Silver film is commonly used to examine the structure and composition of molecules due to its surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) effect. A simple method for preparing SERS silver films is proposed in this paper by electrodeposition in an amide-based liquid mixture (urea-acetamide-LiBr). The electrochemical behavior of silver in urea-acetamide-LiBr mixture was studied by cyclic voltammetry (CV) and chronoamperometry. It was found that the nucleation mechanism of silver shifts to instantaneous nucleation under diffusion control with increasing overpotential and temperature. The energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) investigations confirmed that the obtained deposits are pure silver. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) analysis showed that the morphology of the silver deposits depends on the deposition potential and temperature. Rhodamine 6G was used as probe molecules for SERS experiments, showing that these new active substrates have high sensitivity to SERS response with high enhancement factors, of approximately 107, and enable Raman scattering even for diluted solutions. surfaceenhanced surface enhanced (SERS effect amidebased amide based ureaacetamideLiBr. ureaacetamideLiBr urea acetamide LiBr . (urea-acetamide-LiBr) CV (CV chronoamperometry temperature EDS (EDS Xray X ray XRD (XRD SEM (SEM G experiments factors 107 solutions (urea-acetamide-LiBr 10 1

The reaction of metal hexafluoroacetylacetonato [MII(hfac)2, M = Cu, Mn] with the stable nitronyl nitroxide 2-(3-isobutyl-pyrazole)-4,4,5,5-tetramethylimidazoline-1-oxyl-3-oxide (L), resulted in one dimensional zig-zag chain systems [{Cu(hfac)2}2L2]n and [CuMn(hfac)4L2]n. The main feature inherent in the nature of [{Cu(hfac)2}2L2]n single crystals is their ability to undergo reversible structural rearrangements with temperature variation, accompanied by anomalies of magnetism. The value of χmT shown strongly antiferromagnetic at low temperature and becomes ferromagnetic when the temperature increases. And the heteronuclear complex [CuMn(hfac)4L2]n shows antiferromagnetic interactions between manganese and nitronyl nitroxide. MIIhfac2, MIIhfac2 MIIhfac MII hfac 2, 2 [MII(hfac)2 Cu Mn 23isobutylpyrazole4,4,5,5tetramethylimidazoline1oxyl3oxide 23isobutylpyrazole4455tetramethylimidazoline1oxyl3oxide isobutylpyrazoletetramethylimidazolineoxyloxide 3 isobutyl pyrazole 4,4,5,5 tetramethylimidazoline 1 oxyl oxide 4 5 L, L , (L) zigzag zig zag Cuhfac22L2n CuhfacLn 2L2 n CuMnhfac4L2n. CuMnhfac4L2n CuMnhfacLn CuMn 4L2 n. variation magnetism increases [MII(hfac) 23isobutylpyrazole4 5tetramethylimidazoline1oxyl3oxide isobutylpyrazole 4455 4,4,5, (L Cuhfac 2L CuMnhfac 4L [MII(hfac 23isobutylpyrazole tetramethylimidazolineoxyloxide 445 4,4,5 44 4,4, 4,4 4,

