ABSTRACT This study was carried to express the interferon-induced transmembrane protein 3 (IFITM3) in vitro and examine its function in inhibition of avian reovirus (ARV) replication. The recombinant prokaryotic vector expressing yellow-feathered broiler IFITM3 was successfully constructed, and the recombinant protein was expressed in competent Escherichia coli BL21 cells. New Zealand white rabbits were immunized with the purified recombinant protein to prepare a polyclonal antibody, with a titer of 1:128,000. Immunohistochemistry, reverse transcription-PCR, and real-time fluorescence quantitative PCR showed that IFITM3 was distributed in the yellow-feathered broiler immune organs, and the expression of IFITM3 in bursa of Fabricius was more than in spleen and thymus. It was found that in the thymus, spleen and bursa of Fabricius the mRNA expression levels of IFNα and IFITM3 were significantly induced after ARV infection. And it was also certified in the chicken embryo fibroblasts (CEFs) which infected with ARV. Then the IFNα was added into the cell culture medium before CEFs were infected with ARV. The results indicated that the mRNA of IFITM3 expression was significantly increased and ARV multiplication was significantly inhibited. And when the expression of IFITM3 was knocked down by siRNA-IFITM3, the expression of IFITM3 was significantly reduced, but the ARV multiplication was significantly increased, which indicated that IFITM3 protein could inhibit the ARV replication.

ABSTRACT Aquaporin 2 (AQP2) is a small protein located in the collecting tubules of kidneys; it plays an important role in the concentration and production of urine. The aim of this study was to determine the expression level of the AQP2 gene in the kidney of broiler chickens after the administration of renaldose dopamine. Broiler chickens (25 days-old) were randomly divided into two groups (n=20 per group): intravenous administration of saline solution (control group) or renal-dose dopamine (dopamine group). The expression and localization of the AQP2 gene were evaluated by real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) and immunohistochemistry (IHC), respectively. The protein level of AQP2 was analyzed by western blot analysis. The dopamine group presented no significant difference (p>0.05) in the biochemical criterion or mRNA expression of AQP2 compared with the control group. However, AQP2 protein level was significantly reduced (p<0.05) in the membrane of renal tubular epithelial cells. In contrast, protein level was significantly increased (p<0.05) in the cytoplasm of the dopamine group compared with the control group. Moreover, AQP2 protein was apparently more distributed and localized in the cytoplasmic vacuoles than in the membranes of the kidney in the renaldose dopamine administered chickens group. In conclusion, present findings suggest that renaldose dopamine mediates the level of AQP2 protein via shuttle from the cell membrane to the cytoplasm rather than changing the expression of AQP2 gene to adjust the secretion and absorption of water in kidney.

Lump coals are currently employed to replace part of coke in the COREX melter-gasifier for ironmaking. In order to optimize the process, the pyrolysis kinetics of Datong coal used in the COREX process was studied. A sectioning method is proposed to overcome certain shortcomings of traditional methods for studying the pyrolysis of coal. Based on the sectioning method and the characteristics of the coal pyrolysis process, the temperature range was divided into three intervals. In the first, the adsorbed gas and water of crystallization were removed; in the second, the coal was transformed into semi-coke; and finally, the semi-coke was further coked. Three models of reaction were then established to study the different stages of the pyrolysis process: an interfacial chemical reaction model, a random pore model, and internal diffusion with shrinking volume. The results showed that the experimental data fitted the models well, with all correlation coefficients (r²) exceeding 0.97. Finally, the mechanisms of reaction and kinetic parameters for each temperature range were derived, which laid a necessary foundation for optimizing the usage of non-coking coal in the COREX process.

This study aimed to assess the efficacy of a rural community-based integrated intervention for early prevention and management of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in China. This 18-year cluster-randomized controlled trial encompassing 15 villages included 1008 patients (454 men and 40 women in the intervention group [mean age, 54 ± 10 years]; 482 men and 32 women in the control group [mean age, 53 ± 10 years]) with confirmed COPD or at risk for COPD. Villages were randomly assigned to the intervention or the control group, and study participants residing within the villages received treatment accordingly. Intervention group patients took part in a program that included systematic health education, smoking cessation counseling, and education on management of COPD. Control group patients received usual care. The groups were compared after 18 years regarding the incidence of COPD, decline in lung function, and mortality of COPD. COPD incidence was lower in the intervention group than in the control group (10% vs 16%, <0.05). A decline in lung function was also significantly delayed in the intervention group compared to the control group of COPD and high-risk patients. The intervention group showed significant improvement in smoking cessation compared with the control group, and smokers in the intervention group had lower smoking indices than in the control group (350 vs 450, <0.05). The intervention group also had a significantly lower cumulative COPD-related death rate than the control group (37% vs 47%, <0.05). A rural community-based integrated intervention is effective in reducing the incidence of COPD among those at risk, delaying a decline in lung function in COPD patients and those at risk, and reducing mortality of COPD.

N,N'-Bis(salicylidene)ethylenediiminocobalt (Cosalen) was encapsulated into the supercage of microporous NaY zeolite via "ship-in-a-bottle" technique. The impregnated Cosalen complex immobilized on the outer surface of the zeolite was also prepared in order to further prove the encapsulation by the flexible ligand method. The samples were characterized by FT-IR, UV-Vis, XRD, TG/DTA and SEM techniques. The oxidation of cyclohexane using oxygen was chosen to evaluate the catalytic performance of encapsulated complex. The encapsulated Cosalen was stable than the neat Cosalen complex and the conversion of cyclohexane reached 24.4% at 130 ºC for 3 h in the CH3CN solution without adding any inducing agents. The higher selectivity for acid including adipic acid indicated that the encapsulated Cosalen exhibited the ability to produce acid from cyclohexane by one-step reaction.