A study on pharmaceutical text relationship extraction based on heterogeneous graph neural networks

Effective information extraction of pharmaceutical texts is of great significance for clinical research. The ancient Chinese medicine text has streamlined sentences and complex semantic relationships, and the textual relationships may exist between heterogeneous entities. The current mainstream relationship extraction model does not take into account the associations between entities and relationships when extracting, resulting in insufficient semantic information to form an effective structured representation. In this paper, we propose a heterogeneous graph neural network relationship extraction model adapted to traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) text. First, the given sentence and predefined relationships are embedded by bidirectional encoder representation from transformers (BERT fine-tuned) word embedding as model input. Second, a heterogeneous graph network is constructed to associate words, phrases, and relationship nodes to obtain the hidden layer representation. Then, in the decoding stage, two-stage subject-object entity identification method is adopted, and the identifier adopts a binary classifier to locate the start and end positions of the TCM entities, identifying all the subject-object entities in the sentence, and finally forming the TCM entity relationship group. Through the experiments on the TCM relationship extraction dataset, the results show that the precision value of the heterogeneous graph neural network embedded with BERT is 86.99% and the F1 value reaches 87.40%, which is improved by 8.83% and 10.21% compared with the relationship extraction models CNN, Bert-CNN, and Graph LSTM.

Force-Loaded Cementocytes Regulate Osteoclastogenesis via S1P/S1PR1/Rac1 Axis

Orthodontically induced inflammatory root resorption (OIIRR) is the major iatrogenic complication of orthodontic treatment, seriously endangering tooth longevity and impairing masticatory function. Osteoclasts are thought to be the primary effector cells that initiate the pathological process of OIIRR; however, the cellular and molecular mechanisms responsible for OIIRR remain unclear. Our previous studies revealed that cementocytes, the major mechanically responsive cells in cementum, respond to compressive stress to activate and influence osteoclasts locally. For this study, we hypothesized that the sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P) signaling pathway, a key mechanotransduction pathway in cementocytes, may regulate osteoclasts under the different magnitudes of either physiologic compressive stress that causes tooth movement or pathologic stress that causes OIIRR. Here, we show a biphasic effect of higher compression force stimulating the synthesis and secretion of S1P, whereas lower compression force reduced signaling in IDG-CM6 cementocytes. Using conditioned media from force-loaded cementocytes, we verified the cell-to-cell communication between cementocytes and osteoclasts and show that selective knockdown of S1PR1 and Rac1 plays a role in cementocyte-driven osteoclastogenesis via the S1P/S1PR1/Rac1 axis. Most importantly, the use of inhibitors of this axis reduced or prevented the pathological process of OIIRR. The intercellular communication mechanisms between cementocytes and osteoclasts may serve as a promising therapeutic target for OIIRR.

Super-resolution reconstruction based on Gaussian transform and attention mechanism

Image super-resolution reconstruction can reconstruct low resolution blurred images in the same scene into high-resolution images. Combined with multi-scale Gaussian difference transform, attention mechanism and feedback mechanism are introduced to construct a new super-resolution reconstruction network. Three improvements are made. Firstly, its multi-scale Gaussian difference transform can strengthen the details of low resolution blurred images. Secondly, it introduces the attention mechanism and increases the network depth to better express the high-frequency features. Finally, pixel loss function and texture loss function are used together, focusing on the learning of structure and texture respectively. The experimental results show that this method is superior to the existing methods in quantitative and qualitative indexes, and promotes the recovery of high-frequency detail information.

[Dynamic analysis of tuberculosis specific mononuclear cells in peripheral blood of HIV patients with tuberculosis]

