Selective Adsorption of Sr(II) from Aqueous Solution by Na3FePO4CO3: Experimental and DFT Studies.

The efficient segregation of radioactive nuclides from low-level radioactive liquid waste (LLRW) is paramount for nuclear emergency protocols and waste minimization. Here, we synthesized Na3FePO4CO3 (NFPC) via a one-pot hydrothermal method and applied it for the first time to the selective separation of Sr2+ from simulated LLRW. Static adsorption experimental results indicated that the distribution coefficient Kd remained above 5000 mL·g-1, even when the concentration of interfering ions was more than 40 times that of Sr2+. Furthermore, the removal efficiency of Sr2+ showed no significant change within the pH range of 4 to 9. The adsorption of Sr2+ fitted the pseudo-second-order kinetic model and the Langmuir isotherm model, with an equilibrium time of 36 min and a maximum adsorption capacity of 99.6 mg·g-1. Notably, the adsorption capacity was observed to increment marginally with an elevation in temperature. Characterization analyses and density functional theory (DFT) calculations elucidated the adsorption mechanism, demonstrating that Sr2+ initially engaged in an ion exchange reaction with Na+. Subsequently, Sr2+ coordinated with four oxygen atoms on the NFPC (100) facet, establishing a robust Sr-O bond via orbital hybridization.

Combinatorial Optimization Strategies for 3-Fucosyllactose Hyperproduction in Escherichia coli.

3-Fucosyllactose (3-FL), an important fucosylated human milk oligosaccharide in breast milk, offers numerous health benefits to infants. Previously, we metabolically engineered Escherichia coli BL21(DE3) for the in vivo biosynthesis of 3-FL. In this study, we initially optimized culture conditions to double 3-FL production. Competing pathway genes involved in in vivo guanosine 5'-diphosphate-fucose biosynthesis were subsequently inactivated to redirect fluxes toward 3-FL biosynthesis. Next, three promising transporters were evaluated using plasmid-based or chromosomally integrated expression to maximize extracellular 3-FL production. Additionally, through analysis of α1,3-fucosyltransferase (FutM2) structure, we identified Q126 residues as a highly mutable residue in the active site. After site-saturation mutation, the best-performing mutant, FutM2-Q126A, was obtained. Structural analysis and molecular dynamics simulations revealed that small residue replacement positively influenced helical structure generation. Finally, the best strain BD3-A produced 6.91 and 52.1 g/L of 3-FL in a shake-flask and fed-batch cultivations, respectively, highlighting its potential for large-scale industrial applications.

De Novo Biosynthesis of Difucosyllactose by Artificial Pathway Construction and α1,3/4-Fucosyltransferase Rational Design in Escherichia coli.

Difucosyllactose (DFL) is a significant and plentiful oligosaccharide found in human breast milk. In this study, an artificial metabolic pathway of DFL was designed, focusing on the de novo biosynthesis of GDP-fucose from only glycerol. This was achieved by engineering Escherichia coli to endogenously overexpress genes manB, manC, gmd, and wcaG and heterologously overexpress a pair of fucosyltransferases to produce DFL from lactose. The introduction of α-1,2-fucosyltransferase from Helicobacter pylori (FucT2) along with α-1,3/4-fucosyltransferase (HP3/4FT) addressed rate-limiting challenges in enzymatic catalysis and allowed for highly efficient conversion of lactose into DFL. Based on these results, molecular modification of HP3/4FT was performed based on computer-assisted screening and structure-based rational design. The best-performing mutant, MH5, containing a combination of five mutated sites (F49K/Y131D/Y197N/E338D/R369A) of HP3/4FT was obtained. The best strain BLC09-58 harboring MH5 yielded 45.81 g/L of extracellular DFL in 5-L fed-batch cultures, which was the highest titer reported to date.

Integrative Analysis of Transcriptome and Metabolome Sheds Light on Flavonoid Biosynthesis in the Fruiting Body of Stropharia rugosoannulata.

