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Other Publications (203)
- Zhonghua Xin Xue Guan Bing Za Zhi
- Journal of Environmental Sciences (China)
- Environmental Monitoring and Assessment
- Acta Pharmacologica Sinica
- Neuroscience Letters
- Veterinary Parasitology
- Nanoscale Research Letters
- Zhongguo Fei Ai Za Zhi = Chinese Journal of Lung Cancer
- Bioconjugate Chemistry
- Computer Methods and Programs in Biomedicine
- Physical Review. E, Statistical, Nonlinear, and Soft Matter Physics
- BMC Cancer
- Optics Letters
- Zhongguo Fei Ai Za Zhi = Chinese Journal of Lung Cancer
- Journal of Physics. Condensed Matter : an Institute of Physics Journal
- Journal of Physics. Condensed Matter : an Institute of Physics Journal
- Acta Crystallographica. Section E, Structure Reports Online
- Acta Crystallographica. Section E, Structure Reports Online
- Acta Crystallographica. Section E, Structure Reports Online
- Acta Crystallographica. Section E, Structure Reports Online
- Acta Crystallographica. Section E, Structure Reports Online
- Rheumatology International
- Journal of Ethnopharmacology
- Zhonghua Yi Xue Za Zhi
- BMC Microbiology
- Environmental Pollution (Barking, Essex : 1987)
- Chemical Communications (Cambridge, England)
- The British Journal of Nutrition
- Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
- Chinese Medical Journal
- Acta Crystallographica. Section E, Structure Reports Online
- Acta Crystallographica. Section E, Structure Reports Online
- Acta Crystallographica. Section E, Structure Reports Online
- Optics Express
- Acta Crystallographica. Section E, Structure Reports Online
- Acta Crystallographica. Section E, Structure Reports Online
- Human Brain Mapping
- Chemical Communications (Cambridge, England)
- Journal of Medicinal Chemistry
- Journal of Environmental Science and Health. Part. B, Pesticides, Food Contaminants, and Agricultural Wastes
- American Journal of Health-system Pharmacy : AJHP : Official Journal of the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists
- Journal of Biomolecular Screening
- Journal of Medicinal Chemistry
- Bioorganic & Medicinal Chemistry Letters
- Journal of Virology
- Biochimica Et Biophysica Acta
- Zhong Nan Da Xue Xue Bao. Yi Xue Ban = Journal of Central South University. Medical Sciences
- Biomedical and Environmental Sciences : BES
- Optics Express
- Optics Letters
- Optics Express
- Cell Biochemistry and Biophysics
- Angewandte Chemie (International Ed. in English)
- Dalton Transactions (Cambridge, England : 2003)
- Chemical Communications (Cambridge, England)
- Medical Oncology (Northwood, London, England)
- Journal of Synchrotron Radiation
- Chemistry (Weinheim an Der Bergstrasse, Germany)
- Computational and Mathematical Methods in Medicine
- Computational and Mathematical Methods in Medicine
- Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry
- Environmental Science and Pollution Research International
- Water Science and Technology : a Journal of the International Association on Water Pollution Research
- Journal of Virology
- Optics Express
- Dalton Transactions (Cambridge, England : 2003)
- Frontiers in Psychology
- Analytical Chemistry
- Zhen Ci Yan Jiu = Acupuncture Research
- The Journal of Organic Chemistry
- Environmental Science and Pollution Research International
- ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces
- Dalton Transactions (Cambridge, England : 2003)
- Dalton Transactions (Cambridge, England : 2003)
- Biomedical and Environmental Sciences : BES
- ISA Transactions
- The Journal of Organic Chemistry
- The Journal of Organic Chemistry
- Nature Communications
- Nature Communications
- Zhonghua Xin Xue Guan Bing Za Zhi
- Journal of Biomolecular Screening
- Organic Letters
- PloS One
- TheScientificWorldJournal
- Molecular Medicine Reports
- Acta Crystallographica Section B, Structural Science, Crystal Engineering and Materials
- ACS Nano
- Zhonghua Xin Xue Guan Bing Za Zhi
- Chemosphere
- Journal of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology
- Journal of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology
- Journal of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology
- Bioconjugate Chemistry
- Molecular Medicine Reports
- The British Journal of Ophthalmology
- Chemistry (Weinheim an Der Bergstrasse, Germany)
- Journal of Virology
- Oncology Reports
- Pediatric Transplantation
- Dalton Transactions (Cambridge, England : 2003)
- Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
- Scientific Reports
- Gastroenterology Research and Practice
- Journal of Electrocardiology
- Sensors (Basel, Switzerland)
- Journal of the American Chemical Society
- Journal of Colloid and Interface Science
- ISA Transactions
- Sensors (Basel, Switzerland)
- Pathology, Research and Practice
- Cellular Physiology and Biochemistry : International Journal of Experimental Cellular Physiology, Biochemistry, and Pharmacology
- In Vitro Cellular & Developmental Biology. Animal
- Differentiation; Research in Biological Diversity
- Scientific Reports
- Advanced Materials (Deerfield Beach, Fla.)
- Optics Express
- Journal of Colloid and Interface Science
- Environmental Science and Pollution Research International
- Scientific Reports
- Optics Express
- Optics Express
- Journal of the American Chemical Society
- Sensors (Basel, Switzerland)
- Journal of Vision
- Optics Express
- Nano Letters
- Nanoscale
- Scientific Reports
- Pathology, Research and Practice
- ELife
- Optics Letters
- Zhong Nan Da Xue Xue Bao. Yi Xue Ban = Journal of Central South University. Medical Sciences
- Oncology Letters
- Advanced Science (Weinheim, Baden-Wurttemberg, Germany)
- Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology
- Dalton Transactions (Cambridge, England : 2003)
- Meat Science
- Scientific Reports
- ACS Nano
- Acta Pharmacologica Sinica
- Applied Optics
- Journal of Huazhong University of Science and Technology. Medical Sciences = Hua Zhong Ke Ji Da Xue Xue Bao. Yi Xue Ying De Wen Ban = Huazhong Keji Daxue Xuebao. Yixue Yingdewen Ban
- Dalton Transactions (Cambridge, England : 2003)
- Acta Crystallographica. Section C, Structural Chemistry
- Optics Letters
- Inorganic Chemistry
- In Vitro Cellular & Developmental Biology. Animal
- Biomedicine & Pharmacotherapy = Biomedecine & Pharmacotherapie
- Optics Express
- Chemosphere
- Yonsei Medical Journal
- Optics Letters
- Guang Pu Xue Yu Guang Pu Fen Xi = Guang Pu
- Environmental Pollution (Barking, Essex : 1987)
- Journal of Molecular Microbiology and Biotechnology
- Zhongguo Zhen Jiu = Chinese Acupuncture & Moxibustion
- Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
- BMC Ophthalmology
- Journal of Cardiology
- Nature Communications
- Zhonghua Yi Xue Yi Chuan Xue Za Zhi = Zhonghua Yixue Yichuanxue Zazhi = Chinese Journal of Medical Genetics
- Dalton Transactions (Cambridge, England : 2003)
- Scientific Reports
- Optics Express
- Journal of Thoracic Disease
- Sensors (Basel, Switzerland)
- Dalton Transactions (Cambridge, England : 2003)
- Pathology, Research and Practice
- Biomedicine & Pharmacotherapy = Biomedecine & Pharmacotherapie
- Parasite (Paris, France)
- Biomedicine & Pharmacotherapy = Biomedecine & Pharmacotherapie
- Molecular Medicine Reports
- The Journal of Surgical Research
- Scientific Reports
- Cellular and Molecular Neurobiology
- In Vitro Cellular & Developmental Biology. Animal
- Acta Ophthalmologica
- Journal of Ocular Pharmacology and Therapeutics : the Official Journal of the Association for Ocular Pharmacology and Therapeutics
- Acta Pharmacologica Sinica
- Scientific Reports
- Frontiers in Microbiology
- Apoptosis : an International Journal on Programmed Cell Death
- Metabolic Brain Disease
- Scientific Reports
- PeerJ
- Experimental Cell Research
- Organic Letters
- Oncology Research
- Biomedicine & Pharmacotherapy = Biomedecine & Pharmacotherapie
- Science Advances
- European Journal of Medicinal Chemistry
- Scientific Reports
- Nature Communications
- Oncotarget
- European Journal of Medicinal Chemistry
- Bioresource Technology
- Trials
- Journal of Ethnopharmacology
- European Journal of Medicinal Chemistry
- Journal of Environmental Science and Health. Part. B, Pesticides, Food Contaminants, and Agricultural Wastes
- Oncology Letters
- Sensors (Basel, Switzerland)
Articles by Xiang Wu in JoVE
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A Detailed Protocol for Physiological Parameters Acquisition and Analysis in Neurosurgical Critical Patients
Xiang Wu1,2, Guoyi Gao1,2, Junfeng Feng1,2, Qing Mao1,2, Jiyao Jiang1,2
1Department of Neurosurgery, Renji Hospital, Shanghai Jiaotong University School of Medicine, 2Shanghai Institute of Head Trauma
Recently, we have developed a portable multimodality monitoring system for the monitoring of various physiological parameters in neurosurgical critical patients. Detailed protocols on how to use this multimodality monitoring system are presented here.
Other articles by Xiang Wu on PubMed
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Geological Emission of Methane from the Yakela Condensed Oil/gas Field in Talimu Basin, Xinjiang, China
Journal of Environmental Sciences (China).
2008 |
Pubmed ID: 19143311 A static flux chamber method was applied to study natural emissions of methane into the atmosphere in the Yakela condensed oil/gas field in Talimu Basin, Xinjiang, China. Using an online method, which couples a gas chromatography/high-temperature conversion/isotope ratio mass spectrometry (GC/C/MS) together, the 13C/12C ratios of methane in the flux chambers were measured. The results demonstrated that methane gases were liable to migrate from deep oil/gas reservoir to the surface through microseepage and pervasion, and that a part of the migrated methane that remained unoxidized could emit into the atmosphere. Methane emission rates varied less in the oil/gas field because the whole region was homogeneous in geology and geography, with a standard deviation of less than 0.02 mg/(m2 x h). These were the differences in methane emission flux in the day and at night in the oil/gas field. The maximum methane emission flux reached 0.15 mg/(m2 x h) at 5:00-6:00 early in the morning, and then decreased gradually. The minimum was shown 0.10 mg/(m2 x h) at 17:00-18:00 in the afternoon, and then increased gradually. The daily methane released flux of the study area was 2.89 mg/(m2 x d), with a standard deviation of 0.43 mg/(m2 x d), using the average methane flux of every hour in a day for all chambers. delta13C of methane increased with the increase of methane concentration in the flux chambers, further indicating that the pyrogenetic origin of methane was come from deep oil/gas reservoirs.
