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• Associations between IL and 10 polymorphisms and acute leukemia risk were evaluated. • IL-10 rs1800896 and rs1800872 polymorphisms were associated with acute leukemia risk. • IL-10 rs1800896 and rs1800872 may be potential biomarkers for AL risk prediction. Recently, increasing evidence has demonstrated that IL-10 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) are associated with the risk of acute leukemia (AL), but the findings of different articles remain controversial. Thus, we performed a meta-analysis to further investigate the exact roles of IL-10 SNPs in AL susceptibility. Six common Chinese and English databases were utilized to retrieve eligible studies. The strength of the association was assessed by calculating odds ratios and 95 % confidence intervals. All analyses were carried out using Review Manager (version 5.3) and STATA (version 15.1). The registered number of this research is CRD42022373362. A total of 6391 participants were enrolled in this research. The results showed that the AG genotype of rs1800896 increased AL risk in the heterozygous codominant model (AG vs. AA, OR = 1.41, 95 % CI = 1.04–1.92, P = 0.03) and overdominant model (AG vs. AA + GG, OR = 1.32, 95 % CI = 1.04–1.70, P = 0.03). In the subgroup analysis, associations between the G allele, GG genotype, AG genotype, AG + GG genotype of rs1800896 and increased AL risk were also observed in the mixed population based on allelic, homozygote codominant, heterozygous codominant, dominant, and overdominant models. Furthermore, an association between the AC genotype of rs1800872 and increased AL risk was observed in the Caucasian population in the overdominant model. However, the rs1800871, rs3024489 and rs3024493 polymorphisms did not affect AL risk. IL-10 rs1800896 and rs1800872 affected the susceptibility of AL and therefore may be biomarkers for early screening and risk prediction of AL. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Diatoms have long been thought to dominate the marine silicon (Si) cycle, as well as play an important role in the ocean's carbon (C) export, due to density-driven particle sedimentation. Research in the past decade has shed new light on the potential importance of picocyanobacteria to C export, although the sinking mechanism is still unclear. Interestingly, the recent discovery of Si accumulation by picocyanobacteria of the genus Synechococcu s has strong implications for the marine Si cycle, which may also have profound influence on the oceanic C export. Understanding the mechanisms of Synechococcus Si accumulation and its ecological effects are therefore critical for addressing wider issues such as Si and C exports by small cells via biological pump. Here, we show that recent advances in process studies indicate that the presence of Si within picocyanobacteria may be a common and universal feature. Subsequently, we generalize four biochemical forms of Si potentially present in picocyanobacterial cells, which are all different from diatomaceous opal-A, and hypothesize that these various structures of Si phases may be several stage products of Si precipitation. At the same time, several aspects of Si dynamics in Synechococcus are also discussed emphatically. In addition, we provide a first estimate of picocyanobacteria Si stock and production for the global ocean, accounting for 12% of the global Si inventory and 45% of the global annual Si production in the surface ocean, respectively. The implication is that picocyanobacteria may exert a significant influence on the marine Si cycle, which is likely to alter our understanding of the long-term control of the oceanic Si cycling by diatoms. Finally, we summarize three possible mechanisms and pathways through which picocyanobacteria-derived Si can be transported to the deep ocean. Altogether, marine picocyanobacteria, despite very small in cell size, are a non-negligible group for the export of biomineral Si to deeper waters and ocean sediments. • The presence of Si in picocyanobacteria may be a common feature. • Four biochemical forms of Si may be present in picocyanobacterial cells. • There are three pathways for picocyanobacteria transporting Si to the depth. • Picocyanobacteria exert a significant influence on the marine Si cycle. • Quantifying the Si and C export of picocyanobacteria are important in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sediment is thought to be a vital reservoir to spread antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) among various natural environments. However, the spatial distribution patterns of the sedimental antibiotic resistomes around the Bohai Bay region, a river-connected coastal water ecosystem, are still poorly understood. The present study conducted a comprehensive investigation of ARGs among urban rivers (UR), estuaries (ES) and Bohai Bay (BHB) by metagenomic sequencing. Overall, a total of 169 unique ARGs conferring resistance to 15 antimicrobial classes were detected across all sediment samples. The Kruskal-Wallis test showed that the diversity and abundance of ARGs in the UR were all significantly higher than those in the ES and BHB (p < 0.05 and p < 0.01), revealing the distance dilution of the sedimental resistomes from the river to the ocean. Multidrug resistance genes contained most of the ARG subtypes, whereas rifamycin resistance genes were