Search

Distilled grain waste (DGW) eluted from the Chinese liquor making process poses potential serious environmental problems. The objective of this study is to evaluate the feasibility of converting DGW to biogas by thermophilic dry anaerobic digestion. To improve biogas production, the effects of dilute H 2 SO 4 and thermal pretreatment on DGW were evaluated by biochemical methane potential (BMP) tests. The results indicate that 90 °C thermal pretreatment provided the highest methane production at 212.7 mL/g-VTS add . The long-term thermophilic dry anaerobic digestion process was conducted in a 5-L separable flask for more than 3 years at a volatile total solid (VTS) loading rate of 1 g/kg-sludge/d, using synthetic waste, untreated and 90 °C thermal pretreated DGW as the feedstock, respectively. A higher methane production, 451.6 mL/g-VTS add , was obtained when synthetic waste was used; the methane production decreased to 139.4 mL/g-VTS add when the untreated DGW was used. The 90 °C thermal pretreated DGW increased the methane production to 190.5 mL/g-VTS add , showing an increase of 36.7% in methane production compared with that using untreated DGW. The microbial community structure analysis indicates that the microbial community in the thermophilic dry anaerobic digestion system maintained a similar structure when untreated or pretreated DGW was used, whereas the structure differed significantly when synthetic waste was used as the feedstock.

Ochratoxin A (OTA), a common mycotoxin found in nature, has been implicated as effecting the function of male reproductive systems. OTA exposure has been shown to decrease sperm production and quality, however, the underlying mechanisms remain unknown. In the current investigation boar sperm exposed to 10 and 100μM OTA in vitro for 24h resulted in significantly decreased motility, in the 100μM OTA treatment group when compared with the control group. The level of reactive oxygen species (ROS) was significantly increased in both of the OTA treatment groups. The increase in ROS activated phosphatase and the tensin homolog deleted on chromosome ten (PTEN) and inhibited the activation of protein kinase B (PKB, AKT), activated adenosine 5'-monophosphate (AMP), and activated protein kinase (AMPK) in the exposed sperm. Furthermore, activation of AMPK was enhanced by a decrease in ATPase. These changes culminated in a decline in boar sperm motility. PTEN/AMPK inhibitors significantly inhibited the expression of the two proteins in the OTA treatment group. In addition, there was increased expression of apoptosis markers in the OTA exposed sperm. In conclusion, these data suggest that OTA exposure affects the sperm motility via the AMPK and PTEN signaling pathways., (Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Bisphenol A (BPA) is a well-known endocrine disruptor compound reported to have prostate toxicity. This study aimed to assess the effect of BPA on the proliferation of dorsolateral prostate (DLP) and the expression of epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT)-related genes in aged rats. Male aged SD rats were treated with BPA (10.0, 30.0, and 90.0 µg/kg i.g., daily) or vehicle (i.g., daily) for 3 months. Treatment with BPA resulted in increased the expression of PCNA, DLP weight and DLP epithelial height compared with the control group (P < 0.01); such effects were more obvious at higher BPA doses. 90 µg/kg BPA significantly increased the estrogen to androgen ratio (P < 0.05). The EMT chip showed the BPA induced upregulation of vimentin, Snail, Twist1, and transforming growth factor beta 1, as well as the downregulation of E-cadherin in the DLP. Immunohistochemical data showed that the expression of vimentin, estrogen receptor subtypes, and androgen receptor increased and the expression of E-cadherin decreased in 30 and 90 µg/kg BPA groups. It was concluded that environmental exposure to low doses of BPA might promote the proliferation of DLP in aged rats by increasing the estrogen to androgen ratio and inducing EMT.

Abnormal DNA methylation patterns have been demonstrated to be associated with the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease (AD). The present study aimed to identify differential methylation in the superior temporal gyrus (STG) of patients with late-onset AD based on epigenome-wide DNA methylation data by bioinformatics analysis. The genome-wide DNA methylation data in the STG region of 34 patients with late-onset AD and 34 controls without dementia were recruited from the Gene Expression Omnibus database. Through systemic quality control, differentially methylated CpG sites were determined by the Student's t-test and mean methylation value differences between the two conditions. Hierarchical clustering analysis was applied to assess the classification performance of differentially methylated CpGs. Functional analysis was performed to investigate the biological functions of the genes associated with differentially methylated CpGs. A total of 17,895 differentially methylated CpG sites were initially identified, including 11,822 hypermethylated CpGs and 6,073 hypomethylated CpGs. Further analysis examined 2,211 differentially methylated CpGs (covering 1,991 genes). AD subjects demonstrated distinctive DNA methylation patterns when compared with the controls, with a classification accuracy value of 1. Hypermethylation was mainly detected for genes regulating the cell cycle progression, whereas hypomethylation was observed in genes involved in transcription factor binding. The present study demonstrated widespread and distinctive DNA methylation alterations in late-onset AD. Identification of AD-associated epigenetic biomarkers may allow for the development of novel diagnostic and therapeutic targets.

Hippocampal sharp wave ripples (SWRs) represent irregularly occurring synchronous neuronal population events that are observed during phases of rest and slow wave sleep. SWR activity that follows learning involves sequential replay of training-associated neuronal assemblies and is critical for systems level memory consolidation. SWRs are initiated by CA2 or CA3 pyramidal cells (PCs) and require initial excitation of CA1 PCs as well as participation of parvalbumin (PV) expressing fast spiking (FS) inhibitory interneurons. These interneurons are relatively unique in that they represent the major neuronal cell type known to be surrounded by perineuronal nets (PNNs), lattice like structures composed of a hyaluronin backbone that surround the cell soma and proximal dendrites. Though the function of the PNN is not completely understood, previous studies suggest it may serve to localize glutamatergic input to synaptic contacts and thus influence the activity of ensheathed cells. Noting that FS PV interneurons impact the activity of PCs thought to initiate SWRs, and that their activity is critical to ripple expression, we examine the effects of PNN integrity on SWR activity in the hippocampus. Extracellular recordings from the stratum radiatum of horizontal murine hippocampal hemisections demonstrate SWRs that occur spontaneously in CA1. As compared with vehicle, pre-treatment (120 min) of paired hemislices with hyaluronidase, which cleaves the hyaluronin backbone of the PNN, decreases PNN integrity and increases SWR frequency. Pre-treatment with chondroitinase, which cleaves PNN side chains, also increases SWR frequency. Together, these data contribute to an emerging appreciation of extracellular matrix as a regulator of neuronal plasticity and suggest that one function of mature perineuronal nets could be to modulate the frequency of SWR events., (© 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.)

Purpose: To compare the image quality of navigator-triggered (NT) 3D MR cholangiopancreatography (MRCP) with and without a patient-adapted respiratory training, in clinical patients with painful pancreatobiliary disorders., Materials and Methods: With institutional review board approval, hospitalized patients with painful pancreatobiliary disorders who were scheduled for MRCP study were prospectively enrolled. The numerical rating scale (NRS) of abdominal pain during the examination was recorded. Special patient-adapted respiratory training was conducted before the examination. A control group of patients was enrolled with the same criteria, who received ordinary instructions only (n=60 for each group). A subgroup of patients (n=10) underwent MRCP studies with ordinary instructions first and with patient-adapted training later. Acquisition time was recorded. General image quality, degree of artifacts and visualization of 12 segments of the pancreatobiliary tree were rated on a five-point scale and compared between the groups., Result: Both groups had similar NRS of pain. There was a significant improvement in image quality (p<0.01) as well as visualization of right posterior hepatic duct (p=0.045), left lateral hepatic duct (p=0.037), and pancreatic duct (p<0.01 for head, body and tail segments) in patients receiving respiratory training. The other segments showed no significant differences. The percentage of patients with severe and extensive imaging artifacts decreased from 18.3%(11/60) to 8.3%(5/60). The acquisition time was shorter (175±54s vs 249±67s, p<0.01) in patients with respiratory training., Conclusion: Patient-adapted respiratory training improves the image quality of NT-MRCP in patients with painful pancreatobiliary disorders., (Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier Inc.)

