A prognostic risk model based on lactate metabolism and transport-related lncRNAs for gastric adenocarcinoma.

BACKGROUND: Increased lactate levels and metastasis in tumours are strongly associated with dismal outcomes. But prognostic value of lactate metabolism and transport-related lncRNAs in gastric adenocarcinoma (GA) patients remains unaddressed. METHODS: Gene expression data of GA were provided by The Cancer Genome Atlas. Lactate metabolism and transport-related gene data were accessed from GSEA. LncRNAs related to lactate metabolism and transport were identified by correlation analysis. A prognostic model was built by regression analysis. Validity of prognostic model was confirmed through survival analysis and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve. Immunity of each risk group was evaluated by immune correlation analysis .LncRNA-mRNA network was built by correlation analysis using Cytoscape software. RESULTS: A 12-gene prognostic model based on lactate metabolism and transport-related lncRNAs was built in GA. Median riskscore was utilized to classify GA samples into high- and low-risk groups. Survival analysis and ROC curves demonstrated validity of prognostic model. Most immune checkpoint molecules and TIDE scores were lower in the low-risk group. LINC01303 and LINC01545 may be the key prognostic factors in patients with GA. CONCLUSION: This study successfully built a prognostic model of lactate metabolism and transport-related lncRNAs in GA. The findings guide prognostic management of GA patients.

Non-contact thermometer behavior of (Y0.5In0.5)2O3:Yb3+,Er3+ solid solution.

Oxides are physically and chemically stable. Non-contact thermometer-Yb3+-Er3+ ions co-doped solid solution (Y0.5In0.5)2O3, is prepared by the regular solid method. The structural results obtained by XRD indicate that a pure phase solid solution (Y0.5In0.5)2O3 has been obtained. The solid solution (Y0.5In0.5)2O3 has a similar crystal structure, especially Y2O3 and In2O3 with the same space group (Ia3̄). Green emission from 500 to 600 nm is due to Er3+ 4f-4f transitions: 4S3/2 → 4I15/2 at 567 nm and 2H11/2 → 4I15/2 at 528 nm. Red emissions from 630 to 720 nm are attributed to Er3+: 4F9/2 → 4I15/2. UC luminescence changes greatly with laser diode power and Er3+ and Yb3+ content. Furthermore, the two-photon process is confirmed to be dominant between Yb3+ and Er3+ in oxide solid solution (Y0.5In0.5)2O3. Optical temperature sensitivity is also investigated systematically in order to explore the application of the oxide solid solution (Y0.5In0.5)2O3. The temperature-dependent green fluorescence at 528 and 567 nm was investigated with the range of 313-573 K. 0.316% K-1 is the maximum absolute sensitivity at 503 K, which is higher than most Yb3+/Er3+ co-doped systems. In addition, the solid solution (Y0.5In0.5)2O3:Yb3+,Er3+ has better thermal stability and stronger UC emission than a simple substance with excellent temperature sensing performance. It indicates that Yb3+-Er3+ ions co-doped (Y0.5In0.5)2O3 solid solution is a good candidate for optical temperature sensing.

A novel copper oxide/titanium membrane integrated with peroxymonosulfate activation for efficient phenolic pollutants degradation.

Herein, a novel CuO catalyst functionalized Ti-based catalytic membrane (FCTM) was prepared via the regulated electro-deposition technique followed with low-temperature calcination. The morphology of CuO catalyst and oxygen vacancy (OV) content can be controlled by adjusting the preparation conditions, under optimal condition (400 °C, electrolyte as sulfuric acid), the fern-shaped CuO catalyst was formed and the OV content was up to its highest level. Under the optimal treatment condition, the 4-chlorophenol (4-CP) removal of the membrane filtration combined with peroxymonosulfate (PMS) activation (MFPA) process was up to 98.2% (TOC removal of 88.2%). Mechanism studying showed that the enhanced performance in this system was mainly due to the increased production of singlet oxygen (1O2) via the co-effect of fern-shaped CuO (increased specific surface area) and its fine-tuned OV (precursor of 1O2), which not only synergistically enhanced adsorption ability but also offered more active sites for PMS activation. Theoretical calculations showed that the OV-rich CuO displayed high adsorption energy for PMS molecule, leading to the change in OO and OH bond (tend to 1O2) of the PMS molecule. Finally, the possible three degradation pathways of 4-CP were formed by the electrophilic attacking of 1O2.

