De Novo Assembly of a Sarcocarp Transcriptome Set Identifies AaMYB1 as a Regulator of Anthocyanin Biosynthesis in Actinidia arguta var. purpurea.

The kiwifruit (Actinidia arguta var. purpurea) produces oval shaped fruits containing a slightly green or mauve outer exocarp and a purple-flesh endocarp with rows of tiny black seeds. The flesh color of the fruit results from a range of anthocyanin compounds, and is an important trait for kiwifruit consumers. To elucidate the molecular mechanisms involved in anthocyanin biosynthesis of the sarcocarp during A. arguta fruit development, de novo assembly and transcriptomic profile analyses were performed. Based on significant Gene Ontology (GO) biological terms, differentially expressed genes were identified in flavonoid biosynthetic and metabolic processes, pigment biosynthesis, carbohydrate metabolic processes, and amino acid metabolic processes. The genes closely related to anthocyanin biosynthesis, such as phenylalanine ammonia-lyase (PAL), chalcone synthase (CHS), and anthocyanidin synthase (ANS), displayed significant up-regulation during fruit development according to the transcriptomic data, which was further confirmed by qRT-PCR. Meanwhile, a series of transcription factor genes were identified among the DEGs. Through a correlation analysis. AaMYB1 was found to be significantly correlated with key genes of anthocyanin biosynthesis, especially with CHS. Through a transient expression assay, AaMYB1 induced anthocyanin accumulation in tobacco leaves. These data provide an important basis for exploring the related mechanisms of sarcocarp anthocyanin biosynthesis in A. arguta. This study will provide a strong foundation for functional studies on A. arguta and will facilitate improved breeding of A. arguta fruit.

Chemical Profile, Antimicrobial and Antioxidant Activity Assessment of the Crude Extract and Its Main Flavonoids from Tartary Buckwheat Sprouts.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the major flavonoids content and bioactivities of Tartary buckwheat sprouts. The crude methanol extract (ME) of Tartary buckwheat sprouts was abundant in flavonoids, and six major flavonoids, including isoorientin, vitexin, isovitexin, rutin, quercetin, and kaemferol were successfully determined from the sprouts by the high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) method. Generally, the flavonoid content of buckwheat sprouts was in the order of rutin > quercetin > isovitexin > vitexin> isoorientin > kaemferol. The highest rutin content of the ME and sprout cultures was 89.81 mg/g and 31.50 mg/g, respectively. Antibacterial activity results indicated the ME displayed notable inhibitory activity against the five tested bacteria, and its minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) values ranged from 0.8 mg/mL to 3.2 mg/mL. Among the six flavonoids, quercetin was the most active compound, which exhibited strong activity against all tested bacteria except for E. coli and S. epidermidis, with its MIC values ranging from 0.2 mg/mL to 0.4 mg/mL. For the antifungal activity assay, the ME of Tartary buckwheat sprouts and four flavonoids could significantly inhibit the spore germination of two pathogenic fungi, and their inhibitory efficiency was concentration dependent. Quercetin was the most active one, which significantly inhibited the spore germination of F. oxysporum f. sp. vasinfectum and F. oxysporum f. sp. cucumerinum, and its median effective inhibitory concentration (IC50) value was 42.36 and 32.85 µg/mL, respectively. The antioxidant activity results showed that quercetin, kaemferol, and rutin displayed excellent antioxidant activity in the DPPH radical scavenging test, and their IC50 value was calculated as 5.60, 16.23, and 27.95 µg/mL, respectively. This is the first report on the antimicrobial activity of the crude extract of Tartary buckwheat sprouts. These results indicated that the methanol extract of Tartary buckwheat sprouts could be used as a potential antimicrobial or antioxidant agent in the future.

[Effects of gestational diabetes mellitus on gut microbiota of 3-month-old infants: a prospective control study].

