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The samples such as tin oxide(SnO2), sulfur-doped tin oxide(S-SnO2), nitrogen-doped tin oxide(N-SnO2), and sulfur, nitrogen-codoped tin oxide (S+N-SnO2) nanopowder catalysts were prepared by a solid-state reaction at room temperature, using the sodium p-toluene sulfonate (STS) surfactant as template. And the microstructure of the materials was characterized by XRD, TEM, XPS, FTIR and UV-Vis. Meanwhile, the photocatalytic degradation mechanism and its performances of these samples used for the rice straw powder treatment wastewater (RSPTW) under UV-light irradiation were discussed, as well as its COD and NH3-N value were tested. It is shown that the large gap of the reaction energy between intramolecular dehydration(Er=2.81eV) and intermolecular dehydration(Er=5.77eV) of tin hydroxide causes the presence of amorphous SnO2 and metastable tin hydroxide at low calcination temperature of 450oC. S as S4+ and N as N3+ enters into the SnO2 (110) crystal plane and generates the impurity level, reducing the energy band gap width (△Eg) from the SnO2-blank of 3.6eV to S+N-SnO2-STS of 2.22eV. After UV-light irradiation for 8 h, the photocatalytic degradation rate of S+N-SnO2-STS sample for the RSPTW reaches 98.9% under the optimization control conditions, exhibiting the excellent capability to degrade the biomass wastewater. The changes of energy gap width may major be derived from the hydroxyl radicals (•OH) and superoxide radicals (•O2-) produced by the rich hydroxyl on the S+N-SnO2-STS photocatalyst surface, and regulatory effect of surfactant. The photodegraded RSPTW complies with Chinese National Level II Standards for Integrated Sewage Discharge.

Background: Currently, direct comparative safety between endothelin receptor antagonists (ERAs) in pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is limited. Thus, a systematic review with network analysis was conducted. Methods: An electronic search was performed for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) that reported the interested safety data (abnormal liver function, peripheral edema, and anemia) of ERAs in PAH. Risk ratios (RRs) with their confidence intervals (CIs) and the surface under the cumulative ranking curve (SUCRA) were calculated using a network analysis. Results: Ten RCTs involving 2,288 patients were included. Compared with placebo, bosentan (RR, 2.93; 95% CI, 1.78−4.84) significantly increased the risk of abnormal liver function, ambrisentan (RR, 1.62; 95% CI, 1.23−2.13) significantly increased the risk of peripheral edema, and macitentan (RR, 3.42; 95% CI, 1.65−7.07) significantly increased the risk of anemia. SUCRA analysis suggested that bosentan 125 mg twice daily had the highest risk of abnormal liver function; ambrisentan 10 mg once daily had the highest risk of peripheral edema; macitentan 10 mg once daily had the highest risk of anemia. Conclusions: Abnormal liver function (bosentan), peripheral edema (ambrisentan), and anemia (macitentan) were the safety indicators of ERAs in patients with PAH. Different monitoring parameters should be considered for individual ERA.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) and type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) have a common pathology. Both diseases are characterized by local deposition of amyloid proteins in the brain or islet organ, but their phenotypes and clinical manifestation vary widely. Although the sources of islet amyloid polypeptide (IAPP) and amyloid beta (Aβ) are independent, their fibrillar sequences are highly homologous. The prevalence of AD in T2DM populations is considerably higher than that in the normal population, but a mechanistic linkage remains elusive. Therefore, the present study aimed to explore the effects of Aβ42 deposition in the brain on the persistently expression of human IAPP (hIAPP). Additionally, cognitive ability, synaptic plasticity, the state of neural stem cells and mitochondrial function were evaluated at 2 or 6 months after stereotaxically injected the oligomer Aβ