Flavonoids are a diverse family of natural compounds that are widely distributed in plants and play a critical role in plant growth, development, and stress adaptation. In recent years, the biosynthesis of flavonoids in plants has been well-researched, with the successive discovery of key genes driving this process. However, the regulation of flavonoid biosynthesis in fungi remains unclear. Stropharia rugosoannulata is an edible mushroom known for its high nutritional and pharmacological value, with flavonoids being one of its main active components. To investigate the flavonoid content of S. rugosoannulata, a study was conducted to extract and determine the total flavonoids at four stages: young mushroom (Ym), gill (Gi), maturation (Ma), and parachute-opening (Po). The findings revealed a gradual increase in total flavonoid concentration as the fruiting body developed, with significant variations observed between the Ym, Gi, and Ma stages. Subsequently, we used UPLC-MS/MS and transcriptome sequencing (RNA-seq) to quantify the flavonoids and identify regulatory genes of Ym, Gi, and Ma. In total, 53 flavonoid-related metabolites and 6726 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified. Through KEGG pathway enrichment analysis, we identified 59 structural genes encoding flavonoid biosynthesis-related enzymes, most of which were up-regulated during the development of the fruiting body, consistent with the accumulation of flavonoids. This research led to the establishment of a comprehensive transcriptional metabolic regulatory network encompassing flavonoids, flavonoid synthases, and transcription factors (TFs). This represents the first systematic exploration of the molecular mechanism of flavonoids in the fruiting of fungi, offering a foundation for further research on flavonoid mechanisms and the breeding of high-quality S. rugosoannulata.

Formation control of fixed-wing UAVs with communication delay.

Fixed-wing unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) possess high speed and non-hovering capabilities, rendering them uniquely advantages for reconnaissance and detection. The focus of this paper is to addressing the problem of formation control for fixed-wing UAVs in the presence of communication delay. To tackle this problem, for the non-holonomic kinematic model, we propose an intuitive and practical control law based on the leader-follower method to ensure that UAVs maintain a predetermined geometric formation. The stability analysis of the system with communication delay is conducted by constructing a strict Lyapunov-Krasovskii function. Furthermore, we consider the impact of communication delay on formation accuracy and present a prediction algorithm capable of forecasting the actual position of each UAV. To validate our theoretical findings, both digital simulation and hardware-in-loop experiment are conducted.

Multi-Omics Analyses Unravel Metabolic and Transcriptional Differences in Tender Shoots from Two Sechium edule Varieties.

Chaylte vine, the tender shoot of Sechium edule, is popular among vegetable consumers because of its high nutritional content, crisp texture, and unique flavor. Existing studies on the nutrient composition of chaylte vines are mostly simple chemical determinations, which have limited the breeding of specialized cultivars and the development of related industries. Using metabolomics combined with transcriptomics, this study analyzed the metabolic characteristics and related molecular mechanisms of two common varieties of chaylte vines: green-skinned (SG) and white-skinned (SW). Between the two varieties, a total of 277 differentially accumulated metabolites (DAMs) and 739 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified. Furthermore, chemical assays demonstrated that the SW exhibited a higher total flavonoid content and antioxidant capacity. In conclusion, it was found that the SG samples exhibited a higher diversity of flavonoid subclasses compared to the SW samples, despite having a lower total flavonoid content. This inconsistent finding was likely due to the differential expression of the phenylalanine ammonia-lyase (PAL) and chalcone synthase (CHS) genes in the two varieties. These results laid the foundation for investigating the mechanisms involved in flavonoid regulation and the breeding of specialized S. edule cultivars for chaylte vine production.

Aromatic Terpenes and Their Biosynthesis in Dendrobium, and Conjecture on the Botanical Perfumer Mechanism.