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Tumor-targeting Peptide Conjugated PH-responsive Micelles As a Potential Drug Carrier for Cancer Therapy
Bioconjugate Chemistry.
Feb, 2010 |
Pubmed ID: 20073455 Herein, we prepared tumor-targeting peptide (AP peptide; CRKRLDRN) conjugated pH-responsive polymeric micelles (pH-PMs) in cancer therapy by active and pH-responsive tumor targeting delivery systems, simultaneously. The active tumor targeting and tumoral pH-responsive polymeric micelles were prepared by mixing AP peptide conjugated PEG-poly(d,l-lactic acid) block copolymer (AP-PEG-PLA) into the pH-responsive micelles of methyl ether poly(ethylene glycol) (MPEG)-poly(beta-amino ester) (PAE) block copolymer (MPEG-PAE). These mixed amphiphilic block copolymers were self-assembled to form stable AP peptide-conjugated and pH-responsive AP-PEG-PLA/MPEG-PAE micelles (AP-pH-PMs) with an average size of 150 nm. The AP-pH-PMs containing 10 wt % of AP-PEG-PLA showed a sharp pH-dependent micellization/demicellization transition at the tumoral acid pH. Also, they presented the pH-dependent drug release profile at the acidic pH of 6.4. The fluorescence dye, TRITC, encapsulated AP-pH-PMs (TRITC-AP-pH-PMs) presented the higher tumor-specific targeting ability in vitro cancer cell culture system and in vivo tumor-bearing mice, compared to control pH-responsive micelles of MPEG-PAE. For the cancer therapy, the anticancer drug, doxorubicin (DOX), was efficiently encapsulated into the AP-pH-PMs (DOX-AP-pH-PMs) with a higher loading efficiency. DOX-AP-pH-PMs efficiently deliver anticancer drugs in MDA-MB231 human breast tumor-bearing mice, resulted in excellent anticancer therapeutic efficacy, compared to free DOX and DOX encapsulated MEG-PAE micelles, indicating the excellent tumor targeting ability of AP-pH-PMs. Therefore, these tumor-targeting peptide-conjugated and pH-responsive polymeric micelles have great potential application in cancer therapy.
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Aqua-{6,6'-dieth-oxy-2,2'-[ethane-1,2-diyl-bis(nitrilo-methanylyl-idene)]diphen-olato}zinc
Acta Crystallographica. Section E, Structure Reports Online.
Sep, 2011 |
Pubmed ID: 22065396 The mononuclear zinc title complex, [Zn(C(20)H(22)N(2)O(4))(H(2)O)], was obtained by the reaction of 3-eth-oxy-salicyl-aldehyde, ethane-1,2-diamine, and zinc acetate in methanol. The Zn atom is five-coordinated by two phenolate O and two imine N atoms of the tetradentate Schiff base ligand and by one water O atom, forming a square-pyramidal geometry. In the crystal, pairs of mol-ecules are linked via inter-molecular O-H⋯O hydrogen bonds, forming dimers.
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[N'-(3-Eth-oxy-2-oxidobenzyl-idene-κO)-4-methyl-benzohydrazidato-κO,N'](methano-lato-κO)oxidovanadium(V)
Acta Crystallographica. Section E, Structure Reports Online.
Nov, 2011 |
Pubmed ID: 22219782 The title oxidovanadium(V) complex, [V(C(17)H(16)N(2)O(3))(CH(3)O)O], was obtained by the reaction of 3-eth-oxy-2-hy-droxy-benzaldehyde, 4-methyl-benzohydrazide and vanadyl sulfate in methanol. The V(V) atom is coordinated by the O,N,O'-tridentate Schiff base ligand, one methano-late O atom and one oxide O atom, forming a distorted VO(4)N square-pyramidal coordination geometry. The oxide O atom lies at the apex of the square pyramid and the N atom of the ligand and the methano-late O atom are trans. The dihedral angle between the benzene rings of the ligand is 1.8 (3)°.
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(2-{[1-(Pyridin-2-yl)ethyl-idene]amino-meth-yl}pyridine-κN,N',N'')bis-(thio-cyanato-κN)zinc
Acta Crystallographica. Section E, Structure Reports Online.
Nov, 2011 |
Pubmed ID: 22219842 The complete mol-ecule of the title mononuclear zinc(II) complex, [Zn(NCS)(2)(C(13)H(13)N(3))], is generated by crystallographic twofold symmetry, with the metal atom lying on the rotation axis. The pendant methyl group of the ligand is statistically disordered over two sites. The Zn(2+) cation is coordinated by the N,N',N''-tridentate Schiff base ligand, and by two thio-cyanate N atoms, forming a distorted ZnN(5) trigonal-bipyramidal geometry.
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Dissociable Neural Correlates of Contour Completion and Contour Representation in Illusory Contour Perception
Human Brain Mapping.
Oct, 2012 |
Pubmed ID: 21826763 Object recognition occurs even when environmental information is incomplete. Illusory contours (ICs), in which a contour is perceived though the contour edges are incomplete, have been extensively studied as an example of such a visual completion phenomenon. Despite the neural activity in response to ICs in visual cortical areas from low (V1 and V2) to high (LOC: the lateral occipital cortex) levels, the details of the neural processing underlying IC perception are largely not clarified. For example, how do the visual areas function in IC perception and how do they interact to archive the coherent contour perception? IC perception involves the process of completing the local discrete contour edges (contour completion) and the process of representing the global completed contour information (contour representation). Here, functional magnetic resonance imaging was used to dissociate contour completion and contour representation by varying each in opposite directions. The results show that the neural activity was stronger to stimuli with more contour completion than to stimuli with more contour representation in V1 and V2, which was the reverse of that in the LOC. When inspecting the neural activity change across the visual pathway, the activation remained high for the stimuli with more contour completion and increased for the stimuli with more contour representation. These results suggest distinct neural correlates of contour completion and contour representation, and the possible collaboration between the two processes during IC perception, indicating a neural connection between the discrete retinal input and the coherent visual percept.
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Persistence of Repeated Triadimefon Application and Its Impact on Soil Microbial Functional Diversity
Journal of Environmental Science and Health. Part. B, Pesticides, Food Contaminants, and Agricultural Wastes.
2012 |
Pubmed ID: 22251210 The effects of repeated applications of the fungicide triadimefon in agricultural soil on the microbial functional diversity of the soil and on the persistence of the fungicide in the soil were investigated under laboratory conditions. The degradation half-lives of triadimefon at the recommended dosage, simulated by a first-order kinetic model, were 23.90, 22.95, and 21.52 days for the first, second, and third applications, respectively. Throughout this study, no significant inhibition of the Shannon-Wiener index (H') was observed. However, the Simpson index (1/D) and the McIntosh index (U) were obviously reduced (p ≤ 0.05) during the initial 3 days after the first triadimefon application and thereafter, gradually recovered to or exceeded the level of the control soil. A similar trend in variation but with a faster recovery in the 1/D and U was observed after the second and third triadimefon applications, respectively. Taken together, the above results indicate that the repeated application of triadimefon enhanced the degradation rate of the fungicide and the recovery rate of the soil microbial functional diversity. It is concluded that repeated triadimefon applications in soil have a transient or temporary inhibitory effect on soil microbial communities.
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In Vitro ADME Profiling Using High-throughput Rapidfire Mass Spectrometry: Cytochrome P450 Inhibition and Metabolic Stability Assays
Journal of Biomolecular Screening.
Jul, 2012 |
Pubmed ID: 22460176 Early assessment of absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion (ADME) properties of drug candidates has become an essential component of modern drug discovery. ADME characterization is important in identifying compounds early that are likely to fail in later clinical development because of suboptimal pharmacokinetic properties or undesirable drug-drug interactions. Proper utilization of ADME results, meanwhile, can prioritize candidates that are more likely to have good pharmacokinetic properties and also minimize potential drug-drug interactions. By integrating a RapidFire system with an API4000 mass spectrometer (RF-MS), we have established a high-throughput capability to profile compounds (>100 compounds/wk) in a panel of ADME assays in parallel with biochemical and cellular characterizations. Cytochrome P450 inhibition and time-dependent inhibition assays and microsomal stability assays were developed and fully optimized on the system. Compared with the classic liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry method, the RF-MS system generates consistent data with approximately 20-fold increase in throughput. The lack of chromatographic separation of compounds, substrates, and metabolites can complicate data interpretation, but this occurs in a small number of cases that are readily identifiable. Overall, this system has enabled a real-time and quantitative measurement of a large number of ADME samples, providing a rapid evaluation of clinically important drug-drug interaction potential and drug metabolic stability.
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Vaccinia Virus Virion Membrane Biogenesis Protein A11 Associates with Viral Membranes in a Manner That Requires the Expression of Another Membrane Biogenesis Protein, A6
Journal of Virology.
Oct, 2012 |
Pubmed ID: 22875972 A group of vaccinia virus (VACV) proteins, including A11, L2, and A6, are required for biogenesis of the primary envelope of VACV, specifically, for the acquisition of viral membrane precursors. However, the interconnection among these proteins is unknown and, with the exception of L2, the connection of these proteins with membranes is also unknown. In this study, prompted by the findings that A6 coprecipitated A11 and that the cellular distribution of A11 was dramatically altered by repression of A6 expression, we studied the localization of A11 in cells by using immunofluorescence and cell fractionation analysis. A11 was found to associate with membranes and colocalize with virion membrane proteins in viral replication factories during normal VACV replication. A11 partitioned almost equally between the detergent and aqueous phases upon Triton X-114 phase separation, demonstrating an intrinsic affinity with lipids. However, in the absence of infection or VACV late protein synthesis, A11 did not associate with cellular membranes. Furthermore, when A6 expression was repressed, A11 did not colocalize with any viral membrane proteins or associate with membranes. In contrast, when virion envelope formation was blocked at a later step by repression of A14 expression or by rifampin treatment, A11 colocalized with virion membrane proteins in the factories. Altogether, our data showed that A11 associates with viral membranes during VACV replication, and this association requires A6 expression. This study provides a physical connection between A11 and viral membranes and suggests that A6 regulates A11 membrane association.
