Low-dose IL-2 treatment confers anti-inflammatory effect against subarachnoid hemorrhage in mice

Objective

Subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) was a stroke with high occurrence and mortality. At the early stage, SAH patients have severe cerebral injury which is contributed by inflammation. In this study, we aimed to explore the anti-inflammation effect of low-dose IL-2 in SAH mice.

Methods

The 12-week-old C57BL/6J male mice were conducted with SAH surgery (Internal carotid artery puncture method). Different dose of IL-2 was injected intraperitoneally for 1 h, 1 day, and 2 days after SAH. Single-cell suspension and flow cytometry were used for the test of regulatory T (Treg) cells. Immunofluorescence staining was used to investigate the phenotypic polarization of microglia and inflammation response around neurons. Enzyme-Linked Immuno-sorbent Assay (ELISA) was applied to detect the level of pro-inflammatory factors.

Results

Low-dose IL-2 could enrich the Treg cells and drive the microglia polarizing to M2. The level of pro-inflammatory factors, IL-1α, IL-6, and TNF-α decreased in the low-dose IL-2 group. The inflammation response around neurons was attenuated. Low-dose IL-2 could increase the number of Treg cells, which could exert a neuroprotective effect against inflammation after SAH.

Conclusion

Low-dose IL-2 had the potential to be an effective clinical method to inhibit inflammation after SAH.

Study on the treatment of osteoarthritis by acupuncture combined with traditional Chinese medicine based on pathophysiological mechanism: A review

Osteoarthritis (OA) is a major contributor to disability and social costs in the elderly. As the population ages and becomes increasingly obese, the incidence of the disease is higher than in previous decades. In recent years, important progress has been made in the causes and pathogenesis of OA pain. Modern medical treatment modalities mainly include the specific situation of the patient and focus on the core treatment, including self-management and education, exercise, and related weight loss. As an important part of complementary and alternative medicine, TCM has remarkable curative effect, clinical safety, and diversity of treatment methods in the treatment of OA. Traditional Chinese Medicine treatment of OA has attracted worldwide attention. Therefore, this article will study the pathophysiological mechanism of OA based on modern medicine, and explore the treatment of OA by acupuncture combined with Chinese Medicine.

Evidence for Chiral Wobbler in Nuclei

Three ΔI=1 bands with the πg_{9/2}⊗νg_{9/2} configuration have been identified in _{35}^{74}Br_{39}. Angular distribution, linear polarization, and lifetime measurements were performed to determine the multipolarity, type, mixing ratio, and absolute transition probability of the transitions. By comparing these experimental observations with the corresponding fingerprints and the quantum particle rotor model calculations, the second and third lowest bands are, respectively, suggested as the chiral partner and one-phonon wobbling excitation built on the yrast band. The evidence indicates the first chiral wobbler in nuclei.

Feasibility of early radial artery occlusion recanalization and reuse through transradial access for neuroendovascular procedures

BACKGROUND

Radial artery occlusion (RAO) remains a significant limitation of neuroendovascular procedures peformed through transradial access (TRA) when radial artery needs to be reused. Instances of early RAO recanalization to successfully complete neuroendovascular procedures have been rarely documented.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Documents and imaging data were extracted retrospectively for all patients who underwent TRA diagnostic angiography and neuroendovascular procedures in our center from June 2022 to February 2023. The patients with early RAO who required repeat TRA were included.

RESULTS

A total of 46 patients underwent repeat TRA, and 13 consecutive patients who experienced early RAO after angiography as confirmed by ultrasonography were enrolled in this study. The occluded radial arteries were successfully recanalized, and subsequent neuroendovascular procedures were carried out successful. During an average follow-up time of 7.1 months, no patients exhibited symptomatic RAO, dissection, hematoma or pseudoaneurysm.

CONCLUSIONS

Early RAO recanalization and reused for neuroendovascular procedures through TRA is feasible. A visually guided and stable puncture process plays a crucial role in successfully recanalizing early RAO.

Progress in treatment of facial neuritis by acupuncture combined with medicine from the perspective of modern medicine: A review

Facial neuritis is a common clinical disease with high incidence, also known as Bell palsy or idiopathic facial nerve paralysis, which is an acute onset of peripheral facial neuropathy. In modern medicine, there have been obstacles to the effective treatment of facial neuritis. At present, the clinical use of Western medicine treatment is also a summary of clinical experience, the reason is that the cause of facial neuritis is unknown. Facial neuritis belongs to the category of "facial paralysis" in traditional Chinese medicine. For thousands of years, Chinese medicine has accumulated a lot of relevant treatment experience in the process of diagnosis and treatment. At the same time, traditional Chinese medicine, acupuncture and the combination of acupuncture and medicine play an important role in the treatment of facial neuritis. This article discusses the treatment of facial neuritis with acupuncture combined with Chinese medicine, based on the research progress of modern medicine. In this review, we provide an overview of the effectiveness of acupuncture and medication combinations and facial neuritis with current studies investigating acupuncture and medication combinations in the treatment of facial neuritis.

