Research progress on the regulatory mechanisms of Irisin on cognitive dysfunction in patients with Alzheimer's disease and the interventional role of Irisin in associated diseases.

Irisin, a peptide produced during exercise, is believed to play a role in regulating energy levels within the body. Moreover, Irisin has the ability to traverse the blood-brain barrier and engage in various pathophysiological processes within the central nervous system. An increasing body of research identifies Irisin as a significant therapeutic target for neurodegenerative diseases, indicating a strong link between Irisin and the development of cognitive impairments. In this paper, we present a concise review of effects of different types of exercise on Irisin production, and the mechanisms underlying the Irisin's intervention in various diseases including metabolic diseases, kidney injury and depression. Following this, we delve into an in-depth exploration of its role in modulating cognitive dysfunction among patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD), focusing on recent advancements in three critical areas: neuroinflammation, mitochondrial dysfunction, and protein misfolding. Finally, we put forth 3 hypotheses: (1) exercise-induced fibronectin type III domain containing protein 5 (FNDC5) stimulation and subsequent Irisin cleavage may be associated with the stress response in energy metabolism; (2) Irisin, as a myokine, likely plays a role in mitochondrial repair mechanisms to ameliorate cognitive impairment in AD patients; (3) Irisin is a homeostatic factor that maintains energy homeostasis and is closely related to the dynamic stability of the body's internal environment.

Environmental exposure to per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances mixture and asthma in adolescents.

BACKGROUND: Previous epidemiological studies about the relationship between per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) concentrations and adolescent asthma have typically examined single PFAS, without considering the mixtures effects of PFAS. METHODS: Using data from the 2013-2018 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), 886 adolescents aged 12-19 years were included in this study. We explored the association between PFAS mixture concentrations and adolescent asthma using weighted quantile sum (WQS) regression and Bayesian kernel machine regression (BKMR) models, respectively. RESULTS: After adjusting for confounders, the results of the WQS regression and BKMR models were consistent, with mixed exposure to the five PFAS not significantly associated with asthma in all adolescents. The association remained nonsignificant in the subgroup analysis by sex. CONCLUSIONS: Our study demonstrated no significant association between mixed exposure to PFAS and adolescent asthma, and more large cohort studies are needed to confirm this in the future.

Re-evaluation of the environmental hazards of nZnO to denitrification: Performance and mechanism.

Numerous studies have shown that zinc oxide nanoparticles (nZnO) have an inhibitory effect on wastewater biotreatment, where doses exceeding ambient concentrations are used. However, the effect of ambient concentrations of ZnO (<1 mg/L) on anaerobic digestion processes is not clear. Herein, this study comprehensively explored the impact of nZnO on the denitrification performance and core microbial community of activated sludge under ambient concentrations. Results showed that only 0.075 mg/L nZnO had shown a beneficial effect on nitrogen removal by activated sludge. When nZnO concentration reached 0.75 mg/L, significant enhancement of nitrate reduction and mitigation of nitrite accumulation were observed, indicating a remarkable stimulatory effect on nitrogen removal. Simultaneously, nZnO could weaken the sludge surface charge and improve the secretion of extracellular polymeric substances, thus enhancing sludge flocculation for denitrification. Microbial community analysis revealed that nZnO exposure increased the relative abundance of denitrifying bacteria, which could contribute to the reinforcement of traditional denitrification. Furthermore, exogenous addition of NH4+ significantly inhibited the accumulation of nitrite, implying that nZnO had a potential to improve the denitrification process via a partial denitrification-anammox pathway. Considering current ambient concentration, the stimulatory effect shown in our work may better represent the actual behavior of ZnO in wastewater biotreatment.

Evaluation of antibacterial activities of silver nanoparticles on culturability and cell viability of Escherichia coli.

