Associations of rumination with suicidal ideation and suicide attempts amongst individuals with major depressive disorder: A 12-month longitudinal study in China.

BACKGROUND: This study aimed to explore the longitudinal associations of rumination with suicidal ideation and suicide attempts in individuals with major depressive disorder (MDD). METHODS: Participants were derived from the Depression Cohort in China study (DCC). Those who completed at least one follow-up visit during the 12 months were included in the analysis. Dimensions of rumination including brooding and reflection were each measured using five items of the Ruminative Responses Scale. Suicidal ideation was assessed using the Beck Scale for Suicide Ideation. Suicide attempts were also assessed and all were analyzed with generalized estimating equations. RESULTS: Our final sample included 532 participants aged 18 to 59 years (mean [SD], 26.91 [6.94] years) consisting of 148 (27.8%) males and 384 (72.2%) females. After adjusting for temporal trend and potential confounders, individuals with higher levels of reflection were more likely to report suicidal ideation (AOR =1.11, 95% CI:1.01-1.22). However, no statistically significant association was found between brooding and suicidal ideation (AOR =1.06, 95% CI:0.96-1.17). Conversely, individuals with higher levels of brooding were more likely to report suicide attempts (AOR =1.13, 95% CI:1.02-1.24), while no statistically significant association was observed between reflection and suicide attempts (AOR =0.91, 95% CI:0.82-1.01). CONCLUSION: Rumination reflects a disturbance in cognitive emotional processing and manifests in different dimensions. Our findings suggest that high levels of reflection and brooding may be associated with a higher likelihood of having suicidal ideation and suicide attempts, respectively. However, it should be interpreted with caution, given that effect sizes are small.

Time from waking to the first cigarette and mortality and incident cardiovascular disease.

BACKGROUND: This study aimed to investigate the associations of time from waking to the first cigarette (TWFC) with all-cause mortality, cardiovascular disease (CVD) mortality and incident CVD among people smoking. METHODS: Data were from the UK Biobank, including 32 519 people smoking aged 40-70 years. TWFC was investigated using a touch-screen questionnaire. Outcomes included all-cause mortality and mortality from and incidence of CVD, ischemic heart disease (IHD) and stroke. RESULTS: Compared with participants reporting TWFC >120 min, those reporting TWFC between 61 and 120 min (HR, 1.30; 95% CI, 1.10-1.53), TWFC between 5 and 60 min (1.48, 1.30-1.70) and TWFC <5 min (1.65, 1.42-1.93) had a higher risk of all-cause mortality. Compared with participants reporting TWFC >120 min, those reporting TWFC between 5 and 60 min and TWFC <5 min had higher risks of CVD and IHD mortality and incident CVD and IHD, but those reporting TWFC between 61 and 120 min did not. The associations of TWFC with stroke mortality and incident stroke were not observed. CONCLUSION: In this cohort study, a shorter TWFC was associated with higher risks of all-cause mortality, mortality from CVD and IHD, as well as incident CVD and IHD.

Association of the American Heart Association's new "Life's Essential 8" with all-cause and cardiovascular disease-specific mortality: prospective cohort study.

BACKGROUND: The American Heart Association recently updated its construct of what constitutes cardiovascular health (CVH), called Life's Essential 8. We examined the association of total and individual CVH metrics according to Life's Essential 8 with all-cause and cardiovascular disease (CVD)-specific mortality later in  life. METHODS: Data were from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 2005-2018 at baseline linked to the 2019 National Death Index records. Total and individual CVH metric scores including diet, physical activity, nicotine exposure, sleep health, body mass index, blood lipids, blood glucose, and blood pressure were classified as 0-49 (low level), 50-74 (intermediate level), and 75-100 (high level) points. The total CVH metric score (the average of the 8 metrics) as a continuous variable was also used for dose-response analysis. The main outcomes included all-cause and CVD-specific mortality. RESULTS: A total of 19,951 US adults aged 30-79 years were included in this study. Only 19.5% of adults achieved a high total CVH score, whereas 24.1% had a low score. During a median follow-up of 7.6 years, compared with adults with a low total CVH score, those with an intermediate or high total CVH score had 40% (adjusted hazard ratio [HR] 0.60, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.51-0.71) and 58% (adjusted HR 0.42, 95% CI 0.32-0.56) reduced risk of all-cause mortality. The corresponding adjusted HRs (95%CIs) were 0.62 (0.46-0.83) and 0.36 (0.21-0.59) for CVD-specific mortality. The population-attributable fractions for high (score ≥ 75 points) vs. low or intermediate (score < 75 points) CVH scores were 33.4% for all-cause mortality and 42.9% for CVD-specific mortality. Among all 8 individual CVH metrics, physical activity, nicotine exposure, and diet accounted for a large proportion of the population-attributable risks for all-cause mortality, whereas physical activity, blood pressure, and blood glucose accounted for a large proportion of CVD-specific mortality. There were approximately linear dose-response associations of total CVH score (as a continuous variable) with all-cause and CVD-specific mortality. CONCLUSIONS: Achieving a higher CVH score according to the new Life's Essential 8 was associated with a reduced risk of all-cause and CVD-specific mortality. Public health and healthcare efforts targeting the promotion of higher CVH scores could provide considerable benefits to reduce the mortality burden later in life.