[Management of liver transplantation perioperative period in acute-on-chronic liver failure]

Acute-on-chronic liver failure (ACLF) is a potentially reversible entity that occurs in patients with chronic liver disease accompanied with or without cirrhosis and is characterized by extrahepatic organ failure and high short-term mortality. Currently, the most effective treatment method for patients with ACLF is liver transplantation; therefore, admission timing and contraindications must be emphasized. The function of vital organs such as the heart, brain, lungs, and kidneys should be actively supported and protected during the liver transplantation perioperative period in patients with ACLF. Focusing on the anesthesia management level during anesthesia selection, intraoperative monitoring, three-stage management, prevention and treatment of post-perfusion syndrome, monitoring and management of coagulation function, volume monitoring and management, and body temperature monitoring management for liver transplantation should strengthen anesthesia management. Additionally, standard postoperative intensive care treatment should be recommended, and grafts and other vital organ functions should be monitored throughout the perioperative period to promote early postoperative recovery in patients with ACLF.

Implications of CRNDE in prognosis, tumor immunity, and therapeutic sensitivity in low grade glioma patients

BACKGROUND

Colorectal tumor differentially expressed (CRNDE) is specifically expressed in human brains and is the most highly expressed lncRNA in gliomas. Nevertheless, its implications in low grade glioma (LGG) are still indistinct. This study presented systematic analyses of CRNDE in LGG biology.

METHODS

We retrospectively retrieved TCGA, CGGC and GSE16011 LGG cohorts. Survival analysis was conducted for evaluating the prognostic significance of CRNDE in LGG. A CRNDE-based nomogram was established, and its predictive performance was verified. Signaling pathways underlying CRNDE were analyzed through ssGSEA and GSEA approaches. The abundance of immune cells and activity of cancer-immunity cycle were estimated with ssGSEA approach. Immune checkpoints, HLAs, chemokines, and immunotherapeutic response indicators (TIDE, and TMB) was quantified. U251 and SW1088 cells were transfected with specific shRNAs of CRNDE, and flow cytometry (apoptosis) and western blot (β-catenin and Wnt5a) assays were conducted.

RESULTS

Up-regulated CRNDE was found in LGG, and was linked to unfavorable clinical outcomes. The CRNDE-based nomogram enabled to accurately predict patients' prognosis. High CRNDE expression was linked to more genomic variations, activity of tumorigenic pathways, tumor immunity (increase in infiltration of immune cells, expression of immune checkpoints, HLAs and chemokines, and cancer-immunity cycle), and therapeutic sensitivity. CRNDE knockdown mitigated malignant phenotypes of LGG cells.

CONCLUSIONS

Our study determined CRNDE as a novel predictor for patient prognosis, tumor immunity and therapeutic response in LGG. Assessment of CRNDE expression is a promising approach for predicting the therapeutic benefits of LGG patients.

Next-generation gene panel testing in adolescents and adults in a medical neuropsychiatric genetics clinic

Intellectual disability (ID) encompasses a clinically and genetically heterogeneous group of neurodevelopmental disorders that may present with psychiatric illness in up to 40% of cases. Despite the evidence for clinical utility of genetic panels in pediatrics, there are no published studies in adolescents/adults with ID or autism spectrum disorder (ASD). This study was approved by our institutional research ethics board. We retrospectively reviewed the medical charts of all patients evaluated between January 2017 and December 2019 in our adult neuropsychiatric genetics clinic at the McGill University Health Centre (MUHC), who had undergone a comprehensive ID/ASD gene panel. Thirty-four patients aged > 16 years, affected by ID/ASD and/or other neuropsychiatric/behavioral disorders, were identified. Pathogenic or likely pathogenic variants were identified in one-third of our cohort (32%): 8 single-nucleotide variants in 8 genes (CASK, SHANK3, IQSEC2, CHD2, ZBTB20, TREX1, SON, and TUBB2A) and 3 copy number variants (17p13.3, 16p13.12p13.11, and 9p24.3p24.1). The presence of psychiatric/behavioral disorders, regardless of the co-occurrence of ID, and, at a borderline level, the presence of ID alone were associated with positive genetic findings (p = 0.024 and p = 0.054, respectively). Moreover, seizures were associated with positive genetic results (p = 0.024). One-third of individuals presenting with psychiatric illness who met our red flags for Mendelian diseases have pathogenic or likely pathogenic variants which can be identified using a comprehensive ID/ASD gene panel (~ 2500 genes) performed on an exome backbone.

