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Lead (Pb) is a major urban pollutant, due to deteriorating lead-based paint in houses built before 1978. Phytoremediation is an inexpensive and effective technique for remediation of Pb-contaminated homes. Vetiver (Chrysopogon zizanioides), a noninvasive, fast-growing grass with high biomass, can tolerate and accumulate large quantities of Pb in its tissues. Lead is known to induce phytochelatins and antioxidative enzymes in vetiver; however, the overall impact of Pb stress on metabolic pathways of vetiver is unknown. In the current study, vetiver plants were treated with different concentrations of Pb in a hydroponic setup. Metabolites were extracted and analyzed using LC/MS/MS. Multivariate analysis of metabolites in both root and shoot tissue showed tremendous induction in key metabolic pathways including sugar metabolism, amino acid metabolism, and an increase in production of osmoprotectants, such as betaine and polyols, and metal-chelating organic acids. The data obtained provide a comprehensive insight into the overall stress response mechanisms in vetiver. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Marginal soils arise due to various industrial and agricultural practices reducing crop productivity. Pseudomonas sp. TLC 6-6.5-4 is a free-living multiple-metal-resistant plant-growth-promoting bacteria (PGPB) isolated from Torch Lake sediment that promotes maize growth and nutrient uptake. In this study, we examined both PGPB–soil and PGPB–plant interactions. PGPB inoculation resulted in significant increase in maize biomass. Soil inoculation before sowing seeds and coating seeds with the PGPB resulted in higher copper uptake by maize compared to other methods. The PGPB–soil interaction improved phosphorus uptake by maize and led to significant decrease in organic bound copper in marginal soil and a notable increase in exchangeable copper. PGPB improved soil health based on soil enzyme activities. Metabolomic analysis of maize revealed that PGPB inoculation upregulated photosynthesis, hormone biosynthesis, and tricarboxylic acid cycle metabolites. Proteomic analysis identified upregulation of proteins related to plant development and stress response. Further, the activity of antioxidant enzymes and total phenolics decreased in plants grown in marginal soil suggesting alleviation of metal stress in presence of PGPB. The ability of PGPB to modulate interconnected biochemical pathways could be exploited to increase crop productivity in marginal soils, phytoremediation of metal contaminated soils, and organic agriculture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper studies the solutions of second-order linear matrix equations on time scales. Firstly, the necessary and sufficient conditions for the existence of a solution of characteristic equation are introduced; then two diverse solutions of characteristic equation are applied to express general solution of the matrix equations on time scales. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Vinegar and wine processing of medicinal plants are two traditional pharmaceutical techniques which have been used for thousands of years in China. Tetrahydropalmatine (THP), dehydrocorydaline (DHC) and protopine are three major bioactive molecules in Rhizoma Corydalis. In this study, a simple and reliable HPLC method was developed for simultaneous analysis of THP, DHC and protopine in rat tissues after gastric gavage administration of Rhizoma Corydalis. The validated HPLC method was successfully applied to investigate the effect of wine and vinegar processing on the compounds' distribution in rat tissues. Our results showed that processing mainly affect the Tmax and mean residence time (MRT) of the molecules without changing their Cmax and AUC0-24 h Vinegar processing significantly increased the Tmax of DHC in heart, kidney, cerebrum, cerebrellum, brain stem and striatum and prolonged the Tmax of protopine in brain. No significant changes were observed on the Tmax of THP in rat tissues after vinegar processing. Wine processing reduced the Tmax of protopine and DHC in liver and spleen and Tmax of protopine in lung, but increased the Tmax of THP in all the rat tissues examined. To our knowledge, this is the first report on the effects of processing on the tissue distribution of the bioactive molecules from Rhizoma Corydalis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A reply from the editor in response to the article "Metabolomics and chronic fatigue syndrome" is presented.

Acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) is a common cause of mortality in patients with acute kidney injury (AKI). Inflammatory crosstalk from the kidney to the lung has been shown to contribute to lung injury after AKI, but anti-inflammatory therapies have not been proven beneficial in human studies. Recently, AKI was shown to alter mitochondria and related metabolic pathways in the heart, but the impact of AKI on lung metabolism has not been investigated to our knowledge. In this study, we evaluated the metabolomic profile of the lung following renal ischemia and reperfusion to identify novel pathways that may be modifiable. We randomized C57BL/6 mice to 20 minutes of bilateral renal arterial clamping or sham operation under ketamine/xylazine anesthesia. At 4 hours after reperfusion, we found a significant increase in markers of lung injury, as well as significant metabolomic changes across lung, kidney, plasma and bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) compared to shams. Comparative analyses revealed that the fatty acid oxidation pathway was the most significantly altered metabolic pathway, a finding which is consistent with mitochondrial dysfunction systemically and in the lung. These metabolomic changes correlated with the extracellular accumulation of the mitochondrial damage associated molecular patterns (mtDAMPs), mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) and transcription factor A, mitochondria (TFAM). Finally, we found that intraperitoneal injection of renal mtDAMPs caused metabolomic changes consistent with mitochondrial dysfunction in the lung in vivo. Mitochondrial function and mtDAMPs warrant further investigation as potential therapeutic targets in preventing lung injury because of AKI. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

More than 2 million people in the United States have myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS).We performed targeted, broad-spectrum metabolomics to gain insights into the biology of CFS. We studied a total of 84 subjects using thesemethods. Forty-five subjects (n = 22 men and 23 women) met diagnostic criteria for ME/CFS by Institute of Medicine, Canadian, and Fukuda criteria. Thirty-nine subjects (n = 18 men and 21 women) were age- and sexmatched normal controls. Males with CFS were 53 (±2.8) y old (mean± SEM; range, 21-67 y). Females were 52 (±2.5) y old (range, 20-67 y). The Karnofsky performance scores were 62 (±3.2) for males and 54 (±3.3) for females. We targeted 612 metabolites in plasma from 63 biochemical pathways by hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography, electrospray ionization, and tandem mass spectrometry in a single- injection method. Patients with CFS showed abnormalities in 20 metabolic pathways. Eighty percent of the diagnostic metabolites were decreased, consistent with a hypometabolic syndrome. Pathway abnormalities included sphingolipid, phospholipid, purine, cholesterol, microbiome, pyrroline-5-carboxylate, riboflavin, branch chain amino acid, peroxisomal, and mitochondrial metabolism. Area under the receiver operator characteristic curve analysis showed diagnostic accuracies of 94% [95% confidence interval (CI), 84-100%] in males using eight metabolites and 96% (95% CI, 86-100%) in females using 13 metabolites. Our data show that despite the heterogeneity of factors leading to CFS, the cellular metabolic response in patients was homogeneous, statistically robust, and chemically similar to the evolutionarily conserved persistence response to environmental stress known as dauer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: This study was designed to test a new approach to drug treatment of autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) in the Fragile X (Fmr1) knockout mouse model. Methods: We used behavioral analysis, mass spectrometry, metabolomics, electron microscopy, and western analysis to test the hypothesis that the disturbances in social behavior, novelty preference, metabolism, and synapse structure are treatable with antipurinergic therapy (APT). Results: Weekly treatment with the purinergic antagonist suramin (20 mg/kg intraperitoneally), started at 9 weeks of age, restored normal social behavior, and improved metabolism, and brain synaptosomal structure. Abnormalities in synaptosomal glutamate, endocannabinoid, purinergic, and IP3 receptor expression, complement C1q, TDP43, and amyloid ß precursor protein (APP) were corrected. Comprehensive metabolomic analysis identified 20 biochemical pathways associated with symptom improvements. Seventeen pathways were shared with human ASD, and 11 were shared with the maternal immune activation (MIA) model of ASD. These metabolic pathways were previously identified as functionally related mediators of the evolutionarily conserved cell danger response (CDR). Conclusions: The data show that antipurinergic therapy improves the multisystem, ASD-like features of both the environmental MIA, and the genetic Fragile X models. These abnormalities appeared to be traceable to mitochondria and regulated by purinergic signaling. Keywords: Autism spectrum disorders, Purinergic signaling, Antipurinergic therapy (APT), Mitochondria, Metabolism, Metabolomics, Fragile X syndrome, Genetics, Environment, Maternal immune activation (MIA), Cell danger response (CDR) [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: This study was designed to test a new approach to drug treatment of autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) in the Fragile X (Fmr1) knockout mouse model. Methods: We used behavioral analysis, mass spectrometry, metabolomics, electron microscopy, and western analysis to test the hypothesis that the disturbances in social behavior, novelty preference, metabolism, and synapse structure are treatable with antipurinergic therapy (APT). Results: Weekly treatment with the purinergic antagonist suramin (20 mg/kg intraperitoneally), started at 9 weeks of age, restored normal social behavior, and improved metabolism, and brain synaptosomal structure. Abnormalities in synaptosomal glutamate, endocannabinoid, purinergic, and IP3 receptor expression, complement C1q, TDP43, and amyloid â precursor protein (APP) were corrected. Comprehensive metabolomic analysis identified 20 biochemical pathways associated with symptom improvements. Seventeen pathways were shared with human ASD, and 11 were shared with the maternal immune activation (MIA) model of ASD. These metabolic pathways were previously identified as functionally related mediators of the evolutionarily conserved cell danger response (CDR). Conclusions: The data show that antipurinergic therapy improves the multisystem, ASD-like features of both the environmental MIA, and the genetic Fragile X models. These abnormalities appeared to be traceable to mitochondria and regulated by purinergic signaling. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: This study was designed to test a new approach to drug treatment of autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) in the Fragile X (Fmr1) knockout mouse model. Methods: We used behavioral analysis, mass spectrometry, metabolomics, electron microscopy, and western analysis to test the hypothesis that the disturbances in social behavior, novelty preference, metabolism, and synapse structure are treatable with antipurinergic therapy (APT). Results: Weekly treatment with the purinergic antagonist suramin (20 mg/kg intraperitoneally), started at 9 weeks of age, restored normal social behavior, and improved metabolism, and brain synaptosomal structure. Abnormalities in synaptosomal glutamate, endocannabinoid, purinergic, and IP3 receptor expression, complement C1q, TDP43, and amyloid β precursor protein (APP) were corrected. Comprehensive metabolomic analysis identified 20 biochemical pathways associated with symptom improvements. Seventeen pathways were shared with human ASD, and 11 were shared with the maternal immune activation (MIA) model of ASD. These metabolic pathways were previously identified as functionally related mediators of the evolutionarily conserved cell danger response (CDR). Conclusions: The data show that antipurinergic therapy improves the multisystem, ASD-like features of both the environmental MIA, and the genetic Fragile X models. These abnormalities appeared to be traceable to mitochondria and regulated by purinergic signaling. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, 80GeO2-8Ga2O3-10BaO-2Nb2O5-6PbO (in mol%) glass samples with different Tm2O3 concentrations (0, 0.5, 0.75, 1, 1.25, and 1.5 mol. %) were prepared by traditional meltquenching method. According to the measurement of thermal properties of the host glass, the glass transition temperature is 596.7 °C and no crystallization peak is observed. Judd-Ofelt parameters Ωt (t=2, 4, 6) and fluorescent lifetimes were obtained by Judd-Ofelt theory. The similar values of Judd-Ofelt parameters and the full-width at half-maximums of ~1800 nm indicate the local environment of Tm3+ changes little with increment of Tm2O3 concentrations. Maximum stimulated emission cross-section of ~1800 nm is 6.22×10-21 cm² as calculated by Fuchtbauer-Ladenburg formula. Energy migration among Tm3+ ions was analyzed by the extended overlap integral method. The non-radiative transition rates between mainly energy levels of Tm3+ were calculated. Non-radiative transition rate of ³F4 energy level caused by OH was analyzed by rate equation and deduced by fitting the fluorescence decay curve. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Surface charge accumulation on spacer is an important factor to cause surface flashover. An experimental set-up is established to measure surface potential over a truncated cone-type spacer under DC voltage in SF6 gas at atmospheric pressure using a Kelvin vibrating electrostatic probe. The surface charge density is calibrated based on multipoint measurement technique, which takes the influence of electrostatic probe into account. The experimental results show that surface charge distribution patterns can be divided into three classes including centrosymmetric distribution, spot-like distribution, and cloud-like distribution. The symmetrically distributed charges are injected by electrode, which migrate along spacer surface through the surface conductivity. While the charges showing spot-like and cloud-like distribution are generated by the ionisation of SF6 due to local electrical field concentrated. Besides, the hetero-charges are more easily to be saturated with different charging durations and the polarity of the net charge is the same as that of applied voltage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on suggestions by young scientists acting as mentors to an undergraduate student doing an internship in a laboratory who seeks advice on dealing with the unwelcoming attitude of the other members, including being hardworking, sincere and proactive.

