Paradoxical Mitophagy Regulation by PINK1 and TUFm.

Aberrant mitophagy has been implicated in a broad spectrum of disorders. PINK1, Parkin, and ubiquitin have pivotal roles in priming mitophagy. However, the entire regulatory landscape and the precise control mechanisms of mitophagy remain to be elucidated. Here, we uncover fundamental mitophagy regulation involving PINK1 and a non-canonical role of the mitochondrial Tu translation elongation factor (TUFm). The mitochondrion-cytosol dual-localized TUFm interacts with PINK1 biochemically and genetically, which is an evolutionarily conserved Parkin-independent route toward mitophagy. A PINK1-dependent TUFm phosphoswitch at Ser222 determines conversion from activating to suppressing mitophagy. PINK1 modulates differential translocation of TUFm because p-S222-TUFm is restricted predominantly to the cytosol, where it inhibits mitophagy by impeding Atg5-Atg12 formation. The self-antagonizing feature of PINK1/TUFm is critical for the robustness of mitophagy regulation, achieved by the unique kinetic parameters of p-S222-TUFm, p-S65-ubiquitin, and their common kinase PINK1. Our findings provide new mechanistic insights into mitophagy and mitophagy-associated disorders.

Reaction dynamics for the Cl(2P) + XCl → XCl + Cl(2P) (X = H, D, Mu) reaction on a high-fidelity ground state potential energy surface.

In this work, the dynamics of a prototypical heavy-light-heavy abstract reaction, Cl(2P) + HCl → HCl + Cl(2P), is investigated both by constructing a new potential energy surface (PES) and by rate coefficient calculations. Both the permutation invariant polynomial neural network method and the embedded atom neural network (EANN) method, based on ab initio MRCI-F12+Q/AVTZ level points, are used for obtaining globally accurate full-dimensional ground state PES, with the corresponding total root mean square error being only 0.043 and 0.056 kcal/mol, respectively. In addition, this is also the first application of the EANN in a gas-phase bimolecular reaction. The saddle point of this reaction system is confirmed to be nonlinear. In comparison with both the energetics and rate coefficients obtained on both PESs, we find that the EANN is reliable in dynamic calculations. A full-dimensional approximate quantum mechanical method, ring-polymer molecular dynamics with a Cayley propagator, is employed to obtain the thermal rate coefficients and kinetic isotopic effects of the title reaction Cl(2P) + XCl→ XCl + Cl(2P) (H, D, Mu) on both new PESs, and the kinetic isotope effect (KIE) is also obtained. The rate coefficients reproduce the experimental results at high temperatures perfectly but with moderate accuracy at lower temperatures, but the KIE is with high accuracy. The similar kinetic behavior is supported by quantum dynamics using wave packet calculations as well.

Comparative study of the H and D abstraction in the H + CH3D reaction with a ten-dimensional quantum dynamics model.

The mode selectivity in the prototypical H + CH3D reaction is investigated by the initial state selected time-dependent wave packet method within a ten-dimensional quantum dynamics model. The model is a novel reduced dimensional model for the X + YCZ3 reaction, which allows the CZ3 to break C3V symmetry. The calculated reaction probabilities initially from different reactant vibrational states show that the CH3 stretching modes excitations obviously promote the H-abstraction reaction but have a slight influence on the D-abstraction reaction. In contrast, the CD stretching mode excitation significantly enhances the D-abstraction reaction. For both H- and D-abstraction reactions, the excitation of either the CH3 umbrella bending mode or the CH3 rocking mode shows a promotional effect on the reactivity, while fundamental excitation of the CH3 bending mode has a negligible effect. Impressively, the first-overtone excitation of CH3 bending mode remarkably promotes the H-abstraction reaction, resulting from the 1:2 Fermi coupling between the CH3 symmetric stretching mode and the first overtone of CH3 bending mode. In addition, translational energy is more efficient than vibrational energy in promoting the H-abstraction reaction at low energy, while vibrational energy becomes more efficient for the D-abstraction reaction.

Melanin-like nanoparticles: advances in surface modification and tumour photothermal therapy.

