Ultrasound­targeted microbubble destruction technology delivering ß­klotho to the heart enhances FGF21 sensitivity and attenuates heart remodeling post­myocardial infarction.

Fibroblast growth factor (FGF)21 is a peptide hormone that improves mitochondrial function and energy metabolism, and the deficiency of its co­receptor ß­klotho (KLB) causes decreased FGF21 sensitivity. The present study examined whether the cardiac delivery of plasmids containing the KLB gene via ultrasound­targeted microbubble destruction (UTMD) enhances the efficacy of FGF21 against heart failure post­acute myocardial infarction (AMI). For this purpose, the levels of FGF21 in patients and rats with heart dysfunction post­infarction were determined using ELISA. Sprague­Dawley rats received the 3X UTMD­mediated delivery of KLB@cationic microbubbles (KLB@CMBs) 1 week following the induction of AMI. Echocardiography, histopathology and biochemical analysis were performed at 4 weeks following the induction of AMI. The results revealed that patients with heart failure post­infarction had higher serum FGF21 levels than the healthy controls. However, the downstream signal, KLB, but not α­klotho, was reduced in the heart tissues of rats with AMI. As was expected, treatment with FGF21 did not substantially attenuate heart remodeling post­infarction. It was found that decreased receptors KLB in the heart may result in the insensitivity to FGF21 treatment. In vivo, the UTMD technology­mediated delivery of KLB@CMBs to the heart significantly enhanced the effects of FGF21 administration on cardiac remodeling and mitochondrial dysfunction in the rats following infarction. The delivery of KLB to the heart by UTMD and the administration of FGF21 attenuated mitochondrial impairment and oxidative stress by activating nuclear factor erythroid 2­related factor 2 signals. On the whole, the present study demonstrates that the cardiac delivery of KLB significantly optimizes the cardioprotective effects of FGF21 therapy on adverse heart remodeling. UTMD appears a promising interdisciplinary approach with which to improve heart failure post­myocardial infarction.

Combinations of Ghd7, Ghd8, and Hd1 determine strong heterosis of commercial rice hybrids in diverse ecological regions.

Heterosis of grain yield is closely associated with heading date in crops. Gene combinations of the major heading date genes Ghd7, Ghd8, and Hd1 play important roles in enhancing grain yield and adaptation to ecological regions in rice. However, the predominant three-gene combinations for a specific ecological region remain unclear in both three-line and two-line hybrids. In this study, we sequenced these three genes of 50 cytoplasmic male sterile/maintainer lines, 31 photo-thermo-sensitive genic male sterile lines, and 109 restorer lines. Sequence analysis showed that hybrids carrying strong functional alleles of Ghd7 and Hd1 and non-functional Ghd8 are predominant in three-line hybrids and are recommended for rice production in the subtropics around 30°N/S. Hybrids carrying strong functional Ghd7 and Ghd8 and non-functional Hd1 are predominant in two-line hybrids and are recommended for low latitude areas around 23.5°N/S rich in photothermal resources. Hybrids carrying strong functional Ghd7 and Ghd8 and functional Hd1 were not identified in commercial hybrids in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River, but they have high yield potential in tropical regions because they have the strongest photoperiod sensitivity. Based on these findings, two genic sterile lines, Xiangling 628S and C815S, whose hybrids often head very late, were diagnosed with these three genes, and Hd1 was targeted to be knocked out in Xiangling 628S and replaced with hd1 in C815S. The hybrids developed from both modified sterile lines in turn had appropriate heading dates and significantly improved grain yield. This study provides new insights for breeding design to develop hybrids for various regions.

Polysaccharides-modified chitosan as improved and rapid hemostasis foam sponges.

Serial hemostatic sponges consisting of polysaccharides-modified chitosan foam sponges were prepared by Schiff base crosslinking reaction between the deacetylated chitosan and oxidized dialdehyde cellulose. Such composite foam sponges were characterized by scanning electron microscopy and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy to confirm their morphology and compositions. Then the coagulation process was evaluated in vitro by thrombus elasticity meters. Furthermore, the hemostasis experiments on mouse tail vein and rabbit femoral artery were also performed in vivo. The results strongly indicated that such synergistic cellulose-modified chitosan foam sponges showed comprehensively excellent water-absorbing quality, improved mechanical performance, low hemolysis rates, benign cytotoxicity, good resilience ability after repeated compression, and superior hemostasis capability both in vitro and in vivo. Furthermore, the hemostatic mechanism is via adhering/activating the red blood cell/platelet to form robust blood clots through the endogenous coagulation pathway, which serves as a good candidate for emergency trauma treatment in daily civilian and military hemostasis.

ß-glucosidase from Hevea brasiliensis seeds: Purification, homology modeling, and insights into the substrate-binding model.

The isolation of ß-glucosidase from Hevea brasiliensis (Hbglu) seeds was investigated and a homology model was built on the MODELLER software to understand the structure feature. The quality of the model was evaluated on PROCHEK. The refined model was used for molecular docking on AutoDock 4.2 to determine the substrate- binding sites and potential substrates based on their calculated binding affinities. The substrate specificity of Hbglu was verified through the kinetic measurement of hydrolytic activities. Molecular dynamic simulations of cyanogenic ß-glucosidase and ligand-bound complex showed that the free energy (ΔG) for the binding of p-nitrophenyl-ß-D-glucopyranoside and daidzein-7-O-ß-D-glucoside were -8.6 and -7.92 kcal/mol, respectively. Thus, daidzein-7-O-ß-D-glucoside is a potential substrate. Future studies on the physicochemical properties and catalytic mechanisms will provide information on the molecular biological properties of Hbglu. PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS: This study reported the 3D structural simulation of ß-glucosidase from Hbglu. The docking condition between Hbglu and various different substrates were assessed on Autodock. The results can be used as reference in designing enzymes, and improving the utilization of ß-glucosidases for the hydrolysis of flavor precursors from fruits, teas, and wines and for the production of flavonoid compounds and cyanogenic glycoside degradation.