Nanoparticles released into the environment are attracting increasing concern because of their potential toxic effects. Conventional methods for assessing the toxicity of nanoparticles are usually confined to cultivable cells, but not applicable to viable but non-culturable (VBNC) cells. However, it remains unknown whether silver nanoparticles (AgNPs), a typical antimicrobial agent, could induce bacteria into a VBNC state in natural environments. In this work, the viability of E. coli, an indicator bacterium widely used for assessing the antibacterial activity of AgNPs, was examined through coupling plate counting, fluorescence staining and adenosine triphosphate (ATP) production. AgNPs were found to have a considerable antibacterial ability, which resulted in less than 0.0004% of culturable cells on plates. However, more than 80% of the cells still maintained their cell membrane integrity under the stress of 80 mg/L AgNPs. Meanwhile, the residue of ATP production (0.6%) was 1500 times higher than that of the culturable cells (< 0.0004%). These results clearly demonstrate that when exposed to AgNPs, most of cells fell into a VBNC state, instead of dying. Environmental factors, e.g., Cl- and illumination, which could change the dissolution, hydrophilicity and zeta potential of AgNPs, eventually influenced the culturability of E. coli. Inhibition of dissolved Ag+ and reactive oxygen species was found to facilitate the mitigation of the strain into a VBNC state. Our findings suggest the necessity of re-evaluating the environmental effects and antibacterial activities of AgNPs.

Diagnosis and spontaneous healing of asymptomatic renal allograft extra-renal pseudo-aneurysm: A case report.

BACKGROUND: Transplant renal artery stenosis is a relatively frequent vascular complication after transplantation. However, extra-renal pseudo-aneurysms (EPSAs) are rare after transplantation; they can be life-threatening and usually need open surgical repair. We discuss the diagnosis and spontaneous healing of an asymptomatic renal allograft EPSA caused by renal artery anastomotic stenosis, which was diagnosed in a timely manner and managed by conservative treatments. CASE SUMMARY: We present a 37-year-old male patient diagnosed with a renal allograft EPSA caused by renal artery anastomotic stenosis due to multiple atherosclerotic plaques with ultrasonographic examination 6 mo post transplantation. The stenosis rate of 90% and the EPSA were verified by computed tomography angiography. The diagnosis was further confirmed with digital subtraction angiography. Percutaneous transluminal angiography was conducted, and a metallic stent was successfully implanted at the stenosed site of the main renal artery trunk. No further intervention for the EPSA was undertaken due to the difficulty of stenting and the risk of bleeding; regular ultrasonographic follow-ups were recommended. The stenosis was significantly relieved immediately after stent implantation and the EPSA was healed spontaneously by completely filling with hypo-echoic thrombosis 8 mo after stenting. CONCLUSION: Ultrasonography combined with a high-frequency linear probe can detect vascular complications post renal transplantation at an early stage and improve prognosis.

The protein corona and its effects on nanoparticle-based drug delivery systems.

In most cases, once nanoparticles (NPs) enter the blood, their surface is covered by biological molecules, especially proteins, forming a so-called protein corona (PC). As a result, what the cells of the body "see" is not the NPs as formulated by the chemists, but the PC. In this way, the PC can influence the effects of the NPs and even mask the desired effects of the NP components. While this can argue for trying to inhibit protein-nanomaterial interactions, encapsulating NPs in an endogenous PC may increase their clinical usefulness. In this review, we briefly introduce the concept of the PC, its formation and its effects on the behavior of NPs. We also discuss how to reduce the formation of PCs or exploit them to enhance NP functions. Studying the interactions between proteins and NPs will provide insights into their clinical activity in health and disease. STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE: The formation of protein corona (PC) will affect the operation of nanoparticles (NPs) in vivo. Since there are many proteins in the blood, it is impossible to completely overcome the formation of PC. Therefore, the use of PCs to deliver drug is the best choice. De-opsonins adsorbed on NPs can reduce macrophage phagocytosis and cytotoxicity of NPs, and prolong their circulation in blood. Albumin, apolipoprotein and transferrin are typical de-opsonins. In present review, we mainly discuss how to optimize the delivery of nanoparticles through the formation of albumin corona, transferrin corona and apolipoprotein corona in vivo or in vitro.