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Apoptosis Induced by Benzyl Isothiocyanate in Gefitinib-resistant Lung Cancer Cells is Associated with Akt/MAPK Pathways and Generation of Reactive Oxygen Species
Cell Biochemistry and Biophysics.
May, 2013 |
Pubmed ID: 23111983 Gefitinib is the first targeted drug approved for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) treatment. Clinical trails showed that patients with certain clinical and histologic characteristics (such as women, patients of East Asian descent, no history of smoking, and adenocarcinoma) had higher rates of response and overall survival. Despite excellent clinical response to gefitinib in certain NSCLC patients, nearly all patients who respond initially to gefitinib later develop drug resistance. Isothiocyanates have been shown to possess antitumor activity, inhibiting several types of cancer cells growth. However, there are limited studies on their effects on chemoresistance of cancer cells. In this report, we found that benzyl isothiocyanate (BITC) inhibited gefitinib-resistant human NSCLC cells growth by inducing apoptosis in a dose-dependent manner, and activated caspase-3. There were no effects of BITC on epidermal growth factor receptor and multidrug resistant proteins expression. BITC caused cell cycle arrest at G2/M phase, reactive oxygen species generation, and glutathione depletion. Akt activity and NFκB transcriptional activation were suppressed; mitogen-activated protein kinase and activator protein 1 (AP-1) were activated. Our results demonstrated that BITC overcame gefitinib resistance in lung cancer cells. The further understanding of the anti-resistance mechanism of BITC would contribute to establish it as a potent lead compound for the synthesis of novel anticancer drugs.
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Low Expression of Beclin 1 and Elevated Expression of HIF-1α Refine Distant Metastasis Risk and Predict Poor Prognosis of ER-positive, HER2-negative Breast Cancer
Medical Oncology (Northwood, London, England).
Mar, 2013 |
Pubmed ID: 23408367 Even though ER-positive, HER2-negative breast tumors represent a subset of breast cancers with a better clinical outcome, approximately 12.7 % of patients in this subgroup ultimately develop cancer-related mortality. Recent studies had confirmed that hypoxia-induced autophagy-related gene Beclin 1 expression might be important for disease progression and be correlated with patient outcome in several tumors. Here, we examined the autophagic Beclin 1 and hypoxic HIF-1α levels in 378 ER-positive, HER2-negative breast cancer patients by immunohistochemistry using tissue microarray. We found that Beclin 1 was highly expressed in normal mammary gland epithelia. In contrast, it was either not expressed or only moderately expressed in 78.0 % of breast adenocarcinoma tissue. Compared to the subset overexpressing Beclin 1, the subset in which Beclin 1 levels were reduced had a poor 5-year overall survival rate (OS, 85.1 % vs. 94.1 %, P = 0.005) and a poor distant metastasis-free survival (DMFS, 79.1 % vs. 89.3 %, P = 0.037). Cox multivariate analysis confirmed that Beclin 1 was indeed an independent prognostic factor for OS and DMFS. Additionally, Beclin 1 positively correlated with HIF-1α expression (r = 0.206, P < 0.001). Importantly, among patients with HIF-1α overexpression, low levels of Beclin 1 predicted a worse OS. Our study confirmed that deficiency of Beclin 1 was a negative prognostic factor for OS and DMFS in ER-positive, HER2-negative breast cancer. The combination of Beclin 1 and HIF-1α refined the risk definition of the patient subset and provided a novel way to identify those with a high risk of relapse.
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Purification Effects of Two Eco-ditch Systems on Chinese Soft-shelled Turtle Greenhouse Culture Wastewater Pollution
Environmental Science and Pollution Research International.
Apr, 2014 |
Pubmed ID: 24420561 The present study used an eco-ditch system that employed Eichhornia crassipes, Bacillus subtilis, and Bellamya aeruginosa (E-B-B) during the summer and fall (high temperature) seasons and a second eco-ditch system that employed Elodea nuttallii, a compound microbial preparation called "EM bacteria", and Hypophthalmichthys molitrix (E-E-H) during the winter and spring (low temperature) seasons successively to purify the discharged wastewater produced by Chinese soft-shelled turtle greenhouse cultivation. The wastewater was sampled, and the dynamic changes in the major nutrient pollutant indicators over several months were analysed. After the E-B-B and E-E-H eco-ditch purification systems were operated for nearly 140 days each, the following results were observed: the total nitrogen (TN) removal rates in the wastewater were 75 % and 69 %, respectively; the total phosphorus (TP) removal rates were 82 % and 86 %, respectively; the NH4 (+)-N removal rates were 91 % and 75 %, respectively; the chemical oxygen demand (CODcr) decreased 54 % and 44 %, respectively; the dissolved oxygen (DO) contents increased nearly 3 to 4 times; and the wastewater was maintained at neutral or alkaline pH values. The wastewater physical traits gradually changed from being yellow, brown, and muddy to being pale yellow, slightly turbid, and odourless. Both eco-ditch systems were observed to have a relatively favourable effect on the purification of Chinese soft-shelled turtle aquaculture wastewater. The continuous use of both eco-ditch systems could result in a year-round purification effect on Chinese soft-shelled turtle greenhouse aquaculture wastewater; therefore, this method has good prospects for promotion and application.
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Hierarchical SnO₂ Nanostructures Made of Intermingled Ultrathin Nanosheets for Environmental Remediation, Smart Gas Sensor, and Supercapacitor Applications
ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces.
Feb, 2014 |
Pubmed ID: 24443836 In this paper, the hierarchical SnO2 nanostructures (HTNs) were prepared by a facile hydrothermal process. The prepared HTNs were characterized in detail by various analytical techniques that reveal the well-crystallinity with tetragonal rutile structure of SnO2 for the as-prepared material. By detailed experiments, interestingly, it was observed that the shapes and sizes of as-prepared HTNs could be tailored by varying the precursor concentration and reaction time. The synthesized HTNs were used as the efficient photocatalysts for the photocatalytic degradation of methylene blue (MB) under light illumination which showed almost complete degradation (∼99%) of MB dye in 20 min. The observed degradation for MB dye was higher than other commonly used dyes, i.e. methyl orange (MO; 96% in 50 min) and Rhodamine B (RhB; 97% in 40 min.). Further, the prepared HTNs were used as the effective gas sensing material to examine a series of volatile gases, such as ethanol, ammonia, benzene, acetone, toluene, methanol, diethyl ether, and methanol. By the detailed experiments, it was observed that the prepared HTNs exhibited tremendous gas sensing performance toward ethanol. Finally, because of the unique morphology and the fast ion and electron transfer characteristics, the prepared HTNs show excellent supercapacitor performances.
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Bimetallic Ruthenium Complexes Bridged by Divinylphenylene Bearing Oligo(ethylene Glycol)methylether: Synthesis, (spectro)electrochemistry and the Lithium Cation Effect
Dalton Transactions (Cambridge, England : 2003).
Mar, 2014 |
Pubmed ID: 24457499 A series of 1,4-disubstituted ruthenium-vinyl complexes, (E,E)-[{(PMe3)3(CO)ClRu}2(μ-HC=CH-Ar-CH=CH)], in which the 1,4-diethenylphenylene bridge bears two oligo(ethylene glycol)methyl ether side chains at different positions (2,5- and 2,3-positions), were prepared. The respective products were characterized by elemental analyses and NMR spectroscopy. The structures of complexes 1b and 1e were established by X-ray crystallography. The electronic properties of the complexes were investigated by cyclic voltammetry, and IR and UV-vis/NIR spectroscopies. Electrochemical studies showed that the 2,5-substituents better stabilized the mixed-valence states; the electrochemical behavior was greatly affected by lithium cations, especially complex 1g with 2,3-substituents, which was further supported by IR and UV-vis/NIR spectra changes. Spectroelectrochemical studies showed that the redox chemistry was dominated by the non-innocent character of the bridging fragment.
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Congenital Cataract: Prevalence and Surgery Age at Zhongshan Ophthalmic Center (ZOC)
PloS One.
2014 |
Pubmed ID: 24992190 Congenital cataract (CC) is the primary cause of treatable childhood blindness. Population-based assessments of prevalence and surgery age of CC, which are critical for improving management strategies, have been unavailable in China until now. We conducted a hospital-based, cross-sectional study of the hospital charts of CC patients younger than 18 years old from January 2005 to December 2010 at Zhongshan Ophthalmic Center (ZOC) in Guangzhou, China. Residence, gender, age at surgery, hospitalization time, and the presence of other ocular abnormalities were extracted and statistically analyzed in different subgroups. The search identified 1314 patients diagnosed with CC from a total of 136154 hospitalizations, which accounted for 2.39% of all the cataract in-patients and 1.06% of the total in-patients over the six-year study period. Of the identified CC patients, 9.2% had ≥ 2 hospitalizations due to the necessity of additional surgeries, with a total ratio of boys to girls of 1.75 ∶ 1. Based on a subgroup analysis according to age, patients 2-6 years old constituted the highest proportion (29.22%) of all hospitalized CC patients, and those 13-18 years old constituted the lowest proportion (13.47%) of the total number. The average age at surgery was 27.62 ± 23.36 months, but CC patients ≤ 6 years old (especially ≤ 6 months old) became increasingly prevalent throughout the 6-year study period. A total of 276 cases (20.93%) of CC were associated with one or more other ocular abnormalities, the highest incidence rates were observed for exotropia (6.24%), nystagmus (6.16%), and refractive error (3.65%). In conclusion, CC patients accounted for 2.39% of all cataract in-patients in a review of 6 years of hospitalization charts from ZOC. The age at the time of surgery decreased over the 6-year study period, which probably reflects the continuing improvement of public awareness of children's eye care in China.
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Resveratrol Attenuates Hypoxia/reoxygenation‑induced Ca2+ Overload by Inhibiting the Wnt5a/Frizzled‑2 Pathway in Rat H9c2 Cells
Molecular Medicine Reports.
