[Acidophil stem cell pituitary neuroendocrine tumors/adenoma: a clinicopathological analysis of five cases]

Objective: To investigate the clinicopathological characteristics of acidophil stem cell pituitary neuroendocrine tumors (PitNET)/adenoma. Methods: Five cases of acidophil stem cell PitNET/adenoma were diagnosed between May 2022 and July 2023 at the Second Hospital of Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang, China. The clinicopathological features of the tumor were analyzed by using histology, immunohistochemistry, and electron microscopy. The relevant literature was reviewed. Results: There were 1 male and 4 females, aged from 23 to 69 years. Patient 3 was 55 years old at the time of diagnosis and first surgery, and relapsed 5 years later. The patients' median age was 32 years. Patients 1 and 5 showed elevated blood prolactin, with various degrees of hormonal symptoms except Patient 3, who showed only tumor compression symptoms. Imaging studies showed that all cases involved the sellar floor. The tumors of Patients 1, 2 and 5 were closely related to the cavernous sinus segment of the internal carotid artery. The tumors exhibited a diffuse growth pattern with chromophobic to slightly acidophilic cytoplasm. A few of tumor cells showed chromophobic cytoplasm. The nucleoli were conspicuous. Intranuclear inclusion bodies and variably-sized clear vacuoles were observed occasionally. Under electron microscope, marked mitochondrial abnormalities were observed, including increased mitochondria number, expanded hypertrophy, and absence of mitochondrial ridge fracture. Some mitochondrial matrices were dense, while some were vacuolated. Conclusions: Acidophil stem cell PitNET/adenoma is a rare type of pituitary adenomas/PitNETs. It often has a more clinically aggressive manner with immature cells, diffuse expression of PIT1, prolactin, and varying degrees of growth hormone expression. Because of the obvious diversity of their clinical hormone status and hormone immune expression, the diagnosis of this type tumor is still a challenge.

Clinical laboratory Analysis of EB Virus Associated Hemophagocytic Lymphohistiocytosis in Children

Objective

Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) is a common virus that infects a large portion of the world's population, with most people becoming infected during childhood or adolescence. The objective of this article is to analyze the clinical and laboratory examination results of Epstein-Barr virus-associated hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (EBV-HLH) in children, summarize its characteristics, identify critically ill children as soon as possible, and provide a basis for diagnosis and treatment.

Method

The retrospective analysis in this study involved collecting data from 34 cases of Epstein-Barr virus-associated hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (EBV-HLH) admitted to Hebei Children's Hospital from January 2019 to December 2022. The inclusion criteria for the cases studied likely included confirmed diagnosis of EBV-HLH based on clinical symptoms, laboratory findings, and possibly viral testing results. Key parameters analyzed in the study may have included clinical manifestations, laboratory test results (e.g., levels of lactate dehydrogenase, sCD25, IL-10, calcium ions, glutathione aminotransferase, ferritin, alanine aminotransferase, D-dimer), survival rates, and other relevant indicators. Additionally, the cases were likely divided into high-risk groups (with multiple organ dysfunction or requiring ventilator-assisted ventilation) and non-risk groups for comparative analysis.

Results

The results showed that 34 cases (100%) of EBV-HLH had elevated levels of lactate dehydrogenase, sCD25, IL-10, and decreased levels of calcium ions. 97.1% of the children had a fever and elevated levels of glutathione aminotransferase and ferritin, with an 8-week survival rate of 91.2%. The levels of alanine aminotransferase, alanine aminotransferase, lactate dehydrogenase, ferritin, D-dimer, and sCD25 in critically ill children were significantly higher than those in the non-critically ill group, with statistical significance (P < .05). The decreased levels of calcium ions in EBV-HLH patients suggest potential tissue damage and disruption of calcium homeostasis, contributing to the systemic manifestations of the disease. Compared with non-critical recombinant albumin, the decrease in critical recombinant albumin was statistically significant (P < .05).

Conclusion

Significant changes in laboratory results can contribute to the early diagnosis and targeted treatment of EBV-HLH, especially for critically ill children. We should pay timely attention to laboratory examinations, diagnosis and treatment, and avoid or reduce the occurrence of adverse consequences. Based on the results of the study on Epstein-Barr virus-associated hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (EBV-HLH) in children, specific strategies and criteria can be proposed to aid in the early identification of critically ill children with this condition in clinical practice: Clinical Screening, Risk Stratification, Early Intervention, Multidisciplinary Management and Educational Measures.

[Pulmonary artery stenting in chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension: a report of 2 cases]

Chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH) is a pulmonary vascular disease characterized by an insidious onset, progressive deterioration, and poor prognosis. It is distinguished by the thrombotic organization within the pulmonary arteries, leading to vascular stenosis or occlusion. This results in a progressive increase in pulmonary vascular resistance and pulmonary arterial pressure, ultimately leading to right heart failure. In recent years, balloon pulmonary angioplasty (BPA) has emerged as an effective treatment option for patients ineligible for pulmonary endarterectomy (PEA). However, the use of stents in patients with suboptimal balloon dilation remains controversial. This article describes two cases of chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH) in which balloon angioplasty yielded unsatisfactory results, subsequently leading to stent placement. Following stent implantation, there was improved blood flow, significant reduction in pulmonary arterial pressure, and notable alleviation of patient symptoms. One-year follow-up showed no recurrence of stenosis within the stent, suggesting potential guidance for the use of pulmonary artery stenting as a treatment modality for CTEPH. This report provided new insights into the therapeutic approach for CTEPH.

[A case of repairing the destructive high-voltage electric burn wounds in the head, face, and neck based on the economic theory of flaps]

In September 8th, 2021, a male patient (aged 18 years) with severe destructive injuries of high-voltage electric burns in the head, face, and neck was admitted to General Hospital of Taiyuan Iron Steel (Group) Co., Ltd. Based on the economic theory of flaps, the flap donor site and transplantation method were optimized and evaluated before surgery, and then debridement of head, face, and neck wounds+removal of necrotic skull+free transplantation of super large latissimus dorsi myocutaneous flap+thin intermediate thickness skin graft transplantation from the left thigh was performed. The extra large flap donor site wound was sutured directly. This surgery reduced the adverse consequences of the flap donor site on the premise of ensure of repair effect. After operation, the patient's condition was stable, the flap and skin graft survived well, the repair effect of wound was well, the scar in the flap donor area was relatively mild, and the upper limb had no dysfunction.

[A case of metastatic breast cancer complicated by pulmonary tumor thrombotic microangiopathy]

Pulmonary tumor thrombotic microangiopathy is a malignancy-related complication with rapid progression and high mortality. To improve the understanding of the disease, early diagnosis and treatment are key to successful treatment. A 39-year-old patient with pulmonary hypertension transferred from another hospital was admitted to the First Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University on September 26, 2021. The patient developed shortness of breath and progressive exacerbation over the past month. No pulmonary artery embolism was seen on computed tomography pulmonary angiography (CTPA) at the outside hospital where the breast cancer was diagnosed. Pulmonary tumor thrombotic microangiopathy was immediately considered on admission and oncological endocrine therapy was started. After treatment, the patient's dyspnoea improved, PET-CT showed significant tumor regression, and cardiac ultrasound showed a significant decrease in pulmonary artery pressure. The successful treatment experience of this case was summarized for reference.