the most abundant ARGs in this region. Our study demonstrated that most antimicrobial resistomes were highly accumulated in urban river sediments, whereas beta-lactamase resistance genes (mainly PNGM-1) dramatically increased away from the estuary to the open ocean. The relative abundance of mobile genetic elements (MGEs) also gradually decreased from rivers to the coastal ocean, whereas the difference in pathogenic bacteria was not significant in the three classifications. Among MGEs, plasmids were recognized as the most important carriers to support the horizontal gene transfer of ARGs within and between species. According to co-occurrence networks, pathogenic Proteobacteria, Actinobacteria, and Bacteroidetes were recognized as potential and important hosts of ARGs. Heavy metals, pH and moisture content were all recognized as the vital environmental factors influencing the distribution of ARGs in sediment samples. Overall, the present study may help to understand the distribution patterns of ARGs at a watershed scale, and help to make effective policies to control the emergence, spread and evolution of different ARG subtypes in different habitats. • Sediment resistomes around Bohai Bay region was explored by metagenomic analysis. • The most diversity and abundant resistomes in this region were multidrug and rifamycin resistance genes, respectively. • The relative abundance of ARGs decreased along the river inlet towards the open ocean. • Heavy metals, pH and moisture content were key environmental parameters to influence the distribution of ARGs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Type 2 diabetes osteoporosis has recently become a hot topic in the study of diabetic complications, but the specific mechanism of its development remains unclear. Non-imprinted in Prader-Willi/Angelman syndrome region protein 2 (NIPA2), a highly-selective magnesium ion transporter, has been found to be associated with type 2 diabetes. In this study we aimed to investigate the specific role and mechanism of NIPA2 in the pathogenesis of type 2 diabetes osteoporosis. We first used western blotting, PCR, immunofluorescence, and magnesium ion probes to detect changes of NIPA2 and intracellular magnesium levels in osteoblasts at different concentrations of advanced glycation end products (AGEs). We then up- or down-regulated NIPA2 using a lentivirus and analyzed apoptotic biomarkers as well as the osteogenic ability of osteoblasts. We found that AGEs dose-dependently down-regulated the expression of NIPA2 in osteoblasts. NIPA2 also regulated osteoblast apoptosis by affecting the intracellular magnesium level and further affecting the osteogenic capacity of osteoblasts. Our study revealed the changes of NIPA2 in response to AGEs in the environment, as well as its function and mechanism in osteoblasts, demonstrating its important role in the pathogenesis of type 2 diabetes osteoporosis. The study suggests that NIPA2 is a potential target for the treatment of type 2 diabetes osteoporosis. • AGEs downregulate the expression of magnesium transporter NIPA2 in osteoblast. • Deficiency of NIPA2 leads to decreased intracellular Mg2+ under AGEs treatment. • NIPA2 positively regulates the function of osteoblasts via regulating apoptosis. • NIPA2 regulates caspase-dependent apoptosis via PI3K/Akt signaling pathway. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background The stress kinase c-jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) is critical in the pathogenesis of cardiac diseases associated with an increased incidence of atrial fibrillation (AF), the most common arrhythmia in the elderly. We recently discovered that JNK activation is linked to the loss of gap junction connexin43 (Cx43) and enhanced atrial arrhythmogenicity. However, direct evidence for JNK-mediated impairment of intercellular coupling (cell-cell communication) in the intact aged atrium is lacking, as is evidence for whether and how JNK suppresses Cx43 in the aged human atrium. Methods and results JNK activity in human atrial samples is correlated with both reduced Cx43 expression and increasing age. Using a unique technique of optical mapping space constant measurement, we found that impaired intercellular coupling and reduced Cx43 were linked to enhanced activation of JNK in intact aged rabbit atria. These JNK-associated alterations were further confirmed in naturally JNK activated aged mice and in cardiac-specific inducible MKK7D (JNK upstream activator) young mice. Moreover, JNK inhibition, using either JNK specific inhibitors in aged wild-type (WT) mice and JNK activator anisomycin-treated young WT mice or JNK1/2 dominant-negative mice with genetically inhibited cardiac JNK activity, completely eliminated these functional abnormalities. Furthermore, we discovered for the first time that long-term JNK activation downregulates Cx43 expression via c-jun suppressed transcriptional activity of the Cx43 gene promoter. Conclusion Our results demonstrate that JNK is a critical regulator of Cx43 expression, and that augmented JNK activation in aged atria downregulates Cx43 to impair cell-cell communication and promote the development of AF. JNK inhibition may represent a promising therapeutic approach to prevent or treat AF in the elderly. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, a biparametric perturbation method is proposed to solve the Föppl–von Kármán equations of bimodular thin plates subjected to a single load. First, by using two small parameters, one describes the bimodular effect and another stands for the central deflection, we expanded the unknown deflection and stress in double power series with respect to the two parameters and obtained the approximate analytical solutions under various edge conditions. Due to the diversity of selection of parameters and its combination, by using the bimodular parameter and the load as two perturbation parameters, we elucidated further the application of this method. The use of two sets of parameter schemes both can obtain satisfactory perturbation solutions; the numerical simulations also verify this idea. The results indicate that in a biparametric perturbation method, the selection and its combination of parameters may reflect the combined effects introduced by nonlinear factors. The method proposed in this study may be used for solving other mathematical equations established in some application problems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dissolved oxygen (DO) is essential for teleosts, and fluctuating environmental factors can result in hypoxic stress in the golden pompano (Trachinotus blochii). However, it is unknown whether different recovery speeds of DO concentration after hypoxia induce stress in T. blochii. In this study, T. blochii was subjected to hypoxic conditions (1.9 ± 0.2 mg/L) for 12 h followed by 12 h of reoxygenation at two different speeds (30 mg/L per hour and 1.7 mg/L per hour increasing). The gradual reoxygenation group (GRG), experienced DO recovery (1.9 ± 0.2 to 6.8 ± 0.2 mg/L) within 3 h, and the rapid reoxygenation group (RRG), experienced DO recovery (1.9 ± 0.2 to 6.8 ± 0.2 mg/L) within 10 min. Physiological and biochemical parameters of metabolism (glucose, glycegon, lactic acid (LD), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), pyruvic acid (PA), phosphofructokinase (PFKA), and hexokinase (HK), triglyceride (TG), lipoprotein lipase (LPL), carnitine palmitoyltransferase 1 (CPT-1)) and transcriptome sequencing (RNA-seq of liver) were monitored to identify the effects of the two reoxygenation speeds. Increased LD content and increased activity of LDH, PA, PFKA, and HK suggested enhanced anaerobic glycolysis under hypoxic stress. LD and LDH levels remained significantly elevated during reoxygenation, indicating that the effects of hypoxia were not immediately alleviated during reoxygenation. The expressions of PGM2 , PFKA , GAPDH , and PK were increased in the RRG, which suggests that glycolysis was enhanced. The same pattern was not observed in the GRG. Additionally, In the RRG, reoxygenation may promote glycolysis to guarantee energy supply. However, the GRG may through the lipid metabolism such as steroid biosynthesis at the later stage of reoxygenation. In the aspect of apoptosis, differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in the RRG were enriched in the p53 signaling pathway, which promoted cell apoptosis, while DEGs in the GRG seem to activate cell apoptosis at early stage of reoxygenation but was restrained latterly. DEGs in both the RRG and the GRG were enriched in the NF-kappa B and JAK-STAT signaling pathways, the RRG may induce cell survival by regulating the expression of IL-12B , COX2 , and Bcl-XL , while in the GRG it may induce by regulating the expression of IL-8. Moreover, DEGs in the RRG were also enriched in the Toll-like receptor signaling pathway. This research revealed that at different velocity of reoxygenation after hypoxic stress, T. blochii would represent different metabolic, apoptotic and immune strategies, and this conclusion would provide new insight into the response to hypoxia and reoxygenation in teleosts. [Display omitted] • Glucose and lipid levels returned to normal during reoxygenation after hypoxia. • In the GRG, the expression of FDFT1 and HSD17B7 may guarantee the lipid metabolism. • In the RRG, the expression of Fas , CASP8 and CASP10 may promote apoptosis. • In the RRG, the expression of IL-12B , COX2 , and Bcl-XL may activate cell survival. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Heat stress-induced intestinal damage is a key event in fish pathology. Nano-selenium (nano-Se) shows remarkably high biological activity and low toxicity, making it an ideal and ecological Se formulation; however, to date, the protective effects of nano-Se against heat stress-induced intestinal injury and pertinent molecular mechanisms remain unknown. Herein, rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) were fed either a basal diet or basal diet + 5 mg/kg nano-Se. Samples were collected before (18 °C for 9 days; CG18 and Se18 groups) and after (24 °C for 8 h; CG24 and Se24 groups) heat stress treatment. On heat stress exposure, intestinal villus height, muscularis thickness, and goblet cell number decreased, and expression of tight junction proteins (ZO-1 , occludin , and claudin-8d) was downregulated; dietary supplementation with nano-Se alleviated these effects. Furthermore, in the presence of nano-Se, catalase activity was elevated, and expression of diverse heat shock proteins (Hsp70b , Hsp90α , and Hsp30), selenoproteins (Gpx1a , Gpx1b1 , and Trx), and anti-inflammatory cytokine (TGF-β) was upregulated. In contrast, nano-Se supplementation significantly alleviated the increase of the expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines (IL-1β and TNF-α) and the malondialdehyde content. We also observed that heat stress markedly increased the relative abundance of Actinobacteria , Firmicutes , Methylobacterium , Akkermansia , and Deinococcus and decreased that of Proteobacteria ; nano-Se supplementation restored these changes, making their distribution similar to that in the control group. Overall, our findings suggest that nano-Se plays a protective role against heat stress-induced intestinal damage in rainbow trout by promoting the recovery of antioxidant enzyme activity, enhancing protein repair, alleviating inflammatory responses, and restoring intestinal microbiota composition. • Nano-Se effectively mitigated heat stress-induced intestinal damage in rainbow trout. • Nano-Se increased the levels of intestinal antioxidant enzymes, heat shock proteins and selenoproteins. • Nano-Se mitigated inflammatory reaction by increasing anti-inflammatory cytokines and decreasing pro-inflammatory cytokines. • Nano-Se restored intestinal microbiota composition and diversity [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Marine plankton are faced with novel challenges associated with environmental changes such as ocean acidification, warming, and eutrophication. However, data on the effects of simultaneous environmental changes on complex natural communities in coastal ecosystems are relatively limited. Here we made a systematic analysis of biological and environmental parameters in the Bohai Sea over the past three years to suggest that plankton communities responded differently to current changing coastal environments, with the increase of phytoplankton and the decrease of zooplankton. These different changes of phyto- and zooplankton potentially resulted from the fact that both the effect of acidification as a result of pH decline and the effect of warming as a consequence of increasing temperature favored phytoplankton over zooplankton at present. Furthermore, water eutrophication and salinity as well as heavy metals Hg, Zn, and As had more or less diverse consequences for the dynamics of phytoplankton and zooplankton. Differently, with ongoing climate change, we also revealed that both phytoplankton and zooplankton would decrease in the future under the influence of interactions between acidification and warming. • Plankton responded differently to current changing coastal environments. • Current coastal environments benefit phytoplankton but harm zooplankton. • Plankton would decrease under future acidification and warming. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Marine picophytoplankton (<2 μm) are the most abundant photosynthetic group and also important contributors to global primary production. However, it is still constrained to incorporate picophytoplankton into dynamic ecosystem models, as a result of our limited understanding of their global distribution and abundance. Here, we applied a large dataset consisted of 1817 in situ observations from the Yellow Sea, Indian Ocean, and Pacific Ocean to suggest that picophytoplankton abundance and distribution had a large variability among the three distinct regions. Based on the correlation analysis, aggregated boosted tree analysis, and generalized additive model, we proposed that water temperature and dissolved inorganic nitrogen (N) were key determinants in driving the large-scale variability of marine picophytoplankton. For example, we revealed that high temperature and low N would stimulate the growth of Prochlorococcus. Therefore, these results could provide some insights into the various environmental factors which affect the dynamics of picophytoplankton, as well as the dynamic ecosystem models. • Picophytoplankton had a large variability among the three distinct regions. • Prochlorococcus was absent in the Yellow Sea but dominated in the open oceans. • Synechococcus and picoeukaryotes had a wider geographical distribution. • Temperature and nitrogen were key determinants for picophytoplankton dynamics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cerebral ischemia-reperfusion (I/R) is the main cause of neurological injury after stroke. However, existing treatments for I/R injury are relatively poor, and relevant drugs need to be further explored. Amphibians have received increasing attention as a resource bank of bioactive peptides. However, reports on neuroprotective peptides from amphibians remain extremely rare. Here, we identified a new neuroprotective peptide (OL-FS13, amino acid sequence: FSLLLTWWRRRVC) from the odorous frog species Odorrana livida using a constructed cDNA library. OL-FS13 significantly improving infarct volume, behavioral and histological abnormalities in rats, and also showed neuroprotective activities in PC12 cell (by oxygen glucose deprivation/reoxygenation, OGD/R). Mechanistically, OL-FS13 increased the level of antioxidative enzymes to resist oxidative stress and alleviated endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress induced by I/R and OGD/R. The use of ML385 (Nrf2 inhibitor) indicated that OL-FS13 relieved nerve damage caused by oxidative and ER stress by increasing the nuclear displacement of Nrf2. Collectively, this research provides a novel drug candidate for the clinical cerebral I/R curation. [Display omitted] • This research provides a potential drug candidate (OL-FS13) for the clinical treatment of cerebral ischemia reperfusion. • OL-FS13 exerted significant anti-stroke activities by alleviating oxidative and endoplasmic reticulum stress via activation of Nrf2 signaling and suppression of the IRE1α/TRAF2/JNK pathway. • OL-FS13 can be administered after cerebral ischemia reperfusion instead of prophylactic administration, which improves its clinical application value. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Nogo-66 receptor (NgR1), a receptor for Nogo-A, contributes to the inhibition of axonal regeneration in the adult central nervous system after traumatic injuries. Thus, NgR1 has been considered a critical target in axon regeneration therapy. Here, we identified a specific NgR1 antagonist peptide (HIYTALV, named NAP2) which promotes neurite regeneration in vitro from a phage display heptapeptide library. NAP2 was co-localized with NgR1 on the surface of PC12 cells and cerebellar granule cells (CGCs) by immunofluorescence assay. Horseradish peroxidase (HRP)-streptavidin-biotin assay further showed that NAP2 binds to NgR1 and the dissociation constant (Kd) was 0.45 μM Functional analyses indicated that NAP2 could reduce the inhibitory effects of Nogo-66 on neurite outgrowth in differentiated PC12 cells and CGCs by blocking the Nogo-66-induced activation of Rho-associated coiled coil-containing protein kinase (ROCK), collapsin response mediator protein 2 (CRMP2) and myosin light chain (MLC). Taken together, the small molecule NgR1 antagonist peptide NAP2 (MW: 815.98 Da) has a potential ability in crossing blood brain barrier and will be a promising therapeutic agent for the treatment of spinal cord injury and neurodegenerative diseases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Globally there are numerous long-term time series measuring phytoplanton abundance. With appropriate conversion factors, numerical species abundance can be expressed as biovolume and then converted to phytoplankton carbon. To-date there has been no attempt to analyze globally distributed phytoplankton data sets to determine the most appropriate species-specific mean cell volume. We have determined phytoplankton cell volumes for 214 of the most common species found in globally distributed coastal time series. The cell volume, carbon/cell and cell density of large diatoms is 200,000, 20,000 and 0.1 times respectively, compared to small diatoms. The cell volume, carbon/cell and cell density of large dinoflagellates is 1500, 1000 and 0.7 times respectively, compared to small dinoflagellates. The range in diatom biovolumes is 100 times greater than across dinoflagellates (i.e. >200,000 vs. 1500 times) and within any diatom species, the range in biovolume is up to 10-fold. Variation in diatom cell volumes are the single largest source of uncertainty in community phytoplankton carbon estimates and greatly exceeds the uncertainty associated with the different volume to carbon estimates. Small diatoms have 10 times more carbon density than large diatoms and small dinoflagellates have 1.5 times more carbon density than large cells. However, carbon density varies relatively little compared to biovolume. We recommend that monthly biovolumes should be determined on field samples, at least for the most important species in each study area, since these measurements will incorporate the effects of variations in light, temperature, nutrients and life cycles. Since biovolumes of diatoms are particularly variable, the use of size classes will help to capture the percentage of large and small cells for each species at certain times of the year. This summary of global datasets of phytoplankton biovolumes is useful in order to evaluate where locally determined biovolumes lie within the global spectrum of spatial and temporal variations and may be used as a species cell volume reference where no locally determined volume estimates are available. There is a need to adopt standard protocols for measuring biovolumes and documenting the accompanying metadata which would improve inter-comparability among time series data sets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Phytoplankton diversity and its variation over an extended time scale can provide answers to a wide range of questions relevant to societal needs. These include human health, the safe and sustained use of marine resources and the ecological status of the marine environment, including long-term changes under the impact of multiple stressors. The analysis of phytoplankton data collected at the same place over time, as well as the comparison among different sampling sites, provide key information for assessing environmental change, and evaluating new actions that must be made to reduce human induced pressures on the environment. To achieve these aims, phytoplankton data may be used several decades later by users that have not participated in their production, including automatic data retrieval and analysis. The methods used in phytoplankton species analysis vary widely among research and monitoring groups, while quality control procedures have not been implemented in most cases. Here we highlight some of the main differences in the sampling and analytical procedures applied to phytoplankton analysis and identify critical steps that are required to improve the quality and inter-comparability of data obtained at different sites and/or times. Harmonization of methods may not be a realistic goal, considering