To assess the status of avian leukosis virus (ALV) infection in indigenous chicken breeds in China, 121 plasma samples collected from various indigen

Acupuncture at acupoints Baihui (GV20) and Dazhui (GV14) has been shown to promote functional recovery after stroke. However, the contribution of the contralateral primary sensory cortex (S1) to recovery remains unclear. In this study, unilateral local ischemic infarction of the primary motor cortex (M1) was induced by photothrombosis in a mouse model. Electroacupuncture (EA) was subsequently performed at acupoints GV20 and GV14 and neuronal activity and functional connectivity of contralateral S1 and M1 were detected using in vivo and in vitro electrophysiological recording techniques. Our results showed that blood perfusion and neuronal interaction between contralateral M1 and S1 is impaired after unilateral M1 infarction. Intrinsic neuronal excitability and activity were also disturbed, which was rescued by EA. Furthermore, the effectiveness of EA treatment was inhibited after virus-mediated neuronal ablation of the contralateral S1. We conclude that neuronal activity of the contralateral S1 is important for EA-mediated recovery after focal M1 infarction. Our study provides insight into how the S1–M1 circuit might be involved in the mechanism of EA treatment of unilateral cerebral infarction. The animal experiments were approved by the Committee for Care and Use of Research Animals of Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine (approval No. 20200407009) April 7, 2020.

Background: Pueraria lobata (Willd.) Ohwi is a valuable herb used in traditional Chinese medicine. Isoflavonoids are the major bioactive compounds in P. lobata, namely puerarin, daidzin, glycitin, genistin, daidzein, and glycitein, which have pharmacological properties of anti-cardiovascular, anti-hypertension, anti-inflammatory, and anti-arrhythmic. Methods: To characterize the corresponding genes of the compounds in the isoflavonoid pathway, RNA sequencing (RNA-Seq) analyses of roots, stems, and leaves of P. lobata were carried out on the BGISEQ-500 sequencing platform. Results: We identified 140,905 unigenes in total, of which 109,687 were annotated in public databases, after assembling the transcripts from all three tissues. Multiple genes encoding key enzymes, such as IF7GT and transcription factors, associated with isoflavonoid biosynthesis were identified and then further analyzed. Quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) results of some genes encoding key enzymes were consistent with our RNA-Seq analysis. Differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were determined by analyzing the expression profiles of roots compared with other tissues (leaves and stems). This analysis revealed numerous DEGs that were either uniquely expressed or up-regulated in the roots. Finally, quantitative analyses of isoflavonoid metabolites occurring in the three P. lobata tissue types were done via high-performance liquid-chromatography and tandem mass spectrometry methodology (HPLC-MS/MS). Our comprehensive transcriptome investigation substantially expands the genomic resources of P. lobata and provides valuable knowledge on both gene expression regulation and promising candidate genes that are involved in plant isoflavonoid pathways.

The optimum dose of isoprenaline (ISO) required to induce stress cardiomyopathy (SC) in mice is not known. The present study aimed to investigate the dose‑response association and determine the optimum dose of ISO to establish a high‑morbidity/low‑mortality SC mouse model to simulate the clinical symptoms of SC. A total of 72 6‑week‑old wild‑type female mice (C57BL/6) were randomly divided into control mice administered normal saline and mice treated with increasing ISO concentrations (5, 10, 25, 50 and 100 mg/kg ISO intraperitoneal injections daily for 14 consecutive days). All mice were analysed by body weight assessment, open field test (OFT), echocardiography (Echo), electrocardiogram (ECG), assessment of myocardial pathology and quantification of cortisol, brain natriuretic peptide (BNP), cardiac troponin T (cTnT), catecholamine (CA) and C‑reactive protein (CRP). Compared with the control group, the 25 and 50 mg/kg ISO groups exhibited the most prominent weight changes and lower mortality. The open‑field test showed a significant decrease in autonomous activity behaviour in the 25 and 50 mg/kg ISO groups compared with the control group (P<0.05). Echo revealed that the apex of the heart was balloon‑like in the 25 and 50 mg/kg ISO groups, along with prominent left ventricular dyskinesia. ECG showed a significant increase in ST segment amplitude, QT interval and Q amplitude (P<0.05) in the 25 and 50 mg/kg ISO group compared with the control group. Haematoxylin and eosin staining of heart tissue showed a disordered arrangement of myocardial cells, dissolution of myocardial fibres and cytoplasm, notable widening of myocardial cell space, oedema and hyperaemia of the interstitium, whereas heart tissue of the control group was structurally intact. Compared with the control group, the 25 and 50 mg/kg ISO groups exhibited significantly higher levels of cortisol, BNP, cTNT, CA and CRP (P<0.05). A high‑incidence low‑mortality SC model was successfully and stably developed by administration of 25 and 50 mg/kg ISO. Such models may provide a basis for the development of other animal models of SC.