CENPA functions as a transcriptional regulator to promote hepatocellular carcinoma progression via cooperating with YY1.

The centromere proteins (CENPs), a critical mitosis-related protein complexes, are involved in the kinetochore assembly and chromosome segregation. In this study, we identified that CENPA was significantly up-regulated in HCC and highly expressed CENPA correlated with poor prognosis for HCC patients. Knockdown of CENPA inhibited HCC cell proliferation and tumor growth in vitro and in vivo. Mechanistically, CENPA transcriptionally activated and cooperated with YY1 to drive the expression of cyclin D1 (CCND1) and neuropilin 2 (NRP2). Moreover, we identified that CENPA can be lactylated at lysine 124 (K124). The lactylation of CENPA at K124 promotes CENPA activation, leading to enhanced expression of its target genes. In summary, CENPA function as a transcriptional regulator to promote HCC via cooperating with YY1. Targeting the CENPA-YY1-CCND1/NRP2 axis may provide candidate therapeutic targets for HCC.

High-fat diet alters the radiation tolerance of female mice and the modulatory effect of melatonin.

High-fat diet (HFD) increases the risk of developing malignant tumors. Ionizing radiation (IR) is used as an adjuvant treatment in oncology. In this study, we investigated the effects of an 8-week 35% fat HFD on the tolerance to IR and the modulatory effect of melatonin (MLT). The results of lethal dose irradiation survival experiments revealed that the 8-week HFD altered the radiation tolerance of female mice and increased their radiosensitivity, whereas it had no comparable effects on males. Pre-treatment with MLT was, however, found to attenuate the radiation-induced hematopoietic damage in mice, promote intestinal structural repair after whole abdominal irradiation (WAI), and enhance the regeneration of Lgr5+ intestinal stem cells. 16S rRNA high-throughput sequencing and untargeted metabolome analyses revealed that HFD consumption and WAI sex-specifically altered the composition of intestinal microbiota and fecal metabolites and that MLT supplementation differentially modulated the composition of the intestinal microflora in mice. However, in both males and females, different bacteria were associated with the modulation of the metabolite 5-methoxytryptamine. Collectively, the findings indicate that MLT ameliorates the radiation-induced damage and sex-specifically shapes the composition of the gut microbiota and metabolites, protecting mice from the adverse side effects associated with HFD and IR.

Maternal zinc alleviates tert-butyl hydroperoxide-induced mitochondrial oxidative stress on embryonic development involving the activation of Nrf2/PGC-1α pathway.

BACKGROUND: Mitochondrial dysfunction induced by excessive mitochondrial reactive oxygen species (ROS) damages embryonic development and leads to growth arrest. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study is to elucidate whether maternal zinc (Zn) exert protective effect on oxidative stress targeting mitochondrial function using an avian model. RESULT: In ovo injected tert-butyl hydroperoxide (BHP) increases (P < 0.05) hepatic mitochondrial ROS, malondialdehyde (MDA) and 8-hydroxy-2-deoxyguanosine (8-OHdG), and decreases (P < 0.05) mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP), mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) copy number and adenosine triphosphate (ATP) content, contributing to mitochondrial dysfunction. In vivo and in vitro studies revealed that Zn addition enhances (P < 0.05) ATP synthesis and metallothionein 4 (MT4) content and expression as well as alleviates (P < 0.05) the BHP-induced mitochondrial ROS generation, oxidative damage and dysfunction, exerting a protective effect on mitochondrial function by enhancing antioxidant capacity and upregulating the mRNA and protein expressions of Nrf2 and PGC-1α. CONCLUSIONS: The present study provides a new way to protect offspring against oxidative damage by maternal Zn supplementation through the process of targeting mitochondria involving the activation of Nrf2/PGC-1α signaling.

Association Between Chinese Herbal Medicine Therapy and the Risk of Chronic Kidney Disease in Gout Patients.

Background: Chinese herbal medicine (CHM) has been nationally and globally used in treating gout for over a millennium. The potential relationship between the incidence of chronic kidney disease (CKD) in gout patients and CHM therapy is unclear. Thus, this study aimed to provide some evidence regarding the relationship between CHM therapy and the occurrence of CKD in gout patients. Methods: We used data from the National Health Insurance Research database (NHIRD) in Taiwan. In this population-based nested case-control study, all participants were identified by International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision (ICD-9). Conditional logistic regression was used to calculate the odds ratio (OR) of the risk of CKD in gout patients treated with CHM therapy. Results: Data on 1718 gout patients with CKD and 1:1 matched 1718 gout patients without CKD were collected for analysis. The results showed that CHM therapy in gout patients did not increase the risk of developing CKD (adjusted OR = 1.01; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.86-1.18; p > 0.05). Moreover, CHM therapy in gout patients for >365 days did not increase the incidence of CKD (adjusted OR = 1.30; 95% CI: 0.90-1.88; p = 0.162). Conclusion: Traditional CHM therapy does not increase the incidence of CKD in gout patients.

