Search

With the limited group information, this paper discusses the application of grey relational theory in the analyses of factors influencing the force of informal groups of the five informal groups of the Jiangxi Zhongwei Industrial Co., Ltd. The result shows that the group cohesiveness is of the primary importance; the leader's leadership ranks the second; the average capability of group members ranks the third; and the size of the group ranks the fourth. As a result, the company adopts different guidance and methods to manage different kinds of information groups, obtaining excellent effect. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Methods Results Conclusion Increasing evidence shows that exosome‐mediated delivery of circular RNA (circRNA) is implicated in breast cancer progression. This study aimed to elucidate the role of exosome‐transported circ_0001955 in breast cancer.The expression of circ_0001955, miR‐708‐5p, and phosphoglycerate kinase 1 (PGK1) messenger RNA (mRNA) was detected by quantitative real‐time polymerase chain reaction (qRT‐PCR); the protein levels of PGK1 and hexokinase 2 (HK2) were detected by western blot (WB). 5′‐Ethynyl‐2′‐deoxyuridine (EdU) and colony formation assay were used to determine cell proliferation. Glycolytic metabolism was analyzed by corresponding kits to detect the associated indicators. The role of circ_0001955 in vivo was studied by establishing animal models. The potential binding relationship between miR‐708‐5p and circ_0001955 or PGK1 was verified by dual‐luciferase reporter assay and RNA immunoprecipitation (RIP) assay.Circ_0001955 was highly expressed in breast cancer tissues and cell lines, as well as in exosomes from breast cancer cell lines. The deficiency of circ_0001955 blocked proliferation, decreased the IC50 value of paclitaxel (PTX), and blocked glycolysis in MCF‐7 and MDA‐MB‐231 cells. Circ_0001955 knockdown also inhibited tumor growth in vivo. Circ_0001955 directly combined with miR‐708‐5p, and the miR‐708‐5p inhibitor reversed the effects of sh‐circ_0001955. PGK1 was a target of miR‐708‐5p, and circ_0001955 indirectly promoted PGK1 expression by binding to miR‐708‐5p. PGK1 overexpression abolished the function of miR‐708‐5p in breast cancer.Exosomal circ_0001955 excreted from breast cancer cells facilitated proliferation and glycolysis and enhanced the IC50 value of PTX in breast cancer cells by sponging miR‐708‐5p to upregulate PGK1. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs) play a major role in modulating immune response, but only a few reports focused on MDSCs in the liver of sepsis states. Here, we investigated the changes in MDSCs in liver of the cecal ligation and puncture (CLP) mice. The results of flow cytometry showed that MDSCs accumulate in the liver site of mice after CLP for 7days (CLP7d model mice) and settled to the livers of both normal and LPS stimulated mice. In vitro experiment showed a strong suppressive effect of MDSCs on the proliferation of CD4+ T lymphocytes of spleen. Furthermore, adoptive transfer of the liver MDSCs from CLP7d miceincreased the survival rate of acute hepatic failure (AHF) model mice in vivo. In conclusion, our data suggest that sepsis-induced liver MDSCs may have exert a key role in maintaining the immune homoeostasis in liver during the sepsis state. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Flagella are complex, trans-envelope nanomachines that localize to species- specific cellular addresses. Here we study the localization dynamics of the earliest stage of basal body formation in Bacillus subtilis using a fluorescent fusion to the C-ring protein FliM. We find that B. subtilis basal bodies do not exhibit dynamic subunit exchange and are largely stationary at steady state, consistent with flagellar assembly through the peptidoglycan. Rare basal bodies were observed to be mobile however, and the frequency of basal body mobility is elevated both early in basal body assembly and when the rod is mutated. Thus, basal body mobility is a precursor to patterning and we propose that rod polymerization probes the peptidoglycan superstructure for pores of sufficient diameter that permit rod completion. Furthermore, mutation of the rod also disrupts basal body patterning in a way that phenocopies mutation of the cytoplasmic flagellar patterning protein FlhF. We infer that conformational changes in the basal body exchange information between rod synthesis and the cytoplasmic patterning proteins to restrict assembly at certain pores established by a grid-like pattern pre-existent in the peptidoglycan itself., Importance: Bacteria insert flagella in a species-specific pattern on the cell body, but how patterns are achieved is poorly understood. In bacteria with a single polar flagellum, a marker protein localizes to the cell pole and nucleates the assembly of the flagellum at that site. Bacillus subtilis assembles ∼15 flagella over the length of the cell body in a grid-like pattern and lacks all proteins associated with targeted assembly in polarly flagellated bacteria. Here we show that B. subtilis basal bodies are mobile soon after assembly and become immobilized when the flagellar rod transits the peptidoglycan wall. Moreover, defects in the flagellar rod lead to an asymmetric distribution of flagella with respect to the midcell. We conclude that the patterning of flagella is different in B. subtilis , and we infer that the B. subtilis rod probes the peptidoglycan for holes that can accommodate the machine.