Efficient Unsupervised Dimension Reduction for Streaming Multiview Data

Multiview learning has received substantial attention over the past decade due to its powerful capacity in integrating various types of information. Conventional unsupervised multiview dimension reduction (UMDR) methods are usually conducted in an offline manner and may fail in many real-world applications, where data arrive sequentially and the data distribution changes periodically. Moreover, satisfying the requirements of high memory consumption and expensive retraining of the time cost in large-scale scenarios are difficult. To remedy these drawbacks, we propose an online UMDR (OUMDR) framework. OUMDR aims to seek a low-dimensional and informative consensus representation for streaming multiview data. View-specific weights are also learned in this article to reflect the contributions of different views to the final consensus presentation. A specific model called OUMDR-E is developed by introducing the exclusive group LASSO (EG-LASSO) to explore the intraview and interview correlations. Then, we develop an efficient iterative algorithm with limited memory and time cost requirements for optimization, where the convergence of each update is theoretically guaranteed. We evaluate the proposed approach in video-based expression recognition applications. The experimental results demonstrate the superiority of our approach in terms of both effectiveness and efficiency.

Transcriptome Analysis Revealed the Molecular Response Mechanism of Non-heading Chinese Cabbage to Iron Deficiency Stress

Iron is a trace metal that is found in animals, plants, and the human body. Human iron absorption is hampered by plant iron shortage, which leads to anemia. Leafy vegetables are one of the most direct and efficient sources of iron for humans. Despite the fact that ferrotrophic disorder is common in calcareous soil, however, non-heading Chinese cabbage performs a series of reactions in response to iron deficiency stress that help to preserve iron homeostasis in vivo. In this study, we discovered that iron deficiency stress caused leaf yellowing and impeded plant development in both iron-deficient and control treatments by viewing or measuring phenotypic, chlorophyll content, and Fe²⁺ content in both iron-deficient and control treatments. We found a total of 9213 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in non-heading Chinese cabbage by comparing root and leaf transcriptome data with iron deficiency and control treatments. For instance, 1927 DEGs co-expressed in root and leaf, including 897 up-regulated and 1030 down-regulated genes, respectively. We selected some key antioxidant genes, hormone signal transduction, iron absorption and transport, chlorophyll metabolism, and transcription factors involved in the regulation of iron deficiency stress utilizing GO enrichment, KEGG enrichment, multiple types of functional annotation, and Weighted Gene Co-expression Network Analysis (WGCNA). This study identifies prospective genes for maintaining iron homeostasis under iron-deficient stress, offering a theoretical foundation for further research into the molecular mechanisms of greater adaptation to iron-deficient stress, and perhaps guiding the development of iron-tolerant varieties.

Sodium salicylate rewires hepatic metabolic pathways in obesity and attenuates IL-1β secretion from adipose tissue - implications for obesity-impaired reverse cholesterol transport

Introduction

High-fat diet (HFD)-induced obesity impairs clearance of cholesterol through the Reverse Cholesterol Transport (RCT) pathway, with downregulation in hepatic expression of cholesterol and bile acid transporters, namely ABCG5/8 and ABCB11, and reduced high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol efflux capacity (CEC). In the current study, we hypothesized that the development of hepatosteatosis, secondary to adipose-tissue dysfunction, contributes to obesity-impaired RCT and that such effects could be mitigated using the anti-inflammatory drug sodium salicylate (NaS).

Materials and methods

C57BL/6J mice, fed HFD ± NaS or low-fat diet (LFD) for 24 weeks, underwent glucose and insulin tolerance testing. The ³H-cholesterol movement from macrophage-to-feces was assessed in vivo. HDL-CEC was determined ex vivo. Cytokine secretion from adipose-derived stromal vascular fraction (SVF) cells was measured ex vivo. Liver and HDL proteins were determined by mass spectrometry and analyzed using Ingenuity Pathway Analysis.

Results

NaS delayed HFD-induced weight gain, abrogated priming of pro-IL-1β in SVFs, attenuated insulin resistance, and prevented steatohepatitis (ectopic fat accumulation in the liver). Prevention of hepatosteatosis coincided with increased expression of PPAR-alpha/beta-oxidation proteins with NaS and reduced expression of LXR/RXR-induced proteins including apolipoproteins. The latter effects were mirrored within the HDL proteome in circulation. Despite remarkable protection shown against steatosis, HFD-induced hypercholesterolemia and repression of the liver-to-bile cholesterol transporter, ABCG5/8, could not be rescued with NaS.

Discussions and conclusions

The cardiometabolic health benefits of NaS may be attributed to the reprogramming of hepatic metabolic pathways to increase fatty acid utilization in the settings of nutritional overabundance. Reduced hepatic cholesterol levels, coupled with reduced LXR/RXR-induced proteins, may underlie the lack of rescue of ABCG5/8 expression with NaS. This remarkable protection against HFD-induced hepatosteatosis did not translate to improvements in cholesterol homeostasis.

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Sodium salicylate (NaS) initially delays weight-gain in mice fed high-fat diet (HFD) - catch-up evident in weeks 12–24.

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NaS prevents HFD-induced insulin resistance, hepatosteatosis and pro-IL-1β priming in adipose tissue even upon weight-gain.

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Hepatic expression of proteins involved in beta oxidation, oxidative phosphorylation and TCA cycle upregulated with NaS.

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Hepatic expression of LXR/RXR proteins eg. apolipoproteins reduced with NaS; these effects were mirrored in HDL proteome.

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NaS failed to improve HFD-impaired Reverse Cholesterol Transport or hypercholesterolemia despite preventing hepatosteatosis.

Singular Learning of Deep Multilayer Perceptrons for EEG-Based Emotion Recognition

Human emotion recognition is an important issue in human–computer interactions, and electroencephalograph (EEG) has been widely applied to emotion recognition due to its high reliability. In recent years, methods based on deep learning technology have reached the state-of-the-art performance in EEG-based emotion recognition. However, there exist singularities in the parameter space of deep neural networks, which may dramatically slow down the training process. It is very worthy to investigate the specific influence of singularities when applying deep neural networks to EEG-based emotion recognition. In this paper, we mainly focus on this problem, and analyze the singular learning dynamics of deep multilayer perceptrons theoretically and numerically. The results can help us to design better algorithms to overcome the serious influence of singularities in deep neural networks for EEG-based emotion recognition.

Efficacy of massage therapy in improving outcomes in knee osteoarthritis: A systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND

and purpose: Massage therapy is being used for knee osteoarthritis. However, level-1 evidence is lacking. This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to synthesize evidence on the effect of massage therapy on knee osteoarthritis.

METHODS

PubMed, Embase, Ovid, Springer, and Google Scholar databases were searched up to May 8, 2021 for randomized controlled trials comparing massage with controls for knee osteoarthritis. Review manager was used for a random-effect meta-analysis. Risk of bias was assessed using the Cochrane collaboration risk assessment tool and certainty of evidence using Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation (GRADE).

RESULTS

Twelve studies with 737 participants were included. After 1-4 weeks of therapy, there was a significant reduction in pain and stiffness scores in the massage group and after 6-8 weeks of therapy, there was a significant reduction in stiffness and functionality scores. There was no significant difference in outcomes with long-term therapy. A statistically significant reduction in stiffness scores was seen with aromatherapy massage. Aromatherapy massage was not superior to standard massage. The overall quality of evidence according to GRADE was low to moderate for standard massage therapy and very low for aromatherapy.

CONCLUSION

Massage therapy may lead to some improvement in pain, stiffness, and functionality scores in the short term but not in long term. Aromatherapy massage was not found to be any better than standard massage therapy. Current evidence is limited by methodological heterogeneity amongst trials and small sample size of the studies.

Intranasal administration of a recombinant RBD vaccine induced protective immunity against SARS-CoV-2 in mouse

The emergence of the global Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) pandemic underscores the importance of the rapid development of a non-invasive vaccine that can be easily administered. A vaccine administered by nasal delivery is endowed with such characteristics against respiratory viruses. In this study, we generated a recombinant SARS-CoV-2 receptor-binding domain (RBD)-based subunit vaccine. Mice were immunized via intranasal inoculation, microneedle-intradermal injection, or intramuscular injection, after which the RBD-specific immune responses were compared. Results showed that when administrated intranasally, the vaccine elicited a robust systemic humoral immunity with high titers of IgG antibodies and neutralizing antibodies as well as a significant mucosal immunity. Besides, antigen-specific T cell responses were also analyzed. These results indicated that the non-invasive intranasal administration should be explored for the future SARS-CoV-2 vaccine design.