The present study compared the development of various physicochemical properties and the composition of microbial communities involved in the composting process in the solid fraction of dairy manure (SFDM) with a sawdust-regulated SFDM (RDM). The changes in several primary physicochemical properties were similar in the two composting processes, and both resulted in mature end-products within 48days. The bacterial communities in both composting processes primarily comprised Proteobacteria and Bacteroidetes. Firmicutes were predominant in the thermophilic phase, whereas Chloroflexi, Planctomycetes, and Nitrospirae were more abundant in the final mature phase. Furthermore, the succession of bacteria in both groups proceeded in a similar pattern, suggesting that the effects of the bulking material on bacterial dynamics were minor. These results demonstrate the feasibility of composting using only the SFDM, reflected by the evolution of physicochemical properties and the microbial communities involved in the composting process., (Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

BACKGROUND Balloon kyphoplasty (KP) has been widely applied in the treatment of elderly patients with osteoporosis vertebral compression fracture (OVCF), but there has been little research on the pain relief effect. Therefore, we performed this study of patients who received KP. The study included a set of fluoroscopy tests and follow-up evaluation, which aimed to verify the effectiveness of kyphoplasty in controlling back pain associated with OVCFs. MATERIAL AND METHODS Forty-three OVCF patients underwent kyphoplasty: 21 were allocated to an intervention group and 22 were allocated to a control group, and the 2 groups received treatment with different KP instruments. The variation of vertebral height was measured on X-ray and change of signal of MRI was recorded. The pain was assessed by VAS score and diagram, and physical function was evaluated by ODI. The complications after surgery were recorded and collated during 2 years of follow-up. RESULTS The intervention group showed no significant difference on the VAS and ODI compared to the control group (p>0.05). There was no difference in the VAS with different degrees of radiological change (p>0.05). Signal change on MRI imaging was rare. CONCLUSIONS Kyphoplasty is a positive way to alleviate early-onset OVCF pain. The change of BME extent in the treated level is unrelated to the relief of back pain after KP.

Aerobic composting of distilled grain waste (DGW) at different initial pH values adjusted by CaO addition was investigated. Three pH-adjusted treatments with initial pH values of 4 (R1), 5 (R2) and 6 (R3) and a control treatment (R0) with a pH value of 3.5 were conducted simultaneously. The results showed that R0 had an unsuccessful start-up of composting. However, the pH-adjusted treatments produced remarkable results, with a relatively high initial pH being beneficial for the start-up. Within 65days of composting, the degradation of volatile solids (VS) and the physicochemical properties of R2 and R3 displayed similar tendencies, and both produced a mature end-product, while R1 exhibited a lower VS degradation rate, and some of its physicochemical properties indicated the end-product was immature. Quantitative PCR analysis of ammonia oxidizers indicated that the occurrence of nitrification during the composting of DGW could be attributed to the activity of ammonia-oxidizing bacteria., (Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Objective: To investigate the therapeutic efficacy and safety of Gujing Maisiha Tablets combined with natural vitamin E in the treatment of idiopathic asthenospermia., Methods: This study included 135 outpatients with idiopathic asthenospermia received in our hospital from February 2015 to January 2016. We randomly divided them into a treatment group (n = 65, aged 22－44 ［mean 32.8］ yr) and a control group (n = 55, aged 21－43 ［mean 33.7］ yr) to be treated with Gujing Maisiha Tablets combined with natural vitamin E or natural vitamin E only, both for 90 days. We obtained total sperm motility and the percentage of progressively motile sperm (PMS) from the patients before and after medication and evaluated the clinical effects by comparing the collected parameters and pregnancy rates between the two groups., Results: The baseline total sperm motility and PMS were (25.23 ± 5.57)% and (17.53 ± 5.78)% in the treatment group, with no statistically significant differences from (26.05 ± 6.77)% and (15.11 ± 6.55)% in the control (P >0.05). After 90 days of medication, both the treatment and the control groups showed remarkable increases in total sperm motility (［48.73 ± 8.66］% and ［36.54 ± 8.09］%, P <0.05) and PMS (［32.77 ± 6.04］% and ［26.99 ± 6.87］%, P <0.05). However, both total sperm motility and PMS were significantly higher in the treatment than in the control group after medication (P <0.05), and so was the total rate of clinical effectiveness (73.85% vs 54.55%, P <0.05). No adverse reactions were observed in either of the two groups during the treatment., Conclusions: Gujing Maisiha Tablets combined with natural vitamin E is safe and effective for the treatment of idiopathic asthenospermia.

To establish a zero emission process, the post-distillation slurry of a new type of rice shochu (NTRS) was used for the production of health promoting vinegar. Since the NTRS post-distillation slurry contained caproic acid and lactic acid, the effect of these two organic acids on acetic acid fermentation was first evaluated. Based on these results, Acetobacter aceti CICC 21684 was selected as a suitable strain for subsequent production of vinegar. At the laboratory scale, acetic acid fermentation of the NTRS post-distillation slurry in batch mode resulted in an acetic acid concentration of 41.9 g/L, with an initial ethanol concentration of 40 g/L, and the acetic acid concentration was improved to 44.5 g/L in fed-batch mode. Compared to the NTRS post-distillation slurry, the vinegar product had higher concentrations of free amino acids and inhibition of angiotensin I converting enzyme activity. By controlling the volumetric oxygen transfer coefficient to be similar to that of the laboratory scale production, 45 g/L of acetic acid was obtained at the pilot scale, using a 75-L fermentor with a working volume of 40 L, indicating that vinegar production can be successfully scaled up., (Copyright © 2017 The Society for Biotechnology, Japan. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Notopterol, isoimperatorin, volatile oil and extract （water and ethanol) were used as the research objects in this study to investigate the effects of different softening method, slice thickness and drying methods on the quality of Notopterygii Rhizoma et Radix slices, and the experimental data were analyzed by homogeneous distance evaluation method. The results showed that different softening, cutting and drying processes could affect the content of five components in Notopterygii Rhizoma et Radix incisum. The best processing technology of Notopterygii Rhizoma et Radix slices was as follows: non-medicinal parts were removed; mildewed and rot as well as moth-eaten parts were removed; washed by the flowing drinking water; stacked in the drug pool; moistening method was used for softening, where 1/8 volume of water was sprayed for every 1 kg of herbs every 2 h; upper part of herbs covered with clean and moist cotton, and cut into thick slices (2-4 mm) after 12 h moistening until appropriate softness, then received blast drying for 4 h at 50 ℃, and turned over for 2 times during the drying. The process is practical and provides the experimental basis for the standardization of the processing of Notopterygii Rhizoma et Radix, with great significance to improve the quality of Notopterygii Rhizoma et Radix slices., Competing Interests: The authors of this article and the planning committee members and staff have no relevant financial relationships with commercial interests to disclose., (Copyright© by the Chinese Pharmaceutical Association.)