Abstract Cobalt metal is considered as an essential trace element for the animals. Present investigation was undertaken in the peri-urban area to analyze the cobalt availability in animal food chain by using different indices. Cow, buffalo and sheep samples along with forage and soil samples were collected from the three different sites of District Jhang and analyzed through atomic absorption spectrophotometer. Cobalt values differed in soil samples as 0.315-0.535 mg/kg, forages as 0.127-0.333 mg/kg and animal samples as 0.364-0.504 mg/kg. Analyzed cobalt concentration in soil, forage and animal samples was found to be deficient in concentration with respect to standard limits. Soil showed the minimum cobalt level in Z. mays while maximum concentration was examined in the forage C. decidua samples. All indices examined in this study has values lesser than 1, representing the safer limits of the cobalt concentration in these samples. Enrichment factor (0.071-0.161 mg/kg) showed the highly deficient amount of cobalt enrichment in this area. Bio-concentration factor (0.392-0.883) and pollution load index (0.035-0.059 mg/kg) values were also lesser than 1 explains that plant and soil samples are not contaminated with cobalt metal. The daily intake and health risk index ranged from 0.00019-0.00064 mg/kg/day and 0.0044-0.0150 mg/kg/day respectively. Among the animals, cobalt availability was maximum (0.0150 mg/kg/day) in the buffaloes that grazed on the C. decidua fodder. Results of this study concluded that cobalt containing fertilizers must be applied on the soil and forages. Animal feed derived from the cobalt containing supplements are supplied to the animals, to fulfill the nutritional requirements of livestock. animals periurban peri urban Cow spectrophotometer 0.3150.535 03150535 0.315 0.535 0 315 535 0.315-0.53 mgkg mg kg 0.1270.333 01270333 0.127 0.333 127 333 0.127-0.33 0.3640.504 03640504 0.364 0.504 364 504 0.364-0.50 Z C 0.0710.161 00710161 0.071 0.161 071 161 (0.071-0.16 Bioconcentration Bio 0.3920.883 03920883 0.392 0.883 392 883 (0.392-0.883 0.0350.059 00350059 0.035 0.059 035 059 (0.035-0.05 0.000190.00064 000019000064 0.00019 0.00064 00019 00064 0.00019-0.0006 mgkgday day 0.00440.0150 0004400150 0.0044 0.0150 0044 0150 0.0044-0.015 respectively 00150 (0.015 fodder livestock 3150 0.3150.53 0315053 0315 0.31 0535 0.53 31 53 0.315-0.5 1270 0.1270.33 0127033 0127 0.12 0333 0.33 12 33 0.127-0.3 3640 0.3640.50 0364050 0364 0.36 0504 0.50 36 50 0.364-0.5 0710 0.0710.16 0071016 0071 0.07 0161 0.16 07 16 (0.071-0.1 3920 0.3920.88 0392088 0392 0.39 0883 0.88 39 88 (0.392-0.88 0350 0.0350.05 0035005 0035 0.03 0059 0.05 03 05 (0.035-0.0 000190 0.000190.0006 00001900006 000019 0.0001 000064 0.0006 0001 0006 0.00019-0.000 00440 0.00440.015 000440015 00044 0.004 0.015 004 015 0.0044-0.01 0015 (0.01 0.3150.5 031505 031 0.3 053 0.5 3 5 0.315-0. 0.1270.3 012703 012 0.1 033 0.127-0. 0.3640.5 036405 036 050 0.364-0. 0.0710.1 007101 007 0.0 016 (0.071-0. 0.3920.8 039208 039 088 0.8 8 (0.392-0.8 0.0350.0 003500 003 005 (0.035-0. 0.000190.000 0000190000 00001 0.000 00006 000 0.00019-0.00 0.00440.01 00044001 0004 0.00 0.01 00 01 0.0044-0.0 001 (0.0 0.3150. 03150 0. 0.315-0 0.1270. 01270 0.127-0 0.3640. 03640 0.364-0 0.0710. 00710 (0.071-0 0.3920. 03920 08 (0.392-0. 0.0350. 00350 (0.035-0 0.000190.00 000019000 0000 0.00019-0.0 0.00440.0 0004400 0.0044-0. (0. 0.3150 0.315- 0.1270 0.127- 0.3640 0.364- 0.0710 (0.071- 0.3920 (0.392-0 0.0350 (0.035- 0.000190.0 00001900 0.00019-0. 0.00440. 000440 0.0044-0 (0 (0.071 (0.392- (0.035 0.000190. 0000190 0.00019-0 0.00440 0.0044- ( (0.07 (0.392 (0.03 0.000190 0.00019- (0.39 (0.3

