Search

The coal gasification process produces a large amount of wastewater which is seriously polluted and difficult to biochemically treat. The regasification of coal water slurry produced from gasification wastewater meets the requirements of clean and efficient use of energy and the concept of circular economy. In this paper, the slurryability of coal water slurry prepared with gasification wastewater was measured, and the influence mechanism of organic matter, metal ions, and ammonia nitrogen components in coal gasification wastewater on slurryability has been studied. Results show that (a) Coal water slurry can be prepared with gasification wastewater, and the composition of wastewater has a great influence on the slurryability. (b) Phenols and alcohols in wastewater are not conducive to slurryability, while urethane in wastewater is beneficial for slurrying. (c) K+ and Na+ in wastewater have little effect on the slurryablity even in high concentration, while Mg2+ and Ca2+ have basically no effect on the slurryability under the concentration range of coal gasification wastewater. However, Fe3+ has a negative effect and Cu3+ has a positive effect on the slurryability at low concentrations. (d) Ammonia nitrogen can affect the slurryability of coal water slurry by affecting the pH of the solution. NH4OH solution is alkaline, which is conducive to slurrying, while (NH4)2SO4 and NH4Cl solutions are acidic, resulting in poor slurryability of coal water slurry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Low global warming potential (GWP) refrigerants are vital to mitigating the effect of heat systems on climate change. A low GWP mixture, RGT2 (R134a/R1234yf/R161, 54%/43%/3% weight), was proposed as an alternative refrigerant for R134a in heat pump systems. This article presented the results of an experimental investigation evaluating RGT2 as a possible replacement for R134a in a closed heat pump drying (CHPD) system and studying the drying characteristics of fig slices. The experiment concluded that RGT2 has a higher coefficient of performance (COPhp) value than R134a, on average, by 1.92%, achieving lower discharge temperature and pressure ratio at different condensing temperatures (45°C–70°C). Although the heating capacity of RGT2 was slightly lower, it still met the requirements of HPD. With careful consideration of the environment, performance, and safety, RGT2 was a suitable substitute for R134a in the drying field. In addition, the drying characteristics of fig slices were significantly affected by the air temperature. The effective diffusion coefficient (Deff) and specific moisture extracted ratio (SMER) are increased by increasing temperature and air flow rate. The two‐term model was the better model to accurately predict the fig slices drying process. The highest mean Deff and SMER of CHPDS were obtained as 6.4518 × 10−10 m2/s and 39.197 g/kWh, respectively, at the highest drying air temperature. Practical Application: A mixed refrigerant (RGT2) was proposed to replace R134a, and its GWP value was about 61% lower than that of R134a. Most of the studies on substituting R134a in the literature are simulations. This paper aims to evaluate the substitutions' feasibility theoretically and experimentally. The results have been assessed to provide better information about RGT2 as a potential substitute for R134a with superior comprehensive performance. Drying kinetics has also been determined experimentally, which helped to simulate fig drying. This study will provide a reference for refrigerants replacement in heat pump drying. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Diabetic complications cause significant morbidity and mortality. Dysfunction of vascular endothelial cells (ECs), caused by oxidative stress, is a main mechanism of cellular damage. Oxidative stress accelerates EC senescence and DNA damage. In this study, we examined the role of mitochondrial sirtuins (SIRTs) in glucose‐induced oxidative stress, EC senescence, and their regulation by miRNAs. Human retinal microvascular endothelial cells (HRECs) were exposed to 5 mmol/L (normoglycemia; NG) or 25 mmol/L glucose (hyperglycemia; HG) with or without transfection of miRNA antagomirs (miRNA‐1, miRNA‐19b, and miRNA‐320; specific SIRT‐targeting miRNAs). Expressions of SIRT3, 4 and 5 and their targeting miRNAs were examined using qRT‐PCR and ELISAs were used to study SIRT proteins. Cellular senescence was investigated using senescence‐associated β‐gal stain; while, oxidative stress and mitochondrial alterations were examined using 8‐OHdG staining and cytochrome B expressions, respectively. A streptozotocin‐induced diabetic mouse model was also used and animal retinas and hearts were collected at 2 months of diabetes. In HRECs, HG