Currently, tumor treatments are characterized by intelligence, diversity and personalization, but the therapeutic reagents used are often limited in clinical efficacy due to problems with water solubility, targeting, stability and multidrug resistance. To remedy these shortcomings, the application of multifunctional nanotechnology in the biomedical field has been widely studied. Synthetic melanin nanoparticles (MNPs) surfaces which contain highly reactive chemical groups such as carboxyl, hydroxyl and amine groups, can be used as a reaction platform on which to graft different functional components. In addition, MNPs easily adhere to substrate surface, and serve as a secondary reaction platform to modify it. The multifunctionality and intrinsic biocompatibility make melanin-like nanoparticles promising as a multifunctional and powerful nanoplatform for oncological applications. This paper first reviews the preparation methods, polymerization mechanisms and physicochemical properties of melanin including natural melanin and chemically synthesized melanin to guide scholars in MNP-based design. Then, recent advances in MNPs especially synthetic polydopamine (PDA) melanin for various medical oncological applications are systematically and thoroughly described, mainly focusing on bioimaging, photothermal therapy (PTT), and drug delivery for tumor therapy. Finally, based on the investigated literature, the current challenges and future directions for clinical translation are reasonably discussed, focusing on the innovative design of MNPs and further elucidation of pharmacokinetics. This paper is a timely and comprehensive and detailed study of the progress of MNPs in tumor therapy, especially PTT, and provides ideas for the design of personalized and customizable oncology nanomedicines to address the heterogeneity of the tumor microenvironment.

Using a grey relational analysis in an improved Grunow-Finke assessment tool to detect unnatural epidemics.

The Grunow-Finke epidemiological assessment tool (GFT) has several limitations in its ability to differentiate between natural and man-made epidemics. Our study aimed to improve the GFT and analyze historical epidemics to validate the model. Using a gray relational analysis (GRA), we improved the GFT by revising the existing standards and adding five new standards. We then removed the artificial weights and final decision threshold. Finally, by using typically unnatural epidemic events as references, we used the GRA to calculate the unnatural probability and obtain assessment results. Using the advanced tool, we conducted retrospective and case analyses to test its performance. In the validation set of 13 historical epidemics, unnatural and natural epidemics were divided into two categories near the unnatural probability of 45%, showing evident differences (p < 0.01) and an assessment accuracy close to 100%. The unnatural probabilities of the Ebola virus disease of 2013 and Middle East Respiratory Syndrome of 2012 were 30.6% and 36.1%, respectively. Our advanced epidemic assessment tool improved the accuracy of the original GFT from approximately 55% to approximately 100% and reduced the impact of human factors on these outcomes effectively.

Bacterial TIR domain-derived peptides inhibit innate immune signaling and catabolic responses in chondrocyte.

Osteoarthritis (OA) is a degenerative joint disease, in which low-grade inflammation plays an important role at the initiating step. Low-doses of LPS-induced inflammation in the plasma activate chondrocytes and promote the secretion proinflammatory cytokines, leading to secondary inflammation. Blocking OA-associated TLR activation is a promising strategy for the development of suitable therapies. Here, we want to find some bacteria-derived peptides that can block TLR signaling in chondrocytes more efficiently. Based on previous studies, we screened 12 TIR domain-derived peptides for their effects on NF-кB activation induced by LPS, IL-1ß or TNF-α in murine ATDC-5 cells. We evaluated their effects on LPS-induced cytokine expression and secretion. Among them, two bacteria-derived peptides, TcpC-DD and TcpB-DD, showed the most potent inhibitory activities. In comparison with TcpB-DD, TcpC-DD exhibited broader TLR-inhibitory specificity during inflammation in chondrocytes. Furthermore, both TcpC-DD and TcpB-DD displayed strong inhibition of LPS- and IL-1ß-induced catabolic reactions in chondrocytes. However, only TcpC-DD exhibited obvious suppression of TNF-α-induced catabolism. In conclusion, we identified two novel inhibitory peptides that modulate catabolism in chondrocytes and innate immune responses, and these peptides could be used to develop novel therapeutic strategies for OA.

Correction to: Characterization of the first fully human anti-TEM1 scFv in models of solid tumor imaging and immunotoxin-based therapy.