Effects of miR-18a on proliferation and apoptosis of gastric cancer cells by regulating RUNX1

OBJECTIVE

The aim of this study was to explore the effects of micro ribonucleic acid (miR)-18a on the proliferation and apoptosis of gastric cancer (GC) cells, and to elucidate the possible underlying mechanism.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

In this study, the expression of miR-18a in GC tissues and para-cancer tissues was verified by in situ hybridization (ISH) of GC tissue microarray (TMA). Meanwhile, the effect of miR-18a expression on the prognosis of GC patients was evaluated. GC AGS cell line was selected and transfected with miR-18a mimic and mimic control (NC) to up-regulate miR-18a expression in vitro. Thereafter, changes in cell proliferation, apoptosis and migration after transfection were detected by biological functional assays. Luciferase reporter gene assay was carried out to verify the target gene Runt-related transcription factor 1 (RUNX1) modulated by miR-18a. Finally, the Spearman's grade correlation coefficient was calculated to explore the correlation between the expressions of miR-18a and RUNX1.

RESULTS

ISH results of TMA showed that overexpression of miR-18a in GC tissues was significantly associated with low survival rate of patients (p<0.001). High expression of miR-18a remarkably enhanced the proliferation, migration and invasion of GC cells (p<0.05). Besides, it has been predicted in biology that RUNX1 is one of the target genes of miR-18a. Luciferase reporter gene assay showed that Luciferase activity in cells transfected with wild-type (WT) RUNX1 3' untranslated region (3'UTR) was significantly reduced (p<0.05). Moreover, the protein expression of RUNX1 decreased remarkably in GC cells with over-expression of miR-18a (p<0.05). All these findings indicated that the expression of miR-18a was negatively correlated with RUNX1 in GC cells (p<0.001, r=0.86).

CONCLUSIONS

MiR-18a exerts a high predictive value for the prognosis of GC patients by directly targeting the transcription factor RUNX1. All our findings may provide therapeutic candidates for GC identification.

Human Chorionic Gonadotropin Polypeptide Nanoparticle Drug Delivery System Improves Methotrexate Efficacy in Gestational Trophoblastic Neoplasia in vitro

Purpose

To alleviate the sufferings of the chemotherapy patients, we developed a novel active targeted therapeutic system and showed its potential as a promising drug delivery strategy.

Methods

We utilized the human chorionic gonadotropin (HCG) ligand-receptor mediation to make an actively targeted drug delivery system with optimal HCG polypeptide fragment as target head base, polyethylene glycol–polylactic acid copolymers as nanometer materials to load chemotherapy drug methotrexate (MTX), to highly selectively deliver MTX into choriocarcinoma lesions, and to investigate the efficacy, targeting and tolerability of the complex in vitro experiments.

Results

Our data show that choriocarcinoma cell lines JEG-3 and JAR exhibited high expression levels of HCG receptor, peptide HCGβ81-95 specifically bonded to HCG receptor-positive cells and HCG81-NP efficiently delivered MTX to choriocarcinoma cells. HCG81-NP-MTX inhibited cell proliferation and reduced G₀/G₁ to S phase transition in JEG-3 and JAR cells.

Conclusion

We designed an active targeting therapy system of choriocarcinoma, significantly improved chemotherapy efficacy in vitro, and provided a theoretical basis for the treatment of malignant trophoblastic tumors.

Annealing studies combined with low temperature emission Mössbauer spectroscopy of short-lived parent isotopes: Determination of local Debye-Waller factors

An extension of the online implantation chamber used for emission Mössbauer Spectroscopy (eMS) at ISOLDE/CERN that allows for quick removal of samples for offline low temperature studies is briefly described. We demonstrate how online eMS data obtained during implantation at temperatures between 300 K and 650 K of short-lived parent isotopes combined with rapid cooling and offline eMS measurements during the decay of the parent isotope can give detailed information on the binding properties of the Mössbauer probe in the lattice. This approach has been applied to study the properties of Sn impurities in ZnO following implantation of ¹¹⁹In (T_½ = 2.4 min). Sn in the 4+ and 2+ charge states is observed. Above T > 600 K, Sn²⁺ is observed and is ascribed to Sn on regular Zn sites, while Sn²⁺ detected at T < 600 K is due to Sn in local amorphous regions. A new annealing stage is reported at T ≈ 550 K, characterized by changes in the Sn⁴⁺ emission profile, and is attributed to the annihilation of close Frenkel pairs.

