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AMPylation is a post-translational modification in which AMP is added to the amino acid side chains of proteins1,2. Here we show that, with ATP as the ligand and actin as the host activator, the effector protein LnaB of Legionella pneumophila exhibits AMPylase activity towards the phosphoryl group of phosphoribose on PRR42-Ub that is generated by the SidE family of effectors, and deubiquitinases DupA and DupB in an E1- and E2-independent ubiquitination process3–7. The product of LnaB is further hydrolysed by an ADP-ribosylhydrolase, MavL, to Ub, thereby preventing the accumulation of PRR42-Ub and ADPRR42-Ub and protecting canonical ubiquitination in host cells. LnaB represents a large family of AMPylases that adopt a common structural fold, distinct from those of the previously known AMPylases, and LnaB homologues are found in more than 20 species of bacterial pathogens. Moreover, LnaB also exhibits robust phosphoryl AMPylase activity towards phosphorylated residues and produces unique ADPylation modifications in proteins. During infection, LnaB AMPylates the conserved phosphorylated tyrosine residues in the activation loop of the Src family of kinases8,9, which dampens downstream phosphorylation signalling in the host. Structural studies reveal the actin-dependent activation and catalytic mechanisms of the LnaB family of AMPylases. This study identifies, to our knowledge, an unprecedented molecular regulation mechanism in bacterial pathogenesis and protein phosphorylation.An effector protein called LnaB from Legionella pneumophila catalyses a unique type of AMPylation, and LnaB and its homologues represent a distinct family of AMPylases with specific structural features. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent research in computational imaging largely focuses on developing machine learning (ML) techniques for image recognition in the medical field, which requires large-scale and high-quality training datasets consisting of raw images and annotated images. However, suitable experimental datasets for cervical spine X-ray are scarce. We fill the gap by providing an open-access Cervical Spine X-ray Atlas (CSXA), which includes 4963 raw PNG images and 4963 annotated images with JSON format (JavaScript Object Notation). Every image in the CSXA is enriched with gender, age, pixel equivalent, asymptomatic and symptomatic classifications, cervical curvature categorization and 118 quantitative parameters. Subsequently, an efficient algorithm has developed to transform 23 keypoints in images into 77 quantitative parameters for cervical spine disease diagnosis and treatment. The algorithm's development is intended to assist future researchers in repurposing annotated images for the advancement of machine learning techniques across various image recognition tasks. The CSXA and algorithm are open-access with the intention of aiding the research communities in experiment replication and advancing the field of medical imaging in cervical spine. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The northwestern Qaidam Basin has great potential for natural gas exploration. Research and exploration activities of natural gas conducted over the last two decades have provided abundant information about natural gas geochemistry. However, its genesis, source, and accumulation process are still controversial. This research utilized a published comprehensive natural gas dataset and a 3D basin modeling approach to ascertain the genesis of natural gas in the northwestern Qaidam Basin and to discuss its accumulation process. Moreover, diagrams for classifying the source material type were revised to better understand the origin of natural gas. In the northwestern Qaidam Basin, the source material type of natural gas is chiefly coal-type gas with a few oil-type gases. Natural gases from the Jianshan anticline originated predominantly from the Jurassic source rock, while those in most other regions were derived mainly from the Upper Xiaganchaigou source rocks. However, some oil-associated gas related to oil accumulation came chiefly from the Shangganchaigou source rock. In addition, a small amount of early mature thermogenic gas in the Xiaoliangshan, Yondunzi, and Xianshuiquan regions may have come from the Lower Youshashan source rock. Moreover, this research discovered the secondary cracking gas of oil in the northwestern Qaidam Basin, which has a great significance in broadening the natural gas exploration in an area. Similarly, the gas accumulation models were established for three types of gases, i.e., oil-associated gas, late primary cracking gas, and oil-cracking gas. This study emphasizes geological research based on a comprehensive field dataset analysis and comparing adjacent mature blocks. This methodology can be used in other emerging natural gas exploration areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The complexity and diversity of reservoir characteristics, including strong heterogeneity, complex pore structures, distinct pore size distributions, and various fluid occurrences, in