The purpose of the present study was to investigate the regulation of propionate on the proliferation and differentiation of cultured intramuscular preadipocytes from three adult Luxi Yellow steers. The fl ow cytometry, lipid droplets stained by oil red O, and cytoplasmic fat content were detected after cultured cells were treated with different concentrations of propionate (0, 1, 3, 6 mM). The results showed that the separated cells were highly homogeneous and proliferative. Propionate (1 mM) did not signifi cantly affect (P>0.05) the cell proportion of phase G0/G1, but remarkably (P<0.05) increased the proportion of phase S+G2/M. However, the cell proportion signifi cantly increased (P<0.05) in the phase G0/G1, and decreased (P<0.05) in the phase S+G2/M when the concentration of propionate reached to 6 mM. When the confl uent intramuscular preadipocytes were treated with insulin (10 µg/ml) and dexamethasone (0.25 µM), small lipid droplets began to appear, and their number rapidly increased around the nuclei on day 6. Subsequently, when the confl uent intramuscular preadipocytes were treated with propionate, signifi cant accumulation of lipid droplets was observed on day 6, and lipid accumulation extent was dependent on the dose of propionate. In addition, cytoplasmic fat contents of cultured preadipocytes treated with propionate (1, 3, 6 mM) for 6 days were 1.5, 2, and 2 times higher than those of control group (without propionate addition). In conclusion, the present study confi rmed that there were indeed functionally active preadipocytes existing in the muscle of Chinese adult Luxi steers. Propionate may play an important physiological role in regulation of adipogenesis and stimulation of proliferation and differentiation of Luxi bovine intramuscular preadipocytes.

Abstract. L-carnitine (ß-hydroxy-trimethylaminobutyric acid) plays an essential metabolic role that consists of transferring the long chain fatty acids through the mitochondrial barrier, thus allowing their energy-yielding oxidation. GP7 (4-[4''-(2'', 2'', 6'', 6''-tetramethyl-l''-piperidinyloxy) amino] -4'-demethyl-epipodophyllotoxin) is a new spin-labeled derivative of podophyllotoxin semi-synthesized by our university. In this study, we examined the activity of L-carnitine in GP7-induced apoptosis in Burkitt's lymphoma cell line, Raji. GP7 induced time-and dose-dependent apoptotic DNA fragmentation accompanied by caspase-3 activation in Raji cells, and the kinetics of caspase-3 activation induced by GP7 was well correlated with that of apoptotic DNA fragmentation. Lcarnitine treatment prevented GP7-induced caspase-3 activation, suppressed caspase-3 cleavage and abrogated GP7-induced apoptotic DNA fragmentation in Raji cells. Our findings suggest that L-carnitine is a potent anti-apoptotic agent to human lymphoma cells and may exert its antiapoptotic effect via inhibition of caspase-3 activity in GP7-treated Raji cells.

Although the thin endometrium (TE) has been widely recognized as a critical factor in implantation failure, the contribution of miRNA–mRNA regulatory network to the development of disease etiology remains to be further elucidated. This study performed an integrative analysis of the miRNA–mRNA expression profiles in the thin and adjacent normal endometrium of eight patients with intrauterine adhesion to construct the transcriptomic regulatory networks. A total of 1,093 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) and 72 differentially expressed miRNAs (DEMs) were identified in the thin adhesive endometrium of the TE group compared with the control adjacent normal endometrial cells. Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway analyses showed that the DEGs and the target genes of DEM were significantly enriched in angiogenesis, cell growth regulation, and Wnt signaling pathway. Multiple hub genes (CAV1, MET, MAL2, has-mir-138, ARHGAP6, CLIC4, RRAS, AGFG1, has-mir-200, and has-mir-429) were identified by constructing the miRNA–mRNA regulatory networks. Furthermore, a miRNA–mRNA pathway function analysis was conducted, and the hub genes were enriched in the FoxO signaling pathway, cell growth regulation, inflammatory response regulation, and regulation of autophagy pathways. Our study is the first to perform integrated mRNA-seq and miRNA-seq analyses in the thin adhesive endometrium and the control adjacent normal endometrial cells. This study provides new insights into the molecular mechanisms underlying the formation of thin endometrium.

