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Two novel metal–organic compounds have been prepared via altering metal ions under the hydrothermal conditions, i.e. [Zn(HL)(4,4′-bipy)(H2O)2]n (1) and [Cd(HL)(4,4′-bipy)]n (2) (4,4′-bipy = 4,4′-bipyridine and H3L = 5-(4-carboxyphenoxy)-isophthalic acid). Moreover, the luminescent performances and stabilities of the two compounds were also investigated. For the prevention and treatment evaluation of compounds 1 and 2 in this present research, serious of biological experiments were performed in this study. Firstly, the non-invasive blood pressure monitoring was used for blood pressure determination. In addition to this, the real time RT-PCR assay was conducted in this study for the assessment of the α receptor expression on the vascular endothelial cells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Phototherapy with psoralens as photosensitizers is the commonly used method for the treatment of vitiligo. Considering the structure similarity between psoralens and thieno[2,3- d]pyrimidinones, a series of novel sulfonamide derivatives containing tricyclic thieno[2,3- d]pyrimidinone were synthesized and evaluated for melanin synthesis in murine B16 cells. All new compounds were characterized by H NMR, C NMR, IR and HRMS (ESI). Among them, 6 compounds demonstrated excellent activity than positive control (8-methoxylpsoralen, 8-MOP) with more than 1.5-fold potency. Compound 11w with dichloro substitution at meta-positions in the benzenesulfonyl moiety was the most potent one (658.3 ± 8.7%), exhibiting 5.0-fold stronger activity than 8-MOP (130.9 ± 8.6%). The difluoro analog compound 11o increased melanin synthesis in murine B16 cells with a 4.35-fold potency as compared to 8-MOP. These compounds may serve as lead compounds for further drug discoveries for the treatment of vitiligo. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We demonstrate that a seven-particle entangled state can be used to realize the deterministic asymmetric bidirectional controlled quantum information transmission by performing only Bell-state measurement and two-particle projective measurement and single-particle measurement. In our protocol, Alice can teleport an arbitrary unknown single-particle state to Bob and at the same time Bob can remotely prepare an arbitrary known two-particle state for Alice via the control of the supervisor Charlie. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Progesterone (P4) is an important ovarian hormone that inhibits estrogen-dependent proliferation of endometrial epithelial cells (EECs). miR-152 has been reported to be a cell cycle regulator. In this study, we first demonstrated that P4 induced the expression of miR-152 in ovariectomized mice and Ishikawa cell. miR-152 was detected in the human endometrial cell lines that were stably transfected with P4 receptor. Results showed that P4 induced its expression through its receptor B subtype. Then, using the specific miRNA mimic and inhibitor, we proved that miR-152 impeded G1/S transition in the cell cycle of EECs and inhibited cellular proliferation via downregulating WNT-1 in mice and human endometrial cancer cell lines (Ishikawa, HEC-1-b, and KLE). miR-152 induced by P4 is an important inhibitor for the proliferation of EECs. miR-152 may be an important tumor suppressor microRNA in endometrial cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work, we have demonstrated that a six-qubit cluster state can be used to realize the deterministic controlled remote state preparation of an arbitrary two-qubit state by performing only the special two-qubit projective measurements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We propose a scheme for asymmetric bidirectional controlled teleportation by using a six-qubit cluster state as quantum channel. In our scheme, Alice can transmit an arbitrary two-qubit entangled state to Bob and at the same time Bob can teleport an arbitrary single-qubit state to Alice under the control of the supervisor Charlie. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this study is to investigate the role of CXCR3 and IL-10 in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced acute lung injury (ALI). ALI was induced by LPS injection (10 mg/kg) via the tail vein in C57BL/6 mice. Mice were sacrificed after 2 or 12 h to examine the levels of inflammatory cytokines in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) and histopathologic assessments. At 12 h after LPS injection, mice exhibited more severe lung infiltration by CD8+ T cell and less infiltration by CD8+CD122+ regulatory T cells than at 2 h after LPS challenge or in the control (mice not exposed to LPS). At 12 h, IFN-γ, CXCR3, and CXCL10 were significantly higher in the lungs. IL-10 in the lungs was significantly lower. CXCR3 may help to recruit CD8+ T cells and promotes IFN-γ and CXCL10 release. Such effects could be inhibited by IL-10 secreted by CD8+CD122+ regulatory T cells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We propose a scheme for preparing a seven-atom maximally entangled state (Zha et al., J. Phys. A: Math. Theor. 