Glucose Metabolism,Neural Cell Senescence and Alzheimer’s Disease

Alzheimer’s disease (AD), an elderly neurodegenerative disorder with a high incidence and progressive memory decline, is one of the most expensive, lethal, and burdening diseases. To date, the pathogenesis of AD has not been fully illustrated. Emerging studies have revealed that cellular senescence and abnormal glucose metabolism in the brain are the early hallmarks of AD. Moreover, cellular senescence and glucose metabolism disturbance in the brain of AD patients may precede amyloid-β deposition or Tau protein phosphorylation. Thus, metabolic reprogramming targeting senescent microglia and astrocytes may be a novel strategy for AD intervention and treatment. Here, we recapitulate the relationships between neural cell senescence and abnormal glucose metabolism (e.g., insulin signaling, glucose and lactate metabolism) in AD. We then discuss the potential perspective of metabolic reprogramming towards an AD intervention, providing a theoretical basis for the further exploration of the pathogenesis of and therapeutic approach toward AD.     

Mebendazole-Induced Blood-Testis Barrier Injury in Mice Testes by Disrupting Microtubules in Addition to Triggering Programmed Cell Death

Mebendazole (MBZ) is a synthetic benzimidazole known for its antiparasitic properties. In recent years, growing evidence showed that MBZ was also used as an anti-tumor agent. However, whether (and to what extent) this drug treatment affected the male reproductive system was not well-understood. In this study, male C57BL/6 mice were injected with 40 mg/kg/day of MBZ. The treatment was for 3 and 7 days. Our results showed that the injected mice exhibited an abnormal spermatogenic phase with a significant decrease in sperm. We further detected microtubule disruption and transient functional destruction of the blood–testes barrier (BTB) in the MBZ-injected mice testes (BTB). Our data confirmed that MBZ suppressed the expression of the BTB junction-associated proteins and disrupted the Sertoli cells’ function in vivo. Moreover, MBZ-treated mice demonstrated an aberrant caspase-3 signalling pathway, which resulted in the apoptosis of the germ cells. Here, we present our data, indicating that MBZ impairs BTB by reducing the expression of the microtubules’ and BTB junction-associated proteins. The last leads to activating the caspase-3 pathway, which triggers extensive germ cell apoptosis.     

Simultaneous determination of three pesticides and their metabolites in unprocessed foods using ultraperformance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry

We have developed a rapid, multi-compound analytical method for measuring residues of the pesticides thiamethoxam and its metabolite, clothianidin; fipronil and its three metabolites, fipronil sulfone, fipronil sulfide, and fipronil desulfinyl; and pyraclostrobin in unprocessed foods (rice, corn, cucumbers, tomatoes, apples, and bananas) by ultra-performance liquid chromatography coupled to tandem mass spectrometry. Acetonitrile was used as the extraction solvent, and an octadecylsilane-dispersive SPE was used to clean up the analytes, which were then separated through a UPLC HSS T3 column connected to a tandem mass spectrometer via an electrospray ionisation source. The linearity of this method for the target analytes was excellent (R² ≥0.990) in the concentration range of 5–1000 μg kg^–1. The average recoveries of the seven compounds at concentrations of 10, 100, and 1000 μg kg^–1 from six spiked matrix samples ranged from 73.6 to 110.6%, all with RSD values of ≤19.7%. The limit of quantification was 10 μg kg^–1. The method validated the effectiveness of the method for routine monitoring the residue of these pesticides and their metabolites in foods.     

荧光光谱学在象牙与猛犸象牙鉴定上的应用

利用红外光谱仪及荧光分光光度计对象牙和猛犸象牙样品进行测试,通过对测试结果的比对、分析,总结二者的谱图特点,旨在探索更准确的象牙与猛犸象牙的检测方法。猛犸象牙内部由于受石化作用小,其红外光谱与象牙的没有本质区别,因此红外光谱仪在象牙饰品与猛犸象牙饰品的检测上难以提供准确信息。荧光光谱的测试结果显示,在280nm波长光的激发下,由于象牙和猛犸象牙中的氨基酸在微环境及其质量分数不同,象牙的发射光谱峰值在307nm处,猛犸象牙的发射光谱峰值在315nm处,且象牙的荧光强度高于猛犸象牙。同步荧光光谱测试中△λ分别取15,60nm,分别测试样品中的酪氨酸、色氨酸,测试结果显示两类牙质测试图谱谱形一致但强度差异明显,即荧光分光光度计在象牙和猛犸象牙的检测上可提供有效的信息。     

有向通信网容错广播初探

基于图论理论,将有向通信网映射成有向图,探讨了有向通信网的广播时间问题,给出了n个结点的有向网络的1-容错和2-容错广播所需的最少时间.     

