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Objective: To explore the demographic and disease-related factors associated with acupuncture response in patients with chronic tension-type headache (CTTH). Methods: Using data from a randomized clinical trial (218 cases) consisting of 4 weeks of baseline assessment, 8 weeks of treatment, and 24 weeks of follow-up, participants were regrouped into responders (at least a 50% reduction in monthly headache days at week 16 compared with baseline) and non-responders. Twenty-three demographic and disease-related factors associated with acupuncture response in 183 participants were analyzed by multivariable logistic regression. Results: One hundred and nineteen (65.0%) participants were classified as responders. Four factors were significantly independently associated with acupuncture response, including treatment assignment, headache intensity at baseline, and 2 domains [general health (GH) and social functioning (SF)] from the 36-Item Short Form Health Survey quality of life questionnaire. Treatment assignment was associated with non-response: participants receiving true acupuncture were 3-time more likely to achieve a CTTH response than those receiving superficial acupuncture [odds ratio (OR) 0.322, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.162 to 0.625, P=0.001]. Compared with patients with mild-intensity headache, patients with moderate-intensity headache were twice as likely to respond to acupuncture (OR 2.001, 95% CI 1.020 to 4.011, P=0.046). The likelihood of non-response increased by 4.5% with each unit increase in the GH grade (OR 0.955, 95% CI 0.917 to 0.993, P=0.024) while decreased by 3.8% with each unit increase in the SF grade (OR 1.038, 95% CI 1.009 to 1.069, P=0.011). Conclusions: Greater headache intensity, lower GH score, and higher SF score were associated with better acupuncture responses in CTTH patients. These 3 factors require independent validation as predictors of acupuncture effectiveness in CTTH. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Intestinal macrophages play crucial roles in both intestinal inflammation and immune homeostasis. They can adopt two distinct phenotypes, primarily determined by environmental cues. These phenotypes encompass the classically activated pro-inflammatory M1 phenotype, as well as the alternatively activated anti-inflammatory M2 phenotype. In regular conditions, intestinal macrophages serve to shield the gut from inflammatory harm. However, when a combination of genetic and environmental elements influences the polarization of these macrophages, it can result in an M1/M2 macrophage activation imbalance, subsequently leading to a loss of control over intestinal inflammation. This shift transforms normal inflammatory responses into pathological damage within the intestines. In patients with ulcerative colitis-associated colorectal cancer (UC-CRC), disorders related to intestinal inflammation are closely correlated with an imbalance in the polarization of intestinal M1/M2 macrophages. Therefore, reinstating the equilibrium in M1/M2 macrophage polarization could potentially serve as an effective approach to the prevention and treatment of UC-CRC. This paper aims to scrutinize the clinical evidence regarding Chinese medicine (CM) in the treatment of UC-CRC, the pivotal role of macrophage polarization in UC-CRC pathogenesis, and the potential mechanisms through which CM regulates macrophage polarization to address UC-CRC. Our objective is to offer fresh perspectives for clinical application, fundamental research, and pharmaceutical advancement in UC-CRC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The mammalian central nervous system consists of a large number of cells, which contain not only different types of neurons, but also a large number of glial cells, such as astrocytes, oligodendrocytes, and microglia. These cells are capable of performing highly refined electrophysiological activities and providing the brain with functions such as nutritional support, information transmission and pathogen defense. The diversity of cell types and individual differences between cells have brought inspiration to the study of the mechanism of central nervous system diseases. In order to explore the role of different cells, a new technology, single-cell sequencing technology has emerged to perform specific analysis of high-throughput cell populations, and has been continuously developed. Single-cell sequencing technology can accurately analyze single-cell expression in mixed-cell populations and collect cells from different spatial locations, time stages and types. By using single-cell sequencing technology to compare gene expression profiles of normal and diseased cells, it is possible to discover cell subsets associated with specific diseases and their associated genes. Therefore, scientists can understand the development process, related functions and disease state of the nervous system from an unprecedented depth. In conclusion, single-cell sequencing technology provides a powerful technology for the discovery of novel therapeutic targets for central nervous system diseases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Food quality and safety oversight now urgently require the identification of similar food samples. Using infant rice cereals as an example, this study collected the Raman spectra of samples from various brands and used a statistical control chart method to reveal that samples from the same brand have controllable quality fluctuations. Additionally, samples from different brands also fall within the control limit, indicating a high degree of similarity between the samples. Under conditions of raw data, the extreme learning machine algorithm and Raman spectroscopy for sample identification demonstrated a recognition rate of 77.6%, suggesting that the machine learning algorithm has some identification effect. After optimizing the conditions, it was found that the recognition accuracy was significantly improved, reaching 99.9%, based on coif3 wavelet denoising and 0~0.1 normalization processing. During the experiment, it took 100 seconds to collect the Raman spectrum signal of a single sample and running the intelligent algorithm only took less than one second to obtain the calculation results. The optimization and identification methods proposed in this work have the advantages of efficiency and accuracy, which can provide a reference for the identification of similar samples. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Photoreceptor cell death, primarily through apoptosis, related to retinal disorders like retinitis pigmentosa (RP), would result in vision loss. The pathological processes and crucial mutant conditions preceding photoreceptor cell demise are not well understood. This study aims to conduct an in-depth examination of early-stage changes in the widely utilized Pde6brd1/rd1 (rd1) mouse model, which has Pde6b gene mutations representing autosomal recessive RP disorder. We investigated the morphology and ultrastructure of retinal cells, including second-order neurons, during the initial phase of disease progression. Our findings revealed that mitochondrial alterations in rod photoreceptors were present as a predeath mutant state as early as postnatal day 3 (P3). The bipolar and horizontal cells from the rd1 mouse retina exhibited significant morphological changes in response to loss of photoreceptor cells, indicating that second-order neurons rely on these cells for their structures. Subsequent oral administration of idebenone, a mitochondria-protective agent, enhanced retinal function and promoted both photoreceptor cell survival and inner retinal second-order synaptogenesis in rd1 mice at P14. Our findings offer a mechanistic framework, suggesting that mitochondrial damage acts as an early driver for photoreceptor cell death in retinal degeneration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, symmetrical α,α′,δ,δ′-tetramethyl-cucurbit[6]uril (TMeQ[6]) has attracted much attention from many researchers due to its interesting assembly pattern. Herein, we have investigated the host–guest interactions pattern of the symmetric TMeQ[6] with (E)-1-(5-carboxypentyl)-4-(2-(pyridin-4-yl)vinyl)pyridin-1-ium. (ECPP). Furthermore, their binding behaviors were investigated by 1H NMR spectroscopy, MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry, isothermal titration calorimeter, fluorescence, and UV–vis spectrum. The results indicate that TMeQ[6] and ECPP form host–guest complexes in a host/guest molar ratio of 1:1. TMeQ[6] is bound with the vinylpyridine group of