Objective: To evaluate the response of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) in patients with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) combined with active tuberculosis (TB) to TB-specific antigen stimulation. Methods: From January to December, 2018, individuals infected with both HIV and TB (HIV/TB group) were taken as the study subjects. Individuals infected with HIV alone (HIV group), individuals infected with TB alone (TB group) and healthy people (Health control group, HC group) were taken as the control groups. PBMCs were isolated and stimulated with purified protein derivative of bacillus calmette-guerin (BCG-PPD). The expression of surface molecules in T cells (CD3⁺, CD4⁺, CD8⁺) and monocytes (CD14⁺) and the percentages of Interferon (IFN)-γ and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α were detected by cell surface molecular staining, direct intracellular cytokine staining and flow cytometry (CD3^- lymphocytes were mainly B lymphocytes and NK cells). Analysis of non-parametric data was used to compare the data between the two groups, and paired t-test was used to compare the data before and after PPD stimulation in each group. Results: Before PPD stimulation, the percentage of IFN-γ⁺ CD8⁺ cells in the peripheral blood of HIV/TB group(mean 0.52%) was significantly lower than that in TB group(mean 0.94%, P=0.010). The TNF-α⁺cell percentages in CD3⁺, CD4⁺, CD8⁺, or CD14⁺ cells in the HIV/TB group(mean 19.2%) were significantly lower than those in the HIV group(mean 31.9%, P=0.002). The percentage of TNF-α secreted by monocytes in the HIV group was significantly lower than that in the HC group. The percentages of IFN-γ⁺ CD8⁺ and IFN-γ⁺ CD3^- cells in the peripheral blood of the TB group (mean 0.94%) were significantly higher than thoset in the HC group(mean 0.51%, P=0.020), while the percentages of TNF-α⁺ cells in each subsets of PBMCs were significantly lower than those in the HC group. After PPD stimulation, the percentage of IFN-γ⁺ CD8⁺ cells in the HIV/TB group was significantly lower than that in the TB group(P=0.008), and the change was more marked than that before stimulation. The percentage of IFN-γ⁺ CD8⁺ cells in the HIV group(mean 0.20%) was lower than that in the HC group (mean 0.52%, P=0.044). The percentage of IFN-γ⁺ CD3^- in the TB group was significantly higher than in the HC group. There were no significant differences in TNF-α⁺ cell percentages in the 3 groups compared with the control group after PPD stimulation. The percentages of IFN-γ⁺ CD4⁺ cells in the HC and the TB groups were significantly increased after PPD stimulation in each group (P=0.002, P=0.001, respectively). However, there were no significant differences of IFN-γ⁺ CD4⁺ cell percentages in the HIV/TB group and the HIV group. The percentages of TNF-α production by monocytes were significantly increased after PPD stimulation in all groups. Conclusions: Chronic Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB) infection reduced the ability of PBMCs to produce TNF-α. For patients with TB infection, the production of TNF-α was reduced when combined with HIV infection. The capacity of CD8⁺ and CD3^- lymphocytes to produce IFN-γ was increased in TB patients, while the capacity of CD8⁺ T cells to produce IFN-γ was decreased with co-infection of HIV. Infection of HIV weakened the immune response to MTB infection, which made the clinical diagnosis and treatment of TB more difficult.

Hsp60 expression and localization in different tissues and testis development of male cattle (cattle-yak and yak)

BACKGROUND

Heat shock protein 60 (Hsp60) play important roles in protecting testicular development and production of sperms. This study was conducted to investigate Hsp60 gene expression and localization in testicular development to ascertain its influence on infertility and in different tissues of the male cattle-yak and yak. A total of 54 cattle (24 cattle-yak and 30 yak) were examined.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Hsp60 mRNA of cattle-yak was cloned first and amino acid variations were found leading to differences at protein spatial structure compare with the yak. Real-time quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR) analysis revealed that Hsp60 mRNAs expression were different in cattle-yak and yak.

RESULTS

The results showed disparity in Hsp60 expression among different tissues and in different developmental stages of the testis. High Hsp60 expression was observed in juvenile and adult testicles. Moreover, Hsp60 expression in cattle-yak was significantly higher than yak (p < 0.01). The location of Hsp60 in tissue and testis was detected by immunohistochemistry (IHC) and immunofluorescence (IF). The results demonstrated that Hsp60 proteins located in epithelial cells, spermatocytes, sperm cells and mesenchymal cells.

CONCLUSIONS

The Hsp60 proteins are expressed in different tissues, and the highest expression level was observed in the testis of the cattle-yak, which suggests that infertility of cattle-yak have some correlation with up-regulation of Hsp60.

Forensic analysis of soman exposure using characteristic fragment ions from protein adducts

The verification of exposure to nerve agents is a serious challenge, especially in cases of soman (GD) poisoning. Protein adducts are reliable biomarkers, that provide forensic information and evidence during incidents of terrorism or sporadic poisoning. Mass spectrometry, coupled with a proteomics approach, was established for the forensic analysis of GD-based protein adducts. The fragmentation pathways of GD-based protein adducts were investigated for the first time using electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry. Three abundant natural loss product ions, [M+2H-54]²⁺ (loss of two carbon cations), [M+2H-72]²⁺ (loss of tert-butyl and methyl moieties), and [M+2H-84]²⁺ (loss of the pinacolyl moieties), were observed in each of the GD-labeled adducts, and the product ions were independent of protein structure and exposure route. A unique mechanism for the formation of product ions involving GD-protein adducts is proposed here. These findings support the development of a simple and precise forensic analysis technique to rapidly verify GD poisoning using these three GD-related product ions.

