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Abstract: The hypothalamic paraventricular nucleus (PVN) plays a central role in regulating cardiovascular activity and blood pressure. We administered hydroxylamine hydrochloride (HA), a cystathionine-β-synthase inhibitor, into the PVN to suppress endogenous hydrogen sulfide and investigate its effects on the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathway in high salt (HS)-induced hypertension. We randomly divided 40 male Dahl salt-sensitive rats into 4 groups: the normal salt (NS) + PVN vehicle group, the NS + PVN HA group, the HS + PVN vehicle group, and the HS + PVN HA group, with 10 rats in each group. The rats in the NS groups were fed a NS diet containing 0.3% NaCl, while the HS groups were fed a HS diet containing 8% NaCl. The mean arterial pressure was calculated after noninvasive measurement using an automatic sphygmomanometer to occlude the tail cuff once a week. HA or vehicle was infused into the bilateral PVN using Alzet osmotic mini pumps for 6 weeks after the hypertension model was successfully established. We measured the levels of H 2 S in the PVN and plasma norepinephrine using enzyme linked immunosorbent assay. In addition, we assessed the parameters of the MAPK pathway, inflammation, and oxidative stress through western blotting, immunohistochemical analysis, or real-time polymerase chain reaction. In this study, we discovered that decreased levels of endogenous hydrogen sulfide in the PVN contributed to the onset of HS-induced hypertension. This was linked to the activation of the MAPK signaling pathway, proinflammatory cytokines, and oxidative stress in the PVN, as well as the activation of the sympathetic nervous system., Competing Interests: The authors report no conflicts of interest., (Copyright © 2024 The Author(s). Published by Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc.)

Tigecycline serves as a last-resort antimicrobial agent against severe infections caused by multidrug-resistant bacteria. Tet(X) and its numerous variants encoding flavin-dependent monooxygenase can confer resistance to tigecycline, with tet (X4) being the most prevalent variant. This study aims to investigate the prevalence and characterize tigecycline resistance gene tet (X) in E. coli isolates from various origins in Yangzhou, China, to provide insights into tet (X) dissemination in this region. In 2022, we tested the presence of tet (X) in 618 E. coli isolates collected from diverse sources, including patients, pig-related samples, chicken-related samples, and vegetables in Yangzhou, China. The antimicrobial susceptibility of tet (X)-positive E. coli isolates was conducted using the agar dilution method or the broth microdilution method. Whole genome sequencing was performed on tet (X)-positive strains using Illumina and Oxford Nanopore platforms. Four isolates from pig or pork samples carried tet (X4) and exhibited resistance to multiple antimicrobial agents, including tigecycline. They were classified as ST542, ST10, ST761, and ST48, respectively. The tet (X4) gene was located on IncFIA8-IncHI1/ST17 (n=2), IncFIA18-IncFIB(K)-IncX1 (n=1), and IncX1 (n=1) plasmids, respectively. These tet (X4)-carrying plasmids exhibited high similarity to other tet (X4)-bearing plasmids with the same incompatible types found in diverse sources in China. They shared related genetic environments of tet (X4) associated with IS CR2 , as observed in the first identified tet (X4)-bearing plasmid p47EC. In conclusion, although a low prevalence (0.65%) of tet (X) in E. coli strains was observed in this study, the horizontal transfer of tet (X4) among E. coli isolates mediated by pandemic plasmids and the mobile element IS CR2 raises great concerns. Thus, heightened surveillance and immediate action are imperative to curb this clinically significant resistance gene and preserve the efficacy of tigecycline., 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 © 2024 Fan, Jiang, Wu, Liu, Gu, Wang, Sun, Jiao, Li and Wang.)

