One-Step Hydrothermal/Solvothermal Preparation of Pt/TiO2: An Efficient Catalyst for Biobutanol Oxidation at Room Temperature.

The selective oxidation of biobutanol to prepare butyric acid is an important conversion process, but the preparation of low-temperature and efficient catalysts for butanol oxidation is currently a bottleneck problem. In this work, we prepared Pt-TiO2 catalysts with different Pt particle sizes using a simple one-step hydrothermal/solvothermal method. Transmission electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction results showed that the average size of the Pt particles ranged from 1.1 nm to 8.7 nm. Among them, Pt-TiO2 with an average particle size of 3.6 nm exhibited the best catalytic performance for biobutanol. It was capable of almost completely converting butanol, even at room temperature (30 °C), with a 98.9% biobutanol conversion, 98.4% butyric acid selectivity, and a turnover frequency (TOF) of 36 h-1. Increasing the reaction temperature to 80 and 90 °C, the corresponding TOFs increased rapidly to 355 and 619 h-1. The relationship between the electronic structure of Pt and its oxidative performance suggests that the synergistic effect of the dual sites, Pt0 and Pt2+, could be the primary factor contributing to its elevated reactivity.

[The correlation between sperm DNA damage and IVF-ET clinical pregnancy outcomes in different BMI population with normal routine semen examination].

OBJECTIVE: To analyze the correlation between sperm DFI, HDS and IVF-ET pregnancy outcomes in different BMI populations with normal routine semen examination. METHODS: The clinical data of 199 cycles of IVF-ET were retrospectively analyzed. Sperm chromatin structure analysis based on flow cytometry was used to detect sperm DFI and HDS. The correlation between sperm DFI, HDS and pregnancy outcome of IVF-ET were analyzed. RESULTS: The sperm DFI was negatively correlated with IVF-ET pregnancy in overweight (24.0 kg/m2≤BMI<28.0 kg/m2) population (OR=0.935, P=0.043). In the normal BMI group (18.5 kg/m2≤BMI < 24.0 kg/m2), the clinical pregnancy outcome of IVF-ET was not significantly correlated with sperm DFI, and was negatively correlated with male age (OR=0.744, P=0.020). In the obese population (BMI ≥ 28.0 kg/m2) , there was no significant correlation between the clinical pregnancy outcome of IVF-ET and sperm DNA fragmentation index (DFI) , but a negative correlation with male BMI (OR = 0.779, P = 0.043). CONCLUSION: The male BMI affected the correlation between sperm DFI and IVF-ET pregnancy outcomes: ①Sperm DFI was only associated with IVF-ET clinical pregnancy outcome in the overweight population; ② In normal BMI and obese populations, male age and male BMI were important factors affecting IVF-ET clinical pregnancy outcome respectively; ③No correlation was found between sperm HDS and IVF-ET pregnancy outcomes.

Potential Pathogenic Bacteria in Seminal Microbiota of Patients with Different Types of Dysspermatism.

Human microbiota play an important role in the health of their human hosts. Recent studies have demonstrated that microbiota exist in seminal plasma. The current study aims to elucidate whether seminal microbiota exist in patients with different types of dysspermatism and whether bacterial biomarkers can be identified for them. A total of 159 study participants were recruited, including 22 patients with oligoasthenospermia, 58 patients with asthenospermia, 8 patients with azoospermia, 13 patients with oligospermia, and 58 matched healthy controls. Seminal microbiota composition was analyzed using 16S rRNA gene-based sequencing. The results showed that the composition of seminal microbiota of patients with dysspermatism differed from those of healthy controls. Comparison of the microbiota composition in semen samples from patients with different types of dysspermatism showed that microbiota in patients with asthenospermia and oligoasthenospermia were distinct from healthy controls in beta diversity (P < 0.05). Characteristic biomarkers, including Ureaplasma, Bacteroides, Anaerococcus, Finegoldia, Lactobacillus and Acinetobacter lwoffii, were identified based on LEfSe analysis. Inferred functional analysis based on seminal microbiome data further indicated the presence of potential pathogenic biomarkers in patients with asthenospermia and oligoasthenospermia. These results provided profiles of seminal microbiota exhibited in different types of dysspermatism, thus providing new insights into their pathogenesis.

[Assisted reproductive technology for male patients with end-stage renal disease: A case-based discussion on strategies and ethical issues].

