Search

Spermatogenic dysfunction is one of the major secondary complications of diabetes; however, the underlying mechanisms remain ill-defined, and there is no available drug or strategy for the radical treatment of diabetic spermatogenic dysfunction. Therefore, the objective of this study is to investigate the protective effects of nicotinamide mononucleotide (NMN) on testicular spermatogenic function in streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic mice. The results show that oral administration of NMN significantly increases the body and testis weight and the number of sperms. Moreover, the abnormal sperm count and the rate of sperm malformation are significantly decreased compared with the saline-treated diabetic mice. Histological analysis reveals that NMN treatment significantly increases the area and diameter of seminiferous tubules, accompanied by an increased number of spermatogenic cells and sperms. Immunohistochemistry and qRT-PCR results show that NMN increases Bcl-2 expression and decreases Bax expression in the testis. NMN also increases the protein expression of Vimentin and the mRNA expressions of WT1 and GATA4. In addition, qRT-PCR, western blot analysis and immunohistochemistry results also show that NMN increases the expressions of glycolysis-related rate-limiting enzymes including HK2, PKM2, and LDHA. In summary, this study demonstrates the protective effects of NMN on the testis in an STZ-induced diabetic mice model. NMN exerts its protective effects via reducing spermatogenic cell apoptosis by regulating glycolysis of Sertoli cells in diabetic mice. This study provides an experimental basis for the future clinical application of NMN in diabetes-induced spermatogenic dysfunction.

In view of problem that common accumulators used in underground coal mine have obvious constraints, the paper analyzed electricity demands of coal mine emergency facilities and characteristics of dry-charged lead-acid battery, developed large capacity start-up type power supply for coal mine emergency facilities based on dry-charged lead-acid battery technology. The theory analysis and experiment result of product show that the power supply does't produce hydrogen and can be used in coal mine, has good consistency of group working performance and large capacity, and its electrical performance can satisfy demands of coal mine emergency facilities.

Smoking is the leading preventable cause of death worldwide and tobacco addiction has become a serious public health problem. Nicotine is the main addictive component of tobacco, and the majority of people that smoke regularly develop nicotine dependence. Nicotine addiction is deemed to be a chronic mental disorder. Although it is well known that nicotine binds to the nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs) and activates the mesolimbic dopaminergic system (MDS) to generate the pleasant and rewarding effects, the molecular mechanisms of nicotine addiction are not fully understood. Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) is the most prevalent growth factor in the brain, which regulates neuron survival, differentiation, and synaptic plasticity, mainly through binding to the high affinity receptor tyrosine kinase receptor B (TrkB). BDNF gene polymorphisms are associated with nicotine dependence and blood BDNF levels are altered in smokers. In this review, we discussed the effects of nicotine on BDNF expression in the brain and summarized the underlying signaling pathways, which further indicated BDNF as a key regulator in nicotine dependence. Further studies that aim to understand the neurobiological mechanism of BDNF in nicotine addcition would provide a valuable reference for quitting smoking and developing the treatment of other addictive substances. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Numerical studies on transient heat transfer characteristics of air-array-jet impingement with a small jet-to-plate distance and a large temperature difference between nozzles and plate were presen¬ted. The dimensionless jet-to-plate distance ( H/D) was 0.2, and non-dimensional nozzle - to - nozzle spacing (S/D) was 3,4,5 and 6 , respectively. It is found that the quenching time is shortened at a constant total mass fl〇"w at air jet inlet r^(i = 218.21 kgh) , and the heat transfer uniformity is deterio¬rated as S/Dincreases. However, the adding reversed-flow nozzles can shorten the quenching time of the glass plate considerably with a modest change in the heat transfer uniformity. The results at variable mare the same as those at a fixed rn. Furthermore, the parity and arrangement of nozzles are also dis¬cussed ,It is found that an odd number of nozzles is more beneficial for transient heat transfer. Based on these results, an appropriate proposal for ultra-thin glass tempering process is presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To further extend knowledge about the detailed knowledge on the crossflow characteristics in a multi-jets system under a confined space,particle image velocimetry (PIV) was employed to investigate the flow structures together with the distributions of the mean velocity components for Reynolds numbers (Re) ranging from 6 213 to 13 418,nozzle-to-plate spacing (H/D) varying from 0. 20 to1. 25,respectively. Results show that the crossflow configuration is significantly different from those of large nozzle-to-plate spacing. In addition,a turning point H/D = 0.50 is revealed in the profile of the normalized maximum radial velocity which is associated with the heat transfer distribution on the impingement plate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

What are the effects of alpha-ketoglutarate (α-KG) treatment on the ovarian morphology and ovarian reserve function of rats with cyclophosphamide (CTX)-induced premature ovarian insufficiency (POI)? Thirty female Sprague Dawley rats were randomly allocated to a control group (n = 10) and a POI group (n = 20). Cyclophosphamide was administered for 2 weeks to induce POI. The POI group was then divided into two groups: a CTX-POI group (n = 10), administered normal saline, and a CTX-POI + α-KG group (n = 10), administered α-KG 250 mg/kg per day for 21 days. Body mass and fertility was assessed at the end of the study. Serum samples were collected for hormone concentration measurement, and biochemical, histopathological, TUNEL, immunohistochemical and glycolytic pathway analyses were conducted for each group. The α-KG treatment increased body mass and ovarian index of rats, partially normalized their disrupted estrous cycles, prevented follicular loss, restored ovarian reserve, and increased pregnancy rate and litter sizes of rats with POI. It significantly reduced serum concentration of FSH (P < 0.001), increased that of oestradiol (P <0.001) and reduced apoptosis of granulosa cells (P = 0.0003). Moreover, α-KG increased concentrations of lactate (P = 0.015) and ATP (P = 0.025), reduced that of pyruvate (P <0.001) and increased expression of rate-limiting enzymes of glycolysis in the ovary. α-KG treatment ameliorates the deleterious effects of CTX on the fertility of female rats, possibly by reducing the apoptosis of ovarian granulosa cells and restoring glycolysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]