Epithelial ovarian cancer is the most lethal gynecological malignant tumor. Although debulking surgery, chemotherapy, and PARP inhibitors have greatly improved survival, the prognosis for patients with advanced EOC without HRD is still poor. LLGL2 , as a cell polarity factor, is involved in maintaining cell polarity and asymmetric cell division. In the study of zebrafish development, LLGL2 regulated the proliferation and migration of epidermal cells and the formation of cortical F-actin. However, the role of LLGL2 in ovarian cancer has not been described. Our study found, through bioinformatics analysis, that low expression of LLGL2 was significantly associated with a more advanced stage and a higher grade of EOC and a poorer survival of patients. Functional experiments that involved LLGL2 overexpression and knockdown showed that LLGL2 inhibited the migration and invasion abilities of ovarian cancer cells in vitro, without affecting their proliferation. LLGL2-overexpressing mice had fewer metastatic implant foci than the controls in vivo. Mechanistically, immunoprecipitation combined with mass spectrometry analysis suggested that LLGL2 regulated cytoskeletal remodeling by interacting with ACTN1. LLGL2 altered the intracellular localization and function of ACTN1 without changing its protein and mRNA levels. Collectively, we uncovered that LLGL2 impaired actin filament aggregation into bundles by interacting with ACTN1, which led to cytoskeleton remodeling and inhibition of the invasion and metastasis of ovarian cancer cells.

Introduction: To compare the effect of bowel resection vs stripping on the clinical outcomes of patients with FIGO II-IV ovarian cancer., Methods: We retrospectively analyzed patients with FIGO II-IV ovarian cancer who suffered from bowel involvement and underwent cytoreductive surgery between January 2014 and March 2022. Patients' survival was compared by Kaplan-Meier survival analysis and Cox proportional hazards models., Results: Four hundred and twelve patients were included. 48 patients underwent bowel resection (BR), and 364 patients underwent bowel tumor stripping (BTS). The BR group had longer operative duration, hospital stay, time to post-operative chemotherapy, and more intraoperative bleeding. The median PFS was 37 months (95% CI 12-62) in BTS compared to 25 months (95% CI 10-40) in BR among patients who achieved R0 resection (p = 0.590). Among those with R1 resection, the median PFS in BST was 23 months (95% CI 16-30) and that in BR was 15 months (95% CI 12-18, p = 0.136); moreover, a favorable median PFS was observed in BTS with residual bowel lesions (23 months, 95% CI 14-32), compared to BR (15 months, 95% CI 12-18, p = 0.144). Multivariate analysis indicated that FIGO stage, PCI, cytoreduction time and residual lesions were independent prognostic factors of PFS., Conclusion: For patients with FIGO stage II-IV ovarian cancer with bowel implicated, bowel resection is necessary to achieve complete removal to improve the survival. If complete resection was judged unfeasible, cautious decision of bowel resection is required. Neoadjuvant chemotherapy might reduce the ratio of bowel resection for some with mesenteric involvement., (© 2023. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.)

Objectives: Optical Coherence Tomograph (OCT) imaging technology can be used to examine, in vivo, the human ET. At present, it is impossible to achieve the OCT scanning vivo and ex vivo in the same individual human body, or study the consistency between OCT images and histological images of the eustachian tube nasopharyngeal region and adjacent structures. The aim of this study was to determine the consistency between OCT images and histological sections in vivo and ex vivo in miniature pigs., Methods: OCT imaging was performed on five adult miniature pigs in vivo and ex vivo. The images of the eustachian tube OCT (ET-OCT), nasopharynx OCT (NP-OCT) and histological cross sections were further studied., Results: All five miniature pigs achieved the OCT scan successfully, acquiring ET-OCT and NP-OCT images in vivo and ex vivo on both sides. The acquired ET OCT images closely matched the histological images, revealing details of the cartilage, submucosa, glands, and mucosa. The lower segment of the ET wall mucosa had an abundance of glands and submucosal tissues, with more low-signal areas appearing in the ex vivo images. The NP-OCT images of the nasopharynx matched the details of the mucosa and submucosal tissues. The ex-vivo OCT images showed thicker mucosa and more scattered slightly lower signal areas compared to the vivo OCT images., Conclusions: ET-OCT images and NP-OCT images matched the histological structure of eustachian tube nasopharyngeal region structures in miniature pigs both in vivo and ex vivo. OCT images may be sensitive to changes in edema and ischemia status. There is a great potential for morphological assessment of inflammation, edema, injure, mucus gland status., (© 2023. The Author(s).)

