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Infrared spectra of the matrix-isolated Sn(η 2 -O 2 S), Sn(η 2 -OSO), Sn(η 2 -O 2 S)(η 1 -OSO), Sn(η 2 -O 2 S) 2, OSn 2 (η 2 -SO), and Sn(μ 2 -O 2 )SnS molecules were observed following laser-ablated Sn atom reactions with SO 2 during condensation in solid argon. The assignments for the major vibrational modes were confirmed by appropriate S 18 O 2 and 34 SO 2 isotopic shifts and density functional vibrational frequency calculations (B3LYP and BPW91). Interestingly, the mononuclear complexes are interconvertible; that is, irradiation induces the isomerization of Sn(η 2 -O 2 S) and Sn(η 2 -O 2 S)(η 1 -OSO) to Sn(η 2 -OSO) and Sn(η 2 -O 2 S) 2 , respectively, and vice versa on annealing. However, there is no evidence of isomerization reaction in between the binuclear molecules OSn 2 (η 2 -SO) and Sn(μ 2 -O 2 )SnS. Bonding in these products is discussed, and the electronic structure changes associated with different bonding types are revealed, which is crucial for the observed photochemical reactions., (© 2019 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.)

Tristetraprolin (TTP) regulates the stability of multiple targets that have important biological roles. However, the role of TTP in trophoblasts at the maternal-fetal interface remains poorly understood. We demonstrated that TTP was upregulated in placental trophoblasts from patients with recurrent miscarriages (RMs). Immunofluorescence and immunoblotting analyses indicated that TTP was redistributed from the nucleus to the cytoplasm in trophoblasts from patients with RMs. Trophoblast invasion and proliferation was repressed by TTP overexpression and was enhanced by TTP knockdown. Interestingly, TTP knockdown promoted trophoblast invasion in an ex vivo explant culture model. Furthermore, TTP overexpression in trophoblasts significantly inhibited the expression of the long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) HOTAIR. TTP was found to regulate HOTAIR expression by a posttranscriptional mechanism. To RNA immunoprecipitation (RIP) and RNA-protein, pull-down identified TTP as a specific binding partner that decreased the half-life of HOTAIR and lowered steady-state HOTAIR expression levels, indicating a novel posttranscriptional regulatory mechanism. Our findings identify a novel function for TTP in lncRNA regulation and provide important insights into the regulation of lncRNA expression. This study reveals a new pathway governing the regulation of TTP/HOTAIR in trophoblast cell invasion during early pregnancy., (Copyright © 2018 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Decidual CD8 + (dCD8) T cells have been proposed to play important roles in immune protection against the invading pathogens and in tolerance toward the growing semi-allogeneic fetus during early pregnancy. However, their phenotypic and functional characteristics remain poorly defined. Here, we performed the first analysis of the transcriptional and alternative splicing (AS) signatures for human first-trimester dCD8 T cells using high-throughput mRNA sequencing. Our data revealed that dCD8 T cells have distinct transcriptional and AS landscapes when compared with their autologous peripheral blood CD8 + (pCD8) T counterparts. Furthermore, human dCD8 T cells were observed to contain CD8-Treg and effector-memory T-cell subsets, and display enhanced functionality in terms of degranulation and cytokine production on a per-cell basis. Additionally, we have identified the novel splice junctions that use a high ratio of the non-canonical splicing motif GC-AG and found that AS is not a major contributor to the gene expression-level changes between paired pCD8 and dCD8 T cells. Together, our findings not only provide a comprehensive framework of the transcriptional and AS landscapes but also reveal the functional feature of human dCD8 T cells, which are of great importance in understanding the biology of these cells and the physiology of human healthy pregnancy.

We aimed to determine the effect of YY1 expression on the expression profile of long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) in trophoblasts, and we studied the involvement of certain lncRNAs and YY1 in the pathogenesis of recurrent miscarriage (RM). RT2 lncRNA PCR arrays revealed that YY1 overexpression in trophoblasts significantly promoted the expression of the HOX transcript antisense RNA HOTAIR and demonstrated that HOTAIR expression was significantly lower in the RM trophoblasts than in control trophoblasts. Ectopic HOTAIR overexpression and knockdown experiments revealed that it was a novel target of YY1. Bioinformatics analysis identified two YY1-binding sites in the HOTAIR promoter region, and chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) analysis verified that YY1 binds directly to its promoter region. Interestingly, HOTAIR overexpression enhanced trophoblast invasion in an ex vivo explant culture model, while its knockdown repressed these effects. Furthermore, liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) label-free quantitative proteomics screening revealed that HOTAIR overexpression activated phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase-protein kinase B (PI3K-AKT) signaling in trophoblasts. In an ex vivo explant culture model, HOTAIR overexpression effectively elevated matrix metalloproteinase 2 (MMP2) expression via the PI3K-AKT signaling pathway, enhancing trophoblast migration and invasion. These findings reveal a new regulatory pathway in which YY1 activates PI3K-AKT signaling via HOTAIR, promoting MMP2 expression, suggesting that HOTAIR is a potential therapeutic target for RM., (Copyright © 2017 The American Society of Gene and Cell Therapy. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Unbalanced brain serotonin (5-HT) levels have implications in various behavioral abnormalities and neuropsychiatric disorders. The biosynthesis of neuronal 5-HT is regulated by the rate-limiting enzyme, tryptophan hydroxylase-2 (TPH2). In the present study, the clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeat (CRISPR)/CRISPR-associated (Cas) system was used to target theTph2 gene in Bama mini pig fetal fibroblasts. It was found that CRISPR/Cas9 targeting efficiency could be as high as 61.5%, and the biallelic mutation efficiency reached at 38.5%. The biallelic modified colonies were used as donors for somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT) and 10Tph2 targeted piglets were successfully generated. These Tph2 KO piglets were viable and appeared normal at the birth. However, their central 5-HT levels were dramatically reduced, and their survival and growth rates were impaired before weaning. TheseTph2 KO pigs are valuable large-animal models for studies of 5-HT deficiency induced behavior abnomality.

