Phosphorylation-dependent deubiquitinase OTUD3 regulates YY1 stability and promotes colorectal cancer progression.

Yin Yang 1 (YY1) is a key transcription factor that has been implicated in the development of several malignancies. The stability of YY1 is regulated by the ubiquitin-proteasome system. The role of deubiquitinases (DUBs) and their impact on YY1 remain to be fully elucidated. In this study, we screened for ubiquitin-specific proteases that interact with YY1, and identified OTUD3 as a DUB for YY1. Over-expressed OTUD3 inhibited YY1 degradation, thereby increasing YY1 protein levels, whereas OTUD3 knockdown or knockout promoted YY1 degradation, thereby decreasing the proliferation of colorectal cancer (CRC). Furthermore, PLK1 mediates OTUD3 S326 phosphorylation, which further enhances OTUD3 binding and deubiquitination of YY1. In CRC tissues, elevated the expression level of OTUD3 and YY1 were significantly associated with poor prognostic outcomes. These findings suggest that the OTUD3-YY1 pathway has therapeutic potential in CRC, and OTUD3 plays a critical role in regulating YY1.

Molecular Insights into the Accelerated Sprouting of and Apical Dominance Release in Potato Tubers Subjected to Post-Harvest Heat Stress.

Climate change-induced heat stress (HS) increasingly threatens potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) production by impacting tuberization and causing the premature sprouting of tubers grown during the hot season. However, the effects of post-harvest HS on tuber sprouting have yet to be explored. This study aims to investigate the effects of post-harvest HS on tuber sprouting and to explore the underlying transcriptomic changes in apical bud meristems. The results show that post-harvest HS facilitates potato tuber sprouting and negates apical dominance. A meticulous transcriptomic profiling of apical bud meristems unearthed a spectrum of differentially expressed genes (DEGs) activated in response to HS. During the heightened sprouting activity that occurred at 15-18 days of HS, the pathways associated with starch metabolism, photomorphogenesis, and circadian rhythm were predominantly suppressed, while those governing chromosome organization, steroid biosynthesis, and transcription factors were markedly enhanced. The critical DEGs encompassed the enzymes pivotal for starch metabolism, the genes central to gibberellin and brassinosteroid biosynthesis, and influential developmental transcription factors, such as SHORT VEGETATIVE PHASE, ASYMMETRIC LEAVES 1, SHOOT MERISTEMLESS, and MONOPTEROS. These findings suggest that HS orchestrates tuber sprouting through nuanced alterations in gene expression within the meristematic tissues, specifically influencing chromatin organization, hormonal biosynthesis pathways, and the transcription factors presiding over meristem fate determination. The present study provides novel insights into the intricate molecular mechanisms whereby post-harvest HS influences tuber sprouting. The findings have important implications for developing strategies to mitigate HS-induced tuber sprouting in the context of climate change.

Impact of uranium on antibiotic resistance in activated sludge.

The emergence of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) and antibiotic-resistant bacteria (ARB) in the environment is well established as a human health crisis. The impact of radioactive heavy metals on ecosystems and ultimately on human health has become a global issue, especially for the regions suffering various nuclear activities or accidents. However, whether the radionuclides can affect the fate of antibiotic resistance in bacteria remains poorly understood. Here, the dynamics of ARB, three forms of ARGs-intracellular ARGs (iARGs), adsorbed extracellular ARGs (aeARGs), and free extracellular ARGs (feARGs)-and microbial communities were investigated following exposure to uranium (U), a representative radioactive heavy metal. The results showed that 90-d of U exposure at environmentally relevant concentrations of 0.05 mg/L or 5 mg/L significantly increased the ARB concentration in activated sludge (p < 0.05). Furthermore, 90-d of U exposure slightly elevated the absolute abundance of aeARGs (except tetO) and sulfonamide iARGs, but decreased tetracycline iARGs. Regarding feARGs, the abundance of tetC, tetO, and sul1 decreased after 90-d of U stress, whereas sul2 showed the opposite trend. Partial least-squares path model analysis revealed that the abundance of aeARGs and iARGs under U stress was predominantly driven by increased cell membrane permeability/intI1 abundance and cell membrane permeability/reactive oxygen species concentration, respectively. Conversely, the changes in feARGs abundance depended on the composition of the microbial community and the expression of efflux pumps. Our findings shed light on the variations of ARGs and ARB in activated sludge under U exposure, providing a more comprehensive understanding of antibiotic resistance risks aggravated by radioactive heavy metal-containing wastewater.