Comparable prognosis in different neonatal histidine-tryptophan-ketoglutarate dosage management / 中华医学杂志(英文版)

BACKGROUND@#Histidine-tryptophan-ketoglutarate (HTK) is a solution commonly used for organ transplantation. However, there is no certified fixed regimen for on-pump heart surgery in neonates. We aimed to retrospectively evaluate the outcomes related to different HTK dosages and to analyze the safety of high-dosage perfusion.@*METHODS@#A total of 146 neonates who underwent on-pump heart surgery with single-shot HTK perfusion were divided into two groups according to HTK dosages: a standard-dose (SD) group (n = 63, 40 mL/kg 60 mL/kg). Propensity score matching (PSM) was performed to control confounding bias.@*RESULTS@#The SD group had a higher weight (3.7 ± 0.4 vs. 3.4 ± 0.4 kg, P  0.05). The incidences of post-operative complications were not significantly different between the two groups. There were no significant differences in ventilation time, intensive care unit stay, and post-operative hospital stay (P > 0.05). Follow-up echocardiography outcomes at 1 month, 3 to 6 months, and 1 year showed that left ventricular ejection fraction and end-diastolic dimension were comparable between the two groups.@*CONCLUSIONS@#In neonatal on-pump cardiac surgery patients, single-shot HD (>60 mL/kg) HTK perfusion had a comparable heart protection effect and short-term post-operative prognosis as standard dosage perfusion of 40 to 60 mL/kg. Thus, this study provides supporting evidence of the safety of HD HTK perfusion.

Structural elucidation of lignin macromolecule from abaca during alkaline hydrogen peroxide delignification.

To maximize the utilization of Abaca lignin in the current biorefinery, structural characteristics of native lignin from Abaca were firstly comprehensively investigated. Parallelly, effective delignification of Abaca was achieved by alkaline hydrogen peroxide (AHP) process, which facilitated the production of specialty paper in industry. The structural changes of lignin macromolecules during the AHP delignification were illustrated by comparing the structural differences of the released lignin fraction and corresponding native lignin, which were analyzed via the advanced analytical methods, such as 2D-HSQC NMR, 31P NMR, pyrolysis-GC/MS, and GPC techniques. It was found that Abaca lignin is a HGS-type lignin, which is overwhelmingly composed of ß-O-4 linkages and abundant hydroxycinnamic acids (mainly p-coumaric acid). In addition, partial cleavage of ß-O-4 linkages and p-coumarate in lignin occurred during the AHP delignification process. Meanwhile, AHP process also led to the elevation of H-type lignin units in AHPL. Considering that ß-O-4 bond is vulnerable in the catalytic degradation process of lignin, the lignin with abundant ß-O-4 linkages is beneficial to the downstream conversion of lignin into aromatic chemicals.

Structural Features of Alkaline Dioxane Lignin and Residual Lignin from Eucalyptus grandis × E. urophylla.

In the present study, lignin from eucalyptus was extracted with 80% alkaline dioxane (0.05 M NaOH) from ball-milled wood and subsequently fractionated by gradient acid precipitation from the filtrate. Meanwhile, the residual lignin was prepared by a double enzymatic hydrolysis process. The yield of the lignin extracted by alkaline dioxane (LA-2) was 29.5%. The carbohydrate contents and molecular weights of the gradient acid precipitated lignin fractions gradually decreased from 4.90 to 1.36% and from 7770 to 5510 g/mol, respectively, with the decline of the pH value from 6 to 2. Results from two-dimensional heteronuclear single quantum coherence nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and 31P NMR spectroscopy showed an evident reduction of ß- O-4 ' linkages with the pH value decrease, while the contents of aliphatic -OH, phenolic -OH, and carboxylic groups displayed an increasing trend. Moreover, the residual lignin exhibited the highest molecular weight (11690 g/mol), the most abundant ß- O-4 ' linkages (71.1%), and the highest S/G ratio (4.68).

