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The current study was designed to evaluate the effect of different doses of pregnant mare serum gonadotropin (PMSG) on reproductive performance synchronized with prostaglandin F2α (PGF2α) in Chinese Holstein dairy cows. The study was conducted on one hundred cyclic dairy cows. Cows were equally divided into five treatment groups. Each group (n=20) was administered with an injection of PMSG (Serum Gonadotrophin for Injection, SanSheng Pharmaceutical, China) at dose rate of 2, 2.5, 3, 3.5, or 4 IU/kg BW, followed by an injection of PGF2α (Cloprostenol Sodium for Injection, SanSheng Pharmaceutical, China) 48 h later. Estrus was detected by a teaser bull three times daily after PGF2α administration. The cows were artificially inseminated 12 and 20 h after standing heat. On day 30 after artificial insemination, pregnancy rate was confirmed by transrectal ultrasonography while calving rate and multiple calvings were added up after successful parturition. There were no significant difference (P>0.05) in estrus response among all treatment groups. Similarly, interval from PMSG administration to estrus was decreased non-significantly (P>0.05) with the different doses of PMSG. Pregnancy rate was significantly lower (P0.05) among different regimens. The effects of PMSG dose on multiple calving was found to be statistically significant (P2.5 IU/kg) than in the lowest treatment group (2 IU/kg), however, later pregnancy rate was non-significant (P>0.05) in all groups. In summary, PMSG administration could successfully induce estrus and improve fertility of a dairy herd. Furthermore, low doses of PMSG aid in quick return of non-pregnant cows to subsequent next estrus.

Breast cancer is known as the most prevalent cancer in women worldwide, and has an undeniable negative impact on public health, both physically, and mentally. This study aims to investigate the effects of toll‐like receptor 4 (TLR4) gene silencing on proliferation and apoptosis of human breast cancer cells to explore for a new theoretical basis for its treatment. TLR4 small interference RNA (siRNA) fragment recombinant plasmids were constructed, including TLR4 siRNA‐1, TLR4 siRNA‐2, and TLR4 siRNA‐3. Human breast cancer MCF‐7 and MDA‐MB‐231 cells were assigned into blank, negative control (NC), TLR4 siRNA‐1, TLR4 siRNA‐2, and TLR4 siRNA‐3 groups. MCF‐7 and MDA‐MB‐231 cell growth was detected by MTT assay. Apoptosis and cell cycle were determined by flow cytometry. Reverse transcription quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT‐qPCR) and Western blot analysis were conducted to determine the expression of TLR4, CDK4, cyclin D1, Livin, Bcl‐2, p53, c‐FLIP, and caspase‐3. In comparison with the NC and blank groups, the TLR4 siRNA‐1, TLR4 siRNA‐2, and TLR4 siRNA‐3 groups showed decreased the expression of TLR4, inhibited proliferation of MCF‐7 and MDA‐MB‐231 cells and promoted MCF‐7 and MDA‐MB‐231 cell apoptosis, and the cells were blocked in G1 phase. In comparison with the NC and blank groups, in the TLR4 siRNA‐1, TLR4 siRNA‐2, and TLR4 siRNA‐3 groups, siRNA‐TLR4 significantly increased expression of p53 and caspase‐3 in MCF‐7 and MDA‐MB‐231 cells, while it decreased the expressions of CDK4, cyclinD1, Livin, Bal‐2, and c‐FLIP. The study demonstrates that TLR4 gene silencing inhibits proliferation and induces apoptosis of MCF‐7 and MDA‐MB‐231 cells. TLR4 gene silencing inhibits proliferation and induces apoptosis of MCF‐7 and MDA‐MB‐231 cells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The DNA binding of amphiphilic iron(III) 2,17-bis(sulfonato)-5,10,15-tris(pentafluorophenyl)corrole complex (Fe-SC) was studied using spectroscopic methods and viscosity measurements. Its nuclease-like activity was examined by using pBR322 DNA as a target. The interaction of Fe-SC with human serum albumin (HSA) in vitro was also examined using multispectroscopic techniques. Experimental results revealed that Fe-SC binds to ct-DNA via an outside binding mode with a binding constant of 1.25 × 104 M-1. This iron corrole also displays good activity during oxidative DNA cleavage by hydrogen peroxide or tert-butyl hydroperoxide oxidants, and high-valent (oxo)iron(V,VI) corrole intermediates may play an important role in DNA cleavage. Fe-SC exhibits much stronger binding affinity to site II than site I of HSA, indicating a selective binding tendency to HSA site II. The HSA conformational change induced by Fe-SC was confirmed by UV/Vis and CD spectroscopy. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cationic meso(4- N-methylpyridyl)-based metallocorroles, μ-oxo iron corrole dimer ( 1b) and manganese corrole monomer ( 2b), were synthesized and characterized. The interactions of these two metal corrole complexes with CT-DNA were studied by UV-visible, fluorescence and circular dichroism spectroscopic methods, as well as by viscosity measurements. The results revealed that 1b interacts with CT-DNA in a difunctional binding mode, i.e. non-classical intercalation and outside groove binding with H-aggregation, while 2b can interact with CT-DNA via an outside groove binding mode only. The binding constants Kb of 1b and 2b were 4.71 × 105 m−1 and 2.17 × 105 m−1, respectively, indicating that 1b can bind more tightly to CT-DNA than 2b. Furthermore, both complexes may cleave the supercoiled plasmid DNA efficiently in the presence of or tert-butyl hydroperoxide (TBHP), albeit 1b exhibited a little higher efficiency. The inhibitor tests suggested that singlet oxygen and high-valent (oxo)iron(VI) corrole or (oxo)manganese(V) corrole might be the active intermediates responsible for the oxidative DNA scission. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The radiative and Auger decay processes of K-shell ionized Np ions are studied theoretically using the flexible atomic code (FAC). Relativistic effects, Breit interaction, QED corrections and nuclear finite mass and volume effects are considered systematically. The resulting calculated K x-rays and Auger spectra of Np are compared with the measured spectra emitted after the electron-capture (EC)-decay of mass-separated 237Pu. The general consistency between theory and experiment is good; the relative intensities and relative positions of the peaks in the measured spectra are reproduced with good accuracy, in spite of the existence of different ways to produce the primary K-shell vacancy, enabling identification of the observed structure in the experimental spectra. We find that most of the radiative transition rates are greater than the Auger transition rates, and the latter decrease rapidly with the transfer of initial vacancies to the outer shell. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Economic reforms in China were implemented approximately 30 years ago. Since then, people's nutrition, living conditions and overall health have continually improved, but there has been an imbalance between the progresses in urban vs rural areas. Height and body mass index (BMI) are regarded as two important indicators of nutritional status and overall health. Aim: The aim of this study was to investigate differences in height and BMI between Chinese youths of rural vs urban areas and further, to determine whether these differences have changed over time (1990s vs 2000s). Subject and methods: 24 194 urban youths and 7130 rural youths were recruited in Hunan province of China. In each gender group, the subjects were divided into eight subsets according to age, geographic area residence, and decade when the youths were measured. Independent t-tests were used to test the differences of height and BMI between the studied groups. Results: Both male and female youths from urban areas were significantly taller than youths from rural areas in both the 1990s and 2000s (all p<0.001), with the exception of the 1990s female 15–18 years subset ( p=0.21). The height of youths was significantly greater in the 2000s compared to the corresponding gender and geographic subset in the 1990s ( p<0.001), except for the female 15–18 years subset from rural areas ( p=0.10). Similar results were obtained for BMI. Conclusion: There are significant differences in height and BMI between youths raised in urban vs rural areas, and positive growth trends of height and BMI over time (1990s vs 2000s) in youths in Hunan Province of China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We systematically study the decay properties of the K-shell excited F-like ions with 10≤ Z ≤36 based on the multiconfiguration Dirac-Fock method. The Breit interaction, the QED corrections and the nuclear finite mass effects are also considered as perturbation. Auger transition rates, radiative, Auger and natural widths, as well as fluorescence and Auger yields for K-shell excited F-like ions are presented. It is shown by means of concrete figures that the decay properties change significantly with the increase of the atomic number Z; the Auger rate is overtaken at Z = 30 by the radiative decay rate. Several fitting formulae for the radiative and Auger widths and the fluorescence yields have been evaluated which is expected to be useful in plasma analysis and plasma modeling. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For the harmonic signal extraction from chaotic interference, a harmonic signal extraction method is proposed based on synchrosqueezed wavelet transform (SWT). First, the mixed signal of chaotic signal, harmonic signal, and noise is decomposed into a series of intrinsic mode-type functions by synchrosqueezed wavelet transform (SWT) then the instantaneous frequency of intrinsic mode-type functions is analyzed by using of Hilbert transform, and the harmonic extraction is realized. In experiments of harmonic signal extraction, the Duffing and Lorenz chaotic signals are selected as interference signal, and the mixed signal of chaotic signal and harmonic signal is added by Gauss white noises of different intensities. The experimental results show that when the white noise intensity is in a certain range, the extracting harmonic signals measured by the proposed SWT method have higher precision, the harmonic signal extraction effect is obviously superior to the classical empirical mode decomposition method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Selenium isotopes are becoming an important paleoenvironmental proxy. However, few studies have focused on the behavior of Se isotopes during oxidative weathering. In this paper, a comprehensive set of Se isotopic composition and concentration data were collected from the weathering profiles of Se-rich shales of the Permian Maokou Formation in Yutangba and Shadi, China to investigate Se isotopic fractionation and Se enrichment during weathering processes. The δ82/76Se in fresh shales (148±118mg/kg Se, 1SD, n =40) from Shadi and Yutangba drill cores varies from −1.69‰ to 1.74‰ with an average of 0.40±0.71‰ (1SD, n =40), consistent with the range in other Phanerozoic shales, suggesting that Se isotopes are not strongly fractionated during Se sequestration in the primary sedimentary environment. However, the strongly weathered Se-rich shales from Shadi and Yutangba profiles are isotopically lighter with average δ82/76Se values of −1.96±1.08‰ (1SD, n =5) and −1.08±1.83‰ (1SD, n =23), respectively. These data suggest that Se isotopes can be fractionated during oxidation and reduction processes associated with weathering, with heavier isotopes removed preferentially during oxidative weathering of shales. Such a shift, if found to be a global phenomenon, would have implications for models of the global Se cycle and interpretation of Se isotope data from past biogeochemical regimes. Locally altered shales exposed in a quarry at Yutangba are extremely enriched in Se with 1642±1505mg/kg (1SD, n =45), approximately 10 times greater than that in unaltered drill core samples. These rocks display very strong variation in δ82/76Se over short distances, with a single 60cm transect showing the most strongly negative and positive δ82/76Se values (−14.20‰ to +11.37‰) observed to date in natural samples. This suggests that Se has undergone multiple cycles of oxidation, mobilization, and re-reduction, resulting in a Se-rich redox front that has migrated downward through the organic-rich shales over time. δ82/76Se values vary sharply over distances as small as 10cm, indicating that Se redox conditions change strongly with position and are controlled by fractures and rock layering. Our data and a simple conceptual model suggest that zones of increased permeability that are accessed first by infiltrating waters are isotopically light, whereas less accessible zones are heavy. Repeated redox cycling accentuates this pattern. Furthermore, the average δ82/76Se in Se-rich shales at the Yutangba weathering system is 0.45±5.77‰ (1SD, n =39), identical with that (0.40±0.71‰) in fresh shales from same locality, implying that Se released by weathering accumulates in the redox front with little loss. The strong Se isotopic fractionation occurring in the redox front implies that Se isotopes can be extensively used in tracing geochemical processes of Se in groundwater system, especially related to fractures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: In order to automatically identify fatty acids in plant seed oils, a method was developed to search all saturated fatty acid methyl esters in the sample, subsequently calculate the ECL value of each fatty acid, and finally identify the molecular structure for each component by comparing the ECL of the interest and that in the customised database. Our method was applied to analyse the fatty acid composition of Eucommia ulmoides seed oil. The results show that major polyunsaturated fatty acids are α-linolenic acid (56.5093% of total fatty acids, TFAs) and linolelaidic acid (12.6563% of TFAs). Meanwhile, the main monounsaturated fatty acid is oleic acid whose percentage in the TFAs is 15.8008. Palmitic acid and steartic acid are the dominant saturated fatty acids representing 9.8165% and 2.5942% of TFAs, respectively. The UFA/SFA ratio (6.57) is higher than the recommended value (3) by nutritionists. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Three new phenothiazine-corrole dyads were prepared by the reaction of phenothiazine-10-carbonyl chloride and mono-hydroxyl triaryl corrole in the presence of DBU. As compared to corrole monomer, these phenothiazine-corrole dyads exhibit significant enhanced DNA photocleavage activity as compared to corrole monomer precursors. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Plant survival in the terrestrial ecosystem is influenced by both beneficial and harmful microbes. Trichoderma spp. are a group of filamentous fungi that promote plant growth and resistance to harmful microbes. Previously, we showed that the genus Trichoderma could effectively suppress Fusarium wilt in cucumber. However, the mechanisms that underlie the effects of the genus Trichoderma on plant defense have not been fully substantiated. Two essential metabolic pathways, such as the ascorbate (AsA)-glutathione (GSH) cycle and the oxidative pentose phosphate pathway (OPPP), have been shown to participate in plant tolerance to biotic stressors; nevertheless, the involvement of these pathways in Trichoderma -induced enhanced defense remains elusive. Here, we show that Trichoderma harzianum could alleviate oxidative and nitrostative stress by minimizing reactive oxygen species (ROS; hydrogen peroxide and superoxide) and reactive nitrogen species (nitric oxide [NO]) accumulation, respectively, under Fusarium oxysporum infection in cucumber roots. The genus Trichoderma enhanced antioxidant potential to counterbalance the overproduced ROS and attenuated the transcript and activity of NO synthase and nitrate reductase. The genus Trichoderma also stimulated S -nitrosylated glutathione reductase activity and reduced S -nitrosothiol and S -nitrosylated glutathione content. Furthermore, the genus Trichoderma enhanced AsA and GSH concentrations and activated their biosynthetic enzymes, γ-GCS and l-galactono-1,4-lactone dehydrogenase. Interestingly, the genus Trichoderma alleviated Fusarium -inhibited activity of glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase and 6-phosphogluconate dehydrogenase, enzymes involved in the OPPP. Such positive regulation of the key enzymes indicates the adequate maintenance of the AsA-GSH pathway and the OPPP, which potentially contributed to improve redox balance, energy flow, and defense response. Our study advances the current knowledge of Trichoderma -induced enhanced defense against F. oxysporum in cucumber.

Characterization of the size distribution and carbon components in particulates has become important for identifying the particulates in the atmosphere. The size distribution and carbon components of atmospheric particulate matter from motor vehicles in different regions were analyzed by using Micro-orifice uniform deposition impactors (MOUDI) and the organic carbon/elemental carbon (OC/EC) analyzer. With increasing particle size, the mass concentration of raw diesel/gasoline decreases. The highest mass concentration of particles collected near the chimney of an engine laboratory was observed for particle sizes ranging from 0.32-0.56 μm, while particles with sizes from 1.0-1.8 μm in the basement garage showed the most mass fractions. The OC1, OC2, and OC3 were the major parts of the OC contents in raw diesel particles. The EC2 was the main part of EC. The atmospheric particles collected in typical regions contained more OC3 and OC4. EC1 was the main part of EC in particles collected from the basement garage. The OC/EC ratios of raw diesel particles ranged from 0.92 to 2.50. The OC/EC ratios of particles collected near the chimney of an engine laboratory ranged from 1.40 to 2.53 and that of particles collected in the basement garage ranged from 2.36 to 4.82. Moreover, the OC/EC ratios in particles collected in the basement garage normally exceeded 2.0 and reached 4.82 at the largest size, which implies that many secondary particles were generated in the basement garage. The above-mentioned characteristics provide references that are beneficial for the identification of particulates in the atmosphere originating from motor vehicles.