Background Previous studies suggested that fibrillar human IAPP (hIAPP) is more likely to deposit in β-cells, resulting in β-cell injury. However, the changes in the conformation of hIAPP in lipid environment and the mechanism involved in β-cell damage are unclear. Methods Synthetic hIAPP was incubated with five types of free fatty acids and phospholipids 1-palmitoyl-2-oleoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (POPC) and 1-palmitoyl-2-oleoyl-sn-glycero-3-phospho- l -serine (POPS), which constitute the cell membrane. Thioflavin-T fluorescence assay was conducted to analyze the degree of hIAPP fibrosis, and circular dichroism spectroscopy was performed to detect the β-fold formation of hIAPP. Furthermore, INS-1 cells were infected with human IAPP delivered by a GV230-EGFP plasmid. The effects of endogenous hIAPP overexpression induced by sodium palmitate on the survival, endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress, and apoptosis of INS-1 cells were evaluated. Results The five types of free fatty acids can accelerate the fibrosis of hIAPP. Sodium palmitate also maintained the stability of fibrillar hIAPP. POPS, not POPC, accelerated hIAPP fibrosis. Treatment of INS-1 cells with sodium palmitate increased the expression of hIAPP, activated ER stress and ER stress-dependent apoptosis signaling pathways, and increased the apoptotic rate. Conclusion Free fatty acids and anionic phospholipid can promote β-fold formation and fibrosis in hIAPP. High lipid induced the overexpression of hIAPP and aggravated ER stress and apoptosis in INS-1 cells, which caused β-cell death in high lipid environment. General significance Our study reveals free fatty acids and hIAPP synergistically implicated in endoplasmic reticulum stress and apoptosis of islet β-cells.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) and type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) have a common pathology. Both diseases are characterized by local deposition of amyloid proteins in the brain or islet organ, but their phenotypes and clinical manifestation vary widely. Although the sources of islet amyloid polypeptide (IAPP) and amyloid beta (Aβ) are independent, their fibrillar sequences are highly homologous. The prevalence of AD in T2DM populations is considerably higher than that in the normal population, but a mechanistic linkage remains elusive. Therefore, the present study aimed to explore the effects of Aβ42 deposition in the brain on the persistently expression of human IAPP (hIAPP). Additionally, cognitive ability, synaptic plasticity, the state of neural stem cells and mitochondrial function were evaluated at 2 or 6 months after stereotaxically injected the oligomer Aβ1-42 into the dentate gyrus of hIAPP (−/+) mice or the wild-type littermates. We found that Aβ42 and amylin were co-located in hippocampus and Aβ42 levels increased when Aβ1-42 was injected in hIAPP transgenic mice compared with that of the wild-type littermates. Furthermore, at 6 months after Aβ1-42 injection in hIAPP (−/+) mice, it exhibits exacerbated AD-related pathologies including Aβ42 deposition, cognitive impairment, synapse reduction, neural stem cells exhaustion and mitochondrial dysfunction. Our present study suggested that hIAPP directly implicated the Aβ42 production and deposition as an important linkage between T2DM and AD.

N′2,N′6-bis(m-nitrobenzylidene)pyridine-2,6-dicarbohydrazid (a), N′2,N′6-bis(p-nitro benzylidene)pyridine-2,6-dicarbohydrazid (b), and N′2,N′6-bis(p-chlorobenzylidene) pyridine-2,6-dicarbohydrazid (c) were synthesized and characterized by 1H NMR, Mass Spectroscopy, and Infrared Spectroscopy. The single crystals of compound C27H29N9O11 (1), C27H29N9O11 (2), and C21H15Cl2N5O4 (3) were characterized by X-ray single-crystal diffraction analysis. The crystal structure analysis revealed that compound 1 crystallizes in a monoclinic system, space group C2/c, a = 24.6504(10) A, b = 10.4624(6) A, c = 14.4850(6) A. The compound 2 crystallizes in monoclinic system, space group C2/c, a = 24.6505(9) A, b = 10.4618(4) A, c = 14.4946(5) A. The compound 3 crystallizes in a monoclinic system, space group P2 (1)/n, a = 8.6377(9) A, b = 14.4815(15) A, c = 17.6598(19) A.

To investigate the potential value of combined examinations of peripheral blood smear, bone marrow smear, bone marrow biopsy, chromosome banding analysis and flow cytometry (FCM) in the diagnoisis of myelodysplastic syndromes.A total of 105 MDS patients who were admitted in our hospital from May 2013 to May 2015 and were diagnosed as MDS according to the criteria formulated by WHO were enrolled in this study. The accordance rate of diagnosis by the double test (peripheral blood smear plus bone marrow smear), triple test (above mentioned 2 tests plus bone marrow biopsy), quadruple test (above 3 tests plus chromosome banding analysis), and quintuple test (above 4 plus FCM) was amalyzed and compared.Among the 105 MDS patients, the diagnosis accordance rate was 70.48% for double tests, while 83.81%, 84.76% and 93.33% for triple, quadruple and quintuplet tests, respectively which were significantly higher than that for double tests (peripheral blood smear plus bone marrow smear) (P0.05).The combined examination of the 5 methods can improve the accuracy of MDS diagnosis.