Tumor endothelial marker 1 (TEM1) has been identified as a novel surface marker upregulated on the blood vessels and stroma in many solid tumors. We previously isolated a novel single-chain variable fragment (scFv) 78 against TEM1 from a yeast display scFv library. Here we evaluated the potential applications of scFv78 as a tool for tumor molecular imaging, immunotoxin-based therapy and nanotherapy. Epitope mapping, three-dimensional (3D) structure docking and affinity measurements indicated that scFv78 could bind to both human and murine TEM1, with equivalent affinity, at a well-conserved conformational epitope. The rapid internalization of scFv78 and scFv78-labeled nanoparticles was triggered after specific TEM1 binding. The scFv78-saporin immunoconjugate also exerted dose-dependent cytotoxicity with high specificity to TEM1-positive cells in vitro. Finally, specific and sensitive tumor localization of scFv78 was confirmed with optical imaging in a mouse tumor model that has highly endogenous mTEM1 expression in the vasculature. Our data indicate that scFv78, the first fully human anti-TEM1 recombinant antibody, recognizes both human and mouse TEM1 and has unique and favorable features that are advantageous for the development of imaging probes or antibody-toxin conjugates for a large spectrum of human TEM1-positive solid tumors.

Characterization of the first fully human anti-TEM1 scFv in models of solid tumor imaging and immunotoxin-based therapy.

Tumor endothelial marker 1 (TEM1) has been identified as a novel surface marker upregulated on the blood vessels and stroma in many solid tumors. We previously isolated a novel single-chain variable fragment (scFv) 78 against TEM1 from a yeast display scFv library. Here, we evaluated the potential applications of scFv78 as a tool for tumor molecular imaging, immunotoxin-based therapy and nanotherapy. Epitope mapping, three-dimensional structure docking and affinity measurements indicated that scFv78 could bind to both human and murine TEM1, with equivalent affinity, at a well-conserved conformational epitope. The rapid internalization of scFv78 and scFv78-labeled nanoparticles was triggered after specific TEM1 binding. The scFv78-saporin immunoconjugate also exerted dose-dependent cytotoxicity with high specificity to TEM1-positive cells in vitro. Finally, specific and sensitive tumor localization of scFv78 was confirmed with optical imaging in a tumor mouse model that has highly endogenous mTEM1 expression in the vasculature. Our data indicated that scFv78, the first fully human anti-TEM1 recombinant antibody, recognizes both human and mouse TEM1 and has unique and favorable features that are advantageous for the development of imaging probes or antibody-toxin conjugates for a large spectrum of human TEM1-positive solid tumors.

Brucella TIR-like protein TcpB/Btp1 specifically targets the host adaptor protein MAL/TIRAP to promote infection.

Brucella spp. are known to avoid host immune recognition and weaken the immune response to infection. Brucella like accomplish this by employing two clever strategies, called the stealth strategy and hijacking strategy. The TIR domain-containing protein (TcpB/Btp1) of Brucella melitensis is thought to be involved in inhibiting host NF-κB activation by binding to adaptors downstream of Toll-like receptors. However, of the five TIR domain-containing adaptors conserved in mammals, whether MyD88 or MAL, even other three adaptors, are specifically targeted by TcpB has not been identified. Here, we confirmed the effect of TcpB on B.melitensis virulence in mice and found that TcpB selectively targets MAL. By using siRNA against MAL, we found that TcpB from B.melitensis is involved in intracellular survival and that MAL affects intracellular replication of B.melitensis. Our results confirm that TcpB specifically targets MAL/TIRAP to disrupt downstream signaling pathways and promote intra-host survival of Brucella spp.

Inhibition of TLR4 signaling by Brucella TIR-containing protein TcpB-derived decoy peptides.

Brucella spp. avoid host immune recognition and thus, weaken the immune response to infection. The Toll/interleukin-1 receptor (TIR) domain-containing protein (TcpB/Btp1) of Brucella spp. is thought to be involved in blocking host innate immune responses by binding to adaptors downstream of Toll-like receptors. In this study, based on the observation that TcpB binds to the host target proteins, MAL, through the TIR domain, we examined decoy peptides from TcpB TIR domains and found that TB-8 and TB-9 substantially inhibit lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced signaling in vitro and in vivo. Both these peptides share a common loop, the DD loop, indicating a novel structural region mediating TIR interactions. The inhibition of LPS signaling by TB-8 and TB-9 shows no preference to MyD88-dependent cytokines, such as TNF-α and IL-1ß or TRIF-dependent cytokines including IFN-ß and IL-6. Furthermore, these two peptides rescue the virulence of Brucella ΔtcpB mutants at the cellular level, indicating key roles of the DD loop in Brucella pathogenesis. In conclusion, identification of inhibitors from the bacterial TIR domains is helpful not only for illustrating interacting mechanisms between TIR domains and bacterial pathogenesis, but also for developing novel signaling inhibitors and therapeutics for human inflammatory diseases.

