Strong-interaction shifts and widths of kaonic helium isotopes

The kaonic ³He and ⁴He [Formula: see text] transitions in gaseous targets were observed by the SIDDHARTA experiment. The X-ray energies of these transitions were measured with large-area silicon-drift detectors using the timing information of the [Formula: see text] pairs produced by the DAΦNE [Formula: see text] collider. The strong-interaction shifts and widths both of the kaonic ³He and ⁴He 2p states were determined, which are much smaller than the results obtained by the previous experiments. The "kaonic helium puzzle" (a discrepancy between theory and experiment) was now resolved.

Fas-associated factor 1 plays a negative regulatory role in the antibacterial immunity of Locusta migratoria

Insect immune responses are precisely regulated to maintain immune balance. In this study, the Fas-associated factor 1 (FAF1) gene of Locusta migratoria manilensis, a homologue of the caspar gene that functions as a specific negative regulator in the antibacterial immunity pathway, was cloned. Gene expression analysis showed that FAF1 was expressed throughout the developmental stages and in all tested tissues, but its transcription levels varied significantly. Thus, FAF1 appears to be tightly regulated and is probably involved in multiple physiological processes. In addition, the antimicrobial peptide gene prolixicin was cloned and characterized. After bacterial challenge, prolixicin was rapidly up-regulated, whereas FAF1 was markedly down-regulated. This result was consistent with the observation that prolixicin was hyperactivated when FAF1 was suppressed by RNA interference. Moreover, after bacterial infection, the survival rate of FAF1-knockdown locusts was much higher than that of the wild-type. Taken together, these findings strongly suggest that FAF1 shares a similar function as caspar in Drosophila and may be involved in the negative regulation of antibacterial immunity in locusts.

Preliminary study of kaonic deuterium X-rays by the SIDDHARTA experiment at DAΦNE

The study of the [Formula: see text] system at very low energies plays a key role for the understanding of the strong interaction between hadrons in the strangeness sector. At the DAΦNE electron-positron collider of Laboratori Nazionali di Frascati we studied kaonic atoms with [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text], taking advantage of the low-energy charged kaons from Φ-mesons decaying nearly at rest. The SIDDHARTA experiment used X-ray spectroscopy of the kaonic atoms to determine the transition yields and the strong interaction induced shift and width of the lowest experimentally accessible level (1s for H and D and 2p for He). Shift and width are connected to the real and imaginary part of the scattering length. To disentangle the isospin dependent scattering lengths of the antikaon-nucleon interaction, measurements of [Formula: see text] and of [Formula: see text] are needed. We report here on an exploratory deuterium measurement, from which a limit for the yield of the K-series transitions was derived: [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text] (CL 90%). Also, the upcoming SIDDHARTA-2 kaonic deuterium experiment is introduced.

First Report of Soybean Cyst Nematode (Heterodera glycines) on Tobacco in Henan, Central China