Probiotics and Immunostimulant modulate intestinal flora diversity in Reeves' Turtle (Mauremys reevesii) and effects of Clostridium butyricum on its spleen transcriptome.

In this study, we investigated the effects of Clostridium butyricum (group A), Bacillus subtilis (group B), and the immune enhancer algal ß-1,3 glucan (group C) on the intestinal flora of Reeves' turtle Mauremys reevesii and the effects of C. butyricum on the transcriptome of M. reevesii splenic immune tissues. Reeve' turtles were assigned to four groups, each containing three replicates from 18 samples. Juvenile turtles with an initial weight of 106.35 ± 0.03 g were fed a basic diet containing no probiotics (group D), or a basic diet containing C. butyricum TF20201120, B.subtilis, or algal ß-1,3 glucan supplement, respectively. After the turtles had been fed for 60, 90, and 120 d of the experimental period, high-throughput sequencing of the 16S rRNA gene revealed no significant difference in alpha diversity among the four groups at 60 days of feeding (P > 0.05), and at 90 days, the alpha diversity in group A was significantly different (P < 0.05), with an increase of 26.62% in the Shannon index and a decrease of 83.33% in the Simpson index; at 120 d, the alpha diversity (Shannon index) showed a decreasing trend in order for groups A, B, and C, At the phylum level, the abundance of Bacteroidetes, Proteobacteria, and Fusobacteria in group A increased significantly with increasing feeding time (P < 0.05), At the genus level, the abundance of Ruminococcaceae and Anaerotruncus in group A increased significantly compared with that in the other three groups (P < 0.05). Transcriptome analysis showed that 384 genes were differentially expressed in the spleen of M. reevesii, 195 genes were upregulated and 189 genes were downregulated, and C. butyricum TF201120 regulated the hematopoietic cell lineage signaling pathway in the spleen of M. reevesii (P < 0.05). The regulation of several identified immune-related genes was confirmed by qPCR. These results showed that C. butyricum, B. subtilis, and the immune enhancer algal ß-1,3 glucan can improve the intestinal flora of M. reevesii, with C. butyricum TF20201120 being the most effective and significantly enhancing the immunity of M. reevesii.

Single-Atom Nanocatalytic Therapy for Suppression of Neuroinflammation by Inducing Autophagy of Abnormal Mitochondria.

Catalysts have achieved efficacy in scavenging reactive oxygen species (ROS) to eliminate neuroinflammation, but it ignores the essential fact of blocking the source of ROS regeneration. Here, we report the single-atom catalysts (SACs) Pt/CeO2, which can effectively catalyze the breakdown of existing ROS and induce mitochondrial membrane potential (Δψm) depolarization by interfering with the α-glycerophosphate shuttle pathway and malate-aspartate shuttle pathway, indirectly triggering the self-clearance of dysfunctional mitochondria and thus eradicating the source of ROS generation. In a therapeutic model of Parkinson's disease (PD), Pt/CeO2 wrapped by neutrophil-like (HL-60) cell membranes and modified by rabies virus glycoprotein (RVG29) effectively crosses the blood-brain barrier (BBB), enters dopaminergic neurons entering the neuroinflammatory region breaking down existing ROS and inducing mitophagy by electrostatic adsorption targeting mitochondria to prevent ROS regeneration after catalyst discharge. This strategy of efficiently eliminating ROS at the lesion and fundamentally blocking the source of ROS production can address both symptoms and root causes and provides a mechanism of explanation and action target for the treatment of inflammation-related diseases.

Ferrihydrite-loaded water hyacinth-derived biochar for efficient removal of glyphosate from aqueous solution.

Ferrihydrite-loaded water hyacinth-derived biochar (FH/WHBC) was prepared by in-situ precipitation method to treat glyphosate-containing wastewater. The adsorption properties and mechanism, and actual application potential were deeply studied. Results showed that the adsorption performance of FH/WHBC was closely related with the precipitation pH condition, and the adsorbent prepared at pH 5.0 possessed the highest adsorption capacity of 116.8 mg/g for glyphosate. The isothermal and kinetic experiments showed that the adsorption of glyphosate was consistent with Langmuir model, and the adsorption process was rapid and could be achieved within 30 min. The prepared FH/WHBC was more suitable for application under high acidity environment, and could maintain the great adsorption performances in the presence of most co-existing ions. Besides, it also possessed a good regenerability. Under dynamic condition, the adsorption performance of FH/WHBC was not affected even at high flow rate and high glyphosate concentration. Furthermore, the FH/WHBC can keep excellent removal efficiency for glyphosate in wastewater treatment, and the concentration of glyphosate can be reduced to 0.06 mg·L-1, which was lower than the groundwater quality of class II mandated in China. Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) characterization indicated that the adsorption of glyphosate on FH/WHBC was mainly accomplished through electrostatic adsorption and the formation of inner-sphere complexes. In brief, the prepared sorbent FH/WHBC was expected to be used in the treatment of industrial glyphosate wastewater.