Resumo O metal cobalto é considerado um oligoelemento essencial para os animais. A presente investigação foi realizada na área periurbana para analisar a disponibilidade de cobalto na cadeia alimentar animal usando diferentes índices. Amostras de vacas, búfalos e ovelhas, juntamente com amostras de forragem e solo foram coletadas em três locais diferentes do Distrito Jhang e analisadas por meio de espectrofotômetro de absorção atômica. Os valores de cobalto diferiram em amostras de solo como 0,315-0,535mg/kg, forragens como 0,127-0,333 mg/kg e amostras de animais como 0,364-0,504 mg/kg. A concentração de cobalto analisada no solo, forragem e amostras de animais foi considerada deficiente em relação aos limites padrão. O solo apresentou o teor mínimo de cobalto em Z. mays enquanto a concentração máxima foi examinada nas amostras de forragem C. decidua. Todos os índices examinados neste estudo possuem valores menores que 1, representando os limites mais seguros da concentração de cobalto nestas amostras. O fator de enriquecimento (0,071-0,161 mg/kg) mostrou a quantidade altamente deficiente de enriquecimento de cobalto nesta área. Os valores do fator de bioconcentração (0,392-0,883) e do índice de carga de poluição (0,035-0,059 mg/kg) também foram menores que 1, o que explica que as amostras de plantas e solo não estão contaminadas com cobalto metálico. A ingestão diária e o índice de risco à saúde variaram de 0,00019-0,00064 mg/kg/dia e 0,0044-0,0150 mg/kg/dia, respectivamente. Entre os animais, a disponibilidade de cobalto foi máxima (0,0150 mg/kg/dia) nos búfalos que pastaram na forragem de C. decidua. Os resultados deste estudo concluíram que fertilizantes contendo cobalto devem ser aplicados no solo e nas forragens. A ração animal derivada dos suplementos contendo cobalto é fornecida aos animais, para atender às necessidades nutricionais do gado. vacas ovelhas atômica 0,3150,535mg/kg, 03150535mgkg mgkg 0,315 0,535mg/kg, 0 315 535mg kg mg 0,315-0,535mg/kg 0,1270,333 01270333 0,127 0,333 127 333 0,127-0,33 0,3640,504 03640504 0,364 0,504 364 504 0,364-0,50 padrão Z C decidua 1 0,0710,161 00710161 0,071 0,161 071 161 (0,071-0,16 0,3920,883 03920883 0,392 0,883 392 883 (0,392-0,883 0,0350,059 00350059 0,035 0,059 035 059 (0,035-0,05 metálico 0,000190,00064 000019000064 0,00019 0,00064 00019 00064 0,00019-0,0006 mgkgdia dia 0,00440,0150 0004400150 0,0044 0,0150 0044 0150 0,0044-0,015 respectivamente 00150 (0,015 gado 3150 0,3150,535mg/kg 0315 0,31 0535mgkg 0,535mg/kg 31 1270 0,1270,33 0127033 0127 0,12 0333 0,33 12 33 0,127-0,3 3640 0,3640,50 0364050 0364 0,36 0504 0,50 36 50 0,364-0,5 0710 0,0710,16 0071016 0071 0,07 0161 0,16 07 16 (0,071-0,1 3920 0,3920,88 0392088 0392 0,39 0883 0,88 39 88 (0,392-0,88 0350 0,0350,05 0035005 0035 0,03 0059 0,05 03 05 (0,035-0,0 000190 0,000190,0006 00001900006 000019 0,0001 000064 0,0006 0001 0006 0,00019-0,000 00440 0,00440,015 000440015 00044 0,004 0,015 004 015 0,0044-0,01 0015 (0,01 031 0,3 3 0,1270,3 012703 012 0,1 033 0,127-0, 0,3640,5 036405 036 050 0,5 5 0,364-0, 0,0710,1 007101 007 0,0 016 (0,071-0, 0,3920,8 039208 039 088 0,8 8 (0,392-0,8 0,0350,0 003500 003 005 (0,035-0, 0,000190,000 0000190000 00001 0,000 00006 000 0,00019-0,00 0,00440,01 00044001 0004 0,00 0,01 00 01 0,0044-0,0 001 (0,0 0, 0,1270, 01270 0,127-0 0,3640, 03640 0,364-0 0,0710, 00710 (0,071-0 0,3920, 03920 08 (0,392-0, 0,0350, 00350 (0,035-0 0,000190,00 000019000 0000 0,00019-0,0 0,00440,0 0004400 0,0044-0, (0, 0,1270 0,127- 0,3640 0,364- 0,0710 (0,071- 0,3920 (0,392-0 0,0350 (0,035- 0,000190,0 00001900 0,00019-0, 0,00440, 000440 0,0044-0 (0 (0,071 (0,392- (0,035 0,000190, 0000190 0,00019-0 0,00440 0,0044- ( (0,07 (0,392 (0,03 0,000190 0,00019- (0,39 (0,3

