Gene silencing of non-obese diabetic receptor family (NLRP3) protects against the sepsis-induced hyper-bile acidaemia in a rat model

The role of NOD-like receptor family (NLRP3) has been confirmed in various inflammatory diseases. The association between NLRP3 and hyper-bileacidaemia during the sepsis remains unclear. We aimed to investigate whether NLRP3 silencing protects against the sepsis-induced hyper-bileacidaemia. Sepsis was induced by caecum ligation and puncture (CLP). Gene silencing of NLRP3 was performed by injecting rats with NLRP3 short hairpin RNA plasmids (NLRP3 shRNA) 48 h before surgery. Rats were divided into four groups: group 1: sham; group 2: sepsis; group 3: NLRP3 shRNA + sepsis (called the 'NLRP3 shRNA' group); and group 4: scrambled shRNA + sepsis (called the 'scrambled shRNA' group). The serum levels of bile acids, hepatic expression of hepatocyte membrane transporters, hepatic cytokine levels and behaviours of immune cells were compared among the groups. Hepatic NLRP3 expression was increased dramatically during the sepsis, but was suppressed by pretreatment with NLRP3 shRNA. Compared with rats in the sepsis and the scrambled shRNA groups, rats in the NLRP3 shRNA group exhibited significantly decreased serum levels of glycine and taurine conjugated-bile acids, with rehabilitated expression of hepatocyte transporters, suppressed hepatic cytokine levels, decreased hepatic neutrophils infiltration and attenuated macrophages pyroptosis. Gene silencing of NLRP3 ameliorates sepsis-induced hyper-bileacidaemia by rehabilitating hepatocyte transporter expression, reducing hepatic cytokine levels, neutrophil infiltration and macrophages pyroptosis. NLRP3 may be a pivotal target for sepsis management.

Serum amyloid A induces interleukin-1β secretion from keratinocytes via the NACHT, LRR and PYD domains-containing protein 3 inflammasome

Interleukin (IL)-1β is now emerging as a critical cytokine in the pathogenesis of T helper type 17 (Th17)-mediated skin diseases, including psoriasis. Psoriatic keratinocytes are a major source of IL-1β; however, the mechanisms triggering IL-1β processing remain unknown. Recently, an acute-phase protein serum amyloid A (SAA) has been identified as a danger signal that triggers inflammasome activation and IL-1β secretion. In this study, we detected increased SAA mRNA and protein expression in psoriatic epidermis. In cultured keratinocytes, SAA up-regulated the expression of pro-IL-1β and secretion of mature IL-1β. On the transcriptional level, blocking Toll-like receptor-2 (TLR-2), TLR-4 or nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB) attenuated SAA-induced expression of IL-1β mRNA. SAA up-regulated caspase-1 and NACHT, LRR and PYD domains-containing protein 3 (NLRP3) expression in keratinocytes. Inhibiting caspase-1 activity and silencing NLRP3 decreased IL-1β secretion, confirming NLRP3 as the SAA-responsive inflammasome on the post-transcriptional level. The mechanism of SAA-triggered NLRP3 activation and subsequent IL-1β secretion was found to involve the generation of reactive oxygen species. Finally, the expression of SAA by keratinocytes was up-regulated by IL-17A. Taken together, our results indicate that keratinocyte-derived SAA triggers a key inflammatory mediator, IL-1β, via NLRP3 inflammasome activation, providing new potential targets for the treatment of this chronic skin disease.

Osteoblast-induced osteoclast apoptosis by fas ligand/FAS pathway is required for maintenance of bone mass

The interplay between osteoblasts and osteoclasts has a crucial role in maintaining bone homeostasis. In this study, we reveal that osteoblasts are capable of inducing osteoclast apoptosis by FAS ligand (FASL)/FAS signaling. Conditional knockout of FASL in osteoblasts results in elevated osteoclast numbers and activity, along with reduced bone mass, suggesting that osteoblast-produced FASL is required to maintain physiological bone mass. More interestingly, we show that osteoblasts from ovariectomized (OVX) osteoporotic mice exhibit decreased FASL expression that results from the IFN-γ- and TNF-α-activated NF-κB pathway, leading to reduced osteoclast apoptosis and increased bone resorption. Systemic administration of either IFN-γ or TNF-α ameliorates the osteoporotic phenotype in OVX mice and rescues FASL expression in osteoblasts. In addition, ovariectomy induces more significant bone loss in FASL conditional knockout mice than in control group with increased osteoclast activity in which the levels of RANKL and OPG remain unchanged. Taken together, this study suggests that osteoblast-induced osteoclast apoptosis via FASL/FAS signaling is a previously unrecognized mechanism that has an important role in the maintenance of bone mass in both physiological conditions and OVX osteoporosis.