Causal effects of prenatal and chronic PM2.5 exposures on cognitive function.

Growing evidence indicated an association between PM2.5 exposure and cognitive function, but the causal effect and the cognitive effect of prenatal PM2.5 exposure remain elusive. We obtained 15,099 subjects from a nationally representative sample of China and measured their cognitive performance. We ascertained subjects' prenatal PM2.5 exposure and chronic PM2.5 exposure of the recent two years. Using this national sample, we found that PM2.5 exposure during the mid- to late-pregnancy was significantly associated with declined cognition and income; chronic PM2.5 exposure was also independently associated with cognition and income measured at adulthood with greater magnitude. Negative effect modification was observed between prenatal and chronic PM2.5 exposure. Instrumental variable approach and difference-in-difference study verified causal effects: every 1 µg/m3 increase in prenatal and chronic PM2.5 exposures were causally associated with -0.22% (-0.38%, -0.06%) and -0.17% (-0.31%, -0.03%) changes in cognitive function, respectively. People with low cognition and low income were more vulnerable to PM2.5 exposure with greater cognitive and income decline. In the future, although China's improved air quality continues to benefit people and reduce cognitive decline induced by chronic PM2.5 exposure, high prenatal PM2.5 exposure will continue to hurt the overall cognition of Chinese population, since in total 360 million people were born during the 2000-2020 polluted era. Prenatal PM2.5-induced cognitive decline would remain largely unchanged before 2050 and gradually reduce after 2065, regardless of environmental policy scenarios. The long-lasting cognitive impact of PM2.5 is worth considering while enacting environmental policies.

Fcγ receptor-mediated phagocytosis pathway was involved in phagocytosis of mIgM+ B lymphocytes from largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides).

The potential for phagocytosis has been proven in teleost B cells, but the research on the regulatory mechanism of phagocytosis remains lacking. In this study, three largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides) (15 ± 5 g) were injected intraperitoneally with Nocardia seriolae (105 CFU/100 µl/fish) in vivo, and their spleen was collected at 72 h post-infection for mRNA-seq. After the de novo assembly of the paired-end reads, 73,622 unigenes were obtained. Gene expression profiling revealed that 2043 unigenes were differentially expressed after N. seriolae infection, comprising 1285 upregulated and 758 downregulated unigenes (q-value <0.05, log2FC > |2|) of which 181 genes were involved in phagocytosis. The Kyoto Encyclopaedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) analysis demonstrated that 12 differentially expressed genes (DEG) associated with phagocytosis were enriched in the Fcγ receptor-mediated phagocytosis signalling pathway. In vitro, the phagocytic ability of mIgM+ B lymphocytes was validated using indirect immunofluorescence assay (IIFA) and fluorescence activating cell sorter (FACS), and the phagocytosis rates of the mIgM+ B lymphocytes incubated with a Lyn inhibitor had decreased from 18.533 ± 6.00% to 11.610 ± 4.236% compared with the unblocked group. These results suggested that the Fcγ receptor-mediated phagocytosis signalling pathway had participated in the phagocytosis of B cells and provide further insight into the role of B cells in innate immunology.

Functional Characterization of Largemouth Bass (Micropterus salmoides) Soluble FcγR Homolog in Response to Bacterial Infection.