Effects of propofol on proliferation and apoptosis of cardia cancer cells via MAPK/ERK signaling pathway

OBJECTIVE

To explore the influences of propofol on the proliferation and apoptosis of cardia cancer cells via mitogen-activated protein kinase/extracellular signal-regulated kinase (MAPK/ERK) signaling pathway.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

A total of 65 surgical resection specimens of cardia cancer were selected as research objects and divided into control group and with low (12.5 μmol/L), medium (25 μmol/L), and high (50 μmol/L) propofol concentration groups. The apoptosis of cancer cells, ERK1/2 phosphorylation level, expressions of Caspase-3, B-cell lymphoma-2 (Bcl-2), and Bcl-2 associated X protein (Bax) in each group were detected.

RESULTS

Propofol in different concentrations could all effectively inhibit the proliferation of cardia cancer cells in a dose-dependent manner. Different concentrations of propofol promoted the apoptosis of cardia cancer cells, and the apoptosis rate constantly increased with the rising concentration of propofol (p<0.05). Propofol could repress the expression of Bcl-2 and up-regulate the expression levels of Caspase-3, Bax, and phosphorylated ERK1/2.

CONCLUSIONS

Propofol can inhibit the proliferation and induce the apoptosis of cardia cancer cells, and the action mechanism may be correlated with the inhibition on the MAPK/ERK signaling pathway.

Suppressions of vibration in the Tip-Tilt mirror control system by add-on controller

Tip-Tilt mirrors play an important role in astronomical telescopes requiring the tracking performance at the level of microradian or sub-microradian. However, the closed-loop performance suffers a lot from the low-sample rate and time delay of image sensors. Especially, this issue is under the condition of vibrations, because dynamic behaviors are complex and the models are difficult to be obtained accurately. Another challenging issue comes from the measurement of vibrations and its extraction for the closed-loop control. This paper proposes a new method based on an add-on controller of the Tip-Tilt mirror to mitigate telescope vibrations. The proposed method only uses Tip-Tilt errors from an image sensor to implement a disturbance observer, which is not being restricted by an accurate model. As a result, the closed-loop performance can be optimized by designing of a proper Q-filter. To suppress the low-frequency and high-frequency vibrations, a novel Q-filter combining a lowpass filter and a bandpass filter is proposed here. The improved control method is validated by both simulation and experiment in the tip-tilt mirror control system under the condition of vibrations.

miR-137 alleviates focal cerebral ischemic injury in rats by regulating JAK1/STAT1 signaling pathway

The repairing effect and potential mechanism of miR-137 on cerebral ischemic injury in rats was investigated. The volume of cerebral infarction and calculated brain water content was detected by triphenyltetrazolium chloride staining. The expression of inflammatory factors was detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The pathological damage of brain tissue was analyzed by hematoxylin and eosin and Nissl staining. The apoptosis in ischemic brain tissue was detected by terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated deoxyuridine triphosphate nick-end labeling. The levels of STAT1 and JAK1 proteins were analyzed by Western blot. The expression of miR-137 in primary hippocampal neurons was detected by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction. miR-137 overexpression significantly improved brain damage in rats. miR-137 overexpression can reduce the expression of TNF-α, IL-1β, and IL-6. miR-137 overexpression can reduce the degree of brain tissue damage and inhibit the expression of JAK1 and STAT1 proteins. miR-137 overexpression can reduce oxygen-glucose deprivation (OGD)/R-induced cell damage, improve cell proliferation, and reduce apoptotic rate. JAK1 and STAT1 protein expression was inhibited in hippocampal neurons after OGD/R treatment after transfection with miR-137 mimic. After the addition of the Filgotinib inhibitor, the levels of JAK1 and STAT1 proteins were significantly reduced. The results suggested that miR-137 overexpression can effectively improve ischemic injury after focal cerebral ischemia and protect against by inhibiting JAK1/STAT1 pathway.

Compensation factors for 3rd order coma in three mirror anastigmatic (TMA) telescopes

Misalignment induced third-order coma with respect to misaligned parameters in TMA optical systems is derived by using Nodal Aberration Theory, which yields the compensation factors that can be used to accomplish coma compensation in both coaxial and off-axis misaligned TMA telescopes. By using the compensation factors, coma free point for the tertiary mirror in TMA telescopes is derived and proved to be the negative form of the one for the secondary mirror in the Cassegrain telescope. The compensation factors can also be used to design the off-axis TMAs due to their capability of eliminating the coma over the field of view.

Evaluation of mango saponin in broilers: effects on growth performance, carcass characteristics, meat quality and plasma biochemical indices

OBJECTIVE

The objective of the present study was to determine whether mango saponin (MS) could be used as a feed additive in broiler chicks by evaluating growth performance, carcass characteristics, meat quality, and plasma biochemical indices.