Development and Validation of a Stable Isotope Dilution Headspace-SPME-GC/MS Method for the Determination of Vanillin in Fragrant Vegetable Oils.

It has been reported that vanillin has been intentionally added to enhance the taste and flavor of low-quality vegetable oils. Therefore, it is crucial to investigate the accurate concentrations of vanillin in three types of fragrant vegetable oils commonly consumed in China. In this study, a method has been developed for the quantification of vanillin in commercial fragrant vegetable oils using the stable isotope dilution assay (SIDA) and headspace-solid-phase microextraction (HS-SPME) coupled with gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS). The limit of detection (LOD) and limit of quantification (LOQ) of the analyte were determined to be 20 µg kg-1 and 50 µg kg-1, respectively. The validation study demonstrated that the recoveries ranged from 89% to 101%, with intra-day and inter-day precision being less than 7.46%. A survey of 80 commercially available fragrant vegetable oils was performed using the present method. Vanillin was found to be widely present in fragrant vegetable oils, with sesame oils showing the highest average content (842.6 µg kg-1), followed by rapeseed oils (262.1 µg kg-1) and peanut oils (115.0 µg kg-1). The results indicate that the proposed method is a simple, accurate, and eco-friendly approach for determining the presences of vanillin in fragrant vegetable oils.

Determination and Chemotaxonomic Analysis of Lanostane Triterpenoids in the Mycelia of Ganoderma spp. Using Ultra-performance Liquid Chromatography-Tandem Mass Spectrometry (I).

A comprehensive and sensitive method combining ultra-performance liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry was developed for the quantification of characteristic triterpenoids in Ganoderma mycelia. Eight ganoderic acids previously isolated from the mycelia of Ganoderma lingzhi were separated with a binary mobile phase on a reversed-phase C18 column. A triple quadrupole mass spectrometer equipped with an electrospray ionization source was used as the detector in the negative ion mode. Identification and quantitation of target ganoderic acids were accomplished using the dynamic multiple reaction monitoring mode. The developed method was validated in terms of linearity, precision, accuracy, stability, and recovery. The method was first applied to quantify the contents of eight ganoderic acids in the mycelia of G. lingzhi at different times to determine the optimum fermentation conditions. Subsequently, the distribution of triterpenoids and the contents of eight ganoderic acids in sixteen different Ganoderma species were investigated. The results indicated that UV chromatography combined with dynamic multiple reaction monitoring quantification was an effective chemotaxonomy method for Ganoderma species identification. This study also provided a helpful analytical methodology for both scientific and industrial applications in the quality control of Ganoderma triterpenoids.

Proteomics and transcriptomics explore the effect of mixture of herbal extract on diabetic wound healing process.

