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All-trans retinoic acid (ATRA) is a promising therapeutic agent, but exhibits low efficacy against human cancers. We investigated the effect of sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P) on ATRA activity in human colon cancer HT-29 cells. S1P antagonized ATRA activity on HT-29 cell proliferation and retinoic acid receptor beta (RARβ) expression. S1P treatment or transient co-transfection with SphK2 expression vector antagonized ATRA-induced RARβ promoter activity. Proteasome inhibition prevented S1P-induced modulation of ATRA activity. Overall, S1P antagonized ATRA's inhibitory effects by down-regulating RARβ expression, likely via the proteasome-dependent pathway. Decreasing S1P production or inhibiting SphK2 activity could enhance the efficacy of retinoids in cancer treatments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Periodontitis is associated with multiple systemic diseases and can cause bone loss. Porphyromonas gingivalis (P. gingivalis) is one of the most virulent periodontal pathogens. Icariin is a flavonoid extracted from the traditional Chinese herbal medicine Herba Epimedii, and can regulate bone metabolism. However, its effects on promoting bone metabolism have not been fully elucidated. In this experiment, we infected MC3T3-E1 cells with P. gingivalis. Flow cytometry results show that persistent bacterial infection does not affect cell proliferative activity. Western blotting, ALP activity detection, mineral content determination, and immunofluorescence blotting confirmed that icariin improved osteogenic differentiation in the inflammatory state, and this effect may be more obvious in the early stage of osteogenic differentiation. The antibacterial assays, ROS and MMP fluorescence assays demonstrated that icariin exerted a significant inhibitory effect on bacterial growth and attenuated the inflammatory response in bacterial-infected conditions. The results of in vivo experiments in animals further validated the excellent properties exerted by icariin in the repair of bone defects. Additionally, in the P. gingivalis-infected state, icariin exert a regulatory effect on EphA2-RhoA signaling pathway to augment osteogenic differentiation. These exciting findings suggest that icariin holds significant potential for therapeutic application in the management of periodontal bone loss., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare the following financial interests/personal relationships which may be considered as potential competing interests: Wen-lu Zhang reports financial support was provided by Healthcote-Qilu Oncology Research Fund Program. If there are other authors, they declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Bone regeneration plays a pivotal role in periodontal tissue repair. With advancements in biotechnology materials, the utilization of nanotechnology offers a reliable platform for bone restoration in periodontitis. In this study, we successfully established a long-term bacterial infection model using Porphyromonas gingivalis ( P. gingivalis ) with MOI = 50. CCK-8 and ROS immunofluorescence results demonstrated that the combined effect of Mg 2+ and AS-IV significantly enhanced cell proliferation and effectively suppressed the inflammatory response during bacterial infection. Alkaline phosphatase and alizarin red staining revealed that the synergistic action of Mg 2+ and AS-IV notably promoted osteogenic differentiation of MC3T3-E1 cells under P. gingivalis -infected conditions. Considering the properties of these two biomaterials, we fabricated polycaprolactone (PCL) artificial periosteum loaded with MgO and AS-IV using an electrostatic spinning technique. The findings indicated that PCL/MgO/AS-IV artificial periosteum exhibited excellent biocompatibility and hydrophilicity, thereby substantially enhancing cellular adhesion to its surface as well as augmenting cellular value-added rate. Moreover, efficient drug release from the PCL/MgO/AS-IV artificial bone membrane conferred remarkable antimicrobial activity along with in vitro osteogenic potentiality. The in vivo experiments conducted on animals further substantiated the exceptional properties exhibited by PCL/MgO/AS-IV artificial periosteum in bone defect repair. Additionally, it was observed that PCL/MgO/AS-IV artificial periosteum could modulate EphB4-EphrinB2 signaling to enhance osteogenic differentiation under P.gingivalis -infected conditions.This exciting outcome suggests that PCL/MgO/AS-IV artificial periosteum holds great promise as a biomaterial for treating periodontal bone loss., Competing Interests: The authors declare the following financial interests/personal relationships which may be considered as potential competing interestsWen-lu Zhang reports financial support was provided byBeijing Xisike Clinical Oncology Research Foundation, No. 662202304027. If there are other authors, they declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (© 2024 The Authors.)

The present study introduces a novel fungus, Cystoderma yongpingense , which was identified in the southwestern region of China. The new species is characterized by a pileus that ranges in color from light orange-red to orange-red; the pileus has a wrinkled surface and is accompanied by a persistent annulus that is membranous and floccose-scaly. Above the annulus, the color transitions from white to yellowish brown. This proposal is substantiated through analyses encompassing both morphological characteristics and phylogenetic relationships. The phylogenetic position of the newly discovered species has been further corroborated through comprehensive maximum likelihood and Bayesian sequence analyses of the ITS + nrLSU DNA regions. Additionally, the technical description of C. yongpingense is enhanced by detailed illustrations and comparative studies with species that are closely related., (2024, by The Mycological Society of Japan.)

Background: Postoperative nausea and vomiting (PONV) are common complications that affect the recovery and well-being of elderly patients undergoing gastrointestinal laparoscopic surgery., Aim: To investigate the effect of butorphanol on PONV in this patient population., Methods: A total of 110 elderly patients (≥ 65 years old) who underwent gastrointestinal laparoscopic surgery were randomly assigned to receive butorphanol (40 μg/kg) or sufentanil (0.3 μg/kg) during anesthesia induction in a 1:1 ratio. The measured outcomes included the incidence of PONV at 48 h after surgery, intraoperative dose of propofol and remifentanil, Bruggrmann Comfort Scale score in the postanesthesia care unit (PACU), number of compressions for postoperative patient-controlled intravenous analgesia (PCIA), and time to first flatulence after surgery., Results: The results revealed a noteworthy reduction in the occurrence of PONV at 24 h after surgery in the butorphanol group, when compared to the sufentanil group (T1: 23.64% vs 5.45%, T2: 43.64% vs 20.00%, P < 0.05). However, no significant variations were observed between the two groups, in terms of the clinical characteristics, such as the PONV or motion sickness history, intraoperative and postoperative 48-h total infusion volume and hemodynamic parameters, intraoperative dose of propofol and remifentanil, number of postoperative PCIA compressions, time until the first occurrence of postoperative flatulence, and incidence of PONV at 48 h post-surgery (all, P > 0.05). Furthermore, patients in the butorphanol group were more comfortable, when compared to patients in the sufentanil group in the PACU., Conclusion: The present study revealed that butorphanol can be an efficacious substitute for sufentanil during anesthesia induction to diminish PONV within 24 h following gastrointestinal laparoscopic surgery in the elderly, simultaneously improving patient comfort in the PACU., Competing Interests: Conflict-of-interest statement: All the authors report no relevant conflicts of interest for this article., (©The Author(s) 2023. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.)