downregulated the mRNAs of SIRTs, while SIRT‐targeting miRNAs were upregulated. ELISA analyses confirmed such downregulation of SIRTs at the protein level. HG additionally caused early senescence, endothelial‐to‐mesenchymal transition and oxidative DNA damage in ECs. These changes were prevented by the transfection of specific miRNA antagomirs and by resveratrol. Retinal and cardiac tissues from diabetic mice also showed similar reductions of mitochondrial SIRTs. Collectively, these findings demonstrate a novel mechanism in which mitochondrial SIRTs regulate glucose‐induced cellular aging through oxidative stress and how these SIRTs are regulated by specific miRNAs. Identifying such mechanisms may lead to the discovery of novel treatments for diabetic complications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In prokaryotes, Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats (CRISPR) and CRISPR‐associated protein (Cas) systems constitute adaptive immune systems against mobile genetic elements (MGEs). Here, we introduce the Markov cluster algorithm (MCL) to Makarova et al.'s method in order to select a more reasonable profile. Additionally, our new Maximum Continuous Cas Subcluster (MCCS) method helps identification of tightly clustered loci. The comparison with two other commonly used programs shows that the method could identify Cas proteins with higher accuracy and lower Additional Prediction Rate (APR). Moreover, we developed a web‐based server, CasLocusAnno (http://cefg.uestc.cn/CasLocusAnno), capable of annotating Cas proteins, cas loci and their (sub)types less than ~ 28 s following the whole proteome sequence submission. Its standalone version can be downloaded at https://github.com/RiversDong/CasLocusAnno. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Molecular dynamics (MD) simulation is a useful technique to study the interaction between molecules and how they are affected by various processes and processing conditions. This review summarizes the application of MD simulations in food processing and safety, with an emphasis on the effects that emerging nonthermal technologies (for example, high hydrostatic pressure, pulsed electric field) have on the molecular and structural characteristics of foods and biomaterials. The advances and potential projection of MD simulations in the science and engineering aspects of food materials are discussed and focused on research work conducted to study the effects of emerging technologies on food components. It is expected by showing key case studies that it will stir novel developments as a valuable tool to study the effects of emerging food technologies on biomaterials. This review is useful to food researchers and the food industry, as well as researchers and practitioners working on flavor and nutraceutical encapsulations, dietary carbohydrate product developments, modified starches, protein engineering, and other novel food applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: To better understand the mechanisms of bacterial adaptation in oxygen environments, we explored the aerobic living‐associated genes in bacteria by comparing Clusters of Orthologous Groups of proteins' (COGs) frequencies and gene expression analyses and 38 COGs were detected at significantly higher frequencies (p‐value less than 1e−6) in aerobes than in anaerobes. Differential expression analyses between two conditions further narrowed the prediction to 27 aerobe‐specific COGs. Then, we annotated the enzymes associated with these COGs. Literature review revealed that 14 COGs contained enzymes catalysing oxygen‐involved reactions or products involved in aerobic pathways, suggesting their important roles for survival in aerobic environments. Additionally, protein–protein interaction analyses and step length comparisons of metabolic networks suggested that the other 13 COGs may function relevantly with the 14 enzymes‐corresponding COGs, indicating that these genes may be highly associated with oxygen utilization. Phylogenetic and evolutionary analyses showed that the 27 COGs did not have similar trees, and all suffered purifying selection pressures. The divergent times of species containing or lacking aerobic COGs validated that the appearing time of oxygen‐utilizing gene was approximately 2.80 Gyr ago. In addition to help better understand oxygen adaption, our method may be extended to identify genes relevant to other living environments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: In this study, the effect of combined preheating time (2, 5, and 10 min) and extraction medium pH (2.5, 3.5, and 4.5) on total monomeric anthocyanin yield, and removal of off‐odour in red radish anthocyanins were evaluated. The tentative anthocyanin identification showed twelve