Development of a rapid recombinase polymerase amplification assay for detection of Brucella in blood samples.

A rapid and sensitive recombinase polymerase amplification (RPA) assay, Bruce-RPA, was developed for detection of Brucella. The assay could detect as few as 3 copies of Brucella per reaction within 20 min. Bruce-RPA represents a candidate point-of-care diagnosis assay for human brucellosis.

Efficient construct of a large and functional scFv yeast display library derived from the ascites B cells of ovarian cancer patients by three-fragment transformation-associated recombination.

Over the past decade, yeast display technology has emerged as a powerful tool for the isolation of high-affinity immunoglobulin fragments with potential utility as clinical diagnostic and therapeutic reagents. Despite significant refinement of the various methodologies underpinning library construction and selections, certain aspects remain challenging and process limiting. We have sought to significantly improve the robustness of the single-chain Fv (scFv) library construction step by overcoming the technical inefficiencies frequently encountered during the PCR-mediated assembly of scFvs from the discrete heavy and light V-domain repertoires. Using a novel primer set designed to provide maximum amplification coverage of the known germ-line V-domain repertoire, we have exploited the potential of the in vivo homologous gap-repair apparatus of Saccharomyces cerevisiae to assemble intact scFvs directly from co-transformed PBMC-derived VH, VL, and linearized vector component fragments. We have successfully applied this three-fragment assembly strategy to construct a large (>10(9)) scFv yeast display library from the ascites immune repertoire of ovarian cancer patients and validated the approach by applying FACS-based sorting to readily isolate scFvs that recognize various tumor marker antigens (TMAs). It is expected that this simplified construction method may find general utility, both for de novo scFv library construction and for subsequent combinatorial affinity maturation manipulations that require more than two fragments.

[Analysis of COL1A1 gene mutation in an ethnic Han Chinese family from Henan affected with osteogenesis imperfecta].

OBJECTIVE: To identify potential mutation of COL1A1 gene in an ethnic Han Chinese family from Henan affected with osteogenesis imperfecta (OI). METHODS: Peripheral blood samples were collected from all 11 members of the family and 50 healthy adults for the extraction of genomic DNA. All exons and introns of the COL1A1 gene were amplified by polymerase chain reaction and subjected to direct sequencing. Mutations found in the proband were analyzed through comparison with other members of the family, 50 healthy individuals and sequence from the GenBank. RESULTS: Fifteen sequence variants were discovered, which included 1 missense mutation, 1 synonymous mutation and 13 intronic mutations. All of the 4 patients from the family were detected as having carried a novel heterozygous missense mutation (c.4193T>G, p.I1398S) in exon 50 of the COL1A1 gene. The father of the proband has carried the same mutation but had a normal phenotype. The same mutation was not found in other healthy members of the family. CONCLUSION: The OI type of this family may have been autosomal dominant with incomplete penetrance or autosomal recessive associated with COL1A1 gene mutations.

Detection of copy number variations and their effects in Chinese bulls.