The inkjet printing technology based on piezoelectric micro-jets can effectively realize the efficient and high-precision processing of special-shaped structures. In this work, a nozzle-driven piezoelectric micro-jet device is proposed, and its structure and micro-jet process are described. ANSYS two-phase, two-way fluid-structure coupling simulation analysis is carried out, and the mechanism of the piezoelectric micro-jet is described in detail. The effects of voltage amplitude, input signal frequency, nozzle diameter and oil viscosity on the injection performance of the proposed device are studied, and a set of effective control methods is summarized. The correctness of the piezoelectric micro-jet mechanism and the feasibility of the proposed nozzle-driven piezoelectric micro-jet device are proved by experiments, and an injection performance test is carried out. The experimental results are consistent with the ANSYS simulation results, which confirms the correctness of the experiment. Finally, the stability and superiority of the proposed device are verified via comparation experiments.

Successful establishment of reconnection between retinal ganglion cells and retinorecipient regions in the brain is critical to optic nerve regeneration. However, morphological assessments of retinorecipient regions are limited by the opacity of brain tissue. In this study, we used an innovative tissue cleaning technique combined with retrograde trans-synaptic viral tracing to observe changes in retinorecipient regions connected to retinal ganglion cells in mice after optic nerve injury. Specifically, we performed light-sheet imaging of whole brain tissue after a clearing process. We found that pseudorabies virus 724 (PRV724) mostly infected retinal ganglion cells, and that we could use it to retrogradely trace the retinorecipient regions in whole tissue-cleared brains. Unexpectedly, PRV724-traced neurons were more widely distributed compared with data from previous studies. We found that optic nerve injury could selectively modify projections from retinal ganglion cells in the hypothalamic paraventricular nucleus, intergeniculate leaflet, ventral lateral geniculate nucleus, central amygdala, basolateral amygdala, Edinger-Westphal nucleus, and oculomotor nucleus, but not the superior vestibular nucleus, red nucleus, locus coeruleus, gigantocellular reticular nucleus, or facial nerve nucleus. Our findings demonstrate that the tissue clearing technique, combined with retrograde trans-synaptic viral tracing, can be used to objectively and comprehensively evaluate changes in mouse retinorecipient regions that receive projections from retinal ganglion cells after optic nerve injury. Thus, our approach may be useful for future estimations of optic nerve injury and regeneration., Competing Interests: None

Objective: Endometriosis (EMS) is a chronic gynecological disorder with an urgent need of a reliable non-invasive diagnostic strategy. Recently, there has been increasing interest in using the contents of exosomes, especially exosomal microRNAs (miRNAs), as potential biomarkers for various types of diseases. In this study, we assessed the differentially expressed miRNAs in exosomes derived from primary normal and ectopic endometrial cells., Methods: We used miRNA microarray analysis to identify differentially expressed exosomal miRNAs. Among the selected exosomal miRNAs, we focused on hsa-miR-202-3p and hsa-miR-202-5p and validated their expression levels using quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction analysis. We then further examined their expression in exosomes derived from vaginal discharge (leukorrhea) from patients with EMS and the negative control group., Results: The data show that hsa-miR-202-3p and hsa-miR-202-5p were expressed significantly higher in leukorrhea-derived exosomes from EMS patients compared with the negative controls., Conclusion: Taken together, our results suggest that leukorrhea-derived exosomal hsa-miR-202 could serve as a potential useful biomarker for diagnosing EMS.

ε-Poly-L-lysine (ε-PL) is a naturally-occurring L-lysine homopolymer having a broad-spectrum antimicrobial activity and used widely as a food preservative. In the present study, the combined use of immobilization and in situ product removal (ISPR) was evaluated for the production of ε-PL by Streptomyces ahygroscopicus GIM8. Results showed that ε-PL production in the flask cultures decreased from 0.84 to 0.38-0.56 g/L upon immobilization on loofah sponge with different amounts (0.5-3 g in 50 mL medium in a flask). By applying continuous ISPR to the immobilized flask cultures, ε-PL production as high as 3.51 g/L was obtained compared to 0.51 g/L of the control. A satisfactory titer of 1.84 g/L ε-PL could also be achieved with intermittent ISRP (three cycles of ISPR operation during cultivation). Further investigation showed that low levels of ε-PL retained in the broth appeared to favor its biosynthesis. In the repeated-batch fermentation in a 5 L immobilized bioreactor, with continuous ISPR, the final average ε-PL concentration and productivity were 3.35 g/L and 0.797 g/L/day, respectively, and 3.18 g/L and 0.756 g/L/day for the alternative (intermittent ISPR), in comparison to 1.16 g/L and 0.277 g/L/day with no ISPR usage. In the fed-batch fermentation with immobilized cells, the combined use of intermittent ISPR and extra nutrient feeding increased ε-PL concentration and productivity up to 24.57 g/L and 9.34 g/L/day. The fermentation processes developed could serve as an effective approach for ε-PL production and, moreover, the combination could greatly simplify downstream processing for ε-PL separation and purification., (© 2021. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.)

Aims: The prostate transmembrane protein, androgen induced 1 (PMEPA1) is differentially expressed in pan-cancer. However, PMEPA1 specific role in cancers has not been fully clarified. This study aims to explore the potential role of Pmepa1 in pan-cancer and specific cancer, with a view to deepening the research on the pathological mechanism of cancer., Main Methods: The Perl language and R language were used to identify the correlation between PMEPA1 expression level and clinical indicators, prognosis values, tumor microenvironment, immune cells' infiltration, immune checkpoint genes, TMB and MSI. The Therapeutic Target Database was used for identifying potential therapeutic drugs that target the pathways that are significantly affected by PMEPA1 expression., Key Findings: PMEPA1 differential expression significantly correlated with patients' age, race, tumors' stage and status. PMEPA1 high expression was closely correlated with poor prognosis in many cancer types, excluding prostate adenocarcinoma. PMEPA1 expression was closely related to tumor cells and the immune microenvironment in stromal and immune cells' level, immune cells' infiltration, immune checkpoint genes, tumor mutational burden and microsatellite instability. We also found that the activity of the olfactory transduction pathway was closely related to PMEPA1 expression. In pan-cancer, Trifluoperazine and Halofantrine have the potential to reduce PMEPA1 expression., Significance: This study integrated existing data to explore PMEPA1 potential function in cancers, provided insights for the future cancer-related studies., (Copyright © 2021 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

The enrichment of Enterotoxigenic Bacteroides fragilis (ETBF) has been identified in CRC patients and associated with worse prognosis. Cancer stem cells (CSCs) play essential roles in CRC development. However, whether ETBF is involved in CSCs regulation is unknown. To clarify the role of ETBF in CSCs properties, we performed extreme limited dilution assays (ELDA) in nude mice injected with ETBF-treated or untreated CRC cells subcutaneously, tumor organoids culture in azoxymethane (AOM) mouse model after gavaging with or without ETBF, and cell sphere formation assay after incubating CRC cell lines with or without ETBF. The results indicated that ETBF increased the stemness of CRC cells in vivo and in vitro . Furthermore, ETBF enhanced the expression of core stemness transcription factors Nanog homeobox (NANOG) and sex determining region Y-box 2 (SOX2). Histone H3 Lysine 9 trimethylation (H3K9me3) is critical in regulating CSCs properties. As an epigenetic and transcriptional regulator, JmjC-domain containing histone demethylase 2B (JMJD2B) is essential for embryonic stem cell (ESC) transformation and H3K9me3 demethylation. Mechanistically, ETBF infection significantly upregulated JMJD2B levels in CRC cell lines and nude mice xenograft model. JMJD2B epigenetically upregulated NANOG expression via demethylating its promoter H3K9me3, to mediate ETBF-induced stemness of CRC cells. Subsequently, we found that the Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) pathway, activated by ETBF, contributed to the enhanced expression of JMJD2B via nuclear transcription factor nuclear factor of activated T cells 5 (NFAT5). Finally, in human CRC samples, the amount of ETBF positively correlated with nuclear NFAT5, JMJD2B, and NANOG expression levels. In summary, ETBF upregulated JMJD2B levels in a TLR4-NFAT5-dependent pathway, and played an important role in stemness regulation, which promoted colorectal carcinogenesis.