pelargonidin anthocyanins, and only nine were identified in samples preheated for 10 min. Sample preheated for 10 min and extracted at pH 4.5 showed lower the anthocyanin yield (98.02 mg/100 g, FW), lighter colour and higher percentage polymeric colour compared with that preheated for 2 min and extracted at pH 2.5. However, prolonged preheating time (10 min) significantly reduced myrosinase enzyme activity by 73%. Additionally, results showed that preheating time and extraction medium pH have negative and significant effect on the total monomeric anthocyanin yield, while they showed positive and negative significant effect on the total glucosinolate degradation. Furthermore, the sensory evaluation results revealed no significant difference in radish odour for samples preheated for 2 and 5 min followed by anthocyanin extraction in pH 2.5 medium. It might therefore be concluded that the combination of moderated preheating treatment time (≤5 min) and lower extraction medium pH could be effective to reduce the off‐odour characteristics and maintaining high yield and stable red radish pigment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND Both high pressure and environmental factors could influence the catalytic abilities of enzymes. This work investigated coupled effects of pressure and salts on Rhizopus chinensis lipase (RCL) to provide significant information for its further applications. RESULTS The maximum activity of RCL was observed under 200 MPa at 40 °C. The highest activity was achieved at concentrations of 0.06-0.1 mol L−1 for tested salts. The effect of monovalent cations on RCL activity followed the Hofmeister series (K+ > Na+ > Li+) at 0.1 MPa but the order of Na+ and K+ was changed under 200 MPa. Meanwhile, the effects of anions did not follow the Hofmeister series. KCl slightly improved the thermostability of RCL at moderate concentration. At 60 °C, LiCl only stabilised RCL at 0.1 mol L−1. The pre-transition unfolding point was shifted from 4.5 to 3.5 mol L−1 with pressure increasing from 0.1 to 600 MPa. In addition, KCl could not change the lipase's extrinsic fluorescence evolution versus pressure. CONCLUSION Pressure and salts could improve catalytic ability and stability of RCL under appropriate conditions. The effect of high pressure on RCL was influenced by salts. Meanwhile salts cannot prevent high pressure-induced damage to RCL. © 2017 Society of Chemical Industry [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Laribacter hongkongensis is a fish-borne pathogen associated with invasive infections and gastroenteritis. Its adaptive mechanisms to oxygen-limiting conditions in various environmental niches remain unclear. In this study, we compared the transcriptional profiles of L. hongkongensis under aerobic and anaerobic conditions using RNA-sequencing. Expression of genes involved in arginine metabolism significantly increased under anoxic conditions. Arginine was exploited as the sole energy source in L. hongkongensis for anaerobic respiration via the arginine catabolism pathway: specifically via the arginine deiminase (ADI) pathway. A transcriptional regulator FNR was identified to coordinate anaerobic metabolism by tightly regulating the expression of arginine metabolism genes. FNR executed its regulatory function by binding to FNR boxes in arc operons promoters. Survival of isogenic fnr mutant in macrophages decreased significantly when compared with wild-type; and expression level of fnr increased 8 h post-infection. Remarkably, FNR directly interacted with ArgR, another regulator that influences the biological fitness and intracellular survival of L. hongkongensis by regulating arginine metabolism genes. Our results demonstrated that FNR and ArgR work in coordination to respond to oxygen changes in both extracellular and intracellular environments, by finely regulating the ADI pathway and arginine anabolism pathways, thereby optimizing bacterial fitness in various environmental niches. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND The demand for difructose anhydride III ( DFA III), a novel functional sweetener, is growing continuously. It is produced from inulin by inulin fructotransferase ( IFTase). In this study, high hydrostatic pressure ( HHP), as a clean technology, was first applied to further improve the catalytic efficiency of IFTase in the process. RESULTS The maximum activity of IFTase was obtained under 200 MPa at 60 °C. Meanwhile, HHP lowered the energy barrier necessary for the enzymatic reaction and decreased the volume between the reactants and the transition state. Under this condition, the optimal pH for the enzymatic reaction shifted from 5.5 to 6.0. The activity was further enhanced by 65.2% in the presence of 1.5 mol L−1 NaCl. CONCLUSION The catalytic