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Antibiotic-resistant strains of Streptococcus uberis (S. uberis) frequently cause clinical mastitis in dairy cows resulting in enormous economic losses.

This study aimed to evaluate the acute effects of 2.856 GHz and 1.5 GHz microwaves on spatial memory and cAMP response element binding (CREB)-related pathways. A total of 120 male Wistar rats were divided into four groups: a control group (C); 2.856 GHz microwave exposure group (S group); 1.5 GHz microwave exposure group (L group); and 2.856 and 1.5 GHz cumulative exposure group (SL group). Decreases in spatial memory abilities, changes in EEG, structural injuries, and the downregulation of phosphorylated-Ak strain transforming (p-AKT), phosphorylated-calcium/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II (p-CaMKII), phosphorylated extracellular signal regulated kinase (p-ERK) and p-CREB was observed 6 h after microwave exposure. Significant differences in the expression of p-CaMKII were found between the S and L groups. The power amplitudes of the EEG waves (θ, δ), levels of structural injuries and the expression of p-AKT, p-CaMK II, p-CREB, and p-ERK1/2 were significantly different in the S and L groups compared to the SL group. Interaction effects between the 2.856 and 1.5 GHz microwaves were found in the EEG and p-CREB changes. Our findings indicated that 2.856 GHz and 1.5 GHz microwave exposure induced a decline in spatial memory, which might be related to p-AKT, p-CaMK II, p-CREB and p-ERK1/2.

Previous studies have shown that single-frequency microwave radiation can lead to cognitive decline in rats. However, few studies have focused on the combined effects of irradiation with different frequencies of microwaves. Our research aimed to investigate the effects of 1.5 GHz and 4.3 GHz microwave radiation, singly and in combination, on cognitive function and hippocampal tissue structure in rats. A total of 140 male Wistar rats were randomly divided into 4 groups: the S group (sham radiation group), L10 group (10 mW/cm2 1.5 GHz group), C10 group (10 mW/cm2 4.3 GHz band group) and LC10 group (10 mW/cm2 1.5 and 4.3 GHz multi-frequency radiation group). For 1–28 days after microwave radiation, we analyzed the average escape latency for the Morris water maze task, electroencephalograms, change in hippocampal tissue structure and ultrastructure, content of the Nissl body in the hippocampus, and activities of lactate dehydrogenase and succinate dehydrogenase. Compared to the S group, all exposure groups showed varying degrees of learning and memory decline and hippocampal structural damage. The results showed that 1.5 GHz and 4.3 GHz microwave radiation was able to induce cognitive impairment and hippocampal tissue damage in rats and combined radiation with both frequencies caused more serious injuries, but none of these damaging effects varied with microwave frequency.

The purpose of this study was to determine the role of heat shock protein 72 (Hsp72) changes in cardiac injury caused by microwave radiation, aimed at providing novel insights into the mechanism of this damage. A digital thermometer was used to measure the rectal temperature of the rats’ pre- and post-radiation. On the 1st, 7th, 14th, and 28th days post-radiation, the changes in electrocardiogram (ECG) were analyzed by a multi-channel physiological recorder. The myocardial enzyme activities and ion concentrations were detected by an automatic biochemical analyzer. Additionally, the levels of myocardial injury markers were established by the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), and those of hormones were measured by radioimmunoassay. The structure and ultrastructure of the myocardial tissue were observed using an optical microscope and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The expression of Hsp72 was measured by Western blot and immunofluorescence analyses. Post-exposure, the rectal temperature in the R-group increased significantly, ECG was disordered, and the concentrations of ions were decreased. Furthermore, the activities of myocardial enzymes were changed, and the contents of myocardial injury markers and hormones were increased. We observed damage to the structure and ultrastructure and significantly increased expression of Hsp72. As a whole, the results indicated that S-wave microwave radiation at 30 mW/cm2 for 35 min resulted in damage to the cardiac functionality organigram, caused by a combination of the thermal and nonthermal effects.

Neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs) are produced by neutrophil activation and usually have both anti-infective and pro-damage effects.

We consider the existence of a mild solution of supdiffusion equations and obtain some results under some growth and noncompactness conditions of nonlinearity without coefficient restriction, and some new results for Ulam-Hyers-Rassias stability are obtained.