Abstract Background: Naja atra is a venomous snake species medically relevant in China. In the current study, we evaluated the composition and toxicological profile of venom collected from farm-raised N. atra. Methods: Venom was collected from third-generation captive bred N. atra on a snake farm in Hunan Province, China. The venom was analyzed using sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and nano-liquid chromatography with electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry. In addition, hemolytic activity, median lethal dose, serum biochemical and histopathological parameters were accessed. Results: N. atra venom proteome was dominated by phospholipase A2 (46.5%) and three-finger toxins (41.4 %), and a set of common low relative abundance proteins, including cysteine-rich secretory proteins (4.7%), NGF-beta (2.4%), snake venom metalloproteinase (1.5%), glutathione peroxidase (0.6%), vespryn (0.3%), and 5ʹ-nucleotidases (0.2%) were also found. Furthermore, the venom exhibited direct hemolytic activity, neurotoxicity, myotoxicity, and high lethal potency in mice, with a subcutaneous median lethal dose of 1.02 mg/kg. Histopathological analysis and serum biochemical tests revealed that venom caused acute hepatic, pulmonary and renal injury in mice. Conclusion: This study revealed the composition and toxicity of venom collected from farm-raised N. atra, thereby providing a reference for the analysis of venom samples collected from captive-born venomous snakes in the future.

RESUMO A função e proteção das glândulas paratireoidianas é um tópico de pesquisa cada vez mais popular. Coelhos brancos da Nova Zelândia são o modelo animal mais comumente usada para isquemia da paratireóide. Porém, informação sobre a vasculatura de suas glândulas paratireóides é limitada. Foram usados 94 coelhos brancos da Nova Zelândia saudáveis, com 3-4 meses de idade, 2-3kg de peso, para exploração das glândulas paratireóides, que foram coradas com hematoxilina e eosina (HE) após a remoção. Os seguintes tipos foram classificados de acordo com a relação entre a posição da glândula paratireoidiana inferior e a tireoide: Tipo A, Tipo Próximo, Tipo B e Tipo Distante. Houve 188 casos, 4 em que as glândulas paratireoidianas inferiores estavam localizadas próximas ao lado dorsal da tireoide (2.13%), 8 onde as glândulas paratireoidianas inferiores estavam localizadas superiores ao polo superior da tireoide (4.26%), 20 onde as glândulas paratireoidianas inferiores estavam localizadas paralelo à tireoide (10.64%) e 155 casos em que as glândulas paratireoidianas inferiores estavam localizadas inferiores ao polo inferior da tireoide (82.45%). A identificação da localização e a classificação da vasculatura das glândulas paratireóides em coelhos brancos da Nova Zelândia fornecerão um modelo anatômico para auxiliar em pesquisas futuras.

