Molecular cloning, characterization, and expression profiles of androgen receptors in spotted scat (Scatophagus argus)

Androgen plays critical roles in vertebrate reproductive systems via androgen receptors (ARs). In the present study, the full-length spotted scat (Scatophagus argus) androgen receptor (sAR) cDNA sequence was cloned from testis. The sAR cDNA measured 2448 bp in length with an open-reading frame of 2289 bp, encoding 763 amino acids. Amino acid alignment analyses showed that the sARs exhibited highly evolutionary conserved functional domains. Phylogenetically, the sARs clustered within the ARβ common vertebrate group. Real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) revealed that sAR expression varied in level and distribution throughout the tissues of both females and males. sAR expression was detected during testicular development by quantitative RT-PCR. The results showed that the highest transcription of sARs was observed in the mid-testicular stage, and remained at a high expression level until the late-testicular stage. In addition, the effects of 17α-methyltestosterone (MT) and estrogen (E2) on the expression of sARs in ovaries were determined using quantitative RT-PCR. sAR expression increased at 12 and 24 h post-MT treatment and decreased with E2 treatment. The present study provides preliminary evidence indicating gonadal plasticity of spotted scat under exogenous steroidal hormone treatments. It also provides a theoretical basis for sex reversal and production of artificial pseudo-males for female monosex breeding.

In vivo and in vitro inhibitory action of 17β-estradiol and environmental estrogen 4-nonylphenol on gonad-inhibiting hormone (GIH) expression in the eyestalks of Litopenaeus vannamei

The gonad-inhibiting hormone (GIH) belongs to a neuropeptide family synthesized and released in an X-organ sinus gland complex of crustacean eyestalks. GIH inhibits crustacean ovarian maturation by suppressing vitellogenin (Vtg) synthesis, whereas estrogen is responsible for the stimulation of vitellogenesis (not established). In this study, the effects of 17β-estradiol (E2, 10(-6) M), estrogen receptor antagonist tamoxifen (TAM, 10(-6), 10(-7), and 10(-8) M), and the environmental estrogen nonylphenol (NP, 1 μg/L and 100 μg/L) on LvGIH expression in the eyestalks of shrimp were determined by quantitative real-time PCR. Results showed that LvGIH expression decreased significantly during the L. vannamei ovarian maturation cycle. E2 and NP significantly reduced LvGIH transcripts in vivo, but TAM neutralized the inhibitory action of E2 in a dose-dependent manner (P < 0.05). In addition, the LvGIH expression levels decreased significantly in a time-dependent manner (P < 0.05) when ovary fragments were cultured in vitro with E2. The results of this study suggested that estrogen regulates GIH expression in L. vannamei eyestalks. E2 promoted ovarian development not only by directly upregulating vitellogenesis in the hepatopancreas, but it was also capable of downregulating LvGIH expression, which indirectly resulted in the stimulation of L. vannamei vitellogenesis.

Structure elucidation and antioxidant activity of a novel polysaccharide from Polyporus umbellatus sclerotia

A novel water-soluble polysaccharide PUP60S2, with a molecular weight of 1.44×10(4)Da, was obtained from the sclerotia of Polyporus umbellatus by hot water extraction, ethanol precipitation, anion-exchange and size-exclusion chromatography. PUP60S2 was a polysaccharide comprised of about 22.3% glucuronic acid. Monosaccharide composition analysis showed that PUP60S2 was only comprised of glucose and glucuronic acid. Reduction of carboxyl groups, sugar analysis, methylation analysis, together with one and two dimension NMR spectra disclosed that the backbone of PUP60S2 consisted of (1→6)-β-d-glucopyranosyl, every second of which was substituted at O-3 by side chains consisting of terminal β-d-Glcp, (1→3)-β-d-Glcp, (1→3)-β-d-GlcpA, (1→4)-β-d-Glcp and (1→4)-β-d-GlcpA units. The antioxidant activity assay in vitro showed that PUP60S2 exerted a significant scavenging effect on DPPH, hydroxyl radical and superoxide radical in a dose-dependent manner.

