Analysis of the success rate of conversion using ibutilide administration in radiofrequency catheter ablation of persistent atrial fibrillation and its effects on postoperative recurrence.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the efficacy of ibutilide administration during radiofrequency catheter ablation of persistent atrial fibrillation (AF), to explore the success rate of conversion and related influential factors, and to analyze the effects of ibutilide on postoperative recurrence. METHODS: A total of 192 patients with persistent AF who underwent catheter ablation from January 1, 2019, to December 31, 2021. These patients failed in conversion of AF to normal sinus rhythm by intraoperative catheter ablation. Patients were categorized into effective group (115 cases) and ineffective group (77 cases) based on whether sinus rhythm was restored after application of ibutilide. RESULTS: The overall success rate of conversion using ibutilide administration was 59.9%. The success rate was associated with weight ((68.12 ± 11.72 vs. 72.83 ± 12.08) kg, P = 0.008), the duration of AF ((34.67 ± 55.68 vs. 66.52 ± 95.21) months, p = 0.008), diameter of left atrium (LAD) ((44.39 ± 5.80 vs. 47.36 ± 6.10) mm,P = 0.002), and N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) level ((854.85 ± 770.84 vs. 662.88 ± 659.18) pg/ml,P = 0.030). The results showed the duration of AF was associated with early recurrence, while early recurrence was not a risk factor for late recurrence. And duration of AF was associated with postoperative maintenance time of normal sinus rhythm, whereas successful conversion into normal sinus rhythm using ibutilide administration had no influence on postoperative maintenance time of normal sinus rhythm. CONCLUSION: Ibutilide showed to be effective in catheter ablation of AF, the success rate of conversion was correlated with the duration of AF, LA diameter, and NT-proBNP level. Besides, the duration of AF was found as a risk factor for early postoperative recurrence, while ibutilide administration for successful conversion had no influence on predicting postoperative recurrence and had no influence on postoperative maintenance time of sinus rhythm.

A Patient with Partial 17α-Hydroxylase Deficiency Initially Diagnosed with Asherman Syndrome and Pheochromocytoma.

This study present a case of a 49-year-old woman who suffered from resistant hypertension, hypokalemia, hypomenorrhea, and infertility. She was hospitalized 6 years earlier for hypomenorrhea and abdominal pain at the Xiamen Maternity and Child Health Hospital, where she was diagnosed with Asherman syndrome. During hospitalization, a computed tomography examination revealed an adrenal mass. She was referred to Xiamen University Affiliated Zhongshan Hospital for pheochromocytoma and underwent surgical resection of the left adrenal gland. The adrenal cortex adenoma was confirmed by pathological biopsy. Six years later, the patient also presented with hypertension and hypokalemia to our emergency department. A diagnosis of 17α-hydroxylase deficiency was established through the analysis of clinical and laboratory characteristics. The genetic analysis of CYP17A1 revealed compound heterozygous mutations, 1 of which was a mutation of c.1226 C>G, and the other c.297+2T>C.

PGC-1α Affects Epileptic Seizures by Regulating Mitochondrial Fusion in Epileptic Rats.

BACKGROUND: Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ coactivator-1α (PGC-1α), regulated by AMPK, is an important regulator of mitochondrial fusion. At present, whether the AMPK/PGC-1α signaling pathway regulates mitochondrial dynamics in epileptic rats is still unknown. METHODS: Adult male Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats were randomly divided into fourgroups: the control group (0.9% saline, n = 5), the EP groups (lithium-pilocarpine was used to induce epilepsy, and tissues were harvested at 6 and 24 h, every time point, n = 5), the EP + Compound C group (the specific inhibitor of PGC-1α, 15 mg/kg in 2% DMSO, n = 5), and the EP + DMSO group (0.9% saline + 2% DMSO, n = 5). To investigate whether PGC-1α participates in seizures by regulating the expression of mitofusin1/2(MFN1/2)in rats. RESULTS: In this study, the behavioral results indicate that the seizure susceptibility of the rats to epilepsy was increased when the expression of PGC-1α was inhibited. Subsequently, Western blot results suggested that the expression level of both MFN1 and MFN2 in the hippocampus was higher at 6 and 24 h after an epileptic seizure. Besides, the expression of PGC-1α and MFN2 was significantly decreased in the hippocampus when the epileptic rats were treated with Compound C. Furthermore, the immunofluorescence analysis of the localization of MFN1/2 and PGC-1α showed that MFN1/2 was mainly expressed in neurons but not astrocytes in the hippocampus and cerebral cortex of rats. Meanwhile, PGC-1α colocalized with the excitatory post-synaptic marker PSD95, suggesting that PGC-1α may regulate the seizure susceptibility of the rats by mediating excitatory post-synaptic signaling. CONCLUSION: The AMPK/PGC-1α signaling pathway may play an important role in the lithium-pilocarpine-induced epileptic rat model by mediating the expression of fusion proteins.