A narrative review of research progress on FoxM1 in breast cancer carcinogenesis and therapeutics.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this review is to clarify the potential roles of forkhead box transcription factor M1 (FoxM1) in the occurrence and progression of breast cancer, as well as the predictive value of FoxM1 as a prognostic biomarker and potential therapeutic target for breast cancer. BACKGROUND: Breast cancer, well-known as a molecularly heterogeneous cancer, is still one of the most frequently diagnosed malignant tumors among females worldwide. Tumor recurrence and metastasis are the central causes of high mortality in breast cancer patients. Many factors contribute to the occurrence and progression of breast cancer, including FoxM1. FoxM1, widely regarded as a classic proliferation-related transcription factor, plays pivotal roles in the occurrence, proliferation, invasion, migration, drug resistance, and epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) processes of multiple human tumors including breast cancer. METHODS: The PubMed database was searched for articles published in English from February 2008 to May 2021 using related keywords such as "forkhead box transcription factor M1", "human breast cancer", "FoxM1", and "human tumor". About 90 research papers and reports written in English were identified, most of which were published after 2015. These papers mainly concentrated on the functions of FoxM1 in the occurrence, development, drug resistance, and treatment of human breast cancer. CONCLUSIONS: Considering that the abnormal expression of FoxM1 plays a significant role in the proliferation, invasion, metastasis, and chemotherapy drug resistance of breast cancer, and its overexpression is closely correlated with the unfavorable clinicopathological characteristics of breast tumor patients, it is considerably important to comprehend the regulatory mechanism of FoxM1 in breast cancer. This will provide strong evidence for FoxM1 as a potential biomarker for the targeted treatment and prognostic evaluation of breast cancer patients.

Maleimide-Functionalized Liposomes for Tumor Targeting via In Situ Binding of Endogenous Albumin.

Albumin, the most abundant protein in plasma, has been widely used in drug delivery studies. Here, we developed maleimide-functionalized liposomes (Mal-Lip) that can bind to endogenous albumin to improve the tumor targeting efficiency of liposomes. Transmission electron microscopy and gel electrophoresis studies showed that albumin can bind to Mal-Lip due to the chemical coupling of the albumin thiol groups with the maleimide group. Both conventional liposomes and Mal-Lip showed minimal cytotoxicity within the tested range of lipid concentrations, indicating that the maleimide functionality did not increase the toxicity of liposomes to various cells. Mal-Lip was taken up by 4T1 cells to a greater extent than conventional liposomes, and Mal-Lip accumulated in 4T1 tumors in mice more than conventional liposomes after intravenous injection. These results suggest that the maleimide group can improve the tumor targeting efficiency of liposomes in vivo by binding to endogenous albumin in situ. However, the maleimide group also enhanced the uptake of Mal-Lip by Raw264.7 cells and shortened their time in circulation, indicating that further studies should be performed to prevent elimination of Mal-Lip by the immune system.

Expressions and significances of autophagy-related genes Beclin-1, p62 and LC3 in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma / 肿瘤研究与临床

