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Objectives This study aimed to investigate whether plasma levels of adenosine, adenosine deaminase (ADA), and certain cytokines change in patients with chronic insomnia disorder (CID), and if so, whether these alterations are associated with poor sleep quality and cognitive dysfunction. Methods Fifty-five CID patients were selected for the study, along with fifty-five healthy controls (HC) matched to the patients according to their basic data. All subjects completed sleep, emotion, and cognition assessments, with some CID patients also completing an overnight polysomnography. The plasma level of adenosine was measured using liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry, while ADA level was quantified using a quantitative sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Levels of cytokines, including IL-1β, IL-2, IL-4, IL-6, IL-10, IL-12, TNF-α, and IFN-γ, were measured using Luminex liquid chip technology. Results CID patients had a lower adenosine level, and higher levels of ADA and some of the cytokines (IL-1β, IL-2, IL-6, IL-10 and TNF-α) compared with controls. In the CID group, plasma concentrations of adenosine were negatively correlated with Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index scores, while concentrations of IL-1β, IL-6 and TNF-α were positively correlated with these scores. Concentrations of IL-1β and TNF-α were negatively correlated with scores on the Chinese-Beijing Version of the Montreal Cognitive Assessment. Moreover, levels of IL-1β, TNF-α, IL-6, and IL-2 were positively correlated with memory test errors by CID patients after controlling for confounding factors. Conclusions The reduced adenosine and elevated cytokine levels of CID patients were associated with the severity of insomnia and/or cognitive dysfunction.

Purpose The objective of this study was to investigate whether the serum biomarkers S100 calcium binding protein B (S100B), glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP), brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), and glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF) change in patients with chronic insomnia disorder (CID), and if this is the case, whether the altered levels of these serum biomarkers are associated with poor sleep quality and cognitive decline in CID. Patients and methods Fifty-seven CID outpatients constituted the CID group; thirty healthy controls (HC) were also enrolled. Questionnaires, polysomnography, Chinese-Beijing Version of Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA-C) and Nine Box Maze Test (NBMT) were used to assess their sleep and neuropsychological function. Serum S100B, GFAP, BDNF, and GDNF were evaluated using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Results The CID group had higher levels of S100B and GFAP and lower levels of BDNF and GDNF than the HC group. Spearman correlation analysis revealed that poor sleep quality, assessed by subjective and objective measures, was positively correlated with S100B level and negatively correlated with BDNF level. GFAP level correlated positively with poor subjective sleep quality. Moreover, S100B and GFAP levels correlated negatively with general cognitive function assessed using MoCA-C. GFAP level correlated positively with poor spatial working memory (SWM) in the NBMT; BDNF level was linked to poor SWM and object recognition memory (ORcM) in the NBMT. However, principal component analysis revealed that serum S100B level was positively linked to the errors in object working memories, BDNF and GDNF concentrations were negatively linked with errors in ORcM, and GFAP concentration was positively correlated with the errors in the SWM and spatial reference memories. Conclusion Serum S100B, GFAP, BDNF, and GDNF levels were altered in patients with CID, indicating astrocyte damage, and were associated with insomnia severity or/and cognitive dysfunction.

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) patients exhibit different degrees of cognitive impairment, which is related to the activation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) production by chronic intermittent hypoxia (CIH) and the deposition of iron in the brain. As a central regulator of iron homeostasis, whether hepcidin is involved in OSA-induced cognitive impairment has not been clarified. In order to simulate OSA, we established the mouse model by reducing the percentage of inspired O2 (FiO2) from 21% to 5%, 20 times/h for 8 h/day. We found hepcidin was rising during CIH, along with increasing iron levels and neuron loss. Then, we constructed a mouse with astrocyte-specific knockdown hepcidin gene (shHamp). During CIH exposure, the shHamp mice showed a lower level of total iron and neuronal iron in the hippocampus, via stabilizing ferroportin 1 (FPN1) and decreasing L-ferritin (FTL) levels, when compared with wild-type (WT) mice. Furthermore, the shHamp mice showed a decrease of ROS by downregulating the elevated NADPH oxidase (NOX2) and 4-hydroxynonenal (4-HNE) levels mediated by CIH. In addition, the shHamp mice presented improved cognitive deficit by improving synaptic plasticity and BDNF expression in the hippocampus when subjected to CIH. Therefore, our data revealed that highly expressed hepcidin might promote the degradation of FPN1, resulting in neuronal iron deposition, oxidative stress damage, reduced synaptic plasticity, and impaired cognitive performance during CIH exposure.