ABSTRACT The function and protection of the parathyroid glands are increasingly popular research topics. New Zealand white rabbits are the most commonly used animal model of parathyroid ischemia. However, information on the vasculature of their parathyroid glands is limited. We used 94 healthy New Zealand white rabbits, 3-4 months of age and 2-3kg in weight, for exploration of the parathyroid glands, which were stained using hematoxylin and eosin (HE) after removal. The following types were classified according to the relationship between the position of the inferior parathyroid gland and the thyroid: Type A, Close Type, Type B, and Distant Type. There were 188 cases, 4 where the inferior parathyroid glands were located near the dorsal side of thyroid (2.13%), 8 where the inferior parathyroid glands were located superior to the upper pole of the thyroid (4.26%), 20 where the inferior parathyroid glands were located parallel to the thyroid (10.64%), and 155 cases where the inferior parathyroid glands were located inferior to the lower pole of thyroid (82.45%). Identifying the location and classifying the vasculature of the parathyroid glands in New Zealand white rabbits will provide an anatomical model to assist in future research.

Resumo: O objetivo deste trabalho foi identificar a variação genética de cultivares de milheto (Setaria italica), de três origens ecogeográficas da China, quanto à captação e à utilização de N pelos genótipos no estádio de plântulas, com vistas ao melhoramento genético desta cultura. Plântulas de 79 cultivares de milheto foram fertilizadas com uma solução nutritiva, em substrato de areia, e avaliadas em condições de baixa (LN, 0,2 mmol L-1 N) e alta (HN, 6,0 mmol L-1 N) concentração de N. Observou-se uma grande variação entre as cultivares, entre as origens ecogeográficas, quanto às características biomassa da parte aérea, teor e concentração de N na parte aérea, e eficiência de uso (NUE), captação (NupE) e utilização (NutE) de N, especialmente em condições de HN. As cultivares do Noroeste da China apresentaram as maiores variações de biomassa, teor de N, NUE e NupE. Observou-se, ainda, uma forte correlação positiva entre NUE e NupE, e NUE e NutE, mas não houve correlação entre NupE e NutE. O NupE representou 77,6% da variação total do NUE, e o NutE representou o restante. A captação e a utilização de N apresentam grande variação entre cultivares de milheto no estágio de plântulas, e a variação da captação de N contribui mais do que a da utilização de N para a variação da eficiência de uso de nitrogênio.

Abstract: The objective of this work was to identify the genetic variation of foxtail millet (Setaria italica) cultivars, from three ecogeographic origins in China, regarding the uptake and utilization of N by the genotypes at the seedling stage, aiming at the genetic improvement of this crop. Seedlings of 79 cultivars were fertilized with a nutrient solution, on a sand substrate, and evaluated under low-N (LN, 0.2 mmol L-1) and high-N (HN, 6.0 mmol L-1) concentrations. A large variation was observed between cultivars, among the three ecogeographic regions, for shoot biomass, shoot N content and concentration, and N use efficiency (NUE), uptake efficiency (NupE), and utilization efficiency (NutE), especially under HN conditions. Cultivars of Northwest China showed the highest variation for shoot biomass, N content, NUE, and NupE. A strong positive correlation was observed between NUE and NupE, and NUE and NutE, but there was no correlation between NupE and NutE. NupE accounted for 77.6% of the total variation of NUE, and NutE for the rest. The uptake and utilization of N show a large variation among the foxtail millet cultivars at the seedling stage, and the variation of N uptake contributes more than that of N utilization to the variation of N use efficiency.

RESUMO O presente trabalho visa investigar os efeitos do extrato de semente de uva Proanthocyanidin (GSPE) sobre o desempenho da produção, o metabolismo e o status antioxidante de gado leiteiro Holstein em lactação precoce. Quarenta e oito vacas leiteiras multíparas Holstein foram divididas em quatro grupos (CON, G20, G40 e G80) e receberam 0, 20, 40 e 80mg de GSPE/kg de peso corporal/dia, respectivamente. O G20 aumentou significativamente o rendimento do leite em comparação com os outros grupos. A proteína e os sólidos não gordurosos do leite foram aumentados nos grupos G20, G40 e G80 somente no sétimo dia durante a experiência. Não foi observada diferença significativa na gordura do leite e na contagem de células somáticas, bem como nos parâmetros de metabolismo energético no sangue, na função hepática e na função renal entre os grupos em relação ao grupo controle. Não houve diferença significativa na glutationa peroxidase, na dimutase de superóxido, na capacidade antioxidante total e no peróxido de hidrogênio entre os grupos, mas o conteúdo malondialdeído do G20 aumentou significativamente no dia 14 em comparação com o CON, e tendia a aumentar no dia 28. Em conclusão, a alimentação de 20mg de GSPE/kg de peso corporal/dia foi associada a um aumento significativo no rendimento do leite, sem efeitos nocivos sobre a função hepática ou a renal, com o metabolismo de energia substancial e a melhoria dos parâmetros antioxidantes de gado leiteiro no início da lactação.