Bacterial spores can remain dormant for decades yet rapidly germinate and resume growth in response to nutrients. GerA family receptors that sense and respond to these signals have recently been shown to oligomerize into nutrient-gated ion channels. Ion release initiates exit from dormancy. Here, we report that a distinct ion channel, composed of SpoVAF (5AF) and its newly discovered partner protein, YqhR (FigP), amplifies the response. At high germinant concentrations, 5AF/FigP accelerate germination; at low concentrations, this complex becomes critical for exit from dormancy. 5AF is homologous to the channel-forming subunit of GerA family receptors and is predicted to oligomerize around a central pore. 5AF mutations predicted to widen the channel cause constitutive germination during spore formation and membrane depolarization in vegetative cells. Narrow-channel mutants are impaired in germination. A screen for suppressors of a constitutively germinating 5AF mutant identified FigP as an essential cofactor of 5AF activity. We demonstrate that 5AF and FigP interact and colocalize with GerA family receptors in spores. Finally, we show that 5AF/FigP accelerate germination in B. subtilis spores that have nutrient receptors from another species. Our data support a model in which nutrient-triggered ion release by GerA family receptors activates 5AF/FigP ion release, amplifying the response to germinant signals., (© 2024 Gao et al.; Published by Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press.)

Motivation: Gut dysbiosis is closely associated with obesity and related metabolic diseases including type 2 diabetes (T2D) and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). The gut microbial features and biomarkers have been increasingly investigated in many studies, which require further validation due to the limited sample size and various confounding factors that may affect microbial compositions in a single study. So far, it lacks a comprehensive bioinformatics pipeline providing automated statistical analysis and integrating multiple independent studies for cross-validation simultaneously., Results: OBMeta aims to streamline the standard metagenomics data analysis from diversity analysis, comparative analysis, and functional analysis to co-abundance network analysis. In addition, a curated database has been established with a total of 90 public research projects, covering three different phenotypes (Obesity, T2D, and NAFLD) and more than five different intervention strategies (exercise, diet, probiotics, medication, and surgery). With OBMeta, users can not only analyze their research projects but also search and match public datasets for cross-validation. Moreover, OBMeta provides cross-phenotype and cross-intervention-based advanced validation that maximally supports preliminary findings from an individual study. To summarize, OBMeta is a comprehensive web server to analyze and validate gut microbial features and biomarkers for obesity-associated metabolic diseases., Availability and Implementation: OBMeta is freely available at: http://obmeta.met-bioinformatics.cn/., (© The Author(s) 2023. Published by Oxford University Press.)

Bacterial spores resist antibiotics and sterilization and can remain metabolically inactive for decades, but they can rapidly germinate and resume growth in response to nutrients. Broadly conserved receptors embedded in the spore membrane detect nutrients, but how spores transduce these signals remains unclear. Here, we found that these receptors form oligomeric membrane channels. Mutations predicted to widen the channel initiated germination in the absence of nutrients, whereas those that narrow it prevented ion release and germination in response to nutrients. Expressing receptors with widened channels during vegetative growth caused loss of membrane potential and cell death, whereas the addition of germinants to cells expressing wild-type receptors triggered membrane depolarization. Therefore, germinant receptors act as nutrient-gated ion channels such that ion release initiates exit from dormancy.