Azimuthal Anisotropy of Heavy-Flavor Decay Electrons in p-Pb Collisions at sqrt[s_{NN}]=5.02 TeV

Angular correlations between heavy-flavor decay electrons and charged particles at midrapidity (|η|<0.8) are measured in p-Pb collisions at sqrt[s_{NN}]=5.02  TeV. The analysis is carried out for the 0%-20% (high) and 60%-100% (low) multiplicity ranges. The jet contribution in the correlation distribution from high-multiplicity events is removed by subtracting the distribution from low-multiplicity events. An azimuthal modulation remains after removing the jet contribution, similar to previous observations in two-particle angular correlation measurements for light-flavor hadrons. A Fourier decomposition of the modulation results in a positive second-order coefficient (v_{2}) for heavy-flavor decay electrons in the transverse momentum interval 1.5<p_{T}<4  GeV/c in high-multiplicity events, with a significance larger than 5σ. The results are compared with those of charged particles at midrapidity and those of inclusive muons at forward rapidity. The v_{2} measurement of open heavy-flavor particles at midrapidity in small collision systems could provide crucial information to help interpret the anisotropies observed in such systems.

The prognostic significance of macroscopic serosal change in subserosal invasion (stage T3) gastric cancer

BACKGROUND

For patients with gastric cancer intraoperative macroscopic serosal change is not always consistent with pathological T stage. We investigated whether macroscopic serosal change is associated with unfavourable prognosis of patients with gastric cancer.

METHODS

We reviewed 856 patients with stage T3 gastric cancer who underwent curative gastrectomy in our institution. All patients were classified as serosa negative and serosa positive according to the macroscopic serosal change during the operation. The prognostic difference between two groups was compared and clinicopathologic features were analysed.

RESULTS

The percentage of macroscopic serosal change accounted for 55.7% of all patients. Compared with normal serosal surface, the patients with macroscopic serosal change had larger tumour size, more extensive stomach involvement and more advanced stage N. The prognosis of stage T3 with macroscopic serosal change was significantly poorer than that of those with normal serosal surface, especially for those with stages T3N0 and T3N1. Multivariate analysis identified macroscopic serosal change as an independent factor associated with unfavourable prognosis of stage T3 cancer.

CONCLUSION

Although the depth of tumour invasion mainly depends on pathological evaluation after surgery, the prognostic significance of intraoperative macroscopic serosal change should not be ignored for those patients with subserosal invasion.

D-Meson Azimuthal Anisotropy in Midcentral Pb-Pb Collisions at sqrt[s]_{NN}=5.02 TeV

The azimuthal anisotropy coefficient v_{2} of prompt D^{0}, D^{+}, D^{*+}, and D_{s}^{+} mesons was measured in midcentral (30%-50% centrality class) Pb-Pb collisions at a center-of-mass energy per nucleon pair sqrt[s_{NN}]=5.02  TeV, with the ALICE detector at the LHC. The D mesons were reconstructed via their hadronic decays at midrapidity, |y|<0.8, in the transverse momentum interval 1<p_{T}<24  GeV/c. The measured D-meson v_{2} has similar values as that of charged pions. The D_{s}^{+} v_{2}, measured for the first time, is found to be compatible with that of nonstrange D mesons. The measurements are compared with theoretical calculations of charm-quark transport in a hydrodynamically expanding medium and have the potential to constrain medium parameters.

The Half-Life of Thymidine Kinase 1 in Serum Measured by ECL Dot Blot: A Potential Marker for Monitoring the Response to Surgery of Patients with Gastric Cancer

Thymidine kinase 1 in serum (STK1) of patients with gastric cancer was determined by two methods: ECL dot blot and radioactivity assay. Both measurements showed significantly different values for preoperative STK1 and healthy STK1 (p=0.012 for ECL dot blot and p=0.003 for the radioactivity assay). The preliminary results of ECL dot blot STK1 measurement showed that in tumor-free subjects the level of the enzyme was significantly reduced to 52.7% 35 days after surgery (n=8, p=0.0106). The decrease in STK1 levels in the tumor-free subjects paralleled the decline of the half-life of the STK1 enzyme. In patients with distant metastases (n=6) the enzyme level had increased to 173% 35 days postoperatively. By contrast, with the radioactivity assay no significant differences in thymidine kinase activity for 0-day-postoperative patients and 35-day-postoperative tumor-free patients was found (p=0.329). The activity decreased to 80% in 35-day-postoperative patients with metastatic disease. We suggest that the value of the half-life of STK1 measured by ECL dot blot can be used as a potential marker for monitoring the response to surgery in patients with gastric or other cancers one month after surgery.