reaction of IFTase was performed under HHP for the first time. HHP, as a promising green technology for bioconversion, significantly accelerated the enzymatic reaction under the appropriate operational conditions. © 2015 Society of Chemical Industry [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In diabetes, hyperglycaemia causes up-regulation of endothelin 1 ( ET-1) and transforming growth factor beta 1 ( TGF-β1). Previously we showed glucose reduces sirtuin1 ( SIRT1), a class III histone deacetylase. Here, we investigated the regulatory role of SIRT1 on ET-1 and TGF-β1 expression. Human microvascular endothelial cells were examined following incubation with 25 mmol/l glucose ( HG) and 5 mmol/l glucose ( NG) with or without SIRT1 or histone acetylase p300 overexpression or knockdown. mRNA expressions of ET-1, TGF-β1, SIRT1, p300 and collagen 1α(I) were examined. SIRT1 enzyme activity, ET-1 and TGF-β1 protein levels were measured. Histone acetylation and endothelial permeability were further investigated. Similar analyses were performed in the kidneys and retinas of SIRT1 overexpressing transgenic mice with or without streptozotocin induced diabetes. Renal functions were evaluated. In the endothelial cells ( ECs), HG caused increased permeability and escalated production of ET-1, TGF-β1, collagen Iα(I). These cells also showed increased p300 expression, histone acetylation and reduced SIRT1 levels. These changes were rectified in the ECs following p300 silencing or by SIRT1 overexpression, whereas SIRT1 knockdown or p300 overexpression in NG mimicked the effects of HG. High ET-1 and TGF-β1 levels were seen in the kidneys and retinas of diabetic mice along with micro-albuminuria and increased fibronectin protein (marker of glucose-induced cell injury) levels. Interestingly, these detrimental changes were blunted in SIRT1 overexpressing transgenic mice with diabetes. This study showed a novel SIRT1 mediated protection against renal and retinal injury in diabetes, regulated through p300, ET-1 and TGF-β1. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To examine whether the long non-coding RNA (lnc RNA) metastasis associated lung adenocarcinoma transcript 1 ( MALAT1) is altered in the endothelial cells in response to glucose and the significance of such alteration. We incubated human umbilical vein endothelial cells with media containing various glucose levels. We found an increase in MALAT1 expression peaking after 12 hrs of incubation in high glucose. This increase was associated with parallel increase in serum amyloid antigen 3 ( SAA3), an inflammatory ligand and target of MALAT1 and was further accompanied by increase in mRNAs and proteins of inflammatory mediators, tumour necrosis factor alpha ( TNF-α) and interleukin 6 ( IL-6). Renal tissue from the diabetic animals showed similar changes. Such cellular alterations were prevented following MALAT1 specific si RNA transfection. Results of this study indicate that Lnc RNA MALAT1 regulates glucose-induced up-regulation of inflammatory mediators IL-6 and TNF-α through activation of SAA3. Identification of such novel mechanism may lead to the development of RNA-based therapeutics targeting MALAT1 for diabetes-induced micro and macro vascular complications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this study was to prepare the new core-shell nanocomplexes as vitamin E (VE) carriers through chitosan (CS) coating onto the liposomal membrane surface in combination with sodium tripolyphosphate (TPP) cross-linking, and investigated their storage and thermal properties by dynamic light scattering, ζ potential and fluorescence. Results showed that no obvious aggregation of nanocomplexes particles appeared and the VE retention rate was over 80% during the 30-day storage. Thermal experiments demonstrated that the modification of polymers enhanced the stability of liposomes against temperature, including suppressing particle aggregation, ζ potential inversion and membrane fluidity. Compared with the great leakage of VE from uncovered liposomes, the retention rate of VE loaded into nanocomplexes remained around 92% and 97% after heated at 65 °C for 30 min and 80 °C for 16 s, respectively. The findings proved that these nanocomplexes can be employed to protect VE for extending shelf-life and enhancing thermostability, and provide feasibility for commercial usage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims Esophageal cancer ( EC) is one of the most prevalent and deadly cancers worldwide. Along with nutrition, smoking and alcohol consumption, human papillomavirus ( HPV) infection is one of the major risk factors, which is modulated by host immune response. This study is aimed at elucidating how HPV modifies host immune system in the EC