METHODS

A total of 216 1-d-old Arbor Acres male broiler chicks were randomly assigned into three dietary treatments supplemented with 0 (control), 0.14% (MS 0.14%), or 0.28% (MS 0.28%) MS. Each treatment had six replicates (cages) with 12 chicks each. The feeding trial lasted for six weeks.

RESULTS

Compared with the control, dietary supplemented with 0.14% or 0.28% MS increased average daily weight gain of chicks in the grower (22 to 42 d) and the whole (1 to 42 d) phases, and the final body weight of chicks on d 42 was higher in MS supplemented groups (p<0.05). Lower L45 min* (lightness) and L24 h* values, lower b24 h* (yellowness) value, and higher a45 min* (redness) and a24 h* values of the breast muscle were observed in chicks fed with 0.28% MS on d 42 (p<0.05). The total antioxidant capacity in plasma increased in MS 0.14% group on d 21 (p<0.001). Lower contents of plasma total cholesterol and triglyceride were observed in chicks fed with 0.28% MS on d 21 and d 42, whereas the group supplemented with 0.14% MS only decreased plasma triglyceride content on d 21 (p<0.05). The glucose content in plasma decreased in MS 0.28% group on d 42 (p<0.001).

CONCLUSION

Overall, MS could be used as a feed additive in broiler chicks, and the supplemental level of 0.28% MS in diet could improve growth performance, meat quality, and plasma lipid metabolism in broiler chicks.

[The characteristic of lexical tone perception in native Mandarin speakers with mild and moderate sensorineural hearing loss]

Objective:To explore the characteristic of lexical tone perception in native-Mandarin speakers with mild to moderate sensorineural hearing loss. Method:Three types of continuum(Tone1/tone2, tone1/tone4 and tone2/tone3) were constructed and each of them includes a 15 stimuli. All speech stimuli in these three continua were resynthesized by applying the Pitch-Synchronous OverLap and Add(PSOLA) method implemented in Praat to the same mandarin syllable, /a/, with a high level tone produced by a female native-mandarin speaker. Twenty-three native-mandarin sensory hearing loss people were recruited for this study and identification task was used to acquire the tonal perceptual data. SPSS 19.0 software was used to get the fitting curves of lexical tone perception. Result:①Each tone perception curves owns the characteristic of categorical perception, including an obvious boundary, a definite intersection and the abrupt performance change at intersection. The tone perception curves were S-shape in SNHL people which were same as that in normal hearing people.②No significant performance difference of each continuum was observed between SNHL and NH in this study(P=0.811 in T1/T2 continuum, P=0.528 in T1/T4 continuum, P=0.555 in T2/T3 continuum). Conclusion:There is the categorical perception of lexical tone identification in native-mandarin sensorineural hearing loss people. The slight damage in peripheral auditory system did not changed characteristic of lexical tone perception.

Effects of Neuromedin S on the Proliferation of Splenic Lymphocytes and the Cytokine Secretion by Pulmonary Alveolar Macrophages in Pigs in vitro

Neuromedin S (NMS), a 36-amino acid neuropeptide, has been found to be involved in the regulation of the endocrine activity. It has been also detected in immune tissues in mammals, what suggests that NMS may play an important role in the regulation of immune response. The aim of this study was to demonstrate the presence of NMS receptor 1 (NMU1R) and effect of NMS in pig splenic lymphocytes (SPLs) and pulmonary alveolar macrophages (PAMs). The presence of NMU1R in pig SPLs and PAMs was respectively confirmed by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), western blot analysis and immunocytochemical methods. Furthermore, SPL proliferation was analyzed using the 3-(4,5)-dimethyl-thiahiazo-(-2-yl)-3,5-di-phenytetrazoliumromide (MTT) method. Additionally, the secretion of interleukin (IL)-1β, IL-6 and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) in PAMs was all measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) kits. In the present study, the results of RT-PCR and western blot analysis revealed that NMU1R mRNA and protein were both expressed in pig SPLs and PAMs, and the immunocytochemical investigations further revealed that the positive signal of NMU1R immunoreactivity was observed in plasma membranes of both SPLs and PAMs. In the in vitro study, we found that at concentrations of 0.001-1000 nM NMS alone or combined with lipopolysaccharide or phytohemagglutinin significantly increased SPL proliferation. Application of ELISA method showed that NMS could induce the secretion of the pro-inflammatory cytokines IL-1β, IL-6 and TNF-α in PAMs. These results suggest that NMS can act as a potently positive pro-inflammatory factor and immunomodulatory agent that affects the immune response of immune cells by combining with its receptor NMU1R.