Study on the standardization of Chinese materia medica is an important action for modernization and globalization for traditional Chinese medicine. Standardization on the processing of Chinese herbal pieces is an important part in the study on standardization of Chinese materia medica, so it is of great significance to establish the technical processing standards of Angelicae Sinensis Radix pieces for improving its quality. In this study, single factor experiment was designed to optimize the softening, cutting and drying processes of Angelicae Sinensis Radix. With ferulic acid, Angelicae Sinensis Radix polysaccharide, volatile oil and extracts (water and ethanol) content as the quality index, the effects of different softening, cutting and drying processes on the contents of the five components in Angelicae Sinensis Radix were analyzed, and the normalized distance evaluation method was used to analyze the experimental data. The results showed that the content of five components in Angelicae Sinensis Radix was affected by different softening methods and drying temperature, but the thickness of slice had little effect on the content. The best preparation process for Angelicae Sinensis Radix was as follows: Non-medicinal parts were removed; mildewed and rot as well as moth-eaten parts were removed; washed by the flowing drinking water; stacked in the drug pool; moistening method was used for softening, where 125 mL water was sprayed for every 1 kg of herbs every 2.5 h; upper part of herbs covered with clean and moist cotton, and cut into thin slices (1-2 mm) after 15 h moistening until appropriate softness, with disk thickness of 1-2 cm, then received blast drying for 6 h at 55 ℃, and turned over for 2 times during the drying., Competing Interests: The authors of this article and the planning committee members and staff have no relevant financial relationships with commercial interests to disclose., (Copyright© by the Chinese Pharmaceutical Association.)

Transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β) superfamily members are key regulators for lung development and progress of bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD). The mechanisms by which lipoxin A 4 (LXA 4 ) attenuates development of BPD have not been clarified. Neonatal murine BPD models were inducted by hyperoxia treatment. Neonatal mice were exposed to room air or 85% O 2 hyperoxia with or without treatment with 5S,6R-methyl-LXA 4 or anti-TGF-β antibodies. Mouse lung epithelial cells (MLE-12 cells) and mouse embryonic fibroblasts (NIH/3T3 cells) were cultured in room air or 85% O 2 followed by treatment of LXA 4 , anti-TGF-β antibodies, and let-7c mimic/anti-microRNA transfections. Treatment with 5S,6R-methyl-LXA 4 and anti-TGF-β antibodies both attenuated the mice alveolar simplification induced by hyperoxia. Hyperoxia treatment significantly altered pulmonary basal mRNA and protein expressions of several important extracellular matrix (ECM) and ECM remodeling proteins including fibronectin, α-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA), tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase-1 (TIMP-1), elastin, tenascin C, collagen I, and matrix metalloproteinase-1 (MMP-1). 5S,6R-methyl-LXA 4 and anti-TGF-β antibodies suppressed the mRNA and protein expressions of TGF-β 1 and TGF-βR1 but not TGF-βR2 in the lungs exposed to hyperoxia. Treatment with LXA 4 and anti-TGF-β antibodies alleviated hyperoxia-induced injury of the NIH/3T3 cells identified by morphologic observation and flow cytometry, and expressions of ECM, ECM remodeling proteins, and TGF-β 1 signaling pathway, but reversed by transfection with let-7c anti-miRNA. LXA 4 upregulated the let-7c expression in MLE-12 cells, transfection with let-7c anti-miRNA, inhibited the LXA 4 -induced let-7c expression in MLE-12 cells exposed to hyperoxia and reduced the relative luciferase activity of let-7c binding with let-7c binding sites of the TGF-βR1 3' UTR. Treatment with 5S,6R-methyl-LXA 4 and anti-TGF-β antibodies significantly improved histology, ECM, and ECM remodeling proteins in the lungs isolated from the murine BPD model induced by hyperoxia. The LXA 4 -imparted protective effects on hyperoxia-induced lung injury are mediated by upregulation of let-7c and inhibition of TGF-β 1 and subsequent downregulation of TGF-β 1 signaling pathway.

Two water-stable three-dimensional Mn- and Gd-based metal-organic frameworks (MOFs), {[Mn 2 (Cmdcp) 2 (H 2 O) 2 ]·H 2 O} n (1) and {[Gd(Cmdcp)(H 2 O) 3 ](NO 3 )·3H 2 O} n (2, H 3 CmdcpBr = N-(4-carboxy benzyl)-(3,5-dicarboxyl)pyridinium bromide), have been prepared and analyzed. In vitro magnetic resonance imaging indicated that MOFs 1 and 2 possess relaxivity r 1 values of 17.50 and 13.46 mM -1 ·S -1 , respectively, which are superior to that of the control Gd-DTPA (r 1 = 4.87 mM -1 ·S -1 , DTPA = diethylene triamine pentaacetate). MOFs 1 and 2 also possessed good biocompatibility and low cytotoxicity against a model cell line. In vivo magnetic resonance images of treated Kunming mice indicated that kidneys showed remarkably positive signal enhancement after 15 min with intravenous administration of MOF 1 and the hyperintensity of both kidneys persisted for about 240 min with no obvious tissue damage. MOF 1 is therefore promising in vivo probes for imaging intravascular diseases and renal dysfunction.

ReS 2 films are considered as a promising candidate for optoelectronic applications due to their direct band gap character and optical/electrical anisotropy. However, the direct band gap in a narrow spectrum and the low absorption of atomically thin flakes weaken the prospect for light-harvesting applications. Here, we developed an efficient approach to enhance the performance of a ReS 2 -based phototransistor by coupling CdSe-CdS-ZnS core-shell quantum dots. Under 589 nm laser irradiation, the responsivity of the ReS 2 phototransistor decorated with quantum dots could be enhanced by more than 25 times (up to ∼654 A/W) and the rising and recovery time can be also reduced to 3.2 and 2.8 s, respectively. The excellent optoelectronic performance is originated from the coupling effect of quantum dots light absorber and cross-linker ligands 1,2-ethanedithiol. Photoexcited electron-hole pairs in quantum dots can separate and transfer efficiently due to the type-II band alignment and charge exchange process at the interface. Our work shows that the simple hybrid zero- and two-dimensional hybrid system can be employed for photodetection applications.

Background: Pseudomonas aeruginos a can cause disease and also can be isolated from the skin of healthy people. Additionally, it exhibits certain antimicrobial effects against other microorganisms . Methods: We collected 60 strains of P. aeruginosa and screened their antimicrobial effects against Staphylococcus aureus (ATCC 25923) using the filter paper-disk method, the cross-streaking method and the co-culture method and then evaluated the antimicrobial activity of the chloroform-isolated S. aureus extracts against methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA, Gram-positive cocci), vancomycin intermediate-resistant S. aureus (VISA, Gram-positive cocci), Corynebacterium spp. (CS, Gram-positive bacilli) , Acinetobacter baumannii (AB, Gram-negative bacilli), Moraxella catarrhalis (MC, Gram-negative diplococcus) , Candida albicans (CA, fungi), Candida tropicalis (CT, fungi), Candida glabrata (CG, fungi) and Candida parapsilosis (CP, fungi). Results: The PA06 and PA46 strains have strong antimicrobial effects. High-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) analysis revealed that the major components of PA06 and PA46 that exhibit antimicrobial activity are functionally similar to phenazine-1-carboxylic acid (PCA) and pyocyanin. Preparative HPLC was performed to separate and isolate the 4 major potential antimicrobial components: PA06ER10, PA06ER16, PA06ER23 and PA06ER31. Further, the molecular masses of PA06ER10 (260.1), PA06ER16 (274.1), PA06ER23 (286.1) and PA06ER31 (318.2) were determined by electrospray ionization (ESI) mass spectrometry. Conclusion: P. aeruginosa can produce small molecules with potential antimicrobial activities against MRSA, VISA, CS, MC, CA, CT, CG and CP but not against AB., Competing Interests: Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interest exists.

