Construction of La-tPA vector and expression in the mammary gland of transgenic mice

Expression vectors of long acting human tissue plasminogen activator (La-tPa) in the mammary gland was constructed using the promoters of sheep beta-lactoglobulin gene (BLG, 5 kb) containing the first and the second introns obtained by PCR. Transgenic mice were established by microinjection. 540 fertilized eggs were injected and 6 transgenic mice were screened out from the offspring by PCR and Southern Blot analysis. The foreign gene integrating rate was 32%. The expression of La-tPA in mammary glands of transgenic mice was confirmed by milk assay and Northern blot analysis. Expression level of La-tPA reached 6 ug/ml in milk of transgenic mice.

Light shift compensation in a Rb gas cell frequency standard with two-laser pumping

One of the most important physical processes occurring in Rb frequency standards is the light shift, which depends strongly on the intensity and the optical frequency detuning of the pumping light. This paper presents a method to compensate the light shift by means of two-laser pumping. The two-laser pumping schemes will also improve the signal-to-noise ratio, because almost all atoms can be pumped to the desired state.

Crystal structures of two forms of a 14-mer RNA/DNA chimer duplex with double UU bulges: a novel intramolecular U*(A x U) base triple

The RNA/DNA 14-mer, (gguauuucgguaCc)2 with consecutive uridine bulges (underlined) on each strand has been determined in two crystal forms, spermine bound (Sp-form) and spermine free (Sp-free). The former was solved by the MAD method with three-wavelength data collected at Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL); the later isomorphous structure was solved by the molecular replacement method using data collected on our Raxis IIc imaging plate system. The two crystal forms belong to the space group C2 with one molecule of double-stranded 14 mer in the asymmetric unit. The Sp-form has cell constants, a = 60.06, b = 29.10, c = 52.57 A, beta = 120.79 degrees and was refined to 1.7 A resolution with a final Rwork/Rfree of 19.8%/22.7% using 8,549 independent reflections. The Sp-free structure has cell constants, a = 60.06, b = 29.58, c = 52.50 A, beta = 120.85 degrees and was refined to 1.8 A with a final Rwork/ Rfree of 20.8%/23.2% using 6,285 unique reflections. The two structures are identical, except that the Sp-form has a spermine bound in the major groove, parallel to the RNA helical axis. One of the uridine bulges forms a novel intramolecular U*(A x U) base triple. The helices are in the C3'-endo conformation (A-form), but the bulges adopt the C2'-endo sugar pucker. Furthermore, the bulges induce a kink (30 degrees) in the helix axis and a very large twist (55 degrees) between the base pairs flanking the bulges. The Sp-form has one Mg2+ ion whereas the Sp-free form has two Mg2+ ions.

Observation of B(0)(s)-->Psi(2S)Phi and measurement of the ratio of branching fractions Beta(B(0)(s)-->Psi(2S)Phi)/Beta(B(0)(s)-->J/PsiPhi)

We report the first observation of B(0)(s)-->Psi(2S)Phi decay in p(p_) collisions at square root of 8=1.96 TeV using 360 pb(-1) of data collected by the CDF II detector at the Fermilab Tevatron. We observe 20.2 +/- 5.0 and 12.3 +/- 4.1 B(0)(s)-->Psi(2S)Phi candidates, in Psi(2S)-->mu(+)mu(-) and Phi(2S)-->J/Phipi(+)pi(-) decay modes, respectively. We present a measurement of the relative branching fraction Beta(B(0)(s)-->Psi(2S)Phi)/Beta(B(0)(s)-->J/PsiPhi)=0.52 +/- 0.13(stat) +/- 0.04(syst) +/- 0.06(BR) using the Psi(2S)-->mu(+)mu(-) decay mode.

[Principles of magnetic resonance imaging and its value in diagnosis of sinonasal disease]

Magnetic resonance imaging is commonly used in clinical work for its high resolution for soft tissue, and without radiation or interaction of bone interference. For ENT physicians, to read MRI accurately and retrieve more information from it would help the clinical work a lot. This review introduces the principles of MRI, the anatomy, the inflammatory disease, benign tumors and malignancies of the nasonasal tract.

