Search

Abnormal osteoclast and osteoblast differentiation is an essential pathological process in osteoporosis. As an important deubiquitinase enzyme, ubiquitin-specific peptidase 7 (USP7) participates in various disease processes through posttranslational modification. However, the mechanism by which USP7 regulates osteoporosis remains unknown. Herein, we aimed to investigate whether USP7 regulates abnormal osteoclast differentiation in osteoporosis.

A continuous online in situ attenuated total reflection Fourier-transform infrared (ATR-FTIR) spectroscopic technique was used to investigate the adsorption and desorption kinetics of heptyl xanthate (KHX) on the surface of ZnO and Cu(II) activated ZnO. The results showed that Cu(II) facilitated the xanthate adsorption process on the surface, and led to the formation of cuprous xanthate (CuX), dixanthogen (X2) and xanthate aggregates. The adsorption of xanthate on the surface of ZnO and Cu(II) activated ZnO was found to both follow the pseudo-first-order kinetic model. When the NaOH solution was used as a desorption agent, the adsorbed xanthate can largely be removed due to the competition between OH−and HX−. However, for Cu(II) activated ZnO, the peak intensities at 1197 and 1082 cm−1had no obvious weakening, and the absorption intensities at 1261 and 1026 cm−1increased in the first 5 min, indicating an ion-exchange reaction between OH−and surface zinc bonded xanthate HX−and the reorganization of adsorbed xanthate.

Sex pheromones are deemed to play a significant role in sexual communication of most insects. Although many sex pheromone components in mirid bugs have been identified, the roles of odorant receptors in sex pheromone perception in Adelphocoris spp.(Hemiptera: Miridae) remain unknown so far. Here, AlinOR33, a candidate sex pheromone receptor in Adelphocoris lineolatuswas functionally characterized. Phylogenetic analysis showed that AlinOR33 clustered with the sex pheromone receptor AlucOR4 fromApolygus lucorum. Quantitative real-time PCR measurement revealed that the expression of AlinOR33increased gradually from nymph to adult stage and reached its peak in the antennae of 3-day-old mated male bugs. The subsequent in situhybridization demonstrated that AlinOR33 was mainly expressed in sensilla trichoid on the antennae of A. lineolatus. In the two-electrode voltage clamp recordings, AlinOR33/AlinOrco was specifically tuned to four sex pheromone components including butyl butyrate, hexyl hexanoate, trans-2-hexenyl butyrate and hexyl butyrate, and especially most sensitive to the major component trans-2-hexenyl butyrate. After dsAlinOR33injection, the electroantennogram responses of males to four sex pheromone components were reduced significantly (∼50%). Compared to control bugs, dsAlinOR33-injected male bugs almost lost behavioral preference for trans-2-hexenyl butyrate. Furthermore, the wingbeat frequency of dsAlinOR33-injected male bugs notably declined. Therefore, we conclude that as a candidate sex pheromone receptor, AlinOR33 plays essential roles in the sexual behavior of A. lineolatus.

Mythimna separata(Walker) is an important pest which can cause serious damages to cereal crops. In the past two decades, several heavy outbreaks have taken place in northern China. In order to develop a fine-scale method of forecasting outbreaks, population data were collected in northern China using searchlight traps and ground light traps. A background weather pattern analysis and trajectory analysis were performed viathe Weather Research and Forecast (WRF) and FLEXPART models. Our results showed that heavy migration of first-generation M. separataappeared in northern China in 2013. In Yanqing District, Beijing, the cumulative number of captured adults in searchlight traps was around 250 000 and the daily maximum for trapped moths was 86 000. During the peak period, the majority of M. separatamoths arrived after 00:00 every night. The sex ratio (female:male) at each monitoring site was greater than 1 and greatly fluctuated with population dynamics. During the migration peak, prevailing downdraft winds benefited M. separatamoths to land passively. Trajectory simulation showed that immigrants were from Anhui, Jiangsu and Hubei provinces and most of them could continue to fly into the northeastern regions of China. These results provide technical support for fine-scale forecasting of the outbreak of M. separataat meso- and micro-scale.

