Optimization of a solid culture medium based on Monochamus alternatus for Cordyceps militaris fruiting body formation.

Monochamus alternatus (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae; M. alternatus), popularly known as the Japanese pine sawyer, is a vector of pinewood nematode (Bursaphelenchus xylophilus) that causes pine wilt disease. A solid medium culture with M. alternatus produced Cordyceps militaris fruiting bodies with the longest strips and the highest biological efficiency. Supplementing the original form of M. alternatus with oats resulted in slightly enhanced fruiting body production. The original form of M. alternatus showed higher production than its powder form. The solid culture medium was optimized using a response surface methodology, and the optimal medium contained the following: 8·5 g per bottle of M. alternatus and 11·5 g per bottle of oats mixed with 22·4 ml of water in a 300-ml cylindrical plastic bottle. The optimal culturing period for the fruiting body formation was 37·1 days. Under these conditions, a fruiting body dry weight of 38·0 g per bottle (actual value) was attained. The fruiting body produced using a solid culture medium based on M. alternatus had a cordycepin content of about 25 µg g-1 . The solid culture medium containing M. alternatus is highly efficient and eco-friendly, and its effectiveness in large-scale fruiting body production from C. militaris has been demonstrated.

Comparative assessment of gut microbial composition and function in patients with Graves' disease and Graves' orbitopathy.

BACKGROUND: A previous study indicated that gut microbiota changed notably in Graves' orbitopathy (GO) patients as compared to controls. However, the characteristics of intestinal bacteria in Graves' disease (GD) and GO are unclear. OBJECTIVE: The present study aimed to identify specific intestinal bacteria of GD and GO, respectively. METHODS: The gut microbial communities of the fecal samples of 30 GD patients without GO, 33 GO subjects, and 32 healthy subjects were analyzed and compared by 16S rRNA gene sequencing. RESULTS: At the phylum level, the proportion of Deinococcus-Thermus and Chloroflexi was decreased significantly in GO patients as compared to GD. At the genus level, the proportion of Subdoligranulum and Bilophila was increased while that of Blautia, Anaerostipes, Dorea, Butyricicoccus, Romboutsia, Fusicatenibacter, unidentified_ Lachnospiraceae, unidentified_Clostridiales, Collineslla, Intestinibacter, and Phascolarctobacterium was decreased in the GO group as compared to the GD group. Random forest analysis was used for the identification of specific intestinal microbiota, and Deinococcus-Thermus, Cyanobacteria and Chloroflexi were ranked in the top ten according to their contributions to sample classification. Moreover, compared to the control, there were multiple gut bacterial enrichment metabolic pathways in GO and GD patients, including nucleotide metabolism, enzyme family, and energy metabolism. Compared to GO, the only enrichment metabolic pathway found in GD was the viral protein family. CONCLUSIONS: This study highlighted the significant differences in the intestinal microbiota and predictive functions of GD with GO, thereby providing new insights into the role of the gut bacteria that might contribute to the development of GO in GD patients.

Clinical and genetic analysis of idiopathic normophosphatemic tumoral calcinosis in 19 patients.