Objective:To investigate the expressions and significances of autophagy-related genes Beclin-1, LC3 and p62 in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC).Methods:The clinical data of 112 patients with primary ESCC who underwent surgery at the 81st Group Army Hospital of Chinese PLA from January 2015 to December 2016 were retrospectively analyzed. Immunohistochemistry was used to examine the expressions of Beclin-1, p62 and LC3 proteins in 112 ESCC tissues and 31 adjacent normal esophageal mucosa tissues. Furthermore, the expressions of the above three autophagy-related markers in ESCC and the relationship between their expressions and the clinicopathological characteristics of patients were analyzed.Results:The positive expression rates of Beclin-1, LC3 and p62 in ESCC tissues were 32.14% (36/112), 37.50% (42/112) and 63.39% (71/112), The positive expression rates of Beclin-1, LC3 and p62 in adjacent normal esophageal mucosa tissues were 61.29% (19/31), 64.52% (20/31) and 32.26% (10/31), and the differences were statistically significant ( χ2 values ??were 8.715, 7.216 and 9.584, all P < 0.01). The positive expression rates of Beclin-1 and LC3 in ESCC were lower than those in adjacent normal esophageal mucosa tissues, and the positive expression rate of p62 in ESCC was higher than that in adjacentnormal esophageal mucosa tissues. In ESCC patients, the expression of Beclin-1 was related to histological grade, infiltration depth, TNM staging and lymph node metastasis (all P < 0.05); the expression of LC3 was related to infiltration depth and TNM staging (both P < 0.01); the expression of p62 was related to lymph node metastasis ( P < 0.01). In ESCC, the expression of LC3 was positively correlated with the expression of Beclin-1 ( r = 0.731, P = 0.001), and negatively correlated with the expression of p62 ( r = -0.215, P = 0.023). Conclusions:Autophagy plays a certain role in the occurrence and development of ESCC. Combined detection of autophagy-related genes Beclin-1, p62 and LC3 can assist clinical diagnosis and guide follow-up comprehensive treatment.

High-Performance Semitransparent Organic Photovoltaics Featuring a Surface Phase-Matched Transmission-Enhancing Ag/ITO Electrode.

In this study, we designed a surface phase-matched transmission enhancement top electrode-Ag/indium tin oxide (ITO) structure for highly efficient and aesthetic semitransparent organic photovoltaics (ST-OPVs). The purposed highly transparent back electrodes (Ag/ITO) could selectively decrease visible reflection and increase transparency accordingly. By altering the thicknesses of the Ag and ITO layers, we could control the transmittance curve and increase the transparency of the ST-OPV devices. Devices based on PTB7-Th:IEICO-4F and PM6:Y6:PC71BM displayed outstanding performance (8.1 and 10.2%, respectively) with high photopic-weighted visible light transmittance (36.2 and 28.6%, respectively). The outstanding visible and near-infrared light harvesting of PM6:Y6:PC71BM further allowed a new application: double-sided energy harvesting from solar and indoor illumination. The simple optical design of a top electrode displaying high transparency/conductivity has a wide range of potential applications in, for example, greenhouse photovoltaics, tandem cells, and portable devices.

Preoperative serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D3 and the incidence of early pulmonary infection after pediatric living donor liver transplantation.

BACKGROUND: Pulmonary infection is a common complication in pediatric living donor liver transplantation (LDLT) recipients. It has been suggested that vitamin D has a role in immune defense against infection. Therefore, we investigated the effect of preoperative serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D3 (25(OH)D3 ) on the risk of pneumonia in hospitalized patients undergoing LDLT. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This study was a retrospective review of patient records. Fifty consecutive pediatric patients (aged < 14 years) who underwent LDLT from January 2017 to December 2017 were included. Pulmonary infection in the early postoperative period was diagnosed using clinical, radiological, or laboratory criteria. Preoperative serum 25(OH)D3 level, demographic characteristics, primary diagnosis, ascites, time to extubation, length of intensive care unit stay, and perioperative laboratory values were recorded. Vitamin D deficiency, insufficiency, and sufficiency were defined as a serum 25(OH)D3 concentration of less than 10, 10 to 20, and more than 20 ng/mL, respectively. Associations between serum 25(OH)D3 levels and pulmonary infection were analyzed. RESULTS: Of 50 pediatric patients who underwent LDLT, 19 (38%) developed pulmonary infections in the early postoperative period. The mean serum 25(OH)D3 level in these subjects was 18.7 ± 17.2 ng/mL (range, 3.0-70.0 ng/mL). Twenty patients (40%) had severe vitamin D deficiency (<10 ng/mL). The mean serum 25(OH)D3 level was significantly decreased (9.3 ± 7.4 vs 24.5 ± 19.1 ng/mL, P = .002) in patients with pulmonary infection compared with those without pulmonary infection. Serum 25(OH)D3 level as a continuous variable (odds ratio [OR], 0.90, 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.84-0.97, P = .008) and a classification variable (≤10 ng/mL) (OR, 7.42, 95% CI, 2.06-26.79, P = .002) were significantly associated with pulmonary infection in univariate analysis. After adjusting for other significant predictors (age, weight, and pediatric end-stage liver disease score), severe 25(OH)D3 deficiency at presentation was independently associated with a higher risk of developing pulmonary infection in the early postoperative period (OR, 5.11, 95% CI, 1.30-20.16, P = .02). CONCLUSIONS: 25(OH)D3 deficiency is common and inversely correlated with pulmonary infection within the first month after pediatric LDLT. Our results indicate that preoperative serum 25(OH)D3 deficiency is a potential biomarker for early pulmonary infection after pediatric LDLT.