ECPP. In addition, TMeQ[6]-ECPP exhibits a high association constant Ka = (1.520 ± 0.58) × 106 M−1, ΔH = − 53.40 kJ/mol, ΔS = − 60 J/mol·K. which provides a promising foundation for potential studies of the assemblies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Circular RNAs have been extensively studied in eukaryotes, but their presence and/or biological functionality in bacteria are unclear. Here, we show that a regulatory noncoding RNA (DucS) exists in both linear and circular conformation in Bacillus altitudinis. The linear forms promote B. altitudinis tolerance to H2O2 stress, partly through increased translation of a stress-responsive gene, htrA. The 3′ end sequences of the linear forms are crucial for RNA circularization, and formation of circular forms can decrease the levels of the regulatory linear cognates. Bioinformatic analysis of available RNA-seq datasets from 30 bacterial species revealed multiple circular RNA candidates, distinct from DucS, for all the examined species. Experiments testing for the presence of selected circular RNA candidates in four species successfully validated 7 out of 9 candidates from B. altitudinis and 4 out of 5 candidates from Bacillus paralicheniformis; However, none of the candidates tested for Bacillus subtilis and Escherichia coli were detected. Our work identifies a dual-conformation regulatory RNA in B. altitutidinis, and indicates that circular RNAs exist in diverse bacteria. However, circularization of specific RNAs does not seem to be conserved across species, and the circularization mechanisms and biological functionality of the circular forms remain unclear. The presence and/or biological functionality of circular RNAs in bacteria are unclear. Here, the authors identify a dual-conformation (linear and circular) noncoding RNA that promotes tolerance to oxidative stress in Bacillus altitutidinis, and provide evidence for the existence of other circular RNAs in diverse bacterial species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examined the effects of attentional resources (ARs) and emotional reactivity (ER) on emotional memory enhancement (EME) in adolescents and adults. Experiment 1 examined the effects of AR judgment tasks on EME in adolescents and adults by using the allocation–attention and learning–recognition paradigms. Experiment 2 examined the effects of ER on EME in individuals at different ages by using the learning–recognition paradigm. Age and AR interactions affected EME. EME was higher in the adult group than it was in the adolescent group, and it was higher in the sufficient than it was in the insufficient AR task. Negative emotion was significantly higher than positive and neutral emotions were, and positive emotion was significantly higher than neutral emotion was. ER and age had interaction effects on EME. Both the adolescent and adult groups with high ER showed significantly higher negative emotion than they did positive and neutral emotions. EME was moderated by ARs in the encoding process and ER. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is critical to understand factors associated with nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) metastasis. To track the evolutionary route of metastasis, here we perform an integrative genomic analysis of 163 matched blood and primary, regional lymph node metastasis and distant metastasis tumour samples, combined with single-cell RNA-seq on 11 samples from two patients. The mutation burden, gene mutation frequency, mutation signature, and copy number frequency are similar between metastatic tumours and primary and regional lymph node tumours. There are two distinct evolutionary routes of metastasis, including metastases evolved from regional lymph nodes (lymphatic route, 61.5%, 8/13) and from primary tumours (hematogenous route, 38.5%, 5/13). The hematogenous route is characterised by higher IFN-γ response gene expression and a higher fraction of exhausted CD8+ T cells. Based on a radiomics model, we find that the hematogenous group has significantly better progression-free survival and PD-1 immunotherapy response, while the lymphatic group has a better response to locoregional radiotherapy. It is critical to understand the factors that are associated with nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) progression, metastasis and response to therapy. Here, the authors analyse primary and metastatic NPC samples using bulk and single-cell sequencing, and find two distinct evolutionary routes that lead to metastasis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and aims: Natural killer (NK) cells are critical innate effectors that respond to viral infections and contribute to immunopathology. Here, we aimed to investigate the role of NK cells in hepatitis B virus-related acute-on-chronic liver failure (HBV-ACLF) and elucidate the underlying mechanism by examining their phenotypic and functional profiles. Methods: We included patients with HBV-ACLF (n = 37) and chronic hepatitis B (n = 19), and healthy controls (n = 13) in our study. We examined the phenotype and function of different subsets of peripheral NK cells using flow cytometry and RNA-sequencing analysis, and screened liver NK cells using immunohistochemistry. We detected inflammatory cytokines using a Luminex assay. In addition, we analyzed the relationships between these parameters and disease severity. Results: Peripheral NK cells were decreased and characterized by high expression of caspase-3, Ki67, CXCR3, NKG2D, NKp46, CD107a, and GM-CSF, and typified by higher cell migration and immune response by RNA-sequencing analysis in patients with HBV-ACLF than in those with chronic hepatitis B. Accumulations of CXCL-10 and NK cells were found in the liver, and excessive production of CXCL-10 in the peripheral blood contributed to the apoptosis of NK cells in vitro. The decrease in NK cells was associated with the level of HBV DNA and disease severity and had good prognostic performance in predicting the outcome of patients with HBV-ACLF through AUROC analysis. Conclusion: NK cells were significantly decreased and showed dysfunction of phenotypic and functional profiles across distinct subsets in the peripheral blood of patients with ACLF. Crosstalk between CXCL-10 and NK cells may mediate the unbalanced distribution of NK cells. Understanding the dysfunction and decrease in NK cells may provide new insights into ACLF pathogenesis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Deficiency of decidual NK (dNK) cell number and function has been widely regarded as an important cause of spontaneous abortion. However, the metabolic mechanism underlying the crosstalk between dNK cells and embryonic trophoblasts during early pregnancy remains largely unknown. Here, we observed that enriched glutamine and activated glutaminolysis in dNK cells contribute to trophoblast invasion and embryo growth by insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) and growth differentiation factor-15 (GDF-15) secretion. Mechanistically, these processes are dependent on the downregulation of EGLN1-HIF-1α mediated by α-ketoglutarate (α-KG). Blocking glutaminolysis with the GLS inhibitor BPTES or the glutamate dehydrogenase inhibitor EGCG leads to early embryo implantation failure, spontaneous abortion and/or fetal growth restriction in pregnant mice with impaired trophoblast invasion. Additionally, α-KG supplementation significantly alleviated pregnancy loss mediated by defective glutaminolysis in vivo, suggesting that inactivated glutamine/α-ketoglutarate metabolism in dNK cells impaired trophoblast invasion and induced pregnancy loss. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Raman spectroscopy can characterize the rich molecular vibration information of soybean milk powder samples, but difficulties arise in its direct use for sample classification and identification. Therefore, it is urgent to develop an intelligent identification technology based on Raman spectroscopy. For brand identification of soybean milk powder, this work investigates and discusses a variety of spectral processing technologies including wavelet denoising, normalization, principal component analysis, and the results show that appropriate spectral processing can improve the recognition accuracy of the random forest algorithm. Under the optimal conditions (db2 wavelet, normalization, principal component analysis, 30 decision trees), the best recognition effect of soybean milk brand identification can be achieved. The Raman spectral signal acquisition time of each sample is 40 s, and the spectra pretreatment and identification operation time only takes a few minutes. The analytical approach established in this paper has the advantages of convenient and fast Raman spectra acquisition, fast and accurate model identification. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dysphagia, a serious health issue, is common in healthcare residents and the elderly. Food thickening agents, including starch- and gum-based thickeners, have been widely used in the treatment and nursing of patients with dysphagia and can effectively reduce the risk of aspiration. In order to provide a reference for medical staff in clinical use, the dietary grades of eating disorders in multiple countries, the rheological parameters, types, characteristics and the latest research of common food thickeners were summarized in this review. Furthermore, the sensory attributes, rheological properties, dysphagic patients' preference and risks of accidental aspiration were also compared between starch- and gum-thickened foods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Predicting the chances mortality within 1 year in non-ischemic dilated cardiomyopathy patients can be very useful in clinical decision-making. This study has developed and validated a risk-prediction model for identifying factors contributing to mortality within 1 year in such patients. The predictive nomogram was constructed using a retrospective cohort study, with 615 of patients hospitalized in the First Affiliated Hospital of Guangxi Medical University between October 2012 and May 2020. A variety of factors, including presence of comorbidities, demographics, results of laboratory tests, echocardiography data, medication strategies, and instances of heart transplant or death were collected from electronic medical records and follow-up telephonic consultations. The least absolute shrinkage and selection operator and logistic regression analyses were used to identify the critical clinical factors for constructing the nomogram. Calibration, discrimination, and clinical usefulness of the predictive model were assessed using the calibration plot, C-index and decision curve analysis. Internal validation was assessed with bootstrapping validation. Among the patients from whom follow-up data were obtained, the incidence of an end event (deaths or heart transplantation within 1 year) was 171 cases per 1000 person-years (105 out of 615). The main predictors included in the nomogram were pulse pressure, red blood cell count, left ventricular end-diastolic dimension, levels of N-terminal pro b-type natriuretic peptide, medical history, in-hospital worsening heart failure, and use of angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors or angiotensin II receptor blockers. The model showed excellent discrimination with a C-index of 0.839 (95% CI 0.799–0.879), and the calibration curve demonstrated good agreement. The C-index of internal validation was 0.826, which demonstrated that the model was quite efficacious. A decision curve analysis confirmed that our nomogram was clinically useful. In this study, we have developed a nomogram that can predict the risk of death within 1 year in patients with non-ischemic dilated cardiomyopathy. This will be useful in the early identification of patients in the terminal stages for better individualized clinical decisions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To explore the prescription patterns of different dosage forms of Chinese herbal medicines (CHMs) for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and their effects on immune-inflammatory indices. Methods: Clinical data were collected from patients with RA in 4 hospitals (3 Class A comprehensive hospitals and 1 Class B comprehensive hospital) in Anhui Province, China, from August 2012 to June 2018 via the electronic medical record gathering system. Following extraction of prescription information, each prescribed herb was quantified and standardized according to the knowledge base to establish a database of RA treatment formulae. The medical records were divided into the granules group and decoction pieces group. Core herbs and their combination patterns were obtained from the two groups of cases using Liquorice software. Changes in immune-inflammatory and hepatic and renal function indices were compared between the two groups using SPSS 23.0 software. The Aprior module of SPSS Clementine 11.1 software was applied to analyse the correlation between CHMs and improvement in indices. Finally, the ORACLE 10 g tool was used to evaluate the random walk model of the immune-inflammatory indices between the two groups. Results: (1) We retrospectively analysed 35,898 prescriptions for 6,829 patients with RA who received CHM treatment. There were 3,816 patients in the granules group and 3,013 in the decoction pieces group. (2) The core herbs were Pi (Spleen)-strengthening and dampness-resolving drugs, blood-activating and stasis-resolving drugs, wind/dampness-dispelling drugs and heat-clearing and detoxifying drugs. (3) Both dosage forms could improve immune-inflammatory indices in RA patients, with similar efficacy and no influence on hepatic or renal function. (4) Herba Siegesbeckiae and Oldenlandia had a stronger association with immune-inflammatory indices in the two groups. (5) The immune-inflammatory indices showed obvious improvement after treatment with granules and decoction pieces of CHMs, and there were long range correlations between the comprehensive evaluation indices and interventions. Conclusions: The principal CHM treatment methods for RA in four hospitals in Anhui Province are strengthening Pi and resolving dampness, activating blood and resolving stasis, dispelling wind/dampness and clearing heat. Granules and decoction pieces of CHMs have similar efficacy in improving immune-inflammatory indices in RA patients and could be used as treatment options for RA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to improve the dielectric properties and the thermal conductivity of the PVDF-based composites, the BaTiO3@super-short MWCNT (BT@SSCNT) particles were modulated by a SSCNT shell fabricated by MWCNT with the different types (S-MWCNT-1020, S-MWCNT-2040). The average size of these particles is about 300 nm. With the increase in the external diameter of MWCNT, the SSCNT content of the BT@SSCNT particles decreases. However, the sum proportions of which the diameter of the particles is not less than 295 nm have a distinct growth leading to that the distance between the neighboring particles shortens. The dielectric constants of the composites are more than 355 and 1500 (103 Hz) at 10 wt% and 60 wt% filler loading, respectively. Compared with the BT@SSCNT/PVDF-1020 composites, the dielectric constants of the BT@SSCNT/PVDF-2040 composites have a more stable frequency dependency in the range of 102 to 106 Hz. The value of the composite with 10 wt% BT@SSCNT loading maintains more than 250 at 106 Hz. The introduction of the shell of SSCNT with larger external diameter can offer the composites a more desirable combined action of dielectric mechanisms, including interfacial polarization and micro-capacitor effect. In addition, the varying SSCNT shells also have evident influence on dielectric loss, breakdown strength, and thermal conductivity. It is worth mentioning that the values of the BT@SSCNT/PVDF-2040 composites are 334 and 0.16 (104 Hz), 229 kV mm−1, and 1.13 W (m K)−1 at 10 wt% filler loading, respectively. This work could extend the strategies for building the core–shell particles to develop dielectric nanocomposites. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To investigate the synergistic effect of Naoxintong Capsule (NXTC, 脑心通胶囊) and Guhong Injection (GHI, 谷红注射液) on cerebral ischemia-reperfusion (I/R) injury. Methods: Forty-eight Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into 6 groups: control group, oxygen and glucose deprivation (OGD) group, nimodipine group (9.375 mg/kg), NXTC group (0.5 g/kg), GHI group (5 mL/kg) and NXTC+GHI group (0.5 g/kg NXTC+5 mL/kg GHI), after the onset of reperfusion and once per day for the following 7 days. Blood was collected 1 h after final administration, and the sera were collected. Cultured primary rat brain microvascular endothelial cells (rBMECs) were subjected to OGD to establish a cell injury model. Untreated rBMECs were used as blank control. The cell counting kit-8 assay was used to assess cell viability using the sera. Malondialdehyde (MDA) and superoxide dismutase (SOD) levels were assessed using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Apoptosis was evaluated after Hoechst33342 staining using fluorescence microscopy and flow cytometry. JC-1 staining was performed to assess changes in mitochondrial membrane potential. Results: Statistical analysis indicated that more than 95% of the cells were rBMECs. Compared with the OGD group, the cellular morphology of the all drug delivery groups improved. In particular, the combined drug group had the most significant effect. Compared with the OGD group, all drug intervention groups induced a decrease in the apoptotic rate of rBMECs, increased the SOD levels, and decreased the MDA levels (all P<0.01). Compared with the mono-therapy groups, the NXTC+GHI group exhibited a significant improvement in the number of apoptotic rBMECs (P<0.01). All drug intervention groups showed different degrees of increase in membrane potential, and the NXTC+GHI group was higher than the NXTC or GHI group (P<0.01). Conclusion: The combinationa application of NXTC and GHI on cerebral I/R injury clearly resulted in protective benefits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To obtain the subtypes of the clinical hypertension population based on symptoms and to explore the relationship between hypertension and comorbidities. Methods: The data set was collected from the Chinese medicine (CM) electronic medical records of 33,458 hypertension inpatients in the Affiliated Hospital of Shandong University of Traditional Chinese Medicine between July 2014 and May 2017. Then, a hypertension disease comorbidity network (HDCN) was built to investigate the complicated associations between hypertension and their comorbidities. Moreover, a hypertension patient similarity network (HPSN) was constructed with patients' shared symptoms, and 7 main hypertension patient subgroups were identified from HPSN with a community detection method to exhibit the characteristics of clinical phenotypes and molecular mechanisms. In addition, the significant symptoms, diseases, CM syndromes and pathways of each main patient subgroup were obtained by enrichment analysis. Results: The significant symptoms and diseases of these patient subgroups were associated with different damaged target organs of hypertension. Additionally, the specific phenotypic features (symptoms, diseases, and CM syndromes) were consistent with specific molecular features (pathways) in the same patient subgroup. Conclusion: The utility and comprehensiveness of disease classification based on community detection of patient networks using shared CM symptom phenotypes showed the importance of hypertension patient subgroups. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Non-stoichiometric transition metal chalcogenides often have unexpectedly good semiconducting properties. In this paper, we focus on the seeking of potential semiconducting material in the ReSe system. The global and unbiased crystal structure searches were systematically conducted on ReSe material, using the advanced crystal structure prediction algorithms combined with the density functional theory. Three novel structures of ReSe were discovered within different pressures regions. The phase diagram of ReSe material was then constructed at pressure up to 200 GPa and temperature up to 2500 K, based on the quasi-harmonic approximation. We found ReSe possesses the trigonal P 3 ¯ m 1 symmetric structure at ambient pressure. Under further compression, it transits to the orthorhombic Pmmn structure at 87 GPa and then to the cubic P m 3 ¯ m structure at 129 GPa. The three new structures are all mechanically and thermodynamically stable within corresponding pressures regions. The low-pressure P 3 ¯ m 1 -ReSe manifests good semiconducting properties with the band gap of 0.162 eV, while the two high-pressure allotropes have metallic characteristics. The mechanical properties analyses suggest that special attention should be paid on the brittleness of the P 3 ¯ m 1 -ReSe structure, when it is used at high-stress conditions. This study sheds considerable light on the new structures and properties of the non-stoichiometric transition metal chalcogenides ReSe for future synthesis and further investigation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To investigate the influence of age on the function and morphology of patients with myopic choroidal neovascularization (mCNV) and to evaluate the effect and prognostic factors of recurrence of Conbercept treatment on mCNV patients over 50 years. A total of 64 patients (64 eyes) with mCNV were enrolled in this retrospective study. The differences in baseline best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) and morphological features on imaging between the younger group (˂ 50 years) and the older group (≥ 50 years) were analyzed. Of all, 21 eyes of 21 mCNV patients aged over 50 years who received Conbercept injection were further analyzed. Between the younger and the older group, significant differences were shown in mean BCVA (0.58 ± 0.28 vs 0.77 ± 0.31), subfoveal choroidal thickness (SFCT) (108.17 ± 78.32 μm vs 54.68 ± 39.03 μm) and frequency of vitreoretinal interface abnormalities (VIA) (2 vs 13), respectively (P < 0.05). After treated with Conbercept, the mean BCVA of 21 older mCNV patients increased from 0.83 ± 0.30 at baseline to 0.49 ± 0.24 at one year. Baseline BCVA, external limiting membrane damage, CNV area and CNV location correlated with the visual acuity at the 1-year follow-up. There were 7 (33.3%) recurrent cases during the follow-up and the risk of recurrence in patients with baseline central macular thickness (CMT) ≥ 262.86 μm was 14 times greater than that of patients with CMT < 262.86 μm. The risk of recurrence increased 1.84 times for every 100-μm increment in the CMT. Patients over 50 years with mCNV had a worse BCVA, thinner choroid, and higher risk of VIA than young mCNV patients. The standard Conbercept treatment strategy was safe and effective in mCNV patients over 50 years. As patients over 50 years with a greater CMT have a high risk of recurrence, more attention should be paid on these patients by following them up closely. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two undescribed milbemycin derivatives, milbemycin P (1) and milbemycin Q (2), were isolated from a culture of the genetically engineered strain Streptomyces bingchenggensis BCJ60. Their structures were elucidated through the interpretation of NMR and HR-ESI-MS spectroscopic data, as well as comparison with previous reports. Their acaricidal and nematocidal activities against Tetranychus cinnabarinus and Bursaphelenchus xylophilus were tested. The results showed that compounds 1–2 possessed potent acaricidal and nematocidal activities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Loesses are widely distributed all over the world, especially in China. Meanwhile, long-term agricultural irrigation and extreme climate changes have led to frequent geological disasters in the Heifangtai area of Lanzhou, Gansu, China. Of these, landslides are one of the most frequent types of disasters that are harmful to humans and the environment. A landslide is closely related to the lithology, structure, and groundwater of the site and consists of a combination of structure units divided by discontinuities, such as faults, joints, and fissures. Therefore, geological surveys, engineering drilling, and trenching are typically used to identify the stratum lithology, structure, and groundwater in order to visually display underground information within a limited depth range. However, these methods have disadvantages. In particular, geological surveys can only describe geological phenomena on the surface, while the cost of drilling and trenching may be high, along with the inefficiency of exploration. In this research, the integrated geophysical exploration method was used to analyze the hidden joints, cracks, and other discontinuities and geophysical features of the discontinuities. The results were verified by trench exploration, and large amounts of underground information were obtained, especially the spread and distribution of discontinuities in landslide areas. Such information can be effectively used for carrying out and providing meaningful experiences and lessons in future comprehensive geophysical processing and interpretations related to the prediction and evaluation of landslides. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Oysters have been thought to significantly improve the male sexual function for thousands of years. To explore the effects of an enzymatic hydrolysate of oyster preparation on erectile dysfunction (ED), hemicastrated male rats were divided into control, positive control and oyster hydrolysate high dose group (0.617 g/kg body weight per day), medium dose group (0.308 g/kg) and low dose group (0.103 g/kg), respectively. After castration, the growth, development and the organ indexes of accessory sex glands and immune organs of the rats were significantly decreased than those of normal rats. Oyster hydrolysate significantly shortens the latency of penile erection induced by electrical stimulation in a dose-dependent manner, indicating that oyster hydrolysate also has significant effects on alleviating ED. Further analysis revealed that the serum levels of testosterone and luteinizing hormone and NO were significantly higher than those in the castrated model group, and were similar to those in the normal control group, indicating that oyster hydrolysate promotes the synthesis of testosterone by stimulating the synthesis of luteinizing hormone, which then increased the serum NO content through the NO-cGMP signaling pathway. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Transplantation of neural stem cells (NSCs) may be a potential strategy for traumatic brain injury treatment (TBI) due to their intrinsic advantages, such as cell replacement, secretion of neurotrophins and formation of functional synapses with host. However the underlying effects of transplanted NSCs on host micro-environment still need to be further elucidated. In this manuscript the effects of NSCs on release of neurotransmitter, survival of hippocampal neurons, reactivity of astrocytes and recovery of cognitive function after TBI were observed. The NSCs were isolated from cortex of neonatal Sprague–Dawley rat and then transplanted into injured brain regions caused by free-weight drop. The proliferation of astrocytes around injured sites were examined by GFAP immunofluorescent staining on 3, 7, 14 days after injury. The survival of neurons at CA1 regions of hippocampus toward contused regions was observed by HE staining on 3 and 14 days post-injury. The content of glutamic acid (Glu) and GABA in hippocampal tissues was examined on 1, 3, 7, 14, 28 days after injury by ELISA. On third day post-injury, hippocampal-dependent spatial memory was measured for 5 days without intermittent. NSCs in culture have the ability to proliferate and differentiate into different phenotypes of neural cells. After transplantation of NSCs, the proliferation of astrocytes around injured site was significantly inhibited compared to the injured group. At the same time the survival of neurons in hippocampal CA1 region were much more than those in injured group on 14 days post-injury. Meanwhile, the cognitive functions in NSC transplanted group was remarkably improved compared with injured group (p < 0.05). Furthermore, NSCs transplantation dramatically inhibited the release of Glu and maintained the content of GABA in injured hippocampal tissues on 1, 3, 7, 14, 28 days post-injury, which was of difference in statistics (p < 0.05). NSCs transplantation can effectively alleviate the formation of glial scar, enhance the survival of hippocampal neurons and improve cognitive function defects in rats with TBI. The underlying mechanism may be related to their effects on inhibiting the release of Glu and maintaining the content of GABA, so as to down-regulate excitotoxicity of neurotransmitter and improve the micro-environment in injured sites. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of Tongxiening Granules (痛泻宁颗粒, TXNG) in the treatment of irritable bowel syndrome with predominant diarrhea (IBS-D). Methods: A randomized, double-blind, double-dummy, and positive parallel controlled clinical trial was conducted from October 2014 to March 2016. Totally 342 patients from 13 clinical centers were enrolled and randomly assigned (at the ratio of 1:1) to a treatment group (171 cases) and a control group (171 cases) by a random coding table. The patients in the treatment group were administered orally with TXNG (5 g per time) combined with pinaverium bromide Tablet simulator (50 mg per time), 3 times per day. The patients in the control group were given TXNG simulator (5 g per time) combined with pinaverium bromide Tablets (50 mg per time), 3 times per day. The treatment course lasted for 6 weeks. The improvement of Irritable Bowel Syndrome Symptom Severity Score (IBS-SSS) was used to evaluate the primary outcome. Secondary outcomes included adequate relief (AR) rate, Irritable Bowel Syndrome-Quality of Life Questionnaire (IBS-QOL), Hamilton Anxiety Scale (HAMA), Hamilton Depression Scale (HAMD), and the recurrence rate at follow-ups. Safety indices including the adverse events (AEs) and related laboratory tests were evaluated. Results: Primary outcome: IBS-SSS at baseline, weeks 2, 4, 6 showed no statistical significance in both full analysis set (FAS) and per protocol set (PPS, P>0.05). After 6 weeks of treatment, the total effective rate of IBS-SSS scores in the treatment group (147/171,86.0%) was higher than the control group (143/171, 83.6%) by FAS (P>0.05). In regard to secondary outcomes, after 6-week treatment, there was no significant difference in AR rate, total score of IBS-QOL, improvement of HAMD and HAMA total scores between the two groups (P>0.05). The recurrence rate at 8-week follow-up was 12.35% (10/18) in treatment group and 15.79% (12/76) in control group, respectively (P>0.05). A total of 21 AEs occurred in 15 cases, of which 11 occurred in 8 cases in the treatment group and 10 AEs in 7 cases in the control group. The incidence of AEs had no statistical significance between the two goups (P>0.05). Conclusion: Tongxiening Granules could relieve the symptoms of patients with IBS-D and the treatment effect was comparable to pinaverium bromide. (No. ChiCTR-IPR-15006415) [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An important production planning problem is how to best schedule jobs (or lots) when each job consists of a large number of identical parts. This problem is often approached by breaking each job/lot into sublots (termed lot streaming). When the total number of transfer sublots in lot streaming is large, the computational effort to calculate job completion time can be significant. However, researchers have largely neglected this computation time issue. To provide a practical method for production scheduling for this situation, we propose a method to address the n-job, m-machine, and lot streaming flow-shop scheduling problem. We consider the variable sublot sizes, setup time, and the possibility that transfer sublot sizes may be bounded because of capacity constrained transportation activities. The proposed method has three stages: initial lot splitting, job sequencing optimization with efficient calculation of the makespan/total flow time criterion, and transfer adjustment. Computational experiments are conducted to confirm the effectiveness of the three-stage method. The experiments reveal that relative to results reported on lot streaming problems for five standard datasets, the proposed method saves substantial computation time and provides better solutions, especially for large-size problems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Key message: OsIAAGLU could catalyze the reaction of IAA with glucose to generate IAA-glucose. Overexpression of OsIAAGLU in rice resulted in altered rice shoot architecture and root gravitropism. The distribution and levels of indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) within plant tissues are well known to play vital roles in plant growth and development. An important mechanism of regulating free IAA levels in monocots is formation of IAA ester conjugates. In this study, a cytosol-localized protein encoded by the rice gene of indole-3-acetic acid glucosyltransferase (OsIAAGLU) was found to catalyze the reaction of free IAA with glucose to generate IAA-glucose. Expression of OsIAAGLU could be induced by IAA and NAA. The number of tillers and leaf angle was significantly increased with a concomitant decrease in plant height and panicle length in the transgenic rice lines overexpressing OsIAAGLU compared to the wild-type (WT) plants. Phenotypes of iaaglu mutants constructed using the CRISPR/Cas9 system had no obvious differences with WT plants. Furthermore, overexpression of OsIAAGLU resulted in reduced sensitivity to IAA/NAA and altered gravitropic response of the roots in the transgenic plants. Free IAA contents in the leaves, root tips, and lamina joint of OsIAAGLU-overexpressing transgenic lines were lower than those of WT plants. These results support that OsIAAGLU could play a regulatory role in IAA homeostasis and rice architecture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Government funding is a key scientific