PURPOSE: Tumoral calcinosis is a rare clinicopathological entity characterized by ectopic soft-tissue calcification, typically periarticular. Normophosphatemic tumoral calcinosis is seldom reported in East Asian populations, and the preoperative diagnosis is often elusive. This study was performed to characterize the clinical profile of normophosphatemic tumoral calcinosis and investigate the presence of the SAMD9 gene mutation. METHODS: The clinical features, pathological examination findings, and outcomes of 19 subjects were retrospectively reviewed. All patients were analyzed for SAMD9 gene mutation using paraffin-embedded tumoral calcinosis specimens. RESULTS: Nineteen subjects were analyzed (7 males, 12 females). Their mean age at surgery, mean age at symptom onset, and median disease duration was 51.9 ± 17.3 (range 7-75) years, 49.1 ± 17.2 (range 7-74) years, and 1.3 (interquartile range 0.5-3.0) years, respectively. Lesions were located in the hand in 8 (42.1%) subjects; wrist in 5 (26.3%); shoulder in 2 (10.5%); and hip, knee, buttock, and scrotum in 1 (5.3%) subject each. The lesions in 17 (89.5%) subjects were located around the joints [small joints (hand and wrist) in 13 (68.4%) and large joints (shoulder, hip, and knee) in 4 (21.1%)]. Lesions occurred in the upper limbs in 15 (78.9%) subjects and in the lower limbs in 2 (10.5%). Multiple-lesion involvement (distal right index finger and middle finger) occurred in one (5.3%) subject. Symptoms included pain in 15 (78.9%) subjects, impaired mobility in 5 (26.3%), swelling in 5 (26.3%), numbness in 2 (10.5%), and an asymptomatic mass in 2 (10.5%). The serum inorganic phosphorus concentration was normal in all 19 subjects (mean 1.17 ± 0.15 mmol/L). The serum calcium concentration was normal in 18 subjects and low in 1. The serum alkaline phosphatase concentration was normal in all 19 subjects. Pathological examination indicated multiple nodules of calcified materials that manifested an amorphous or granular blue-purple crystal and were surrounded by proliferation of mononuclear or multinuclear macrophages, osteoclastic-like giant cells, fibroblasts, and chronic inflammatory cells. Notably, different phases of pathological manifestations were observed in the same microscopic field. During follow-up (0.5-65.0 months), no recurrence of tumoral calcinosis was observed in 18 (94.7%) subjects, but 1 subject developed in situ recurrence of an asymptomatic subcutaneous mass after 6 months postoperatively. Genetic analysis in all 19 subjects revealed no SAMD9 gene mutations. CONCLUSIONS: Most subjects were females and developed calcinosis in adulthood. Small joints (hand and wrist) and the upper limbs were frequently involved. The presence of different phases of pathological features in the same subject suggests that about half of the study participants had been misdiagnosed with another condition (such as gout, osteoarthritis, etc.). Complete surgical excision led to cure without recurrence during follow-up in majority of the study participants.

[Efficacy and safety of Changsulin® compared with Lantus® in type 2 diabetes: a phase â ¢ multicenter, randomized, open-label, parallel, controlled clinical trial].

Objective: To compare the efficacy and safety of Changsulin® with Lantus® in treating patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Methods: This was a phase Ⅲ, multicenter, randomized, open-label, parallel-group, active-controlled clinical trial. A total of 578 participants with T2DM inadequately controlled on oral hypoglycemic agents were randomized 3∶1 to Changsulin® or Lantus® treatment for 24 weeks. The efficacy measures included changes in glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c), fasting plasma glucose (FPG), 2h postprandial plasma glucose (2hPG), 8-point self-monitoring of blood glucose (SMBG) profiles from baseline, and proportions of subjects achieving targets of HbA1c and FPG. The safety outcomes included rates of hypoglycemia, adverse events (AEs) and anti-insulin glargine antibody. Results: After 24 weeks of treatment, mean HbAlc decreased 1.16% and 1.25%, FPG decreased 3.05 mmol/L and 2.90 mmol/L, 2hPG decreased 2.49 mmol/L and 2.38 mmol/L in Changsulin® and in Lantus®, respectively. No significant differences could be viewed in above parameters between the two groups (all P>0.05). There were also no significant differences between Changsulin® and Lantus® in 8-point SMBG profiles from baseline and proportions of subjects achieving the targets of HbA1c and FPG (all P>0.05). The rates of total hypoglycemia (38.00% and 39.01% for Changsulin® and Lantus®, respectively) and nocturnal hypoglycemia (17.25% and 16.31% for Changsulin® and Lantus®, respectively) were similar between the two groups (all P>0.05). Most of the hypoglycemia events were asymptomatic, and no severe hypoglycemia were found in both groups. No differences were observed in rates of AEs (61.77% vs.52.48%) and anti-insulin glargine antibody (after 24 weeks of treatment, 6.91% vs.3.65%) between the two groups (all P>0.05). Conclusions: Changsulin® shows similar efficacy and safety profiles compared with Lantus® and Changsulin® treatment was well tolerated in patients with T2DM.