Estradiol-tethered micropatterned surfaces for the study of estrogenic non-genomic pathways

Besides its well-known hormonal effects initiated in the nucleus, estradiol (E2) also activates non-nuclear pathways through interactions with receptors located on the cell plasma membrane. Micropatterned substrates consisting of gold dots bearing tethered E2 distributed on a cell-adhesive substrate were prepared and shown to trigger specifically E2 non-genomic effects in cells grown on the substrates.

Evidence for Octupole Correlations in Multiple Chiral Doublet Bands

Two pairs of positive-and negative-parity doublet bands together with eight strong electric dipole transitions linking their yrast positive- and negative-parity bands have been identified in ^{78}Br. They are interpreted as multiple chiral doublet bands with octupole correlations, which is supported by the microscopic multidimensionally-constrained covariant density functional theory and triaxial particle rotor model calculations. This observation reports the first example of chiral geometry in octupole soft nuclei.

Two-party secret key distribution via a modified quantum secret sharing protocol

We present and demonstrate a novel protocol for distributing secret keys between two and only two parties based on N-party single-qubit Quantum Secret Sharing (QSS). We demonstrate our new protocol with N = 3 parties using phase-encoded photons. We show that any two out of N parties can build a secret key based on partial information from each other and with collaboration from the remaining N - 2 parties. Our implementation allows for an accessible transition between N-party QSS and arbitrary two party QKD without modification of hardware. In addition, our approach significantly reduces the number of resources such as single photon detectors, lasers and dark fiber connections needed to implement QKD.

Overregulation of microRNA-212 in the poor prognosis of esophageal cancer patients

There have been few reports evaluating the expression and function of the microRNA miR-212 in esophageal cancer. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between miR-212 expression and clinicopathological factors and prognoses of esophageal cancer. MicroRNA was extracted from 46 esophageal cancer patients using the Taqman MicroRNA assay. All patients were at the same tumor node metastasis stage, but with different prognoses, and had all undergone surgery. The correlation between miR-212 expression and clinicopathological features was analyzed and the significance of miR-212 as a prognostic factor as well as its relationship with survival was determined. miR-212 expression was higher in patients with poor prognoses than in those with good prognoses (P < 0.0001). Kaplan-Meier analysis results showed that the miR-212 expression level was significantly correlated with survival time (P = 0.024). Patients with higher expression of miR-212 showed longer survival times. Cox multi-factor model analysis showed that miR-212 expression was significantly correlated with survival time (P = 0.026). mir-212 is related with prognostic factors and survival time and may be a biomarker for esophageal cancer.

Implications of microRNA-197 downregulated expression in esophageal cancer with poor prognosis

The aim of this study was to investigate the significance of the microRNA miR-197 expression level in relation to clinicopathological factors and prognoses of esophageal cancer (EC). MicroRNA was extracted using the Taqman(®) MicroRNA Assay from 46 EC patients at the same tumor node metastasis (TNM) stage, but with different prognoses, who underwent surgery. Paracancerous normal tissues were used as controls. The correlation between miR-197 expression and clinicopathologic features was analyzed, and the significance of miR-197 as a prognostic factor and its relationship with survival was determined. miR-197 expression was lower in patients with poor prognosis than in those with good prognosis (P < 0.05). Kaplan-Meier analysis results showed that the miR-197 expression level is significantly correlated with survival time (P = 0.030), and that patients with higher expression of miR-197 had longer survival times. Cox multi-factor model analysis showed that patient prognosis (P = 0.001), tumor length (P = 0.010) and expression (P = 0.042), and survival time were significantly correlated, with corresponding risks of 9.183, 2.318, and 1.925, respectively. This study supports a role of miR-197 as an anti-oncogene and a biomarker for EC and its relationship with other prognostic factors and survival.

A versatile stable platform for multifunctional applications: synthesis of a nitroDOPA–PEO–alkyne scaffold for iron oxide nanoparticles

A simple but powerful design of contemporary magnetic nanoparticle composites for biomedical applications.

Evidence for multiple chiral doublet bands in 133Ce

Two distinct sets of chiral-partner bands have been identified in the nucleus 133Ce. They constitute a multiple chiral doublet, a phenomenon predicted by relativistic mean field (RMF) calculations and observed experimentally here for the first time. The properties of these chiral bands are in good agreement with results of calculations based on a combination of the constrained triaxial RMF theory and the particle-rotor model.