different environments lead to differential oil recovery from the Chang 7 reservoir. In this research, several experiments such as nuclear magnetic resonance, high-pressure mercury intrusion, scanning electron microscopy, thin section, and X-ray diffraction were utilized to analyze PSD, heterogeneity, and movable fluid occurrence in the Chang 7 sandstone samples from the Ansai and Heshui Blocks. A 3-stage construction method is proposed to transform the T2 spectrum to pore-throat radius distribution to realize large-scale and continuous PSD characterization. The results indicate that the sandstone in the Heshui Block is mainly feldspar lithic fragment sandstone, while the sandstone in the Ansai Block is mainly lithic fragment feldspar sandstone and feldspar sandstone. The storage spaces in the Chang 7 reservoirs were comprised primarily of nanoscale pores, followed by submicron pores. The Chang 7 reservoirs in different environments differed greatly in PSD, fractal feature, and movable fluid occurrence. Sandstone in the Heshui Block, compared to that in the Ansai Block, had better physical properties generally characterized by more submicron pores, weak heterogeneity, and more movable fluid in submicron pores. The movable fluid occurrence could be affected by various factors such as physical properties, mineral composition, pore size and distribution, and heterogeneity. The influence of these factors on movable fluid distribution varied in reservoirs of different areas. Generally, reservoirs with good physical properties and higher availability of submicron pores are often associated with high movable fluid content. The influence of carbonatite on the movable fluid content in the two areas was opposite. The relationship between the movable fluid content in different pores and pore size parameters varied in different sedimentary environments. The influence of heterogeneity on the movable fluid occurrence in submicron pores was stronger than nanoscale pores in the Heshui Block, while it was the opposite in the Ansai Block. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Celastrol (CLT) has shown anti-rheumatic activity against rheumatoid arthritis, while its poor water solubility and high organ toxicity restrict its further therapeutic applications. To mitigate these challenges, a reactive oxygen species (ROS)–responsive nanoparticle was developed for celastrol delivery based on the excessive ROS at the pathologic sites, which was synthesized by conjugating bilirubin to a polyethylene glycol (PEG) chain. The PEGylated bilirubin self-assembled into nanoparticle (BRNP) in aqueous solution had a hydrodynamic diameter of around 68.6 nm, and celastrol was loaded into BRNP (CLT/BRNP) with a drug encapsulation efficiency of 72.6% and a loading capacity of 6.6%. In vitro study revealed that CLT/BRNP exhibited the capacity of scavenging intracellular ROS and down-regulating the level of nitric oxide after it was effectively internalized by activated macrophages. Furthermore, in adjuvant-induced arthritis rats, BRNP was accumulated preferentially at inflamed joints, alleviating the joint swelling and bone erosion, which significantly decreased the secretion of pro-inflammatory cytokines to suppress the RA progression. Importantly, CLT/BRNP markedly enhanced its anti-arthritic effect and attenuated the toxic effect compared with free celastrol. Taken together, our results suggested that CLT/BRNP could be used for targeted drug delivery in rheumatoid arthritis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The implicit finite difference scheme with the shifted Gru¨\documentclass[12pt]{minimal}\usepackage{amsmath}\usepackage{wasysym}\usepackage{amsfonts}\usepackage{amssymb}\usepackage{amsbsy}\usepackage{mathrsfs}\usepackage{upgreek}\setlength{\oddsidemargin}{-69pt}\begin{document}$$\ddot{\textrm{u}}$$\end{document}nwald formula for discretizing the two-dimensional spatial fractional diffusion equations can result in discrete linear systems whose coefficient matrices are the sum of the identity matrix and a block-Toeplitz with Toeplitz-block matrix. For these symmetric positive definite coefficient matrices, we construct block-circulant with circulant-block preconditioners to further accelerate the convergence rate of the CG method. We analyze the eigenvalue distributions for the corresponding preconditioned matrices. Theoretical results show that the eigenvalues of the preconditioned matrices are weakly clustered around 1 and the convergence of the preconditioned CG method with the block-circulant with circulant-block preconditioner is weakly dependent on the mesh size. Numerical experiments demonstrate that this structured preconditioner can improve the convergence behavior of the CG method. Moreover, this approach is superior to the preconditioned CG methods incorporated with the block diagonal and block tridiagonal preconditioners in both iteration counts and computing times. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Tibetan Plateau is known as the "Asian water tower", and changes in its surface water distribution are important indicators of global climate change and the regional response to these changes. Dynamic monitoring of the surface water on the Tibetan Plateau is an important part of the research on the functions of the "third pole" of the earth and the Asian water tower. With the support of the Google Earth Engine cloud platform, this study used a spectral index-based fast extraction method to obtain surface water data from multi-temporal Landsat (Landsat 4, 5, and 8) satellite remote sensing images. Based on the extracted surface water data, we analyzed the spatiotemporal variations in the surface water of the Tibetan Plateau from 1980s to 2019. In this study, surface water area refers to the maximum coverage area of the surface water extracted from remote sensing images for one year, hereafter referred to as the surface water area. The results show that since 1980s, the overall surface water area of the Tibetan Plateau has increased, but not in a linear fashion. After a slight decrease from 1980s to 1995, the surface water area of the Tibetan Plateau increased steadily, except for a slight decrease in 2015, which may have been caused by the El Niño phenomenon. In terms of spatiotemporal distribution, different patterns exist in the various ecological regions of the Tibetan Plateau. The Inner ecological region had the greatest changes of surface water area among the ten ecological regions, accounting for 71.0% of the total surface water area increase from 1980s to 2019. The surface water bodies in the cold desert and the dry-winter subtropical climatic regions underwent the most changes, with their coefficients of variation being more than 20%. This study can provide data support for dynamic monitoring of surface water in the Tibetan Plateau. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hospitalisation risks for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) have been attributed to ambient air pollution worldwide. However, a rise in COPD hospitalisations may indicate a considerable increase in fatality rate in public health. The current study focuses on the association between consecutive ambient air pollution (CAAP) and COPD hospitalisation to offer predictable early guidance towards estimates of COPD hospital admissions in the event of consecutive exposure to air pollution. Big data analytics were collected from 3-year time series recordings (from 2015 to 2017) of both air data and COPD hospitalisation data in the Chengdu region in China. Based on the combined effects of CAAP and unit increase in air pollutant concentrations, a quasi-Poisson regression model was established, which revealed the association between CAAP and estimated COPD admissions. The results show the dynamics and outbreaks in the variations in COPD admissions in response to CAAP. Cross-validation and mean squared error (MSE) are applied to validate the goodness of fit. In both short-term and long-term air pollution exposures, Z test outcomes show that the COPD hospitalisation risk is greater for men than for women; similarly, the occurrence of COPD hospital admissions in the group of elderly people (> 65 years old) is significantly larger than that in lower age groups. The time lag between the air quality and COPD hospitalisation is also investigated, and a peak of COPD hospitalisation risk is found to lag 2 days for air quality index (AQI) and PM10, and 1 day for PM2.5. The big data-based predictive paradigm would be a measure for the early detection of a public health event in post-COVID-19. The study findings can also provide guidance for COPD admissions in the event of consecutive exposure to air pollution in the Chengdu region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cardiomyocytes injury caused by sepsis is a complication of common clinical critical illness and an important cause of high mortality in intensive care unit (ICU) patients. Therefore, lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced H9c2 cells were used to simulate the cardiomyocytes injury in vitro. The aim of this study was to investigate whether X-box binding protein 1 (XBP1) exacerbated LPS-induced cardiomyocytes injury by downregulating Xlinked inhibitor of apoptosis protein (XIAP) through activating the NF-κB signaling pathway. After transfection or LPS induction, XBP1 expression was detected by RT-qPCR analysis and Western blot analysis. The viability and apoptosis of H9c2 cells was detected by MTT assay and TUNEL assay. The protein expression related to apoptosis and NF-κB signaling pathway was detected by Western blot analysis. The inflammation and oxidative stress in H9c2 cells was evaluated by their commercial kits. Dual-luciferase reporter assay and chromatin immunoprecipitation (CHIP) assay were used to determine the combination of XBP1 and XIAP. As a result, LPS promoted the XBP1 expression in H9c2 cells. XBP1 was combined with XIAP. Inhibition of XBP1 increased viability, and inhibited apoptosis, inflammation, and oxidative stress of LPS-induced H9c2 cells by suppressing the NF-κB signaling pathway, which was partially reversed by the inhibition of XIAP. In conclusion, inhibition of XBP1 alleviates LPS-induced cardiomyocytes injury by upregulating XIAP through suppressing the NF-κB signaling pathway. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The genesis of large igneous provinces (LIP) is controlled by multiple factors including anomalous mantle temperatures, the presence of fusible fertile components and volatiles in the mantle source, and the extent of decompression. The lack of a comprehensive examination of all these factors in one specific LIP makes the mantle plume model debatable. Here, we report estimates of the water content in picrites from the Emeishan LIP in southwestern China. Although these picrites display an island arc-like H2O content (up to 3.4 by weight percent), the trace element characteristics do not support a subduction zone setting but point to a hydrous reservoir in the deep mantle. Combining with previous studies, we propose that hydrous and hot plumes occasionally appeared in the Phanerozoic era to produce continental LIPs (e.g., Tarim, Siberian Trap, Karoo). The wide sampling of hydrous reservoirs in the deep mantle by mantle plumes thus indicates that the Earth’s interior is largely hydrated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Oxidized tyrosine products are commonly found in food with high protein content and have been demonstrated to cause damage of liver and kidney in our previous studies. Dityrosine (Dityr) is a typical oxidized tyrosine product. Due to its structural homology with thyroid hormones T3, we assumed that one of the endocrine systems most likely considered in connection with its disruption by Dityr may be the T3 action. T3 plays important roles in insulin synthesis, and thyroid hormone resistance (RTH) is associated with the impairment of glucose metabolism. Therefore, this study determined whether Dityr exposure impaired T3 function in pancreas leading to glucose metabolism disruption. After 10-week gavage with Dityr, mice exhibited impaired glucose tolerance and disturbed energy metabolism. The elevated free THs content in plasma, the up-regulation of THs synthesis-specific genes expressions in thyroid glands, and the increased thyroid follicles histology shapes and areas indicated that Dityr enhanced the THs synthesis in thyroid glands. In addition, Dityr-induced RTH, which reflected as elevated plasma free THs in the presence of unsuppressed thyroid stimulating hormone. The mRNA downregulation of membrane transporter of T3 ( MCT8) and co-activator factors ( RXRα, Src- 1), together with the decreased protein level of thyroid hormone receptor β1 (TRβ1) in pancreas illustrated that the activation ability of T3 to downstream gene involved in insulin synthesis was suppressed by Dityr. In MIN-6 cell experiment, T3 improved glucose-stimulated insulin secretion by upregulating mRNA levels of insulin synthesis-related genes ( Ins2, MafA, Pdx1) and T3 action-related genes, as well as increasing protein level of TRβ1. These data suggest that Dityr suppress T3-regulated insulin synthesis stimulated by glucose via an indirect way of decreasing sensibility to T3 in pancreas. All these findings indicate that Dityr can disrupt THs function in pancreas leading to glucose metabolism disorder. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although the effect of simulated climate change on nitrous oxide (NO) emissions and on associated microbial communities has been reported, it is not well understood if these effects are short-lived or long-lasting. Here, we conducted a field study to determine the interactive effects of simulated warmer and drier conditions on nitrifier and denitrifier communities and NO emissions in an acidic soil and the longevity of the effects. A warmer (+2.3 °C) and drier climate (−7.4% soil moisture content) was created with greenhouses. The variation of microbial population abundance and community structure of ammonia-oxidizing archaea (AOA), bacteria (AOB), and denitrifiers ( nirK/S, nosZ) were determined using real-time PCR and high-throughput sequencing. The results showed that the simulated warmer and drier conditions under the greenhouse following urea application significantly increased NO emissions. There was also a moderate legacy effect on the NO emissions when the greenhouses were removed in the urea treatment, although this effect only lasted a short period of time (about 60 days). The simulated climate change conditions changed the composition of AOA with the species affiliated to marine group 1.1a-associated lineage increasing significantly. The abundance of all the functional denitrifier genes decreased significantly under the simulated climate change conditions and the legacy effect, after the removal of greenhouses, significantly increased the abundance of AOB, AOA (mainly the species affiliated to marine group 1.1a-associated lineage), and nirK and nosZ genes in the urea-treated soil. In general, the effect of the simulated climate change was short-lived, with the denitrifier communities being able to return to ambient levels after a period of adaptation to ambient conditions. Therefore, the legacy effect