Manno-oligosaccharide preparation by the hydrolysis of konjac flour with a thermostable endo-mannanase from Talaromyces cellulolyticus.

AIMS: A thermostable endo-mannanase from the fungus Talaromyces cellulolyticus was identified to facilitate manno-oligosaccharide preparation from Konjac (Amorphophallus konjac) flour. METHODS AND RESULTS: A putative endo-1,4-ß-mannanase from the T. cellulolyticus was obtained and efficiently expressed by improving its gene dosage in the genome of the host. After cultivation in a bench-top bioreactor for about 120 h, the protein content and enzyme activity of mannanase increased to 3·4 g l-1 and 17 500 U ml-1 respectively. Enzymatic characterization showed that this enzyme has an optimal temperature of 80°C, optimal pH of 5·0. Under the optimized hydrolysis conditions of pH 5·0, 70°C, and an enzyme concentration of 200 U l-1 solution, this enzyme could efficiently hydrolyse 0·5% konjac flour into manno-oligosaccharides (MOSs) with the degree of polymerization range from 3 to 7. The possible mechanism by which the enzyme produced MOSs was also discussed. CONCLUSION: Talaromyces cellulolyticus endo-mannanase is thermostable and has a broad pH range adaptability. Method of improving the dosage of mannanase gene in the genome could realized its high-level impression. This enzyme could efficiently hydrolyse konjac flour into manno-oligosaccharide products. SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY: This study has enriched endo-mannanase resources, facilitated its bulk production and provided a strong reference for its application in manno-oligosaccharide preparation from the natural glucomannan of konjac flour.

A genome-wide DNA methylation analysis in peripheral blood from patients identifies risk loci associated with Graves' orbitopathy.

OBJECTIVE: Graves' orbitopathy (GO) is an inflammatory orbital disease of autoimmune origin with the potential to cause severe functional and psychosocial effects. The pathogenesis has not been fully elucidated. We investigated whether DNA methylation was associated with GO incidence in Chinese patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Six GO patients and six age-matched controls were recruited, and genome-wide DNA methylation patterns were analyzed in their peripheral blood. t tests were performed to determine differential methylated sites in genomic regions and the univariable logistic regression analyses was performed to evaluate their risk with GO incidence. Cluster analysis and principal component analysis (PCA) were performed to determine the effects of the extracted differentially methylated sites. RESULTS: One hundred and forty-eight differentially methylated sites were identified, including CD14 (fold change = 4.31, p = 0.005), IL17RE (fold change = 2.128, p = 0.005), and DRD4 (fold change = 0.25, p = 0.004), and were supported by cluster and PCA analyses. Univariable logistic regression analyses showed that the methylation patterns at 12 loci were associated with GO incidence. The relative risk per 1% decrease in methylation at ZCCHC6 and GLI3 was 0.15 (95% CI 0.03-0.91; p = 0.039) and 0.65 (95% CI 0.42-0.98; p = 0.042), respectively. Pearson correlation analyses demonstrated that methylation levels at IL17RE were positively associated with Clinical Activity Score (CAS) (r = 0.967, p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Our results demonstrate that differential methylation levels at analyzed sites (genes) may be risk markers of GO. DNA methylation analysis could provide new insights into understanding the disease and provide new treatment strategies for GO in Chinese patients.

[Effect of cigarette smoke exposure during pregnancy on offspring of ovarian development and oocyte DNA methylation in female mice].

