Effects of Geographical Origin and Tree Age on the Stable Isotopes and Multi-Elements of Pu-erh Tea.

Pu-erh tea is a famous tea worldwide, and identification of the geographical origin of Pu-erh tea can not only protect manufacture's interests, but also boost consumers' confidence. However, tree age may also influence the fingerprints of Pu-erh tea. In order to study the effects of the geographical origin and tree age on the interactions of stable isotopes and multi-elements of Pu-erh tea, 53 Pu-erh tea leaves with three different age stages from three different areas in Yunnan were collected in 2023. The δ13C, δ15N values and 25 elements were determined and analyzed. The results showed that δ13C, δ15N, Mg, Mn, Fe, Cu, Zn, Rb, Sr, Y, La, Pr, Nd, Sm, Eu, Gd, Tb, Dy, Ho, Er, Tm, Yb, and Lu had significant differences among different geographical origins (p < 0.05). Mn content was significantly influenced by region and tree age interaction. Based on multi-way analysis of variance, principal component analysis and step-wised discriminant analysis, 24 parameters were found to be closely related to the geographical origin rather than tree age, and the geographical origin of Pu-erh tea can be 100.0% discriminated in cross-validation with six parameters (δ13C, δ15N, Mn, Mg, La, and Tb). The study could provide references for the establishment of a database for the traceability of Pu-erh tea, and even the identification of tea sample regions with different tree ages.

The regulatory function of piRNA/PIWI complex in cancer and other human diseases: The role of DNA methylation.

Piwi-interacting RNAs (piRNAs) are a class of short chain noncoding RNAs that are constituted by 26-30 nucleotides (nt) and can couple with PIWI protein family. piRNAs were initially described in germline cells and are believed to be critical regulators of the maintenance of reproductive line. Increasing evidence has extended our perspectives on the biological significance of piRNAs and indicated that they could still affect somatic gene expression through DNA methylation, chromatin modification and transposon silencing, etc. Many studies have revealed that the dysregulation of piRNAs might contribute to diverse diseases through epigenetic changes represented by DNA methylation and chromatin modification. In this review, we summarized piRNA/PIWI protein-mediated DNA methylation regulation mechanisms and methylation changes caused by piRNA/PIWI proteins in different diseases, especially cancers. Since DNA methylation and inhibitory chromatin marks represented by histone H3 lysine 9 (H3K9) methylation frequently cooperate to silence genomic regions, we also included methylation in chromatin modification within this discussion. Furthermore, we discussed the potential clinical applications of piRNAs as a new type promising biomarkers for cancer diagnosis, as well as the significance of piRNA/PIWI protein-associated methylation changes in treatment, providing disparate insights into the potential applications of them.

The piRNA CHAPIR regulates cardiac hypertrophy by controlling METTL3-dependent N6-methyladenosine methylation of Parp10 mRNA.

PIWI-interacting RNAs (piRNAs) are abundantly expressed during cardiac hypertrophy. However, their functions and molecular mechanisms remain unknown. Here, we identified a cardiac-hypertrophy-associated piRNA (CHAPIR) that promotes pathological hypertrophy and cardiac remodelling by targeting METTL3-mediated N6-methyladenosine (m6A) methylation of Parp10 mRNA transcripts. CHAPIR deletion markedly attenuates cardiac hypertrophy and restores heart function, while administration of a CHAPIR mimic enhances the pathological hypertrophic response in pressure-overloaded mice. Mechanistically, CHAPIR-PIWIL4 complexes directly interact with METTL3 and block the m6A methylation of Parp10 mRNA transcripts, which upregulates PARP10 expression. The CHAPIR-dependent increase in PARP10 promotes the mono-ADP-ribosylation of GSK3ß and inhibits its kinase activity, which results in the accumulation of nuclear NFATC4 and the progression of pathological hypertrophy. Hence, our findings reveal that a piRNA-mediated RNA epigenetic mechanism is involved in the regulation of cardiac hypertrophy and that the CHAPIR-METTL3-PARP10-NFATC4 signalling axis could be therapeutically targeted for treating pathological hypertrophy and maladaptive cardiac remodelling.

Cardiovascular toxicity and mechanism of bisphenol A and emerging risk of bisphenol S.

