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Present indoor cultivation of saffron (Crocus sativus L.) only depends on artificial planting experience, so that flower number and stigma yield are seriously affected in case of cloudy or rainy days and temperature changes. In this study, a luminaire was used at 10-h photoperiod combined 450 nm blue LEDs with 660 nm broad-band red LEDs, which respectively had full width at half maximum (FWHM) of 15 nm and 85 nm, in a ratio of blue: red: far-red light = 20%: 62%: 18%. The influence of total daily light integral (TDLI) was evaluated on flowering characteristics, stigma quality, as well as leaf morphological characteristics. The results showed that flower number, daily flowering proportion, stigma dry weight and crocetin esters content were significantly correlated with TDLI (P −2 TDLI treatment, up to 3.63 and 24.19 mg respectively. The former was 0.7 more than that under original natural light treatment, while the later was 50% higher. Totaling, combining blue LEDs with a broad-band red LEDs of the 150 mol m−2 TDLI was the most favorable condition for flower number and stigma quality of saffron in this study.

To evalvate efficacy of Qizi Yusi Pills (QYP), a Chinese medicine compound preparation, on in vitro fertilization-embryo transfer (IVF-ET) in women of advanced reproductive age.This multicenter, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial was conducted from June 2018 to October 2019. A total of 124 patients were randomly allocated to either the QYP group or the placebo group using a stratified block randomization design, with 62 patients in each group. All patients completed controlled ovarian stimulation using a standard gonadotropin-releasing hormone agonist (GnRH-a) long protocol. As the QYP group, QYP was administered while the control group received placebo. QYP and placebo were administered for a total of 24 to 30 days from the day of GnRH-a pituitary downregulation to transvaginal oocyte retrieval. Both medications were taken orally at doses of 10 g three times each day. The primary outcome was cumulative pregnancy rate, and the secondary outcomes were periodic medication, follicular status, serum hormone and endometrial receptivity. Follow-up continued until 4 weeks after delivery. Maternal and neonatal complications, such as gestational diabetes, were also observed.Overall, 119 patients completed the study, 60 in the QYP group and 59 in the placebo group. Per protocol (PP) analysis revealed that 6-month cumulative pregnancy rate in the QYP group was significantly higher than that in the placebo group [43.33% (26/60) vs. 25.42% (15/59), P=0.040). Additionally, more oocytes were retrieved from the QYP group than those from the placebo group (8.95 ± 3.12 vs. 7.85 ± 1.91, P=0.022). Moreover, the endometrial thickness of HCG day in the QYP group was significantly higher than that in the placebo group (11.78 ± 2.27 mm vs. 10.68 ± 2.07 mm, P=0.012). Maternal and neonatal complications between the two groups were not significantly different (P0.05). Intention-to-treat analysis was in line with PP results.QYP can enhance ovarian reserve capacity and ovarian response, and possibly promote endometrial receptivity. QYP effectively improves cumulative pregnancy rates in older patients (⩾35 years) undergoing IVF-ET. (Registration No. ChiCTR1800014427).

Although osteosarcoma (OS) is the most common malignant bone tumor, the biological mechanism underlying its incidence and improvement remains unclear. This study investigated early diagnosis and treatment objectives using bioinformatics strategies and performed experimental verification.The top 10 OS hub genes-CCNA2, CCNB1, AURKA, TRIP13, RFC4, DLGAP5, NDC80, CDC20, CDK1, and KIF20A-were screened using bioinformatics methods. TRIP13 was chosen for validation after reviewing literature. TRIP13 was shown to be substantially expressed in OS tissues and cells, according to Western blotting (WB) and quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction data. Subsequently, TRIP13 knockdown enhanced apoptosis and decreased proliferation, migration, and invasion in U2OS cells, as validated by the cell counting kit-8 test, Hoechst 33,258 staining, wound healing assay, and WB. In addition, the levels of p-PI3K/PI3K and p-AKT/AKT in U2OS cells markedly decreased after TRIP13 knockdown. Culturing U2OS cells, in which TRIP13 expression was downregulated, in a medium supplemented with a PI3K/AKT inhibitor further reduced their proliferation, migration, and invasion and increased their apoptosis.TRIP13 knockdown reduced U2OS cell proliferation, migration, and invasion via a possible mechanism involving the PI3K/AKT signaling pathway.

Background Membranous nephropathy is an autoimmune nephropathy that is one of the most common pathological types of nephrotic syndrome. It is important to find and apply specific biomarkers for the noninvasive diagnosis of idiopathic membranous nephropathy (IMN). However, there are limited data about their diagnostic value. Therefore, an overall meta-analysis helps to identify effective biomarkers for the clinical diagnosis of IMN. Methods A systematic literature search was carried out in PubMed, Embase, Cochrane and Web of Science from inception until December 31, 2020. Two researchers searched for studies that met the inclusion criteria. The results of the joint study were expressed in terms of sensitivity and specificity. Results The meta-analysis included 24 studies with biomarkers for the clinical diagnosis of IMN, including phospholipase A2 receptor (PLA2R), thrombospondin type I domain-containing 7A (THSD7A), lysosome membrane protein-2 (LIMP-2) and circular RNAs. The diagnostic efficiency of PLA2R for IMN had a combined sensitivity of 60% and a combined specificity of 100%. The diagnostic efficiency of THSD7A for IMN had a combined sensitivity of 3% and a combined specificity of 99%. The diagnostic efficiency of urinary LIMP-2 for IMN was 100%, and the specificity was 100%. The diagnostic efficiency of exosomal circRNAs for IMN was 100%, and the specificity was 100%. Conclusions This meta-analysis shows that PLA2R and THSD7A are of important diagnostic value for IMN. More studies are needed in the future to reveal the diagnostic value of LIMP-2 and circRNAs for IMN. At the same time, other new diagnostic biomarkers in IMN need to be found in the future.