HDL particle size is increased and HDL-cholesterol efflux is enhanced in type 1 diabetes: a cross-sectional study

AIMS/HYPOTHESIS

The prevalence of atherosclerosis is increased in type 1 diabetes despite normal-to-high HDL-cholesterol levels. The cholesterol efflux capacity (CEC) of HDL is a better predictor of cardiovascular events than static HDL-cholesterol. This cross-sectional study addressed the hypothesis that impaired HDL function contributes to enhanced CVD risk within type 1 diabetes.

METHODS

We compared HDL particle size and concentration (by NMR), total CEC, ATP-binding cassette subfamily A, member 1 (ABCA1)-dependent CEC and ABCA1-independent CEC (by determining [³H]cholesterol efflux from J774-macrophages to ApoB-depleted serum), and carotid intima-media thickness (CIMT) in 100 individuals with type 1 diabetes (37.6 ± 1.2 years; BMI 26.9 ± 0.5 kg/m²) and 100 non-diabetic participants (37.7 ± 1.1 years; 27.1 ± 0.5 kg/m²).

RESULTS

Compared with non-diabetic participants, total HDL particle concentration was lower (mean ± SD 31.01 ± 8.66 vs 34.33 ± 8.04 μmol/l [mean difference (MD) -3.32 μmol/l]) in participants with type 1 diabetes. However, large HDL particle concentration was greater (9.36 ± 3.98 vs 6.99 ± 4.05 μmol/l [MD +2.37 μmol/l]), resulting in increased mean HDL particle size (9.82 ± 0.57 vs 9.44 ± 0.56 nm [MD +0.38 nm]) (p < 0.05 for all). Total CEC (14.57 ± 2.47%CEC/4 h vs 12.26 ± 3.81%CEC/4 h [MD +2.31%CEC/4 h]) was greater in participants with type 1 diabetes relative to non-diabetic participants. Increased HDL particle size was independently associated with increased total CEC; however, following adjustment for this in multivariable analysis, CEC remained greater in participants with type 1 diabetes. Both components of CEC, ABCA1-dependent (6.10 ± 2.41%CEC/4 h vs 5.22 ± 2.57%CEC/4 h [MD +0.88%CEC/4 h]) and ABCA1-independent (8.47 ± 1.79% CEC/4 h vs 7.05 ± 1.76% CEC/4 h [MD +1.42% CEC/4 h]) CEC, were greater in type 1 diabetes but the increase in ABCA1-dependent CEC was less marked and not statistically significant in multivariable analysis. CIMT was increased in participants with type 1 diabetes but in multivariable analysis it was only associated negatively with age and BMI.

CONCLUSIONS/INTERPRETATION

HDL particle size but not HDL-cholesterol level is independently associated with enhanced total CEC. HDL particle size is greater in individuals with type 1 diabetes but even after adjusting for this, total and ABCA1-independent CEC are enhanced in type 1 diabetes. Further studies are needed to understand the mechanisms underlying these effects, and whether they help attenuate progression of atherosclerosis in this high-risk group. Graphical abstract.

Transcriptional and Hormonal Responses in Ethephon-Induced Promotion of Femaleness in Pumpkin

The number and proportion of female flowers per plant can directly influence the yield and economic benefits of cucurbit crops. Ethephon is often used to induce female flowers in cucurbits. However, the mechanism through which it affects floral sex differentiation in pumpkin is unknown. We found that the application of ethephon on shoot apical meristem of pumpkin at seedling stage significantly increased the number of female flowers and expedited the appearance of the first female flower. These effects were further investigated by transcriptome and hormone analyses of plants sprayed with ethephon. A total of 647 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified, among which 522 were upregulated and 125 were downregulated. Gene ontology (GO) and Kyoto encyclopedia of genes and genomes (KEGG) analysis indicated that these genes were mainly enriched in plant hormone signal transduction and 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylate oxidase (ACO). The results suggests that ethylene is a trigger for multiple hormone signaling, with approximately 4.2% of the identified DEGs involved in ethylene synthesis and multiple hormone signaling. Moreover, ethephon significantly reduced the levels of jasmonic acid (JA), jasmonoyl-L-isoleucine (JA-ILE), and para-topolin riboside (pTR) but increased the levels of 3-indoleacetamide (IAM). Although the level of 1-aminocyclopropanecarboxylic acid was not changed, the expression of ACO genes, which code for the enzyme catalyzing the key rate-limiting step in ethylene production, was significantly upregulated after ethephon treatment. The results indicate that the ethephon affects the transcription of ethylene synthesis and signaling genes, and other hormone signaling genes, especially auxin responsive genes, and modulates the levels of auxin, jasmonic acid, and cytokinin (CK), which may together contribute to femaleness.

Transcriptomic analysis reveals ethylene signal transduction genes involved in pistil development of pumpkin

Development of female flowers is an important process that directly affects the yield of Cucubits. Little information is available on the sex determination and development of female flowers in pumpkin, a typical monoecious plant. In the present study, we used aborted and normal pistils of pumpkin for RNA-Seq analysis and determined the differentially expressed genes (DEGs) to gain insights into the molecular mechanism underlying pistil development in pumpkin. A total of 3,817 DEGs were identified, among which 1,341 were upregulated and 2,476 were downregulated. The results of transcriptome analysis were confirmed by real-time quantitative RT-PCR. KEGG enrichment analysis showed that the DEGs were significantly enriched in plant hormone signal transduction and phenylpropanoid biosynthesis pathway. Eighty-four DEGs were enriched in the plant hormone signal transduction pathway, which accounted for 12.54% of the significant DEGs, and most of them were annotated as predicted ethylene responsive or insensitive transcription factor genes. Furthermore, the expression levels of four ethylene signal transduction genes in different flower structures (female calyx, pistil, male calyx, stamen, leaf, and ovary) were investigated. The ethyleneresponsive DNA binding factor, ERDBF3, and ethylene responsive transcription factor, ERTF10, showed the highest expression in pistils and the lowest expression in stamens, and their expression levels were 78- and 162-times more than that in stamens, respectively. These results suggest that plant hormone signal transduction genes, especially ethylene signal transduction genes, play an important role in the development of pistils in pumpkin. Our study provides a theoretical basis for further understanding of the mechanism of regulation of ethylene signal transduction genes in pistil development and sex determination in pumpkin.

Effects of tetracycline on growth, oxidative stress response, and metabolite pattern of ryegrass

Tetracycline is an antibiotic that frequently contaminates the environment. In this study, the growth and metabolites of ryegrass seedlings treated with tetracycline (0, 1, 10 or 100 mg/L) for 5 days were investigated. The results showed that the growth of ryegrass and the concentrations of carotenoid and chlorophyll decreased as the tetracycline concentration increased. Tetracycline increased the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and cell permeability and triggered mitochondrial membrane potential loss in the roots of ryegrass. The metabolic profiles of ryegrass differed between the control and tetracycline-treated groups. The contents of glucose, shikimic acid, aconitic acid, serine, lactose, phenylalanine, mannitol, galactose, gluconic acid, asparagine, and glucopyranose were positively correlated with root length and had high variable importance projection values. These compounds may have crucial functions in root extension. Tetracycline also affected aminoacyl-tRNA biosynthesis, nitrogen metabolism, and alanine, aspartate and glutamate metabolism in the roots. Tetracycline may affect root extension by regulating the synthesis/degradation of these metabolites or the activity of their biosynthetic pathways. These results provide an insight into the stress response of ryegrass to tetracycline.

