Abstract In the water-deficient area, river-changed ponds are common and vital for aquatic species. This paper studies the relationship between the environmental factors and the benthic invertebrate communities in varying ponds under river habitat modifications (RHM). For analysis, numerous samples are collected from river-changed ponds in Beijing, China. These ponds are classified into five types, including totally reinforced ponds, channel reinforced ponds, bank reinforced ponds, natural ponds, and restored ponds. Results indicate: 1) the biodiversity of benthic invertebrates is dependent strongly on the pond type; 2) habitat quality explains a considerable amount of variations in benthic invertebrate communities, and RHM show strong power in explaining variations in habitat quality; 3) RHM on the pond bank has stronger impact on the habitat quality than that on the pond bottom. These findings suggest that RHM can affect the benthic invertebrate community through changing habitat quality. And we suggest that ecological restoration of pond bank should be a useful way to improve invertebrate biodiversity for rive-changed ponds in Beijing.

ABSTRACT Ovoinhibitor (OIH) is the main proteinase inhibitor in the egg white. In the present study, real-time quantitative PCR and Western-Blot were used to analyze different expression pattern of OIH in ovaries as a candidate gene of reproductive traits in Jingjiang ducks (JJ ducks) and Shaoxing ducks (SX ducks) during three laying stages. To study the polymorphism of the OIH gene in those two duck populations, we designed five pairs of primers to detect SNPs of exon 3-5, 5-6, 14-16 and intron 7, 9 of the OIH gene by polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) and DNA pool sequencing methods. The results showed that OIH expression increased during the laying stage in the ovaries of both duck breeds. The relative expression levels of OIH in the egg at hatch and 180days of age were lower in JJ ducks than in SX ducks, but higher in JJ ducks than SX ducks at 500 days of age. Only exon 5-6 locus had a novel SNP. One variation (389G>A) was detected in the two tested duck populations and it was associated with some laying traits, such as body weight of hatch, age at first egg, weight at first egg, egg number at 72weeks of age. The AG genotype was associated with inferior body weight of hatch and superior weight at first egg, age at first egg and egg number at 72weeks of age. Therefore, these results suggest that OIH may be a strong candidate gene related to some laying traits in ducks.

The kinetics of ethyl carbamate (EC) formation was investigated during wine storage to evaluate the potential risk of EC formation in wine. The study monitored the EC, urea and citrulline concentration at different storage temperatures and wine pH. We found that temperature and initial urea content had significant effects on EC formation. The decay of urea and citrulline fit a first-order reaction approaching equilibrium, but the pH has little effect on the content of ethyl carbamate. Based on these results, we constructed an equation to forecast the content of ethyl carbamate during wine storage.

Quercetin (Que), a plant-derived flavonoid, has multiple benefical actions on the cardiovascular system. The current study investigated whether Que postconditioning has any protective effects on myocardial ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury in vivo and its potential cardioprotective mechanisms. Male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly allocated to 5 groups (20 animals/group): sham, I/R, Que postconditioning, Que+LY294002 [a phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K)/Akt signaling pathway inhibitor], and LY294002+I/R. I/R was produced by 30-min coronary occlusion followed by 2-h reperfusion. At the end of reperfusion, myocardial infarct size and biochemical changes were compared. Apoptosis was evaluated by both TUNEL staining and measurement of activated caspase-3 immunoreactivity. The phosphorylation of Akt and protein expression of Bcl-2 and Bax were determined by Western blotting. Que postconditioning significantly reduced infarct size and serum levels of creatine kinase and lactate dehydrogenase compared with the I/R group (all P<0.05). Apoptotic cardiomyocytes and caspase-3 immunoreactivity were also suppressed in the Que postconditioning group compared with the I/R group (both P<0.05). Akt phosphorylation and Bcl-2 expression increased after Que postconditioning, but Bax expression decreased. These effects were inhibited by LY294002. The data indicate that Que postconditioning can induce cardioprotection by activating the PI3K/Akt signaling pathway and modulating the expression of Bcl-2 and Bax proteins.

The amount of root-exuded malic acid and chlorophyll fluorescence parameters (the minimum chlorophyll fluorescence; the maximum quantum yield of photosystem II) in four plant species (Broussonetia papyrifera, Morus alba, Orychophragmus violaceus and Brassica napus) at different phosphorus levels was studied. A linear equation presents the minimum chlorophyll fluorescence (Fo) or the maximum quantum yield of photosystem II (Fv/Fm) and the amount of root-exuded malic acid. Broussonetia papyrifera and Orychophragmus violaceus easily adapted to a low-phosphorus environment. A low-cost method was used for assessing plant adaptability to a low-phosphorus environment when no chlorophyll fluorescence instrument was available.

We have demonstrated that a synthetic DNA enzyme targeting early growth response factor-1 (Egr-1) can inhibit neointimal hyperplasia following vascular injury. However, the detailed mechanism of this inhibition is not known. Thus, the objective of the present study was to further investigate potential inhibitory mechanisms. Catalytic DNA (ED5) and scrambled control DNA enzyme (ED5SCR) were synthesized and transfected into primary cultures of rat vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs). VSMC proliferation and DNA synthesis were analyzed by the MTT method and BrdU staining, respectively. Egr-1, TGF-β1, p53, p21, Bax, and cyclin D1 expression was detected by RT-PCR and Western blot. Apoptosis and cell cycle assays were performed by FACS. Green fluorescence could be seen localized in the cytoplasm of 70.6 ± 1.52 and 72 ± 2.73% VSMCs 24 h after transfection of FITC-labeled ED5 and ED5SCR, respectively. We found that transfection with ED5 significantly inhibited cultured VSMC proliferation in vitro after 24, 48, and 72 h of serum stimulation, and also effectively decreased the uptake of BrdU by VSMC. ED5 specifically reduced serum-induced Egr-1 expression in VSMCs, further down-regulated the expression of cyclin D1 and TGF-β1, and arrested the cells at G0/G1, inhibiting entry into the S phase. FACS analysis indicated that there was no significant difference in the rate of apoptosis between ED5- and ED5SCR-transfected cells. Thus, ED5 can specifically inhibit Egr-1 expression, and probably inhibits VSMC proliferation by down-regulating the expressions of cyclin D1 and TGF-β1. However, ED5 has no effect on VSMC apoptosis.