The development of two-dimensional (2D) high-performance electrode materials is the key to new advances in the fields of energy storage and conversion. As a novel family of 2D layered materials, MXenes possess distinct structural, electronic and chemical properties that enable vast application potential in many fields, including batteries, supercapacitor and catalysis. However, MXene layers are easily formed by stacking together, which significantly reduces the specific surface area, hinders the transmission of ions, and restricts other functional materials on the surface, thereby reducing performance. In addition, due to the inherent defects of a single electrode material, electrodes or catalysts made of single-phase MXene may not meet specific practical application requirements. MXenes nanocomposites materials based on enhanced electrochemical performance through nano-engineering technology and surface modification for morphological control are highly sought after to solve these challenges. This review aims to present recent advances in these emerging MXene nanocomposites for energy storage and conversion applications such as batteries, supercapacitors and catalytic reactions. We also introduced some of the challenges and opportunities in this rapidly developing field.

To investigate the regional differences in the genes and variants causing retinitis pigmentosa (RP) in Japan Retrospective multicenter study In total, 1204 probands of each pedigree clinically diagnosed with nonsyndromic RP were enrolled from 5 Japanese facilities. The regions were divided into the Tohoku region, the Kanto and Chubu regions, and the Kyushu region according to the location of the hospitals where the participants were enrolled. We compared the proportions of the causative genes and the distributions of the pathogenic variants among these 3 regions. The proportions of genetically solved cases were 29.4% in the Tohoku region (n = 500), 29.6% in the Kanto and Chubu regions (n = 196), and 29.7% in the Kyushu region (n = 508), which did not differ statistically (P = .99). No significant regional differences in the proportions of each causative gene in genetically solved patients were observed after correction by multiple testing. Among the 29 pathogenic variants detected in all 3 regions, only p.(Pro347Leu) in RHO was an autosomal dominant variant; the remaining 28 variants were found in autosomal recessive genes. Conversely, 78.6% (275/350) of the pathogenic variants were detected only in a single region, and 6 pathogenic variants (p.[Asn3062fs] in EYS, p.[Ala315fs] in EYS, p.[Arg872fs] in RP1, p.[Ala126Val] in RDH12, p.[Arg41Trp] in CRX, and p.[Gly381fs] in PRPF31) were frequently found in ≥ 4 patients in the single region. We observed region-specific pathogenic variants in the Japanese population. Further investigations of causative genes in multiple regions in Japan will contribute to the expansion of the catalog of genetic variants causing RP.

Background Secondary hyperparathyroidism (SHPT) remains a common complication in many patients on maintenance hemodialysis. Kidney Disease Improve Global Outcomes (KDIGO) 2017 guidelines suggest that parathyroidectomy (PTX) should be performed in severe SHPT patients with chronic kidney disease stage 3a-stage 5D. In the present study, we observed the efficacy of ultrasonic scalpel for PTX in SHPT patients on maintenance hemodialysis. Methods A total of 74 patients on maintenance hemodialysis who underwent PTX (34 with traditional electrocautery and 40 with an ultrasonic scalpel) were observed between August 2020 and August 2021 at Xiangyang Central Hospital (Hubei University of Arts and Science). Baseline demographic and clinic characteristics were collected pre- and post-PTX. Moreover, the postoperative complications and operation time were assessed between the two groups. Results The univariate analysis showed that there was no statistical significance in weight, dialysis duration, serum potassium, serum calcium, serum magnesium, alkaline phosphate, triglyceride, and intact parathyroid hormone (iPTH) before and after PTX between the two groups (P > 0.05). The operation time in the ultrasonic scalpel group was significantly decreased compared with the traditional electrocautery group (P Conclusions The use of ultrasonic scalpel significantly reduced the operation time and postoperative hospital stay in patients on maintenance hemodialysis undergoing PTX.