Epidemiological and animal studies indicate that increased exposure to bisphenol A (BPA) induces various human cardiovascular diseases (CVDs), including myocardial infarction, arrhythmias, dilated cardiomyopathy, atherosclerosis, and hypertension. Bisphenol S (BPS), an alternative to BPA, is increasingly present in various consumer products and human bodies worldwide. Recently, emerging evidence has shown that BPS might be related to cardiovascular disorders. In this review, we present striking evidence of the correlation between BPA exposure and various CVDs, and show that a nonmonotonic dose-response curve (NMDRC) was common in studies of the CV effects of BPA in vivo. The CV impairment induced by low doses of BPA should be highlighted, especially during developmental exposure or during coexposure with other risk factors. Furthermore, we explored the possible underlying mechanisms of these effects-particularly nuclear receptor signaling, ion channels, and epigenetic mechanisms-and the possible participation of lipid metabolism, oxidative stress and cell signaling. As the potential risks of BPA exposure in humans are still noteworthy, studies of BPA in CVDs should be strengthened, especially with respect to the mechanisms, prevention and treatment. Moreover, the potential CV risk of BPS reported by in vivo studies calls for immediate epidemiological investigations and animal studies to reveal the relationships of BPS and other BPA alternatives with human CVDs.

Changes of liposome and antioxidant activity in immature rice during seed development.

For the past several decades, only a few studies were conducted on the change in immature rice liposomes during seed development. To evaluate and compare the lipid material of different degrees of developing rice grains, this paper focused on fresh rice seeds from only one most popular species of Dasan divided into five growth periods. The lipid components of fresh rice, especially γ-oryzanol and fatty acids equipped with extremely beneficial phytonutrients, were investigated. The results illustrated that the level of extracted liposome increased gradually along with the development of rice and in the third stage of development, the level of liposome achieved maximum. And then, instead of increasing, it was decreased at later stages of development. Moreover, the antioxidant activity of fresh edible rice (FER) was also evaluated by DPPH and ABTS assay. It was shown that FER has the higher antioxidant activity than the ripened rice seed on lipids, which will improve FER using on the functional foods and help provide certainly theoretical basis in food processing industry.

Low-risk gestational trophoblastic neoplasia outcome after treatment with VMP regimen from 2005 to 2017.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the efficacy and toxicity of VMP regimen applied to the patients with low-risk gestational trophoblastic neoplasia (LR-GTN) treated in Anhui provincial hospital. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Between 2005 and 2017, 87 patients with low-risk gestational trophoblastic neoplasia received VMP regimen, consisted of vincristine (VCR), methotrexate (MTX) and platinum (cisplatin, carboplatin or nedaplatin), 68 of whom received VMP as their first-line chemotherapy, and 19 methotrexate-failed patients received VMP regimen as their second-line chemotherapy. The staging and scoring system was based on International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO 2000) criteria. We describe and analyze their baseline characteristics, remission/resistance/recurrence rates, adverse reactions and prognosis. RESULTS: The first-line VMP protocol can achieve an 83.8% remission rate and it tended to develop resistance when the pretreatment ß-hCG reaches 7503.5 IU/L, and can achieve complete remission with FAV and EMA-CO as the salvage regimen. Among the 19 methotrexate-failed patients, 2 of whom were yet resistant to VMP regimen, followed by several courses of salvage chemotherapy such as FAV and EMP, and achieved 89.5% remission rate in second-line VMP group. Resistance to this regimen was obviously related with higher pre-treatment HCG whether used as primary or salvage treatment. Severe myelosuppression (grade 3 or 4) was shown in 4 (5.9%) of 68 cases, of which none was grade 4. CONCLUSION: For patients diagnosed with LR-GTN VMP regimen was a safe and effective treatment with a high rate of remission.

Long Noncoding RNA CPR (Cardiomyocyte Proliferation Regulator) Regulates Cardiomyocyte Proliferation and Cardiac Repair.