of simulated short-time climate change conditions on the ammonia oxidizer and denitrifier communities and NO emissions were temporary and once the conditions were removed, the microbial communities were able to adapt to the ambient conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Methane (CH) is a potent greenhouse gas, and soil can both be a source and sink for atmospheric CH. It is not clear how future climate change may affect soil CH emissions and related microbial communities. The aim of this study was to determine the interactive effects of a simulated warmer and drier climate scenarios and the application of different nitrogen (N) sources (urea and manure) on CH emissions and related microbial community abundance in a vegetable soil. Greenhouses were used to control simulated climate conditions which gave 2.99 °C warmer and 6.2% lower water content conditions. The field experiment was divided into two phases. At the beginning of phase II, half of the greenhouses were removed to study possible legacy effects of the simulated warmer and drier conditions. The responses in methanogen and methanotroph abundance to a simulated climate change scenario were determined using real-time PCR. The results showed that the simulated warmer and drier conditions in the greenhouses significantly decreased CH emissions largely due to the lower soil moisture content. For the same reason, CH emissions of treatments in phase I were much lower than the same treatments in phase II. The abundance of methanotrophs showed a more significant response than methanogens to the simulated climate change scenario, increasing under simulated drier conditions. Methanogenic community abundance remained low, except where manure was applied which provided a source of organic C that stimulated methanogen growth. Soil moisture content was a major driver for methanotroph abundance and strongly affected CH emissions. The application of N source decreased CH emissions probably because of increased methanotrophic activity. CH emissions were positively correlated to methanogenic abundance and negatively correlated to methanotrophic abundance. These results demonstrate that projected future climate change conditions can have a feedback impact on CH emissions from the soil by altering soil conditions (particularly soil moisture) and related microbial communities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Itraconazole has been used to treat fungal infections, in particular invasive fungal infections in infants or neonates in many countries. Data sources: Literature search was conducted through Ovid EMBASE, PubMed, ISI Web of Science, CNKI and Google scholarship using the following key words: 'pediatric' or 'infant' or 'neonate' and 'fungal infection' in combination with 'itraconazole'. Based on the literature and our clinical experience, we outline the administration of itraconazole in infants in order to develop evidence-based pharmacotherapy. Results: Of 45 articles on the use of itraconazole in infancy, 13 are related to superficial fungal infections including tinea capitis, sporotrichosis, mucosal fungal infections and opportunistic infections. The other 32 articles are related to systemic fungal infections including candidiasis, aspergillosis, histoplasmosis, zygomycosis, trichosporonosis and opportunistic infections as caused by Myceliophthora thermophila. Conclusion: Itraconazole is safe and effective at a dose of 5 mg/kg per day in a short duration of therapy for superficial fungal infections and 10 mg/kg per day for systemic fungal infections in infants. With a good compliance, it is cost-effective in treating infantile fungal infections. The profiles of adverse events induced by itraconazole in infants are similar to those in adults and children. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

When the artificial compressibility method in conjunction with high-order upwind compact finite difference schemes is employed to discretize the steady-state incompressible Navier-Stokes equations, in each pseudo-time step we need to solve a structured system of linear equations approximately by, for example, a Krylov subspace method such as the preconditioned GMRES. In this paper, based on the special structure and concrete property of the linear system we construct a structured preconditioner for its coefficient matrix and estimate eigenvalue bounds of the correspondingly preconditioned matrix. Numerical examples are given to illustrate the effectiveness of the proposed preconditioning methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To investigate the role of iptakalim, an ATP-sensitive potassium channel opener, in transient cerebral ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury and its involved mechanisms. Methods: Intraluminal occlusion of middle cerebral artery (MCAO) in a rat model was used to investigate the effect of iptakalim at different time points. Infarct volume was measured by staining with 2,3,5-triphenyltetrazolium chloride, and immunohistochemistry was used to evaluate the expressions of Bcl-2 and Bax. In vitro, neurovascular