Related factors and prevalence of Parkinson's disease among Uygur residents in Hetian, Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region

The aim of this study was to identify the factors related to and determine the prevalence of Parkinson's disease (PD) among Uygur residents in Hetian Prefecture, Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. This population-based prospective cohort study used structured questionnaires to screen for factors related to PD. The prevalence in different age groups was analyzed, and PD risk was assessed using univariate and multivariate conditional logistic regression analysis. In total, 5932 subjects participated in the survey; of these, 88 individuals, all of whom were Uygurs, had PD. The overall prevalence of PD was 1.48% (1.32%) in people over the age of 45; the prevalence was 1.68% (1.59%) in men and 1.28% (1.36%) in women. The Fifth Population Census in China found the prevalence of PD in Hetian, Xinjiang, to be 1.32%. Single-factor results showed that exercise, social activities, and frequent consumption of nuts are protective factors for PD, and long-term pesticide exposure, family history of PD, and consumption of barbecued food were risk factors for this condition. Multi-factor conditional logistic regression analysis showed that participation in sports and social activities can reduce the risk of PD, whereas long-term pesticide exposure and family history of PD increases this risk. These results show that PD is caused by the interaction of several factors.

Variation of craniocervical junction volume as an effective parameter for basilar invagination treatment

OBJECTIVE

The major pathological change in basilar invagination (BI) is represented in the decrease of craniocervical junction (CVJ) volume resulting from abnormal bone protrusion around the foramen magnum. The diagnosis and clinical evaluation of BI is mainly based on the clinical manifestations and radiographic measurements by means of calculation of the scan lines of CVJ in X-ray, CT and MRI. With the transoral decompression atlantoaxial reduction plate (TARP III) system, the decompression, reduction and fixation can be achieved to decompress and stabilize medulla spinalis change the position of the dens in CVJ, thus expand the CVJ relative volume, relieve the compression on medulla spinalis and the nerve injury. However, the correlation between the dens position change and the variation of CVJ has not been established previously. This study focused on the clinical significance of the variation of craniocervical junction (CVJ) volume caused by the dens position change for the treatment of BI.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

We've performed an analysis of data from 62 BI patients admitted from January 2008 to May 2013, who were treated by TARP III system. The data include preoperative, postoperative JOA scores (Japanese Orthopaedic Association scores, 17 points method), preoperative and postoperative X-ray, thin-slice CT scan with three-dimensional reconstruction and MRI scan to measure the cervicomedullary angle (CMA). We have analyzed the preoperative and postoperative three-dimensional CT data by means of MIMICS 10.01 software system according to the Box volume (BV) method to determine the changes of CVJ volume resulting from preoperative and postoperative dens position change, assessed the correlation between the CVJ volume changes and the JOA scores with correlation between CMA change and the JOA scores. All data were analyzed by paired t-test and Pearson correlation analysis.

RESULTS

In all 62 patients, JOA scores were recovered from preoperative 9.26 ± 1.66 to postoperative 13.02 ± 1.44, CMA change rate was 21%, and CVJ volume change rate was 36%. The CMA change rate and the JOA score recovery rat exhibited relevance, as Pearson's correlation coefficient was 0.46 (p < 0.005). The Pearson's correlation coefficient between CVJ volume change rate and JOA score recovery rate was 0.63 (p < 0.005), and the CVJ volume change rate was significantly different while compared with the correlation between CMA change rate and JOA score (p < 0.005).

CONCLUSIONS

the CVJ volume change rate is a sensitive and reliable parameter for the evaluation of neurological function improvement in patients with BI. It can be used as a predictor to evaluate the postoperative neurological recovery.

Note: Liquid chemical sensing by emission spectroscopy with a nanosecond pin-hole discharge in water

This paper presents a simple yet effective method for chemical detection by emission spectroscopy using a nanosecond pin-hole discharge in water. The discharge was produced in a 200-μm-diameter microchannel in water without electrode contact. The simultaneous detection of multiple mineral ions was demonstrated by measuring the intensity of Na and Ca emission lines at different concentrations. The device can be further scaled down to be integrated with microfluidic systems for monitoring water contamination or hazardous materials in other aqueous solutions.