BACKGROUND: The adult mammalian cardiomyocytes lose their proliferative capacity, which is responsible for cardiac dysfunction and heart failure following injury. The molecular mechanisms underlying the attenuation of adult cardiomyocyte proliferation remain largely unknown. Because long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) have a critical role in the development of cardiovascular problems, we investigated whether lncRNAs have any role in the regulation of cardiomyocyte proliferation and cardiac repair. METHODS: Using bioinformatics and initial analysis, we identified an lncRNA, named CPR (cardiomyocyte proliferation regulator), that has a potential regulatory role in cardiomyocyte proliferation. For in vivo experiments, we generated CPR knockout and cardiac-specific CPR-overexpressing mice. In isolated cardiomyocytes, we used adenovirus for silencing (CPR-small interfering RNA) or overexpressing CPR. To investigate the mechanisms of CPR function in cardiomyocyte proliferation, we performed various analyses including quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction, Western blot, histology, cardiac function (by echocardiography), transcriptome analyses (microarray assay), RNA pull-down assay, and chromatin immunoprecipitation assay. RESULTS: CPR level is comparatively higher in the adult heart than in the fetal stage. The silencing of CPR significantly increased cardiomyocyte proliferation in postnatal and adult hearts. Moreover, CPR deletion restored the heart function after myocardial injury, which was evident from increased cardiomyocyte proliferation, improvement of myocardial function, and reduced scar formation. In contrast, the neonatal cardiomyocyte proliferation and cardiac regeneration were remarkably suppressed in CPR-overexpressing mice or adeno-associated virus serotype 9-CPR-overexpressing heart. These results indicate that CPR acts as a negative regulator of cardiomyocyte proliferation and regeneration. Next, we found that CPR targets minichromosome maintenance 3, an initiator of DNA replication and cell cycle progression, to suppress cardiomyocyte proliferation. CPR silenced minichromosome maintenance 3 expression through directly interacting and recruiting DNMT3A to its promoter cysteine-phosphate-guanine sites, as evident from decreased minichromosome maintenance 3 promoter methylation and increased minichromosome maintenance 3 expression in CPR knocked-down cardiomyocytes and CPR knockout mouse heart. These results were confirmed in CPR-overexpressing cardiomyocytes and CPR-overexpressing mouse heart. CONCLUSIONS: Together, our findings identified that CPR is a suppressor of cardiomyocyte proliferation and indicated that lncRNAs take part in the regulation of cardiomyocyte proliferation and cardiac repair. Our study provides an lncRNA-based therapeutic strategy for effective cardiac repair and regeneration.

Effect of ZFN-edited myostatin loss-of-function mutation on gut microbiota in Meishan pigs.

Intestine contains the body's second largest genetic information, so a relatively stable microbiota ecosystems and interactions between intestinal micro-organisms play a pivotal role in the normal growth and development in animals. The establishment of intestinal microflora is affected by a variety of factors such as species, environmental factors, developmental stage, organizational structure and physiological characteristics of various parts of the digestive tract. Gene editing technology such as ZFN has recently been used as a new approach to replace the traditional transgenic technology and to make genetic modifications in animals. However, it is not known if genetic modification by gene editing technology will have any impact on gut microbiota. In this study, by sequencing 16S rRNA collected from rectum, we investigated the effects of ZFN-mediated myostatin (MSTN) loss-of-function mutation (MSTN-/-) on gut microbiota in Meishan pigs. Our results showed that the fecal microbial composition is very similar between MSTN-/- Meishan pigs and wild type Meishan pigs. Although significant differences in certain individual strains were observed, all the dominant microorganism species are basically the same between MSTN-/- and wild type pigs. However, these differences do not adversely affect MSTN-/- Meishan pigs. Thus, it is concluded that ZFN-mediated MSTN loss-of-function mutation did not have any adverse effect on the gut microbiota in Meishan pigs.

The circular RNA ACR attenuates myocardial ischemia/reperfusion injury by suppressing autophagy via modulation of the Pink1/ FAM65B pathway.