Defining Acupuncture-Moxibustion: A Delphi Study Protocol / 中国结合医学杂志

<p><b>BACKGROUND</b>With the worldwide use and modern development of acupuncture-moxibustion, there is disagreement on its basic definition. There has been an obstacle for clinical practice, research, and legislation. Considering this challenge, the World Federation of Acupuncture-Moxibustion Societies proposes to develop the definition and basic scope of acupuncture-moxibustion with a Delphi study.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>A reactive Delphi method will be used to ask a group of experts to rate the relevance and clarity of a predesigned initial item list. This list was generated by the steering committee through a literature review and group discussion. Forty experts will be selected from many disciplines and continents to ensure appropriate representation. Predefined rules will be applied to modify the items until a consensus is achieved. After achieving the consensus on all items through the survey round, the steering committee will form the definition and basic scope of acupuncture-moxibustion by organizing a literal statement with a detailed explanation.</p>

Design and implementation of Traditional Chinese Medicine-Paper Influence Evaluation System / 中华医学图书情报杂志

Evaluation of paper academic influence is an important component part for the scientific and technological evaluation of traditional Chinese medicine,and plays an important role in promoting the scientific and technological innovative development of traditional Chinese medicine. The Traditional Chinese Medicine-Paper Influence Evaluation System (TCM-PIES), which was thus designed according to the existing problems in scientific and technological evaluation of traditional Chinese medicine and in evaluation of papers on traditional Chinese medicine,and the characteristics of academic papers on traditional Chinese medicine by analyzing their data with information technology as its support, is applied in selection of excellent institutions and professional academic interests.

Divergent taxonomic and functional responses of microbial communities to field simulation of aeolian soil erosion and deposition.

Aeolian soil erosion and deposition have worldwide impacts on agriculture, air quality and public health. However, ecosystem responses to soil erosion and deposition remain largely unclear in regard to microorganisms, which are the crucial drivers of biogeochemical cycles. Using integrated metagenomics technologies, we analysed microbial communities subjected to simulated soil erosion and deposition in a semiarid grassland of Inner Mongolia, China. As expected, soil total organic carbon and plant coverage were decreased by soil erosion, and soil dissolved organic carbon (DOC) was increased by soil deposition, demonstrating that field simulation was reliable. Soil microbial communities were altered (p < .039) by both soil erosion and deposition, with dramatic increase in Cyanobacteria related to increased stability in soil aggregates. amyA genes encoding α-amylases were specifically increased (p = .01) by soil deposition and positively correlated (p = .02) to DOC, which likely explained changes in DOC. Surprisingly, most of microbial functional genes associated with carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium cycling were decreased or unaltered by both erosion and deposition, probably arising from acceleration of organic matter mineralization. These divergent responses support the necessity to include microbial components in evaluating ecological consequences. Furthermore, Mantel tests showed strong, significant correlations between soil nutrients and functional structure but not taxonomic structure, demonstrating close relevance of microbial function traits to nutrient cycling.

Cis-Regulatory Elements Determine Germline Specificity and Expression Level of an Isopentenyltransferase Gene in Sperm Cells of Arabidopsis.

Flowering plant sperm cells transcribe a divergent and complex complement of genes. To examine promoter function, we chose an isopentenyltransferase gene known as PzIPT1. This gene is highly selectively transcribed in one sperm cell morphotype of Plumbago zeylanica, which preferentially fuses with the central cell during fertilization and is thus a founding cell of the primary endosperm. In transgenic Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana), PzIPT1 promoter displays activity in both sperm cells and upon progressive promoter truncation from the 5'-end results in a progressive decrease in reporter production, consistent with occurrence of multiple enhancer sites. Cytokinin-dependent protein binding motifs are identified in the promoter sequence, which respond with stimulation by cytokinin. Expression of PzIPT1 promoter in sperm cells confers specificity independently of previously reported Germline Restrictive Silencer Factor binding sequence. Instead, a cis-acting regulatory region consisting of two duplicated 6-bp Male Gamete Selective Activation (MGSA) motifs occurs near the site of transcription initiation. Disruption of this sequence-specific site inactivates expression of a GFP reporter gene in sperm cells. Multiple copies of the MGSA motif fused with the minimal CaMV35S promoter elements confer reporter gene expression in sperm cells. Similar duplicated MGSA motifs are also identified from promoter sequences of sperm cell-expressed genes in Arabidopsis, suggesting selective activation is possibly a common mechanism for regulation of gene expression in sperm cells of flowering plants.

[Study on relationship between effective components and soil enzyme activity in different growth patterns of Panax ginseng].