Two new Co(II) coordination polymers, namely, [Co(L)(bpe)(H2O)]n·[Co0.5(bpe)0.5(H2O)2]n·nH2O (1) and [Co2(L)(bpe)(μ3-OH)(H2O)]n·3nH2O (2) have been prepared via utilizing the flexible ligands of 1,2-bis(4-pyridyl)ethane (bpe) and 5-(3-carboxybenzyloxy)-isophthalic acid (H3L) under various conditions. The two compounds’ magnetic properties reveal that between the consecutive metal ions, there exists the antiferromagnetic coupling. Their application values on the hypertension during pregnancy prevention were assessed and their specific mechanism was also studied in meantime. Firstly, the VEGF (vascular endothelial growth factor) relative expression in vascular endothelial cells was determined via the real time reverse transcription-polymerase. In addition to this, in vascular endothelial cells, the inflammatory response was detected through ELISA (enzyme linked immunosorbent assay) detection by measuring the inflammatory cytokines releasing.

Esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) occurs with the highest frequency in China, especially in the high-risk Northern Chinese. Recent studies have reported that SLC22A3 is significantly downregulated in non-tumor (NT) esophageal tissues from familial ESCC patients compared with those from sporadic ESCC. However, the mechanism of how SLC22A3 regulates familial ESCC remains unknown. In this study, post hoc genome-wide association studies (GWAS) in 496 cases with a family history of upper gastrointestinal tract cancers and 1056 controls were performed and the results revealed that SLC22A3 is a novel susceptibility gene for familial ESCC. Reduced expression of SLC22A3 in NT esophageal tissues from familial ESCC patients significantly correlates with its promoter hypermethylation. Moreover, case-control study of Chinese descendants from different risk areas of China revealed that the methylation of the SLC22A3 gene in peripheral blood leukocyte (PBL) DNA samples could be a risk factor for developing ESCC in this high-risk population. Functional studies showed that SLC22A3 is a novel antioxidant gene, and deregulation of SLC22A3 facilitates heat stress-induced oxidative DNA damage and formation of γ-H2AX foci in normal esophageal epithelial cells. Collectively, we show that epigenetic alterations of SLC22A3 predispose susceptible individuals to increased risk of esophageal cancer.

This study explored the function and mechanism of RAD50 interactor 1 (RINT1), Zeste white 10 (ZW10) or nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug-activated gene-1 (NAG-1) in cell growth of colon cancer. The mRNA expression of RINT1 was suppressed in patients with colon cancer. In addition, disease free survival (DFS) in colon cancer patients with high expression of RINT1, ZW10 and NAG-1 were promoted compared with colon cancer patients with low expression of RINT1, ZW10 and NAG-1. Over-expression of RINT1, ZW10 or NAG-1 reduced colon cancer cell growth, migration and invasion in vitro model. In contrast, down-regulation of RINT1, ZW10 or NAG-1 promoted colon cancer cell growth, migration and invasion in vitro model. Over-expression of RINT1 promoted while down-regulation of RINT1 suppressed ZW10 and NAG-1 expression. Following knockdown of ZW10 and NAG-1 protein expressions, RINT1 induced changes of colon cancer cell growth, migration and invasion were inhibited. Taken together, it is indicated that RINT1 is a new suppression target to reduce cell growth, migration and invasion of colon cancer by targeting ZW10/NAG-1.

The utilization of bioaugmentation in constructed wetland can enhance the effect of organic matter removal from wastewater. Obtaining effective COD degrading bacteria plays a key role in bioaugmentation. In this paper, in order to improve the capacity of organic matter removal of constructed wetland, four kinds of effective COD degrading sprains (A2,A11,B1,C4) were obtained from soil of constructed wetland by the way of segregation, primary screening and secondary screening. Through the test of microorganism construction to acquire matching groups with better growth situation and the test of technical conditions optimization inspecting the influence of PH, temperature and rotate speed of incubator shaker on COD converting rates, group A2A11,A11B1,A11C4 and B1C4 were acquired, among which the group B1C4 had the highest COD converting rates (73.74%) when PH was 6.8, temperature was 20 and rotate speed was 100r/min. Using the method of 16S rDNA sequence determination, we observed that sprain B1 had the most similarity with Bacillus simplex (T); DSM1321T; AJ439078, 99%, belonging to bacillus, and sprain C4 had the most similarity with Pseudomonas stutzeri (T); ATCC 17588; AF094748, 97%, belonging to Pseudomonas.