The Central Asian vortex (CAV) is an important synoptic-scale system that causes rainstorms, short-term heavy precipitation, hail, and sustained low temperatures in Xinjiang. This paper summarizes the current research conducted on the CAV since the 1960s. The objective definition of the CAV has been revised and a deep and shallow CAV classification proposed. Two high-frequency areas of deep CAV activity are the Kazakhstan hills (Sayan mountains) and the eastern area of the Aral Sea (Tashkent); events mostly occur in summer and 40% cause strong rainfall. In addition, two high-frequency activity areas of the shallow CAV are located in the west and south of the Pamirs Plateau and mostly occur in spring; 23.2% of occurrences cause strong rainfall. The western and eastern water vapor transport relates to westerlies and a strong low-level easterly jet stream (LLEJ) extending from Gansu to Xinjiang, respectively, and water vapor over the Tibetan Plateau transports even more northwards and enters Xinjiang. The deep CAV has an obvious cold core structure down to 300 hPa. The conversion terms from eddy available potential energy (AE)to eddy kinetic energy (KE)and eddy kinetic energy inflow (BKE)from the open atmospheric region boundaries are the main sources of KEwhich cause rapid development of the CAV. The anomalous anti-cyclone center over the northeast Atlantic is the fountain of Rossby wave energy dispersion; Rossby waves propagate from the northeast Atlantic to eastern Europe (Urals (EEU)), and then continuously propagate to Central Asia causing development of the CAV. The CAV requires further study to characterize the meso-scale system structure and evolution characteristics. In addition, physical modeling of the severe convective weather occurring under the CAV is required to determine the critical impacts of this severe convective weather and enable forecasting and early-warning indexes.

Controlling the height of crops plays a crucial role for their yields. The large scale utilization of semi-dwarf varieties has greatly improved crop yield, providing an effective support for world food security. In rice, a main food for over half of the world's population, a number of dwarf loci have been identified. However, most of them are recessive, such as the ‘green revolution’ gene sd1.To gain more beneficial loci for rice breeding programs, exploring new mutations is needed, especially the dominant loci which can be used broadly for hybrid breeding. Here, we isolated a novel dominant dwarf rice mutant, slr1-d5.All of the internodes of slr1-d5are reduced. We find that the responsiveness of slr1-d5to gibberellin (GA), GA3, was significantly reduced. Map-based cloning revealed that the dominant dwarfism of slr1-d5was caused by an amino acid substitution in the N-terminal TVHYNP domain of rice DELLA protein, SLR1, where the conserved amino acid Pro (P) was substituted to His (H). Our findings not only further prove the pivotal role of TVHYNP motif in regulating SLR1 stability, but also provide a new dwarf source for improvement of rice germplasms.

Background:No study has examined the association between prenatal phthalate exposure and intrauterine growth retardation (IUGR). This study aimed to investigate whether prenatal exposure to phthalates was associated with increased risk of IUGR.Methods:A total of 126 mother–newborn pairs, including 42 IUGR cases and 84 control newborns and their mothers, were enrolled in this case–control study. Spot urine samples were collected during the third trimester of pregnancy, and 5 phthalate metabolites (mono-n-butyl phthalate (MBP), monomethyl phthalate (MMP), mono-2-ethylhexyl phthalate (MEHP), mono(2-ethyl-5-oxohexyl) phthalate (MEOHP), and mono(2-ethyl-5-hydroxyhexyl) phthalate (MEHHP)) were measured.Results:Concentrations of MMP, MEHHP, MEOHP, and SumDEHP (MEHP, MEHHP, and MEOHP) were significantly higher in IUGR cases than in normal controls. In all subjects, urinary concentrations of MEHHP and MEOHP were significantly inversely associated with fetal growth indicators (birth weight and Quetelet’s index). When mothers were stratified by infant sex, MEHHP and MEOHP concentrations were still negatively associated with fetal growth indicators, while no significant association was observed in females. In addition, exposure–response relationships were observed between MEHHP/SumDEHP concentrations in maternal urine and IUGR.Conclusion:Prenatal exposure to phthalates was associated with increased risk of IUGR, and male newborns were more sensitive to phthalates than females.