An expression profiling analysis of hybrid millet and its parents at grain filling stage

Heterosis has been widely used in crop breeding and production. However, a shortage of genes known to function in heterosis significantly limits our understanding of the molecular basis underlying heterosis. Here, we report 740 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in the leaves of the hybrid millet Zhang No.5 and its parents at the grain filling stage determined using Solexa Illumina digital gene expression. Of the 740 DEGs, 546 were from the hybrid and its parents and most were up-regulated in the hybrid. Particularly, a large number of DEGs related to starch and carbohydrate metabolism and 2 DEGs encoding chlorophyll a/b binding proteins were up-regulated in hybrid millet. Moreover, all DEGs were enriched in the biological process and molecular function, and no DEGs were found to be enriched in the cellular component of GO terms. Pathway enrichment using KEGG showed that several DEGs were enriched in the circadian rhythm pathway. Further analysis revealed that the altered circadian rhythm, which mediates photosynthesis and carbohydrate accumulation, may play an important role in heterosis of the hybrid millet.

Report of incidence and mortality in china cancer registries, 2008

OBJECTIVE

Annual cancer incidence and mortality in 2008 were provided by National Central Cancer Registry in China, which data were collected from population-based cancer registries in 2011.

METHODS

There were 56 registries submitted their data in 2008. After checking and evaluating the data quality, total 41 registries' data were accepted and pooled for analysis. Incidence and mortality rates by area (urban or rural areas) were assessed, as well as the age- and sex-specific rates, age-standardized rates, proportions and cumulative rate.

RESULTS

The coverage population of the 41 registries was 66,138,784 with 52,158,495 in urban areas and 13,980,289 in rural areas. There were 197,833 new cancer cases and 122,136 deaths in cancer with mortality to incidence ratio of 0.62. The morphological verified rate was 69.33%, and 2.23% of cases were identified by death certificate only. The crude cancer incidence rate in all areas was 299.12/100,000 (330.16/100,000 in male and 267.56/100,000 in female) and the age-standardized incidence rates by Chinese standard population (ASIRC) and world standard population (ASIRW) were 148.75/100,000 and 194.99/100,000, respectively. The cumulative incidence rate (0-74 years old) was of 22.27%. The crude incidence rate in urban areas was higher than that in rural areas. However, after adjusted by age, the incidence rate in urban was lower than that in rural. The crude cancer mortality was 184.67/100,000 (228.14/100,000 in male and 140.48/100,000 in female), and the age-standardized mortality rates by Chinese standard population (ASMRC) and by world population were 84.36/100,000 and 114.32/100,000, respectively. The cumulative mortality rate (0-74 years old) was of 12.89%. Age-adjusted mortality rates in urban areas were lower than that in rural areas. The most common cancer sites were lung, stomach, colon-rectum, liver, esophagus, pancreas, brain, lymphoma, breast and cervix which accounted for 75% of all cancer incidence. Lung cancer was the leading cause of cancer death, followed by gastric cancer, liver cancer, esophageal cancer, colorectal cancer and pancreas cancer, which accounted for 80% of all cancer deaths. The cancer spectrum varied by areas and sex in rural areas, cancers from digestive system were more common, such as esophageal cancer, gastric cancer and liver cancer, while incidence rates of lung cancer and colorectal cancer were much higher in urban areas. In addition, breast cancer was the most common cancer in urban women followed by liver cancer, gastric cancer and colorectal cancer.

CONCLUSION

Lung cancer, gastric cancer, colorectal cancer, liver cancer, esophageal cancer and female breast cancer contributed to the increased incidence of cancer, which should be paid more attention to in further national cancer prevention and control program. Different cancer control strategies should be carried out due to the varied cancer spectrum in different groups.