ABSTRACT Aims to investigate the effects of grape seed proanthocyanidin extract (GSPE) on production performance, metabolism, and anti-oxidative status of Holstein dairy cattle in early lactation. Forty-eight multiparous Holstein dairy cattle were assigned to four groups (CON, G20, G40 and G80) and supplied with 0, 20, 40, and 80mg GSPE/kg of body weight/day. G20 significantly increased milk yield compared with other groups. Milk protein and non-fat-solids were increased in G20, G40 and G80 groups compared with the control group only at the 7th day during the experiment. No significant difference was observed in milk fat and somatic cell count, nor on parameters of energy metabolism in blood, liver function and kidney function between the four groups. There was no significant difference in glutathione peroxidase, superoxide dismutase, total antioxidant capacity, and hydrogen peroxide between the groups; but the malondialdehyde content of G20 significantly increased at day 14 in comparison with CON, and tended to increase at the 28th day. In conclusion, feeding 20mg GSPE/kg of body weight/day was associated with a significant increase in milk yield without detrimental effects on liver or kidney function and with substantial energy metabolism and antioxidant parameters improvement in early lactation dairy cattle.

Resumo As alterações de recursos geralmente promovem invasões de plantas, suscitando preocupações quanto às conseqüências potenciais da deposição de nitrogênio (N); No entanto, não está claro se os invasores se beneficiarão da deposição de N mais do que com os nativos. O crescimento é um dos traços inerentes mais fundamentais das plantas e, portanto, os bons invasores podem ter vantagens de crescimento superiores em resposta a alterações de recursos. Comparamos o crescimento e a alocação entre plantas invasivas e nativas em diferentes regimes de N, incluindo controles (concentrações ambientais de N). Descobrimos que as plantas invasivas sempre cresceram muito mais do que as plantas nativas em diferentes condições de N, independentemente das análises baseadas em crescimento ou filogenia, e que o primeiro atribuiu mais biomassa aos rebentos do que o segundo. Embora N aumentou o crescimento de plantas invasivas, esse aumento não aumentou com o aumento da adição de N. Através das espécies invasivas e nativas, as mudanças na alocação da biomassa do extrato foram correlacionadas positivamente com as mudanças na biomassa da planta inteira; e a inclinação desse relacionamento foi maior em plantas invasivas do que plantas nativas. Essas descobertas sugerem que o aumento do investimento em lançamentos faz com que as plantas invasivas mantenham uma vantagem de crescimento em altas condições de N em relação aos nativos, e também destacar que a futura deposição de N pode aumentar os riscos de invasões de plantas.

Abstract Resource amendments commonly promote plant invasions, raising concerns over the potential consequences of nitrogen (N) deposition; however, it is unclear whether invaders will benefit from N deposition more than natives. Growth is among the most fundamental inherent traits of plants and thus good invaders may have superior growth advantages in response to resource amendments. We compared the growth and allocation between invasive and native plants in different N regimes including controls (ambient N concentrations). We found that invasive plants always grew much larger than native plants in varying N conditions, regardless of growth- or phylogeny-based analyses, and that the former allocated more biomass to shoots than the latter. Although N addition enhanced the growth of invasive plants, this enhancement did not increase with increasing N addition. Across invasive and native species, changes in shoot biomass allocation were positively correlated with changes in whole-plant biomass; and the slope of this relationship was greater in invasive plants than native plants. These findings suggest that enhanced shoot investment makes invasive plants retain a growth advantage in high N conditions relative to natives, and also highlight that future N deposition may increase the risks of plant invasions.