Study on 5 effective components and 6 soil enzyme activities of 2 different growth patterns, analyse the dates with the canonical correlation analysis, In order to reveal the relations between the effective components and soil enzyme activities. The result showed that they had a great relation between the effective components and soil enzyme activities, the activity of the same enzyme in humus soil was higher than that in farmland soil. Growth pattern of farmland soil, if the invertase and phosphatase activity were too high, which would inhibit the accumulation of total ginsenoside, water-miscible total proteins and total amino acid; Growth pattern of humus soil, if the invertase, urease and phosphatase activity were too high, which would inhibit the accumulation of total ginsenoside and the total essential oils. Integral soil enzyme activity can be used as a index of soil quality, which, together with other growth factors. The appropriate enzyme activity can accelerate the circulation and transformation of all kinds of material in the soil, improve effectively components accumulation.

Analysis of hot spots and trend of molecular pharmacognosy research based on project supported by National Natural Science Foundation of 1995-2014 / 中国中药杂志

This study collected 1995-2014 molecular pharmacognosy study, a total of 595 items, funded by Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC). TDA and Excel software were used to analyze the data of the projects about general situation, hot spots of research with rank analytic and correlation analytic methods. Supported by NSFC molecular pharmacognosy projects and funding a gradual increase in the number of, the proportion of funds for pharmaceutical research funding tends to be stable; mainly supported by molecular biology methods of genuine medicinal materials, secondary metabolism and Germplasm Resources Research; hot drugs including Radix Salviae Miltiorrhizae, Radix Rehmanniae, Cordyceps sinensis, hot contents including tanshinone biosynthesis, Rehmannia glutinosa continuous cropping obstacle.

Application of molecular biotechnology in Pharmacognosy / 中国中药杂志

Using the methods of informetrics analysis, articles retrieved from the database of CNKI were statistically analyzed on development course and knowledge system, so as to reflect the overall situation of pharmacognostical studies by molecular biotechnology. The result shows that the research on pharmacognosy by molecular biotechnology is an inter-disciplinary research area, the major research fields can be divided into 7 categories, including molecular identification of Chinese medicinal materials, molecular systematics and genetic diversity analysis of Chinese medicinal materials, biosynthesis and bioregulation of secondary metabolites in medicinal plants, molecular mechanism and genetic basis of Dao-di Herbs, and tissue culture and molecular breeding in medicinal plants. The research on pharmacognosy by molecular have achieved remarkable progress in recent 20 years, and have broad development prospects.

Development of molecular pharmacognosy in China based on bibliometric analysis / 中国中药杂志

The method of bibliometrics was used to analyze the literature about the application of molecular biotechnique to pharmacognosy which were searched and obtained from the CNKI database and Shanghai intellectual property information platform from the year 1995 to 2015.It was found that 22 462 articles were published and the 63% were funded, 50 core institutions and 888 authors, 18 core journals were engaged in this subject.496 items of patents were authorized and 90 kinds of Chinese Materia Medica were involved.In the view of the quantity and quality of published literature, the scale and influence of journals, institutions, and the extent of subject categories have made remarkable achievement. Molecular pharmacognosy has completed the germination stage of a new subject, and has been in a relatively mature and stable development status.

Integrated metagenomics and network analysis of soil microbial community of the forest timberline.

The forest timberline responds quickly and markedly to climate changes, rendering it a ready indicator. Climate warming has caused an upshift of the timberline worldwide. However, the impact on belowground ecosystem and biogeochemical cycles remain elusive. To understand soil microbial ecology of the timberline, we analyzed microbial communities via 16s rRNA Illumina sequencing, a microarray-based tool named GeoChip 4.0 and a random matrix theory-based association network approach. We selected 24 sampling sites at two vegetation belts forming the timberline of Shennongjia Mountain in Hubei Province of China, a region with extraordinarily rich biodiversity. We found that temperature, among all of measured environmental parameters, showed the most significant and extensive linkages with microbial biomass, microbial diversity and composition at both taxonomic and functional gene levels, and microbial association network. Therefore, temperature was the best predictor for microbial community variations in the timberline. Furthermore, abundances of nitrogen cycle and phosphorus cycle genes were concomitant with NH4(+)-N, NO3(-)-N and total phosphorus, offering tangible clues to the underlying mechanisms of soil biogeochemical cycles. As the first glimpse at both taxonomic and functional compositions of soil microbial community of the timberline, our findings have major implications for predicting consequences of future timberline upshift.

Elevated nitrate enriches microbial functional genes for potential bioremediation of complexly contaminated sediments.