BACKGROUND: The annual incidence of diabetic foot ulcers (DFUs) has been reported to vary from 0.2% to 11% in diabetes-specific clinical settings and less than 0.1% to 8% in community- and population-based cohorts. According to the International Diabetes Foundation, approximately 40 million to 60 million people worldwide are affected by DFUs, and a recent meta-analysis indicates a global prevalence of 6.3% among adults with diabetes, or about 33 million individuals. The cost of diabetes care is significant, amounting to $273 billion in direct and $90 billion in indirect expenses annually, in America. Foot complications in diabetes care excess annual expenditures ranging from 50% to 200% above the baseline cost of diabetes-related care. The cost of advanced-stage ulcers can be more than $50,000 per wound episode, and the direct expenses of major amputation are even higher. DFUs can be treated using various methods, including wound dressings, antibiotics, pressure-off loading, skin substitutes, stem cells, debridement, topical oxygen therapy, gene therapy and growth factors. For severe DFUs patients are at risk of amputation if treatment is not timely or appropriate. Amputating limbs not only causes physical pain to patients, but also brings economic burden due to lost productivity, and decreased employment linked to DFUs. Currently, long-term use of local antibiotics in clinical practice is prone to induce drug resistance, while growth factors do not effectively inhibit bacterial growth and control inflammation in wounds. Stem cell and gene therapies are still in the experimental stage. The method of local debridement combined with negative pressure therapy is expensive. Therefore, we urgently need an affordable, non-surgical method to treat diabetic ulcers. Extracts of bark of Bauhinia purpurea, Paeoniae rubrae, Angelica dahurica (Hoffm.) Benth. & Hook.f. ex Franch. & Sav. (Hoffm.) Benth. & Hook.f. ex Franch. & Sav., Acorus calamus L, and Radix Angelicae biseratae have been used as traditional remedies to treat inflammation-related diseases and cutaneous wounds due to their anti-inflammatory properties and their ability to promote vascular renewal. However, there have been few studies on the mixture of these five herbal extracts on diabetic wound healing. PURPOSE: This study was designed to assess the healing effect of a mixture of five aforementioned herbal extracts on diabetic ulcer wounds in rats, and to reveal the potential mechanisms behind any potential wound healing using transcriptomics and proteomics. STUDY DESIGN: We designed the experiment to explore the effects of five herbal extracts on diabetic wound healing process through in vivo experiments and to investigate the underlying mechanisms through proteomics and transcriptomics. METHODS: We used a mixture of five aforementioned herbal extract to treat rat model of diabetic established by intraperitoneal injection of streptozotocin, and a 2 × 2 cm round full-thickness skin defect was created on the back of the rat. Staphylococcus aureus (1 ml of 1.5 × 109 cfu/ml) was evenly applied to the wound. The wound was then observed for 72 h. The infected ulcer model of diabetic rats was considered to be successfully established if the wound was found to be infected with S. aureus. According to different medications, the rats were divided into three groups, namely mixture of herbal extract (MHE), Kangfuxin solution (KFS) and control (Ctrl). The effects of the medicine on wound healing were observed. HE staining and Masson staining were performed to evaluate the histopathological changes and collagen synthesis. IHC staining was used to assess the neovascularization, and M2 macrophage proliferation was determined by immunofluorescence staining. Proteomic and transcriptomic studies were performed to explore potential mechanism of five herbal extracts to promote wound healing. UHPLC-QE-MS was performed to identify the chemical composition of mixture of herbal extract. RESULTS: The study show that the mixed herbal extract promotes angiogenesis, proliferation of M2 macrophages, and collagen synthesis. Transcriptomics showed that rno-miR-1298, rno-miR-144-5p, and rno-miR-92a-1-5p are vital miRNAs which also play a significant role in role in regulating wound healing. Proteomics results showed that the following proteins were important in wounds treated with MHE: Rack1, LOC100362366, Cops2, Cops6, Eif4e, Eif3c, Rpl12, Srp54, Rpl13 and Lsm7. Autophagy, PI3-Akt and mTOR signaling pathways were enriched after treatment with MHE compared to other groups. CONCLUSION: Herein, we have shown that MHE containing extracts of bark of Bauhinia purpurea, P. rubrae, A. dahurica (Hoffm.) Benth. & Hook.f. ex Franch. & Sav., A. calamus L, and R. A. biseratae has significant wound healing effects in the diabetic ulcer wound rat model. These results suggest that local application of MHE in diabetic wounds can accelerate the wound healing process. Moreover, in vivo experiments revealed that the diabetic wound healing process was primarily mediated by angiogenesis and M2 macrophage transition. Therefore, this study may provide a promising and non-surgical therapeutic strategy to accelerate diabetic wound healing, thereby decreasing the number of limb amputations in diabetic patients.

Antibiotic-resistant bacteria and antibiotic resistance genes in uranium mine: Distribution and influencing factors.