Atherosclerosis-related cardiovascular diseases are the leading cause of mortality worldwide. Macrophages uptake modified lipoproteins and transform into foam cells, triggering an inflammatory response and thereby promoting plaque formation. Here we show that casein kinase 2-interacting protein-1 (CKIP-1) is a suppressor of foam cell formation and atherosclerosis. Ckip-1 deficiency in mice leads to increased lipoprotein uptake and foam cell formation, indicating a protective role of CKIP-1 in this process. Ablation of Ckip-1 specifically upregulates the transcription of scavenger receptor LOX-1, but not that of CD36 and SR-A. Mechanistically, CKIP-1 interacts with the proteasome activator REGγ and targets the transcriptional factor Oct-1 for degradation, thereby suppressing the transcription of LOX-1 by Oct-1. Moreover, Ckip-1-deficient mice undergo accelerated atherosclerosis, and bone marrow transplantation reveals that Ckip-1 deficiency in hematopoietic cells is sufficient to increase atherosclerotic plaque formation. Therefore, CKIP-1 plays an essential anti-atherosclerotic role through regulation of foam cell formation and cholesterol metabolism.

This paper deals with the solvability of the fourth-order boundary value problem u ( 4 ) = f ( x , u , u ′ ′ ) , 0 ≤ x ≤ 1 , u ( 0 ) = u ( 1 ) = u ′ ′ ( 0 ) = u ′ ′ ( 1 ) = 0 , which models a statically bending elastic beam whose two ends are simply supported, where f : [ 0 , 1 ] × R 2 → R is continuous. Inequality conditions on f guaranteeing the existence and uniqueness of solution are presented. The inequality conditions allow that f ( x , u , v ) may be superlinear growth on u and v as | ( u , v ) | → ∞ .

Background The exogenous application of low-intensity electric stimulation (ES) may mimic a natural endogenous bioelectric current and accelerate the repair process of skin wounds. This study designed a novel microcurrent dressing (MCD) and evaluated its potential effects on wound healing in a rat skin defect model. Methods First, wireless ES was integrated into a medical cotton cushion to fabricate the MCD, and its electrical property was examined by using a universal power meter. Then, animal experiments were conducted to evaluate the MCD’s effect. Forty-five rats were randomized into control (Con) group, Vaseline gauze (VG) group and MCD group. A full-thickness round skin incision 1.5 cm in diameter was made on the back of each animal. Apart from routine disinfection, the Con rats were untreated, whereas the other two groups were treated with VG or MCD. On days 3, 7 and 14 post injury, the wound areas were observed and measured using image analysis software following photography, and the skin samples were harvested from wound tissue. Then, histopathological morphology was observed routinely by hematoxylin and eosin (HE) staining; tumor necrosis factor α (TNF-α) and interleukin (IL)-1β expression were detected by Western blotting. Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and epidermal growth factor (EGF) expression were detected with immunohistochemistry. Results The MCD generated a sf electric potential greater than 0.95 V. Animal experiments showed that the wound-healing rate in the MCD group was significantly increased compared with the Con and VG groups (P

Atherosclerosis-related cardiovascular diseases are the leading cause of mortality worldwide. Macrophages uptake modified lipoproteins and transform into foam cells, triggering an inflammatory response and thereby promoting plaque formation. Here we show that casein kinase 2-interacting protein-1 (CKIP-1) is a suppressor of foam cell formation and atherosclerosis. Ckip-1 deficiency in mice leads to increased lipoprotein uptake and foam cell formation, indicating a protective role of CKIP-1 in this process. Ablation of Ckip-1 specifically upregulates the transcription of scavenger receptor LOX-1, but not that of CD36 and SR-A. Mechanistically, CKIP-1 interacts with the proteasome activator REGγ and targets the transcriptional factor Oct-1 for degradation, thereby suppressing the transcription of LOX-1 by Oct-1. Moreover, Ckip-1-deficient mice undergo accelerated atherosclerosis, and bone marrow transplantation reveals that Ckip-1 deficiency in hematopoietic cells is sufficient to increase atherosclerotic plaque formation. Therefore, CKIP-1 plays an essential anti-atherosclerotic role through regulation of foam cell formation and cholesterol metabolism., In atherosclerotic plaques, transformation of macrophages into foam cells is a key step in initiating the inflammatory response. Here Fan et al. show that casein kinase 2-interacting protein-1 (CKIP-1) limits foam cell formation and atherosclerosis by preventing expression of the scavenger receptor LOX-1 through REGγ-mediated degradation of Oct-1.