Recent studies have shown that white matter lesions play an important role in the pathogenesis of schizophrenia. DHF-6 is a novel flavanone derivative synthesized in our laboratory. The purpose of the present study was to investigate the effects of DHF-6 on behavioral changes and white matter pathology in a 0.2% cuprizone-fed C57BL/6 mice model. The results showed that cuprizone induced a decrease in spontaneous alternations in the Y-maze test, an increase in locomotor activity in the open field test, demyelination determined by electron microscopy, a decline in the expression of myelin basic protein (MBP), a decrease in the differentiation of oligodendrocyte precursor cells (OPCs) into mature oligodendrocytes (OLs), and an activation of microglia and astrocytes in the corpus callosum measured by western blot and/or immunocytochemical analyses. Intragastric administration of DHF-6 (25 and 50mg/kg) for 5-weeks increased the spontaneous alternations, reduced locomotor activity, reversed demyelination and MBP decrease, promoted OPCs differentiation into mature OLs, and inhibited the activation of microglia and astrocytes. These results suggest that DHF-6 may improve cognitive impairment and the positive symptoms of schizophrenia by alleviating white matter lesions via facilitating remyelination and inhibiting neuroinflammation, thus may be beneficial in the treatment of schizophrenia., (Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Tuberculosis (TB) is a leading global public health problem. To achieve the end TB strategy, non-invasive markers for diagnosis and treatment monitoring of TB disease are urgently needed, especially in high-endemic countries such as China. Interferon-gamma release assays (IGRAs) and tuberculin skin test (TST), frequently used immunological methods for TB detection, are intrinsically unable to discriminate active tuberculosis (ATB) from latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI). Thus, the specificity of these methods in the diagnosis of ATB is dependent upon the local prevalence of LTBI. The pathogen-detecting methods such as acid-fast staining and culture, all have limitations in clinical application. ImmunoScore (IS) is a new promising prognostic tool which was commonly used in tumor. However, the importance of host immunity has also been demonstrated in TB pathogenesis, which implies the possibility of using IS model for ATB diagnosis and therapy monitoring. In the present study, we focused on the performance of IS model in the differentiation between ATB and LTBI and in treatment monitoring of TB disease. We have totally screened five immunological markers (four non-specific markers and one TB-specific marker) and successfully established IS model by using Lasso logistic regression analysis. As expected, the IS model can effectively distinguish ATB from LTBI (with a sensitivity of 95.7% and a specificity of 92.1%) and also has potential value in the treatment monitoring of TB disease.

It is of utmost importance to construct industrial xylose-fermenting Saccharomyces cerevisiae strains for lignocellulosic bioethanol production. In this study, two xylose isomerase-based industrial S. cerevisiae strains, O7 and P5, were constructed by δ-integration of the xylose isomerase (XI) gene xylA from the fungus Orpinomyces sp. and from the bacterium Prevotella ruminicola, respectively. The xylose consumption of the strains O7 and P5 at 48-h fermentation was 17.71 and 26.10 g/L, respectively, in synthetic medium with xylose as the sole sugar source. Adaptive evolution further improved the xylose fermentation capacity of the two strains to 51.0 and 28.9% in average, respectively. The transcriptomes of these two strains before and after evolution were analyzed using RNA-Seq. The expression levels of the genes involved in cell integrity, non-optimal sugar utilization, and stress response to environment were significantly up-regulated after evolution and did not depend on the origin of xylA; the expression levels of the genes involved in transmembrane transport, rRNA processing, cytoplasmic translation, and other processes were down-regulated. The expression of genes involved in central carbon metabolism was fine-tuned after the evolution. The analysis of transcription factors (TFs) indicated that most of the genes with significant differential expression were regulated by the TFs related to cell division, DNA damage response, or non-optimal carbon source utilization. The results of this study could provide valuable references for the construction of efficient xylose-fermenting XI strains.

Objective: To investigate the gene expression profiles of long non-coding RNAs (lncRNA)in human degenerated intervertebral disc degeneration (IDD). Methods: An lncRNA-mRNA microarray analysis of human nucleus pulposus (NP) was employed. Bioinformatics prediction was also applied to delineate the functional roles of the differentially expressed lncRNAs. Several lncRNAs and mRNAs were chosen for quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) validation. Results: A total of 1 570 lncRNAs expressed in degenerate group compared with the nondegenerate group. Of these, the expression level of 428 lncRNAs was upregulated >2-fold compared with nondegenerate group while that of 584 was downregulated. Bioinformatics analysis (GO and pathway analyses) revealed that some classical pathways participating in extracellular matrix (ECM) and cell apoptosis were aberrantly expressed in the intervertebral disc ( P <0.05). Enhancer-like lncRNAs and their nearby coding genes were analyzed. Three lncRNAs were identified as potential enhancers. Several lncRNAs were validated in the intervertebral disc using RT-qPCR. Conclusion: The lncRNAs express differentially in the intervertebral disc. LncRNAs may therefore be novel candidate biomarkers and potential targets for intervertebral disc degeneration therapy in the future.

Immunotherapy has become one of the most promising therapies for the treatment of diseases. Synthetic immunostimulants and nanomaterial immunostimulant systems are indispensable for the activation of the immune system in cancer immunotherapy. Herein, a strategy for preparing self-assembled nano-immunostimulants (SANIs) for synergistic immune activation is reported. Three immunostimulants self-assemble into nanoparticles through electrostatic interactions. SANIs showed strong synergistic immunostimulation in macrophages. SANIs could also induce a strong antitumor immune response to inhibit tumor growth in mice and act as an efficient adjuvant of antitumor vaccines. Therefore, SANIs may be generally applied in cancer immunotherapy. This novel SANI strategy provides a new way for the development of both immunostimulants and -suppressants., (© 2017 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.)

We investigated the clinical significance of mechanical ventilation on ischemic-reperfusion injury caused by lung chest trauma as well as vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) expression levels in peripheral blood. Sixty-eight patients with severe chest trauma complicated with acute respiratory distress syndrome that were treated at our Tianjin Hospital from September 2013 to July 2016 were recruited. These patients were randomly and evenly divided into two groups, the research group and the control group. Thirty-four age and gender matched healthy people were selected as the normal group. Routine treatment was given to both the research and control groups, but mechanical ventilation was used in the research group. We detected pulmonary vascular resistance (PVR) and alveolar-arterial oxygen difference (AaDO 2 ) for patients in both groups before treatment, and after treatment for 1, 3, 6 and 12 h. We also tested PMN, superoxide dismutase (SOD), malondialdehyde (MDA), NO and Ang II value 30 min before and after treatment. We used the ELISA-test to detect VEGF expression levels in peripheral blood, followed by a statistical analysis. PVR levels of different time points in the research group were significantly lower than control group after treatment. The AaDO 2 value of the control group is much smaller than research group (P<0.5) after treatment for 1, 3 or 6 h. PMN count difference and MDA level in the research group is significantly lower than the control group after treatment for 30 min, but SOD and NO levels are much higher. Ang II levels of the research group in left atrial blood is significantly lower than control group (P<0.05). By comparing the hospitalization times, we found that patients in the research group have a shorter duration in hospital than the control group; differences are statistically significant (P<0.05). Additionally, compared to control group, research group VEGF expression levels in peripheral blood are significantly lower (P<0.05). Therefore, mechanical ventilation can reduce the high VEGF expression levels in serum caused by ischemic-reperfusion and can be used for clinical application.