45, 255, ) in cavity QED, where the atoms interact simultaneously with the highly detuned single-mode cavity and the strong classical driving field. Thus our scheme is insensitive to both the cavity decay and thermal field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We propose a seven-ion entangled channel that can be used to realize the deterministic controlled teleportation of an arbitrary three-ion state in ion-trap systems. We describe the construction of this channel and explicitly demonstrate how the protocol works. In our scheme, it does not involve Bell-state measurement and only needs to perform the single-ion measurements and single ion unitary operations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To minimize the number of solutions in 3D resistivity inversion, an inherent problem in inversion, the amount of data considered have to be large and prior constraints need to be applied. Geological and geophysical data regarding the extent of a geological anomaly are important prior information. We propose the use of shape constraints in 3D electrical resistivity inversion. Three weighted orthogonal vectors (a normal and two tangent vectors) were used to control the resistivity differences at the boundaries of the anomaly. The spatial shape of the anomaly and the constraints on the boundaries of the anomaly are thus established. We incorporated the spatial shape constraints in the objective function of the 3D resistivity inversion and constructed the 3D resistivity inversion equation with spatial shape constraints. Subsequently, we used numerical modeling based on prior spatial shape data to constrain the direction vectors and weights of the 3D resistivity inversion. We established a reasonable range between the direction vectors and weights, and verified the feasibility and effectiveness of using spatial shape prior constraints in reducing excessive structures and the number of solutions. We applied the prior spatially shape-constrained inversion method to locate the aquifer at the Guangzhou subway. The spatial shape constraints were taken from ground penetrating radar data. The inversion results for the location and shape of the aquifer agree well with drilling data, and the number of inversion solutions is significantly reduced. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present a scheme for bidirectional controlled teleportation by using a five-qubit composite GHZ-Bell state as quantum channel. Based on the C-not operation and single qubit measurements, Alice may transmit an arbitrary single qubit state of qubit A to Bob and Bob may transmit an arbitrary single qubit state of qubit B to Alice via the control of the supervisor Charlie. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A cavity quantum electrodynamics scheme for implementing the deterministic quantum information splitting of an arbitrary three-atom state is proposed. In the scheme, a genuine five-atom entangled state and a Bell-state can be used as the quantum channel, which does not involve Bell-state measurement and only needs to perform the single-atom measurements. Our scheme is insensitive to both the cavity decay and the atom radiation, and considered here is secure against certain eavesdropping attacks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The AA5052 aluminum alloy is widely used in automobile and aerospace manufacturing, and with the development of light-weight alloys, it is required that these materials exhibit better mechanical properties. Previous studies have demonstrated that the addition of Sc to aluminum alloys can improve both the microstructure and properties of the alloys. In this study, the effect of Sc on the Fe-rich phase and properties of the AA5052 aluminum alloy was studied by adding 0%, 0.05%, 0.2%, and 0.3% Sc. The results show that with the increase of Sc, the coarse needle-like Fe-rich phase gradually transforms into Chinese-script and then nearly spherical particles, reduce the size of Fe-rich phase, and refine the grain with increase of high angle grain boundaries (HAGBs). These microstructure changes enhance the strength of the AA5052 alloy through Sc addition. The ductility of the alloy is obviously improved because the addition of a lower amount of Sc changes the morphology of Fe-rich phase from needle-like into a Chinese-script, and it is subsequently reduced as a result of significant increase in HAGBs with increasing Sc content. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Obtaining tumour-free margins is critical for avoiding re-excision and reducing local recurrence following breast-conserving surgery; however, it remains challenging. Imaging-guided surgery provides precise detection of residual lesions and assists surgical resection. Herein, we described water-soluble melanin nanoparticles (MNPs) conjugated with cyclic Arg-Gly-Asp (cRGD) peptides for breast cancer photoacoustic imaging (PAI) and surgical navigation. Methods: The cRGD-MNPs were synthesised and characterized for morphology, photoacoustic characteristics and stability. Tumour targeting and toxicity of cRGD-MNPs were determined by using either breast cancer cells, MDA-MB-231 tumour-bearing mice or the FVB/N-Tg (MMTV-PyVT) 634Mul/J mice model. PAI was used to locate the tumour and guide surgical resection in MDA-MB-231 tumour-bearing mice. Results: The cRGD-MNPs exhibited excellent in vitro and in vivo tumour targeting with low toxicity. Intravenous administration of cRGD-MNPs to MDA-MB-231 tumour-bearing mice showed an approximately 2.1-fold enhancement in photoacoustic (PA) intensity at 2 h, and the ratio of the PA intensity at the tumour site to that in the surrounding normal tissue was 3.2 ± 0.1, which was higher than that using MNPs (1.7 ± 0.3). Similarly, the PA signal in the spontaneous breast cancer increased ~ 2.5-fold at 2 h post-injection of cRGD-MNPs in MMTV-PyVT transgenic mice. Preoperative PAI assessed tumour volume and offered three-dimensional (3D) reconstruction images for accurate surgical planning. Surgical resection following real-time PAI showed high consistency with histopathological analysis. Conclusion: These results highlight that cRGD-MNP-mediated PAI provide a powerful tool for breast cancer imaging and precise tumour resection. cRGD-MNPs with fine PA properties have great potential for clinical translation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We propose a deterministic protocol for remotely preparing an arbitrary four-qubit entangled cluster-type state. In our protocol, a seven-qubit cluster state is employed to link the two senders (Alice and Bob) and the receiver Charlie. The to-be-prepared state is realized successfully with the probability of 100 % by performing the local unitary operation and classical communication. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We provide various schemes for quantum teleportation by using the four and five qubit cluster states. Explicit protocols for the perfect quantum teleportation of three and four qubit states are illustrated. It is found that the four-qubit cluster state can be used for perfect quantum teleportation of a special form of three-qubit state and the five-qubit cluster state can be used for perfect quantum teleportation of a special form of four-qubit state. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We propose an experimentally feasible scheme for implementing controlled quantum secure direct communication by using six-qubit entangled states. According to the results measured by the sender and the controller, the receiver can obtain different secret messages in a deterministic way with unit successful probability. In our scheme, the information-carrying qubits do not need to be transmitted over the public channel. Therefore, the scheme is determinate and secure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We propose an experimentally feasible scheme for implementing controlled quantum secure direct communication by using a five-atom cluster state in cavity QED. According to the results measured by the sender and the controller, the receiver can obtain different secret messages in a deterministic way with unit successful probability. In the communication processes, one only need separate measurements with the assistance of a strong classical driving field. In addition, the scheme is insensitive to the cavity decay and the thermal field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We explore the interaction between estrogen and PCSK9 and their collective impact on lipid metabolism, especially concerning the regulation of low-density lipoprotein receptor levels. Utilizing both animal and cellular models, including ovariectomized mice and HepG2 cell lines, we demonstrate that estrogen deficiency leads to a disruption