Fc receptors (FcRs) are key players in antibody-dependent cellular phagocytosis (ADCP) with their specific recognition of the Fc portion of an immunoglobulin. Despite reports of FcγR-mediated phagocytosis in mammals, little is known about the effects of soluble FcγRs on the immune response. In this study, FcγRIα was cloned from the largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides) (MsFcγRIα). Without a transmembrane segment or a cytoplasmic tail, MsFcγRIα was identified as a soluble form protein and widely distributed in the spleen, head kidney, and intestine. The native MsFcγRIα was detected in the serum of Nocardia seriolae-infected largemouth bass and the supernatants of transfected HEK293 cells. Additionally, it was verified that the transfected cells' surface secreted MsFcRIα could bind to largemouth bass IgM. Moreover, the expression changes of MsFcγRIα, Syk, and Lyn indicated that MsFcγRIα was engaged in the acute phase response to bacteria, and the FcγR-mediated phagocytosis pathway was activated by Nocardia seriolae stimulation. Furthermore, recombinant MsFcγRIα could enhance both reactive oxygen species (ROS) and phagocytosis to Nocardia seriolae of leukocytes, presumably through the interaction of MsFcγRIα with a complement receptor. In conclusion, these findings provided a better understanding of the function of soluble FcγRs in the immune response and further shed light on the mechanism of phagocytosis in teleosts.

Role of Clostridium butyricum, Bacillus subtilis, and algae-sourced ß-1,3 glucan on health in grass turtle.

This study investigated the effects of two probiotics namely Clostridium butyricum and Bacillus subtilis, and one prebiotic known as algae-sourced ß-1,3 glucan, on the overall performances of grass turtles (Chinemys reevesii) juveniles. Growth performance, immune responses, enzymatic antioxidant activities, intestinal histomorphology, and disease resistance against the challenge with Aeromonas veronii were assessed. Two hundred and sixteen (216) juvenile turtles with an average initial weight of 106.35 ± 0.03 g were divided into four groups, each containing three replicates with 18 turtles per each replicate, which were fed a basic diet (control group, GD) and a basal diet supplemented with C. butyricum 1.0 × 108 CFU per kg (GA group), or with B. subtilis 1.0 × 108 CFU per kg (GB group) and with algal-sourced ß-1,3-glucan 50 mg per kg (GC group), respectively. After the turtles had been fed for 60 d, 90 d, and 120 d of the experimental period, the growth performance and survival rate (SR), intestinal digestive enzyme, hepatic and intestinal antioxidant capacity, serum biochemical indexes, and immune performance were measured. The results showed that the weight gain rate and SR were significantly enhanced (P < 0.05) after fed probiotics and algae-sourced ß-1,3-glucan in all test times;The pepsin, amylase, acid phosphatase, total antioxidant capacity, triglyceride, alkaline phosphatase, urea nitrogen, cholesterol, total protein, IgA, IgG, IgM at 120 d were significantly enhanced (P<0.05) after fed C. butyricum. The intestinal villi heights, widths, and the thickness of the muscle layer were significantly higher in groups GA, GB, and GC than those reared within the GD control group (P < 0.05). After injecting the challenge by A. veronii the survival rate of grass turtles in the GA group (75%) was significantly higher than the other three groups (P<0.05), while there was no significant difference between the GB and GC groups compared with the control GD group, respectively (P>0.05). Overall, these results indicated that dietary supplementation with probiotics or algae-sourced ß-1,3 glucan, exhibited positive effects on C. reevesii. In particular, C. butyricum, showed the greatest improvements relating to growth, immune response, antioxidant activity, intestinal health, and disease resistance.

Simultaneous removal of lead, manganese, and copper released from the copper tailings by a novel magnetic modified biosorbent.

Potentially toxic elements including lead (Pb), manganese (Mn), and copper (Cu) released from copper tailings would cause severe long-term environmental risks and potential threats to human health. To prevent these negative effects caused by the release of the metals, a novel magnetic carboxyl groups modified bagasse with high adsorption affinity and strong magnetism was synthesized through an in-situ precipitation method and used to simultaneously remove Pb, Mn, and Cu from the eluate of copper tailings. Results showed that release of Pb, Mn, and Cu from the copper tailings was pH, time, and particle size dependent, and maximum concentrations of them released in the eluate was 1.7, 1.9, and 4.1 mg L-1 under weak acid conditions. Batch adsorption experiment showed that the as-synthesized magnetic modified bagasse could selectively absorb Pb, Mn, and Cu from a complex solution with adsorption capacity of 137.3, 13.1, and 90.0 mg g-1, respectively. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and energy dispersive spectroscopy-mapping (EDS-mapping) demonstrated that Pb, Mn, and Cu interacted with the magnetic modified biosorbent mainly through coordination and ion exchange. Column experiments showed that higher than 99.5% of the released Pb, Mn, and Cu could be simultaneously removed by the magnetic modified bagasse, and the maximum concentrations of them released in the eluate of the copper tailings were all decreased to lower than 0.01 mg L-1, which reached the discharge standards. After recycled by a magnet, the magnetic modified bagasse could be collected easily and used repeatedly. Because of the high efficiency and easy recovery, the used method had great practical application value in removal of potentially toxic elements released from metallic tailings.