Nov, 2014 |
Pubmed ID: 25120137 Resveratrol is able to protect myocardial cells from ischemia/reperfusion‑induced injury. However, the mechanism has yet to be fully elucidated. In the present study, it is reported that resveratrol has a critical role in the control of Ca2+ overload, which is the primary underlying cause of ischemia/reperfusion injury. Hypoxia/reoxygenation (H/R) treatment decreased the cell viability and increased the apoptosis of H9c2 cells, whereas the caspase‑3 and intracellular Ca2+ levels were greatly elevated compared with the control group. Treatment of H9c2 cells with resveratrol (5, 15 and 30 µM) reduced caspase‑3 expression and cardiomyocyte apoptosis in a dose‑dependent manner, and the intracellular Ca2+ overload was also significantly decreased. Furthermore, Frizzled‑2 and Wnt5a belong to the non‑canonical Wnt/Ca2+ pathway, which have been demonstrated to be responsible for Ca2+ overload, and were thus detected in the present study. The results indicated that both the mRNA and protein expression levels of Frizzled‑2 and Wnt5a in H/R‑induced H9c2 cells were markedly increased compared with the levels found in normal cells, and treatment with resveratrol (5, 15 and 30 µM) significantly reduced the expression of Frizzled‑2 and Wnt5a compared with the H/R group. The results indicated that resveratrol protected myocardial cells from H/R injury by inhibiting the Ca2+ overload through suppression of the Wnt5a/Frizzled‑2 pathway.
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Experimental and Theoretical Investigation on the Compression Mechanism of FeF3 Up to 62.0 GPa
Acta Crystallographica Section B, Structural Science, Crystal Engineering and Materials.
Oct, 2014 |
Pubmed ID: 25274513 VF3-type FeF3 is generally considered as a perovskite with a completely vacant A site. The high-pressure structural evolution of FeF3 has been studied by both X-ray diffraction and theoretical simulation up to 62.0 GPa. Experimental and theoretical results demonstrate that VF3-type FeF3 is stable up to 50 GPa. The structural evolution presents three features at different pressure ranges. At P < 10 GPa, the volume reduction is dominated by the FeF6 octahedral rotation, and a small octahedral strain develops upon compression, which represents an elongation of FeF6 octahedra along the c axis. Between 10 and 25 GPa, the volume reduction is mainly attributed to the Fe-F bond length decreasing, and the octahedral strain gradually disappears. Between 25 and 50 GPa, an octahedral elongation along the a axis quickly develops, resulting in a substantial structural distortion. Structural instability is predicted at P > 51 GPa on the basis of a soft mode occurring in phonon calculations. The pressure-volume relationship is described by a third-order Birch-Murnaghan equation-of-state with B0 = 14 (1) GPa, B0' = 17 (1) by experiment and B0 = 10.45 (1) GPa, B'10 = 12.13 (1) by calculation.
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Uranium(VI) Reduction by Nanoscale Zero-valent Iron in Anoxic Batch Systems: the Role of Fe(II) and Fe(III)
Chemosphere.
Dec, 2014 |
Pubmed ID: 25461927 The role of Fe(II) and Fe(III) in U(VI) reduction by nanoscale zerovalent iron (nanoFe0) was investigated using two iron chelators 1,10-phenanthroline and triethanolamine (TEA) under a CO2-free anoxic condition. The results showed that U(VI) reduction was strongly inhibited by 1,10-phenanthroline and TEA in a pH range from 6.9 to 9.0. For instance, at pH 6.9 the observed U(VI) reduction rates decreased by 81% and 82% in the presence of 1,10-phenanthroline and TEA, respectively. The inhibition was attributed to the formation of stable complexes between 1,10-phenanthroline and Fe(II) or TEA and Fe(III). In the absence of iron chelators, U(VI) reduction can be enhanced by surface-bound Fe(II) on nanoFe0. Our results suggested that Fe(III) and Fe(II) possibly acted as an electron shuttle to ferry the electrons from nanoFe0 to U(VI), therefore a combined system with Fe(II), Fe(III) and nanoFe0 could facilitate U(VI) reductive immobilization in the contaminated groundwater.
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Self-assembled Alluaudite Na(2)Fe(3-x)Mn(x)(PO4)(3) Micro/nanocompounds for Sodium-ion Battery Electrodes: a New Insight into Their Electronic and Geometric Structure
Chemistry (Weinheim an Der Bergstrasse, Germany).
Jan, 2015 |
Pubmed ID: 25371385 A series of alluaudite Na2 Fe3-x Mnx (PO4 )3 microcompounds, which self-assembled from primary nanorods, were prepared successfully through a solvothermal method. As a promising candidate cathode for sodium-ion batteries, it is necessary to obtain a deeper understanding of the relationship between the structure and physicochemical properties of these materials. The local electronic and geometric environments were systematically investigated, for the first time, by using a combination of soft/hard X-ray absorption, IR, and Mössbauer spectroscopy. The results show that the electrochemical performance is not only associated with morphology, but also with the electronic and crystalline structure. With the introduction of manganese into the lattice, the long-range order maintains the isostructural framework and the lattice parameters expand as expected. However, for short-range order, PO4 tetrahedra and MO6 octahedra (M=Fe and Mn) become more severely distorted as a function of Mn concentration. Meanwhile, larger MnO6 octahedra will compress the space of FeO6 octahedra, which will result in stronger core/electron-electron interactions for Fe, as characterized by hard/soft X-ray absorption spectra. These slight changes in the electronic and local structures lead to different electrochemical performances with changes to the manganese content. Moreover, other physicochemical properties, such as magnetic behavior, are also confirmed to be correlated with these different electron interactions and local geometric environments.
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Structure-function Analysis of Vaccinia Virus H7 Protein Reveals a Novel Phosphoinositide Binding Fold Essential for Poxvirus Replication
Journal of Virology.
Feb, 2015 |
Pubmed ID: 25473060 Phosphoinositides and phosphoinositide binding proteins play a critical role in membrane and protein trafficking in eukaryotes. Their critical role in replication of cytoplasmic viruses has just begun to be understood. Poxviruses, a family of large cytoplasmic DNA viruses, rely on the intracellular membranes to develop their envelope, and poxvirus morphogenesis requires enzymes from the cellular phosphoinositide metabolic pathway. However, the role of phosphoinositides in poxvirus replication remains unclear, and no poxvirus proteins show any homology to eukaryotic phosphoinositide binding domains. Recently, a group of poxvirus proteins, termed viral membrane assembly proteins (VMAPs), were identified as essential for poxvirus membrane biogenesis. A key component of VMAPs is the H7 protein. Here we report the crystal structure of the H7 protein from vaccinia virus. The H7 structure displays a novel fold comprised of seven α-helices and a highly curved three-stranded antiparallel β-sheet. We identified a phosphoinositide binding site in H7, comprised of basic residues on a surface patch and the flexible C-terminal tail. These residues were found to be essential for viral replication and for binding of H7 to phosphatidylinositol-3-phosphate (PI3P) and phosphatidylinositol-4-phosphate (PI4P). Our studies suggest that phosphoinositide binding by H7 plays an essential role in poxvirus membrane biogenesis.
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Correlation of Serum- and Glucocorticoid-regulated Kinase 1 Expression with Ischemia-reperfusion Injury After Heart Transplantation
Pediatric Transplantation.
Mar, 2015 |
Pubmed ID: 25515054 IRI of a transplanted heart may result in serious early and late disadvantageous effects such as increased allograft immunogenicity, primary graft dysfunction, and initiation of fibroproliferative cascades that compromise the survival of the recipient. Sgk-1 has recently been linked to cell growth and survival. It has been reported that through a renal transplantation model, Dexa increases Sgk-1 expression and therefore protects from renal IRI. In our current study, we aim to assess the expression of Sgk-1 and its protective effects on cardiomyocyte IRI after heart transplantation. Heart allograft model was performed from Wistar into Lewis, and isograft model was from Lewis into Lewis. Grafts were then harvested at one, six, 12, or 24 h post-transplantation for Sgk-1 expression analyses. In some groups, part donors were treated with Dexa 2 h prior at doses of 0.05, 0.5 and 2 mg/BWkg, respectively. Sgk-1 expression was markedly increased in grafted heart 6-12 h post-transplantation in both the allogenic and isogenic models. Immunostaining experiments confirmed that Sgk-1 was expressed in cardiomyocytes rather than infiltrated immune cells. Furthermore, Dexa treatment significantly increased Sgk-1 expression and the donor cardiomyocyte injury was greatly minimized by Dexa treatment. These results suggest that induction of Sgk-1 might explain some of the beneficial impact of corticosteroids in IRI and hence might have therapeutic implications.
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Association Between Virulence Factors and TRAF1/4-1BB/Bcl-xL Expression in Gastric Mucosa Infected with Helicobacter Pylori
Gastroenterology Research and Practice.
2015 |
Pubmed ID: 25737718 Objective. CagA+/vacAs1+/vacAm1+ Helicobacter pylori upregulates the expression of tumor necrosis factor receptor-associated factor 1 (TRAF1), tumor necrosis factor receptor superfamily member 9 (4-1BB), and B-cell lymphoma-extra large (Bcl-xL) in human gastric epithelial cells. We investigated the correlation between cagA/vacAs1/vacAm1 and TRAF1/4-1BB/Bcl-xL expression in gastric mucosal tissue of patients with gastric disorders. Methods. We collected gastric mucosa samples from 35 chronic, nonatrophic gastritis (CG) patients, 41 atrophic gastritis patients, 44 intestinal metaplasia with atypical hyperplasia (IM) patients, and 28 gastric carcinoma (Ca) patients. The expression of TRAF1, 4-1BB, and Bcl-xL was determined using western blotting. The expression of cagA, vacAs1, and vacAm1 in H. pylori was examined with polymerase chain reaction. Results. The expression of TRAF1, 4-1BB, and Bcl-xL was significantly upregulated in IM and Ca patients (P < 0.05 compared with CG). There were more cases of cagA+/vacAs1+/vacAm1+ H. pylori infection in samples with elevated TRAF1, 4-1BB, or Bcl-xL expression (P < 0.05). Additionally, there were a remarkably large number of samples with upregulated TRAF1/4-1BB/Bcl-xL expression in cases of cagA+/vacAs1+/vacAm1+ H. pylori infection (44 cases, 67.7%; P < 0.05). Conclusions. The pathogenesis of IM and Ca may be promoted by cagA+/vacAs1+/vacAm1+ H. pylori, possibly via upregulated TRAF1, 4-1BB, and Bcl-xL in gastric mucosal tissue.
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Nur77 is Involved in Graft Infiltrating T Lymphocyte Apoptosis in Rat Cardiac Transplantation Model
Pathology, Research and Practice.