We analyzed the polymorphisms of 7 antihypertensive drugs-related genes and the factors associated with hypertension in hypertensive patients of Han ethnicity in Qingyang, China. A total of 354 hypertensive patients of Han ethnicity were enrolled from Qingyang, China. The ACE (I/D), ADRB1 (1165G > C), AGTR1 (1166A > C), CYP2C9*3, CYP2D6*10, CYP3A5*3 and NPPA (T2238C) polymorphisms were assessed. Clinical data of patients was also obtained. The influencing factors of hypertension were evaluated. The genotype frequencies of ACE, ADRB1, AGTR1, CYP2C9, CYP3A5 and NPPA loci were in Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium, with mutation frequencies of 39.27%, 74.29%, 6.21%, 4.80%, 72.46% and 0.71%, respectively. CYP2D6 locus was not in Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium. There was no statistical difference in allele frequencies between different genders (P > .05). There was significant difference in the frequencies of ACE (I/D) and NPPA (T2238C) loci among different regions of China (P < .05). Gender, ACE (I/D) and ADRB1 (1165G > C) gene polymorphism, smoking, homocysteine and HDL levels were associated hypertension. The mutation frequencies of ADRB1 (1165G > C) and CYP3A5*3 were high in hypertensive patients of Han ethnicity in Qingyang, suggesting these patients may be more sensitive to beta-blockers and calcium ion antagonists. Meanwhile, hypertension was associated with gender, ACE (I/D) and ADRB1 (1165G > C) gene polymorphisms, smoking, homocysteine and HDL levels. Abbreviations: ACEI = angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor, ADA = adenosine deaminase, ALT = alanine aminotransferase, BUN = urea nitrogen, Cre = creatinine, Hcy = homocysteine, HWE = Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium, HDL-C = high density lipoprotein cholesterol, LDL-C = low density lipoprotein cholesterol, NPPA = natriuretic peptide precursor protein A, RBP = retinol binding protein, TC = total cholesterol, UA = uric acid, γ-GGT = γ-glutamyl aminotransferase.

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White light emitting diodes (WLEDs) are widely used due to their advantages of high efficiency, low electricity consumption, long service life, quick response time, environmental protection, and so on. The addition of red phosphor is beneficial to further improve the quality of WLEDs. The search for novel red phosphors has focused mainly on Eu2+ ion- and Mn4+ ion-doped compounds. Both of them have emissions in the red region, absorption in blue region, and similar quantum yields. Eu2+-doped phosphors possess a rather broad-band emission with a tail in the deep red spectral range, where the sensitivity of the human eye is significantly reduced, resulting in a decrease in luminous efficacy of WLEDs. Mn4+ ions provide a narrow emission band ~670 nm in oxide hosts, which is still almost unrecognizable to the human eye. Mn4+-doped fluoride phosphors have become one of the research hotspots in recent years due to their excellent fluorescent properties, thermal stability, and low cost. They possess broad absorption in the blue region, and a series of narrow red emission bands at around 630 nm, which are suitable to serve as red emitting components of WLEDs. However, the problem of easy hydrolysis in humid environments limits their application. Recent studies have shown that constructing a core–shell structure can effectively improve the water resistance of Mn4+-doped fluorides. This paper outlines the research progress of Mn4+-doped fluoride A2MF6 (A = Li, Na, K, Cs, or Rb; M = Si, Ti, Ge or Sn), which has been based on the core–shell structure in recent years. From the viewpoint of the core–shell structure, this paper mainly emphasizes the shell layer classification, synthesis methods, luminescent mechanism, the effect on luminescent properties, and water resistance, and it also gives some applications in terms of WLEDs. Moreover, it proposes challenges and developments in the future.

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