Long-term changes in phospholipids and free fatty acids and the possible subcellular origins for phospholipid degradation in kainic acid-damaged mouse hippocampus.

Kainic acid (KA)-induced excitotoxicity induces acute degradation of phospholipids and release of free fatty acids (FFAs) in rodent hippocampus, but the long-term changes in phospholipids or the subcellular origins of liberated FFAs remain unclarified. Phospholipids and FFAs were determined in KA-damaged mouse hippocampus by enzyme-coupled biochemical assays. The evolution of membrane injuries in the hippocampus was examined by a series of morphological techniques. The levels of phospholipids in the hippocampus decreased shortly after KA injection but recovered close to the control levels at 24 h. The decline in phospholipids was accelerated again from 72 to 120 after KA treatment. The levels of FFAs were negatively related to those of phospholipids, exhibiting a similar but opposite trend of changes. KA treatment caused progressively severe damage to vulnerable neurons, which was accompanied by increased permeability in the cell membrane and increased staining of membrane-bound dyes in the cytoplasm. Double fluorescence staining showed that the latter was partially overlapped with abnormally increased endocytic and autophagic components in damaged neurons. Our results revealed intricate and biphasic changes in phospholipid and FFA levels in KA-damaged hippocampus. Disrupted endomembrane system may be one of the major origins for KA-induced FFA release.

Modular Synthesis of Polysubstituted α-Phosphorylated Arenes via the Catellani Strategy.

In this paper, we described a palladium/norbornene-catalyzed ortho-C-H phosphormethylation of aryl iodides using XCH2P(O)RR', offering a reliable method for the modular synthesis of polysubstituted α-phosphorylated arenes. Alkenylation, hydrogenation, cyanation, methylation, and arylation were all viable termination steps compatible with the reaction. This method demonstrates excellent functional group tolerance and can be extended to the late-stage modification of bioactive molecules. Furthermore, the synthetic transformations of the products demonstrate the practical utility of this reaction.

The detection methods currently available for protein aggregation in neurological diseases.

Protein aggregation is a pathological feature in various neurodegenerative diseases and is thought to play a crucial role in the onset and progression of neurological disorders. This pathological phenomenon has attracted increasing attention from researchers, but the underlying mechanism has not been fully elucidated yet. Researchers are increasingly interested in identifying chemicals or methods that can effectively detect protein aggregation or maintain protein stability to prevent aggregation formation. To date, several methods are available for detecting protein aggregates, including fluorescence correlation spectroscopy, electron microscopy, and molecular detection methods. Unfortunately, there is still a lack of methods to observe protein aggregation in situ under a microscope. This article reviews the two main aspects of protein aggregation: the mechanisms and detection methods of protein aggregation. The aim is to provide clues for the development of new methods to study this pathological phenomenon.

Controllable waveform terahertz generation using rippled plasma driven by an inhomogeneous electrostatic field.

We theoretically present the waveform controls of terahertz (THz) radiations generated from homogeneous and rippled plasma within inhomogeneous external electrostatic field. The Particle-in-cell (PIC) simulations is implemented to demonstrate generation and controllability of three types of THz pulses: single frequency THz pulse in homogeneous plasma, broadband THz pulse and dual frequency THz pulse in rippled plasma. The single frequency THz pulse can be tuned via shifting the knob of electron density of homogeneous plasma. Waveform of broadband THz pulse can be regulated into an envelope-like shape by varying amplitude of electron density of rippled plasma. The two center frequencies' interval of dual frequency THz pulse can be controlled by wave numbers of density distribution of rippled plasma. This work provides a potential means to generate the dual frequency THz pulses with two harmonic frequencies (ω+Ωω, Ω=2) or incommensurate frequencies (ω+Ωω, Ω=1.7,1.8, 2.2…).