This study is concerned with the sliding mode control design subject to actuator saturation. The actuator saturation is formulated with the rate limitation and the standard magnitude limitation. Both the saturated sliding mode control approaches against the known and the unknown bounded uncertainties are discussed. The stability analysis for the resulting overall closed-loop systems is conducted. Moreover, several optimisation conditions are established to estimate the attraction domain of the saturated system under the designed controllers, by determining the invariant set of the system. Finally, simulation examples are shown to illustrate the proposed control design scheme.

We use the fixed point index theory of condensing mapping in cones discuss the existence of positive solutions for the following boundary value problem of fractional differential equations in a Banach space E $$\begin{aligned} \left\{ \begin{array}{ll} -D^{\,\beta }_{0^{+}}u(t)=f(t,u(t)),\quad t\in J, \\ u(0)=u^{\prime }(0)=\theta ,\quad u(1)=\rho \int _{0}^{1}u(t)dt,\\ \end{array} \right. \end{aligned}$$ where both $$2

Many studies have revealed the cognitive decline induced by microwave radiation. However, the systematic study on dose-dependent, frequency-dependent and accumulative effects of microwave exposure at different frequencies was lacking. Here, we studied the relationship between the effects and the power and frequency of microwave and analyzed the accumulative effects of two different frequency microwaves with the same average power density. After microwave radiation, declines in spatial learning and memory and fluctuations of brain electric activities were found in the 10 mW/cm2 single frequency exposure groups and accumulative exposure groups. Meanwhile, morphological evidences in hippocampus also supported the cognitive dysfunction. Moreover, the decrease of Nissl contents in neurons indicated protein-based metabolic disorders in neurons. By detecting the key functional proteins of cholinergic transmitter metabolism, cytokines, energy metabolism and oxidative stress in the hippocampus, we found that microwave could lead to multiple metabolic disorders. Our results showed that microwave-induced cognitive decline was largely determined by its power rather than frequency. Injury effects were also found in accumulative exposure groups. We particularly concerned about the safety dose, injury effects and accumulative effects of microwaves, which might be very valuable in the future.

In this paper we discuss the existence of solutions of the fully fourth-order boundary value problem $$ \textstyle\begin{cases} u^{(4)}=f(t, u, u', u'', u'''), \quad t\in [0, 1], \\ u(0)=u'(0)=u''(1)=u'''(1)=0 , \end{cases} $$ which models the deformations of an elastic cantilever beam in equilibrium state, where $f:[0, 1]\times {\mathbb{R}}^{4}\to \mathbb{R}$ is continuous. Using the method of lower and upper solutions and the monotone iterative technique, we obtain some existence results under monotonicity assumptions on nonlinearity.

Microwave radiation has been implicated in cognitive dysfunction and neuronal injury in animal models and in human investigations; however, the mechanism of these effects is unclear. In this study, single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) sites in the rat GRIN2B promoter region were screened. The associations of these SNPs with microwave-induced rat brain dysfunction and with rat pheochromocytoma-12 (PC12) cell function were investigated. Wistar rats (n = 160) were exposed to microwave radiation (30 mW/cm(2) for 5 min/day, 5 days/week, over a period of 2 months). Screening of the GRIN2B promoter region revealed a stable C-to-T variant at nucleotide position -217 that was not induced by microwave exposure. The learning and memory ability, amino acid contents in the hippocampus and cerebrospinal fluid, and NR2B expression were then investigated in the different genotypes. Following microwave exposure, NR2B protein expression decreased, while the Glu contents in the hippocampus and CSF increased, and memory impairment was observed in the TT genotype but not the CC and CT genotypes. In PC12 cells, the effects of the T allele were more pronounced than those of the C allele on transcription factor binding ability, transcriptional activity, NR2B mRNA, and protein expression. These effects may be related to the detrimental role of the T allele and the protective role of the C allele in rat brain function and PC12 cells exposed to microwave radiation.

Microwave-induced adverse health outcomes have been gaining much attention in recent years. The hippocampus is sensitive and vulnerable to microwave exposure. Studies from our group and others showed that microwave-induced structural and functional injury of hippocampus, accompanied with alteration of gene and protein expression. It has been demonstrated that microRNAs (miRNAs) were involved in the physiological and pathological processes of brain. In this study, the miRNAs expression profiles of microwave-exposed hippocampus were detected by microarray analysis and verified by real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR). At 7 days after 30 mW/cm(2) microwave exposure, the expression of 12 miRNAs increased, while other 70 miRNAs decreased in rats' hippocampus. However, most of miRNAs restored to normal levels at 14 days after exposure, only two upregulated miRNAs and 14 downregulated miRNAs were detected. Gene transcription, neuroprotection and receptors function related target genes were predicated by miRDB, miRbase and miRanda. Moreover, these differentially expressed miRNAs were involved in brain-related signaling pathways, such as synaptic vesicle cycle, long-term depression, calcium signaling and neurotrophin signaling pathways. In conclusion, we successfully characterized the miRNA profiles in microwave-exposed hippocampus, and that will be helpful to clarify the molecular mechanism and provide potential therapeutic targets.

