Volume 12, Issue 1

This study was conducted to compare the growth and yield of one of the commercial hybrid coffee cultivars ( Coffea congensis x Coffea canephora ) of robusta coffee established from somatic embryogenesis as well as conventional seedlings. Results indicated no statistically significant differences in the growth pattern or the cumulative yield between the somatic embryogenesis derived plants and the seedlings. The genetic fidelity of somatic embryogenesis derived plants and the mother plant was tested using sequence related amplified polymorphism (SRAP) markers. A total of 24 SRAP primers were employed for DNA analysis which produced a total of 153 clear, distinct and reproducible amplicons of variable size. Out of 24 SRAP primers, 9 primers produced amplification patterns which are identical between the mother plants and plants derived from somatic embryogenesis. Cluster analysis revealed more than 95% genetic similarity between the somatic embryogenesis derived plants and the mother plants indicating a high degree of genetic fidelity. The present study clearly demonstrates the usefulness of SRAP markers in genetic fidelity analysis of coffee.

Gypsy moth ( Lymantria dispar ) is one of the most important forest pests in the world. Numerous previous studies focused only on different host tree species, but small number of them on foliage age. Since recent genetic analyses showed that there are significant differences between Croatian continental and coastal population we investigated coastal population since there was no previous research. For this research juvenile and mature foliage of Holm oak ( Quercus ilex ) was used. Larval development was investigated in two laboratory experiments. One experiment involved rearing trials consisting of 50 individual larvae per treatment while a parallel experiment investigated gregarious feeding conditions using 120 larvae in a rearing treatment. Larval mortality was lower and development time shorter for individuals reared on juvenile foliage. High pupation success in both the individual and group rearing experiment for larvae reared on juvenile foliage was also observed. To conclude, our results showed high mortality, poor larval development and low pupation success in larvae reared on mature foliage. This research is significant because in the aspect of ongoing climate changes there is a possibility that gypsy moth will move to the north and shift its distribution by expanding into new climatic area.

P-selectin is an adhesion molecule which plays an important role in the development of inflammation. It is encoded by the SELP gene located on chromosome 1q21-q24. Various single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of SELP have been reported to be associated with various inflammatory disease conditions. The genetics behind these diseases could be better understood by knowing the structural and functional impact of various genetic determinants of SELP . So far, this is the first comprehensive and systematic in silico analysis of SNPs in SELP . A total of 2780 SNPs of SELP were retrieved from NCBI dbSNP. Only conserved and validated SNPs with minor allele frequency (MAF) ≥ 0.05 were subjected to further analysis. Based on these criteria, we selected 4 non-synonymous SNPs (nsSNPs) and 119 non-coding SNPs (ncSNPs). The nsSNPs were analyzed for deleterious effects using SIFT, Polyphen-2, nsSNPAnalyzer, SNP & Go, SNPs3, Mutperd and I-mutant web tools. The template prediction for variant structure modeling was performed using MUSTER and SWISS-MODEL. The functional impact of ncSNPs was analyzed by SNPinfo and RegulomeDB. The in silico analysis predicted 3 nsSNPs and 21 ncSNPs as potential candidates for future case-control association studies and functional analysis of SELP .

Amorphophallus konjac (Araceae) a perennial herb, it has high medicinal and industrial value. In this study, a simple and efficient system for direct somatic embryogenesis and plantlet regeneration of Amorphophallus konjac was developed. The floral axis was used as the experimental material. The primary callus, developed from the floral axis grown on Murashige and Skoog (MS) medium supplemented with different hormone combination at different concentrations. The highest rate of embryogenic callus formation was observed on the MS medium containing 9.04 µM 2, 4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2, 4-D) and 5.37 µM naphthalene acetic acid (NAA). The maximum induction rate was 79.8%, and the embryogenic calli were able to subculture on a medium containing similar hormone combination for over 1 year. The calli were also placed on different media for regeneration and it produced complete plants with shoots and root systems simultaneously. The highest differentiation rate of the embryogenic calli grown on differentiation medium supplemented with 8.88 µM 6-benzylaminopurine (6-BA) and 5.37 µM NAA was 95.6%. Flow cytometry analysis showed no ploidy variation in all the regenerate plantlets.

This study deals with the determination of the content of both free and bound terpenes in berries and wine of the aromatic grapevine variety ‘Irsai Oliver’. Grapes were macerated in juice for different time intervals (viz. 0; 5; 12; 24 hours) and thereafter processed to wine. The objective was to map the dependence of some selected terpenes on the period of maceration. Using gas chromatography, some nine organic compounds were detected. Attention was paid to contents of linalool (3,7-dimethylokta-1,6-dien-3-ol), 2,6-dimetyl-3,7-octadiene-2,6-diol, hotrienol ([(5E)-3,7-dimethylocta-1,5,7-trien-3-yl] acetate), αterpineol (2-(4-Methyl-1-cyclohex-3-enyl)propan-2-ol), β-citronellol (3,7-Dimethyloct-6-en-1-ol), nerol ((Z)-3,7-dimethyl-2,6-octadien-1-ol), geraniol ((trans)-3,7-dimethyl-2,6-oktadien-1-ol) and epoxylinalool (2-(5-ethenyl-5-methyloxolan-2-yl)propan-2- ol): epoxylinalool 1 (trans-linalool oxide (furanoid) cis-linalool oxide (furanoid)) and epoxylinalool 2 (trans-linalool oxide (pyranoid) cis-linalool oxide (pyranoid)). Some basic wine parameters (alcohol, pH, sugars and total acids) were estimated as well. The terpene content in wine increased gradually with the period of maceration. The highest and the lowest amounts of terpenes were recorded after 24 hours of maceration and no maceration, respectively. The terpene glycosides content was higher than that of the aglycones. Linalool and 2,6-dimetyl-3,7-octadiene-2,6-diol were the most abundant terpenes. Based on the results of this study it is possible to conclude that the ‘Irsai Oliver’ variety of grape has a very high terpene content. To improve the aromatic profile of the wine, the grape must should be macerated for 24 hours.

Light and smell have both been shown to induce beneficial changes to human psychophysiology. Bright light therapy has been shown to have a positive impact on anxiety and depression and smell has also been shown to have positive effects on mood, stress, anxiety and depression. We developed a method for the delivery of integrated light and smell stimulation to try to optimise positive psychophysiological benefit. We tested its effectiveness on a physiological measure, EEG frontal alpha asymmetry (FA) and a psychological paradigm, the POMS test, both of which have been used as a measure of emotional state and mood. Light, pleasant smell, combined light+smell and a no stimulus control were delivered for 90s while the frontal alpha asymmetry (FA) was monitored. Smell and light+smell caused significant reductions in negative FA during stimulation. Exposure to a longer 15 min nonadaptive light+smell stimulus protocol reduced negative FA and decreased negative affect (POMS). The effects were greater in the negative FA group. Both the physiological (EEG) and psychometric (POMS) data indicate that integrated light and smell stimulation can reduce negative affect and reduce a marker for anxiety/ depression. This light+smell sensory stimulation protocol could offer a safe treatment for depression/anxiety.

Swailing as a part of agricultural practice is an illegal habit in many European countries. The indirect effect of swailing is the emission of volatiles (SGV), hence the aim of the study was to identify their impact to seeds of different species occurring or grown Europe. It was carried out on seeds of 29 species of 10 botanical families within the angiosperms. The response to SGV was more or less differentiated within a family, and even within the species, e.g. in the case of tomato. The stimulation of germination and/or increased seedling vigour was established in celery, green- and red-leafed basil, white and red cabbage, white clover and wild thyme. The same effect was noticed for the seeds of stratified broadleaf plantain and the positively photoblastic seeds of German chamomile germinated in darkness. The inhibition of seed germination and/ or reduced seedling vigour was demonstrated in case of caraway, dill and forget-me-not. Similar results were obtained in the experiments carried out in vitro and in the soil, hence it can be assumed that the indirect impact of SGV on plant habitat composition is likely. The interaction of SGV compounds with seed testa and seed phytohormones is discussed.