The objective of the study was to determine the effects of antibiotics, yeast culture (YC), and Lactobacillus culture (LC) on the gut microbiome and metabolites in the serum and caecum of weaning piglets. Twenty-four weaning piglets were divided into four treatment groups: control, antibiotic (1% chlortetracycline), 1.8% yeast culture (YC), and 1.6% Lactobacillus culture groups (LC). Each group had six replicated pens with one pig per pen. Feed and water were available ad libitum. Dietary supplementation with antibiotics, YC and LC increased the abundance of phylum, Firmicutes, and decreased the abundance of phylum, Proteobacteria. Beneficial bacteria such as Lactobacillus and Megasphaera in YC and LC groups increased, whereas the proportion of Shigella was decreased. Genera Alloprevotella and Lachnospira were biomarkers in the control and antibiotic groups, respectively. Phylum, Bacteroidetes, and genus, Collinsella, were biomarkers in the YC group, and Mitsuokella, Anaerotruncus, Syntrophococcus and Sharpea were biomarkers in the LC group. Dietary supplementation with different probiotics changed the serum and caecum metabolite profiles too. Antibiotic supplementation increased the levels of D-mannose, D-glucose, and hexadecanoic acid in the serum, and the levels of myo-inositol, D-mannose and benzenepropanoic acid in the caecum. LC increased the concentrations of D-mannose, cis-9-hexadecenoic acid and heptadecanoic acid in caecum compared with the control group. YC and LC supplementation in the weaning diet could improve the abundance of beneficial bacteria by changing the concentrations of some metabolites in the serum and caecum. Therefore, dietary supplementation with YC or LC could be used as additives instead of antibiotics in weaning piglets.

The receptor activator of nuclear factor κB ligand (RANKL)/RANK pathway plays an important role in the prognosis of several solid tumor types, but its role in gastric cancer prognosis has been poorly characterized. A total of 116 gastric cancer patients who underwent surgical resection were enrolled in this study. Expressions of RANKL and RANK in gastric cancer tissues were detected using immunohistochemical staining. Thirty-eight patients (33%) showed a high level of RANKL expression and 61 patients (53%) showed a high level of RANK expression. There was a positive correlation between expressions of RANKL and RANK (P=0.014, r=0.221). A high level of RANKL expression indicated shorter overall survival (OS) (P=0.008), and was associated with a higher pathological tumor/lymph node/metastasis (pTNM) stage (P=0.035), while no significant correlation was detected between RANK expression and clinicopathological parameters. RANKL also predicted poor prognosis in patients with high RANK expression (P=0.008) and Bormann's type III/IV (P=0.002). Furthermore, RANKL expression correlated with pTNM stage according to high RANK expression (P=0.009), while no significance was found in patients with low RANK expression (P=1.000). Together, our results revealed that high expression of RANKL could predict worse outcomes in gastric cancer especially combined with RANK detection, and thereby this pathway could be a useful prognostic indicator of gastric cancer.

Cetuximab is widely used in patients with metastatic colon cancer expressing wildtype KRAS. However, acquired drug resistance limits its clinical efficacy. Exosomes are nanosized vesicles secreted by various cell types. Tumor cell-derived exosomes participate in many biological processes, including tumor invasion, metastasis, and drug resistance. In this study, exosomes derived from cetuximab-resistant RKO colon cancer cells induced cetuximab resistance in cetuximab-sensitive Caco-2 cells. Meanwhile, exosomes from RKO and Caco-2 cells showed different levels of phosphatase and tensin homolog (PTEN) and phosphor-Akt. Furthermore, reduced PTEN and increased phosphorylated Akt levels were found in Caco-2 cells after exposure to RKO cell-derived exosomes. Moreover, an Akt inhibitor prevented RKO cell-derived exosome-induced drug resistance in Caco-2 cells. These findings provide novel evidence that exosomes derived from cetuximab-resistant cells could induce cetuximab resistance in cetuximab-sensitive cells, by downregulating PTEN and increasing phosphorylated Akt levels.

