Interactive effects of indoor environmental factors on work performance.

Among a variety of environmental factors, operative temperature, relative humidity and ventilation rate are generally considered to be factors that significantly affect work performance, and the interactions among these three factors were quantitatively studied in this paper. Eighteen participants were recruited to complete the neurobehavioral ability tests in different environments by central composite design, and their performance was analysed by regression fitting and multi-factor coupling analysis. By defining the interval coefficient ß, the interaction effects between the factors were calculated quantitatively. The results showed that: for the performance of perception and expression tasks, there was an antagonistic effect between operative temperature and relative humidity (ß = 0.50 ∼ 0.82), between operative temperature and ventilation rate (ß = -0.29 to -0.38), and among the three factors (ß = 0.38-0.67). There was a synergy effect between relative humidity and ventilation rate (ß = 1.71-2.28). For the performance of reasoning tasks, the interaction effect among the three factors and their combinations is antagonistic effect (ß = 0.67-0.83).Practitioner summary: We proposed a method to calculate the quantitative relation of multi-factor interactions. In recent ergonomics studies, more and more factors have been included. This method can well describe the synergistic or antagonistic effect of the changes of other factors on the target factors.

Characteristics of PM2.5 emissions from six types of commercial cooking in Chinese cities and their health effects.

Commercial kitchens may pose significant health risks to workers because they generate large quantities of fine particulate matter (PM2.5). In our study, the concentrations and emission rates of PM2.5 in cooking environments were measured for six types of commercial kitchens that used electricity and natural gas (including traditional Chinese kitchens, western kitchens, teppanyaki kitchens, fried chicken kitchens, barbecue kitchens, and hotpot cooking area). Furthermore, a preliminary health risk assessment of the chefs was undertaken using the annual PM2.5 inhalation and PM2.5 deposition rates into the upper airways and tracheobronchial and alveolar regions of the human body. Results showed that cooking in the teppanyaki kitchen generated the highest amount of PM2.5, with a mean emission rate of 7.7 mg/min and a mean mass concentration of 850.4 ± 533.4 µg/m³ in the breathing zone. Therefore, teppanyaki kitchens pose highest PM2.5 exposure risks to chefs, with the highest rate of PM2.5 deposition in the upper airways (6.38 × 105 µg/year), followed by Chinese kitchens. The PM2.5 concentrations and emission rates of each kitchen varied greatly with the dishes cooked. The mean PM2.5 concentration was the highest during Chinese stir-frying, with the peak concentration reaching more than 20,000 µg/m3, followed by pan-frying, deep-frying, stewing, and boiling. A rise in PM2.5 concentration was also observed during the start of stir-frying and in the middle to late stages of pan-frying and grilling meat. The results obtained in our study may contribute in understanding the characteristics of PM2.5 emissions from various types of commercial kitchens and their health effects.

Effects of multiple indoor environmental factors on anaerobic exercise performance.

Indoor stadium is an important place for physical exercise and sports practice, but few studies have considered the impact of indoor environment on exercise performance. Anaerobic exercise refers to exercise with high load intensity and instantaneous intensity. Many kinds of exercise performance are closely related to anaerobic exercise. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to examine the influence of temperature, relative humidity and CO2 concentration on anaerobic exercise performance. Sixteen healthy participants (21.5 ± 3.5 years) performed Wingate anaerobic test in 9 cases under the orthogonal experimental design. Temperature is a significant factor affecting peak power (p < 0.05) and average power (p < 0.05). The peak power at 22 °C and 25 °C is 5.4% and 5.1% higher than that at 28 °C, and the average power at 22 °C and 25 °C is 4.2% and 4.3% higher than that at 28 °C. Besides, temperature affected overall environmental satisfaction before and after exercise (p < 0.005, p < 0.005) as well as ear temperature in sedentary state and after warm-up exercise (p < 0.005, p < 0.005). The range of 22 °C-25 °C is closer to the neutral temperature, and it is suitable for anaerobic exercise. However, we did not find that changes in relative humidity and carbon dioxide concentration had an effect on anaerobic exercise performance.

Monascin ameliorate inflammation in the lipopolysaccharide-induced BV-2 microglial cells via suppressing the NF-κB/p65 pathway.