Microwave-induced learning and memory deficits in animal models have been gaining attention in recent years, largely because of increasing public concerns on growing environmental influences. The data from our group and others have showed that the injury of mitochondria, the major source of cellular adenosine triphosphate (ATP) in primary neurons, could be detected in the neuron cells of microwave-exposed rats. In this study, we provided some insights into the cellular and molecular mechanisms behind mitochondrial injury in PC12 cell-derived neuron-like cells. PC12 cell-derived neuron-like cells were exposed to 30 mW/cm(2) microwave for 5 min, and damages of mitochondrial ultrastructure could be observed by using transmission electron microscopy. Impairments of mitochondrial function, indicated by decrease of ATP content, reduction of succinate dehydrogenase (SDH) and cytochrome c oxidase (COX) activities, decrease of mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP), and increase of reactive oxygen species (ROS) production, could be detected. We also found that hypoxia-inducible factor-1 (HIF-1α), a key regulator responsible for hypoxic response of the mammalian cells, was upregulated in microwave-exposed neuron-like cells. Furthermore, HIF-1α overexpression protected mitochondria from injury by increasing the ATP contents and MMP, while HIF-1α silence promoted microwave-induced mitochondrial damage. Finally, we demonstrated that both ERK and PI3K signaling activation are required in microwave-induced HIF-1α activation and protective response. In conclusion, we elucidated a regulatory connection between impairments of mitochondrial function and HIF-1α activation in microwave-exposed neuron-like cells. By modulating mitochondrial function and protecting neuron-like cells against microwave-induced mitochondrial injury, HIF-1α represents a promising therapeutic target for microwave radiation injury.

Kang-fu-ling (KFL) is a polybotanical dietary supplement with antioxidant properties. This study aimed to evaluate the potential protective effects of KFL on cognitive deficit induced by high-power microwave (HPM) and the underlying mechanism for this neuroprotection. The electron spin resonance technique was employed to evaluate the free radical scavenging activity of KFL in vitro and KFL exhibited scavenging hydroxyl radical activity. KFL at doses of 0.75, 1.5 and 3 g kg(-1) and vehicle were administered orally once daily for 14 days to male Wistar rats after being exposed to 30 mW cm(-2) HPM for 15 minutes. KFL reversed HPM-induced memory loss and the histopathological changes in hippocampus of rats. In addition, KFL displayed a protective effect against HPM-induced oxidative stress and activated the nuclear factor-E2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) and its target genes in the hippocampus of rats. The Nrf2-antioxidant response element (ARE) signaling pathway may be involved in the neuroprotective effects of KFL against HPM-induced oxidative stress. In summary, the dietary supplement KFL is a promising natural complex, which ameliorates oxidative stress, with neuroprotective effects against HPM.

To determine whether microwave (MW) radiation induces neural cell apoptosis, differentiated PC12 cells and Wistar rats were exposed to 2.856 GHz for 5 min and 15 min, respectively, at an average power density of 30 mW/cm². JC-1 and TUNEL staining detected significant apoptotic events, such as the loss of mitochondria membrane potential and DNA fragmentation, respectively. Transmission electron microscopy and Hoechst staining were used to observe chromatin ultrastructure and apoptotic body formation. Annexin V-FITC/PI double staining was used to quantify the level of apoptosis. The expressions of Bax, Bcl-2, cytochrome c, cleaved caspase-3 and PARP were examined by immunoblotting or immunocytochemistry. Caspase-3 activity was measured using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The results showed chromatin condensation and apoptotic body formation in neural cells 6h after microwave exposure. Moreover, the mitochondria membrane potential decreased, DNA fragmentation increased, leading to an increase in the apoptotic cell percentage. Furthermore, the ratio of Bax/Bcl-2, expression of cytochrome c, cleaved caspase-3 and PARP all increased. In conclusion, microwave radiation induced neural cell apoptosis via the classical mitochondria-dependent caspase-3 pathway. This study may provide the experimental basis for further investigation of the mechanism of the neurological effects induced by microwave radiation.

