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Psoralen is the main coumarin component of Fructus psoraleae. Previously, we have found that psoralen induced hepatocytes apoptosis via PERK and ATF6 related ER stress pathways in vitro. In this study, we investigated the toxicity and ER stress induced by psoralen in female C57 mice. Mice were fed with 80 mg/kg of psoralen intra-gastrically for either 3, 7, or 21 days. Liver and kidney were weighed and their coefficients were calculated. The serum was isolated to examine the biochemical parameters including alanine aminotransferase (ALT) activity, aspartate aminotransferase (AST) activity, alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity, blood urea nitrogen (BUN), total bile acid (TBA), total bilirubin (TBIL), and creatinine (CRE). The transcription and expression of ER stress-related markers were determined by Wes-automated Protein Simple system, Western blot and RT-PCR. Psoralen administration for 3 days significantly increased liver coefficients but decreased kidney coefficients of mice. Histopathological examination showed minimal inflammatory cell foci and vacuolar degeneration in the liver. Besides, serum levels of ALT, TBA, BUN, and CRE were markedly altered by psoralen. Moreover, psoralen significantly increased expression and transcription levels of ER stress related markers, including Grp78, PERK, eIF2α, ATF4, IRE1α, ATF6, and XBP1. These results illustrated that psoralen induced liver injuries through ER stress signaling in female mice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Background Mutations in the GJB2 gene are the most common cause of nonsyndromic recessive hearing loss in China. In about 6% of Chinese patients with severe to profound sensorineural hearing impairment, only monoallelic GJB2 mutations known to be either recessive or of unclear pathogenicity have been identified. This paper reports the prevalence of the GJB2 IVS1+1G>A mutation in a population of Chinese hearing loss patients with monoallelic pathogenic mutation in the coding region of GJB2. Methods Two hundred and twelve patients, screened from 7133 cases of nonsyndromic hearing loss in China, with monoallelic mutation (mainly frameshift and nonsense mutation) in the coding region of GJB2 were examined for the GJB2 IVS1+1G>A mutation and mutations in the promoter region of this gene. Two hundred and sixty-two nonsyndromic hearing loss patients without GJB2 mutation and 105 controls with normal hearing were also tested for the GJB2 IVS1+1G>A mutation by sequencing. Results Four patients with monoallelic mutation in the coding region of GJB2 were found carrying the GJB2 IVS1+1G>A mutation on the opposite allele. One patient with the GJB2 c.235delC mutation carried one variant, -3175 C>T, in exon 1 of GJB2. Neither GJB2 IVS1+1G>A mutation nor any variant in exon 1 of GJB2 was found in the 262 nonsyndromic hearing loss patients without GJB2 mutation or in the 105 normal hearing controls. Conclusion Testing for the GJB2 IVS 1+1 G to A mutation explained deafness in 1.89% of Chinese GJB2 monoallelic patients, and it should be included in routine testing of patients with GJB2 monoallelic pathogenic mutation.

In order to strictly control the solid impurity particles of the pipeline and ensure the cleanliness of the pipeline of the gas supply system, a filter is installed on the pipeline before the inlet of the equipment to ensure the normal operation of the pipeline instrumentation and compressors. Since the flow of the fluid will impact the filter screen, the impact stress of the fluid on the filter screen is worth studying. However, the structure of the filter screen is complicated, so the filter screen is simplified for research. The present study adopts the dimensionless π theorem to make the density, viscosity, flow velocity, and other factors of a gas-phase fluid and solid-phase fluid dimensionless and obtains an expression for the stress acting on a filter screen as a function of the fluid parameters. Then the numerical simulation is carried out using the finite element analysis software Fluent. By changing only the velocity of the fluid and changing only the mass flow rate of the solid impurity particles, numerical simulations show that the stress acting on the filter screen has a quadratic relation with the fluid flow velocity, the stress acting on the filter screen has a linear relation with the mass flow of the solid-phase fluid, which is consistent with the law embodied in the formula derived from the π theorem. In addition, by comparing the stress acting on the filter screen traversed by different gas phase fluid media (i.e. air, CH4, and N2) under the same fluid flow conditions, it is found that effects of stress acting on the filter screen caused by different gas phase-fluids are different. All these results agree with theoretical predictions. These laws can play a guiding role in practical engineering applications in the future. Highlights Based on the dimensionless π theory, the expression about the stress of the strainer is derived. A simplified finite element model of partial filter screen is established. Using the finite element analysis software, the stress of the filter screen is obtained by changing the flow velocity of the fluid, the mass flow of the solid impurity particles and the different gas phase fluids. The filter screen can be protected from damage by controlling the flow parameters of the fluid. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Psoralen has potential hepatotoxicity and has a certain promoting effect on the clinical liver injury of Psoralea corylifolia L (Fructus Psoraleae). This study investigated the underlying mechanisms of psoralen-induced hepatotoxicity in vitro. HepG2 cells were treated with psoralen for 6, 12, 24, or 48 h, and an endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress-specific inhibitor, 4-PBA, was employed to investigate the mechanism of psoralen on ER stress and unfolded protein response (UPR). Cell viability was tested by MTT assay, ATP assay, and cell death by LDH. The apoptosis was reflected by the flow cytometry, caspase-8, and caspase-3 activates. The expression of ER stress-related markers was determined by RT-PCR and western blot. We found that psoralen significantly decreased cell viability, increased activities of caspase-8 and caspase-3, and upregulated expression of CHOP and BAX in a time- and dose-dependent manner. Moreover, psoralen significantly increased the expression and transcription levels of ER stress-related markers, including Grp78, PERK, eIF2α, ATF4, and ATF6, while IRE1α was not significantly affected. And 4-PBA could effectively inhibit psoralen-induced cell death and apoptosis along with the inhibition of ER stress responses. These results suggested that psoralen causes liver injury due to the induction of the ER stress-mediated apoptosis via PERK-eIF2α-ATF4-CHOP and ATF6-CHOP related pathways. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Our purpose was to investigate the relationship between intake of excess free fructose beverages and allergy among children and adolescents.Methods: We analyzed data of 860 children (aged 6 to 12 years) and 1,142 adolescents (aged 13 to 19 years) from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2005-2006. Logistic regression analyses were performed to determine the associations between consumption of excess free fructose beverages and allergic symptoms or allergic sensitization.Results: The pattern of findings was not entirely consistent, but some analyses supported the hypothesis of an association between intake of excess free fructose beverages and allergy. After controlling for the potential confounders, children who consumed nondiet fruit drinks at least 5 times per week had a nearly 2.5-fold greater odds of allergic sensitization than did those who consumed such drinks only 1 to 3 times per month (OR = 2.446; 95% CI, 1.583-3.780). Adolescents who consumed excess free fructose beverages at least 5 times per week or 1 to 4 times per week had about fivefold greater odds of presence of allergic symptoms than did those who seldom consumed these beverages (OR = 5.164; 95% CI, 1.866-14.297 and OR = 4.112; 95% CI, 1.857-9.107, respectively). Adolescents who consumed apple juice at least 5 times per week had a twofold greater odds of presence of allergic sensitization than did the seldom consumers (OR = 2.215; 95% CI, 1.178-4.164).Conclusions: These findings provide some support for the hypothesis of a link between intake of excess free fructose beverages and allergic symptoms or allergic sensitization in children and adolescents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To study the clinical and sequence character of the entire mitochondrial genome in five subjects with mitochondrial 12SrRNA T1095C mutation, and to analyze its relationship with the military noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL)., Method: Three hundreds and four soldiers exposed to military noise were selected in Yunan and Beijing, including susceptible (experimental) and tolerance (control) groups. Mitochondrial 12SrRNA T1095C mutation were found in 5 subjects. Then the complete nucleotide sequence of five subjects were sequenced and its clinical character were analyzed., Result: m12SrRNA T1095C mutation were identified in 5 subjects of experimental group,and none were found in control group. There was significant difference between them (P < 0.05). All five soldiers had the history of military noise exposure and showed sensorineural deafness of different degrees. Sequence analysis of the complete mitochondrial genomes showed the distinct sets of mtDNA polymorphism besides T1095C mutation in five subjects., Conclusion: The T1095C mutation in hearing loss subjects with various genetic background and history of military noise exposure, is involved in the pathogenesis of hearing impairment. It indicates that the T1095C mutation do relate well with military noise induced-hearing loss.