase reporter, and ChIP analysis reveal that Fosl1 interacts with JunB and promotes the expression of Cyclin-T1 (Ccnt1) during heart regeneration. In conclusion, we demonstrated that Fosl1 plays an essential role in cardiomyocyte proliferation and heart regeneration in vertebrates, at least in part, through interaction with JunB, thereby promoting expression of cell cycle regulators including Ccnt1.

Two new lignans (1–2), together with two known lignans (3–4), were isolated from the whole herb of Anemone vitifolia. The structures were identified based on extensive spectroscopic data analysis and comparison with reported data. All compounds of this plant were reported for the first time. In vitro test, all compounds were evaluated for their anti-inflammatory activity via calculating the production of nitric oxide (NO) in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced mouse macrophage cells-RAW 264.7.

Three Legionella -like strains, designed km488T, km489 and km521, were isolated from freshwater samples in China. Cells were Gram-stain-negative, rod-shaped and non-spore-forming. Growth was observed on BCYEα agar, but not on BCYEα agar without l-cysteine, chocolate agar with PolyViteX or Columbia blood agar. The major fatty acids (>5 %) of strains km488T, km489 and km521 were C16 : 0, anteiso-C15 : 0, iso-C16 : 0 and anteiso-C17 : 0. The mip gene sequences (574 nt) showed the isolates were almost identical with more than 99.7 % sequence similarities, and closely matched to L. gormanii ATCC 33297T with 95.4–95.6 % sequence similarities. Phylogenetic analyses based on concatenated gene (16S rRNA, mip, rpoB and rnpB) sequences indicated that the isolates formed a distinct cluster along with L. gormanii within the genus Legionella . Matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization time-of-flight analyses also demonstrated a clear separation between the isolates and other closely and distantly related Legionella species. DNA–DNA hybridization studies demonstrated that the isolates were closely related (92.0 –95.0 % DNA-DNA relatedness) but differentiated from their phylogenetic neighbours (

Flotation indexes gradually decrease with the increase of cycle time of the backwater in bauxite floatation, and discharge of backwater brings environmental risk. In this study, methods such as Fenton-oxidation, adsorption and coagulation were used in the treatment of backwater, the flotation indexes were checked after backwater treatments, and Box-Behnken design (BBD) was used in the optimization of the main operating parameters. The results reveal that flotation indexes are effectively improved after coagulation treatment by polyaluminum ferric chloride (PAFC). The optimum parameters predicted by BBD are pH 7.55, 1.09 g/L PAFC dosage and temperature of 25 °C. Under these optimum conditions, a maximum recovery of Al2O3 of 82.83% and a minimum A/S of 1.30 of tailings are gained, while the deviations are less than 3% from the predicted values. These findings encourage the application of BBD for the optimization of critical parameters in backwater treatment.