in lipid metabolism, characterized by elevated levels of total cholesterol and LDL-C. The study commences with mice undergoing ovariectomy, followed by a diet regimen comprising either high-fat diet or normal feed for a four-week duration. Key assessments include analyzing lipid metabolism, measuring PCSK9 levels in the bloodstream, and evaluating hepatic low-density lipoprotein receptor expression. We will also conduct correlation analyses to understand the relationship between PCSK9 and various lipid profiles. Further, a subset of ovariectomized mice on high-fat diet will undergo treatment with either estrogen or PCSK9 inhibitor for two weeks, with a subsequent re-evaluation of the earlier mentioned parameters. Our findings reveal that estrogen inhibits PCSK9-mediated degradation of low-density lipoprotein receptor, a process crucial for maintaining lipid homeostasis. Through a series of experiments, including immunohistochemistry and western blot analysis, we establish that PCSK9 is involved in lipid metabolism disorders caused by estrogen deficiency and that estrogen regulates PCSK9 and low-density lipoprotein receptor at post-transcriptional level. The study provides a mechanism for the involvement of PCSK9 in elucidating the disorders of lipid metabolism caused by estrogen deficiency due to perimenopause and ovarian decline. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We propose a scheme to realize the deterministic quantum teleportation of an arbitrary two-ion state by using a genuine four-ion entangled state in ion-trap systems. The scheme does not involve Bell-state measurements and only needs to make the single-ion measurements. Our scheme is insensitive to both the initial vibrational state and heating, which is of importance in view of experiment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We propose a scheme for preparing a genuinely entangled six-atom state (in J. Phys. A 40:13407, ) in cavity QED, where the atoms interact simultaneously with the highly detuned single-mode cavity and the strong classical driving field. Thus our scheme is not sensitive to both the cavity decay and thermal field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many functional activities of endometrium epithelium are energy consuming which are very important for maintaining intrauterine environment needed by early embryonic development and establishment of implantation window. Glucose is a main energy supplier and one of the main components of intrauterine fluid. Obviously, glucose transports in endometrium epithelium involve in for these activities but their functions have not been elucidated. In this research, we observed a spatiotemporal pattern of sodium glucose transporter 1 (SGLT1) expression in the mouse endometrium. We also determined that progesterone can promote the expression of SGLT1 in the mouse endometrial epithelium in response to the action of oestrogen. Treatment with the SGLT1 inhibitor phlorizin or small interfering RNA specific for SGLT1 (SGLT1-siRNA) altered glucose uptake in primary cultured endometrial epithelial cells, which exhibited reduced ATP levels and AMPK activation. The injection of phlorizin or SGLT1-siRNA into one uterine horn of each mouse on day 2 of pregnancy led to an increased glucose concentration in the uterine fluid and decreased number of harvested normal blastocysts and decreased expression of integrin αVβ3 in endometrial epithelium and increased expression of mucin 1 and lactoferrin in endometrial epithelium and the uterine homogenates exhibited activated AMPK, a decreased ATP level on day 4, and a decreased number of implantation sites on day 5. In embryo transfer experiments, pre-treatment of the uterine horn with phlorizin or SGLT1-siRNA during the implantation window led to a decreased embryo implantation rate on day 5 of pregnancy, even when embryos from normal donor mice were used. In conclusion, SGLT1, which participates in glucose transport in the mouse endometrial epithelium, inhibition and/or reduced expression of SGLT1 affects early embryo development by altering the glucose concentration in the uterine fluid. Inhibition and/or reduced expression of SGLT1 also affects embryo implantation by influencing energy metabolism in epithelial cells, which consequently influences implantation-related functional activities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The acidophilic Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans can resist exceptionally high cadmium (Cd) concentrations. This property is important for its use in biomining processes, where Cd and other metal levels range usually between 