Abstract: In this paper, we studied the influence of soil physicochemical factors on the distribution of Cordyceps. We found that in the soil layers at different depths, the differences in pH values, total N (TN), total P (TP), available P (AP) and available K (AK) were not significant, but the differences in soil water content (WC), soil organic matter (OM), hydrolysable nitrogen (HN) and AK were significant. In the 5-10 cm layer, WC, pH and TP were significant factors that influence the distribution of Cordyceps - the number of Cordyceps was the largest and the characterization of the Cordyceps was also the best. TP was an important factor for the first principle component of the soil physicochemical properties that influenced the population distribution of Cordyceps. pH value was an important factor for the the second principal component of the soil physicochemical properties that influenced population distribution, and WC was an important factor for the third principal component, the soil physicochemical properties. This demonstrates that the requirement of Cordyceps for specific ranges of WC, soil acidity-alkalinity and AP in soil layers is very high.

The production of high-quality methane depends on many factors, including temperature, pH, substrate, composition and relationship of the microorganisms. The qualitative and quantitative composition of methanogenic and sulfate-reducing microorganisms and their relationship in the experimental bioreactors has never been studied. The aim of this research was to characterize, for the first time, the diversity of the methanogenic microorganisms and sulfate-reducing bacteria, and study their relationship and biogas production in experimental bioreactors. Amplification of 16S rRNA gene fragments was carried out. Purified amplicons were paired-end sequenced on an Illumina Mi-Seq platform. The dominant morphotypes of these microorganisms in the bioreactor were homologous (99%) by the sequences of 16S rRNA gene to the Methanosarcina , Thermogymnomonas , Methanoculleus genera and Archaeon deposited in GenBank. Three dominant genera of sulfate-reducing bacteria, Desulfomicrobium , Desulfobulbus and Desulfovibrio , were detected in the bioreactor. The phylogenetic trees showing their genetic relationship were constructed. The diversity and number of the genera, production of methane, hydrogen sulfide and hydrogen in the bioreactor was investigated. This research is important for understanding the relationship between methanogenic microbial populations and other bacterial physiological groups, their substrate competition and, in turn, can be helpful for controlling methanogenesis in bioreactors.

Type 2 diabetes is contemporarily a major social and epidemiological problem and among others is a strong risk factor for cardiovascular diseases. Pentraxin 3, a potential early biomarker of atherosclerosis, is an acute-phase reactant produced by the peripheral tissues where the inflammation takes place. In this study we examined a group of patients with type 2 diabetes with and without cardiovascular complications compared to persons with normal glucose tolerance (patients with cardiovascular complications and healthy volunteers). Plasma pentraxin 3 concentration as well as some basic biochemical blood analysis were performed. Moreover, transcranial and carotid Doppler ultrasound examination as well as transthoracic echocardiography were performed. It turned out that there was an association of plasma pentraxin 3 concentration and carotid atherosclerosis found in the control group of patients with cardiovascular complications but with normal glucose tolerance. In the group of patients with type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular complications we have found an association of plasma pentraxin 3 concentration with diastolic left ventricular dysfunction. Additionally, in the group of patients with type 2 diabetes without cardiovascular disease plasma pentraxin 3 concentration was associated with elevated urinary albumin creatinine ratio. Further studies, on a larger group of patients, are required to confirm these observations.

Argulus spp. are important ectoparasites of fish, and the current approach of their control using chemical pesticides has numerous drawbacks. Vaccination is a promising alternative but identification of protective antigens is a limiting step. The ribosomal protein P0, essential for protein synthesis, has been studied as a vaccine candidate. We generated sequence information of the P0 protein of the ectoparasite Argulus siamensis and the host Labeo rohita . The region of the parasite P0 protein with less sequence similarity with that of the host P0 protein and high predicted antigenicity was used for peptide synthesis. The peptide was conjugated with keyhole limpet hemocyanin (KLH) for immunization of rohu at a dose of 1.5 μg/g body weight. Dot blot assays confirmed production of antibodies against pP0-KLH in immunized fish. We evaluated the efficiency of pP0-KLH as a vaccine antigen by challenge of the immunized fish with A . siamensis . Although there was no significant difference in parasite load between both groups, a reduced and delayed mortality of 59% (15 days post-infection) in immunized group was noticed as compared to 75% mortality (within 7–15 days post-infection) in control group. The partial protection observed indicated the need for further optimization of this molecule to develop it into a vaccine candidate.

This study analyses 1000 cases of patients with breast cancer and 2000 cases of patients with gynecological cancer (1000 cases of malignant tumor, 1000 cases of benign tumors), where breast cancer and malignant tumor patients comprise the observation group, while patients with benign tumors comprise the control group. Through DNA extraction, STR genotyping and variation verification, microdissection, individual STR mutation rate and loci STR mutation rate of the two groups of patients were calculated. Results show that there are no significant (P > 0.05) differences in the STR variation of autosomes and X chromosome between patients in the observation group and those in the reference group. However, significant (P < 0.05) intergroup differences were found for STR variation typing between patients with malignant and benign tumors. Using STR genotyping for autosomes and X chromosomes, gynecological cancer patients were found to be more likely to mutate, with a clear relationship between STR variation and tumor differentiation degrees. The study on the variation analysis of autosomes and X chromosome STR in breast and gynecological cancer tissues is expected to have a high application value when applied to medical research and identification processes.

Cadmium (Cd) accumulates in the brain and can damage neurons via complex processes involving oxidative stress induction. In this study we used a homogenous population of neurons which are cerebellar granule neurons (CGNs) to investigate damage induced by Cd and its effects on antioxidant enzyme activity. The exposure of CGNs to increasing concentrations of Cd (2.5 μM-100 μM) during 24 h, 48 h, or 72 h led to the induction of neuronal death in a dose- and exposure time-dependent manner. The necrotic and/or apoptotic pathway involved in the cell death trigged by Cd seems to depend on the concentration of Cd and the exposure time. In addition to its cell damage, Cd was shown to affect the activity of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT) depending on the concentration of Cd and the exposure time. We also found that the exposure to Cd induces a bigger change in SOD activity than in CAT activity. Taken together, our findings explain, in part, the mechanism of Cd toxicity in a specific type of neuron which can provide information related to neurological pathologies ascribed to Cd toxicity.

Objective Several studies have suggested that testosterone exerts a growth-promoting effect in the heart. Limited data are available regarding interactions between possible endocrine/paracrine effects in response to exercise training. Therefore, we examined supraphysiological testosterone-induced heart hypertrophy and cardiac insulin-like growth factor (IGF)-1 content in sedentary and exercise-trained rats. Design Male Wistar rats (n=33) were randomly allocated to groups with a 6-week endurance training with or without testosterone, and sedentary animals with or without testosterone. The hormone (20 mg/250 g body weight was administrated once a week for six weeks. After six weeks the animals were anesthetized, euthanized and the heart was excised and weighed. The left ventricle was separated for biochemical analyses. Results Testosterone-treated animals showed significantly higher cardiac IGF-1 content compared to untreated control and trained groups (p=0.01). The administration of supraphysiological testosterone significantly increased the heart weight to body weight ratio (HW/BW, p<0.01). A significant positive correlation was seen between IGF-1 levels and the HW/BW ratio (p=0.002; r=0.50) and between serum total testosterone levels and HW/BW (p=0.000; r=0.79). Conclusions The results demonstrate that increased cardiac IGF-1 content in response to higher serum testosterone might be responsible for heart hypertrophy observed in both sedentary and endurance-trained animals.

Esophageal carcinoma is one of the important lethal tumors in the world, but the mechanism of esophageal cancer progression is still unclear. The long non-coding RNAs are known to regulate tumor progression. Here we report that BRAF-activated nonprotein coding RNA ( BANCR ) is associated with the development of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC). The expression levels of BANCR in 132 ESCC tumor tissues detected by quantitative real-time PCR were significantly higher than that in the adjacent normal tissues. The expression level of BANCR was down-regulated by transfecting small interrupting RNA against BANCR ( BANCR siRNA) in Eca109 cells. Eca109 and TE-1 cells transfected with BANCR siRNA led to the delayed cell cycles compared to the cells transfected with negative control siRNA. Moreover, MTT assays demonstrated that Eca109 cells transfected with BANCR siRNA resulted in the inhibition of cell proliferation. These results suggested that BANCR advances the development and progression of ESCC cells through regulating their cell cycles.

