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Rhododendron shanii W.P. Fang 1983 (Ericaceae) is woody plant naturally distributed in the southwest of Anhui, China. The complete chloroplast genome sequence of R. shanii was generated by whole-genome next-generation sequencing data and assembled based on three Rhododendron species chloroplast genome. The complete chloroplast genome sequence of R. shanii was 204,170 bp and divided into four distinct regions: small single-copy region (2615 bp), large single-copy region (107,189 bp), and a pair of inverted repeat regions (47,183 bp). The genome annotation displayed 150 genes, including 95 protein-coding genes, 47 tRNA genes, and eight rRNA genes. Phylogenetic analysis with the Ericaceae reported chloroplast genomes revealed that R. shanii is sister to the clade comprising R. delavayi , R. griersonianum and R. platypodum ., Competing Interests: No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s)., (© 2022 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.)

The degradation of emerging pollutant artificial sweetener sucralose (SUC) using UV/persulfate (UV/PS). The effects of several process parameters, including UV light intensity, PS dosage, pH, and anion concentration, were also investigated. The degradation products and their toxicity during the UV/PS process were further analyzed and evaluated. It is reported that, compared with single UV or PS, the degradation of SUC by UV/PS was more obvious. The degradation rate constants increased with an increase in the light intensity and PS dosage. The SUC degradation could be improved under neutral conditions. The background ions NO 3 - and HCO 3 - could inhibit the degradation process, while Cl - and SO 4 2- ions could accelerate the process. Sixteen intermediate products were identified using high-resolution mass spectrometry (HRMS) and GC-MS. Hydroxylation, oxidation, ether cracking, and other reactions were involved. A degradation path was further proposed. Moreover, luminescent bacteria toxicity test and ECOSAR prediction showed that the intermediates with higher toxicity could be produced during UV/PS, which could pose a potential threat to the ecological environment.

Objective: Menin, encoded by the Men1 gene, is responsible for β-cell tumor formation in patients with multiple endocrine neoplasia type 1. Recently, Menin has been proven to negatively regulate β-cell proliferation in several mouse models, including hyperglycemia. However, it is unclear how glucose regulates Menin expression in β-cells., Materials and Methods: In the present study, quantitative real-time reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction analysis was performed to detect the expression levels of MicroRNAs in Min-6 cells treated with high glucose, in which we found that miR-17 was significantly up-regulated., Results: Further studies using bioinformatic prediction, luciferase and protein expression analysis suggested that miR-17 could inhibit protein levels of Menin through targeting its 3'-untranslated region., Conclusions: Our results indicate that miR-17 might serve as an important intracellular target of glucose to mediate the mitogenic effect that glucose exerts in pancreatic β-cells.

Background: Given that impairment of fear extinction has been implicated in the pathogenesis of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), effective pharmacological interventions that facilitate fear extinction may provide alternative strategies to conventional treatment. It is generally accepted that the zeta inhibitory peptide (ZIP), a controversial inhibitor of protein kinase M zeta (PKMζ), could erase certain types of previously established long-term memories. However, it is unclear whether ZIP administration may alleviate PTSD-associated depressive and anxiety-like abnormalities., Methods: Here we developed a re-stressed single-prolonged stress (SPS) paradigm, a modified prevalent animal model of PTSD, and assayed the expressions of PKMζ in the hippocampus after SPS procedure. Next, Seven days prior to re-stress, ZIP was injected into the hippocampus, and the depressive and anxiety-like behavior was examined by the subsequent forced swim (FS), open-field and elevated plus maze (EPM) test., Results: Rats given ZIP prior to FS exhibited a reduction of immobility time in FS test, and more open arms (OA) entries and longer OA duration in EPM. They also spent longer time in the center of the open field., Conclusions: Our results suggested that re-stressed SPS could reproduce behavioral alteration similar to that observed in patients with PTSD, and these behavioral symptoms co-morbid with PTSD could be effectively alleviated by the intro-hippocampal administration of ZIP.

Vitamin D signaling not only controls calcium (Ca2+) and phosphorus uptake and transport, but also correlates with neurocognitive decline and neurodegenerative diseases. Almost all actions of Vitamin D are mediated by the transcription factor, vitamin D receptor (VDR), which has been widely identified in the central nervous system. Although previous studies have substantially advanced the understanding of the action of VDR in the brain, much remains unknown concerning how VDR relates to stress. Multiple lines of evidence indicate that the downregulation of L-type voltage-sensitive Ca2+-channels α-1C (LVSCC-A1C) by vitamin D in hippocampal neurons is able to reduce the influx and excitotoxic effects of Ca2+ to neurons. Along these lines, the purpose of the present study was to analyze the relative expression of VDR in the hippocampus of rats exposed to single prolonged stress (SPS) as a putative animal model for human post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Furthermore, changes in the levels of expression of LVSCC-A1C and Ca2+ (neurotransmitter content) were examined during the onset periods of PTSD. The results revealed an increase in the expression of VDR at 1, 3 and 7 days post-stress compared with the control group. The intracellular free Ca2+ levels in the hippocampus increased 1 day after SPS exposure, and then decreased gradually to the normal level at 14 days, consistent with the expression pattern of LVSCC-A1C. These results indicated that VDR may be involved in the pathogenesis of SPS rats, thereby providing an alternative preparation to search for optimal therapeutic strategies for PTSD.

This paper introduces a pathological information network and image analysis system designed by ourselves. The system offers an efficient means for modern medical diagnosis and treatment, teaching, research and management in the department of pathology.