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Berberine is a well-known component of the Chinese herbal medicine Huanglian (Coptis chinensis), and is capable of inhibiting the proliferation of multiple cancer cell lines. However, information available regarding the effect of berberine on prostate cancer cell growth is limited. In the present study, LnCaP and PC-3 human prostate cancer cell lines were selected as in vitro models in order to assess the efficacy of berberine as an anticancer agent. A cell proliferation assay demonstrated that berberine inhibited cell growth in a dose-and time-dependent manner. Further investigation revealed berberine significantly accumulated inside cells that were in the G1 phase of the cell cycle and enhanced apoptosis. Western blot analysis demonstrated that berberine inhibited the expression of prostate-specific antigen and the activation of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), and it attenuated EGFR activation following EGF treatment in vitro. In conclusion, the results indicate that berberine inhibits the proliferation of prostate cancer cells through apoptosis and/or cell cycle arrest by inactivation of the EGFR signaling pathway. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of the present study was to investigate the role of paxillin in the vascular endothelial growth factor A (VEGF-A)-induced adhesion, proliferation, migration and capillary formation of endothelial cells (ECs) in vitro. Human umbilical vein ECs (HUVECs) were used to evaluate these four processes in vitro. The HUVECs were either mock-transfected (control), transfected with scramble small interference RNA (siRNA) or transfected with siRNA specifically targeting paxillin. VEGF-A (20 ng/ml) was used to stimulate angiogenesis. The VEGF-A treatment significantly increased the adhesion, proliferation, migration and tube formation of the HUVECs in the control and scramble siRNA groups, whereas the siRNA-mediated knockdown of paxillin inhibited these VEGF-A-induced effects. Paxillin is essential for VEGF-A-mediated angiogenesis in ECs and its inhibition may be a potential target for antiangiogenic therapies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aimed to investigate the effect and potential mechanisms of exogenous administration of recombinant human erythropoietin (rhEPO) on retinal angiogenesis in a mouse model of oxygen-induced retinopathy (OIR). Postnatal day 7 (P7) mice (n=132) were randomly assigned to one of six groups: Control group (n=22), OIR group (n=22), OIR + vehicle control group (n=22), OIR + rhEPO 10 IU group (n=22), OIR + rhEPO 50 IU group (n=22), and OIR + rhEPO 100 IU group (n=22). OIR was induced by exposing mice to 75±2% O2 for five days, followed by exposure to room air for a further five days. Animals in groups 3-6 (the OIR + vehicle control group and OIR + rhEPO 10 IU, 50 IU, and 100 IU groups) received an intraperitoneal injection of saline, or rhEPO 10 IU, 50 IU and 100 IU, respectively, which were administered daily from P7-P12. Immunofluorescent and hematoxylin-eosin staining were used to detect retinal neovascularization (RNV) in retinal whole mounts. Quantitative polymerase chain reaction and western blot analysis were used to detect the expression levels of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS), and neuronal nitric oxide synthase (nNOS). RNV occurred in the OIR groups and was accompanied by dilated, twisted and occluded blood vessels. rhEPO treatment resulted in an increase in the number of newly formed and severely dilated vessels. rhEPO increased RNV in a dose-dependent manner, which was accompanied by an increase in the messenger RNA and protein expression of VEGF, eNOS and nNOS. Thus, exogenous use of rhEPO promotes the RNV in a mouse model of OIR and is accompanied by increased expression levels of VEGF, eNOS and nNOS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Astaxanthin is a carotenoid widely found in marine organisms and microorganisms. With extensive use in nutraceuticals, cosmetics, and animal feed, astaxanthin will have the largest share in the global market for carotenoids in the near future. Owing to its unique molecular features, astaxanthin has excellent antioxidant activity and holds promise for use in biochemical studies. This review focuses on the observed health benefits of dietary astaxanthin, as well as its underlying bioactivity mechanisms. Recent studies have increased our understanding of the role of isomerization and esterification in the structure–function relationship of dietary astaxanthin. Gut microbiota may involve the fate of astaxanthin during digestion and absorption; thus, further knowledge is needed to establish accurate recommendations for dietary intake of both healthy and special populations. Associated with the regulation of redox balance and multiple biological mechanisms, astaxanthin is proposed to affect oxidative stress, inflammation, cell death, and lipid metabolism in humans, thus exerting benefits for skin condition, eye health, cardiovascular system, neurological function, exercise performance, and immune response. Additionally, preclinical trials predict its potential effects such as intestinal flora regulation and anti-diabetic activity. Therefore, astaxanthin