BACKGROUND: Copy number variations (CNVs) are a main source of genomic structural variations underlying animal evolution and production traits. Here, with one pure-blooded Angus bull as reference, we describe a genome-wide analysis of CNVs based on comparative genomic hybridization arrays in 29 Chinese domesticated bulls and examined their effects on gene expression and cattle growth traits. RESULTS: We identified 486 copy number variable regions (CNVRs), covering 2.45% of the bovine genome, in 24 taurine (Bos taurus), together with 161 ones in 2 yaks (Bos grunniens) and 163 ones in 3 buffaloes (Bubalus bubalis). Totally, we discovered 605 integrated CNVRs, with more "loss" events than both "gain" and "both" ones, and clearly clustered them into three cattle groups. Interestingly, we confirmed their uneven distributions across chromosomes, and the differences of mitochondrion DNA copy number (gain: taurine, loss: yak & buffalo). Furthermore, we confirmed approximately 41.8% (253/605) and 70.6% (427/605) CNVRs span cattle genes and quantitative trait loci (QTLs), respectively. Finally, we confirmed 6 CNVRs in 9 chosen ones by using quantitative PCR, and further demonstrated that CNVR22 had significantly negative effects on expression of PLA2G2D gene, and both CNVR22 and CNVR310 were associated with body measurements in Chinese cattle, suggesting their key effects on gene expression and cattle traits. CONCLUSIONS: The results advanced our understanding of CNV as an important genomic structural variation in taurine, yak and buffalo. This study provides a highly valuable resource for Chinese cattle's evolution and breeding researches.

[ZO-1 gene methylation status and its clinical significance in children with non-Hodgkin lymphoma].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the methylation status of zonula occludens-1 (ZO-1) gene promoter and its clinical significance in children with stage IV non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) and to provide a basis for further etiological study and early diagnosis of this disease. METHODS: Fifty-five children with a confirmed diagnosis of stage IV NHL (40 cases of T-NHL and 15 cases of B-NHL) were selected as the case group, and 20 children with diseases other than hematologic malignancies were selected as the control group. Bone marrow samples were collected from these subjects. Methylation-specific PCR (MS-PCR) was applied to evaluate the methylation status of ZO-1 gene promoter, and the integrated optical density (IOD) was determined. RT-PCR was used to measure the mRNA expression of ZO-1. RESULTS: MS-PCR showed that the methylated bands of ZO-1 gene promoter were found in 39 (70.9%) of 55 patients in the case group before treatment, while no ZO-1 gene promoter methylation was detected in the control group. With close tracking of 47 cases in the study group, consisting of 32 cases of T-NHL and 15 cases of B-NHL, the rates of ZO-1 gene promoter methylation prior to treatment were 72% and 67%, respectively, (P>0.572). The cases of T-NHL and B-NHL showed no significant changes in methylation rate in the early and middle phases of chemotherapy (P>0.05), but they showed significant changes in methylation rate in the late phase of chemotherapy (P<0.05). RT-PCR showed that the NHL cases carrying methylated ZO-1 gene had no mRNA expression of ZO-1, while all children in the control group had mRNA expression of ZO-1. There was no linear relationship between the total number of peripheral blood leukocytes and ZO-1 gene IOD (r=0.093, P=0.575); a positive correlation was found between the number of malignant cells in bone marrow and ZO-1 gene IOD (r=0.669, P<0.001). CONCLUSIONS: ZO-1 gene shows a hypermethylation status in children with NHL, and the methylation level is positively correlated with the number of malignant cells in bone marrow. ZO-1 may be used as a novel molecular marker in early diagnosis, outcome assessment, prognostic evaluation, and detection of minimal residual disease.

Effect of Cerebralcare Granule® combined with memantine on Alzheimer's disease.