Eight-Year Trajectories of Late-Life Loneliness and Incident Dementia: A Nationally Representative Cohort Study.

OBJECTIVE: Some older adults with loneliness might have transient loneliness, followed by full remission, while others might have persistent loneliness. Such different courses might differ in predicting the risk of dementia, but most previous studies assessed short-term loneliness at a single time point, ignoring the long-term changes of loneliness. This study aimed to explore the association between 8-year trajectories of late-life loneliness and incident dementia. METHODS: Data were from the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing (waves 2-9). This study included 6,722 older adults measured for loneliness greater than or equal to three times from wave 2 (2004-2005) to wave 6 (2012-2013) and free from dementia in wave 6. Loneliness was assessed using the short 1980 version of the University of California, Los Angeles Loneliness Scale. Group-based trajectory modeling was used to explore loneliness trajectories during waves 2-6. Cox proportional hazard models were used to investigate the association of loneliness trajectories with incident dementia during waves 6-9. RESULTS: Five distinct loneliness trajectories were identified: long-term low, persistently decreasing, persistently increasing, long-term moderate, and long-term high. Compared with long-term low loneliness, the HRs (95% confidence intervals) for persistently decreasing, persistently increasing, long-term moderate, and long-term high loneliness were 1.29 (0.83-2.00), 1.55 (1.04-2.31), 1.56 (1.03-2.38), and 3.35 (1.89-5.91), respectively. CONCLUSION: The elderly show distinct patterns of loneliness over time, which cannot be captured by a single assessment of loneliness. The elderly with long-term loneliness and persistently increasing loneliness might be the high-risk group for dementia. Further studies are needed to determine whether reducing loneliness can prevent dementia.

Comprehensive analysis of the roles of fatty acid transport related proteins in clear cell renal cell carcinoma.

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to explore the clinical significance of fatty acid transport-related protein (FATRP) in patients with clear cell renal cell carcinoma(ccRCC). METHODS: RNA-seq data and corresponding clinical data of ccRCC were obtained from TCGA data portal. Seventeen key FATRP genes were comprehensively investigated using bioinformatics approaches to systematically investigate their expression patterns in ccRCC. In addition, the correlation between the expression levels of these genes and clinicopathological features in ccRCC was further explored. RESULTS: Among the 17 key FATRP genes, only FABP5, FABP6, and FABP7 could be regarded as ideal biomarkers for ccRCC, as they were highly expressed in ccRCC tumor tissues, and positively correlates with tumor progression and poor prognosis. FABP6 had the highest copy number variations (CNV) events (63.07 %), and ccRCC patients with FABP6 amplification had a better prognosis than the unaltered group. DNA methylation levels of FABP6 and FABP7 were downregulated in ccRCC tumor tissues compared to those in normal tissues. FABP5 showed the opposite results. Moreover, a novel four FATRP gene (FABP1, FABP5, FABP7, FATP2) and three clinical parameter (age, stage, and grade) prediction model was constructed and that comprised a significant independent prognostic signature. CONCLUSIONS: Only a few FATRP genes are upregulated in ccRCC tumor tissue, and positively correlate with tumor progression and poor prognosis. The accuracy of a single gene of these FATRP genes as predictors of progression and prognosis of ccRCC is limited. The performance of the novel prediction model proposed by this study was much better than that of any single gene.