Background and Objectives: Primary fallopian tube cancer (PFTC) shares the same diagnostic and management guidelines with epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC). The LION trail raised concerns regarding the role of systematic pelvic and para-aortic lymphadenectomy during debulking surgery. We aimed to evaluate the significance of lymphadenectomy in PFTC survival., Methods: This retrospective study analyzed the clinical features and survival of patients with PFTC who underwent primary surgery in our center between January 2013 and October 2020., Results: Sixty-one patients diagnosed with PFTC were included in the study. Twenty-five (41.0%, 25/61) were diagnosed with FIGO (International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics) stages I/II and 36 (59.0%, 36/61) were diagnosed with stage III/IV. Twenty-nine (47.5%, 29/61) underwent pelvic lymphadenectomy with or without para-aortic lymphadenectomy, among which 12 (41.4%, 12/29) had lymph node metastasis confirmed by postoperative pathology. The mean progression-free survival was 60.4 months in the lymphadenectomy group and 37.8 months in the no-lymphadenectomy group ( p  = 0.042, HR 0.374, 95% CI 0.145-0.966)., Conclusions: PFTC is often diagnosed earlier and has a better prognosis than EOC. Most patients with PFTC would benefit from lymphadenectomy. However, the extent to which this association translates to a more diverse population needs to be further identified.

RNA viruses are extremely diverse and rapidly evolving in various organisms. Our knowledge on viral evolution with interacted hosts in the manner of ecology is still limited. In the agricultural ecosystem, invasive insect species are posing a great threat to sustainable crop production. Among them, fruit flies (Diptera: Tephritidae Bactrocera and Zeugodacus) are destructive to fruits and vegetables, which are also closely related and often share similar ecological niches. Thus, they are ideal models for investigating RNA virome dynamics in host species. Using meta-transcriptomics, we found 39 viral sequences in samples from 12 fly species. These viral species represented the diversity of the viromes including Dicistroviridae, negev-like virus clades, Thika virus clades, Solemoviridae, Narnaviridae, Nodaviridae, Iflaviridae, Orthomyxoviridae, Bunyavirales, Partitiviridae, and Reoviridae. In particular, dicistrovirus, negev-like virus, orthomyxovirus, and orbivirus were common in over four of the fly species, which suggests a positive interaction between fly viromes that exist under the same ecological conditions. For most of the viruses, the virus-derived small RNAs displayed significantly high peaks in 21 nt and were symmetrically distributed throughout the viral genome. These results suggest that infection by these viruses can activate the host's RNAi immunity. Our study provides RNA virome diversity and evidence on their infection activity in ecologically associated invasive fruit fly species, which could help our understanding of interactions between complex species and viruses., (© 2021. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.)

Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) provide broad prospects for the development of new photothermal conversion materials, while their design and synthesis remain challenging. A new Zn-MOF ( 1 ) containing both tetrathiafulvalene (TTF) as an electron donor and naphthalene diimide (NDI) as an electron acceptor was constructed by using a space limiting effect. The material exhibited wide absorption peaks in the near-infrared region, indicating that there was strong charge transfer interaction between the TTF and NDI units and providing the possibility of photothermal conversion. 1 shows efficient near-infrared photothermal conversion performance. Under 808 nm laser (0.4 W cm -2 ) illumination, the temperature of 1 increased rapidly from room temperature to 250 °C, with good thermal stability and cycle durability. This work provides an efficient strategy for promising materials in photothermal therapy.