Benefits of collaborative remembering in older and younger couples: the role of conversation dynamics and gender.

We experimentally explored whether and how conversation dynamics would benefit collaborative remembering in intimate couples over time. To this end, we ran a study with a three-factor mixed design with relationship type (couples vs. strangers) and age (older adults vs. younger adults) as between-participants variables, and remembering condition (collaborative vs. individual) as a within-participants variable. Thirty pairs of intimate couples (fifteen long-term relationship older couples, fifteen short-term relationship younger couples) and thirty pairs of corresponding stranger-pairs (including older strangers and younger strangers) were compared with respect to recall accuracy and conversation dynamics, specifically considering the role of gender. Results revealed significant collaborative facilitation only in older couples. Also, females' communication behaviours facilitated males' collaborative remembering performance only in older (vs. younger) couples. In addition, a gender-specific pattern of shifts from the individual to collaborative context emerged only in older couple (vs. strangers). The findings are consistent with the notion that a longer experience of collaboration and more effective conversation dynamics allow older (vs. younger) couples to perform better at collaborative remembering. We discuss processes underlying the observed gender differences, and the social and motivational implications of collaborative remembering.

A Modified Reverse Right-angled Triangle Osteotomy Using the Lateral Approach for the Treatment of Posttraumatic Cubitus Varus Deformity in Children.

BACKGROUND: Cubitus varus deformity is a complex 3-dimensional deformity. Various osteotomies have been introduced to correct this deformity, however, there is no consensus on the best procedure to correct the deformity while avoiding complications. In this retrospective study, we used a modified inverse right-angled triangle osteotomy to treat 22 children with posttraumatic cubitus varus deformity. The primary objective was to evaluate this technique by presenting its clinical and radiologic results. METHODS: Twenty-two consecutive patients with a cubitus varus deformity underwent a modified reverse right-angled triangle osteotomy between October 2017 and May 2020 and were then followed for a minimum of 24 months. We evaluated its clinical and radiologic results. Functional outcomes were assessed using Oppenheim criteria. RESULTS: The average follow-up period was 34.6 months (range, 24.0 to 58.1 months). The mean range of motion was 4.32 degrees (range, 0 degrees to 15 degrees)/122.73 degrees (range, 115 degrees to 130 degrees) (hyperextension/flexion) before surgery and 2.05 degrees (range, 0 degrees to 10 degrees)/127.27 degrees (range, 120 degrees to 145 degrees) at the final follow-up. There were significant ( P < 0.05) differences between the flexion and hyperextension angles before surgery and at the final follow-up. Based on Oppenheim criteria, results were excellent for 20, good for 2, and none of the patients had poor results. The mean humerus-elbow-wrist angle improved from 18.23 degrees (range, 10 degrees to 25 degrees) varus preoperatively to 8.45 degrees (range, 5 degrees to 15 degrees) valgus postoperatively ( P < 0.05). The mean of the preoperative lateral condylar prominence index was 3.52 (range, 2.5 to 5.2) and the average postoperative lateral condylar prominence index was -3.28 (range, -1.3 to -6.0). All patients were pleased with the overall appearance of their elbows. CONCLUSIONS: The modified reverse right-angled triangle osteotomy can precisely and stably correct the deformity in the coronal and sagittal planes, we recommend this technique as a simple, safe, and reliable correction of cubitus varus deformity. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level IV; case series; therapeutic studies-investigating the results of treatment.