Single-chain variable fragment (scFv) has great prospect in medical therapies and diagnostic applications due to its binding affinity and low immunogenicity. However, the application of scFv is limited by its heterologous expression facing challenges of insoluble aggregation. sfGFP has been developed as fusion tag to facilitate the solubility of fusion partner in Escherichia coli. We designed fusion protein of anti-influenza PB2 scFv at C-terminus of sfGFP and successfully obtained soluble expression of sfGFP-scFv-His in Escherichia coli. The expression level of sfGFP-scFv-His reached at 20 mg/L of bacterial culture when the culture was induced with 0.1 mM IPTG at 18 °C for 16 h. And 6 mg scFv-His was obtained from the cleavage of 10 mg pure sfGFP-scFv-His with TEV protease. In addition, we found that sfGFP-scFv-His was more stable than scFv-His in chicken serum, suggesting that sfGFP not only facilitated the solubility of scFv in Escherichia coli, but also promoted the stability of scFv. The immunologic activity of sfGFP-scFv-His was confirmed by Western blot and ELISA; the results showed that anti-PB2 sfGFP-scFv-His exhibited specific binding to PB2. Hemagglutination and comparative real-time RT-PCR analysis indicated that sfGFP-scFv-His and scFv-His inhibited the replication of H1N1 influenza virus in the infected A549 cells. These results further develop the application of scFv as an agent, such as anti-influenza. Furthermore, soluble expression of scFv using sfGFP as fusion partner provide a cost-effective preparation model for manufacturing scFv against pandemic disease.

Molecular markers and phenotyping have been widely used to evaluate wheat germplasm diversity. However, the feasibility of using chromosome fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) to evaluate wheat genetic diversity has not been well investigated. In this study, seventy-six representative Chinese wheat lines in main wheat production area were selected and investigated with multicolour FISH using Oligo-pTa535, Oligo-pSc119.2 and Oligo-(GAA)8 probes. The results indicated that wheat chromosomes can be clearly recognized by FISH. For wheat A, B and D genomes, the number of FISH types ranged from 2 to 7, 2 to 6 and 1 to 5, respectively. The average number of FISH types in the A and B genomes was higher than that in the genome D. The rye-derived 1RS chromosome in wheat background could also be clearly detected by these probes. The frequency of 1RS in Chinese wheat lines investigated was 48.7%, and most (94.6%) of them belonged to 1BL.1RS. The genetic relationships among the seventy-six Chinese wheat lines subjected to FISH were divided into three clusters, e.g., CL1, CL2 and CL3. Those wheat lines derived from Shandong and Henan Provinces were mainly located in clusters CL1 and CL3, respectively, which may suggest that the FISH type is associated with the adaptation of wheat. These results also indicated that multicolour FISH using a combination of three different oligo-probes generates sufficiently diverse hybridization patterns among wheat lines to evaluate the genetic diversity of wheat.

Kobresia plants are important forage resources in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau and are essential in maintaining the ecological balance of grasslands. Therefore, it is beneficial to obtain Kobresia genome resources and study the adaptive characteristics of Kobresia plants in the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau. We assembled the genome of Kobresia littledalei C. B. Clarke, which was about 373.85 Mb in size. 96.82% of the bases were attached to 29 pseudo-chromosomes, combining PacBio, Illumina and Hi-C sequencing data. Additional investigation of the annotation identified 23,136 protein-coding genes. 98.95% of these were functionally annotated. According to phylogenetic analysis, K. littledalei in Cyperaceae separated from Poaceae about 97.6 million years ago after separating from Ananas comosus in Bromeliaceae about 114.3mya. For K. littledalei, we identified a high-quality genome at the chromosome level. This is the first time a reference genome has been established for a species of Cyperaceae. This genome will help additional studies focusing on the processes of plant adaptation to environments with high altitude and cold weather., Measurement(s)genome • DNA • sequence_assembly • sequence feature annotationTechnology Type(s)DNA sequencing • sequence assembly process • sequence annotationFactor Type(s)sequencing platformSample Characteristic - OrganismCarex littledaleiSample Characteristic - LocationTibetan Plateau Machine-accessible metadata file describing the reported data: 10.6084/m9.figshare.12326612

Genetic background and high-salt diet are considered key factors contributing to the development of hypertension and its associated metabolic disorders. Metabolomics is an emerging powerful tool to analyze the low-molecular weight metabolites in plasma and tissue. This study integrated metabolomics and correlation network analysis to investigate the metabolic profiles of plasma and muscle of Dahl salt-sensitive (SS) rats and SS.13BN rats (control) under normal and high-salt diet. The hub metabolites, which could play important roles in the metabolic changes, were identified by correlation network analysis. The results of the network analysis were further confirmed by pathway analysis and enzyme activity analysis. The results indicated a higher amino acid levels in both plasma and muscle of SS rats fed with high-salt diet. Alanine was found as a hub metabolite with the highest score of three centrality indices and also as the significant differential metabolite in plasma of SS rats after high-salt diet. Valine and lysine were found as hub metabolites and differential metabolites in muscle of SS rats after high-salt diet. Amino acid levels increased in both plasma and muscle of SS rats fed with a high salt diet. Moreover, alanine in plasma and valine and lysine in muscle as hub metabolites could play important roles in the response to high-salt diet.