In this study, we integrate the signal institutional theory and stakeholder theory to examine partnership restructure as a critical mechanism linking environmental corporate social responsibility (ECSR) to corporate financial performance. Keeping in line with most prior studies, we first argue that a positive relationship exists between ECSR and firm performance. Then we propose that partnership restructure mediates the nexus between ECSR and firm performance because ECSR may motivate firms to change their partners in the better interests of the firms. In addition, we propose that the firms' industry power will exaggerate while dysfunctional competition will weaken the positive nexus between ECSR and partnership restructure. Evidence based on a survey covering 206 manufacturing firms in China offers good support for our predictions. This last section offers research contributions and implications for the managers based on the findings., (© 2023. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.)

Robust DUT-67 was synthesized by the hydrothermal method and characterized by powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). To systematically study the removal of Cr(VI) ion by DUT-67 , single-factor, competition ion, material regeneration, kinetic, and thermodynamic experiments were designed. The experimental results show that DUT-67 had a maximum removal rate of 96.1% and a maximum adsorption capacity of 105.42 mg g -1 with material regeneration and outstanding selective adsorption. In addition, the process of removal of the Cr(VI) ion from an aqueous solution by DUT-67 , which accorded with the pseudo-second-order kinetics model and Langmuir model, was studied, and its adsorption mechanism was reasonably explained by the theoretical calculation., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2023 Shen, Yang, Gao, Qian and Li.)

Competing Interests: The authors declare no competing interests.

Introduction: Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is a risk factor for the development of coronary artery disease (CAD). In patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS), guidelines recommend a potent P2Y12 inhibitor in addition to aspirin. For those with complicated and advanced CAD requiring complex percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), the risk for adverse ischemic events is even higher. Prolonged dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT) use is controversial. A new antiplatelet regimen after PCI should be considered. In this analysis, we aimed to systematically show the impact of long-term ticagrelor monotherapy after a short course of DAPT use on the outcomes in patients with T2DM following PCI., Methods: Electronic databases were searched for relevant publications. Studies that were based on patients with T2DM and that included patients with T2DM were selected on the basis of the inclusion and exclusion criteria. Statistical analysis was carried out with RevMan software. The data are presented as risk ratios (RR) with 95% confidence intervals (CI)., Results: A total of 8621 patients were included in this analysis, whereby 4357 participants with T2DM were assigned to ticagrelor monotherapy and 4264 were assigned to DAPT. Our results showed long-term ticagrelor monotherapy after a short course of DAPT use to be associated with a significantly lower risk of major adverse cardiac events (RR 0.86, 95% CI 0.77-0.98; P = 0.02) and all-cause mortality (RR 0.77, 95% CI 0.60-0.98; P = 0.03). However, no significant difference was observed in cardiac death, myocardial infarction, stroke, stent thrombosis, or repeated revascularization. Ticagrelor monotherapy was associated with significantly lower risk of thrombolysis in myocardial infarction (TIMI) defined minor or major bleeding (RR 0.71, 95% CI 0.54-0.93; P = 0.01) compared with the DAPT regimen., Conclusion: Long-term ticagrelor monotherapy after a short course of DAPT use showed better results in patients with T2DM following PCI. Therefore, ticagrelor monotherapy after a short course of DAPT use could be considered an evolution in antiplatelet therapy of this decade for the treatment of patients with T2DM after PCI. However, newer studies with a larger population size and cost-effectiveness are factors that should further be considered., (© 2022. The Author(s).)