OBJECTIVES: The pathophysiology of neurodegenerative diseases is complicated, in which inflammatory reactions play a vital role. Microglia cells activation, an essential process of neuroinflammation, can produce neurotoxic molecules and neurotrophic factors, which aggravate inflammation and neuronal injury. Monascin, a major component of red yeast rice, is an azaphilonoid pigment with potential anti-inflammatory effects; however, the effects in central nervous system have not been evaluated. Our goal in this project was to explore the therapeutic effect and the underlying mechanism of Monascin, which may be via anti-inflammatory action. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We used lipopolysaccharide to induce BV-2 microglial cells in order to form an inflammation model in vitro. The anti-inflammatory effects of Monascin were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), real time-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), Western Blot and Immunofluorescent staining. RESULTS: Our data indicated that inflammatory cytokines including interleukin-1ß (IL-1ß), IL-6, tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) and nitric oxide were suppressed by Monascin treatment. Furthermore, the related pro-inflammatory genes were inhibited consistent with the results of ELISA assay. Western blotting results showed that the phosphorylation of nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB/p65) was reduced by Monascin treatment may be through suppressing the activation of IκB. Furthermore, immunofluorescence staining showed that the translocation of NF-κB/p65 to the cellular nuclear was blockaded after Monascin treatment. CONCLUSION: Taken together, Monascin exerts anti-inflammatory effect and suppressed microglia activation, which suggested its potential therapeutic effect for inflammation-related diseases.

RNA-Seq analysis of interferon inducible p204-mediated network in anti-tumor immunity.

p204, a murine member of the interferon-inducible p200 protein family, and its human analogue, IFI16, have been shown to function as tumor suppressors in vitro, but the molecular events involved, in particular in vivo, remain unclear. Herein we induced the Lewis Lung carcinoma (LLC) murine model of human lung cancer in p204 null mice (KO) and their control littermates (WT). We compared the transcriptome in spleen from WT and p204 KO mice using a high-throughput RNA-sequencing array. A total 30.02 Gb of clean data were obtained, and overall Q30% was greater than 90.54%. More than 75% of clean data from 12 transcriptome samples were mapped to exons. The results showed that only 11 genes exhibited altered expression in untreated p204 KO mice relative to untreated WT mice, while 393 altered genes were identified in tumor-bearing p204 KO mice when compared with tumor-bearing WT mice. Further differentially expressed gene cluster and gene ontology consortium classification revealed that numerous cytokines and their receptors, chemoattractant molecules, and adhesion molecules were significantly induced in p204 KO mice. This study provides novel insights to the p204 network in anti-tumor immune response and also presents a foundation for future work concerning p204-mediated gene expressions and pathways.

p204 Is Required for Canonical Lipopolysaccharide-induced TLR4 Signaling in Mice.

p204, a murine member of an interferon-inducible p200 family, was reported to recognize intracellular viral and bacterial DNAs, however, its role in the innate immunity in vivo remains unknown due to the lack of p204-deficient animal models. In this study we first generated the p204-/- mice. Unexpectedly, p204 deficiency led to significant defect in extracellular LPS signaling in macrophages, as demonstrated by dramatic reductions of LPS-mediated IFN-ß and pro-inflammatory cytokines. The serum levels of IFN-ß and pro-inflammatory cytokines were also significantly reduced in p204-/- mice following LPS challenge. In addition, p204-/- mice were resistant to LPS-induced shock. LPS-activated NF-ĸB and IRF-3 pathways were all defective in p204-deficient macrophages. p204 binds to TLR4 through its Pyrin domain, and it is required for the dimerization of TLR4 following LPS-challenge. Collectively, p204 is a critical component of canonical LPS-TLR4 signaling pathway, and these studies also suggest that p204 could be a potential target to prevent and treat inflammatory and infectious diseases.

Androgen receptor CAG and GGN repeat length variation contributes more to the tumorigenesis of osteosarcoma.

The androgen receptor (AR) is involved in the differentiation and growth of many cancers. We hypothesized that two microsatellite polymorphic variants, AR (CAG)n and (GGN)n repeats, were also associated with the development of Papillary thyroid cancer (PTC) and Osteosarcoma. In current study, we conducted two case-control studies in a Chinese population to investigate the possible relationship between these two AR repeat polymorphisms and the risk of PTC and Osteosarcoma. The AR CAG repeat length was significantly associated with both risk of PTC and Osteosarcoma. Subjects with shorter AR CAG repeats had a higher risk of developing PTC (OR = 1.47, 95% CI: 1.17-1.85, P = 0.001) and Osteosarcoma (OR = 1.53, 95% CI: 1.19-1.97, P = 9.2 x 10-4). Specifically, shorter GGN repeats also contribute a significant increased risk of Osteosarcoma (OR = 1.35, 95% CI: 1.03-1.77, P = 0.030). Our results contribute to a better understanding of the complex hormone related mechanisms underlying PTC and Osteosarcoma.

Evaluation of the Etoricoxib-Mediated Pain-Relieving Effect in Patients Undergoing Lumbar Fusion Procedures for Degenerative Lumbar Scoliosis: A Prospective Randomized, Double-Blind Controlled Study.