Objective: To explore the effects of cigarette smoke exposure during pregnancy on the quality of oocytes and the whole genome DNA methylation in the offspring of female mice during the period of germinal vesicle (GV) . Methods: The pregnant 7 d mice were divided into 3 groups, exposure on the 0, 0.5, 1 lit cigarettes cabinet (volume 18 L) , at 9 am and 3 pm for 1 h twice daily, until delivery. When the mice were 6 weeks old, the organ index and the number of follicles in the ovary were detected by weighing and making HE stained sections. GV stage oocytes were obtained by Hoechst 33342 staining and indirect immunofluorescence to detect the quality of oocytes, chromatin configuration and whole genome DNA methylation level. Results: Compared with the control group and low dose group, the offspring ovarian organ index of female mice in the high dose group decreased, the difference was statistically significant (P<0.05) . Compared with the control group, the number of follicular oocytes in low dose group and high dose group female mice offspring decreased, the zona pellucida oocytes diameter decreased, and the zona pellucida thickness increased, the differences were statistical significance (P<0.05) . Compared with control group and low dose group, in the high dose group, the oocytes nucleus diameter of the female mice offspring decreased, the proportion of nucleolus surrounded type chromatin configuration (SN) decreased, and the proportion of nucleoil not surrounded type (NSN) increased, the relative fluorescence intensity of 5MeC decreased, the differences were statistically significant (P<0.05) . Conclusion: Exposure to cigarette smoke during pregnancy may reduce indicators of offspring ovarian organ index, female rat follicle number and oocyte quality change, the high dose group can lead to oocyte chromatin structure and DNA methylation level anomaly.

Long noncoding RNA HOTTIP contributes to the progression of prostate cancer by regulating HOXA13.

Prostate cancer is a leading cause of cancer-related mortality in men worldwide and there is a lack of effective treatment options for advanced (metastatic) prostate cancer. Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) play important roles in diverse biological processes, such as cell growth, apoptosis and migration. However, little is known about the molecular mechanism of lncRNA-HOTTIP-mediated prostate cancer cell proliferation and apoptosis. The aim of this study was to elucidate the involvement of lncRNA HOTTIP in prostate cancer tumorigenesis and further investigate the role of HOXA13 in this process. Here, we showed that HOTTIP silencing inhibited cell survival pathway in vitro and in vivo by reducing the protein expression of Bcl-2 and enhancing Bax. We further demonstrated that knockdown of HOTTIP inhibited the expression of cell cycle regulatory protein Cyclin D1 and induced cell cycle arrest in G0/G1 phase. Additionally, depletion of HOXA13 by RNA interference (si-HOXA13) revealed that HOTTIP silencing suppressed cell growth at least partly through regulating HOXA13. In conclusion, down-regulation of HOTTIP and HOXA13 was associated with cell growth and cell cycle, and exerts tumor-suppressive functions in the genesis and progression of prostate cancer, providing a potential attractive therapeutic approach for this malignancy.

The benefits and risks of DPP4-inhibitors vs. sulfonylureas for patients with type 2 diabetes: accumulated evidence from randomised controlled trial.

AIM: To assess the efficacy and safety of dipeptidyl peptidase 4-inhibitors (DPP4-I) compared with sulphonylureas in adults with type 2 diabetes (T2D) mellitus. METHOD: Randomised controlled trials were collected from PubMed, EMBASE, Google Scholar and conference. The primary outcome was the change in HbA1c. Secondary outcomes included weight gain, the change in postprandial plasma glucose (PPG), insulin resistance and fasting plasma glucose (FPG), adverse event (AE) and incidence of hypoglycaemia. RESULTS: Fourteen studies including 5480 patients randomised to DPP4-I and 5214 patients randomised to sulphonylureas were eligible for the meta-analysis. Compared with sulphonylureas, DPP4-I were associated with a smaller decline in HbA1c (WMD, weighted mean differences 0.08%, 95% CI: 0.03-0.14, p = 0.001), and resulted in weight loss of 1.945 kg (95% CI: -2.237 to -1.653, p < 0.0001). The effect of DPP4-I lowering FPG was inferior to that of sulfonylureas (WMD, 0.268 mmol/l, 95% CI, 0.151-0.385, p < 0.0001), and similar in reducing PPG (WMD, 0.084, 95% CI, -0.701 to 0.869, p = 0.833). According to the follow-up period, the included trials were separated into three groups (group 1: less than half one year, group 2: from half one year to 1 year, group 3: more than 1 year). Subgroup analysis showed that the difference in HbA1c between DPP4-I and sulphonylureas presented a decline curve (group 1: 0.50, 95% CI: 0.15-0.84, group 2: 0.05, 95% CI: -0.05 to 0.15, group 3: 0.09, 95% CI: 0.03-0.15). DPP4-I had a favourable insulin resistance compared with sulfonylureas (WMD, -0.673, 95% CI, -1.248 to -0.097, p = 0.022). In addition, compared with sulfonylureas, DPP4-I was associated with a decrease in overall risk for AE (RR, 0.93, 95% CI, 0.91-0.96, p < 0.0001). The incidence of hypoglycaemia was lower with DPP4-I (RR, 0.24, 95% CI, 0.21-0.27, p < 0.001). CONCLUSION: Patients with T2D who receive DPP4-I could achieve almost similar glycaemic targets with sulphonylureas, with favourable effects on body weight and lower incidence of hypoglycaemia.