Breast cancer is known as the most prevalent cancer in women worldwide, and has an undeniable negative impact on public health, both physically, and mentally. This study aims to investigate the effects of toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) gene silencing on proliferation and apoptosis of human breast cancer cells to explore for a new theoretical basis for its treatment. TLR4 small interference RNA (siRNA) fragment recombinant plasmids were constructed, including TLR4 siRNA-1, TLR4 siRNA-2, and TLR4 siRNA-3. Human breast cancer MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231 cells were assigned into blank, negative control (NC), TLR4 siRNA-1, TLR4 siRNA-2, and TLR4 siRNA-3 groups. MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231 cell growth was detected by MTT assay. Apoptosis and cell cycle were determined by flow cytometry. Reverse transcription quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) and Western blot analysis were conducted to determine the expression of TLR4, CDK4, cyclin D1, Livin, Bcl-2, p53, c-FLIP, and caspase-3. In comparison with the NC and blank groups, the TLR4 siRNA-1, TLR4 siRNA-2, and TLR4 siRNA-3 groups showed decreased the expression of TLR4, inhibited proliferation of MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231 cells and promoted MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231 cell apoptosis, and the cells were blocked in G1 phase. In comparison with the NC and blank groups, in the TLR4 siRNA-1, TLR4 siRNA-2, and TLR4 siRNA-3 groups, siRNA-TLR4 significantly increased expression of p53 and caspase-3 in MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231 cells, while it decreased the expressions of CDK4, cyclinD1, Livin, Bal-2, and c-FLIP. The study demonstrates that TLR4 gene silencing inhibits proliferation and induces apoptosis of MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231 cells., (© 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.)

Porphyrin is a kind of photosensitizer for photodynamic therapy of cancer. Many porphyrin derivatives have been used in clinical treatment. Human Serum Albumin (HSA) is the carrier of drug transportation. Therefore, investigation on the interaction of porphyrin with HSA is very important to understand the pharmacokinetic of the porphyrin. In this paper, a new water-soluble carboxyl porphyrins, meso-tetrakis(carboxyl) zinc(Ⅱ) porphyrin (2-Zn), was synthesized and characterized. Its interaction with human serum albumin (HSA)was investigated by UV-Vis absorption spectra, fluorescence spectra, circular dichroism (CD) spectra and molecular modeling. The results indicated that the fluorescence quenching of HSA by 2-Zn was a static process with the quenching constants are 1.96×104 L·mol-1 (298 K) and 1.37×104 L·mol-1 (310 K) and the binding constants were calculated to be 1.93×104 L·mol-1 (298 K) and 1.50×104 L·mol-1 (310 K). According to the Van’t Hoff equation, the thermodynamic parameters were characterized by negative enthalpy (ΔH=-16.132 kJ·mol-1) and positive entropy (ΔS=27.905 J·mol-1·K-1), which indicated that 2-Zn binds with HSA mainly via electrostatic interaction along with the hydrogen bonding and hydrophobic interaction. Site marker competitive binding experiment confirmed that 2-Zn mainly binds at site Ⅱ. The distance between HSA and the receptor (2-Zn) and the efficiency energy transfer were obtained to be 4.01 nm and 0.163 respectively, based on the Forster theory on resonance energy transfer. Synchronous fluorescence, absorption and CD spectroscopy showed that the interaction of HSA with 2-Zn induced a conformational change of protein, and the amount of α-helical structures were decrease. Furthermore, the binding details between 2-Zn and HSA were further studied with the molecular docking, which was in good agreement with the site marker competitive binding experiments and thermodynamic parameters.