Pain induced by bone metastases has a strong impact on the quality of life of patients with cancer, but current therapies for bone cancer pain cannot attain a satisfactory therapeutic goal because of various adverse reactions. Currently, advanced monitoring is required to clarify pathogenic mechanisms, so as to develop more effective treatments. We constructed herpes simplex virus carrying small interference RNA for CNTF (HSV-siCNTF) and established cancer-induced bone cancer pain models with intra-tibial injection of MRMT-1 cells. At different time points after treatment, sensory function indicated by thermal hyperalgesia and mechanical allodynia was measured. The mechanism underlying sensory function regulated by CNTF was also determined. There was apparent mechanical and thermal hyperalgesia in rats injected with bone cancer cells. Bone destruction was detected in the area of tibia injected with tumor cells by the plain radiography. MRMT-1 cells and the increased number of osteoclasts were found in tibia sections stained with hematoxylin and eosin. Intrathecal injection of morphine or HSV-siCNTF significantly reduced the mechanical allodynia and thermal hyperalgesia, which was accompanied by astrocyte hypertrophy. The number of nerve fibers positive for substance P (SP) and calcitonin gene related peptide (CGRP) was significantly decreased, which was consistent with the decrease of CNTF, ERK/pERK, AKT/pAKT and c-fos expression. These results demonstrate that the HSV-siCNTF gene therapy appears beneficial for the treatment of pain induced by bone cancer via blocking the AKT-ERK signaling pathway. Our data suggest that CNTF interference may be considered a new target to develop an effective management for bone cancer pain.

Astilbin is a potential immunosuppressive agent with minor cytotoxicity. Its oral bioavailability is supposed to be rather low and therefore a sensitive analytical method is required for its pharmacokinetic study after oral administration. A simple, sensitive and rapid liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry(LC-MS/MS) method was developed and validated for the determination of astilbin in rat plasma. Plasma samples were subjected to liquid-liquid extraction with ethyl acetate and separated by reversed phase high performance liquid chromatography(HPLC) with methanol-0.01%(volume fraction) formic acid(50:50, volume ratio) as mobile phase. Quantitive determination was achieved on negative LC-MS/MS by a multiple reaction moitoring method with transitions m/z449.1→150.9(quantifier) and m/z449.1→284.9(qualifier) for astilbin and m/z128.9→42.0 for internal standard(IS). A lower limit of quantification(LLOQ) of ng/mL was achieved within a short cycle time of 3.4 min. The method was successfully applied to a pharmacokinetic study involving oral and intravenous administrations of 6 mg/kg astilbin to six rats.

Ball produce detection and control is an important aspect of ball mill control, however, contribute to the lack of effective and reliable ball detection means in the actual production process, so it is difficult to achieve optimal control. In this paper, secondary variable is selected with this mechanism analysis and information processing technology of choice, the establishment of the ball fast and accurate output of neural network soft sensor model can not only contribute to estimate the steady-state mill and ball mill on the dynamic process can effectively contribute to an online estimate, the soft-sensor model has a strong possibility. At the same time，it provides a reference for the soft measurement of power plant other parameters. This modeling method has portability.

NANOG is essential for mouse and human embryonic stem cell (ESC) pluripotency and selfrenewal. It is also expressed in several adult murine tissues as shown by reverse transcriptase–polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) analysis. However, human NANOG transcripts have been isolated from adult bone marrow (EST; GenBank accession no. BF893620). Here, we study the NANOG gene expression profile in isolated mouse renal papillary cells by Northern blot and RT-PCR. The whole RNA of mouse renal cells was obtained from fresh renal tissues, renal tissues infused by phosphate-buffered saline (PBS), and isolated renal papillary cells of mouse, respectively, as well as the renal papillary tissue from 18.5 days postcoitum (d.p.c.; fetal), 1–2-week-old (young), 1–8-month-old (adult), and 24-month-old (aging) mice. Our analysis shows that a very low expression level was detected in mouse renal tissues, and the renal papillary cells express more than other tissues as determined with Northern blot and RT-PCR. These data suggest that the kidney has its own cells expressing NANOG, and loss of NANOG expression occurs in an age-dependent manner in the kidney, either due to developmental factors or aging, particularly in renal papillary tissue.