Both heavy metals and radiation could affect the proliferation and dissemination of emerging antibiotic resistance pollutants. As an environmental medium rich in radioactive metals, the profile of antibiotic resistance in uranium mine remains largely unknown. A uranium mine in Guangdong province, China was selected to investigate the distribution and influencing factors of antibiotic-resistant bacteria (ARB) and antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) including intracellular ARGs (iARGs), adsorbed-extracellular ARGs (aeARGs), and free extracellular ARGs (feARGs). The result indicated that sulfonamide and tetracycline ARB could be generally detected in mining area with the absolute concentrations of 7.70 × 102-5.18 × 105 colony forming unit/g. The abundances of aeARGs in mine soil were significantly higher than those of iARGs (p < 0.05), highlighting the critical contribution of aeARGs to ARGs spread. The feARGs in mine drainage and its receiving river were abundant (3.38 × 104-1.86 × 107 copies/mL). ARB, aeARGs, and iARGs may correlate with nitrogen species and heavy metals (e.g., U and Mn), and feARGs presented a significant correlation with chemical oxygen demand (p < 0.05). These findings demonstrate the occurrence of ARB and ARGs in uranium mine for the first time, thereby contributing to the assessment and control of the ecological risk of antibiotic resistance in radioactive environments.

Ganoderic acid T improves the radiosensitivity of HeLa cells via converting apoptosis to necroptosis.

The use of natural substances derived from traditional Chinese medicine and natural plants as safe radiosensitizing adjuvants is a new trend for cancer radiotherapy. Ganoderma lucidum has been used as a traditional Chinese medicine with a history of more than 2000 years. Ganoderic acid T (GAT) is a typical triterpene of G. lucidum, which has strong cytotoxicity to cancer cells, but whether it has radiation sensitization effect has not been explored. In this work, we treated the HeLa cells with different concentrations of GAT before exposure to gamma-ray radiation and investigated its influence on the radiosensitivity. The cell viability, apoptosis rate, necoptosis rate, intracellular ATP level, cell cycle, the amount of H2AX and 53BP1, reactive oxygen species, and mitochondrial membrane potential were examined. Apoptotic, necroptotic, and autophagic biomarker proteins, including caspase 8, cytochrome c, caspase 3, RIPK, MLKL, P62, and LC3, were analyzed. As a result, we confirmed that with treatment of GAT, the gamma-ray radiation induced both apoptosis and necroptosis in HeLa cells, and with increase of GAT, the percentage ratio of necroptosis was increased. The involved pathways and mechanisms were also explored and discussed.

Development and Optimization of the Triterpenoid and Sterol Production Process with Lingzhi or Reishi Medicinal Mushroom, Ganoderma lucidum Strain G0017 (Agaricomycetes), in Liquid Submerged Fermentation at Large Scale.

Ganoderma lucidum mycelia are rich in active substances such as triterpenoids and sterols. However, reports on the development of effective submerged fermentation processes are lacking and the resulting total triterpene and sterol yield is still quite low. In this study, a new G. lucidum strain G0017 mycelium isolated by screening was studied in a 3-L fermenter to investigate the effect of aeration rate in liquid submerged fermentation production of triterpenoids and sterols. By fitting the specific mycelial growth rate and the specific production rate of the triterpenoid and sterol model, an effective multistage aeration rate control process for triterpenoid and sterol fermentation production was developed. This process was validated and proven in 3-L and 50-L fermenters. The resulting yields of triterpenoids and sterols were 3.34 and 3.46 g/L, respectively, which were 69.54% and 75.63% higher than the fixed aeration rate of 1.50 volume of air per volume of liquid per minute. This optimized fermentation production process conceivably could be applied to larger-scale industrial production and perhaps also to improve liquid submerged fermentation processes with relevant edible and medicinal mushrooms.

Treatment of acute urticaria with acupuncture.

RATIONALE: Urticaria is a refractory dermatosis with long duration and a high recurrence rate. More to the point, medication of acute urticaria always demands high doses, which may cause some adverse effects. Acupuncture, with a history for over 2000 years, has been utilized in clinical practice as an alternative treatment strategy for dermatologic diseases. PATIENT CONCERNS: A 26-year-old male nurse on duty suddenly fell sick during the night-shift in the ward. Wheals began spreading all over his body, but he had no urticaria medicine on hand. The unbearable itching made it extremely difficult for him to resume working. DIAGNOSIS: The patient was diagnosed with acute urticaria according to the symptoms. INTERVENTIONS: A 30-minute acupuncture treatment was performed. OUTCOMES: About 5 minutes after needles were inserted into the acupoints, the patient felt significantly relieved of itching sensation; moreover, he could even subjectively control himself from scratching and could calmly wait for gradual disappearance of the wheals. Then 30 minutes later, the wheals almost faded away. LESSONS: The results suggest that acupuncture may be a promising alternative therapy to treat acute urticaria, especially for patients who cannot receive drug treatment.