Accesses to electronic structures and the excited states of blue luminescent copper(I) complexes containing N-heterocyclic carbene ligands: a DFT/TDDFT exploitation

The ground electronic states and photophysical properties of three designed Cu(I) complexes [Cu(ImNHC)(POP)](+) (1), [Cu(methyl-ImNHC)(POP)](+) (2), and [Cu(BenzImNHC)(POP)](+) (3); where [ImNHC = 3-methyl-1-(pyridin-2-yl)-1H-imidazol-2-ylidene; methyl-ImNHC = 3-methyl-1-(pyridin-2-ylmethyl)-1H-imidazol-2-ylidene; BenzImNHC = 3-methyl-1-(pyridin-2-yl)-1H-benzimidazol-2-ylidene], have been investigated using density functional theory (DFT) and time-dependent density functional theory (TDDFT). The results reveal that the presence of the methylene spacer in the NHC ligands has a more direct effect on the distribution of frontier molecular orbitals while the elongation of π conjugation provided by the fused imidazole in the NHC ligands has a negligible effect. The UV-vis absorption spectra of all the complexes are well produced by TD-DFT calculations based on the charge transfer amount calculations and the corresponding band assignments are discussed. Importantly, the triplet energy calculations demonstrated that complex 2 would be a highly efficient blue emitter with the deep-blue of 440 nm.

Axl-altered microRNAs regulate tumorigenicity and gefitinib resistance in lung cancer

The involvement of Axl kinase in non-small cell lung cancer's (NSCLC) acquired resistance to tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) gefitinib or erlotinib has been identified recently, but the mechanism by which Axl contributes to TKI resistance is largely unknown. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) repress gene expression and their critical role in tumorigenesis has been implicated. To investigate the role of miRNAs in the Axl-mediated acquired gefitinib resistance, we examined the Axl-mediated miRNA changes in gefitinib-resistant lung cancers. A panel of Axl kinase-altered miRNAs was identified. In this study, we validate and report that miR-374a and miR-548b modulated by Axl have essential roles in cell cycle arrest, gefitinib-induced apoptosis, epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition, migration and tumorigenesis of gefitinib-resistant lung cancer cells in vitro and in vivo by targeting Wnt5a and CCNB1 genes, respectively. Of clinical significance, high expression of Axl and miR-374a and low expression of miR-548b are associated with poor disease-free survival postoperatively. These findings indicate that the modulation of specific miRNAs may provide a therapeutic target to treat or reverse gefitinib resistance in NSCLC with high expression of Axl in the future.

Activation of the ACE2/Ang-(1-7)/Mas pathway reduces oxygen-glucose deprivation-induced tissue swelling, ROS production, and cell death in mouse brain with angiotensin II overproduction

We previously demonstrated that mice which overexpress human renin and angiotensinogen (R+A+) show enhanced cerebral damage in both in vivo and in vitro experimental ischemia models. Angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) counteracts the effects of angiotensin (Ang-II) by transforming it into Ang-(1-7), thus reducing the ligand for the AT1 receptor and increasing stimulation of the Mas receptor. Triple transgenic mice, SARA, which specifically overexpress ACE2 in neurons of R+A+ mice were used to study the role of ACE2 in ischemic stroke using oxygen and glucose deprivation (OGD) of brain slices as an in vitro model. We examined tissue swelling, the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS), and cell death in the cerebral cortex (CX) and the hippocampal CA1 region during OGD. Expression levels of NADPH oxidase (Nox) isoforms, Nox2 and Nox4 were measured using western blots. Results show that SARA mice and R+A+ mice treated with the Mas receptor agonist Ang-(1-7) had less swelling, cell death, and ROS production in CX and CA1 areas compared to those in R+A+ animals. Treatment of slices from SARA mice with the Mas antagonist A779 eliminated this protection. Finally, western blots revealed less Nox2 and Nox4 expression in SARA mice compared with R+A+ mice both before and after OGD. We suggest that reduced brain swelling and cell death observed in SARA animals exposed to OGD result from diminished ROS production coupled with lower expression of Nox isoforms. Thus, the ACE2/Ang-(1-7)/Mas receptor pathway plays a protective role in brain ischemic damage by counteracting the detrimental effects of Ang-II-induced ROS production.