Perioperative characteristics and management of liver transplantation for isolated methylmalonic acidemia-the largest experience in China.

BACKGROUND: There are few detailed consensus and guidelines on perioperative clinical characteristics of liver transplantation (LT) in patients with methylmalonic acidemia (MMA). This retrospective study investigated details of the clinical course and individualized treatment plan of the center with largest experience in China. METHODS: A total of 7 MMA patients undergoing LT in Beijing Friendship Hospital from June 2013 to December 2017 were enrolled in the study, whose clinical data (clinical characteristics, laboratory findings, chronological changes in urine MMA levels, treatment, etc.) during perioperative period were analyzed retrospectively. All the patients received strict postoperative management. RESULTS: All the 7 cases were confirmed to have isolated MMA, among which, 3 cases received living donor liver transplantation (LDLT), 4 cases received deceased donor liver transplantation (DDLT). A wild fluctuate of metabolic condition was observed within the first few days after surgery and two weeks after LT, the mean base excess of blood value (BE-B) restored to normal whereas plasma bicarbonate (HCO3 -) was still below normal value even with intermittent sodium bicarbonate correction. It also showed marked reduction in propionylcarnitine (C3) and C3/C2 level and the mean urine MMA by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) was reduced by 81.7% (P<0.01) but remained >72× higher than upper limit of normal. The metabolism-correcting medications were administered as before. The renal function of one case with renal insufficiency before LT (serum creatinine rising) maintained stable by adjusting the immunosuppressive regimen during the observation period. All patients survive to date. CONCLUSIONS: LT is an effective treatment to prevent metabolic crisis, but patients with MMA tend to be metabolically fragile even after surgery. During perioperative period, close monitoring should be given for acidosis episodes so as to implement sodium bicarbonate correction. Metabolism-correcting medications are still needed. Special immunosuppressive regimen is an effective way of maintaining renal function for those with kidney dysfunction.

Multimodality-imaging manifestations of primary renal-allograft synovial sarcoma: First case report and literature review.

BACKGROUND: Primary renal synovial sarcoma (PRSS) is an extremely rare tumor with a poor prognosis. Its imaging and immunohistochemical characteristics may overlap with other renal tumors, which renders its early diagnosis in a dilemma. The diagnosis of primary renal synovial sarcoma requires histopathology and the confirmation of SYT-SSX gene fusion using molecular techniques. Cases of primary renal synovial sarcoma have been previously reported in the literature. However, to our knowledge, primary renal allograft synovial sarcoma was never described. CASE SUMMARY: A 43-year-old male patient who underwent kidney transplantation 9 months ago came to our hospital for regular follow-up. Traditional ultrasonography revealed multiple hypo-echo neoplasms in the renal allograft. Contrast-enhanced computed tomography (CECT) showed slightly hyper-density masses with slow homogeneous enhancement. Ultrasound-guided biopsy was conducted for accurate pathological diagnosis. The neoplasms were diagnosed as synovial sarcoma by pathological, immunohistochemical, and genetic analyses. Positron emission tomography/CT showed no evidence of metastasis. At approximately one week post biopsy, contrast-enhanced ultrasound was conducted to eliminate active hemorrhage. One month later, CECT showed that the biggest neoplasm grew from 3.3 cm to 5.7 cm in diameter. Parametric imaging was conducted with SonoLiver CAP to conduct further quantitative analysis, which showed that the enhancement pattern was heterogeneous hyper-vascular enhancement. Radical surgical resection of the whole renal allograft and ureter was conducted without additional adjuvant chemotherapy or external radiotherapy. Anlotinib was chosen for targeted therapy with a good response. CONCLUSION: We propose multimodality imaging for accurate diagnosis of renal allograft synovial sarcoma especially when it is formed by spindle-shaped cells.