Background: Diabetes mellitus (DM) and cardiovascular diseases often co-exist. Today, percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) is the preferred revascularization procedure for majority of patients with coronary artery disease. Polymer-free amphilimus-eluting stents (AES) represent a novel elution technology in the current era of drug-eluting stents. In this analysis, we aimed to systematically compare the cardiovascular outcomes which are associated with polymer-free amphilimus-eluting stents (AES) versus the durable polymer zotarolimus-eluting stents (ZES) for the treatment of patients with DM., Methods: Http://www., Clinicaltrials: gov, EMBASE, Web of Science, MEDLINE, Cochrane database and Google Scholar were searched for publications comparing polymer-free AES versus durable polymer ZES in patients with DM. Selective cardiovascular outcomes were assessed. Statistical analysis was carried out by the latest version of the RevMan software. Risk ratio (RR) with 95% confidence interval (CI) was used to represent the data analysis., Results: Four studies with a total number of 1795 participants with DM whereby 912 patients were assigned to be revascularized by the polymer-free AES and 883 patients were assigned to be revascularized by the durable polymer ZES were included in this analysis. In patients with DM, at one year, polymer-free AES were associated with significantly lower risk of major adverse cardiac events (MACEs) (RR: 0.69, 95% CI: 0.54-0.88; P = 0.002) and target lesion failure (TLF) (RR: 0.66, 95% CI: 0.48-0.91; P = 0.01) compared to durable polymer ZES. However, there was no significant change in all-cause mortality (RR: 0.79, 95% CI: 0.51-1.22; P = 0.28), cardiac death and the other cardiovascular outcomes. Similar risk of total stent thrombosis (RR: 1.13, 95% CI: 0.60-2.13; P = 0.70), including definite stent thrombosis (RR: 1.12, 95% CI: 0.38-3.31; P = 0.84), probable stent thrombosis (RR: 0.87, 95% CI: 0.37-2.09; P = 0.76), possible stent thrombosis (RR: 1.19, 95% CI: 0.50-2.87; P = 0.69) and late stent thrombosis (RR: 1.00, 95% CI: 0.17-5.72; P = 1.00) as between polymer-free AES and durable polymer ZES in patients with DM., Conclusions: At 1 year follow-up, polymer-free AES were associated with significantly lower MACEs and TLF compared to durable polymer ZES in these patients with DM, without any increase in mortality, stent thrombosis and other cardiovascular outcomes. However, this analysis is only based on a follow-up time period of one year, therefore, future research should focus on the long term follow-up time period., (© 2022. The Author(s).)

Objectives To investigate the effect of the imbalance of Th17/Treg on egg granuloma formation of liver with Schistosomiasis japonicum. Methods The BALB/c mice were infected with Schistosoma japonicum cercariae to establish a model of Schistosomiasis japonica. The blood samples, liver tissues and spleen tissue were harvested at the 2nd, 4th, 6th, 8th week, respectively. HE staining and Masson staining were performed to assess the pathological characteristics of the liver. Flow cytometry (FCM) was conducted to evaluate the proportion of CD4 + T cell subsets including Th17 cells and Tregs in liver and spleen tissue. The quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) was carried out to investigate the mRNA level of cytokines including RORγt, FOXP3, IL-6, IL-17, IL-23 and IL-10 in liver tissues. Finally, ELISA was performed to assess the serum level of cytokines including IL-6, IL-17, IL-23 and TGF-β. Schistosoma japonicium soluble egg antigen (SjSEA) were prepared to stimulate mouse spleen cells in vitro. qRT-PCR was carried out to investigate the mRNA level of cytokine including RORγt and FOXP3 and ELISA was performed to assess the expression level of cytokines including IL-6, IL-17, IL-23 and TGF-β at different time points. Results HE and Masson staining demonstrated that inflammatory cell infiltration, schistosome egg granuloma formation and the collagen deposition increased in the liver tissue after the 4th week. The longer the infection, the more severe the liver pathology. In the liver and spleen tissues, the percentage of Th17 cells of infection group (2nd, 4th and 6th weeks) were significantly higher than the healthy group. The percentage of Tregs in the liver tissues of infection group (4th, 6th and 8th weeks) were significantly higher than the healthy group, and the percentage of Tregs in the spleen of infection group (2nd and 4th weeks) were significantly higher than the healthy group. Th17/Treg ratios in the liver of infection group were lower than the healthy group. Th17/Treg ratios in the spleen of infection group (2nd and 4th weeks) were lower than the healthy group, while it increased in the 6th week. At the same time, the levels of Th17 cells and Tregs related nuclear transcription factors and cytokines showed similar dynamic changes as the percentages of T cell subsets. SjSEA can induce the differentiation of Th17 and Tregs and the expression of related cytokines and transcription factors. Conclusion Th17 cells may play a major role in liver pathology, and the imbalance of Th17 cells/Tregs was closely related to the schistosome egg granuloma formation.