OBJECTIVE: To explore the effect of gestational diabetes mellitus on the gut microbiota of their offsprings, the gut microbiota of 3-month-old infants whose mothers diagnosed with and without gestational diabetes mellitus(GDM) was compared. METHODS: Pregnant women and their 3-month-old infants who were examined, delivered and follow-up visited in a county in Hebei Province from June 2016 to December 2019 were included in our study. The pregnants and their infants with result of fasting venous blood glucose≥5.1 mmol/L in the second or third trimester were included in GDM group. Fecal samples of 3-month-old infants were collected and 16 S rDNA high-throughput sequencing technology was used to explore the change of gut microbiota. RESULTS: A total of 48 pairs of subjects were included, 16 in GDM group and 32 in control group. Comparison of gut microbiota diversity: analysis of the Alpha diversity index showed that the Observed Species index, margalef index and menhinick index of GDM group were(141.4±17.2), (13.66±1.66) and(0.83±0.10), respectively, which were significantly lower than that of control group(154.9±21.7), (15.00±2.11) and(0.91±0.13), respectively. Sequence analysis: at phylum level, the abundance of the Firmicutes, Bacteroidetes, Actinobacteria and Proteobacteria were 54.28(47.84), 23.58(23.48), 11.20(30.99) and 0.12(0.07), respectively, while the control group were 42.05(36.23), 29.64(21.30), 9.31(15.82) and 0.15(10.14), respectively. The two groups were mainly composed of these 4 phyla and Actinobacteria was the most abundant. At genus level, there were mainly Bifidobacteria, lactobacillus, Enterobacteria, Bacteroidales and Clostridiales in both groups. The abundance of Erysipelotrichales in GDM group(0.01(0.01)) was significantly lower than that in control group(0.04(0.06))(P<0.05). The abundance of Micrococcales in GDM group(0.13(0.24) was significantly lower than that in control group(0.29(0.78))(P<0.05). PCoA analysis showed that the gut microbiota structure of GDM group and control group was similar. LEfSe analysis showed Erysipelatoclostridium was significantly increased in control group(P<0.05). CONCLUSION: GDM can reduce the diversity and richness of gut microbiota of 3-month-old infants and has no significant effect on the phylum level but has effect on some genus level. It suggests that GDM may still have some potential effect on slightly elder infants.

Carbonization of Fe-Based Metal Organic Frameworks with Mesoporous Structure as Electrocatalyst for Catalysis of Oxygen to Hydrogen Peroxide.

H2O2 production from electron reduction of oxygen (O2) is considered to be a potential alternative to the current anthraquinone process. Herein, we reported a mesoporous catalyst with iron-carboxylate metal-organic framework (MOF) as precursors to catalyze O2 to hydrogen peroxide (H2O2). Iron-carboxylate MOF (Fe-MOF) was synthesized by the novel cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB)-citric acid (CA) double-template method. The SEM and SAXD results revealed octahedral structure of the nanoparticles, as well as the presence of mesopores in the Fe-MOF, while the molar ratio 2.03 of CTAB to CA that resulted in the largest value (0.914 cm3g-1) of the mesopores in the Fe-MOFs. The pyrolysis of Fe-MOF with the largest amount of mesopores resulted in its carbonization and produced γ-Fe2O3@carbon material, significantly reduced the BET surface area from 3036 m2 g-1 to 387 m2 g-1, but increased the average pore diameter up to 5.78 nm and disintegrated their octahedral structures to an irregular morphology of Fe-MOF (550), and modified the carbon matrix with trace oxygen and metal oxides. The γ-Fe2O3@carbon material possessed mesoporous structure, with predominant graphitic carbon in the matrix (graphite to amorphous carbon ratio 0.79), which contributed to increased potential for electron reduction of O2 through a 2e- electron transfer pathway.

Effects of Polysaccharide Elicitors from Endophytic Fusarium oxysporum Fat9 on the Growth, Flavonoid Accumulation and Antioxidant Property of Fagopyrum tataricum Sprout Cultures.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of four different fungal polysaccharides, named water-extracted mycelia polysaccharide (WPS), sodium hydroxide-extracted mycelia polysaccharide (SPS), hydrochloric-extracted mycelia polysaccharide (APS), and exo-polysaccharide (EPS) obtained from the endophytic Fusarium oxysporum Fat9 on the sprout growth, flavonoid accumulation, and antioxidant capacity of tartary buckwheat. Without visible changes in the appearance of the sprouts, the exogenous polysaccharide elicitors strongly stimulated sprout growth and flavonoid production, and the stimulation effect was closely related with the polysaccharide (PS) species and its treatment dosage. With application of 200 mg/L of EPS, 200 mg/L of APS, 150 mg/L of WPS, or 100 mg/L of SPS, the total rutin and quercetin yields of buckwheat sprouts were significantly increased to 41.70 mg/(100 sprouts), 41.52 mg/(100 sprouts), 35.88 mg/(100 sprouts), and 32.95 mg/(100 sprouts), respectively. This was about 1.11 to 1.40-fold compared to the control culture of 31.40 mg/(100 sprouts). Moreover, the antioxidant capacity of tartary buckwheat sprouts was also enhanced after treatment with the four PS elicitors. Furthermore, the present study revealed the polysaccharide elicitation that caused the accumulation of functional flavonoid by stimulating the phenylpropanoid pathway. The application of beneficial fungal polysaccharide elicitors may be an effective approach to improve the nutritional and functional characteristics of tartary buckwheat sprouts.