Nitrogen metabolism and recycling in yaks (Bos grunniens) offered a forage - concentrate diet differing in N concentration

An experiment was conducted to characterise N use efficiency and quantify urea fluxes in yaks offered four levels of dietary N (1.43%, 1.97%, 2.45% and 2.90% of diet DM) in a 4 × 4 Latin square design. The incremental increase in N intake linearly increased N retention (P = 0.003) and the excretion of urinary N (P < 0.001), but no difference (P > 0.05) in faecal N excretion was observed in growing yaks fed any of the four diets. Microbial N production had quadratic (P < 0.001) responses to dietary N, characterised by the highest microbial N production occurring in the 1.97% N diet (P < 0.05). As the N content of the diet increased, the urinary excretion of urea increased from 13% to 27% of urea entry rate (quadratic, P < 0.001), whereas gastrointestinal entry urea returned to ornithine cycling decreased from 46% to 40% (linear, P < 0.001), and the gastrointestinal entry urea used for anabolism increased from 50% to 56% (linear, P < 0.001). Gastrointestinal entry urea incorporated into bacterial N decreased linearly (P < 0.001) with incremental increase in N intake, and the greatest concentration (23.5%) of bacterial N originating from plasma urea N was in yaks fed the 1.43% N diet. As much as 87% of the urea synthesised in the liver was returned to the gastrointestinal tract when the yaks were fed a diet with 1.43% N (1.1 times the maintenance N level). Moreover, constantly greater urea production than the intake of digestible N, and the gastrointestinal-urea clearance than the kidney-urea clearance were observed, respectively, in the growing yaks, regardless of the level of N intake. These results suggest that yaks might be more efficient at utilising N under harsh environment than are cattle.

Gene-dependent cell death in yeast

Caspase-dependent apoptotic cell death has been extensively studied in cultured cells and during embryonic development, but the existence of analogous molecular pathways in single-cell species is uncertain. This has reduced enthusiasm for applying the advanced genetic tools available for yeast to study cell death regulation. However, partial characterization in mammals of additional genetically encoded cell death mechanisms, which lead to a range of dying cell morphologies and necrosis, suggests potential applications for yeast genetics. In this light, we revisited the topic of gene-dependent cell death in yeast to determine the prevalence of yeast genes with the capacity to contribute to cell-autonomous death. We developed a rigorous strategy by allowing sufficient time for gene-dependent events to occur, but insufficient time to evolve new populations, and applied this strategy to the Saccharomyces cerevisiae gene knockout collection. Unlike sudden heat shock, a ramped heat stimulus delivered over several minutes with a thermocycler, coupled with assessment of viability by automated counting of microscopic colonies revealed highly reproducible gene-specific survival phenotypes, which typically persist under alternative conditions. Unexpectedly, we identified over 800 yeast knockout strains that exhibit significantly increased survival following insult, implying that these genes can contribute to cell death. Although these death mechanisms are yet uncharacterized, this study facilitates further exploration.

Ultrasmall-V high-Q photonic crystal nanobeam microcavities based on slot and hollow-core waveguides

Photonic crystal nanobeam microcavities based on slot and hollow-core waveguides were proposed and analyzed. Three-dimensional finite-difference time-domain simulations show that both an ultrasmall modal volume (V) and a high quality (Q) factor can be obtained simultaneously in hollow-core-nanobeam mirocavities (HCNMs) due to the strong confinement of fields in the two lateral directions. For a 6.5-μm-long HCNM, the Q factor and V are on the order of 10⁵ and 10⁻²(λ/2n)³, respectively. With compactness, lower fabrication requirements as well as ultrahigh Q/V, the proposed microcavities would be very promising in a variety of applications.

Role of taurine supplementation to prevent exercise-induced oxidative stress in healthy young men

To evaluate the protective effects of taurine supplementation on exercise-induced oxidative stress and exercise performance, eleven men aged 18-20 years were selected to participate in two identical bicycle ergometer exercises until exhaustion. Single cell gel assay (SCG assay) was used to study DNA damage in white blood cells (WBC). Pre-supplementation of taurine, a significant negative correlation was found between plasma taurine concentration before exercise and plasma thiobaribituric-acid reactive substance (TBARS) 6 hr after exercise (r = -0.642, p<0.05). WBC showed a significant increase in DNA strand breakage 6 hr and 24 hr after exercise. Seven-day taurine supplementation reduced serum TBARS before exercise ( p<0.05) and resulted in a significantly reduced DNA migration 24 hr after exercise ( p<0.01). Significant increases were also found in VO(2)max, exercise time to exhaustion and maximal workload in test with taurine supplementation ( p<0.05). After supplementation, the change in taurine concentration showed positive correlations with the changes in exercise time to exhaustion and maximal workload. The results suggest that taurine may attenuate exercise-induced DNA damage and enhance the capacity of exercise due to its cellular protective properties.