the wide range of purposes of phytoplankton time-series data collection. However, we propose that more consistent and detailed metadata and complementary information be recorded and made available along with phytoplankton time-series datasets, including description of the procedures and elements allowing for a quality control of the data. To keep up with the progress in taxonomic research, there is a need for continued training of taxonomists, and for supporting and complementing existing web resources, in order to allow a constant upgrade of knowledge in phytoplankton classification and identification. Efforts towards the improvement of metadata recording, data annotation and quality control procedures will ensure the internal consistency of phytoplankton time series and facilitate their comparability and accessibility, thus strongly increasing the value of the precious information they provide. Ultimately, the sharing of quality controlled data will allow one to recoup the high cost of obtaining the data through the multiple use of the time-series data in various projects over many decades. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose The aim of this study was to identify the different influencing patterns of demographic and epilepsy-related variables on various aspects of psychosocial function in pediatric epilepsy. Method Five hundred ninety-eight patients with pediatric epilepsy between the ages of 4 and 18 years (boys = 360, 60% and girls = 238, 40%) and their parents participated in the study. Parents completed the Social Maturity Scale (SMS), the Korean version of the Child Behavior Checklist (K-CBCL), and the Korean version of the Quality of Life in Childhood Epilepsy Questionnaire (K-QOLCE) to assess daily living function, behavior, and quality of life. The Children's Global Assessment Scale (CGAS) was completed by clinicians to assess general adaptive function. Demographic variables, such as age and sex of child, and epilepsy-related clinical variables, including seizure type, seizure frequency, duration of epilepsy, and number of medications, were obtained from medical records. Results Demographic and epilepsy-related clinical variables had a strong influence (22–32%) on the cognition-related domain such as general adaptive function, school/total competence, and quality of life for cognitive function while a comparatively smaller effect (2–16%) on the more psychological domain including behavioral, emotional, and social variables. Younger age, shorter duration of illness, and smaller number of medications showed a strong positive impact on psychosocial function in pediatric epilepsy, particularly for adaptive function, competence, and quality-of-life aspects. Conclusion Given the wide range of impact of demographic and clinical variables on various facets of psychosocial functions, more specific understanding of the various aspects of factors and their particular pattern of influence may enable more effective therapeutic approaches that address both the medical and psychological needs in pediatric epilepsy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights: [•] Resistin up-regulated miR-145 both in vivo and in vitro. [•] Over-expression of miR-145 induced insulin resistance in Hepatocytes. [•] p65 directly binds on the promoter of miR-145. [•] p65 was essential for up-regulating miR-145 by resistin. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Cationic elastin-like polypeptides (CELP) are thermally responsive polypeptides that undergo an inverse temperature phase transition, and the recombinant CELP fusion proteins may be purified by inverse transition cycling (ITC). To obtain high-purity antimicrobial peptide cecropin AD (CAD), CELP was placed at the N-terminus of CAD and the expression vector pET28a-CELP-CAD was constructed. The expression vector was then transformed into Escherichia coli BL21 (DE3) to express the recombinant protein. After three rounds of ITC, enterokinase digestion and another hot spin, 1.2mg recombinant CAD was purified from 100ml culture medium. The antimicrobial test indicated that the high-purity CAD had strong antimicrobial activity against E. coli and Staphylococcus aureus. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Deficiency of vitamin D is associated with accelerated decline in lung function. Vitamin D is a ligand for nuclear hormone vitamin D receptor (VDR), and upon binding it modulates various cellular functions. The level of VDR is reduced in lungs of patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) which led us to hypothesize that deficiency of VDR leads to significant alterations in lung phenotype that are characteristics of COPD/emphysema associated with increased inflammatory response. We found that VDR knock-out (VDR–/–) mice had increased influx of inflammatory cells, phospho-acetylation of nuclear factor-kappaB (NF-κB) associated with increased proinflammatory mediators, and up-regulation of matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) MMP-2, MMP-9, and MMP-12 in the lung. This was associated with emphysema and decline in lung function associated with lymphoid aggregates formation compared to WT mice. These findings suggest that deficiency of VDR in mouse lung can lead to an early onset of emphysema/COPD because of chronic inflammation, immune dysregulation, and lung destruction. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Mass spectrometric (MS) isotopomer analysis has become a standard tool for investigating biological systems using stable isotopes. In particular, metabolic flux analysis uses mass isotopomers of metabolic products typically formed from 13C-labeled substrates to quantitate intracellular pathway fluxes. In the current work, we describe a model-driven method of numerical bias estimation regarding MS isotopomer analysis. Correct bias estimation is crucial for measuring statistical qualities of measurements and obtaining reliable fluxes. The model we developed for bias estimation corrects a priori unknown systematic errors unique for each individual mass isotopomer peak. For validation, we carried out both computational simulations and experimental measurements. From stochastic simulations, it was observed that carbon mass isotopomer distributions and measurement noise can be determined much more precisely only if signals are corrected for possible systematic errors. By removing the estimated background signals, the residuals resulting from experimental measurement and model expectation became consistent with normality, experimental variability was reduced, and data consistency was improved. The method is useful for obtaining systematic error-free data from 13C tracer experiments and can also be extended to other stable isotopes. As a result, the reliability of metabolic fluxes that are typically computed from mass isotopomer measurements is increased. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Enzymatic pretreatments of oat bran, using viscozyme L to enhance protein extraction, were investigated. To obtain the best possible combination of enzymatic pretreatment variables including viscozyme L concentration, incubation time, pH and incubation temperature for maximum protein extraction, modern optimization techniques were employed. The optimization procedure included two stages: creating a response surface model through regression on experimental data and then optimizing the model by Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO) algorithms. The optimum conditions of enzymatic pretreatment were: viscozyme L concentration, 30FBG/10g of oat bran; incubation time, 2.8h; pH 4.6; and incubation temperature, 44°C. Under such conditions, the predicted maximum protein extracted was 55.69%, which coincided with the experimental values. These results indicated that enzymatic pretreatment can improve protein extraction significantly and PSO algorithms were efficient approaches for optimizing the conditions of enzymatic pretreatment of oat bran. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Geobacter species are among the most effective microorganisms known for the bioremediation of radioactive and toxic metals in contaminated subsurface environments and for converting organic compounds to electricity in microbial fuel cells. However, faster rates of electron transfer could aid in optimizing these processes. Therefore, the Optknock strain design methodology was applied in an iterative manner to the constraint-based, in silico model of Geobacter sulfurreducens to identify gene deletions predicted to increase respiration rates. The common factor in the Optknock predictions was that each resulted in a predicted increase in the cellular ATP demand, either by creating ATP-consuming futile cycles or decreasing the availability of reducing equivalents and inorganic phosphate for ATP biosynthesis. The in silico model predicted that increasing the ATP demand would result in higher fluxes of acetate through the TCA cycle and higher rates of NADPH oxidation coupled with decreases in flux in reactions that funnel acetate toward biosynthetic pathways. A strain of G. sulfurreducens was constructed in which the hydrolytic, F1 portion of the membrane-bound F0F1 (H+)-ATP synthase complex was expressed when IPTG was added to the medium. Induction of the ATP drain decreased the ATP content of the cell by more than half. The cells with the ATP drain had higher rates of respiration, slower growth rates, and a lower cell yield. Genome-wide analysis of gene transcript levels indicated that when the higher rate of respiration was induced transcript levels were higher for genes involved in energy metabolism, especially in those encoding TCA cycle enzymes, subunits of the NADH dehydrogenase, and proteins involved in electron acceptor reduction. This was accompanied by lower transcript levels for genes encoding proteins involved in amino acid biosynthesis, cell growth, and motility. Several changes in gene expression that involve processes not included in the in silico model were also detected, including increased expression of a number of redox-active proteins, such as c-type cytochromes and a putative multicopper outer-surface protein. The results demonstrate that it is possible to genetically engineer increased respiration rates in G. sulfurreducens in accordance with predictions from in silico metabolic modeling. To our knowledge, this is the first report of metabolic engineering to increase the respiratory rate of a microorganism. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Unsupported and Al2O3-supported molybdenum phosphides (MoP) were tested as catalysts for the decomposition of hydrazine (N2H4), in comparison with previously studied Mo2N catalysts. The results showed that the activity increased with MoP loading on the MoP/Al2O3 catalysts and that the supported MoP catalysts were more stable during hydrazine decomposition compared with the supported Mo2N catalysts. FTIR results indicated that N2H4 decomposed on the Mo sites on the MoP, similar to the case of Mo2N. FTIR and microcalorimetric adsorption measurements showed that NH3 was adsorbed only moderately on the MoP catalyst, giving it better catalytic stability than the Mo2N, for which strong adsorption of NH3 blocked the active sites and led to a sharp decrease in activity. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