pathogenesis. Methods The HPV and HLA- DQB1 levels in primary esophageal squamous cell (ESC) cancer cells from Han, Khazak and Uygur patients were analyzed by quantitative real-time PCR and immunoblotting. The ability of HPV16 E6/E7 to transform normal primary ESCs was investigated by infecting ESC with pMSCVpuro-carried E6 or E7. The shRNA against HPV16 E6 or E7 was delivered by adenovirus into esophageal squamous cell carcinoma ( ESCC) cells with high HPV content. The DNA methylation level of HLA- DQB1 was measured by methylation-specific PCR. Results The HLA- DQB1 expression level was correlated with the levels of HPV and inversely related to DNA methylation level of HLA- DQB1. Overexpressing HPV16 E6 or E7 alone was enough to transform normal primary ESCs. However, single knockdown of either E6 or E7 in ESC cancer cells did not reduce HLA- DQB1 expression. Conclusions Oncogenic HPV E6 and E7 genes promoted ESCC pathogenesis by upregulating susceptible HLA- DQB1 via DNA demethylation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Diabetic cardiomyopathy is a cascade of complex events leading to eventual failure of the heart and cardiac fibrosis being considered as one of its major causes. miR-133a is one of the most abundantly expressed micro RNAs in the heart. We investigated the role of miR-133a during severe hyperglycaemia. And, our aim was to find out what role miR-133a plays during diabetes-induced cardiac fibrosis. We saw a drastic decrease in miR-133a expression in the hearts of streptozotocin-induced diabetic animals, as measured by RT-q PCR. This decrease was accompanied by an increase in the transcriptional co-activator EP300 m RNA and major markers of fibrosis [transforming growth factor-β1, connective tissue growth factor, fibronectin ( FN1) and COL4A1]; in addition, focal cardiac fibrosis assessed by Masson's trichome stain was increased. Interestingly, in diabetic mice with cardiac-specific miR-133aa overexpression, cardiac fibrosis was significantly decreased, as observed by RT-q PCR and immunoblotting of COL4A1, ELISA for FN1 and microscopic examination. Furthermore, Cardiac miR-133a overexpression prevented ERK1/2 and SMAD-2 phosphorylation. These findings show that miR-133a could be a potential therapeutic target for diabetes-induced cardiac fibrosis and related cardiac dysfunction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ginseng (Araliaceae) has multiple pharmacological actions because of its diverse phytochemical constituents. The aims of the present study are to evaluate the preventive effects of North American ginseng on diabetic retinopathy and cardiomyopathy and to delineate the underlying mechanisms of such effects. Models of both type 1 (C57BL/6 mice with streptozotocin-induced diabetes) and type 2 diabetes (db/db mice) and age-matched and sex-matched controls were examined. Alcoholic ginseng root (200 mg/kg body weight, daily oral gavage) extract was administered to groups of both type 1 and type 2 diabetic mice for 2 or 4 months. Dysmetabolic state in the diabetic mice was significantly improved by ginseng treatment. In both the heart and retina of diabetic animals, ginseng treatment significantly prevented oxidative stress and diabetes-induced upregulations of extracellular matrix proteins and vasoactive factors. Ginseng treatment in the diabetic animals resulted in enhancement of stroke volume, ejection fraction, cardiac output, and left ventricle pressure during systole and diastole and diminution of stroke work. In addition, mRNA expressions of atrial natriuretic factor and brain natriuretic factor (molecular markers for cardiac hypertrophy) were significantly diminished in ginseng-treated diabetic mice. These data indicate that North American ginseng prevents the diabetes-induced retinal and cardiac biochemical and functional changes probably through inhibition of oxidative stress. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Esterification of natural phytostanols with various fatty acids by using Lewis acid-surfactant combined catalyst was investigated. For synthesis of phytostanol esters of saturated fatty acids, cuprum dodecyl sulfate [Cu(DS)2] was the most desirable catalyst due to its high selectivity, reusability, activity, and less corrosivity, whereas stanol selectivity with other catalysts, such as ZnCl2 and tungstophosphoric acid. The substrate molar ratio of 1.2:1 (lauric acid/phytostanols) was the optimal. For synthesis of phytostanol esters of unsaturated fatty acids, cerium dodecyl sulfate [Ce(DS)3] was better than [Cu(DS)2] which was based on the oxidation of the unsaturated fatty acids during the reaction. The chemical structure of the sitostanyl stearate, sitostanyl oleate, and sitostanyl linoleate were confirmed by FTIR, MS, and NMR, respectively. As