Constructing heterojunction is a promising way to improve the charge transfer efficiency and can thus promote the electrochemical properties. Herein, a facile and effective epitaxial-like growth strategy is applied to NiSe 2 nano-octahedra to fabricate the NiSe 2 -(100)/Ni(OH) 2 -(110) heterojunction. The heterojunction composite and Ni(OH) 2 (performing high electrochemical activity) is ideal high-rate battery-type supercapacitor electrode. The NiSe 2 /Ni(OH) 2 electrode exhibits a high specific capacity of 909 C g -1 at 1 A g -1 and 597 C g -1 at 20 A g -1 . The assembled asymmetric supercapacitor composed of the NiSe 2 /Ni(OH) 2 cathode and p-phenylenediamine-functional reduced graphene oxide anode achieves an ultrahigh specific capacity of 303 C g -1 at 1 A g -1 and a superior energy density of 76.1 Wh kg -1 at 906 W kg -1 , as well as an outstanding cycling stability of 82% retention for 8000 cycles at 10 A g -1 . To the best of our knowledge, this is the first example of NiSe 2 /Ni(OH) 2 heterojunction exhibiting such remarkable supercapacitor performance. This work not only provides a promising candidate for next-generation energy storage device but also offers a possible universal strategy to fabricate metal selenides/metal hydroxides heterojunctions.

As the rapid development of minimally invasive techniques, anesthesia, and enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS), anorectal day surgery receiving more and more attention by improving efficiency of medical care while reducing cost and hospitalized infection. However, day surgery also faces the challenge of completing the whole process from patient admission to discharge within 24 hours. Therefore, establishing a reasonable and detailed day surgery process is the cornerstone to guarantee safe medical practice and patients satisfaction. National Clinical Research Center for Geriatric Disorders (Xiangya), together with China Ambulatory Surgery Alliance formulates the clinical practice guideline for anorectal day surgery 2019 edition. Here we make some interpretations of the guidelines on the detailed process of anorectal day surgery, including indication, preoperative examination, preoperative risk evaluation, health education, assessment of day surgery anesthesia and before leaving postanesthesia care unit (PACU), postoperative management, assessment of discharge and follow-up, for the convenience of various medical centers.

This retrospective study investigated the risk factors of exudative retinal detachment (ERD) occurring after vitrectomy performed to treat proliferative diabetic retinopathy (PDR).All patients were treated with vitrectomy for PDR. Patients with history(s) of the following were excluded: ocular surgery (except phacoemulsification combined with intraocular lens implantation or retinal laser photocoagulation); ocular trauma; systemic diseases; ocular diseases; uveitis; scleritis; tumor; congenital ocular disorders; or others.Included were 205 eyes of 169 patients, of whom 18 (8.78%) developed ERD with varying degrees of exudative choroidal detachment after 1 to 3 days. Binary logistic regression showed the following association with the development of ERD: lower serum albumin concentration (P = .001); without intravitreal anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (anti-VEGF) drug injection before vitrectomy (P = .044); and history of phacoemulsification combined with intraocular lens implantation (P = .046). No association was found with gender; age; systolic pressure; diastolic pressure; panretinal photocoagulation; intraocular pressure on the 1st postoperative day; intraocular pressure on the 2nd postoperative day; serum albumin concentration; or blood urea nitrogen.Risk factors for ERD after vitrectomy for PDR include low serum albumin concentration, without history of intravitreal anti-VEGF drug injection before surgery, and a history of phacoemulsification combined with intraocular lens implantation.

Colorectal cancer includes an invasive stem-like/mesenchymal subtype, but its genetic drivers, functional, and clinical relevance are uncharacterized. Here we report the definition of an altered miRNA signature defining this subtype that includes a major genomic loss of miR-508. Mechanistic investigations showed that this miRNA affected the expression of cadherin CDH1 and the transcription factors ZEB1, SALL4, and BMI1. Loss of miR-508 in colorectal cancer was associated with upregulation of the novel hypoxia-induced long noncoding RNA AK000053. Ectopic expression of miR-508 in colorectal cancer cells blunted epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT), stemness, migration, and invasive capacity in vitro and in vivo In clinical colorectal cancer specimens, expression of miR-508 negatively correlated with stemness and EMT-associated gene expression and positively correlated with patient survival. Overall, our results showed that miR-508 is a key functional determinant of the stem-like/mesenchymal colorectal cancer subtype and a candidate therapeutic target for its treatment. Significance: These results define a key functional determinant of a stem-like/mesenchymal subtype of colorectal cancers and a candidate therapeutic target for its treatment. Cancer Res; 78(7); 1751-65. ©2018 AACR ., (©2018 American Association for Cancer Research.)

Reversible post-translational modifications represent a mechanism to control tumor metabolism. Here we show that mitochondrial Sirtuin5 (SIRT5), which mediates lysine desuccinylation, deglutarylation, and demalonylation, plays a role in colorectal cancer (CRC) glutamine metabolic rewiring. Metabolic profiling identifies that deletion of SIRT5 causes a marked decrease in 13 C-glutamine incorporation into tricarboxylic-acid (TCA) cycle intermediates and glutamine-derived non-essential amino acids. This reduces the building blocks required for rapid growth. Mechanistically, the direct interaction between SIRT5 and glutamate dehydrogenase 1 (GLUD1) causes deglutarylation and functional activation of GLUD1, a critical regulator of cellular glutaminolysis. Consistently, GLUD1 knockdown diminishes SIRT5-induced proliferation, both in vivo and in vitro. Clinically, overexpression of SIRT5 is significantly correlated with poor prognosis in CRC. Thus, SIRT5 supports the anaplerotic entry of glutamine into the TCA cycle in malignant phenotypes of CRC via activating GLUD1.