A knowledge graph is defined as a collection of interlinked descriptions of concepts, relationships, entities and events. Medical knowledge graphs have been the most recent advances in technology, therapy and medicine. Nowadays, a number of specific uses and applications rely on knowledge graphs. The application of the knowledge graph, another form of artificial intelligence (AI) in cardiology and cardiovascular medicine, is a new concept, and only a few studies have been carried out on this particular aspect. In this brief literature review, the use and importance of disease-specific knowledge graphs in exploring various aspects of Kawasaki disease were described. A vision of individualized knowledge graphs (iKGs) in cardiovascular medicine was also discussed. Such iKGs would be based on a modern informatics platform of exchange and inquiry that could comprehensively integrate biologic knowledge with medical histories and health outcomes of individual patients. This could transform how clinicians and scientists discover, communicate and apply new knowledge. In addition, we also described how a study based on the comprehensive longitudinal evaluation of dietary factors associated with acute myocardial infarction and fatal coronary heart disease used a knowledge graph to show the dietary factors associated with cardiovascular diseases in Nurses' Health Study data. To conclude, in this fast-developing world, medical knowledge graphs have emerged as attractive methods of data storage and hypothesis generation. They could be a major and effective tool in cardiology and cardiovascular medicine and play an important role in reaching effective clinical decisions during treatment and management of patients in the cardiology department., (© 2022. The Author(s).)

In response to starvation, endospore-forming bacteria differentiate into stress-resistant spores that can remain dormant for years yet rapidly germinate and resume growth in response to nutrients. The small molecule dipicolinic acid (DPA) plays a central role in both the stress resistance of the dormant spore and its exit from dormancy during germination. The spoVA locus is required for DPA import during sporulation and has been implicated in its export during germination, but the molecular bases are unclear. Here, we define the minimal set of proteins encoded in the Bacillus subtilis spoVA operon required for DPA import and demonstrate that these proteins form a membrane complex. Structural modeling of these components combined with mutagenesis and in vivo analysis reveal that the C and Eb subunits form a membrane channel, while the D subunit functions as a cytoplasmic plug. We show that point mutations that impair the interactions between D and the C-Eb membrane complex reduce the efficiency of DPA import during sporulation and reciprocally accelerate DPA release during germination. Our data support a model in which DPA transport into spores involves cycles of unplugging and then replugging the C-Eb membrane channel, while nutrient detection during germination triggers DPA release by unplugging it., (© 2022 Gao et al.; Published by Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press.)

To cope with sudden changes in their environment, bacteria can use a bet-hedging strategy by dividing the population into cells with different properties. This so-called bimodal or bistable cellular differentiation is generally controlled by positive feedback regulation of transcriptional activators. Due to the continuous increase in cell volume, it is difficult for these activators to reach an activation threshold concentration when cells are growing exponentially. This is one reason why bimodal differentiation is primarily observed from the onset of the stationary phase, when exponential growth ceases. An exception is the bimodal induction of motility in Bacillus subtilis, which occurs early during exponential growth. Several mechanisms have been put forward to explain this, including double-negative feedback regulation and the stability of the mRNA molecules involved. In this study, we used fluorescence-assisted cell sorting (FACS) to compare the transcriptomes of motile and nonmotile cells and noted that expression of ribosomal genes is lower in motile cells. This was confirmed using an unstable green fluorescent protein (GFP) reporter fused to the strong ribosomal rpsD promoter. We propose that the reduction in ribosomal gene expression in motile cells is the result of a diversion of cellular resources to the synthesis of the chemotaxis and motility systems. In agreement with this, single-cell microscopic analysis showed that motile cells are slightly shorter than nonmotile cells, an indication of slower growth. We speculate that this growth rate reduction can contribute to the bimodal induction of motility during exponential growth. IMPORTANCE To cope with sudden environmental changes, bacteria can use a bet-hedging strategy and generate different types of cells within a population-so-called bimodal differentiation. For example, a Bacillus subtilis culture can contain both motile and nonmotile cells. In this study, we compared the gene expression between motile and nonmotile cells. It appeared that motile cells express fewer ribosomes. To confirm this, we constructed a ribosomal promoter fusion that enabled us to measure expression of this promoter in individual cells. This reporter fusion confirmed our initial finding. The reallocation of cellular resources from ribosome synthesis toward synthesis of the motility apparatus results in a reduction in growth. Interestingly, this growth reduction has been shown to stimulate bimodal differentiation.