Lead contamination and source in Shanghai in the past century using dated sediment cores from urban park lakes

Lead contamination becomes of importance to urban resident health worldwide, especially for child health and growth. Undisturbed lake sediment cores are increasingly employed as a useful tool to backdate environmental contamination history. Five intact sediment cores collected from lakes in five urban parks were dated using (210)Pb and analyzed for total Pb content and isotope ratio to reconstruct the Pb contamination history over the last century in Shanghai, China. Total Pb content in the sediment cores increased by about 2- to 3-fold since 1900s. The profile of Pb flux in each sediment core revealed a remarkable increase of Pb contamination in Shanghai over the past century, especially in the latest three decades when China was experiencing a rapid economic and industrial development. Significant correlations were found between Pb fluxes in sediment cores and Pb emission from coal combustion in Shanghai. Coal combustion emission dominated anthropogenic Pb sources during the past century contributing from 52% to 69% of total Pb in cores, estimated by a three-end member model of Pb isotope ratios. Leaded gasoline emission generally contributed <30% of total Pb, which was banned by 1997 in the Shanghai region. Our results implicate that coal combustion-based energy consumption should be replaced, or at least partially replaced, to reduce health risks of Pb contamination in Shanghai.

Involvement of T helper type 17 and regulatory T cell activity in tumour immunology of bladder carcinoma

T helper type 17 (Th17) and regulatory T cells (T(reg) ) play an important role in the pathogenesis of inflammation and autoimmune disorders. Recent studies have suggested that they also had an impact on tumour immunology. However, the relationship between Th17 and T(reg) cells in the pathogenesis of bladder carcinoma is still unclear. Flow cytometry was used to analyse the numbers, phenotype and cytokine production of Th17 cells in peripheral blood and tumour tissue from bladder carcinoma patients, in parallel with analysis of T(reg) cells. The suppressor capacity of T(reg) and the potential effects of interleukin (IL)-2 on the differentiation of Th17 and T(reg) cells in vitro were studied in a T cell stimulation and suppression assays. The results were as follows: Th17 cells were enriched in the tumours of patients with bladder carcinoma compared with the peripheral blood of patients and controls; patients with bladder carcinoma had a higher proportion of T(reg) cells in peripheral blood compared with healthy controls and nearly all patients examined showed a relative enrichment of tumour-infiltrating T(reg) with respect to peripheral blood; there appeared to be an inverse relationship between tumour-infiltrating Th17 and T(reg) cells; IL-2 could convert tumour-infiltrating T(reg) cells cultured in the presence of the autologous irradiated CD3(-) fraction into Th17 cells, down-regulate forkhead box P2 expression and suppressive capacity of T(reg) cells. This study is the first to define the frequency and characteristics of Th17 cells in bladder carcinoma. We suggest that the balance between Th17 and T(reg) cells may be involved in the development or progression of bladder carcinoma.

Glucose biosensor from covalent immobilization of chitosan-coupled carbon nanotubes on polyaniline-modified gold electrode

An amperometric glucose biosensor was prepared using polyaniline (PANI) and chitosan-coupled carbon nanotubes (CS-CNTs) as the signal amplifiers and glucose oxidase (GOD) as the glucose detector on a gold electrode (the Au-g-PANI-c-(CS-CNTs)-GOD biosensor). The PANI layer was prepared via oxidative graft polymerization of aniline from the gold electrode surface premodified by self-assembled monolayer of 4-aminothiophenol. CS-CNTs were covalently coupled to the PANI-modified gold substrate using glutaradehyde as a bifunctional linker. GOD was then covalently bonded to the pendant hydroxyl groups of chitosan using 1,4-carbonyldiimidazole as the bifunctional linker. The surface functionalization processes were ascertained by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) analyses. The field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) images of the Au-g-PANI-c-(CS-CNTs) electrode revealed the formation of a three-dimensional surface network structure. The electrode could thus provide a more spatially biocompatible microenvironment to enhance the amount and biocatalytic activity of the immobilized enzyme and to better mediate the electron transfer. The resulting Au-g-PANI-c-(CS-CNTs)-GOD biosensor exhibited a linear response to glucose in the concentration range of 1-20 mM, good sensitivity (21 μA/(mM·cm(2))), good reproducibility, and retention of >80% of the initial response current after 2 months of storage.