Interleukin-10 polymorphisms and nasopharyngeal carcinoma risk: a meta-analysis.

It has been reported that interleukin-10 (IL-10) promoter genes (1082 A/G, 819 T/C, 592 A/C) are associated with nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC). However, the results remain controversial and ambiguous. To resolve inconsistencies in published data, we performed a meta-analysis to ascertain the association between IL-10 polymorphisms and NPC risk. Two case-control studies and two cohort studies were quantitatively analyzed to evaluate IL-10 promoter gene polymorphisms and NPC risk. Odds ratios (ORs) and their 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated for each genetic model and allelic comparison. A random-effect model or a fixed-effect model was used to calculate the overall combined risk estimates. Overall, the variant genotypes (AA and AG) of the IL-10-1082 A/G polymorphism were associated with elevated risk of NPC compared with the GG homozygote (AG vs GG: OR = 1.77; 95%CI = 1.39-2.26; AG + GG vs AA: OR = 1.78; 95%CI = 1.42-2.22); no significant associations were observed in allelic contrast and the recessive model. Strong positive association was seen in the cohort studies but not in the case-control studies. No statistically significant association was detected between IL-10-819 T/C and IL-10-592 A/C polymorphisms and NPC. Additionally, publication bias was not found. Based on the current evidence, this meta-analysis suggests that IL-1082 A/G polymorphism may increase the risk of NPC, but IL-10-819 T/C and IL-10-592 A/C polymorphisms do not. Further multicenter studies that are better controlled are required to confirm these findings.

Distinctive microbial community structure in highly stratified deep-sea brine water columns.

Atlantis II and Discovery are two hydrothermal and hypersaline deep-sea pools in the Red Sea rift that are characterized by strong thermohalo-stratification and temperatures steadily peaking near the bottom. We conducted comprehensive vertical profiling of the microbial populations in both pools and highlighted the influential environmental factors. Pyrosequencing of the 16S rRNA genes revealed shifts in community structures vis-à-vis depth. High diversity and low abundance were features of the deepest convective layers despite the low cell density. Surprisingly, the brine interfaces had significantly higher cell counts than the overlying deep-sea water, yet they were lowest in diversity. Vertical stratification of the bacterial populations was apparent as we moved from the Alphaproteobacteria-dominated deep sea to the Planctomycetaceae- or Deferribacteres-dominated interfaces to the Gammaproteobacteria-dominated brine layers. Archaeal marine group I was dominant in the deep-sea water and interfaces, while several euryarchaeotic groups increased in the brine. Across sites, microbial phylotypes and abundances varied substantially in the brine interface of Discovery compared with Atlantis II, despite the near-identical populations in the overlying deep-sea waters. The lowest convective layers harbored interestingly similar microbial communities, even though temperature and heavy metal concentrations were very different. Multivariate analysis indicated that temperature and salinity were the major influences shaping the communities. The harsh conditions and the low-abundance phylotypes could explain the observed correlation in the brine pools.