This review presents a systematic analysis of the studies on volatiles in Dendrobium. Among the various components, aromatic terpenes are a crucial component in the development of the aromatic characteristics of Dendrobium and other plants. Recent advancements in detection and sequencing technology have resulted in a considerable rise in research on the biosynthetic processes of aromatic terpenes in Dendrobium and other flowering plants. Nevertheless, the inquiry into the precise means by which plants regulate the proportion of diverse aromatic terpenes in their floral scent, thereby preserving their olfactory traits, requires further investigation. A conjecture on the botanical perfumer mechanism, which condensed the findings of earlier studies, was put forward to address this area of interest. Specific transcription factors likely govern the coordinated expression of multiple key terpene synthase (TPS) genes during the flowering stage of plants, thereby regulating the proportional biosynthesis of diverse aromatic terpenes and sustaining the distinctive aromatic properties of individual plants. This review serves as a significant theoretical reference for further investigations into aromatic volatile compounds in Dendrobium.

Emergy synthesis of decoupling and recoupling crop-livestock systems under unified system boundary and modified indices.

Sustainability assessment of integrated crop-livestock system was crucial for regulating and improving the complex agricultural system. Emergy synthesis (ES) is a suitable tool to assess the sustainability of integrated crop-livestock systems. However, the inconsistent system boundaries and limited assessment indicators caused to subjective and misleading results when comparing the recoupling and decoupling croplivestock models. Therefore, this study defined the rational system boundary of emergy accounting for the comparison of recoupling and decoupling crop-livestock complex systems. Meanwhile, the study designed an emergy-based indices system based on "3R" principles of circular economy. An integrated crop-livestock system including sweet maize cultivation and cow dairy farm in South China was selected as the case to compare sustainability of recoupling and decoupling models under the unified system boundary and modified indices. Results showed that the new ES framework could provide more rational assessment results when comparing the recoupling and decoupling crop-livestock systems. In addition, this study illustrated, through scenario simulation, that the recoupling maize-cow model could be further optimized by regulating the material flow between subsystems and adjusting the system structure. This study would promote the application of ES method in the field of agricultural circular economy.

Relationships between the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) and vertigo outcome.

OBJECTIVE: This retrospective cohort study aimed to investigate the association of sleep characteristics measured by the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) with the vertigo outcome in vertiginous patients with comorbid cardiometabolic diseases. METHODS: Four hundred and thirteen patients with comorbid cardiometabolic diseases who consecutively visiting vertigo and dizziness clinic were enrolled between October 2018 and January 2020 in a tertiary teaching medical center. Regression analyses and stratified analyses were used to explore the relationship between PSQI and vertigo outcome, which was measured by the visual analogue scale (VAS) score. RESULTS: In the study sample, 73.8% (305/413) were defined as 'poor sleep' (PSQI>5). Participants with better recovery tended to have better baseline PSQI global score, PSQI sleep quality, PSQI sleep onset latency, PSQI daytime dysfunction, less severe baseline vertigo symptoms indicated by VAS, Vertigo Symptom Scale (VSS) and Dizziness Handicap Inventory (DHI) scores. Moreover, baseline PSQI global score and PSQI daytime dysfunction score were independently associated with the vertigo VAS scores at the last follow-up. CONCLUSION: The present results clearly indicated that poor sleep is common and inversely associated with vertigo outcome in vertiginous patients with co-morbid cardiometabolic diseases. Therefore, sleep deserves greater attention in the total medical care in specific subgroup of vertiginous patients.

Molecular and metabolic insights into floral scent biosynthesis during flowering in Dendrobium chrysotoxum.

Dendrobium chrysotoxum is considered as an important ornamental dendrobium because of its strong and long-lasting floral scent. Nevertheless, few information is known about the dynamic changes and related formation mechanism of dendrobium floral scent at different flowering stages. In this study, the characteristics and biosynthetic mechanism of floral scent in D. chrysotoxum during flowering was revealed by using widely-targeted volatilomics (WTV) combined with transcriptome analysis. Over 500 kinds of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) were detected in the floral scents of D. chrysotoxum, which improved the knowledge about floral scent components of dendrobium. A total of 153 differential VOCs and 4,487 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified between flowers of different flowering stages, respectively. The results for both volatilomics and transcriptomics data indicated that terpenes and related genes played an important role in the formation of floral characteristics of D. chrysotoxum. But in general, the expression of genes showed an opposite trend to the accumulation of metabolites during flowering, suggesting that the regulation of floral scent biosynthesis might have started at the budding stage in D. chrysotoxum. Additionally, a transcriptional metabolic regulatory network consisting of terpenes, terpene synthases and candidate transcription factors was established. This research is the first systematic and comprehensive exploration of floral characteristics and related mechanisms during flowering in D. chrysotoxum. It provides basis for exploration of mechanisms on the floral scents and the breeding of aromatic dendrobium.