Trajectories of spherical equivalent refraction from grades 1 to 4 in Chinese children.

BACKGROUND: The development trajectories of children's SER remain unknown. This study aimed to characterize spherical equivalent refraction (SER) trajectories during grades 1-4 in Chinese children. METHODS: This prospective cohort study included 1226 first-grade non-myopic children from 12 public primary schools, randomly selected in two districts in Guangzhou, China. From November 2018 to March 2022, four-wave ocular examinations and questionnaire surveys have been completed. The group-based trajectory modeling was used to explore SER trajectories in grades 1-4. RESULTS: All five trajectories showed an upward trend and rose faster after grade 2. Children in the sharp-developing (n = 44), high-developing (n = 136), and rapid-developing (n = 237) myopia groups developed myopia before grades 2, 3, and 4, respectively. Their SER development speed remained at a relatively high level after myopia, almost consistent with that before myopia. Children in the moderate-developing (n = 418) and low-developing (n = 391) non-myopia groups did not develop myopia before grade 4. Some characteristics in grade 1 were independently associated with SER trajectories, including sex, axial length, number of parents with myopia, residence, academic achievement, and the duration of outdoor activity. Based on the baseline characteristics, we established the model predicting the probability of children belonging to each group. CONCLUSIONS: Myopia interventions are best started in grade 1 or preschool age. If interventions are not taken in time, the latest intervention window might be in grades 1, 2, and 3 for children with a high probability of belonging to the sharp-developing, high-developing, and rapid-developing myopia groups, respectively. The above probabilities might be predicted using the model we established. Moreover, the interventions for myopic children shouldn't be ignored.

Global, regional, and national burden of ambient and household PM2.5-related neonatal disorders, 1990-2019.

Previous studies have shown a relationship between fine particulate matter (PM2.5) exposure and an increased risk of neonatal disorders. Considering the huge burden of neonatal disorders, we assessed spatiotemporal trends of neonatal disorders burden caused by ambient and household PM2.5 at the global, regional, and national levels from 1990 to 2019. The number, rate, and population attributable fraction (PAF) of ambient and household PM2.5-related neonatal disorders disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) in 204 countries and territories from 1990 to 2019 were obtained from the Global Burden of Disease Study 2019 to measure the related neonatal disorders burden by age, sex, subtype, and region. Estimated annual percentage change (EAPC) was estimated to quantify temporal trends. In 2019, approximately a fifth of the global neonatal disorders burden was attributable to PM2.5 exposure, with 7.54% for ambient PM2.5 and 13.23% for household PM2.5. Although the global neonatal disorders burden attributable to household PM2.5 has decreased substantially in the past 30 years, that attributable to ambient PM2.5 has increased, especially in lower sociodemographic index (SDI) regions. The highest rate and PAF of ambient PM2.5-related neonatal disorders DALYs in 2019 were in South Asia and East Asia, respectively, and the fastest increases were in Eastern Sub-Saharan Africa (for rate: EAPC = 2.55, 95% CI: 2.37-2.73) and South Asia (for PAF: EAPC = 3.88, 95% CI: 3.68-4.08). In addition, we found an inverted V-shaped between rates and PAFs of ambient PM2.5-related neonatal disorders DALYs in 2019, as well as corresponding EAPCs, and SDI, while rates and PAFs of household PM2.5-related neonatal disorders DALYs in 2019 were highly negatively correlated with SDI. In the past three decades, the global ambient PM2.5-related neonatal disorders burden largely increased, especially in lower SDI regions. Comparatively, the household PM2.5-related neonatal disorders burden decreased but still accounted for about two-thirds of the PM2.5-related neonatal disease burden.

Associations of physical activity and screen time with adolescent idiopathic scoliosis.

