Advances in pathophysiology of gut microbiota

Before the technique of advanced high-throughput sequencing comes up, less is known about the human gut microbiota. It has been understood that trillions of microbes, in which 99% are bacteria, inhabit the human gut, forming a complicated ecological community. The gut microbiota has a great impact on human physiology and susceptibility to disease through its integrative metabolic activities and interactions with the host. In physiology, gut microbiota contributes to the host acquisition of nutrition and energy from diets, promoting development and maturation of gastrointestinal tract and immune system, and protecting host from invasion of enteropathogens. In pathology, dysbiosis underlying altered gut microbiota is associated with the susceptibilities to various diseases, including inflammatory bowel disease, type 1 diabetes, asthma, obesity, metabolic syndrome, autism and cancer. Understanding of the factors that underlie alterations in the composition and function of gut microbiota will be helpful in the development of drugs and the design of therapies that target it. This goal is formidable. It is because that the compositions of gut microbiota are immensely diverse, varying between individuals in a population and fluctuating over time in an individual, especially during early development and diseases. Viewing the gut microbiota with an ecological perspective will provide new insights into how to improve our health by targeting this microbial community in clinical treatments.     

蕈菌作为益生元新来源的潜力研究

随着消费者健康意识的增强，越来越多的保健品涌现出来。益生元能够调节肠道菌群平衡，有益机体健康。关于益生元的研究已有十几年，为了更好地了解益生元的好处，需要发现更多益生元的新来源。通过概念和实际应用讲述了蕈菌作为益生元新来源的巨大潜力。     

Role of intestinal microbiota-farnesoid X receptor axis in metabolic diseases

Intestinal microbiota is associated with metabolic diseases such as obesity, nonalcoholic fatty liver disease and insulin resistance. Farnesoid X receptor (FXR), also known as bile acid receptor, is a typical nuclear receptor, which is involved in the regulation of bile acid and glycolipid metabolism. Intestinal microbiota regulates FXR activity by affecting bile acid composition, where bile acid hydrolase plays an important role. Recent studies have found that intestinal microbiota affects the development of metabolic diseases through regulating the FXR, and the intestinal microbiota-FXR axis may be an ideal drug target for metabolic diseases.     

The phenotypic-change characteristics of renal residential cells and its roles in the development of renal diseases

Increasing evidence has proved that phenotypic changes occured in residential renal cells during the process of renal diseases. The phenotypic change of mesangial cell plays a key role in the development of glomerular sclerosis, while the phenotypic changes of tubulo-interstitial cells have close relationship with the progress of interstitial fibrosis. Understandings of these phenotypic changes and their regulations may help us know better of the mechanism of renal diseases and find out ways to block the disease development.     

Role of insulin resistance in neurodegenerative diseases

Insulin resistance is a condition in which the cells fail to respond to the normal actions of insulin, acting as decreased glucose utilization, abnormal glucose tolerance and compensatory increased insulin concentration in the serum. Altered insulin-related indicator has been detected in neurodegenerative diseases. Recent studies indicate that insulin resistance is involved in the occurrence and development of neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimers disease, Parkinsons disease, Huntingtons disease, etc. This review summarizes the relationship between insulin resistance and neurodegenerative diseases.     

Function and relationship between c-Jun N-terminal kinase and caspase in apoptosis

Apoptosis is important to the development of diseases.Research recently indicates that c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) and cysteinyl aspartate-specific protease (caspase) play key roles in apoptosis and affect the development of diseases.This article is to introduce the function and relationship between JNK and caspase in apoptosis during the process of diseases.     

Progress in expression and function of tricellular tight junction protein tricellulin

Tricellulin is a novel tight junction protein that is specially expressed in tricellular contacts. Tricellulin is expressed in multiple epithelial and endothelial cells and plays an important role in regulating the paracellular transport of substances and maintaining the integrity of tight junction complexes. The abnormal expression and dysfunction of tricellulin are closely related to the occurrence and development of deafness, inflammatory bowel disease, bacterial infection diseases, tumors and damage to the blood-brain barrier and the blood-retinal barrier. In this review, the research progress on the molecular structure, expression and distribution of tricellulin, the relationship between tricellulin function and diseases as well as the relevant regulatory mechanisms are presented.     

Progress in mitochondrial fusion,fission and inflammatory response

The dynamism and health of the mitochondrial network are regulated by fission and fusion proteins, which help to maintain organelle vitality and the physiological state of the cell. Recently, accumulated evidence has demonstrated that the changes of mitochondrial dynamics have a great effect on inflammation in a variety of diseases. To the contrary, inflammatory mediators regulate mitochondrial dynamics at the same time. The aim of this reviews is to summarize the relationship between them and to provide new clinical reference for preventing and curing diseases.     

Mechanisms of oral tolerance and the treatment of autoimmune diseases

Oral tolerance describes the phenomenon that orally administered proteins induce sys-temic hyporesponsiveness to the protein fed. The primary mechanisms which oral tolerance is mediated include clonal deletion, clonal anergy and active Sue CALT, Low doses favor active suppression cellular suppression through gut associated lymphoid tis-mediated Th2 and Th3 cells, whereas high doses favor deletion and anergy mediated Thl and Th2 cells. Oral tolerance is an effective and specific approach without toxicity. In recent years, it has been used successfully to treat autoimmune diseases in model ani-mals and patients. The article discussed the mechanisms and advances of oral tolerance for the purpose of provid new ways of treat autoimmune diseases.     

