[Effects of exercises with different durations and intensities on mitochondrial autophagy and FUNDC1 expression in rat skeletal muscles].

The aim of the present study was to investigate the effects of exercises with different durations and intensities on mitochondrial autophagy and FUNDC1 in rat skeletal muscles. Sixty male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into 2- and 4-week control groups (Con), moderate-intensity exercise groups (M-ex groups, treadmill exercise, 16 m/min, 1 h/d, 6 d/week), and high-intensity exercise groups (Hi-ex groups, treadmill exercise, 35 m/min, 20 min/d, 6 d/week). The bilateral soleus muscles were separated after the intervention, and paraffin sections were prepared for transmission electron microscopy. ELISA method was used to detect the content of citrate synthase (CS). The co-localizations of microtubule-associated protein 1 light chain 3 (LC3)/cytochrome c oxidase IV (COX-IV), FUNDC1/COX-IV and LC3/FUNDC1 were observed by immunofluorescent staining in frozen sections. The skeletal muscle mitochondria were extracted, and the expression of autophagy-related proteins, including AMPKα, p-AMPKα, Unc-51 like kinase 1 (ULK1), FUNDC1, LC3 and p62, were detected by Western blot. The results showed that exercise increased mitochondrial function, i.e. peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ co-activator-1α (PGC-1α), COX-I protein expression levels and CS content. There was no difference of mitochondrial function parameters between 2-week M-ex and 2-week Hi-ex groups, while mitochondrial function of 4-weeks Hi-ex group was significantly lower than that of 4-week M-ex group. Under the same exercise intensity, mitochondrial autophagy activation in skeletal muscle of 4-week exercise was higher than that in 2-week exercise group; Under the same duration of exercise, mitochondrial autophagy activation of Hi-ex group was higher than that in M-ex group. Both 2- and 4-week exercise intervention increased LC3/COX-IV, COX-IV/FUNDC1, and FUNDC1/LC3 co-localizations. Exercise increased LC3-II/LC3-I ratio, down-regulated p62 protein expression level, up-regulated FUNDC1, ULK1 protein expression levels and AMPKα phosphorylation, and the changes of these proteins in 4-week Hi-ex group were significantly greater than those in 4-week M-ex group. These results suggest exercise induces mitochondrial autophagy in skeletal muscles, and the activity of autophagy is related to the duration and intensity of exercise. The induction mechanism of exercise may involve the mediation of FUNDC1 expression through AMPK-ULK1 pathway.

A Gallium(III) Complex that Engages Protein Disulfide Isomerase A3 (PDIA3) as an Anticancer Target.

Gallium(III)-based drugs have gained momentum in cancer therapy due to their iron-dependent anticancer activity. Judicious choice of ligands is critical for improved oral bioavailability, antitumor efficacy, and distinct mechanisms from simple GaIII salts. We describe GaIII complexes with planar tetradentate salen ligands [salen=2,3-bis[(4-dialkylamino-2-hydroxybenzylidene)amino]but-2-enedinitrile)] and labile axial solvent ligands, which display tumor growth inhibition in vitro and in vivo comparable to cisplatin. Confocal fluorescence microscopy, western blotting, mRNA profiling, chemical proteomics, and surface plasmon resonance (SPR) studies provide compelling evidence that PDIA3, a member of the protein disulfide isomerase (PDI) family involved in endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress, is a direct target of Ga-1. This work offers a new route to designing and synthesizing Ga-based drugs, and also reveals that PDIA3 is an important anticancer target.

[An evaluation on effectiveness of worksite-based intervention for cardiovascular disease during 1974 - 1998 in capital iron and steel company of Beijing].