BACKGROUND: Adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS) is the most common type of idiopathic scoliosis, affecting approximately 0.61%-6.15% adolescents worldwide. To date, the results on the relationship between moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) and AIS were inconsistent, and the association between screen time (ST) and AIS remained unclear. This study aimed to describe MVPA and ST among adolescents, and to explore the independent and joint associations between PA, ST, and AIS. METHODS: A frequency-matched case-control study based on the 2021 Chinese School-based Scoliosis Screening Program in Shenzhen city, south China, was conducted. The research involved 494 AIS patients (aged 9-17 years) and 994 sex- and age-matched healthy controls. MVPA and ST were measured using a self-administered questionnaire. Logistic regression models estimated associations between PA, ST, and AIS. RESULTS: Compared to subjects meeting the recommended 60-min daily of MVPA, adolescents reporting daily MVPA time less than 60 min had 1.76 times higher odds of experiencing AIS (95% CI: 1.32-2.35) and adolescents reporting daily MVPA in inactive status had 2.14 times higher odds of experiencing AIS (95% CI: 1.51-3.03). Moreover, participants reporting ST for 2 hours or more had 3.40 times higher odds of AIS compared with those reporting ST less than 2 hours (95% CI: 2.35-4.93). When compared with the adolescents reporting both ST and MVPA meeting the guidelines recommended times (ST < 2 h and MVPA ≥ 60 min/day), those reporting both ST ≥ 2 h and MVPA in inactive status are 8.84 times more likely to develop AIS (95% CI: 3.99-19.61). CONCLUSIONS: This study reported that the insufficient MVPA, especially MVPA in inactive status, and excessive ST were risk factors for AIS. Additionally, the joint effects of insufficient MVPA and excessive ST probably increase the risk of AIS.

Molecular and biochemical characterization of two 4-coumarate: CoA ligase genes in tea plant (Camellia sinensis).

KEY MESSAGE: Two 4-coumarate: CoA ligase genes in tea plant involved in phenylpropanoids biosynthesis and response to environmental stresses. Tea plant is rich in flavonoids benefiting human health. Lignin is essential for tea plant growth. Both flavonoids and lignin defend plants from stresses. The biosynthesis of lignin and flavonoids shares a key intermediate, 4-coumaroyl-CoA, which is formed from 4-coumaric acid catalyzed by 4-coumaric acid: CoA ligase (4CL). Herein, we report two 4CL paralogs from tea plant, Cs4CL1 and Cs4CL2, which are a member of class I and II of this gene family, respectively. Cs4CL1 was mainly expressed in roots and stems, while Cs4CL2 was mainly expressed in leaves. The promoter of Cs4CL1 had AC, nine types of light sensitive (LSE), four types of stress-inducible (SIE), and two types of meristem-specific elements (MSE). The promoter of Cs4CL2 also had AC and nine types of LSEs, but only had two types of SIEs and did not have MSEs. In addition, the LSEs varied in the two promoters. Based on the different features of regulatory elements, three stress treatments were tested to understand their expression responses to different conditions. The resulting data indicated that the expression of Cs4CL1 was sensitive to mechanical wounding, while the expression of Cs4CL2 was UV-B-inducible. Enzymatic assays showed that both recombinant Cs4CL1 and Cs4CL2 transformed 4-coumaric acid (CM), ferulic acid (FR), and caffeic acid (CF) to their corresponding CoA ethers. Kinetic analysis indicated that the recombinant Cs4CL1 preferred to catalyze CF, while the recombinant Cs4CL2 favored to catalyze CM. The overexpression of both Cs4CL1 and Cs4CL2 increased the levels of chlorogenic acid and total lignin in transgenic tobacco seedlings. In addition, the overexpression of Cs4CL2 consistently increased the levels of three flavonoid compounds. These findings indicate the differences of Cs4CL1 and Cs4CL2 in the phenylpropanoid metabolism.

How an Oxide Layer Influences the Impact Dynamics of Galinstan Droplets on a Superhydrophobic Surface.