The purpose of this study was to explore the feasibility of eustachian tube optical coherence tomography (ET-OCT) for imaging the pharyngeal region of the eustachian tube (ET). Ten subjects with ear complaints underwent ET-OCT guided by nasal endoscopy, and ET-OCT examination was performed on both sides of each subject's ETs. The process and resulting images were analysed. Ten subjects ranging from 21 to 73 years old (45 ± 14.77) were enrolled in this study. Eighteen ET-OCT imaging examinations were completed. The mean duration of each examination was 2.80 ± 1.62 min (ranging from 2 to 7 min). There were no adverse events or complications. In some subjects, the ET-OCT images clearly presented the microstructures of the ET wall, including the lumen, mucosa, submucosa, cartilage and plica. However, in some subjects, it showed different characteristics, such as an unclear hierarchy and secretions in the lumen. ET-OCT may help to distinguish the structural composition of the ET and elucidate related pathophysiological mechanisms. It is a valuable imaging tool suited for the ET, with potential diagnostic value in determining the morphology of the lumen, intraluminal mucosa and submucosal tissue in the pharyngeal region of the ET.

Diclofenac sodium (abrr. DS) and indomethacin (abrr. IMC) have been intercalated into the layered terbium hydroxide (LTbH) by anion exchange method. Chemical compositions, thermostability, morphology, luminescence property, release behaviors and cytotoxic effects have been investigated. The DS molecules may embed between layers with a bilayered arrangement and the IMC may correspond to a monolayered arrangement. The Tb3+ luminescence in DS-LTbH and IMC-LTbH composites were enhanced compared with LTbH precusor and the luminescence intensity increases with the deprotonation degree. Drug release was measured with HPLC, and LTbH showed sustained release behavior on both drugs. Further In Vitro evaluation were carried out on cancer cells. Cytotoxic effect of LTbH was observed with a sulforhodamine B colorimetric assay on a variety of cancer cell lines, which revealed that the LTbH showed little cytotoxic effect. Results indicate LTbH may offer a potential vehicle as an effective drug delivery system along with diagnostic integration.

Background: Snail-borne parasitic diseases, such as angiostrongyliasis, clonorchiasis, fascioliasis, fasciolopsiasis, opisthorchiasis, paragonimiasis and schistosomiasis, pose risks to human health and cause major socioeconomic problems in many tropical and sub-tropical countries. In this review we summarize the core roles of snails in the life cycles of the parasites they host, their clinical manifestations and disease distributions, as well as snail control methods., Main Body: Snails have four roles in the life cycles of the parasites they host: as an intermediate host infected by the first-stage larvae, as the only intermediate host infected by miracidia, as the first intermediate host that ingests the parasite eggs are ingested, and as the first intermediate host penetrated by miracidia with or without the second intermediate host being an aquatic animal. Snail-borne parasitic diseases target many organs, such as the lungs, liver, biliary tract, intestines, brain and kidneys, leading to overactive immune responses, cancers, organ failure, infertility and even death. Developing countries in Africa, Asia and Latin America have the highest incidences of these diseases, while some endemic parasites have developed into worldwide epidemics through the global spread of snails. Physical, chemical and biological methods have been introduced to control the host snail populations to prevent disease., Conclusions: In this review, we summarize the roles of snails in the life cycles of the parasites they host, the worldwide distribution of parasite-transmitting snails, the epidemiology and pathogenesis of snail-transmitted parasitic diseases, and the existing snail control measures, which will contribute to further understanding the snail-parasite relationship and new strategies for controlling snail-borne parasitic diseases.