unit (NVU) cells, including rat primary cortical neurons, astrocytes, and cerebral microvascular endothelial cells, were cultured and underwent oxygen-glucose deprivation (OGD). The protective effect of iptakalim on NVU cells was investigated by cell viability and injury assessments, which were measured by 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide and release of lactate dehydrogenase. Caspase-3, Bcl-2 and Bax mRNA expressions were evaluated by real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Results: Administration of iptakalim 0 or 1 h after reperfusion significantly reduced infarct volumes, improved neurological scores, and attenuated brain edema after cerebral I/R injury. Iptakalim treatment (0 h after reperfusion) also reduced caspase-3 expression and increased the ratio of Bcl-2 to Bax by immunohistochemistry. Iptakalim inhibited OGD-induced cell death in cultured neurons and astrocytes, and lactate dehydrogenase release from cerebral microvascular endothelial cells. Iptakalim reduced mRNA expression of caspase-3 and increased the ratio of Bcl-2 to Bax in NVU cells. Conclusions: Iptakalim confers neuroprotection against cerebral I/R injury by protecting NVU cells via inhibiting of apoptosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this study was to evaluate the acute effect of a single bout of Tai Chi (TC) exercise on adiponectin and glucose homeostasis in individuals with cardiovascular risk factors. Twenty-six individuals (mean age 60.2 years) with at least one cardiovascular risk factor who had been practicing Yang's style TC exercise for at least 3 months were recruited from a regional hospital in Taiwan. A one-group repeated measured quasi-experimental design was used. Participants completed a 60-min Yang's style TC exercise routine including warm up, stretching exercises, and TC followed by a 30-min resting period. After a 1-week washout period, the same group of participants underwent a control condition in which they were instructed to remain seated for 90 min at the study location. Blood samples were collected both before and after the TC intervention or the sitting condition. The difference between pre-post measurements for adiponectin was 0.58 ± 1.42 μg/ml in the TC trial and -0.46 ± 0.99 μg/ml in the sitting trial. The differences between the two trials were statistically significant (P = 0.004). The changes from pretrial to posttrial were significantly greater for glycerol (P < 0.001), cholesterol (P = 0.046), and LDL-C (P = 0.038) in the TC trial compared with those in the sitting trial. Conversely, the changes were significantly lesser for HOMA-IR (P = 0.004), log (HOMA-IR) (P = 0.001), and glucose (P = 0.003) in TC trial compared with those in the sitting trial. In conclusion, a single bout of TC exercise had a significant positive effect on blood adiponectin concentrations in individuals with cardiovascular risk factors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purposes Very few data for polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) were available in the Yangtze River Delta (YRD), one of the most developed and urbanized region in China. In this study, Chongming Island, located at the estuary of the Yangtze River, was selected as background area to investigate the occurrence, sources, and inventory of PBDEs. Methods Forty-two PBDE congeners were determined in surface soils from farmland, woodland, grassland, tideland, and road collected in Chongming Island. Results The mean concentrations of ∑26PBDE (not including BDE-209) and BDE-209 in soils were 0.76 and 12 ng/g dry weight, respectively. BDE-209 contributed more than 90% of the total of 27 frequently detected BDE congeners, followed by BDE-99 and BDE-47. Weak correlations were found between total organic carbon content and PBDE congeners concentrations in surface soils. PBDE levels varied with land use. Farmland and woodland soils contained higher ∑26PBDE concentrations. BDE-209 levels were the highest in road soils. The mass inventories of PBDEs in soils of Chongming Island were estimated at 3.1 and 310 kg for ∑26PBDEs and BDE-209, respectively. Conclusions The PBDE levels in Chongming Island were similar to those in European background soils, suggesting minimum influence of pollutants from the YRD via air, and wastewater inputs or few PBDE products were used herein. From the standpoint of eco-inland, more studies are needed to explore the reasons of PBDE difference by land use and to assess people intake PBDEs via agriculture products consumption in this region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Esophageal cancer is characterized by rapid clinical progression and poor prognosis due to adjacent tissue invasion and distant organs metastasis at a very early stage. TM4SF3 (transmembrane 4 superfamily 3), a member of tetraspanin family, has been reported as a metastasis associated gene in many types of tumors. Herein, we described new properties of TM4SF3 in tumor metastasis, which suggested that this gene might be involved in esophageal carcinoma metastasis. Western blotting revealed that TM4SF3 