Dysregulated autophagy is associated with many pathological disorders such as cardiovascular diseases. Emerging evidence has suggested that circular RNAs (circRNAs) have important roles in some biological processes. However, it remains unclear whether circRNAs participate in the regulation of autophagy. Here we report that a circRNA, termed autophagy-related circular RNA (ACR), represses autophagy and myocardial infarction by targeting Pink1-mediated phosphorylation of FAM65B. ACR attenuates autophagy and cell death in cardiomyocytes. Moreover, ACR protects the heart from ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury and reduces myocardial infarct sizes. We identify Pink1 as an ACR target to mediate the function of ACR in cardiomyocyte autophagy. ACR activates Pink1 expression through directly binding to Dnmt3B and blocking Dnmt3B-mediated DNA methylation of Pink1 promoter. Pink1 suppresses autophagy and Pink1 transgenic mice show reduced myocardial infarction sizes. Further, we find that FAM65B is a downstream target of Pink1 and Pink1 phosphorylates FAM65B at serine 46. Phosphorylated FAM65B inhibits autophagy and cell death in the heart. Our findings reveal a novel role for the circRNA in regulating autophagy and ACR-Pink1-FAM65B axis as a regulator of autophagy in the heart will be potential therapeutic targets in treatment of cardiovascular diseases.

Effect of Chinese medicine treatment based on pattern identification on cellular immunophenotype of myelodysplastic syndrome.

OBJECTIVE: To observe the influence of treatment based on Chinese medicine pattern identification on cellular immunophenotype of the myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS). METHODS: Sixty patients with MDS were randomly and equally assigned to the treatment group and the control group using a randomized digital table. Thirty patients in each group included 3 risk levels (low, moderate and high risks) with each level 10 patients according to the international prognostic scoring system. The control group was given conventional therapy which was also used in the treatment group. While the treatment group was given Zuogui Pill () and Yougui Pill () for low risk patients; Qingwen Baidu Decoction () and Bazhen Decoction () for moderate risk patients; Gexia Zhuyu Decoction () and Qinghao Biejia Decoction () combined with Shiquan Dabu Decoction () for high risk patients. After the treatment, the differences of overall response rate and immunophenotype (CD13, CD14, CD15, CD33 and CD34) of each group were analyzed. RESULTS: The overall response rate of the treatment group was significantly higher than the control group in low risk and moderate risk patients (P=0.029), there was no statistical differences of overall response rate between the treatment group and the control group in high risk patients (P=0.089). The expressions of CD13, CD14, CD33 and CD34 in all three risk levels of the treatment group were obviously decreased after the treatment, while CD15 in all three risk levels of the treatment group was obviously increased after the treatment (P<0.05 or P<0.01). Meanwhile, the difference values of CD13 and CD33 in low risk level of the treatment group, CD33 and CD34 in moderate risk level of the treatment group as well as CD34 and CD15 in high risk level of the treatment group, were all greater than the control groups and they were statistically significant (P<0.05 or P<0.01). CONCLUSIONS: It shows a better therapeutic effect if the MDS patients treated with Chinese medicine pattern identification in addition to conventional therapy. Since the treatment may inhibit the malignant clones and improve the dysmaturity of granulocyte differentiation, it is a feasible option in clinical practice.

A 90-Day Feeding Study in Rats to Assess the Safety of Genetically Engineered Pork.

Our laboratory recently produced genetically engineered (GE) Meishan pigs containing a ZFN-edited myostatin loss-of-function mutant. These GE pigs develop and grow as normal as wild type pigs but produce pork with greater lean yield and lower fat mass. To assess any potential subchronic toxicity risks of this GE pork, a 90-day feeding study was conducted in Sprague-Dawley rats. Rats were randomly divided into five groups, and fed for 90 days with basic diet and basic diets formulated with low dose and high dose pork prepared from wild type pigs and GE pigs, respectively. Animal behaviors and clinical signs were monitored twice daily, and body weight and food consumption were measured and recorded weekly. At days 45 and 90, blood tests (lipid panel, electrolytes, parameters related to liver and kidney functions, and complete blood counts) were performed. Additionally, gross pathology and histopathological analyses were performed for major organs in each group. Data analysis shows that there were no significant differences in growth rate, food consumption, and blood test parameters between rat groups fed with GE pork and wild type pork. Although differences in some liver function parameters (such as aspartate aminotransferase, total proteins, albumin, and alkaline phosphatase) and white blood cell counts (such as lymphocyte percentage and monocyte percentage) were observed between rats fed with high dose GE pork and basic diet, all test results in rats fed with GE pork are in the normal range. Additionally, there are no apparent lesions noted in all organs isolated from rats in all five feeding groups on days 45 and 90. Overall, our results clearly indicate that food consumption of GE pork produced by ZFN-edited myostatin loss-of-function mutant pigs did not have any long-term adverse effects on the health status in rats.

