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Simple Summary: In recent years, due to the increasing scale of pasture, the incidence of hoof disease is increasing and hoof deformation is one of the common hoof diseases in dairy cows. In order to explore the metabolic and ionic changes of hoof-deformed dairy cows, LC-MS/MS and ICP-OES/MS techniques were used to analyze the serum samples of dairy cows. As a result, 127 metabolites were screened by metabolomics, and 28 metabolic pathways were enriched by KEGG metabolic pathway enrichment analysis, including nine metabolic pathways. The results of ion omics showed that 13 kinds of ions such as K, Li and Pb were up-regulated, while 18 kinds of ions such as Al, Cu and Sb were down-regulated. The integrated analysis of metabolomics and ion omics found that potassium ions were positively correlated with L-tyrosine and L-proline, positively correlated with thiamine and negatively correlated with L-valine. Sodium ions were positively correlated with L-valine and negatively correlated with α-D-glucose. The aim of this study was to investigate the ionic and metabolic changes in the organism after hoof deformation in dairy cows. In order to explore the metabolic and ionic changes of hoof-deformed cows, the serum samples of 10 healthy cows (group C) and 10 hoof-deformed cows (group T) were analyzed by LC-MS/MS and ICP-OES/MS. The pathway enrichment of differential metabolites was analyzed by screening and identifying differential metabolites and ions and using a bioinformatics method. The integration of metabolomics and ionics was analyzed with ggplot2 software in R language, and verified by MRM target metabolomics. The results showed that 127 metabolites were screened by metabolomics, of which 81 were up-regulated (p < 0.05) and 46 were down-regulated (p < 0.05). The results of ICP-OES/MS showed that 13 kinds of ions such as K, Li, and Pb in serum of dairy cows were up-regulated, while 18 kinds of ions such as Al, Cu and Sb were down-regulated. The integrated analysis of metabolomics and ionics found that potassium ions were positively correlated with L-tyrosine, L-proline, thiamine and L-valine. Sodium ions were positively correlated with L-valine and negatively correlated with α-D-glucose. The results of high-throughput target metabolomics showed that the contents of L-proline, L-phenylalanine and L-tryptophan in serum of dairy cows increased significantly, which was consistent with the results of non-target metabolomics. In a word, the metabolism and ion changes in dairy cows with hoof deformation were revealed by metabolomics and ionics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the past few years, platinum nanomaterials (Pt NMs) have gained attraction owing to their ability to address the drawbacks of classical Pt-based chemotherapy drugs including drug resistance and clinical side effects, which have been preliminarily used in lung cancer, liver cancer, gynecological cancer, etc. In order to investigate the effect of Pt NMs on hematopoietic tumors, ultra-small Pt nanoclusters (Pt NCs) were employed to clarify their targeting recognition, cellular uptake, and effective therapy in vivo for chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) cells. Through the facile surface modification of Pt NCs with anti-CD19 to form the anti-CD19-Pt NC composite, the specific aggregation in BV173 cells could be realized based on their high protein expression of CD19 in comparison to that in CD19-negative K562 cells. Furthermore, the endocytic pathways of Pt NCs in K562 and BV173 cells were investigated by qualitative and quantitative analyses via inductively coupled plasma-optical emission spectroscopy and flow cytometry. It was observed that Pt NCs entered into the K562 cells mainly through the caveolin-dependent endocytic pathway and in BV173 cells primarily via phagocytosis and micropinocytosis. Moreover, these Pt NCs exerted an excellent inhibitory effect on proliferation, migration, and invasion of hematopoietic tumor cells and tended to gather the acidic organelles (lysosomes or endosomes), resulting in the proliferation inhibition of tumor cells by the generation of corrosive Pt. Notably, Pt NCs were significantly aggregated at the site of tumor inoculation in mice and exhibited satisfactory in vivo inhibition of the increase in tumor weight and its size under the premise of not damaging the liver and spleen. Thus, the merits of versatile Pt NCs included facile target recognition, explicit cellular uptake behavior, and therapeutic efficacy in vivo, thereby hinting at their promising prospects for the clinical diagnosis and treatment of