Background: Aphasia is one of the most disabling cognitive deficits affecting .2 million people in the USA. The neuroimaging characteristics of chronic aphasic patients (.6 months post onset) remain largely unknown. Objective: The objective of this study was to investigate the regional signal changes of spontaneous neuronal activity of brain and the inter-regional connectivity in chronic aphasia. Materials and methods: Resting-state blood oxygenation level-dependent functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) was used to obtain fMRI data from 17 chronic aphasic patients and 20 healthy control subjects in a Siemens Verio 3.0T MR Scanner. The amplitude of lowfrequency fluctuation (ALFF) was determined, which directly reflects the regional neuronal activity. The functional connectivity (FC) of fMRI was assessed using a seed voxel linear correlation approach. The severity of aphasia was evaluated by aphasia quotient (AQ) scores obtained from Western Aphasia Battery test. Results: Compared with normal subjects, aphasic patients showed decreased ALFF values in the regions of left posterior middle temporal gyrus (PMTG), left medial prefrontal gyrus, and right cerebellum. The ALFF values in left PMTG showed strong positive correlation with the AQ score (coefficient r=0.79, P,0.05). There was a positive FC in chronic aphasia between left PMTG and left inferior temporal gyrus (BA20), fusiform gyrus (BA37), and inferior frontal gyrus (BA47\45\44). Conclusion: Left PMTG might play an important role in language dysfunction of chronic aphasia, and ALFF value might be a promising indicator to evaluate the severity of aphasia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We collected 2460 Haemaphysalis longicornis ticks from vegetation in Jiaonan County, Shandong Province, in June of 2013 and Daishan County, Zhejiang Province, China, in May of 2015. The tick DNA was subsequently amplified with nested polymerase chain reaction using Ehrlichia common 16S rRNA gene primers and Ehrlichia ewingii species-specific groEL and gltA primers. We found 0.4% (3/780) of the ticks from Zhejiang Province contained Ehrlichia DNA that was different from all known Ehrlichia species, but most closely related to E. ewingii. We concluded that a novel Ehrlichia species exists in H. longicornis ticks in China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dobutamine has been widely used for the treatment of heart failure and cardiogenic shock since the 1970s. Osteosarcoma is the most commonly observed malignant bone tumor in children. Currently, there are no effective drugs for the treatment of osteosarcoma. In the present study, the potential anticancer activity of dobutamine on human osteosarcoma cells was examined. Human osteosarcoma MG-63 cells were treated with dobutamine at various concentrations and for various incubation times. The inhibition of cell growth by dobutamine was determined by 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide assay. Flow cytometry was utilized to evaluate the effect of dobutamine on cell apoptosis and the cell cycle. Furthermore, the expression levels of caspase-3 and caspase-9 were assessed by western blot analysis. The influence of dobutamine on cancer cell migration and invasion was additionally evaluated using wound-healing assay and the Boyden Chamber migration method. Dobutamine significantly inhibited the growth of MG-63 cells at a concentration of 10 μM or higher when incubated for 12 h or longer (P=0.023). Dobutamine augmented cell apoptosis and arrested the cell cycle in the G2/M phase. Western blot analysis revealed that dobutamine induces expression of caspase-3 and caspase-9. In addition, the invasiveness and migration of MG-63 cells was inhibited by dobutamine in a concentration-dependent manner. The results of the present study may lead to novel applications for dobutamine in the treatment of osteosarcoma. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Methods: After institutional review board approval and written informed consent, 16 men and 11 women with lung cancer were enrolled in this CT perfusion study. Perfusion, blood volume, and peak enhancement were determined for 60 or 120 mm circular ROIs placed at the edge, center, and around (outlining) the visible tumor. Average values were obtained by performing ROI analysis twice by the same observers without any procedural changes. Results: Perfusion, blood volume, and peak enhancement measurements were substantially higher at the edge than at the center for both 60 and 120 mm² ROIs (all P, 0.05). Measurements varied substantially depending on the ROI size. Perfusion, blood volume, and peak enhancement for