Effect of co-existing copper and calcium on the removal of As(V) by reused aluminum oxides.

Among the various heavy metals, arsenic is frequently found in abandoned mine drainage and the environmental fate of arsenic in real aqueous solutions can be highly dependent on the presence of co-existing ions. In this study, removal of arsenate through adsorption on the reused aluminum oxide or through precipitation was investigated in a single and in a binary system as a function of pH and concentration. Different removal behaviors of arsenate were observed in the presence of different cations as well as a variation of the molar ratios of arsenate to cations. Co-operative effects on arsenate removal by precipitation in solution occurred with an increase of copper concentration, while a decrease of arsenate removal resulted in increasing calcium concentration. It was observed that the arsenate removal in the presence of calcium would be highly dependent on the molar ratios of both elements.

Magnetic resonance imaging retinal oximetry: a quantitative physiological biomarker for early diabetic retinopathy?

AIMS: To assess the efficacy of using magnetic resonance imaging measurements of retinal oxygenation response to detect early diabetic retinopathy in patients with Type 2 diabetes. METHODS: Magnetic resonance imaging was conducted during 100% oxygen inhalation in patients with Type 2 diabetes with either no diabetic retinopathy (n = 12) or mild to moderate background diabetic retinopathy (n = 12), as well as in healthy control subjects (n = 12). Meanwhile, changes in retinal oxygenation response were measured. RESULTS: In the healthy control group, levels of retinal oxygenation response increased slowly during 100% oxygen inhalation. In contrast, they increased more quickly and attained homeostasis much earlier in the groups with background diabetic retinopathy (at the 20-min time point) and with no diabetic retinopathy (at the 25-min time point) than in the healthy control group (at the 42-min time point). Furthermore, levels of retinal oxygenation response in the group with background diabetic retinopathy increased more than that of the group with no diabetic retinopathy, which in turn increased more than that of the healthy control group. There are statistically significant differences between the group with background diabetic retinopathy and the healthy control group at 6-, 8-, 10-, 15-, 20- and 25-min time points (P < 0.05). According to the normal range of the healthy control group by setting fundus photography results as 'gold standard' in our research, the sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value and receiver operating characteristic area for reporting the early indications of utility of diabetic retinopathy were 83.33%, 58.33%, 50%, 87.5% and 0.774, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: The results indicate that magnetic resonance imaging is a potential screening method and probably a quantitative physiological biomarker to find early diabetic retinopathy in patients with Type 2 diabetes.

Effect of different types of organic compounds on the photocatalytic reduction of Cr(VI).

The effect of different types of organic compounds (humic acid, oxalate, ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid, nitrilotriacetic acid, phenol) on the photocatalytic reduction of Cr(VI) with illuminated TiO2 was studied in this work with variation of the solution pH, contact time, initial Cr(VI) concentration and type of organic compounds. As the pH increased, the removal efficiency for Cr(VI) decreased. The increase in Cr(VI) removal by UV/TiO2 with decreasing solution pH was due to the increased potential difference between the conduction band of TiO2 and Cr(VI)/Cr(III) as well as the anionic-type adsorption of Cr(VI) on to the TiO2 surface. Removal efficiency for Cr(VI) increased in the presence of organic compound compared with that without organic compound because positive holes in the TiO2 were scavenged by organic additives. The reduction pattern of Cr(VI) was better described by the first-order kinetic model. Finally photocatalytic reaction with illuminated TiO2 can be effectively applied to treat wastewater contaminated with Cr(VI).

Photocatalytic removal of cyanide with illuminated TiO(2).