hematological malignancies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Grain size is an important trait that directly affects grain yield in rice; however, the genetic and molecular mechanisms regulating grain size remain unclear. In this study, we identified a mutant, grain length and grain weight 10 (glw10), which exhibited significantly reduced grain length and grain weight. Histological analysis demonstrated that GLW10 affects cell expansion, which regulates grain size. MutMap-based gene mapping and transgenic experiments demonstrated that GLW10 encodes a putative brassinosteroid (BR) signalling kinase, OsBSK2. OsBSK2 is a plasma membrane protein, and an N-myristoylation site is needed for both membrane localization and function. OsBSK2 directly interacts with the BR receptor kinase OsBRI1; however, genetic experiments have demonstrated that OsBSK2 may regulate grain size independent of the BR signalling pathway. OsBSK2 can form a homodimer or heterodimer with OsBSK3 and OsBSK4, and silencing OsBSK2 , OsBSK3 , and OsBSK4 reduce grain size. This indicates that OsBSKs seem to function as homodimers or heterodimers to positively regulate grain size in rice. OsBSK2/3/4 are all highly expressed in young panicles and spikelet hulls, suggesting that they control grain size. In summary, our results provide novel insights into the function of BSKs in rice, and identify novel targets for improving grain size during crop breeding. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Analyzing human muscle states has attracted extensive attention. EMG (electromyography) pattern recognition methods based on these works have been proposed for many years. However, uncomfortable wearing and high prices make it inconvenient for motion tracking and muscle analysis by using robotic arms and inertial sensors in daily life. In this study, we propose to use smart clothes integrated with flexible sensors to collect arm motion data, estimate the kinematic information of continuous arm motion, and predict the EMG signal of each arm muscle. Firstly, the neural network regression model integrated with the LSTM (long short-term memory) module is used to continuously estimate the sensor resistances collected by the smart clothes and the angles collected by Kinect. Then, six types of shoulder and elbow movements' angles and the corresponding EMG signals of 5 subjects are preprocessed and aligned. The stacked regression model based on extremely randomized trees (extra trees) is used for regression. Our experimental results show that the average estimation absolute error from the sensor resistances to the joint angle is 3.45 degrees, and the absolute percentage error from the joint angle to the EMG signal is only 1.82%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Char catalytic conversion of tar at different temperatures was carried out on a laboratory-scale circulating fluidized bed to providing theoretical support for the removal of tar. Various modern detection techniques were used to analyze the gas, tar and char, such as the gas chromatograph, the specific surface area analyzer and the gas chromatograph mass spectroscopy (GC-MS). The efficiency of tar conversion (ETC) could be effectively improved by the increasing temperature, while transformation characteristics of the organic compounds of the used tar also changed. When the temperature increased from 850 °C to 900 °C, the catalytic capability of char was improved, resulting a reducing of the heavy polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon compounds (heavy PAH compounds) of the produced tar. When the temperature increased from 900 °C to 950 °C, the catalytic capability of char weakened, so the heavy PAH compounds increased, caused by the intensifying of tar thermal cracking. At the tested temperature (850–950 °C), the conversion of naphthalene, the most abundant organic compound in the used tar, has not been seem a significant change, showing a selectivity of the char catalyst. • The tests were carried out in a CFB gasifier during char gasification. • The real tar was introduced into the circulating fluidized bed gasifier by pre-mixing of the tar and char. • The effect of temperature on the different components reforming of the tar was investigated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Verticillium wilt (VW), caused by soil‐borne fungi of the genus Verticillium, is a serious disease affecting a wide range of plants and leading to a constant and major challenge to agriculture worldwide. Cotton (Gossypium hirsutum) is the world's most important natural textile fibre and oil crop. VW of cotton is a highly devastating vascular