is worthy of further investigation for boosting human health, and wide applications in the food industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Big data wiil have a profound impact on economics, society and life in the near future, and the research on integration and storage of big data may play an important theoretical and practical role in promoting and deepening the application scope of big data. It utilized the data storage structure of the distributed file system named as HBase and the basic-element of Extenics to integrate the heterogeneous data sets, and then stored the processed data set in HBase database. The new data set, which was obtained by extracting the typical characteristics as well as their value of data, especially the semi-structured and unstructured data, provides not only a new way for the analysis and interpretation of data but also the research ideas and strategy generation for the professional issues from the perspective of big data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Combining the design method of parallel coupled microstrip lines with microwave simulation software ADS2009,a bandpass filter was designed for the UWB(ultra wideband) indoor positioning system. By taking advantage of cascading multilevel parallel coupled microstrip lines, some problems of the filter were settled, such as the narrow bandwidth, the bad ripple characteristics and the big insertion loss, etc. The three parameters of height, spacing and length were selected as the object of optimization and simulation of the filter, the measurement results of the material object are as follows: the insertion loss was less than 3 dB, the out band rejection was higher than 10 dB. Comparing the measured results with the simulation results, the design method had the advantages of simple structure and superior performance and met the needs of the UWB indoor positioning system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The β-carbonic anhydrase (β-CA) is regarded as a zinc-containing enzyme involved in photosynthesis. Here, the rice plants of cv. N22 were treated with foliar spray at a Zn concentration range from 0-35.0 mM during the tillering stage. The β-CA expression in the treated leaves was quantitatively determined by RT-qPCR and gel-based immunoblotting techniques, and its enzyme activity and relative chlorophyll concentration were measured. Results indicated that exogenous zinc could benefit rice plants at the tillering stage, particularly chloroplast β-CA with a fourfold enhancement in gene expression and a 14.6 % increase in its activity by treating the rice leaves with the 7.0-mM Zn concentration, thereby promoting photosynthesis by a 19.4 % increase in relative chlorophyll concentration per unit leaf area. Results also showed that the application of Zn at a concentration exceeding 7.0 mM could result in leaf senescence, and in some cases leaf hurts with significant inactivation (decreasing by approximately 70 %) of β-CA enzyme. It could be concluded that the application of 7.0-mM Zn benefits rice plants at the tillering stage. The β-CA activity was associated with the catalytic microenvironment, thus providing an indicator for physiological response to exogenous zinc in rice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose – This paper attempts to establish the general formula for computing the inverse of grey matrix, and the results are applied to solve grey linear programming. The inverse of a grey matrix and grey linear programming plays an important role in establishing a grey computational system. Design/methodology/approach – Starting from the fact that missing information often appears in complex systems, and therefore that true values of elements are uncertain when the authors construct a matrix, as well as calculate its inverse. However, the authors can get their ranges, which are called the number-covered sets, by using grey computational rules. How to get the matrix-covered set of inverse grey matrix became a typical approach. In this paper, grey linear programming was explained in detail, for the point of grey meaning and the methodology to calculate the inverse grey matrix can successfully solve grey linear programming. Findings – The results show that the ranges of grey value of inverse grey matrix and grey linear programming can be obtained by using the computational rules. Practical implications – Because the matrix and the linear programming have been widely used in many fields such as system controlling, economic analysis and social management, and the missing information is a general phenomenon for complex systems, grey matrix and grey linear programming may have great potential application in real world. The methodology realizes the feasibility to control the complex system under uncertain situations. Originality/value – The paper successfully obtained the ranges of uncertain inverse matrix and linear programming by using grey system theory, when the elements of matrix and the coefficients of linear programming are intervals and the results enrich the contents of grey mathematics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] Herein, a label-free electrochemiluminescence (ECL) biosensor for sensitive determination of carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) was fabricated based on CdS quantum dots loaded onto metal organic framework (CdS QDs@MOF) and triethanolamine modified on gold nanoparticles (TEOA@AuNPs) as bi-coreactants of Ru(bpy) 3 2+ ECL system. The TEOA@AuNPs served as not only coreactant of Ru(bpy) 3 2+ but also nanocarrier for CEA aptamer which was bonded to the TEOA@AuNPs through Au–S bond. After incubated in CEA solution, the ECL signals decreased due to the poor conductivity of CEA and there was a linear correlation between the ECL intensity and log(C CEA). Based on this result, a label-free ECL biosensor has been developed successfully and used to detect CEA with a detection limit of 8.5 × 10−5 ng/mL. The proposed ECL aptasensor had good analytical performance in the detection of CEA in human serum samples. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The dependent function is the core of extension set and it is an important work of extension theory. On the basis of the extension distance between one point and negative infinite interval and the one between it and whole real field, we constructed the corresponding formulas of location value as well as the elementary dependent functions, and got some properties. The functions make extenics be more application fields in quantitatively describing the paradoxical problems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose – This paper attempts to establish the conceptional and computational systems of grey determinant and apply it to solve n grey equations with n grey linear equations, which can be viewed as the important parts of grey mathematics. Design/methodology/approach – Starting from the fact that missing information often appears in complex systems, the true values of elements when constructing a determinant and of coefficients when solving n equations with n linear equations cannot be obtained, so they are uncertain. However, their ranges can be obtained by using correct investigation methods. The uncertain elements and coefficients are grey and their ranges are number-covered sets. On the basis of the results of Li and Wang, the paper systematically proposes the definition system of grey determinant and n grey linear equations, and utilizes the computational rules of grey determinant to solve the n grey equations with n grey linear equations. Some numerical examples are computed to illustrate the results in this paper. Findings – The results show that the ranges of grey value of grey determinant and grey solutions of grey equations with n grey linear equations can be obtained by using computational rules proposed. Practical implications – Because the determinant and the linear equations have been widely used in many fields such as system controlling, economic analysis and social management, and the missing information is a general phenomenon for complex systems, grey determinant and grey linear equations may have great potential application in the real world. The method realizes the feasibility of system analysis under uncertain situations. Originality/value – The paper succeeds in providing systematic results of computation of uncertain determinant and n linear equations by using grey systems theory and enriches the contents of grey mathematics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Prototheca zopfii ( P. zopfii) has become an important cause of bovine mastitis in many countries. In the present study, to better understand the occurrence of one clinical mastitis (CM) outbreak due to P. zopfii, the molecular characterization and resistance patterns of the microalga were described. P. zopfii strains were isolated from 17 of 23 quarters, which suffered CM in the outbreak, and 7 of 46 CM recovered quarters before the outbreak, as well as 2 of 75 environmental samples in the dairy farm. All strains were identified as genotype 2 by genotype-specific PCR analysis. Results of in vitro antimicrobial and antifungal susceptibility tests indicated that these strains were resistant to majority of tested drugs, with the only exception of amphotericin B, nystatin, streptomycin, gentamicin, and amikacin. This is the first report about CM outbreak caused by P. zopfii in China. These data suggest that P. zopfii may represent a serious risk in the studied herd, and this microalga could be an important potential pathogen causing mastitis in dairy herds of Beijing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: A system whose information is partially known and partially unknown to the investigator is named a grey system. Due to various inevitable noises contained in the process of data collection, managers of enterprise usually have to deal with poor information and make decisions under the influence of uncertainty. In this article, we propose grey enterprise input–output analysis. The value and the physical types of grey models are established. In particular, we present a detailed way of calculating the matrix-covered set of the inverse of grey triangular matrix. The proposed method makes the management of enterprises more practically possible when the available data contains uncertainty. At the end, we look at a case study to show the practical feasibility of our work. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]