Efficient ethanol production from waste paper requires the addition of expensive nutrients. To reduce the production cost of ethanol from waste paper, a study on how to produce ethanol efficiently by adding kitchen waste (potentially as a carbon source, nutrient source, and acidity regulator) to waste paper was performed and a process of successive liquefaction, presaccharification, and simultaneous saccharification and fermentation (L+PSSF) was developed. The individual saccharification performances of waste paper and kitchen waste were not influenced by their mixture. Liquefaction of kitchen waste at 90°C prior to presaccharification and simultaneous saccharification and fermentation (PSSF) was essential for efficient ethanol fermentation. Ethanol at concentrations of 46.6 or 43.6g/l was obtained at the laboratory scale after fermentation for 96h, even without pH adjustment and/or the addition of extra nutrients. Similarly, ethanol at a concentration of 45.5g/l was obtained at the pilot scale after fermentation for 48h. The ethanol concentration of L+PSSF of the mixture of waste paper and kitchen waste was comparable to that of PSSF of waste paper with added nutrients (yeast extract and peptone) and pH adjustment using H 2 SO 4 , indicating that kitchen waste is not only a carbon source but also an excellent nutrient source and acidity regulator for fermentation of the mixture of waste paper and kitchen waste., (Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier Ltd.)

A magnetic bead purification method was successfully used to extract ancient DNA from the skeletal remains of 10 specimens excavated from Wuzhuangguoliang (Wzhgl) site, which was located in northern Shaanxi. The multidimensional scaling (MDS) and analysis of molecular variance approach (AMOVA) revealed that ancient Wzhgl people bored a very high similarity to southern Han Chinese. By constructing the MJ-network of various modern people including Han Chinese and Japanese, the phylogenetic analysis indicated that the Wzhgl population had close maternal distance with ancient Shandong and Xinjiang people. These findings indicated that Wzhgl contributed to the gene pool of Han Chinese and modern Japanese. In addition, population migration and interflow between Wzhgl people and ancient Shandong or Xinjiang probably occurred in Neolithic period.

Objective: To evaluate whether mono (2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (MEHP) affects genomic DNA methylation and the methylation status of some specific genes such as patched gene (PTCH) and smoothened gene (SMO) in LNCaP cells., Methods: LNCaP cells were treated with MEHP (0, 1, 5, 10, and 25 μmol/L) for 3 days. An ELISA assay was preformed to detect genomic methylation, including 5-methylcytosine (5-mC) and 5-hydroxymethylcytosine (5-hmC) content. A pyrosequencing assay was applied to assess DNA methylation in PTCH and SMO gene promoters. The correlation between DNA methylation and gene expression was assessed., Results: The proportion of cytosines with 5-mC methylation in LNCaP cells was significantly decreased by MEHP (1, 5, 10, and 25 μmol/L) in a dose-dependent manner (P < 0.01). For genes in the Hedgehog pathway, there was no significant MEHP concentration-dependent difference in the DNA methylation of PTCH and SMO., Conclusion: MEHP might affect the progression of prostate cancer through its effect on global DNA methylation., (Copyright © 2017 The Editorial Board of Biomedical and Environmental Sciences. Published by China CDC. All rights reserved.)

Background: Using high-resolution magnetic resonance imaging (HRMRI), we sought to investigate the underlying etiology of intracranial stenosis in young patients., Methods: We retrospectively studied 122 Chinese young adult patients (from 18 to 45 years old, mean age 36.2±7.5 years) with unilateral middle cerebral artery (MCA) stenosis based on a prospectively established HRMRI database. The eccentricity, degree of stenosis, and remodeling types of MCA lesions were analyzed. The MCA lesions were classified as eccentric (presumed atherosclerosis) or concentric stenosis (presumed non-atherosclerosis). The clinical data and vessel wall properties were compared between the patients >35 years old and the patients ≤35 years old., Results: Eccentric stenosis was observed in 98 (80.3%) patients and concentric stenosis in 24 (19.7%) patients. The patients with eccentric stenosis were older (37.5±6.8 vs. 31.4±8.4 years old, P<0.001) and more likely had atherosclerosis risk factors (56.1% vs. 25.0%, P=0.006). The patients >35 years old had higher prevalence (90.1% vs. 66.7%, P=0.001) of eccentric stenosis and atherosclerosis factors (60.6% vs. 35.3%, P=0.006) than the patients ≤35 years old. Most of the patients with concentric stenosis were ≤35 years old (17/24, 70.8%) and were female (16/24, 66.7%). Binary Logistic analysis suggested smoking (OR =3.171; 95% CI, 1.210-8.314) and remodeling ratio (OR =1.625; 95% CI, 1.001-2.636) were independent predictive factors for symptomatic stenosis., Conclusions: Atherosclerosis is the most common cause of intracranial stenosis in Chinese young patients. Non-atherosclerosis disease is an important etiology in young female, especially in the patients aged 35 years old or younger., Competing Interests: Conflicts of Interest: The authors have no conflicts of interest to declare.

Objective: To investigate the effect of high mechanical stretch stress(HMS)on human nucleus pulposus cells and its regulatory mechanism. Methods: The non-degenerated nucleus pulposus tissue (Pfirrmann

Objective: To assess the effects of axial vibrations on gene expression and lumbar intervertebral disc degeneration in vivo., Methods: A modified bipedal rat model was established using a brachial plexus rhizotomy approach to imitate human upright posture. The experimental animals were randomly divided into three groups: control, vertical vibration, and whole-body vibration. Gene expression in degeneration of the intervertebral discs was assessed by reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction., Results: The expression of aggrecan, Col1α1, Col2α1, and decorin were shown to be up-regulated in 14-week-old rats in the vertical vibration and whole-body vibration groups, whereas biglycan and versican expression was down-regulated in 14-week-old rats of the two experimental groups. Furthermore, biglycan and versican expression levels were shown to be lower in the whole-body vibration group than in the vertical vibration group (P < 0.05)., Conclusions: This in-vivo study demonstrated that vibrations can influence the expression of anabolic genes. Furthermore, whole-body vibrations seem to have a greater effect in this regard than vertical vibrations. A new method is expected to relieve the low back pain of the patients through our research., (Copyright © 2017 Hainan Medical University. Production and hosting by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Prostaglandin synthase (PGS) can catalyze the production of various types of prostaglandins and regulate the expression levels of related substances. The regulation mechanisms of the PGS gene are closely related with the occurrence and development of prostate diseases. However, few studies are reported on the regulation mechanisms of PGS in prostatic diseases, such as benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) and prostate cancer (PCa), or on the relationship between PGS gene regulation and prostate diseases. This review aims to analyze their correlation and provide some ideas for the prevention and control of BPH and PCa by intervention of the prostaglandin synthase regulatory pathway.