Diversified Shifts in the Cross Talk between Members of the Gut Microbiota and Development of Coronary Artery Diseases.

Coronary artery disease (CAD) is one of leading causes of mortality worldwide. Studies on roles that the gut microbiota plays in development of atherosclerosis or acute myocardial infarction (AMI) have been widely reported. However, the gut microbiota is affected by many factors, including age, body mass index (BMI), and hypertension, that lead to high CAD risk. However, the associations between gut microbiota and CAD development or other CAD risk factors remain unexplored. Here, we performed a 16S RNA gene sequencing analysis of 306 fecal samples collected from patients with mild coronary stenosis (MCS; n = 36), stable angina (SA; n = 91), unstable angina (UA; n = 48), and acute myocardial infarction (AMI; n = 66) and 65 non-CAD controls. Using a noise-corrected method based on principal-component analysis (PCA) and the random forest algorithm, we identified the interference with gut microbial profiling of multiple factors (including age, gender, BMI, and hypertension) that potentially contributed significantly to the development of CAD. After correction of noise interference from certain interfering factors, we found consistent indicator microbiota organisms (such as Vampirovibrio, Ruminococcus, and Eisenbergiella) associated with the presence of MCS, SA, and AMI. Establishment of a diagnostic model revealed better performance in early CAD than clinical indexes with indicator microbes. Furthermore, indicator microbes can improve the accuracy of clinical indexes for the diagnosis of AMI. Additionally, we found that the microbial indicators of AMI Sporobacter and Eisenbergiella showed consistent positive and negative correlations to the clinical indexes creatine kinase (CK) and hemoglobin (Hb), respectively. As a control indicator of AMI, Dorea was negatively correlated with CK but positively correlated with Hb. IMPORTANCE Our study discovered the effect of confounding factors on gut microbial variations and identified gut microbial indicators possibly associated with the CAD development after noise correction. Our discovered indicator microbes may have potential for diagnosis or therapy of cardiovascular disorders.

Presence of diabetes mellitus affects vertigo outcome in vestibular migraine.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the association of diabetes mellitus (DM) with vertigo outcome in patients with vestibular migraine (VM). METHODS: Two hundred and thirty-four patients with VM were consecutively enrolled between October 2018 and January 2020 in a tertiary teaching medical center. Multivariable linear regression model and stratified analyses were used to explore the relationship between diabetes and vertigo outcome, which was measured by the visual analogue scale (VAS). RESULTS: Patients with diabetes were more likely to have poorer sleep quality and more severe vertigo symptoms measured by VAS at the follow-up than those without diabetes. After adjusting for potential confounders, presence of diabetes was significantly linked with poorer final vertigo VAS score (ß, 95 % confidence interval [CI]: 1.0 [0.1, 2.0]). This association was only significant for female patients with VM (ß, 95%CI: 1.2 [0.2, 2.3], p = 0.0244). CONCLUSIONS: Presence of diabetes was independently and inversely corrected with the vertigo outcome in women with VM. Our findings suggest that diabetes is likely a negative prognosticator of vertigo outcome in VM.

CircSOX9 acts as a molecular sponge of miR-485-3p to promote the progression of nasopharyngeal carcinoma.