Identification of the man-made barium copper silicate pigments among some ancient Chinese artifacts through spectroscopic analysis

This article describes the complementary application of non-invasive micro-Raman spectroscopy and energy dispersive X-ray fluorescence spectrometry to the characterization of some ancient Chinese silicate artifacts. A total of 28 samples dated from fourth century BC to third century AD were analyzed. The results of chemical analysis showed that the vitreous PbO-BaO-SiO2 material was used to sinter these silicate artifacts. The barium copper silicate pigments including BaCuSi4O10, BaCuSi2O6 and BaCu2Si2O7 were widely identified from colorful areas of the samples by Raman spectroscopy. In addition, other crystalline phases such as Fe2O3, BaSi2O5, BaSO4, PbCO3 and quartz were also identified. The present study provides very valuable information to trace the technical evolution of man-made barium copper silicate pigments and their close relationship with the making of ancient PbO-BaO-SiO2 glaze and glass.

Dendritic cell CD83 homotypic interactions regulate inflammation and promote mucosal homeostasis

Dendritic cells (DCs) form an extensive network in the intestinal lamina propria, which orchestrates the mucosal immune response. Alterations in DC function can predispose to inflammatory bowel disease, although by unknown mechanisms. We show that CD83, a highly regulated DC cell surface protein, modulates the immune response to prevent colitis. Mice with a conditional knockout of CD83 in DCs develop exacerbated colitis following dextran sodium sulfate challenge, whereas mucosal overexpression of CD83 inhibits DC inflammatory response and protects against colitis. These CD83 perturbations can be modeled in vitro where we show that CD83 homotypic interaction occurs via cell-cell contact and inhibits pro-inflammatory responses. CD83 knockdown or cytoplasmic truncation abrogates the effects of homotypic binding. We demonstrate that CD83 homotypic interaction regulates DC activation via the mitogen-activated protein kinase pathway by inhibiting p38α phosphorylation. Our findings indicate that CD83 homotypic interactions regulate DC activation and promote mucosal homeostasis.

Comparative study of DL-selenomethionine vs sodium selenite and seleno-yeast on antioxidant activity and selenium status in laying hens

The aim of this study was to compare the effect of DL-selenomethionine (SM) with 2 routinely used Se sources, sodium selenite (SS) and seleno-yeast (SY), on relative bioavailability based on antioxidant activity and tissue Se content. Six hundred thirty 131-day-old brown laying hens were randomly assigned to 7 treatments for 168 d (24 wks) with 6 replicates of 15 hens per replicate. The SS and SY animals were supplemented a cornmeal and soybean diet that supplied a total Se 0.3 mg/kg whereas SM was added at 4 different levels to the total Se at 0.1, 0.3, 0.5 and 0.7 mg/kg. All hens fed the Se-supplemented diet showed higher glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) activity (P < 0.01), higher superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity (P < 0.05), lower malondialdehyde (MDA) content (P < 0.05) in plasma, and greater Se contents in egg yolks, albumen, leg muscle, breast muscle, liver, and plasma compared with those fed the control diet (P < 0.01). The organic sources (SY and SM) exhibited a greater ability to increase the GSH-Px activity (P < 0.01) and Se content in albumen (P < 0.01), leg, and breast muscles (P = 0.0099 and P = 0.0014, respectively) than the SS that was added at 0.3 mg Se/kg. The higher SM added levels increased the GSH-Px activity until the dose of 0.5mg Se/kg (P < 0.01).The greater Se concentrations in albumen, muscle and liver appeared in the higher SM-added level, as well as above the dose of 0.1 mg Se/kg (P < 0.01). In addition, hens fed the diet with SM accumulated more Se in albumen, leg, and breast muscle than those fed diets with SY (P < 0.05). These results confirmed the higher ability of organic Se sources to increase the antioxidant activity and Se deposition in egg albumen, leg, and breast muscles compared with SS, and demonstrated a significantly better efficiency of SM compared with SY for albumen and muscle Se enrichment.