Taylor particle dispersion during transition to fully developed two-dimensional turbulence

We report new measurements of single particle dispersion in turbulent two-dimensional (2D) flows. Laboratory experiments in electromagnetically driven and Faraday wave driven turbulence reveal a transition from weakly dispersing superdiffusive regime to strongly dispersing Brownian diffusion as the flow energy is increased in a broad range. The transition to fully developed 2D turbulence is characterized by the topological changes in the fluid particle trajectories and the development of self-similar diffusion. The degree of 2D turbulence development can be quantified by a parameter describing the deviation of single particle dispersion from the Taylor dispersion.

Multiple copies of a linear donor fragment released in situ from a vector improve the efficiency of zinc-finger nuclease-mediated genome editing

Homologous recombination (HR) is a strategy for genetic correction. The efficiency of HR can be increased by creating a targeted double-strand break (DSB) via zinc-finger nucleases (ZFNs) and/or by introducing linear donor DNA intracellularly. Some studies have suggested that increased copy numbers of linear donor DNA may further improve HR efficiency. However, the introduction of multiple copies of a linear donor fragment remains a challenge, particularly in cell types with low transfection efficiency. In this study, we developed a vector that carries tandem repeats of a donor fragment, with each repeat flanked by ZFN target sequence fragments (TSFs). The cleavage of the flanking TSF sequence by ZFN would lead to the release of multiple linear fragment. We demonstrated that this novel vector carrying five copies of a linearizable donor fragment, when co-transfected with a ZFN-expressing vector in 293 cells, showed improved HR efficiency about 30 times, as compared with vector carry nonlinearizable donor. For the application of gene therapy, we then introduced this system into an adenoviral vector, which also revealed markedly improved ZFN-mediated HR efficiency in cells. The novel strategies presented here have the potential to promote the application of ZFNs in both basic research and disease therapy.

The inhibitory effect of melatonin on colonic motility disorders induced by water avoidance stress in rats

OBJECTIVES

Psychological stress is involved in the etiology of functional gastrointestinal disease (FGID). Accumulations of chronic continuous stress associate with the symptoms of the gastrointestinal tract (GIT) including abdominal discomfort, pain, constipation or diarrhea. Melatonin (MT) is a neurohormone which mainly synthesized in the pineal gland and GIT, has been shown to alleviate the stress and regulate the intestinal motility. Although melatonin attenuated abnormal defecation induced by stress, the mechanisms of the effect are not fully elucidated. This study sought to investigate the effect of melatonin (MT) on colonic smooth muscle contractility disorders induced by chronic water avoidance stress (WAS).

MATERIALS AND METHODS

36 adult Wistar rats were divided into three groups [Control+V (vehicle solution), WAS+V, WAS+MT]. The WAS+V and WAS+MT groups were suffered from WAS for one hour daily for 10 days. Melatonin was given 30 min before stress session in the WAS+MT group. Colonic motility was assessed using the numbers of fecal pellet output. The concentrations of melatonin and serotonin (5-HT) were measured through ELISA method. The contractions of isolated colonic strips were assessed through isometric force transducer.

RESULTS

The numbers of fecal output was increased in the WAS+V group, and melatonin attenuates the increased fecal pellet output induced by WAS. The concentrations of 5-HT was increased by WAS, and melatonin decreased the augment in the concentration of 5-HT. In the part of contraction recording of colonic smooth muscle, melatonin inhibited the fortified spontaneous contraction induced by WAS, and decreased the amplitude of spontaneous contraction stimulated by Ach and KCl after WAS treatment.

CONCLUSIONS

Melatonin could inhibit WAS-induced fecal output pellets by inactivating the 5-HT pathway, may interact with calcium channel and inhibit the influx of calcium.