Contribution of extracellular polymeric substances from Shewanella sp. HRCR-1 biofilms to U(VI) immobilization

The goal of this study was to quantify the contribution of extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) to U(VI) immobilization by Shewanella sp. HRCR-1. Through comparison of U(VI) immobilization using cells with bound EPS (bEPS) and cells with minimal EPS, we show that (i) bEPS from Shewanella sp. HRCR-1 biofilms contribute significantly to U(VI) immobilization, especially at low initial U(VI) concentrations, through both sorption and reduction; (ii) bEPS can be considered a functional extension of the cells for U(VI) immobilization and they likely play more important roles at lower initial U(VI) concentrations; and (iii) the U(VI) reduction efficiency is dependent upon the initial U(VI) concentration and decreases at lower concentrations. To quantify the relative contributions of sorption and reduction to U(VI) immobilization by EPS fractions, we isolated loosely associated EPS (laEPS) and bEPS from Shewanella sp. HRCR-1 biofilms grown in a hollow fiber membrane biofilm reactor and tested their reactivity with U(VI). We found that, when reduced, the isolated cell-free EPS fractions could reduce U(VI). Polysaccharides in the EPS likely contributed to U(VI) sorption and dominated the reactivity of laEPS, while redox active components (e.g., outer membrane c-type cytochromes), especially in bEPS, possibly facilitated U(VI) reduction.     

A comparative study of caffeic acid and a novel caffeic acid conjugate SMND-309 on antioxidant properties in vitro

Caffeic acid (3,4-dihydroxycinnamic acid, CA) has been identified as an important source of natural antioxidants in various agricultural products. SMND-309, which is a degradation product of salvianolic acid B, is a novel conjugate of CA, but little information has been known about its antioxidant activities. In present study, we compared in vitro antioxidant activities of CA and SMND-309 using different assays such as DPPH radical scavenging assay, hydroxyl radical scavenging assay, superoxide radical scavenging assay, total antioxidant activity, reducing power, and lipid peroxidation assay. Butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT) and Vitamin C (Vc) were used as the standard antioxidants. At the concentration of 20 μg/ml, SMND-309 and CA exhibited 93.4% and 92.1% scavenging on DPPH radical, while BHT and Vc indicated an scavenging of 37.9% and 93.0% at the same concentration, respectively. Furthermore, SMND-309 is more effective on total antioxidant activity and hydroxyl radical scavenging than CA.     

Combination of Sanguisorbigenin and Conventional Antibiotic Therapy for Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus: Inhibition of Biofilm Formation and Alteration of Cell Membrane Permeability

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infection is challenging to eradicate because of antibiotic resistance and biofilm formation. Novel antimicrobial agents and alternative therapies are urgently needed. This study aimed to evaluate the synergy of sanguisorbigenin (SGB) isolated from Sanguisorba officinalis L. with six conventional antibiotics to achieve broad-spectrum antibacterial action and prevent the development of resistance. A checkerboard dilution test and time-to-kill curve assay were used to determine the synergistic effect of SGB combined with antibiotics against MRSA. SGB showed significant synergy with antibiotics and reduced the minimum inhibitory concentration of antibiotics by 2–16-fold. Biofilm inhibition assay, quantitative RT-PCR, crystal violet absorption, and transmission electron microscopy were performed to evaluate the synergy mechanism. The results indicated that SGB could inhibit biofilm formation and alter cell membrane permeability in MRSA. In addition, SGB was found to exhibit quite low cytotoxicity and hemolysis. The discovery of the superiority of SGB suggests that SGB may be an antibiotic adjuvant for use in combination therapy and as a plant-derived antibacterial agent targeting biofilms.