Aim: We investigated the effects of TORC1/2 kinase inhibitors on colorectal cancer (CRC) cell lines. Materials & methods: Using selective TORC1/2 inhibitors, rapamycin and PP242, we assessed their effect on the growth of CRC cells in vitro and tumor growth in vivo. Results: Rapamycin and PP242 inhibit proliferation and induce apoptosis of CRC cells. They also enhance proapoptotic effect of conventional chemo drug doxorubicin in CRC cells in vitro. When combined with doxorubicin, rapamycin and PP242 almost completely inhibit tumor growth in vivo. Rapamycin and PP242 inhibit phosphorylation of Akt, ribosomal S6 kinase, 4EBP1 and mTOR. Conclusion: Our study suggests rapamycin and PP242 may be a useful therapeutic agent and inhibiting mTOR signaling pathway represents a new targeted therapy for CRC.

The recombinant production of human serum albumin has been challenging due to the low unit price and huge amount needed, for the commercial production of rhSA at an economically feasible level, It will be well worth the effort to exploit new method for the extremely high level expression of rhSA. To this end, here a hybrid gene locus strategy was employed, a 37 Kb mWAP-hSA hybrid gene locus was constructed and used as mammary gland specific expression vector, in which the 3 Kb genomic coding sequence in the 24 Kb mouse whey acidic protein (mWAP) gene locus was substituted by the 16 Kb genomic coding sequence of human serum albumin (hSA), exactly from the start codon to the end codon. Corresponding transgenic mice were generated and rhSA was secreted into the milk at an extremely high level of 11.9 g/L. Our transgenic mice carrying the mWAP-hSA hybrid gene locus represent a model system for the cost-effective production of human serum albumin.

Telomerase reverse transcriptase (TERT) contributes to the prevention of aging by a largely unknown mechanism that is unrelated to telomere lengthening. The current study used ataxia-telangiectasia mutated (ATM) and TERT doubly deficient mice to evaluate the contributions of 2 aging-regulating molecules, TERT and ATM, to the aging process. ATM and TERT doubly deficient mice demonstrated increased progression of aging and had shorter lifespans than ATM-null mice, while TERT alone was insufficient to affect lifespan. ATM-TERT doubly null mice show in vivo senescence, especially in hematopoietic tissues, that was dependent on p16INK4a and p19ARF, but not on p21. As their HSCs show decreased stem cell activities, accelerated aging seen in these mice has been attributed to impaired stem cell function. TERT-deficient HSCs are characterized by reactive oxygen species (ROS) fragility, which has been suggested to cause stem cell impairment during aging, and apoptotic HSCs are markedly increased in these mice. p38MAPK activation was indicated to be partially involved in ROS-induced apoptosis in TERT-null HSCs, and BCL-2 is suggested to provide a part of the protective mechanisms of HSCs by TERT. The current study demonstrates that TERT mitigates aging by protecting HSCs under stressful conditions through telomere length-independent mechanisms.

We isolated flocculants-producing bacteria F2 from soil. It shows high and stable flocculating activity for Kaolin clay suspension. In order to increase yield of flocculants, we need determine the optimal obtained time. We measured the changes of several parameters using shaking flask experiment, including flocculating- rate, the content of polysaccharide, protein and glucose. It’s showed that the optimal obtained time of bio-flocculants is 21 h. And we built the model about the production of bio-flocculants. Through the comparison of experimental data and the corresponding calculated values from the models, we found that the data joint well and the model can provide theoretical basis for Industrialization of bio-flocculants.

We conducted a comprehensive study of 15 cultivars of Chinese barley and one cultivar of European barley to examine and compare the activity and heat stability of limit dextrinase (LD) among them. Our results revealed that the enzymatic activity of LD drops dramatically at incubation temperatures >65°C, indicating that 65°C is the point of incubation temperature sensitivity for this enzyme. Compared with the European barley cultivar Triumph, the levels of enzymatic activity and heat stability of LD in most Chinese barley cultivars included in this study were low, except for Jipi 2 and 92001, which were nearly equal to Triumph. We also found that the activity and heat stability of LD were strongly influenced by the genotype and growth environment of the cultivar, which suggests that genetic manipulation and optimal cultivation conditions may be useful in producing high-quality barley for the brewing industry.