A Study on the Antioxidant Properties and Stability of Ergothioneine from Culinary-Medicinal Mushrooms.

The naturally occurring amino acid ergothioneine (EGT) has excellent free radical scavenging ability, which was not different to ascorbic acid. The IC50 values for EGT scavenging hydrogen peroxide, hydroxyl radicals, and superoxide anions were 11.65 ± 0.31, 70.31 ± 1.59, and 160.44 ± 0.32 µg/mL, respectively. The EGT concentration in different species of mushrooms was significantly different (p < 0.05), but it was not significantly related to the ability of the mushrooms to scavenge reactive oxygen species (p > 0.05). After isolating EGT from mushrooms, we demonstrated that the antioxidant ability of EGT accounts for about 25% of the total antioxidant ability of the extract. We studied the stability of EGT and found that it has excellent light, thermal, and acid-base stability. However, the presence of Cu2+ decreased the concentration of EGT. Unlike EGT, the thermal stability of the EGT extracted from Pleurotus citrinopileatus (PEGT) was not as good as EGT, while long-term high-temperature heating caused a decrease in the concentration of PEGT. The results of our study provide a basis for further investigating EGT from mushrooms for research and development.

Comparative Analysis of Triterpene Composition between Ganoderma lingzhi from China and G. lucidum from Slovakia under Different Growing Conditions.

The mushroom today known as Ganoderma lingzhi has been used for centuries in the countries of Eastern Asia as a very important medicinal mushroom. It prefers growing on rotten wood of broadleaf trees and is mainly distributed in the tropics and subtropics. Its relative G. lucidum occurs naturally almost all the Earth, and it colonizes mostly oak and beech trees in Central Europe. G. lingzhi and G. lucidum are similar species. To obtain the qualitative parameters of G. lingzhi and G. lucidum, several strains (five G. lingzhi strains and five G. lucidum ones) were chosen and cultivated in both Slovakia and China, using wood chip (beech and oak) substrate and liquid fermentation method, respectively. It was found that there were more low-polarity triterpenes in G. lucidum, while G. lingzhi contained more high-polarity triterpenes. Beech substrate was more suitable for the accumulation of triterpenes in solid cultivation for both strains of G. lucidum and G. lingzhi. Strain C4 of G. lingzhi and strain K2 of G. lucidum contained higher triterpenes in either mycelium or fruiting bodies. Data in this study can help to identify these two species and bring a great benefit to the production of bioactive compounds of G. lucidum from Slovakia.

[Effect of needle knife intervention on tensile mechanics of femoral quadriceps tendon in rabbits with knee osteoarthritis].