a result, the [Cu(DS)2] and [Ce(DS)3] were screened to synthesize phytostanyl esters of fatty acids for commercial production. Practical applications: Phytostanols are important for human health and nutrition. Unfortunately, due to the poor solubility of free stanols (unesterified) in fats and oils, there is a demand for a good way to improve the solubility or bioavailability of phytostanols, such as esterification of phytostanols with fatty acids. This study aims at finding an efficient and expeditious synthesis of phytostanyl esters. At the same time, environmental impact and the oxidation of the unsaturated fatty acids during the reaction should be considered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Mammalian excision repair cross-complementing 1 (ERCC1) and ERCC4 (a.k.a xeroderma pigmentosum complementation group F) are nucleotide excision repair enzymes, which excise the 5′ end of damaged DNA. ERCC1 and ERCC4 have an interactive relationship with poly (adenosine diphosphate ribose) polymerase (PARP). We studied the role of ERCC1 and ERCC4 in glucose-induced extracellular matrix protein production in human endothelial cells and in the retinas and kidneys of streptozotocin diabetic rats. Methods Human umbilical vein endothelial cells were grown with low (5 mM) and high glucose (25 mM). The cells were subjected to ERCC1 and ERCC4 small interfering RNA transfections, PARP blocker (3-aminobenzamide, ABA) and p300 blocker (curcumin). Retinas and kidneys from 1-month-old streptozotocin diabetic rats with or without treatment with curcumin and ABA were examined. Cells and tissues were studied for oxidative stress markers, fibronectin, ERCC1 and ERCC4, PARP and p300 mRNA. Western blot of nuclear proteins was performed. Results ERCC1 and ERCC4 messenger RNA and protein levels were higher in high glucose than in low glucose, along with increasing oxidative stress and augmented p300 and fibronectin production. ABA, curcumin, ERCC1 and ERCC4 silencing reduced such upregulations and oxidative stress. Similar changes were seen in the kidneys and retinas of diabetic rats. ABA and curcumin treatment significantly reduced such changes. Conclusions These data indicate that glucose-induced ERCC1 and ERCC4 upregulation leads to increased fibronectin production via a p300-dependent pathway in umbilical endothelial cells, as well as in the retina and in the kidneys of streptozotocin diabetic rats. ERCC1 and ERCC4 may play important roles in the development of diabetic retinopathy and nephropathy. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Diabetic cardiomyopathy, characterized by cardiac hypertrophy and contractile dysfunction, eventually leads to heart failure. We have previously shown that alterations of a number of key molecules are involved in producing cardiomyocyte hypertrophy in diabetes. The aim of the present study was to determine whether microRNAs (miRNA) play a role in mediating altered gene expression and structural/functional deficits in the heart in diabetes. Methods STZ-induced diabetic mice were haemodynamically investigated after 2 months of diabetes to establish the development of cardiomyopathy. The tissues were then examined for gene expression and microRNA analysis. We further investigated neonatal rat cardiomyocytes to identify the mechanisms of glucose-induced hypertrophy and the potential role of miR133a. Results Diabetic mice showed myocardial contractile dysfunction and augmented mRNA expression of atrial and brain natriuretic peptides (ANP, BNP), MEF2A and MEF2C, SGK1 and IGF1R compared to age- and sex-matched controls. Cardiac tissues from these mice showed alteration of multiple miRNAs by array analysis including miR133a, which was confirmed by RT-PCR. In vitro exposure of cardiomyocytes to high levels of glucose produced hypertrophic changes and reduced expression of miRNA133a. Finally, transfection of miR133a mimics prevented altered gene expression and hypertrophic changes. Conclusion Data from these studies demonstrate a novel glucose-induced mechanism regulating gene expression and cardiomyocyte hypertrophy in diabetes which is mediated through miR133a. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims The development of diabetic complications is associated with increased oxidative stress which may damage DNA leading to the activation of nuclear enzyme poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP). PARP overactivation may further exacerbate the oxidative state of the cell through its consumption of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide. In diabetic retinopathy and nephropathy, early characteristic features include increased production of vasoactive factors such as endothelin 1 (ET-1) and increased synthesis of extracellular matrix (ECM) proteins such as fibronectin (FN) and its splice variant extra domain B containing (EDB+) FN. We investigated the role of PARP in the development of diabetic retinopathy and nephropathy. Methods Two models of diabetic complications were used. PARP-1 knockout mice and their respective wild type controls were fed a 30% galactose diet for 2 months. The rats were given injections of PARP inhibitor 3-aminobenzamide (30 mg/kg/day). Results Analysis of the retinal and kidney tissues showed hyperhexosemia-induced oxidative stress and increased expression of ET-1, FN and EDB+ FN in association with increased transcriptional co-activator p300 along with p300-dependent transcription factors, myocyte enhancing factors 2A and 2C. Furthermore, we showed increased PARP expression in the kidneys and retina of the diabetic rats. PARP blockade in both animal models prevented these hyperhexosemia-induced effects. Conclusions These findings suggests that hyperhexosemia and diabetes causes upregulation of ET-1, FN and EDB+ FN at the transcriptional level in the retina and kidney via a signaling pathway mediated by PARP and an epigenetic mechanism involving p300 and MEF2 transcription factors. Understanding these mechanisms is important in identifying novel treatment targets. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The nucleotide distribution of all 33 527 open reading frames (ORFs) (≥300 bp) in the genome of Streptomyces coelicolor A3(2) has been analyzed using the Z curve method. Each ORF is mapped onto a point in a 9-dimensional space. To visualize the distribution of mapping points, the points are projected onto the principal plane based on principal component analysis. Consequently, the distribution pattern of the 33 527 points in the principal plane shows a flower-like shape, in which there are seven distinct regions. In addition to the central region, there are six petal-like regions around the center, one of which corresponds to 7172 coding sequences. The central region and the remaining five petal-like regions correspond to the intergenic sequences and out-of-frame non-coding ORFs, respectively. It is shown that selective pressure produces a remarkable bias of the G+C content among three codon positions, resulting in the interesting phenomenon observed. A similar phenomenon is also observed for other bacterial genomes with high genomic G+C content, such as Pseudomonas aeruginosa PA01 (G+C=66.6%). However, for the genomes of Bacillus subtilis (G+C=43.5%) and Clostridium perfringens (G+C=28.6%), no similar phenomenon was observed. The finding presented here may be useful to improve the gene-finding algorithms for genomes with high G+C content. A set of supplementary materials including the plots displaying the base distribution patterns of ORFs in 12 prokaryotes is provided on the website http://tubic.tju.edu.cn/highGC/. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Curcumin (diferuloylmethane) is an orange-yellow compound from turmeric (Curcuma longa), a spice found in curry powder. Traditionally known for its anti-inflammatory effects, curcumin has established itself in the last two decades to be a potent immunomodulatory agent that can regulate the activation of a variety of immunocytes and the expression of inflammatory factors. Considering that the beta-diketone moiety of curcumin may result in its instability and poor metabolic property, we previously designed a series of mono-carbonyl analogues of curcumin with enhanced stability by deleting this moiety. These compounds demonstrate improved pharmacokinetic profiles both in vitro and in vivo. In this study, we reported a total of 44 mono-carbonyl analogues, which have been evaluated for the inhibitory activities against LPS-induced TNF-alpha and IL-6 release in the macrophages. Based on the screening results of these analogues, five active compounds A01, A03, A13, B18 and C22 were investigated to inhibit TNF-alpha and IL-6 release in a dose-dependent manner, three of which further demonstrated inhibitory effects on LPS-induced TNF-alpha, IL-1beta, IL-6, MCP-1, COX-2, PGES, iNOS and p65 NF-kappaB mRNA production. The results indicated that these mono-carbonyl analogues may possess anti-inflammatory activities similar to curcumin despite the absence of the beta-diketone. These mono-carbonyl analogues may be a favourable alternative for the development of curcumin-based anti-inflammatory drugs both pharmacokinetically and pharmacologically. We further examined the biological properties of A13, the only hydrosoluble analogue when combined with hydrochloric acid. The results showed a dose-dependent inhibition of LPS-induced cytokine production. These data further indicated that compound A13 may be explored as a promising anti-inflammatory molecule.