the ROIs outlining tumor were intermediate between those at the tumor edge and center. There were significant correlations between median values and interquartile ranges as follows; perfusion (12.51 [7.91-28.10] mL-min-1-100 mL-1), blood volume (29.31 [21.82-37.65] mL-100 g-1), peak enhancement (12.93 [2.42-22.50]) for the ROIs outlining the tumor, and microvascular density ([19.43±8.78] vessels/0.74 mm²), respectively (r-values were 0.732, 0.590, and 0.544 respectively, all P,0.05). Conclusion: Spatial and size selection of ROI significantly affects CT perfusion analysis. ROI outlining of entire tumor provides efficient and reliable measurements for clinical assessment of lung cancer using CT perfusion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mitochondria are highly adaptable organelles that can facilitate communication between tissues to meet the energetic demands of the organism. However, the mechanisms by which mitochondria can nonautonomously relay stress signals remain poorly understood. Here we report that mitochondrial mutations in the young, preprogeroid polymerase gamma mutator (POLG) mouse produce a metabolic state of starvation. As a result, these mice exhibit signs of metabolic imbalance including thermogenic defects in brown adipose tissue (BAT). An unexpected benefit of this adaptive response is the complete resistance to diet-induced obesity when POLG mice are placed on a high-fat diet (HFD). Paradoxically, HFD further increases oxygen consumption in part by inducing thermogenesis and mitochondrial biogenesis in BAT along with enhanced expression of fibroblast growth factor 21 (FGF21). Collectively, these findings identify a mechanistic link between FGF21, a longknown marker of mitochondrial disease, and systemic metabolic adaptation in response to mitochondrial stress. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Endoglin/CD105 is an accessory protein of the transforming growth factor-β receptor systemthat plays a critical role in proliferation of endothelial cells and neovasculature. Here, we aimed to assess the effect of novel stents coated with antibodies to endoglin (ENDs) on coronary neointima formation. Thirty ENDs, thirty sirolimus-eluting stents (SESs), and thirty bare metal stents (BMSs) were randomly assigned and placed in the coronary arteries in 30 juvenile pigs. Histomorphometric analysis and scanning electron microscopy were performed after stent implantation. Our results showed that after 7 days, there was no difference in the neointimal area and percent area stenosis in ENDs compared with SMSs or BMSs. After 14 days, the neointima area and percent area stenosis in ENDs were markedly decreased than those in BMSs or SESs (P < 0.05). Moreover, the percentage of reendothelialization was significantly higher in ENDs than that in SESs or BMSs (P < 0.01) at 7 and 14 days. The artery injury and the inflammation scores were similar in all groups at 7 and 14 days. In conclusion, our results demonstrated for the first time to our knowledge that endoglin antibody-coated stents can markedly reduce restenosis by enhancing reendothelialization in the porcine model and potentially offer a new approach to prevent restenosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rationale and Objectives. To develop an optimal scanning protocol for multislice spiral CT perfusion (CTP) imaging to evaluate hemodynamic changes in liver cirrhosis with diethylnitrosamine-(DEN-) induced precancerous lesions. Materials and Methods. Male Wistar rats were randomly divided into the control group (n = 80) and the precancerous liver cirrhosis group (n = 40). The control group received saline injection and the liver cirrhosis group received 50 mg/kg DEN i.p. twice a week for 12 weeks. All animals underwent plain CT scanning, CTP, and contrast-enhanced CT scanning. Scanning parameters were optimized by adjusting the diatrizoate concentration, the flow rate, and the delivery time. The hemodynamics of both groups was further compared using optimized multislice spiral CTP imaging. Results. High-quality CTP images were obtained with following parameters: 150 kV; 150 mAs; 5 mm thickness, 5 mm interval; pitch, 1; matrix, 512 x 512; and FOV, 9.6 cm. Compared to the control group, the liver cirrhosis group had a significantly increased value of the hepatic arterial fraction and the hepatic artery perfusion (P < 0.05) but significantly decreased hepatic portal perfusion and mean transit time (P < 0.05). Conclusion. Multislice spiral CTP imaging can be used to evaluate the hemodynamic changes in the rat model of liver cirrhosis with precancerous lesions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]