OBJECTIVE: To explore normalized and reasonable strategies of assisted reproductive technology (ART) for patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) under ethical supervision based on the experience with a case of ART for an ESRD male. METHODS: A male patient with ESRD successfully fathered a child through in vitro intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) in our center. We performed an epidemiological analysis, reviewed the relevant literature and explored the feasibility, ethical issues and strategies of ART for male patients with ESRD. RESULTS: ESRD affected the reproductive hormone levels, sperm quality and erectile function of the patient. Considering the contradictions between the reproductive right and the uncertainty of disease prognosis of the patient and the health of the offspring and his wife, we comprehensively evaluated the physical and mental conditions of the patient, obtained the informed consent, submitted the case to the Ethics Committee of Reproductive Medicine. CONCLUSIONS: With respect to ART for ESRD patients, importance should be attached to their rights of reproduction and choice of reproductive technology. In the process of ART, the physical conditions of the patient ought to be evaluated comprehensively and rigorously, and the related ethical principles followed strictly.

Genome-wide characterization of lncRNAs in acute myeloid leukemia.

Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) are a large family of noncoding RNAs that play a critical role in various normal bioprocesses as well as tumorigenesis. However, the expression patterns and biological functions of lncRNAs in acute leukemia have not been well studied. Here, we performed transcriptome-wide lncRNA expression profiling of acute myeloid leukemia (AML) patient samples, along with non-leukemia control hematopoietic samples. We found that lncRNAs were differentially expressed in AML samples relative to control samples. Notably, we identified that lncRNAs upregulated in AML (relative to the control samples) are associated with a lower degree of DNA methylation and a higher ratio of being bound by transcription factors such as SP1, STAT4, ATF-2 and ELK-1 compared with those downregulated in AML. Moreover, an enrichment of H3K4me3 and a depletion of H3K27me3 were observed in upregulated lncRNAs in AML. Expression patterns of three types of lncRNAs (antisense, enhancer and intergenic lncRNAs) have previously been characterized. Of the identified lncRNAs, we found that high expression level lncRNA LOC285758 is associated with the poor prognosis in AML patients. Furthermore, we found that LOC285758 regulates proliferation of AML cell lines by enhancing the expression of HDAC2, a key factor in carcinogenesis. Collectively, our study depicts a landscape of important lncRNAs in AML and provides novel potential therapeutic targets and prognostic markers for AML treatment.

CircView: a visualization and exploration tool for circular RNAs.

Circular RNAs (circRNAs) are novel rising stars of noncoding RNAs, which are highly abundant and evolutionarily conserved across species. Number of publications related to circRNAs increased sharply in recent years, representing emerging focuses in the field. Therefore, tools, pipelines and databases have been developed to identify and store circRNAs. However, there is no existing tool to visualize and explore circRNAs. Therefore, we introduce CircView, a user-friendly visualization tool for circRNAs detected from existing tools. CircView enables users to visualize circRNAs and to quantify number of samples with detected circRNAs. CircView allows users to explore circRNAs detected by unique or multiple tools. Furthermore, CircView allows users to view the regulatory elements, such as microRNA response elements and RNA-binding protein binding sites. CircView is a unique tool to visualize and explore circRNAs, which helps users to better understand potential functions of circRNAs and design the functional experiments.

Comprehensive characterization of tissue-specific circular RNAs in the human and mouse genomes.

Circular RNA (circRNA) is a group of RNA family generated by RNA circularization, which was discovered ubiquitously across different species and tissues. However, there is no global view of tissue specificity for circRNAs to date. Here we performed the comprehensive analysis to characterize the features of human and mouse tissue-specific (TS) circRNAs. We identified in total 302 853 TS circRNAs in the human and mouse genome, and showed that the brain has the highest abundance of TS circRNAs. We further confirmed the existence of circRNAs by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). We also characterized the genomic location and conservation of these TS circRNAs and showed that the majority of TS circRNAs are generated from exonic regions. To further understand the potential functions of TS circRNAs, we identified microRNAs and RNA binding protein, which might bind to TS circRNAs. This process suggested their involvement in development and organ differentiation. Finally, we constructed an integrated database TSCD (Tissue-Specific CircRNA Database: http://gb.whu.edu.cn/TSCD) to deposit the features of TS circRNAs. This study is the first comprehensive view of TS circRNAs in human and mouse, which shed light on circRNA functions in organ development and disorders.

Anti-Warburg effect of rosmarinic acid via miR-155 in gastric cancer cells.

