Observation of Transverse Spin-Dependent Azimuthal Correlations of Charged Pion Pairs in p^{↑}+p at sqrt[s]=200 GeV

We report the observation of transverse polarization-dependent azimuthal correlations in charged pion pair production with the STAR experiment in p^{↑}+p collisions at RHIC. These correlations directly probe quark transversity distributions. We measure signals in excess of 5 standard deviations at high transverse momenta, at high pseudorapidities η>0.5, and for pair masses around the mass of the ρ meson. This is the first direct transversity measurement in p+p collisions.

Lowering Endogenous Cathepsin D Abundance Results in Reactive Oxygen Species Accumulation and Cell Senescence

Cathepsin D is reportedly to be closely associated with tumor development, migration, and invasion, but its pathological mechanism is not fully elucidated. We aimed to evaluate phenotypic changes and molecular events in response to cathepsin D knockdown. Lowering endogenous cathepsin D abundance (CR) induced senescence in HeLa cells, leading to reduced rate of cell proliferation and impaired tumorigenesis in a mouse model. Quantitative proteomics revealed that compared with control cells (EV), the abundances of several typical lysosomal proteases were decreased in the lysosomal fraction in CR cells. We further showed that cathepsin D knockdown caused increased permeability of lysosomal membrane and reactive oxygen species accumulation in CR cells, and the scavenging of reactive oxygen species by antioxidant was able to rescue cell senescence. Despite the increased reactive oxygen species, the proteomic data suggested a global reduction of redox-related proteins in CR cells. Subsequent analysis indicated that the transcriptional activity of nuclear factor erythroid-related factor 2 (Nrf2), which regulates the expression of groups of antioxidant enzymes, was down-regulated by cathepsin D knockdown. Importantly, Nrf2 overexpression significantly reduced cell senescence. Although transient oxidative stress promoted the accumulation of Nrf2 in the nucleus, we showed that the Nrf2 protein exited nucleus if oxidative stress persisted. In addition, when cathepsin D was transiently knocked down, the cathepsin-related events followed a sequential order, including lysosomal leakage during the early stage, followed by oxidative stress augmentation, and ultimately Nrf2 down-regulation and senescence. Our results suggest the roles of cathepsin D in cancer cells in maintaining lysosomal integrity, redox balance, and Nrf2 activity, thus promoting tumorigenesis. The MS Data are available via ProteomeXchange with identifier PXD002844.

Monodispersed Hollow SO3H-Functionalized Carbon/Silica as Efficient Solid Acid Catalyst for Esterification of Oleic Acid

SO3H-functionalized monodispersed hollow carbon/silica spheres (HS/C-SO3H) with primary mesopores were prepared with polystyrene as a template and p-toluenesulfonic acid (TsOH) as a carbon precursor and -SO3H source simultaneously. The physical and chemical properties of HS/C-SO3H were characterized by N2 adsorption, TEM, SEM, XPS, XRD, Raman spectrum, NH3-TPD, element analysis and acid-base titration techniques. As a solid acid catalyst, HS/C-SO3H shows excellent performance in the esterification of oleic acid with methanol, which is a crucial reaction in biodiesel production. The well-defined hollow architecture and enhanced active sites accessibility of HS/C-SO3H guarantee the highest catalytic performance compared with the catalysts prepared by activation of TsOH deposited on the ordered mesoporous silicas SBA-15 and MCM-41. At the optimized conditions, high conversion (96.9%) was achieved and no distinct activity drop was observed after 5 recycles. This synthesis strategy will provide a highly effective solid acid catalyst for green chemical processes.

Expression and clinical significance of LRRC4 in benign and malignant nasopharyngeal diseases

The aim of this study was to investigate the expression of LRRC4 in nasopharyngeal carcinomas, nasopharyngeal precancerous lesions, and nasopharyngitis as well as the clinical significance of LRRC4. Fifty patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma were selected as study subjects; 28 patients with chronic nasopharyngitis and 22 patients with nasopharyngeal precancerous lesions served as controls. Immunohistochemical analysis was used to study protein expression of LRRC4; the relation between LRRC4 expression and the clinical stage and histopathological features of nasopharyngeal carcinoma was also analyzed. The LRRC4 expression manifested itself as yellow staining in the cytoplasm or nucleus. LRRC4 was strongly expressed in nasopharyngeal epithelial tissues of patients with chronic nasopharyngitis and in nasopharyngeal precancerous lesions; the rates of positive results were 82.1 and 81.8%, respectively. LRRC4 was weakly expressed in nasopharyngeal carcinoma tissues, at a rate of 10% positive results (P< 0.001); there was no significant difference in the expression of LRRC4 among different clinical stages and pathological grades. Therefore, disappearance of LRRC4 expression is a major feature of nasopharyngeal carcinoma.