Two new Mg(II)-based and Zn(II)-based coordination polymers, {[Mg3(BTB)(DMA)4](DMA)2}n (1, H3BTB=1,3,5-benzenetrisbenzoic acid, DMA=N,N-dimethylacetamide) and {(H2NMe2)2[Zn3(BTB)2(OH)(Im)](DMF)9(MeOH)7}n (2, Im=imidazole, DMF=N,N-dimethylformamide), have been successfully synthesized and structurally characterized under solvothermal conditions. 1 contains a linear [Mg3(COO)6] cluster that connected by the fully deprotonated BTB3- ligands to give a kgd-type 2D bilayer structure; 2 represents a microporous 3D pillar-layered system based on the binuclear Zn units and pillared Im ligands, which shows a (3,5)-connected hms topological net. In addition, in vitro anticancer activities of compounds 1 and 2 on 4 human liver cancer cells (HB611, HHCC, BEL-7405 and SMMC-7721) were determined.

The modes of occurrence of arsenic and the effects of low-intensity leaching-flotation on arsenic removal from coal slime from the Tanggongta Plant, Inner Mongolia, China were investigated. The coal slime was examined using hydride generation inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry and X-ray diffraction to obtain the content of elements and the major minerals. The modes of occurrence of arsenic in minerals were determined using selective leaching, float-and-sink analysis, and polarized light microscopy. The results indicate that pyrite is the dominant carrier of arsenic in the coal slime, which predominantly exists in association with clay. Significant proportion of the arsenic is removed by a low-intensity leaching-flotation process, consistent with the data from selective leaching and flotation of gangue. The results show that low intensity leaching-alkali washing-flotation is more efficient than direct flotation and low-intensity leaching-flotation.

The aim of this study was to investigate the mechanism of propranolol on the regression of hemangiomas. Propranolol-treated hemangioma tissues were collected and the expression of hypoxia inducible factor-1α (HIF-1α) was examined. We also established HIF-1α overexpression and knockdown hemangioma cells, and determined the effects of HIF-1α on the hemangioma cells proliferation, apoptosis, migration and tube formation. Significantly increased HIF-1α level was found in the hemangioma tissues compared to that in normal vascular tissues, whereas propranolol treatment decreased the HIF-1α level in hemangioma tissues in a time- and dose-dependent manner. Moreover, propranolol treatment significantly decreased cell proliferation, migration and tube formation as well as promoted cell apoptosis in HIF-1α overexpression and knockdown hemangioma cells. Propranolol suppressed the cells proliferation, migration and tube formation of hemangioma cells through HIF-1α dependent mechanisms. HIF-1α could serve as a novel target in the treatment of hemangiomas.

The epithelium is a highly dynamic system, which plays a crucial role in the homeostasis of the intestinal tract. However, studies on the physiological and pathophysiological functions of intestinal epithelial cells (IECs) have been hampered due to lack of normal epithelial cell models. In the present study, we established a reproducible method for primary culture of mouse IECs, which were isolated from the viable small intestinal crypts of murine fetuses (on embryonic day 19), using type I collagenase and hyaluronidase in a short span of time (≤20 min). With this method, continuously growing mouse IECs, which can be subcultured over a number of passages, were obtained. The obtained cell lines formed a tight cobblestone-like arrangement, displayed long and slender microvilli, expressed characteristic markers (cytokeratin 18 and Notch-1), and generated increasing transepithelial electrical resistance and low paracellular permeability during in vitro culture. The cells also had enzymatic activities of alkaline phosphatase and sucrase-isomaltase, and secreted various cytokines (IL-1β, IL-6, IL-8, and monocyte chemoattractant protein-1), responding to the stimulation of Escherichia coli. These results show that the primary-cultured mouse IECs obtained by the method established here had the morphological and immunological characteristics of IECs. This culture system can be a beneficial in vitro model for studies on mucosal immunology and toxicology.