Sep, 2015 |
Pubmed ID: 26008781 Acute allograft rejection is initiated by a large number of recipient T cells that recognize donor alloantigens. Apoptotic signals trigger Nur77 production. Nur77 translocates from the nucleus to the mitochondria to induce a loss of mitochondrial membrane potential and the release of mitochondrial cell-death mediators, including HtrA2/Omi. In this study, we investigated the relationship between Nur77, HtrA2/Omi, and T lymphocyte apoptosis during acute allograft rejection in a rat cardiac transplantation model. The median survival time of the isograft group was longer than that of the allograft group. The cardiac grafts in isogenic (Lewis to Lewis) and allogenic (Wistar to Lewis) models were subjected to HE stain, showing that no rejection occurred in the isografts and that the rejection level was increased in allografts. Compared with the rare expression in syngeneic Lewis rat hearts by western blot analysis, Nur77 protein level in allograft increased from day 1, peaked at day 5 after transplantation, and maintained the highest level until day 7. Double immunofluorescence staining on allograft tissues at day 5 showed Nur77 immunocompetence in most CD3(+) cells, and Nur77 positive T cells also showed HtrA2/Omi-positive signal. Meanwhile, active caspase-3 was apparent in these HtrA2/Omi-positive T cells. Immunohistochemical results suggested that both Nur77 and active caspase-3 were expressed in increasing infiltrating lymphocytes. Our results demonstrated that upregulated Nur77 may promote graft-infiltrating T lymphocyte apoptosis by translocating and inducing HtrA2/Omi release from mitochondria in acute rejection after cardiac transplantation.
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AGS3 is Involved in TNF-α Medicated Osteogenic Differentiation of Human Dental Pulp Stem Cells
Differentiation; Research in Biological Diversity.
Jun, 2015 |
Pubmed ID: 26143356 Dental pulp stem cells (DPSCs) are multipotent adult stem cells capable of differentiating along the osteoblast, adipocyte, and chondrocyte lineages. Regulating differentiation of DPSCs may be a useful tool for regenerative medicine and cell-based therapy in oral diseases. Multisignaling pathways are involved in osteogenic differentiation of DPSCs. Recent studies show that cAMP/PKA/CREB signaling could stimulate the expression of genes such as bone morphogenic proteins 2 (BMP2), inhibitor of DNA binding 2 (ID2), bone sialoprotein, osteocalcin, and type XXIV collagen, which have been implicated in osteogenesis and bone formation. Activator of G-protein signaling 3 (AGS3, gene name G-protein signaling modulator-1, Gpsm1), an accessory protein for G-protein signaling, plays an important role in regulating the phosphorylation of cyclic AMP response element-binding protein (p-CREB). However, the involvement of AGS3 in osteogenic differentiation of DPSCs has not been explored. Our data indicated that increased expression of AGS3 would inhibit osteogenic differentiation of DPSCs exposed to inflammatory cytokine tumor necrosis factor α (TNF-α) via cAMP/PKA/CREB signaling. The negative role of AGS3 in osteogenic differentiation was further confirmed by knocking down and over expression of AGS3. Our findings may provide clinical implications for osteoporosis.
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Template-free Growth of Well-crystalline α-Fe2O3 Nanopeanuts with Enhanced Visible-light Driven Photocatalytic Properties
Journal of Colloid and Interface Science.
Nov, 2015 |
Pubmed ID: 26196718 Well-crystalline homogeneous α-Fe2O3 nanopeanuts were synthesized, characterized and utilized as an effective photocatalysts for the photocatalytic degradation of toxic and harmful organic dyes, i.e. Congo red (CR), Eosin red (ER) and methylene blue (MB). The nanopeanuts were synthesized by facile one-step hydrothermal process without employing any templates and characterized in detail in terms of their morphological and structural properties. The detailed characterizations confirmed the well-crystallinity, large-scale growth and rhombohedral crystal structure of the synthesized nanopeanuts. Further, the detailed growth processes of prepared nanopeanuts were studied by examining the effects of reaction time, temperature and amounts of hexamethylenetetramine (HMT) on the shapes and sizes of the products. Thus, based on the observed experimental evidences, a possible growth mechanism for the formation of nanopeanuts was also proposed. Finally, the nanopeanuts were used as efficient visible-light driven photocatalyst for the photocatalytic degradation of organic dyes and the observed degradation rates were MB (57%)
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Study on the Release Routes of Allelochemicals from Pistia Stratiotes Linn., and Its Anti-cyanobacteria Mechanisms on Microcystis Aeruginosa
Environmental Science and Pollution Research International.
Dec, 2015 |
Pubmed ID: 26233747 Allelochemicals in Pistia stratiotes Linn. have a strong anti-cyanobacteria effect on Microcystis aeruginosa. To further determine the release routes of allelochemicals in P. stratiotes and understand their anti-cyanobacteria mechanisms, we aimed to systematically investigate the allelopathic effects of leaf leachates, leaf volatilization, root exudates, and residue decomposition of P. stratiotes on M. aeruginosa. The influences of P. stratiotes allelochemicals on the physiological properties of M. aeruginosa were also studied. Root exudates of P. stratiotes exhibited the strongest inhibitory effect on M. aeruginosa growth. The residue decomposition and leaf leachates exhibited a relatively strong inhibitory effect on M. aeruginosa growth. By contrast, the leaf volatilization stimulated M. aeruginosa growth. Therefore, root exudation was determined to be the main release route of allelochemicals from P. stratiotes. The mixed culture experiment of P. stratiotes root exudates and M. aeruginosa showed that the allelochemicals released from root exudation had no effect on the electron transfer of M. aeruginosa photosynthetic system II. However, it reduced the phycocyanin (PC) content and phycocyanin to allophycocyanin (PC/APC) ratio in the photosynthetic system. As the root exudates concentration increased, the electrical conductivity (EC) and superoxide anion radical (O2(*-)) values in the M. aeruginosa culture fluid increased significantly, indicating that the allelochemicals released from the root of P. stratiotes inhibited algae growth by affecting the PC and PC/APC levels in photosynthesis, destroying the cell membrane, and increasing O2(*-) content to result in oxidative damage of M. aeruginosa.
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Energy-Cascaded Upconversion in an Organic Dye-Sensitized Core/Shell Fluoride Nanocrystal
Nano Letters.
Nov, 2015 |
Pubmed ID: 26487489 Lanthanide-doped upconversion nanoparticles hold promises for bioimaging, solar cells, and volumetric displays. However, their emission brightness and excitation wavelength range are limited by the weak and narrowband absorption of lanthanide ions. Here, we introduce a concept of multistep cascade energy transfer, from broadly infrared-harvesting organic dyes to sensitizer ions in the shell of an epitaxially designed core/shell inorganic nanostructure, with a sequential nonradiative energy transfer to upconverting ion pairs in the core. We show that this concept, when implemented in a core-shell architecture with suppressed surface-related luminescence quenching, yields multiphoton (three-, four-, and five-photon) upconversion quantum efficiency as high as 19% (upconversion energy conversion efficiency of 9.3%, upconversion quantum yield of 4.8%), which is about ~100 times higher than typically reported efficiency of upconversion at 800 nm in lanthanide-based nanostructures, along with a broad spectral range (over 150 nm) of infrared excitation and a large absorption cross-section of 1.47 × 10(-14) cm(2) per single nanoparticle. These features enable unprecedented three-photon upconversion (visible by naked eye as blue light) of an incoherent infrared light excitation with a power density comparable to that of solar irradiation at the Earth surface, having implications for broad applications of these organic-inorganic core/shell nanostructures with energy-cascaded upconversion.
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Development and Effects of FTY720 Ophthalmic Solution on Corneal Allograft Survival
Scientific Reports.
Nov, 2015 |
Pubmed ID: 26558849 Fingolimod (FTY720), a novel class of sphingosine 1-phosphate receptor modulators, has received special interest among ophthalmologists, particularly given that oral administration of FTY720 has proven to effectively treat corneal graft rejection in animal models. However, no studies have examined the performance of FTY720 as an ophthalmic solution in reducing corneal rejection in high-risk corneal rejection models, and the stability and ocular irritation profile of FTY720 ophthalmic solution are also unknown. Thus, we developed 0.1%, 0.2% and 0.5% FTY720 ophthalmic solutions and evaluated their chemical stabilities under various storage conditions with high- performance liquid chromatography. To investigate the ocular irritancy of the FTY720 ophthalmic solution, New Zealand albino rabbits were subjected to the Draize test. Furthermore, classic, well-established rat allogenic penetrating keratoplasty models were used to investigate the anti-rejection efficacy of the tested FTY720 ophthalmic solutions. We found that the non-irritating 0.5% FTY720 ophthalmic solution could prolong corneal allograft survival in rats with significant efficacy for about one month. Furthermore, no significant concentration changes occurred in any of the types of FTY720 ophthalmic solutions within three months. These results revealed crucial profiles of FTY720 ophthalmic solutions and warrant further investigation and optimization of FTY720 in the anti-rejection therapy after keratoplasty.
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NF45 Inhibits Cardiomyocyte Apoptosis Following Myocardial Ischemia-reperfusion Injury
Pathology, Research and Practice.
Dec, 2015 |
Pubmed ID: 26573128 Cardiomyocyte apoptosis, which occurs during ischemia and reperfusion injury, can cause irreversible damage to cardiac function. There is accumulating evidence that nuclear factor 45 (NF45) and regulatory pathways are important in understanding reparative processes in the myocardium. NF45 is a multifunctional regulator of gene expression that participates in the regulation of DNA break repair. Recently, NF45 has been proved to be associated with tumor cell apoptosis in various human malignancies. However, the underlying mechanism of NF45 regulating myocardial ischemia-reperfusion (I/R) injury remains unclear. In this study, western blot showed that NF45 expression decreased after myocardial I/R in vivo. Double immunofluorescent staining revealed that NF45, located in the nucleus of cardiomyocyes, was correlated with cardiomyocyte apoptosis. Furthermore, NF45 expression decreased in H9c2 cells after hypoxia-reoxygenation (H/R) treatment in vitro, which was in line with the results in vivo. Overexpression of NF45 in H9c2 cells reduced cell apoptosis, as evidenced by increased Bcl-2 level, as well as decreased cleaved caspase-3, p53 and p21 expression. The expression of NF45 was reduced by LY294002 (a PI3K/Akt inhibitor), but not SB203580 (a p38 inhibitor), suggesting that NF45 prevented H/R-induced H9c2 cell apoptosis via PI3K/Akt pathway. Our data may supply a novel molecular target for acute myocardial infarction (AMI) therapy.
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Knockdown of Receptor Tyrosine Kinase-like Orphan Receptor 2 Inhibits Cell Proliferation and Colony Formation in Osteosarcoma Cells by Inducing Arrest in Cell Cycle Progression
Oncology Letters.