This study investigates the mechanism and effect of ultrasonic technology on viscous materials such as honey. The rheological properties, viscosity and temperature correlation models, thermodynamic characteristics, main saccharide composition and intramolecular structure of honey samples treated with different ultrasonic powers and frequencies have been investigated. The results showed that the selected ultrasonic combination of conditions did not change the Newtonian fluid characteristics of honey, but the heat effect of ultrasound reduced the moisture content of honey. The Willian–Landel–Ferry (WLF) equation appeared to be more accurate than Arrhenius equation (R 2 > 0.97) to describe the correlation between viscosity and temperature of honey with high ultrasonic power (>80 W) and low moisture content below 17.1% (R 2 > 0.98). The differential scanning calorimetric (DSC) experiments showed that the T g value of honey was significantly decreased by ultrasound (P < 0.05), which was proportional to the degree of ultrasonic damage. Major saccharides (fructose, glucose, sucrose and maltose) of honey have been greatly affected by high ultrasonic power. The infrared spectroscopy experiment indicated that, under the same ultrasonic power, 40 kHz frequency has significantly increased the wavenumber and number of the absorption peaks of the groups in honey molecules than 28 kHz. • The effect of ultrasonic power and frequency on honey rheological properties was assessed. • The impact of high-power ultrasound on the content of honey components was significant. • The molecular structure of honey damaged by the 40 kHz ultrasonic frequency was larger than that of the 28 kHz ultrasonic frequency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• No overlapping proton signals in T 2 spectral between water and lipid of oats. • 3 % MnCl 2 •4H 2 O as an usually external standard was unsuitable for testing moisture. • The limit of detection, accuracy and precision were evaluated for LF-NMR method. • LF-NMR method only requires 1 g of sample and is accurate, rapid, and non-destructive. In this study, we aimed to establish a novel method for determining moisture and lipid contents in oats using low-field nuclear magnetic resonance (LF-NMR). The applicabilities of the internal and external standard methods for determining oat moisture were compared. To determine oat lipids, calibration curves were established using the external standard method, and then the LF-NMR method and the conventional method were compared. The independent peaks of T 21 (0.01–3.0 ms) and T 22 (9.01–410.27 ms) in the T 2 spectral curves of oat flour represented water and lipid, respectively. Analysis of moisture content with the internal standard method was more accurate than with the external standard method, which uses 3 % MnCl 2 •4H 2 O as a standard. The area of T 21 peak and T 22 peak has a good linear correlation with the mass of water weight and lipid weight, respectively. The results of the LF-NMR method were consistent with the results of the oven method (for moisture content) and the Bligh method (for total lipid content). Moreover, the endosperm was found to contain 0.58–1.36 % of the bound lipid, which was slightly lower than the value for the oat bran. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The two genera, Australothrix and Holostichides , are non-monophyletic. • Argyrophilic cytopharynx structure might be an apomorphy of hypotrichs. • A list of species with the argyrophilic cytopharynx structure is provided. • Further study is needed for the cryptic/sibling H. heterotypicus -like species. In a study of ciliate diversity, we collected two new species of the genera Australothrix and Holostichides. Based on nuclear ribosomal genes, our study shows that these two genera are genetically non-monophyletic. To clarify the issues of the non-monophyly, we reexamined type material of H. heterotypicus , H. terrae , and Birojimia soyaensis. Based on multigene and morphometric analyses, Australothrix and Holostichides are clearly non-monophyletic even in mitochondrial CO1 gene trees. The multigene analyses show a clade composed of A. lineae sp. nov., H. terrae , and B. soyaensis , suggesting that a cytopharynx with argyrophilic structures might be their synapomorphy. A list of species with this type of cytopharynx is provided for further studies to either accept or reject this hypothesis. Based on the reexamination, we discriminate the morphologically nearly identical (cryptic/sibling) species H. obliquocirratus sp. nov. from H. heterotypicus and they show significant genetic dissimilarities in the multigene trees. They showed only few morphological (non-quantitative) differences and thus distinguishing them morphologically needs careful investigation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]