Soil salinity is one of the best known stress factors of plants that can lead to crop yield reduction. Therefore, it is important to identify new tolerance varieties of plants that can grow on saline soils. We have studied the influence of salt on five different tomato varieties from the Western region of Romania and compared them with a commercial hybrid and found that one of them (Rudna) is a very salt-tolerant variety (up to 200 mM NaCl). The assimilation rates and stomata conductance of water vapour are affected by salinity but some of the local varieties of tomato exhibit quite good tolerance. We found that all plants under salinity stress emit (Z)-3-hexenol (a C6, green leaf volatile) and the emission of all terpenes increased in proportion to the salt concentration. The emission of three terpenes, (Z)-beta-ocimene. 2-carene and beta-phellandrene, have been quantitatively correlated with salt concentration.

The present study aimed to describe and standardize a simple and efficient protocol for purification of camel IgG from serum, which can be applied for Camilidae antibody production in research laboratories, the preindustrial stage. Camel serum IgG was separated with caprylic acid and ammonium sulfate, then the effect of four variables studied: caprylic acid concentration, pH, stirring time, and stirring intensity. Camel IgG prepared by standardized caprylic acid fractionation method for camel serum was compared with commercial anti-sera products. Camel IgG purification from undiluted sera using caprylic acid at concentration of 8% v/v gave the best results. Purification at different pH values using caprylic acid at 8% v/v revealed that pH 5.5 was optimal. Investigating purification at different stirring time intervals using 8% v/v caprylic acid at pH 5.5 demonstrated that stirring for 90 min gave the optimum results. Finally, studying purification at different stirring intensities using 8% v/v caprylic acid at pH 5.5 for 90 min, the best stirring intensity was at 450 rpm. Overall, the results suggest that caprylic acid purification of camel serum IgG is more effective and safe than ammonium sulfate method in simplicity, purity, and lower non-IgG proteins in the final preparation with lower protein aggregates.

In almost all cyanobacteria a small gene family encodes the photosystem II reaction center D1 proteins that play vital roles in the cell. Recently, several types of this protein were functionally characterised and the conditions for their transcript regulation were identified. One of the D1-encoding genes previously believed to be silent is induced by microaerobic conditions. This gene was first described in Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803 as psbA1 encoding the D1 isoform. When Synechocystis cells are shifted from high to ambient level CO 2 we recorded an increase in gene expression, similar, but to a lesser extent, to microaerobic conditions. When synthetic air is used to remove the ambient CO 2 , the induction of the gene is absent. We documented for the first time that expression of a psbA gene is regulated by the inorganic carbon status of the cell. Our conclusion is that both CO 2 and microaerobic conditions are independently influencing the expression of psbA1 gene in Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803. Hence, it is crucial to understand the mechanisms of regulation and function of D1 proteins as it could be used for future bio-technological applications as a virtual tool-box for modulating the function of PSII.

Thrombophilia may be anticipated by single or combined hereditary defects in encoding genes factor V, Prothrombin, and MTHFR. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence and associated risks of V Leiden (G1691A), Prothrombin (G20210A), and MTHFR (C677T) mutations in Saudi women with Deep Vein Thrombosis (DVT) and women with recurrent pregnancy loss (RPL). Protein C and protein S activity were measured to determine combined effects, if any. We examined 60 women with a history of DVT and 60 with RPL, extracted DNA from EDTA blood and determined three mutations by using multiplex PCR reactions followed by Strip Assay KIT. Pro C Global assay was used to determine the cutoff value [PCATNR = 0.80]. Protein C/S chromogenic assay was used to estimate protein C and S percentages. Frequency of Factor V Leiden G/A genotype in patients with DVT 7 (11.6%) had a significant association for DVT χ2 (OR = 5.1, P = 0.03). In women with RPL the three mutations did not show any significant association, levels of Protein C, protein S and PCAT-NR in patient groups not different from controls (P > 0.05). In conclusion, we recommend expanding on these data to provide larger-scale studies.

Background The anticancer activity of a new synthetic α-methylene-δ-lactone DL-249 was reported in leukemia HL-60 and breast cancer MCF-7 cells and compared with the activity of a natural α-methylene-γ-lactone from Tanacetum parthenium , parthenolide. Methodology The chemical synthesis of DL-249 was performed using Horner-Wadsworth-Emmons methodology. The cytotoxic activity of the tested compounds was assessed by an MTT test. The ability to induce apoptosis was studied by flow cytometry. The expression levels of genes were determined by quantitative real-time PCR. Principal Findings/Results DL-249 and parthenolide inhibited the growth of HL-60 and MCF-7 cells with IC 50 values below 10 μM. DL-249 was a stronger apoptosis inducer than parthenolide in both cell lines and both compounds produced a more pronounced effect on HL-60 than on MCF-7 cells. DL-249 and PTL significantly up-regulated expression of Bax, caspase-9, caspase-3 and p53 genes and decreased the level of Bcl-2 and Bcl-xl genes in both cancer cell lines. Additionally DL-249 caused cell cycle arrest in the subG0/G1phase. Conclusion/Significance A new synthetic α-methylene-δ-lactone, DL-249 showed the anticancer activity on two cancer cell lines and seemed to be a better apoptosis inducer than parthenolide which makes this compound an attractive lead for further studies.

The effect of heated waters from coal-burning power stations on the water parameters and the occurrence of macroinvertebrates depends on the individual characteristics of the river to which the heated waters are discharged. The objective of the study was to assess the impact of heated water from the Ostrołęka Power Station on selected water properties and the macroinvertebrate community in the Narew River. Samples were collected in years: 2013-2016 along two river stretches: upstream and downstream of the canal. The water temperature was higher and the oxygen concentrations were lower at the downstream sites compared to the upstream sites of the canal. The values of conductivity, concentrations of nitrates, phosphates, chlorides and calcium were similar at the sampling sites. A total of 33 families of macrozoobenthos were found. The numbers of families were positively correlated with the temperature and conductivity and negatively correlated with oxygen. The heated waters were found to have no effect on the Shannon-Wiener diversity index. The inflow of heated waters increased the percentage of Gammaridae, represented by species Dikerogammarus haemobaphes (Eichwald, 1841) and decreased the percentage of Chironomidae. The presence of the thermophilous bivalve Sinanodonta woodiana (Lea, 1934) was noted downstream of the canal.

This study was aimed to explore the nutrient content, relative feed values (RFV) and in vitro true digestibilities (IVTD) of wheat straw and soybean straw pellets produced with the addition of molasses, guar meal and sepiolite. In this experiment, 16 groups were created for 2 different straws (wheat/soybean straws), 2 different sepiolite applications (available/not available) and 4 different applications (control, guar meal, molasses, guar meal+molasses) in accordance with the 2×2×4 factorial design. A Daisy incubator was used to determine the IVTD of the feeds. According to the results, molasses and guar meal increased the RFV of soybean straws, while molasses and guar meal treatments and sepiolite did not affect the RFV of wheat straws. It was observed that sepiolite increased the RFV’s of soybean straw for guar meal and guar meal+molasses. The higher IVTD’s were found for guar meal (without sepiolite) treatment of soybean straw and guar meal (with sepiolite) treatment of wheat straw. Molasses and guar meal addition to wheat and soybean straws improved the crude protein contents. In conclusion, straw pelleting can be used as an alternative forage conservation method to close the gap in forage supply during the winter.

RNA interference (RNAi) is a powerful strategy for gene function analysis, and it is also widely studied in view of a promising use in pest control. The red palm weevil, Rhynchophorus ferrugineus (Oliver) (Coleoptera: Curculionidae), is one of the most devastating pests of palm in the world. Conventional pest management practices are not adequate to control this insect, thus the development of efficient approaches with minimal environmental impact are needed. In this work, the potential of RNAi in R . ferrugineus has been investigated through the silencing of three different genes (α-amylase, V-ATPase, Ecdysone receptor). For each gene we tested two different doses (1,500 and 5,500 ng) and two delivery techniques (injection and ingestion), evaluating both gene knockdown and mortality on insects. Results show that RNAi mediated gene silencing in R . ferrugineus varies from gene to gene, and that the response is dose-dependent, with stronger effects when dsRNA was administered by injection. In parallel, the same study was carried out with the model organism Tribolium castaneum Herbst (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae), with results showing a different pattern of response, although the two insects belong to the same order.