Seismic stratigraphy, core logging and the data from cores are used to identify the development and evolution of the east provenance-sedimentary system and to analyze its influence on the quality of reservoirs in the eastern depression of the North Yellow Sea Basin. The eastern provenance-sedimentary system is a fan delta (delta) and subaqueous fan sedimentary system with volcanic provenance. Its evolution is closely related to internal uplift and coeval volcanic activity. During faulting and volcanic activity, an internal uplift gradually formed and the eastern provenance-sedimentary system began to develop. Clastic materials from the weathered uplift and volcanic activity were the main sources of sediment and were deposited in the Middle Jurassic to the Early Cretaceous. A subaqueous fan sedimentary system developed in the Middle Jurassic, a deltaic to subaqueous fan sedimentary system developed in the Late Jurassic, and a fan delta to subaqueous fan sedimentary system developed in the Early Cretaceous. The volcaniclastic detritus was mainly composed of acidic materials with a small amount of intermediate materials. The reservoir in the eastern sedimentary system is a type of tight sandstone with ultra-low porosity and very low permeability due to the influence of volcanism and diagenesis. The reservoir quality is worse than those of the northern and the western sedimentary systems. However, the high volume of volcanic materials and deep-marine sedimentary conditions resulted in good-quality hydrocarbon source rocks that ensures the exploration potential in the eastern sedimentary system reservoir.

Tumor angiogenesis is characterized by abnormal vessel morphology, endowing tumor with highly hypoxia and unresponsive toward treatment. To date, mounting angiogenic factors have been discovered as therapeutic targets in antiangiogenic drug development. Among them, vascular endothelial growth factor receptor 2 (VEGFR2) inhibitors exerts potent antiangiogenic activity in tumor therapy. Therefore, it may provide a valid strategy for cancer treatment through targeting the tumor angiogenesis via VEGFR2 pathway. In this study, we established a high-profile compounds library and certificated a novel compound named N-(N-pyrrolidylacetyl)-9-(4-bromobenzyl)-1,3,4,9-tetrahydro-β-carboline (YF-452), which remarkably inhibited the migration, invasion and tube-like structure formation of human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) with little toxicity invitro. Rat thoracic aorta ring assay indicated that YF-452 significantly blocked the formation of microvascular exvivo. In addition, YF-452 inhibited angiogenesis in chick chorioallantoic membrane (CAM) and mouse corneal micropocket assays. Moreover, YF-452 remarkably suppressed tumor growth in xenografts mice model. Furthermore, investigation of molecular mechanism revealed that YF-452 inhibited VEGF-induced phosphorylation of VEGFR2 kinase and the downstream protein kinases including extracellular signal regulated kinase (ERK), focal adhesion kinase (FAK) and Src. These results indicate that YF-452 inhibits angiogenesis and may be a potential antiangiogenic drug candidate for cancer therapy.

Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) have been demonstrated to be important regulators during the osteogenic differentiation of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs). We analyzed the lncRNA expression profile during osteogenic differentiation of human umbilical cord-derived mesenchymal stem cells (hUC-MSCs) and identified a significantly downregulated lncRNA RP11-527N22.2, named osteogenic differentiation inhibitory lncRNA 1, ODIR1. In hUC-MSCs, ODIR1 knockdown significantly promoted osteogenic differentiation, whereas overexpression inhibited osteogenic differentiation in vitro and in vivo. Mechanistically, ODIR1 interacts with F-box protein 25 (FBXO25) and facilitates the proteasome-dependent degradation of FBXO25 by recruiting Cullin 3 (CUL3). FBXO25 increases the mono-ubiquitination of H2BK120 (H2BK120ub) which subsequently promotes the trimethylation of H3K4 (H3K4me3). Both H2BK120ub and H3K4me3 form a loose chromatin structure, inducing the transcription of the key transcription factor osterix (OSX) and increasing the expression of the downstream osteoblast markers, osteocalcin (OCN), osteopontin (OPN), and alkaline phosphatase (ALP). In summary, ODIR1 acts as a key negative regulator during the osteogenic differentiation of hUC-MSCs through the FBXO25/H2BK120ub/H3K4me3/OSX axis, which may provide a novel understanding of lncRNAs that regulate the osteogenesis of MSCs and a potential therapeutic strategy for the regeneration of bone defects.

In this study, a system of triple liquid phases was developed using Li2CO3, Na2CO3, and K2CO3 to improve the densification of the akermanite scaffolds fabricated by selective laser sintering (SLS). The system formed a ternary liquid phase (Li2CO3–Na2CO3–K2CO3) at 399 °C, a binary liquid phase (Na2CO3–K2CO3) at 695 °C, and a unitary liquid phase (K2CO3) at 891 °C during sintering process. The effects of the liquid phases on the sinterability and mechanical properties of the scaffolds were investigated. The fracture toughness and compressive strength is increased by 43 and 152% with liquid phases increasing from 0 to 4 wt%, respectively. This was explained that liquid phases enhanced densification via improving diffusion kinetics and inducing particle rearrangement. In addition, the scaffolds maintained favorable hydroxyapatite (HA) formation ability and cell proliferation ability, which was proved by simulated body fluid (SBF) test and microculture tetrazolium test (MTT), respectively.