Dec, 2015 |
Pubmed ID: 26788194 Osteosarcoma (OS) is the most common malignant tumor of the bone, with a high mortality rate and poor prognosis. Receptor tyrosine kinase-like orphan receptor 2 (ROR2) has been reported to be dysregulated in human malignancies. More recently, ROR2 has been demonstrated to promote OS cell migration and invasion. However, the role of ROR2 in the regulation of OS cell proliferation, as well as the underlying molecular mechanism, remains unclear. The present study aimed to investigate the underlying mechanism of ROR2 in osteosarcoma growth. Reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction analysis and western blot analysis were used to examine the mRNA and protein expression. MTT assay, colony formation assay and cell cycle analysis were conducted to explore the function of ROR2 in osteosarcoma cells. In the present study, the expression of ROR2 was found to be frequently upregulated in OS tissues compared with matched adjacent normal tissues. It was also upregulated in the OS cell lines Saos-2, MG-63 and U-2 OS, relative to normal osteoblast hFOB 1.19 cells. Knockdown of ROR2 expression by transfection with ROR2-specific siRNA markedly inhibited the proliferation and colony formation of OS cells. Data from the cell cycle distribution assay revealed an accumulation of ROR2-knockdown cells in the G0/G1 phase, indicating that knockdown of ROR2 leads to an arrest in cell cycle progression. Mechanistic investigation revealed that the protein levels of c-myc, a target gene of the Wnt signaling, as well as cyclin D1, cyclin E and cyclin-dependent kinase 4 were markedly reduced in the ROR2-knockdown OS cells, suggesting that the inhibitory effect of ROR2 knockdown on OS cell proliferation is associated with the Wnt signaling pathway. In summary, the current study indicates an important role for ROR2 in the proliferation of OS cells. Therefore, ROR2 may be a promising therapeutic target in OS.
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In Vivo Repeatedly Charging Near-Infrared-Emitting Mesoporous SiO2/ZnGa2O4:Cr(3+) Persistent Luminescence Nanocomposites
Advanced Science (Weinheim, Baden-Wurttemberg, Germany).
Mar, 2015 |
Pubmed ID: 27419003 Near-infrared (NIR) persistent phosphor ZnGa2O4:Cr(3+) (ZGC) has unique deep-tissue rechargeable afterglow properties. However, the current synthesis leads to agglomerated products with irregular morphologies and wide size distributions. Herein, we report on in vivo rechargeable mesoporous SiO2/ZnGa2O4:Cr(3+) (mZGC) afterglow NIR-emitting nanocomposites that are made by a simple, one-step mesoporous template method. At less than 600 °C, pores in mesoporous silica nanoparticles (MSNs) act as nanoreactors to generate in situ ZnGa2O4:Cr(3+) NIR-persistent phosphors. The as-synthesized mZGC preserves defined size, morphology, and mesoporous nanostructure of the MSNs. The persistent luminescence of the as-synthesized mZGC is recharged in a simulated deep-tissue environment (e.g., ≈8 mm pork slab) in vitro by using red light (620 nm). Moreover, mZGC can be repeatedly activated in vivo for persistent luminescence imaging in a live mouse model by using white LED as a light source. Our concept of utilizing mesoporous silica as nanoreactor to fabricate ZGC PL nanoparticles with controllable morphology and preserved porous nanostructure paves a new way to the development and the wide application of deep tissue rechargeable ZGC in photonics and biophotonics.
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High Pressure Behaviour and Elastic Properties of a Dense Inorganic-organic Framework
Dalton Transactions (Cambridge, England : 2003).
Mar, 2016 |
Pubmed ID: 26613418 The high pressure behaviour of a cubic dense inorganic-organic framework [DABCOH2(2+)][K(ClO4)3] (DABCOH2(2+) = diazabicyclo[2.2.2]octane-1,4-diium) has been systematically studied via synchrotron X-ray powder diffraction, over the range of 0-3.12 GPa. The framework [DABCOH2(2+)][K(ClO4)3] shows a more rigid response, with a bulk modulus of 30(1) GPa and an axial compressibility of 7.6(4) × 10(-3) GPa(-1), compared with ZIF-8 and the dense hybrid solar cell perovskite CH3NH3PbI3. Density functional theory calculations reveal that the structural change in [DABCOH2(2+)][K(ClO4)3] is attributed to the contraction of the KO12 polyhedra, which consequently results in the rotation of the perchlorate linkers and synergistic movement of the DABCOH2(2+) guest. Further extensive theoretical calculations of full elastic tensors give full mapping of the Young's moduli, shear moduli and Poisson's ratios of [DABCOH2(2+)][K(ClO4)3], which are in the range of 31.6-36.6, 12.3-14.6 GPa and 0.2-0.32, respectively. The Young's and shear moduli of [DABCOH2(2+)][K(ClO4)3] are larger than those of cubic MOF-5, ZIF-8 and CH3NH3PbI3. In addition, the narrow range of Poisson's ratios in [DABCOH2(2+)][K(ClO4)3] indicates its very isotropic nature in response to biaxial stress.
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Synthesis and Characterization of Two Novel Bimetallic Macrocyclic Complexes Generated from 1,2,4-triazole-containing Semi-rigid Ligands and M(NO3)2 Units (M = Ni and Zn)
Acta Crystallographica. Section C, Structural Chemistry.
Apr, 2016 |
Pubmed ID: 27045178 Bimetallic macrocyclic complexes have attracted the attention of chemists and various organic ligands have been used as molecular building blocks, but supramolecular complexes based on semi-rigid organic ligands containing 1,2,4-triazole have remained rare until recently. It is easier to obtain novel topologies by making use of asymmetric semi-rigid ligands in the self-assembly process than by making use of rigid ligands. A new semi-rigid ligand, 3-[(pyridin-4-ylmethyl)sulfanyl]-5-(quinolin-2-yl)-4H-1,2,4-triazol-4-amine (L), has been synthesized and used to generate two novel bimetallic macrocycle complexes, namely bis{μ-3-[(pyridin-4-ylmethyl)sulfanyl]-5-(quinolin-2-yl)-4H-1,2,4-triazol-4-amine}bis[(methanol-κO)(nitrato-κ(2)O,O')nickel(II)] dinitrate, [Ni2(NO3)2(C17H14N6S)2(CH3OH)2](NO3)2, (I), and bis{μ-3-[(pyridin-4-ylmethyl)sulfanyl]-5-(quinolin-2-yl)-4H-1,2,4-triazol-4-amine}bis[(methanol-κO)(nitrato-κ(2)O,O')zinc(II)] dinitrate, [Zn2(NO3)2(C17H14N6S)2(CH3OH)2](NO3)2, (II), by solution reactions with the inorganic salts M(NO3)2 (M = Ni and Zn, respectively) in mixed solvents. In (I), two Ni(II) cations with the same coordination environment are linked by L ligands through Ni-N bonds to form a bimetallic ring. Compound (I) is extended into a two-dimensional network in the crystallographic ac plane via N-H...O, O-H...N and O-H...O hydrogen bonds, and neighbouring two-dimensional planes are parallel and form a three-dimensional structure via π-π stacking. Compound (II) contains two bimetallic rings with the same coordination environment of the Zn(II) cations. The Zn(II) cations are bridged by L ligands through Zn-N bonds to form the bimetallic rings. One type of bimetallic ring constructs a one-dimensional nanotube via O-H...O and N-H...O hydrogen bonds along the crystallographic a direction, and the other constructs zero-dimensional molecular cages via O-H...O and N-H...O hydrogen bonds. They are interlinked into a two-dimensional network in the ac plane through extensive N-H...O hydrogen bonds, and a three-dimensional supramolecular architecture is formed via π-π interactions between the centroids of the benzene rings of the quinoline ring systems.
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Heterometallic Alkaline Earth-Lanthanide Ba(II)-La(III) Microporous Metal-Organic Framework As Bifunctional Luminescent Probes of Al(3+) and MnO4(.)
Inorganic Chemistry.
05, 2016 |
Pubmed ID: 27088966 In this work a rigid asymmetrical tricarboxylate ligand p-terphenyl-3,4″,5-tricarboxylic acid (H3L) has been employed, and a unique heterometallic alkaline earth-lanthanide microporous luminescent metal-organic framework (MOF) {[Ba3La0.5(μ3-L)2.5(H2O)3(DMF)]·(3DMF)}n (1·3DMF) (DMF = dimethylformamide) has been isolated under solvothermal conditions. Single-crystal X-ray structural analysis demonstrates that 2D inorganic Ba-O-La connectivity can be observed in 1, which are further bridged via rigid terphenyl backbones of L(3-), forming a unique I(2)O(1)-type microporous luminescent framework. A 1D microporous channel with dimensionality of 9.151(3) Å × 10.098(1) Å can be observed along the crystallographic a axis. PXRD patterns have been investigated indicating pure phases of 1. The luminescence explorations demonstrated that 1 exhibits highly selective and sensitive sensing for Al(3+) over other cations with high quenching efficiency Ksv value of 1.445 × 10(4) L·mol(-1) and low detection limit (1.11 μM (S/N = 3)). Meanwhile 1 also exhibits highly selective and sensitive sensing for MnO4(-) over other anions with quenching efficiency Ksv = 7.73 × 10(3) L·mol(-1) and low detection limit (0.28 μM (S/N = 3)). It is noted that, when different concentrations of MnO4(-) solutions (0.5 to 100 μM) were dropped into the suspension of 1, the bright blue luminescence of the suspension observed under UV light can gradually change into pink color, indicating visually luminescent sensing, which makes the detection process of MnO4(-) more convenient in practical. The result also reveals that 1 represents the first example of bifunctional heterometallic alkaline earth-lanthanide MOF-based luminescent probes for selectively detecting Al(3+) and MnO4(-) in the water solutions.
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Heat Shock Protein 70 Inhibits Cardiomyocyte Necroptosis Through Repressing Autophagy in Myocardial Ischemia/reperfusion Injury
In Vitro Cellular & Developmental Biology. Animal.