Major depressive disorder has become one of the most serious neuropsychiatric disorders worldwide. However, currently available antidepressants used in clinical practice are ineffective for a substantial proportion of patients and always have side effects. Besides being a lipid-regulating agent, gemfibrozil is an agonist of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-α (PPAR-α). We investigated the antidepressant effects of gemfibrozil on C57BL/6J mice using the forced swim test (FST) and tail suspension test (TST), as well as the chronic unpredictable mild stress (CUMS) model of depression. The changes in brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) signaling cascade in the brain after CUMS and gemfibrozil treatment were further assessed. Pharmacological inhibitors and lentivirus-expressed short hairpin RNA (shRNA) were also used to clarify the antidepressant mechanisms of gemfibrozil. Gemfibrozil exhibited significant antidepressant actions in the FST and TST without affecting the locomotor activity of mice. Chronic gemfibrozil administration fully reversed CUMS-induced depressive-like behaviors in the FST, TST and sucrose preference test. Gemfibrozil treatment also restored CUMS-induced inhibition of the hippocampal BDNF signaling pathway. Blocking PPAR-α and BDNF but not the serotonergic system abolished the antidepressant effects of gemfibrozil on mice. Gemfibrozil produced antidepressant effects in mice by promoting the hippocampal BDNF system.

We aimed to explore the role of NLRP3 inflammasome in Bifidobacterium longum-regulated visceral hypersensitivity of postinfectious irritable bowel syndrome (PI-IBS). Fifty NIH mice were divided into five groups (n = 10). The visceral sensitivities of PI-2W and PI-8W groups significantly exceeded than those of normal control groups (P < 0.05), which was significantly decreased in PI-B group (P < 0.05). Significantly more IL-18 and IL-1β were expressed in PI-2W and PI-8W groups than those in normal control groups (P < 0.05), which was significantly decreased in PI-B group (P < 0.05). Bifidobacterium longum may down-regulate IL-18 and IL-1β expressions by inhibiting NLRP3 inflammasome and thus reduce the visceral hypersensitivity of PI-IBS.

Objective: Overexpression of survivin has been reported in many human tumors. However, the clinicopathological features associated with survivin overexpression in cervical carcinoma remain controversial. Thus, the current meta-analysis was performed to assess the clinicopathological significance of survivin in cervical carcinoma., Methods: PubMed, EMBASE, and Web of Science databases were searched for relevant studies published through November 1, 2015. A meta-analysis was performed to evaluate the association between survivin expression and clinicopathological outcome in cervical carcinoma., Results: Eleven eligible studies with a total of 865 patients were included. Survivin overexpression was closely related to lymph node metastasis (odds ratio [OR] = 0.679, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.509-0.905, P = 0.008) but was not significantly associated with tumor FIGO stage (I+II vs. III+IV) (OR = 0.843, 95% CI: 0.626-1.137, P = 0.264), tumor grade (G1+G2 vs. G3) (OR = 0.913, 95% CI: 0.689-1.210, P = 0.527), tumor size (>4 vs. ≤4 cm) (OR = 0.825, 95% CI: 0.434-1.570, P = 0.559), or stromal involvement (OR = 0.820, 95% CI: 0.545-1.233, P = 0.340). The correlation between survivin expression and overall survival was evaluated among a total of 238 patients from three eligible studies. The pooled HR was 1.129 (95% CI: 0.597-1.661; P = 0.000), indicating that survivin expression was significantly associated with poor survival in cervical carcinoma., Conclusions: Based on the current meta-analysis, survivin is strongly associated with lymph node metastasis and poor prognosis. Additionally, survivin is a novel clinicopathological marker of cervical carcinoma and thus may be a therapeutic target for cervical carcinoma., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