Selective recovery of glyphosine from glyphosate mother liquor using a modified biosorbent: Competitive substitution adsorption.

Here, an easy to prepare, environmentally friendly, and highly efficient biosorbent was synthesized for the selective recovery of glyphosine from glyphosate mother liquor. Batch adsorption and continuous fixed-bed column experiments were conducted to determine its adsorption properties and evaluate its potential towards practical applications. The results showed that the biosorbent exhibited a fast adsorption rate and high adsorption capacity (296.1 mg/g) toward glyphosine. Further, the biosorbent performed better under acidic conditions, and was easily regenerated using an alkaline solution, maintaining a high removal efficiency even after 5 adsorption-desorption cycles. Competitive adsorption experiments in binary and ternary systems revealed that the biosorbent showed a higher adsorption affinity toward the target glyphosine compared with glyphosate and phosphorous acid (which are the other main constituents of glyphosate mother liquor), enabling the selective recycling of glyphosine. These observations were further supported through density functional theory (DFT) calculations of the adsorption energy. Moreover, fixed-bed column experiments showed that the prepared biosorbent could maintain its high performance in actual glyphosate mother liquor. Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) analyses revealed that the adsorption mechanism is strongly associated with electrostatic attraction and hydrogen bonding between -NH3+ and glyphosine. Overall, the prepared biosorbent can be considered as an excellent candidate for the selective recovery of glyphosine from complicated industrial wastewater systems.

Preparation and application of high-performance and acid-tolerant TiO2/carbon electrocatalytic membrane for organic wastewater treatment.

Acidic organic wastewater with toxic and carcinogenic properties has long been a tough problem for industrial treatment. To break down the barrier of poor acidic stability as well as the high cost of materials and reactors, a novel strategy of utilizing a high-performance and acid-tolerant TiO2/carbon electrocatalytic membrane (TiO2/CEM) for acidic organic wastewater treatment was proposed. Study results showed that high concentrations of organic pollutants were separated and degraded by the synergistic effects of membrane separation and electrocatalytic oxidation simultaneously on the TiO2/CEM. The great treatment performance with membrane removal efficiency of >97.4% was obtained by treating acidic rhodamine B (RhB) dye wastewater under optimized applied voltage. Treatment experiments under various pH and electrochemical tests demonstrated the outstanding acid-tolerant property and long service life of TiO2/CEM. Furthermore, the feasibility of TiO2/CEM for industrial application and various acidic organic wastewater treatment was proved by treating typical organic pollutants (phenol, tetracycline and oil) under high acidic circumstances.

Utilizing waste duckweed from phytoremediation to synthesize highly efficient FeNxC catalysts for oxygen reduction reaction electrocatalysis.

Duckweed is a universal aquatic plant to remove nitrogen source pollutants in the field of phytoremediation. Due to the naturally abundant nitrogen, synthesis of carbon materials from duckweed would be a high-value approach. In oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) of metal-air batteries and fuel cells, non-noble metals and heteroatoms co-doped electrocatalysts with excellent catalytic activity and remarkable stability are promising substitutes for Pt-based catalysts. The first-class ORR performance is determined by appropriate pore structure and active sites, which are strongly associated with the feasible synthesis methods. Herein, a facile one-step synthesis strategy for the transition metals- and nitrogen-codoped carbon (MNxC) based catalysts with hierarchically porous structure was developed. The MNxC (M = Fe, Co, Ni, and Mn) active sites were constructed and FeNxC (D-ZB-Fe) was the best electrocatalyst with excellent ORR performance. Results showed that D-ZB-Fe exhibited an obvious honeycomb porous structure with specific surface area of 1342.91 m2·g-1 and total pore volume of 1.085 cm3·g-1. It also possessed considerable active atoms and sites, where the proportion of pyridine N and graphite N was up to 72.9%. The above feature made for a superior ORR electrocatalytic activity. In specific, the onset and half-wave potential were 0.974 V and 0.857 V vs. RHE (Reversible Hydrogen Electrode), respectively. When compared with performances of commercial Pt/C, the four-electron pathway and relatively low peroxide yield, ca. 5%, were almost equivalent. Furthermore, D-ZB-Fe showed an excellent stability and remarkably methanol tolerance by the durability test. In conclusion, this research provides a new synthesis strategy of electrocatalysts with porous structures and active sites.