Jun, 2016 |
Pubmed ID: 27130675 Irreversible damage of cardiac function arisen from myocardial ischemia/reperfusion injury (MIRI) leads to an emerging challenge in the treatments of cardiac ischemic diseases. Molecular chaperone heat shock protein 70 (HSP70) attenuates heat-stimulated cell autophagy, apoptosis, and damage in the heart. Under specific conditions, autophagy may, directly or indirectly, induce cell death including necroptosis. Whether HSP70 inhibits cardiomyocyte necroptosis via suppressing autophagy during MIRI is unknown. In our study, HSP70 expression was opposite to necroptosis marker RIP1 and autophagy marker LC3A/B expression after myocardial ischemia/reperfusion (MIR) in vivo. Furthermore, in vitro primary rat cardiomyocytes mimicked MIRI by hypoxia/reoxygenation (H/R) treatment. Knockdown of HSP70 expression promoted cardiomyocyte autophagy and necroptosis following H/R treatment, while the increase tendency was downregulated by autophagy inhibitor 3-MA, showing that autophagy-induced necroptosis could be suppressed by HSP70. In summary, HSP70 downregulates cardiomyocyte necroptosis through suppressing autophagy during myocardial IR, revealing the novel protective mechanism of HSP70 and supplying a novel molecular target for the treatment of heart ischemic diseases.
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[Study on Visual Identification of Corn Seeds Based on Hyperspectral Imaging Technology]
Guang Pu Xue Yu Guang Pu Fen Xi = Guang Pu.
Feb, 2016 |
Pubmed ID: 27209759 The seed purity is an important indicator of seed quality. The paper proposes a visual identification method of corn seed based on the near-infrared (874~1,734 nm) hyperspectral image technology. Hyperspectral image data of 4 cultivars of a total of 384 corn seed samples will be acquired. Then 288 of samples are to be selected randomly as the calibration set, and the remaining 96 samples will be used for the prediction set. After inspection of the near-infrared spectral curves, 7 effective wavelengths (EWs) are to be selected by successive projection algorithm (SPA). And then 7 EWs of the calibration set will be used as input to build a partial least squares (PLS) model. Good results are to be obtained with Rc = 0.917 7, RMSECV = 0.444 2; Rcv = 0.911 5, RMSECV = 0.459 9. And the total identification rate of the developed PLS model will be 78.5% for the calibration set and 70.8% for the prediction set. Finally, average spectral data of each corn seed in a hyperspectral image will be extracted by image process technology, and used as input of the developed SPA-PLS model. In the produced identification map, different colors are to be used to represent different predicted cultivars. 3 mixture samples of corn seeds will be identified, and help to achieve satisfied visual effects. The result indicates that, by means of the visual identification technology we could intuitively observe the distribution of corn seeds of different cultivars in mixture samples. The research provides help for the identification and screening of seeds in agricultural production.
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Visual Outcome and Related Factors in Bilateral Total Congenital Cataract Patients: A Prospective Cohort Study
Scientific Reports.
Aug, 2016 |
Pubmed ID: 27485055 This study is to evaluate the visual outcome and identify its crucial related factors in children undergoing cataract surgery for bilateral total congenital cataract (CC). This prospective study included consecutive bilateral total cataract patients undergoing primary surgery at Zhongshan Ophthalmic Center (ZOC), Guangzhou, China from Jan 2010 to May 2014. Visual outcome was estimated by best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) at last follow-up. Potential related factors, including gender, age at last follow-up, age at primary surgery, surgical procedure, postoperative complications (PCs), frequency of follow-up and changes in spectacles were evaluated. Eighty-eight children (176 eyes) were included in the cohort. The mean post-operative BCVA (logMAR) was 1.07 ± 0.53 at the mean follow-up duration 31.07 ± 19.36 months. Multivariable generalized estimating equations (GEEs) showed BCVA was significantly associated with PCs, age at last follow-up and age at primary surgery. Partial correlation analysis indicated age at primary surgery was positively correlated with BCVA controlling for the other factors, both for the whole age range (R = 0.415, P 6 months (R = 0.867, P
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MMP-14 Promotes VSMC Migration Via Up-regulating CD44 Expression in Cardiac Allograft Vasculopathy
Pathology, Research and Practice.
Dec, 2016 |
Pubmed ID: 27712978 Cardiac allograft vasculopathy (CAV) was the leading cause of late death in heart transplantation recipients. Matrix metalloproteinase-14 (MMP-14), as a member of the MMPs family, has been reported to play a vital role in coronary vascular lesions of allotransplanted hearts. However, concrete mechanism is still unclear. Herein, we showed that the expression of MMP-14 was different between isografts and allografts. Interestingly, we found MMP-14 could interact with CD44 in allografts. Cluster of differentiation 44 (CD44), as a cell adhesion receptor and is involved in cell migration, caused our interest in MMP-14/CD44 complex in allografts. Then we analyzed the effect of MMP-14/CD44 complex on pro-MMP-9 activation and vascular smooth muscle cell (VSMC) migration in rat VSMC TNF-α treated model. Then, we further found intervention of MMP-14/CD44 complex could inhibit VSMC migration. Our results elucidate the molecular mechanism of VSMC migration after cardiac transplantation and provide theoretical basis for seeking new specific drug targets for CAV prevention and treatment.
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Mitochondrial Phosphatase PGAM5 Regulates Keap1-mediated Bcl-xL Degradation and Controls Cardiomyocyte Apoptosis Driven by Myocardial Ischemia/reperfusion Injury
In Vitro Cellular & Developmental Biology. Animal.
Mar, 2017 |
Pubmed ID: 27815660 Phosphoglycerate mutase 5 (PGAM5) is a mitochondrial membrane protein that plays crucial roles in necroptosis and apoptosis. Though PGAM5 is known to be required for inducing intrinsic apoptosis through interacting with BCL2 associated X protein (Bax) and dynamin-related protein 1 (Drp1), the expression and role of PGAM5 in cardiomyocyte apoptosis driven by myocardial ischemia/reperfusion injury(MIRI) has not been studied. The present study shows that PGAM5 expression decreased after MIRI in vivo, positively correlated with Bcl-xL expression, negatively correlated with Kelch-ECH associating protein 1 (Keap1) expression. Furthermore, PGAM5 expression also decreased in cardiomyocytes after hypoxia/reoxygenation (H/R) treatment in vitro. PGAM5 silence promoted cardiomyocyte apoptosis and inhibited Bcl-xL expression, but with no effect on Keap1 expression. Accordingly, Keap1 overexpression further inhibited Bcl-xL and PGAM5 expression. Additionally, PGAM5-Bcl-xL-Keap1 interaction was identified, suggesting that PGAM5 might participate in the degradation of Bcl-xL mediated by Keap1. In summary, PGAM5 controls cardiomyocyte apoptosis induced by MIRI through regulating Keap1-mediated Bcl-xL degradation, which may supply a novel molecular target for acute myocardial infarction (AMI) therapy. Graphical abstract ᅟ.
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Benzyl Isothiocyanate Induces Protective Autophagy in Human Lung Cancer Cells Through an Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress-mediated Mechanism
Acta Pharmacologica Sinica.
Apr, 2017 |
Pubmed ID: 28112178 Isothiocyanates, such as allyl isothiocya¬nate (AITC), benzyl isothiocyanate (BITC), phenethyl isothio¬cyanate (PEITC) and sulforaphane (SFN), are natural compounds abundant in cruciferous vegetables, which have substantial chemopreventive activities against various human malignancies. However, the mechanisms underlying the inhibition of tumor cell growth by isothiocyanates are not fully understood. Since autophagy has dual functions in cancer, in the present study we investigated the effects of BITC on autophagy induction in human lung cancer cells in vitro and in vivo. BITC (1-100 μmol/L) dose-dependently inhibited the growth of 3 different human lung cancer cell lines A549 (adenocarcinoma), H661 (large cell carcinoma) and SK-MES-1 (squamous cell carcinoma) with IC50 values of 30.7±0.14, 15.9±0.22 and 23.4±0.11 μmol/L, respectively. BITC (10-40 μmol/L) induced autophagy in the lung cancer cells, evidenced by the formation of acidic vesicular organelles (AVOs), the accumulation of LC3-II, the punctate pattern of LC3, and the expression of Atg5. Pretreatment with the autophagy inhibitor 3-MA (5 mmol/L) significantly enhanced the BITC-caused growth inhibition in the lung cancer cells. Furthermore, BITC (20-40 μmol/L) activated ER stress, as shown by the increased cytosolic Ca(2+) level and the phosphorylation of the ER stress marker proteins PERK and eIF2α in the lung cancer cells. Pretreatment with the ER stress inhibitor 4-PBA (5 mmol/L) attenuated the autophagy induction and potentiated the BITC-induced cell growth inhibition. In nude mice bearing A549 xenografts, administration of BITC (100 mg·kg(-1)·d(-1), ip) for 8 weeks markedly suppressed the lung tumor growth, and significantly enhanced both autophagy and ER stress in the tumor tissues. Our results demonstrate that BITC inhibits human lung cancer cell growth in vitro and in vivo. In addition, BITC induces autophagy in the lung cancer cells, which protects the cancer cells against the inhibitory action of BITC; the autophagy induction is mediated by the ER stress response.
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Sediment Biomarker, Bacterial Community Characterization of High Arsenic Aquifers in Jianghan Plain, China
Scientific Reports.
Feb, 2017 |
Pubmed ID: 28165031 Representative biomarkers (e.g., n-alkanes), diversity and microbial community in the aquifers contaminated by high concentration of arsenic (As) in different sediment depth (0-30 m) in Jianghan Plain, Hubei, China, were analyzed to investigate the potential mechanism of As enrichment in groundwater. The concentration of As was abundant in top soil and sand, but not in clay. The analysis of the distribution of n-alkanes, CPI values, and wax to total n-alkane ratio (Wax(n)%) indicated that the organic matter (OM) from fresh terrestrial plants were abundant in the shallow sediment. However, n-alkanes have suffered from significant biodegradation from the depth of 16 m to 30 m. The deposition of fresh terrestrial derived organic matters may facilitate the release of As from sediment to groundwater in the sediment of 0-16 m. However, the petroleum derived organic matters may do the favor to the release of As in the deeper section of borehole (16 m to 30 m). The 16S rRNA gene sequences identification indicated that Acidobacteria, Actinomycetes and Hydrogenophaga are abundant in the sediments with high arsenic. Therefore, microbes and organic matters from different sources may play important roles in arsenic mobilization in the aquifers of the study area.
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Heat Shock Protein 70 Protects Cardiomyocytes Through Suppressing SUMOylation and Nucleus Translocation of Phosphorylated Eukaryotic Elongation Factor 2 During Myocardial Ischemia and Reperfusion
Apoptosis : an International Journal on Programmed Cell Death.