[Endoscopic salvage treatment for optic neuropathy caused by sinonasal fibro-osseous lesions]

Objective: To summarize the surgical techniques, benefits and limitations of transnasal endoscopic resection and optic nerve decompression for patients with optic neuropathy caused by fibro-osseous lesions. Methods: Eight patients with optic neuropathy caused by fibro-osseous lesions who accepted endoscopic surgery of either resection of the lesion or decompression of optic nerve in Otorhinolaryngology Hospital, First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University from 2007 to 2016 were retrospectively reviewed and followed until April, 2017. Analyses were performed on the pathology type, disease extent and disease duration, especially on the visual acuity and visual field changes before and after surgery. Results: Eight patients (5 male and 3 female) were included in this study, with a median age of 12 years old (8-19 years old). The median disease duration was 12 months (1-72 months). The visual acuity (VA) of five patients (40 cm/FC, 0.2, 0.1, 0.2, 10 cm/FC, respectively) improved after surgery (0.1, 0.3, 1.2, 0.1, 0.6, respectively), and one patient had no change of VA after the surgery. Two patients (0.02, hand movement, before surgery) became deprived of light perception (VA=0) immediately after surgery. One patient complicated with intra orbital hemorrhage because of anterior artery injury. No complications of cerebral spinal fluid leak, intra-ocular muscle injury, intra-cranial hemorrhage or brain tissue injury occurred. Conclusion: For the treatment of optic neuropathy caused by fibro-osseous lesions, transnasal endoscopic surgery might have a good outcome.

[Analysis of association of human 8-oxoguanine giycosylase 1 polymorphism with the susceptibility of laryngeal cancer]

Objective: To study the association between human 8-oxoguanine giycosylase 1 (hOGG1) gene polymorphisms and the risk of laryngeal carcinoma. Methods: A total of 86 patients with laryngeal carcinoma treated in The Air Force General Hospital and the Bozhou People's Hospital of Anhui Province from Jan 2010 to Dec 2014 were included in experimental group, and 86 healthy adults were selected as control group. The hOGG1 gene polymorphisms of subjects in two group were detected with by polymerase chain reaction amplification and gene sequencing technology, the differences in hOGG1 gene polymorphisms between two groups were analyzed. Results: The frequencies of hOGG1 gene heterozygous type (Ser/Cys) and mutant type (Cys/Cys) in experimental group were higher than those in control group(P<0.05). Compared to individuals with hOGG1 gene Ser/Ser, individuals with hOGG1 gene Ser/Cys had a 2.97-fold increased risk of laryngeal carcinoma, and individuals with hOGG1 gene Cys/Cys had a 8.09-fold increased risk of laryngeal carcinoma. Stratified by smoking or not, it was found that the proportion of heterozygous type or mutant type in smokers was higher significantly than non-smokers (P<0.05). Conclusion: Individuals with hOGG1 gene heterozygous type (Ser/Cys) or mutant type (Cys/Cys) have a higher risk of laryngeal carcinoma, with interaction between these gene types and smoking, and the gene types could be used as predictors for the occurrence of laryngeal carcinoma.

[Analysis on the status of occupational health of medical radiation workers in China in 2019]

Objective: To grasp the occupational health monitoring of radiation workers in medical institutions across the country, and to discover weak links in the prevention and treatment of occupational radiation diseases. Methods: In 2020 January, according to the monitoring data of the "National Radiation Health Information Platform" (Occupational Radiation Disease and Occupational Health Monitoring Subsystem and Occupational Radiation Disease Reporting Subsystem) , the national occupational health monitoring data from January 1 to December 31, 2019, including the number of radiation workers in medical institutions, occupational health examinations, personal dose monitoring and occupational radiation disease diagnosis, were descriptive analyzed. Results: There were a total of 394436 radiation workers in medical institutions across the country. The number of radiation workers in various provinces was quite different, with a median of 10206, which was positively correlated with the number of permanent residents in each province (r=0.947) . There were 376 personal dose monitoring institutions nationwide, and the personal dose monitoring rate of radiation workers in medical institutions was 96.61% (381045/394436) . There were 419 occupational health inspection institutions for radiation workers across the country, and 269 (64.20%) used software to print physical examination forms. A total of 334455 radiation workers in medical institutions had been subjected to occupational health examinations. The rate of occupational health examinations for radiation workers in medical institutions was 84.79% (334455/394436) . The abnormal rate of chromosomal aberrations in peripheral blood lymphocytes of radiation workers in medical institutions was 0.33% (776/233571) , the detection rate of posterior posterior subcapsular turbidity was 0.63% (2093/334455) , and the abnormality rate of thyroid color ultrasound was 28.49% (14946/52464) . In 2019, a total of 16 cases of occupational radiation diseases were reported. Conclusion: The personal dose monitoring rate and occupational health examination rate of medical radiation workers nationwide are relatively high, but the quality of lymphocyte chromosome aberration analysis, eye lens examination and thyroid color photograph examination needs to be further improved.