BACKGROUND: The Warburg effect refers to glycolytic production of adenosine triphosphate under aerobic conditions, and is a universal property of most cancer cells. Chronic inflammation is a key factor promoting the Warburg effect. This study aimed to determine whether rosmarinic acid (RA) has an anti-Warburg effect in gastric carcinoma in vitro and in vivo. The mechanism for the anti-Warburg effect was also investigated. METHODS: An MTT assay was used to examine MKN45 cell growth in vitro. An enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay was used to detect proinflammatory cytokines. Real-time polymerase chain reaction was used to evaluate levels of microRNA expression in cells. Protein expression was determined by Western blotting assay. Mouse xenograft models were established using MKN45 cells to assess the anti-Warburg effect in gastric carcinoma in vivo. RESULTS: RA suppressed glucose uptake and lactate production. It also inhibited expression of transcription factor hypoxia-inducible factor-1α, which affects the glycolytic pathway. Inflammation promoted the Warburg effect in cancer cells. As expected, RA inhibited proinflammatory cytokines and microRNAs related to inflammation, suggesting that RA may suppress the Warburg effect via an inflammatory pathway, such as that involving interleukin (IL)-6/signal transducer and activator of transcription-3 (STAT3). miR-155 was found to be an important mediator in the relationship between inflammation and tumorigenesis. We further showed that miR-155 was the target gene regulating the Warburg effect via inactivation of the IL-6/STAT3 pathway. Moreover, we found that RA suppressed the Warburg effect in vivo. CONCLUSION: RA might potentially be a therapeutic agent for suppressing the Warburg effect in gastric carcinoma.

From ergolines to indoles: improved inhibitors of the human H3 receptor for the treatment of narcolepsy.

Ergolines were recently identified as a novel class of H3 receptor (H3R) inverse agonists. Although their optimization led to drug candidates with encouraging properties for the treatment of narcolepsy, brain penetration remained low. To overcome this issue, ergoline 1 ((6aR,9R,10aR)-4-(2-(dimethylamino)ethyl)-N-phenyl-9-(pyrrolidine-1-carbonyl)-6,6a,8,9,10,10a-hexahydroindolo[4,3-fg]quinoline-7(4H)-carboxamide)) was transformed into a series of indole derivatives with high H3R affinity. These new molecules were profiled by simultaneous determination of their brain receptor occupancy (RO) levels and pharmacodynamic (PD) effects in mice. These efforts culminated in the discovery of 15 m ((R)-1-isopropyl-5-(1-(2-(2-methylpyrrolidin-1-yl)ethyl)-1H-indol-4-yl)pyridin-2(1H)-one), which has an ideal profile showing a strong correlation of PD effects with RO, and no measurable safety liabilities. Its desirably short duration of action was confirmed by electroencephalography (EEG) measurements in rats.

[Establishment and application of Chinese Pediatric Evaluation of Disability Inventory norms in Chongqing, China].

OBJECTIVE: To establish the Chinese Pediatric Evaluation of Disability Inventory (PEDI) norms in Chongqing, China. METHODS: PEDI (English version) was translated into Chinese and proof read by back-translation. A total of 1 140 children stratified by age were randomly selected from Chongqing and evaluated by the Chinese version of the PEDI. The obtained data were statistically analyzed. RESULTS: Of 1 140 questionnaires, 1 075 (94.3%) were valid. The data showed that the raw and scale scores of PEDI increased with age, but the standard scores did not increase with age. The raw, scale, and standard scores on self-care and social function scales were significantly lower than American PEDI norms in some age periods (P<0.05), but the raw, scale, and standard scores on mobility scale were not significantly different from American norms (P>0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The PEDI norms in Chongqing have been successfully established, and can be used to assess the daily function in children, judge the degree of daily function impairment, evaluate the effect of rehabilitation training, and make the rehabilitation plan for disabled children.

Ergoline-derived inverse agonists of the human h3 receptor for the treatment of narcolepsy.

Ergoline derivative (6aR,9R)-4-(2-(dimethylamino)ethyl)-N-phenyl-9-(pyrrolidine-1-carbonyl)-6,6a,8,9-tetrahydroindolo[4,3-fg]quinoline-7(4H)-carboxamide (1), a CXCR3 antagonist, also inhibits human histamine H3 receptors (H3R) and represents a structurally novel H3R inverse agonist chemotype. It displays favorable pharmacokinetic and in vitro safety profiles, and served as a lead compound in a program to explore ergoline derivatives as potential drug candidates for the treatment of narcolepsy. A key objective of this work was to enhance the safety and efficacy profiles of 1, while minimizing its duration of action to mitigate the episodes of insomnia documented with previously reported clinical candidates during the night following administration. Modifications to the ergoline core at positions 1, 6 and 8 were systematically investigated, and derivative 23 (1-((4aR,8R,9aR)-8-(hydroxymethyl)-1-(2-((R)-2-methylpyrrolidin-1-yl)ethyl)-4,4a,7,8,9,9a-hexahydroindolo[1,14-fg]quinolin-6(1H)-yl)ethanone) was identified as a promising lead compound. Derivative 23 has a desirable pharmacokinetic profile and demonstrated efficacy by enhancing brain concentrations of tele-methylhistamine, a major histamine metabolite. This validates the potential of the ergoline scaffold to serve as a template for the development of H3R inverse agonists.