UT-B is a urea transporter protein expressed in the kidney and in many non-renal tissues including erythrocytes, brain, heart, bladder and the testis. The objective of this study was to determine the phenotype of UT-B deletion in the heart. UT-B expression in the heart was studied in wild-type mice vs UT-B null mice by utilizing RT-PCR and Western blot. A surface electrocardiogram (ECG) recording (lead II) was measured in wild-type mice and UT-B null mice at the ages of 6, 16 and 52 weeks. For the action potential recording, the ventricular myocytes of 16 w mice were isolated and recorded by floating microelectrode method. The sodium current was recorded by the patch clamp technique. RT-PCR and Western blot showed the UT-B expression in the heart of wild-type mice. No UT-B transcript and protein was found in UT-B null mice. The ECG recording showed that the P-R interval was significantly prolonged in UT-B null mice ((43.5 +/- 4.2), (45.5 +/- 6.9) and (43.8 +/- 7.6) ms at ages of 6, 16 and 52 weeks) vs wild-type mice ((38.6 +/- 2.9), (38.7 +/- 5.6) and (38.2 +/- 7.3) ms, P<0.05). The atrial ventricular heart block type II and III only appeared in the aging UT-B null mice (52 w old). The amplitude of action potential and V (max) decreased significantly in UT-B null mice ((92.17 +/- 10.56) and (101.89 +/- 9.54) mV/s) vs those in wild-type mice (vs (110.51 +/- 10.38) and (109.53 +/- 10.64) mV/s, P<0.05). The action potential duration at 50% and 90% (APD(50) and APD(90)) was significantly prolonged in UT-B null mice ((123.83 +/- 11.17) and (195.43 +/- 16.41) ms) vs that in wild-type mice ((108.27 +/- 10.85) and (171.00 +/- 15.53) ms, P<0.05). The maximal sodium current decreased significantly in UT-B null mice (-8.80 +/- 0.92) nA vs that in wild-type mice ((-5.98 +/- 1.07) nA, P<0.05). These results provide the first evidence that UT-B deletion causes progressive heart block in mice.

Aims To study how ectomycorrhizas (ECMs) mediate plant performance and rhizosphere soil bacterial communities via altered physiological characteristics and root carbon exudation. Methods Tuber melanosporum-colonized and uncolonized Quercus mongolica seedlings were grown on a substrate consisting of 41 % peat, 41 % pumice, 9 % pine bark and 9 % lime. Gas exchange fluorescence system, inductively coupled plasma atomic-emission spectrometer, high-performance liquid chromatography, gas chromatography and mass spectrometry, and 16S rRNA sequencing were used to analyze photosynthetic and nutritional characteristics, and rhizosphere carbon exudates, and bacterial communities. Results Tuber melanosporum mycorrhization increased leaf photosynthetic rate (by 69 %) and phosphorus concentration (94 %); increased rhizosphere pH (0.4 units), total organic carbon (TOC, 76 %) and acid phosphatase activity (33 %); but decreased leaf potassium concentration (26 %) and rhizosphere organic anions (50 %). Additionally, sugars like galactose were present in rhizosphere extract of colonized, but not uncolonized seedlings. Mycorrhization altered rhizosphere bacterial communities, with only ~10 % operational taxonomic units (OTUs) shared by both colonized and uncolonized seedlings; T. melanosporum enriched the phylum actinobacteria and the OTU of amb-16S-1323, IMCC26256 and PLTA13, but reduced SWB02. The abundances of different OTUs were differently affected by T. melanosporum colonization, and they were correlated with different physiological and/or rhizosphere factors. Conclusion Our results demonstrate that T. melanosporum ECM colonization can regulate carbon economy and rhizosphere bacterial communities of Q. mongolica seedlings grown in a previously sterilized peat-based substrate, to promote plant growth and nutrient cycling.

Aims To study how ectomycorrhizas (ECMs) mediate plant performance and rhizosphere soil bacterial communities via altered physiological characteristics and root carbon exudation.Methods Tuber melanosporum-colonized and uncolonized Quercus mongolica seedlings were grown on a substrate consisting of 41 % peat, 41 % pumice, 9 % pine bark and 9 % lime. Gas exchange uorescence system, inductively coupled plasma atomic-emission spectrometer, high-performance liquid chromatography, gas chromatography and mass spectrometry, and 16S rRNA sequencing were used to analyze photosynthetic and nutritional characteristics, and rhizosphere carbon exudates, and bacterial communities.Results Tuber melanosporum mycorrhization increased leaf photosynthetic rate (by 69 %) and phosphorus concentration (94 %); increased rhizosphere pH (0.4 units), total organic carbon (TOC, 76 %) and acid phosphatase activity (33 %); but decreased leaf potassium concentration (26 %) and rhizosphere organic anions (50 %). Additionally, sugars like galactose were present in rhizosphere extract of colonized, but not uncolonized seedlings. Mycorrhization altered rhizosphere bacterial communities, with only ~10 % operational taxonomic units (OTUs) shared by both colonized and uncolonized seedlings; T. melanosporum enriched the phylum actinobacteria and the OTU of amb-16S-1323, IMCC26256 and PLTA13, but reduced SWB02. The abundances of different OTUs were differently affected by T. melanosporum colonization, and they were correlated with different physiological and/or rhizosphere factors. ConclusionOur results demonstrate that T. melanosporum ECM colonization can regulate carbon economy and rhizosphere bacterial communities of Q. mongolica seedlings grown in a previously sterilized peat-based substrate, to promote plant growth and nutrient cycling.

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Co-secretion with insulin, highly amyloidogenic human amylin is considered to contribute to the initiation and progression of diabetic heart complications, despite other situations such as hypertension and atherosclerosis. In response to insulin resistance, hyperinsulinemia, and consequently hyperamylinemia, is common in prediabetic patients, where highly concentrated amylin is prone to form amylin oligomers, which further assemble into fibrils and amyloids with high β-sheet content. The infusion and deposition of oligomeric amylin in myocytes cause a series of consequences, including cytosolic Ca2+ dysregulation, calmodulin activation, myocyte hypertrophy, and ventricular stiffness, eventually leading to heart failure. In this review, we present the latest reports of amylin-related heart complications, provide new insights, and state the underlying pathogenesis, diagnosis, possible treatment, and prevention of diabetic cardiomyopathy.

Language is a remarkable cognitive ability that can be expressed through visuospatial (written language) or audio-oral (spoken language) modalities. When visual characters and auditory speech exhibit conflicting features, individuals may selectively attend to a certain feature. However, the dominant modality in such a situation and the neural mechanism underlying it are both still unclear. To investigate the neural mechanism underlying audio-visual competition in Chinese, newly developed Chinese character-speech materials were presented to the study participants, and the participants' electroencephalographic (EEG) and behavioural responses were recorded. When audio-visual competition occurs, the brain more accurately recognizes meaningless speech sounds. Event-related potential (ERP) analysis showed that incongruent audio-visual stimuli induced a larger N400 amplitude than congruent audio-visual stimuli elicited. In addition, the N400 amplitude was larger in the auditory mismatch condition than in the visual mismatch condition. In terms of the brain network, compared with that in the visual mismatch condition, the dominant reconfiguration pattern in the auditory mismatch condition was the stronger linkages in the posterior occipital-parietal areas. Our research illustrates the superiority of the auditory modality over the visual modality, extending our understanding of the neural mechanisms of audio-visual competition in Chinese.

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