Homocysteine thiolactone damages cultured endothelial cells

AIM: To approach the mechanisms of homocysteine thiolactone (HTL)-induced damage in endothelial cells. METHODS: Human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) were incubated with HTL. The concentrations of soluble intercellular adhesion molecule (sICAM)-1 and TNF-α in the conditioned medium were measured by ELISA. The activity of NF-κB and the level of ROS were determined by fluorescence microscopy. Cell viability,activity of lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) and content of nitric oxide (NO) in the medium were also detected. RESULTS: Exposure of HUVECs to HTL at concentration of 1 mmol/L for 3 h potentiated the activity of NF-κB and increased the level of ROS. Incubation of HUVECs with HTL (1 mmol/ L for 24 h) markedly decreased the cell viability and NO content, and increased the level of LDH, sICAM-1 and TNF-α in the culture medium. Pretreatment with NAC, apocynin or PDTC markedly inhibited the increased activity of NF-κB and decreased the levels of ROS, TNF-α, sICAM-1, NO and LDH in a dose-dependent manner. CONCLUSION: The dysfunction of endothelial cells induced by homocysteine thiolactone in vitro may be related to the oxidative stress and the activation of NF-κB.     

Genetic polymorphism of caspase-7 isoform β in patients with rheumatoid arthritis

AIM: To investigate the association between the rs2227309 polymorphism of cysteinyl aspartate-specific protease-7 (caspase-7) isoform β and the genetic susceptibility in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients in Taizhou of China. METHODS: Genotyping of rs2227309 of caspase-7 isoform β gene was performed in 204 RA patients and 203 matched healthy controls using TaqMan single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) genotyping assays. RESULTS: The genotype frequencies of GG, AG and AA of caspase-7 polymorphism in the RA patients were 33.3%, 53.4% and 13.2%, respectively, and 33.0%, 44.3% and 22.7% in the healthy individuals,respectively. There was a significant difference in caspase-7 genotype frequencies between the RA patients and healthy controls (P<0.05). The frequency of GG+AG genotype in RA patients was higher than that in healthy controls with significant difference (P<0.05, OR=1.921, 95%CI: 1.140~3.236). The frequencies of the G allele were 60.0% and 55.2% in the RA patients and the healthy individuals,respectively. No significant difference was observed in allele frequency between the RA patients and healthy controls (P>0.05, OR=1.221, 95%CI: 0.924~1.613). CONCLUSION: The rs2227309 polymorphism of caspase-7 isoform β gene is associated with the susceptibility to rheumatoid arthritis. The high production of the non-functional variant of caspase-7 may reduce the apoptosis of rheumatoid synovial cells, indicating the mechanism of this association.     

Molecular characterization of chestnut plants selected for putative resistance to Phytophthora cinnamomi using SSR markers

A set of nine short sequence repeat (SSR) loci was used for the molecular characterization of 32 accessions of 15 chestnut trees selected in the field because of their putative resistance to the ink disease caused by Phytophthora spp. The goal of the present study was to determine the genetic identity of those selected European chestnut trees (Castanea sativa) or interspecific hybrids, considering that hybridization programs between European chestnut and Asiatic species (mainly Japanese chestnut, Castanea crenata) have been carried out in Galicia (Spain) since the early 20th century. The results showed that the analyzed SSR loci were useful to discriminate three Asiatic and the European species of Castanea. The joint information provided by a factorial correspondence analysis (FCA) and the presence of privative alleles allowed the putative molecular assignment of the selected plants to a certain identity. Most of them were determined as hybrids between C. crenata and C. sativa. The individuals coded C036 and C048 were assigned, with a high probability, to C. sativa due to their clustering with accessions of this species and because they had a number of privative alleles of this species. Only a few individuals could not be assigned to any particular genotype.     