Background: Activated epidermal growth factor receptor ( EGFR ) mutation is the main pathogenic cause of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) in Asia. However, the impact of plasma EGFR mutation abundance, especially of the ultra-low abundance of EGFR mutation detected by highly sensitive techniques on clinical outcomes of first-line EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) for advanced NSCLC patients remains unclear., Methods: We qualitatively detected baseline EGFR status of NSCLC tissues using amplification-refractory mutation system and quantified the plasma abundance of EGFR mutations through next-generation sequencing (NGS). Every 8-12 weeks, we performed dynamic detection of plasma mutation abundance and imaging evaluation. We analyzed the association between plasma abundance of EGFR sensitizing mutations, tumor size, tumor shrinkage percentage, concomitant TP53 mutations, and clinical response to TKIs., Results: This prospective study enrolled 135 patients with advanced NSCLC. The objective response rate (ORR) and disease control rate (DCR) for EGFR mutation-positive patients were 50.0% and 87.0%, respectively. When the cutoff value of plasma EGFR mutation abundance was 0.1%, the ORRs of TKI-treated patients were significantly different (60.0% for the >0.1% group vs. 21.4% for the ≤0.1% group, P=0.028). Median progression-free survival (PFS) was significantly longer for participants with a mutation abundance above 0.1% compared to those with a 0.01-0.1% abundance (log rank, P=0.0115). There was no significant association between plasma abundance of EGFR sensitizing mutations and tumor size, tumor shrinkage percentage, or concomitant TP53 mutations. Cox multivariate analysis demonstrated that plasma mutation abundance was an independent predictive factor for PFS [hazard ratio (HR) 2.41, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.12-5.20; P=0.025]. We identified 11 participants with the acquired T790M resistance mutation according to serial dynamic plasma samples., Conclusions: Liquid biopsy screening based on highly sensitive NGS is reliable for detecting drug resistance and actionable somatic mutations. The plasma abundance of the EGFR driver mutation affected clinical response to EGFR-TKIs in advanced NSCLC patients; prolongation of PFS was also observed in patients with an ultra-low abundance of EGFR sensitizing mutations., Competing Interests: Conflicts of Interest: All authors have completed the ICMJE uniform disclosure form (available at http://dx.doi.org/10.21037/atm-20-7155). Dr. HZ and Dr. X Su reports other from Berry Oncology Corporation, outside the submitted work. The other authors have no conflicts of interest to declare., (2021 Annals of Translational Medicine. All rights reserved.)

Gram-positive bacteria divide by forming a thick cross wall. How the thickness of this septal wall is controlled is unknown. In this type of bacteria, the key cell division protein FtsZ is anchored to the cell membrane by two proteins, FtsA and/or SepF. We have isolated SepF homologs from different bacterial species and found that they all polymerize into large protein rings with diameters varying from 19 to 44 nm. Interestingly, these values correlated well with the thickness of their septa. To test whether ring diameter determines septal thickness, we tried to construct different SepF chimeras with the purpose to manipulate the diameter of the SepF protein ring. This was indeed possible and confirmed that the conserved core domain of SepF regulates ring diameter. Importantly, when SepF chimeras with different diameters were expressed in the bacterial host Bacillus subtilis , the thickness of its septa changed accordingly. These results strongly support a model in which septal thickness is controlled by curved molecular clamps formed by SepF polymers attached to the leading edge of nascent septa. This also implies that the intrinsic shape of a protein polymer can function as a mold to shape the cell wall., Competing Interests: The authors declare no competing interest.