Circular RNA (circRNA) plays a vital role in the occurrence and development of nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC). However, the role of certain specific circRNAs in NPC are still unknown. In this study, collect tumor samples and adjacent normal tissues from clinical NPC patients and detect the expression of circSOX9 by qRT-PCR. Use nucleoplasmic separation analysis, RNase R digestion assay and FISH to detect the characteristics of circSOX9. After knocking down circSOX9, clone formation experiment and transwell assay were used to detect the proliferation and invasion ability of nasopharyngeal carcinoma cells HONE1 and CNE2, and western blot was used to further detect the level of epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT). Use the database to screen for possible downstream target genes and verify them with dual-luciferase experiments. Bioinformatics analysis showed that circSOX9 was significantly up-regulated in NPC, and its expression level was positively correlated with the malignant progression of cancer. Data from function gain or loss studies showed that decrease of circSOX9 inhibited the invasion and proliferation of HONE1 and CNE2 cell lines. Further analysis proved that miR-485-3p was the downstream target of circSOX9. The luciferase test showed that by acting as a molecular sponge of miR-485-3p, circSOX9 promotes the proliferation and invasion of NPC cells, while miR-485-3p can target the expression of SOX9. In conclusion, circSOX9 acts as an oncogene in the progression of NPC through miR-485-3p/SOX9, indicating that circSOX9 can be used as a potential therapeutic target and predictive marker for nasopharyngeal carcinoma.

New Target of Oxidative Stress Regulation in Cochleae: Alternative Splicing of the p62/Sqstm1 Gene.

We investigated oxidative stress and antioxidant response in the p62/Sqstm1-Keap1-Nrf2 pathway in C57BL/6 mice cochleae during age-related hearing loss (ARHL) and noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL), and the function of full-length and variant p62 in the regulation of Nrf2 activation. Groups of young (2 months), old (13-14 months), control, and acoustic trauma (AT) mice were examined cochlear damage and oxidative stress as follows: auditory brainstem response and hair cell counts; malondialdehyde (MDA) levels measured by assay kit and 7,8-dihydro-8-oxoguanine (8-oxoG) detected by immunohistochemistry. Full-length and variant p62 were examined for expression in cochleae, hippocampus (HIP), and auditory cortex (AC) using immunoblotting. Keap1-Nrf2 pathway activation was based on immunoblotting of nuclear Nrf2 and quantitative real-time PCR of Nrf2 target genes HO-1/NQO-1. The oxidative function of full-length and variant p62 was examined in HEI-OC-1 cells by flow cytometry. The results showed hearing loss, and cochlear hair cell loss was associated with MDA accumulation and 8-oxoG expression during ARHL and NIHL. Nrf2 showed no obvious changes in nuclear protein. Expression levels mRNA for HO-1 and NQO1 were lower in old mice and mildly greater in AT Mice. The expression of p62 splicing variant lacking the Keap1-interacting region was greater than full-length p62 in cochleae. However, the expression of p62 splicing variant was lesser than full-length p62 in HIP and AC. For HEI-OC-1 cells, overexpression of full-length p62 decreased ROS levels induced by H2O2. Oxidative stress is closely related to ARHL and NIHL. Changing the ratio of full-length to variant p62 protein expression may be a new target to reduce the level of oxidative stress in cochleae.

Treatment of lactational breast abscesses with cavity diameter larger than 5 cm via combined ultrasonography-guided percutaneous catheter placement and hydrostatic pressure irrigation.