Effects of TiO(2) dosage, pH and initial cyanide concentration on the removal efficiency of cyanide from aqueous solutions with illuminated TiO(2) have been investigated. Adsorption and oxidation were recognized as significant processes for the elimination of cyanide. From the Langmuir isotherm, the maximum adsorption capacity was determined as 17.24 mg/g at pH 7. Adsorbed amount of cyanide slightly increased as the TiO(2) dosage increased. However, as no significant increase was observed above 1 g/L TiO(2), an optimum TiO(2) dosage was determined as 1 g/L. Photocatalytic oxidation efficiency of cyanide was greatly affected by the solution pH. It increased as the solution pH decreased. The photocatalytic oxidation efficiency after 120 min was 80.4% at pH 3 while it was only 20.4% at pH 11. Photocatalytic oxidation of cyanide was well described by the second-order kinetics. Photocatalytic reaction with illuminated TiO(2) can be effectively applied to treat industrial wastewater contaminated with cyanide.

Photocatalytic reduction of Cr(VI) and Ni(II) in aqueous solution by synthesized nanoparticle ZnO under ultraviolet light irradiation: a kinetic study.

Photocatalytic removal of Cr(VI) and Ni(II) from aqueous solution using synthesized nanoparticle ZnO under ultraviolet (UV) light irradiation was studied in this work. Firstly, nanoparticle ZnO was prepared by the chemical method with an organic chemical inhibitor. Then removal efficiency of Cr(VI) and Ni(II) by nanoparticle ZnO was investigated with variation of the solution pH, ZnO dosage, contact time and initial Cr(VI) and Ni(II) concentration. Maximum removal of Cr(VI) and Ni(II) was observed at near-neutral pH because the reduced photocatalytic activity of ZnO at exceedingly low and high pH values originates from either acidic/photochemical corrosion of the catalyst and/or surface passivation with Zn(OH)2. As the ZnO dosage increased, the removal efficiency of Cr(VI) and Ni(II) was continuously enhanced, but was gradually decreased above 1.25 g/l due to the increased blockage of the incident UV light used for the photocatalytic reaction. The optimum ZnO dosage was determined as 1 g/l. Removal efficiencies of Cr(VI) and Ni(II) decreased as initial Cr(VI) and Ni(II) concentration increased, due to an increased inhibition effect on the surface of ZnO resulting from the decreased reaction sites on the surface of ZnO required for the further photocatalytic reaction.

Efficacy of suprascapular nerve blocks for management of hemiplegic shoulder pain: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

OBJECTIVE: To compare the efficacy of suprascapular nerve block (SSNB) with other treatment modalities for management of HSP in terms of relieving pain and improving range of motion of shoulder joints. MATERIALS AND METHODS: An electronic search was carried out in PubMed, CENTRAL, SCOPUS and EMBASE databases using a series of relevant keywords, along with a manual search. Randomized clinical trials comparing the efficacy of SSNB with placebo injections, intra-articular injections (IAI), ultrasound and Pulsed RF were identified. The outcomes assessed were pain relief measured with visual analogue scale and improvement in the range of motion (ROM) at the end of the follow-up period. The meta-analysis was carried out for quantitative analysis of outcome data. RESULTS: Eight randomized clinical trials were included. The quality of the included trials was low to moderate. SSNB showed improved pain relief at the end of 1 month, compared to placebo (normal saline injections) with mean difference (MD) 1.20 95% CI [0.59,1.80], p<0.0001. When compared to Pulsed radio-frequency (RF), the pain relief at the end of 1 month and 3 months was greater for patients treated with Pulsed RF than SSNB. No significant improvement in the range of motion for flexion, external and internal rotation was observed between SSNB and inter-articular injections. CONCLUSIONS: SSNB is more effective in pain relief than placebo injections and ultrasound, but similar to pulsed RF. Similar effectiveness in ROM improvement was observed with SSNB and intra-articular injections.

Phylogeny of major lineages of galliform birds (Aves: Galliformes) based on complete mitochondrial genomes.

