Long Spin Diffusion Length in Few-Layer Graphene Flakes

We report a spin valve with a few-layer graphene flake bridging highly spin-polarized La_{0.67}Sr_{0.33}MnO_{3} electrodes, whose surfaces are kept clean during lithographic definition. Sharp magnetic switching is verified using photoemission electron microscopy with x-ray magnetic circular dichroism contrast. A naturally occurring high interfacial resistance ∼12  MΩ facilitates spin injection, and a large resistive switching (0.8  MΩ at 10 K) implies a 70-130  μm spin diffusion length that exceeds previous values obtained with sharp-switching electrodes.

Association of ectomycorrhizal fungi with Picea crassifolia (Pinaceae, Piceoidae) from high-altitude stands in Mount Helan Nature Reserve, China

We investigated the diversity of ectomycorrhiza associated with the endemic Picea crassifolia in Mount Helan National Nature Reserve in Inner Mongolia, China. Toward this objective, we conducted morphological and molecular identification of ectomycorrhizae in soil cubes taken from pure P. crassifolia stands. Eleven types of ectomycorrhizal (ECM) organisms were separated, briefly described, and identified. Nine morphotypes belonged to the phylum Basidiomycotina [Amphinema byssoides, Cortinarius sp (cf. limonius), Cortinarius vernus, Inocybe cf. nitidiscula, Inocybe sp 1, Sebacina incrustans, Sebacina sp, Suillus luteus, and Piceirhiza tuberculata x Picea crassifolia (comb. Nov.)], and two morphotypes to the phylum Ascomycotina (Cenococcum geophilum and Helvella sp). The diversity of ECM organisms in P. crassifolia was lower than that reported by other studies on spruce or pine forests, or on sporocarp diversity in the high-mountain forests of China. Most of the fungi in the rhizosphere did not correspond to species previously recorded as sporocarps above ground. Here, several new ectomycorrhiza morphotypes are proposed and described. We also confirmed the ectomycorrhizal status of the genus Sebacina (order Sebacinales).

In vitro investigation of nanohydroxyapatite/poly(L-lactic acid) spindle composites used for bone tissue engineering

Calcium phosphate ceramics such as synthetic hydroxyapatite and tricalcium phosphate are widely used in the clinic, but they stimulate less bone regeneration. In this paper, nano-hydroxyapatite/poly(L-lactic acid) (nano-HA/PLLA) spindle composites with good mechanical performance were fabricated by a modified in situ precipitation method. The HA part of composite, distributing homogenously in PLLA matrix, is spindle shape with size of 10-30 nm in diameter and 60-100 nm in length. The molar ratio of Ca/P in the synthesized nano-HA spindles was deduced as 1.52 from the EDS spectra, which is close to the stoichiometric composition of HA (Ca/P & 1.67). The compress strength is up to 150 MPa when the HA content increase to 20 %. The in vitro tests indicate that HA/PLLA bio-composites have good biodegradability and bioactivity when immersed in simulated body fluid solutions. All the results suggested that HA/PLLA nano-biocomposites are appropriate to be applied as bone substitute in bone tissue engineering.

The Importance of Serine Phosphorylation of Ameloblastin on Enamel Formation

FAM20C is a newly identified kinase on the secretory pathway responsible for the phosphorylation of serine residues in the Ser-x-Glu/pSer motifs in several enamel matrix proteins. Fam20C-knockout mice showed severe enamel defects very similar to those in the ameloblastin ( Ambn)-knockout mice, implying that phosphoserines may have a critical role in AMBN function. To test this hypothesis, we generated amelogenin ( Amel) promoter-driven Ambn-transgenic mice, in which Ser⁴⁸, Ser²²⁶, and Ser²²⁷ were replaced by aspartic acid (designated as D-Tg) or alanines (designated as A-Tg). The negative charge of aspartic acid is believed to be able to mimic the phosphorylation state of serine, while alanine is a commonly used residue to substitute serine due to their similar structure. Using Western immunoblotting and quantitative polymerase chain reaction, the authors identified transgenic lines expressing transgenes somewhat higher (Tg+) or much higher (Tg++) than endogenous Ambn. The lower incisors collected from 7-d-old and 7-wk-old mice were analyzed by histology, scanning electron microscopy, immunohistochemistry, and Western immunoblotting to examine the morphology and microstructure changes in enamel, as well as the expression pattern of enamel matrix proteins. The A-Tg+ and A-Tg++ mice displayed severe enamel defects in spite of the expression level of transgenes, while the D-Tg+ and D-Tg++ mice showed minor to mild enamel defects, indicating that the D-Tg transgenes disturbed enamel formation less than the A-Tg transgenes did. Our results suggest that the phosphorylation state of serines is likely an essential component for the integrity of AMBN function.