Systematic toxicity investigation of graphene oxide: evaluation of assay selection, cell type, exposure period and flake size

Understanding the toxicity of nanomaterials is essential for the safe and sustainable development of new applications. This is particularly true for a nanomaterial as widely used as graphene oxide (GO), which is utilized as films for electronics, membranes for filtration, drug carriers and more. Despite this, the current literature presents conflicting results on the overall toxicity of GO. Here, the cytotoxicity of three sizes of commercially available GO was investigated on six cell lines, as values of NOAEL/LOAEL. The effectiveness of four viability assays was also evaluated. The overall toxicity of GO greatly varied between cell lines; the suspension cells showed a greater response to the GO treatment compared to the adherent cell lines. Time dependent cytotoxicity was also cell line dependent, with only one cell line demonstrating obvious dependence. The six cell lines were also tested to evaluate their response to varying GO flake sizes: the suspension/phagocytic cells showed little variation in viability, while a difference was observed for the adherent/non-phagocytic cell lines. By systematically studying the effect of dose, GO size and treatment time for the six cell lines by using commercially available GO samples, we eliminate many of the variables which may result in the conflicting reports on the cytotoxicity of GO in the literature.

J/ψ Elliptic Flow in Pb-Pb Collisions at sqrt[s_{NN}]=5.02 TeV

We report a precise measurement of the J/ψ elliptic flow in Pb-Pb collisions at sqrt[s_{NN}]=5.02  TeV with the ALICE detector at the LHC. The J/ψ mesons are reconstructed at midrapidity (|y|<0.9) in the dielectron decay channel and at forward rapidity (2.5<y<4.0) in the dimuon channel, both down to zero transverse momentum. At forward rapidity, the elliptic flow v_{2} of the J/ψ is studied as a function of the transverse momentum and centrality. A positive v_{2} is observed in the transverse momentum range 2<p_{T}<8  GeV/c in the three centrality classes studied and confirms with higher statistics our earlier results at sqrt[s_{NN}]=2.76  TeV in semicentral collisions. At midrapidity, the J/ψ  v_{2} is investigated as a function of the transverse momentum in semicentral collisions and found to be in agreement with the measurements at forward rapidity. These results are compared to transport model calculations. The comparison supports the idea that at low p_{T} the elliptic flow of the J/ψ originates from the thermalization of charm quarks in the deconfined medium but suggests that additional mechanisms might be missing in the models.

Lithium enhances alveolar bone formation during orthodontic retention in rats

OBJECTIVE

To investigate the effect of lithium on alveolar bone formation during orthodontic retention in rats.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

After 2 weeks of orthodontic tooth movement (OTM), 42 8-week-old male Wistar rats were randomly divided into two orthodontic retention groups: one without (control) and the other with LiCl treatment (LiCl group). Samples were collected on days 0, 3, 7 and 14 during the retention period. We evaluated the bone volume/total volume (BV/TV) ratio and new bone formation in the region of interests (ie, the root, the periodontal ligament and the adjacent alveolar bone around the distal buccal surface of the distal root of the maxillary first molar). We performed quantitative analyses, including histology, histomorphometry and immunohistochemistry to identify Runx2 and Osterix expression.

RESULTS

The density of trabecular bone, the quantity of osteoblasts and the expression of osteogenic markers, Runx2 and Osterix, were significantly higher in the LiCl group than in the control group during the orthodontic retention period.

CONCLUSION

LiCl enhances alveolar bone formation during orthodontic retention in rats.

Fabrication of HA/PEI-functionalized carbon dots for tumor targeting, intracellular imaging and gene delivery

Carbon quantum dots (CDs) as emerging carbon nano-materials have attracted tremendous attention in biomedical fields due to unique properties.

Association and meta-analysis of HLA and non-obstructive azoospermia in the Han Chinese population

The exact aetiology and pathogenesis of most non-obstructive azoospermia (NOA) are still unknown. The previous two genomewide association studies (GWASs) have identified three different loci within the HLA region for NOA in the Han Chinese population, including rs3129878, rs498422 and rs7194. To further validate the risk of three GWAS-linked loci for NOA, we conducted a case-control study of these three risk loci in an independent Han Chinese male population, with 603 NOA patients and 610 controls. Furthermore, we also performed a meta-analysis of five studies on these three NOA-risk loci. The case-control study strongly suggested a significant association between loci rs3129878, rs498422 and rs7194 and NOA (P = 6.75 × 10^-21 (OR = 2.2586), P = 0.0060 (OR = 1.4013) and P = 0.0128 (OR = 1.2626) respectively). Our meta-analyses also supported the susceptibility of these three risk loci to NOA (P < 0.01). The risk variants within the HLA region potentially have a strong effect on males at risk of NOA, and may serve as diagnostic markers for male infertility. However, considering genetic difference between different populations, future validating studies in larger independent samples and animal experiments are suggested.