This randomized, double-blind study was carried out to evaluate the effectiveness of etoricoxib in controlling the pain during lumbar fusion surgery of the degenerative lumbar scoliosis patients. We found that perioperative use of etoricoxib produced a significant reduction in the degree of pain compared to the patients treated with placebo. Etoricoxib eased the pain and helped to manage the discomfort of lumbar fusion surgery. In addition, etoricoxib was well tolerated as it caused no serious adverse reaction, suggesting a safe profile. Etoricoxib also appeared to ensure and promote the positive effect of surgery, however, insignificantly. Thus, the results suggest that etoricoxib was effective in safely managing the pain during the lumbar fusion surgery and recovery thereafter.

Astaxanthin reduces matrix metalloproteinase expression in human chondrocytes.

Astaxanthin is a red carotenoid pigment which exerts multiple biological activities. However, little is known about the effects of astaxanthin on matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) in OA. The present study investigated the effects of astaxanthin on MMPs in human chondrocytes. Human chondrocytes were pretreated with astaxanthin at 1, 10 or 50µM, then, cells were stimulated with IL-1ß (10ng/ml) for 24h. MMP-1, MMP-3 and MMP-13 were observed. We found that astaxanthin reduced the expression of MMP-1, MMP-3 and MMP-13 as well as the phosphorylation of two mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPK) (p38 and ERK1/2) in IL-1ß-stimulated chondrocytes. Astaxanthin also blocked the IκB-α degradation. These results suggest that astaxanthin may be beneficial in the treatment of OA.

Design, construction, and analysis of specific zinc finger nucleases for microphthalmia - associate transcription factor

This work studied the design, construction, and cleavage analysis of zinc finger nucleases (ZFNs) that could cut the specific sequences within microphthalmia - associate transcription factor (mitfa) of zebra fish. The target site and ZFPs were selected and designed with zinc finger tools, while the ZFPs were synthesized using DNAWorks and two-step PCR. The ZFNs were constructed, expressed, purified, and analyzed in vitro. As expected, the designed ZFNs could create a double-stand break (DSB) at the target site in vitro. The DNAWorks, two-step PCR, and an optimized process of protein expression were firstly induced in the construction of ZFNs successfully, which was an effective and simplified protocol. These results could be useful for further application of ZFNs - mediated gene targeting.

GEP constitutes a negative feedback loop with MyoD and acts as a novel mediator in controlling skeletal muscle differentiation.

Granulin-epithelin precursor (GEP) is an autocrine growth factor that has been implicated in embryonic development, tissue repair, tumorigenesis, and inflammation. Here we report that GEP was expressed in skeletal muscle tissue and its level was differentially altered in the course of C2C12 myoblast fusion. The GEP expression during myoblast fusion was a consequence of MyoD transcription factor binding to several E-box (CANNTG) sequences in the 5'-flanking regulatory region of GEP gene, followed by transcription. Recombinant GEP potently inhibited myotube formation from C2C12 myoblasts whereas the knockdown of endogenous of GEP via a siRNA approach accelerated the fusion of myoblasts to myotubes. Interestingly, the muscle fibers of GEP knockdown mice were larger in number but noticeably smaller in size when compared to the wild-type. Mechanistic studies revealed that during myoblast fusion, the addition of GEP led to remarkable reductions in the expressions of muscle-specific transcription factors, including MyoD. In addition, the regulation of myotube formation by GEP is mediated by the anti-myogenic factor JunB, which is upregulated following GEP stimulation. Thus, GEP growth factor, JunB, and MyoD transcription factor form a regulatory loop and act in concert in the course of myogenesis.

Overexpression of p204 leads to abnormal embryos and osteogenesis in zebrafish.

p204, an inteferon-inducible protein, is known to play an important role in modulating cell proliferation, cell cycling, and the differentiation of various tissues, including osteoblasts. In order to determine the role of p204 during development in vivo, the teleost zebrafish (Danio rerio), an established vertebrate model for developmental studies, was employed. p204 cDNA was introduced into zebrafish by microinjection, and p204 was ectopically expressed throughout the whole embryo during the early stages of zebrafish embryogenesis, then its expression gradually decreased, mainly in ventrally located cells and retina capsules. Importantly, overexpression of p204 in zebrafish resulted in striking malformations such as bent spine and expanded belly. Furthermore, the expressions of some genes (vent, runx2b, osn) involved in dorsoventral patterning and osteogenesis were significantly upregulated after p204 injection. This study provides not only the in vivo evidences demonstrating the role of p204 during embryonic development, but also new insights into the molecular mechanism by which p204 mediate osteogenesis.

Tethered-hopping model for protein-DNA binding and unbinding based on Sox2-Oct1-Hoxb1 ternary complex simulations.