To assess the impact of microwave exposure on learning and memory and to explore the underlying mechanisms.100 Wistar rats were exposed to a 2.856 GHz pulsed microwave field at average power densities of 0 mW/cm(2), 5 mW/cm(2), 10 mW/cm(2) and 50 mW/cm(2) for 6 min. The spatial memory was assessed by the Morris Water Maze (MWM) task. An in vivo study was conducted soon after microwave exposure to evaluate the changes of population spike (PS) amplitudes of long-term potentiation (LTP) in the medial perforant path (MPP)-dentate gyrus (DG) pathway. The structure of the hippocampus was observed by the light microscopy and the transmission electron microscopy (TEM) at 7 d after microwave exposure.Our results showed that the rats exposed in 10 mW/cm(2) and 50 mW/cm(2) microwave displayed significant deficits in spatial learning and memory at 6 h, 1 d and 3 d after exposure. Decreased PS amplitudes were also found after 10 mW/cm(2) and 50 mW/cm(2) microwave exposure. In addition, varying degrees of degeneration of hippocampal neurons, decreased synaptic vesicles and blurred synaptic clefts were observed in the rats exposed in 10 mW/cm(2) and 50 mW/cm(2) microwave. Compared with the sham group, the rats exposed in 5 mW/cm(2) microwave showed no difference in the above experiments.This study suggested that impairment of LTP induction and the damages of hippocampal structure, especially changes of synapses, might contribute to cognitive impairment after microwave exposure.

In this paper, we study the existence of solutions for a class of nonlinear higher-order fractional differential equation with fractional nonlocal boundary condition by using the monotone iterative technique based on the method of upper and lower solutions and give a specific iterative equation about its solutions.

Purpose: To investigate whether high power microwave could cause continuous disorders to learning and memory in Wistar rats and to explore the underlying mechanisms.Eighty Wistar rats were exposed to a 2.856 GHz pulsed microwave source at a power density of 0 mW/cm(2) and 50 mW/cm(2) microwave for 6 min. The spatial memory ability, the structure of the hippocampus, contents of amino acids neurotransmitters in hippocampus and the expression of N-methyl-D-aspartic acid receptors (NMDAR) subunit 1, 2A and 2B (NR1, NR2A and NR2B) were detected at 1, 3, 6, 9, 12 and 18 months after microwave exposure.Our results showed that the microwave-exposed rats showed consistent deficiencies in spatial learning and memory. The level of amino acid neurotransmitters also decreased after microwave radiation. The ratio of glutamate (Glu) and gammaaminobutyric acid (GABA) significantly decreased at 6 months. Besides, the hippocampus showed varying degrees of degeneration of neurons, increased postsynaptic density and blurred synaptic clefts in the exposure group. The NR1 and NR2B expression showed a significant decrease, especially the NR2B expression.This study indicated that the content of amino acids neurotransmitters, the expression of NMDAR subunits and the variation of hippocampal structure might contribute to the long-term cognitive impairment after microwave exposure.

The increased use of microwaves raises concerns about its impact on health including cognitive function in which neurotransmitter system plays an important role. In this study, we focused on the serotonin system and evaluated the long term effects of chronic microwave radiation on cognition and correlated items. Wistar rats were exposed or sham exposed to 2.856GHz microwaves with the average power density of 5, 10, 20 or 30mW/cm(2) respectively for 6min three times a week up to 6weeks. At different time points after the last exposure, spatial learning and memory function, morphology structure of the hippocampus, electroencephalogram (EEG) and neurotransmitter content (amino acid and monoamine) of rats were tested. Above results raised our interest in serotonin system. Tryptophan hydroxylase 1 (TPH1) and monoamine oxidase (MAO), two important rate-limiting enzymes in serotonin synthesis and metabolic process respectively, were detected. Expressions of serotonin receptors including 5-HT1A, 2A, 2C receptors were measured. We demonstrated that chronic exposure to microwave (2.856GHz, with the average power density of 5, 10, 20 and 30mW/cm(2)) could induce dose-dependent deficit of spatial learning and memory in rats accompanied with inhibition of brain electrical activity, the degeneration of hippocampus neurons, and the disturbance of neurotransmitters, among which the increase of 5-HT occurred as the main long-term change that the decrease of its metabolism partly contributed to. Besides, the variations of 5-HT1AR and 5-HT2CR expressions were also indicated. The results suggested that in the long-term way, chronic microwave exposure could induce cognitive deficit and 5-HT system may be involved in it.