Pharmacokinetics of cefquinome in tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) after a single intramuscular or intraperitoneal administration

The pharmacokinetics of cefquinome was studied in plasma after a single dose (10 mg/kg) of intramuscular (i.m.) or intraperitoneal (i.p.) administration to tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) in freshwater at 30 °C. Ten fish per sampling point were examined after treatment. The data were fitted to two-compartment open models following both routes of administration. The estimates of total body clearance (CL/F), volume of distribution (Vd/F), and absorption half-life (T1/2ka ) were 0.049 and 0.037 L/h/kg, 0.41 and 0.33 L/kg, and 0.028 and 0.035 h following i.m. and i.p. administration, respectively. After i.m. injection, the elimination half-life (T1⁄2β ) was calculated to be 5.81 h, the maximum plasma concentration (Cmax ) to be 49.40 μg/mL, the time to peak plasma cefquinome concentration (Tmax ) to be 0.14 h, and the area under the plasma concentration-time curve (AUC) to be 204.6 μg h/mL. Following i.p. administration, the corresponding estimates were 6.05 h, 44.39 μg/mL, 0.17 h and 267.8 μg h/mL. The minimum inhibitory concentrations of cefquinome, determined for 30 strains of Streptococcus agalactiae isolated from diseased tilapia, ranged from 0.015 to 0.12 μg/mL. Results from these studies support that 10 mg cefquinome/kg body weight daily could be expected to control tilapia bacterial pathogens inhibited in vitro by a minimal inhibitory concentration value of ≤2 μg/mL.

Search for displaced supersymmetry in events with an electron and a muon with large impact parameters

A search for new long-lived particles decaying to leptons is presented using proton-proton collisions produced by the LHC at √[s]=8  TeV. Data used for the analysis were collected by the CMS detector and correspond to an integrated luminosity of 19.7  fb(-1). Events are selected with an electron and muon with opposite charges that both have transverse impact parameter values between 0.02 and 2 cm. The search has been designed to be sensitive to a wide range of models with nonprompt e-μ final states. Limits are set on the "displaced supersymmetry" model, with pair production of top squarks decaying into an e-μ final state via R-parity-violating interactions. The results are the most restrictive to date on this model, with the most stringent limit being obtained for a top squark lifetime corresponding to cτ=2  cm, excluding masses below 790 GeV at 95% confidence level.