To study the responses of light use efficiency (LUE), water use efficiency (NUE) and nitrogen use efficiency (NUE) in wheat to water and nitrogen application levels and their interrelationship, a field experiment designed in split-split-plots was conducted with three spring wheat cultivars (Heshangtou, Xihan No.2, Ningchun No.4), under two irrigation levels (full irrigation 4500 m 3 ·hm -2 and limited irrigation 3000 m 3 ·hm -2 ) and five nitrogen application levels (0, 75, 150, 225, 300 kg N·hm -2 ). The results showed that LUE, WUE and NUE of three wheat cultivars differed significantly. The LUE increased as irrigation and nitrogen quantity increased in a certain range, but decreased under excessive nitrogen application. The WUE of strong and moderate drought resistant cultivars (Hsahangtou and Xihan No.2) were less affected by irrigation than non-drought resistant cultivar (Ningchun No.4). Nitrogen application could regulate WUE of wheat, and the highest WUE at medium nitrogen levels (strong and moderate drought resistant cultivars in 150 kg·hm -2 , non-drought resistant cultivar in 225 kg·hm -2 ). As the nitrogen application level increased, nitrogen accumulation in plants increased first and then decreased, nitrogen dry matter production efficiency (NUE b ), nitrogen harvest index (NHI), nitrogen agronomic use efficiency (NAE), and nitrogen partial factor productivity (PFP) were all decreased significantly. Irrigation had no significant effect on NHI. As the irrigation level increased, nitrogen accumulation of wheat increased significantly, the NUE b and NAE of strong and moderate drought resistant cultivars decreased significantly, the NUE b and PFP of the non-drought resistant cultivars increased significantly, while it had no significant effects on other indicators. Extremely significantly negative correlation between nitrogen acquisition ability and nitrogen use efficiency was found in all three wheat cultivars, and NUE b was significantly negatively correlated with LUE and WUE, LUE was significantly positively correlated with WUE, demonstrating clear trade-offs among nitrogen use efficiency to light use efficiency and water use efficiency of spring wheat. Higher resource utilization efficiencies were achieved under irrigation of 3000 m 3 ·hm -2 , and application of 150 kg N·hm -2 for strong and moderate drought resistant cultivars and 225 kg N·hm -2 for non-resistant cultivar.

Objective: The present study aims to investigate the relationship between genetic polymorphisms in HTR3A and HTR3E and diarrhea predominant irritable bowel syndrome (D-IBS) in a Chinese population., Methods: We enrolled 500 D-IBS patients and 500 age- and sex-matched healthy control subjects to detect the genotypes in HTR3A and HTR3B gene by using of PCR-RFLP method., Results: There were significant difference between the D-IBS patients and the health control subjects in the distribution of genotype and allele of rs1062613 in HTR3A gene. As regarding rs62625044 in HTR3E gene, we found there was a significant different between the case and the control group in the distribution of GA genotype and A allele in female but not in male., Conclusion: The present study suggested that there are associations of D-IBS risk with genetic polymorphisms in HTR3A and HTR3E.

To obtain native strains resistant to butanol toxicity, a new isolating method and serial enrichment was used in this study. With this effort, mutant strain SE36 was obtained, which could withstand 35g/L (compared to 20g/L of the wild-type strain) butanol challenge. Based on 16s rDNA comparison, the mutant strain was identified as Clostridium acetobutylicum. Under the optimized condition, the phase shift was smoothly triggered and fermentation performances were consequently enhanced. The maximum total solvent and butanol concentration were 23.6% and 24.3%, respectively higher than that of the wild-type strain. Furthermore, the correlation between butanol produced and the butanol tolerance was investigated, suggesting that enhancing butanol tolerance could improve butanol production. These results indicate that the simple but effective isolation method and acclimatization process are a promising technique for isolation and improvement of butanol tolerance and production., (Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

The zygomycete fungus Blakeslea trispora is usually used as a natural source of lycopene and β-carotene. In this study, the B. trispora (-) strain, a major mating type for lycopene production, was treated with N(+) ion implantation and N-methyl-N'-nitro-N-nitrosoguanidine (NTG), and further isolated on the screening plates supplemented with lovastatin and crude extracts of trisporic acid (CTA). After several rounds of screening, four mutants with higher yield of lycopene and biomass were isolated. Among these mutants, I5 obtained with N(+) ion implantation showed a maximum lycopene yield (28.8 mg/g), which was 64 % higher than the parent strain (17.5 mg/g) in the production of lycopene. The results indicated that N(+) ion implantation is more suitable for B. trispora (-) than NTG treatment, and the addition of lovastatin promoted the generation of positive mutant and CTA amplified the color differences between colonies.