was overexpressed in 57.1% (8/14) of esophageal carcinomas and esophageal carcinoma cell lines with high-invasive potential. Exogenous expression of TM4SF3 in two low-invasive esophageal carcinoma cell lines, KYSE150 and EC9706, significantly promoted cell migration and invasion. Upregulating TM4SF3 expression in EC9706 cells promoted xenograft tumor invading into surrounding tissues, enhanced lung metastasis, and shortened the lifespan of mice (median survival EC9706-TM4SF3 106.5 days versus EC9706-Vector 169.0 days, P < 0.0001) in a spontaneous metastasis model. Further studies demonstrated that ADAM12m was upregulated by TM4SF3 overexpression in vitro and in vivo . Abrogating up-expression of ADAM12m by siRNA significantly suppressed TM4SF3-mediated invasion. Together, these data from our studies indicated that overexpression of TM4SF3 in esophageal cancer conferred advantage to the invasion and metastasis of this destructive disease. Upregulated expression of ADAM12m by TM4SF3 might play a key role in TM4SF3-mediated invasion and metastasis. TM4SF3 and ADAM12m might be potential targets of esophageal carcinoma for anti-metastasis therapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract   Cryptosporidium parvum is an organism that threatens public health in the water industry. It is critical to develop improved detection methods as well as disinfection methods for protecting against cryptosporidiosis, which is caused by C. parvum. In this study, we investigated the ability of pulsed-light irradiation at 200–900 nm to inactivate C. parvum. Absolute quantitative real-time PCR was performed with cDNA made from total RNA extracted from C. parvum oocysts or HCT-8 cells infected with C. parvum oocysts in vitro. C. parvum oocysts in 100-mL quartz flasks were positioned 20, 30, and 40 cm from the light source, and the duration of irradiation was either 5 or 60 s. The reductions in oocyst viability (4.9 log10) and infectivity (6 log10) were maximal when the C. parvum oocysts were irradiated 20 cm from the pulsed-light source for 60 s, for which the UV dose was 278 mJ/cm2. The minimum dose of pulsed-UV light required for effective reduction in C. parvum infectivity (2 log10) was 15 mJ/cm2, which was achieved by 5 s of irradiation at 30 cm from the light source. This study confirmed that short-duration pulsed-UV light is an effective disinfection measure for C. parvum. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effects of trypsin, bile, trypsin-bile, pepsin, dithiothreitol (DTT) and metacercarial excretory-secretory product (ESP) on the in vitro excystment of Clonorchis sinensis metacercariae were investigated. The majority of metacercariae excysted immediately in trypsin-bile in PBS solution, a process which was complete after 30 min of incubation. When incubated in metacercarial ESP in PBS, excystment was potentiated in the presence of 5 mM DTT, but was inhibited dose-dependently by a cysteine protease inhibitor, iodoacetic acid. Two active protease bands of 28 and 40 kDa were identified in the ESP of metacercariae by gelatin substrate SDS-PAGE. Scanning electron microscopy demonstrated that the larvae in solutions of DTT and ESP migrated through a small hole on the metacercarial wall, whereas larvae were liberated by entire wall disruption in trypsin solution. These results suggest that trypsin is a major extrinsic factor of the rapid excystment of C. sinensis metacercariae, and that endogenous cysteine proteases are also involved in metacercarial excystment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study addresses the cloning and characterization of a Cryptosporidium parvum antigen, CP2. Sequencing of cDNA and genomic clones revealed a novel gene capable of coding a message of 2,136 nucleotides flanked by 28 and 140 nucleotides of the 5'- and 3'-noncoding regions, respectively. The deduced amino acid sequence suggests that CP2 is a secreted and/or membrane protein. Immunofluorescence microscopy detected CP2 enrichment in sporozoites that subsequently appeared to encase type I meronts in infected HCT-8 cells. Immunogold electron microscopy revealed that CP2 consistently localized to membranous structures throughout development. In addition, progression from macrogametocyte to sporulated oocyst revealed CP2 initially at the periphery of amylopectin-like granules, in the cytoplasm and discrete vesicles, the parasitophorous vacuole, on the surface of sporozoites, and finally on the parasitophorous vacuole membrane (PVM). The observed expression pattern suggests that CP2 may be involved in the invasion process and/or PVM integrity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A simple approach to reduce the governing equations for orthotropic corrugated-core sandwich plates to a single equation containing only one displacement function is presented, and the exact solution of the natural frequencies for rectangular corrugated-core sandwich plates with all edges simply-supported is obtained. Furthermore, two special cases of practical intersts are discussed in details. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]