John J, Sulak L, Alimena J, Berry E, Bhattacharya S, Christopher G, Cutts D, Demiragli Z, Dhingra N, Ferapontov A, Garabedian A, Heintz U, Kukartsev G, Laird E, Landsberg G, Luk M, Narain M, Segala M, Sinthuprasith T, Speer T, Swanson J, Breedon R, Breto G, Calderon De La Barca Sanchez M, Chauhan S, Chertok M, Conway J, Conway R, Cox PT, Erbacher R, Gardner M, Ko W, Lander R, Miceli T, Mulhearn M, Pellett D, Pilot J, Ricci-Tam F, Searle M, Shalhout S, Smith J, Squires M, Stolp D, Tripathi M, Wilbur S, Yohay R, Cousins R, Everaerts P, Farrell C, Hauser J, Ignatenko M, Rakness G, Takasugi E, Valuev V, Weber M, Babb J, Burt K, Clare R, Ellison J, Gary JW, Hanson G, Heilman J, Ivova Rikova M, Jandir P, Kennedy E, Lacroix F, Liu H, Long OR, Luthra A, Malberti M, Nguyen H, Negrete MO, Shrinivas A, Sumowidagdo S, Wimpenny S, Andrews W, Branson JG, Cerati GB, Cittolin S, D’Agnolo RT, Evans D, Holzner A, Kelley R, Klein D, Lebourgeois M, Letts J, Macneill I, Olivito D, Padhi S, Palmer C, Pieri M, Sani M, Sharma V, Simon S, Sudano E, Tadel M, Tu Y, Vartak A, Welke C, Würthwein F, Yagil A, Yoo J, Barge D, Bradmiller-Feld J, Campagnari C, Danielson T, Dishaw A, Flowers K, Franco Sevilla M, Geffert P, George C, Golf F, Gouskos L, Incandela J, Justus C, Mccoll N, Richman J, Stuart D, To W, West C, Apresyan A, Bornheim A, Bunn J, Chen Y, Di Marco E, Duarte J, Mott A, Newman HB, Pena C, Rogan C, Spiropulu M, Timciuc V, Wilkinson R, Xie S, Zhu RY, Azzolini V, Calamba A, Carlson B, Ferguson T, Iiyama Y, Paulini M, Russ J, Vogel H, Vorobiev I, Cumalat JP, Ford WT, Gaz A, Luiggi Lopez E, Nauenberg U, Smith JG, Stenson K, Ulmer KA, Wagner SR, Alexander J, Chatterjee A, Chu J, Dittmer S, Eggert N, Mirman N, Nicolas Kaufman G, Patterson JR, Ryd A, Salvati E, Skinnari L, Sun W, Teo WD, Thom J, Thompson J, Tucker J, Weng Y, Winstrom L, Wittich P, Winn D, Abdullin S, Albrow M, Anderson J, Apollinari G, Bauerdick LAT, Beretvas A, Berryhill J, Bhat PC, Burkett K, Butler JN, Cheung HWK, Chlebana F, Cihangir S, Elvira VD, Fisk I, Freeman J, Gao Y, Gottschalk E, Gray L, Green D, Grünendahl S, Gutsche O, Hanlon J, Hare D, Harris RM, Hirschauer J, Hooberman B, Jindariani S, Johnson M, Joshi U, Kaadze K, Klima B, Kreis B, Kwan S, Linacre J, Lincoln D, Lipton R, Liu T, Lykken J, Maeshima K, Marraffino JM, Martinez Outschoorn VI, Maruyama S, Mason D, McBride P, Mishra K, Mrenna S, Musienko Y, Nahn S, Newman-Holmes C, O’Dell V, Prokofyev O, Sexton-Kennedy E, Sharma S, Soha A, Spalding WJ, Spiegel L, Taylor L, Tkaczyk S, Tran NV, Uplegger L, Vaandering EW, Vidal R, Whitbeck A, Whitmore J, Yang F, Acosta D, Avery P, Bourilkov D, Carver M, Cheng T, Curry D, Das S, De Gruttola M, Di Giovanni GP, Field RD, Fisher M, Furic IK, Hugon J, Konigsberg J, Korytov A, Kypreos T, Low JF, Matchev K, Milenovic P, Mitselmakher G, Muniz L, Rinkevicius A, Shchutska L, Snowball M, Yelton J, Zakaria M, Hewamanage S, Linn S, Markowitz P, Martinez G, Rodriguez JL, Adams T, Askew A, Bochenek J, Diamond B, Haas J, Hagopian S, Hagopian V, Johnson KF, Prosper H, Veeraraghavan V, Weinberg M, Baarmand MM, Hohlmann M, Kalakhety H, Yumiceva F, Adams MR, Apanasevich L, Bazterra VE, Berry D, Betts RR, Bucinskaite I, Cavanaugh R, Evdokimov O, Gauthier L, Gerber CE, Hofman DJ, Khalatyan S, Kurt P, Moon DH, O’Brien C, Silkworth C, Turner P, Varelas N, Albayrak EA, Bilki B, Clarida W, Dilsiz K, Duru F, Haytmyradov M, Merlo JP, Mermerkaya H, Mestvirishvili A, Moeller A, Nachtman J, Ogul H, Onel Y, Ozok F, Penzo A, Rahmat R, Sen S, Tan P, Tiras E, Wetzel J, Yetkin T, Yi K, Barnett BA, Blumenfeld B, Bolognesi S, Fehling D, Gritsan AV, Maksimovic P, Martin C, Swartz M, Baringer P, Bean A, Benelli G, Bruner C, Kenny RP, Malek M, Murray M, Noonan D, Sanders S, Sekaric J, Stringer R, Wang Q, Wood JS, Barfuss AF, Chakaberia I, Ivanov