To generate transgenic porcine which expresses human serum albumin (HSA), the HSA gene targeting vector was constructed with HSA cDNA as the gene of interestand partial porcine serum albumin (PSA) gene as homologous arms which respectively were 7.2 kb 5' regulation sequence and 2.8 kb genomic sequence from the first intron to the fourth intron. The resistant gene neo was inserted into intron 1 and tk was ligated to the 3' end of the construct. Linearized targeting construct DNA was introduced into the fibroblast cells obtained from porcine fetus by electroporation. The positive-negative selection was performed and survival clones were screened by PCR and Southern blot. Three colonies with correct homologous recombination were obtained. Our results set a good basis for the establishment of transgenic porcine by gene target and nuclear transfer methods.

MicroRNA (miR)-221 plays an essential role in the epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT). High mobility group AT-hook 2 (HMGA2), is a key regulator of EMT. However, the role of miR‑221 in pulmonary fibrosis, and the association between miR‑221 and HMGA2 remain largely unknown. For this purpose, we examined the expression of miR‑221 and HMGA2 in human idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) tissues and pulmonary cells, namely the adenocarcinoma A549 and human bronchial epithelium (HBE) cell lines, and found that the expression of miR‑221 was inhibited in both tissues and cells whereas high mRNA and protein expression of HMGA2 was observed. Additionally, transforming growth factor‑β1 (TGF‑β1) induced the EMT, characterized by the upregulated expression of the mesenchymal markers, namely N‑cadherin, vimentin, α‑smooth muscle actin, collagen I and collagen III, and the downregulated expression of the epithelial marker E-cadherin in A549 and HBE cells. We then performed transfection with miR‑221 mimics, and found that the expression of phosphorylated-Smad3 in miR‑221‑overexpressing cells was significantly downregulated, compared with that in the TGF‑β1-treated cells without transfection. Furthermore, the overexpression of miR‑221 decreased the expression of HMGA2, suppressed the EMT, and inhibited the proliferation of A549 and HBE cells. HMGA2 was directly targeted by miR‑221 which was confirmed by the dual-luciferase reporter gene assay. Finally, a mouse model of bleomycin (BLM)‑induced pulmonary fibrosis was used to confirm the effect of miR‑221 on EMT. Hematoxylin and eosin staining showed that BLM induced thicker alveolar walls and more collagen deposition, whereas miR‑221 treatment reduced lung fibrosis and the tissues exhibited thinner alveolar walls and normal lung alveoli. Furthermore, the EMT process was suppressed following miR‑221 injection. Taken together, these findings sugest that miR‑221 targets HMGA2 to inhibit BLM‑induced pulmonary fibrosis through the TGF‑β1/Smad3 signaling pathway.

1′-Acetoxychavicol acetate (ACA) is a component of a traditional Asian condiment obtained from the rhizomes of the commonly used ethno-medicinal plant Languas galanga. Here, we show for the first time that ACA dramatically inhibits the cellular growth of human myeloma cells via the inhibition of nuclear factor κB (NF-κB) activity. In myeloma cells, cultivation with ACA induced G0-G1 phase cell cycle arrest, followed by apoptosis. Treatment with ACA induced caspase 3, 9, and 8 activities, suggesting that ACA-induced apoptosis in myeloma cells mediates both mitochondrial- and Fas-dependent pathways. Furthermore, we showed that ACA significantly inhibits the serine phosphorylation and degradation of IκBα. ACA rapidly decreased the nuclear expression of NF-κB, but increased the accumulation of cytosol NF-κB in RPMI8226 cells, indicating that ACA inhibits the translocation of NF-κB from the cytosol to the nucleus. To evaluate the effects of ACA in vivo, RPMI8226-transplanted NOD/SCID mice were treated with ACA. Tumor weight significantly decreased in the ACA-treated mice compared with the control mice. In conclusion, ACA has an inhibitory effect on NF-κB, and induces the apoptosis of myeloma cells in vitro and in vivo. ACA, therefore, provides a new biologically based therapy for the treatment of multiple myeloma patients as a novel NF-κB inhibitor.

The expression of foreign gene in transgenic animals produced by pronuclear microinjection is often confounded by the position effects caused by not only the nature of chromosomal integration site but also the number and arrangement of multiple transgene copies. Gene targeting provides a new way to overcome these inhibitions by introducing single-copy transgene into a chosen site. The choice of a good chromosomal site will favor transgene expression in a predictable fashion. In this study, we tested a new site (fgfr-4) for foreign gene integration and expression. A t-PA mutant (t-PAm) expression cassette under bovine αs1-casein regulatory sequences was efficiently knocked-in fgfr-4 site through homologous recombination. The t-PAm was expressed in the milk of all targeted mice. Our experiment indicates that the fgfr-4 may be a candidate site for knocking foreign gene to make transgenic animals.