Stimulation of ROS-scavenging systems in squash (Cucurbita pepo L.) plants by compost supplementation under normal and low temperature conditions

The beneficial effect of compost, the final product of aerobic biodegradation of organic matter, on growth, lipid peroxidation [as malondialdehyde (MDA], hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) and superoxide anion (O₂^•−), activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), ascorbate peroxidase (APX) and glutathione reductase (GR), as well as reduced ascorbate (ASC) and glutathione (GSH) and their oxidized forms was investigated in squash (Cucurbita pepo L. cv. Eskandarany) plants exposed to normal and low temperature (LT) conditions. LT stress of 8 °C significantly reduced the plant growth of untreated plants, but compost alleviated the adverse effect of stress and significantly increased the fresh and dry weights under normal and stress conditions. LT also induced accumulation of H₂O₂ and O₂^•− and resulted in increased lipid peroxidation, pointing out to cellular oxidative stress. Under compost application, such reactive oxygen species (ROS) and peroxidized lipids were markedly reduced, but SOD, CAT, APX and GR activities, key enzymes of ROS-scavenging systems, were significantly increased. Data also indicated that there were general reductions in total ascorbate and glutathione pool in LT control plants, but compost-treated ones considerably have maintained higher levels of such redox metabolites. Significantly higher ratios of ASC/DHA (dehydroascorbate) and GSH/GSSG (glutathione disulfide) were generally found in compost-treated plants than in untreated-ones. It is evident that compost induced enhancement of LT tolerance was related to up-regulation of enzymatic and non-enzymatic antioxidant systems. Such enhancement would eventually protect plant cells from LT-induced oxidative stress reactions via scavenging ROS.     

Response of hot pepper (Capsicum annuum L.) to mulching practices under planted greenhouse condition

Mulch is considered a desirable management technology for conserving soil moisture, improving soil temperature and soil quality. This study aimed to investigate soil conditions and hot pepper (Capsicum annuum L.) performance in terms of leaf photosynthetic capacity, fruit yield and quality, and irrigation water use efficiency (IWUE) under such practices in greenhouse condition. A field experiment across 3 years was carried out with four types of mulch (without mulch [CK], wheat straw mulch [SM], plastic film mulch [FM], and combined mulch with plastic film and wheat straw [CM]). Mulch could improve soil physical properties regardless of mulch materials. FM and CM treatments improved soil moistures status and soil temperature in comparison to CK control, while SM increased soil water content and decreased soil temperature. Mulch increased leaf net photosynthesis rate (P_N), stomatal conductance to water vapor (gs), intercellular CO₂ concentration (Ci), and transpiration rate (E), but declined instant water use efficiency (WUEi). No significant effect of mulch application on chlorophyll fluorescence was existent for the entire growth season. Fruit yield and irrigation water use efficiency (IWUE) showed some increment under all the mulch conditions. Compared to CK, the yield was enhanced by 82.3%, 65.0%, and 111.5% in 2008; 38.1%, 17.4%, and 46.5% in 2009; and 14.3%, 6.5%, and 19.6% in 2010 under SM, FM, and CM conditions, respectively. Although FM produced better fruit quality than other treatments, CM is the recommended practice for hot pepper cultivation in greenhouse condition due to working well to facilitate soil condition (moisture and temperature), plant growth, and marketable yield.     

新加坡“空中绿化”的实践与成效

新加坡是一个极具热带特色的岛国,有“花园城市”美誉。进入新世纪,新加坡强制推行“空中绿化”后,使其“花园城市”转变为“花园中的城市”、“平面花园”转变为“立体花园”,成为区域城市的“空中绿化”典范。文章回顾了“空中绿化”概念的发展、历史和现状,结合对新加坡“空中绿化”的实地考察,介绍了空中绿化新技术及空中绿化的优秀作品...     