A, Khalil S, Makouski M, Maravin Y, Saini LK, Shrestha S, Skhirtladze N, Svintradze I, Gronberg J, Lange D, Rebassoo F, Wright D, Baden A, Belloni A, Calvert B, Eno SC, Gomez JA, Hadley NJ, Kellogg RG, Kolberg T, Lu Y, Marionneau M, Mignerey AC, Pedro K, Skuja A, Tonjes MB, Tonwar SC, Apyan A, Barbieri R, Bauer G, Busza W, Cali IA, Chan M, Di Matteo L, Dutta V, Gomez Ceballos G, Goncharov M, Gulhan D, Klute M, Lai YS, Lee YJ, Levin A, Luckey PD, Ma T, Paus C, Ralph D, Roland C, Roland G, Stephans GSF, Stöckli F, Sumorok K, Velicanu D, Veverka J, Wyslouch B, Yang M, Yoon AS, Zanetti M, Zhukova V, Dahmes B, De Benedetti A, Gude A, Kao SC, Klapoetke K, Kubota Y, Mans J, Pastika N, Rusack R, Singovsky A, Tambe N, Turkewitz J, Acosta JG, Cremaldi LM, Kroeger R, Oliveros S, Perera L, Sanders DA, Summers D, Avdeeva E, Bloom K, Bose S, Claes DR, Dominguez A, Gonzalez Suarez R, Keller J, Knowlton D, Kravchenko I, Lazo-Flores J, Malik S, Meier F, Snow GR, Dolen J, Godshalk A, Iashvili I, Jain S, Kharchilava A, Kumar A, Rappoccio S, Alverson G, Barberis E, Baumgartel D, Chasco M, Haley J, Massironi A, Nash D, Orimoto T, Trocino D, Wang RJ, Wood D, Zhang J, Anastassov A, Hahn KA, Kubik A, Lusito L, Mucia N, Odell N, Pollack B, Pozdnyakov A, Schmitt M, Stoynev S, Sung K, Velasco M, Won S, Brinkerhoff A, Chan KM, Drozdetskiy A, Hildreth M, Jessop C, Karmgard DJ, Kellams N, Lannon K, Luo W, Lynch S, Marinelli N, Pearson T, Planer M, Ruchti R, Valls N, Wayne M, Wolf M, Woodard A, Antonelli L, Brinson J, Bylsma B, Durkin LS, Flowers S, Hill C, Hughes R, Kotov K, Ling TY, Puigh D, Rodenburg M, Smith G, Winer BL, Wolfe H, Wulsin HW, Driga O, Elmer P, Hebda P, Hunt A, Koay SA, Lujan P, Marlow D, Medvedeva T, Mooney M, Olsen J, Piroué P, Quan X, Saka H, Stickland D, Tully C, Werner JS, Zuranski A, Brownson E, Mendez H, Ramirez Vargas JE, Barnes VE, Benedetti D, Bolla G, Bortoletto D, De Mattia M, Hu Z, Jha MK, Jones M, Jung K, Kress M, Leonardo N, Lopes Pegna D, Maroussov V, Merkel P, Miller DH, Neumeister N, Radburn-Smith BC, Shi X, Shipsey I, Silvers D, Svyatkovskiy A, Wang F, Xie W, Xu L, Yoo HD, Zablocki J, Zheng Y, Parashar N, Stupak J, Adair A, Akgun B, Ecklund KM, Geurts FJM, Li W, Michlin B, Padley BP, Redjimi R, Roberts J, Zabel J, Betchart B, Bodek A, Covarelli R, de Barbaro P, Demina R, Eshaq Y, Ferbel T, Garcia-Bellido A, Goldenzweig P, Han J, Harel A, Khukhunaishvili A, Petrillo G, Vishnevskiy D, Ciesielski R, Demortier L, Goulianos K, Lungu G, Mesropian C, Arora S, Barker A, Chou JP, Contreras-Campana C, Contreras-Campana E, Duggan D, Ferencek D, Gershtein Y, Gray R, Halkiadakis E, Hidas D, Kaplan S, Lath A, Panwalkar S, Park M, Patel R, Salur S, Schnetzer S, Somalwar S, Stone R, Thomas S, Thomassen P, Walker M, Rose K, Spanier S, York A, Bouhali O, Hernandez AC, Eusebi R, Flanagan W, Gilmore J, Kamon T, Khotilovich V, Krutelyov V, Montalvo R, Osipenkov I, Pakhotin Y, Perloff A, Roe J, Rose A, Safonov A, Sakuma T, Suarez I, Tatarinov A, Akchurin N, Cowden C, Damgov J, Dragoiu C, Dudero PR, Faulkner J, Kovitanggoon K, Kunori S, Lee SW, Libeiro T, Volobouev I, Appelt E, Delannoy AG, Greene S, Gurrola A, Johns W, Maguire C, Mao Y, Melo A, Sharma M, Sheldon P, Snook B, Tuo S, Velkovska J, Arenton MW, Boutle S, Cox B, Francis B, Goodell J, Hirosky R, Ledovskoy A, Li H, Lin C, Neu C, Wood J, Clarke C, Harr R, Karchin PE, Kottachchi Kankanamge Don C, Lamichhane P, Sturdy J, Belknap DA, Carlsmith D, Cepeda M, Dasu S, Dodd L, Duric S, Friis E, Hall-Wilton R, Herndon M, Hervé A, Klabbers P, Lanaro A, Lazaridis C, Levine A, Loveless R, Mohapatra A, Ojalvo I, Perry T, Pierro GA, Polese G, Ross I, Sarangi T, Savin A, Smith WH, Vuosalo C, Woods N. Measurement of electroweak production of two jets in association with a Z boson in proton-proton collisions at [Formula: see text]