Microwaves have been suggested to induce neuronal injury and increase permeability of the blood-brain barrier (BBB), but the mechanism remains unknown. The role of the vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF)/Flk-1-Raf/MAPK kinase (MEK)/extracellular-regulated protein kinase (ERK) pathway in structural and functional injury of the blood-brain barrier (BBB) following microwave exposure was examined. An in vitro BBB model composed of the ECV304 cell line and primary rat cerebral astrocytes was exposed to microwave radiation (50 mW/cm(2), 5 min). The structure was observed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and the permeability was assessed by measuring transendothelial electrical resistance (TEER) and horseradish peroxidase (HRP) transmission. Activity and expression of VEGF/Flk-1-ERK pathway components and occludin also were examined. Our results showed that microwave radiation caused intercellular tight junctions to broaden and fracture with decreased TEER values and increased HRP permeability. After microwave exposure, activation of the VEGF/Flk-1-ERK pathway and Tyr phosphorylation of occludin were observed, along with down-regulated expression and interaction of occludin with zonula occludens-1 (ZO-1). After Flk-1 (SU5416) and MEK1/2 (U0126) inhibitors were used, the structure and function of the BBB were recovered. The increase in expression of ERK signal transduction molecules was muted, while the expression and the activity of occludin were accelerated, as well as the interactions of occludin with p-ERK and ZO-1 following microwave radiation. Thus, microwave radiation may induce BBB damage by activating the VEGF/Flk-1-ERK pathway, enhancing Tyr phosphorylation of occludin, while partially inhibiting expression and interaction of occludin with ZO-1.

Background The prevention and treatment of Microwave-caused cardiovascular injury remains elusive. This study investigated the cardiovascular protective effects of compound Chinese medicine “Kang Fu Ling” (KFL) against high power microwave (HPM)-induced myocardial injury and the role of the mitochondrial permeability transition pore (mPTP) opening in KFL protection. Methods Male Wistar rats (100) were divided into 5 equal groups: no treatment, radiation only, or radiation followed by treatment with KFL at 0.75, 1.5, or 3 g/kg/day. Electrocardiography was used to Electrophysiological examination. Histological and ultrastructural changes in heart tissue and isolated mitochondria were observed by light microscope and electron microscopy. mPTP opening and mitochondrial membrane potential were detected by confocal laser scanning microscopy and fluorescence analysis. Connexin-43 (Cx-43) and endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) were detected by immunohistochemistry. The expression of voltage-dependent anion channel (VDAC) was detected by western blotting. Results At 7 days after radiation, rats without KFL treatment showed a significantly lower heart rate (P

Although some epidemiological investigations showed a potential association between long-term exposure of extremely low frequency electromagnetic fields (ELF-EMF) and Alzheimer's disease (AD), no reasonable mechanism can explain this association, and the related animal experiments are rare. In this study, ELF-EMF exposure (50 Hz 400 µT 60 d) combined with D-galactose intraperitoneal (50 mg/kg, q.d., 42 d) and Aβ25-35 hippocampal (5 μl/unilateral, bilateral, single-dose) injection was implemented to establish a complex rat model. Then the effects of ELF-EMF exposure on AD development was studied by using the Morris water maze, pathological analysis, and comparative proteomics. The results showed that ELF-EMF exposure delayed the weight gain of rats, and partially improved cognitive and clinicopathologic symptoms of AD rats. The differential proteomic analysis results suggest that synaptic transmission, oxidative stress, protein degradation, energy metabolism, Tau aggregation, and inflammation involved in the effects mentioned above. Therefore, our findings indicate that certain conditions of ELF-EMF exposure could delay the development of AD in rats.

