Immunomodulatory effects of thymol and cinnamaldehyde in chicken cell lines

Thymol and cinnamaldehyde are phytogenic feed additives that have been developed to improve gut health, immunity and growth performance in poultry and swine. This study evaluated the immune modulating effects of a thymol and cinnamaldehyde blend (TCB) in the intestinal system of poultry in vitro, using two chicken cell lines, LMH (liver cell line) which has been used to mimic epithelial cell responses, and HD-11 (monocyte/macrophage-like). Cells with high viability (>95%) from established cell lines were cultured in the presence of TCB at concentrations ranging from 1 ng/ml to 100 ng/ml. The viability, transepithelial electrical resistance (TEER) and phagocytic capacity of co-cultured LMH cells, with or without stimulation with lipopolysaccharide (LPS), was subsequently evaluated. The expression of cytokines, chemokines and pattern recognition receptors by HD-11 monocytes/macrophages was measured by RT-PCR and by proteomic analysis. TCB was well tolerated by both cell lines (cell viability >90% after co-culture with TCB at 100 ng/ml for 48 h with or without LPS). Epithelial integrity of LMH cells (as assessed by TEER) was increased by TCB (10 ng/ml) after 4 h incubation, versus untreated controls, and phagocytic capacity of HD-11 cells was increased, in a dose-dependent manner (P<0.05). In HD-11 cells, TCB (10 ng/ml) downregulated the relative expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines interleukin (IL)-1β, IL-6, IL-8 and the transcription factor cyclooxygenase-2 and upregulated expression of anti-inflammatory IL-10, versus untreated controls (P<0.05). In summary, under the tested conditions, TCB enhanced the epithelial barrier integrity of poultry hepatocytes, increased phagocytic activity and production of anti-inflammatory cytokines by monocytes and macrophages. These results indicated how supplementing TCB in poultry diets can increase bird performance, by increasing in vivo cell membrane integrity (especially important in the gut) and assisting in immune responses, which can liberate energy for growth.

Direct investigation of current transport in cells by conductive atomic force microscopy

Currents play critical roles in neurons. Direct observation of current flows in cells at nanometre dimensions and picoampere current resolution is still a daunting task. In this study, we investigated the current flows in hippocampal neurons, PC12 cells and astrocytes in response to voltages applied to the cell membranes using conductive atomic force microscopy (CAFM). The spines in the hippocampal neurons play crucial roles in nerve signal transfer. When the applied voltage was greater than 7.2 V, PC12 cells even show metallic nanowire-like characteristics. Both the cell body and glial filaments of astrocytes yielded CAFM test results that reflect different electrical conductance. To our best knowledge, the electrical characteristics and current transport through components of cells (especially neurons) in response to an applied external voltage have been revealed for the first time at nanometre dimensions and picoampere current levels. We believe that such studies will pave new ways to study and model the electrical characteristics and physiological behaviours in cells and other biological samples.

Fetal heart rate variability responsiveness to maternal stress, non-invasively detected from maternal transabdominal ECG

PURPOSE

Prenatal stress (PS) during pregnancy affects in utero- and postnatal child brain-development. Key systems affected are the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis and the autonomic nervous system (ANS). Maternal- and fetal ANS activity can be gauged non-invasively from transabdominal electrocardiogram (taECG). We propose a novel approach to assess couplings between maternal (mHR) and fetal heart rate (fHR) as a new biomarker for PS based on bivariate phase-rectified signal averaging (BPRSA). We hypothesized that PS exerts lasting impact on fHR.

METHODS

Prospective case-control study matched for maternal age, parity, and gestational age during the third trimester using the Cohen Perceived Stress Scale (PSS-10) questionnaire with PSS-10 over or equal 19 classified as stress group (SG). Women with PSS-10 < 19 served as control group (CG). Fetal electrocardiograms were recorded by a taECG. Coupling between mHR and fHR was analyzed by BPRSA resulting in fetal stress index (FSI). Maternal hair cortisol, a memory of chronic stress exposure for 2-3 months, was measured at birth.

RESULTS

538/1500 pregnant women returned the questionnaire, 55/538 (10.2%) mother-child pairs formed SG and were matched with 55/449 (12.2%) consecutive patients as CG. Maternal hair cortisol was 86.6 (48.0-169.2) versus 53.0 (34.4-105.9) pg/mg (p = 0.029). At 36 + 5 weeks, FSI was significantly higher in fetuses of stressed mothers when compared to controls [0.43 (0.18-0.85) versus 0.00 (- 0.49-0.18), p < 0.001].

CONCLUSION

Prenatal maternal stress affects the coupling between maternal and fetal heart rate detectable non-invasively a month prior to birth. Lasting effects on neurodevelopment of affected offspring should be studied.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

Clinical trial registration: NCT03389178.

[Application of totally extraperitoneal renal autotransplantation with Boari flap-pelvis anastomosis in upper urinary tract urothelial carcinomas treatment]

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the feasibility and effectiveness of the totally extraperitoneal renal autotransplantation with boari flap-pelvis anastomosis in the treatment of upper urinary tract urothelial carcinoma (UTUC), and to review the experience of renal autotransplantation for UTUC treatment.

METHODS

One case of applying the totally extraperitoneal renal autotransplantation with boari flap-pelvis anastomosis to the UTUC treatment was reported, and related literature was reviewed. The patient was a sixty-four-year old man who received right radical nephroureterectomy for right ureteral carcinoma 1 year before and diagnosed as left ureteral carcinoma(G2, high grade) this time. In order to preserve his renal function and avoid the shortness of common kidney-sparing surgery, a totally extraperitoneal procedure, including retroperitoneoscopic nephrectomy, ureterectomy, renal autotransplantation and Boari flap-pelvis anastomosis, was performed to the patient.