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: In elderly people, Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most common form of dementia. It has been shown that traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) based on phytomedicines enhances the therapeutic effects of modern medicine when taken in conjunction with them. Modern medicine N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor (NMDA) antagonist memantine (Mm) are mainly used in the clinical treatment of AD. TCM Cerebralcare Granule® (CG) has long been an effective treatment for headaches, dizziness, and other symptoms. In this study, we employ a blend of CG and Mm to address Alzheimer's disease-like symptoms and explore their impacts and underlying mechanisms. AIM OF THE STUDY: The objective of our study was to observe the effects of CG combined with Memantine (Mm) on learning and memory impairment of AD mice induced by D-galactose and to explore the mechanism at work. MATERIALS AND METHODS: CG and Mm were combined to target multiple pathological processes involved in AD. For a thorough analysis, we performed various experiments such as behavioral detection, pathological detection, proteomic detection, and other experimental methods of detection. RESULTS: It was found that the combination of CG and Mm was significantly effective for improving learning and memory in AD mice as well as brain pathology. The serum and hippocampal tissue of AD mice were significantly enhanced with catalase (CAT), superoxide dismutase (SOD), and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) activities and malondialdehyde (MDA) levels were decreased with this treatment. In AD mice, a combination of Mm and CG (CG + Mm) significantly increased the levels of the anti-inflammatory factors IL-4 and IL-10, decreased the levels of pro-inflammatory factors (IL-6, IL-1ß) and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), improved synaptic plasticity by restoring synaptophysin (SYP) and postsynaptic density protein-95 (PSD-95) expression in the hippocampus, enhanced Aß phagocytosis of microglia in AD mice, and increased mitochondrial respiratory chain enzyme complexes I, II, III, and IV, lead to an increase in the number of functionally active NMDA receptors in the hippocampus. Proteomic analysis GO analysis showed that the positive regulation gene H3BIV5 of G protein coupled receptor signal pathway and synaptic transmission was up-regulated, while the transsynaptic signal of postsynaptic membrane potential and regulation-related gene Q5NCT9 were down-regulated. Most proteins showed significant enriched signal transduction pathway profiles after CG + Mm treatment, based on the KEGG pathway database. CONCLUSION: The data supported the idea that CG and Mm could be more effective in treating AD mice induced by D-galactose than Mm alone. We provided a basis for the clinical use of CG with Mm.

Haplotype combination of polymorphisms in the ADIPOQ gene promoter is associated with growth traits in Qinchuan cattle.

Adiponectin modulates lipid and glucose metabolism in adipose tissues and is also related to bone metabolism. Polymorphisms in the ADIPOQ gene likely have an impact on growth traits in cattle. In this study, we examined the relationship between ADIPOQ polymorphisms and body measurement parameters in Chinese beef cattle. First, we sequenced ADIPOQ and 1.2 kb of DNA upstream of its promoter, and we found 14 polymorphisms. With the luciferase reporter assay, we showed that the two polymorphisms SNP PR_-135 A>G and PR_-68 G>C, which are located in the core region of promoter, influence promoter activity of ADIPOQ. Second, we identified three haplotypes involved in these two polymorphic sites: A (A-135/C-68), B (A-135/G-68), and C (G-135/G-68). Haplotypes B and C are major haplotypes in five Chinese populations of cattle (Qinchuan, Nanyang, Jiaxian, Hazakh, and Chinese Holstein). We studied the effects of these three haplotypes on body measurements, gene expression, and promoter activity, and we found that the genotypes are associated with body measurement parameters in Qinchuan cattle. Individuals with genotype BC (AG/GG) had significantly higher body height and heart girth than others, and this result may be interpreted by the following two observations. The promoter activity with haplotype B (A/G) is significantly higher than those with A (A/C) and C (G/G) in driving reporter gene transcription; the ADIPOQ mRNA level in cattle with genotype BC (AG/GG) is relatively lower than that in cattle with genotype BB (AA/GG).

Cell death-inducing DFFA-like effector c (CIDEC/Fsp27) gene: molecular cloning, sequence characterization, tissue distribution and polymorphisms in Chinese cattles.

Cell death-inducing DFFA-like effector c (CIDEC) protein, also known as fat specific protein 27 (Fsp27), is localized to lipid droplets. CIDEC protein is required for unilocular lipid droplet formation and optimal energy storage in addition to controlling lipid metabolism in adipocytes and hepatocytes. Research found that Ad-36 could induce lipid droplets in the cultured skeletal muscle cells and this process may be mediated by promoting CIDEC expression. The content of intermuscular fat is an important index for evaluation of beef quality, so the CIDEC gene appeared to be a candidate gene for regulation of intermuscular fat, however similar research for the bovine CIDEC gene is lacking. This paper examined the tissue expression profile of CIDEC gene in cattle using real-time RT-PCR to suggest that bovine CIDEC is highly expressed in adipose tissue. In addition, the Bovine CIDEC gene was cloned and inserted into the eukaryotic expression vector pET-28a(+), whereupon recombinant bovine CIDEC protein was induced and identified by Western-blot. A phylogenetic analysis showed that the animo acid sequence of bovine CIDEC was closer to mammalian CIDEC than rasorial CIDEC. We found ten single nucleotide polymorphisms sites (SNPs) in bovine CIDEC gene, of which SNP 2, 3, 4, 6 and 9, and SNP 8 and 10 were in complete linkage disequilibrium, respectively. SNP 1, 2 and 10 were used in further haplotype studies. Eight different haplotypes were identified in 973 cattle, of which haplotype 8 predominated with frequencies ranging from 42.90 to 54.30 %. This research provides a basis for future functional studies of CIDEC in cattle.