Association between the interleukin-1β gene -511C/T polymorphism and ischemic stroke: an updated meta-analysis

Numerous studies have investigated the relationship between the interleukin-1β gene (IL1B) -511C/T polymorphism and ischemic stroke (IS) risk. However, the results are inconsistent. We performed this meta-analysis of all available case-control studies that evaluated the relationship between the IL1B -511C/T polymorphism and IS. Studies were retrieved from the PubMed and Embase databases. Statistical analyses were conducted using the STATA 11.0 software. Odds ratios (ORs) with 95% confidence intervals (95%CIs) were applied to determine the strength of association. Nine studies comprising a total of 2072 patients and 2173 controls were included. No significant variation in IS risk was detected in any of the genetic models (CC vs TT: OR = 0.78, 95%CI = 0.48-1.27; CT vs TT: OR = 0.83, 95%CI = 0.62-1.10; dominant model: OR = 0.79, 95%CI = 0.55-1.15; recessive model: OR = 0.90, 95%CI = 0.66-1.24). Taking into account the effects of race, further subgroup analyses were performed and our results showed no association between the IL1B gene -511C/T polymorphism and IS in either Asians or Caucasians. No publication bias was found in our study. In conclusion, the IL1B gene -511C/T polymorphism might not be associated with IS risk.

An oligonucleotide microarray for the detection of vaccinia virus

Vaccinia virus is a member of the orthopoxvirus group, to which also belongs variola virus, one of the most hazardous pathogens known to man. To establish a model system to detect orthopoxviruses, a vaccinia oligonucleotide microarray is designed, produced and tested. Vaccinia virus is used to test the prepared microarrays. The virus DNA samples in different propagation phases are extracted and hybridised with the oligonucleotide microarray. The results showed that the oligonucleotide microarray can detect vaccinia virus with high specificity and sensitivity.

Effect of ozone on vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and related inflammatory cytokines in rats with diabetic retinopathy

The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of ozone on inflammatory cytokines in diabetic retinopathy (DR) rats. Male rats (40) weighing 300-360 g were included in this study. Thirty rats were randomly divided into the model and ozone groups after DR was induced by streptozotocin. Ten rats served as the blank group. After the diabetic models were established for one month, the rats in the ozone group were treated with 50 mg/kg ozone coloclysis for one month (three times a week). After the rats were anesthetized by intraperitoneal injection, blood samples from the abdominal aorta were collected, and the supernatant was obtained by centrifugation. Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and inflammatory cytokine content in the serum was detected by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay. The values of VEGF, intercellular cell adhesion molecule-1, interleukin-1 beta, tumor necrosis factor-a, and IL-6 were significantly different among the three groups (P < 0.05). The cytokine levels in the model group were higher than those in the blank group (P < 0.05). The level of each cytokine in the ozone group was higher than that in the blank group. Compared with the model group, the cytokine levels in the ozone group were significantly reduced (P < 0.05). Ozone had no effect on the blood glucose of diabetic rats. Treatment with ozone coloclysis may effectively reduce the secretion of VEGF and inflammatory cytokines in diabetic retinopathy rats.

