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The purpose of this study is to examine the theoretical and methodological foundations of globalization and the evolution of China’s political system, identify its distinctive features and key development patterns, and analyze the objective determinants and socio-economic consequences of globalization in the context of the emergence of a new world order. The article builds on the interdisciplinary nature of the topic being studied and draws on the works of Kazakh, Russian, and foreign authors. It uses general research methods and techniques such as scientific abstraction, grouping, qualitative expert assessment, quantitative assessment, and comparative analysis and synthesis. The article examines the process of globalization and China’s accession to the WTO using statistical and sociological data, with a definition of China’s role in the world economy. It also considers the modern political system of the People’s Republic of China and the stages of its socio-economic development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Gene-targeted deletion of the immediate early responsive gene X-1 (IEX-1) results in a significant increase in systemic arterial blood pressure, but the underlying mechanism is not understood. Studies of arterial reactivity in isolated aortas revealed normal endothelium-dependent and -independent vasorelaxation and vasoconstriction but reduced cAMP-dependent vasorelaxation in the absence of IEX-1. This defect in cAMP signaling was also evident in endothelium-denuded aortic rings, consistent with the enhancement of mitochondrial O2·- production only in IEX-1-deficient vascular smooth muscle cells, not in endothelial cells. Excessive production of reactive oxygen species at mitochondria augmented the expression of Gα(i2), suppressing cAMP production in vascular smooth muscle cells. The role of mitochondrial reactive oxygen species in the upregulation of Gα(i2) leading to the development of hypertension was supported by the ability of antioxidant or pertussis toxin to restore the cAMP-dependent vasorelaxation to a normal level and reverse established hypertension in IEX-1 homozygous knockout mice. Our results suggest that hypertension in IEX-1 knockout mice may arise primarily from impaired cAMP signaling induced by overproduction of mitochondrial reactive oxygen species in vascular smooth muscle cells and demonstrate a causal relationship between mitochondrial dysfunction and cAMP-dependent vasorelaxation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Branched chain aminotransferase is the first enzyme involved in the catabolic pathway of branched chain amino acids. Recently cDNA was cloned corresponding to the cytosolic branched chain aminotransferase gene BCAT1. The 1072-bp cDNA fragment of sheep BCAT1 reveals 88, 77 and 78% identity with human, rat and mouse sequences respectively. Since sheep, cattle and goat, members of the Bovidae family, are very close species, the percentage of sequence homology of the BCAT1 cDNA among these species is most likely higher than 95% as reported for milk proteins.

A letter to the editor is presented in response to the article "A Systematic Review of Oral Health Outcomes Produced by Dental Teams Incorporating Midlevel Providers" by Dr. J. Timothy Wright and colleagues in the January 1, 2013 issue.

Hydrocarbon-degrading bacterial communities from freshwater, marine, and hypersakne Brazilian aquatic ecosystems (with water salinities corresponding to 0.2%, 4%, and 5%, respectively) were enriched with different hydrocarbons (heptadecane, naphthalene, or crude oil). Changes within the different microcosms of bacterial communities were analyzed using cultivation approaches and molecular methods (DNA and RNA extraction, followed by genetic fingerprinting and analyses of clone libraries based on the 16S rRNA-coding gene). A redundancy analysis (RDA) of the genetic fingerprint data and a principal component analysis (PCA) of the clone libraries revealed hydrocarbon-enriched bacterial communities specific for each ecosystem studied. However, within the same ecosystem, different bacterial communities were selected according to the petroleum hydrocarbon used. In general, the results demonstrated that Acinetobacter and Cloacibacterium were the dominant genera in freshwater microcosms; the Oceanospirillales order and the Marinobacter, Pseudomonas, and Cycloclasticus genera predominated in marine microcosms; and the Oceanospirillales order and the Marinobacter genus were selected in the different hydrocarbon-containing microcosms in hypersaline water. Determination of total petroleum hydrocarbons (TPHs) in all microcosms after 32 days of incubation showed a decrease in the hydrocarbon concentration compared to that for the controls. A total of 50 (41.3%) isolates from the different hydrocarbon-contaminated microcosms were associated with the dominant operational taxonomic units (OTUs) obtained from the clone libraries, and their growth in the hydrocarbon contaminating the microcosm from which they were isolated as the sole carbon source was observed. These data provide insight into the general response of bacterial communities from freshwater, marine, and hypersaline aquatic ecosystems to petroleum hydrocarbon contamination. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]