Fisher Information Matrix of Unipolar Activation Function-Based Multilayer Perceptrons

The multilayer perceptrons (MLPs) are widely used in many fields, however, singularities in the parameter space may seriously influence the learning dynamics of MLPs and cause strange learning behaviors. Given that the singularities are the subspaces of the parameter space where the Fisher information matrix (FIM) degenerates, the FIM plays a key role in the study of the singular learning dynamics of the MLPs. In this paper, we obtain the analytical form of the FIM for unipolar activation function-based MLPs where the input subjects to the Gaussian distribution with general covariance matrix and the unipolar error function is chosen as the activation function. Then three simulation experiments are taken to verify the validity of the obtained results.

Amelioration of PM2.5-induced lung toxicity in rats by nutritional supplementation with fish oil and Vitamin E

BACKGROUND

Exposure to fine particulate matter (PM_2.5) has been associated with respiratory morbidity and mortality. Identification of interventional measures that are efficacious against PM_2.5-induced toxicity may provide public health benefits. This study examined the inhibitory effects of nutritional supplementation with fish oil as a source of omega-3 fatty acids and vitamin E (Vit E) on PM_2.5-induced lung toxicity in rats.

METHOD

Sixty four male Sprague Dawley rats were gavaged with phosphate buffered saline (PBS), corn oil (5 ml/kg), fish oil (150 mg/kg), or Vit E (75 mg/kg), respectively, once a day for 21 consecutive days prior to intratracheal instillation of PM_2.5 (10 mg/kg) every other day for a total of 3 times. Serum and bronchoalveolar lavage fluids (BALFs) were collected 24 h after the last instillation of PM_2.5. Levels of total proteins (TP), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), superoxide dismutase (SOD), 8-epi-prostaglandin F2α (8-epi-PGF2α), interleukin-1β (IL-1β), C-reactive protein (CRP), IL-6, and tumor necrosis factor-ɑ (TNF-ɑ) were analyzed for markers of cell injury and inflammation. Additionally, histological alterations of lung tissues were examined by hematoxylin-eosin staining.

RESULT

Exposure to PM_2.5 resulted in lung toxicity, represented as increased levels of total proteins, LDH, 8-epi-PGF2α, IL-1β and TNF-α, and increased infiltration of inflammatory cells, and decreased SOD in the BALFs, and systemic inflammation, as evinced by increased levels of CRP and IL-6 in serum. Strikingly, supplementation with fish oil but not Vit E significantly ameliorated PM_2.5-induced lung toxicity and systemic inflammation.

CONCLUSION

PM_2.5 exposure induces oxidative stress, lung injury and inflammation, which is ameliorated significantly by fish oil and partially by Vit E.

[Clinical and inflammatory phenotypic features of asthmatic patients sensitive to cold stimulation]

OBJECTIVE

To explore the clinical symptoms, lung function and airway inflammation phenotype characteristics of asthmatic patients who are sensitive to cold stimulation.

METHODS

Eighty patients with newly diagnosed bronchial asthma or with mild to moderate acute exacerbation of previously diagnosed bronchial asthma but without regular treatment were selected. According to whether cold air stimulation could induce respiratory symptoms such as cough and wheeze, the patients were divided into cold-insensitive group (45 cases) and cold-sensitive group (35 cases). All the patients were treated with inhaled corticosteroid (ICS), long-acting β2 receptor agonist (LABA; salmeterol xinafoate and fluticasone propionate powder for inhalation, 50 μg/250 μg, twice daily) and montelukast sodium tablets (10 mg, once daily); short-acting β2 receptor agonist (SABA) and/or systemic glucocorticoid (prednisone acetate tablets, 10 mg, once daily; or injection of methylprednisolone sodium succinate, 40 mg) were given if necessary. Asthma Control Test (ACT) score before treatment and at 3 months of treatment was used to assess the clinical symptoms such as cough and wheeze; spirometry was performed to determine lung function impairment and recovery. Blood and induced sputum cell counts were examined to determine the characteristics of airway inflammation.

RESULTS

The two groups were comparable for age, gender, BMI, proportion of smokers and allergic rhinitis before treatment. The cold-sensitive patients experienced significantly more frequent acute exacerbations than the cold-insensitive patient within 1 year before the visit (P &lt; 0.05), but the use of SABA and glucocorticoid for symptom control during the treatment did not differ significantly between the two groups (P &gt; 0.05). The ACT scores of the cold-sensitive group were significantly lower than those of the cold-insensitive group both before and after the treatment (P &lt; 0.01). Compared with the cold-insensitive patients, the cold-sensitive patients had more obvious impairment of FEV1/FVC% and FEV1%pred before treatment (P &lt; 0.01), and also showed poorer recovery after treatment (P &lt; 0.05). The percentages of eosinophils in blood and induced sputum samples did not differ significantly between the two groups either before and after the treatment, but the percentage of neutrophils was significantly higher in the cold-sensitive group (P &lt; 0.01). In the induced sputum samples collected before treatment, the cell populations consisted mainly of eosinophilic subtype (60%) and neutrophilic subtype (20%) in the cold-insensitive group; in the cold-sensitive patients, the sputum neutrophilic subtype cells increased significantly to 42.86% (P=0.03) and the eosinophilic subtype cells were lowered to 31.43% (P=0.01).

CONCLUSIONS

The cold-sensitive asthmatic patients experience frequent recurrent and/or aggravated symptoms and have obvious lung function impairment. Different from that in patients with classic asthma, the airway inflammatory phenotype in these patients is characterized by the domination by neutrophilic subtype.

CaMADS, a MADS-box transcription factor from pepper, plays an important role in the response to cold, salt, and osmotic stress

MADS-box family transcription factors play essential roles in the growth and development of plants, and some MADS-box genes have also been found to participate in the stress-response. At present, little information regarding stress-related MADS-box genes is available in pepper. We isolated a MADS-box transcription factor gene from Capsicum annuum, which we named CaMADS. CaMADS expression is induced by low and high temperature, salt, and osmotic stress, and also by abscisic acid (ABA), salicylic acid (SA), methyl-jasmonic acid (MeJA), and CaCl_2. To understand the function of CaMADS in the abiotic stress response, we generated pepper plants in which CaMADS expression was down-regulated using VIGS (Virus-induced Gene Silencing), and also transgenic Arabidopsis plants overexpressing CaMADS. We found that CaMADS-down-regulated seedlings were more seriously injured than WT after cold, NaCl, and mannitol treatment, and showed increased electrolyte leakage, malondialdehyde (MDA) levels, and lower chlorophyll content. CaMADS-overexpressing Arabidopsis plants were more tolerant to these stresses than WT, and showed significantly high survival rates and lower H₂O₂ and super oxide radical contents after cold treatment. CaMADS-overexpressing plants had higher germination rates and percentages of green cotyledons following NaCl and mannitol treatment. Root lengths and fresh weight in CaMADS-overexpressing plants were also significantly longer and higher, respectively, than in WT plants. Taken together, our results suggest that CaMADS functions as a positive stress-responsive transcription factor in the cold, salt, and osmotic stress signaling pathways.

Abstract 173: Sodium Salicylate Modulates Reverse Cholesterol Transport and HDL Proteome within Obesity

Obesity is associated with increased risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) due to imbalances in lipid metabolism and leads to maladaptive inflammatory responses. This study assessed the effects of an obesogenic diet supplemented with anti-inflammatory sodium salicylate (NaS) on hepatic health, HDL proteomic quality, HDL functionality and Reverse Cholesterol Transport (RCT).