OBJECTIVE: To observe the effects of acupotomy intervention on the behavior, morphology and tensile mechanics of knee osteoarthritis (KOA) rabbits, and to explore the biomechanical effects of acupotomy on KOA. METHODS: Twenty-four New Zealand male rabbits were randomly divided into four groups: normal group, model group, electroacupuncture group and needle-knife group, with 6 rabbits in each group. In each model group, rabbit KOA model was established by fixing Videman's left hind limb in straight position for 6 weeks. In the electroacupuncture group, rats were treated left on Liang Qiu, Xue Hai, Nei Xi Yan and Wai Xi Yan 3 times a week for 3 weeks. In the acupotomology group, the left quadriceps femoris tendon was released with acupotomology, and the treatment was once a week for 3 weeks. Behavioral tests were performed using Lequesne MG knee joint evaluation method one week after the end of modeling and one week after the end of treatment, and HE staining and mechanical tests were performed one week after the end of treatment. RESULTS: Behavioral observation before treatment showed that there were significant differences in local pain, gait response, joint activity and joint swelling between the normal group and the model group(P<0.05), while there was no significant difference among the model group, electro-acupuncture group and needle-knife group(P>0.05). After treatment, the results showed that there were significant differences in local pain, gait response, joint activity and joint swelling among model group, electro-acupuncture group and needle-knife group compared with normal group(P<0.05); In local pain, the electro-acupuncture group was lower than the model group, and there was no significant difference(P>0.05); there was significant difference between needle knife group and model group(P<0.05); there was no significant difference between electro-acupuncture group and needle-knife group(P>0.05). In gait change, there was significant difference between model group and electro-acupuncture group(P<0.05); there was no significant difference between needle-knife group and model group(P>0.05). In joint activity, there was significant difference between electro-acupuncture group and model group(P<0.05). In joint swelling, compared with model group, there was significant difference on electro-acupuncture group and electro-knife group(P<0.01), but there was no significant difference between the electro-acupuncture group and the needle-knife group(P>0.05). Mechanics: Compared with the blank group, the ultimate load of the model group decreased significantly(P<0.01), the ultimate load of the electro-acupuncture group decreased(P>0.05), and the ultimate load of the needle-knife group increased(P>0.05). Compared with the model group, the ultimate load of the electro-acupuncture group increased significantly(P<0.05), and the ultimate load of the needle-knife group increased significantly (P<0.01). Compared with the electro-acupuncture group, the ultimate load of the needle-knife group increased(P>0.05). Compared with the blank group, the maximum displacement of the model group decreased significantly(P<0.01), and the maximum displacement of the electro-acupuncture group and the needle-knife group decreased(P>0.05). Compared with the model group, the maximum displacement of the electro-acupuncture group increased(P>0.05), and the maximum displacement of the needle-knife group increased significantly(P<0.05). Compared with the electro-acupuncture group, the maximum displacement of the needle-knife group increased(P>0.05). There was no significant difference in stiffness among groups(P>0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Acupotomy intervention can significantly change the behavior and morphology, significantly improve the mechanical properties of quadriceps femoris tendon stretch, and exert its biomechanical effects to achieve the purpose of treating KOA.

Dissolution of Bioactive Components from Dried Fruiting Bodies of the Culinary-Medicinal Shiitake Mushroom, Lentinus edodes (Agaricomycetes), during Cleaning, Soaking, and Cooking.

Lentinus edodes fruiting bodies are rich in active substances such as polysaccharides and eritadenine. Patients with gout, however, should avoid or severely limit their intake of foods containing large amounts of purine. In this study we quantitatively analyzed the polysaccharide and purine compounds dissolved from L. edodes fruiting bodies during cleaning, soaking, and cooking. Eritadenine, adenosine, guanosine, guanosine monophosphate, adenosine monophosphate, xanthine, and adenine dissolved from L. edodes fruiting bodies during cleaning with tap water; their dissolution rates ranged between 3.77% and 24.30%. Dissolution rates of polysaccharide and purine compounds in L. edodes fruiting bodies increased linearly with increases in the duration of soaking and cooking, and adding acetic acid or NaHCO3 in the soaking or cooking solutions significantly either inhibited or promoted their dissolution rates. On the basis of these experimental results, we offer science-based suggestions for reasonable treatment of L. edodes fruiting bodies before eating for both patients with gout and healthy people.

Comparison of short-term dosing ferrous ion and nanoscale zero-valent iron for rapid recovery of anammox activity from dissolved oxygen inhibition.