The extracts of thoracic ganglion from adult Macrobrachium rosenbergii were chromatographed on a Sephadex G-50 column, the resulting second peak was further isolated by HPLC, and 9 fractions were obtained. Among the fractions only the first fraction significantly increased the oocyte diameter in vitro of the stage ovary in M. rosenbergii. The increasing effects were depended on the protein concentration of the fraction for culture. The molecular weight of the substance in the fraction 1 was about 1.3kDa.The results show that the thoracic ganglion of M. rosenbergii can secrete peptide hormone which stimulates the oocyte development of the prawn.

Genistein has a neuroprotective effect in Alzheimer's disease, but its mechanism of action needs further clarification. Accumulating evidence suggests that excessive phosphorylation of tau protein causes production of neurofibrillary tangles, which is one of the main pathological characteristics of Alzheimer's disease, and tau protein can be phosphorylated by calcium/calmodulin dependent protein kinase IV (CAMK4). After 7 days of pre-administration of genistein (90 mg/kg), an Alzheimer's disease rat model was established using an intraperitoneal injection of D-galactose combined with an intracerebral injection of amyloid-β peptide (25–35). The rat was then continuously administered genistein (90 mg/kg) for 42 days. The Morris water maze test, western blotting and hematoxylin-eosin staining results showed that genistein significantly decreased the escape latency and increased the number of times crossing the platform, reduced p-tau, CALM, CAMKK1 and p-CAMK4 protein levels in the hippocampus, and alleviated hippocampal neuron damage. These findings indicate that genistein may play a neuroprotective role in Alzheimer's disease through regulating CAMK4 to modulate tau hyperphosphorylation.

Background: The migration of retinal pigment epithelial (RPE) cells is an initial step in the development of proliferative vitreoretinopathy (PVR). This in vitro study was carried out to investigate the effects of monocyte chemotactic protein-1 (MCP-1) on the migration and proliferation of RPE cells. Methods: We used an in vitro wound healing model in which a small area of a confluent monolayer of human RPE (HRPE) cells was denuded with a razor blade. The cultures were subsequently incubated with MCP-1, IL-1β, TNF-α, or combinations thereof. Neutralizing IgG1 of anti-human MCP-1, dexamethasone (DEX) or daunorubicin were also added to the cultures to test their inhibitory effects on migration of RPE cells. HRPE migration was measured as the number of cells that entered the denuded area. The effect of MCP-1 on proliferation of HRPE cells was examined by MTT assay. Results: MCP-1 stimulated HRPE cell migration in a dose-dependent manner. IL-1β or TNF-α slightly stimulated HRPE cell migration, but adding anti-MCP-1 IgG1 significantly reduced this effect. MCP-1-induced migration could be inhibited by DEX but not by daunorubicin. MCP-1 did not show a significant effect on HRPE cell proliferation. Conclusion: MCP-1 stimulates HRPE cell migration, suggesting that this chemokine regulates the development of PVR at the initial stage. The migration of HRPE cells induced by IL-1β and TNF-α may be associated with the MCP-1 that HRPE cells secretes under the stimulation of these two cytokines. The knowledge that MCP-1-induced migration of HRPE cells is inhibited by DEX may be useful in devising an effective treatment for PVR.

Human Elongator complex, which plays a key role in transcript elongation in vitro assay, is incredibly similar in either components or function to its yeast counterpart. However, there are only a few studies focusing on its target gene characterization in vivo. We studied the effect of down-regulation of the human elongation protein 3 (hELP3) on the expression of HSP70 through antisense strategy. Transfecting antisense plasmid p1107 into HeLa cells highly suppressed hELP3 expression, and substantially reduced expression of HSP70 mRNA and protein. Furthermore, chromatin immunoprecipitation assay (ChIP Assay) revealed that hElp3 participates in the transcription elongation of HSPA1A in HeLa cells. Finally, complementation and ChIP Assay in yeast showed that hElp3 can not only complement the growth and slow activation of HSP70 (SSA3) gene transcription, but also directly regulates the transcription of SSA3. On the contrary, these functions are lost when the HAT domain is deleted from hElp3. These data suggest that hElp3 can regulate the transcription of HSP70 gene, and the HAT domain of hElp3 is essential for this function. These findings now provide novel insights and evidence of the functions of hELP3 in human cells.