[Heritability and genetic correlation of body mass index and coronary heart disease in Chinese adult twins]

Objective: To examine the heritability of body mass index (BMI) and coronary heart disease (CHD), and to explore whether genetic factors can explain their correlation. Methods: Participants were from 11 provinces/municipalities reqistered in the Chinese National Twin Registry (CNTR) from 2010 to 2018. Participants data were collected from face-to-face questionnaire survey. Bivariate structure equation model was used to estimate the heritability and the genetic correlation of BMI and CHD. Results: A total of 20 340 pairs of same-sex twins aged ≥25 years were included in this study. After adjusting for age and gender, the heritability of BMI and CHD was 0.52 (95%CI: 0.49-0.55) and 0.76 (95%CI: 0.69-0.81), respectively. Further, a genetic correlation was identified between BMI and CHD (r_A=0.10, 95%CI:0.02-0.17). Conclusion: In Chinese adult twin population, BMI and CHD are affected by genetic factors, and their correlation can be attributed to the common genetic basis.

High-Entropy Magnet Enabling Distinctive Thermal Expansions in Intermetallic Compounds

The high-entropy strategy has gained increasing popularity in the design of functional materials due to its four core effects. In this study, we introduce the concept of a "high-entropy magnet (HEM)", which integrates diverse magnetic compounds within a single phase and is anticipated to demonstrate unique magnetism-related properties beyond that of its individual components. This concept is exemplified in AB2-type layered Kagome intermetallic compounds (Ti,Zr,Hf,Nb,Fe)Fe2. It is revealed that the competition among individual magnetic states and the presence of magnetic Fe in originally nonmagnetic high-entropy sites lead to intricate magnetic transitions with temperature. Consequently, unusual transformations in thermal expansion property (from positive to zero, negative, and back to near zero) are observed. Specifically, a near-zero thermal expansion is achieved over a wide temperature range (10-360 K, αv = -0.62 × 10-6 K-1) in the A-site equal-atomic ratio (Ti1/5Zr1/5Hf1/5Nb1/5Fe1/5)Fe2 compound, which is associated with successive deflection of average Fe moments. The HEM strategy holds promise for discovering new functionalities in solid materials.

Measurement of Λ_{b}^{0}, Λ_{c}^{+}, and Λ Decay Parameters Using Λ_{b}^{0}→Λ_{c}^{+}h^{-} Decays

A comprehensive study of the angular distributions in the bottom-baryon decays Λ_{b}^{0}→Λ_{c}^{+}h^{-}(h=π,K), followed by Λ_{c}^{+}→Λh^{+} with Λ→pπ^{-} or Λ_{c}^{+}→pK_{S}^{0} decays, is performed using a data sample of proton-proton collisions corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 9  fb^{-1} collected by the LHCb experiment at center-of-mass energies of 7, 8, and 13 TeV. The decay parameters and the associated charge-parity (CP) asymmetries are measured, with no significant CP violation observed. For the first time, the Λ_{b}^{0}→Λ_{c}^{+}h^{-} decay parameters are measured. The most precise measurements of the decay parameters α, β, and γ are obtained for Λ_{c}^{+} decays and an independent measurement of the decay parameters for the strange-baryon Λ decay is provided. The results deepen our understanding of weak decay dynamics in baryon decays.

Abstract 2542: Preclinical studies of novel phosphonium salts with broad-spectrum activity

Proliferation under selective pressures exerted by an unstable microenvironment, requires tumor cells employ adaptive mechanisms that confer growth advantage. Adaptation to adverse conditions results in cellular phenotypes that typify neoplastic transformation and offer unique opportunities for selective targeting of cancer cells. Agents that target tumor cell mitochondria with high selectivity hold clinical significance due to the adaptive, modulatory and essential role of this organelle in cancer cell energy production, metabolism and apoptosis. To this end, we have identified a series of novel, mitochondriotropic phosphonium salts, (TP compounds), that have shown broad-spectrum anti-cancer and anti-angiogenic activity in preclinical evaluation. A high-throughput MTT-based screen of over 10,000 drug-like small molecules for anti-proliferative activity identified the phosphonium salts TP187, 197 and 421 and numerous close analogues as having IC50 concentrations in the sub-micromolar range. TP treatment induced cell cycle arrest, lowered oxygen consumption, and increased mitochondrial superoxide production. Administered as single agents in a mouse model of human breast cancer, TP compounds significantly decreased tumor growth with no observed toxicities. Protein microarray data demonstrated significant down-regulation of integrin and growth factor mediated signaling pathways governing key processes including cancer cell survival, proliferation and tumor angiogenesis. At low micromolar concentrations, TP compounds prevented integrin-mediated cell adhesion to fibronectin and vitronectin coated substrates and tumor cell haptotaxsis on vitronectin coated boyden chambers. Similar concentrations of TP compound also prevented growth factor induced endothelial cell tube formation in 3-D culture using basement membrane extracts. Taken together, these results suggest that as mitochondria-targeted agents, TP compounds act to inhibit tumor cell proliferation and angiogenic capacity.

Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 102nd Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2011 Apr 2-6; Orlando, FL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2011;71(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 2542. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2011-2542

Use of a prognostic pathway signature for colorectal cancer comprised of EGFR/COX2 and imatinib drug target activation to predict occult metastasis in M0 CRC

4042

Background: Development of distant metastasis is the main cause of death among CRC patients. Approximately 30% of CRC patients initially staged M0-N0 die from tumor recurrence. Previously, we determined that members of EGFR/PDGFR/cAbl/cKit pathways were hyperactivated in hepatic synchronous CRC metastasis compared to primary tumor. In order to determine if this signature was a distinguished repertoire of the early stage primary tumor, we analyzed 58 CRC M0 at the moment of the diagnosis that upon 5 yr follow-up had differing disease progressions. Methods: All tissues were immediately snap frozen after surgery. Reverse phase protein microarray (RPMA) was performed using microdissected material to generate multiplexed pathway profiling. For each sample 75 different endpoints were analyzed. Results: Statistical comparison of the 75 endpoints in 8 M0 patients who progressed to M1 and 50 patients who remained M0 regardless of initial staging, revealed a number of signaling proteins whose activation/phosphorylation were elevated and subsumed in a linked pathway. Specifically COX2 and c-Kit/PDGFR/Notch were highly activated in the 8 patients with occult metastasis. A prognostic pathway signature comprised of 13 interlinked molecules was developed. Univariate, ROC and Kaplan-Meier analysis of this signature revealed a statistically significant prognostic signature with an AUC of 0.87 and a 95% confidence interval. Conclusions: A signaling portrait of 13 interlinked proteins provided a strong prognostic indicator for metastasis regardless of stage. This signature was comprised of the phosphorylation/activation of growth factor receptors, including the entire suite of Gleevec targets. A large number of these prognostic signature components were previously found activated in the metastatic lesions themselves which indicates a potential functional role of this linked protein network in metastatic progression and maintenance. If validated in larger study sets, clinical trials to test Gleevec therapy combined with Cox2 /EGFR inhibitors to prevent/delay development of distant metastasis in patients with M0 should be considered.

[Table: see text]

Buprenorphine given after surgery does not alter renal ischemia/reperfusion injury

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

Potential drugs for human acute renal failure are often tested in an animal model of renal ischemia/reperfusion injury. Analgesics are often not given after surgery because of concerns that they would alter renal function. Therefore, we tested whether postoperative analgesia would alter animal health or affect the degree of renal injury.

METHODS

Mice were subjected to either 32 or 37 minutes of renal ischemia, given two or six doses of buprenorphine or vehicle at 12-hour intervals, and followed for 72 hours. In some animals, we measured body temperature and physical activity by use of telemetry.

RESULTS

Animals treated with buprenorphine recovered more rapidly from surgery based on postoperative activity, and had a small but not significant tendency for faster restoration of normal body temperature. Animals treated with buprenorphine had less weight loss after 37 minutes of ischemia. Buprenorphine given after surgery did not influence the degree of renal injury after ischemia/reperfusion.

CONCLUSIONS

Buprenorphine should be given after renal ischemia-reperfusion surgery because administration of the proper analgesic improved animal health without interfering with the renal ischemia/reperfusion model. Analgesic treatment at the time of the operation and 12 hours after was sufficient. Buprenorphine may reduce the post-surgical stress response, and thus potentially improve the specificity of testing for drugs that reduce or treat renal injury.

[Polymorphism of ACE gene and its relationship with serum ACE activity in the Hans in Chengdu region]

This study was aimed at the angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) gene insertion/deletion(I/D) polymorphism distribution in Chinese and its relationship with serum ACE activity(SACE). SACE activity and ACE gene polymorphism in 90 healthy persons in Chengdu region were investigated using a spectrophotometric assay and the PCR technique, respectively. The results showed that, in the Hans, DD genotype of ACE gene was 18%, DI genotype 44%, and II genotype 38%. Allele frequencies were 0.40 for the D allele and 0.60 for the I allele. There were significant relationships between ACE I/D polymorphism and SACE activity. The results suggest that ACE genotype distribution be different between races, that II genotype and I allele be more frequent in Chinese, and that SACE activity be under the influence of a genetic polymorphism of ACE in Chinese.