The sliding and hopping models encapsulate the essential protein-DNA binding process for binary complex formation and dissociation. However, the effects of a cofactor protein on the protein-DNA binding process that leads to the formation of a ternary complex remain largely unknown. Here we investigate the effect of the cofactor Sox2 on the binding and unbinding of Oct1 with the Hoxb1 control element. We simulate the association of Oct1 with Sox2-Hoxb1 using molecular dynamics simulations, and the dissociation of Oct1 from Sox2-Hoxb1 using steered molecular dynamics simulations, in analogy to a hopping event of Oct1. We compare the kinetic and thermodynamic properties of three model complexes (the wild-type and two mutants) in which the Oct1-DNA base-specific interactions or the Sox2-Oct1 protein-protein interactions are largely abolished. We find that Oct1-DNA base-specific interactions contribute significantly to the total interaction energy of the ternary complex, and that nonspecific Oct1-DNA interactions are sufficient for driving the formation of the protein-DNA interface. The Sox2-Oct1 protein-protein binding interface is largely hydrophobic, with remarkable shape complementarity. This interface promotes the formation of the ternary complex and slows the dissociation of Oct1 from its DNA-binding site. We propose a simple two-step reaction model of protein-DNA binding, called the tethered-hopping model, that explains the importance of the cofactor Sox2 and may apply to similar ternary protein-DNA complexes.

[Reconstruction of embryo using an improved nuclear transfer method].

Previous methods used for nuclear transplantation were further investigated to develop a method that was both easy to carryout and did not require any special apparatus, such as Piezoimpact or Spindle-View. Following the puncture of zona pellucida with two holes by injection pipette that contained donor nuclei or cells, the injection pipette was pulled back to the perivitelline space while the negative pressure was increased in the holding pipette until the polar body and karyoplasm were wiped off completely. Then a reconstructed embryo was completed by the direct injection of the donor nucleus or cell without pulling out the injection pipette. 200 oocytes were manipulated using this method and it cost about 40 seconds with nucleus injection and about 30 seconds with cell injection to complete a reconstructed embryo. The success rates were 62.6% and 86. 0%, respectively, and enucleation rate was about 73.3% validated by Hoechst 33342. Using this method, the nucleus was completely eliminated and another was injected using the microscope and micromanipulator. Moreover, the efficiency of nuclear transplantation and survival rate of reconstructed embryos were greatly improved. Furthermore, it is very easy to manipulate and popularize in practice.

Factors derived from mouse embryonic stem cells promote self-renewal of goat embryonic stem-like cells.

Goat embryonic stem (ES)-like cells could be isolated from primary materials-inner cell masses (ICMs) and remain undifferentiated for eight passages in a new culture system containing mouse ES cell conditioned medium (ESCCM) and on a feeder layer of mouse embryo fibroblasts (MEFs). However, when cultured in medium without mouse ESCCM, goat ES-like cells could not survive for more than three passages. In addition, no ES-like cells could be obtained when ICMs were cultured on goat embryo fibroblasts or the primary materials-whole goat blastocysts were cultured on MEFs. Goat ES-like cells isolated from ICMs had a normal karyotype and highly expressed alkaline phosphatase. Multiple differentiation potency of the ES-like cells was confirmed by differentiation into neural cells and fibroblast-like cells in vitro. These results suggest that mouse ES cells might secrete factors playing important roles in promoting goat ES-like cells' self-renewal, moreover, the feeder layers and primary materials could also influence the successful isolation of goat ES-like cells.

Macrophage-associated erythropoiesis and lymphocytopoiesis in mouse fetal liver: ultrastructural and ISH analysis.

To elucidate the process of fetal liver hematopoiesis, the relationships between stroma and hematopoietic cells involved in maturation were investigated. Cultured mouse fetal liver explants were established for morphological analysis of the interactions between fetal liver stroma and hematopoietic cells ex vivo. Fetal liver stroma comprised epithelial cells and macrophages, which occupied most of the culture surface. Macrophages proliferated extensively in primary culture, but almost disappeared after 3 passages. Close morphological and functional relationships were established between macrophages and hemopoietic cells, whereas epithelial cells did not interact with blood cells. Scanning electron microscopy revealed that macrophages were in close contact with erythroblasts and formed a three-dimensional network. In each erythroblastic island, 2-3 lymphocytes were also in contact with the macrophages; erythroblasts, lymphocytes and macrophages formed close, firm associations through their cytoplasmic membranes. This cell orientation was confirmed by transmission electron microscopy of fetal liver in vivo. In situ hybridization revealed that the macrophages expressed jagged-1, an important ligand of the Notch signaling system in hematopoiesis.