RESULTS

The operation was completed successfully without perioperative complications. The renal function recovered to preoperative level within 1 week. No deterioration of renal function during the follow-up and no tumor recurrence was observed under cystoscopy at the 3-month postoperative consult.

CONCLUSION

The totally extraperitoneal renal autotransplantation with Boari flap-pelvis anastomosis is a feasible and effective treatment for UTUC. The innovative procedure has several advantages compared to the former ones. The extraperitoneal procedure results in significantly less pain, shorter hospital stay, decreased overall time to recovery and lower bowel complications risk without warm ischemia time extension. Meanwhile, the Boari flap-pelvis anastomosis simplifies the follow -up protocols and creates an easy route for cystoscopy and topical therapy. From the systematic clinical analysis, as well as the related literature review, it's been concluded that the renal autotransplantation can be a reasonable option for the patients who have UTUC in solitary kidney or have bilateral UTUC. This type of treatment possesses advantages of preservation of renal function and total resection of malignant lesions. But long-term data and large cohort study on renal function or tumor recurrence are still absent which will be necessary to confirm the advantages of this approach.

Identification and Expression Profiling of Odorant Receptor Protein Genes in Sitophilus zeamais (Coleoptera: Curculionoidea) Using RT-qPCR

This study aimed to identify ORs (odorant receptors) and Orco (odorant receptor coreceptor) genes in Sitophilus zeamais Motschulsky (Coleoptera: Curculionoidea), to explore the relative expression levels of these genes in different adult tissues and obtain information on highly expressed receptor proteins. Putative OR and Orco genes were identified from transcriptomic data previously obtained for S. zeamais using bioinformatics methods. Quantitative real-time PCR was used to compare the differences in expression in seven adult tissues (male antennae, female antennae, heads, thoraxes, abdomens, wings, and legs). The candidate OR and Orco gene sequences were analyzed, and the protein physicochemical properties were predicted. We identified 64 OR genes including the Orco gene. Forty-seven OR genes, including Orco, were over expressed in male or female antennae. Seventeen OR genes appeared to be expressed at elevated levels in male antennae. Twenty-nine genes were expressed at significantly elevated levels in female antennae. In total, 11 OR genes were selected for further sequence analysis. The selected proteins were structurally characterized, and bioinformatics analysis was performed. Overall, in this study, candidate ORs of S. zeamais have been identified for the first time, and these ORs could be molecular targets for interference in the insect olfactory system.

Enhancing wastewater remediation by drinking water treatment residual-augmented floating treatment wetlands

In this study, the involvement of aluminum-based drinking water treatment residual (DWTR) as substrate in floating treatment wetland (FTW) to enhance its treatment performance was firstly proposed and trialed. A laboratory scale DWTR-FTW fed with synthetic wastewater containing COD, nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P) and mineral salts was operated in three stages of unplanted (1-30 days), planted (31-60 days) and aerated (61-135 days) modes. The results showed that the average removal rates of COD, total nitrogen (TN), total phosphorus (TP) in stage 3 were 88%, 85%, and 90.2%, respectively, indicating the outstanding purification performance of DWTR-FTW in comparison of traditional FTWs. The embedded DWTR enriches the biomass and robustly adsorbs P, while aeration supplies sufficient dissolved oxygen for the microorganism. The results revealed that 7.022 g P was accumulated in DWTR, which is 400 times higher than that in sediment and plants during the experimental period, reflecting that DWTR adsorption is the major P removal pathway in DWTR-FTW. Overall, DWTR-FTW could significantly remove pollutants, especially P, and provide an alternative pathway to enhance purification performance of FTW.

[Association between fresh fruit consumption and glycemic control in patients with type 2 diabetes]

Objective: To investigate the association between fresh fruit consumption and status of glycemic control, among patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Methods: Using the stratified cluster sampling method, a cross-sectional study was conducted among 19 473 diabetic patients who were under the Disease Management Program related to the National Basic Public Health Service in Changshu county, Huai'an and Qinghe districts of Huai'an city from December 2013 to January 2014, under the combination of fasting plasma glucose (FPG) and haemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) methods, the glycemic control status in T2DM patients was assessed. Multiple logistic regression method was used to explore the relationship between fresh fruit consumption and status of glycemic control among T2DM patients. Results: 62.4% of the T2DM patients reported their amount of fruits intake in the past year. Both the levels of FPG and HbA1c decreased in T2DM patients, when the frequency and amount of fresh fruit consumption were increasing. Compared with patients who did not take fresh fruits, the risk of poor glycemic control in patients with fresh fruit consumption of 1-4 times/week and ≥5 times/week decreased 20% (OR=0.80, 95%CI: 0.73-0.87) and 30% (OR=0.70, 95%CI: 0.62-0.80), respectively. Patients with fruit consumption of 50-99 g/day and ≥100 g/day had lower risk of poor glycemic control, with ORs (95%CI) as 0.71 (95%CI: 0.62-0.83) and 0.68 (95%CI: 0.59-0.78), respectively. Conclusions: The association of fresh fruit intake and glycemic control was statistically significant in patients with type 2 diabetes. With the increase of frequencies and amounts of fresh fruit consumption, the levels of FPG and HbA1c showed a decreasing trend. Our findings suggested that fresh fruit intake seemed helpful for glycemic control.