[A method for resolving spectra shift in the urban air quality monitoring system (DOAS)].

In the urban air quality monitoring system, there is spectra shift which is caused by environment factors on the optical part (temperature and optic fiber position), or by the self-change of Xe-lamp. Relative spectra shift will occur if the shift of lamp-spectrum and air-spectrum is inconsistent which has direct influences on the accuracy of the measurement results. So the match of wavelength between lamp-spectrum and air-spectrum should be considered when we retrieve pollutants concentration measurement of trace gas in the atmosphere through DOAS method. Based on the study of the unique structures for Xe-lamp emitting spectrum, a method for the calibration of two signal spectra using Xe-lamp emitting peak and least square fitting is given. The results show that, the impact of spectrum shift can be reduced by this method for retrieving results.

[Observational study of atmospheric HONO in summer of Beijing].

The concentration of HONO, NO2, O3 and other atmospheric pollutants were observed continuously by using differential optical absorption spectroscopy (DOAS) from 2007-08-14 to 2007-08-24 in Beijing, China. Diurnal variation characteristics of HONO and NO2 were analyzed. The HONO levels originated from the nocturnal direct emission were discussed. And the correlation between the heterogeneous formation of HONO and its related factors (BC, RH, and so on) was studied. The results showed that HONO had two peaks at about 01:00 and 06:00, respectively, while two peaks of NO2 concentrations appeared at about 01:00 and 07:00. The highest HONO(em)/HONO ratio of 31.3% was observed at about 20:00 between 19:00 to 07:00, and the average ratio was 15%. Good correlation of HONO(corr)/NO2 ratio with BC and RH at night was obtained. The correlation suggested that heterogeneous NO2 to HONO conversion processes may occur on BC surfaces by reaction with absorption water, and the average nighttime conversion frequency from NO2 into HONO (HONO/NO2) was calculated about 0.8% x h(-1). At the same time, the results showed that heterogeneous formation of HONO was increased with RH and inhibited at RH > 80%, and the hypothesis was further supported by detailed analysis of selected case.

[Observational study of black carbon aerosol during straw-burning period].

Black carbon aerosol (BC) has been measured at three sites in Hefei City during May and June, 2007. Analyzing these real-time BC data, the concentration characters and the sources of black carbon aerosol can be found. The average concentrations of BC in normal period and straw-burning period are 4.85 microg/m3 and 8.38 microg/m3, respectively. The significant difference shows that the straw-burning is one of the main sources. The correlation coefficients between daily average concentration of BC and PM10 is 0.74, while the values of BC/PM10 in normal period and straw-burning period are 4.7% and 7.9%, respectively. Through comparing to the BC concentration during straw-burning period in 2004, the results indicated that pollution of BC has reduced after straw-burning was forbidden by the government.

[Retrieval of monocyclic aromatic hydrocarbons with differential optical absorption spectroscopy].

Differential optical absorption spectroscopy (DOAS) technique has been used to measure trace gases in the atmosphere by their strongly structured absorption of radiation in the UV and visible spectral range, e. g. SO2, NO2, O3 etc. However, unlike the absorption spectra of SO2 and NO2, the analysis of aromatic compounds is difficult and strongly suffers from the cross interference of other absorbers (Herzberg bands of oxygen, ozone and sulfur dioxide), especially with relatively low concentrations of aromatic compounds in the atmosphere. In the present paper, the DOAS evaluation of aromatic compounds was performed by nonlinear least square fit with two interpolated oxygen optical density spectra at different path lengths and reference spectra of ozone at different temperature and SO2 cross section to correct the interference from absorbers of O2, O3 and SO2. The measurement of toluene, benzene, (m, p, o) xylene and phenol with a DOAS system showed that DOAS method is suitable for monocyclic aromatic compounds monitoring in the atmosphere.

Immunogenicity of SARS inactivated vaccine in BALB/c mice.

Severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) is a serious infectious threat to public health. To create a novel trial vaccine and evaluate its potency, we attempted to generate a SARS inactivated vaccine using SARS coronavirus (SARS-CoV) strain F69 treated with formaldehyde and mixed with Al(OH)3. Three doses of the vaccine were used to challenge three groups of BALB/c mice. We found that the mice exhibited specific IgM on day 4 and IgG on day 8. The peak titers of IgG were at day 47 in low-dose group (1:19,200) and high-dose group (1:38,400) whereas in middle-dose group (1:19,200), the peak was at day 40. On day 63, the IgG levels reached a plateau. Neutralization assay demonstrated that the antisera could protect Vero-E6 cells from SARS-CoV's infection. Analysis of the antibody specificity revealed that the mouse antisera contained a mixture of antibodies specifically against the structure proteins of SARS-CoV. Furthermore, the mouse antisera conferred higher amount of antibodies against protein N, polypeptide S4 and S2 than those of proteins M and 3CL. These findings suggest that the inactivated SARS-CoV could preserve its antigenicity and the inactivated vaccine can stimulate mice to produce high levels of antibodies with neutralization activity. Results also suggest that polypeptides originating from protein N or S might be a potential target for the generation of a recombinant SARS vaccine.