Zinc finger protein 278 is a zinc finger transcription factor encoded on the 22q12.2 chromosome. Previous studies revealed that ZNF278 expression was significantly upregulated in colorectal cancer (CRC) tissue compared to adjacent non-tumor tissue. However, the expression and specific roles of ZNF278 in CRC remain unknown. ZNF278 expression was knocked down using specific siRNAs, which was confirmed by western blotting, and the effects of ZNF278 siRNAs on CRC cell proliferation were investigated. In addition, the effects of ZNF278 overexpression were confirmed by western blotting and cell proliferation assay. Correlations between ZNF278 and the ERK/MAPK pathway were also detected by western blotting. We found that ZNF278 knockdown significantly induced cell cycle arrest, resulting in cyclin D1/E1 downregulation and p21 upregulation. Moreover, we demonstrated that downregulation of ZNF278 decreased the proliferation of CRC cells via inhibition of the extracellular signal-regulated kinase/mitogen-activated protein kinase (ERK/MAPK) pathway for the first time. In conclusion, ZNF278 played a prominent role in the pathogenesis of CRC, and promoted CRC cell proliferation via the ERK/MAPK pathway, suggesting that it may act as a potential target in the diagnosis or treatment of CRC.

Rationale: Chronic progressive external ophthalmoplegia (CPEO) is a classical mitochondrial ocular disorder characterized by bilateral progressive ptosis and ophthalmoplegia. Kearns -Sayre syndrome (KSS) is a multisystem disorder with PEO, cardiac conduction block, and pigmentary retinopathy. A few individuals with CPEO have other manifestations of KSS, but do not meet all the clinical diagnosis criteria, and this is called "CPEO plus.", Patient Concerns: We report a 48-year-old woman exhibiting limb weakness, ptosis, ophthalmoparesis, and cerebellar dysfunctions., Diagnoses: The patient was diagnosed as exhibiting CPEO plus syndrome., Interventions: The patient underwent clinical, genetic, histological, and histochemical analysis. She was treated orally with CoQ10, vitamin Bs, L-carnitine, and vitamin E., Outcomes: The patient's serum creatine kinase levels, electrocardiography, and nerve conduction study results were normal; an electromyogram revealed myopathic findings. Magnetic resonance imaging showed global brain atrophy, particularly in the brainstem and cerebellum areas. A muscle biopsy showed the presence of abundant ragged red fibers. Sequencing of the mitochondrial DNA from the skeletal muscle biopsy revealed C960del mutation in 12S rRNA and homozygous mutation C2835T in 16S rRNA. She took medicines on schedule, the clinical features were similar as 2 years ago., Lessons: This is the first report of 2 rRNA mutations in a patient with MRI findings showing global brain atrophy, particularly in brainstem and cerebellum areas. Early recognition and appropriate treatment is crucial. This case highlights the cerebellar ataxia can occur in CPEO plus.

Objective: To investigate the effect of continuous intravenous injection of nicardipine and/or nitroglycerin with or without esmolol on the occurrence of early post-operative cognitive dysfunction (POCD) in elderly patients., Methods: Elderly patients (n=340) who underwent radiofrequency ablation for atrial fibrillation were randomized into five groups: A, nicardipine; B nicardipine+esmolol; C, (nitroglycerin) group; D nitroglycerin+esmolol; E (control) groups. The hemodynamic parameters were recorded, and Mini Mental State Examination was used to assess cognitive function., Results: At 30 min and 60 minutes after anesthesia and at the conclusion of surgery, the rate pressure product value was significantly lower in Groups B (10621.1±321.7, 10544.2±321.8, and 10701.3±325.5, respectively) and D (10807.4±351.1, 10784.3±360.3, and 10771.7±345.7, respectively) than in Group E (13217.1±377.6, 13203.5±357.3, and 13119.2±379.5, respectively). The heart rate was significantly higher in Groups A (104.1±10.3, 104.9±11.1, and 103.9±11.8, respectively) and C (103.7±11.3, 105.5±10.5, and 107.7±11.7, respectively) than in Group E (89.3±12.0, 88.5±11.5, and 85.5±11.6, respectively). The incidence of POCD was significantly lower in Groups A and B than in Groups C, D, and E. Univariate regression analysis showed that regimens in Groups A, B, and E and doses of propofol and fentanyl were risk factors for POCD. Multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed significant associations between the incidence of POCD and interventions in Groups A and B., Conclusion: Maintenance of stable intraoperative hemodynamics using nicardipine and nitroglycerin or their combinations with esmolol, especially nicardipine with esmolol, reduced the incidence of POCD in the elderly with potential cardiovascular diseases.

Background: Postoperative delirium (POD) is a common complication in the elderly. This retrospective study investigated the effect of intraoperative hemodynamics on the incidence of POD in elderly patients after major surgery to explore ways to reduce the incidence of POD., Material/methods: Based on the incidence of POD, elderly patients (81±6 y) were assigned to a POD (n=137) or non-POD group (n=343) after elective surgery with total intravenous anesthesia. POD was diagnosed based on the guidelines of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition (DSM-IV), using the confusion assessment method. The hemodynamic parameters, such as mean arterial pressure, were monitored 10 min before anesthesia (baseline) and intraoperatively. The incidence of intraoperative hypertension, hypotension, tachycardia, and bradycardia were calculated., Results: At 30 min and 60 min after the initiation of anesthesia and at the conclusion of surgery, the monitored hemodynamic parameter values of the POD group, but not those of the non-POD group, were significantly higher than at baseline. Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that intraoperative hypertension and tachycardia were significantly associated with POD., Conclusions: Intraoperative hypertension and tachycardia were significantly associated with POD. Maintaining intraoperative stable hemodynamics may reduce the incidence of POD in elderly patients undergoing surgery.

The apparent viscosity, molecular weight, and molecular weight distribution are important physical properties that determine the functional properties of galactomannan gum. Gleditsia sinensis gum (GSG) in semi-solid state was pressure cell treated over a range of temperature (30-110 °C) under nitrogen maintained at a pressure of 1.0-4.0 MPa. Physicochemical properties of GSG samples both before and after the pressure cell treatment were characterized. These include measurements of rheological properties by LVDV-III Ultra Rheometer, molecular weight and radius of gyration by light scattering, and changes in surface morphology by scanning electron microscopy. GSG had the highest apparent viscosity at a treatment temperature of 30 °C; further increase in temperature led to decrease in apparent viscosity. The apparent viscosity of GSG can be efficiently improved at room temperature and low pressure. The process of pressure cell treatment of GSG in semi-solid state could be industrialized for enhancement of rheological properties of galactomannan gum., (Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Background: Parkinson's disease (PD) is a common degenerative neurological disorder that causes loss of independence and decreased quality of life. The prevalence of PD tends to increase with age. In China, the morbidity rate of PD among people aged more than 65 years old is 1.70%. As an important component of traditional Chinese Qigong exercises, Tai Chi is a popular and safe exercise, especially for older adults in China. And it may result in promising gains for PD patients. However, current evidence is insufficient to inform the use of Tai Chi in the management of PD. Therefore, the aim of this trial is to systematically evaluate the effect of Tai Chi on PD and determine whether Tai Chi is an eligible exercise program for Chinese PD patients., Methods/design: A single-blind, parallel randomized controlled trial will be conducted. One hundred and forty-two patients with PD will be randomly assigned to a Tai Chi group (n = 71) or routine exercise group (n = 71). Subjects will participate in supervised study programs 3 times per week for 2 months and will be followed for an additional 6 months after formal training stops. The primary outcome measures include Berg Balance Scale, Timed Up and Go Test and Six-Minute Walk Test, which are known to be valid and reliable clinical instruments. The Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale Motor Section and Parkinson's Disease Questionnaire-39 will be used as the secondary outcome measure. All outcomes will be measured at baseline, 2 and 8 months. The sample for this trial (N = 142) will provide relevant information to detect the improvement of balance, gait and quality of life in either of the 2 exercise groups., Discussion: Findings from this study will provide insights into the effects of Tai Chi in people with PD. The information gained from this project has the potential to influence the clinical decisions of Chinese doctors, and will provide clear evidence as to whether Tai Chi should be advocated in people with PD., Trial Registration: The trial was registered at ( ChiCTR-TRC-14004549 ) on 22 April 2014.