15 and 100 mM. To learn about the mechanisms that allow A. ferrooxidans cells to survive in this environment, a bioinformatic search of its genome showed the presence of that a Cd(II)/Pb(II)-responsive transcriptional regulator (CmtR) was possibly related to Cd homeostasis. The expression of the CmtR was studied by real-time reverse transcriptase PCR using A. ferrooxidans cells adapted for growth in the presence of high concentrations of Cd. The putative A. ferrooxidans Cd resistance determinant was found to be upregulated when this bacterium was exposed to Cd in the range of 15-30 mM. The CmtR from A. ferrooxidans was cloned and expressed in Escherichia coli, the soluble protein was purified by one-step affinity chromatography to apparent homogeneity. UV-Vis spectroscopic measurements showed that the reconstruction CmtR was able to bind Cd(II) forming Cd(II)-CmtR complex in vitro. The sequence alignment and molecular modeling showed that the crucial residues for CmtR binding were likely to be Cys77, Cys112, and Cys121. The results reported here strongly suggest that the high resistance of the extremophilic A. ferrooxidans to Cd including the Cd(II)/Pb(II)-responsive transcriptional regulator. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is a disease characterized by hyperglycemia resulting from insulin resistance. In recent years, the incidence of T2DM has been increasing. Women with T2DM often suffer from infertility and early miscarriage; however, the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. Insulin is the most important regulatory hormone of glycogen metabolism. In addition, 5′ adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase (AMPK) is an important regulator of glycogen metabolism. Patients with T2DM have inhibited AMPK expression in the liver, which leads to impaired glucose metabolism. However, the role of AMPK in endometrial glycogen metabolism has not been reported. In this study, a mouse model of T2DM was established to investigate whether altered endometrial glucose metabolism affects early embryo implantation. Metformin and insulin were used for therapy; the resulting changes to glycogen metabolism and embryo implantation were examined. The results indicate that the concentrations of glycogen decreased significantly in T2DM mice, resulting in insufficient energy supplies for proper endometrial function, and thereby impeding embryonic implantation. Interestingly, endometrial AMPK was not found to be overactivated. Insulin treatment was found to partially resolve the embryo implantation defects in T2DM mice. Metformin improved blood glucose but did not have a significant effect on local endometrial glucose metabolism. This study explored the changes in endometrial glucose metabolism in T2DM mouse, and the effects of these changes on embryo implantation. We found that insulin, but not metformin, significantly resolved embryo implantation problems. These findings will help to increase our understanding of the pathomechanisms of infertility and early miscarriage in women with T2DM. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The incidence of diabetes in women of childbearing age has been increasing recently and implantation failure and early abortion are important reasons for infertility in diabetic women. Glycogen synthesis and decomposition are the cores of glucose homeostasis in endometrium and AMPK is activated when cellular energy consumption increases. Embryo implantation is a complex process required huge energy. Yet the changes of glucose metabolism in endometrium and its impact on embryo implantation in diabetic women are still unclear. In this research, we established diabetic pregnancy mice model by intraperitoneal injecting streptozotocin on pregnant day 1. We first tested the changes of endometrial glucose homeostasis and embryo implantation. Next, we demonstrated abnormal activation of AMPK in the endometrium of diabetic mice and its affecting endometrial glucose homeostasis. Finally, we compared the endometrial glucose homeostasis and embryo implantation outcome in diabetic pregnant mice treated with insulin or insulin combined with metformin. The results indicated that there was disturbed glucose homeostasis associated with excessive activation of AMPK in endometrium of diabetic pregnant mice. AMPK inhibitor improved the over-activation of AMPK pathway in the endometrium, meanwhile, partially corrected the abnormal glycogen metabolism and improved the implantation. Insulin improved the disorder of endometrial glucose homeostasis and implantation of diabetic mice. Our research explores the causes of high abortion and