Isoflurane preconditioning protects rat brain from ischemia reperfusion injury via up-regulating the HIF-1α expression through Akt/mTOR/s6K activation

The volatile anesthetic isoflurane (ISO) has been widely used in ischemia reperfusion (IR) injury because its abilities to induce and trigger recovery are faster and smoother than other agents. However, the underlying molecular mechanisms for preconditioning the ISO in protecting the brain against IR injury are still largely unclear. In this paper, we investigated the neuroprotective effect of the ISO in the in vivo and in vitro models of IR injury and evaluated the possible correlation with Akt/mTOR/s6K signaling pathway. From the in vivo studies, we demonstrated that ISO preconditioning alleviated the IR-induced neurological deficits, infarct volume, brain edema and cell apoptosis, which were mainly due to the up-regulation of the p-Akt, p-mTOR and p-s6K proteins by the histopathological detections and Western blotting assay. The in vitro studies, demonstrated that ISO preconditioning reduced the release of OGD-induced lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) and enhanced the OGD-inhibited cell viability. It has also been observed that the hypoxia inducible factor-1α (HIF-1α) was increased under ISO preconditioning. Utilization of the BEZ235, a PI3K/mTOR dual inhibitor, halted the ISO-induced up-regulation of the HIF-1α, and inhibited the phosphorylation of the Akt, mTOR and s6K proteins. Besides, the ISO reduced the OGD-induced cell apoptosis, which was blocked by the BEZ235. In fact, these results thus suggest that the ISO preconditioning may provide potential neuroprotection against IR injury via up-regulating the HIF-1α expression through the Akt/mTOR/s6K activation.

Patterns of effective connectivity during memory encoding and retrieval differ between patients with mild cognitive impairment and healthy older adults

Previous research has shown that there is considerable overlap in the neural networks mediating successful memory encoding and retrieval. However, little is known about how the relevant human brain regions interact during these distinct phases of memory or how such interactions are affected by memory deficits that characterize mild cognitive impairment (MCI), a condition that often precedes dementia due to Alzheimer's disease. Here we employed multivariate Granger causality analysis using autoregressive modeling of inferred neuronal time series obtained by deconvolving the hemodynamic response function from measured blood oxygenation level-dependent (BOLD) time series data, in order to examine the effective connectivity between brain regions during successful encoding and/or retrieval of object location associations in MCI patients and comparable healthy older adults. During encoding, healthy older adults demonstrated a left hemisphere dominant pattern where the inferior frontal junction, anterior intraparietal sulcus (likely involving the parietal eye fields), and posterior cingulate cortex drove activation in most left hemisphere regions and virtually every right hemisphere region tested. These regions are part of a frontoparietal network that mediates top-down cognitive control and is implicated in successful memory formation. In contrast, in the MCI patients, the right frontal eye field drove activation in every left hemisphere region examined, suggesting reliance on more basic visual search processes. Retrieval in the healthy older adults was primarily driven by the right hippocampus with lesser contributions of the right anterior thalamic nuclei and right inferior frontal sulcus, consistent with theoretical models holding the hippocampus as critical for the successful retrieval of memories. The pattern differed in MCI patients, in whom the right inferior frontal junction and right anterior thalamus drove successful memory retrieval, reflecting the characteristic hippocampal dysfunction of these patients. These findings demonstrate that neural network interactions differ markedly between MCI patients and healthy older adults. Future efforts will investigate the impact of cognitive rehabilitation of memory on these connectivity patterns.

Clinical research on dendritic cell vaccines to prevent postoperative recurrence and metastasis of liver cancer

We aimed to evaluate dendritic cell (DC) tumor vaccines for preventing liver cancer recurrence and metastasis. DCs were induced from mononuclear cells in the peripheral blood with recombinant human granulocyte macrophage colony stimulating factor (rhGM-CSF) and recombinant human interleukin 4 (rhIL-4), followed by sensitization with lysis of autologous liver cancer cells. One hundred and sixty patients with hepatocellular carcinoma were randomly divided into two groups of 80. One group was treated postoperatively with six cycles of the DC tumor vaccine. The other group was treated postoperatively with six cycles of FOLFOX 6, beginning 1 week after surgery. After treatment with DC tumor vaccines, the levels of CD3+, CD4+, and CD8+, the ratio of CD4+ to CD8+ DC, and the serum levels of IL-12 and IFN-γ were significantly increased both in comparison to the pre-treatment levels (P < 0.001) and to the chemotherapy group (P < 0.001). After a postoperative follow-up of 18 months, the metastatic recurrence rate in the DC tumor vaccine group was significantly lower than that in the chemotherapy group (17.50 vs 48.75%, P < 0.005), and the survival rate of the patients in the DC tumor vaccine group was higher than that of the chemotherapy treatment group (86.25 vs 52.50%, P < 0.005). Treatment with DC tumor vaccines was safe and feasible. It can enhance the immunity of the patients, reduce the rates of metastasis and recurrence, and improve survival rates. This is a promising treatment for the prevention of postoperative recurrence in patients with liver cancer.