High molecular weight glutenin subunits (HMW-GS) play an essential role in wheat processing quality. In this study, we evaluated the genetic pattern with HMW-GS composition between generations and examined whether agronomic and quality traits were correlated with each other. A wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) cultivar with high protein content and 2 cultivars with low protein content were subjected to a reciprocal cross. Sixteen agronomic and 4 quality characteristics were investigated. A total of 216 seeds from each F2 generation were chosen randomly and analyzed for HMW-GS composition using sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. Agronomic and quality characteristics were not significantly different between reciprocal crosses, indicating no cytoplasmic effect on the characteristics studied. The separation ratio of 2 HMW-GS loci was 9:3:3:1, indicating no linkage between any 2 loci. The novel HMW-GS N was detected in cultivar R145, which did not follow the Mendelian segregation ratio. A Glu-A1a(1) band was not detected in 1 individual from Tian8901xR145. Average grain weight per spike was significantly correlated with quality characteristics and may be a suitable criterion for selecting high protein content in wheat breeding programs.

Background: To evaluate intranasal administration of butorphanol on postoperative pain and early postoperative cognitive dysfunction in old patients undergoing H-uvulopalatopharyngoplasty (H-UPPP)., Methods: A total of 260 male patients (65 to 77 years old) with obstructive sleep apnea hypopnea syndrome and scheduled for H-UPPP were divided randomly to receive intranasal butorphanol, intravenous butorphanol, intranasal fentanyl, or intravenous saline (controls). The definition of preemptive analgesia is that the tested drugs are given before anesthesia induction. Visual analog scale (VAS) and Bruggrmann comfort scale (BCS) scores were recorded at postoperative 1, 6, 12, 18, 24, 36, and 48 h. Postoperative cognitive dysfunction (POCD) was evaluated by Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) scores assessed one day before, and 1, 3, and 7 days postsurgery., Results: Compared with control group, those given preemptive analgesia required significantly less sufentanil during surgery, had less pain at postoperative 6-12 h; those given butorphanol experienced less nausea and vomiting, less pain at postoperative 6-24 h, and less POCD. Compared with patients given fentanyl, those given butorphanol required significantly less postoperative fentanyl, had less pain at postoperative 18-24 h, less nausea and vomiting, and less POCD. Compared with patients given intravenous butorphanol, those who received butorphanol by nasal route required significantly less postoperative fentanyl, had less pain at 36 and 48 h, and less POCD., Conclusion: Intranasal administration of butorphanol is safe and effective, reducing postoperative usage of analgesics and the incidence of POCD in old patients undergoing H-UPPP., Trial Registration: ChiCTR-TRC-14004121.

We studied the effects of different media for callus induction and differentiation, and pre-culture period of immature wheat embryo culture on biolistic transformation efficiency for including antifreeze gene KN2 and bar conferring resistance to the herbicide bialaphos. The percentage of plantlets generated from induction and differentiation media without Cu2+ was lower than those cultured on differentiation media with Cu2+ (71.15%) or induction media with Cu2+ (68.45%) and both induction and differentiation media with Cu2+ (52.17%). The combinations of Nor medium for callus induction and Cu2+ medium for regeneration, and Cu2+ medium for induction and R medium for regeneration were superior for biolistic transformation. The calli induced on Cu2+ medium and pre-cultured for 4 d before biolistic transformation, and cultured on R medium after biolistic transformation produced the highest percentage (65%) of transgenic plantlets with the KN2 gene. Overall, about 50% plantlets regenerated from calli pre-cultured 4d before bombardment carried the KN2 gene; 44.7% of the plantlets carried the bar gene, which was higher than for any other treatment, followed by pre-culture 1d with 31.43% transformation rate for the KN2 gene and 20% transformation rate for the bar gene.

Yield losses caused by lodging in barley can be partially controlled by reducing plant height. In order to understand dwarfing mechanisms and efficiently use new dwarf germplasms for a breeding program, it is important to identify QTL of plant height components. QTL analysis was performed for seven plant height component traits using a DH population of 122 lines derived from the cross of Huaai 11 x Huadamai 6. Composite interval mapping procedures detected 20 QTL, which were mapped onto chromosomes 2H, 3H, 5H, 6H, and 7H. Eleven QTL were detected in 3 years and four QTL were detected in 2 years. QTL controlling all seven plant height component traits were found near the dwarfing gene btwd1 on chromosome 7H. These QTL accounted for 27.19 to 59.73% of phenotypic variation in seven plant height component traits. Positive transgressive segregation was found for all traits. Some of the QTL identified in this study will be useful for understanding the dwarfing mechanism and for developing new dwarf varieties using marker-assisted selection.

Salinity is a major abiotic stress affecting plant growth and development. Understanding the molecular mechanisms of salt response and defense in plants will help in efforts to improve the salt tolerance of crops. Brachypodium distachyon is a new model plant for wheat, barley, and several potential biofuel grasses. In the current study, proteome and phosphoproteome changes induced by salt stress were the focus. The Bd21 leaves were initially treated with salt in concentrations ranging from 80 to 320 mm and then underwent a recovery process prior to proteome analysis. A total of 80 differentially expressed protein spots corresponding to 60 unique proteins were identified. The sample treated with a median salt level of 240 mm and the control were selected for phosphopeptide purification using TiO2 microcolumns and LC-MS/MS for phosphoproteome analysis to identify the phosphorylation sites and phosphoproteins. A total of 1509 phosphoproteins and 2839 phosphorylation sites were identified. Among them, 468 phosphoproteins containing 496 phosphorylation sites demonstrated significant changes at the phosphorylation level. Nine phosphorylation motifs were extracted from the 496 phosphorylation sites. Of the 60 unique differentially expressed proteins, 14 were also identified as phosphoproteins. Many proteins and phosphoproteins, as well as potential signal pathways associated with salt response and defense, were found, including three 14-3-3s (GF14A, GF14B, and 14-3-3A) for signal transduction and several ABA signal-associated proteins such as ABF2, TRAB1, and SAPK8. Finally, a schematic salt response and defense mechanism in B. distachyon was proposed.