RCT was assessed after 24 weeks in C57BL/6 mice fed a high fat (HFD) (60% fat) ± NaS (6g/kg) diet or low-fat diet (LFD, 10% fat) by tracing 3 H-cholesterol movement from labelled macrophages, injected intraperitoneally, into plasma, liver and fecal compartments. HDL particles were separated from plasma by fast protein liquid chromatography (FPLC) and associated proteins were identified by mass spectrometry. HDL particles were incubated with 3 H-cholesterol-labelled macrophages ex vivo and cholesterol efflux to HDL particles was determined by liquid scintillation counting (LSC).

Both HFDs significantly increased HDL cholesterol mass. Nonetheless, HFD alone impaired hepatic movement of 3 H-cholesterol to fecal compartments coincident with increased hepatic lipid infiltration and inflammation. NaS supplementation increased all steps of macrophage-to-feces RCT with partial preservation of hepatic transporters while impeding hepatic lipid load and reducing markers of inflammation (ALT & AST). HFD resulted in enrichment of HDL particles with coagulant proteins (fibrinogen, coagulation factor IX) and a dissociation of anti-thrombin and angiotensinogen compared to HFD+NaS. NaS supplementation also preserved ABCA1-mediated efflux capacity of HDL particles.

Obesogenic diets augmented with NaS resulted in profound differences within the RCT pathway and HDL proteome. HFD supplemented with NaS was associated with improved hepatic condition and HDL proteomic profile with an increase of anticoagulant and anti-atherogenic proteins on HDL despite development of obesity.

Engineering low-cadmium rice through stress-inducible expression of OXS3-family member genes

Cadmium (Cd) as a carcinogen poses a great threat to food security and public health through plant-derived foods such as rice, the staple for nearly half of the world's population. We have previously reported that overexpression of truncated gene fragments derived from the rice genes OsO3L2 and OsO3L3 could reduce Cd accumulation in transgenic rice. However, we did not test the full length genes due to prior work in Arabidopsis where overexpression of these genes caused seedling lethality. Here, we report on limiting the overexpression of OsO3L2 and OsO3L3 through the use of the stress- inducible promoter RD29B. However, despite generating 625 putative transformants, only 7 lines survived as T1 seedlings and only 1 line of each overexpressed OsO3L2 or OsO3L3-produced T2 progeny. The T2 homozygotes from these 2 lines showed the same effect of reducing accumulation of Cd in root and shoot as well as in T3 grain. As importantly, the concentrations of essential metals copper (Cu), iron (Fe), manganese (Mn) and zinc (Zn) were unaffected. Analysis of the expression profile suggested that low Cd accumulation may be due to high expression of OsO3L2 and OsO3L3 in the root tip region. Cellular localization of OsO3L2 and OsO3L3 indicate that they are histone H2A interacting nuclear proteins in vascular cells and especially in the root tip region. It is possible that interaction with histone H2A modifies chromatin to regulate downstream gene expression.

Bta-miR-130a regulates the biosynthesis of bovine milk fat by targeting peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma

Milk fat determines the quality of milk and is also a main targeted trait in dairy cow breeding. Recent studies have revealed important regulatory roles of microRNAs (miRNA) in milk fat synthesis in the mammary gland. However, the role of miRNA in bovine mammary epithelial cells (BMEC) remains largely unknown. In this study, we found that the overexpression of miR-130a significantly decreased cellular triacylglycerol (TAG) levels and suppressed lipid droplet formation, whereas the inhibition of miR-130a resulted in greater lipid droplet formation and TAG accumulation in BMEC. MiR-130a also significantly affected mRNA expression related to milk fat metabolism. Specifically, the overexpression of miR-130a reduced the mRNA expression of , , , and , whereas the downregulation of miR-130a increased the mRNA expression of , , , , , and . Furthermore, western blot analysis revealed the protein level of PPARG in miR-130a mimic and inhibitor transfection groups to be consistent with the mRNA expression response. Finally, luciferase reporter assays verified that PPARG was the direct target of miR-130a. This study provides the first experimental evidence that miR-130a directly affects TAG synthesis in BMEC by targeting PPARG, suggesting that miR-130a potentially could be used to improve beneficial milk components in dairy cows.

[Ventilator-associated pneumonia among premature infants <34 weeks' gestational age in neonatal intensive care unit in China: a multicenter study]

Objective: To investigate the incidence and pathogen distribution of ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) among preterm infants admitted to level Ⅲ neonatal intensive care units (NICU) in China. Method: A prospective study was conducted in 25 level Ⅲ NICU, enrolling all preterm infants <34 weeks gestational age admitted to the participating NICU within the first 7 days of life from May 2015 to April 2016. Chi-square test, t test and Mann-Whitney U test were used for statistical analysis. Result: A total of 7 918 patients were enrolled, within whom 4 623(58.4%) were males. The birth weight was (1 639±415) g and the gestational age was (31.4±2.0) weeks; 4 654(58.8%) infants required non-invasive mechanical ventilation and 2 154(27.2%) required intubation. Of all the mechanically ventilated patients, VAP occurred in 95 patients. The overall VAP rate was 7.0 episodes per 1 000 ventilator days, varying from 0 to 34.4 episodes per 1 000 ventilator days in different centers. The incidence of VAP was 9.6 and 6.0 per 1 000 ventilator days in children's hospitals and maternity-infant hospitals respectively, without significant differences (t=1.002, P=0.327). Gram-negative bacilli (76 strains, 91.6%) were the primary VAP microorganisms, mainly Acinetobacter baumannii (24 strains, 28.9%), Klebsiella pneumonia (23 strains, 27.7%), and Pseudomonas aeruginosa (10 strains, 12.0%). Conclusion: The incidence of VAP in China is similar to that in developed counties, with substantial variability in different NICU settings. More efforts are needed to monitor and evaluate the preventable factors associated with VAP and conduct interventions that could effectively reduce the occurrence of VAP.

High-Density Lipoprotein Proteomic Composition, and not Efflux Capacity, Reflects Differential Modulation of Reverse Cholesterol Transport by Saturated and Monounsaturated Fat Diets

BACKGROUND

Acute inflammation impairs reverse cholesterol transport (RCT) and reduces high-density lipoprotein (HDL) function in vivo. This study hypothesized that obesity-induced inflammation impedes RCT and alters HDL composition, and investigated if dietary replacement of saturated (SFA) for monounsaturated (MUFA) fatty acids modulates RCT.

METHODS AND RESULTS

Macrophage-to-feces RCT, HDL efflux capacity, and HDL proteomic profiling was determined in C57BL/6j mice following 24 weeks on SFA- or MUFA-enriched high-fat diets (HFDs) or low-fat diet. The impact of dietary SFA consumption and insulin resistance on HDL efflux function was also assessed in humans. Both HFDs increased plasma (3)H-cholesterol counts during RCT in vivo and ATP-binding cassette, subfamily A, member 1-independent efflux to plasma ex vivo, effects that were attributable to elevated HDL cholesterol. By contrast, ATP-binding cassette, subfamily A, member 1-dependent efflux was reduced after both HFDs, an effect that was also observed with insulin resistance and high SFA consumption in humans. SFA-HFD impaired liver-to-feces RCT, increased hepatic inflammation, and reduced ABC subfamily G member 5/8 and ABC subfamily B member 11 transporter expression in comparison with low-fat diet, whereas liver-to-feces RCT was preserved after MUFA-HFD. HDL particles were enriched with acute-phase proteins (serum amyloid A, haptoglobin, and hemopexin) and depleted of paraoxonase-1 after SFA-HFD in comparison with MUFA-HFD.

CONCLUSIONS

Ex vivo efflux assays validated increased macrophage-to-plasma RCT in vivo after both HFDs but failed to capture differential modulation of hepatic cholesterol trafficking. By contrast, proteomics revealed the association of hepatic-derived inflammatory proteins on HDL after SFA-HFD in comparison with MUFA-HFD, which reflected differential hepatic cholesterol trafficking between groups. Acute-phase protein levels on HDL may serve as novel biomarkers of impaired liver-to-feces RCT in vivo.