In order to obtain mutant strains showing higher solvent tolerance and butanol production than those of wild-type strains, the butanol-producing strain Clostridium beijerinckii L175 was subjected to mutagenesis using a combined method of low-energy ion beam implantation and N-methyl-N-nitro-N-nitrosoguanidine induction. With this effort, mutant strain MUT3 was isolated. When it was used for butanol fermentation in P2 medium, the production of butanol was 15.8±0.7 g/L 46% higher than the wild-type strain. Furthermore, after optimization of butanol production from cane molasses with MUT3, the maximum butanol production of 14.9±0.5 g/L were obtained in crew-capped bottles. When ABE production by MUT3 was carried out in a bioreactor, the production of butanol and total solvent were 15.1±0.8 g/L and 22.1±0.9 g/L, respectively. The remarkable butanol production and solvent tolerance of MUT3 make it promising for butanol production from cane molasses., (Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

To improve butanol tolerance and production in Clostridium acetobutylicum, a novel approach was developed in this study, which was called artificial simulation of bio-evolution (ASBE) based on the evolutionary dynamics and natural selection. Through repetitive evolutionary domestications, a butanol-tolerant strain C. acetobutylicum T64 was obtained, which could withstand 4% (v/v) (compared to 2% of the wild-type) butanol and was accompanied by the increase of butanol production from 12.2g/L to 15.3g/L using corn meal as substrate. Fermentation was also carried out to investigate the relationship between butanol tolerance and ABE production, suggesting that enhancing butanol tolerance could increase butanol production but unlikely improve total ABE production. These results also indicated that the ASBE would be an available and feasible method used in biotechnology for enhancement of butanol tolerance and production., (Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

As a promising alternative biofuel, biobutanol can be produced through acetone/butanol/ethanol (ABE) fermentation. Currently, ABE fermentation is still a small-scale industry due to its low production and high input cost. Moreover, butanol toxicity to the Clostridium fermentation host limits the accumulation of butanol in the fermentation broth. The wild-type Clostridium acetobutylicum D64 can only produce about 13 g butanol/L and tolerates less than 2% (v/v) butanol. To improve the tolerance of C. acetobutylicum D64 for enhancing the production of butanol, nitrogen ion beam implantation was employed and finally five mutants with enhanced butanol tolerance were obtained. Among these, the most butanol tolerant mutant C. acetobutylicum NT642 can tolerate above 3% (v/v) butanol while the wide-type strain can only withstand 2% (v/v). In batch fermentation, the production of butanol and ABE yield of C. acetobutylicum NT642 was 15.4 g/L and 22.3 g/L, respectively, which were both higher than those of its parental strain and the other mutants using corn or cassava as substrate. Enhancing butanol tolerance is a great precondition for obtaining a hyper-yield producer. Nitrogen ion beam implantation could be a promising biotechnology to improve butanol tolerance and production of the host strain C. acetobutylicum.

Aim: To investigate the effects of TGF beta 1 on the proliferative activity and cell cycle of normal and gamma ray-irradiated human lung fibroblasts (HLFs)., Methods: HLFs were cultured and irradiated with 3Gy gamma rays and then stimulated by TGF beta 1 at 0.01, 0.1, 1 and 10 microg/L. The proliferative activity and cell cycle were detected by MTT colorimetry and FACS. Furthermore, the expressions of signal proteins Smad3/4 in HLFs were observed by immunohistochemical staining and FACS., Results: TGF beta 1 of 10 microg/L could promote the proliferation of HLFs, with the number of cells in S phase increased. It also could enhance the expression of Smad3 protein and promote the nuclear translocation of Smad4 protein., Conclusion: A given dose of TGF beta 1 can promote the proliferation of gamma rays-irradiated HLFs by regulating their cell cycle in which the activation of Smad pathway may play a role.