Objective: To investigate the influence of extremely low-frequency magnetic field on periodical expression of cryptochrome ( Cry ) gene in mouse embryonic fibroblast NIH3T3 cells. Methods: The NIH3T3 cells were divided into magnetic field group and sham-exposure group. The NIH3T3 cells in the magnetic field group were stimulated by horse serum and then exposed to an extremely low-frequency magnetic field (50 Hz and 0.3 mT) for 48 hours, and those in the sham-exposure group were also stimulated by horse serum and then exposed to a coil for 48 hours. The NIH3T3 cells were collected, total RNA was extracted, and cDNA was obtained via reverse transcription. Real-time fluorescent quantitative RT-PCR was used to measure the changes in transcription cycles of Cry and Period genes in both groups. Results: There was no significant difference in the proliferation rate at 0, 12, 24, and 48 hours of exposure between the two groups ( P >0.05) . Both sham-exposure group and magnetic field group showed a rhythmic change in the expression of Cry gene, and compared with the sham-exposure group, the magnetic field group had a significantly shortened circadian rhythm of Cry gene in NIH3T3 cells ( t =2.57, P <0.05) . Both groups had rhythmic and periodical expression of Period gene and there was no significant difference between the two groups ( t =0.70, P >0.05) . Conclusion: Extremely low-frequency magnetic field can significantly shorten the circadian rhythm of Cry gene in mouse embryonic fibroblasts, while there is no significant change in the circadian rhythm of Period gene.

Neuropathological injury in the mammalian adult central nervous system (CNS) may cause axon disruption, neuronal death and lasting neurological deficits. Failure of axon regeneration is one of the major challenges for CNS functional recovery. Recently, the cAMP/PKA signaling pathway has been proven to be a critical regulator for neuronal regeneration, neuroplasticity, learning and memory. Also, previous studies have shown the effects of Chinese medicines on the prevention and treatment of CNS dysfunction mediated in part by cAMP/PKA signaling. In this review, the authors discuss current knowledge of the role of cAMP/PKA signaling pathway in neuronal regeneration and provide an overview of the Chinese medicines that may enable CNS functional recovery via this signaling pathway., (Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Candida glabrata is an increasingly important cause of invasive candidiasis. In China, relatively little is known of the molecular epidemiology of C. glabrata and of its antifungal susceptibility patterns. Here we studied 411 non-duplicate C. glabrata isolates from 411 patients at 11 hospitals participating in the National China Hospital Invasive Fungal Surveillance Net program (CHIF-NET; 2010-2014). Genotyping was performed using multilocus sequence typing (MLST) employing six genetic loci and by microsatellite analysis. Antifungal susceptibility testing was performed using Sensititre YeastOne™ YO10 methodology. Of 411 isolates, 35 sequence types (ST) were identified by MLST and 79 different genotypes by microsatellite typing; the latter had higher discriminatory power than MLST in the molecular typing of C. glabrata . Using MLST, ST7 and ST3 were the most common STs (66.4 and 9.5% of all isolates, respectively) with 24 novel STs identified; the most common microsatellite types were T25 (30.4% of all isolates) and T31 (12.4%). Resistance to fluconazole (MIC > 32 μg/mL) was seen in 16.5% (68/411) of isolates whilst MICs of >0.5 μg/mL for voriconazole, >2 μg/mL for itraconazole and >2 μg/mL for posaconazole were seen for 28.7, 6.8, and 7.3% of isolates, respectively; 14.8% of all isolates cross-resistant/non-wide-type to fluconazole and voriconazole. Fluconazole resistant rates increased 3-fold over the 5-year period whilst that of isolates with non-WT MICs to voriconazole, 7-fold. All echinocandins exhibited >99% susceptibility rates against all isolates but notably one isolate exhibited multi-drug resistance to the azoles and echinocandins. The study has provided a global picture of the molecular epidemiology and drug resistance rates of C. glabrata in China during the period of the study.

Objective: To investigate the changes in the expression of NF-κB signaling pathway in human degenerative intervertebral discs. Methods: From October 2014 to March 2016, 55 nucleus pulposus of surgical patients with degenerative human intervertebral disc were collected for study in Department of Orthopedic Surgey, Hospital of Zaozhuang Mining Corporation, and Department of Orthopedics, Shanghai General Hospital Affiliated Shanghai Jiaotong University, School of Medicine.The collected nucleus pulposus tissues were divided into two groups: experimental group(30) and control group(25). Cell culture observed normal and degenerative nucleus pulposus cells morphological changes; immunofluorescence observed NF-κB p65 changes in the nucleus of nucleus pulposus cells.Real-time PCR was observed changes in aggregated proteoglycans and matrix metalloproteinase gene mRNA.Finally, the use of blockers of nucleus pulposus cells were treated 24 hours, Western blot analysis the changing of p65, ADAMTS-4, MMP-13, aggregate proteoglycans and collagen Ⅱ protein expression. Results: Compared with the experimental group, the nucleus pulposus cells in the control group had larger cell volume, abundant cytoplasm and faster growth rate.Cell immunofluorescence show Nondegenerative nucleus pulposus cells p65 protein was mainly localized in the cytoplasm, degeneration of nucleus pulposus cells p65 protein was mainly concentrated in the nucleus.RT-PCR showed degenerative group of matrix metalloproteinases (MMP-1, MMP-3, MMP-13), aggrecanase(ADAMTS-4, ADAMTS-5) and IL-6 mRNA expression was significantly higher than Nondegenerative group; aggrecan and type Ⅱ collagen expression than those without degeneration group was significantly lower.Expression of nucleus pulposus degeneration in nuclear protein p65 with the degenerative level increased gradually increased.BAY11-7082 blocked the activity of NF-κB signaling pathway, which could significantly down-regulate the expression of ADAMTS-4 and MMP-13 protein and significantly up-regulate the expression of Agg and COLⅡ protein.With the increase of BAY11-7082 concentration, gradually strengthened. Conclusion: The activation of the NF-κB signaling pathway in a degenerative intervertebral disc is gradually increased, regulating the over-expression of matrix-degrading enzymes.It plays an important role in the degradation of extra-cellular matrix.

BACKGROUND The definition of a vertebral fracture is usually based on the presence of a deformation of the vertebral body and this can be misleading in the presence of a fracture without radiologic collapse with the definition of occult osteoporotic vertebral fractures (OOVFs). STIR sequence of MRI images showing hyperintensity signal was the most confirmative screening examination used to determine the presence of painful OOVFs. To date, clinical management of OOVFs has been rarely discussed. MATERIAL AND METHODS Between 2011 and 2013, 89 patients suffering from painful OOVFs underwent 142 percutaneous balloon kyphoplasty (PKP) procedures. Outcome data (mean variation of anterior and middle vertebral body height, visual analog scale [VAS] scores, Oswestry Disability Index [ODI] scores, and SF-36 scores) were recorded preoperatively, postoperatively, and at 1 month, 6 months, and 2 year after treatment, to evaluate the results. RESULTS We successfully treated 89 patients (142 vertebral bodies) with PKP. Cement leakages were observed in 12 (8.45%) treated vertebral bodies and there were 5 new adjacent vertebral fractures during the follow-up period. The mean variation of anterior and middle vertebral body height changed from 96.5±3.4% preoperatively to 97.2±2.5% postoperatively (p>0.05) and from 96.3±2.8% preoperatively to 97.9±3.1% postoperatively (p>0.05), respectively. The mean VAS scores were reduced significantly from pre-surgery to post-surgery (8.3±1.2 to 2.9±0.7; p<0.05), as was the ODI score (76.4±12.5 to 26.7±5.6; p<0.05). The SF-36 scores, including Bodily Pain (BF), Vitality (VT), Physical Function (PF), and Social Functioning (SF), all showed notable improvement (P<0.05). These variations were maintained during the 2-year follow-up period. CONCLUSIONS PKP is a safe and effective method in the treatment of painful OOVFs.