Silencing of dehydrin CaDHN1 diminishes tolerance to multiple abiotic stresses in Capsicum annuum L

We cloned a dehydrins gene CaDHN1 from pepper and the expression of CaDHN1 was markedly upregulated by cold, salt, osmotic stresses and salicylic acid (SA) treatment. Dehydrins (DHNs) are a subfamily of group 2 late embryogenesis-abundant (LEA) proteins that are thought to play an important role in enhancing abiotic stress tolerance in plants. In this study, a DHN EST (Expressed Sequence Tag) was obtained from 6 to 8 true leaves seedlings of pepper cv P70 (Capsicum annuum L.) by our laboratory. However, the DHN gene in pepper was not well characterized. According to this EST sequence, we isolated a DHN gene, designated as CaDHN1, and investigated the response and expression of this gene under various stresses. Our results indicated that CaDHN1 has the DHN-specific and conserved K- and S- domain and encodes 219 amino acids. Phylogenetic analysis showed that CaDHN1 belonged to the SKn subgroup. Tissue expression profile analysis revealed that CaDH N1 was expressed predominantly in fruits and flowers. The expression of CaDHN1 was markedly upregulated in response to cold, salt, osmotic stresses and salicylic acid (SA) treatment, but no significant change by abscisic acid (ABA) and heavy metals treatment. Loss of function of CaDHN1 using the virus-induced gene silencing (VIGS) technique led to decreased tolerance to cold-, salt- and osmotic-induced stresses. Overall, these results suggest that CaDHN1 plays an important role in regulating the abiotic stress resistance in pepper plants.

Natural gradient learning algorithms for RBF networks

Radial basis function (RBF) networks are one of the most widely used models for function approximation and classification. There are many strange behaviors in the learning process of RBF networks, such as slow learning speed and the existence of the plateaus. The natural gradient learning method can overcome these disadvantages effectively. It can accelerate the dynamics of learning and avoid plateaus. In this letter, we assume that the probability density function (pdf) of the input and the activation function are gaussian. First, we introduce natural gradient learning to the RBF networks and give the explicit forms of the Fisher information matrix and its inverse. Second, since it is difficult to calculate the Fisher information matrix and its inverse when the numbers of the hidden units and the dimensions of the input are large, we introduce the adaptive method to the natural gradient learning algorithms. Finally, we give an explicit form of the adaptive natural gradient learning algorithm and compare it to the conventional gradient descent method. Simulations show that the proposed adaptive natural gradient method, which can avoid the plateaus effectively, has a good performance when RBF networks are used for nonlinear functions approximation.

Expression of Β-catenin and c-myc during human common bile duct development: a possible role in the morphogenesis of the common bile duct

β-catenin and c-myc play important roles in the development of tissues and organs. However, little is known about their expression patterns during the development of the human common bile duct. Immunohistochemistry was used to detect β-catenin and c-myc expression in common bile duct samples from postmortem tissues of 14 premature infants and 6 spontaneously aborted fetuses. The expression of β-catenin and c-myc was also analyzed by Western blot. The samples were divided into four groups based on the stage of human fetal development: 12, 13-27, 28-37, and >37 weeks. The Image-Pro Plus v. 6.0 image analysis software was used to calculate the mean qualifying score (MQS). At fetal stages 12, 13-27, 28-37, and >37 weeks, MQS of β-catenin were 612.52 ± 262.13, 818.38 ± 311.73, 706.33 ± 157.19, and 350.69 ± 110.19, respectively. There was a significant difference in MQS among the four groups (ANOVA, P=0.0155) and between the scores at >37 and 13-27 weeks (Student-Newman-Keuls, P<0.05). At fetal stages 12, 13-27, 28-37, and >37 weeks, the MQS of c-myc were 1376.64 ± 330.04, 1224.18 ± 171.66, 1270.24 ± 320.75, and 741.04 ± 219.19, respectively. There was a significant difference in MQS among the four groups (ANOVA, P=0.0087) and between the scores at >37 and 12 weeks, >37 and 13-27 weeks, and >37 and 28-37 weeks (all P<0.05, Student-Newman-Keuls). Western blots showed that β-catenin and c-myc expression were significantly higher in fetal than in postnatal control duct tissue (P<0.05). c-myc and β-catenin are involved in the normal development of the human common bile duct.

A novel F-box protein CaF-box is involved in responses to plant hormones and abiotic stress in pepper (Capsicum annuum L.)

The F-box protein family is characterized by an F-box motif that has been shown to play an important role in regulating various developmental processes and stress responses. In this study, a novel F-box-containing gene was isolated from leaves of pepper cultivar P70 (Capsicum annuum L.) and designated CaF-box. The full-length cDNA is 2088 bp and contains an open reading frame of 1914 bp encoding a putative polypeptide of 638 amino acids with a mass of 67.8 kDa. CaF-box was expressed predominantly in stems and seeds, and the transcript was markedly upregulated in response to cold stress, abscisic acid (ABA) and salicylic acid (SA) treatment, and downregulated under osmotic and heavy metal stress. CaF-box expression was dramatically affected by salt stress, and was rapidly increased for the first hour, then sharply decreased thereafter. In order to further assess the role of CaF-box in the defense response to abiotic stress, a loss-of-function experiment in pepper plants was performed using a virus-induced gene silencing (VIGS) technique. Measurement of thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) and electrolyte leakage revealed stronger lipid peroxidation and cell death in the CaF-box-silenced plants than in control plants, suggesting CaF-box plays an important role in regulating the defense response to abiotic stress resistance in pepper plants.

Association between IL-1RN gene polymorphisms and susceptibility to ankylosing spondylitis: a large Human Genome Epidemiology review and meta-analysis

We made a Human Genome Epidemiology review and meta-analysis to examine a possible association between interleukin-1 receptor antagonist (IL-1RN) polymorphisms and susceptibility to ankylosing spondylitis (AS). Studies of IL-1RN polymorphisms and susceptibility to AS were found by searching the Pubmed, Cochrane library, Embase, Web of Science, Springerlink, CNKI, and CBM databases. Data were extracted by 2 independent reviewers. The meta-analysis was performed with the Review Manager Version 5.1.6 and STATA Version 12.0 software. The odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (95%CI) were calculated based on the extracted data. Thirteen studies with 5391 AS cases and 5239 healthy controls were retrieved. Seven IL-1RN polymorphisms were addressed, including rs30735, rs31017, rs419598, rs315951, rs315952, rs27810, and VNTR. Meta-analysis showed that the rs30735*C allele/carrier, the rs31017*G carrier and the rs315952*T carrier were positively and significantly associated with susceptibility to AS (OR = 1.45, 95%CI = 1.19-1.76; OR = 1.73, 95%CI = 1.34-2.24; OR = 1.30, 95%CI = 1.01-1.69; OR = 1.54, 95%CI = 1.16-2.04). A subgroup analysis based on ethnicity revealed significant positive associations between the rs30735*C allele/carrier and the rs31017*G allele and susceptibility to AS in both Caucasian and Asian populations, while the positive association between the rs315952*T carrier and AS susceptibility was significant only in Asian populations (OR = 1.54, 95%CI = 1.16-2.04). This meta-analysis suggests that IL-1RN polymorphisms are involved in the pathogenesis of AS. The rs30735*C allele/carrier, and the rs31017*G allele may be risk factors for ankylosing spondylitis in Caucasians and Asians, while the rs315952*T carrier is associated with susceptibility to this disease only in Asians.