Post-mortem findings in a patient with avian influenza A (H5N6) virus infection

Avian influenza A (H5N6) has been found to infect humans, and has resulted in ten cases with six deaths in China since 2014. Here, we describe the systematic post-mortem pathology of a patient fatally infected with H5N6 virus and evaluate the associated pathogenesis compared with H1N1 pdm09 fatal cases. The most prominent histopathological features were diffuse alveolar damage and pulmonary vasculitis in the lungs of the patient. The virus disseminated to extrapulmonary organs, including the brain. Compared with H1N1 pdm09 fatal infection, H5N6 infection induced a more exacerbated immune response involving overt pulmonary inflammation, which led to alveolar damage and respiratory failure.

Dietary Features and Blood Pressure among 18-88-Year-Old Residents in an Island Population in China

OBJECTIVES

Dietary recommendations to reduce blood pressure (BP) have been widely disseminated and residents who live on islands have unique dietary characteristics. Here, we identified associations between dietary intake and BP levels among island residents in China.

DESIGN

Cross-sectional study.

SETTING

The Changhai islands, which is an important island county in China.

PARTICIPANTS

A total of 876 residents, 18-88 years old, of Changhai county.

MEASUREMENTS

Dietary intake and BP measurements were assessed using standardized questionnaires and protocols, respectively. Dietary intake was compared across BP categories and linear regression analyses were performed between dietary intake and systolic blood pressure (SBP) and diastolic blood pressure (DBP).

RESULTS

Participants previously diagnosed with hypertension consumed less salt than those with undiagnosed high BP (p < 0.01). After exclusion of participants previously diagnosed with hypertension, salt and meat consumption were positively and linearly associated with both SBP (p < 0.01 and < 0.001, respectively) and DBP (p = 0.03 and < 0.01, respectively), whereas consumption of marine products was inversely associated with SBP (p = 0.047). Mixed edible oil and edible oil consumption were associated with SBP (p < 0.01) and DBP (p = 0.021), respectively. In the multiple linear regression model, meat intake was positively associated with both SBP and DBP (β = 0.139, p < 0.001; β = 0.066, p = 0.047, respectively), whereas consumption of marine products was inversely associated with SBP (β = -0.102, p <0.001), while mixed edible oil was associated with SBP (β = 0.062, p = 0.03).

CONCLUSION

Adherence to nutritional recommendations can be improved among hypertensive patients, even those aware of their conditions. In the general island population, eating habits regarding salt, meat, edible oil consumption, and use of mixed edible oil increased the risk of hypertension onset, whereas marine products were found to decrease this risk.

Targeting HDAC with a novel inhibitor effectively reverses paclitaxel resistance in non-small cell lung cancer via multiple mechanisms

Chemotherapy paclitaxel yields significant reductions in tumor burden in the majority of advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients. However, acquired resistance limits its clinical use. Here we demonstrated that the histone deacetylase (HDAC) was activated in paclitaxel-resistant NSCLC cells, and its activation promoted proliferation and tumorigenesis of paclitaxel-resistant NSCLC cells in vitro and in vivo. By contrast, knockdown of HDAC1, a primary isoform of HDAC, sensitized resistant cells to paclitaxel in vitro. Furthermore, we observed that overexpression of HDAC1 was associated with the downregulation of p21, a known HDAC target, in advanced NSCLC patients with paclitaxel treatment, and predicted chemotherapy resistance and bad outcome. In addition, we also identified a novel HDACs inhibitor, SNOH-3, which inhibited HDAC expression and activity, induced cell apoptosis, and suppressed cell migration, invasion and angiogenesis. Notably, co-treatment with SNOH-3 and paclitaxel overcome paclitaxel resistance through inhibiting HDAC activity, leading to the induction of apoptosis and suppression of angiogenesis in vitro and in preclinical model. In summary, our data demonstrate a role of HDAC in paclitaxel-resistant NSCLC and provide a promising therapeutic strategy to overcome paclitaxel-acquired resistance.

Evaluation of drug-mediated arrhythmic changes in spontaneous beating cardiomyocytes by AFM

An AFM-based approach to investigate compound-induced ion channel effects in cardiomyocytes for pre-screening drug development.