Who did I lie to that day? Deception impairs memory in daily life.

Research has demonstrated that deceptive responses can undermine item and source memories. However, previous studies have often randomly assigned participants to an honest or deception group and asked them to respond in specific ways in an interview, rather than providing them a choice of what response to give. Moreover, little attention has been given to destination memory in previous research. Using a daily life paradigm, we investigated the effects of deception on memory. After completing a mock shopping task, participants were told that someone would ask them questions about their shopping lists. The participants voluntarily chose to tell the truth or lie in the interview and were encouraged to respond as they would in their daily lives. An item memory test, source memory test and destination memory test were given 48 h after the interview. Source and destination memories but not item memories were impaired for participants who chose to lie. Specifically, liars forgot the things about which they lied and mistakenly believed that they lied about many things that they did not, and they also did not remember to whom they lied. We conclude that deception can disrupt memory in daily life.

Training College Students with Hearing Loss in Theory of Mind.

This paper explored training methods to improve the Theory of Mind levels of Chinese college students with hearing loss and investigated the transfer effect of training. Ninety Chinese college students with hearing loss were randomly divided into two groups: the ToM training group and the physical-conversation training group. The ToM training group received ToM training, and the physical-conversation training group as the control group received physical-conversation training. All the participants attended four separate 60-min lectures. The ToM Story Task and the False Belief Task were used to assess the training's effect, and the ToM animation task was adopted to investigate the transfer effect. Before training, the level of ToM of the two participant groups was similar. After training, the ToM level of Chinese college students with hearing loss who participated in ToM training was significantly higher than the students who underwent physical-conversation training. Moreover, the findings revealed that ToM training has long-term transfer effects. This study thus showed that ToM training can effectively improve the ToM level of Chinese college students with hearing loss.

Determining social power: Do Chinese preschoolers integrate verbal and nonverbal cues?

Children aged about 5 years can use verbal and nonverbal cues to determine social power. However, it is not clear what kinds of nonverbal cues preschoolers can use and whether they can integrate each nonverbal cue with verbal content when determining social power. Therefore, this research examined the ability of Chinese preschoolers to use and integrate visual, auditory, and verbal cues when determining social power as well as how this ability develops with age. In Study 1 (N = 478), 4- to 6-year-old Chinese children were recruited to judge the social power in visual, auditory, content, visual-auditory, visual-content, auditory-content, visual-auditory-content, and neutral cues. The results showed that 4-year-olds could not use any cues, 5-year-olds could not use content cues, and 6-year-olds could use all the cues. Children's performance improved with increasing age and the number of channels. Study 2 (N = 240) investigated whether speech tempo influences children's performance when using content cues. The results showed that 5- and 6-year-olds, but not 4-year-olds, could use content cues to determine social power under normal and slow tempos. Study 3 (N = 80) was conducted to clarify which visual cues 5- and 6-year-olds can use and the age difference. The results revealed that 5- and 6-year-olds could use head, eye, posture, and mixed cues to determine social power, whereas their performance was steady for both 5- and 6-year-olds. In sum, the results show that Chinese children aged about 5 years are already able to use and integrate visual, auditory, and content cues when determining social power. Moreover, the ability to determine social power is gradually improved with age during the preschool period.

A Structure-Activity Relationship between the Veratrum Alkaloids on the Antihypertension and DNA Damage Activity in Mice.

Veratrum plant contains a family of compounds called steroidal alkaloids which have been previously reported to cause DNA damage and blood pressure decrease in vivo. In this study, the antihypertensive effects and DNA damage in brain cells of 12 steroidal alkaloids separated from Veratrum plant were all evaluated to develop a relationship among chemical structure, antihypertensive activity and neurotoxicity by utilization of chemical principal component analysis (PCA) and hierarchical cluster analysis (HCA). Twelve steroidal alkaloids markedly reduced high blood pressure of hypertensive mice and also similarly induced varying degrees of DNA single-strand breaks in mouse cerebellum and cerebral cortex after oral administration. On the basis of the PCA and HCA results, it was suggested that the 3-carboxylic esters and benzene group play a core role in the DNA damage of brain cells, while more hydroxy groups in the A-ring and B-ring structure of jervine-type alkaloid led to stronger antihypertensive activity. The primary structure, activity and neurotoxicity relationship were discussed briefly.