Soybean cyst nematode (SCN) (Heterodera glycines) commonly infests soybean (Glycine max), but has also been reported to infest haricot bean, mung bean, adzuki bean, some species of Lespedeza and Melilotus (3), purple deadnettle (Lamium purpureum), henbit (Lamium amplexicaule), field pennycress (Thlaspi arvense), and shepherd's-purse (Capsella bursa-pastoris) (4). During 2009 to 2011, a survey for plant parasitic nematodes on tobacco was made in Xuchang, Henan Province, central China. Thirty six percent of 50 tobacco fields showed yellowing symptoms, and females and cysts of cyst-forming nematode were observed in the yellowing tobacco roots. The cysts were characterized by a lemon shape, with posterior protuberance, ambifenestrate, bullae, and underbridge present. The key morphometrics of cysts were fenestra length (38 to 44 μm) and width (34 to 40 μm), vulval silt (41 to 50 μm), and underbridge length (73 to 99 μm), all of which were similar to SCN (1). DNA was extracted by putting a single cracked cyst collected from the tobacco root to a 0.2-ml Eppendorf tube containing 10 μl double distilled water, 8 μl 10 × PCR Buffer (Mg-), and 2 μl of proteinase K (600 μg/ml) and frozen at -70°C for 30 min, then incubated at 65°C for 1 h and at 95°C for 10 min. After centrifugation at 12,000 rpm for 2 min, the DNA suspension was used for PCR amplification. Primers TW81 (5'-GTTTCCGTAGGTGAACCTGC-3') and AB28 (5'-ATATGCTTAAGTTCAGCGGGT-3') were used to amplify the rDNA internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region, and a PCR fragment of 1,030 bp was obtained. The sequence (GenBank Accession No. JX561139) showed 99% similarity to H. glycines strain Hg1-Ark1 (EF611124). Duplex PCR containing the universal primers D2A (5'-ACAAGTACCGTGAGGGAAAGTTG-3'), D3B (5'-TCGGAAGGAACCAGCTACTA-3') and SCAR primers SCNFI (5'-GGACCCTGACCAAAAAGTTTCCGC-3'), SCNRI (5'-GGACCCTGACGAGTTATGGGCCCG-3'), obtained a 477-bp fragment, which is specific for SCN populations (2). Based on both morphological and molecular identification, the populations of cyst-forming nematodes on tobacco from Henan, China were confirmed as SCN. Pathogenicity tests were conducted on 30 each of 50-day-old tobacco and 5-day-old soybean plants (one plant per pot), respectively, by adding 2 ml of a suspension of 1,000 eggs and J2 of cysts collected from tobacco roots. After 35 days, 20 to 35 white females could be detected in each of the tobacco roots, and the yellowing symptom on almost all of tobacco plants was observed. Although infection on soybean plants was observed, the nematodes infected in roots was just 10 to 20 per pot, and they all stayed in the infective J2 stage. Except for one J3 until 48 dpi, no mature females could be found, and the nematode population could not reproduce on soybean tested. This suggests that the cyst nematode population from tobacco is a new pathotype of SCN. To our knowledge, this is the first report of SCN parasitized on tobacco in naturally infected fields, which is a potential threat to tobacco growth and should attract worldwide attention. References: (1) R. H. Mulvey. Can. J. Zool. 50:1277, 1972. (2) S. Ou et al. Nematology 10:397, 2008. (3) R. D. Riggs. In: Biology and Management of the Soybean Cyst Nematode, p. 107-114, 1992. (4) R. Venkatesh et al. Weed Technol. 14:156, 2000.

Safety and effectiveness of repeat arterial closure using the StarClose vascular closure device in patients with hepatic malignancy

AIM

To evaluate the safety and effectiveness of the use of the StarClose vascular closure device for repeat arterial closure in patients with hepatic malignancy undergoing transarterial chemoembolization (TACE).

MATERIALS AND METHODS

A retrospective analysis of patients with hepatic malignancy who had undergone arterial closure with the StarClose device was performed in Peking Union Medical College Hospital between January 2009 and March 2012. A total of 165 patients (94 men, 71 women; mean age 60.1 ± 17.2 years) had arterial puncture closure after TACE (using a 5 F sheath). Percutaneous closure of the common femoral artery with the StarClose device was performed in accordance with the manufacturer's recommendations. The patients were examined for complications on follow-up. Device success was defined as haemostasis achieved immediately after StarClose device deployment with or without applying 3 min or less of manual compression. All the patients were evaluated clinically for wound complications and follow-up angiograms of the puncture site were obtained at subsequent TACE sessions.

RESULTS

There were a total of 593 closures using StarClose devices in 165 patients who underwent TACE, including 194 (32.7%) single closures and 399 (67.3%) repeat closures for the same femoral access. The number of repeat closures for the same femoral access ranged from one to nine (median 2). Haemostasis was achieved in 571 closures, and success rate was 96.3% (96.9% in single closures and 96% in repeat closures). There was no statistically different haemostasis success rate between single closures or repeat closures. No severe complications occurred during follow-up.

CONCLUSION

The repeat use of the StarClose device is safe and effective in patients with hepatic malignancy undergoing TACE.