Redox factor-1: an extra-nuclear role in the regulation of endothelial oxidative stress and apoptosis

The rac1 GTPase promotes oxidative stress through reactive oxygen species (ROS) production, whereas the DNA repair enzyme and transcriptional regulator redox factor-1 (ref-1) protects against cell death due to oxidative stimuli. However, the function of ref-1 in regulating intracellular oxidative stress, particularly that induced by rac1, has not been defined. We examined the role of ref-1 in vascular endothelial cell oxidative stress and apoptosis. Ref-1 was expressed in both the cytoplasm and nuclei of resting endothelial cells. Cytoplasmic ref-1 translocated to the nucleus with the oxidative trigger hypoxia/reoxygenation (H/R). Forced cytoplasmic overexpression of ref-1 suppressed H/R-induced oxidative stress (H(2)O(2) production), NF-kappaB activation, and apoptosis, and also mitigated rac1-regulated H(2)O(2) production and NF-kappaB transcriptional activity. We conclude that inhibition of oxidative stress is another mechanism by which ref-1 protects against apoptosis, and that this is achieved through modulation of cytoplasmic rac1-regulated ROS generation. This suggests a novel extra-nuclear function of ref-1.

Biodegradation of volatile organic compounds by five fungal species

Five fungal species, Cladosporium resinae (ATCC 34066), Cladosporium sphaerospermum (ATCC 200384), Exophiala lecanii-corni (CBS 102400), Mucor rouxii (ATCC 44260), and Phanerochaete chrysosporium (ATCC 24725), were tested for their ability to degrade nine compounds commonly found in industrial off-gas emissions. Fungal cultures inoculated on ceramic support media were provided with volatile organic compounds (VOCs) via the vapor phase as their sole carbon and energy sources. Compounds tested included aromatic hydrocarbons (benzene, ethylbenzene, toluene, and styrene), ketones (methyl ethyl ketone, methyl isobutyl ketone, and methyl propyl ketone), and organic acids ( n-butyl acetate, ethyl 3-ethoxypropionate). Experiments were conducted using three pH values ranging from 3.5 to 6.5. Fungal ability to degrade each VOC was determined by observing the presence or absence of visible growth on the ceramic support medium during a 30-day test period. Results indicate that E. lecanii-corni and C. sphaerospermum can readily utilize each of the nine VOCs as a sole carbon and energy source. P. chrysosporium was able to degrade all VOCs tested except for styrene under the conditions imposed. C. resinae was able to degrade both organic acids, all of the ketones, and some of the aromatic compounds (ethylbenzene and toluene); however, it was not able to grow utilizing benzene or styrene under the conditions tested. With the VOCs tested, M. rouxiiproduced visible growth only when supplied with n-butyl acetate or ethyl 3-ethoxypropionate. Maximum growth for most fungi was observed at a pH of approximately 5.0. The experimental protocol utilized in these studies is a useful tool for assessing the ability of different fungal species to degrade gas-phase VOCs under conditions expected in a biofilter application.

[Effect of the Purariae-isofiavones on atrophic nasal mucosas in ovariectomized rats]

OBJECTIVE

To study the effect of Purariae-isoflavone on atrophic nasal mucosas in ovariectomized rats.

METHOD

60 rats were divided into four groups randomly, every group with 15 rats. The first group was studied as normal control group. Rats of the second group were ovariectomized and not given any treatment. Rats of the third group were given Weinian by gastrogavage from 30 days after being ovariectomized to being killed. Rats of the forth group were given purariae isoflavone by gastrogavage from 30 days after operation to being killed. Level of Estrodiol (E2) of every rat was measured. Morphological changes of the nasal mucosas were observed by light-microscopy and electron-microscopy.

RESULT

30 days after being ovariectomized, atrophic nasal mucosas occured, and average E2 level was lower significantly than that of control group (P < 0.05). Atrophic mucosas recovered after being treated with Weinian or Purariae isoflavone. E2 level of the third group was lower significantly than that of the first group and the second group (P < 0.05). E2 level of the forth group recovered (P > 0.05).

CONCLUSION

Purariae-isoflavone have effects on treating the atrophic nasal mucosas and recovering E2 level in ovariectomized rats.

Link of a new type of apoptosis-inducing gene ASY/Nogo-B to human cancer

Although apoptosis plays an essential role in the embryogenesis and homeostasis of multicellular organisms, this mechanism has not yet been fully clarified. We isolated a novel human apoptosis-inducing gene, ASY, which encodes an endoplasmic reticulum-targeting protein without any known apoptosis-related motifs. This gene is identical to the Nogo-B, a splice variant of the Nogo-A which has recently been shown to be an inhibitor of neuronal regeneration in the central nervous system. Ectopic expression of the ASY gene led to extensive apoptosis, particularly in cancer cells. Furthermore, transcription of the ASY gene was suppressed in small cell lung cancer. These results suggest that a new type of apoptosis-inducing gene, namely, ASY, may be involved in the development of certain types of cancer.