The prevalence rates of major chronic diseases in retired and in-service Chinese military officers (2000-2016): a meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Chronic diseases cause a tremendous burden to the military medical system. However, the prevalence rates of major chronic diseases among military officers remain unclear in China. METHODS: China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), Wanfang Database, VIP Database for Chinese Technical Periodicals (VIP), PubMed and Web of Science were searched for studies (from 2000 to 2016) concerning 6 major chronic diseases: hypertension, hyperlipidemia, diabetes mellitus, heart diseases, cerebrovascular diseases, and chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases (COPD) in Chinese military officers following strict inclusion and exclusion criteria. Three researchers independently extracted data from the included studies, and a fourth researcher reviewed and solved every disagreement. Statistical analysis was performed with STATA 14.0 and R 3.3.2. Heterogeneity was evaluated by the I 2 value. A random effect model was performed to combine the heterogeneous data. The Egger test was performed to test the publication bias. RESULTS: A total of 90,758 military officers derived from 75 articles were pooled together. Publication bias was only observed in 37 studies reporting heart disease (P Egger test = 0.01). The overall prevalence rates of hypertension, hyperlipidemia, diabetes mellitus, heart diseases, cerebrovascular diseases, and COPD were 46.6% (95% CI 41.8-51.5%), 30.9% (26.4-35.7%), 20.7% (16.5-25.7%), 48.2% (41.7-54.9%), 20.2% (14.8-26.9%) and 16.6% (12.9-21.0%), respectively. The prevalence rates of hypertension, diabetes, heart disease, cerebrovascular disease, and COPD, rather than hyperlipidemia, increased with age in Chinese military officers. Heart diseases (P Q-test  < 0.001) and hypertension (P Q-test  < 0.001) increased sharply in retired officers compared with officers in service. Cerebrovascular disease was more frequent in Northern Theater Command than in any other theater command (P Q-test  < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Major chronic diseases heavily affect Chinese military officers, especially retirees. Medical intervention should be enforced on the prevention of cerebrovascular diseases in those working in cold areas in the north, as well as hypertension and heart diseases in retirees.

[Cloning, Expression and Immungenicity Analysis of Antigen Eg-01883 Screened from Protoscoleces of Echinococcus granulosus].

Objective: To screen for the Echinococcus granulosus 01883（Eg-01883） specifically expressed at the protoscolex period, clone and express this molecule as well as analyse its immunogenicity. Methods: Eg-01883, which is highly expressed at the protoscolex period but not in oncosphere， was screened by analysing the published mRNA sequences of E. granuolosus. Total RNA of E. granuolosus was extracted, Eg-01883 was cloned by RT-PCR, and the recombinant plasmid pET28a-Eg-01883 was constructed. Expression of the recombinant protein rEg-01883 was induced by isopropyl-ß-D-thiogalactoside （IPTG）. ICR mice were randomized into 3 groups （n=12 in each group）. Mice in the immunization group received subcutaneous injections of 10 µg rEg-01883 in 100 µl PBS emulsified in Freund's adjuvant at multiple sites, followed by immune enhancement after 2 weeks. Mice in the adjuvant group were injected with PBS and adjuvant. Mice in the control group received no treatment. Blood was obtained through caudal vein before immunization, and at 1, 2, and 4 weeks after the first immunization, and through the eyeball at 6 weeks after immunization. Serum levels of IgG, IFN-γ and IL-4 were determined by ELISA. The immunogenicity of rEg-01883 was identified by Western blotting. Results: Eg-01883 was screened, cloned, expressed and purified to obtain the recombinant protein rEg-01883, which mainly existed as the inclusion body. ELISA results showed that immunization with rEg-01883 induced production of specific IgG antibody. The serum IgG level in the immunization group increased from 1 week after the first immunization, peaked at 6 weeks（2.344±0.153）, which was significantly higher than those of the adjuvant group（0.206 1±0.006） and the control group （0.241±0.01） （P<0.01）. At 6 weeks after the first immunization, the serum levels of IFN-γ （43.23 pg/ml） and IL-4（24.88 pg/ml） in the immunization group were significantly higher than those in the adjuvant group（21.77 pg/ml, 13.27 pg/ml） and the control group（17.40 pg/ml, 12.25 pg/ml）（P<0.05）. Western blot showed that the recombinant protein rEg-01883 could be recognized by His-Tag antibodies, serum of immunized mice, and serum of mice with secondary infection. Conclusion: The recombinant protein rEg-01883 shows good immunogenicity in ICR mice.