Evaluation of clinical efficacy of Chemotherapy for Rhabdomyosarcoma in children.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the clinical characteristics and treatment methods of rhabdomyosarcoma in children and the efficacy of the methods. METHODS: The clinical data of 30 children with rhabdomyosarcoma who were admitted to our hospital from August 2013 to August 2017 were retrospectively analyzed. The clinical characteristics were summarized, and the curative effect and prognosis were evaluated. RESULTS: Among all the children (N=30), there were 20 males and 10 females, with a median age of 3.5 years. As to the primary site, there were 13 cases of head and neck, 11 cases of trunk, three cases of urogenital system and three cases of limbs. There were 25 cases of embryonic type, 4 cases of alveolar type and one case of polymorphic type. As regards clinical stage, there were one case of stage I, 9 cases of stage II, 13 cases of stage III and 7 cases of stage IV. There were one case of low risk, 19 cases of medium risk and 10 cases of high risk. Eight cases received surgery alone, 22 cases received combined treatment of surgery and chemotherapy (the chemotherapeutics followed three schemes, low-risk group (VAC+VA), moderate risk group (VAC) and high risk group (alternating use of VDC and IE). Among all the cases (N=30), there were 14 cases of complete remission (CR), five cases of partial remission (PR), four cases of stable disease (SD), and 7 cases of progressive disease (PD). The CR rate was (N=14, 46.7%). The three-year overall survival (OS) rate was (N=19, 63.3%). The clinical efficacy and prognosis of children receiving surgery and chemotherapy were better than those of children receiving surgery alone, and the difference was statistically significant (P<0.05). CONCLUSION: Rhabdomyosarcoma in children frequently happens in the head, neck and trunk. Embryonic type is the main pathological type of rhabdomyosarcoma. Comprehensive and standardized treatment based on surgery and chemotherapy is an important way to improve the curative effect in the treatment of rhabdomyosarcoma in children.

miR-200a mediates protection of thymosin ß-4 in cardiac microvascular endothelial cells as a novel mechanism under hypoxia-reoxygenation injury.

Thymosin ß-4 (Tß4) is a ubiquitous protein, which has been suggested to regulate multiple cell signal pathways and a variety of cellular functions. However, the role Tß4 plays in the cardiac microvascular endothelial cells (CMECs) under myocardial ischemia/reperfusion injury is currently unknown. Here we investigated the effects of Tß4 on hypoxia/reoxygenation (H/R) induced CMECs injury and its potential molecular mechanism. Cultured CMECs were positively identified by flow cytometry using antibody against CD31 and VWF/Factor VIII, which are constitutively expressed on the surface of CMECs. Then the reduced level of Tß4 was detected in H/R-CMECs by a real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction. To determine the effects of Tß4 on H/R-CMECs, we transfected the overexpression or silence vector of Tß4 into CMECs under H/R condition. Our results indicated that H/R treatment could reduce proliferation, increased apoptosis, adhesion, and reactive oxygen species (ROS) production in CMECs, which were attenuated by Tß4 overexpression or aggravated by Tß4 silencing, implying Tß4 is able to promote CMECs against H/R-induced cell injury. Furthermore, the microRNA-200a (miR-200a) level was also increased by Tß4 in H/R-CMECs or reduced by Tß4 small interfering RNA. To investigated the mechanism of protective effects of Tß4 on CMECs injury, the miR-200a inhibitor was transfected into H/R-CMECs. The results indicated that inhibition of miR-200a inversed the protection of Tß4 on H/R-CMECs, specifically including cell proliferation, cell adhesion, cell apoptosis, and ROS production, as well as nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) nuclear translocation. In conclusion, our results determined that Tß4 attenuated H/R-induced CMECs injury by miR-200a-Nrf2 signaling.

miR-203 accelerates apoptosis and inflammation induced by LPS via targeting NFIL3 in cardiomyocytes.