A New Approach to Accomplish Intraoperative Cholangiography in Left Lateral Segmentectomy of Living Liver Donation.

BACKGROUND There are 2 main methods of bile duct division in harvesting left lateral segment of a living donor: 1) by intraoperative cholangiography through cystic duct with cholecystectomy, or 2) by direct vision with preoperative magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography. Here, we present a new approach to cholangiography by using the bile duct stump of the fourth liver segment (B4 stump) to achieve left lateral segmentectomy in pediatric living donor liver transplantation. MATERIAL AND METHODS This was a prospective study of 221 living donors who had undergone intraoperative cholangiography via the B4 stump in the course of left lateral segmentectomy. We collected and analyzed the clinical data, including the success rate of cholangiography by catheterizing the B4 stump; the associated time cost; the classification of the donor liver's biliary anatomy; the number of bile duct orifices on the graft side; and postoperative complications involving the biliary tract. RESULTS We were successful in catheterizing B4 stumps in all 221 patients. The mean time cost of these procedures was 7.21±3.62 minutes. Variations in the confluence of the right and left lobes were found in 58 patients (26.24%). Overall, sludge was detected in 18 cases (8.14%), gallstones were found in 3 patients (1.36%), and a polypoid gallbladder lesion was found in 1 patient (0.45%). There were 11 cases (4.98%) of bile leakage; no biliary strictures were found in the donors. CONCLUSIONS Intraoperative cholangiography via the B4 stump is an alternative procedure for living donors who undergoes left lateral segmentectomy.

First case of cross-auxiliary double domino donor liver transplantation.

We report a case of double domino liver transplantation in a 32-year-old woman who was diagnosed with familial amyloid polyneuropathy (FAP) and liver dysfunction. A two-stage surgical plan was designed, and one domino graft was implanted during each stage. During the first stage, an auxiliary domino liver transplantation was conducted using a domino graft from a 4-year-old female child with Wilson's disease. After removing the right lobe of the FAP patient's liver, the graft was rotated 90 degrees counterclockwise and placed along the right side of the inferior vena cava (IVC). The orifices of the left, middle, and right hepatic veins were reconstructed using an iliac vein patch and then anastomosed to the right side of the IVC. Thirty days later, a second domino liver graft was implanted. The second domino graft was from a 3-year-old female child with an ornithine carbamyl enzyme defect, and it replaced the residual native liver (left lobe). To balance the function and blood flow between the two grafts, a percutaneous transcatheter selective portal vein embolization was performed, and "the left portal vein" of the first graft was blocked 9 mo after the second transplantation. The liver function indices, blood ammonia, and 24-h urinary copper levels were normal at the end of a 3-year follow-up. These two domino donor grafts from donors with different metabolic disorders restored normal liver function. Our experience demonstrated a new approach for resolving metabolic disorders with domino grafts and utilizing explanted livers from children.

The genome of serotype VI Streptococcus agalactiae serotype VI and comparative analysis.