infertility rate in diabetic women which is to provide a therapeutic reference for patients with diabetes complicated with infertility and early abortion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, a ratiometric fluorescence biosensor was introduced for alkaline phosphatase (ALP) detection based on 2-aminopurine (2-Amp) and thioflavin T (ThT)-G-quadruplex system. We designed a special DNA (5'-AGGGTTAGGGTTAGGGTTAGGGAAA/i2-Amp/AAAA-PO4-3', AP) modified with a phosphate moiety at the 3’-end, G-quadruplex at the 5’-end, and a fluorophore (2-Amp) in the middle. In the absence of ALP, the G-rich AP strand could be prone to fold into G-quadruplex structures in the presence of K+. Then, ThT combined with G-quandruplex, resulting in the enhancement of fluorescence emission peak at 485 nm. However, ALP-mediated hydrolysis of the 3’-phosphoryl end promoted the cleavage of AP by the exonuclease I (Exo I), releasing 2-Amp which displayed a strong fluorescence emission peak at 365 nm. Moreover, the quantitative fluorescence model (QFM) was derived for the analysis of the fluorescence measurements obtained by the proposed ratiometric fluorescent biosensor. With the aid of the advanced model, the proposed ratiometric fluorescent biosensor possessed satisfactory results for the detection of ALP in the human serum samples, with accuracy comparable to that of the reference method—the commercial ALP assay kit. Under the optimized experimental conditions, this method exhibited good selectivity and higher sensitivity, and the detection limit was found to be as low as 0.017 U/L. Therefore, it is reasonable to expect that the method had a great potential to detect ALP quantitatively in clinical diagnosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: A series of novel substituted hydrazone-bearing (unsymmetrical azines, RR1C=N-N=CR2R3) tricyclic quinazoline derivatives are reported. All novel compounds were characterized by 1H, 13C nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), and Fourier-transform infrared (FT-IR) analyses. An important intermediate (E/Z)-hydrazono-1,2,3,9-tetrahydropyrrolo[2,1-b]quinazoline (8) was synthesized from tricyclic quinazoline-4-thione 7 using 80 % of hydrazine hydrate. In addition, the antimicrobial activity of all synthesized novel compounds against three types of pathogenic microorganism was tested, revealing that some compounds showed satisfactory good activity and could serve as lead compounds for further drug discovery and development.Graphical abstract: [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although the polymorphisms of PTPN22 and the variants of CTLA-4 have been reported to be the susceptibility genes, which increased risk of latent autoimmune diabetes in adults (LADA), the results remained inconclusive. The aim of this meta-analysis was to evaluate the association between the polymorphisms of two genes and LADA. We performed a systematic review by identifying relevant studies and applied meta-analysis to pool gene effects. Data from ten studies published between 2001 and 2013 were pooled for two polymorphisms: rs2476601 in the PTPN22 gene and rs231775 in the CTLA-4 gene. Data extraction and assessments for risk of bias were independently performed by two reviewers. Fixed-effect model and random-effect model were used to pool the odds ratios; meanwhile, heterogeneity test, publication bias and sensitive analysis were explored. The minor T allele at rs2476601 and the minor G at rs231775 carried estimated relative risks (odds ratio) of 1.52 (95 % CI 1.29-1.79) and 1.39 (95 % CI 1.11-1.74), respectively. These alleles contributed to an absolute lowering of the risk of all LADA by 4.88 and 14.93 % when individuals do not carry these alleles. The estimated lambdas were 0.49 and 0.63, suggesting a codominant model of effects was most likely for two genes. In summary, our systematic review has demonstrated that PTPN22 rs2476601 and CTLA-4 rs231775 are potential risk factors for LADA. An updated meta-analysis is required when more studies are published to increase the power of these polymorphisms and LADA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To reduce the computational cost of implementing computer-based simulations and analyses in engineering design, a variety of metamodeling techniques have been developed and used for the construction of metamodels. Metamodels, also called approximation models and surrogate models, can be used to make a replacement of the expensive simulation codes for design and optimization. In this paper, gene expression programming (GEP) algorithm in the evolutionary computing area is investigated