OBJECTIVE: To explore the feasibility and effectiveness of worksite-based cardiovascular disease (CVD) prevention and control program in urban population of China. METHODS: Worksite-based intervention program was implemented 110 000 employees at Capital Iron and Steel Company of Beijing (CISC) focusing on primary prevention for CVD and control of hypertension. Intervention components comprised of infrastructure setting-up, health education and health promotion, professional training, detection and management of hypertensive patients, and reasonably readjusting their diet structure focusing on salt intake reduction, reducing their overweight, quitting smoking, and restricting alcohol consumption in high-risk population. Changes in level of risk factors, incidence and mortality of stroke and coronary events and their trend were evaluated between the intervention group at CISC and eight simultaneously parallel reference groups in other provinces outside Beijing with population surveillance data. RESULTS: Major risk factors for CVD, including blood pressure, body mass index and serum cholesterol level, decreased relatively in intervention population at CISC during 1974 to 1998, while those in majority of eight parallel reference groups at different provinces of China significantly increased at the same time. Systolic blood pressure (SBP) decreased by 0.8 mm Hg and 4 mm Hg in average for men and women, respectively, and their diastolic blood pressure (DBP) remained the same as baseline for both men and women at CISC, while SBP increased by (2 - 11) mm Hg and (6 - 8) mm Hg in average for men and women, respectively in reference groups, and DBP increased by (2 - 6) mm Hg in average for men in five of eight reference groups, and by (3 - 6) mm Hg for women in four of eight reference groups. Serum level of cholesterol decreased by 0.26 mmol/L in women and slightly increased for men at CISC, and increased by (0.35 - 0.97) mmol/L for men and (0.29 - 1.05) mmol/L for women in all reference groups. Prevalence of overweight increased by 58.7% for men and 11.3% for women at CISC and increased by one to 22 folds in eight reference groups. Awareness of health knowledge improved significantly with an average net reduction of SBP/DBP of (2.5/2.2) mm Hg in the enforced intervention group at CISC than that in general intervention groups. Incidence and mortality rates of stroke decreased by 54.7% and 74.3%, respectively in intervention group at CSIC, but those of coronary events slowly increased with fluctuation. CONCLUSION: Worksite-based comprehensive intervention for CVD prevention and control was feasible and cost-effective in decreasing risk factors for CVD, incidence and mortality rate of stroke in population of urban areas of China.

A facile direct anti-selective catalytic asymmetric Mannich reaction of aldehydes with preformed N-Boc and N-Cbz imines.

Anti-selective Mannich reactions of N-Boc and N-Cbz protected imines with unmodified aldehydes proceeded smoothly under the catalysis of a secondary amine-thiourea catalyst, which led to high yields (70%-95%) and excellent enantioselectivity (up to 96 : 4 dr and >99% ee) under conventional organic synthetic operations.

[EGR-1 mRNA expression during 12-0-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate-induced K562 cell differentiation].

OBJECTIVE: 12-0-tetradecanoylphorbol-13 acetate (TPA) plays an important role in precipitating cell differentiation for various tumor cells, especially leukemic cells. Changes of many genes may be involved in this process. The purpose of this study was to observe the relationship between the EGR1mRNA expression and cell differentiation during TPA-induced K562 cell differentiation. METHODS: Incubation of human K562 cells in vitro was applied to cultivate K562 cells. The cells were treated in two different ways. K562 cells of experiment group were treated with TPA and those of control group were treated without TPA. Using morphology (Wright's staining and NSE staining) and flow cytometry (FCM), the investigators observed the differentiation characteristics of K562 cells, cell-cycle and the differentiation antigen expressions of CD33 and CD14 on cell membranes. RT-PCR was carried out to assay EGR1 mRNA expression. RESULTS: After treated with TPA for 7 d, the morphology of K562 cells obviously tended to mature differentiation, like monocytes. The differentiation rate of induced K562 cells was up to 95% in experiment group and 4.5% in control group, respectively. Using SPSS software, the above result showed statistical significance (P < 0.01). Using NSE staining, K562 cells showed positive reaction. Some of them were densely stained. The positive rate was up to 86%. More than half of the positive cells could be inhibited by NaF. The inhibiting rate of NaF was up to 58.72%, showing statistical difference when compared with that of control group. FCM analysis showed that most of K562 cells stimulated by TPA underwent G1/S phase cell-cycle arrest. The composing rate of cell-cycle in TPA-treated group showed that (53.7 +/- 1.25)% of cells were at G0 + G1 phase and (44.3 +/- 1.32)% were at S phase (P < 0.05). The level of CD33 expression on cell membranes was mildly decreased from 0.997% to 0.893% (P > 0.05). However, the level of CD14 expression was significantly increased from 0.049% to 0.387% (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: K562 cells could express EGR1mRNA during TPA-induced differentiation, which suggested that EGR1mRNA might participate in the process of K562 cells differentiating into monocyte/macrophages, and might play an important role in precipitating and maintaining cell differentiation for leukemic cells.