Aim: To explore the apoptotic characteristics and modulatory mechanism of human AHH-1 T lymphoblast induced by ionizing radiation and provide an experimental basis for preventing and treating immune damage in acute radiation sickness., Methods: TdT-mediated dUTP nick end labeling (TUNEL) and May-Grunwald Giemsa (MGG) staining, MTT colorimetry and immunohistochemical staining were used to detect the T lymphocyte apoptosis, cell survival and the expressions of Bax, Bcl-XL and caspase-3 proteins., Results: (1) Over a definite dose range, apoptotic rate of AHH-1T lymphocytes increased with the elevation of radiation doses, while the lymphocytic survival rate decreased sharply, both showing a good dose-effect relationship. (2) The expression of apoptosis-accelerating protein Bax enhanced obviously with the increase of radiation doses, while apoptosis-inhibiting protein Bcl-XL trended to persistent decline. (3)The activity of activated apoptosis-executing protein caspase-3 heightened significantly with increased radiation doses, which revealed a better corresponding relationship to apoptotic rate., Conclusion: A great number of apoptotic AHH-1 T cells may be one of major accounts for the lymphocyte rapid reduction and depressed organism immune function induced by irradiation. Bax, Bcl-XL and caspase-3 proteins play an important role in the regulation of radiation-induced T cell apoptosis.

Objective: To study the relationship between the expression of Bax, Bcl-2 proteins, and apoptosis in radiation compound wound healing of rats., Methods: Apoptosis, Bax and Bcl-2 proteins were estimated by in situ terminal labeling (TUNEL) and immunohistochemical methods., Results: (1) Changes of the apoptosis in wound healing showed three typical characteristics: early occurrence, high frequency and delayed disappearance after radiation to rats when compared with those of simple wound group, which might be an important reason for radiation-induced delayed wound healing. (2) The expression of Bax protein increased evidently with the increment of apoptosis and showed a good corresponding relationship with the apoptotic frequency in the process of wound healing. While the expression of Bcl-2 protein decreased obviously as the apoptosis reached a maximum and showed increasing tendency up to normal level when the apoptosis decreased distinctively., Conclusions: Bax and Bcl-2 proteins play an important role in the apoptotic regulation of radiation compound wound healing in rats.

Objective: To elucidate the expression of the bcl-2 gene in association with both biological characteristics of human primary pancreatic carcinoma and patient's prognosis., Methods: The s-p immunohistochemistry assay was used to detect the expression of the bcl-2 gene on paraffin-embedded sections from 97 cases of primary pancreatic carcinoma, 32 cases of pancreatitis, and 21 cases of normal pancreas., Results: Among the 97 cases of pancreatic carcinoma, 70 (72.2%) showed positive staining for the bcl-2 protein. In the 32 cases of pancreatitis, 3 (9.4%) showed positive immunostaining for the bcl-2, and in the normal pancreas cases, 1 (4.8%) showed positive immunostaining for the bcl-2. However, the positive staining rates of the bcl-2 protein were lower in tumor tissue from the patients with metastases and tumor-node-metastasis (TNM) stages III, IV than in those from those with non-metastases, well differentiation, non-invasion and TNM stages I, II. The patients with positive immunostaining of bcl-2 have a longer postoperative survival than those with negative staining., Conclusions: Pancreatic carcinoma expressed a high positivity for bcl-2. Findings suggested that the overexpression of bcl-2 is related to the carcinogenesis and progression of human pancreatic carcinoma. Bcl-2 might be one of the parameters in terms of biological characteristics and good prognosis in patients with pancreatic carcinoma.