Complete mitochondrial DNA sequences have been used successfully to estimate phylogenetic relationships among animal taxa, and for studies of population genetics and molecular evolution. We made phylogenetic analyses of 22 species of Galliformes, with two species of Anseriformes as outgroups, using maximum likelihood (ML), maximum parsimony (MP) and Bayesian inference (BI) methods based on the nucleotide dataset and the corresponding amino acid dataset of 13 concatenated protein-coding genes. The consensus phylogenetic trees supported monophyly of Galliformes, Phasianidae (nucleotide and amino acid: posterior probabilities 1.00 in BI, bootstrap value > 99% in ML and MP), Coturnicinae, and Gallininae (nucleotide and amino acid: posterior probabilities 1.00 in BI, bootstrap value > 85% in ML and MP), but failed to demonstrate monophyly of Pavoninae and Phasianinae. Our results also support a sister-group relationship between megapodes and all other galliforms. We found that Arborophilinae is basal to the balance of the Phasianidae. Moreover, we suggest that the turkey should be classified in the Phasianinae of Phasianidae. Although the relationships among the various lineages of the Galliformes remain controversial, these results should be useful for further study.

Tissue-specific pattern of angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 expression in rat pancreas.

Angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2), a carboxypeptidase that is highly homologous to ACE, acts as a negative regulator for the renin-angiotensin system (RAS). Pancreatic RAS is thought to play important endocrine and exocrine roles in hormone secretion. Further exploration of this system is likely to offer new insights into the pathogenesis of pancreatic diseases such as diabetes mellitus. This study investigated the expression of ACE2 in rat pancreatic exocrine and endocrine tissue. Reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction, immunoblotting and immunohistochemistry showed that ACE2 mRNA and protein were expressed in the pancreas. Immunoelectron microscopy demonstrated that ACE2 was expressed in both endocrine and exocrine pancreatic tissues. In the endocrine tissue, ACE2 was localized on the secretory granules. Double immunofluorescence labelling showed that ACE2 was co-localized with both insulin and somatostatin, while it was rarely co-localized with glucagon and pancreatic polypeptide. These findings suggest that ACE2 might play an important role in glucose homeostasis.

Expressions of miR-525-3p and its target gene SEMG1 in the spermatozoa of patients with asthenozoospermia.

BACKGROUND: Semenogelin 1 (SEMG1) is an important secretory protein in spermatozoa involved in the formation of a gel matrix encasing ejaculated spermatozoa. Previous studies show that the SEMG1 gene is highly expressed in spermatozoa from patients with asthenozoospermia (AZS); however, the underlying molecular mechanisms are not yet clear. OBJECTIVES: To study the molecular mechanism of high expression of SEMG1 gene and its potential roles in AZS. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Western blot and real-time PCR were used to detect the expression levels of SEMG1 protein and mRNA in the ejaculated spermatozoa from normozoospermic males and AZS patients. Bioinformatics analysis was used to predict miRNAs targeting for SEMG1 3'-untranslated region detection of the expression levels of all the candidate miRNAs in ejaculatory spermatozoa in AZS patients or normozoospermic volunteers. Luciferase reporter assays were performed to confirm it can directly bind to SEMG1. Correlation of miR-525-3p and SEMG1 mRNA expression with clinical sperm parameters were also analyzed. Finally, we conducted a follow-up study of reproductive history about all the subjects. RESULTS: SEMG1 mRNA and protein level were significantly higher in AZS patients compared to that in normozoospermic volunteers (p < 0.001). Subsequently, microRNA-525-3p (miR-525-3p) which was predicted as a candidate regulator of SEMG1 was found lower expressed in ejaculatory spermatozoa in AZS patients (p = 0.0074). Luciferase experiment revealed that microRNA-525-3p could directly target SEMG1 3'-untranslated region and suppress its expression. Importantly, our retrospective follow-up study showed that both low miR-525-3p expression and high SEMG1 expression level was significantly associated with low progressive sperm motility, abnormal sperm morphology, and infertility. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION: The elevated expression of SEMG1 and reduced expression of miR-525-3p are associated with AZS and male infertility. Our study provides a potential therapeutic target for the treatment of male infertility or for male contraception.