Sex- and afferent-specific differences in histamine receptor expression in vagal afferents of rats: A potential mechanism for sexual dimorphism in prevalence and severity of asthma

The incidence of asthma is more common in boys than in girls during the childhood, and more common in premenopausal female than age-matched males. Our previous study demonstrated a gender difference in histamine-mediated neuroexcitability in nodose ganglia neurons (NGNs), highlighting a possibility of histamine-mediated gender difference in asthma via visceral afferent function. In the present study, we aimed to explore the gender difference in expression profiles of histamine receptors (HRs) in nodose ganglia (NG) and individual identified NGNs to provide deeper insights into the mechanisms involved in sexual dimorphism of asthma. Western-blot and SYBR green RT-PCR showed that H2R and H3R were highly expressed in NG of females compared with males and downregulated in ovariectomized females. H1R was equally expressed in NG of both sexes and not altered by ovariectomy. Furthermore, this highly expressive H2R and H3R were distributed in both myelinated and unmyelinated NGNs isolated from adult female rats by immunofluorescence and single-cell RT-PCR. H3R widely distributed in all tested neuron subtypes and its expression did not show significant difference among neuron subtypes. H2R was widely and highly expressed in low-threshold and sex-specific subpopulation of myelinated Ah-types compared with myelinated A- and unmyelinated C-type NGNs. Unexpectedly, weak expression of H1R was detected in both myelinated and unmyelinated NGNs by immunofluorescence, which was further confirmed by single-cell RT-PCR. Our results suggest that the sexual dimorphism in the expression of H2R and H3R in vagal afferents very likely contributes, at least partially, to the gender difference in prevalence and severity of asthma.

Assembly line termination in cylindrocyclophane biosynthesis: discovery of an editing type II thioesterase domain in a type I polyketide synthase

Investigation of cylindrocyclophane biosynthesis reveals a C-terminal thioesterase domain involved in PKS assembly line editing, not termination.

The termination step is an important source of structural diversity in polyketide biosynthesis. Most type I polyketide synthase (PKS) assembly lines are terminated by a thioesterase (TE) domain located at the C-terminus of the final module, while other PKS assembly lines lack a terminal TE domain and are instead terminated by a separate enzyme in trans. In cylindrocyclophane biosynthesis, the type I modular PKS assembly line is terminated by a freestanding type III PKS (CylI). Unexpectedly, the final module of the type I PKS (CylH) also possesses a C-terminal TE domain. Unlike typical type I PKSs, the CylH TE domain does not influence assembly line termination by CylI in vitro. Instead, this domain phylogenetically resembles a type II TE and possesses activity consistent with an editing function. This finding may shed light on the evolution of unusual PKS termination logic. In addition, the presence of related type II TE domains in many cryptic type I PKS and nonribosomal peptide synthetase (NRPS) assembly lines has implications for pathway annotation, product prediction, and engineering.

Realization of controllable graphene p–n junctions through gate dielectric engineering

A novel step-dielectric design to modulate the doping profile in monolayer graphene is proposed, and junction formation with appreciable abruptness and excellent controllability are verified.

Droplet-assisted fabrication of colloidal crystals from flower-shaped porphyrin Janus particles

Porphyrin colloidal crystals were fabricated from flower-shaped Janus particles by a two-step droplet condensation process.

Association of polymorphisms of the xeroderma pigmentosum complementation group F gene with increased glioma risk

We aimed to investigate the role of 4 single nucleotide polymorphisms of the xeroderma pigmentosum complementation group F (XPF) gene (rs3136038, rs1799798, rs1800067, and rs2276466) in glioma, and the roles of gene-gene interactions in the risk of developing this type of cancer. We collected samples from 225 glioma cases and 262 controls and genotyped the rs3136038, rs1799798, rs1800067, and rs2276466 polymorphisms using a 384-well plate format with the Sequenom MassARRAY platform. Individuals carrying the rs1800067 GG genotype were more likely to have an increased risk of glioma when compared with carriers of the A/A genotype in a co-dominant model, with an odds ratio (OR) [95% confidence interval (CI)] of 2.85 (1.14-7.76). However, we did not find an association with increased risk of glioma for the polymorphisms rs3136038, rs1799798, and rs2276466 in XPF. The combination genotype of the rs1800067 G allele and the rs2276466 G allele was associated with a moderate risk of glioma (OR = 1.71, 95%CI = 1.02-2.87). Our study suggests that the rs1800067 genetic variant of XPF functions in the development of glioma.