as an alternative metamodeling technique to provide the approximation of a design space. The approximation performance of GEP is tested on some low-dimensional mathematical and engineering problems. A comparative study is conducted on GEP and three common metamodeling techniques in engineering design (i.e., response surface methodology (RSM), kriging and radial basis functions (RBF)) for the approximation of the low-dimensional design space. Multiple evaluation criteria are considered in the comparison: accuracy, robustness, transparency and efficiency. Two different sample sizes are adopted: small and large. Comparative results indicate that GEP can achieve the most accurate and robust approximation of a low-dimensional design space for small sample sets. For large sample sets, GEP also presents good prediction accuracy and high robustness. Moreover, the transparency of GEP is the best since it can provide clear function relationships and factor contributions by means of compact expressions. As a novel metamodeling technique, GEP shows great promise for metamodeling applications in a low-dimensional design space, especially when only a few sample points are selected and used for training. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mutations in the Parkin, PINK1, and DJ-1 genes can cause autosomal recessive early onset Parkinsonism. We studied three families with the mutations of the Parkin, PINK1 and DJ-1 genes, respectively, with a dopamine transporter ligand [(11)C]-CFT positron emission tomography. A marked bilaterally and dissymmetrically decrement of [(11)C]-CFT uptake was found in all these patients, and putamen as well as caudate nucleus was affected. We also found asymptomatic Parkin and PINK1 heterozygotes showed a mild but significant decrement in [(11)C]-CFT uptake, but this phenomenon was not found in the DJ-1-heterozygotes. Our results suggested the three autosomal recessive forms of early onset are similar to each other on pathophysiological grounds, a sub-clinical disease process in Parkin and PINK1-heterozygotes, but not in DJ-1-heterozygotes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mutations in the Parkin, PINK1, and DJ- 1 genes can cause autosomal recessive early onset Parkinsonism. We studied three families with the mutations of the Parkin, PINK1 and DJ- 1 genes, respectively, with a dopamine transporter ligand [C]-CFT positron emission tomography. A marked bilaterally and dissymmetrically decrement of [C]-CFT uptake was found in all these patients, and putamen as well as caudate nucleus was affected. We also found asymptomatic Parkin and PINK1 heterozygotes showed a mild but significant decrement in [C]-CFT uptake, but this phenomenon was not found in the DJ- 1-heterozygotes. Our results suggested the three autosomal recessive forms of early onset are similar to each other on pathophysiological grounds, a sub-clinical disease process in Parkin and PINK1-heterozygotes, but not in DJ- 1-heterozygotes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Carbon monoxide (CO) has recently proven to be an important bioactive or signaling molecule in mammalian cells. Its effects are mainly mediated by nitric oxide (NO) and cyclic GMP (cGMP). In Vicia faba leaves, CO production and heme oxygenase (HO) activity, an important CO synthetic enzyme, are first reported to increase in response to ABA treatment, which could result in stomatal closure. Interestingly, ABA-induced stomatal closure in V. faba guard cells is partially blocked when the synthetic CO inhibitor ZnPP, or the CO/NO scavenger Hb is added. Furthermore, we show that, exogenously applied CO donor, hematin, and CO aqueous solution not only result in the enhancement of CO release, but also time-dependently induce stomatal closure, and the latter is mimicked by the application of an NO donor SNP. The above-mentioned stomatal closure effects are differentially reversed by the addition of tungstate, a potent inhibitor of NO synthetic enzyme nitrate reductase (NR), the specific NO scavenger cPTIO, ZnPP, or Hb. During treatment for 4 h, SNP, 0.01 % CO aqueous solution or hematin significantly triggers NO synthesis, whereas cPTIO, or tungstate approximately fully inhibits NO fluorescence. Additionally, application of the GC inhibitor ODQ blocks CO-induced stomatal closure. This inhibition could be reversed when 8-Br-cGMP is added. Thus, the above results suggest that CO produced by HO is involved in ABA-induced stomatal closure, and NO and cGMP may function as downstream intermediates in the CO signaling responsible for stomatal closure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]