The purely electroweak (EW) cross section for the production of two jets in association with a Z boson, in proton-proton collisions at [Formula: see text], is measured using data recorded by the CMS experiment at the CERN LHC, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 19.7[Formula: see text]. The electroweak cross section for the [Formula: see text] final state (with [Formula: see text] or [Formula: see text] and j representing the quarks produced in the hard interaction) in the kinematic region defined by [Formula: see text][Formula: see text], [Formula: see text][Formula: see text], transverse momentum [Formula: see text][Formula: see text], and pseudorapidity [Formula: see text], is found to be [Formula: see text], in agreement with the standard model prediction. The associated jet activity of the selected events is studied, in particular in a signal-enriched region of phase space, and the measurements are found to be in agreement with QCD predictions.

Study of vector boson scattering and search for new physics in events with two same-sign leptons and two jets

A study of vector boson scattering in pp collisions at a center-of-mass energy of 8 TeV is presented. The data sample corresponds to an integrated luminosity of 19.4  fb(-1) collected with the CMS detector. Candidate events are selected with exactly two leptons of the same charge, two jets with large rapidity separation and high dijet mass, and moderate missing transverse energy. The signal region is expected to be dominated by electroweak same-sign W-boson pair production. The observation agrees with the standard model prediction. The observed significance is 2.0 standard deviations, where a significance of 3.1 standard deviations is expected based on the standard model. Cross section measurements for W(±)W(±) and WZ processes in the fiducial region are reported. Bounds on the structure of quartic vector-boson interactions are given in the framework of dimension-eight effective field theory operators, as well as limits on the production of doubly charged Higgs bosons.

Effect of etanercept, infliximab and methotrexate in the treatment of arthritis

BACKGROUND

Rheumatoid arthritis a chronic inflammatory autoimmune disease with inflammation of the joint, leading to damage of bone and surrounding cartilage.

OBJECTIVES

Our study was designed to find the efficacy of etanercept, infliximab and methotrexate in effective therapeutic management against arthritis patients.

METHODS

A total of 315 patients, including both the sexes in the age group of 45-70 years with active rheumatoid arthritis attending Hospital of Academy of Military Medical Sciences, Beijing, China during the period of December 2012 to November 2013 were included in the study. 100 patients with joint pains, but not with rheumatoid arthritis were taken as a control group. All the patients were treated with infliximab, methotrexate and etanercept.

RESULTS

In our study, patients responded, 75% to infliximab and etanercept combinations than to methotrexate. The combination therapy also showed a radiological decrease in the joint damage. There is significant when combinations of these drugs were used for the therapy (P<0.001).

CONCLUSION

In our study, use of infliximab and etanercept combinations lowered the joint damage and helped in the improvement of the patient's life.

[Pollution characteristics of organic and elemental carbon in PM2.5 in Taiyuan]

PM2.5 samples were collected at four sampling sites to study pollution characteristics of carbonaceous aerosols in Taiyuan during winter and summer. Organic carbon (OC) and elemental carbon (EC) in PM2.5 were analyzed by carbon analyzer, and the characteristics including pollution levels, temporal and spatial distributions of OC and EC, secondary organic carbon (SOC) and relationships of OC and EC were discussed in detail. The average concentrations of OC and EC in winter were 22.3 μg x m(-3) and 18.3 μg x m(-3), respectively, while in summer were 13.1 μg x m(-3) and 9.8 μg x m(-3), respectively. The concentrations of total carbon aerosol (TCA) accounted for 56.6% of PM2.5 in winter, and 36.5% in summer; the concentrations of OC and EC at four sites in winter were higher than those in summer, OC and EC levels showed a good uniformity in winter while in summer, the spatial distributions of OC and EC were obviously different; SOC levels were lighter than other cities; the correlation between OC and EC was stronger in winter than that in summer.