This study reports on our experience of treating lactational breast abscesses larger than 5 cm via ultrasonography (US)-guided percutaneous catheter placement and hydrostatic pressure irrigation. Twelve cases of puerperal single breast abscesses larger than 5 cm were collected. These patients were treated with US-guided percutaneous catheter placement and hydrostatic pressure irrigation combined with oral antibiotics. All 12 patients using US-guided treatment were completely successful without conversion to open surgical drainage. The range of recovery time was 5-16 days, and no major complications occurred. The patients were satisfied with the appearance of the scar, and there were no reports of recurrence during the follow-up period.Overall, US-guided percutaneous catheter placement and hydrostatic pressure irrigation are successful strategies for the treatment of lactational breast abscesses larger than 5 cm. These methods not only reduce the treatment time and improve the patients' clinical course but also provide cosmetic effects.IMPACT STATEMENTWhat is already known on this subject? The current consensus on breast abscess treatment is that lesions <3 cm can be effectively treated by aspiration alone, lesions >3 cm require catheter drainage, lesions <5 cm have proven to be safe and effectively treated by US-guided ultrasound therapy, and lesions >5 cm, whether multi-loculated or longstanding, require surgical incision and drainage.What do the results of this study add? We tried to use this method to increase the cure rate of US-guided minimally invasive treatment for large abscesses. The results showed that all patients were cured successfully, requiring no further surgical intervention. Moreover, no complications occurred, and no patients developed sequelae. During the three-month follow-up period, there was no evidence of recurrence in any case.What are the implications of these findings for clinical practice and/or further research? Questions remain regarding the treatment's generalisability, potentially lengthy hospitalisation, and technical limitations of the existing instrumentation. Long-term follow up and larger sample size Randomised clinical trials studies are still needed to rigorously and scientifically ensure the method's benefits over conventional open surgery in the future.

Measurement and spatiotemporal analysis of high-quality development of China's industry.

BACKGROUND: China's economy has been transitioning from a phase of rapid growth to high-quality development. The high-quality development of industry is the foundation of a sustainable and healthy growth of national economy, and is of great significance to improve people's living standards, and to meet people's needs for a better life. METHODS: We develop an evaluation index system of high-quality development of industry from the perspectives of industrial benefit, innovation ability, coordination ability, green ability, opening ability and sharing ability. Based on a panel data of 30 provinces in China during 1999-2018, we evaluate the level of high-quality development of industry using the entropy-weight method and Technique for Order Preference by Similarity to an Ideal Solution (TOPSIS) method. Meanwhile we select six specific years and adopt the Natural Breaks method to classify the provinces according to their levels. At last, Moran's I index is used to analyze the spatial correlation among the provinces. RESULTS: Opening ability and innovation ability are found to have greater impacts on industrial high-quality development than other indices, and their influence has been increasing in recent years. There are large spatial and temporal differences among different provinces. Municipalities and coastal provinces are found to be at constantly high levels. The levels in the central region dropped first and then increased, however it was the opposite in the western region. In the northeast region, the levels fluctuated greatly. Overall, the high-quality development of industry among China's provinces shows positive spatial correlation. Most provinces in China are in High-High and Low-Low clustering States. The High-High clustering type is mainly distributed in the eastern region and the Low-Low clustering type is mainly distributed in the western and central regions. CONCLUSION: (1) Innovation ability and open ability are the most important factors. (2) Green ability has not sufficiently contributed to China's industrial development. (3) Regional and time evolution differences are significant. (4) There is a significant and stable spatial clustering effect in the high-quality development of industry among China's provinces.

Comparative analysis on lung transcriptome of Mycoplasma ovipneumoniae (Mo) - infected Bashbay sheep and argali hybrid sheep.

BACKGROUND: Bashbay sheep (Bbs) has a certain degree of resistance to Mycoplasma ovipneumoniae (Mo), however, Argali hybrid sheep (Ahs) is susceptible to Mo. To understand the molecular mechanisms underlying the difference of the susceptibility for Mo infection, RNA-sequencing technology was used to compare the transcriptomic response of the lung tissue of Mo-infected Bbs and Ahs. RESULTS: Six Bbs and six Ahs were divided into experimental group and control group respectively, all of them were experimentally infected with Mo by intratracheal injection. For collecting lung tissue samples, three Bbs and three Ahs were sacrificed on day 4 post-infection, and the others were sacrificed on day 14 post-infection. Total RNA extracted from lung tissue were used for transcriptome analyses based on high-throughput sequencing technique and bioinformatics. The results showed that 212 (146 up-regulated, 66 down-regulated) DEGs were found when comparing transcriptomic data of Bbs and Ahs at 4th dpi, besides, 311 (158 up-regulated, 153 down-regulated) DEGs were found at 14th dpi. After GO analysis, three main GO items protein glycosylation, immune response and positive regulation of gene expression were found related to Mo infection. In addition, there were 20 DEGs enriched in these above items, such as SPLUC1 (BPIFA1), P2X7R, DQA, HO-1 and SP-A (SFTPA-1). CONCLUSIONS: These selected 20 DEGs associated with Mo infection laid the foundation for further study on the underlying molecular mechanism involved in high level of resistance to Mo expressed by Bbs, meanwhile, provided deeper understandings about the development of pathogenicity and host-pathogen interactions.