Deregulation of the mammalian target of rapamycin pathway (mTOR pathway) is associated with human cancer. The relationship between mTOR pathway and histone acetylation is still unclear in gastric cancer (GC). Immunohistochemistry was used to examine the phosphorylation of mTOR and eukaryotic translation initiation factor 4E-binding protein 1 (4E-BP1) in GC tissues. MKN45 and SGC7901 cells were treated with the mTOR inhibitor rapamycin (RAPA) alone or in combination with the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase inhibitor LY294002 and the histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitor trichostatin A (TSA). Small interfering RNA (siRNA) technology was also used to knockdown mTOR. Phosphorylated mTOR and phosphorylated 4E-BP1 were expressed in 71.1% and 68.4% of the human GC tissues tested, respectively; significantly higher than the levels in para-cancerous tissues (50% and 57.9%) and normal tissues (44.6% and 29%). RAPA markedly inhibited cell proliferation, induced G1 cell cycle arrest, and reduced phosphorylation of p70 S6 protein kinase (p70S6K) and 4E-BP1 in GC cells, particularly when used in combination with LY294002 or TSA. The mRNA expression of the tumour suppressor gene p21(WAF1) increased significantly in GC cells treated with both RAPA and TSA. Histone acetylation also increased after RAPA and TSA treatment or siRNA knockdown of mTOR. Our findings suggest that the mTOR pathway is activated in GC, and also that inhibition of mTOR enhances the ability of TSA to suppress cell proliferation and lead to cell cycle arrest via increasing histone acetylation and p21(WAF1) transcription in human MKN45 and SGC7901 GC cells., (© 2013 International Federation for Cell Biology.)

The physico-chemical properties and hydration kinetics of Gleditsia sinensis gum were investigated to evaluate its temperature dependence. The increase of temperature resulted in improved solubility of G. sinensis gum, and the dissolved galactomannan showed decreased degree of galactose substitution (DSGal) and increased molecular weight (p<0.05, ANOVA). The solubility of G. sinensis galactomannan at 25, 45, 60 and 80 °C was 73.4, 83.8, 98.1, and 99.4%, respectively. Weibull and Logarithmic models were well fitted (R(2)>0.96), and the hydration index t0.8 at different temperatures varied in the range of 51-302 min. It was found that galactomannan with low DSGal and high molecular weight exhibited slow hydration rate and poor solubility., (Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Eight new Zn(II) coordination polymers based on flexible 1,4-di(1H-imidazol-1-yl)butane and different dicarboxylates, [Zn(dimb)(suc)·2DMF]n (1), [Zn(dimb)(mbda)·3H2O]n (2), [Zn(dimb)(adip)·DMF·2H2O]n (3), [Zn(dimb)(pma)·2.5H2O]n (4), [Zn2(dimb)(tha)2(H2O)]n (5), [Zn(dimb)(chda)·2H2O]n (6), [Zn(dimb)(obda)·DMF]n (7), [Zn(dimb)(tdga)·CH3OH]n (8) (dimb = 1,4-di(1H-imidazol-1-yl)butane, H2suc = succinic acid, H2mbda = m-benzenediacetic acid, H2adip = adipic acid, H2pma = pimelic acid, H2tha = thiophene-2,5-dicarboxylic acid, H2chda = 1,4-cyclohexanedicarboxylic acid, H2obda = o-benzenediacetic acid, H2tdga = thiodiglycolic acid; DMF = N,N'-dimethylformamide), have been synthesized and structurally characterized by single-crystal X-ray diffraction analyses, and further characterized by infrared spectra (IR), elemental analyses, powder X-ray diffractions (PXRD) and thermogravimetric analyses (TGA). Single-crystal X-ray diffraction analysis reveals that 1, 2, 4, 7 and 8 are 2D wavy 4(4)-sql networks with different dimensions of quadrilateral window units, depending on the conformation and length of dimb and dicarboxylates. Complex 3 is a 2D a 6(3)-hcb network incorporating a [Zn2(dimb)2] cyclic subunit. In complex 5, Zn(II) centers as 3-connected node are linked by dimb and tha to form a 3D 8-fold interpenetrating ThSi2 network. Complex 6 is a 4-connected noninterpenetrating cds network. Interestingly, an infinite T4(2)6(2) water tape and a D2h cyclic water tetramer are also found in complexes 2 and 3, respectively. In 1-8, all Zn(II) centers are located in a four-coordinated environment, and dimb and dicarboxylates are 2-connected linkers, but networks with diverse topologies are built, which indicates the linkage of central metal ion, the conformation of dimb and dicarboxylate have important influences on the resulting structures. Furthermore, the solid-state photoluminescence properties of the 1-8 were investigated at 298 and 77 K.

A spontaneous dwarf mutant of wheat was found in an F5 generation line derived from a cross between Huamai No. 9 and Een No. 1 in 1998; it was named Huaai 01. We characterized the genetic pattern of Huaai 01 and mapped the gene controlling the dwarf trait. This dwarf mutant was found insensitive to exogenous gibberellic acid treatment, based on the length of the first leaf and the coleoptile at the seedling stage, suggesting that it plays a crucial role in the gibberellin response pathway. Genetic analysis revealed that a single gene that is partially recessive controls the dwarf phenotype in Huaai 01. We named the dwarfing gene Rht-B2. Simple sequence repeats (SSR) were examined as identifying markers linked to the Rht-B2 gene in an F2 population. We screened 904 pairs of primers and identified 5 SSR markers linked to the Rht-B2 gene. Two markers, barc1096 and xgwm495, were located on the flanking region of the Rht-B2 gene at genetic distances of 2.9 and 3.3 cM, respectively. Based on published SSR linkage data for wheat, the Rht-B2 gene was mapped to the long arm of chromosome 4B. This identification and characterization of the Rht-B2 dwarfing gene will facilitate its utilization in wheat breeding.

The luminescence thermochromism properties of two entangled copper(I)-iodide coordination polymers formulated [Cu4I4(dmimpr)2]n (1) and [Cu6I6(dimb)3]n (2) (dmimpr = 1,3-di(2-methyl-imidazol-1-yl)propane, dimb = 1,4-di(imidazol-1-yl)butane) are reported. Upon cooling by liquid nitrogen, their solid-state luminescences at room temperature are drastically changed with the large red-shifts of 41 and 78 nm for 1 and 2, respectively. The correlation between luminescence thermochromism and temperature-dependent variation of the Cu···Cu distance is also elucidated.