Myocarditis is an inflammatory disease of the myocardium. MicroRNA-203 (miR-203) is involved in various physiological and pathological processes. In this work, we aimed to explore the roles and potential mechanisms of miR-203 in myocarditis in vitro. Cardiomyocyte H9c2 was subjected to 10 µg/mL lipopolysaccharide (LPS) for 24 hours. Real-time polymerase chain reaction analysis revealed that LPS upregulated miR-203 expression in H9c2 cells. Cell counting kit-8 (CCK-8) and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) assays demonstrated that inhibition of miR-203 reduced cell injury induced by LPS. The cell apoptosis rate, caspase 3 activity, caspase 3/7 activities, and the expression of cleaved-caspase 3 (c-caspase 3) were declined upon miR-203 depletion. In addition, miR-203 silencing attenuated the expression and production of inflammatory cytokines (tumor necrosis factor-α, interleukin [IL]-6, and IL-8). On the contrary, overexpression of miR-203 showed the opposite trend in cell apoptosis and inflammation. Luciferase reporter assay confirmed that miR-203 could bind with the nuclear factor interleukin-3 (NFIL3) 3'-untranslated regions (3'-UTR), and miR-203 regulated the expression of NFIL3 negatively. Moreover, NFIL3 silencing partly abolished the myocardial protective functions of miR-203 inhibitor. Herein, we suggest that miR-203 promoted cell apoptosis and inflammation induced by LPS via targeting NFIL3.

MiR-200a mediates protection of thymosin beta 4 in cardiac microvascular endothelial cells as a novel mechanism under hypoxia-reoxygenation injury.

Thymosin beta-4 (Tß4) is a ubiquitous protein, which has been suggested to regulate multiple cell signal pathways and a variety of cellular functions. However, the role Tß4 plays in the cardiac microvascular endothelial cells (CMECs) under myocardial ischemia/reperfusion injury (MIRI) is currently unknown. Here we investigated the effects of Tß4 on hypoxia/reoxygenation (H/R) induced CMECs injury and its potential molecular mechanism. Cultured CMECs were positively identified by flow cytometry using antibody against CD31 and VWF/Factor VIII, which are constitutively expressed on the surface of CMECs. Then the reduced level of Tß4 was detected in H/R-CMECs by RT-qPCR. In order to determine the effects of Tß4 on H/R-CMECs, we transfected the overexpression or silence vector of Tß4 into CMECs under H/R condition. Our results indicated that H/R treatment could reduce proliferation, increased apoptosis, adhesion and ROS production in CMECs, which were attenuated by Tß4 overexpression or aggravated by Tß4 silence, implying Tß4 is able to promote CMECs against H/R-induced cell injury. Furthermore, the microRNA 200a (miR-200a) level was also increased by Tß4 in H/R-CMECs or reduced by Tß4 siRNA. To investigated the mechanism of protective effects of Tß4 on CMECs injury, the miR-200a inhibitor was transfected into H/R-CMECs. The results indicated that inhibition of miR-200a inversed the protection of Tß4 on H/R-CMECs, specifically including cell proliferation, cell adhesion, cell apoptosis and ROS production, as well as nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) nuclear translocation. In conclusion, our results determined that Tß4 attenuated H/R induced CMECs injury by miR-200a-Nrf2 signaling. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

PINK1 alleviates myocardial hypoxia-reoxygenation injury by ameliorating mitochondrial dysfunction.

PTEN inducible kinase-1 (PINK1) mutant induces mitochondrial dysfunction of cells, resulting in an inherited form of Parkinson's disease. However its exact role in the cardiomyocytes is unclear. The present study examined the function of PINK1 in hypoxia-reoxygenation (H/R) induced H9c2 cell damage and its potential mechanism. The H/R model in H9c2 cells was established by 6 h of hypoxia and 12 h of reoxygenation. The CCK8 and LDH assay indicated that the cell viability was obviously reduced after H/R. The expression of PINK1 was decreased in H/R-induced H9c2 cells compared with control group. The vector overexpressing PINK1 was constructed to transfect into H/R-induced H9c2 cells. Our results showed that cell viability was increased, cell apoptosis and caspase 3, cytochrome C (Cyto C) levels were decreased after LV-PINK1 transfection. Furthermore, PINK1 overexpression stabilized electron transport chain (ETC) activity, increased ATP production, mPTP opening and mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP), inhibited ROS-generating mitochondria, implying PINK1 alleviates H/R induced mitochondrial dysfunction in cardiomyocytes. In addition, the TRAP-1 siRNA was transfected into PINK1 treated H9c2 cells after H/R to detected the molecular mechanism of PINK1 protecting cardiomyocytes. The results indicated that silence of TRAP-1 reversed the effects of PINK1 in H/R-induced H9c2 cells. In conclusion, these results suggest that PINK1 overexpression alleviates H/R-induced cell damage of H9c2 cells by phosphorylation of TRAP-1, and that is a valid approach for protection from myocardial I/R injury.