When exposed to air, gallium-based alloys rapidly form a thin oxide layer with viscoelasticity and high adhesion. Although previous work demonstrated that an oxide layer inhibits liquid metal droplet rebound, there is still a lack of a quantitative study to elaborate how an oxide layer affects the impact dynamics. To address this issue, we experimentally investigate Galinstan droplet impingement on a superhydrophobic CuO nanoblade surface and physically explain the difference in the dynamic characteristics of oxidized and unoxidized droplets. Experimental results show that the effect of an oxide layer becomes prominent during the retraction phase. The high adhesion significantly suppresses retraction and rebound, while the elastic response prevents a droplet from sufficiently stretching and maintains the stability of the morphology. More importantly, we systematically and quantitatively explore the influence of an oxide layer on several critical impact parameters, which contributes to a comprehensive understanding of the impact dynamics of liquid metal droplets. It is indicated that an oxide layer has little effect on the maximum spreading factor and spreading time, whereas it causes a 45% reduction of the restitution coefficient and a 36% increase in contact time. Notably, the scaling laws that describe the critical impact parameters of unoxidized droplets show good agreement with the ones known from ordinary Newtonian fluids.

Feasibility research of enhanced recovery after surgery implemented in esophageal cancer patients who underwent neoadjuvant chemotherapy.

BACKGROUND: Enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS) is a perioperative management protocol to accelerate patient recovery. This study aimed to evaluate the feasibility of ERAS protocols implemented in patients who underwent neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NACT) before minimally invasive McKeown esophagectomy. METHODS: This retrospective study compared the short-term clinical outcomes in esophagectomy patients from June 2018 to June 2021. Subjects were divided into two categories: those who underwent NACT (NACT group) and the non-NACT group. RESULTS: There was no significant difference in total postoperative complication morbidity between the NACT and non-NACT groups (21.2% vs. 20.7%, P=0.936). In addition, the hospital length of stay post-surgery (7.90 vs. 7.71 days, P=0.424) was not significantly longer when compared to the non-NACT group. The time to chest tube removal (5.37 vs. 5.13 days, P=0.238) and first bowel movement (2.92 vs. 3.01 days, P=0.560) was also similar between the two groups. CONCLUSIONS: There was no significant difference in postoperative complications rate, postoperative hospital length of stay, and readmission rate between the two group. This study proved that ERAS protocols seemed to be safe and feasible for patients who received NACT before esophagectomy.

Acid Catalyzed Stereocontrolled Ferrier-Type Glycosylation Assisted by Perfluorinated Solvent.

Described herein is the first application of perfluorinated solvent in the stereoselective formation of O-/S-glycosidic linkages that occurs via a Ferrier rearrangement of acetylated glycals. In this system, the weak interactions between perfluoro-n-hexane and substrates could augment the reactivity and stereocontrol. The initiation of transformation requires only an extremely low loading of resin-H+ and the mild conditions enable the accommodation of a broad spectrum of glycal donors and acceptors. The 'green' feature of this chemistry is demonstrated by low toxicity and easy recovery of the medium, as well as operational simplicity in product isolation.

Template-Guided Regioselective Encaging of Platinum Single Atoms into Y Zeolite: Enhanced Selectivity in Semihydrogenation and Resistance to Poisoning.

It is challenging to establish single metal atoms with a uniform coordination environment at targeted sites of a zeolite. In this study, single platinum atoms were selectively encaged in the six-membered rings of sodalite (SOD) cages within Y zeolite using a template-guiding strategy. During the in situ synthesis process, template molecules were designed to occupy supercages and thereby force coordinated platinum species into SOD cages. Subsequent control of the post-treatment conditions yielded the Y zeolite with selectively encaged single platinum atoms, denoted Pt@Y-SOD. The Pt@Y-SOD catalyst had good stability and excellent catalytic selectivity in the semihydrogenation reaction, and it exhibited interesting thiophene and carbon monoxide resistance in this transformation because interactions with these poisons are weakened by the configuration of the encaged single platinum atoms.

Analytical Consideration for the Maximum Spreading Factor of Liquid Droplet Impact on a Smooth Solid Surface.

Based on the energy conservation approach, this study develops a universal model to predict the maximum spreading factor of liquid droplet impact on a smooth solid surface. Validated with the present simulations and experiments in the literature, this model effectively overcomes the limitation of previous models in the viscous regime and greatly reduces the computing errors from over 30% to below 6%. It is demonstrated that the underestimated maximum spreading factor by previous models results from the overestimation of viscous dissipation. By replacing the conventional model of spreading time, tm = 8D0/3U0, with a more precise one, tm = 1.47τiWe-0.44, the formulation to compute the viscous dissipation of entire spreading is improved. Finally, we examine the applicability of present model in the capillary regime and good performance is also shown.

