Activating transcription factor 4 ( ATF4),one of the activating transcription factors,belongs to the cyclic AMP response element binding protein family.The expression of ATF4 is up-regulated by tumor micro-environmental factors.And ATF4 regulates the processes of tumor growth,infiltration,metastasis,apoptosis and drug resistance.Therefore,ATF4 might serve as a potential therapeutic target in cancer.

Objective To investigate the effect and mechanism of compound glycyrrhizin on airway inflammation in asthmatic rats. Methods Forty wistar rats were randomly divided into health group (group Ⅰ), asthma group(group Ⅱ), treating group (group Ⅲ) and treating control group (group Ⅳ) (n=10 in each group). Group Ⅱ, group Ⅲ and group Ⅳ received intraperitoneal injection of ovalbumin (OVA) and aluminum hydroxide gel for sensitization and OVA aerosol by ultrasonic nebulization for challenge, in addition, group Ⅲ re-ceived intraperioneal injection of 200 μg of compound glycyrrhizin 1 hour before OVA aerosol challenging every time, and group Ⅳ were in-jected with normal saline instead of compound glycyrrhizin. Group Ⅰ were injected and nebulizated with normal saline instead of OVA and alu-minlum hydroxide. All rats were sacrificed at the 6th hour after the last challenging, venous blood and bronchoalveolar lavage fluid(BALF) were collected, the IgE in venous blood were determined and the concentration of IL-4, IL-5, IL-13 and IFN-γ in BALF were detected, the cells in BALF were counted and detached. Results The concentration of IgE, IL-4, IL-5, IL-13 and the count of neutrophilic granulocytcs, lymphocytes, cosinophils in group Ⅱ were significantly higher than those in group Ⅰ and group Ⅲ(P<0.01), and the concentration of IFN-γ in group Ⅰ and group Ⅳ were significantly lower than those in group Ⅰ and group Ⅲ(P <0.01). There was no significant difference be-tween group Ⅱ and group Ⅳ(P >0. 05). The concentration of IgE, IL-4, IL-5, IL-13 and the count of neutrophilic granulocytes, lympho-cytes, cosinophils in group Ⅲ were higher than those in group Ⅰ, and the concentration of IFN-γ and the count of mononucleat macroplile cells in group Ⅲ were lower than those in group Ⅰ, but there were no significant difference(P>0.05). Conclusion Compound giycyrrhiz-in alleviated the airway inflammation and reduced the airway hyperresponsiveness in asthmatic rats, which mechanism may be related to regu-lating the balance of Th1/Th2 cytokines, suppressing the immune ability of Th2 and promoting the immune ability of Th1.

Ceria nanoparticles(CeO2 NPs)have become popular materials in biomedical and industrial fields due to theirpotential applications in anti-oxidation,cancer therapy,photocatalytic degradation of pollutants,sensors,etc.Many methods,including gas phase,solid phase,liquid phase,and the newly proposed green synthesis method,have been reported for the synthesis of CeO2 NPs.Due to the wide application of CeO2 NPs,concerns about their adverse impacts on human health have been raised.This review covers recent studies on the biomedical applications of CeO2 NPs,including their use in the treatment of various diseases(e.g.,Alzheimer's disease,ischemic stroke,retinal damage,chronic inflammation,and cancer).CeO2 NP toxicity is discussed in terms of the different systems of the human body(e.g.,cytotoxicity,genotoxicity,respiratory toxicity,neurotoxicity,and hepatotoxicity).This comprehensive review covers both fundamental discoveries and exploratory progress in CeO2 NP research that may lead to practical developments in the future.

Cultivating salt-alkali tolerant rice varieties is one of the important ways to meet the increasing food demand of growing global population. In this study, twenty-one rice germplasms with different salt-alkali tolerance were treated with six salt-alkali concentrations at germination and seedling stages. The germination potential, germination rate, shoot length, root length, root number, fresh weight of shoot and seedlings were measured. The average value of salt damage rate was used to evaluate the salt-alkali tolerance. As the salt-alkali concentration increases, the inhibition on seed germination and growth became more obvious. Upon treatment with 1% NaCl plus 0.25% NaHCO₃, the salt damage rate of germination rate has the largest variation, ranging from 0% to 89.80%. The salt damage rate of each trait shows a similar trend at all concentrations. Four germplasm resources with strong salt-alkali tolerance (Dajiugu, Nippobare, Mowanggu and 02428) and 7 sensitive germplasms were screened. The salt-tolerant gene sequence of 4 salt-alkali tolerant varieties and 3 sensitive germplasms were analyzed. OSHAL3 and OsRR22 were identical among the 7 germplasms, but SKC1 and DST showed clear variations between the salt-alkali tolerant and sensitive germplasms. Besides the salt-alkali tolerant germplasm resources, this study can also serve as a reference for mining of genes involved in salt-alkali tolerance and breeding of salt-alkali tolerant rice varieties.
Alkalies ; Germination ; Oryza/genetics* ; Plant Breeding ; Seedlings/genetics*