The boarding experience from the patient perspective: the wait

STUDY OBJECTIVE

We sought to better understand the experience of being a boarder patient.

METHODS

We conducted a qualitative study between March and August 2012 to examine the experience of boarding in an urban, teaching hospital emergency department (ED). We included boarder patients and selected patients based on a convenience sample. Interviews were semistructured, consisting of eight main open-ended questions. Interviews were transcribed; codes were generated and then organised into categorises and subsequently into one theme. We concluded analysis when we achieved thematic saturation. Our institutional review board approved this study.

RESULTS

Our final sample included 18 patients. The average age was 62.3 years. Patients characterised waiting as central to their experience as a boarder patient. One patient stated, "Well if you have to wait for a bed you have to wait for a bed, it's terrible." Three categories exemplified this waiting experience: (1) there was often lack of communication; (2) patients experienced frustration during this waiting period; and yet (3) patients often differentiated the experience of waiting from the care they were receiving.

CONCLUSIONS

Being a boarder patient was characterised as a waiting experience associated with poor communication and frustration. However, patients may still differentiate their feelings towards the wait from those towards the medical care they are receiving. Our data add more reason to eradicate the practice of ED boarding.

Folic acid supplementation and dietary folate intake, and risk of preeclampsia

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES

Folic acid supplementation has been suggested to reduce the risk of preeclampsia. However, results from few epidemiologic studies have been inconclusive. We investigated the hypothesis that folic acid supplementation and dietary folate intake before conception and during pregnancy reduce the risk of preeclampsia.

SUBJECTS/METHODS

A birth cohort study was conducted in 2010-2012 at the Gansu Provincial Maternity & Child Care Hospital in Lanzhou, China. A total of 10,041 pregnant women without chronic hypertension or gestational hypertension were enrolled.

RESULTS

Compared with nonusers, folic acid supplement users had a reduced risk of preeclampsia (OR=0.61, 95% CI: 0.43-0.87). A significant dose-response of duration of use was observed among women who used folic acid supplemention during pregnancy only (P-trend=0.007). The reduced risk associated with folic acid supplement was similar for mild or severe preeclampsia and for early- or late-onset preeclampsia, although the statistical significant associations were only observed for mild (OR=0.50, 95% CI: 0.30-0.81) and late-onset (OR=0.60, 95% CI: 0.42-0.86) preeclampsia. The reduced risk associated with dietary folate intake during pregnancy was only seen for severe preeclampsia (OR=0.52, 95% CI: 0.31-0.87, for the highest quartile of dietary folate intake compared with the lowest).

CONCLUSIONS

Our study results suggest that folic acid supplementation and higher dietary folate intake during pregnancy reduce the risk of preeclampsia. Future studies are needed to confirm the associations.

Morin hydrate attenuates Staphylococcus aureus virulence by inhibiting the self-assembly of α-hemolysin

AIMS

To investigate the mechanism by which morin hydrate inhibits the haemolytic activity of α-hemolysin (Hla), a channel-forming toxin that is important for the pathogenesis of disease in experimental animals, and its therapeutic effect against Staphylococcus aureus pneumonia in a mouse model.

METHODS AND RESULTS

The results from the in vitro (haemolysis, western blot and cytotoxicity assays) and in vivo (mouse model of intranasal lung infection) experiments indicated that morin hydrate, a natural compound with little anti-Staph. aureus activity, could effectively antagonize the cytolytic activity of Hla, alleviate human lung cell injury, and protect against mortality of Staph. aureus pneumonia in a mouse model of infection. Molecular dynamics simulations, free energy calculations and mutagenesis assays were further employed to determine the catalytic mechanism of inhibition, which indicated that a direct binding of morin to the 'Stem' domain of Hla (residues I107 and T109) and the concomitant change in conformation led to the inhibition of the self-assembly of the heptameric transmembrane pore, thus inhibiting the biological activity of Hla for cell lysis.

CONCLUSIONS

Morin inhibited Staph. aureus virulence via inhibiting the haemolytic activity of α-hemolysin.

SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY

These findings suggested that morin is a promising candidate for the development of anti-virulence therapeutic agents for the treatment of Staph. aureus infections.

TBX6 null variants and a common hypomorphic allele in congenital scoliosis

BACKGROUND

Congenital scoliosis is a common type of vertebral malformation. Genetic susceptibility has been implicated in congenital scoliosis.