Plant-specific remorin genes have been identified in angiosperms, gymnosperms, ferns, and mosses. Several remorin genes are highly conserved in plant genomes, and their basic characteristics have been determined. Remorins have multiple biological functions, including in antibacterial defense, signal transduction, damage repair, and resistance to environmental stresses. In the present study, a full-length cDNA clone of the StREMa4 remorin gene was isolated from Ralstonia solanacearum-infected potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) cultivar ‘ED13’ plants through the rapid amplification of cDNA ends. Sequence analyses revealed that StREMa4 comprised 803 bp, including a 591 bp open reading frame that encoded a protein consisting of 197 amino acids. The StREMa4 protein was highly homologous to remorins from potato and other Solanaceae species. Real-time PCR analyses revealed that in addition to being up-regulated by Ralstonia solanacearum, StREMa4 expression was induced by exogenous hormones (i.e., salicylic acid, methyl jasmonate, and abscisic acid), with some differences in the expression patterns. Tissue localization analyses indicated that StREMa4 expression was tissue-specific, occurring primarily in the phloem of stem and leaf tissues.

An interconnected porous Polyvinylidene fluoride/bioglass (PVDF/BG) scaffold was prepared by selective laser sintering. Its mechanical properties and bioactivity were reinforced by nanodiamond. The tensile strength successfully achieved to 59.61 Mpa, which increased by 23.01 % when the nanodiamond content was 1 wt%. It might be because nanodiamond particles dispersed in the matrix uniformly and had a good interface bonding with the matrix. Moreover, nanodiamond enhanced the scaffold bioactivity, which was proved by the biological mineralization and cell culture experiments. The nanodiamond reinforced scaffolds might have potential application for bone tissue engineering.

HMG-box transcription factor 1 (HBP1) has been reported to be a tumor suppressor in diverse malignant carcinomas. However, our findings provide a conclusion that HBP1 plays a novel role in facilitating nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) growth. The Kaplan–Meier analysis indicates that high expression HBP1 and low miR-29c expression both are negatively correlated with the overall survival rates of NPC patients. HBP1 knockdown inhibits cellular proliferation and growth, and arrested cells in G1 phase rather than affected cell apoptosis via flow cytometry (FCM) analysis. Mechanistically, HBP1 induces the expression of CCND1 and CCND3 levels by binding to their promoters, and binds to CDK4, CDK6 and p16INK4A promoters while not affects their expression levels. CCND1 and CCND3 promote CCND1-CDK4, CCND3-CDK6, and CDK2-CCNE1 complex formation, thus, E2F-1 and DP-1 are activated to accelerate the G1/S transition in the cell cycle. MiR-29c is down-regulated and correlated with NPC tumorigenesis and progression. Luciferase assays confirms that miR-29c binds to the 3′ untranslated region (3′-UTR) of HBP1. Introduction of pre-miR-29c decreased HBP1 mRNA and protein levels. Therefore, the high endogenous HBP1 expression might be attributed to the low levels of endogenous miR-29c in NPC. In addition, HBP1 knockdown and miR-29c agomir administration both decrease xenograft growth in nude mice in vivo. It is firstly reported that HBP1 knockdown inhibited the proliferation and metastasis of NPC, which indicates that HBP1 functions as a non-tumor suppressor gene in NPC. This study provides a novel potential target for the prevention of and therapies for NPC.

8u, an acridine derivative, has been proved effective anti-hepatocarcinoma effect, while the underlying mechanism remains unclear. Here, metabolomics and proteomics approaches were applied to study its anti-cancer mechanism and explore its effect on HepG2 cells’ invasion and metastasis abilities. The results showed that 8u significantly suppressed HepG2 cells migration and enhanced cell-to-cell junctions. The inhibition effect of 8u on invasion and metastasis disappeared after HSP90α gene silencing, and was reversed after HSP90α overexpression. The biological experimental results indicated that 8u also blocked PI3K/Akt pathway, thereby reducing fatty acid synthase (FASN) protein expression and disordering intracellular lipid metabolism to inhibit cell invasion and metastasis. In addition, HSP90α protein and PI3K/Akt pathway could co-adjust to each other. These findings demonstrated that 8u could efficiently suppress the invasion and metastasis of HepG2 cells by decreasing the expression of HSP90α protein and inhibiting the PI3K/Akt signaling pathway, which could be used as a potential candidate for the treatment of HCC.

We recently showed that reactive oxygen species (ROS) and mitochondrial DNA damage and deletions were attenuated by postconditioning (POC). It is not known, however, whether a population of progenitor cells is recruited by POC and is responsible for repair of renal tubular epithelial cells after ischemic injury.The model of renal POC was induced by 45 min clamping of the left renal artery and right nephrectomy followed by 7 min of short-time full reperfusion and 3 cycles of 30 s ischemia and 30 s reperfusion. The lymphocyte compartment of peripheral blood was evaluated by fluorescence-activated cell sorting (FACS) to determine expression of the bone marrow-derived progenitor cell markers CXC-chemokine receptor 4 (CXCR4), c-Kit, and CD34, at 12 h, 1 day and 3 days post-ischemia. Serum and kidney tissue were collected for analysis at 3 and 7 days post-ischemia.Renal functional and structural recovery was markedly improved by POC, which increased the number of CXCR4(+) and CD34(+) stem cells in peripheral blood and kidney tissue. Inhibition of ROS burst by POC was likely associated with increased hypoxia-inducible factor-1 expression, which may further promote stromal cell-derived factor 1 (SDF-1) expression.The mechanisms of stem cell recruitment to the injured foci mobilized by POC appear to be mediated by moderate oxidative stress, which may lead to increased SDF-1 expression.