Heteroepitaxy of tetragonal BiFeO(3) on hexagonal sapphire(0001)

Highly elongated BiFeO3 is epitaxially grown on hexagonal sapphire(0001) substrate within a rather narrow synthesis window. Both X-ray reciprocal space maps and Raman characterizations reveal that it is of true tetragonal symmetry but not the commonly observed MC type monoclinic structure. The tetragonal BiFeO3 film exhibits an island growth mode, with the island edges oriented parallel to the ⟨10-10⟩ and ⟨12-30⟩ directions of the sapphire substrate. With increasing deposition time, a transition from square island to elongated island and then to a continuous film is observed. The metastable tetragonal phase can remain on the substrate without relaxation to the thermally stable rhombohedral phase up to a critical thickness of 450 nm, providing an exciting opportunity for practicable lead-free ferroelectrics. These results facilitate a better understanding of the phase stability of BiFeO3 polymorphs and enrich the knowledge about the heteroepitaxial growth mechanism of functional oxides on symmetry-mismatched substrates.

Abstract P6-10-05: First-line chemotherapy versus first-line endocrine therapy in hormone receptor positive HER2 negative patients with metastatic breast cancer in China: Results of the study of breast cancer group of the Chinese Society of Clinical Oncology (CSCO)

Background: The primary objective for metastatic breast cancer is to prolong the patients survival. So the appropriate choice of the first-line therapy strategy is very important. For the HR-positive metastatic breast cancer, we haven't strong data to head-to-head compare the chemotherapy with endocrine therapy as the first-line treatment.

Methods: Two hundreds patients with HR-positive metastatic breast cancer were enrolled at 47 cancer centers in China from 2009 to 2012. Investigators decided to give chemotherapy or endocrine therapy according to their clinical judgements. Chemotherapy and endocrine therapy regimens followed the NCCN guildline. All the patiens haven't take any treatment after relapse or metastasis. All the patients were estrogen- receptor positive and/or progesterone-receptor positive,HER2 negative. Chemotherapy or endocrine therapy was continued in the progressive disease(PD) or unacceptable toxicity. Primary endpoint was progression-free survival(PFS), second endpoints were time to failure(TTF), response rate.

Results: According to the investigator judgements, one hundred patient took chemotherapy(CT arm), another one hundreds patients took endocrine therapy(ET arm). Pt characteristics were balanced between the two arms: median age 49y/50y, median disease-free survival(DFS) 40m/30m, visceral/non-visceral metastatic 52%/40%. There was more patients with ≥2 metastatic sites in CT arm than ET arm (50% vs 32%). Following up to Dec 2012, reasons for early treatment discontinuation were : PD 25 pts, toxicity 38 pts in CT arm, PD 82 pts, toxicity 2 pts in ET ram. The median PFS was 52 weeks(95% CI 23.2-80.8 weeks) and 48 weeks(95% CI 38.9-57.0 weeks) for CT arm and ET arm(P = 0.589),respectively. The median TTF was 20 weeks and 48 weeks for CT arm and ET arm,respectively(P = 0.025). Response rate was 63% and 22% for CT arm and ET arm,respectively(P<0.001). But clinical benefit rate(CR+PR+SD≥6months) was 67% and 69% for CT arm and ET arm,respectively(P = 0.333). Subgroup analysis showed TTF were 48 weeks in ET arm and 15 weeks in CT arm(p = 0.038) for patients who had more than 2 years DFS. TTF results also indicated significant difference in single metastatic site pts and non-visceral metastatic pts between two arms. ET arm was superior to CT arm.

Conclusions: Our results indicate first-line chemotherapy has higher response rate than first-line endocrine therapy for HR-positive meatstatic breast cancer, but chemotherapy has shorter maintaining therapy time. First-line endocrine therapy was more suitable than first-line chemotherapy for pts with DFS≥2y, single metastatic site and non-visceral metastatic.

Citation Information: Cancer Res 2013;73(24 Suppl): Abstract nr P6-10-05.