To study the nature of extracellular matirx (ECM) remodeling and its role in airflow obstruction in a rat model of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and to observe the role of nacetylcystein (NAC), protein kinase C (H(7)) and TGF-beta monocolonal antibody in the regulation of extracellular matrix remodeling in the airway wall.Fifty-three Wistar rats were randomly divided into 5 groups: the healthy control group, the COPD model group, the NAC group, the H(7) group and the TGF-beta monocolonal antibody group. Pathologic study of the airway and lung tissue, lung function test and blood gas analysis were performed. Fibroblasts and lymphocytes of the bronchial wall and alveolar macrophages were counted. Areas of the epithelial layer, the smooth muscle layer and the lamina propria were measured by image analyzer. The level of hydroxyproline in bronchial and lung homogenates was determined by biochemistry method. The serum levels of laminin (LN) and hyaluronic acid (HA) were determined by RIA method.The changes in histopathology, lung function and blood gas in the animal model were similar to those in COPD patients. The collagen, mainly type I collagen, in airway walls was significantly increased. The areas of the epithelial layer (21 114 micro m(2)) and the smooth muscle layer (16 061 micro m(2)) were significantly increased in the COPD model as compared to the control group (13 056 micro m(2) and 6 692 micro m(2), respectively) (P0.01). In the drug intervention groups these parameters were significantly decreased compared to the control group. The numbers of fibroblasts (13.6 +/- 4.2), lymphocytes (35.6 +/- 6.4) and alveolar macrophages (14.8 +/- 1.1) in the model group, were significantly increased compared to the control group (6.8 +/- 1.4, 6.1 +/- 1.2 and 3.5 +/- 1.2, respectively) (P0.01, 0.001, 0.001), while in the drug intervention groups the cells were significantly decreased except for fibroblasts in the H(7) group. The hydroxyproline level of the model group (111.5 +/- 2.3) pg/ml was significantly increased as compared to the control group (47.8 +/- 9.7) pg/ml (P0.05) and was negatively correlated with FEV(0.3)/FVC (P0.001) and positively correlated with airflow resistance (P0.01). The number of fibroblasts was also positively correlated with the level of hydroxyproline (P0.001). The serum levels of LN (26 +/- 4) micro m/L and HA (19.4 +/- 1.4) micro g/L in the model group were significantly increased compared to the control group (15 +/- 3) micro g/L, and (10.9 +/- 2.9) micro g/L, respectively (P0.05). Hydroxyproline in the NAC group (83.1 +/- 41.7) pg/ml and the TGF-beta monoclonal antibody group (71.2 +/- 20.3) pg/ml was significantly decreased, while in the H(7) group (160.6 +/- 41.7) pg/ml it was significantly increased.Excessive deposition of ECM, mainly of type I collagen, and proliferation of functionally activated fibroblasts were important pathological changes in airway remodeling and the important causes of airflow obstruction. TGF-beta monoclonal antibody and NAC can modulate airway extracellular matrix remodeling. H(7) can increase collagen deposition in the airway wall but the underlining mechanisms need to be elucidated.

To investigate the role of apoptosis in radiation-induced mouse thymus lymphocyte damage and repair and provide the basis for understanding the molecular mechanism of radiation-induced lymphocyte damage and repair as well as the prevention and treatment of acute radiation sickness.We studied the dynamic changes of apoptosis of mouse thymus lymphocytes and the expression of bax and bcl-2 gene products after 2, 4, 6 and 8 Gy of whole body gamma-irradiation using in situ terminal labeling, DNA electrophoresis and immunohistochemical techniques.At the early stage after irradiation, the percentage of apoptotic lymphocytes increased rapidly in accordance with the increasing of radiation doses, while the counts of the thymus and peripheral lymphocytes decreased sharply, showing an opposite change to lymphocyte apoptosis. After 6 Gy gamma-irradiation, typical morphological characteristics of thymus apoptotic lymphocytes in early, middle and late stages were found by transmission electron microscopy. The thymus lymphocytes displayed characteristic DNA ladders 4 hr and 8 hr after 2-6 Gy gamma-irradiation,using DNA gel electrophoresis techniques. Abnormal expression of bcl-2 and bax gene products were shown in irradiated lymphocytes.Apoptosis plays an important role in the process of radiation-induced mouse thymus lymphocyte damage and repair. Bcl-2 and Bax proteins may regulate the process of lymphocyte apoptosis.