May, 2017 |
Pubmed ID: 28205128 Myocardial ischemia and reperfusion (MIR) results in cardiomyocyte apoptosis with severe outcomes, which blocks cardiac tissue recovering from myocardial ischemia diseases. Heat shock protein 70 (HSP70) is one of protective molecule chaperones which could regulate the nucleus translocation of other proteins. In addition, eukaryotic elongation factor 2 (eEF2), which modulates protein translation process, is vital to the recovery of heart during MIR. However, the relationship between HSP70 and eEF2 and its effects on MIR are unclear. The expression and relationship between HSP70 and eEF2 is confirmed by western blot, immunoprecipitation in vitro using cardiomyocyte cell line H9c2 and in vivo rat MIR model. The further investigation was conducted in H9c2 cells with detection for cell-cycle and apoptosis. It is revealed that eEF2 interacted and be regulated by HSP70, which kept eEF2 as dephosphorylated status and preserved the function of eEF2 during MIR. In addition, HSP70 suppressed the nucleus translocation of phosphorylated eEF2, which inhibited cardiomyocyte apoptosis during myocardial reperfusion stage. Furthermore, HSP70 also interacted with C-terminal fragment of eEF2, which could reverse the nucleus translocation and cardiomyocyte apoptosis caused by N-terminal fragment of eEF2. HSP70 draw on advantage and avoid defect of MIR through regulating phosphorylation and nucleus translocation of eEF2.
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Curcumin Attenuates Surgery-induced Cognitive Dysfunction in Aged Mice
Metabolic Brain Disease.
Feb, 2017 |
Pubmed ID: 28224377 Post-operative cognitive dysfunction (POCD) is associated with elderly patients undergoing surgery. However, pharmacological treatments for POCD are limited. In this study, we found that curcumin, an active compound derived from Curcuma longa, ameliorated the cognitive dysfunction following abdominal surgery in aged mice. Further, curcumin prevented surgery-induced anti-oxidant enzyme activity. Curcumin also increased brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF)-positive area and expression of pAkt in the brain, suggesting that curcumin activated BDNF signaling in aged mice. Furthermore, curcumin neutralized cholinergic dysfunction involving choline acetyltransferase expression induced by surgery. These results strongly suggested that curcumin prevented cognitive impairments via multiple targets, possibly by increasing the activity of anti-oxidant enzymes, activation of BDNF signaling, and neutralization of cholinergic dysfunction, concurrently. Based on these novel findings, curcumin might be a potential agent in POCD prophylaxis and treatment.
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MiR-26a Enhances Invasive Capacity by Suppressing GSK3β in Human Lung Cancer Cells
Experimental Cell Research.
Mar, 2017 |
Pubmed ID: 28237093 Lung cancer is the common cause of death from cancer, and most lung cancer patients die of metastasis. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) function as either oncogenes or tumor suppressors, playing crucial role not only in tumorigenesis, but also in tumor invasion and metastasis. There are several studies showed that miR-26a is involved in carcinogenesis, however, its role in tumor metastasis need to be elucidated. In this study, we showed that ectopic expression of miR-26a enhanced migration and invasion of lung cancer cells. Glycogen synthase kinase-3β (GSK3β) was identified as a direct target of miR-26a. GSK3β expression negatively correlated with miR-26a expression in lung cancer tissues. Silencing of GSK3β achieved similar effect as miR-26a over-expression; over-expression of GSK3β reversed the enhanced effect of miR-26a on lung cancer cell migration and invasion. Further study indicated that miR-26a increased β-catenin expression and nuclear translocation. C-myc and cyclin D1, the downstream genes of β-catenin, were also up-regulated by miR-26a. Furthermore, xenograft study showed that miR-26a promoted lung cancer cell growth in vivo, and suppressed GSK3β expression. Collectively, our results demonstrated that miR-26a enhanced metastatic potential of lung cancer cells via activation of β-catenin pathway by targeting GSK3β, suggesting the potential applicability of miR-26a as a target for cancer treatment.
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Catalpol Protects Glucose-deprived Rat Embryonic Cardiac Cells by Inducing Mitophagy and Modulating Estrogen Receptor
Biomedicine & Pharmacotherapy = Biomedecine & Pharmacotherapie.
May, 2017 |
Pubmed ID: 28292026 Catalpol, a bioactive component from Rehmannia glutinosa (Di Huang), has been widely used to protect cardiomyocytes against myocardial ischemia. The aim of the present study was to investigate the anti-apoptotic and anti-oxidative effects of Catalpol on glucose-starved H9c2 cells for cardio-protection and to elucidate the underlying mechanisms. Here, we showed that Catalpol protected the glucose-starved H9c2 cells through reducing apoptosis and attenuating oxidative damage. Moreover, the increases of autophagic lysosomes, LC3, autophagic flux and autophagic vacuole were observed in Catalpol-treated cells using flow cytometer and fluorescence microscope. Western blotting analyses showed that the autophagy-related proteins (LC3, Beclin1 and ULK) were markedly increased in Catalpol-treated cells, suggesting that Catalpol up-regulated autophagy in glucose starved H9c2 cells. Mechanistic investigations revealed that the autophagy inhibitor 3-MA markedly abrogated Catalpol's anti-apoptotic and anti-oxidative effects and prevented Catalpol-induced mitophagy. Furthermore, the estrogen receptor inhibitor tamoxifen significantly abolished Catalpol up-regulation of mitophagic related proteins (LC3, Beclin 1, p62, ATG5). Collectively, these data revealed that Catalpol inhibited apoptosis and oxidative stress in glucose-deprived H9c2 cell through promoting cell mitophagy and modulating estrogen receptor, supporting the notion that Catalpol could be a novel drug candidate against myocardial ischemia for the treatment of cardiovascular diseases.
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Isoniazid Derivatives and Their Anti-tubercular Activity
European Journal of Medicinal Chemistry.
Jun, 2017 |
Pubmed ID: 28390957 Tuberculosis (TB), which has been a scourge of humanity for thousands of years, is a worldwide pandemic disease caused mainly by Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB). The emergence of drug-resistant TB (DR-TB), multidrug-resistant TB (MDR-TB), extensively drug-resistant TB (XDR-TB) and totally drug-resistant TB (TDR-TB) increase the challenges to eliminate TB worldwide. Isoniazid (INH), a critical frontline anti-TB drug, is one of the most effective drugs used to treatment of TB infection for more than 60 years. Unfortunately, bacterial strains resistant to INH are becoming common which mainly due to the long-term widely use even abuse. Therefore, there is an urgent need to develop novel anti-TB agents. Numerous efforts have been undertaken to develop new anti-TB agents, but no new drug has been introduced for more than 5 decades. It has been suggested that the incorporation of lipophilic moieties into the framework of INH can increase permeation of the drug into bacterial cells, thereby enhancing the anti-TB. Therefore, INH derivatives with greater lipophilicity are emerging as one of the most potential anti-TB agents. Indeed, the INH derivative LL-3858 is in initial stages of phase II clinical trial for the treatment of TB and may be approved to treat TB in the near future. This review aims to summarize the recent advances made towards the discovery anti-TB agents holding INH as a nucleus including INH hybrids and INH hydrazide-hydrazone derivatives.
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Detection of Free Microcystins in the Liver and Muscle of Freshwater Fish by Liquid Chromatography-tandem Mass Spectrometry
Journal of Environmental Science and Health. Part. B, Pesticides, Food Contaminants, and Agricultural Wastes.
Sep, 2017 |
Pubmed ID: 28937880 MC analysis of biological tissue is considered to be very difficult due to the lack of validated methods. This is the primary limiting factor for monitoring potential risks in both the flesh of aquatic organisms and the aquatic ecosystem. In this study, an effective method to determine free MCs (MC-LR and MC-RR) in the muscle and liver tissues of freshwater cultured fish was developed using solid-phase extraction (SPE) and liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC/MS-MS). The extraction solvent, time of extraction, eluent and purification of the extract were optimized. Various SPE cartridges were also investigated. In this optimized analytical procedure, an 85% methanol/water solution (v/v) was selected as the extraction solvent, after which the extracts were purified by removing fats and proteins; a HLB cartridge was chosen for MCs enrichment; and 90% methanol containing 0.02% formic acid/water solution (v/v) was used as the eluent. Under the optimized pretreatment conditions and instrument parameters, good recoveries of MC-LR and MC-RR were obtained at three concentrations (0.5, 1.0 and 2.0 µg g(-1) dry weight (DW)), with values ranging from 92.5 to 98.3% and 92.1 to 98.6%, respectively. The method detection limit (MDL) for muscle samples was 0.5 µg kg(-1) and 0.4 µg kg(-1) (DW) for MC-LR and MC-RR, respectively. The MDL for the liver samples was 0.8 µg kg(-1) (DW) for both MC-LR and MC-RR. The developed procedure was successfully applied to analyze MCs in the muscle and liver of fish samples collected from a Chinese freshwater aquaculture pond during bloom seasons. The MC-LR concentrations ranged from below the MDL to 4.17 µg kg(-1) and the MC-RR concentrations ranged from below the MDL to 2.64 µg kg(-1).
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Specific Expression of Proton-coupled Oligopeptide Transporter 1 in Primary Hepatocarcinoma-a Novel Strategy for Tumor-targeted Therapy
Oncology Letters.
Oct, 2017 |
Pubmed ID: 28943923 Proton-coupled oligopeptide transporter 1 (PEPT1) is a membrane protein which expressed predominantly in intestine and recognized as the target of dietary nutrients (di/tripeptide) or peptidomimetic drug for delivery. The information on the existence of PEPT1 in carcinomas were limited. Our study aimed to investigate the expression profile and transport activity of PEPT1 both in human hepatocarcinoma tissues and cell lines. Western blotting and an immunofluorescence assay revealed the high level of PEPT1 protein expression in hepatocarcinoma Bel-7402, SMMC-7721, HepG2, HEP3B, SK-HEP-1 cell lines. Quantitative real time PCR showed the mRNA expression of PEPT1 in Bel-7402, SMMC-7721, HepG2, HEP3B, SK-HEP-1 cells. High level PEPT1 expression in hepatocarcinoma patient samples were observed by Immunohistology and showed a significant correlation between protein level and pathological grade. Functional activities were also studied using D-Ala-Lys-AMCA (a substrate of peptide transporter) in above five hepatocarcinoma cell lines. The uptake tests performed by fluorescent microscopy suggested that PEPT1 can transport both D-Ala-Lys-AMCA into the hepatocarcinoma cells and the uptake can be competitively inhibited by three PEPT1 substrates (Gly-sar, Gly-gln and Glyglygly). In conclusion, our findings provided the novel information on the expression and function of PEPT1 in human hepatocarcinoma and expanded the potential values for tumor specific drug delivery.
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