Hyaluronic acid functionalized nitrogen-doped carbon quantum dots for targeted specific bioimaging

Schematic illustration of the preparation of HA-CQDs (A) and the following bioimaging application (B).

Wnt Signaling and Its Contribution to Craniofacial Tissue Homeostasis

A new field of dental medicine seeks to exploit nature's solution for repairing damaged tissues, through the process of regeneration. Most adult mammalian tissues have limited regenerative capacities, but in lower vertebrates, the molecular machinery for regeneration is an elemental part of their genetic makeup. Accumulating data suggest that the molecular pathways responsible for the regenerative capacity of teleosts, amphibians, and reptiles have fallen into disuse in mammals but that they can be "jumpstarted" by the selective activation of key molecules. The Wnt family of secreted proteins constitutes one such critical pathway: Wnt proteins rank among the most potent and ubiquitous stem cell self-renewing factors, with tremendous potential for promoting human tissue regeneration. Wnt reporter and lineage-tracing strains of mice have been employed to create molecular maps of Wnt responsiveness in the craniofacial tissues, and these patterns of Wnt signaling colocalize with stem/progenitor populations in the rodent incisor apex, the dental pulp, the alveolar bone, the periodontal ligament, the cementum, and oral mucosa. The importance of Wnt signaling in both the maintenance and healing of these craniofacial tissues is summarized, and the therapeutic potential of Wnt-based strategies to accelerate healing through activation of endogenous stem cells is highlighted.

Genetic tuning of the novel avian influenza A(H7N9) virus during interspecies transmission, China, 2013

A novel avian influenza A(H7N9) virus causing human infection emerged in February 2013 in China. To elucidate the mechanism of interspecies transmission, we compared the signature amino acids of avian influenza A(H7N9) viruses from human and non-human hosts and analysed the reassortants of 146 influenza A(H7N9) viruses with full genome sequences. We propose a genetic tuning procedure with continuous amino acid substitutions and reassorting that mediates host adaptation and interspecies transmission. When the early influenza A(H7N9) virus, containing ancestor haemagglutinin (HA) and neuraminidase (NA) genes similar to A/Shanghai/05 virus, circulated in waterfowl and transmitted to terrestrial poultry, it acquired an NA stalk deletion at amino acid positions 69 to 73. Then, receptor binding preference was tuned to increase the affinity to human-like receptors through HA G186V and Q226L mutations in terrestrial poultry. Additional mammalian adaptations such as PB2 E627K were selected in humans. The continual reassortation between H7N9 and H9N2 viruses resulted in multiple genotypes for further host adaptation. When we analysed a potential association of mutations and reassortants with clinical outcome, only the PB2 E627K mutation slightly increased the case fatality rate. Genetic tuning may create opportunities for further adaptation of influenza A(H7N9) and its potential to cause a pandemic.

Concurrent erlotinib and radiotherapy for chemoradiotherapy-intolerant esophageal squamous cell carcinoma patients: results of a pilot study

Concurrent chemoradiotherapy is the standard treatment for patients with locally advanced esophageal squamous cell carcinoma. However, a number of patients present intolerance to chemoradiotherapy because of advanced age or malnutrition. Erlotinib, an inhibitor of epidermal growth factor receptor tyrosine kinase, was shown to be effective in treating esophageal carcinoma, with mild toxicities. In this pilot study, we investigated the safety and efficacy of concurrent erlotinib and radiotherapy as an alternative treatment modality for esophageal carcinoma patients who are intolerant to chemoradiotherapy. Pathologically diagnosed esophageal squamous cell carcinoma patients who could not tolerate concurrent chemoradiotherapy were enrolled. All patients were treated with concurrent erlotinib and intensity-modulated radiation therapy. Erlotinib was given orally for 60 days (150 mg per day). Radiotherapy (total dose, 60 Gy) was given at dosages of 2 Gy for a total of 30 times. Immunohistochemical staining was performed to assess epidermal growth factor receptor expression. Toxicities were evaluated according to the National Cancer Institute Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events (version 3.0). The overall survival, progression-free survival, and local-regional relapse-free survival were calculated using the Kaplan-Meier method. Between December 2007 and March 2011, 18 patients were enrolled. The median age was 71.5 years. Primary disease was stages II, III, and IV in 3, 8, and 4 patients, respectively. There were three patients with recurrent disease after radical surgery. The median follow-up time was 17.2 months. Grade 3 esophagitis and skin rash were observed in five (27.8%) and two (11.1%) patients, respectively. Radiation pneumonitis of grades 2 and 5 was observed in one patient each. No grade 3/4 impaired liver function or hematological toxicity was observed. At 1 month after radiotherapy, two (11.1%) patients achieved complete response, 11 (61.1%) patients achieved partial response, and 5 (27.8%) patients had stable disease. The median time of overall survival and progression-free survival was 21.1 and 12 months, respectively. Two-year overall survival, progression-free survival, and local-regional relapse-free survival were 44.4%, 38.9%, and 66.7%, respectively. Five of six patients examined for epidermal growth factor receptor had high expression levels (3+). The relationship between epidermal growth factor receptor expression and treatment outcomes could not be concluded. For esophageal squamous cell carcinoma patients who cannot tolerate chemoradiotherapy, concurrent erlotinib and radiotherapy are tolerable and effective. Valuable markers to predict the effect of erlotinib should be exploited in future studies.