A facile one-pot method is proposed for the fabrication of yolk-shell mesoporous silica nanoparticles with high special surface area. The particle size can be well controlled by moderately tuning some experimental parameters.

Clearance of amyloid β (Aβ) by immunotherapy is one of the fancy methods to treat Alzheimer's disease (AD). However, the failure of some clinical trials suggested that there may be something ignored in the past development of immunotherapy. Pyroglutamate-3 Aβ (Aβ pE3-X ), which was found to be abundant in the patients' brain, has attracted much attention after the report that Aβ pE3-42 could serve as a template to exacerbate the aggregation of Aβ. In addition, Aβ pE3-X could not be recognized by the antibodies targeting the N-terminus of Aβ, suggesting that Aβ pE3-X maybe the ignored one. Indeed, passive immunization targeting Aβ pE3-X has shown some beneficial results, while active immunotherapy has not been extensively studied. In the present study, we designed and synthesized a novel peptide vaccine targeting Aβ pE3-X , which contains Aβ pE3-15 as B cell epitope and P2 as T cell epitope. We showed that this vaccine could induce strong antibody response to Aβ pE3-X . We also showed that prophylactic immunization of AD model mice with our vaccine could reduce Aβ plaques and rescue cognitive decline. This new kind of Aβ vaccine will open up new directions for AD immunotherapy.

The pharmacological activities of natural glycosides are closely related to the polyfunctional sugar moieties. Modification of active natural products by glycosylation can change the stereochemical configuration, improve the solubility, tune up the activities and change pharmacokinetic properties for higher efficacy and better selectivity. Compared with the common D-glucose, D-allose, a C-3 epimer of D-glucose rarely exists in nature, but it plays an important role in food, health, medicine, and so on. It is not easily metabolized in the living organisms, but can be used as a safe and low-calorie sweetener. The natural allopyranosides are absolute conjugation forms which are same as other glucopyranosides and rhamnopyranosides with a broad array of biological activities. This article summarizes the major progresses made in phytochemistry and biological activity studies of these compounds. Structure-activity relationship analyses of partial anti-tumor and anti-diabetic allopyranosides were performed regarding the data reported in the literatures. These insights may provide a theoretical and experimental reference for the discovery of new drug and drug design based on allopyranosides.

In order to develop a resource recycling-oriented society, an efficient anaerobic co-digestion process for garbage, excreta and septic tank sludge was studied based on the quantity of each biomass waste type discharged in Ooki machi, Japan. The anaerobic digestion characteristics of garbage, excreta and 5-fold condensed septic tank sludge (hereafter called condensed sludge) were determined separately. In single-stage mesophilic digestion, the excreta with lower C/N ratios yielded lower biogas volumes and accumulated higher volumes of volatile fatty acid (VFA). On the other hand, garbage allowed for a significantly larger volatile total solid (VTS) digestion efficiency as well as biogas yield by thermophilic digestion. Thus, a two-stage anaerobic co-digestion process consisting of thermophilic liquefaction and mesophilic digestion phases was proposed. In the thermophilic liquefaction of mixed condensed sludge and household garbage (wet mass ratio of 2.2:1), a maximum VTS loading rate of 24g/L/d was achieved. In the mesophilic digestion of mixed liquefied material and excreta (wet mass ratio of 1:1), biogas yield reached approximately 570ml/g-VTS fed with a methane content of 55% at a VTS loading rate of 1.0g/L/d. The performance of the two-stage process was evaluated by comparing it with a single-stage process in which biomass wastes were treated separately. Biogas production by the two-stage process was found to increase by approximately 22.9%. These results demonstrate the effectiveness of a two-stage anaerobic co-digestion process in enhancement of biogas production., (Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

In recent years, owing to the abuse of antibiotics, the widespread of resistant bacterial strains became a serious threat to public health. This status demands development of new antibacterial agents with novel mechanisms of action. The reason for the limited new antibacterials is the small number of effective therapeutic targets, which cannot meet the current needs for the multiple drug-resistant treatment. Screening for new targets is the key step in the development of novel antibacterial agents. Peptidoglycan is the main component of the cell wall of bacteria, which is essential for survival of pathogenic bacteria. Within the biochemical pathway for peptidoglycan biosynthes is the Murligases, described in this review as highly potential targets for the development of new classes of antibacterial agents. This review provides an in-depth insight into the recent developments in the field of inhibitors of the Mur enzymes (MurA-F). Moreover, the reasons for the lack of candidate inhibitors and the challenges to overcome the hurdles are also discussed.

Digested residue remained at the end of a process for the production of fuel ethanol and methane from kitchen garbage. To develop a zero-emission process, the compostability of the digested residue was assessed to obtain an added-value fertilizer. Composting of the digested residue by adding matured compost and a bulking agent was performed using a lab-scale composting reactor. The composting process showed that volatile total solid (VTS) degradation mainly occurred during the first 13days, and the highest VTS degradation efficiency was about 27% at the end. The raw material was not suitable as a fertilizer due to its high NH 4 + and volatile fatty acids (VFAs) concentration. However, the composting process produced remarkable results; the physicochemical properties indicated that highly matured compost was obtained within 62days of the composting process, and the final N concentration, NO 3 - concentration, and the germination index (GI) at the end of the composting process was 16.4gkg -1 -TS, 9.7gkg -1 -TS, and 151%, respectively. Real-time quantitative PCR (qPCR) analysis of ammonia oxidizers indicated that the occurrence of nitrification during the composting of digested residue was attributed to the activity of ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB)., (Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Kitchen waste is rich in carbohydrates and can potentially serve as feedstock for ethanol production. Starch was the primary carbohydrate in kitchen waste obtained from the canteen in the Sichuan University, which was used to evaluate long-term ethanol fermentation performance in this study. The optimal conditions for liquefaction and saccharification of the kitchen waste were as follows: adding α-amylase at 0.3 μL/g glucan for liquefaction at 90°C for 30 min, and adding glucoamylase at 4 μL/g glucan for saccharification at 50°C. Glucose yield obtained under the optimal conditions was over 80%. Addition of cellulase did not enhance glucose yield, but decreased the viscosity of the saccharified slurry. Repeated-batch presaccharification followed by simultaneous saccharification and fermentation of 20 batches was successfully carried out at an aeration of 0.1 vvm. Ethanol concentration of 43.9-45.0 g/L was achieved, corresponding to ethanol yield and productivity of 88.9-91.2% and 3.3-3.5 g/L/h, respectively, and the CO 2 /ethanol molar ratio was approximately 1. Continuous PSSF was stably carried out at a dilution rate of ≤0.3 h -1 . Productivity was 11.5 g/L/h at a dilution rate of 0.3 h -1 . Ethanol concentration and yield were 42.0 g/L and 82.8% at a dilution rate of 0.2 h -1 , respectively.