Icariin has been demonstrated to stimulate mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) osteogensis and activate several signals, such as PI3K/Akt, but how the osteogenesis was sequentially mediated is unclear. Runx2 is one of the osteogenic regulators in MSC and is regulated by the TAZ gene. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether icariin-activated PI3K/Akt crosstalked with the TAZ-Runx2 pathway to regulate MSC osteogenesis. Adipose-derived MSCs were treated with icariin alone, together with TAZ silencing or PI3K/Akt inhibitor. Normal MSCs were used as a control. The activation of PI3K/Akt, expression of TAZ and downstream expression of Runx2 were analyzed. Induction of MSC osteogenesis under different treatments was detected. The results demonstrated that icariin treatment significantly activated PI3K/Akt and TAZ expression, as well as the downstream Runx2 expression. When activation of PI3K/Akt by icariin was inhibited by LY294002, upregulated TAZ expression was reversed, as well as the downstream expression of Runx2. Consequently, with the osteogenic counteracting effects of icariin on MSCs, inhibition of TAZ upregulation by siRNA did not significantly influence PI3K/ Akt activation in icariin-treated MSCs, but icariin-induced upregulation of Runx2 and osteogenic differentiation in MSCs was counteracted. It could be concluded from these findings that icariin treatment activated PI3K/Akt and further mediated the transcriptional activation of the TAZ/Runx2 pathway to induce osteogenic differentiation of MSCs.

Objectives Tudor-SN protein (SND1) is known to be up-regulated in some types of human malignancies and functions as an oncogene. The objective of our study was to investigate the expression and prognostic value of SND1 in human colorectal cancer (CRC). Methods Real-time PCR and western blot were performed to examine the SND1 expression in human CRC and their corresponding non-cancerous colon tissues from 42 patients. Its clinical significance was evaluated by analyzing its expression with multiple pathological characters of CRC patients. Finally, a Kaplan-Meier survival curve was derived for SND1 gene expression among these CRC patients. Results We found a significantly increased expression of SND1 mRNA and protein in tissue samples of CRC when compared to those in the paired normal adjacent colon tissues. High SND1 expression was positively correlated with higher tumor grades, aggressive N1+N2 nodal status and poor differentiation. Additionally, the overall survival rate in CRC patients with higher expression of SND1 was significantly shorter than that with lower SND1 expression. Conclusion Our findings suggested that SND1 might act as an important agent in the CRC carcinogenesis and predicted worse outcomes. The high expression of SND1 could be used as a novel predictive and prognostic marker of CRC.

Background: Dental caries disease is a dynamic process with a multi-factorial etiology. It is manifested by demineralization of enamel followed by damage spreading into the tooth inner structure. Successful early diagnosis could identify caries-risk and improve dental screening, providing a baseline for evaluating personalized dental treatment and prevention strategies. Methodology: Salivary proteome of the whole unstimulated saliva (WUS) samples was assessed in caries-free and caries-susceptible individuals of older adolescent age with permanent dentition using a nano-HPLC and MALDI-TOF/TOF mass spectrometry. Results: 554 proteins in the caries-free and 695 proteins in the caries-susceptible group were identified. Assessment using bioinformatics tools and Gene Ontology (GO) term enrichment analysis revealed qualitative differences between these two proteomes. Members of the caries-susceptible group exhibited a branch of cytokine binding gene products responsible for the regulation of immune and inflammatory responses to infections. Inspection of molecular functions and biological processes of caries-susceptible saliva samples revealed significant categories predominantly related to the activity of proteolytic peptidases, and the regulation of metabolic and catabolic processes of carbohydrates. Conclusions: Proteomic analysis of the whole saliva revealed information about potential risk factors associated with the development of caries-susceptibility and provides a better understanding of tooth protection mechanisms.

Copia and Gypsy play important roles in structural, functional and evolutionary dynamics of plant genomes. In this study, a total of 106 and 101, Copia and Gypsy reverse transcriptase ( rt ) were amplified respectively in the Morus notabilis genome using degenerate primers. All sequences exhibited high levels of heterogeneity, were rich in AT and possessed higher sequence divergence of Copia rt in comparison to Gypsy rt . Two reasons are likely to account for this phenomenon: a) these elements often experience deletions or fragmentation by illegitimate or unequal homologous recombination in the transposition process; b) strong purifying selective pressure drives the evolution of these elements through “selective silencing” with random mutation and eventual deletion from the host genome. Interestingly, mulberry rt clustered with other rt from distantly related taxa according to the phylogenetic analysis. This phenomenon did not result from horizontal transposable element transfer. Results obtained from fluorescence in situ hybridization revealed that most of the hybridization signals were preferentially concentrated in pericentromeric and distal regions of chromosomes, and these elements may play important roles in the regions in which they are found. Results of this study support the continued pursuit of further functional studies of Copia and Gypsy in the mulberry genome.

Background Mechanical stimulation via acupuncture and tuina massage triggers various cell responses. This study aims to understand these cellular bio-physical mechanisms by investigating the effect of different stimulation intensities on cell viability and protein expression. Methodology Connective tissue fibroblasts were cultured in vitro . Three varying intensities of mechanical strain stimulation were applied to the cells, either once or three times and compared with non-stimulated controls. Changes in fibroblast viability and fibroblast protein expression were observed. Results Strain stimulation intensity significantly increased fibroblast cell survival rate (p<0.01) to effectively improve cell viability. Moreover, the combined influence of both the strain stimulation intensity and number of stimulations on the fibroblast survival rate significantly differed (p<0.05). Strain intensity also significantly altered fibroblast protein expression between the three groups (p<0.0001). Cluster analysis showed that the medium-intensity strain stimulation posed the maximum influence on protein expression. Conclusion The difference in cell viability and protein expression of the connective tissue fibroblast during the in vitro strain process reveals the cytobiological mechanism of basic medicinal mechanical stimulation.

microRNAs (miRNAs) play an important role in osteoblast differentiation. However, the mechanisms of miRNAs regulating osteoblast mineralization still needs to be further cleared. Distal-less genes 2 (Dlx2) plays an important role in osteoblast differentiation. We have found that miR-539 was significantly downregulated and Dlx2 was found to be inversely correlated with miR-539 in MC3T3-E1 cell line during osteoblast mineralization. The overexpression of miR-539 significantly decreased the expression level of Dlx2 and suppressed the osteogenic marker gene expression level, alkaline phosphatase activity and matrix mineralization. Our study showed that miR-539 was a negative regulator in osteoblast mineralization and that the targeting of Dlx2 gene partly contributes to this inhibitory effect exerted by miR-539.

To investigate the community structure and species composition of intestinal microbiota in Coilia ectenes , sixty-seven samples were collected from Lake Taihu in China. The intestinal microbiota of the C . ectenes were identified by the V4 of the 16S ribosomal RNA gene using high-throughput sequencing. Furthermore, the water quality of different sampling sites was also evaluated. A total of 53 phyla and 730 classified genera were found in all the samples. The eight dominant phyla Planctomycetes, Firmicutes, Proteobacteria, Bacteroidetes, Cyanobacteria, Crenarchaeota, Actinobacteria, and Verrucomicrobia were included. The intestinal microbiota compositions of the C . ectenes obtained from the same location presented more similar profiles, and the intestinal microbiota compositions of the C . ectenes from different geographical locations showed considerable differences. The operational taxonomic units (OTUs) abundance of the intestinal microbiota was significantly correlated with both the concentrations of total nitrogen and chlorophyll-a of the aquatic environment ( p <0.05). Geographical location was an important determinant for the fish’s intestinal microbiota composition. The intestinal microbiota of C . ectenes would be affected by the concentrations of total nitrogen and chlorophyll-a in the water. These findings achieve a basic understanding of fish’s gut microbiota, and are helpful for the protection of fish resources in Lake Taihu and provided the cornerstone to sustainable utlization of C . ectenes .