Exogenous abscisic acid increases antioxidant enzymes and related gene expression in pepper (Capsicum annuum) leaves subjected to chilling stress

To elucidate how physiological and biochemical mechanisms of chilling stress are regulated by abscisic acid (ABA) pretreatment, pepper variety (cv. 'P70') seedlings were pretreated with 0.57 mM ABA for 72 h and then subjected to chilling stress at 10°/6°C (day/night). Chilling stress caused severe necrotic lesions on the leaves and increased malondialdehyde and H(2)O(2) levels. Activities of monodehydroascorbate reductase (DHAR), dehydroascorbate reductase, glutathione reductase, guaiacol peroxidase, ascorbate peroxidase, ascorbate, and glutathione increased due to chilling stress during the 72 h, while superoxide dismutase and catalase activities decreased during 24 h, suggesting that chilling stress activates the AsA-GSH cycle under catalase deactivation in pepper leaves. ABA pretreatment induced significant increases in the above-mentioned enzyme activities and progressive decreases in ascorbate and glutathione levels. On the other hand, ABA-pretreated seedlings under chilling stress increased superoxide dismutase and guaiacol peroxidase activities and lowered concentrations of other antioxidants compared with untreated chilling-stressed plants. These seedlings showed concomitant decreases in foliage damage symptoms, and levels of malondialdehyde and H(2)O(2). Induction of Mn-SOD and POD was observed in chilling-stressed plants treated with ABA. The expression of DHAR1 and DHAR2 was altered by chilling stress, but it was higher in the presence than in the absence of ABA at 24 h. Overall, the results indicate that exogenous application of ABA increases tolerance of plants to chilling-induced oxidative damage, mainly by enhancing superoxide dismutase and guaiacol peroxidase activities and related gene expression.

Comparative analyses of genetic/epigenetic diversities and structures in a wild barley species (Hordeum brevisubulatum) using MSAP, SSAP and AFLP

We analyzed genetic diversity and population genetic structure of four artificial populations of wild barley (Hordeum brevisubulatum); 96 plants collected from the Songnen Prairie in northeastern China were analyzed using amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP), specific-sequence amplified polymorphism (SSAP) and methylation-sensitive amplified polymorphism (MSAP) markers. Indices of (epi-)genetic diversity, (epi-)genetic distance, gene flow, genotype frequency, cluster analysis, PCA analysis and AMOVA analysis generated from MSAP, AFLP and SSAP markers had the same trend. We found a high level of correlation in the artificial populations between MSAP, SSAP and AFLP markers by the Mantel test (r > 0.8). This is incongruent with previous findings showing that there is virtually no correlation between DNA methylation polymorphism and classical genetic variation; the high level of genetic polymorphism could be a result of epigenetic regulation. We compared our results with data from natural populations. The population diversity of the artificial populations was lower. However, different from what was found using AFLP and SSAP, based on MSAP results the methylation polymorphism of the artificial populations was not significantly reduced. This leads us to suggest that the DNA methylation pattern change in H. brevisubulatum populations is not only related to DNA sequence variation, but is also regulated by other controlling systems.

Distribution of PDIA3 transcript and protein in rat testis and sperm cells

Protein disulphide isomerase family A3 (PDIA3) has an activity of thioredoxin, widely expressed in multiple tissues and involved in multiple cellular processes. It was recently found in human and mouse sperm cells and could affect sperm-egg fusion. Therefore, the present investigation aims to identify PDIA3 mRNA and protein in rat testis and sperm cells. Rat PDIA3 cDNA was cloned by RT-PCR. The cRNA riboprobe was transcribed from PDIA3 cDNA and was used to display PDIA3 mRNA location in rat testes by in situ hybridization. PDIA3 protein distribution was also observed in testis and sperm cells by immunohistochemistry and immunocytochemistry, respectively. The rat PDIA3 transcript and protein were localized in the cells from spermatocytes to the spermatozoa phases of rat testes, mostly in the pachytene spermatocytes. PDIA3 protein was also observed on the intact sperm membrane including the tail. The rat PDIA3 gene is transcribed and translated through the whole spermatogenesis process, and the PDIA3 protein is spread all over the sperm cell membrane. The results provide some primary information about PDIA3 in testis and sperm for further study on PDIA3 function in rat spermatogenesis and sperm-egg fusion.

A survey of green plant tRNA 3'-end processing enzyme tRNase Zs, homologs of the candidate prostate cancer susceptibility protein ELAC2

Background

tRNase Z removes the 3'-trailer sequences from precursor tRNAs, which is an essential step preceding the addition of the CCA sequence. tRNase Z exists in the short (tRNase Z^S) and long (tRNase Z^L) forms. Based on the sequence characteristics, they can be divided into two major types: bacterial-type tRNase Z^S and eukaryotic-type tRNase Z^L, and one minor type, Thermotoga maritima (TM)-type tRNase Z^S. The number of tRNase Zs is highly variable, with the largest number being identified experimentally in the flowering plant Arabidopsis thaliana. It is unknown whether multiple tRNase Zs found in A. thaliana is common to the plant kingdom. Also unknown is the extent of sequence and structural conservation among tRNase Zs from the plant kingdom.

Results

We report the identification and analysis of candidate tRNase Zs in 27 fully sequenced genomes of green plants, the great majority of which are flowering plants. It appears that green plants contain multiple distinct tRNase Zs predicted to reside in different subcellular compartments. Furthermore, while the bacterial-type tRNase Z^Ss are present only in basal land plants and green algae, the TM-type tRNase Z^Ss are widespread in green plants. The protein sequences of the TM-type tRNase Z^Ss identified in green plants are similar to those of the bacterial-type tRNase Z^Ss but have distinct features, including the TM-type flexible arm, the variant catalytic HEAT and HST motifs, and a lack of the PxKxRN motif involved in CCA anti-determination (inhibition of tRNase Z activity by CCA), which prevents tRNase Z cleavage of mature tRNAs. Examination of flowering plant chloroplast tRNA genes reveals that many of these genes encode partial CCA sequences. Based on our results and previous studies, we predict that the plant TM-type tRNase Z^Ss may not recognize the CCA sequence as an anti-determinant.

Conclusions

Our findings substantially expand the current repertoire of the TM-type tRNase Z^Ss and hint at the possibility that these proteins may have been selected for their ability to process chloroplast pre-tRNAs with whole or partial CCA sequences. Our results also support the coevolution of tRNase Zs and tRNA 3'-trailer sequences in plants.

[Effect of necrostatin-1 on apoptosis induced by aluminum and its mechanism]

OBJECTIVE

To study the effect of necrostatin (Nec-1) on apoptosis induced by aluminum (Al), and approach the mechanism.

METHODS

Neural cell death model was made by 4 mmol/L Al treated neuroblastoma cells (SH-SY5Y). Cell viabilities were detected at different concentrations of Al and/or Nec-1. Hoechst 33342/PI double staining was used to observe apoptosis and (or) necrosis that were quantified by flow cytometry using Annexin V/PI double staining. Apoptotic pathway was tested by activities of Caspase-3, Caspase-8 and Caspase-9. In addition, the expression of NF-kappa B and Cyt-c was measured by immunocytochemistry.

RESULTS

Cell viabilities were significantly decreased with the increasing concentrations of Al (P < 0.05), which could be significantly upregulated by 60 micromol/L Nec-1 (P < 0.05) and were correlated with the concentrations of Nec-1 (P < 0.05, P < 0.01). Apoptosis and necrosis were observed under fluorescent microscope and quantified by flow cytometry, which suggested an increasing trend of apoptotic and necrotic rates (P < 0.05, P < 0.01). Whereas, Nec-1 could not only decrease the necrotic rate but also apoptotic rate as well (P < 0.05, P < 0.01). Data of Nec-1 on caspases activities showed that Nec-1 could not affect Caspase-9 activity (P > 0.05) and Cty-c protein expression as well (P > 0.05). However, Nec-1 could reduce Caspase-8 activity significantly (P < 0.05, P < 0.01) and increase NF-kappa B protein expression (P < 0.05, P < 0.01) and finally decrease Caspase-3 activity (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSION

Nec-1 could reduce cell apoptosis induced by Al, through Caspase-8 pathway, and up-regulate the expression of NF-kappa B protein.