research resource, and it has made a concrete contribution to the world's science and technology development. But these funds come from common taxpayers, so we need to evaluate the effectiveness of these funds. Generally speaking, policymakers adopt the method of peer review to make assessments. Compared to kinds of shortcomings of peer review, the paper here proposed the benchmarking evaluation method based on the academic publication outputs of supporting funds, mainly guiding indicators from scientometrics. At first, with the academic publication output extracted from the concluding report project manager submitted to the government after the fund finished, we designed the analysis framework to search and define the research field the fund belonged to. And then from the following three perspectives, including quantity, quality and relative influence, we compared the research fund output to the field output. Later, we took one fund program from national program on key basic research project of China (973 Program) in the field of quantum physics as an example to make an empirical analysis to demonstrate its effectiveness. At last, we found that the funded program performance was superior to the field, and even about 11.65% of the research achievement reaches the top 1/1000 of the world, but the research was lacking in remarkable papers, so it needs further improvement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The accumulation of glutamate (Glu) in the synaptic cleft during cerebral ischemia triggers the death of neurons, causing mental or physical handicap. However, the mechanisms of the alteration in Glu homeostasis and the imbalance between the release and clearance of Glu in ischemia are not yet completely understood. Additionally, the role of Glu transporters in regulating Glu concentration in the synaptic cleft is controversial. This review aims to provide readers with an in-depth understanding of Glu transporters in the early or later stages of ischemic events, or in mild or severe cerebral ischemia via alteration of Glu transporter expression, reversal of Glu transporters function, and trafficking between membrane and cytoplasm, to further clarify whether the Glu transporters are neuroprotective or neurodegenerative during cerebral ischemia. We provide the insights for deeper understanding of the mechanism of Glu transporters regulation after different periods and severities of cerebral ischemia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Barium titanate@polyaniline (BT@PANI) core-shell semiconducting particles were prepared by the introduction of polyacrylic acid onto the surface of BT via in-stiu polymerization. Polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) based composites filling BT@PANI particles with 3.336 × 10−2 S cm−1 presented positive multiple effect in enhancing dielectric constant of the three-phase composites. A percolation threshold appeared at a BT@PANI loading of 30 wt%, where the composite exhibited a high dielectric constant of 247 at 103 Hz, as well as winding and folding performance. The excellent dielectric behavior could be ascribed to the fact that the BT@PANI/PVDF composites realized multiple dielectric mechanisms, including the sufficient interfacial polarization, the effective BT polarization, and the microcapacitor mechanism. As a result, the novelty ceramic particles/polymer composite films presented a good balance of dielectric performance and mechanical property. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The veined rapa whelk (Rapana venosa) is an economically important gastropod in China, but is considered as an invasive species globally. Only a few studies have examined the R. venosa genome, a genomewide survey is necessary for improving our understanding of the genome structure and size of this organism. Microsatellite markers are powerful tools for characterizing germplasms, genetic diversity and kinship among individuals. The resultant data are applicable to breeding efforts in commercial aquaculture or for understanding invasion mechanisms. Here, we investigated the genome structure of R. venosa on an Illumina Hi-seq platform with ∼92× sequencing depth. We performed a K-mer analysis to estimate genome size, repeat sequences and heterozygosity. Clean reads were de novo assembled for the identification of simple-sequence repeat (SSR) loci that are suitable as markers. The estimated genome size of R. venosa was 2200.07 Mb, with a 1.41% heterozygosity rate and 67.04% repeats. We detected 5,477,450 simple-sequence repeats (SSRs), with 3,400,602 loci present as pure tandem repeats and 2,076,848 as compound motifs. We further selected and characterized 28 polymorphic markers in 78 individuals from Dandong, Laizhou, Weihai and Zhoushan in China. The range of alleles was 2-28 and the observed heterozygosity was 0.2857-0.8676. The data obtained from our genomic survey will aid the design of R. venosa whole-genome sequencing projects and advance the identification of SSR markers. Both these developments are valuable for further studies on ecological, evolutionary and genetic breeding in R. venosa. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

NASICON-type structured NaTi2(PO4)3 has been regarded as a promising anode material for non-aqueous and aqueous Na-ion batteries, whereas its sodium storage performance was greatly restricted by its inherent inferior electronic conductivity. In the present work, a two-step carbon modification method using prefabricated carbon spheres as support and phenolic resin as carbon source was proposed to prepare advanced NaTi2(PO4)3/C. The as-prepared composite with carbon spheres displayed a much higher reversible capacity (126.7 mA·h/g vs 106.7 mA·h/g at 0.5C) than the control sample without carbon spheres. Superior rate capability with discharge capacities of 115.1, 95.5, 80.8 mAh/g at 1C, 10C, 20C, respectively and long-term cycling stability with capacity retention of 92.4% after 1000 cycles at 5C were also observed. Owing to the designing of two-step carbon modification, although the as-prepared sample shows much smaller surface area, it possesses much better conductive network and more uniform particle distribution, resulting in higher electronic conductivity and faster ionic conductivity, thereby superior sodium storage ability at high rate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Low-lying structures of water cationic clusters and the compounds with the OH radical have become a hot topic in recent years. We here investigate the cluster H2O10+ and calculate its ideal structures by the quantum chemical calculation together with the particle swarm optimization method. We analyzed the properties of the obtained lower-energy isomers of H2O10+. Their energies are further re-optimized and demonstrated at three different methods with two basis sets. Based on our numerical calculations, a new cage-like structure of H2O10+ with the lowest energy is obtained at MP2/aug-cc-pVDZ level. Our results showed the comparison of energy order at different conditions and demonstrated the influence of temperature on the relative Gibbs energy and IR spectra. Moreover, we also contained the molecule orbitals to discuss the stability of these representative isomers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Raman spectra and ultraviolet-visible absorption spectra of four different geographic origins of Radix Astragali were collected. These data were analyzed using kernel principal component analysis combined with sparse representation classification. The results showed that the recognition rate reached 70.44% using Raman spectra for data input and 90.34% using ultraviolet-visible absorption spectra for data input. A new fusion method based on Raman combined with ultraviolet-visible data was investigated and the recognition rate was increased to 96.43%. The experimental results suggested that the proposed data fusion method effectively improved the utilization rate of the original data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, a silicalite-1 modified HY zeolite (HY/silicalite-1) was prepared and applied as an efficient catalyst to promote the hydrolysis of microcrystalline cellulose to glucose in ionic liquid 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium chloride ([Emim]Cl). Scanning Electron Microscope reflects a core-shell morphology of HY/silicalite-1. When using HY/silicalite-1 as catalyst instead of non-modified HY, the glucose selectivity could be significantly improved, and the hydrolysis temperature could also be reduced to 110 °C. Under optimal conditions, 93.5% of total