This work investigated the effect of physiochemical conditions of fermentation on the de-emulsification capability of biological de-emulsifier production by a demulsifying strain(a Bacillus sp. isolated by our laboratory from oil contaminated soil). A quadratic orthogonal regressive rotation design was used to establish an effective statistical model for evaluation the combined effects of the incubation time(A), culturing temperature(B), glucose concentration(C) in substrate, in oculum age(D) and shaker agitation(E). The results of analysis of variance (ANOVA) of face-centered central composite design (FCCCD) showed that the adequately high R2 value of 0.976 and F-value of 30.69 indicated the statistical significance of the quadratic model which there were seven significant model terms (Prob>F

PURPOSE This study aimed at identifying the expression of functional formyl peptide receptor (FPR)-1 in human retinal pigment epithelium (hRPE) cells and to evaluate the role of FPR in regulation of wound closure of the hRPE monolayer under electric fields (EFs). METHODS The expression of FPR in hRPE cells was analyzed with an immunofluoresence labeling assay and RT-PCR. Cultured wounded hRPE monolayers were exposed to EFs with free serum, 20%, serum, and a classical FPR agonist, N-formyl-Met-Leu-Phe (fMLF), respectively, for 3 hours. Cell monolayer migrations were traced using an image analyzer. Expressions of cell junction molecules were measured by RT-PCR, and the ultrastructure of cell junctions was observed with transmission electron microscopy (TEM). RESULTS The expression of functional FPR was observed and localized along actin filaments in cellular lamellipodia and filopodia. EFs and fMLF significantly increased the migration rates of the wounded RPE monolayer. The migrating distances of monolayers were 24.262 ± 6.82 μm, 40.243 ± 5.069 μm, and 56.926 ± 7.821 μm in cells with free serum, 20% serum, and fMLF under EFs at 3 hours, respectively (P < 0.01). The mRNA expressions of connexin 43(Cx43) and zonula occludens (ZO)-1 were detected in hRPE cells. TEM revealed that cell junctions formed between hRPE cells in the monolayer. CONCLUSIONS These results showed for the first time that functional FPR expresses in hRPE cells and that activation of FPR enhances migration of the wounded hRPE monolayer. The mRNA expressions and ultrastructures of cell junctions further demonstrated the RPE sheet as a monolayer migrating under EFs.

It has been hypothesized that emulsification of silicone oil might stimulate preretinal membrane formation and proliferative vitreoretinopathy. This study aimed to test the effects of vesicles of silicone oil (VSO), which were prepared by a novel membrane emulsification technique, on the migration and proliferation of human retinal pigment epithelial (hRPE) cells in vitro.VSO were produced by extrusion of the oil through a Supor membrane (Pall Life Sciences, Port Washington, NY, USA) with 0.45 microm pore size under a pressure of 0.1 MPa. hRPE cells were incubated with stained 25% VSO for 24 h to assess whether hRPE cells could phagocytize VSO. A wound-healing model was used by denuding cells from a glass slide to assess the migration of hRPE cells. The cells were then incubated with 25%, 50% and 100% VSO with or without serum for up to 72 h. The number of cells that had entered the denuded area was counted under a microscope. To assess the proliferative activity, the cells were incubated with 25%, 50% and 100% VSO, with or without serum, for 24 h. A total of 100 nuclei were examined for each slide, and the numbers of stained argyrophilic nucleolar organizer regions (AgNORs) in the nuclei were measured.The mean vesicle diameter of VSO prepared was 4.25 +/- 0.77 microm. The stained 25% VSO were phagocytized by hRPE cells. After the cells cultured with serum-free Dulbecco's Modified Eagle Medium (DMEM) were incubated with VSO, the numbers of migratory cells at higher concentrations (50% and 100%) of VSO were significantly decreased (48.9 +/- 5.37 and 10.6 +/- 3.03 respectively) compared to controls (69.9 +/- 9.88; P0.01). After the cells cultured with serum-free DMEM were incubated with VSO, the number of AgNORs in nucleus at 100% VSO was significantly increased compared to controls (3.1 +/- 0.72 vs 1.6 +/- 0.6; P0.01).The result indicated that VSO inhibited the migration but stimulated the proliferation of hRPE cells.

Osteoporosis (OP) is a major public health problem, mainly characterized by low bone mineral density (BMD). Circulating monocytes (CMCs) may serve as progenitors of osteoclasts and produce a wide variety of factors important to bone metabolism. However, the specific action mechanism of CMCs in the pathogenesis of OP is far from clear. We performed a comparative protein expression profiling study of CMCs in Chinese premenopausal females with extremely discordant BMD, identified a total of 38 differentially expressed proteins, and confirmed with Western blotting five proteins: ras suppressor protein1 (RSU1), gelsolin (GSN), manganese-containing superoxide dismutase (SOD2), glutathione peroxidase 1(GPX1), and prolyl 4-hydroxylase beta subunit (P4HB). These proteins might affect CMCs' trans-endothelium, differentiation, and/or downstream osteoclast functions, thus contribute to differential osteoclastogenesis and finally lead to BMD variation. The findings promote our understanding of the role of CMCs in BMD determination, and provide an insight into the pathogenesis of human OP.