This study aims to observe the effect of ω-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids on initiation and elimination of the schistosomiasis inflammatory response and liver fibrosis. The mice infected with the cercariae of Schistosoma japonicum (20 ± cercarie per mice) were separated randomly into several groups. After 60 days, liver tissue samples of all mice were sectioned. Hematoxylin-eosin (HE) staining, Masson staining, the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), and flow cytometry (FCM) were performed. Through HE and Masson staining, the size of egg (ovum) granuloma and the collagen deposited in mice's livers in ω-3 PUFAs and praziquantel mixed groups were less than that of model group and praziquantel treated group. The serum level of IL-13 and TNF-α were lower than that of model group and praziquantel treated group. The indicators of liver fibrosis, such as HA and LN in the group treated with ω-3 PUFAs and praziquantel before the release of soluble eggs antigen (SEA) into blood, were lower than that of model group and praziquantel treated group, respectively. The combined treatment of ω-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids and praziquantel conducted before the release of soluble eggs antigens into the blood decreases liver ovum granulomatous inflammation and fibrosis degree in the schistosomiasis. The mechanism of the ω-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid may be related to the adjustment of the anti-inflammatory and immune responses.

The release of products from microbial cells is an essential process for industrial scale production of bio-based chemicals. However, traditional methods of cell lysis, e.g., mechanical disruption, chemical solvent extraction, and immobilized enzyme degradation, account for a large share of the total production cost. Thus, an efficient cell lysis system is required to lower the cost. This review has focused on our current knowledge of two cell lysis systems, bacteriophage holin-endolysin system, and lipid enzyme hydrolysis system. These systems are controlled by conditionally inducible regulatory apparatus and applied in microbial production of fatty acids and polyhydroxyalkanoates. Moreover, toxin-antitoxin system is also suggested as alternative for its potential applications in cell lysis. Compared with traditional methods of cell disruption, the inducible cell lysis systems are more economically feasible and easier to control and show a promising perspective in industrial production of bio-based chemicals.

This paper investigates if firms under high institutional pressure donate more to disaster relief than firms under lower institutional pressure. By taking Chinese listed companies' donations to May 12, 2008 Wenchuan earthquake as the sample, this research finds that large firms and firms who have political ties donate a significant more to disaster relief than smaller firms and firms who do not have political ties. But the findings indicate that state-owned enterprises (SOEs) donate no more than non SOEs, and service companies donate significantly less than non-service companies. The results of this research partly support the institutional point of view of corporate philanthropy. Firms under high institutional pressure are more likely to donate more than firms facing lower institutional pressure., (Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

This article documents the addition of 512 microsatellite marker loci and nine pairs of Single Nucleotide Polymorphism (SNP) sequencing primers to the Molecular Ecology Resources Database. Loci were developed for the following species: Alcippe morrisonia morrisonia, Bashania fangiana, Bashania fargesii, Chaetodon vagabundus, Colletes floralis, Coluber constrictor flaviventris, Coptotermes gestroi, Crotophaga major, Cyprinella lutrensis, Danaus plexippus, Fagus grandifolia, Falco tinnunculus, Fletcherimyia fletcheri, Hydrilla verticillata, Laterallus jamaicensis coturniculus, Leavenworthia alabamica, Marmosops incanus, Miichthys miiuy, Nasua nasua, Noturus exilis, Odontesthes bonariensis, Quadrula fragosa, Pinctada maxima, Pseudaletia separata, Pseudoperonospora cubensis, Podocarpus elatus, Portunus trituberculatus, Rhagoletis cerasi, Rhinella schneideri, Sarracenia alata, Skeletonema marinoi, Sminthurus viridis, Syngnathus abaster, Uroteuthis (Photololigo) chinensis, Verticillium dahliae, Wasmannia auropunctata, and Zygochlamys patagonica. These loci were cross-tested on the following species: Chaetodon baronessa, Falco columbarius, Falco eleonorae, Falco naumanni, Falco peregrinus, Falco subbuteo, Didelphis aurita, Gracilinanus microtarsus, Marmosops paulensis, Monodelphis Americana, Odontesthes hatcheri, Podocarpus grayi, Podocarpus lawrencei, Podocarpus smithii, Portunus pelagicus, Syngnathus acus, Syngnathus typhle,Uroteuthis (Photololigo) edulis, Uroteuthis (Photololigo) duvauceli and Verticillium albo-atrum. This article also documents the addition of nine sequencing primer pairs and sixteen allele specific primers or probes for Oncorhynchus mykiss and Oncorhynchus tshawytscha; these primers and assays were cross-tested in both species., (© 2009 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.)