Decidual CD4 + T (dCD4 T) cells are crucial for the maternal-fetal immune tolerance required for a healthy pregnancy outcome. However, their molecular and functional characteristics are not well elucidated. In this study, we performed the first analysis of transcriptional and alternative splicing (AS) landscapes for paired decidual and peripheral blood CD4 + T (pCD4 T) cells in human early pregnancy using high throughput mRNA sequencing. Our data showed that dCD4 T cells are endowed with a unique transcriptional signature when compared to pCD4 T cells: dCD4 T cells upregulate 1,695 genes enriched in immune system process whereas downregulate 1,011 genes mainly related to mRNA catabolic process and the ribosome. Moreover, dCD4 T cells were observed to be at M phase, and show increased activation, proliferation, and cytokine production, as well as display an effector-memory phenotype and a heterogenous nature containing Th1, Th17, and Treg cell subsets. However, dCD4 T cells undergo a comparable number of upregulated and downregulated AS events, both of which are enriched in the genes related to cellular metabolic process. And the changes at the AS event level do not reflect measurable differences at the gene expression level in dCD4 T cells. Collectively, our findings provide a comprehensive portrait of the unique transcriptional signature and AS profile of CD4 + T cells in human decidua and help us gain more understanding of the functional characteristic of these cells during early pregnancy.

Objective: To establish an accurate new rat model of hyperammonemia-induced liver injury for use in studies of the molecular mechanisms underlying acute liver failure (ALF)., Methods: Twenty-six Sprague-Dawley rats were administered D-galactosamine (400 mg/kg) and endotoxin (50 mug/kg) via intraperitoneal injection to induce ALF and sacrificed at 12 h post-injection (ALF-12 group, n = 10) or 24 h post-injection (ALF-24 group, n = 16). Ten rats administered physiological saline served as the control group. In addition, 20 rats were given serial oral administrations of 10% NH4Cl solution (10 ml/kg, every 8 hrs) to establish the hyperammonemia-induced liver injury model; an additional 20 rats were prepared in parallel to serve as the ALF control group (n = 10; D-galactosamine at 800 mg/kg every 6 d for 30 days) and the physiological saline control group (n = 10). Serum samples were collected from each mouse and used to detect markers of liver function, including alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alpha-fetal protein (AFP), and gamma-glutamyltransferase (GGT), as well as blood ammonia (BA) level and prothrombin time activity (PT-A). Affects on liver histology was assessed by hematoxylin and eosin staining of resected liver tissues, and on apoptosis by TUNEL assay and calculating the apoptotic index (AI)., Results: ALF rats showed elevated levels of ALT (1202.51+/-282.00 U/L), AST (1560.14+/-298.98 U/L), and BA (165.9+/-23.6 mumol/L) as early as 6 hrs after model establishment; these levels peaked at 12 hrs after model establishment (ALT: 774.40+/-207.65 U/L; AST: 967.60+/-121.94 U/L; BA: 143.4+/-18.1 mumol/L; P less than 0.05). No significant variations were detected in the levels of AFP (except for the ALF-24 group) or GGT. Liver tissues of the ALF-12 and ALF-24 groups showed large or diffuse hemorrhagic necroses with sinusoidal congestion or spotty bleeding, as well as increased AI. Hyperammonemia-induced liver injury rats showed elevated levels of ALT and BA as early as 6 hrs after model establishment. Similar to the ALF rats, AFP and GGT were unaffected and AI increased. However, in contrast to the ALF rats, the liver tissues of the hyperammonemia-induced liver injury rats showed no signs of hepatocyte swelling, necrosis, or inflammatory cell invasion., Conclusion: ALF rats and hyperammonemia-induced liver injury rats have elevated BA and marked hepatocyte necrosis. Given that reducing the level of ammonemia can improve the animal's biochemistry indexes, it is likely that hyperammonemia plays a role in acute liver injury or ALF consequent to repeated injury. The pathogenic mechanisms of repeated injury may involve promotion of hepatocyte apoptosis in conjunction with inhibition of cellular regeneration.