Cell wall targeted in planta iron accumulation enhances biomass conversion and seed iron concentration in Arabidopsis and rice.

Conversion of nongrain biomass into liquid fuel is a sustainable approach to energy demands as global population increases. Previously, we showed that iron can act as a catalyst to enhance the degradation of lignocellulosic biomass for biofuel production. However, direct addition of iron catalysts to biomass pretreatment is diffusion-limited, would increase the cost and complexity of biorefinery unit operations and may have deleterious environmental impacts. Here, we show a new strategy for in planta accumulation of iron throughout the volume of the cell wall where iron acts as a catalyst in the deconstruction of lignocellulosic biomass. We engineered CBM-IBP fusion polypeptides composed of a carbohydrate-binding module family 11 (CBM11) and an iron-binding peptide (IBP) for secretion into Arabidopsis and rice cell walls. CBM-IBP transformed Arabidopsis and rice plants show significant increases in iron accumulation and biomass conversion compared to respective controls. Further, CBM-IBP rice shows a 35% increase in seed iron concentration and a 40% increase in seed yield in greenhouse experiments. CBM-IBP rice potentially could be used to address iron deficiency, the most common and widespread nutritional disorder according to the World Health Organization.

[Effects of Banxia Xiexin Decoction Containing Serum on Proliferation, Invasion and Metastasis of Gastric Cancer Peritoneal Metastasis Cell Line GC9811-P].

Objective To observe the effects of Banxia Xiexin Decoction (BXD) containing ser- um on proliferation, invasion and metastasis of in vitro human gastric cancer peritoneum cell strain GC9811-P (which has high metastatic potential). Methods BXD containing serum was prepared. GC9811-P cells were inoculated in the E-Plate 96 and CIM Plate 16, and then 0, 25, 50, 100 µL/mL BXD containing serums were added respectively. Meanwhile, GC9811-P cells were stained by Diff-Quik stai- ning method. Inhibition of BXD containing serum on cell index (CI) for proliferation of GC9811-P cells, invasion and metastasis were observed by real time cellular analysis (RTCA) and Diff-Quik staining method. Results BXD containing serum could obviously inhibit the proliferation of GC9811-P cells. The Cl approximated to 0 after 70 h. Most stained Diff-Quik cells died. Cell migration curve showed that 25, 50, 100 µL/mL BXD containing serums could obviously inhibit the capacities for cell migration of GC9811-P cells in concentration dependent manner. The number of migration cells was reduced more obviously, as com- pared with 0 µL/mL BXD containing serum (P <0. 05). Conclusion BXD containing serums could inhibit the proliferation, invasion and metastasis of GC9811-P cells, which might be associated with blocking peritoneal metastasis of gastric cancer.

Functional and clinical evidence that TAZ is a candidate oncogene in hepatocellular carcinoma.