Polyalcohol arabitol can be used in the food and pharmaceutical industries as a natural sweetener, a dental caries reducer, and texturing agent. Environmental samples were screened to isolate effective yeast producers of arabitol. The most promising isolate 27RL-4, obtained from raspberry leaves, was identified genetically and biochemically as Candida parapsilosis . It secreted 10.42– 10.72 g l -1 of product from 20 g l -1 of L-arabinose with a yield of 0.51 - 0.53 g g -1 at 28°C and a rotational speed of 150 rpm. Batch cultures showed that optimal pH value for arabitol production was 5.5. High yields and productivities of arabitol were obtained during incubation of the yeast at 200 rpm, or at 32°C, but the concentrations of the polyol did not exceed 10 g l -1 . In modified medium, with reduced amounts of nitrogen compounds and pH 5.5-6.5, lower yeast biomass produced a similar concentration of arabitol, suggesting higher efficiency of yeast cells. This strain also produced arabitol from glucose, with much lower yields. The search for new strains able to successfully produce arabitol is important for allowing the utilization of sugars abundant in plant biomass.

Information about the influence of the plant growth promoting rhizobacteria Azospirillum brasilense Sp245 on the development of grapevine plants could be promoted to enhance sustainable agricultural practices for globally important fruit crops such as grapes. Thus, this study was initiated to evaluate the potential influence of A . brasilense Sp245 on two separate experimental trials, A) potted young grape plants: cv. ‘Colorino’ grafted onto two rootstocks 420A and 157/11 which received a fixed volume of inoculum at different times of vegetative cycle; B) hardwood cuttings from rootstock mother-plants of 420A and 775P inoculated during the phase of hydration, before bench-grafting in a specialized nursery. Overall, our results revealed that A . brasilense Sp245 has considerable potential to enhance the root apparatus and vegetative development in grapevines. Potted plants inoculated with A . brasilense Sp245 showed an improved development. Repeated supply was revealed to be more effective, inducing a greater accumulation of dry mass. Interesting findings were obtained in nursery experiments resulting from a considerable enhancement of the final quality of roots. The stimulating effect of A . brasilense Sp245 on vegetative development of rootstocks and vines may indeed improve sustainability in viticulture, through the promotion of healthy growth and a reduced dependence on fertilizers and other chemicals.

The effect of metals on the photosynthetic activities and epidermal polyphenol content of Prosopis glandulosa and Prosopis juliflora leaves was investigated by the tissue tolerance test. Foliar tissues of Prosopis glandulosa and Prosopis juliflora were incubated with Cd 2+ (0.001 M) or Cu 2+ (0.52 M) concentrations for 96 h. The results showed that significant reductions (p < 0.05) of photochemical efficiency in P . juliflora leaves were found after 96 h of exposure to 0.52 M Cu 2+ compared with Cd-treatments and controls. In contrast, P . glandulosa leaves showed a progressive increase on photochemical efficiency at 72 h after Cu-treatment. The results also showed a significant decrease (p < 0.05) of epidermal polyphenols in P . juliflora leaves after 24 h of exposure to 0.52 M Cu 2+ compared with Cd-treatments and control leaves. On the other hand, the values of leaf epidermal polyphenols observed in P . glandulosa exposed to copper and cadmium did not show any difference with respect to control. These findings are very important and suggest that these compounds could be considered as a protection mechanism of P . glandulosa when is treated with these heavy metals. Finally, the results of bioaccumulation showed that the copper concentration in P . glandulosa was higher than the values detected in P . juliflora Nevertheless, the cadmium concentration in foliar tissues of P . juliflora was significantly higher than P . glandulosa after 96 h of exposure to Cu 2+ or Cd 2+ . Therefore, future studies are necessary to elucidate the effects of heavy metals on the biosynthesis of flavonoids and participation of these compounds in the reduction of metal toxicity in Prosopis species.

Background Ultra-weak photon emission (UPE), or biophoton emission, is a phenomenon observed in various living organisms, including plants. In this study, we analyzed the UPE from ripening strawberry fruits, to elucidate its source and association with cellular energy. Methods Freshly harvested and stored strawberry fruits were measured for levels of UPE and energy molecules adenosine triphosphate (ATP), adenosine monophosphate (AMP) and adenosine diphosphate (ADP). The associations between them were calculated. Results In ripening fruit, a decrease in UPE positively correlated with declining levels of ATP, AMP, and energy charge. In harvested fruits, levels of UPE, ATP, and energy charge declined, but ADP and AMP increased. Conclusion Changes in UPE levels synchronized with changes in ATP and energy charge, which reflect cellular energy levels. Thus, cellular energy may be related to UPE, and may be an energy source for UPE.

Leptin is an important hormone possessing diverse physiological roles in mammals and teleosts. However, it has been characterized only in a few amphibian species, and its evolutions are still under debate. Here, the full length of the leptin (Adlep) cDNA of Chinese giant salamander ( Andrias davidianus ), an early diverging amphibian species, is characterized and according to the results of the primary sequence analysis, tertiary structure reconstruction and phylogenetic analysis is confirmed to be an ortholog of mammalian leptin. An intron was identified between the coding exons of A . davidianus leptin, which indicated that the leptin is present in the salamander genome and contains a conserved gene structure in vertebrates. Adlep is widely distributed but expression levels vary among different tissues, with highest expression levels in the muscle. Additionally, the leptin receptor and other genes were mapped to three known leptin signaling pathways, suggesting that the leptin signaling pathways are present in A . davidianus . Phylogenetic topology of leptins are consistent with the generally accepted evolutionary relationships of vertebrates, and multiple leptin members found in teleosts seem to be obtained through a Cluopeocephala-specific gene duplication event. Our results will lay a foundation for further investigations into the physiological roles of leptin in A . davidianus .

Diverse physiological pathways have been shown to regulate longevity, stress resistance, fecundity and feeding rates, and metabolism in Drosophila . Here we tesed physiological traits in flies with Rheb and Myc- Rheb overexpressed in gut progenitor cells, known as enteroblasts (EBs). We found that activation of TOR signaling by overexpression of Rheb in EBs decreases survival and stress resistance. Additionall, we showed that Myc co-expression in EBs reduces fly fecundity and feeding rate. Rheb overexpression enhanced the level of whole body glucose. Higher relative expression of the metabolic genes dilps , akh , tobi and pepck was, however, observed. The role of TOR/Myc in the regulation of genes involved in lipid metabolism and protein synthesis was established. We showed a significant role of TOR/Myc in EBs in the regulation of the JAK/STAT, EGFR and insulin signaling pathways in Drosophila gut. These results highlight the importance of the balance between all different types of cells and confirm previous studies demonstrating that promotion of homeostasis in the intestine of Drosophila may function as a mechanism for the extension of organismal lifespan. Overall, the results demonstrate a role of TOR signaling and its downstream target Myc in EB cells in the regulation of Drosophila physiological processes.

We investigated the effect of curcumin on liver anti-oxidative stress in the type 1 diabetic rat model induced by streptozotocin (STZ). Experimental diabetic rats were induced by STZ intraperitoneally. All rats were fed for 21 days including three groups of control (NC), diabetic model (DC) and curcumin-treated (Cur, 1.5 g/kg by gavage). The results showed that curcumin-treatment significantly decreased the blood glucose and plasma malondialdehyde levels, but significantly increased the plasma superoxide dismutase, glutathione peroxidase and reduced glutathione levels. Curcumin treatment decreased the activity of aldose reductase, but increased the plasma glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase, glucose synthetase and glucose-polymerizing activities. Curcumin treatment significantly decreased the protein of protein kinase C (PKC) and poly ADP ribose polymerase (PARP) expression in the Cur group compared with the DC group. Moreover, the sorbitol dehydrogenase activity was significantly decreased and deterred glucose enters into the polyol pathway leading to an increased NADPH content in the Cur group compared with the DC group. Our data provides evidence that oxidative stress in diabetic rats may be attenuated by curcumin by inhibiting polyol pathway associated with down-regulated expression of PKC and PARP, as evidenced by both an increase the antioxidant enzymes levels and glycogen biosynthesis enzymes activities.