reducing sugar and 50.8% of glucose yield were obtained within 8 h of the reaction. The mechanism with respect to the hydrolysis of cellulose over HY/silicalite-1 was fully discussed. The improved sugar selectivity may due to reduced Lewis acidity of modified HY. Moreover, the reduced contact probability of sugar with the Lewis acid cites of catalyst caused by the outer silicalite-1 layer may also contribute to the good sugar selectivity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The veined rapa whelk Rapana venosa (Valenciennes, 1846) is an important and valuable fishery resource but has not been cultured on a large scale. We studied the effects of environmental factors, temperature, salinity, diet, and stocking density, on growth and survival of larvae to determine optimal artificial culture conditions. The optimal temperature was 25-31 °C at 30 ppt at densities of about 200 veligers per liter, under which the mean shell length (737-1006 μm) and survival rate (36-45%) were higher than those held at other temperatures. When cultured under a salinity of 25 ppt at 25 °C with densities of about 200 veligers per liter, larvae had the highest mean shell length (878.45-917.88 μm) and survival rate (29.75%). Larvae were fed a mixed diet, Pseudoisochrysis paradoxa + Tetraselmis chui + Chlorella vulgaris. Optimal stocking density was 300 veligers per liter for the first 5 days and was 100 veligers per liter afterward at 25 °C and 30 ppt. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effects of organic salts on 1,3,5-trioxane synthesis were investigated through batch reaction and continuous production experiments. The organic salts used include sodium methanesulfonate (CHNaOS), sodium benzenesulfonate (CHNaOS), sodium 4-methylbenzenesulfonate (CHNaOS), and sodium 3-nitrobenzene sulfonate (CHNNaOS). It was shown that the effects of organic salts on the yield of 1,3,5-trioxane in reaction solution and distillate follow the order CHNaOS < CHNaOS < CHNaOS < CHNNaOS, which is inversely related to the charge density of the anions of the organic salts. In comparison with Cl-based salts such as magnesium chloride, organic salts have the advantages of less formic acid generation and low corrosion. Studies on water activity revealed that the effect of organic salts on the activity of water was quite small at low concentration of organic salts. UV-visible spectroscopy and vapor-liquid equilibrium experiments were performed to uncover the mechanisms that govern such effects. The results showed that the effect of organic salts on the yield of 1,3,5-trioxane relies primarily on their ability to increase the catalytic activity of sulfuric acid and increase the relative volatilities of 1,3,5-trioxane and water and of 1,3,5-trioxane and oligomers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Psychological issue is the most common co-morbidity of women with breast cancer (BC) after receiving treatment. Effective coping with this problem is significant importance. The aim of this meta-analysis is to evaluate the benefits of mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) on psychological distress among breast cancer survivors. Methods: PUBMED, EMBASE, and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials were systematically searched from their inception to June 30, 2014. Two reviewers independently reviewed and extracted the data. The primary outcomes of interest were psychological domains. Review Manager 5.3 was used to pool collected data. Results: Nine articles involving 964 participants were identified. Compared with those in control group, patients in MBSR group have a significant improvement on psychological domains: depression [mean difference (MD), 5.09; 95 % confidence interval (CI), 3.63-6.55; P < 0.00001], anxiety (MD, 2.79; 95 % CI, 1.62-3.96; P < 0.00001), stress (MD, 4.10; 95 % CI, 2.46-5.74; P < 0.00001). MBSR can also improve the overall quality of life (QOL) (MD, −1.16; 95 % CI, −2.21 to −0.12; P = 0.03). Conclusions: On the basis of our findings, MBSR shows a positive effect on psychological function and QOL of breast cancer survivors. This approach can be recommended to breast cancer patients as a part of their rehabilitation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effects of 10-MeV E-beam (0, 1, 3, 5, and 7 kGy) irradiation and vacuum packaging on extending the shelf-life of grass carp surimi stored at 4 °C were evaluated basing on the total viable counts (TVC), physiochemical 2-thiobarbituric acid reactive substance (TBARS), total base nitrogen (TVB-N), biogenic amines (BAs), texture (TPA) and color, and sensory changes in surimi samples. The results showed that comparing the control samples, the TVC and TVB-N content in surimi were significantly ( p < 0.05) decreased by irradiation with different doses. Irradiation significantly ( p < 0.05) inhibited the increase of putrescine (PUT), cadaverine (CAD), histamine (HIM), and tyramine (TYM) contents during storage. However, these parameters were significantly ( p < 0.05) increased with storage time. After irradiation, the samples generally had higher lightness and lower a and b values and lower hardness and chewiness significantly ( p < 0.05). Based on the sensory analysis, unfavorable 'metal odor' or 'irradiated odor' was observed in surimi irradiated at 5 and 7 kGy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sweet potato [ Ipomoea batatas (L.) Lam.], the world's seventh most important food crop, is also a major industrial raw material for starch and ethanol production. In the plant starch biosynthesis pathway, ADP-glucose pyrophosphorylase (AGPase) catalyzes the first, rate-limiting step and plays a pivotal role in regulating this process. In spite of the importance of sweet potato as a starch source, only a few studies have focused on the molecular aspects of starch biosynthesis in sweet potato and almost no intensive research has been carried out on the AGPase gene family in this species. In this study, cDNAs encoding two small subunits (SSs) and four large subunits (LSs) of AGPase isoforms were cloned from sweet potato and the genomic organizations of the corresponding AGPase genes were elucidated. Expression pattern analysis revealed that the two SSs were constitutively expressed, whereas the four LSs displayed differential expression patterns in various tissues and at different developmental stages. Co-expression of SSs with different LSs in Escherichia coli yielded eight heterotetramers showing different catalytic activities. Interactions between different SSs and LSs were confirmed by a yeast two-hybrid experiment. Our findings provide comprehensive information about AGPase gene sequences, structures, expression profiles, and subunit interactions in sweet potato. The results can serve as a foundation for elucidation of molecular mechanisms of starch synthesis in tuberous roots, and should contribute to future regulation of starch biosynthesis to improve sweet potato starch yield. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The α-hemolysin (αHL) nanopore is capable of analyzing DNA duplex and DNA aptamer as they can be electrophoretically driven into the vestibule from the cis entrance. The current study describes the competitive interaction induced by Pb that changes the secondary structure of DNA duplex in asymmetrical electrolyte solution. DNA duplex formed by the partial complementary DNA and DNA aptamer sequence produced unzipping blockages with the dwell unzipping time lasting 2.84 ± 0.7 ms. By cation-DNA interaction with Pb, the DNA duplex will unwind and then form Pb-stabilized-DNA aptamer, which will be captured and unfolded in vestibule. The pore conductance were reduced to 54 % and 94 % with mean dwell unfolding times of 165 ± 12 ms. The competitive behavior between Pb and single-strand DNA was further utilized to detect Pb in solution with a detection limit of 0.5 nM. This nanopore platform also provides a powerful tool for studying the cation-DNA interactions in DNA aptamer conformational changes. Thus, the results drawn from these studies provide insights into the applications of α-hemolysin nanopore as a molecular sieve to different DNA secondary structure in future application of nanopore analysis. [Figure not available: see fulltext.] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pathogenesis-related (PR) proteins encoded by plant defense genes play key roles in plant disease-resistance responses, specialized in systemic-acquired resistance. However, their roles in the response of wheat to fungal infection are still not well known. Our earlier studies have reported that a full-length TcLr19PR1 gene (818 bp) was isolated from wheat infected by leaf rust ( Puccinia triticina). Here, we showed that TcLr19PR1 was induced earlier and its expression level was higher in the incompatible interaction between seedling stage of wheat and P. triticina than in compatible interactions. TcLr19PR1 was strongly induced after P. triticina inoculation and ABA and SA treatments, in which the expression level of TcLr19PR1 significantly increased and reached the maximum at 12 and 72 h, respectively. Furthermore, the transgenic T-stable TcLr19PR1 lines generated in the susceptible wheat cultivar Zhengzhou 5389 background exhibited certain extent disease resistance against P. triticina infection by preventing disease development. In addition, Western blotting was conducted to confirm that TcLr19PR1 protein was induced by P. triticina infection in positive transgenic plants at the protein expression level. These findings suggest that TcLr19PR1 gene plays an important role in wheat development and resistance to leaf rust pathogen attack. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Milbemycin oxime has been commercialized as effective anthelmintics in the fields of animal health, agriculture, and human infections. Currently, milbemycin oxime is synthesized by a two-step chemical reaction, which involves the ketonization of milbemycins A3/A4 to yield the intermediates 5-oxomilbemycins A3/A4 using CrO as catalyst. Due to the low efficiency and environmental unfriendliness of the ketonization of milbemycins A3/A4, it is imperative to develop alternative strategies to produce 5-oxomilbemycins A3/A4. In this study, the atmospheric and room temperature plasma (ARTP) mutation system was first employed to treat milbemycin-producing strain Streptomyces bingchenggensis, and a mutant strain BC-120-4 producing milbemycins A3, A4, B2, and B3 as main components was obtained, which favors the construction of genetically engineered strains producing 5-oxomilbemycins. Importantly, the milbemycins A3/A4 yield of BC-120-4 reached 3,890 ± 52 g/l, which was approximately two times higher than that of the initial strain BC-109-6 (1,326 ± 37 g/l). The subsequent interruption of the gene milF encoding a C5-ketoreductase responsible for the ketonization of milbemycins led to strain BCJ60 ( ∆milF) with the production of 5-oxomilbemycins A3/A4 and the elimination of milbemycins A3, A4, B2, and B3. The high 5-oxomilbemycins A3/A4 yield (3,470 ± 147 g/l) and genetic stability of BCJ60 implied the potential use in industry to prepare 5-oxomilbemycins A3/A4 for the semisynthesis of milbemycins oxime. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim:Congo red, a secondary diazo dye, is usually used as an indicator for the presence of amyloid fibrils. Recent studies show that congo red exerts neuroprotective effects in a variety of models of neurodegenerative diseases. However, its pharmacological profile remains unknown. In this study, we investigated the effects of congo red on ACh-induced Ca2+ oscillations in mouse pancreatic acinar cells in vitro.Methods:Acutely dissociated pancreatic acinar cells of mice were prepared. A U-tube drug application system was used to deliver drugs into the bath. Intracellular Ca2+ oscillations were monitored by whole-cell recording of Ca2+-activated Cl− currents and by using confocal Ca2+ imaging. For intracellular drug application, the drug was added in pipette solution and diffused into cell after the whole-cell configuration was established.Results:Bath application of ACh (10 nmol/L) induced typical Ca2+ oscillations in dissociated pancreatic acinar cells. Addition of congo red (1, 10, 100 μmol/L) dose-dependently enhanced Ach-induced Ca2+ oscillations, but congo red alone did not induce any detectable response. Furthermore, this enhancement depended on the concentrations of ACh: congo red markedly enhanced the Ca2+ oscillations induced by ACh (10-30 nmol/L), but did not alter the Ca2+ oscillations induced by ACh (100-10000 nmol/L). Congo red also enhanced the Ca2+ oscillations induced by bath application of IP3 (30 μmol/L). Intracellular application of congo red failed to alter ACh-induced Ca2+ oscillations.Conclusion:Congo red significantly modulates intracellular Ca2+ signaling in pancreatic acinar cells, and this pharmacological effect should be fully considered when developing congo red as a novel therapeutic drug. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A myriad of physical, chemical, and biological processes controls the fate of organic contaminants in soils. The knowledge of bioavailability of a contaminant in soil can be useful to conduct environmental risk assessment. We conducted batch equilibrium experiments to investigate the sorption of cyromazine (CA) and its metabolite melamine (MA) onto five typical soils of China belonging to suborders Ali-Perudic Ferrosols, Udic Argosols, Gleyic-Stagnic Anthrosols, Ustic Cambosols, and Udic Isohumosols. Results showed that sorption of CA and MA onto soils was linear, as indicated by the Freundlich and Langmuir models. Different sorption behaviors of CA and MA were observed on the five agricultural soils, with lg K values (Freundlich model) of 1.6505-2.6557 and 1.632-2.549, respectively. Moreover, the K values for CA and MA were positively correlated with soil organic matter ( r = 0.989, r = 0.976) and significantly negatively correlated with pH ( r = −0.938, r = −0.964). The free energy of sorption of CA and MA ranged from −20.8 to −23.0 kJ mol and −20.8 to −22.8 kJ mol, respectively, suggesting that the sorption of CA and MA onto the soils is primarily a physical process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Anti-acetylcholine receptor antibodies (anti-AChR-Ab) are responsible for the failure of neuromuscular junction in myasthenia gravis (MG). Some anti-AChR-Ab-seronegative MG patients have anti-muscle-specific tyrosine kinase antibodies (anti-MuSk-Ab). Here, the anti-AChR-Ab was tested in 250 MG outpatients from Southern China. While anti-MuSk-Ab was tested in 66 patients who had no anti-AChR-Ab in blood serum, but none of them was positive. The antibodies were measured by a radioimmunoprecipitation assay. The frequency of anti-AChR-Ab was 51.2 %. The percentage of anti-AChR-Ab in ocular type was lower than generalized type (44.9 vs. 66.2 %, P = 0.002). Seronegative MG was characterized by a lower percentage of thymoma than seropositive patients ( P = 0.013). It seemed to be less severe in seronegative MG than seropositive MG in these 250 patients. In ocular type, seronegative MG mainly manifesting blepharoptosis but seldom diplopia or eyeball fixation related to ocular movement disability ( P = 0.016). While in generalized type, seronegative MG was characterized by a lower percentage of bulbar muscle involvements than seropositive patients ( P = 0.005). Logistic regression analysis revealed that bulbar weakness was affected by the existence of anti-AChR antibodies (OR = 3.524, P = 0.015). Besides, seronegative MG tended to be characterized by a lower percentage of neck extensor involvement, but this did not reach significance. The percentage of anti-AChR antibodies was much lower than other countries. Seronegative MG has characteristic clinical features that are different from features of the remaining seropositive MG. This emphasises the predictive value of anti-AChR antibodies analysis in MG patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An alternative method to combine mutagenesis PCR with dITP and fragmentation by endonuclease V for directed evolution was developed. In comparison to the routine protocol for directed evolution, dITP was used as mutation reagent in the mutagenesis PCR. Subsequently, the incorporated dITP in the PCR products could represent as being the target of endonuclease V. Finally, the mutated dsDNA was fragmented by endonuclease V and then shuffled via assembly and reamplification as is usually done. In this study, the gene encoding kanamycin resistance has been used as reporter to verify the novel method for directed evolution. However, the mutation frequency could be easily adjusted by the amount of dITP used in the mutagenesis PCR reaction. Besides, this protocol yielded the mutation types with an obvious bias to transition substitutions as the normal error-prone PCR did. Conclusively, this novel method for directed evolution has been demonstrated to be efficient, reproducible, and easy to handle in actual practice. Using this protocol, we have successfully constructed a random mutation library for the gene encoding a serine alkaline protease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]