DNA chip and its applications in medicine

The development of DNA chip has been strongly driven by modern approaches of life science and microelectronics. The broad of DNA chip applications include the detection of pathogens, the detection of mutations in genes involved in human diseases or affected during cancer progression, sequence analysis, the pattern of gene expression monitoring and pharmacy studies. This review explains the technology, its scope, and impact on medicine, as well as its cost and possible limitations.     

Mast cells derived from stem cells of umbilical cord blood

Mast cells (MCs) play a key role in the pathogenesis of allergic diseases. Tissue MCs are originated from hematopoietic stem cells in bone marrow. In recent years, it was reported that human mast cells could be differentiated from stem cells of umbilical cord blood. In this review, we summarize the development in this novel area.     

Advance in receptor type protein tyrosine phosphatase Q

Receptor type protein tyrosine phosphatase Q (PTPRQ) is an unusual protein tyrosine phosphatase that has intrinsic dephosphorylating activity for various phosphatidylinositiol and phospho-tyrosine substrates, especially the phosphatidylinositol activity. Recent data show that PTPRQ has an important role in various biological processes and is associated with some diseases. In this article, the structure and function of PTPRQ and the relationship between PTPRQ and diseases were briefly summarized.     

The vascular endothelial progenitor cells and angiogenesis in ischemic cardiovascular diseases

The vascular endothelial progenitor cells are a population of functional endothelial precursors in circulating blood, which are derived from bone marrow or cord blood. CD34⁺, Flk-1⁺ and ACl33⁺ are their molecular markers. In this review, the functional characterization of vascular endothelial progenitor cells is introduced and the relationship between vascular endothelial progenitor cells and angiogenesis in is chemic cardiovascular diseases is discussed. These data may offer a foundation for the development of therapeutic angiogenesis for the prevention and treatment of ischemic cardiovascular diseases by transplantation of vascular endothelial progenitor cells.     

Effects of PM2.5 on metabolic pathways based on metabolomics

As one of the common air pollutants, fine particulate matter/particulate matter 2.5 (PM_2.5) is an important risk factor affecting human health. Many epidemiological studies have shown that PM_2.5 increases the risk of various diseases. However, its underlying biological mechanisms have not been well understood. Metabolomics is an emerging field that has been used to identify the metabolic pathways involved in pathogenesis by analyzing changes in metabolite levels for disease diagnosis and treatment development. Many metabolomics-based studies have shown that the pathophysiological changes caused by PM_2.5 exposure may involve disturbances in various metabolites and metabolic pathways. In this paper, a brief review of the research progress of the effects of PM_2.5 on the metabolic pathways using metabolomics is presented.     

日光温室茄果类蔬菜生理病害的发生及防治

日光温室茄果类蔬菜易重茬种植且轮作间隔时间短,易导致生理病害的发生,制约着日光温室冬季茄果类蔬菜产业的发展。分析了日光温室茄果类蔬菜常见生理性病害落花落果、畸形果、裂果、僵果、果实着色不良发生的原因,并提出其防治方法。     

Protection of the limb ischemic preconditioning on the injury of gut is concerned with NO/ET-1 system in rats

AIM: To study the relationship between disturbance of nitric oxide/endothelin-1 (NO/ET-1) and the injury of gut following limb ischemia-reperfusion (I/R) in rats as well as the regulation of NO/ET-1 system by limb I/R preconditioning (IPC). METHODS: A limb ischemia-reperfusion injury model in rats was established. The animals were randomly divided into three groups: control group, IR group and IPC group. The contents of diamide oxidase(DAO), nitric oxide (NO), endothelin-1 (ET-1) and ratio of nitric oxide/endothelin-1 (NO/ET-1) in the plasma and the gut were measured. The leavels of myeloperoxidase, ratio of DNA chain (%), total nitric oxide synthase (tNOS), inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) and constitutive nitric oxide synthase (cNOS) in the gut were determined. The expression of iNOS and endothelial NOS (eNOS) were detected by the immunohistochemical method. RESULTS: It was found that the levels of NO, ET-1 in the plasma and the gut tissue all increased after reperfusion, while the values of NO/ ET-1 decreased. The values of DAO in the plasma and MPO in the gut increased, while the contents of DAO and the ratio of DNA chain (%) in the gut decreased. The expression of iNOS elevated, cNOS (mainly eNOS) reduced and total NOS increased. The protection of the limb IPC attenuated the disturbance of NO/ET-1. CONCLUSION: The intestinal injury following limb I/R is related to the disturbance of NO/ET-1. The protection of the limb IPC might be conducted by its regulating NO/ET-1 system. The endothelial NOS increases and non-endothelial NOS decreases in this situation.     

Histone deacetylase SIRT1 and cell autophagy

.Sirtuin 1 (SIRT1), one of the nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD+)-dependent histone deacetylases, plays an important role in regulating cell cycle, cell aging, apoptosis and metabolism. Autophagy, a vital basic phenomenon that wildly exists in eukaryotic cells, plays an important part in waste scavenging, structure reestablishment, growth and development. In recent years, more and more attention has been paid to the connection between SIRT1 and autophagy. Clarifying the relationship between SIRT1 and autophagy will be of great importance in preventing and controlling aging-related diseases. This article overviews its research advancement.