Nitrate is an important nutrient and electron acceptor for microorganisms, having a key role in nitrogen (N) cycling and electron transfer in anoxic sediments. High-nitrate inputs into sediments could have a significant effect on N cycling and its associated microbial processes. However, few studies have been focused on the effect of nitrate addition on the functional diversity, composition, structure and dynamics of sediment microbial communities in contaminated aquatic ecosystems with persistent organic pollutants (POPs). Here we analyzed sediment microbial communities from a field-scale in situ bioremediation site, a creek in Pearl River Delta containing a variety of contaminants including polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), before and after nitrate injection using a comprehensive functional gene array (GeoChip 4.0). Our results showed that the sediment microbial community functional composition and structure were markedly altered, and that functional genes involved in N-, carbon (C)-, sulfur (S)-and phosphorus (P)- cycling processes were highly enriched after nitrate injection, especially those microorganisms with diverse metabolic capabilities, leading to potential in situ bioremediation of the contaminated sediment, such as PBDE and PAH reduction/degradation. This study provides new insights into our understanding of sediment microbial community responses to nitrate addition, suggesting that indigenous microorganisms could be successfully stimulated for in situ bioremediation of POPs in contaminated sediments with nitrate addition.

Bibliometrics study of the development trend of acupuncture-moxibustion clinical trials in foreign countries / 中国针灸

On the basis of MEDLINE and EMBASE database, through bibliometrics, the quantitative research was conducted on the published literatures on the acupuncture-moxibustion clinical trial abroad. The situation of published articles in each continent, country and institution was analyzed statistically. It was found that the number of published articles was higher in Germany, America, England, Sweden, Austria, Japan, South Korea, etc. In Europe, the clinical trial of acupuncture and moxibustion was in the tendency of more country participants, wider distribution and larger amount of research. In North America, America was the main country for the study. In Asia, Japan and South Korea played the leading role. Of those countries, some institutions in Germany America, and South Korea were on the top of the list. In future, the above-mentioned countries and institutions should be monitored specifically so as to launch the active cooperation and strategic project.

A multi-center randomized double-blinded, placebo-controlled clinical study on efficacy of composite sophora colon-soluble capsules in treating ulcerative colitis of internal dampness-heat accumulation syndrome type / 中国中西医结合杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To evaluate the clinical efficacy and safety of Composite Sophora Colon-soluble Capsules (CSCC) in treating patients with ulcerative colitis (UC) of internal dampness-heat syndrome type (IDHS) and compared with that of Mesalazine slow releasing granules (trade name: Etiasa).</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Adopting randomized double-blinded double-simulated and positive drug controlled clinical design, 160 patients with UC of IDHS type were randomly assigned to two groups, 120 in the trial group was treated with CSCC plus Etiasa simulated placebo for 8 weeks, while 40 in the control group with Etiasa plus CSCC simulated placebo. Comprehensive therapeutic efficacy, effects on syndrome and safety of treatment were assessed, and changes of endoscopic features, Chinese medical syndrome scores and symptom score, activity index (AI) of UC, microscopic pathology in the two groups were observed and compared before and after treatment.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>After 8-week treatment, the clinical total effective rate in the two groups were 92.0% and 83.3%, the effective rate on Chinese medical syndrome in them were 91.7% and 85.0%, that on endoscopic features 92.0% and 83.3%, on microscopic changes 66.7% and 52.0%, respectively, showing insignificant difference between groups. Difference between groups in AI also showed no significance (1.03 +/- 1.87 vs 1.78 +/- 2.18, P > 0.05). However, the effects of decreasing Chinese medical syndrome score, and improving mucous pus blood stool and foul defecation in the trial group were more significantly (P < 0.05). No serious adverse event was seen in the 8-week treatment period.</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>The clinical efficacy of CSCC was not inferior to, or even better than that of Etiasa. It could be taken as a substitute of chemicals if with poor effect.</p>

Male gamete biology in flowering plants.

Flowering plant reproduction is characterized by double fertilization, in which two diminutive brother sperm cells initiate embryo and endosperm. The role of the male gamete, although studied structurally for over a century at various levels, is still being explored on a molecular and cellular level. The potential of the male to influence development has been historically underestimated and the reasons for this are obvious: limitations provided by maternal imprinting, the much greater cellular volume of female gametes and the general paucity of paternal effects. However, as more is known about molecular expression of chromatin-modifying proteins, ubiquitin pathway proteins and transcription factors in sperm cells, as well as their ability to achieve effect by intaglio expression, passing transcripts directly into translation, the role of the male is likely to expand. Much of the expression in the male germline that appears to be distinct from patterns of pollen vegetative cell expression may be the result of chromosomal level regulation of transcription.