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Anastasis is a cell recovery mechanism that rescues dying cells from the brink of death. Reversal of apoptosis is the first example of anastasis. Here, we describe a comprehensive dataset containing time-course mRNA expression profiles for reversal of ethanol-induced apoptosis in mouse primary liver cells in νitro. This transcriptome dataset includes the conditions of the untreated cells, cells undergoing apoptosis triggered by incubating with cell death inducer of 4.5% ethanol for 5 hours, and apoptosis reversal of ethanol-induced cells at the early (3rd hour), middle (6th hour), and late (24th, 48th hour) stages after being washed with and incubated in fresh cell culture medium. By comparing this dataset with the transcriptomic profiles of other anastasis models generated with different combinations of cell types and cell death inducers, investigators can identify the key regulators governing reversal of apoptosis and other reversible cell death processes. Therefore, reusing or reanalysing this dataset will facilitate the future studies on the physiological, pathological, and therapeutic implications of anastasis. Measurement(s) Microarray Analysis Technology Type(s) Microarray Analysis Sample Characteristic - Organism Mus musculus [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Low-calorie structured lipids (SLs) rich in behenic and oleic acids were produced by enzymatic (EI) and chemical interesterification (CI) of high oleic sunflower oil and fully hydrogenated Crambe abyssinica oil in proportions of 60:40, 50:50, 40:60 and 30:70 (w/w), respectively. The immobilized lipase from Thermomyces lanuginosus (Lipozyme TL IM) was used for 3 h at 70 °C at a dosage of 7% (w/w) free of organic solvents. The original blend (BE) and the reaction products were evaluated for their fatty acid (FA) and triacylglycerols (TAG) compositions, solid fat contents, thermal analysis, regiospecific distribution of the FA, microstructure and polymorphism. The tendency was towards a reduction in the C, C, C, C and C TAG contents and an increase in the C, C e C TAG contents, therefore the solid fat content was reduced. There was lower acyl migration at the sn-2 position of the TAGs in EI as compared to CI in all the blends ratios. Needle-like crystals were predominant in the IE while large symmetrical spherulites were observed in the BE. Reduction in the mean crystal diameter was observed in all the blends, in addition to modifications of the crystal morphology. X-ray diffraction analysis showed a predominance of the β' form crystals in both the IE and CI. The SLs were produced for application in the food industry as bakery/confectionery fats in the proportions of 60:40/50:50 and as additive in the crystallization of lipids in the proportions of 40:60/30:70. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Atractyloside (ATR) is a diterpenoid glycoside and occurs naturally in Asteraceae plants, many of which are used in foods and ethnomedicines. The toxicity of ATR has caused fatal renal proximal tubule necrosis and/or centrilobular hepatic necrosis in man and farm animals. A GC/MS screening method was optimized to detect the presence of ATR in Atractylodes species which are important herbs used in traditional Chinese medicine. The stability and hydrothermal detoxification of ATR in practical processing were also evaluated quantitatively by chromatographic analysis. In addition, the effects of hydrothermal detoxification of ATR from different processing methods on cell viability were performed. The results suggest that degradation of ATR is a way to increase pharmaceutical safety for the Chinese medicinal industries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To obtain the gene encoding SIEA26-28 ku, which has been proven to be a potential anti-schistosomiasis vaccine candidate, screening Schistosoma japonicum ( Sj) cercariae cDNA library with soluble specific single-chain antibody (SIEA26-28 ku-scFv) was performed. A large amount of specific single-chain antibody was harvested through construction of recombinant expression vector pET32a/scFv. The protein was purified and characterized. By using this protein (PET32a-scFv) as a probe, S. japonicum cercariae cDNA library was screened. Two strong positive clones were selected, and their eukaryotic recombinant plasmids were constructed. These genes were named as S. japonicum ribosomal protein S4 ( SjRPS4) and S. japonicum ribosomal protein L7 ( SjRPL7), respectively. Experiments of mice showed that both SjRPS4 and SjRPL7 DNA vaccines could induce significant immunoprotection. Result of these experiments further proved that the specific single-chain antibody is a very valuable tool in screening of cDNA library to get the corresponding molecules. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract  Schistosomiasis is considered the most important human helminthiasis in terms of morbidity and mortality. In this study, comparative soluble proteomic analysis of normal cercariae and ultraviolet-irradiated attenuated cercariae (UVAC) from Schistosoma japonicum were carried out in view of the high efficiency of irradiation-attenuated cercariae vaccine. The results revealed that some proteins showed significant differential expression in the parasite after treatment with ultraviolet light. Total 20 protein spots were identified by mass spectrometry, corresponded to five groups according to their functions in the main that were structural and motor proteins (actin, et al.), energy metabolism associated enzymes (glyceraldehydes-3-phosphage dehydrogenase, et al.), signaling transduction pathway-associated molecules (14-3-3 protein, et al.), heat shock protein families (HSP 70 family, et al.), and other functional proteins (20S proteasome). Furthermore, our results indicated that the differential expression of the proteins by ultraviolet irradiation may be, at least partially, acquired by regulating the mRNA levels of corresponding proteins. These results may provide new clues for further exploring the mechanism of protective immunity induced by UVAC and may shed some light on the development of vaccines against schistosomiasis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aerobic fitness is among the various aspects of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients’ lives that may deteriorate as a result of the disease and, in doing so, influence patient attitudes toward their own general health. This cross-sectional study examined (1) relationships between patients’ aerobic fitness and general health perceptions, (2) relationships between functional aerobic impairment and general health perceptions, (3) the impact of body mass index (BMI) on RA patients’ cardiopulmonary functioning. Sixty-six RA patients (ten male and 56 female adults) participated in this study. Following maximum graded exercise tolerance testing to determine their subsequent aerobic fitness, they completed a version of the World Health Organization Quality of Life brief form (WHOQOL-BREF, short form) questionnaire. The one sample t test determined differences between the RA group and the reference data. We used Spearman’s correlation analyses to assess the associations between variables of the WHOQOL-BREF questionnaire and patients’ aerobic fitness. VO2 peak was on average 92.00% ± 13.37% and 77.93% ± 20.24% of that predicted for age-matched men and women, respectively. The female patients’ BMI was significantly lower than that of the reference data ( P < 0.0001). Spearman’s correlation coefficient demonstrated a significant association between WHOQOL-BREF scores and VO2 peak in the physical ( P = 0.002; mobility, work) and psychological ( P = 0.009; self-esteem, body image, and negative feelings) domains for the female patients. It also demonstrated a significant association between the WHOQOL-BREF scores and functional aerobic impairment in the physical ( P = 0.006; energy, mobility, activity), psychological ( P = 0.008; self-esteem and body images), and environment ( P = 0.035; finance, service) domains for the female patients. Our results indicated that impaired aerobic fitness, combined with poor physical and psychological well-being, influenced midlife transition in Taiwanese RA women. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract  Researches on genes expressed in a cercarial stage-specific manner may help us understand the molecular events and functions during schistosome invasion of skin. A genomic clone encoding 8-kDa calcium-binding protein (SjCa8) specifically expressed in cercariae and skin-stage schistosomulum (transformed within 3 h) was obtained from cercariae. Recombinant protein was expressed in vector pET32a (+) and purified using a Ni-NTA purification system. The target protein SjCa8 was determined by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight (TOF)/TOF mass spectrometer after thrombin digestion and dialysis. Reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction and Western blot revealed SjCa8 can be detected in cercaria and skin-stage schistosomulum but not lung-stage schistosomulum, adult, or egg and was localized to head gland, penetration gland tubes, and penetration glands where Ca2+ was abundant, and the cercarial tegument (but not tegument of tail) and body–tail junction. Furthermore, SjCa8 was interestingly detected in cercarial secretions. The characterization of SjCa8 indicated that it may undergo structural and physiological modifications, including repair of the surface membrane, changes in permeability that account for the loss of water tolerance, activities of calcium-depending enzymes, and immune signaling, etc. Furthermore, vaccination with rSjCa8 plus adjuvant induced protective effect with 50.39% worm reduction rate and significantly high hepatic and intestine egg reduction rates (54.16%, 50.63%, respectively), which is possibly mediated through an apparent induction of Th1-type immune response for strikingly high level of IgG2a and IgG2b developed in immunized C57BL/6 mice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Over the years, patients presented with cerebrofacial vascular malformations which