Polystyrene-microsphere-assisted patterning of ZnO nanostructures: growth and characterization

In this work, periodic arrays of various ZnO nanostructures were fabricated on both Si and GaN substrates via a facile hydrothermal process. To realize the site-specific growth, two kinds of masks were introduced. The polystyrene (PS) microsphere self-assembled monolayer (SAM) was employed as the mask to create a patterned seed layer to guide the growth of ZnO nanostructures. However, the resulting ZnO nanostructures are non-equidistant, and the diameter of the ZnO nanostructures is uncontrollable. As an alternative, TiO2 sol was used to replicate the PS microsphere SAM, and the inverted SAM (ISAM) mask was obtained by extracting the PS microspheres with toluene. By using the ISAM mask, the hexagonal periodic array of ZnO nanostructures with high uniformity were readily produced. Furthermore, the effect of the underlying substrates on the morphology of ZnO nanostructures has been investigated. It is found that the highly ordered and vertically aligned ZnO nanorods epitaxially grow on the GaN substrate, while the ZnO nanoflowers on Si substrates are random oriented.

Observation of two new N* resonances in the decay ψ(3686)→ppπ0

Based on 106×10(6)ψ(3686) events collected with the BESIII detector at the BEPCII facility, a partial wave analysis of ψ(3686)→ppπ0 is performed. The branching fraction of this channel has been determined to be B(ψ(3686)→ppπ0)=(1.65±0.03±0.15)×10(-4). In this decay, 7 N* intermediate resonances are observed. Among these, two new resonances, N(2300) and N(2570) are significant, one 1/2+ resonance with a mass of 2300(-30-0)(+40+109)  MeV/c2 and width of 340(-30-58)(+30+110)  MeV/c2, and one 5/2- resonance with a mass of 2570(-10-10)(+19+34)  MeV/c2 and width of 250(-24-21)(+14+69)  MeV/c2. For the remaining 5 N* intermediate resonances [N(1440), N(1520), N(1535), N(1650) and N(1720)], the analysis yields mass and width values that are consistent with those from established resonances.

Association of MHC class-III gene polymorphisms with ER-positive breast cancer in Chinese Han population

Polymorphisms of the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) have been linked to many diseases, especially autoimmune disorders. Previous studies have shown that genetic variants in MHC class III are associated with breast cancer. To determine if there is an association between MHC class III and breast cancer risk in the Chinese Han population, we carried out a hospital-based case-control study in Guangdong and Jiangsu Provinces, including 216 histologically confirmed breast cancer patients and 216 healthy controls. Nine SNP markers distributed in the class III-coding region were detected using the Sequenom MassARRAY(®) iPLEX System. Deviation from Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium was observed for seven SNPs. There was no significant association between these seven SNP variants and breast cancer in these Chinese women (unconditional logistic regression analysis). However, chr6_31697494 at BAT2, one of the seven SNPs, was found to be significantly associated with both ER- and PR-positive breast cancer. In addition, both chr6_31911109 at C6orf48 and chr6_31975605 at ZBTB12, another two of the seven SNPs, show relevance with ER-positive breast cancer. In conclusion, this is the first evidence that genetic polymorphisms in the MHC class III region are significantly associated with ER-positive breast cancer in the Han Chinese population.

Characterization of nine novel microsatellite loci for the Venus clam (Cyclina sinensis)

The Venus clam, Cyclina sinensis, is one of the most important bivalves in China marine aquaculture. Using (CA)(15)-enriched genomic libraries of this species, nine novel polymorphic microsatellite loci were isolated and characterized. The mean number of observed alleles per locus was 16 (range 8-24). The observed and expected heterozygosity ranged from 0.119 to 0.872 and from 0.626 to 0.931, respectively. Three loci had significant departure from Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium and non-significant linkage disequilibrium was found among all nine loci. These highly informative microsatellite markers should be useful for population genetic analyses of C. sinensis.