The tripartite motif protein (TRIM)5α/CypA fusion protein TRIMCyp in Old World monkeys is generally considered unable to restrict HIV-1 replication. Monkeys with TRIMCyp can serve as a unique animal model for studies of HIV-1 infection. The present study investigated the distribution and expression status of TRIMCyp in four species of macaques originating from China and its borderlands: pigtail macaques (Macaca nemestrina), rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta), long-tailed macaques (Macaca fascicularis), and Tibetan macaques (Macaca thibetana). The results revealed that the frequencies of the TRIMCyp genotype were significantly different among different species and even within different populations of the same species. Interestingly, the TRIMCyp genotype was more prevalent among macaques originating from Yunnan and surrounding regions than those from other regions of China. Importantly, TRIMCyp individuals were first identified in Chinese M. mulatta originating from Yunnan, although multiple earlier studies failed to find CypA retrotransposition in this subspecies. Furthermore, TRIMe7-CypA, one of the splicing isoforms of the TRIMCyp transcript was expressed in M. nemestrina and M. mulatta but not M. fascicularis. The intra- and interspecies polymorphisms in the deduced TRIMCyp amino acid sequences of these macaques were also analyzed. Taken together, the data in this study provide important information about the genomic background of TRIMCyp among major species of Chinese macaques.

The Candida tropicalis strain CT1799 xylose reductase (XR) with protein ID ABG49458.1 is a kind of NADPH-dependent xylose reductase. It could be used to construct recombinant Saccharomyces cerevisiae strain for utilizing xylose and producing alcohol. To investigate the interaction mechanism of XR with NADP and NAD, the 3D (dimensional) structure for XR was developed. With the 3D structure, the molecular docking operations were conducted to find the most favorable bindings of XR with NADP and NAD. Based on these results, the binding pockets of XR for NADP and NAD have been explicitly defined, respectively. It was observed that Asn278 and Arg282 of XR could form hydrogen bonds with both NADP and NAD that were bonded to the same site of XR with some competitive relationship. However, according to the binding energies and conformational fitting, NADP is a more favorable coenzyme to XR. All these findings may explain why XR is NADP-dependent. The findings can be used to guide mutagenesis studies, providing useful clues to modify the enzyme for improving the utilization of xylose in producing alcohol. In addition, because the human aldose reductases have the functions to reduce the open chain form of glucose to sorbitol, a process physiologically significant for diabetic patients at the time that their blood glucose levels are elevated, the information gained through this study may also stimulate the development of new strategies for the therapeutic treatment of diabetes.

NAD(P)H-dependent d-xylose reductase is a homodimeric oxidoreductase that belongs to the aldo-keto reductase superfamily. The enzyme has the special function to catalyze the first step in the assimilation of xylose into yeast metabolic pathways. Performing this function via reducing the open chain xylose to xylitol, the xylose reductase of Pichia stipitis is one of the most important enzymes that can be used to construct recombinant Saccharomyces cerevisiae strain for utilizing xylose and producing alcohol. To investigate into the interaction mechanism of the enzyme with its ligand NAD and NADP, the 3D structure was developed for the NAD(P)H-dependent d-xylose reductase from P. stipitis. With the 3D structure, the molecular docking operations were conducted to find the most stable bindings of the enzyme with NAD and NADP, respectively. Based on these results, the binding pockets of the enzyme for NAD and NADP have been explicitly defined. It has been found that the residues in forming the binding pockets for both NAD and NADP are almost the same and mainly hydrophilic. These findings may be used to guide mutagenesis studies, providing useful clues to modify the enzyme to improve the utilization of xylose for producing alcohol. Also, because human aldose reductases have the function to reduce the open chain form of glucose to sorbitol, a process physiologically significant for diabetic patients at the time that their blood glucose levels are elevated, the information gained through this study may also stimulate the development of new strategies for therapeutic treatment of diabetes.

Worldwide influenza caused by influenza virus is a respiratory disease which threats the public health by seasonal epidemics or global influenza outbreak. Vaccines and drugs are current therapies, but there are many restricted factors such as neurotoxicity, side effects of gastrointestinal, and drug resistance. New technologies, particularly RNAi mediated by small RNAs, has become a potential and robust method in influenza antiviral research for its high efficiency, specific, and speedy. Following the spread and epidemic of the influenza virus, application of small RNAs into influenza antiviral research has been reported increasingly. The small RNAs, PA-2087, NP-1496, and M-950, which targets PA, NP, and M2 genes, respectively, are the most effective anti-influenza siRNAs up to now. siRNA of targeting conservative region of different influenza viral genes has broader effect on virus inhibition. The combination of siRNAs of targeting different genes can achieve better virus inhibition. In this review, we mainly described the progress of siRNAs and miRNAs for anti-influenza virus, and the prospects and hurdles of influenza RNAi therapy as well.