As obligate anaerobes, anammox bacteria are sensitive to oxygen, which might hinder the maximization of anammox activity. However, there are very few effective strategies to rapidly recover anammox activity after its deterioration under exposure of oxygen. In this study, the activity recovery of anammox bacteria encountering dissolved oxygen (DO) exposure (0.2 and 2.0 mg L-1) were compared by three strategies in short-term experiments, nZVI, Fe(II) dosing, and N2 purging. nZVI is more effective in recovering anammox activity with a high DO exposure (2 mg L-1), compared to a low DO exposure (0.2 mg L-1). After inhibiting by 2.0 mg L-1 DO, anammox activity recovery (normalized to the control) was ranked in the order of nZVI (5 mg L-1) addition (63 ±â€¯8.2%) > Fe(II) (5 mg L-1) addition (41 ±â€¯8.0%) >N2 purging (39 ±â€¯4.0%). In contrast to Fe(II) ion additions, the shell structure of nZVI combined with the buffering effect of biomass-extracellular polysaccharide (EPS) prevented the sharp pH variation and excessive dissolved Fe(II)/Fe(III) in solution. Under such circumstances, nZVI addition (5 and 25 mg L-1) increased the intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) to a moderate level (<200%), which might be responsible for the better activity recovery of anammox than that of Fe(II) addition and N2 purging. Specifically, 5 mg L-1 nZVI dosage moderately enhanced the intracellular O2- production (∼150% of the control) after scavenging 2.0 mg L-1 DO, and the anammox activity recovered better than that of both 5 and 25 mg L-1 Fe(II) ions additions. However, high dosage nZVI (75 mg L-1) inhibited anammox activity in spite of low or high DO exposure. Our findings elucidate that appropriate amount of nZVI (short-term dosing) can rapidly recover anammox activity when anammox bacteria encountering oxygen exposure accidentally and could be useful in facilitating the robust operation of anammox-based processes.

GIS-based method to delimit spheres of influence for a medical consortium: Experience of a pediatric medical consortium, Shanghai.

BACKGROUND: To improve the utilization efficiency of health care services, the concept of a "regional medical consortium" has attracted more attention during the most recent round of health care reform in China. Shanghai, a municipality of China, has made many efforts to promote its regional medical consortium project. In this paper, the pediatric medical consortium of Shanghai will serve as an example to introduce the main tasks and groundwork of the Shanghai medical consortium and will underscore Shanghai's exploration of the vertical integration of medical resources. METHODS: This study delimits the service areas of leading hospitals, which can help determine the spheres of influence of top hospitals geographically. With this information, regional hospitals or community hospitals can find alliance hospitals and leading hospitals more easily. These efforts can be realized using ArcGIS for spatial data analysis. RESULTS: According to the locations of leading hospitals and actual patient distributions at these hospitals, the natural areas of influence of leading hospitals are illustrated. Then, hospitals other than leading hospitals can select allied hospitals in the same area of influence. In this way, connections in a medical consortium will be tighter, and hospitals will be better able to meet the actual demands of patients. CONCLUSIONS: In this paper, we introduce a geographic method to delimit the spheres of influence of hospitals based on actual health-seeking behaviors of patients by analyzing the spatial distribution of hospitalization probability. Within the boundaries of a sphere of influence, a geographic connection between the leading hospital and the general hospital is established automatically. Based on this geographic connection, leading hospitals should provide technological support to general hospitals located in their sphere of influence, while the general hospitals should provide spare medical resources in return. Thus, the medical consortium can be formed geographically and operate more smoothly.

Triterpenes and Soluble Polysaccharide Changes in Lingzhi or Reishi Medicinal Mushroom, Ganoderma lucidum (Agaricomycetes), During Fruiting Growth.

We analyzed the changes in triterpenes and soluble polysaccharides in Ganoderma lucidum strain G0119 during 4 growth phases in 3 regions of the fruiting bodies using reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography, and we also analyzed the soluble polysaccharides using high-performance size-exclusion chroma-tography-multiple-angle laser-light scattering refractive index analysis. The strong polar triterpenes decreased while weak polar triterpenes increased during the growth cycle of G. lucidum. The highest contents of ganoderic acid B, ganoderic acid A, and ganoderenic acid B were detected in the stipe during phase II, and ganoderic acid S, ganoderic acid T, and ganoderiol B peaked in the base during phase IV. The total content of soluble polysaccharides in samples decreased after the primordium developed into a fruiting body. Two high-molecular-weight fractions were detected in the soluble polysaccharide samples: α-l,4-glucan and ß-l,3-glucan, respectively. They were primarily distributed in the pileus during phase II, and both decreased after this phase. These results led us to select a more suitable growth phase and region for harvesting to obtain extracts with higher contents of triterpenes and soluble polysaccharides.

Effect of Acupotomy on FAK-PI3K Signaling Pathways in KOA Rabbit Articular Cartilages.