Streptococcus agalactiae (GBS) causes serious infections in humans and other species. A total of 25 complete GBS genomes, including the first sequenced serotype VI genome (GBS-M002), were compared in this study. The power law model suggested that the pan-genome of GBS is open, with approximately 1300 genes in the core genome of GBS, accounting for approximately 60% of the average genome content. GBS-M002 has 73 specific genes and is one of the five strains containing >60 specific genes. Based on COG (Cluster of Orthologous Groups of proteins) functional classification, 24% of the genes related to defense mechanisms are specific among the strains. A phylogenetic tree shows that GBS-M002 is closely related to certain strains of serotypes III and V from humans and to isolates of unknown serotype from dog and bovine hosts, suggesting the universal infection potential of GBS from humans to other mammal and fish hosts.

Hydrogen Sulfide-Mediated Polyamines and Sugar Changes Are Involved in Hydrogen Sulfide-Induced Drought Tolerance in Spinacia oleracea Seedlings.

Hydrogen sulfide (H2S) is a newly appreciated participant in physiological and biochemical regulation in plants. However, whether H2S is involved in the regulation of plant responses to drought stress remains unclear. Here, the role of H2S in the regulation of drought stress response in Spinacia oleracea seedlings is reported. First, drought stress dramatically decreased the relative water content (RWC) of leaves, photosynthesis, and the efficiency of PSII. Moreover, drought caused the accumulation of ROS and increased the MDA content. However, the application of NaHS counteracted the drought-induced changes in these parameters. Second, NaHS application increased the water and osmotic potential of leaves. Additionally, osmoprotectants such as proline and glycinebetaine (GB) content were altered by NaHS application under drought conditions, suggesting that osmoprotectant contributes to H2S-induced drought resistance. Third, the levels of soluble sugars and polyamines (PAs) were increased differentially by NaHS application in S. oleracea seedlings. Moreover, several genes related to PA and soluble sugar biosynthesis, as well as betaine aldehyde dehydrogenase (SoBADH), choline monooxygenase (SoCMO), and aquaporin (SoPIP1;2), were up-regulated by H2S under drought stress. These results suggest that H2S contributes to drought tolerance in S. oleracea through its effect on the biosynthesis of PAs and soluble sugars. Additionally, GB and trehalose also play key roles in enhancing S. oleracea drought resistance.

Binding characteristics of Cu2+ to natural humic acid fractions sequentially extracted from the lake sediments.

Humic acids (HAs) determine the distribution, toxicity, bioavailability, and ultimate fate of heavy metals in the environment. In this work, ten HA fractions (F1-F10) were used as adsorbent, which were sequentially extracted from natural sediments of Lake Wuliangsuhai, to investigate the binding characteristics of Cu2+ to HA. On the basis of the characterization results, differences were found between the ten extracted HA fractions responding to their elemental compositions and acidic functional groups. The characterization results reveal that the responses of ten extracted HA fractions to their elemental compositions and acidic functional groups were different. The O/C and (O + N)/C ratio of F1-F8 approximately ranged from 0.66 to 0.53 and from 0.72 to 0.61, respectively; the measured results showed that the contents of phenolic groups and carboxyl groups decreased from 4.46 to 2.60 mmol/g and 1.60 to 0.58 mmol/g, respectively. The binding characteristics of Cu2+ to the ten HA fractions were well modeled by the bi-Langmuir model; the binding behavior of Cu2+ to all the ten HA fractions were strongly impacted by pH and ionic strength. The FTIR and SEM-EDX image of HA fractions (pre- and post-adsorption) revealed that carboxyl and phenolic groups were responsible for the Cu2+ sorption on the ten sequentially extracted HA fractions process, which is the same with the analysis of the ligand binding and bi-Langmuir models Accordingly, the adsorption capacity of the former HA fractions on Cu2+ were higher than the latter ones, which may be attributed to the difference of carboxyl and phenolic group contents between the former and latter extracted HA fractions. Additionally, the functional groups with N and S should not be neglected. This work is hopeful to understand the environmental effect of humic substances, environmental geochemical behavior, and bioavailability of heavy metals in lakes.

