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This article discusses a case of congenital human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) infection in a 31-year-old Chinese woman during her third pregnancy. Despite the presence of maternal and intrauterine IgG, severe congenital infection occurred in the fetus. The article describes the patient's medical history, prenatal testing, and the observed abnormalities in the placenta and fetal lungs. The study also analyzes the presence of HCMV in various fetal tissues and discusses the implications of the findings. The article highlights the limitations of maternal immunity in protecting against cHCMV outcomes in early pregnancy. [Extracted from the article]

During the long coevolution of human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) and humans, the host has formed a defense system of multiple layers to eradicate the invader, and the virus has developed various strategies to evade host surveillance programs. The intrinsic immunity primarily orchestrated by promyelocytic leukemia (PML) nuclear bodies (PML‐NBs) represents the first line of defense against HCMV infection. Here, we demonstrate that microrchidia family CW‐type zinc finger 3 (MORC3), a PML‐NBs component, is a restriction factor targeting HCMV infection. We show that depletion of MORC3 through knockdown by RNA interference or knockout by CRISPR‐Cas9 augmented immediate‐early protein 1 (IE1) gene expression and subsequent viral replication, and overexpressing MORC3 inhibited HCMV replication by suppressing IE1 gene expression. To relief the restriction, HCMV induces transient reduction of MORC3 protein level via the ubiquitin‐proteasome pathway during the immediate‐early to early stage. However, MORC3 transcription is upregulated, and the protein level recovers in the late stages. Further analyses with temporal‐controlled MORC3 expression and the major immediate‐early promoter (MIEP)‐based reporters show that MORC3 suppresses MIEP activity and consequent IE1 expression with the assistance of PML. Taken together, our data reveal that HCMV enforces temporary loss of MORC3 to evade its repression against the initiation of immediate‐early gene expression. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The mercury (Hg) loadings to the coastal regions of China have significantly increased in the last decades, and it is thus critical to unravel the input pathway and historical influx of these Hg. Here, concentrations and isotope compositions of Hg in three sediment cores collected from different mud areas of eastern China seas were comprehensively analyzed to investigate the spatial and temporal Hg inputs. The sediment core from nearshore mud area had distinctly higher δ202Hg and lower Δ199Hg values than those from offshore mud area, exhibiting an obvious difference in dominant Hg sources (land-based vs. atmospheric). An isotope mixing model on basis of Hg isotope signatures of these cores revealed that the contributions of Hg sources varied significantly not only among different sites but also among different periods. Rapid development of industrialization and urbanization since the 1980s have significantly increased Hg especially industrial Hg inputs into eastern China seas. Our study suggests that the central mud area of Yellow Sea could well record the historical influxes of different Hg sources especially atmospheric Hg, as well as historical Hg emission events like industrialization/urbanization and modern Chinese wars, which would contribute to reconstruct the chronology of Hg inputs into eastern China seas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To enrich carbamate pesticides from complex matrices, an adsorbent based on poly (vinylboronic anhydride pyridine complex‐co‐ethylenedimethacrylate) monolith was fabricated and utilized as the extraction phase of multiple monolithic fiber solid‐phase microextraction. Due to the abundant boron atoms in the monolith, the B–N coordination interaction between adsorbent and analytes play a key role in the efficient extraction of analytes. Under the optimized conditions, the monolithic fibers were combined with high‐performance liquid chromatography for the quantify trace levels of carbamate pesticides in environmental water and orange juice samples. For water sample, the limit of detection and limit of quantification were in the range of 0.017–0.29 and 0.057–0.96 μg/L, respectively. The related values in orange juice samples were 0.038–0.39 and 0.12–1.36 μg/kg, respectively. Besides, the proposed method also exhibits wide linearity, satisfactory coefficients of determination, and good precision. The introduced approach was successfully applied to determine trace target analytes in real‐life samples. The spiked recoveries with different fortified concentrations were in the range of 80.4–117% for water samples and 83.7–119% for fruit juice samples. The relative standard deviations were below 10%. The results evidence that the suggested method was