Numerical and experimental study of a high port-density WDM optical packet switch architecture for data centers

Data centers have to sustain the rapid growth of data traffic due to the increasing demand of bandwidth-hungry internet services. The current intra-data center fat tree topology causes communication bottlenecks in the server interaction process, power-hungry O-E-O conversions that limit the minimum latency and the power efficiency of these systems. In this paper we numerically and experimentally investigate an optical packet switch architecture with modular structure and highly distributed control that allow configuration times in the order of nanoseconds. Numerical results indicate that the candidate architecture scaled over 4000 ports, provides an overall throughput over 50 Tb/s and a packet loss rate below 10(-6) while assuring sub-microsecond latency. We present experimental results that demonstrate the feasibility of a 16x16 optical packet switch based on parallel 1x4 integrated optical cross-connect modules. Error-free operations can be achieved with 4 dB penalty while the overall energy consumption is of 66 pJ/b. Based on those results, we discuss feasibility to scale the architecture to a much larger port count.

Synchronized signaling delivery for broadband 60 GHz in-building optical wireless network based on digital frequency division multiplexing and digital Nyquist shaping

A simple and low-cost synchronized signaling delivery scheme has been proposed for a 60 GHz in-building optical wireless network with 12.7Gbps throughput based on digital frequency division multiplexing and digital Nyquist shaping.

Scanning assay of beta-galactosidase activity

Beta-galactosidase, encoded by the lacZ gene in E. coli, can cleave lactose and structurally related compounds to galactose and glucose or structurally related products. Its activity can be measured using an artificial substrate, o-nitrophenyl-beta-D-galactopyranoside (ONPG). Miller firstly described the standard quantitative assay of beta-galactosidase activity in the cells of bacterial cultures by disrupting the cell membrane with the permeabilization solution instead of preparing cell extracts. Therefore, beta-galactosidase became one of the most widely used reporters of gene expression in molecular biology to reflect intracellular gene expression difference. But the Miller assay procedure could not monitor the beta-galactosidase reaction in real time and its results were greatly influenced by some operations in the Miller procedure, such as permeabilization time, reaction time and concentration of the cell suspension. A scanning method based on the Miller method to determine the intracellular beta-galactosidase activity in E. coli Tuner (DE3) expressing -galactosidase in real time was developed and the permeabilization time of cells was optimized for that. The comparison of 3 assays of beta-galactosidase activity (Miller, colorimetric and scanning) was made. The results proved that scanning method for the determination of enzyme activity with using ONPG as substrate is simple, fast and reproducible.

Structural basis for microtubule binding and release by dynein

Cytoplasmic dynein is a microtubule-based motor required for intracellular transport and cell division. Its movement involves coupling cycles of track binding and release with cycles of force-generating nucleotide hydrolysis. How this is accomplished given the ~25 nanometers separating dynein's track- and nucleotide-binding sites is not understood. Here, we present a subnanometer-resolution structure of dynein's microtubule-binding domain bound to microtubules by cryo-electron microscopy that was used to generate a pseudo-atomic model of the complex with molecular dynamics. We identified large rearrangements triggered by track binding and specific interactions, confirmed by mutagenesis and single-molecule motility assays, which tune dynein's affinity for microtubules. Our results provide a molecular model for how dynein's binding to microtubules is communicated to the rest of the motor.

Derivation of male germ cells from induced pluripotent stem cells in vitro and in reconstituted seminiferous tubules

OBJECTIVES

Previous studies have demonstrated that mouse- and human-induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells can differentiate into primordial germ cells in vitro. However, up to now it is not known whether iPS cells would be able to differentiate into male germ cells in vivo. The aim of this study was to explore differentiation potential of iPS cells to male germ cells in vitro and in vivo.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

In this study, approaches using in vitro retinoic acid induction and in vivo ectopic transplantation were combined to induce iPS cells to become male germ cells.