[Ovary cancer mortality in China 2004 - 2005: results from the Third National Retrospective Sampling Survey of Death Causes]

OBJECTIVE

To analyze the distribution characteristics and trend of ovary cancer mortality based on results of the Third National Retrospective Sampling Survey of Death Causes.

METHODS

Data of National Retrospective Sampling Survey for the years of 2004 - 2005 from 158 counties/cities/districts was used for the settings. A total of 69,690,241 person-year for female between 2004 and 2005 including 23,598,822 person-year in urban and 46,091,419 person-year in rural were respectively included in the study. Furthermore, the areas of east, middle, and west were divided into the subsets. And also the areas of urban and rural areas were divided into the subsets. The crude death rate and age-specific death rate and the age-standardized death rate by Chinese population of 1982 (CASR) and by world population of 1960 (WASR) were calculated. The historical comparison with the sampling survey of 1990 - 1992 (second time) was conducted, and the global comparison with some selected countries was performed.

RESULTS

The crude death rate for ovary cancer was 1.45/100 000 (1008/69 690 241) between 2004 and 2005, which was ranked the 12th and accounted for 1.45% (1008/69 667) of all sites of cancers. The CASR was 0.97/100 000 and the WASR was 1.26/100 000. The crude death rate of ovary cancer were 2.67/100 000 (630/23 598 822) and 0.82/100 000 (378/46 091 419) in urban and rural areas respectively, with the CASR of 1.62/100 000 and 0.59/100 000 in urban and rural areas respectively. Compared with the data from the second time (0.06/100 000 for crude death rate, 0.53/100 000 for CASR and 0.75% for proportion), the crude death rate increased by 141.07% and the CASR increased by 83.02%. The proportion of mortality was increased by 92.92%, which ranked from the 17th to the 12th. In the urban areas, the CASR of ovary cancer increased by 31.71% (1.23/100 000 vs 1.62/100 000), while by 118.52% in rural areas (0.27/100 000 vs 0.59/100 000) with an increasing trend more remarkable in rural than in urban.

CONCLUSION

Ovary cancer is not the leading site of cancer death-cause in China, its morality is higher in urban than in rural. It is necessary to pay more attention to ovary cancer in China.

Correlations between molecular profile and tumor location in Chinese patients with oligodendroglial tumors

OBJECTIVE

To investigate possible correlations between molecular alterations and tumor location in Chinese patients with oligodendroglial tumors.

METHODS

A series of 105 gliomas, including 42 oligoastrocytomas, and two control groups of 28 oligodendrogliomas and 35 astrocytomas, were retrospectively reviewed. In each case, the radiologic picture and loss of heterozygosity (LOH) on chromosome 1p and 19q detected by denaturing high-performance liquid chromatography (DHPLC) were analyzed. Correlations between molecular profile and tumor location were made by chi-square and Fisher's exact tests.

RESULTS

Oligodendroglial tumors located in the nontemporal lobes were significantly more likely to have combination of LOH 1p and LOH 19q than tumors arising in the insula, temporal lobe, and temporal with another lobe (p=0.001). Subgroup analysis confirmed this finding in oligodendrogliomas (p=0.006), but the difference did not reach significance in the oligoastrocytoma group, although the trend was similar (p=0.067). In contrast to the oligodendroglial tumors, we detected no association between molecular alterations and location for diffuse astrocytomas.

CONCLUSION

We conclude that molecular subsets of oligodendroglial tumors may arise preferentially in certain lobes of the brain, with tumors having LOH 1p and LOH 19q occurring most frequently in the nontemporal lobes. These findings suggest that molecular subsets of oligodendroglial tumors may arise from site-specific precursor cells, which has provided some information for the current management of these neoplasms in China.