[Treatment of myelodysplastic syndrome by hematopoietic stem cell transplantation combined with Chinese medical syndrome typing: a clinical study].

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the clinical efficacy of treating myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) by hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) combined with Chinese medical syndrome typing. METHODS: From July 2009 to July 2013, 6 MDS patients were treated with allo-HSCT combined with Chinese medical syndrome typing from HLA-identical sibling donors at Department of Hematology, Zhejiang Provincial Hospital of Chinese Medicine. Patients were classified as refractory anemia (RA, 2 cases), refractory anemia with ringed sideroblast (RARS, 1 case), refractory cytopenia with multilineage dysplasia (RCMD, 2 cases), and RA with excess blasts-I (RAEB-I , 1 case). Modified BuCy conditioning regimen was used in all 6 cases. Two patients received bone marrow transplantation (BMT), 1 patient received peripheral blood stem cell transplantation (PBSCT), and 3 patients received BMT + PBSCT. In order to prevent the occurrence of graft-versus-host disease (GVHD), all patients were treated with cyclosporine + methotrexate + mycophenolate mofetil. Different Chinese medical treatment methods (by syndrome typing) were given to patients according to different criticality of international prognostic scoring system (IPSS, 5 at moderate risk and 1 at high risk). RESULTS: All 6 patients successfully reconstructed their hematopoietic system. The time from transplantation to ANC ≥ 0.5 x 10(9)/L and platelet (PLT) ≥ 20 x10(9)/L were 13 (9-15) days and 11 (9-22) days respectively. Main complications were GVHD. Acute GVHD (aGVHD) occurred in 4 cases, 3 cases of grade I and 1 case of grade II, and local chronic GVHD (cGVHD) occurred in 1 patient. All cases survived with median follow-up of 18 (11-58) months. The overall survival (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS) rate were 100%. CONCLUSIONS: HSCT combined with Chinese medical syndrome typing could improve clinical symptoms, reduce transplant as- sociated complications. So it was an effective treatment choice for MDS.

Determination of polyphenol components in herbal medicines by micellar electrokinetic capillary chromatography with Tween 20.

A simple and convenient method of micellar electrokinetic capillary chromatography (MEKC) using polyoxyethylene sorbitan monolaurate (Tween 20) to form single micelle and methanol as a buffer additive was introduced for the simultaneous determination of five polyphenols, including scopoletin, rutin, esculetin, chlorogenic acid and caffeic acid. A running buffer solution of pH 9.3, 20 mmol/L sodium tetraborate containing 64 mmol/L Tween 20 and 9% (v/v) methanol was adopted in the separation. Because rutin and esculetin were difficult to be separated by capillary zone electrophoresis (CZE) and SDS-based MEKC, Tween 20-based MEKC was adopted and the polyphenols were separated satisfactorily. The proposed method was used to determine the polyphenol components in the herbal medicine of Cortex fraxini. The separation mechanism of Tween 20-based MEKC for the polyphenols was discussed preliminarily.

Funnelform single-drop microextraction for gas chromatography-electron-capture detection.

A funnelform single-drop microextraction was developed for gas chromatography-electron-capture detection. A solvent microdrop of 4 microL was formed at the tip of a microsyringe needle assembled with a small brass funnel in the microextraction. In the funnel, the restricted microdrop was shaken gently by circular motion in an aqueous sample solution. Eleven organochlorine and two pyrethroid pesticides were used as the model compounds for evaluating the microextraction. The parameters affecting the enrichment factor of the microextraction were investigated, including the funnel inner angle, solvent component, and microdrop volume, etc. With the optimized microextracting conditions, the enrichment factors of organochlorines and pyrethroids were 272-875 and 147-183, respectively. The detection limit was in the range of 1-12 ng/L (S/N = 3). The relative standard deviation (RSD) of peak height was less than 10.2% (n = 8). This proposed technique is simple, convenient, and efficient.