Transcriptional co-activator with PDZ-binding motif (TAZ) has been reported to be associated with carcinogenesis. However, the cellular function of TAZ in human hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) remains elusive. In this study, an immunohistochemistry analysis revealed that the expression of TAZ in cancer tissue samples from 180 HCC patients was significantly higher than that in adjacent normal tissues. In addition, TAZ overexpression was significantly correlated with aggressive tumor characteristics such as tumor size, TNM stage, lymph node or distant metastasis, histological differentiation, and recurrent HCC (P < 0.05). The Kaplan-Meier test showed that TAZ-positive expression was related to a poor prognosis compared to TAZ-negative expression (P < 0.05). Furthermore, the expression level of TAZ was generally correlated with the invasiveness of cancer cells. The overexpression of TAZ in the Huh7 cell line, which endogenously expresses TAZ at low levels, significantly promoted cell proliferation, migration and invasion and inhibited apoptosis, whereas RNA interference-mediated knockdown of TAZ in the highly invasive cell line MHCC-97H significantly suppressed cell proliferation, migration and invasion in vitro and tumor formation in vivo.

Biosynthesis of butenoic acid through fatty acid biosynthesis pathway in Escherichia coli.

Butenoic acid is a C4 short-chain unsaturated fatty acid mainly used in the preparation of resins, pharmaceuticals, and fine chemicals. However, butenoic acid derived from petroleum is costly and unfriendly to the environment. Here, we report a novel biosynthetic strategy to produce butenoic acid by utilizing the intermediate of fatty acid biosynthesis pathway in engineered Escherichia coli. A thioesterase gene (B. thetaiotaomicron thioesterase (bTE)) from Bacteroides thetaiotaomicron was heterologously expressed in E. coli to specifically convert butenoyl-acyl carrier protein (ACP), a fatty acid biosynthesis intermediate, to butenoic acid. The titer of butenoic acid ranged from 0.07 to 11.4 mg/L in four different E. coli strains with varied expressing vectors. Deletion of endogenous fadD gene (encoding acyl-CoA synthetase) to block fatty acid oxidation improved the butenoic acid production in all strains to some extent. The highest butenoic acid accumulation of 18.7 mg/L was obtained in strain XP-2 (BL21-∆fadD/pET28a-bTE). Moreover, partially inhibiting the enoyl-ACP reductase (FabI) of strain XP-2 by triclosan increased butenoic acid production by threefold, and the butenoic acid titer was further increased to 161.4 mg/L by supplying glucose and tryptone in the M9 medium. Fed-batch fermentation of this strain further enhanced butenoic acid production to 4.0 g/L within 48 h. The butenoic acid tolerance assay revealed that this strain could tolerate 15-20 g/L of butenoic acid.

C7 nerve root sensory distribution in peripheral nerves: a bold functional magnetic resonance imaging investigation at 9.4 T.

INTRODUCTION: In this study we used a rat model to elucidate the linear make-up of each major nerve of the upper limb by the C7 root through sensory stimulation and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). METHODS: The C7 nerve root and major nerves of the right forelimb were stimulated electrically. Blood oxygen level-dependent functional magnetic resonance imaging (BOLD fMRI) was performed concurrently. Voxel overlap within the primary sensory cortex was calculated. RESULTS: C7 comprised sensation in <1% in the musculocutaneous nerve, 6% in the ulnar nerve, 16% in the radial nerve, and 19% in the median nerve (P<0.005 for each). The overlap was always <25% for each major nerve. CONCLUSIONS: This study helps explain why C7 is a suitable donor for brachial plexus injury treatment and why there is only a transient sensory deficit after transfer.

Self-pacing study of faces of different races: metacognitive control over study does not eliminate the cross-race recognition effect.

People often recognize same-race faces better than other-race faces. This cross-race effect (CRE) has been proposed to arise in part because learners devote fewer cognitive resources to encode faces of social out-groups. In three experiments, we evaluated whether learners' other-race mnemonic deficits are due to "cognitive disregard" during study and whether this disregard is under metacognitive control. Learners studied each face either for as long as they wanted (the self-paced condition) or for the average time taken by a self-paced learner (the fixed-rate condition). Self-paced learners allocated equal amounts of study time to same-race and other-race faces, and having control over study time did not change the size of the CRE. In the second and third experiments, both self-paced and fixed-rate learners were given instructions to "individuate" other-race faces. Individuation instructions caused self-paced learners to allocate more study time to other-race faces, but this did not significantly reduce the size of the CRE, even for learners who reported extensive contact with other races. We propose that the differential processing that people apply to faces of different races and the subsequent other-race mnemonic deficit are not due to learners' strategic cognitive disregard of other-race faces.