Diterpenoids from Cephalotaxus fortunei var. alpina and their cytotoxic activity.

Cephafortunoids A-D (1-4), four new compounds, together with ten known ones (5-14), were isolated from the branches and leaves of Cephalotaxus fortunei var. alpina. 1 and 2 represent the first examples of Cephalotaxus troponoid diterpenoids featured an intact C20 skeleton with CH3-17 migrating to C-15 and C-13 respectively. 3 and 4 are novel cephalotane-type diterpenoids with an epoxy ring between C-12 and C-13. The structures of isolated compounds were established by extensive spectroscopic methods, electronic circular dichroism (ECD) calculations, and comparison with reported data. In in vitro bioassays, all isolated compounds were evaluated for their cytotoxic activities against human promyelocytic leukemia cells (HL-60), human acute monocytic leukemia cells (THP-1), human breast cancer cells (MDA-MB-231), and human prostate cancer cells (PC-3). 5-9 exhibited prominent cytotoxicity against HL-60 and THP-1 with GI50 values of 0.27-5.48 and 0.48-7.54 µM, respectively. 5-8 showed evident cytotoxicity against MDA-MB-231 and PC-3 with IC50 values of 1.96-10.66 and 2.72-13.99 µM, severally. 6 with an IC50 value of 2.72 ± 0.35 µM displayed stronger cytotoxicity against PC-3 than the positive control etoposide. The structure-activity relationship of these compounds and plausible biogenetic pathways for 1-4 were discussed.

Effects of vitro sucrose on quality components of tea plants (Camellia sinensis) based on transcriptomic and metabolic analysis.

BACKGROUND: Tea plants [Camellia sinensis (L.) O. Kuntze] can produce one of the three most widely popular non-alcoholic beverages throughout the world. Polyphenols and volatiles are the main functional ingredients determining tea's quality and flavor; however, the biotic or abiotic factors affecting tea polyphenol biosynthesis are unclear. This paper focuses on the molecular mechanisms of sucrose on polyphenol biosynthesis and volatile composition variation in tea plants. RESULTS: Metabolic analysis showed that the total content of anthocyanins, catechins, and proanthocyanidins(PAs) increased with sucrose, and they accumulated most significantly after 14 days of treatment. Transcriptomic analysis revealed 8384 and 5571 differentially expressed genes in 2-day and 14-day sucrose-treated tea plants compared with control-treated plants. Most of the structural genes and transcription factors (TFs) involved in polyphenol biosynthesis were significantly up-regulated after 2d. Among these transcripts, the predicted genes encoding glutathione S-transferase (GST), ATP-binding cassette transporters (ABC transporters), and multidrug and toxic compound extrusion transporters (MATE transporters) appeared up regulated. Correspondingly, ultra-performance liquid chromatography-triple quadrupole mass spectrometry (UPLC-QQQ-MS/MS) analysis revealed that the content of non-galloylated catechins and oligomeric PAs decreased in the upper-stem and increased in the lower-stem significantly, especially catechin (C), epicatechin (EC), and their oligomeric PAs. This result suggests that the related flavonoids were transported downward in the stem by transporters. GC/MS data implied that four types of volatile compounds, namely terpene derivatives, aromatic derivatives, lipid derivatives, and others, were accumulated differently after in vitro sucrose treatment. CONCLUSIONS: Our data demonstrated that sucrose regulates polyphenol biosynthesis in Camellia sinensis by altering the expression of transcription factor genes and pathway genes. Additionally, sucrose promotes the transport of polyphenols and changes the aroma composition in tea plant.

Evolutionary and functional characterization of leucoanthocyanidin reductases from Camellia sinensis.