The polycomb group protein enhancer of zeste homologue 2 (EZH2), which has histone methyltransferase (HMT) activity, is overexpressed in malignant tumours. However, the role of EZH2 in colorectal cancer (CRC) invasion is little known. Here we investigated the clinical significance, biological effects, and mechanisms of EZH2 signalling. Knockdown of EZH2 significantly reduced cell invasion and secretion of matrix metalloproteinases 2/9 (MMP2/9) in in vitro studies. Knockdown of EZH2 dramatically increased overall survival and decreased metastasis of lung in in vivo studies. Conversely, overexpression of EZH2 significantly increased lung metastasis and shortened overall survival when compared with control tumours. EZH2-induced CRC cell invasion may depend on down-regulation of vitamin D receptor (VDR), which is considered to be a marker of CRC invasion. EZH2 regulates the histone trimethylation of lysine 27 (H3K27me3) in the VDR promoter. Moreover, we found that STAT3 directly binds to the EZH2 promoter and regulates VDR down-regulation in CRC cells. Significant inverse correlations were observed between the expression of EZH2 and pSTAT3 and that of VDR in CRC tissues compared with normal tissue in patients. We show the role of EZH2 in CRC metastasis and identify VDR as a target gene of EZH2. EZH2 expression may be directly regulated by STAT3, and STAT3 may play an important role in EZH2-mediated VDR down-regulation in CRC. This pathway may provide potential targets in aggressive CRC., (Copyright © 2013 Pathological Society of Great Britain and Ireland. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.)

One-pot reaction of AgSBu(t) and AgOAc in the methanol-ethanol-DMF solvent system under room temperature gave a ball-shaped Ag56 cluster and a disc-like Ag20 cluster. The formations of clusters and are templated by an in situ generated S(2-) ion from the cleavage of the S-C bond of SBu(t) and CO3(2-) ion from the fixation of atmospheric carbon dioxide, respectively. Interestingly, cluster 1 only emits bright-red light in the solid state at 77 K and is not emissive at room temperature.

Enzymatic hydrolysis of Gleditsia sinensis gum was performed to produce manno-oligosaccharides having functional applications as dietary fiber and prebiotics. The optimum hydrolysis conditions, including enzyme loading, temperature and time, from response surface methodology were 8.1 U/g, 57.4 °C and 34.1 h, respectively. The yield of DP 1-5 oligosaccharides was 75.9% (29.1 g/L). The Michaelis-Menten kinetics and molecular weight distribution were determined. The obtained oligosaccharides were further separated by HPLC and SEC, and the galactose distribution of G. sinensis gum was elucidated. Results indicated that G. sinensis gum has potential to produce value-added oligosaccharides in food industries., (Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Background: Polymorphism of genes encoding drug-metabolizing enzymes is known to play an important role in increased susceptibility of colorectal cancer. UGT1A gene locus has been suggested to define tissue-specific glucuronidation activity. Reduced capacity of glucuronidation is correlated with the development of colorectal cancer. Therefore, we sought to explore polymorphism of UGTlA gene in human colorectal cancer., Methods: Cancerous and healthy tissues were obtained from selectedpatients. Blood samples were collected and UGTlA mRNA transcriptions were analyzed. Genomic DNA was prepared and UGTlA8 exon-1 sequences were amplified, visualized and purified. The extracted DNA was subcloned and sequenced. Two-tailed Fisher's exact test, Odds ratios (ORs), confidence interval (CIs) and Logistics Regression Analysis were used for statistical analysis., Results: UGTlA mRNA expression was reduced in cancerous tissues compared with healthy tissues from the same patient . The UGTlA mRNA expression of healthy tissue in study patients was lower than control . The mRNA expression of cancerous tissue was down-regulated in UGTlAl, 1A3, 1A4, lA6, 1A9 and up-regulated in UGTlA8 and UGTlAl0 UGT1A5 and UGT1A7 were not expressed in colonic tissue of either group. The allele frequency of WT UGTlA8*1 was higher (p = 0.000), frequency of UGTlA8*3 was lowered in control group (p = 0.000). The expression of homozygous UGTlA8*1 was higher in control group (p = 0.000). Higher frequency of both heterozygous UGTlA8*1/*3 and UGTlA8*2/*3 were found in study group (p = 0.000; p = 0.000). The occurrence of colorectal cancer was mainly related to the presence of polymorphic UGTlA8*3 alleles (p = 0.000)., Conclusion: Regulation of human UGT1A genes is tissue-specific. Individual variation in polymorphic expressions of UGTlA gene locus was noted in all types of colonic tissue tested, whereas hepatic tissue expression was uniform. The high incidence of UGTlA8 polymorphism exists in colorectal cancer patients. UGTlA8*1 allele is a protective factor and UGTlA8*3 allele is a risk factor.

We investigated the expression of UDP-glucuronosyltransferase 1A (UGT1A), nuclear factor erythroid-E2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) and Kelch-like ECH-associated protein 1 (Keap1) in normal colonic mucosa, adenoma tissue and adenocarcinoma tissue, to analyze the correlation between their expression and the clinicopathological features of adenocarcinoma and their roles in colonic carcinogenesis. Using immunohistochemical analysis, we investigated the expression of UGT1A, Nrf2 and Keap1 in normal colonic mucosa (n=24), adenoma tissue (n=30) and adenocarcinoma tissue (n=77). We found that the positive rate of UGT1A was 83.3% in normal colonic mucosa, 80.0% in adenoma tissue and significantly lower, 53.2%, in adenocarcinoma tissue (normal colonic vs. adenoma tissue, P=0.071; normal colonic vs. adenocarcinoma tissue, P=0.023; adenoma vs. adenocarcinoma tissue, P=0.019). The expression levels of Nrf2 were high in adenoma and adenocarcinoma tissues, with positive rates of 70.0 and 87.0%, respectively, but were significantly lower in normal colonic tissue, with a positive rate of 41.7% (normal colonic vs. adenoma tissue, P=0.000; normal colonic vs. adenocarcinoma tissue, P=0.000; adenoma vs. adenocarcinoma tissue, P=0.000). The positive rate of Keap1 was 54.2% in normal mucosa, 70.0% in adenoma tissue and 61.0% in adenocarcinoma tissue (normal colonic mucosa vs. adenoma tissue, P=0.200; normal colonic vs. adenocarcinoma tissue, P=0.040; adenoma vs. adenocarcinoma, P=0.002). In addition, there was no correlation between the expression of Nrf2/Keap1 in adenoma and adenocarcinoma tissues (r=0.067, P=0.723; r=0.042, P=0.715, respectively). The results suggest that decreased expression of UGT1A and the dysregulation of the Nrf2/Keap1 system may be related to colonic carcinogenesis.