convenient, reliable, and eco‐friendly for the monitoring of trace levels of carbamate pesticides in complex samples such as waters and juices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A simple and sensitive method for the simultaneous extraction and determination of six aminoglycosides in honey and milk samples was developed using multiple monolithic fiber solid-phase microextraction and liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry. The multiple monolithic fibers based on poly(methacrylic acid- co-ethylenedimethacrylate) monolith as the extraction medium was used to concentrate target analytes. Because there were abundant carboxyl groups in the monolith, the monolithic fibers could extract aminoglycosides effectively through cation-exchange and hydrophobic interactions. To obtain optimum extraction performance, several extraction parameters including desorption solvent, adsorption and desorption time, pH value and ionic strength in sample matrix, were investigated in detail. Under the optimized extraction conditions, the limits of detection of the proposed method were 0.10-0.30 and 0.23-0.59 μg/kg for honey and milk samples, respectively. Satisfactory linearity was achieved for analytes with the coefficients of determination above 0.99. At the same time, the developed method showed acceptable method repeatability and reproducibility. Finally, the proposed method was successfully applied to the determination of aminoglycosides in real honey and milk samples. Recoveries obtained for the determination of six target analytes in spiking samples ranged from 67.9 to 110%, and the relative standard deviations were in the range of 1.2-11%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bounded model checking (BMC) of timed automata has been successfully applied to verify concurrent real-time systems, but its scalability is still limited by the large bound required to find counter-example, the efficiency of the decision procedure which is employed to solve the BMC formula, as well as the large search space for solving satisfiability of the resulting formula. In this paper, we present a systemic encoding scheme to attack all the above three problems. To attack the first problem, we first encode a discrete action followed by a time delay as a composed transition to cut the BMC steps which are used to characterize the time elapse. Then we take advantage of the local time semantics to allow more independent actions to be executed in parallel, which further reduces the required number of BMC steps and hence also the formula size. To employ a more efficient decision procedure, we also translate the linear arithmetic encoding of timed automata to a difference logic formula which can be solved more efficient by a satisfiability modulo theory solver. To address the last problem, we employ explicit-state partial order reduction idea of only executing some of the enabled transitions to add additional constrains to eliminate some redundant multi-step executions, thus restricting the search space. Experimental results show that our encoding performs significantly better than previous encodings. © 2017 Institute of Electrical Engineers of Japan. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new multiple monolithic fiber solid-phase microextraction using a polydopamine-based monolith as the extraction medium is proposed. The monolith was synthesized by facile in situ copolymerization of N-methacryldopamine and dual cross-linkers (divinylbenzene/ethylenedimethacrylate) in the presence of N, N-dimethylformamide. The effect of the contents of N-methacryldopamine and porogen in the polymerization mixture on the extraction performance was investigated thoroughly. A series of characterization studies was performed to validate the structure and properties of the monolith. The prepared multiple monolithic fibers were used for the extraction of triazine herbicides in environmental water samples. After the optimization of the extraction parameters, a convenient, sensitive, cost-effective, and environmentally friendly method for the determination of trace triazine herbicides in water samples was developed by coupling multiple monolithic fibers solid-phase microextraction with high-performance liquid chromatography and diode array detection. The results indicated that the limits of detection and quantification for the target compounds were 0.031-0.14 and 0.10-0.45 μg/L, respectively. Good precision and reproducibility were obtained with the relative standard deviations below 10%. The developed method was applied to the analysis of the triazine herbicides in different water samples (lake, river, and farmland waters). The recoveries of the method were in the range between 79.6 and 117%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, a new stir cake sorptive extraction using a boron-rich monolith as the adsorbent was prepared by the in situ copolymerization of vinylboronic anhydride pyridine complex and divinylbenzene. The effect of preparation