disease; however, few resistant germplasms have been reported in cotton. An increasing number of studies have shown that RNA interference (RNAi)‐based host‐induced gene silencing (HIGS) is an effective strategy for improving plant resistance to pathogens by silencing genes essential for the pathogenicity of these pathogens. Here, we have identified and characterized multifunctional regulators of G protein signalling (RGS) in the Verticillium dahliae virulence strain, Vd8. Of eight VdRGS genes, VdRGS1 showed the most significant increase in expression in V. dahliae after treating with the roots of cotton seedlings. Based on the phenotype detection of VdRGS1 deletion and complementation mutants, we found that VdRGS1 played crucial roles in spore production, hyphal development, microsclerotia formation and pathogenicity. Tobacco rattle virus‐mediated HIGS in cotton plants silenced VdRGS1 transcripts in invaded V. dahliae strains and enhanced broad‐spectrum resistance to cotton VW. Our data demonstrate that VdRGS1 is a conserved and essential gene for V. dahliae virulence. HIGS of VdRGS1 provides effective control against V. dahliae infection and could obtain the durable disease resistance in cotton and in other VW‐susceptible host crops by developing the stable transformants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: How HCV virus affects the function of dendritic cells (DCs) and their ability to induce CD4+ T cell response remains not fully understood. This study was done to elucidate the impact of HCV on the function of DCs and on DC's capability to induce CD4+ T-cell response. Methods: Monocyte-derived DCs (MoDCs) were treated with cell-culture HCV (HCVcc). The effects of HCVcc on DC maturation, CD40L-induced DC maturation, and cytokine production and the capacity of DCs to induce Th cytokine production of allogeneic CD4+ T cells were evaluated. Results: HCVcc exposure increased expression of both IL-6 and IL-10 by MoDCs. HCV-exposed MoDCs also selectively facilitated allogeneic CD4+ T cells to further produce Th17-related cytokines interleukin 1 (IL-1), IL-6, and IL-17A. Pretreatment of IL-17A inhibited HCV production in Huh7.5 cells, suggesting that induction of Th17 cells may be beneficial to host anti-HCV immunity. Paradoxically, induction of IL-10 expression and the failure of HCV-exposed MoDCs to facilitate other Th cell development may hinder the anti-viral immunity. Conclusions: This study highlights both the therapeutic potential of IL-17A in treating HCV infection and the cautious consideration of HCV-induced immunosuppression in DC-based therapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Enterovirus 71 (EV71) is the most virulent pathogen among enteroviruses that cause hand, foot and mouth disease in children but rarely in adults. The mechanisms that determine the age-dependent susceptibility remain largely unclear. Here, we found that the paucity of invariant natural killer T (iNKT) cells together with immaturity of the immune system was related to the susceptibility of neonatal mice to EV71 infection. iNKT cells were crucial antiviral effector cells to protect young mice from EV71 infection before their adaptive immune systems were fully mature. EV71 infection led to activation of iNKT cells depending on signaling through TLR3 but not other TLRs. Surprisingly, iNKT cell activation during EV71 infection required TLR3 signaling in macrophages, but not in dendritic cells (DCs). Mechanistically, interleukin (IL)-12 and endogenous CD1d-restricted antigens were both required for full activation of iNKT cells. Furthermore, CD1d-deficiency led to dramatically increased viral loads in central nervous system and more severe disease in EV71-infected mice. Altogether, our results suggest that iNKT cells may be involved in controlling EV71 infection in children when their adaptive immune systems are not fully developed, and also imply that iNKT cells might be an intervention target for treating EV71-infected patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and purpose: Systemic upregulation of inflammatory cytokines is characteristic of critical severe hand, foot, and mouth disease (HFMD) with pulmonary edema. Thus, immunomodulatory medicines such as steroids, including methylprednisolone, have been proposed to treat patients with severe HFMD in China, because it is postulated that inflammatory cytokines play a role in the development of severe complications. This study is to further investigate the inflammatory response in the relatively mild HFMD patients, and whether steroid treatment has a beneficial effect on the suppression of inflammation in HFMD patients. Method: We measured the levels of 50 kinds of chemokines, cytokines, growth factors and soluble receptors in serum samples from control patients without HFMD and the HFMD patients with or without prior treatment of intravenous methylprednisolone. Results: Our present study found that even relatively mild HFMD patients without central nervous system (CNS) complications had elevated serum levels of inflammatory cytokines, including interleukin (IL)-3, IL-6, IL-12p40, and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, which suggested systemic inflammation. In contrast, these patients also have decreased levels of other serum biomarkers, including IL-1Ra, IL-8, IL-16, soluble ICAM-1, CXCL-1, and CCL27. The dysregulation of cytokine and chemokine expression may be involved in CNS complications and unbalanced circulating leukocytes in HFMD patients. Surprisingly, patients treated with methylprednisolone had no difference in the expression levels of HFMD-associated biomarkers instead had slightly increased levels of IL-17A, which was not associated with the occurrence of HFMD. Conclusion: Whether steroid treatment has any beneficial effect on the prognosis of HFMD patients requires to be further investigated. Author Summary: Systemic inflammation is characteristic of severe hand, foot, and mouth disease (HFMD). Steroids are considered immunomodulators and have been officially recommended to treat the severe HFMD patients with CNS complications in China. So far, it is uncertain whether steroid treatment has an immunomodulatory role in inflammation in HFMD patients and has a real beneficial effect on their prognosis. This study revealed that even relatively mild HFMD patients without CNS complications had elevated inflammation. Unexpectedly, the inflammatory cytokine levels in patients treated with methylprednisolone, one kind of steroid, were not significantly different from those in patients without the treatment. Rather, the treated patients tended to have elevated levels of IL-17A, whose expression levels were actually not significantly associated with the presence of HFMD. IL-17A is known to play a role in the pathogenesis of CNS-related inflammatory diseases. Altogether, our study does not support the presumption that steroids have beneficial effect on the prognosis of HFMD patients by inhibiting systemic inflammation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and purpose: Systemic upregulation of inflammatory cytokines is characteristic of critical severe hand, foot, and mouth disease (HFMD) with pulmonary edema. Thus, immunomodulatory medicines such as steroids, including methylprednisolone, have been proposed to treat patients with severe HFMD in China, because it is postulated that inflammatory cytokines play a role in the development of severe complications. This study is to further investigate the inflammatory response in the relatively mild HFMD patients, and whether steroid treatment has a beneficial effect on the suppression of inflammation in HFMD patients. Method: We measured the levels of 50 kinds of chemokines, cytokines, growth factors and soluble receptors in serum samples from control patients without HFMD and the HFMD patients with or without prior treatment of intravenous methylprednisolone. Results: Our present study found that even relatively mild HFMD patients without central nervous system (CNS) complications had elevated serum levels of inflammatory cytokines, including interleukin (IL)-3, IL-6, IL-12p40, and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, which suggested systemic inflammation. In contrast, these patients also have decreased levels of other serum biomarkers, including IL-1Ra, IL-8, IL-16, soluble ICAM-1, CXCL-1, and CCL27. The dysregulation of cytokine and chemokine expression may be involved in CNS complications and unbalanced circulating leukocytes in HFMD patients. Surprisingly, patients treated with methylprednisolone had no difference in the expression levels of HFMD-associated biomarkers instead had slightly increased levels of IL-17A, which was not associated with the occurrence of HFMD. Conclusion: Whether steroid treatment has any beneficial effect on the prognosis of HFMD patients requires to be further investigated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Discusses a three primers polymerase chain reaction method to generate recombinant DNA molecule at precise junction between two arbitrary DNA fragments. Characterization of the TP-PCR method by its reaction system with two templates and three primers; Production of a recombinant DNA molecule in one PCR reaction; Independence of the sequences at the recombination site.