Deregulated expression of the clock genes in gliomas

Growing evidence shows that the deregulation of the circadian clock plays an important role in the development of malignant tumors, including gliomas. However, the molecular mechanisms of genes controlling circadian rhythm in glioma cells have not been explored. Using reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction and immunohistochemistry techniques, we examined the expression of the most important clock genes, clock, in 67 gliomas.Our results revealed that asynchronized expression of the clock gene was found in cancerous tissues in comparison with paired non-cancerous tissues. The expression levels of clock mRNA in grade III or IV glioma was significantly different from the surrounding non-tumor tissues (P < 0.01). The difference in the expression of clock in low-grade (grades 1 and II) gliomas and the surrounding non-glioma tissues was insignificant (P > 0.05). The intensity of immunoactivity for Clock in highgrade gliomas was significantly higher than that of low-grade gliomas (r = -0.403, P 5 0.012 , < 0.05), non-tumor tissues around high-grade gliomas (r = -0.376, P = 0.027 < 0.05), while there was no difference in the intensity of immunoactivity for Clock between low-grade gliomas and the surrounding non-tumor tissues (P > 0.05). The expression of PCNA (Proliferating Cell Nuclear Antigen) protein in highgrade gliomas was significantly higher than that of low-grade gliomas (P < 0.05). In this study, we found that the expression of clock in glioma cells and in the surrounding non-tumor cells. The expression of clock in highgrade gliomas was significantly higher than that of the low-grade gliomas and non-glioma. Therefore, we suggest that disturbances in clock expression may result in the disruption of the control of normal circadian rhythm, thus benefiting the survival of glioma cells and promoting carcinogenesis.

Inverse energy cascade and emergence of large coherent vortices in turbulence driven by Faraday waves

We report the generation of large coherent vortices via inverse energy cascade in Faraday wave driven turbulence. The motion of floaters in the Faraday waves is three dimensional, but its horizontal velocity fluctuations show unexpected similarity with two-dimensional turbulence. The inverse cascade is detected by measuring frequency spectra of the Lagrangian velocity, and it is confirmed by computing the third moment of the horizontal velocity fluctuations. This is observed in deep water in a broad range of wavelengths and vertical accelerations. The results broaden the scope of recent findings on Faraday waves in thin layers [A. von Kameke et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 107, 074502 (2011)].

Removal of methyl blue from aqueous solution by magnetic carbon nanotube

Magnetic carbon nanotube (mCNT) was formed via direct mixing of carbon nanotube (CNT) with magnetic nanoparticle (MNP) in dye solution. When the mass ratio of MNP to CNT was 4:1, all CNT were magnetically collected. The adsorption performance of mCNT was evaluated using methyl blue (MB) as a model adsorbate. Equilibrium of MB adsorption was attained in 60 min, and maximum adsorption occurred at pH 3-6. MB adsorption was independent of ionic strength and followed pseudo-second-order kinetics. According to the Langmuir isotherm, adsorption capacity of mCNT for MB was 115.34 mg g(-1). Thermodynamic analysis suggested MB adsorption onto mCNT was a spontaneous process. Reusability study results showed that 97.06, 96.26, 94.33, 92.91 and 90.14% of MB were removed in five consecutive cycles. The study suggests that the mCNT has a great potential application in dye removal from industrial wastewater.

Temperature and moisture dependence of the dielectric properties of silica sand

The major objective of this work was to investigate the effects of temperature and moisture content on the dielectric properties of silica sand. The dielectric properties of moist silica sand at five temperatures between 20 to 100 degrees C, covering different moisture content levels at a frequency of 2.45 GHz, were measured with an open-ended coaxial probe dielectric measurement system. The wave penetration depth was calculated based on the measured dielectric data. The results show moisture content to be the major influencing factor for the variation of dielectric properties. Dielectric constant, loss factor and loss tangent all increase linearly with increasing moisture content. Three predictive empirical models were developed to relate the dielectric constant, loss factor, loss tangent of silica sand as a linear function of moisture content. An increase in temperature between 20 to 100 degrees C was found to increase the dielectric constant and loss factor. The penetration depth decreased with increase in moisture content and temperature. Variation in penetration depth was found to vary linearly with decrease in moisture content. An predictive empirical model was developed to calculate penetration depth for silica sand. This study offers useful information on dielectric properties of silica sand for developing microwave drying applications in mineral processing towards designing better microwave sensors for measuring silica sand moisture content.

Oscillon dynamics and rogue wave generation in Faraday surface ripples

We report new experimental results which suggest that the generation of extreme wave events in the Faraday surface ripples is related to the increase in the horizontal mobility of oscillating solitons (oscillons). The analysis of the oscillon trajectories in a horizontal plane shows that at higher vertical acceleration, oscillons move chaotically, merge and form enclosed areas on the water surface. The probability of the formation of such craters, which precede large wave events, increases with the increase in horizontal mobility.