The effect of warm ischemia time (WIT) on longterm renal function after partial nephrectomy remains controversial. In this retrospectively cohort study, 75 solitary kidney patients were included and the effects of warm ischemia time, preoperative renal function and resected normal parenchyma volume on long-term renal function were evaluated. Multivariable analysis showed that the preoperative renal function baseline was significantly associated with renal function 12 months postoperation (P=0.01), adjusting for age and comorbidities factors. Meanwhile, perioperative acute renal failure (ARF) events significantly affected postoperative renal function at postoperative time points of 12 months (P=0.001) and 60 months (P=0.03), as well as renal function change at postoperative 12 months (P<0.01). Warm ischemia time and resected normal parenchyma volume were not risk factors for long-term postoperative renal function, while the latter was significantly associated with renal function change (P=0.03 at 12 months, P<0.01 at 36 and 60 months). In conclusion, the quality of preoperative kidney primarily determines long-term postoperative renal function, while the quantity of preserved functional parenchyma volume was the main determinant for long-term kidney recovery. ARF was an independent risk factor while WIT was indirectly associated with postoperative renal function by causing perioperative ARF.

Aim To investigate the radiological characteristics of developmental anomalies of the right hepatic lobe and to systematically compare the efficiency of CT, MR and ultrasound (US) imaging in revealing characteristics of these disorders. Methods This retrospective study was approved by the institutional review board, and the requirement for informed consent was waived. CT, MR or US imaging and clinical data of 43 cases with developmental anomalies of the right hepatic lobe were independently reviewed by two experienced radiologists. Systematic comparative analysis of the CT, MR, and US imaging data indicating the main signs of right lobe aplasia or hypoplasia were obtained. Then, c 2 tests were performed to compare the results, considering P<0.05 as the significance threshold. Results Agenesis of the right hepatic lobe was observed in two cases. The main imaging features were agenesis of the right lobe and the absence of the right branch of the portal vein and hepatic artery, although one patient exhibited right diaphragm agenesis and a diaphragmatic hernia. Aplasia or hypoplasia of the right hepatic lobe was observed in 41 patients, and among these patients, the main radiological characteristics were as follows: right lobe volume reduction and stenosis of the right portal vein (41 cases, 100%), ectopic gallbladder (39 cases, 95%), left lobe hypertrophy (39 cases, 95%), left portal vein thickening (37 cases, 90%), dextral displacement of the first hepatic portal (32 cases, 78%), caudate lobe hypertrophy (16 cases, 39%), cholelithiasis (12 cases, 29%), portal hypertension (14 cases, 34%), tumor complications (11 cases, 27%), liver abscess (2 cases, 5%), concurrent intrahepatic bile pneumatosis (5 cases, 12%), dysplasia of the right hepatic bile duct (2 cases, 5%), and Budd-Chiari syndrome (2 cases, 5%). Comparative analysis of the main signs of right lobe hypoplasia revealed no significant difference in overall diagnostic efficiency between CT, MRI and US (CT VS MR, X 2 = 6.28, P = 0.985; CT VS US, X 2 = 11.2, P = 0.797; US VS MR, X 2 = 8.48, P = 0.903). Conclusion The main radiological characteristics of developmental anomalies of the right hepatic lobe were right lobe volume reduction, stenosis of the right portal vein, ectopic gallbladder, left lobe hypertrophy and dextral displacement of the first hepatic portal. By combining the data from imaging methods (CT, MRI, and US) with clinical data, developmental anomalies of the right hepatic lobe can be relatively accurately diagnosed. The results of this systematic comparative analysis may improve our understanding of this disease.

Intellectual disability (ID) is a neurodevelopmental disorder which appears frequently as the result of genetic mutations and may be syndromic (S-ID) or non-syndromic (NS-ID). ID causes an important economic burden, for patient's family, health systems, and society. Identifying genes that cause S-ID can easily be evaluated due to the clinical symptoms or physical anomalies. However, in the case of NS-ID due to the absence of co-morbid features, the latest molecular genetic techniques can be used to understand the genetic defects that underlie it. Recent studies have shown that non-syndromic autosomal recessive (NS-ARID) is extremely heterogeneous and contributes much more than X-linked ID. However, very little is known about the genes and loci involved in NS-ARID relative to X-linked ID, and whose complete genetic etiology remains obscure. In this review article, the known genetic etiology of NS-ARID and possible relationships between genes and the associated molecular pathways of their encoded proteins has been reviewed which will enhance our understanding about the underlying genes and mechanisms in NS-ARID.

Recent research progresses on tissue culture (e.g. fast reproduction, another culture, protoplast culture and organogenesis) and genetic transformation of kenaf were reviewed and summarized in this paper. Existing problems were discussed, aiming to provide scientific references for promoting tissue culture and genetic transformation of kenaf.

Aims Accumulating evidence indicates that aberrant expression of miR-107 plays a crucial role in cancers. This study aims to display the function of miR-107 and its novel target genes in the progression of lung cancer. Methods and Material MiR-107 or miR-107 inhibitor was transfected into lung cancer cells A549. The levels of miR-107 and TP53 regulated inhibition of apoptosis 1 (TRIAP1) were examined by quantitative real-time Polymerase Chain Reaction (qRT-PCR) analysis and Western Blot. Functionally, MTT and colony formation assays were carried out to test the effect of miR-107 inhibitor and/or small interference RNA (siRNA) targeting TRIAP1 mRNA on proliferation of lung cancer cells. Levels of miR-107 or TRIAP1 were detected in clinical lung cancer samples by using qRT-PCR analysis. Results QRT-PCR analysis revealed that miR-107 inhibitor or miR-107 was successfully transfected into A549 cells. Western Blot indicated that miR-107 decreased the expression of TRIAP1 protein in the cells. In contrast, miR-107 inhibitor augmented the levels of TRIAP1 protein. Functionally, miR-107 inhibitor remarkably suppressed A549 cell proliferation, whereas, TRIAP1 siRNAs could abrogate the miR-107 inhibitor-induced proliferation of cells. Then, we validated that TRIAP1 was increased in clinical lung cancer samples. MiR-107 expression was negatively related to TRIAP1 expression in clinical lung cancer samples. Conclusions MiR-107 suppresses cell proliferation by targeting TRIAP1 in lung cancer. Our finding allows new insights into the mechanisms of lung cancer that is mediated by miR-107.

Lung cancer causes the highest incidence and mortality rates of cancer disease worldwide. Despite obvious advances in lung cancer research, a better understanding of the disease is urgently needed to improve early detection and correct diagnoses. Exosomes are released from cancer cells and modulate cell-cell communication. Exosomes transfer a wide variety of molecules including microRNAs. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are single-stranded, small noncoding RNAs that regulate gene expression. Accumulating evidence indicates that miRNA expression patterns represent the status of physiology and disease. The focus of this review is to provide an update on the progress of miRNAs of cancer-derived exosome as potential biomarkers for lung cancer.

Objective To evaluate the serum levels of microRNA-183 (miR-183) and thymidine kinase 1 (TK1) in colorectal cancer patients and their clinical value as biomarkers for colorectal cancer auxiliary diagnosis. Methods Forty-six pathology confirmed colorectal cancer patients and 46 healthy controls were included in this study. The serum levels of miR-183 and TK1 in colorectal cancer patients and healthy controls were examined by real-time PCR and chemiluminescence detection assay respectively. The diagnostic value of serum miR-183 and TK1 as tumor biomarkers for colorectal cancer detection was evaluated through receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves. Results The median serum relative expression of miR-183 was 1.33 (0.34-5.65) and 0.88 (0.26-4.67) in colorectal cancer patients and healthy controls respectively with significant statistical difference (p<0.05). Using serum miR-183 as the diagnostic reference, the colorectal cancer diagnosis sensitivity, specificity and AUC was 65.22%, 63.04% and 0.69 respectively. The median serum level of TK1 was 3.33 (0.78-5.78) pmol/L and 0.99 (0.34-4.46) pmol/L in colorectal cancer patients and healthy controls respectively with significant statistical difference (p<0.05). The diagnostic sensitivity, specificity and AUC was 84.78%, 78.26% and 0.88 respectively forserum TK1 as reference for colorectal diagnosis. The pearson correlation test was used to evaluate the serum miR-183 and TK1 correlation in colorectal cancer patients. However, no significant correlation between serum miR-183 and TK1 was found in colorectal patients (p>0.05). Conclusion Serum levels of miR-183 and TK1 arepotential biomarkers for colorectal cancer auxiliary diagnosis.