Downregulation of Cav3.1 T-type Calcium Channel Expression in Age-related Hearing Loss Model.

OBJECTIVE: Age-related hearing loss (AHL), characterized by degeneration of cochlea structures, is the most common sensory disorder among the elderly worldwide. The calcium channel is considered to contribute to normal hearing. However, the role of the T-type voltage-activated calcium channel, Cav3.1, remains unclear in AHL. Here, we investigate the age-related change of Cav3.1 expression in the cochlea and D-gal-induced senescent HEI-OC1 cells. METHODS: Cochleae from C57BL/6 mice at 2 months and 12 months of age were assessed. Senescence in House Ear Institute-Organ of Corti 1 (HEI-OC1) cells was induced by D-gal treatment. The immunofluorescence technique was employed to investigate the distribution of Cav3.1 in vivo and in vitro. Quantitative assessment was achieved by Western blotting and real-time PCR. RESULTS: In comparison with 2-month-old animals, 12-month old C57BL/6 mice exhibited great loss of hair cells and elevated auditory brainstem threshold. The Cav3.1 was located in hair cells, spiral ganglion cells, lateral walls, and the expression of Cav3.1 protein and mRNA decreased in the aged cochleae. D-gal-induced senescence assay confirmed the down-regulation of Cav3.1 expression in senescent HEI-OC1 cells. CONCLUSION: Our results show that age-related down-regulated expression of Cav3.1 in the cochleae is associated with AHL and may contribute to the pathogenesis of AHL.

The complete chloroplast genome of Cymbidium dayanum (Orchidaceae).

Cymbidium dayanum, a wild orchid species in the Orchid family (Orchidaceae), is considered highly valuable because of its long flowering period and beautiful plant shape. We sequenced the complete chloroplast genome of C. dayanum using the Illumina Hiseq platform (Illumina, San Diego, CA). The size of the C. dayanum chloroplast genome is 155,408 bp, with an average GC content of 36.76%. This chloroplast genome has containing a large single-copy (LSC) region of 84,189 bp, a small single-copy (SSC) region of 17,991 bp, and two inverted (IRa and IRb) repeat regions of two 26,614 bp. A total of 118 unique genes were annotated, including 76 protein-coding genes, 38 tRNA genes, and 4 rRNA genes. A maximum-likelihood phylogenetic tree indicated that C. dayanum is closely related to C. tracyanum in the genus Cymbidium based on 9 whole chloroplast genome sequences.

Expression of α2-Na/K-ATPase in C57BL/6J Mice Inner Ear and Its Relationship with Age-related Hearing Loss.

K+ cycling in the cochlea is critical to maintain hearing. Many sodium-potassium pumps are proved to participate in K+ cycling, such as Na/K-ATPase. The α2-Na/K-ATPase is an important isoform of Na/K-ATPase. The expression of α2-Na/K-ATPase in the cochlea is not clear. In this study, we used C57BL/6 mice as a model of presbycusis and implemented immunohistochemistry staining and quantitative real time-PCR, and the α2-Na/K-ATPase expression pattern was confirmed in the inner ear. It was found α2-Na/K-ATPase was expressed widely in cochlea and its mRNA and protein expression was gradually reduced with aging (4-, 14-, 26- and 48-weeks old mice). We suspected that, the down-regulation of α2-Na/K-ATPase expression might be associated with the remodeling of K+ cycling, degeneration of morphological structure and decrease of hearing function in aging C57 mice. In conclusion, we speculated that the reduction of α2-Na/K-ATPase might play an important role in the pathogenesis of age-related hearing loss.