Precision Measurement of the Longitudinal Double-Spin Asymmetry for Inclusive Jet Production in Polarized Proton Collisions at sqrt[s]=200 GeV

We report a new measurement of the midrapidity inclusive jet longitudinal double-spin asymmetry, A_{LL}, in polarized pp collisions at center-of-mass energy sqrt[s]=200  GeV. The STAR data place stringent constraints on polarized parton distribution functions extracted at next-to-leading order from global analyses of inclusive deep-inelastic scattering (DIS), semi-inclusive DIS, and RHIC pp data. The measured asymmetries provide evidence at the 3σ level for positive gluon polarization in the Bjorken-x region x>0.05.

CpG ODN 1826 enhances radiosensitivity of the human lung cancer cell line A549 in a rat model

This study investigated the effects of CpG ODN1826 plus radiotherapy (RT) on tumor growth and angiogenesis of subcutaneous tumor in a rat model. Four treatment groups were tested in which rats were injected with 100 μL CpG ODN1826 (1 μg/μL) or 100 μL vehicle, with and without exposure to 8 Gy after 2 h. At 7 days after inoculation of lung cancer cells, drugs were injected in the tumor and radiation was administered over 5 days, after which the rate of tumor inhibition was calculated. Expression of VEGF-C in tumor tissue was seen in 10, 50, 80, and 100% of tumors in the CpG ODN1826 + RT, CpG ODN1826, vehicle + RT, and vehicle alone groups, respectively, while positive expression of NRP-1 was seen in 10, 40, 90, and 100% of tumors. The decreases in expression of VEGF-C mRNA in the CpG ODN1826 + RT and CpG ODN1826 groups compared with the NS + RT and NS groups were significant (P < 0.01), as were the decreases in NRP-1 mRNA in the CpG ODN1826 + RT group compared with the CpG ODN1826 group (P < 0.01). Thus, CpG ODN1826 can significantly inhibit tumor growth in a rat model, the mechanism of which may be related to inhibition of the expression of VEGF-C and NRP-1, which have an inhibitory effect on angiogenesis.

Transcriptome sequencing and analysis of the coconut leaf beetle, Brontispa longissima

The coconut leaf beetle, Brontispa longissima, is a destructive pest of palm plants. Although its ecological and biological characteristics are well understood, its genetic information remains largely unknown. To advance our understanding of its molecular ba-sis of biology and ecology, we sequenced and analyzed its whole transcriptome by using high-throughput Illumina paired-end sequencing technology. Approximately 8.08 Gb of clean reads were generated in a single run, which were assembled by using Trinity into 41,652 unigenes with an average length of 932 bp. By sequence similarity searches for known proteins, 23,077 (55.4%) unigenes were annotated by BLASTx searches against the NCBI non-redundant protein database. Of the unigenes assembled, 18,153 and 13,733 were assigned to Gene Ontology and Clusters of Orthologous Groups of proteins, respectively. In addition, 10,415 unigenes were mapped onto 247 pathways using the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes Pathway database. These transcriptomic resources will facilitate gene identification and elucidate the molecular mechanisms of biological and ecological aspects under-lying this palm pest, in order to design a new control strategy.