Background To investigate differential egonetwork modules and pathways in glioma using EgoNet algorithm. Methodology Based on microarray data, EgoNet algorithm mainly comprised three stages: construction of differential co-expression network (DCN); EgoNet algorithm used to identify candidate ego-network modules based on the increased classification accuracy; statistical significance for candidate modules using random permutation testing. After that, pathway enrichment analysis for differential ego-network modules was implemented to illuminate the biological processes. Results We obtained 109 ego genes. From every ego gene, we progressively grew the ego-networks by levels; we extracted 109 ego-networks and the mean node size in an ego-network was 6. By setting the classification accuracy threshold at 0.90 and the count of nodes in an ego-network module at 10, we extracted 8 candidate ego-network modules. After random permutation test with 1000 times, 5 modules including module 59, 72, 78, 86, and 90 were identified to be significant. Of note, the genes of module 90 and 86 were enriched in the pathway of resolution of sister chromatid cohesion and mitotic prometaphase, respectively. Conclusion The identified modules and their corresponding ego genes might be beneficial in revealing the pathology underlying glioma and give insight for future research of glioma.

Isoliquiritigenin (ISL), a member of the flavonoids, is known to possess antitumor activity in different types of cancer including human breast cancer, hepatoma cancer, prostate cancer and others, both in vitro and in vivo . In the present study, we reported the effect of ISL on cell growth in human colorectal cancer cells HCT-116. As examined by CCK8 assays, ISL inhibited the proliferation of HCT-116 cells. Additionally, the antimigratory activity of ISL in HCT-116 cells was confirmed by trans-well chamber migration assays and invasion assays. Moreover, the results of fluorescence-activated cell sorting and Sodium Dodecyl Sulfate-Polyacrylamide Gel Electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) analysis showed that ISL induced apoptosis in HCT-116 cells. Further detection using SDS-PAGE assay revealed that ISL decreased the levels of phospho-AKT (p-AKT), phospho-mTOR (p-mTOR), Cyclin D1 and phospho-p70S6 Kinase (p-P70S6K). Collectively, these findings indicated that isoliquiritigenin induced growth-inhibition and apoptosis through downregulating of PI3K/AKT in human colorectal cancer.

Objective To evaluate the pathological changes of femoral nerves and the levels of caveolin-1 in diabetic foot amputation patients with neuropathy, and evaluate the association between caveolin-1 and neuropathy development. Method Thirty seven diabetic foot amputation patients were consecutively recruited from inpatients of Tianjin Metabolic Diseases Hospital between Jan 2003 and Nov 2005. Symptoms and signs of neuropathy, and scores of Toronto Clinical Scoring System (TCSS) were recorded. The nerve conduction velocity and HbA1c were measured. Femoral nerves were obtained 2-3 minutes after amputation. HE, Masson staining and transmission electron microscopy were used for pathological observation. Immunohistochemistry was used to observe changes of axons and count of nerve fiber density (NFD) and detect the levels of caveolin-1. Results HE, Masson and transmission electron microscopy showed nerve fibers were asymmetrical, the degenerated axons part had stronger staining and typical demyelinating changes. Stepwise regression models showed that HbA1c and NFD were the independent factors of caveolin-1 (F=45.090, p<0.001, R 2 =0.790) expression, and Caveolin-1, diabetes duration were independent factors of NFD (F=27.911, p<0.001, R 2 =0.691). Conclusion Caveolin-1 may be one of the key factors related to pathophysiological progression of femoral nerves in diabetic foot amputation patients.

Myocardial fibrosis is observed in many cardiovascular diseases including hypertension, heart failure and cardiomyopathy. Myocardial fibrosis has been proved to be reversible and treatable only under timely intervention, which makes early detection and assessment of fibrosis crucial. Aside from tissue biopsy as the gold standard for the diagnosis of myocardial fibrosis, circulating biomarkers have been adopted as noninvasive assessment of this lesion. Dysregulated collagen deposition is thought to be the major cause of myocardial fibrosis. Collagens, procollagens, TGF-β, TIMP, galectin-3, and microRNAs are thought to be indicators of myocardial fibrosis. In this review, we summarize the molecules that are frequently used as biomarkers in diagnosis of cardiac fibrosis. Mechanisms of fibrosis that they take part in are also introduced.

Background The objective of this paper was to identify dysregulated myocardial pathways with off-pump coronary artery bypass grafting (OPCABG) based on pathway interaction network (PIN). Methodology To achieve this goal, firstly, gene expression profiles, protein-protein interactions (PPIs) and pathway data were collected. Secondly, we constructed a PIN by integrating these data and Pearson correlation coefficient (PCC) algorithm. Next, for every pathway in the PIN, its activity was counted dependent on the principal component analysis (PCA) method to select the seed pathway. Ultimately, a minimum pathway set (MPS) was extracted from the PIN on the basis of the seed pathway and the area under the receiver operating characteristics curve (AUROC) index, and pathways in the MPS were denoted as dysregulated pathways. Results The PIN had 1,189 nodes and 22,756 interactions, of which mitochondrial translation termination was the seed pathway. Starting with mitochondrial translation termination, a MPS (AUROC = 0.983) with 7 nodes and 26 edges was obtained. The 7 pathways were regarded as dysregulated myocardial pathways with OPCABG. Conclusion The findings might provide potential biomarkers to diagnose early, serve as the evidence to perform the OPCABG and predict inflammatory response and myocardial reperfusion injury after OPCABG in the future.

Background Sickle cell disease (SCD) is one of the most common genetic blood disorders. Identifying pathway aberrance in an individual SCD contributes to the understanding of disease pathogenesis and the promotion of personalized therapy. Here we proposed an individualized pathway aberrance method to identify the disturbed pathways in SCD. Methods Based on the transcriptome data and pathway data, an individualized pathway aberrance method was implemented to identify the altered pathways in SCD, which contained four steps: data preprocessing, gene-level statistics, pathway-level statistics, and significant analysis. The changed percentage of altered pathways in SCD individuals was calculated, and a differentially expressed gene (DEG)-based pathway enrichment analysis was performed to validate the results. Results We identified 618 disturbed pathways between normal and SCD conditions. Among them, 6 pathways were altered in > 80% SCD individuals. Meanwhile, forty-six DEGs were identified between normal and SCD conditions, and were enriched in heme biosynthesis. Relative to DEG-based pathway analysis, the new method presented richer results and more extensive application. Conclusion This study predicted several disturbed pathways via detecting pathway aberrance on a personalized basis. The results might provide new sights into the pathogenesis of SCD and facilitate the application of custom treatment for SCD.

Objective To evaluate the prognostic value of serum procalcitonin (PCT), high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP), and interleukin-6 (IL-6) in patients with sepsis. Methods Sixty-six patients with sepsis were recruited in the 6th affiliated hospital of Wenzhou Medical University from February 2012 to April 2016. According to status of death or survival within 4 weeks, the patients were divided into death group (n=14) and survival group (n=52). The serum PCT concentration on the day of hospitalization was measured by double antibody immunosorbent assay, hs-CRP serum level was measured by immunoturbidimetric assay, and IL-6 serum concentration was tested by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) of the included 66 patients. Serum PCT, hs-CRP, and IL-6 were compared between the two groups. The prognostic performance of serum PCT, hs-CRP, and IL-6 in patients with sepsis was evaluated through sensitivity, specificity, and area under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve (AUC). Results The serum concentrations of PCT, hs-CRP, and IL-6 in the death group were significantly higher than those of the survival group on the day of hospitalization (P<0.05). The sensitivities of serum PCT, hs-CRP, and IL-6 to predict the mortality of septic patients within 4 weeks were 94.64%, 83.93%, and 82.14%, and the specificities were 73.33%, 64.29%, and 71.43%, respectively. The areas under the ROC curves were 0.88, 0.76, and 0.77. Conclusion The serum levels of PCT, hs-CRP and IL-6 were significantly elevated in the death group, which could be used as serological markers to predict the risk of death for sepsis patients within 4 weeks.