Regulating the cytoprotective response in cancer cells using simultaneous inhibition of Hsp90 and Hsp70

Both heat shock protein 90 and 70 (Hsp90, Hsp70) are cytoprotective proteins that regulate cell death by stabilizing and folding proteins. Taking a two-pronged approach, involving simultaneous inhibition of Hsp90 and Hsp70, leads to synergistic cell death, which makes this is an appealing clinical therapy.

Loss of Lrig1 leads to expansion of Brunner glands followed by duodenal adenomas with gastric metaplasia

Leucine-rich repeats and immunoglobulin-like domains 1 (LRIG1) is a pan-ErbB negative regulator and intestinal stem cell marker down-regulated in many malignancies. We previously reported that 14 of 16 Lrig1-CreERT2/CreERT2 (Lrig1(-/-)) mice developed duodenal adenomas, providing the first in vivo evidence that Lrig1 acts as a tumor suppressor. We extended this study to a larger cohort and found that 49 of 54 Lrig1(-/-) mice develop duodenal adenomas beginning at 3 months. Most adenomas were histologically low grade and overlaid expanded Brunner glands. There was morphologic and biochemical blurring of the boundary between the epithelium and Brunner glands with glandular coexpression of ErbB2, which is normally restricted to the epithelium, and the Brunner gland marker Mucin6. Some adenomas were high grade with reduced Brunner glands. At age 4 to 5 weeks, before adenoma formation, we observed enhanced proliferation in Brunner glands and, at 2 months, an increase in the size of the Brunner gland compartment. Elevated expression of the epidermal growth factor receptor (Egfr) ligands amphiregulin and β-cellulin, as well as Egfr and phosphorylated Egfr, was detected in adenomas compared with adjacent normal tissue. These adenomas expressed the gastric-specific genes gastrokine1 and mucin5ac, indicating gastric metaplasia. Moreover, we found that a subset of human duodenal tumors exhibited features of LRIG1(-/-) adenomas, including loss of LRIG1, gastric metaplasia (MUCIN5AC and MUCIN6), and increased amphiregulin and Egfr activity.

The Cut-Off Point and Boundary Values of Waist-to-Height Ratio as an Indicator for Cardiovascular Risk Factors in Chinese Adults from the PURE Study

To explore a scientific boundary of WHtR to evaluate central obesity and CVD risk factors in a Chinese adult population. The data are from the Prospective Urban Rural Epidemiology (PURE) China study that was conducted from 2005-2007. The final study sample consisted of 43 841 participants (18 019 men and 25 822 women) aged 35-70 years. According to the group of CVD risk factors proposed by Joint National Committee 7 version and the clustering of risk factors, some diagnosis parameters, such as sensitivity, specificity and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve least distance were calculated for hypertension, diabetes, high serum triglyceride (TG), high serum low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), low serum high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) and clustering of risk factors (number≥2) to evaluate the efficacy at each value of the WHtR cut-off point. The upper boundary value for severity was fixed on the point where the specificity was above 90%. The lower boundary value, which indicated above underweight, was determined by the percentile distribution of WHtR, specifically the 5th percentile (P5) for both males and females population. Then, based on convenience and practical use, the optimal boundary values of WHtR for underweight and obvious central obesity were determined. For the whole study population, the optimal WHtR cut-off point for the CVD risk factor cluster was 0.50. The cut-off points for severe central obesity were 0.57 in the whole population. The upper boundary values of WHtR to detect the risk factor cluster with specificity above 90% were 0.55 and 0.58 for men and women, respectively. Additionally, the cut-off points of WHtR for each of four cardiovascular risk factors with specificity above 90% in males ranged from 0.55 to 0.56, whereas in females, it ranged from 0.57 to 0.58. The P5 of WHtR, which represents the lower boundary values of WHtR that indicates above underweight, was 0.40 in the whole population. WHtR 0.50 was an optimal cut-off point for evaluating CVD risks in Chinese adults of both genders. The optimal boundaries of WHtR were 0.40 and 0.57, indicating low body weight and severe risk for CVD, respectively, in Chinese adults.