Endogenous gibberellins were analyzed from a parasitic plant, clover broomrape (Orobanche minor Smith), and its host, clover (Trifolium repens L.). Members of both the early-13- and the early-non-hydroxylation pathways were identified from both the parasite and the host (GA12, GA24, GA9 GA4, GA44, GA19, GA20, and GA1 from clover broomrape; GA9, GA4, GA44, GA19, GA20, and GA1 from clover). Quantitative analyses showed that GA44 was present at high levels in both host and parasite. The similarity in the gibberellins suggests the possibility that the major gibberellins in clover broomrape are transported from clover. However gibberellins such as GA58, GA38, and notably GA47 which was identified from a plant for the first time were detected only from clover broomrape, suggesting that the parasite may have the ability to produce at least those gibberellins

Numerous low-temperature geothermal waters are distributed extensively in Mangbang-Longling of western Yunnan in China, whose formation mechanism has not been completely investigated yet. This study focused on the hydrogeochemical evolution, reservoir temperature, and recharge origin of geothermal waters using hydrogeochemical and deuterium-oxygen (D-O) isotopic studies. The low-temperature geothermal waters were characterized by HCO3-Na type, while shallow cold spring was of the hydrochemical type of HCO3-Ca. The hydrogeochemical characteristics of low-temperature geothermal waters were mainly determined by the dissolution of silicate minerals based on the geological condition and correlations of major and minor ions. The reservoir temperatures of low-temperature geothermal waters ranged from 111°C to 126°C estimated by silica geothermometry and the silicon-enthalpy graphic method. Low-temperature geothermal waters circulated at the largest depth of 1794–2077 m where deep high-temperature geothermal waters were involved. The data points of δD and δ18O of the hot spring water samples in the study area show a linear right-up trend, indicating the δ18O reaction between the water and rock and a possible mixture of magmatic water from below. The low-temperature thermal waters were recharged by meteoric water at the elevation of 2362–3653 m calculated by δD values. Upwelling by heating energy, low-temperature geothermal waters were exposed as geothermal springs in the fault and fracture intersection and mixed by up to 72% shallow cold waters at surface. Based on acquired data, a conceptual model of the low-temperature geothermal waters in the Mangbang-Longling area was proposed for future exploitation.

C20H19Cl4N3O3S, monoclinic, P21/c(no. 14), a= 14.2134(9) Å, b= 21.4083(13) Å, c= 7.6709(5) Å, β= 99.260(6)°, V= 2303.7(2) Å3, Z= 4, Rgt(F) = 0.0659, wRref(F2) = 0.1682, T= 180 K.

Colorado potato beetle, Leptinotarsa decemlineata (Say), is the most destructive pest of potato in many countries of the world. It first invaded China from Kazakhstan in 1990s and now is a major pest of potato in many areas of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region (Xinjiang). The objective of this study was to determine the effect of temperature on the spread of Colorado potato beetle in China after its invasion. Cold temperature in winter (December) and high temperature in summer (July) were analyzed in accordance with the absence and presence of Colorado potato beetle in Xinjiang. The boundary between the absence and presence of Colorado potato beetle in Xinjiang nearly coincided with the -8°C isotherm of monthly mean minimum temperature in winter. The stress of the low temperature in winter for Colorado potato beetle basically disappeared in the southeastern Hexi Corridor in Gansu Province of China, suggesting that the Hexi Corridor is the best channel to prevent any long-distance invasions of Colorado potato beetle into the Central Plains region. However, in Turpan City in northeastern Xinjiang, the extremely hot weather in the summer prevents the local colonization of Colorado potato beetle. Furthermore, according to our monitoring, high temperature in summer also limited Colorado potato beetle to diffuse eastward through Turpan. Results of this study suggest that it is essential to strengthen inspection and quarantine measures to prevent any artificial transmissions of Colorado potato beetle spreading eastward and thus to ensure the sustainable production of potato and other Solanaceae crops in northwest regions of China.