occurred in clusters. The syndromic presentation suggested angio-architectural abnormality, which started to develop during embryogenesis. The segmentation of the neural tube could provide a rational explanation for such a neuropatholgical phenomenon. Based on this theory, cerebrofacial arteriovenous metameric syndrome (CAMS) was derived. This describes clinical association between arteriovenous malformations of the face, retina, and brain. In this case’s presentation, the syndromic presentation of the patient provided further evidence to the theory. The authors report a case of a male neonate presenting with heart failure at birth. He was found to have a left sigmoid dural arteriovenous fistula (dAVF), an upper lip arteriovenous malformation (AVM), and a capillary hemangioma over the nose. The neuropathological clustering of vascular lesions is suggestive of CAMS. The patient was successfully treated with endovascular treatment and showed normal development during our follow-up assessment. With the evolving evidence for the embryo-developmental theory for the clustering of angio-pathological lesions, further study and development of pathophysiology should be continued in following this track of theory. The success of endovascular intervention has warranted a favorable treatment option. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract   Trypanosoma evansi, the cause of the disease Surra in livestock, is the most widely geographically distributed pathogenic trypanosome occurring in Africa, South and Central America, and Asia, where it causes significant economic loss. Although many studies have described the histopathology induced in the organs of mice infected with T. evansi, few studies have been conducted on gene expression in these organs. Here we used complementary DNA microarray to analyze the gene expression profiles in the liver and spleen of mice infected with T. evansi (STIB 806) at the peak parasitemia (7 days after infection). A total of 14,000 sequences including full length and partial complementary DNAs representing novel, known, and control genes of mouse were analyzed. Results from GeneOntology annotation showed that 158 genes in the liver and 73 genes in the spleen were up-regulated in the infected mice and that 178 genes in the liver and 117 genes in the spleen of infected mice were down-regulated compared with control (non-infected) mice. Most of these genes are metabolism, transport, protein biosynthesis, transcription factors, and nucleic acid binding protein-related genes. The changes of some important genes, such as heat shock protein 70 and proliferating cell nuclear antigen, were confirmed by quantitative reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction and immunohistochemistry. TdT-mediated dUTP-digoxigenin nick end labeling analysis results revealed that extensive apoptosis occurred in the liver of infected mice at the peak of parasitemia. Our results provide a comprehensive profile of changes in gene expression in the liver and spleen of mice infected with T. evansi and may be helpful in understanding the pathogenesis of Surra at a molecular level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A full-length cDNA encoding a cercarial stage-specifically expressed 8-kDa calcium-binding protein (SjCa8) was isolated from Schistosoma japonicum cercarial cDNA library using microarray screen. The putative gene coding for SjCa8 is of 371 bp with an open reading frame of 69 amino acid (aa). The deduced aa sequence showed 83% identity with the Schistosoma mansoni 8-kDa CaBP, 47% identity with Clonorchis sinensis calcium-binding protein, and 38% identity with Fasciola hepatica putative calcium-binding protein. Also, it shares more than 30% identity with the calmodulin of many different species, while the most significant similarity between them lies around the two calcium-binding loop regions. There are two potential sites for phosphorylation and one potential site for N-myristoylation in the sequence. The SjCa8 has also been predicted to contain a single pair of EF-hand Ca2+-binding domain. The recombinant SjCa8 (rSjCa8) protein expressed and purified from E. coli has been demonstrated to possess the calcium-binding activity. Immune serum from UV-attenuated S. japonicum cercariae-immunized rabbit detected rSjCa8 by Western blot assay, while the sera from S. japonicum naturally infected rabbit and normal rabbit could not. These findings may contribute to the development of an effective vaccine against schistosomiasis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effects of H2 flow rate during plasma pretreatment on synthesizing the multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) by using the microwave plasma chemical vapor deposition are investigated in this study. A H2 and CH4 gas mixture with a 9:1 ratio was used as a precursor for the synthesis of MWCNT on Ni-coated TaN/Si(100) substrates. The structure and composition of Ni catalyst nanoparticles were investigated using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The present findings showed that denser Ni catalyst