Characterization of novel antigenic vaccine candidates for nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) against Streptococcus agalactiae infection.

Streptococcus agalactiae is one of the important pathogens responsible for high mortality and economic losses of the tilapia industry worldwide. Based on ten serovars of S. agalactiae infection, subunit vaccine with conserved antigens is promising strategy corresponding stimulated long-term immunity and provides protection for animals against different serotypes of S. agalactiae. In the present study, eight proteins (AP, AL, LivK, ESAT6, essA, essB, essC and esaA) were selected from the S. agalactiae serotype Ia genome as immunogenic antigens with bioinformation and immune experiment assays. These recombinant proteins were successfully obtained through expression in Escherichia coli and the immunogenicity was assessed in tilapia challenge model. The results showed that the recombinant proteins caused high-level-specific antibodies production and high lysozyme activities, suggesting that the recombinant proteins induced specific humoral immune response and innate immune response of tilapia. The signficant increase were observed in the cytokines levels of TNF-α, IL-1ß, IFN-γ, cc1, cc2 and immune-related genes levels of CD8α and MHC factors in the spleen and head kidney tissues, suggesting that the recombinant proteins induced immune response of tilapia through cytokines signal pathway and activated high cytotoxic T-lymphocyte (CTL) activity of tilapia. Furthermore, vaccinated tilapia conferred high levels of protection against challenge with a lethal dose of highly virulent serovar Ⅰa (highest RPS was 91.60% in AL and essC protein groups). Our results indicated that the eight recombinant proteins induced high level of immune responses and offered protection against S. agalactiae infection, could be potential subunit vaccine candidates.

An Improved Convolutional Neural Network Algorithm and Its Application in Multilabel Image Labeling.

In today's society, image resources are everywhere, and the number of available images can be overwhelming. Determining how to rapidly and effectively query, retrieve, and organize image information has become a popular research topic, and automatic image annotation is the key to text-based image retrieval. If the semantic images with annotations are not balanced among the training samples, the low-frequency labeling accuracy can be poor. In this study, a dual-channel convolution neural network (DCCNN) was designed to improve the accuracy of automatic labeling. The model integrates two convolutional neural network (CNN) channels with different structures. One channel is used for training based on the low-frequency samples and increases the proportion of low-frequency samples in the model, and the other is used for training based on all training sets. In the labeling process, the outputs of the two channels are fused to obtain a labeling decision. We verified the proposed model on the Caltech-256, Pascal VOC 2007, and Pascal VOC 2012 standard datasets. On the Pascal VOC 2012 dataset, the proposed DCCNN model achieves an overall labeling accuracy of up to 93.4% after 100 training iterations: 8.9% higher than the CNN and 15% higher than the traditional method. A similar accuracy can be achieved by the CNN only after 2,500 training iterations. On the 50,000-image dataset from Caltech-256 and Pascal VOC 2012, the performance of the DCCNN is relatively stable; it achieves an average labeling accuracy above 93%. In contrast, the CNN reaches an accuracy of only 91% even after extended training. Furthermore, the proposed DCCNN achieves a labeling accuracy for low-frequency words approximately 10% higher than that of the CNN, which further verifies the reliability of the proposed model in this study.

Inulin with a low degree of polymerization protects human umbilical vein endothelial cells from hypoxia/reoxygenation-induced injury.

Here, we identified inulin-type oligosaccharides with 3-13 degrees of polymerization from Morinda officinalis. Radical-scavenging assays showed that Inulins 4-7 had modest anti-oxidative effects. Inulins 4 and 5 dose-dependently increased human umbilical vein endothelial cell survival during hypoxia/re-oxygenation (H/R)-induced injury, and Inulin 5 promoted angiogenesis. Triplicate assays with the Affymetrix Human Transcriptome Array 2.0 showed that Inulin 5 exposure up-regulated genes associated with cell cycle progression, apoptosis, DNA replication and repair, ubiquitin-mediated proteolysis, the mitogen-activated protein kinase pathway, and the phosphatidylinositol-4,5-bisphosphate 3-kinase (PI3K)-signaling pathway. Flow cytometry, reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction, and western blot experiments verified the microarray results and demonstrated that Inulin 5 influenced cell cycle progression and the PI3K-protein kinase B (PKB)-endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) pathway. Thus, inulin-type oligosaccharides from M. officinalis roots may protect against H/R-induced injury, primarily through an anti-oxidative effect, and promote angiogenesis by activating the PI3K-PKB-eNOS-signaling pathway.