MAIN CONCLUSION: LARs promoted the biosynthesis of catechin monomers and inhibited their polymerization. The accumulation of catechin monomers and polymers was increased by up-regulating the expression of NtLAR and NtANR s in CsMYB5b transgenic tobacco. Tea is rich in polyphenolic compounds, and catechins are the major polyphenols in tea. The biosynthesis of polyphenols is closely related to the expression of the leucoanthocyanidin reductase (LAR) and anthocyanidin reductase (ANR) genes. In this paper, an evolutionary analysis and functional characterization of three CsLARs were performed. The phylogenetic tree showed that plant LARs could be grouped into three, including gymnosperms, monocotyledons and dicotyledons (clusters I and II). The eighth amino acid residue in a conserved LAR-specific motif is changeable due to a transversion (G â†’ T) and transition (G â†’ C) that occur in the corresponding codon. Therefore, plant LARs can be classified as G-type, A-type and S-type LARs due to this variable amino acid residue. Although (2R, 3S)-trans-flavan-3-ols were the products of recombinant CsLARs proteins expressed in Escherichia coli, both (2R, 3S)-trans and (2R, 3R)-cis-flavan-3-ols were detected in tobacco overexpressing CsLARs. However, a butanol/HCl hydrolysis assay indicated that overexpression of the CsLARs caused a decrease in polymerized catechins. A hybridization experiment with CsLARc + AtPAP1 also showed that no polymers other than epicatechin, catechin and glycoside were detected, although the accumulation of anthocyanins was markedly decreased. CsMYB5b promoted the biosynthesis of both flavan-3-ols and proanthocyanidins (PAs). Therefore, LARs promoted the biosynthesis of catechin monomers and inhibited their polymerization. The accumulation of catechin monomers and polymers was increased by up-regulating the expression of the NtLAR and NtANRs in CsMYB5b transgenic tobacco.

Oral absorption enhancement of probucol by PEGylated G5 PAMAM dendrimer modified nanoliposomes.

Probucol (PB), an antioxidant drug, is commonly used as a lipid concentration lowering drug to reduce blood plasma cholesterol levels in the clinic. However, the therapeutic effects of this drug are negatively impacted by its poor water solubility and low oral absorption efficiency. In this study, a PEGylated G5 PAMAM dendrimer (G5-PEG) modified nanoliposome was employed to increase water solubility, transepithelial transport, and oral absorption of PB. The uptake mechanism was explored in vitro in Caco-2 cells with the results suggesting that the absorption improvement of G5-PEG modified PB-liposome (PB-liposome/G5-PEG) was related to P-glycoprotein (P-gp) efflux pump but was independent of caveolae endocytosis pathways. Additionally, plasma lipid concentration lowering effects of PB-liposome/G5-PEG were evaluated in vivo in a LDLR-/- hyperlipidemia mouse model. Compared with saline treated group, treatment with PB-liposome/G5-PEG significantly inhibited the increase of plasma total cholesterol (TC) and triglyceride (TG) of mice induced by a high fat diet. Moreover, its lipid concentration lowering effects and plasma drug concentration were greater than PB alone or commercial PB tablets. Our results demonstrated that PB-liposome/G5-PEG significantly increased the oral absorption of PB and therefore significantly improved its pharmacodynamic effects.

Paenibacillus ferrarius sp. nov., isolated from iron mineral soil.

A Gram-reaction-positive, endospore-forming, aerobic bacterium, designated strain CY1(T), was isolated from iron mineral soil of Hunan Province, China. The isolate was rod-shaped and motile by means of peritrichous flagella. The major cellular fatty acids were anteiso-C15:0 and iso-C16:0 and the major quinone was menaquinone 7. The major polar lipids were phosphatidylglycerol and diphosphatidylglycerol phosphatidylethanolamine. The genomic DNA G+C content was 50.5 mol% and the major diagnostic diamino acid in cell-wall peptidoglycan was meso-diaminopimelic acid. Phylogenetic analyses based on the 16S rRNA gene sequence indicated that strain CY1(T) is most closely related to Paenibacillus chondroitinus DSM 5051(T) (97.7% 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity), Paenibacillus pocheonensis Gsoil 1138(T) (97.4%) and Paenibacillus frigoriresistens YIM 016(T) (97.0%). DNA-DNA hybridization dissociation values were lower than 49% with the most closely related species. On the basis of phenotypic, chemotaxonomic and phylogenetic evidence, strain CY1(T) is affiliated to the genus Paenibacillus, but could be distinguished from the species of this genus. A novel species with the name Paenibacillus ferrarius sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is CY1(T) ( =KCTC 33419(T) =CCTCC AB 2013369(T)).