METHODS

We evaluated 161 Han Chinese persons with sporadic congenital scoliosis, 166 Han Chinese controls, and 2 pedigrees, family members of which had a 16p11.2 deletion, using comparative genomic hybridization, quantitative polymerase-chain-reaction analysis, and DNA sequencing. We carried out tests of replication using an additional series of 76 Han Chinese persons with congenital scoliosis and a multicenter series of 42 persons with 16p11.2 deletions.

RESULTS

We identified a total of 17 heterozygous TBX6 null mutations in the 161 persons with sporadic congenital scoliosis (11%); we did not observe any null mutations in TBX6 in 166 controls (P<3.8×10(-6)). These null alleles include copy-number variants (12 instances of a 16p11.2 deletion affecting TBX6) and single-nucleotide variants (1 nonsense and 4 frame-shift mutations). However, the discordant intrafamilial phenotypes of 16p11.2 deletion carriers suggest that heterozygous TBX6 null mutation is insufficient to cause congenital scoliosis. We went on to identify a common TBX6 haplotype as the second risk allele in all 17 carriers of TBX6 null mutations (P<1.1×10(-6)). Replication studies involving additional persons with congenital scoliosis who carried a deletion affecting TBX6 confirmed this compound inheritance model. In vitro functional assays suggested that the risk haplotype is a hypomorphic allele. Hemivertebrae are characteristic of TBX6-associated congenital scoliosis.

CONCLUSIONS

Compound inheritance of a rare null mutation and a hypomorphic allele of TBX6 accounted for up to 11% of congenital scoliosis cases in the series that we analyzed. (Funded by the National Basic Research Program of China and others.).

Antibiotics in typical marine aquaculture farms surrounding Hailing Island, South China: occurrence, bioaccumulation and human dietary exposure

The occurrence, bioaccumulation, and human dietary exposure via seafood consumption of 37 antibiotics in six typical marine aquaculture farms surrounding Hailing Island, South China were investigated in this study. Sulfamethoxazole, salinomycin and trimethoprim were widely detected in the water samples (0.4-36.9 ng/L), while oxytetracycline was the predominant antibiotic in the water samples of shrimp larvae pond. Enrofloxacin was widely detected in the feed samples (16.6-31.8 ng/g) and erythromycin-H2O was the most frequently detected antibiotic in the sediment samples (0.8-4.8 ng/g). Erythromycin-H2O was the dominant antibiotic in the adult Fenneropenaeus penicillatus with concentrations ranging from 2498 to 15,090 ng/g. In addition, trimethoprim was found to be bioaccumulative in young Lutjanus russelli with a median bioaccumulation factor of 6488 L/kg. Based on daily intake estimation, the erythromycin-H2O in adult F. penicillatus presented a potential risk to human safety.

Disrupted autophagy after spinal cord injury is associated with ER stress and neuronal cell death

Autophagy is a catabolic mechanism facilitating degradation of cytoplasmic proteins and organelles in a lysosome-dependent manner. Autophagy flux is necessary for normal neuronal homeostasis and its dysfunction contributes to neuronal cell death in several neurodegenerative diseases. Elevated autophagy has been reported after spinal cord injury (SCI); however, its mechanism, cell type specificity and relationship to cell death are unknown. Using a rat model of contusive SCI, we observed accumulation of LC3-II-positive autophagosomes starting at posttrauma day 1. This was accompanied by a pronounced accumulation of autophagy substrate protein p62, indicating that early elevation of autophagy markers reflected disrupted autophagosome degradation. Levels of lysosomal protease cathepsin D and numbers of cathepsin-D-positive lysosomes were also decreased at this time, suggesting that lysosomal damage may contribute to the observed defect in autophagy flux. Normalization of p62 levels started by day 7 after SCI, and was associated with increased cathepsin D levels. At day 1 after SCI, accumulation of autophagosomes was pronounced in ventral horn motor neurons and dorsal column oligodendrocytes and microglia. In motor neurons, disruption of autophagy strongly correlated with evidence of endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress. As autophagy is thought to protect against ER stress, its disruption after SCI could contribute to ER-stress-induced neuronal apoptosis. Consistently, motor neurons showing disrupted autophagy co-expressed ER-stress-associated initiator caspase 12 and cleaved executioner caspase 3. Together, these findings indicate that SCI causes lysosomal dysfunction that contributes to autophagy disruption and associated ER-stress-induced neuronal apoptosis.