This paper aims to study the survival and risk factors affecting the long-term prognosis of Chinese patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). We collected clinical data of 1,072 SLE patients at the time of diagnosis. The Kaplan-Meier method was used to estimate the survival rate, and the Cox proportional hazard regression model for the risk factors affecting prognosis. Of the original 1,072 recruited SLE patients, 665 (570 females and 95 males) were successfully followed up. Mean follow-up was 5.47 ± 4.62 years. Mean age of onset was 29.4 ± 13.4 years. Eighty-one patients did not survive during follow-up; infection, followed by cardiovascular disease, renal failure and SLE disease activity were the leading causes of death. The 5- and 10-year survival rates were 91.2 and 79.6 %, respectively. Moreover, the 5-year survival rates of female and male patients were 92.6 and 81.6 % respectively, and the 10-year survival rates were 80.8 and 62.3 %, respectively. Univariate analyses indicated that male gender, older age of onset, hypertension, increased blood creatinine levels, and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol at the time of diagnosis of SLE were risk factors for all-cause mortality. After adjusting for potential confounders by multivariate analysis, male gender, older age of onset, and high SLEDAI scores at the time of diagnosis were independent risk factors for all-cause mortality in SLE patients. The long-term survival of Chinese SLE patients is comparable to that of other countries. Older age of onset, high disease activity, and decline in renal function are independent risk factors for mortality in patients with SLE.

A sensitive and robust on-line LC/MS method was developed for quantitative determination of linoleic acid, docosahexaenoic acid and docosanoic acid from edible oil samples. The oil samples were dissolved in chloroform-isopropyl alcohol (20:80, v:v) solution and the three fatty acids were separated by HPLC with a C4 column using 10 mmol/L ammonium acetate-isopropyl alcohol-acetonitrile (20:40:40, v:v:v) mobile phase in isocratic elution. Electrospray ionization mass spectrometry with the selected ion recording monitoring was used to detect and quantify the fatty acid. The calibration curves were linear in the range of 10.00–5000 pg/mL for linoleic acid and docosanoic acid, and 1.000–500.0 pg/mL for docosahexaenoic acid. The limit of detection was 2.0 pg/mL for linoleic acid, 3.0 pg/mL for docosanoic acid, and 0.20 pg/mL for docosahexaenoic acid. The results showed that the method described in this paper could be utilized for rapid determination of three fatty acids at picogram levels in edible oils.

We report on a simple method for the determination of traces of aluminum(III) in water at pH 7.4 by using silver nanoparticles (Ag-NPs) functionalized with 8-hydroxyquinoline-5-sulfonate. The modified Ag-NPs undergo (a) a distinct color change from yellow to deep orange, and (b) a strong fluorescence enhancement upon addition of Al(III). Both the ratio of absorbances at 530 and 392 nm, and the intensity of fluorescence at 492 nm can serve as the analytical information. The absorption-based calibration plot increases linearly in the 0.1 to 4.0 μM Al(III) concentration range. The detection limit is 2.0 nM which is much lower than the permissible level (7.4 μM) for drinking water as defined by the World Health Organization. The method was successfully applied to the determination of Al(III) in samples of lake water, tap water and boiler water, and the recoveries were from 98 to 105 %. The assay also was applied to the determination of Al(III) in living mouse myeloma cells via fluorescence imaging. A linear relationship was obtained between relative fluorescence intensity (F/F0) and the concentration of Al(III) in the 0.05 μM to 4 μM concentration range. The detection limit is 15 nM.

Background Nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) is prevalent in South East Asia and Southern China particularly, despite the reported 5-year survival ratio is relative higher than other deadly cancers such as liver, renal, pancreas cancer, the lethality is characterized by high metastatic potential in the early stage and high recurrence rate after radiation treatment. MicroRNA-29c was found to be down-regulated in the serum as well as in the tissue of nasopharyngeal carcinoma tissue. Methods In this study, we found accidentally that the transfection of pre-miR-29c or miR-29c mimics significantly increases the expression level of miR-34c and miR-449a but doesn’t affect that of miR-222 using real-time quantitative PCR in nasopharyngeal carcinoma cell lines. To explore the molecular mechanism of the regulatory role, the cells are treated with 5-Aza-2-deoxycytidine (5-Aza-CdR) treatment and the level of miR-34c and miR-449a but not miR-222 accumulated by the treatment. DNA methyltransferase 3a, 3b were down-regulated by the 5-Aza-CdR treatment with western blot and real-time quantitative PCR. Results We found that pre-miR-29c or miR-29c mimics significantly increases the expression level of miR-34c and miR-449a. We further found DNA methyltransferase 3a and 3b are the target gene of miR-29c. Restoration of miR-29c in NPC cells down-regulated DNA methyltransferase 3a, 3b, but not DNA methyltransferase T1. Conclusions The regulation of miR-29c/DNMTs/miR-34c\449a is an important molecular axis of NPC development and targeting DNMTs or restoring of miR-29c might be a promising therapy strategy for the prevention of NPC.