Cutaneous side-effects of transdermal iontophoresis with and without surfactant pretreatment: a single-blinded, randomized controlled trial

BACKGROUND

Iontophoresis, a method that facilitates drug transport across skin by an external electrical field, offers the possibility for long-term transdermal delivery of compounds in a well-controlled manner. In general, the literature supports the contention that iontophoresis is a safe procedure. However, there are important medical issues concerning the epidermal and dermal effects of iontophoresis that have not been extensively investigated. Specific and strictly controlled studies on the dermal effect of iontophoresis are scarce.

OBJECTIVES

The aim of this study was to investigate the cutaneous side-effects of transdermal iontophoresis application in healthy human volunteers.

METHODS

This was a single-blinded, randomized and parallel design study. In one group (n=12) subjects were treated nonocclusively with a surfactant formulation followed by iontophoresis (3-h application at a current density of 250 microA cm(-2)). In another group (n=12) iontophoresis alone was performed. No drug was included in these studies. The corresponding passive treatments served as controls. Noninvasive methods including sensation record, transepidermal water loss (TEWL), skin colour and the visual scoring were used to assess cutaneous effects.

RESULTS

Tingling and itching were commonly experienced in the first 30 min of the current application. Iontophoresis in combination with the pretreatment induced significant increases in TEWL values and in skin redness, and resulted in slight to mild erythema and oedema compared with the control. Compared with the iontophoresis alone, the presence of surfactant pretreatment caused slightly more skin irritation (erythema and oedema) but did not further disturb the skin barrier function.

CONCLUSIONS

The transdermal iontophoresis challenges the skin barrier function and induces transient mild skin irritation, but does not cause any permanent damage to the skin when applied for 3 h at a current density of 0.25 mA cm(-2).

Tetramethylpyrazine inhibits ATP-activated currents in rat dorsal root ganglion neurons

Tetramethylpyrazine (TMP) is one of the alkaloids contained in Ligustrazine which has been used in traditional Chinese medicine as an analgesic for injury and dysmenorrhea. ATP can elicit the sensation of pain. This study observed the effects of TMP on ATP-activated current (IATP) in rat DRG neurons. TMP (0.1-1 mM) concentration-dependently inhibited ATP (100 microM)-activated current in rat DRG neurons. The inhibitory time of ATP (100 microM)-activated current appeared at 15 s after preapplication of TMP and reached its peak at about 45 s. The dose-response curves for IATP in the absence and presence of 1 mM TMP showed that TMP (1 mM) shifted the concentration-response curve of IATP downward markedly and the two EC50 values were very close (75 vs. 82 microM), while the threshold value remained unchanged. Therefore, the inhibitory effect of TMP on IATP may be noncompetitive. TMP did not alter the reversal potential (0 mV) of ATP-activated current, indicating that the site of TMP action is on or near the exterior surface of channel protein and not within the channel pore. Externally applied TMP (1 mM) increases the inhibitory effect of chelerythrine (PKC inhibitor) contained in pipette solution on IATP. The site of TMP action may be the binding of TMP to an allosteric site on the large extracellular region of ATP receptor-ion channel complex (P2X receptors) or PKC site of the N-terminus of P2X receptors. The mechanism of TMP action may be the allosteric regulation via acting on the large extracellular region of ATP receptor-ion channel complex (P2X receptors) and promoting the phosphorylation of PKC site of the N-terminus of P2X receptors.

