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Rhegmatogenous retinal detachment (RRD) is one blinding disease, and has pathological features correlated with migration of retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) cells to viscous body. Matrix metalloproteinase-8 (MMP-8) participates in eye diseases including xerophthalmia and retinal disease. Its role in RRD, however, has not been illustrated with the functional mechanism. RPE cells from RRD model mice and normal mice were separated and cultured. MMP-8 expression plasmid was transfected into RPE cell in model group. Real time PCR and Western blot were employed to test expression level of MMP-8, whilst MTT method was used to test proliferation activity of RPE cells. Caspase 3 activity was quantified by test kit. Transwell migration assay was adopted to measure invasion ability of RPE cells. ELISA method was used to test expression level of inflammatory factors interleukin-1β (IL-1β) and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α). MMP-8 expression level was significantly decreased in RPE cells of RRD group, which also had enhanced cell proliferation and migration, accompanied with higher IL-1β and TNF-α levels (P<0.05 compared to control group). After MMP-8 transfection and over-expression, RPE cell proliferation and migration were inhibited, along with higher Caspase 3 activity, plus lower IL-1β and TNF-α expression (P<0.05 compared to model group). RRD caused decreased expression of MMP-8 in RPE cells. MMP-8 can facilitate RPE cells proliferation and migration via modulating cell apoptotic activity and secretion of inflammatory factor, thus participating in RRD pathogenesis and progression., Competing Interests: None., (IJCEP Copyright © 2017.)

There has been growing interest in exploring the interplay between epidemic spreading with human response, since it is natural for people to take various measures when they become aware of epidemics. As a proper way to describe the multiple connections among people in reality, multiplex network, a set of nodes interacting through multiple sets of edges, has attracted much attention. In this paper, to explore the coupled dynamical processes, a multiplex network with two layers is built. Specifically, the information spreading layer is a time varying network generated by the activity driven model, while the contagion layer is a static network. We extend the microscopic Markov chain approach to derive the epidemic threshold of the model. Compared with extensive Monte Carlo simulations, the method shows high accuracy for the prediction of the epidemic threshold. Besides, taking different spreading models of awareness into consideration, we explored the interplay between epidemic spreading with awareness spreading. The results show that the awareness spreading can not only enhance the epidemic threshold but also reduce the prevalence of epidemics. When the spreading of awareness is defined as susceptible-infected-susceptible model, there exists a critical value where the dynamical process on the awareness layer can control the onset of epidemics; while if it is a threshold model, the epidemic threshold emerges an abrupt transition with the local awareness ratio α approximating 0.5. Moreover, we also find that temporal changes in the topology hinder the spread of awareness which directly affect the epidemic threshold, especially when the awareness layer is threshold model. Given that the threshold model is a widely used model for social contagion, this is an important and meaningful result. Our results could also lead to interesting future research about the different time-scales of structural changes in multiplex networks.

Botrytis cinerea is one of the most serious post-harvest pathogens of fruits and vegetables. Volatiles generated by Bacillus subtilis JA significantly inhibited both spore germination and elongation of germ tubes in Botrytis cinerea using a two-compartment agar-plate assay. The volatiles caused protoplasm retraction from the hyphal tips to the spores.

Bacillus subtilis JA produces a broad spectrum of bioactive lipopeptides with great potential applications in agriculture and industry. Crude lipopeptides were extracted with 100% methanol from the precipitate which was obtained by adding 6 mol/L HCl to the cell-free culture broth. The crude extract was separated on a Diamonsil C18 column (5 microm, 250 mm x 4.6 mm) in reversed-phase high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) system to separate the lipopeptide homologues. Five peaks were eluted from HPLC. Electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ESI-MS) was used to analyze each HPLC fraction. The results showed three series of ion peaks. According to the values of m/z, the three series of ions were classified into surfactin, iturin and fengycin homologues, which were well-known biosurfactants produced by B. subtilis strains. The major ions were structurally characterized using tandem mass spectrometry. This study suggested a reasonable method for the isolation and identification of lipopeptides produced by B. subtilis strains.

Lipopeptides produced by Bacillus subtilis JA antagonized a broad spectrum of plant fungal pathogens. The purification and identification of the lipopeptide antibiotics plays an important role for further research. Crude lipopeptides were extracted with methanol from the precipitate, which was obtained by adding 6mol/L HCl to the cell-free culture broth and then stored at 4 degrees C overnight. The crude extract was run on reversed-phase HPLC system with a Diamonsil C18 column (250 mm x 4.6 mm, Dikma) to separate the lipopeptides. Two antifungal compounds, which had strong inhibitory activity against various plant fungal pathogens, such as Fusarium graminearum, were purified. The molecular weights of two compounds were determined by electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ESI/MS). Two compounds, with molecular weights of 1042.4 Da and 1056.5 Da, were homologues differed by a structure of -CH2. ESI collision induced dissociation mass spectrometry analysis was used to sequence the structure of purified compounds. Typical b- and y- type fragments showed that compound 1 (with a molecular weight of 1042.4 Da) had a primary structure of Pro-Asn-Tyr-PAA-Asn-Tyr-Asn-Gln (PAA represented beta-amino acid), which was consistent with lipopeptide iturin A. Compound 2 was a homologue of iturin A.