Unintended consequence of plant transformation: biolistic transformation caused transpositional activation of an endogenous retrotransposon Tos17 in rice ssp. japonica cv. Matsumae

Genetic instability could be provoked as an unintended consequence of genetic engineering in plants. Here, we report that the rice endogenous long terminal repeat (LTR) retrotransposon Tos17 was transpositionally activated only in transgenic calli and their regenerated plants produced by biolistic transformation in rice (Oryza sativa L.) ssp. japonica cv. Matsumae. Moreover, the transpositional activity of Tos17 was sustained after plant regeneration in the T0 generation, and produced new germinal insertions. In contrast, the element remained totally quiescent in calli and regenerated plants from tissue culture of this genotype. Nonetheless, transcriptional induction and cytosine demethylation of Tos17 were found to have occurred with no significant difference in both kinds of calli, tissue culture alone and transgenic. This suggests that callus culture is likely to have played an important role in destabilizing Tos17 in the direction towards transpositional activation, but that biolistic transformation is the direct causal factor.

[Influence of benzo[a]pyrene on learning and memory and content of amino acid neurotransmitters in hippocampus of rats]

OBJECTIVE

To study the effects of benzo[a]pyrene (B[a]P) on capability of learning and memory and the content of amino acid neurotransmitters in hippocampus of rats.

METHODS

Thirty-two healthy, male SD rats were randomly divided into 4 groups according to their weights after intubated into ventricles: the solvent control group, 2.5, 5.0 and 10.0 mmol/L groups. 10 microl of B[a]P olive oil solutions, of different concentrations 2.5, 5.0 and 10.0 mmol/L, were injected into rats' lateral ventricles, respectively. Rats in the solvent control group were injected into the same volume of olive oil as that in B[a]P group. Rats' capability of learning and memory was tested by Morris water maze. The content of amino acid neurotransmitters in rats' hippocampus were determined by high performance liquid chromatogram with a fluorescence detector.

RESULTS

Compared with the controls, the performances of learning and memory of rats decreased significantly in B[a]P treated groups (P<0.01). Levels of glutamate (Glu) were lower significantly in treated groups than that in controls (P<0.01). No significant differences were found in contents of aspartic acid (Asp), glycine (Gly) and aminobutyric acid (GABA) among the four groups.

CONCLUSION

B[a]P can damage rats' spatial learning and memory, and which could be related to decreased contents of excitatory amino acids in hippocampus.

Tissue culture-induced locus-specific alteration in DNA methylation and its correlation with genetic variation in Codonopsis lanceolata Benth. et Hook. f

We have reported recently that tissue culture induced a high level of genetic variation at the primary nucleotide sequence in regenerants of medicinal plant Codonopsis lanceolata. It is not known, however, whether epigenetic variation in the form of alteration in DNA methylation also occurred in these plants. Here, we investigated possible alterations in level and pattern of cytosine methylation at the CCGG sites in the same set of regenerants relative to the donor plant, by the MSAP method employing a pair of isoschizomers, HpaII and MspI, which recognize the same restriction site but are differentially sensitive to cytosine methylation at the CCGG sites. A total of 1,674 MSAP profiles were resolved using 39 primer combinations. Of these, 177 (10.5%) profiles were polymorphic among the regenerants and/or between the regenerant(s) and the donor plant, in EcoRI + HpaII or EcoRI + MspI digest but not in both, indicating alteration in cytosine methylation patterns of specific loci, though their estimated total level of methylation remained more or less the same as the donor plant. Gel blot analysis validated most of the variant MSAP profiles as bona fide alteration in methylation patterns. Correlation analysis between the MSAP data and the previously reported ISSR and RAPD data revealed significant correlations, suggesting their possible intrinsic interrelatedness. Thirty-seven typical variant MSAP profiles were isolated and sequenced, of which 5 showed significant homology to known-function genes, 2 to chloroplast sequences, whilst the rest 30 did not find a match in the database.

[The relationship between the genotype of hepatitis B virus and clinical and liver pathological features of infected patients in the Zhoushan Islands, China]

OBJECTIVE

To investigate the relationship between the genotypes of hepatitis B virus and the clinical and liver pathological features of patients with chronic hepatitis in the Zhoushan Islands.

METHODS

One hundred eighty HBV DNA positive chronic hepatitis patients with HBV markers were enrolled in this study. They were at least second generation Zhoushan Island residents. One hundred forty-seven of them were males and 33 were females with an average age of 39.0+/-11.3. Among the 180 patients, 17 had ASC, 57 had mild CHB, 48 moderate CHB, 9 severe CHB, 6 SHB, 39 LC, and 4 had HCC. The genotypes of their serum HBV were detected by using PCR integrated with Tagman MGB probe technology, and their serum HBV markers, HBV DNA and liver functions were also examined. Out of 180 patients, 129 accepted a liver biopsy. A pathological evaluation was then performed.

RESULTS

HBVs of genotype C, 135 cases (75.0%), of B, 40 cases (22.2%), and of B+C, 5 cases (2.8%) were found among these 180 patients. No genotype A or D HBV were found. The proportions of genotype C virus were 7/17, 86/114, 34/39, 6/6 in ASC, CHB, LC and SHB patients. In the hepatocellular carcinoma patients, there were 2 each of genotype B and C. Among the 99 patients with genotype C HBV, 84 cases (84.8%) showed moderate and severe inflammation histologically in their livers and among the 30 patients with B, 7 cases (23.3%) showed moderate to severe inflammation in their livers (z = 6.47, P less than 0.01). The proportion of genotype C HBV was significantly different from that of genotype B HBV in those that showed moderate and severe (S3-4) liver fibrosis. In patients infected with genotype C HBV who had moderate and severe liver pathological changes, their clinical manifestations reflected better the histological alterations of their livers.

CONCLUSION

Genotypes C, B and B+C HBV were found in CHB patients in the Zhoushan Islands of China, and type C was the predominant one. The liver pathological damage level of genotype C HBV infected patients is more serious than that of genotype B.

Genomic instability in phenotypically normal regenerants of medicinal plant Codonopsis lanceolata Benth. et Hook. f., as revealed by ISSR and RAPD markers

Codonopsis lanceolata Benth. et Hook. f., commonly known as bonnet bellflower, is a high-valued herb medicine and vegetable. In this study, a large number of plants were regenerated via organogenesis from immature seed-derived calli in C. lanceolata by a simple and efficient method. Compared with the mother donor plant, the regenerated plants did not exhibit visible phenotypic variations in six major morphological traits examined at the stage of one-season-maturity under field conditions. To gain insight into the genomic stability of these regenerated plants, 63 individuals were randomly tagged among a population of more than 2,000 regenerants, and were compared with the single mother donor plant by two molecular markers, the inter-simple sequence repeats (ISSR) and randomly amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD). Apparent genomic variation was detected in the 63 regenerants, whereas preexisting heterozygosiy in the donor plant was deemed minimal by testing 30 seedlings germinated from selfed seeds of the same donor plant. The percentages of polymorphic bands (PPB) in the ISSR and RAPD analysis were respectively 15.7 and 24.9% for the 63 regenerated plants. Cluster analysis indicates that the genetic similarity values calculated on the basis of RAPD and ISSR data among the 64 plants (63 regenerated and one donor) were respectively 0.894 and 0.933, which allow classification of the plants into distinct groups. Nineteen randomly isolated bands underlying the changed RAPD or ISSR patterns were sequenced, and three of them showed significant homology to known-function genes. Detailed pairwise sequence comparison at one locus between the donor plant and a regenerant revealed that insertion of two short (24 and 19 bp) stretches of nucleotides in the regenerated plant relative to the donor plant occurred in an apparently stochastic manner.