Transvenosus, a new genus in the leafhopper subfamily Evacanthinae (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae), with description of one new species

Evacanthinae is a small subfamily in the Cicadellidae (Young, 1968; Zhang, 1990). It was redefined by Dietrich (2004), who included the tribes Evacanthini, Nirvanini, Balbillini and Pagaroniini in this subfamily. Recently, a new species was found in loaned material from Thailand, having several peculiar features worthy of establishing a new genus, described below. In addition, based on study of specimens collected from the type locality, Cunedda signuma Li & Webb is transferred to the new genus. 

Traditional Chinese medicine Zhiqiao-Houpu herb-pair induce bidirectional effects on gastric motility in rats

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE

Zhiqiao-Houpu herb-pair (ZQHPHP), composed of Fructus Aurantii (Zhiqiao [ZQ] in Chinese) and Magnolia officinalis (Houpu [HP] in Chinese), is a traditional herbal formula that has been extensively used for treating gastrointestinal motor dysfunction. The aim of the study was to evaluate the effect and possible mechanism of ZQHPHP on gastric emptying (GE) and gastric antral smooth muscle contractility (GASMC).

MATERIALS AND METHODS

This study includes four parts: (a) study of ZQHPHP's effect on GE; (b) study of ZQHPHP's effect on gastric antral smooth muscle contractility (GASMC); (c) comparing the effects of ZQHPHP, ZQ and HP on GASMC; (d) study of antagonists or agonists on ZQHPHP-induced GASMC. A test meal of Evans blue was adopted to estimate GE in rats. A polygraph was used to measure GASMC in rats.

RESULTS

The in vivo experiments demonstrated that, at the doses of 10mg/kg bw and 20mg/kg bw, ZQHPHP could promote GE. While, at the higher dose of 30 mg/kg bw, ZQHPHP delayed the GE. From the in vitro experiments we found that ZQHPHP (3-10 μg/ml) concentration-dependently increased the mean amplitude of contractions in the antral circular strip compared to untreated controls. While, in the concentration of 30 μg/ml, ZQHPHP prohibited GASMC. Besides, atropine blocked the stimulatory effect of ZQHPHP on GASMC and norepinephrine partly prohibited the stimulatory effect of ZQHPHP on GASMC, whereas isoproterenol showed no effect. From the in vitro experiment, we also found that ZQ and HP used together can synergistically increase gut motor.

CONCLUSIONS

The experiment indicated that ZQHPHP could induce bidirectional regulation on gastric motility. ZQ and HP used together can synergistically increase gut motor at a certain dosage. Lower dosage of ZQHPHP increases gastric motility, while higher dosage produces inhibition. In addition, the improvement of gastric motility by ZQHPHP is predominantly involved with muscarinic receptors and secondarily with alpha-receptors.

Mapping the Electronic Structure of Each Ingredient Oxide Layer of High-T\{c} Cuprate Superconductor Bi{2}Sr{2}CaCu{2}O{8+δ}

Understanding the mechanism of high transition temperature (T{c}) superconductivity in cuprates has been hindered by the apparent complexity of their multilayered crystal structure. Using a cryogenic scanning tunneling microscopy (STM), we report on layer-by-layer probing of the electronic structures of all ingredient planes (BiO, SrO, CuO{2}) of Bi{2}Sr{2}CaCu_2}O{8+δ} superconductor prepared by argon-ion bombardment and annealing technique. We show that the well-known pseudogap (PG) feature observed by STM is inherently a property of the BiO planes and thus irrelevant directly to Cooper pairing. The SrO planes exhibit an unexpected van Hove singularity near the Fermi level, while the CuO{2} planes are exclusively characterized by a smaller gap inside the PG. The small gap becomes invisible near T{c}, which we identify as the superconducting gap. The above results constitute severe constraints on any microscopic model for high T{c} superconductivity in cuprates.