The prognostic value of CDKN2A hypermethylation in colorectal cancer: a meta-analysis

Background:

The prognostic value of CDKN2A promoter hypermethylation in colorectal cancer remains controversial. We systematically reviewed the evidence for assessment of CDKN2A methylation in colorectal cancer to elucidate this issue.

Methods:

Pubmed, Embase and ISI web of knowledge were searched to identify eligible studies to evaluate the association of CDKN2A hypermethylation and overall survival and clinicopathological features of colorectal cancer patients. Combined hazard ratios (HRs) or odds ratios (ORs) with 95% confidence interval (95% CI) were pooled using a random-effects model.

Results:

A total of 11 studies encompassing 3440 patients were included in the meta-analysis. CDKN2A hypermethylation had an unfavourable impact on OS of patients with colorectal cancer (HR 1.65, 95% CI 1.29–2.11). Subgroup analysis indicated that CDKN2A hypermethylation was significantly correlated with OS in Europe (HR 1.49; 95% CI 1.28–1.74) and Asia (HR 3.30; 95% CI 1.68–6.46). Furthermore, there was a significant association between CDKN2A hypermethylation and lymphovascular invasion (OR 1.68, 95% CI 1.15–2.47), lymph node metastasis (OR 1.68, 95% CI 1.09–2.59) and proximal tumour location (OR 2.09, 95% CI 1.34–3.26) of colorectal cancer.

Conclusion:

This meta-analysis indicated that CDKN2A hypermethylation might be a predictive factor for unfavourable prognosis of colorectal cancer patients.

A Warpage Optimization Method for Injection Molding Using Artificial Neural Network Combined Weighted Expected Improvement

A surrogate-based warpage optimization for injection molding is proposed in this study. The optimization process aims at minimizing the warpage of the injection molding parts in which process parameters, i.e., the mold temperature, melt temperature, injection time, packing time, packing pressure, and cooling time are the design variables. The warpage values are reduced by optimizing the process parameters. A new optimization iteration scheme based on artificial neural network (ANN) combined weighted expected improvement (WEI) is employed to speed up the optimization process and to ensure very rapid and steady convergence. The ANN is used to build an surrogate warpage function for the process parameters, replacing the expensive simulation analysis in the optimization iterations. The adaptive process is executed by the WEI function, which is an infilling sampling criterion. Although the design of experiment (DOE) size is small, this criterion can precisely balance the local and global search and tend to find the global optimal design. As examples, a TV cover and a scanner are investigated. The results show that the proposed approach can effectively reduce the warpage of the injection molding parts.

Polyelectrolyte capsules packaging BSA gels for pH-controlled drug loading and release and their antitumor activity

Polyelectrolyte multilayer capsules, promising candidates for multifunctional drug delivery systems, have recently received increased interest. However, the low encapsulation efficiency of drugs and the lack of reports about animal experiments have greatly slowed down their development for drug delivery. Here, a polyelectrolyte multilayer capsule filled with bovine serum albumin gel (BSA-gel-capsule) was constructed by a layer-by-layer assembly technique and thermally induced gelation of BSA. Owing to the charge variability of BSA with change in pH, BSA-gel-capsules not only showed a pronounced accumulation effect of drugs into capsules, but also displayed excellent pH-controlled loading and release properties. Moreover, a remarkable targeting action to the lung was discovered after intravenous injection of fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC)-labeled BSA-gel-capsules into mice. After treatment with doxorubicin-loaded BSA-gel-capsules, effective cytotoxicity against B16-F10 cells and inhibition of the pulmonary melanoma growth were revealed. This paper introduces a new type of smart microstructure with notable pH-responsive ability. This material renders feasible the intravenous administration of polyelectrolyte microcapsules, which will be a big step towards their application as drug delivery vehicles.