在典型叙事中弘扬时代与民族精神——何建明报告文学创作的当代意义

何建明是当今影响最大的报告文学代表作家之一。他报告文学创作的价值与意义,在于对主旋律与多样化的准确把握与成功探索。这一点,主要体现在时代主题、民族精神、典型叙事与史诗建构等方面。具体来说,又表现出选题的重大与题材的开拓、时代主题与民族精神的和谐统一、歌颂与批判的有机融合、传统精义与典型叙事的史诗建构,等等。但其创作在取得辉煌成就的同时也提出了某些值得思考的问题。"何建明现象"再次说明：报告文学等纪实文学的学术关怀与理论建构势在必行。     

Volatile constituents, inorganic elements and primary screening of bioactivity of black coral cigarette holders

Black corals (BC) have been used for a long time in Chinese medicine, and may have some pharmaceutical functions when used as material for cigarette holders in southeast China. This study is aimed to investigate the bioactivities of volatile constituents in BC and to explore the folklore behind the use of BC cigarette holders (BCCHs). We extracted the volatile constituents of BC by supercritical fluid extraction (SFE) with carbon dioxide (CO₂-SFE), then identified and analyzed the constituents by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). In total, 15 components were reliably identified in BC and found to be biologically active. These included triethyl phosphate, butylated hydroxytoluene, cedrol, n-hexadecanoic acid, squalene, and cholesterol. Meanwhile 13 inorganic elements (P, Ca, Mg, S, B, Si, Fe, Cu, Zn, Ba, etc.) were determined by inductively coupled plasma spectrometer (ICPS). In the bioactivity tests, the BC extract (BCE) showed a scavenging activity of 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl free radicals and hydroxyl radicals by phenanthroline-Fe (II) oxidation and moderate inhibition of Gram-positive microorganisms. The antioxidant and antimicrobial activities of BC, which are related to the active chemical composition, may explain the perceived benefit for cigarette smokers who use BCCHs.     

Carbon sequestration potential of recommended management practices for paddy soils of China, 1980-2050

China's rice paddies, accounting for 19% of the world's total, play an important role in soil carbon (C) sequestration. In order to reduce uncertainties from upscaling spatial processes of the DeNitrification-DeComposition (DNDC) model for improving the understanding of C sequestration under recommended management practices (RMPs), we parameterized the DNDC model with a 1:1,000,000 polygonal soil database to estimate how RMPs influence potential C sequestration of the top 30 cm of Chinese paddy soils and to identify which management practices have the greatest potential to increase soil organic carbon (SOC) in these soils. These practices include reduced/no tillage, increasing crop residue return, and increasing manure applications. A baseline and eleven RMP scenarios were projected from 2009 to 2080, including traditional and conservation tillage, increasing crop residue return, increasing manure incorporation, and the combination of these practices. The results indicated that C sequestration potential under modeled RMPs increased compared to the baseline scenario, and varied greatly from 29.2 to 847.7 Tg C towards the end of the study period with an average rate of 0.7 to 20.2 Tg C yr^− 1. In general, increasing crop residue return was associated with higher rates of C sequestration when compared to increasing manure application or practicing conservation tillage. The simulations demonstrated that the most effective soil C sequestration strategy probably involves the implementation of a combination of RMPs, and that they vary by location.     

Molecular characterization of tetracycline- and quinolone-resistant Aeromonas salmonicida isolated in Korea

The antibiotic resistance of 16 Aeromonas (A.) salmonicida strains isolated from diseased fish and environmental samples in Korea from 2006 to 2009 were investigated in this study. Tetracycline or quinolone resistance was observed in eight and 16 of the isolates, respectively, based on the measured minimal inhibitory concentrations. Among the tetracycline-resistant strains, seven of the isolates harbored tetA gene and one isolate harbored tetE gene. Additionally, quinolone-resistance determining regions (QRDRs) consisting of the gyrA and parC genes were amplified and sequenced. Among the quinolone-resistant A. salmonicida strains, 15 harbored point mutations in the gyrA codon 83 which were responsible for the corresponding amino acid substitutions of Ser⁸³→Arg⁸³ or Ser⁸³→Asn⁸³. We detected no point mutations in other QRDRs, such as gyrA codons 87 and 92, and parC codons 80 and 84. Genetic similarity was assessed via pulsed-field gel electrophoresis, and the results indicated high clonality among the Korean antibiotic-resistant strains of A. salmonicida.