The perennial grass Stipa baicalensis is the zonic species in the steppe of China, but is currently being replaced by the azonic species of Leymus chinensis. In this area, aridification is on the increase; therefore, we hypothesize that water competition plays a significant role in this succession. The limit of osmotic adjustment in S. baicalensis (13.94%-16.30% PEG) was much lower than that in L. chinensis (17.20%-24.50% PEG) in response to drought. The synoptic causal model accounted for most of the variation in the process of physiological regulation as indicated by the small residual effect (0.121-0.161). These results demonstrated that the two species dealt with drought in different ways. Stomata of L. chinensis acted more directly on transpiration, and the advantage in water competition resulted from the powerful stomatal control. On the other hand, S. baicalensis was more easily affected by non-stomatal limitation which was physiologically inactive in response to drought. Results supported the hypothesis above. S. baicalensis was more susceptible to the damage of aridification and was less competitive to water than L. chinensis.

Red wine polyphenol, trans-resveratrol (trans-3,4',5-trihydroxy stilbene), has potent chemopreventive effects against various tumors. In this study, we found for the first time that resveratrol rapidly induces S phase cell cycle arrest of human malignant B cells including myeloma cells in dose- and time-dependent manners, followed by S phase cell cycle arrest through ATM/Chk pathway. Resveratrol-induced apoptosis occurs in association with the activation of caspase-3 and the loss of mitochondrial transmembrane potentials. In addition, resveratrol induces the phosphorylation of p38 MAP kinase, and specific inhibition of p38 MAP kinase abolishes the resveratrol-induced apoptosis, indicating that activation of the p38 MAP kinase pathway is required for inducing apoptosis in malignant B cells. These results suggest that resveratrol may have potential as a novel therapeutic agent for the patients with B cell malignancies including multiple myeloma.

To investigate the effect of cholesterol (Ch) on the growth and functional protein expression of rabbit bile duct fibroblasts.The cultured bile duct fibroblasts were divided randomly into two groups: the control group and the experiment group (fibroblasts were incubated respectively with 0.6 g/L Ch for 12, 24, 36 and 48 h). The growth and DNA synthesis of bile duct fibroblasts were measured by the means of (3)H-TdR incorporation. The total protein content of fibroblast was measured by BSA protein assay reagent kit, then the expression of alpha-actin was analyzed semi-quantitatively by Western blot.After treatment with 0.6 g/L Ch for 12, 24, 36 and 48 h, the values of (3)H-TdR incorporation of bile duct fibroblasts were respectively 3.1+/-0.39, 3.8+/-0.37, 4.6+/-0.48 and 5.2+/-0.56 mBq/cell, and the values of the corresponding control groups were 3.0+/-0.33, 3.2+/-0.39, 3.7+/-0.49 and 4.3+/-0.43 mBq/cell. After comparing the values of experiment groups and their corresponding control groups, it was found that the (3)H-TdR incorporation of bile duct fibroblasts after treatment with 0.6 g/L Ch for 24, 36 and 48 h were significantly increased (P0.05, P0.01, P0.01), while the (3)H-TdR incorporation of 12-h group was not different statistically from its control group. Ch had no obvious effect on the total protein content of fibroblasts. After incubated with 0.6 g/L Ch for 12, 24, 36 and 48 h, the total protein content of each experiment group was not altered markedly compared with its corresponding control group. The values of experiment groups were 0.246+/-0.051, 0.280+/-0.049, 0.263+/-0.044 and 0.275+/-0.056 ng/cell, and those of corresponding control groups were 0.253+/-0.048, 0.270+/-0.042, 0.258+/-0.050 and 0.270+/-0.045 ng/cell. Western blot analysis revealed that the alpha-actin expression in fibroblasts affected by Ch for 12 and 24 h was not markedly changed compared with their corresponding control groups (P0.05), the values of total gray scale of 12- and 24-h groups were 1748+/-185 and 1756+/-173, respectively. But after stimulation with Ch for 36 h, the total gray scale of fibroblasts (1923+/-204) was significantly higher than that of control group (1734+/-197). When the time of Ch treatment was lengthened to 48 h, the alpha-actin expression was markedly elevated, the total gray scale was 2 189+/-231 (P0.01 vs control group).Moderately concentrated Ch can promote the proliferation of bile duct fibroblasts at early stage. With the prolongation of Ch treatment, the alpha-actin expression of fibroblasts was also increased, but the hypertrophy of fibroblasts was not observed.