Study on the effect and mechanism of the dysfunction of CD4(+) T cells in the disease process of chronic cardiac failure.

OBJECTIVE: To study the effect and mechanism of the dysfunction of CD4(+) T cells in the disease process of chronic cardiac failure (CHF). METHODS: According to different group technologies, 100 CHF patients were divided into the following groups: ischemia group and non-ischemia group, heart function Ⅲ-Ⅳ group and heart function Ⅰ-Ⅱ group, event group and non-event group, and 50 healthy volunteers were included in the control group. Real-time PCR was used to detect transcription factors T-bet and GATA-3 of Th1 and Th2; flow cytometry was applied to determine the ratio of Th17 and Treg cells; ELISA was employed to test cytokines IFN-γ, IL-4, IL-17 and IL-10 of peripheral blood Th1, Th2, Th17 and Treg cells, respectively; ultrasonic cardiogram was used to exploit to LVEF and LVEDd; and electrochemilu minescene immunoassay was used to examine plasma BNP. The differences of all indexes of all groups were analyzed and the correlation between CD4 T cells and clinical indexes was analyzed by Pearson correlation analysis. RESULTS: As compared to the control group, the transcription factors T-bet and GATA-3 of Th1 and Th2, the ratio of cytokines Th17 and IFN-γ, cytokines IL-17, T-bet/GATA-3, IFN-γ/IL-4, Th17 cells/Treg cells, IL-17/IL-10 of the ischemia group and non-ischemia group, heart function Ⅲ-Ⅳ group and heart function Ⅰ-Ⅱ group, event group and non-event group were all increased significantly, while their transcription factor GATA-3 of Th2, cytokines IL-4, Treg cells ratio, cytokines IL-10 were decreased obviously. The differences showed statistical significance (P < 0.05). The increase or decrease of the partial CD4+ T cells of the ischemia group, heart function Ⅲ-Ⅳ group and event group was more distinctly. The results of Pearson correlation analysis showed that IFN-γ and IL-17 were significantly positively correlated with LVEDd and BNP, IL-4 and IL-10 were also significantly positively correlated with LVEF, but correlated negatively with BNP, and IL-17 was negatively correlative with LVEF. CONCLUSIONS: There was a correlation between CHF and the dysfunction of CD4(+) T cells showing immune activation phenomenons of deviations from the Th1/Th2 balance towards Th1 and from the Th17/Treg balance towards Th17, which was also related to the types, severity and prognosis of the disease.

[Association of CKMM gene A/G polymorphism and athletic performance of uyghurnationality].

OBJECTIVE: Discusses the distributive characters of the Creatine Kinase MM (CKMM) gene A/G Polymorphism in XinjiangUyghur, One hundred and fourtheen athletes and 441 general population of Uyghur were involved in the study. METHODS: Polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism was used. RESULTS: (1) The CKMM gene A/G frequency in Uyghur general population was(AA, AG and GG) 0.497, 0.392 and 0.111, the result test by Hardy-Weinberg (H-W) equilibrium and x² = 2.72, P = 0.1, df = 2, indicated that the control group had representative. (2) AA, AG and GG genotype frequency of power-oriented athlete respectively was 0.442,0.302 and 0.256, frequency of GG genotype and G allele was higher than the control group, there were significant differences compared to thecontrol( P < 0.05, df = 2); (3) A/G genotype frequency of Endurance-oriented athletere spectively was 0.571, 0.400 and 0.029, there were nosignificant differences compared to the controls ( P > 0. 05, df = 2). (4) A/G genotype frequency of Uyghur soccer athletes respectively was0.472, 0.361 and 0.167, G allele was higher than the Endurance-oriented athlete and lower than the power-oriented athletes. and no significant differences compared to the controls( P > 0.05, df = 2). CONCLUSION: The results indicate that the CKMM gene GG genotype and G alleleare represented in power-oriented athletes, but don't find A/G polymorphism correlation with endurance and the football sport performance.