nanoparticles and more vertically aligned MWCNTs could be effectively achieved at higher flow rates. From Raman results, we found that the intensity ratio of G and D bands ( I D/ I G) decreases with an increasing flow rate. In addition, TEM results suggest that H2 plasma pretreatment can effectively reduce the amorphous carbon and carbonaceous particles. As a result, the pretreatment plays a crucial role in modifying the obtained MWCNTs structures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract  Understanding the green moisture content and wood density is important for effective forest management. Radial distribution patterns in the green moisture content (MC) and basic density (BD) in stems of red cypress (Chamaecyparis formosensis) were investigated in 69 plantation trees that were 46 years old. An increment core was collected from each sample tree at breast height (1.3 m). Five radial positions were defined: pith piece (Pith), inner heartwood (IHW), outer heartwood (OHW), intermediate wood (TSH), and sapwood (SW). Results showed that the average MC was highly dependent on the individual tree. Average values of the MC obtained from the TSH were significantly lower than those for the other positions. The MC of heartwood was higher than that of SW. Distribution patterns of the MC in the radial direction varied among trees. Radial variations in MC and BD were greater than in between-tree variations. Six types of radial distribution patterns of MC were detected for sample trees. MC values increased with decreasing BD (except for the TSH). Positive correlations were found between adjacent sampling positions in both MC and BD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract??The relationships between bending properties, compressive strength, tracheid length, microfibril angle, and ring characteristics of 20-year-old Taiwania (Taiwania cryptomerioidesHay.) trees were examined. The trees came from different thinning and pruning treatments, but the practices showed no significant effect on the investigated properties. The results showed that based on comparison with the literature, plantation-grown immature Taiwania have noticeably lower average strength properties than mature trees of the same species. Wood density and bending and compressive strengths were not related to either tracheid length or microfibril angle in young Taiwania. There were positive relationships between bending strength and compressive strength. The wood density, ring width, earlywood width, earlywood density, and latewood percentage were the most important predictors of strength by simple linear regressions. The wood density and ring width/earlywood width may be considered as indicators for assessing the bending strength, while wood density and latewood percentage were the best predictors of compressive strength by multiple linear regressions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Examines the neuropathology of genetically engineered mice. Neuropathology and nomenclature; Tumor biology; Treatment and intervention.

A conference paper about a study of 720-kilobase (kb) yeast artificial chromosome (YAC) contig in human chromosome 5q31.3-32 is presented. It is noted that the 5q-syndrome is one of the most frequent abnormalities in myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) and acute myeloid leukemia (AML). The YAC clones and P1 clones involved in the study are said to span over 720 kb of genomic DNA. The study conducted fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) analysis on metaphase and interphase nuclei in order to map the fibroblast growth factor 1 (FGF1) locus to 5q31.3-32.

The discovery that mammalian cells can survive late-stage apoptosis challenges the general assumption that active caspases are markers of impending death. However, tools have not been available to track healthy cells that have experienced caspase activity at any time in the past. Therefore, to determine if cells in whole animals can undergo reversal of apoptosis, known as anastasis, we developed a dual color CaspaseTracker system for Drosophila to identify cells with ongoing or past caspase activity. Transient exposure of healthy females to environmental stresses such as cold shock or starvation activated the CaspaseTracker coincident with caspase activity and apoptotic morphologies in multiple cell types of developing egg chambers. Importantly, when stressed flies were returned to normal conditions, morphologically healthy egg chambers and new progeny flies were labeled by the biosensor, suggesting functional recovery from apoptotic caspase activation. In striking contrast to developing egg chambers, which lack basal caspase biosensor activation under normal conditions, many adult tissues of normal healthy flies exhibit robust caspase biosensor activity in a portion of cells, including neurons. The widespread persistence of CaspaseTracker-positivity implies that healthy cells utilize active caspases for non-apoptotic physiological functions during and after normal development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]