Rosmarinic acid potentiates and detoxifies tacrine in combination for Alzheimer's disease.

BACKGROUND: There is no doubt that Alzheimer's disease (AD) is one of the greatest threats facing mankind today. Within the next few decades, Acetylcholinesterase inhibitors (AChEIs) will be the most widely used treatment for Alzheimer's disease. The withdrawal of the first generation AChEIs drug Tacrine (TAC)/ Cognex from the market as a result of hepatotoxicity has always been an interesting case study. Rosmarinic acid (RA) is a natural compound of phenolic acids that has pharmacological activity for inhibiting Alzheimer's disease, as well as liver protection. PURPOSE AND STUDY DESIGN: In this study, we determined that RA can reduce the hepatotoxicity of TAC, and both of them act synergistically to inhibit the progression of AD in mice. METHODS: In addition to the wild type mice (WT) group, the 6-month-old APP/PS1 (APPswe/PSEN1dE9) double-transgenic (Tg) mice were randomly divided into 6 groups: Tg group, TAC group, RA group, TAC+Silymarin (SIL) group, TAC+RA-L (Rosmarinic Acid Low Dose) goup and TAC+RA-H (Rosmarinic Acid High Dose) group. A series of experiments were carried out, including open field test, Morris water maze test, Hematoxylin - Eosin (HE) staining, Nissl staining, biochemical analysis, immunofluorescence analysis, western blotting analysis and so on. RESULTS: RA combined with TAC could enter the brain tissue of AD mice, and the combination of drugs could better improve the cognitive behavior and brain pathological damage of AD mice, reduce the expression of A ß oligomer, inhibit the deposition of A ß, inhibit the activity of AChE and enhance the level of Ach in hippocampus. Both in vivo and in vitro experiments showed that RA could alleviate the hepatotoxicity or liver injury induced by TAC. The Western blot analysis of the liver of AD mice showed that RA combined with TAC might inhibit the apoptosis of Bcl-2/Bax, reduce the programmed apoptosis mediated by caspase-3 and reduce the burden of liver induced by TAC, could inhibit the development of liver apoptosis by alleviating the hepatotoxicity of TAC and inhibiting the phosphorylation of JNK. CONCLUSION: The potential drug combination that combines rosmarinic acid with tacrine could reduce tacrine's hepatotoxicity as well as enhance its therapeutic effect on Alzheimer's disease.

Quantitative analysis of the impact of various urban socioeconomic indicators on search-engine-based estimation of COVID-19 prevalence.

Numerous studies have proposed search engine-based estimation of COVID-19 prevalence during the COVID-19 pandemic; however, their estimation models do not consider the impact of various urban socioeconomic indicators (USIs). This study quantitatively analysed the impact of various USIs on search engine-based estimation of COVID-19 prevalence using 15 USIs (including total population, gross regional product (GRP), and population density) from 369 cities in China. The results suggested that 13 USIs affected either the correlation (SC-corr) or time lag (SC-lag) between search engine query volume and new COVID-19 cases ( p <0.05). Total population and GRP impacted SC-corr considerably, with their correlation coefficients r for SC-corr being 0.65 and 0.59, respectively. Total population, GRP per capita, and proportion of the population with a high school diploma or higher had simultaneous positive impacts on SC-corr and SC-lag ( p <0.05); these three indicators explained 37-50% of the total variation in SC-corr and SC-lag. Estimations for different urban agglomerations revealed that the goodness of fit, R 2 , for search engine-based estimation was more than 0.6 only when total urban population, GRP per capita, and proportion of the population with a high school diploma or higher exceeded 11.08 million, 120,700, and 38.13%, respectively. A greater urban size indicated higher accuracy of search engine-based estimation of COVID-19 prevalence. Therefore, the accuracy and time lag for search engine-based estimation of infectious disease prevalence can be improved only when the total urban population, GRP per capita, and proportion of the population with a high school diploma or higher are greater than the aforementioned thresholds.