A New Rice Disease, Black Sheath Spot, Caused by Curvularia fallax in China

In July 2011, we observed a new rice disease, black sheath spot, on tillering rice plants in Huayuan County, Hunan Province, China. Field surveys indicated that this disease covered a ~1,000-ha paddy field, mainly on Y series 2-line hybrid rice cultivars, especially Y Liangyou 7 and Y Liangyou 302, in hills of which 10 to 70% infection was observed (average of 45%), causing estimated damages up to $1.2 million (US). The diseased rice plants were cultivated with standard practices. Weather, flooding, herbicide damage, and fertilizer application did not appear to account for the symptoms. Typical symptoms of the disease included elliptical spots, about 10 × 5 mm, dark brown to black and with a diffuse yellow-brown margin. The leaf blades with diseased sheaths became yellow and blighted. After 7 days of growth on PDA, groups of cylindrical and branched stromata scattered over dark green colony. Conidia averaged 30.4 × l2.5 μm and contained five cells with three dark central cells. The morphology of spores was consistent with that of C. fallax (1). We inoculated 8-cm healthy rice sheath segments with culture disk of an isolate HNAH001. Sheath segments were divided into four groups: I) disks on wounded sheath surfaces; II) disks on non-wounded sheath surfaces; III) disks between the leaf sheath and stem, and IV) a sterilized water control. The segments were maintained in moist, covered plates in a 25°C incubator after inoculation. After another 24 h, circular brown lesions, less than 10 mm long, appeared on all inoculated segments in treatments I,II, and III. Treatment I induced the most serious symptoms. No lesions developed on control segments. For further verification of pathogenicity, we sprayed a spore suspension of HNHY001 on healthy rice plants at the boot stage. Black spots reappeared on the sheaths after 5 days. No lesions appeared on the stems or the leaf blades of inoculated rice plants. We recovered HNHY001 from the spots on inoculated plants and completed all steps of Koch's postulates. For molecular identification of the fungus, DNA was extracted from mycelia and used as a template for PCR with a primer pair of ITS 5 and ITS 4 targeting the rDNA-ITS. The sequence of the PCR product (Accession No. JQ360963) had 100% identity with rDNA-ITS of Cochliobolus geniculatus (teleomorphic state of C. geniculata) and C. affinis in GenBank after a BLAST search and clustered with them after a phylogenetic analysis. There was no sequence of C. fallax on the BLAST list because ITS sequence of C. fallax had not yet been submitted to any nucleotide databank. Hosokawa et al. concluded that C. fallax and C. affinis are synonyms for C. geniculata (2), which is supported by our results from BLAST and phylogenetic analysis. In view of its relative straight conidia and branching stromata, we suggest that the causal agent of black sheath spot of rice be C. fallax. Although Curvularia spp. were reported as pathogens responsible for black kernel of rice, there is no report of sheath spot of rice caused by Curvularia (3). To our knowledge, this is the first report of a rice sheath disease caused by C. fallax. It seems likely the disease exists in areas beyond Huayuan County. Further field inspection and molecular identification are necessary. References: (1) K. B. Boedijn. Bull. Jard. Bot. Buitenzorg, ser. 3 13:129, 1933. (2) M. Hosokawa et al. Mycoscience 44:227, 2003. (3) S. H. Ou. Page 317 in: Rice Diseases, 2nd Edition, Commonwealth Mycological Institute, Kew, UK, 1985.

Propagating solitons generated by localized perturbations on the surface of deep water

We report experimental evidence of the propagating capillary solitary waves generated by a localized water surface perturbation. Solitons are formed at the air-water interface with a solid plunger and then propagate with velocities proportional to their amplitudes. The shape of the forward front of such solitons is independent of the plunger shape and is given by the hyperbolic secant profile. We find that the nonlinearity of capillary waves is responsible for a small dispersion in the capillary wave group velocity and the soliton existence. This dispersion can be further reduced by adding minute concentrations of proteins to water.

Parametrically excited water surface ripples as ensembles of oscillons

We show that ripples on the surface of deep water which are driven parametrically by monochromatic vertical vibration represent ensembles of oscillating solitons, or quasiparticles, rather than waves. The horizontal mobility of oscillons determines the broadening of spectral lines and transitions from chaos to regular patterns. It is found that microscopic additions of proteins to water dramatically affect the oscillon mobility and drive transitions from chaos to order. The shape of the oscillons in physical space determines the shape of the frequency spectra of the surface ripple.