Background We aim to identify sevoflurane-induced modules and pathways in patients following coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery, and to further elucidate the molecular mechanisms of the cardioprotective effects of sevoflurane. Methods Differential co-expression network (DCN) was constructed. Candidate modules were identified via three steps: selection of seed genes, search of modules using snowball sampling, and refinement of modules. Afterwards, the significance of the candidate modules was assessed. Ultimately, pathway analyses for genes in differential modules were implemented to illuminate the biological processes. Results Overall, 122 genes were identified to serve as seed genes. From every seed gene, we extracted 122 modules and the mean node size in a module was 3. By setting the classification accuracy cutoff at 0.9 and the number of nodes in a module at 5, 7 candidate modules were identified, including module 80, 82, 82, 84, 85, 86 and 89. Based on the random permutation test, we found that these 7 candidate modules were all differential ones. Moreover, pathway analysis showed that genes in the differential modules 80, 82, and 85 were all enriched in the pathway of chemokine receptors bind chemokines. Conclusion Sevoflurane might exert cardioprotective functions in patients following CABG, partially through regulating the pathway of chemokine receptors bind chemokines.

MicroRNAs are a class of non-coding, small RNAs, which modulate gene expression at the post-transcriptional level. Numerous studies have showed microRNAs are involved in the pathogenesis of laryngeal cancer through regulating tumor-related genes such as oncogenes or tumor suppressor genes. In this review, we summarize recent progress on the function of microRNAs in laryngeal cancer. We focus on potential use of microRNAs in laryngeal cancer diagnosis and prognosis.

Objective To explore potential functional biomarkers in diabetes mellitus (DM) by utilizing gene pathway cross-talk. Methods Firstly, potential disrupted pathways that were enriched by differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified based on biological pathways downloaded from the Ingenuity Pathways Analysis (IPA) database. In addition, we quantified the pathway crosstalk for each pair of pathways based on Discriminating Score (DS). Random forest (RF) classification was then employed to find the top 10 pairs of pathways with a high area under the curve (AUC) value between DM samples versus normal samples based on 10-fold cross-validation. Finally, a Monte Carlo Cross-Validation was applied to demonstrate the identified pairs of pathways by a mutual information analysis. Results A total of 247 DEGs in normal and disease samples were identified. Based on the F-test, 50 disrupted pathways were obtained with false discovery rate (FDR) < 0.01. Simultaneously, after calculating the DS, the top 10 pairs of pathways were selected based on a higher AUC value as measured by RF classification. From the Monte Carlo Cross-Validation, we considered the top 10 pairs of pathways with higher AUC values ranked for all 50 bootstraps as the most frequently detected ones. Conclusion The pairs of pathways identified in our study might be key regulators in DM.

Objective The purpose of this meta analysis was to assess the correlation between CDKAL1 rs10946398C>A single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) and type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) susceptibility by pooling the open published studies. Method Electronic searching of PubMed, EMBASE, Medline, Cochrane, China Biology Medicine disc (CBM) and China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI) databases were performed by two reviewers independently to collect the open published studies related to CDKAL1 rs10946398C>A single nucleotide polymorphism and T2DM susceptibility. The association between CDKAL1 rs10946398C>A single nucleotide polymorphism and T2DM susceptibility was expressed by odds ratio (OR) and the corresponding 95% confidence interval (95%CI). Results Thirteen studies with a total of 13,966 T2DM and 14,274 controls were finally included for analysis in this meta-analysis. Of the included 13 publications, 2 studies were carried out in Europe, 8 in Asia, 2 in Africa and 1 in Latin America. Being significant statistical heterogeneity, the data was pooled through random effect model. In a dominant genetic model, there was significant correlation between CDKAL1 rs10946398C>A SNP and T2DM risk (OR=1.22, P<0.05). In a dominant genetic model people with CC or CA genotype had increased risk of developing T2DM; Because of statistical heterogeneity for the included studies in a recessive genetic model (AA+CA vs CC), the data was calculated by random effect method. The combined data showed people with AA or CA genotype had decreased risk of developing T2DM compared to CC genotype (OR=0.83, P<0.05); For a homozygous genetic model (CC vs AA), the OR was calculated through random effect model for statistical heterogeneity among the included 13 studies. The combined OR was 1.33 which indicated people with CC genotype had increased risk of developing T2DM. Conclusion According to the present results, CDKAL1 rs10946398C>A single nucleotide polymorphism had correlation with the susceptibility of type 2 diabetes mellitus.

Because growth environment is affected by climate change, Dacrydium pierrei resources are becoming less and less. Therefore, understanding the effects of environmental variables on seedling-sapling distributions can help gain insight into changes in population recruitment in the context of climate change. The seedling-saplings distribution and variability of Dacrydium pierrei in environmental variables at Bawangling, Hainan, China, was surveyed over a 3-year period. In addition, laboratory experiments measuring the effects of soil moisture on seedling emergence were conducted to identify seedling development characteristics; principal component analysis (PCA) and Gaussian mixture model (GMM) were used to assess how different factors influenced Dacrydium pierrei seedlings-saplings distribution. The results demonstrated that the influence degree of seedling-sapling distribution is soil temperature>litter thickness>available phosphorus>canopy density> available potassium>nitrate nitrogen; a large number of seedling-saplings occurring at altitudes 1140-1300 m; a GMM trained with a C 2 -L 3 -H 4 -A 5 -I 6 combination yielded an accuracy of 72.23% in simulating seedling-saplings distribution; temperature and precipitation have strong impact on seedling-sapling distribution, with increasing soil moisture, seedling emergence shows a positive relationship. This study focuses more on developing a new method for research on the seedling-sapling distribution of Dacrydium pierrei to get reference for its adaptive management with the intense extreme climate change.

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is the most common disease among the elderly people and a major social and medical problem. Amaryllidaceous alkaloids, acting as acetylcholinesterase inhibitors, represent a potential treatment of AD. However, they also have some deficiencies, such as extensive toxicity and widespread side effects. In order to improve the bioavailability and reduce the toxic and side effects, brain targeting of amaryllidaceous alkaloids was enhanced by considering low density lipoprotein (LDL) receptors of blood-brain barrier (BBB) endothelial cells as therapeutic targets. Amaryllidaceous alkaloids were highly selectively and quantitatively riveted to the surface of low density lipoproteins by using a new method - mild click chemistry. The structure of products has been characterized by NMR, FT-IR, and other methods. In addition, drug loading rate, encapsulation rate, and drug release by the nanoparticles were determined to assess the quality of the nanoparticles.

Soft rot is a severe bacterial disease of potatoes, and soft rot infection can cause significant economic losses during the storage period of potatoes. In this study, potato soft rot was selected as the research object, and a type of potato tuber soft rot disease early detection method based on the electronic nose technology was proposed. An optimized bionic electronic nose gas chamber and a scientific and reasonable sampling device were designed to detect a change in volatile substances of the infected soft rot disease of potato tuber. The infection of soft rot disease in potato tuber samples was detected and identified by using the RBF NN algorithm and SVM algorithm. The results revealed that the proposed bionic electronic nose system can be utilized for early detection of potato tuber soft rot disease. Through comparison and analysis, the recognition rate using the SVM algorithm reached up to 89.7%, and the results were superior to the RBF NN algorithm.

A 3-year field research was conducted to investigate the effect of four subsoiling methods on maize yield and water use efficiency. These four subsoiling methods included bulk subsoiling in autumn (BS), annual ridge subsoiling in autumn, annual furrow subsoiling in early summer, and interannual alternate zone subsoiling (AS), which were compared with rotary tillage in spring. The results suggested that the bulk density of the soil was alternately changed by AS, but AS had limited effect on the average water storage in the soil. Overall, soil tilled by BS and AS maintained a high water-holding capacity, which could stabilize the yield of maize under varying rainfall across different years. Maize under the AS subsoiling method maintained a relatively higher production capacity and water-use efficiency compared with those under the other three types of subsoiling methods.