Combining an Hsp70 inhibitor with either an N- or C-terminal Hsp90 inhibitor produces mechanistically distinct phenotypes

Blocking the function of both heat shock protein 90 and 70 (Hsp90 and Hsp70) simultaneously limits these chaperones' cytoprotective effects on cancer cells. The unique phenotype associated with modulating Hsp90's C-terminus, when used in combination with Hsp70 inhibitors, produces a synergistic and highly relevant dual chemotherapy regimen.

Light-Cured Self-Etch Adhesives Undergo Hydroxyapatite-Triggered Self-Cure

Light cure is a popular mode of curing for dental adhesives. However, it suffers from inadequate light delivery when the restoration site is less accessible, in which case a self-cure mechanism is desirable to salvage any compromised polymerization. We previously reported a novel self-cure system mediated by ethyl 4-(dimethylamino)-benzoate (4E) and hydroxyapatite (HAp). The present work aims to investigate if such self-cure phenomenon takes place in adhesives that underwent prior inadequate light cure and to elucidate if HAp released from the dental etching process is sufficient to trigger it. Model self-etch adhesives were formulated with various components, including bis[2-methacryloyloxy)ethyl]-phosphate (2MP) as acidic monomer and trimethylbenzoyl-diphenylphosphine oxide (TPO) as photoinitiator. In vitro evolution of degree of conversion (DC) of HAp-incorporated adhesives was monitored by infrared spectroscopy during light irradiation and dark storage. Selected adhesives were allowed to etch and extract HAp from enamel, light-cured in situ, and stored in the dark, after which Raman line mapping was used to obtain spatially resolved DC across the enamel-resin interface. Results showed that TPO+4E adhesives reached DC similar to TPO-only counterparts upon completion of light irradiation but underwent another round of initiation that boosted DC to ~100% regardless of HAp level or prior light exposure. When applied to enamel, TPO-only adhesives had ~80% DC in resin, which gradually descended to ~50% in enamel, whereas TPO+4E adhesives consistently scored ~80% DC across the enamel-resin interface. These observations suggest that polymerization of adhesives that underwent insufficient light cure is salvaged by the novel self-cure mechanism, and such salvaging effect can be triggered by HAp released from dental substrate during the etching process.

Synthesis and Biological Evaluation of Norcantharidin Derivatives Possessing an Aromatic Amine Moiety as Antifungal Agents

Based on the structure of naturally produced cantharidin, different arylamine groups were linked to the norcantharidin scaffold to provide thirty six compounds. Their structures were confirmed by melting point, ¹H-NMR, (13)C-NMR and HRMS-ESI studies. These synthetic compounds were tested as fungistatic agents against eight phytopathogenic fungi using the mycelium growth rate method. Of these thirty six derivatives, seven displayed stronger antifungal activity than did norcantharidin, seven showed higher activity than did cantharidin and three exhibited more significant activity than that of thiabendazole. In particular, 3-(3'-chloro-phenyl)carbamoyl norcantharidate II-8 showed the most significant fungicidal activity against Sclerotinia fructigena and S. sclerotiorum, with IC50 values of 0.88 and 0.97 μg/mL, respectively. The preliminary structure-activity relationship data of these compounds revealed that: (1) the benzene ring is critical for the improvement of the spectrum of antifungal activity (3-phenylcarbamoyl norcantharidate II-1 vs norcantharidin and cantharidin); (2) among the three sites, including the C-2', C-3' and C-4' positions of the phenyl ring, the presence of a halogen atom at the C-3'position of the benzene ring caused the most significant increase in antifungal activity; (3) compounds with strongly electron-drawing or electron-donating groups substitutions were found to have a poor antifungal activity; and (4) compared with fluorine, bromine and iodine, chlorine substituted at the C-3' position of the benzene ring most greatly promoted fungistatic activity. Thus, compound II-8 has emerged as new lead structure for the development of new fungicides.

