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Polyphenols from kiwi by-products (PKWP) have been previously reported to have an inhibitory effect on cancer cells; but, the potential anti-cancer mechanism remains unknown. Metabolic alterations in cancer cells provide bioenergy and substances for uncontrolled proliferation and development, and interfering with the metabolic pathways has been regarded as effective in impeding cancer progression. Cancer cells are also characterised by a relatively higher level of oxidative stress and an enhanced antioxidant defence system, facilitating multiple stages of tumorigenesis. Anti-cancer mechanisms of PKWP based on metabolic and redox homeostasis in HepG2 cells were thus investigated in the present work. The results showed that PKWP effectively decreased HepG2 cell viability in a concentration-dependent manner. PKWP caused metabolic disorders in HepG2 cells, and significantly affected the content of about 32 metabolites. PKWP mainly inhibited saccharide synthesis and glycolysis, and restricted the utilisation of amino acids. PKWP stimulated ROS production, and caused lipid peroxidation, resulting in oxidative damage. PKWP also down-regulated the activities of T-SOD and CAT, and the level of GSH, and inhibited the protein expressions of HO-1 and COX-2, weakening the cellular antioxidant capacity. Thus, PKWP could exert prominent anti-cancer activity in HepG2 cells by disrupting metabolic homeostasis, and induction of oxidative stress. These findings will provide evidence for further elucidation of the anti-cancer mechanism of PKWP, and the potential application of PKWP as a natural ingredient in functional food, cosmetic, and pharmaceutical industries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An experiment on radar location of space debris objects using of the method of VLBI was carried out in April, 2012. The radar VLBI experiment consisted in irradiation of some space debris objects (4 rocket stages and 5 inactive satellites) with a signal of the transmitter with RT-70 in Evpatoria, Ukraine. Reflected signals were received by a complex of radio telescopes in the VLBI mode. The following VLBI stations took part in the observations: Ventspils (RT-32), Urumqi (RT-25), Medicina (RT-32) and Simeiz (RT-22). The experiment included measurements of the Doppler frequency shift and the delay for orbit refining, and measurements of the rotation period and sizes of objects by the amplitudes of output interferometer signals. The cross-correlation of VLBI-data is performed at a correlator NIRFI-4 of Radiophysical Research Institute (Nizhny Novgorod). Preliminary data processing resulted in the series of Doppler frequency shifts, which comprised the information on radial velocities of the objects. Some results of the experiment are presented.

We report on the detection of 146 (0.96%) bright pulses with a peak flux density >0.86 Jy from PSR B0031–07 in 4 hr of continuous observations made at 4.82 GHz, with a bandwidth of 1 GHz, using the Shanghai Tian Ma 65 m radio telescope. We find that the peak flux density distribution follows a power law with index α = −3.6 ± 0.2, while the pulse energy appears to follow a logarithmic normal distribution. The bright pulses from PSR B0031–07 were observed to repeat in an irregular fashion. The intervals between bright pulses can be described with an exponentiated Weibull distribution. Furthermore, the sensitive observations at higher frequency with a short time resolution of 65.54 μs form a reliable basis for detailed microstructure studies. Close inspection of the detected bright pulses reveals that 38 pulses exhibit well-defined quasi-periodicities. No unanimous period for the quasi-periodicities is found, and the peak flux density is independent of the micropulse width. Finally, possible physical mechanisms are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Study Question: What is the transcriptome signature associated with poor performance of rescue IVM (rIVM) oocytes and how can we rejuvenate them?Summary Answer: The GATA-1/CREB1/WNT signalling axis was repressed in rIVM oocytes, particularly those of poor quality; restoration of this axis may produce more usable rIVM oocytes.What Is Known Already: rIVM aims to produce mature oocytes (MII) for IVF through IVM of immature oocytes collected from stimulated ovaries. It is not popular due to limited success rate in infertility treatment. Genetic aberrations, cellular stress and the absence of cumulus cell support in oocytes could account for the failure of rIVM.Study Design, Size, Duration: We applied single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) to capture the transcriptomes of human in vivo oocytes (IVO) (n = 10) from 7 donors and rIVM oocytes (n = 10) from 10 donors. The effects of maternal age and ovarian responses on rIVM oocyte transcriptomes were also studied. In parallel, we studied the effect of gallic acid on the maturation rate of mouse oocytes cultured in IVM medium with (n = 84) and without (n = 85) gallic acid.Participants/materials, Setting, Methods: Human oocytes were collected from donors aged 28-41 years with a body mass index of <30. RNA extraction, cDNA generation, library construction and sequencing were performed in one preparation. scRNA-seq data were then processed and analysed. Selected genes in the rIVM versus IVO comparison were validated by quantitative real-time PCR. For the gallic acid study, we collected immature oocytes from 5-month-old mice and studied the effect of 10-μM gallic acid on their maturation rate.Main Results and the Role Of Chance: The transcriptome profiles of rIVM/IVO oocytes showed distinctive differences. A total of 1559 differentially expressed genes (DEGs, genes with at least 2-fold change and adjusted P < 0.05) were found to be enriched in metabolic processes, biosynthesis and oxidative phosphorylation. Among these DEGs, we identified a repression of WNT/β-catenin signalling in rIVM when compared with IVO oocytes. We found that oestradiol levels exhibited a significant age-independent correlation with the IVO mature oocyte ratio (MII ratio) for each donor. rIVM oocytes from women with a high MII ratio were found to have over-represented cellular processes such as anti-apoptosis. To further identify targets that contribute to the poor clinical outcomes of rIVM, we compared oocytes collected from young donors with a high MII ratio with oocytes from donors of