Chemical pattern recognition was applied to three Chinese herbal medicines from the genus Stephania Lour., viz. S. kwangsiensis Lo, S. viridiflavens Lo and M. Yang and S. mashanica Lo and B.N. Chang. Based on the chemical features obtained from HPLC, SIMCA program was carried out and the results showed that the classification accuracy was 100%. In addition, the obtained features showed three major classes by NLM. The results of both methods were consistent with those of plant taxonomical identification. It suggested that chemical pattern recognition could be a helpful method to classify and identify Chinese herbal medicines.

Gene synthesis is very important in life science research, and it becomes a technique in common use. It is difficult for long gene synthesis, because the mismatches and mutations of DNA sequence in nucleotide fragments assembling. This study established a new method for long gene synthesis, which was referred to as PCR-restrict enzyme ligation method. With this method, a omega-3 fatty acid desaturase gene, sFat-1, from Caenorhabditis briggssae, was successfully assembled from 27 synthesized nucleotide fragments (60 ~ 68 bp for each fragment ) following 3 rounds of PCR (7 reactions) and 2 rounds of restrict enzyme ligation (3 reactions). This shows that the PCR-restrict enzyme ligation method is an effective method for long gene synthesis.

1′-acetoxychavicol acetate (ACA) is a component of traditional Asian condiment, obtained from rhizomes of the commonly used ethno-medicinal plant Languas galanga (Zingiberacetate). Recent extensive studies revealed that ACA has potent chemopreventive effects against various tumors. More recently, we have reported that ACA induces apoptosis of myeloid leukemic cells via mitochondrial- and Fas-mediated dual pathway. The transcription factor NF-κB confers significant survival potential in myeloma cells; therefore, it has emerged as a therapeutic target for the treatment of multiple myeloma. Multiple myeloma is an incurable hematological disorders, which has been fatal outcome despite of high dose chemotherapy with stem cell transplantation; therefore, a novel biologically based therapeutic approach is desired. In this study, we investigated the effects of ACA on myeloma cells in vitro and in vivo, and further examined the molecular mechanisms of ACA-induced apoptosis in myeloma cells. ACA dramatically inhibited cellular growth of various human myeloma cell lines (RPMI8226, U266, IM9, and HS-Sultan) as well as freshly isolated myeloma cells from patients, but not normal bone marrow cells, in a dose (0-20 μM)- and time (0-24 h)-dependent manner. Cultivation with 10 μM ACA rapidly increased the population of cells in the G0/G1 phase with a reduction of cells in the S phase, and a strong induction of apoptosis was shown by the appearance of a hypodiploid DNA peak with sub-G1 DNA content 3 h after treatment. Treatment with ACA induced both caspase-3, -9, and caspase-8 activities, suggesting that ACA-induced apoptosis in myeloma cells mediates both mitochondrial- and Fas-dependent pathways. Furthermore, we investigated the effects of ACA on NF-κB activity in myeloma cells, and were able to demonstrate that ACA significantly inhibited serine phosphorylation and degradation of IκBα in a time-dependent manner. ACA rapidly decreased the nuclear expression of NF-κB, but increased the accumulation of cytosol NF-κB in RPMI8226 cells, indicating that ACA inhibits translocation of NF-κB from the cytosol to the nucleus. In addition, we also confirmed the inhibitory effects of ACA on NF-κB activation by ELISA in myeloma cell lines and fresh samples. ACA had a synergistic proapoptotic effect with another NF-κB inhibitor, MG-132 and TLCK. In contrast, NF-κB activator, PMA, dramatically abrogated ACA-induced apoptosis in myeloma cells. These in vitro studies prompted us to examine whether the effects of ACA are equally valid in vivo. To evaluate the effects of ACA in vivo, RPMI8226-transplanted NOD/SCID mice were treated with ACA. Tumor weight decreased in the mice that were injected ACA (mean weight: 0.04±0.06 g in the ACA-treated group vs. 0.63±0.29 g in the control group; p

Two lignans of known structure, (+)-syringaresinol, a cytotoxic agent, and (+)-nortrachelogenin, a compound with demonstrated antileukemic activity, were isolated from a biologically active extract of the stems of PASSERINA VULGARIS.