Objective: To study the influence of humic acid fertilizer on plant growth, assimilation base, dried biomass accumulation, yield, quality and disease infection of Angelica sinensis., Method: Three kinds of humic acid fertilizer and an amino acid liquid fertilizer were tested in randomized groups at 1 level with 3 times repeat., Result: T1 promoted plant and root growth effectively, increased dried biomass accumulation and fresh root average weight remarkably, the yield was increased, the content of ethanol extract was increased by 11.31%. T3 promoted plant and root growth quickly, enlarged leaves area and increased dried plant weight, but effect lasted shortly, the content of ethanol extract was increased by 5.23%. T4 increased more leaves in late growth period, enlarged leaves area, the yield was increased, the content of ethanol extract was increased by 3.09%. T2 increased fresh root average weight remarkably, the yield was increased., Conclusion: Humic acid fertilizer and amino acid liquid fertilizer could effectively promote plant growth, enlarge leaves area, promote dried biomass accumulation and transformation to root and increase yield and content of ethanol extract effectively.

Objective: To investigate the prevalence of obesity and distribution of body mass index (BMI) in school children of four ethnic groups in Urumqi, Xinjiang, China., Methods: A total of 55508 school children of Han, Hui, Uygur and Kazak nationalities aged 8-18 years were selected by a cluster sampling from a districts of Urumqi City for anthropometric measurement and demographic survey. Prevalence of obesity and overweight and distribution of body mass index (BMI) by gender, age, and nationality were analyzed and compared. Cutoff points of BMI for defining obesity and overweight were based on the proposal set by the Working Group on Obesity in China (WGOC) to assess age-, gender- and nationality-specific prevalence of obesity and overweight., Results: Prevalence of obesity was 5.34%, 6.78%, 3.39 %, and 1.22% for boys and 2.61%, 1.83%, 1.78%, and 1.40% for girls of Han, Hui, Uygur and Kazak nationalities, respectively. Prevalence of obesity tended to decrease with age overall, whereas that of overweight increased with age in Han children., Conclusions: Prevalence of obesity in school children in Urumqi varies with their nationalities and is lower than that of an average national level and a level of western countries. Obesity is more prevalent in boys than in girls of Urmuqi overall, which is just the opposite in Kazak children. Han boys and Hui girls have the highest prevalence of obesity and Kazak boys and girls have the lowest ones. Prevalence of obesity decreases with age, but that of overweight shows a different trend.

Objective: To compare pulsatile ocular blood flow (POBF) and intraocular pressure (IOP) in primary open angle glaucoma (POAG) and normal control group matched for age, sex and refraction error, to investigate the rule of hem-dynamics in POAG and to determine the sensitivity and specificity of POBF measurement as a diagnostic test for glaucoma., Methods: Prior to the test a questionnaire was completed to determine age, sex, refractive error, family history of glaucoma, history of eye diseases, ocular medication, medical history and using of systemic beta-blockers. Patients of POAG were determined by following diagnostics standards: (1) Three IOP >25 mm Hg in different times of one day. (2) The fluctuate of IOP > 8 mm Hg during 24 hours. (3) Typical glaucoma changes in the visual field. (4) Typical glaucoma changes in optic disc. There were 100 POAG subjects with single eye observed (50 male and 50 female). We picked up 100 eyes randomly (50 male and 50 female) in 534 normal persons who matched for following conditions: (1) Sex. (2) Discrepancy of age less than 5 years. (3) Discrepancy of the refraction error less than +/- 2.00 DS. as the normal comparison group. The tonometer used was the POBF Tonometry. Pulse amplitude of IOP (PA), pulsatile ocular blood flow (POBF), pulse/heart rate (PR), maximum-IOP (max-IOP), minimum-IOP (min-IOP) and average IOP (aver-IOP) were obtained before the medical therapy and 1 or 2 weeks after the operation. The correlation between the POBF & mean value of the perimeter was analyzed. POBF was analyzed to determine the sensitivity and specificity of POBF measurement as a diagnostic test., Results: The value of POBF in POAG and normal control was (9.72 +/- 3.47) microl/s and (12.04 +/- 4.68) microl/s, respectively. POAG patients' POBF, PV, PA, and AVE-IOP were less than those in the normal control, and the difference was statistically significant. There was no statistically significant correlation between the changes of visual field and POBF (r = 0.224, P = 0.219). The sensitivity and specificity of using the POBF for diagnosis of POAG (less than 10.75 microl/s being abnormal) were 0.422 and 0.623, respectively., Conclusion: Abnormal of vas-autoregulation and blood supply play a role in the pathogenesis of POA. Due to the lower sensitivity and specificity, it is not suitable to use POBF as a diagnostic test to distinguish the POAG and normal. But the POBF reflects the change of blood flow in a pulsing cycle and provide more information than the measurement of IOP only.