Transdermal iontophoretic delivery of apomorphine in patients improved by surfactant formulation pretreatment

The objective of the present study is to evaluate the efficacy and the safety of transdermal iontophoretic delivery of R-apomorphine, a potent dopamine agonist, in combination with surfactant pretreatment in patients with advanced Parkinson's disease. Iontophoresis patches were applied in 16 patients for 3.5 h, with 0.5 h of passive delivery followed by 3 h of current application at a current density of 250 microA/cm2. Eight of these patients were treated with a surfactant formulation prior to iontophoresis. The pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamic effects, systemic and local side effects of R-apomorphine were assessed. The plasma concentration vs. time profiles upon iontophoresis of R-apomorphine were described successfully by a novel pharmacokinetic model. The model suggests that only 1.9% of the dose that has been released from the patch accumulated in the skin. The patients treated with the surfactant formulations showed a statistically significant increase of bioavailability (from 10.6+/-0.8% to 13.2+/-1.4%) and of the steady state input rate (from 75.3+/-6.6 to 98.3+/-12.1 nmol/cm2 h) compared to the control patients (iontophoresis without absorption enhancers). In five out of eight patients in the study group and in three out of eight patients in the control group, clinical improvement was observed.

Combined chemical and electrical enhancement modulates stratum corneum structure

In a previous in vitro study it has been shown that pretreatment with a water-based surfactant formulation results in a two-fold increase in transdermal iontophoretic transport of R-apomorphine compared to iontophoresis only. The aim of the study presented in this paper was to unravel the mechanisms involved in the increased iontophoretic delivery. Freeze fracture electron microscopy and cryo-scanning electron microscopy were used to visualise the ultrastucture of human stratum corneum after (i) application of the surfactant formulation, (ii) iontophoresis and (iii) application of the surfactant formulation followed by iontophoresis. Non-occlusive application of the surfactant formulation did not exert any detectable changes in the ultrastructure of the stratum corneum, except for swelling of the outermost corneocyte layers. Application of a current density of 0.5 mA/cm(2) for 9 h induced a swelling of the corneocytes and the formation of water pools that were occasionally present in the intercellular regions. Application of the surfactant formulation followed by iontophoresis resulted in a further swelling of the corneocytes and a frequent presence of water pools in the intercellular regions throughout the whole stratum corneum. The observed changes in the ultrastructure of the stratum corneum can explain the increased R-apomorphine transport during iontophoresis.

Lontophoretic delivery of apomorphine in vitro: physicochemic considerations

PURPOSE

To examine the mechanisms of transdermal iontophoretic delivery of apomorphine.

METHODS

Anodal iontophoresis of R-apomorphine across human stratum corneum was determined in vitro. The effects on the flux of the following parameters were studied: stability of drug, pH of donor solution, concentration of NaCl, and type of Na+ co-ions.

RESULTS

Ascorbic acid was effective to prevent apomorphine degradation. The iontophoretic transport of apomorphine was strongly influenced by the pH of the donor formulation. Increasing the pH from 3 to 6 resulted in an increase in the iontophoretic apomorphine flux from 27.9+/-4.4 nmol/cm2*h to 78.2+/-6.9 nmol/cm2*h. Upon decreasing NaCl concentration from 8 to 2 g/L, the iontophoretic flux was not significantly changed. Replacing NaCl in the donor formulation by tetraethylammonium chloride or tetrabutylammonium chloride resulted in 1.3 fold greater steady-state flux.

CONCLUSIONS

For optimized apomorphine iontophoretic delivery, a constant pH of the donor formulation is of great importance. The results suggest that although flux enhancement during iontophoresis is largely due to the electrical potential gradient, secondary effects, such as convective flow and electroosmosis may also contribute.

Melatonin modulates gamma-aminobutyric acid(A) receptor-mediated currents on isolated carp retinal neurons

Modulation by melatonin of gamma-aminobutyric acid(A) (GABA(A)) receptor-mediated responses was studied in bipolar and amacrine-like cells acutely isolated from carp retina, using the whole-cell patch-clamp technique. Melatonin of 1 mM accelerated desensitization of the GABA(A) receptors at both bipolar and amacrine-like cells. In addition, 1 mM melatonin hardly changed the GABA(A) receptor-mediated response amplitude of bipolar cells, while it increased or decreased that of amacrine-like cells, depending on the concentration of GABA applied. These modulatory effects, which can not be blocked by luzindole, a melatonin receptor antagonist, may be due to the allosteric action caused by melatonin bound to a site of the GABA(A) receptors.