Cell division and endoreduplication play important roles in stem swelling of tuber mustard (Brassica juncea Coss. var. tumida Tsen et Lee)

We investigated spatio-temporal variations in cell division and the occurrence of endoreduplication in cells of tuber mustard stems during development. Cells in the stem had 8C nuclei (C represents DNA content of a two haploid genome), since it is an allotetraploid species derived from diploid Brassica rapa (AA) and B. nigra (BB), thus indicating the occurrence of endoreduplication. Additionally, we observed a dynamic change of cell ploidy in different regions of the swollen stems, with a decrease in 4C proportion in P4-1 and a sharp increase in 8C cells that became the dominant cell type (86.33% at most) in the inner pith cells. Furthermore, cDNAs of 14 cell cycle genes and four cell expansion genes were cloned and their spatial transcripts analysed in order to understand their roles in stem development. The expression of most cell cycle genes peaked in regions of the outer pith (P2 or P3), some genes regulating S/G2 and G2/M (BjCDKB1;2, BjCYCB1;1 and BjCYCB1;2) significantly decrease in P5 and P6, while G1/S regulators (BjE2Fa, BjE2Fb and BjE2Fc) showed a relative high expression level in the inner pith (P5) where cells were undergoing endoreduplication. Coincidentally, BjXTH1and BjXTH2 were exclusively expressed in the endoreduplicated cells. Our results suggest that cells of outer pith regions (P2 and P3) mainly divide for cell proliferation, while cells of the inner pith expand through endoreduplication. Endoreduplication could trigger expression of BjXTH1 and BjXTH2 and thus function in cell expansion of the pith tissue.

Impact of age and gender on blood pressure and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol reduction: results of a pooled analysis

OBJECTIVES

To compare the simultaneous reduction of blood pressure (BP) to below 150 mmHg and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) after treatment with single-pill amlodipine/atorvastatin (SPAA) among younger (<65 years), older (≥65 years) and elderly (≥75 years) men and women with hypertension and dyslipidemia.

METHODS

Data from five, 14-20-week, open-label, multi-national studies (GEMINI US, GEMINI-Australia, Asia, Latin-America, Africa/Middle-East [AALA], JEWEL 1, JEWEL 2, and the Clinical Utility of Caduet in Simultaneously Achieving Blood Pressure and Lipid End Points [CAPABLE]) were pooled. In these studies, SPAA (5/10 to 10/80 mg/mg) was electively titrated to achieve study-specific targets. Reductions in BP and LDL-C, and changes in renal and liver function tests, fasting glucose and adverse event (AE) rates were compared across the three age groups.

RESULTS

A total of 3613 patients (65%) were <65 years, 1946 (35%) were ≥65 years and 441 (8%) were ≥75 years. Baseline mean systolic BP tended to increase with age and diastolic BP and LDL-C decreased, p<0.001. Final mean SPAA dose was similar (7.2/23.9, 7.1/24.3, 7.1/24.0 mg/mg). Final mean BP in the younger/older/elderly groups was 128.1/79.9, 131.3/75.0, 132.8/73.4 mmHg (adjusted BP reductions -20.2/-10.4, -18.6/-12.7, -17.7/-13.2 mmHg, p<0.001). Final mean LDL-C was 91, 87, 87 mg/dl (2.4, 2.3, 2.3 mmol/l) p<0.001; adjusted %LDL-C reductions -27.1, -26.8, -26.4, p<0.001. Estimated glomerular filtration rate increased in the younger group but decreased in the older and elderly groups (p=0.005). Small increases in liver function tests and fasting glucose were observed. Discontinuations due to AEs tended to increase with age but were low in all groups (6.2%, 7.9%, 8.8%, p=0.045). Study limitations include post hoc analysis and short duration of follow-up.

CONCLUSIONS

Simultaneous reduction of BP to below 150 mmHg and LDL-C using SPAA is both effective and well-tolerated among younger and older men and women, including those aged≥75 years. Clinicians may be reassured by the low proportion of AEs that led to discontinuation in all groups suggesting that older patients were not disadvantaged by this treatment.

Measurements of the strong-interaction widths of the kaonic (3)He and (4)He 2p levels

The kaonic (3)He and (4)He X-rays emitted in the [Formula: see text] transitions were measured in the SIDDHARTA experiment. The widths of the kaonic (3)He and (4)He 2p states were determined to be [Formula: see text], and [Formula: see text], respectively. Both results are consistent with the theoretical predictions. The width of kaonic (4)He is much smaller than the value of [Formula: see text] determined by the experiments performed in the 70's and 80's, while the width of kaonic (3)He was determined for the first time.