The DNA binding of amphiphilic iron(III) 2,17-bis(sulfonato)-5,10,15-tris(pentafluorophenyl)corrole complex (Fe-SC) was studied using spectroscopic methods and viscosity measurements. Its nuclease-like activity was examined by using pBR322 DNA as a target. The interaction of Fe-SC with human serum albumin (HSA) in vitro was also examined using multispectroscopic techniques. Experimental results revealed that Fe-SC binds to ct-DNA via an outside binding mode with a binding constant of 1.25 × 10(4) M(-1). This iron corrole also displays good activity during oxidative DNA cleavage by hydrogen peroxide or tert-butyl hydroperoxide oxidants, and high-valent (oxo)iron(V,VI) corrole intermediates may play an important role in DNA cleavage. Fe-SC exhibits much stronger binding affinity to site II than site I of HSA, indicating a selective binding tendency to HSA site II. The HSA conformational change induced by Fe-SC was confirmed by UV/Vis and CD spectroscopy., (Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.)

Osteoporosis is a major public health problem. It is mainly characterized by low bone mineral density (BMD) and/or low-trauma osteoporotic fractures (OF), both of which have strong genetic determination. The specific genes influencing these phenotypic traits, however, are largely unknown. Using the Affymetrix 500K array set, we performed a case-control genome-wide association study (GWAS) in 700 elderly Chinese Han subjects (350 with hip OF and 350 healthy matched controls). A follow-up replication study was conducted to validate our major GWAS findings in an independent Chinese sample containing 390 cases with hip OF and 516 controls. We found that a SNP, rs13182402 within the ALDH7A1 gene on chromosome 5q31, was strongly associated with OF with evidence combined GWAS and replication studies (P = 2.08x10(-9), odds ratio = 2.25). In order to explore the target risk factors and potential mechanism underlying hip OF risk, we further examined this candidate SNP's relevance to hip BMD both in Chinese and Caucasian populations involving 9,962 additional subjects. This SNP was confirmed as consistently associated with hip BMD even across ethnic boundaries, in both Chinese and Caucasians (combined P = 6.39x10(-6)), further attesting to its potential effect on osteoporosis. ALDH7A1 degrades and detoxifies acetaldehyde, which inhibits osteoblast proliferation and results in decreased bone formation. Our findings may provide new insights into the pathogenesis of osteoporosis., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Unlabelled: A genome-wide bivariate analysis was conducted for TBLM and BMD at the spine and hip in a large white sample. We found some QTLs shared by TBLM and BMD in the entire sample and the sex-specific subgroups, and QTLs with potential pleiotropy were disclosed., Introduction: Previous studies suggested that total body lean mass (TBLM) and BMD are highly genetically correlated. However, the specific shared genetic factors between TBLM and BMD are unknown., Materials and Methods: To identify the specific quantitative trait loci (QTLs) shared by TBLM and BMD at the spine (L1-L4) and total hip, we performed bivariate whole genome linkage analysis (WGLA) in a large sample involving 4498 white subjects of European origin., Results: Multipoint bivariate linkage analyses for 22 autosomes showed evidence of significant linkage with an LOD score of 4.86 at chromosome region 15q13 for TBLM and spine BMD in women, and suggestive linkage findings (LOD > 2.2) at 7p22 for TBLM and spine BMD for the entire sample, at 7q32 for TBLM and BMD at both spine and hip in women, and at 7q21 and 13p11 for TBLM and BMD at both spine and hip in men. Two-point linkage analyses for chromosome X also showed significant linkage signals at several regions such as Xq25. Complete pleiotropy (a single locus influencing both traits) was suggested at 7q32 and 13q11 for TBLM and BMD. Additionally, complete co-incident linkage (separate tightly clustered loci each influencing a single trait) was detected at 7p22 for TBLM and spine BMD., Conclusions: We identified several genomic regions shared by TBLM and BMD in whites. Further studies may focus on fine mapping and identification of the specific QTLs in these candidate genomic regions.