Background The uncultivated species Dasypyrum breviaristatum carries novel diseases resistance and agronomically important genes of potential use for wheat improvement. The development of new wheat-D. breviaristatum derivatives lines with disease resistance provides an opportunity for the identification and localization of resistance genes on specific Dasypyrum chromosomes. The comparison of wheat-D. breviaristatum derivatives to the wheat-D. villosum derivatives enables to reveal the genomic divergence between D. breviaristatum and D. villosum. Results The mitotic metaphase of the wheat- D. breviaristatum partial amphiploid TDH-2 and durum wheat -D. villosum amphiploid TDV-1 were studied using multicolor fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH). We found that the distribution of FISH signals of telomeric, subtelomeric and centromeric regions on the D. breviaristatum chromosomes was different from those of D. villosum chromosomes by the probes of Oligo-pSc119.2, Oligo-pTa535, Oligo-(GAA)7 and Oligo-pHv62-1. A wheat line D2139, selected from a cross between wheat lines MY11 and TDH-2, was characterized by FISH and PCR-based molecular markers. FISH analysis demonstrated that D2139 contained 44 chromosomes including a pair of D. breviaristatum chromosomes which had originated from the partial amphiploid TDH-2. Molecular markers confirmed that the introduced D. breviaristatum chromosomes belonged to homoeologous group 7, indicating that D2139 was a 7Vb disomic addition line. The D2139 displayed high resistance to wheat stripe rust races at adult stage plant, which may be inherited from, D. breviaristatum chromosome 7Vb. Conclusion The study present here revealed that the large divergence between D. breviaristatum and D. villosum with respected to the organization of different repetitive sequences. The identified wheat- D. breviaristatum chromosome addition line D2139 will be used to produce agronomically desirable germplasm for wheat breeding.

A microfluidic approach to generate hydrogel microstructures inside microchannels for controlled encapsulation of single cells was developed. The method was based on a modified microscope projection photolithography which allowed for the photopolymerization of poly(ethylene glycol) diacrylate (PEG-DA) inside microchannels. Uniform-sized hydrogel microstructures (∼50 μm in diameter) were generated one by one with determined positions to encapsulate single cells without losing the viability. Cells of interest could be identified by any kinds of visible labels to be selectively encapsulated inside the formed hydrogel microstructures. Large-scale encapsulation of single cells was achieved with a relatively high efficiency of 80% and the viability of encapsulated cells could be guaranteed by removing the dead cells identified with Trypan blue. This method is simple, fast and convenient to pattern the microchannels with single cells for a wide range of cell-based applications. For demonstration, two intracellular enzyme assays of carboxylesterase were performed to investigate the distribution of enzyme concentrations and the kinetic information within the encapsulated single HepG2 cells.

We have performed the first-principles calculations onto the structural, electronic and magnetic properties of seven 3d transition-metal (TM=V, Cr, Mn, Fe, Co, Ni and Cu) atom substituting cation Zn in both zigzag (10,0) and armchair (6,6) zinc oxide nanotubes (ZnONTs). The results show that there exists a structural distortion around 3d TM impurities with respect to the pristine ZnONTs. The magnetic moment increases for V-, Cr-doped ZnONTs and reaches maximum for Mn-doped ZnONTs, and then decreases for Fe-, Co-, Ni- and Cu-doped ZnONTs successively, which is consistent with the predicted trend of Hund’s rule for maximizing the magnetic moments of the doped TM ions. However, the values of the magnetic moments are smaller than the predicted values of Hund’s rule due to strong hybridization between p orbitals of the nearest neighbor O atoms of ZnONTs and d orbitals of the TM atoms. Furthermore, the Mn-, Fe-, Co-, Cu-doped (10,0) and (6,6) ZnONTs with half-metal and thus 100% spin polarization characters seem to be good candidates for spintronic applications.

BACKGROUND: Profound loss of adipose tissue is a hallmark of cancer cachexia, Zinc-alpha 2-glycoprotein (ZAG), a recently identified adipokine, is suggested as a candidate in lipid catabolism.METHODS: In the first study, eight weight-stable and 17, cachectic cancer patients (weight loss >= 5% in previous 6 months) were recruited, Zinc-alpha 2-glycoprotein mRNA and protein expression were assessed in subcutaneous adipose tissue (SAT), subcutaneous adipose tissue morphology was examined and serum ZAG concentrations were quantified. In the second cohort, ZAG release by SAT was determined in 18 weight-stable and 15 cachectic cancer patients. The effect of ZAG on lipolysis was evaluated in vitro.RESULTS: Subcutaneous adipose tissue remodelling in cancer cachexia was evident through shrunken adipocytes with increased fibrosis. In cachectic cancer patients, ZAG mRNA was upregulated (2.7-fold, P=0.028) while leptin mRNA decreased (2.2-fold, P=0.018); serum ZAG levels were found to be unaffected. Zinc-alpha 2-glycoprotein mRNA correlated positively with weight loss (r=0.51, P=0.01) and serum glycerol levels (r=0.57, P=0.003). Zinc-alpha 2-glycoprotein release by SAT was also elevated in cachectic patients (1.5-fold, P=0.024) and correlated with weight loss (r=0.50, P=0.003). Recombinant ZAG stimulated lipolysis in human adipocytes.CONCLUSIONS: Zinc-alpha 2-glycoprotein expression and secretion by adipose tissue is enhanced in cachectic cancer patients. Given its lipid-mobilising effect, ZAG may contribute to adipose atrophy associated with cancer cachexia in human beings. British Journal of Cancer (2011) 104, 441-447. doi:10.1038/sj.bjc.6606083 www.bjcancer.com Published online 18 January 2011 (C) 2011 Cancer Research UK