Riccardin D is a macrocyclic bisbibenzyl compound extracted from liverwort plant Dumortiera hirsuta. Our previous study showed that riccardin D induced apoptosis of human leukemia cells by targeting DNA topoisomerase II (topo II). Riccardin D has been considered as a novel DNA topo II inhibitor and potential chemotherapeutic agent for treatment of cancers. In this study, we evaluated the inhibitory effects of riccardin D on growth of human non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) both in vitro and in vivo. Riccardin D effectively inhibited the proliferation of NSCLC cells as estimated by the MTT assay. Further examination showed that the ability of invasion and migration of NSCLC cells was suppressed on exposure to riccardin D as estimated by the assays of scratch and transwell chamber. The anticancer activity of riccardin D was verified in mice bearing human NSCLC H460 xenografts. Riccardin D injection produced a 44.5% inhibition of cancer growth without apparent signs of toxicity to animals. Further, riccardin D induced apoptosis of NSCLC cells as evidenced by the increases of cells with externalization of phosphatidylserine and terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase dUTP nick-end labeling (TUNEL)-positive in H460 xenografts. The analysis of apoptotic proteins showed that riccardin D activated the caspases cascade signaling pathway as demonstrated by the increases of cleaved caspase-3 and cleaved PARP in NSCLC cells in vitro and in H460 xenografts in mice. The pBR322 DNA relaxation assay indicated that riccardin D inhibited the activity of DNA topo II in H460 and A549 cells, suggesting the mechanism of riccardin D in induction of NSCLC apoptosis. In addition, we studied the activity and expression of matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) in NSCLC cells. The activities of MMP-2 and MMP-9 in supernatants of NSCLC cells were suppressed on exposure to riccardin D as estimated by gelatin zymography assay. The inhibitory effects of riccardin D on expressions of MMP-2 and MMP-9 were verified in H460 xenografts in mice and the decreases of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and Erk1/2 might associate with the inhibition of MMPs and NSCLC growth. Together, our results suggest that riccardin D has a high inhibitory effect on human NSCLC growth through induction of apoptosis., (Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.)

A facile approach, named phase transfer catalyst supported, room temperature biphasic synthesis, has been developed to synthesize a new type of coordination polymers. Compared to the traditional biphasic solvothermal synthesis that was run at high temperature (100-200 °C), the new approach introduced here can be operated under a mild condition (room temperature) with the support of phase transfer catalyst. With the application of this new approach, two copper coordination complexes with 1D metal-organic nanotube and 1D coordination polymer containing large water clusters have been successfully synthesized and characterized. Furthermore, the synthetic approach presented here can be extended to synthesize other coordination polymers, including porous lanthanide-organic frameworks.

Sciaenidae is one of the largest fish families, but the phylogeny and taxonomy of these fishes are still being disputed. Furthermore, the taxonomic status of the Chinese bahaba (Bahaba taipingensis), which is an endemic species to China, had never been studied through molecular method. In this study, phylogenetic relationships among sciaenid species were reconstructed using DNA sequence data from the mitochondrial cytochrome b (cyt b) gene and the 16S ribosomal RNA (16S rRNA) gene through Bayesian inference (BI) analyses. The phylogenetic trees indicated that the Chinese bahaba closely related to Collichthys and Pseudosciaena. Previous studies (Meng et al. 2004. Prog Nat Sci 14(5):514-521, [in Chinese]) showed that the subfamily Pseudosciaeninae represented the latest evolutionary sort, which was more suitable with the current environment. Based on our 16S rRNA, the Chinese bahaba showed close relationship with Pseudosciaena, thus the divergence of the Chinese bahaba maybe also very late within the family Sciaenidae. It was probably that the oceanographic or ecological discontinuities of these species vary considerably causing particularly strong breaks. Furthermore, combined with previous studies, we suggested that there was only one genus, Otolithes, within the subfamily Otolithinae. Nevertheless, the taxonomic status of the Chinese bahaba and the phylogeny of the whole family were not completely solved. Additional samples of more species are required to develop a clearer picture of the evolutionary history of Sciaenidae.

Production of high quality interpolation maps of heavy metals is important for risk assessment of environmental pollution. In this paper, the spatial correlation characteristics information obtained from Moran's I analysis was used to supplement the traditional geostatistics. According to Moran's I analysis, four characteristics distances were obtained and used as the active lag distance to calculate the semivariance. Validation of the optimality of semivariance demonstrated that using the two distances where the Moran's I and the standardized Moran's I, Z(I) reached a maximum as the active lag distance can improve the fitting accuracy of semivariance. Then, spatial interpolation was produced based on the two distances and their nested model. The comparative analysis of estimation accuracy and the measured and predicted pollution status showed that the method combining geostatistics with Moran's I analysis was better than traditional geostatistics. Thus, Moran's I analysis is a useful complement for geostatistics to improve the spatial interpolation accuracy of heavy metals.

Background: Mutation of tumor suppressor gene, adenomatous polyposis coli (APC), is the primary molecular event in the development of most intestinal carcinomas. Animal model with APC gene mutation is an effective tool for study of preventive approaches against intestinal carcinomas. We aimed to evaluate the effect of Riccardin D, a macrocyclic bisbibenzyl compound, as a chemopreventive agent against intestinal adenoma formation in APC(Min/+) mice., Methods: APC(Min/+) mice were given Riccardin D by p.o. gavage for 7 weeks. Mice were sacrificed, and the number, size and histopathology of intestinal polyps were examined under a microscope. We performed immunohistochemical staining, western blotting, reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) in intestinal polyps to investigate the mechanism of chemopreventive effect of Riccardin D., Results: Riccardin D treatment resulted in a significant inhibition of intestinal adenoma formation, showing a reduction of polyp number by 41.7%, 31.1% and 44.4%, respectively, in proximal, middle and distal portions of small intestine. The activity of Riccardin D against polyp formation was more profound in colon, wherein Riccardin D decreased polyp number by 79.3%. Size distribution analysis revealed a significant reduction in large-size polyps (2-3 mm) by 40.0%, 42.5% and 33.3%, respectively, in proximal, middle and distal portions of small intestine, and 77.8% in colon. Histopathological analysis of the intestinal polyps revealed mostly hyperplastic morphology without obvious dysplasia in Riccardin D-treated mice. Molecular analyses of the polyps suggested that the inhibitory effect of Riccardin D on intestinal adenoma formation was associated with its abilities of reduction in cell proliferation, induction of apoptosis, antiangiogenesis, inhibition of the Wnt signaling pathway and suppression of inflammatory mediators in polyps., Conclusions: Our results suggested that Riccardin D exerts its chemopreventive effect against intestinal adenoma formation through multiple mechanisms including anti-proliferative, apoptotic, anti-angiogenic and anti-inflammatory activity.

Utilization of a two-line breeding system via photoperiod-thermo sensitive male sterility has a great potential for hybrid production in wheat (Triticum aestivum L.). 337S is a novel wheat male sterile line sensitive to both short daylength/low temperature and long daylength/high temperature. Five F(2) populations derived from the crosses between 337S and five common wheat varieties were developed for genetic analysis. All F(1)'s were highly fertile while segregation occurred in the F(2) populations with a ratio of 3 fertile:1 sterile under short daylength/low temperature. It is shown that male sterility in 337S was controlled by a single recessive gene, temporarily designated as wptms3. Bulked segregant analysis (BSA) coupled with simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers was applied to map the sterile gene using one mapping population. The wptms3 gene was mapped to chromosome arm 1BS and flanked by Xgwm413 and Xgwm182 at a genetic distance of 3.2 and 23.5 cM, respectively. The accuracy and efficiency of marker-assisted selection were evaluated and proved essential for identifying homozygous recessive male sterile genotypes of the wptms3 gene in F(2) generation.