Production of ethanol from xylose by recombinant Saccharomyces cerevisiae is suboptimal with slow fermentation rate, compared with that from glucose. In this study, a strain-expressing Scheffersomyces stipitis xylose reductase-xylitol dehydrogenase (XR-XDH) pathway was subjected to adaptive evolution on xylose; this approach generated populations with the significantly improved cell growth and ethanol production rate. Mutants were isolated, and the best one was used for sporulation to generate eight stable mutant strains with improved xylose fermentation ability. They were used in a microarray assay to study the molecular basis of the enhanced phenotype. The enriched transcriptional differences among the eight mutant strains and the native strain revealed novel responses to xylose, which likely contributes to the improved xylose utilization. The upregulated vitamin B1 and B6 biosynthesis indicated that thiamine served as an important cofactor in xylose metabolism and may alleviate the redox stress. The increased expression of genes involved in sulfur amino acid biosynthesis and the decreased expression of genes related to Fe(II) transport may alleviate redox stress as well. Meanwhile, it was remarkable that several glucose-repressible genes, including genes of the galactose metabolism, gluconeogenesis, and ethanol catabolism, had a lower expression level after adaptive evolution. Concomitantly, the expression levels of two regulators of the glucose signaling pathway, Rgs2 and Sip4, decreased, indicating a reshaped signaling pathway to xylose after adaptive evolution. Our findings provide new targets for construction of a superior bioethanol producing strain through inverse metabolic engineering.

Tumor necrosis factor (TNF) ligand related molecule 1A (TL1A), also termed TNF superfamily member 15 and vascular endothelial growth inhibitor is important for tumorigenicity and autoimmunity. However, the function of TL1A in diabetic retinopathy (DR) remains to be elucidated. The present study established a diabetes mellitus (DM) rat model to investigate TL1A, vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), tumor necrosis factor‑α (TNF‑α) and interleukin‑1β (IL‑1β) expression levels in the retina, vitreous and serum of rats with DM at different stages (1 month group, 3 month group and 6 month group). The present study determined that TL1A expression levels in the retina and vitreous from the DM 1 month group were significantly lower compared with the control group. However, TL1A levels in the retina and vitreous were significantly increased in advanced stages of DM compared with the control group. Furthermore, the levels of VEGF in the retina and vitreous were significantly higher in the DM groups compared with the control group. The expression levels of TNF‑α and IL‑1β in the retina and vitreous were significantly higher in DM 3 month and 6 month groups compared with the control group. It is of note that the expression levels of TL1A were significantly lower in the DM 1 and 3 month groups compared with the control group; however, they were significantly increased in the DM 6 month group compared with the DM 3 month group. The expression levels of VEGF, TNF‑α and IL‑1β in blood serum have been observed to exhibit similar expression change dynamics as those of the retina and vitreous. Therefore, these findings suggest that TL1A may be a protective factor of DR, and may provide a rationale for the development of novel therapeutic strategies to treat DR.

Low-altitude unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) remote sensing system overcomes the deficiencies of space and aerial remote sensing system in resolution, revisit period, cloud cover and cost, which provides a novel method for ecological research on mesoscale. This study introduced the composition of UAV remote sensing system, reviewed its applications in species, population, community and ecosystem ecology research. Challenges and opportunities of UAV ecology were identified to direct future research. The promising research area of UAV ecology includes the establishment of species morphology and spectral characteristic data base, species automatic identification, the revelation of relationship between spectral index and plant physiological processes, three-dimension monitoring of ecosystem, and the integration of remote sensing data from multi resources and multi scales. With the development of UAV platform, data transformation and sensors, UAV remote sensing technology will have wide application in ecology research.

Objectives: The role of body mass index (BMI) in lymphoma survival outcomes is controversial. The prognostic significance of BMI in extranodal natural killer (NK)/T-cell lymphoma (ENKTL) is unclear. We evaluated the prognostic role of BMI in patients with ENKTL., Methods: We retrospectively analyzed 742 patients with newly diagnosed ENKTL. The prognostic value of BMI was compared between patients with low BMIs (< 20.0 kg/m2) and patients with high BMIs (≥ 20.0 kg/m2). The prognostic value of the International Prognostic Index (IPI) and the Korean Prognostic Index (KPI) was also evaluated and compared with that of the BMI classification., Results: Patients with low BMIs tended to exhibit higher Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status (ECOG PS) scores (≥ 2) (P = 0.001), more frequent B symptoms (P < 0.001), lower albumin levels (P < 0.001), higher KPI scores (P = 0.03), and lower rates of complete remission (P < 0.001) than patients with high BMIs, as well as inferior progression-free survival (PFS, P = 0.003), and inferior overall survival (OS, P = 0.001). Multivariate analysis demonstrated that age > 60 years, mass > 5 cm, stage III/IV, elevated LDH levels, albumin levels < 35 g/L and low BMIs were independent adverse predictors of OS. The BMI classification was found to be superior to the IPI with respect to predicting patient outcomes among low-risk patients and the KPI with respect to distinguishing between intermediate-low- and high-intermediate-risk patients., Conclusions: Higher BMI at the time of diagnosis is associated with improved overall survival in ENKTL. Using the BMI classification may improve the IPI and KPI prognostic models.

Thermophilic dry methane fermentation is advantageous for feedstock with high solid content. Distillation residue with 65.1 % moisture content was eluted from ethanol fermentation of kitchen waste and subjected to thermophilic dry methane fermentation, after adjusting the moisture content to 75 %. The effect of carbon to nitrogen (C/N) ratio on thermophilic dry methane fermentation was investigated. Results showed that thermophilic dry methane fermentation could not be stably performed for >10 weeks at a C/N ratio of 12.6 and a volatile total solid (VTS) loading rate of 1 g/kg sludge/d; however, it was stably performed at a C/N ratio of 19.8 and a VTS loading rate of 3 g/kg sludge/d with 83.4 % energy recovery efficiency. Quantitative PCR analysis revealed that the number of bacteria and archaea decreased by two orders of magnitude at a C/N ratio of 12.6, whereas they were not influenced at a C/N ratio of 19.8. Microbial community analysis revealed that the relative abundance of protein-degrading bacteria increased and that of organic acid-oxidizing bacteria and acetic acid-oxidizing bacteria decreased at a C/N ratio of 12.6. Therefore, there was accumulation of NH 4 + and acetic acid, which inhibited thermophilic dry methane fermentation.

Background: Abnormal maturation of brain connectivity is supposed to underlie the dysfunctional emotion regulation in patients with bipolar disorder (BD). To test this hypothesis, white matter integrity is usually investigated using measures of water diffusivity provided by MRI. Here we consider a more intuitive aspect of the morphometry of the white matter tracts: the shape of the fibre bundles, which is associated with neurodevelopment. We analyzed the shape of 3 tracts involved in BD: the cingulum (CG), uncinate fasciculus (UF) and arcuate fasciculus (AF)., Methods: We analyzed diffusion MRI data in patients with BD and healthy controls. The fibre bundles were reconstructed using Q-ball-based tractography and automated segmentation. Using Isomap, a manifold learning method, the differences in the shape of the reconstructed bundles were visualized and quantified., Results: We included 112 patients and 82 controls in our analysis. We found the left AF of patients to be further extended toward the temporal pole, forming a tighter hook than in controls. We found no significant difference in terms of shape for the left UF, the left CG or the 3 right fasciculi. However, in patients compared with controls, the ventrolateral branch of the left UF in the orbitofrontal region had a tendency to be larger, and the left CG of patients had a tendency to be smaller in the frontal lobe and larger in the parietal lobe., Limitations: This was a cross-sectional study., Conclusion: Our results suggest neurodevelopmental abnormalities in the left AF in patients with BD. The statistical tendencies observed for the left UF and left CG deserve further study.