Controllable growth of highly ordered ZnO nanorod arrays via inverted self-assembled monolayer template

This article presents a facile and effective approach to the controllable growth of highly ordered and vertically aligned ZnO nanorod arrays on the GaN substrate via a hydrothermal route by using the TiO(2) ring template deriving from the polystyrene microsphere self-assembled monolayer. The size of TiO(2) ring template can be flexibly tuned from 50 to 400 nm for the 500 nm polystyrene microspheres by varying the time of reactive ion etching and the concentration of TiO(2) sol. As a result, the diameter of the individual ZnO nanorods can be potentially tuned over a wide range. The combination of several characterization techniques has demonstrated that the ordered ZnO nanorods are highly uniform in diameter and height with perfect alignment and are epitaxially grown along [0001] direction. This work provides a novel and accessible route to prepare oriented and aligned ZnO nanorod arrays with high crystalline quality.

Free-standing ZnO-CuO composite nanowire array films and their gas sensing properties

A modified hydrothermal method was developed to synthesize ZnO-CuO composite nanostructures. A free-standing film made of ZnO-CuO nanostructures was assembled on the surface of the hydrothermal solution with a smooth surface on one side and a spherical surface on the other side. The structure, growth mechanism and the optical properties of the composite nanostructures were studied. Structural characterizations indicate that the composite nanostructure mainly consisted of two single-crystal phases of CuO and ZnO. The sensitivity for CO gas detection was significantly improved for the composite CuO-ZnO nanostructure film. This method offers a possible route for the fabrication of free-standing nanostructure films of different functional composite oxides.

Stability of lyophilized human platelets loaded with small molecule carbohydrates

Long-term preservation of platelets is a great challenge for blood transfusion centers, due to the required narrow storage temperature arange (22 ± 2 degree C). Short shelf life and potential bacterial growth often lead to the shortage of high-quality platelets. Freeze-dried preservation is thus believed to be a potential solution for long-term platelet storage without losing the hemostasis function. Here we report a new platelet preservation method, which uses small molecule carbohydrates to extend storage time and to maintain platelet function. The activities of lyophilized platelets that were stabilized with small molecule carbohydrate (e.g., cell viability, mean platelet volume, activation characteristics, and aggregation kinetics) were maintained after storage of 30, 60, and 90 days at room temperature, 4 degree C, and -20 degree C. The recovery of freeze-dried platelets was 87 percent in comparison to fresh platelets. The mean platelet volume of rehydrated platelets increased (from 6.8 fl to 8.0 fl). About 40 percent of rehydrated platelets was in the early-activated stage (PCA-1 positive) and 30 percent was in the terminal-activated stage (CD62P positive). The cell viability was about 60 percent as measured with CMFDA vital probes. The aggregation rate of rehydrated platelets after 90-day storage was similar to fresh platelets stored at 22 degree C ± 2 degree C.

Functional clustering in hippocampal cultures: relating network structure and dynamics

In this work we investigate the relationship between gross anatomic structural network properties, neuronal dynamics and the resultant functional structure in dissociated rat hippocampal cultures. Specifically, we studied cultures as they developed under two conditions: the first supporting glial cell growth (high glial group), and the second one inhibiting it (low glial group). We then compared structural network properties and the spatio-temporal activity patterns of the neurons. Differences in dynamics between the two groups could be linked to the impact of the glial network on the neuronal network as the cultures developed. We also implemented a recently developed algorithm called the functional clustering algorithm (FCA) to obtain the resulting functional network structure. We show that this new algorithm is useful for capturing changes in functional network structure as the networks evolve over time. The FCA detects changes in functional structure that are consistent with expected dynamical differences due to the impact of the glial network. Cultures in the high glial group show an increase in global synchronization as the cultures age, while those in the low glial group remain locally synchronized. We additionally use the FCA to quantify the amount of synchronization present in the cultures and show that the total level of synchronization in the high glial group is stronger than in the low glial group. These results indicate an interdependence between the glial and neuronal networks present in dissociated cultures.

N-P transition sensing behaviors of ZnO nanotubes exposed to NO2 gas

Hydrothermally synthesized ZnO nanotube arrays were used to fabricate the gas sensor for detection of the toxic gas NO2. The ZnO nanotube gas sensor exhibited sensitive response to NO2 down to 500 ppb at low temperature 30 degrees C. Abnormal temperature-dependent and concentration-dependent N-P transition behaviors were observed. The excellent sensing ability of the sensor and their anomalous conductivity behaviors may be attributed to the unique surface conductivity related to the hollow nanostructure feature. These sensing behaviors may help to comprehensively understand the sensing mechanism of 1D ZnO nanostructures and improve the selectivity of the ZnO gas sensor.