IL28B rs12979860 polymorphism does not influence outcomes of hepatitis B virus infection

rs12979860 in interleukin 28B (IL28B) gene is associated with response to interferon-α therapy and natural viral clearance in hepatitis C. The role of this polymorphism is less known in hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection. We evaluated whether rs12979860 was associated with outcomes of HBV infection. There were 651 individuals with persistent infection (387 with liver cirrhosis, 264 without cirrhosis) and 226 healthy individuals who recovered from HBV infection. The genotypic distributions were compared between different phenotypes pertaining to disease progression and HBV markers. The polymorphism had no association with clearance of hepatitis B surface antigen and hepatitis B e antigen, HBV-DNA level, apparent hepatitis onset and liver cirrhosis (P > 0.05). These results suggest that rs12979860 does not have such a strong effect in hepatitis B compared to hepatitis C.

Hypoxia inducible factor-1 as a target for neurodegenerative diseases

Hypoxia inducible factor-1 (HIF-1) is a transcriptional factor responsible for cellular and tissue adaption to low oxygen tension. HIF-1, a heterodimer consisting of a constitutively expressed β subunit and an oxygen-regulated α subunit, regulates a series of genes that participate in angiogenesis, iron metabolism, glucose metabolism, and cell proliferation/survival. The activity of HIF-1 is controlled by post-translational modifications on different amino acid residues of its subunits, mainly the alpha subunit. Besides in ischemic stroke (see review [1]), emerging evidence has revealed that HIF-1 activity and expression of its down-stream genes, such as vascular endothelial growth factor and erythropoietin, are altered in a range of neurodegenerative diseases. At the same time, experimental and clinical evidence has demonstrated that regulating HIF-1 might ameliorate the cellular and tissue damage in the neurodegenerative diseases. These new findings suggest HIF-1 as a potential medicinal target for the neurodegenerative diseases. This review focuses on HIF-1α protein modifications and HIF-1's potential neuroprotective roles in Alzheimer's (AD), Parkinson's (PD), Huntington's diseases (HD), and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).

Dynamic Stress Factor (DySF): A Significant Predictor of Severe Hypoglycemic Events in Children with Type 1 Diabetes

Hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) is the current standard used in the clinical treatment of patients with diabetes. However, it has been shown that patients with similar HbA1c values may have widely different fluctuations in blood glucose values over the same period of time, including time spent in hyper- and/or hypo-glycemia. Hence, there exists a need for quantitative measures that can supplement HbA1c in managing patients with diabetes. We introduce and compare the Dynamic Stress Factor, DySF, a newly developed metric that quantifies glycemic volatility based on patient-specific glucose transition density profiles with HbA1c and with currently used glucose variability metrics in predicting severe hypoglycemia in children with type 1 diabetes. DySF, the daily weighted number of large monotonic glycemic transitions that occur within one hour, was calculated for 441 total subjects with type 1 diabetes (146 children, aged 8-14 yrs) to assess the magnitude and frequency of glucose transitions per day. Severe hypoglycemic episodes (HE) were quantified for all subjects and evaluated against HbA1c and existing measures of glucose variability, including SD, MAGE, MODD, and CONGA using logistic regression models. DySF was found to be a predictor of severe HE in children (p = 0.018) with the likelihood of a child, aged 8-14 yrs, experiencing severe hypoglycemia increasing by up to 20% with decreasing values of up to 60% of DySF. Patients of any age who had one or multiple severe hypoglycemic episodes had on average a lower DySF when compared to those with no HE. Additionally, when considering mean glucose levels, DySF/mean was a preliminary predictor of severe HE in patients with HbA1c ≤ 6.5% (p = 0.062). DySF is a dynamic, quantitative, measure of daily glucose "volatility" that separates patients, within the same strata of HbA1c, into visually distinct patient profiles. DySF can be used as a preliminary predictor of clinically severe hypoglycemia in children and "well-controlled" patients with HbA1c ≤ 6.5%.