OBJECTIVE: By observing the needle-knife of KOA rabbit morphology, knee joint cartilage p-FAK, p-PI3K, Aggrecan gene, and protein expression, to study the effect of needle-knife to promote cartilage cell synthesis metabolism mechanism. METHOD: 49 male New Zealand rabbits, randomly divided into normal group (Z), model group (M), model-inhibitors (MP), needle-knife group (D), needle-knife inhibitors group (DP), electroacupuncture group (E), and electroacupuncture inhibitors (EP). RT-PCR and Western Blot were used to test each animal cartilage p-FAK, p-PI3K, and Aggrecan gene and protein expression level. RESULTS: Compared with N group, p-FAK and p-PI3K protein and mRNA expression of M group, D group, and E group increased (P < 0.05), while the protein and mRNA expression of Aggrecan reduced (P < 0.05). Compared with M group, p-FAK, p-PI3K, Aggrecan protein, and mRNA of E and D group increased (P < 0.05). Compared with E group, p-FAK, p-PI3K, Aggrecan protein, and mRNA expression of D group increased (P < 0.05); after adding inhibitors, p-FAK, p-PI3K, Aggrecan protein, and mRNA expression reduced (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: Needle-knife therapy can promote the repairment of cartilage cells by activating FAK-PI3K signaling pathways, promoting the synthesis of cartilage cell metabolism.

Characterization of Polysaccharides from the Fruiting Bodies of Two Species of Genus Ganoderma (Agaricomycetes) and Determination of Water-Soluble ß-D-Glucan Using High-Performance Liquid Chromatography.

Molecular weight (Mw) distributions of polysaccharides from the fruiting bodies of different Ganoderma lucidum strains and G. sinense were investigated and compared using high-pressure size exclusion chromatography/multiangle laser light scattering/refractive index analysis. Results showed that there were big differences in the Mw distributions and characteristics of polysaccharides from 2 species of Ganoderma. All tested G. lucidum materials exhibited similar polysaccharide distributions and similar characteristics for each fraction. The fraction with highest Mw (peak 1) was identified as ß-(1→3)-linked D-glucan with (1→6)-ß-D-glucopyranosyl side branches. G. sinense fruiting bodies did not include the ß-D-glucan when compared with G. lucidum. A high-pressure size exclusion chromatography method was developed and applied to determine the amount of high-Mw ß-D-glucan in G. lucidum fruiting bodies. Results indicated that there was no obvious relationship between ß-D-glucan content and the genetic similarity of G. lucidum. The strain labeled "Longzhi no. 2" was determined to possess the largest amount of ß-D-glucan: 8.2 mg/mL based on the dry weight of fruiting bodies. The ß-D-glucan content in the hot water extract of Longzhi no. 2 reached 17.05%. For the "Hunong no. 1" strain, the ß-D-glucan content in log-cultivated fruiting bodies was much higher than that in bag-cultivated ones. This method could be used to improve quality control of polysaccharides in G. lucidum.

Vitamin C and E Supplements Enhance the Antioxidant Capacity of Erythrocytes Obtained from Aged Rats.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: The main purpose of the present study was to investigate the effects of vitamin C and E supplements on the antioxidant capacity of erythrocytes obtained from young and aged rats. METHODS: Male Wistar rats aged 3 and 24 months were used. Vitamins C and E were injected at doses of 200 mg/kg (day) intraperitoneally in young and aged groups. The antioxidant capacity, oxidant stress parameters, and deformability of red blood cells collected from different age stages were evaluated. An in vitro oxidation system was constructed to explore the mechanisms of antioxidant capacity change in the vitamin treatment groups. RESULTS: Treatment with vitamins C and E can effectively restore the antioxidant capacity and deformability of red blood cells (RBCs) in aged rats. Under in vitro oxidative conditions, an age-dependent decline in the influx rate of L-cysteine was observed. This was significantly improved following treatment with vitamins C and E. CONCLUSION: We present evidence of an improvement in the antioxidant capacity of RBCs by treatment with vitamins C and E in aged rats. These observations also suggest that treatment with vitamins C and E improves glutathione synthesis by enhancing the influx rate of L-cysteine through the modification of membrane proteins and lipids.