The fast skeletal alkali myosin light polypeptide 1 (MYL1) gene is one of three mammalian alkali MLC genes and encodes two isoforms, 1f and 3f, which play a vital role in embryonic, fetal, and adult skeletal muscle development. We isolated the MYL1 gene from a pig BAC library with the goal of characterizing its promoter and identifying its transcripts. Genes and isoforms were identified by reverse transcriptase-PCR, northern blot and RACE (Rapid Amplification of cDNA Ends). Potential MYL1 gene promoters were characterized using a luciferase reporter assay and electrophoretic mobility shift assays (EMSA). MLC1f, MLC3f, and three additional isoforms of porcine MYL1, MLC5f-A, -B, and -C were identified. Up to now, the three novel isoforms had not been reported in human or mouse. Northern blot analysis indicated that MLC1f, MLC3f, and MLC5fs were expressed only in longissimus dorsi muscles. Two transcription initiation and termination sites were identified by RACE. Promoter analysis and EMSA demonstrated the presence of a MEF3 (skeletal muscle-specific transcriptional enhancer) binding site (+384 to +481), which might be essential for porcine MYL1 transcription. Our results suggested that five transcript variants were generated using alternative promoters, two transcription start sites, and polyA sites, as well as variable splicing of the pig MYL1 exon 5. The identification of alternative promoters and splice variants, the expression of the splice variants in different muscle tissues, and the definition of regulatory elements provide important molecular genetic knowledge concerning the MYL1 gene.

Adiponectin, a cytokine hormone secreted exclusively by adipose tissue, has key roles in energy homeostasis and in metabolism of glucose and lipid. Adiponectin expression was negatively associated with obesity. Many CpG sites were found at the adiponectin promoter region (nucleotides -1500 approximately -1350 bp). To further understand the regulation of pig adiponectin expression, the methylation status of pig adiponectin promoter and its mRNA expression were analyzed by methylation special PCR (MSP) and real-time PCR. At the adiponectin promoter region where CG enriches (nucleotides -1500 approximately -1350 bp), the percentage of demethylation in Changbai pigs was 83%; and the percentages of demethylation in Lantang pigs at 90-day-old and adult stages were 33% and 100%, respectively. The process of methylation and demethyla-tion mainly occurred in certain CpG sites. In muscle tissues, the promoter hypermethylation status of adiponectin gene was detected, which was consistent with the expression of this gene. These results suggested that the methylation of this gene experienced a dynamic process, with the development of individuals, which agreed with the fluctuating trend of gene expression.

Adiponectin, a cytokine hormone secreted exclusively by adipose tissue, has key roles in energy homeostasis, and in glucose and lipid metabolism. To understand the regulatory expression of pig adiponectin, the 5′-flanking region of the adiponectin gene was isolated from a pig BAC library. 5′-RACE analysis revealed that there were three transcriptional start sites, including one that is novel. The luciferase reporter assay detected a positive cis-acting element for efficient expression of the adiponectin gene at the region spanned by nucleotides −1150 to −1130 with serially deleted 5′-flanking sequences as its promoters. Analysis of oligonucleotide competition by the electrophoretic mobility-shift assay revealed the presence of a cAMP-responsive element (CRE) (nucleotides −1150 to −1130) for the cAMP-responsive element binding protein (CREB), which has not been reported in human or mouse adiponectin genes. These results indicated that CREB is an essential regulatory factor for the transcriptional activity of pig adiponectin.

Four breeds of chickens (White Leghorn, Yangshan, Taihe Silkies, White Recessive Rocks) with different egg production were applied to screen potential single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) related to reproduction trait in distal part region of prolactin gene based on DNA pooling and sequencing. Eight SNPs (C2402T, T-2192C, C-2161G, C-2134G, C-2062G, G-2040A, A-1944G and C-1884A) were found successfully in the fragment of 1 028 bp at the distal part of 5'flanking region. Moreover,a simple and rapid method to estimate allelic frequencies of SNPs in each breed by calculating the ratio of allele peak heights was introduced here. The accuracies of estimation for the allelic frequencies of C-2402T, C-2161G, C-1884A, C-2062G and G-2040A were verified by comparing with the results of PCR-RFLP or PCR-SSCP.

Four chicken breeds (White Leghorn, Yangshan, Taihe Silkies, White Recessive Rocks) with different reproduction were applied to screen potential SNPs related to laying performance in the 5' flanking region, exon region and partial intron region of chicken prolactin (cPRL) gene. Totally almost 4500 bp were screened rapidly based on DNA pooling and sequencing, and thirteen single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and two indels (24 bp and 15 bp) were found, including nine SNPs and two indels in the 5' flanking region, one SNP in Exon 2, two SNPs in Exon 5 and one SNP in Intron 2 respectively. Furthermore, 5' flanking region of cPRL gene was analyzed by the website of http://motif.genome.ad.jp/. A possible Evi-1 binding site (score 93) was found in White Leghorn cPRL gene because of the 24 bp insertion, another possible C/EBPbeta binding site (score 94) was found in Yangshan cPRL gene because of the variation of C-2402T. Further studies need to be carried out to verify their effects on the expression of cPRL gene, the broodiness and laying performance of chickens.