Codon usage bias of the phosphoprotein gene of spring viraemia of carp virus and high codon adaptation to the host.

In this study, we calculated the relative synonymous codon usage (RSCU) value and the effective number of codons (ENC) value to carry out principal component analysis (PCA) and correlation analysis of the codon usage pattern of the phosphoprotein gene (P gene) of spring viraemia of carp virus (SVCV). The synonymous codon usage pattern in P genes is geography-specific, based on PCA analysis. The high correlation between (G + C)1,2 % and (G + C)3 % suggests that mutational pressure rather than natural selection is the main factor that determines the codon usage and base components in P genes. At least 40 out of 59 synonymous codons are similarly selected in all functional genes within five complete SVCV genomes, and the hosts based on the RSCU data. These results not only provide insight into variations in the codon usage pattern of SVCV but also may help in understanding the processes governing the evolution of SVCV.

Association of CYP3A polymorphisms with the pharmacokinetics of cyclosporine A in early post-renal transplant recipients in China.

AIM: To evaluate retrospectively the association of cytochrome P450 3A (CYP3A) and ATP-binding cassette sub-family B member 1 (ABCB1) gene polymorphisms with the pharmacokinetics of cyclosporine A (CsA) in Chinese renal transplant patients. METHODS: One hundred and twenty-six renal transplant patients were recruited. Blood samples were collected, and corresponding clinical indices were recorded on the seventh day after the procedure. The patients were genotyped for CYP3A4*1G, CYP3A5*3C, ABCB1 1236 C>T, ABCB1 2677 G>T/A, and ABCB1 3435 C>T polymorphisms. Whole blood trough concentrations of CsA at time zero (C(0)) were measured before the drug administration. A multiple regression model was developed to analyze the effects of genetic factors on the CsA dose-adjusted C(0) (C(0)/dose) based on several clinical indices. RESULTS: The CYP3A5*3C polymorphism influenced the C(0) and C(0)/dose of CsA, which were significantly higher in patients with the GG genotype than in patients with the AA or GA genotypes. No significant differences were detected for other SNPs (CYP3A4*1G, ABCB1 1236 C>T, ABCB1 2677 G>T/A, and ABCB1 3435 C>T). In a univariate analysis using Pearson's correlation test, age, hemoglobin, blood urea nitrogen and blood creatinine levels were significantly correlated with the log-transformed CsA C(0)/dose. In the multiple regression model, CYP3A5*3C, age, hemoglobin and blood creatinine level were associated with the log-transformed CsA C(0)/dose. CONCLUSION: CYP3A5*3C correlates with the C(0)/dose of CsA on the seventh day after renal transplantation. The allele is a putative indicator for the optimal CsA dosage in the early phase of renal transplantation in the Chinese population.

[Angiogenesis promoting effect of Morinda officinalis oligosaccharides on chicken embryo chorioallantoic membrane].

OBJECTIVE: To study the angiogenesis promoting effect of Morinda officinalis oligosaccharides(MOO) on chick embryo chorioallantoic membrane (CAM). METHOD: Rats blood serum containing low, medium and high doses of MOO was prepared using Chinese herbs serum pharmacology method. 60 chick embryoes were randomly divided into low, medium and high doses of MOO groups, as well as NS group, blank serum group and bFGF group. Each group included 10 embryoes. CAM model was prepared after 7 days incubation. Then NS, blank serum, bFGF (2500 U x mL(-1)), three doses of serum containing MOO were added respectively onto the carriers on the CAM. CAM sample was prepared after 3 days incubation. The state of angiogenesis was observed and the number of new blood vessels was counted. RESULT: Compared with blank serum and NS group, a more specific CAM angiogenesis appearance could be observed in each MOO group and bFGF group. Compared with blank serum group, the number of new blood vessels in each MOO group increased significantly (P < 0.05). But the drug had a lower efficacy than bFGF (P < 0.05). Compared with low dose group, the number of new blood vessels increased significantly in medium and high doses groups (P < 0.05). But there was no significant difference between the latter two groups. The number of new blood vessels showed no significant difference between NS group and blank serum group. CONCLUSION: MOO can obviously promote angiogenesis of CAM.