advanced maternal age and lower MII ratio, and revealed that CREB1 is an important regulator. Thus, our study identified that GATA-1/CREB1/WNT signalling was repressed in both rIVM oocytes versus IVO oocytes and in rIVM oocytes of lower versus higher quality. Consequently we investigated gallic acid, as a potential antioxidant substrate in human rIVM medium, and found that it increased the mouse oocyte maturation rate by 31.1%.Large Scale Data: Raw data from this study can be accessed through GSE158539.Limitations, Reasons For Caution: In the rIVM oocytes of the high- and low-quality comparison, the number of samples was limited after data filtering with stringent selection criteria. For the oocyte stage identification, we were unable to predict the presence of oocyte spindle, so polar body extrusion was the only indicator.Wider Implications Of the Findings: This study showed that GATA-1/CREB1/WNT signalling was repressed in rIVM oocytes compared with IVO oocytes and was further downregulated in low-quality rIVM oocytes, providing us the foundation of subsequent follow-up research on human oocytes and raising safety concerns about the clinical use of rescued oocytes.Study Funding/competing Interest(s): This work was supported by the Collaborative Research Fund, Research Grants Council, C4054-16G, and Research Committee Funding (Research Sustainability of Major RGC Funding Schemes), The Chinese University of Hong Kong. The authors have no conflicts of interest to declare. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Aims: Available bacterins, commercial or autogenous, for Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae disease control have, thus far, shown debatable protective efficacy and only in homologous challenges. Our study sought to determine whether the addition of reombinant protein ApxIV to the multicomponent vaccine could enhance protection against homologous and heterologous challenge of A. pleuropneumoniae. Methods and Results: The virulence of ApxI, ApxII, ApxIV and OMP were cloned and expressed using a prokaryotic system; these recombinant proteins were combined with inactivated A. pleuropneumoniae serovar 1 to formulate different multicomponent vaccines. Immune response and protective efficacy of the vaccines were evaluated in mice and pigs. A protection rate of 67% was observed against heterologous challenge in mice vaccinated with the rApxIV formulation. Piglets vaccinated with vaccine containing ApxIV produced significantly higher antibody titre and provided complete protection and reduced gross lesions by 67% when compared with the nonimmunized group after homologous challenge. Additionally, flow cytometry analysis showed significant cellular immune response. Conclusions: The results of our vaccination experiments revealed that a combination of inactivated bacteria and the recombinant antigens rApxI, rApxII, rApxIV and rOMP can provide effective protection against heterologous A. pleuropneumoniae challenge. Significance and Impact of the Study: The addition of ApxIV to the multicomponent vaccine could enhance homologous and heterologous protection in mice and pigs, respectively, against challenge by A. pleuropneumoniae. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives Traumatic brain injury (TBI) results in significant morbidity and mortality throughout the world. In TBI patients suffering cognitive, emotional, and behavioral deficits, the leading cause derives from the physical injury to the central nervous system (CNS) that impairs brain function. Materials and Methods Here, we applied a targeted approach to understand the potential mechanisms of neuron damage after TBI. Tau protein phosphorylation was compared in the brain tissues collected from patients underwent brain surgery based on the assessment of brain injury extent by Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS). Results The results indicated that the levels of phosphorylated tau were significantly higher in the severe and extremely severe TBI groups, compared to the moderate group of patients. Phosphorylated, but not the total tau protein was uniquely correlated with the GCS score (R2=.7849, P<.01) in 142 TBI patients. Consistently, the activities of key players associated with tau hyperphosphorylation GSK-3β and PP2A showed parallel correlations with the severity of TBI as well. Conclusion These data suggest that the enhanced tau protein phosphorylation occurs upon severe neuron injures and may contribute to the pathological structural changes of CNS leading to brain damage of TBI. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Identifying and studying the molecular mechanisms of neovascularization biomarkers are critical for conquering many diseases, such as corneal diseases and cancer. Paxillin is an important cell scaffold and cellular signaling protein, especially a key molecule of the Integrin-mediated downstream signaling transduction. This review summarizes the structure and functions of paxillin, and the research progress of its roles in neovascularization. Although there are still some problems to be solved, paxillin may become an important target of anti-neovascularization therapies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Presents a study which reported the direct-current and alternating-current magnetic properties of a cobalt-based amorphous alloy annealed at different temperatures. Details on the experiment; Results and discussion; Conclusion.

Chinese Fusion Engineering Test Reactor (CFETR) is a new superconducting tokamak device being designed in China, which aims at bridging the gap between ITER and DEMO, where DEMO is a tokamak demonstration fusion reactor. Two diagnostic cases, ITER-like case and towards DEMO case, have been considered for CFETR early and later operating phases, respectively. In this paper, some preliminary consideration of ITER-like case will be presented. Based on ITER diagnostic system, three versions of increased complexity and coverage of the ITER-like case diagnostic system have been developed with different goals and functions. Version A aims only machine protection and basic control. Both of version B and version C are mainly for machine protection, basic and advanced control, but version C has an increased level of redundancy necessary for improved measurements capability. The performance of these versions and needed R&D work are outlined. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]