Biochemical characterization of the novel endo-β-mannanase AtMan5-2 from Arabidopsis thaliana

Plant mannanases are enzymes that carry out fundamentally important functions in cell wall metabolism during plant growth and development by digesting manno-polysaccharides. In this work, the Arabidopsis mannanase 5-2 (AtMan5-2) from a previously uncharacterized subclade of glycoside hydrolase family 5 subfamily 7 (GH5_7) has been heterologously produced in Pichia pastoris. Purified recombinant AtMan5-2 is a glycosylated protein with an apparent molecular mass of 50kDa, a pH optimum of 5.5-6.0 and a temperature optimum of 25°C. The enzyme exhibits high substrate affinity and catalytic efficiency on mannan substrates with main chains containing both glucose and mannose units such as konjac glucomannan and spruce galactoglucomannan. Product analysis of manno-oligosaccharide hydrolysis shows that AtMan5-2 requires at least six substrate-binding subsites. No transglycosylation activity for the recombinant enzyme was detected in the present study. Our results demonstrate diversification of catalytic function among members in the Arabidopsis GH5_7 subfamily.

[Intervention Mechanism of Extracts from Radix Ginseng, Radix Notoginseng and Rhizoma Chuanxiong on Adventitia of Senescent Rats]

OBJECTIVE

To observe the reconstruction features of adventitia in senescent rats, and to explore the intervention mechanism of Chinese herbs (CH, extracts from Radix Ginseng, Radix Notoginseng, and Rhizoma Chuanxiong).

METHODS

Totally 85 20-month senescent rats were randomly divided into 5 groups according to body weight, i.e., the aging model group, the high dose CH group, the middle dose CH group, the low dose CH group, the Losartan group, 17 in each group. Another 14 2-month old Wistar rats were selected as a young group. Extracts of CH at the daily dose of 1493. 4, 746. 7, and 373. 4 mg/kg were administered to rats in the 3 CH groups respectively by gastrogavage. Losartan suspension at the daily dose of 10 mg/kg was administered to rats in the Losartan group by gastrogavage. Equal volume of distilled water was administered to rats in the aging model group and the young group. All medication was performed once daily. After 15-week intervention, morphological changes of thoracic aorta were observed by HE staining. The types, distribution, and contents of vessel wall collagens were determined using picric acid picrosirius red staining. The plasma renin activity (PRA) , the concentration of rennin angiotensin II (Ang II), and the content of Ang II in adventitia were detected by radioimmunoassay. The content of hydroxyproline ( Hyp) was detected by biochemical analysis. mRNA contents and protein expressions of angiotensin II receptor 1 (AT1R) and angiotensin II receptor 2 (AT2R) were detected by real-time PCR (RT-PCR) and Western blot.

RESULTS

Compared with the young group, thickened adventitia, increased adventitia thickness/caliber, accumulated collagen fiber, increased area of type I collagen, decreased area of type III collagen, decreased type III/I collagen area ratio (P <0. 05), decreased plasma PRA and Ang II (P < 0.01, P < 0.05), increased contents of Ang II and Hyp in adventitia, down-regulated mRNA and protein expressions of AT1R, and up-regulated mRNA and protein expression of AT2R could be seen in the aging model group (P < 0.05). Compared with the aging model group, morphological changes could be improved in the 3 CH groups. Adventitia thickness/caliber was reduced in middle and high dose CH groups, as well as the Losartan group. The area of type I collagen was reduced and the area of type III collagen was enlarged, type III/I collagen area ratio obviously increased, contents of adventitia Hyp was obviously lowered in the high dose CH groups and the Losartan group (P < 0.05, P < 0.01). Ang II levels in adventitia decreased in middle and high dose CH groups and the Losartan group (P < 0.05, P < 0.01). There was no statistical difference in PAR among all groups (P > 0.05). Compared with the aging model group, mRNA expression of AT1R all increased in each treatment group (P < 0.01); mRNA expression of AT2R also increased in middle and high dose CH groups (P < 0.05). Protein expression of AT1R increased in the high dose CH group and the Losartan group (P < 0.01, P < 0.05); protein expression of AT2R also increased in middle and high dose CH groups (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONS

Adventitia remodeling occurred in aged rats, manifested as thickened adventitia and accumulated collagens, disordered ratios of collagen I and III. Its mechanism might be possibly associated with aactivation of renin-angiotensin system (RAS). Extracts from Radix Ginseng, Radix Notoginseng, and Rhizoma Chuanxiong could improve adventitial remodeling possibly by interfering multi-targets, such as Ang II and AT1R, thereby delaying vascular aging.