Hirschsprung's disease management: from multi staged operation to single staged transanal pull-through

Hirschsprung's disease (HD) is a common congenital disease of colorectum. Although it was described more than one century ago, the effective treatment was established only half a century later. The initially treatment consisted of preoperative diverting colostomy, followed by definite pull-through and closure of colostomy on later date. A variety of procedures like Swenson, Duhamel, Rehbein and Soave were evolved with time. With the better understanding of pathogenesis and improvement on surgical technique, now the operation has become less extensive. In recent days, the classical 3 staged procedure is replaced by single staged procedure. All the procedure can be completed transanally. Since De la Torre in 1998, first reported total transanal endorectal pull-through, it became the most popular technique for the treatment of HD.

Fast switching electrochromic display using a viologen-modified ZnO nanowire array electrode

We report an electrochromic (EC) display using a viologen-modified ZnO nanowire array as the EC electrode. The ZnO nanowire array was grown directly on an indium tin oxide (ITO) glass by a low temperature aqueous thermal decomposition method and then modified with viologen molecules. The ZnO nanowire electrochromic device shows fast switching time (170 and 142 ms for coloration and bleaching respectively for a 1 cm (2) cell), high coloration efficiency (196 C (-1) cm (2)) and good stability. The improved performance of the ZnO nanowires EC device can be attributed to the large surface area and high crystalline and good electron transport properties of the ZnO nanowire array.

A ZnO nanorod inorganic/organic heterostructure light-emitting diode emitting at 342 nm

An inorganic/organic heterostructure light-emitting diode consisting of the hole-transporting layer N, N'-di(naphth-2-yl)- N, N'-diphenylbenzidine (NPB) and n-type ZnO nanorods fabricated by hydrothermal decomposition is reported. Poly(methyl methacrylate) was used to form a smooth surface on top of ZnO nanorod array with ZnO nanorod tops exposed for subsequent NPB deposition. An unusual ultraviolet emission at 342 nm was observed in the electroluminescence spectrum. Compared to band gap energy of ZnO (3.37 eV), the excitonic emission is blue-shifted and broadened. The mechanism of the blue shift is discussed in terms of the energy band diagram of the heterostructure.

Perfluorinated compounds in the Pearl River and Yangtze River of China

A total of 14 perfluorinated compounds (PFCs) were quantified in river water samples collected from tributaries of the Pearl River (Guangzhou Province, south China) and the Yangtze River (central China). Among the PFCs analyzed, perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) and perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) were the two compounds with the highest concentrations. PFOS concentrations ranged from 0.90 to 99 ng/l and <0.01-14 ng/l in samples from the Pearl River and Yangtze River, respectively; whereas those for PFOA ranged from 0.85 to 13 ng/l and 2.0-260 ng/l. Lower concentrations were measured for perfluorobutane sulfonate (PFBS), perfluorohexane sulfonate (PFHxS), perfluorooctanesulfoamide (PFOSA), perfluorohexanoic acid (PFHxA), perfluoroheptanoic acid (PFHpA), perfluorononaoic acid (PFNA), perfluorodecanoic acid (PFDA), and perfluoroundecanoic acid (PFUnDA). Concentrations of several perfluorocarboxylic acids, including perfluorododecanoic acid (PFDoDA), perfluorotetradecanoic acid (PFTeDA), perfluorohexadecanoic acid (PFHxDA) and perfluorooctadecanoic acid (PFOcDA) were lower than the limits of quantification in all the samples analyzed. The highest concentrations of most PFCs were observed in water samples from the Yangtze River near Shanghai, the major industrial and financial centre in China. In addition, sampling locations in the lower reaches of the Yangtze River with a reduced flow rate might serve as a final sink for contaminants from the upstream river runoffs. Generally, PFOS was the dominant PFC found in samples from the Pearl River, while PFOA was the predominant PFC in water from the Yangtze River. Specifically, a considerable amount of PFBS (22.9-26.1% of total PFC analyzed) was measured in water collected near Nanjing, which indicates the presence of potential sources of PFBS in this part of China. Completely different PFC composition profiles were observed for samples from the Pearl River and the Yangtze River. This indicates the presence of dissimilar sources in these two regions.