RESULTS

RT-PCR showed that expression of pre-meiotic and meiotic germ cell-specific genes was enhanced in iPS cell-derived embryoid bodies (EBs) compared to mRNA transcripts of iPS cells. Immunofluorescence analysis revealed that iPS cell-derived EBs positively expressed germ-cell markers VASA, c-Kit and SCP3. Furthermore, iPS cell-derived cells dissociated from EBs were injected with testicular cells into dorsal skin of mice. Histological examination showed that iPS cell-derived cells could reconstitute seminiferous tubules, and meanwhile, iPS cell-derived germ cells could settle at basement membranes of reconstituted tubules.

CONCLUSION

Our results suggest that iPS cells are able to differentiate into male germ cells in vitro and that reconstituted seminiferous tubules may provide a functional niche for exogenous iPS cell-derived male germ cells. Derivation of male germ cells from iPS cells has potential application for treating male infertility and provides an ideal platform for elucidating molecular mechanisms of male germ-cell development.

Passive magnetic field cancellation device by multiple high-Tc superconducting coils

A passive magnetic field cancellation device (PMFCD) is designed. The PMFCD could automatically cancel the field as an active cancellation system did; however it requires no power sources and feedback systems. The capability of the PMFCD is based on the principle that a closed loop can resist flux variation and keep the flux constant inside. The closed loop in the PMFCD is formed by connecting two pairs of high temperature superconductor Helmholtz coils with different radii in series. More important thing is that the ratio of the radius and the turn number between the coils has to satisfy a number of conditions, with which 100% cancellation can be reached. Theoretical methods to obtain the turn number ratio and radius ratio are the major part of the paper. Numerical simulation was followed, aiming to evaluate field distribution under a cancellation state and correct the theoretical values.

Lipid-mediated delivery of RNA is more efficient than delivery of DNA in non-dividing cells

The design of appropriate gene delivery systems is essential for the successful application of gene therapy to clinical medicine. Cationic lipid-mediated delivery is a viable alternative to viral vector-mediated gene delivery in applications where transient gene expression is desirable. However, cationic lipid-mediated delivery of DNA to post-mitotic cells such as neurons is often reported to be of low efficiency, due to the presumed inability of the DNA to translocate to the nucleus. Lipid-mediated delivery of RNA is an attractive alternative to non-viral DNA delivery in some clinical applications, because transit across the nuclear membrane is not necessary. Here we report a comparative investigation of cationic lipid-mediated delivery of RNA versus DNA vectors encoding the reporter gene green fluorescent protein (GFP) in Chinese Hamster Ovary (CHO) and NIH3T3 cells following chemical inhibition of proliferation, and in primary mixed neuronal cell cultures. Using optimized formulations and transfection procedures, we assess gene expression by flow cytometry to specifically address some of the advantages and disadvantages of lipid-mediated RNA and DNA gene transfer. Despite inhibition of cell proliferation, over 45% of CHO cells express GFP after lipid-mediated transfection with RNA vectors. Transfection efficiency of DNA encoding GFP in proliferation-inhibited CHO cells was less than 5%. Detectable expression after RNA transfection occurs at least 3h earlier than after DNA transfection, but DNA transfection eventually produces a mean level of per cell GFP expression (as assayed by flow cytometry) that is higher than after RNA transfection. Transfection of proliferation-inhibited NIH3T3 cells and primary mixed neuronal cultures produced similar results, with RNA encoded GFP expression in 2-4 times the number of cells as after DNA encoded GFP expression. These results demonstrate the increased efficiency of RNA transfection relative to DNA transfection in non-dividing cells. We used firefly luciferase encoded by RNA and DNA vectors to investigate the time course of gene expression after delivery of RNA or DNA to primary neuronal cortical cells. Delivery of mRNA resulted in rapid onset (within 1h) of luciferase expression after transfection, a peak in expression 5-7h after transfection, and a return to baseline within 12h after transfection. After DNA delivery significant luciferase activity did not appear until 7h after transfection, but peak luciferase expression was always at least one order of magnitude higher than after RNA delivery. The peak expression after luciferase-expressing DNA delivery occurred 36-48 h after transfection and remained at a significant level for at least one week before dropping to baseline. This observation is consistent with our in vivo delivery results, which are shown as well. RNA delivery may therefore be more suitable for short-term transient gene expression due to rapid onset, shorter duration of expression and greater efficiency, particularly in non-dividing cells. Higher mean levels of expression per cell obtained following DNA delivery and the longer duration of expression confirm a continuing role for DNA gene delivery in clinical applications that require longer term transient gene expression.