The importance of white adipose tissue in the control of energy balance is now firmly recognized. In addition to fuel storage, adipocytes secrete an array of proteins factors (adipokines), which regulate multiple physiological and metabolic processes as well as influence body fat accumulation. Zinc-α2-glycoprotein (ZAG), a lipid mobilizing factor initially characterized as a tumor product associated with cachexia, has recently been identified as a novel adipokine. Although the exact role of ZAG in adipose tissue remains to be clarified, there is evidence that ZAG expression appears to be inversely related to adiposity, being upregulated in cachexia whereas reduced in obesity. Investigations on the regulation of ZAG give insights into its potential function in adipose tissue with a link to lipid mobilization and an anti-inflammatory action. Recent work shows that ZAG stimulates adiponectin secretion by human adipocytes. Data from genetic studies suggest that ZAG may be a candidate gene for body weight regulation; this is supported by the demonstration that ZAG-knockout mice are susceptible to weight gain, whereas transgenic mice overexpressing ZAG exhibit weight loss. The present review summarizes these new perspectives of ZAG and the potential mechanisms by which it might modulate adipose tissue mass and function.

Deducting the future switching of the road transport energy technology is one of the key preconditions for relative technology development planning. However, one of the difficulties is to address the issue of multi-objective and conflicting constrains, e.g., minimizing the climate mitigation or minimizing economic cost. In this paper, a dynamic optimization model was established, which can be used to analyze the road transport energy technology switching under multi-objective constrains. Through one case study, a series of solutions could be derived to provide decision-makers with the flexibility to choose the appropriate solution with respect to the given situation.

Carbon dioxide capture and sequestration (CCS) is considered to be an important option for climate change mitigation. A key problem for the implementation of CCS technology is the source-sink match design and optimization when considering both economic and environmental requirement. This paper presents a generic-optimization-based model for the strategic planning and design of future CCS source-sink matching. The features and capabilities of the model are illustrated through a detailed case study for the Jing-Jin-Ji (Beijing, Tianjin and Hebei Province) region in China. It shows how the model helps make a compromise in arriving at a strategic decision for CCS source-sink matching by providing the tradeoff frontiers between economic and environmental performance, and the features of match solutions with the best economic performance or with the best environmental performance.

A rapid, specific, and sensitive method has been developed using molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) as solid-phase extraction sorbents for extraction of trace tetracycline antibiotics (TCs) in foodstuffs. MIPs were prepared by precipitation polymerization using tetracycline as the template. Under the optimal condition, the imprinting factors for MIPs were 4.1 (oxytetracycline), 7.0 (tetracycline), 7.4 (chlortetracycline), 7.7 (doxycycline), respectively. Furthermore, the performance of MIPs as solid-phase extraction sorbents was evaluated and high extraction efficiency of molecularly imprinted solid-phase extraction (MISPE) procedure was demonstrated. Compared with commercial sorbents, MISPE gave a better cleanup efficiency than C18 cartridge and a higher recovery than Oasis HLB cartridge. Finally, the method of liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry coupled with molecular-imprinted solid-phase extraction was validated in real samples including lobster, duck, honey, and egg. The spiked recoveries of TCs ranged from 94.51% to 103.0%. The limits of detection were in the range of 0.1-0.3 microg kg(-1).

One of the critical middleware services for sensor networks is the time synchronization, which provides supports to different applications. Synchronization protocols used for Internet and LANs are not appropriate in the sensor networks for the high-density and limited energy resource. This paper describes two-hop time synchronization (TTS) that aims at reducing the synchronization overhead and providing more accurate network-wide synchronization. The synchronization message exchanges are minimized by making full use of sensors’ broadcast domain and enlarging the common node synchronization range in multi-hop scenarios. By halving synchronization hops, the TTS achieves high multi-hop synchronization precision. The proposed protocol contains single-hop synchronization model, multi-hop synchronization algorithm, and a power control scheme. We prove that the extension of single-hop TTS to network-wide synchronization is NP-complete. The complexity and convergence time of multi-hop TTS are analyzed in detail. We simulate TTS on MATLAB and show that it requires minimal overhead and convergence time compared with other protocols. We also implement TTS on common sensors and its multi-hop synchronization error is less than that of receiver-receiver synchronization (R-RS).