parameters, including the ratio of vinylboronic anhydride pyridine complex and divinylbenzene, monomer mixture, and porogen solvent, on extraction performance was investigated thoroughly. The physicochemical properties of the adsorbent were characterized by infrared spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and mercury intrusion porosimetry. Several conditions affecting the extraction efficiency were investigated in detail. Under the optimized conditions, a convenient and sensitive method for the determination of trace fluoroquinolones residues in water and milk samples was established by coupling stir cake sorptive extraction with high-performance liquid chromatography and diode array detection. The limits of detection for the target compounds were 0.10-0.26 and 0.11-0.22 μg/L for water and milk samples, respectively. In addition, the developed method showed good linearity, repeatability, and precision. Finally, the proposed method was successfully applied for the detection of trace fluoroquinolones residues in environmental water and milk samples. Satisfactory recoveries were obtained for the determination of fluoroquinolones in spiking samples that ranged from 68.8 to 120%, with relative standard deviations below 10% in all cases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The development of a simple and sensitive analytical approach that combines multiple monolithic fiber solid-phase microextraction with liquid desorption followed by high-performance liquid chromatography with diode array detection is proposed for the determination of trace levels of seven steroid sex hormones (estriol, 17β-estradiol, testosterone, ethinylestradiol, estrone, progesterone and mestranol) in water and urine matrices. To extract the target analytes effectively, multiple monolithic fiber solid-phase microextraction based on a polymeric ionic liquid was used to concentrate hormones. Several key extraction parameters including desorption solvent, extraction and desorption time, pH value and ionic strength in sample matrix were investigated in detail. Under the optimal experimental conditions, the limits of detection were found to be in the range of 0.027-0.12 μg/L. The linear range was 0.10-200 μg/L for 17β-estradiol, 0.25-200 μg/L estriol, ethinylestradiol and estrone, and 0.50-200 μg/L for the other hormones. Satisfactory linearities were achieved for analytes with the correlation coefficients above 0.99. Acceptable method reproducibility was achieved by evaluating the repeatability and intermediate precision with relative standard deviations of both less than 8%. The enrichment factors ranged from 54- to 74-fold. Finally, the proposed method was successfully applied to the analysis of steroid sex hormones in environmental water samples and human urines with spiking recoveries ranged from 75.6 to 116%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Myocardial ischemia/reperfusion (MI/R) injury, in which inflammatory response and cell apoptosis play a vital role, is frequently encountered in clinical practice. Astragaloside IV (AsIV), a small molecular saponin of Astragalus membranaceus, has been shown to confer protective effects against many cardiovascular diseases. The present study was aimed to investigate the antiinflammatory and antiapoptotic effects and the possible mechanism of AsIV on MI/R injury in rats. Rats were randomly divided into sham operation group, MI/R group and groups with combinations of MI/R and different doses of AsIV. The results showed that the expressions of myocardial toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) and nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) were significantly increased, and apoptosis of cardiomyocytes was induced in MI/R group compared with that in sham operation group. Administration of AsIV attenuated MI/R injury, downregulated the expressions of TLR4 and NF-κB and inhibited cell apoptosis as evidenced by decreased terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase dUTP nick end labeling positive cells, B-cell lymphoma-2 associated X protein and caspase-3 expressions and increased B-cell lymphoma-2 expression compared with that in MI/R group. In addition, AsIV treatment reduced levels of inflammatory cytokines induced by MI/R injury. In conclusion, our results demonstrated that AsIV downregulates TLR4/NF-κB signaling pathway and inhibits cell apoptosis, subsequently attenuating MI/R injury in rats. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lipid deposition in artery walls is implied in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis and imbalance between uptake and efflux of cholesterol favors the deposition. We investigated the effect of vitamin E with the same dose and duration on the different stages of atherosclerosis in Apolipoprotein E knockout ( ApoE KO) mice and explored the potential mechanisms. The results showed that the ApoE KO mouse spontaneously develops atherosclerosis in an age-dependent manner from 14 to 46 weeks on the regular chow. Vitamin E (100 mg/kg) supplementation to ApoE KO mice at 6, 14, and 22 weeks for 8 weeks significantly reduced the atherosclerotic lesion area by 41, 29 and 19 % respectively compared to the age-matched control mice; however had no significant effect on the lesion when given at 30 and 38 weeks. In addition, vitamin E supplemented at the ages from 6 to 30 weeks decreased the contents of serum oxLDL and TBARS without affecting the TC and TAG contents in serum and liver. Furthermore, vitamin E supplemented at 6, 14 and 22 weeks down-regulated vasculature mRNA expressions of scavenger receptor CD36 and up-regulated mRNA expressions of PPARγ, LXRα and ABCA1 which are involved in reverse cholesterol transportation; however had no significant effects on these genes when given at 30 and 38 weeks. In conclusion, vitamin E with same dose and duration inhibits the early but not advanced atherosclerotic lesion in ApoE KO mice by anti-oxidation and regulation of mRNA expression of genes involved in cholesterol uptake and efflux, which favors the improvement of atherosclerosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Monolithic fibers were synthesized and applied for the solid-phase microextraction and determination of chlorophenols in environmental water samples by coupling with HPLC. The fibers were prepared by copolymerization of vinylimidazole and ethylene dimethacrylate as functional monomer and cross-linker, respectively. The effect of the preparation conditions of monolithic fibers on the extraction efficiencies was investigated in detail. Several characteristic techniques, such as elemental analysis, infrared spectroscopy, mercury-intrusion porosimetry, and SEM were used to characterize the monolithic material. The effect of the extraction parameters, including desorption solvent, extraction and desorption time, pH values, and ionic strength in sample matrix on the extraction performance was investigated thoroughly. Under the improved extraction conditions, the linear ranges of 2-chlorophenol, 2,4-dichlorophenol and pentachlorophenol were 1.0-200 μg/L and 2.0-200 μg/L for 2,4,6-trichlorophenol. The detection limits (S/N = 3) were in the range of 0.16-0.45 μg/L, the RSDs for intraday and interday precisions were <7.0%. Finally, the proposed method was successfully used to detect different environmental water samples. The recoveries of spiked water samples were ranged from 90.0 to 115%. At the same time, satisfactory repeatability was achieved with RSDs < 9.0%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

OBJECTIVES: To explore the effects of sodium phenylbutyrate on the proliferation, differentiation, cell cycle arrest and induction of the P21WAF1/CIP1 anti-oncogene in human liver carcinoma cell lines Bel-7402 and HepG2. METHODS: Bel-7402 and HepG2 human liver carcinoma cells were treated with sodium phenylbutyrate at different concentrations. Light microscopy was used to observe morphological changes in the carcinoma cells. Effects on the cell cycle were detected by using flow cytometry. P21WAF1/CIP1 expression was determined by both reverse transcription–polymerase chain reaction and western blotting. Statistical analysis was performed by using one-way anova and Student's t-test. RESULTS: Sodium phenylbutyrate treatment caused time- and dose-dependent growth inhibition of Bel-7402 and HepG2 cells. This treatment also caused a decline in the proportion of S-phase cells and an increase in the proportion of G0/G1 cells. Sodium phenylbutyrate increased the expression of P21WAF1/CIP1. CONCLUSIONS: Sodium phenylbutyrate inhibits the proliferation of human liver carcinoma cells Bel-7402 and HepG2, induces partial differentiation, and increases the expression of P21WAF1/CIP1. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purR gene encodes a repressor (PurR) controlling the synthesis of the enzymes of purine biosynthesis. The subunit of PurR was identified as a 38-kDa polypeptide by SDS/polyacrylamide gel electrophorcsis. Analysis of a purR—lacZ transcriptional fusion indicated that purR expression is autoregulated. This was confirmed by get retardation and DNaseI footprinting experiments, where two PurR-binding sites were identified in the transcribed part of purR. Introduction of a purR mutation in wild-type and pur—lac fusion strains was found to abolish purine repression of all genes of the purine biosynthetic pathway except for purA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Presents a study which investigates the changes of incidence of gastric cancer 8 years after Helicobacter pylori eradication and the relation between H. pylori infection, and the histopathology of gastric mucosa in H. pylori positive individuals in Shandong, China, where the risk of gastric cancer is high. Number of subjects used in the examination of the disease; Rate of eradication of H. pylori in the treatment group; Comparison of the findings and the histology of the biopsy specimens during follow-up examinations of patients who underwent gastroscopy.