Transcriptomic identification of chemoreceptor genes in the red palm weevil Rhynchophorus ferrugineus

Olfaction is crucial for insects' survival because it enables them to recognize various environmental information. It is primarily mediated by a large family of chemoreceptors, including olfactory receptors (ORs), gustatory receptors (GRs), and ionotropic receptors (IRs). Here, we assembled the transcriptome of the economically important pest of palms, Rhynchophorus ferrugineus, to reveal its chemoreceptor gene repertoire. About 8.08 Gbp data were generated using a HiSeq platform and their assembly led to a total of 24,439 unigenes. Among the transcripts, 12,523 (51.24%) showed significant similarity (E-value <10(-5)) to known proteins in the National Center for Biotechnology Information Nr database. From these sequences, 18 candidate genes of ORs were identified. Nine putative transcripts were homologous to GR genes, while 9 were similar to IR genes. The expression profiles of all identified chemoreceptor genes were determined by quantitative real-time PCR in antenna, head, thorax, abdomen, and legs of both sexes. Most chemoreceptor genes were antenna-enriched. This study demonstrated a successful application of a transcriptome for discovering a large number of divergent chemoreceptor genes of a non-model organism. The findings provide a valuable sequence resource and gene tissue distribution information for systematic functional analysis of molecular mechanisms underlying chemoreception in this pest.

Antitumour activity of 3-nitropropionic acid from Phomopsis sp. and optimization of fermentation conditions

In this study, 3-nitropropionic acid (3-NPA) was separated and purified from endophytic fungi belonging to Phomopsis sp. and its cytotoxicity was determined by MTT assay. Treatment with 3-NPA for 24 h resulted in a dose-dependent apoptosis in MCF-7 cells. Through quantitative detection of the genes that are closely related to the Bcl-2 signalling pathway, there was an increased expression of p53 and Bax and a decreased expression of Bcl-2, which indicated apoptosis in these cells. Meanwhile, the overexpression of PARA (poly ADP-ribose polymerase) and apoptosis inducing factor (AIF) also suggested that 3-NPA induced cellular apoptosis through a caspase-3-independent pathway in caspase-3-deficient MCF-7 cells. The fermentation condition was also improved to produce more 3-NPA: glucose as a carbon source and yeast extract as a nitrogen source, fermentation for 8 days at 32°C and a solution environment of pH 5·0. Under these conditions, the yield of 3-NPA was increased to 529 mg l(-1) compared with 410 mg l(-1) under traditional fermentation conditions.

SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY

3-Nitropropionic acid is a mitochondrial inhibitor and has some useful bioactivities such as antibacterial activity. In this paper we found that 3-NPA also has obvious cytotoxicity, so we studied its antitumour activity and tried to determine the antitumour molecular mechanism, opening a new perspective for potential antitumour prodrug development. As 3-NPA is often obtained from natural products with a low yield, in order to overcome the disadvantage of an endophytic fungi source of 3-NPA, we optimized the fermentation conditions for 3-NPA in Phomopsis sp. to obtain the maximum production of 3-NPA.

Prevalence and influencing factors of depressive symptoms among women of reproductive age in the rural areas of Hubei, China

OBJECTIVES

Depression is one of the most common mental disorders and a major public health problem in the Chinese population, especially among women. The current study aims to understand prevalence of depression symptoms and provide detailed epidemiological factors associated with depression among reproductive women in rural areas which was paid less attention in previous surveys.

STUDY DESIGN

Cross-sectional study.

METHODS

Face-to-face household interviews were conducted on 1058 women (age: 15-49 years) in rural areas from July 2012 to August 2012. Questionnaires were used to investigate the influencing factors of depression among women. Pearson's χ(2), logistic regression analysis and structural equation modelling (SEM) were applied to analyze the related factors.

RESULTS

The prevalence of depression among women was 30.7% [95% confidence interval (CI): 27.9%-33.5%]. Compared with non-depressed individuals, those with depression were more likely to be short of social support [odd ratio (OR): 0.940, P < 0.001) and have no one to talk with (OR: 0.366, P < 0.001), to be dissatisfied with the house (OR: 2.673, P < 0.001) and economy (OR: 2.268, P < 0.01) of their family, and to have great pressure (OR: 2.099, P < 0.01), negative life events (OR: 1.485, P < 0.05) and physical diseases (OR: 1.364, P < 0.05). Pressure status, social support assessment, and socio-economic status were negatively related to depression (correlation coefficient: -0.57, -0.27 and 0.17).

CONCLUSIONS

The high prevalence of depression among reproductive women in rural areas is of particular concern. Factors associated with depression may assist health care administrations to identify and assess high-risk women and target strategies accordingly.