To study the role of metalloproteinases(MMPs) in the airway extracellular matrix (ECM) remodelling of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) rat models.The COPD rat models which was established by intratracheal instillation of 200 microg lipopolysaccharide once for every two weeks(twice), and exposed to 5% smoke for 0.5 h/d for 4 weeks. The pathological changes were observed, lung function and blood gas changes were also deter mined. The fibroblasts, lymphocytes of bronchial walls and alveolar macrophages were counted. The hydroxyproline of bronchial lung tissue homogenates were deter mined by biochemistry method. The expression of MMP-9,MMP-2 and tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase-1(TIMP-1) in bronchi and lung tissue was verfied by immunohistochemical analysis and by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction analysis. The gelatinolytic activities of MMPs of lung tissue were performed by gelatin zymographic analysis.The pathological changes of bronchi and lung tissue, the changes of lung function and blood gas analysis were similar to those of the COPD patients. The number of fibroblasts, lymphocytes and alveolar macrophages of model group were significantly increased than those of control group (P0.001). The hydroxyproline of model group was significantly in creased than that of control group (P0.001). By using image analyzer, immunoreactivity of MMP-9, MMP-2,TIMP-1 were markedly increased in epithelial cells of bronchi, fibroblasts, macrophages, endothelial cells and pneumocytes in model group as compared with those of control group. The protein expressions of MMP-9, MMP-2 and TIMP-1 in model group were significantly increased than those in control group(P0.0001 or P0.01). The mRNA expression of MMP-2, MMP-9 and TIMP-1 in COPD model group (1.11 +/- 0.06,1.04 +/- 0.26 and 0.85 +/- 0.34,respectively) were significantly increased than those in control group (0.30 +/- 0.17,0.36 +/- 0.09 and 0.23 +/- 0.08,respectively) as well(P0.001 or P"0.01). The relative gelatinolytic activities of 72 000 MMP-2, 92 000 MMP-9 in model group (3 263.5 +/- 665.1 and 1 338.4 +/- 241.2, respectively) were also significantly higher than those in the model group(388.6 +/- 60.8 and 116.1 +/- 49.8,respectively, P0.001).The findings suggested that there were up regulations of MMP-9,MMP-2 and TIMP-1 of lung tissue in COPD model group which may contribute to the pathogenesis of airflow limitation through the airway remodelling and alveolar structure destruction(emphysema). The ECM degradation and deposition were imbalanced and abnormally activated. The evaluation of MMP-9,MMP-2 which are responsible for the inflammation and destruction process, and the evaluation of TIMP-1 which is responsible for the repair and remodelling process of the airways, may play an important role in the airway ECM remodelling in COPD.

Background Abnormal release of neurotransmitters after microwave exposure can cause learning and memory deficits. This study investigated the mechanism of this effect by exploring the potential role of phosphorylated synapsin I (p-Syn I). Methods Wistar rats, rat hippocampal synaptosomes, and differentiated (neuronal) PC12 cells were exposed to microwave radiation for 5 min at a mean power density of 30 mW/cm2. Sham group rats, synaptosomes, and cells were otherwise identically treated and acted as controls for all of the following post-exposure analyses. Spatial learning and memory in rats was assessed using the Morris Water Maze (MWM) navigation task. The protein expression and presynaptic distribution of p-Syn I and neurotransmitter transporters were examined via western blotting and immunoelectron microscopy, respectively. Levels amino acid neurotransmitter release from rat hippocampal synaptosomes and PC12 cells were measured using high performance liquid chromatograph (HPLC) at 6 hours after exposure, with or without synapsin I silencing via shRNA transfection. Results In the rat experiments, there was a decrease in spatial memory performance after microwave exposure. The expression of p-Syn I (ser-553) was decreased at 3 days post-exposure and elevated at later time points. Vesicular GABA transporter (VGAT) was significantly elevated after exposure. The GABA release from synaptosomes was attenuated and p-Syn I (ser-553) and VGAT were both enriched in small clear synaptic vesicles, which abnormally assembled in the presynaptic terminal after exposure. In the PC12 cell experiments, the expression of p-Syn I (ser-553) and GABA release were both attenuated at 6 hours after exposure. Both microwave exposure and p-Syn I silencing reduced GABA release and maximal reduction was found for the combination of the two, indicating a synergetic effect. Conclusion p-Syn I (ser-553) was found to play a key role in the impaired GABA release and cognitive dysfunction that was induced by microwave exposure.

To investigate the relationship between the loss of heterozygosity (LOH) of microsatellites on the deleted in colorectal carcinoma (DCC) gene and prognosis of colorectal adenocarcinoma.A retrospective study of 58 colorectal adenocarcinoma cases with follow-up data and paired control normal mucosal tissues from 1983 to 1985 from files from the West China University of Medical Sciences Department of Pathology was carried out by PCR microsatellite analysis. Sixteen, 35, and seven cases had well-, moderately, and poorly differentiated tumors, respectively; 11, 30, and 17 cases were staged as Dukes' A, B, and C, respectively.LOH of DCC microsatellites was detected in 18 cases (31.0%). The 5-year survival rate between LOH-positive and LOH-negative patients was 44.4% and 77.5%, respectively (P0.05). The results suggest that LOH of DCC microsatellites correlate with prognosis but not with differentiation (P0.05) and Dukes' stage (P0.05) in colorectal adenocarcinoma.LOH of DCC microsatellites may be a marker of malignancy. Combined with the traditional prognostic indicators, LOH can predict prognosis of colorectal adenocarcinoma.