Prognostic Superiority of Log Odds of Positive Lymph Nodes in Stage 3 Colorectal Cancer.

Objective To evaluate the prognostic value of the log odds of positive lymph nodes (LODDS) in stage 3 colorectal cancer (CRC) patients who have undergone curative resection. Methods We performed a retrospective review of 175 stage 3 CRC patients who underwent curative resection in Peking Union Medical College Hospital from 2005 to 2012. Patients were categorized respectively according to the AJCC/UICC N grade,the metastatic lymph node ratio (LNR),and the ratio of their LODDS. The relationship between the N grade,LNR,LODDS,and overall survival (OS) rates were assessed.Results The five-year disease-free survival (DFS) was significantly different among stage 3 CRC patients in different N grade (Χ(2)=33.1,P=0.000),LNR (Χ(2)=14.3,P=0.001),and LODDS (Χ(2)=14.9,P=0.001). Univariate analysis showed that TNM stage (Χ(2)=27.0,P=0.000),cancerous node(Χ(2)=3.6,P=0.040),N grade (Χ(2)=33.1,P=0.000),LNR (Χ(2)=14.3,P=0.001),and LODDS (Χ(2)=30.4,P=0.000) were related to OS. Multivariate analysis indicated that TNM stage (HR:1.84,95%CI:1.59～6.29,P=0.001) and LODDS classification (HR:1.34,95%CI:1.01～1.80,P=0.047) were independent prognostic factors for OS in stage 3 CRC patients. Conclusion LODDS is a good prognostic indicator in stage 3 CRC patients who have undergone curative resection.

Relationship between social jetlag and body mass index in nurses working shift schedules: a cross-sectional study.

This study aimed to explore the relationship between shift-working nurses' social jetlag and body mass index (BMI) and provide a theoretical basis for nursing managers to develop appropriate health interventions. Shift work is unavoidable in nursing and is associated with circadian rhythm disorders. Social jetlag is prevalent in shift-working nurses and is associated with adverse health outcomes (particularly metabolism-related indicators). BMI is a significant metabolic indicator, and research has demonstrated its effectiveness in predicting the formation of metabolic syndrome. The relationship between social jetlag and BMI can be explained by considering physiological, psychological, and behavioral factors. However, most studies on social jetlag and health status are focused on non-shift nurse populations, with fewer studies on shift workers. Five tertiary hospitals located at similar latitudes in Southwest China were selected for the study. We surveyed 429 shift-working nurses using sociodemographic data, the Munich Chronotype Questionnaire for Shift Workers, and BMI. The restricted cubic spline model was used to analyze the relationship between social jetlag and BMI among shift-working nurses, and segmented linear regression was performed around the inflection point using multiple linear regression analysis. The results revealed that social jetlag (82.0 [85.0] min) was experienced by 64.6% of the shift-working nurses. After controlling for confounding variables, the model with seven knots had the lowest accepted Akaike information criterion value, and there was a U-shaped relationship between shift-working nurses' BMI and social jetlag in this model; its inflection (lowest) point of 20.7 was considered the cut-off point. Segmented regression showed that for BMI < 20.7, BMI was significantly negative with standardized social jetlag; whereas with BMI > 20.7, BMI was significantly positive with standardized social jetlag. BMI has a U-shaped relationship with social jetlag, and attention should be paid to overweight or underweight shift-working nurses to detect early circadian rhythm disorder. Shift-working nurses with high social jetlag tended to have higher/lower BMI, which should be further investigated in the future, to minimize metabolic diseases among them.

Endophytic fungi in buckwheat seeds: exploring links with flavonoid accumulation.

Buckwheat is a famous edible and medicinal coarse cereal which contain abundant of bioactive flavonoids, such as rutin. In this study, the composition and diversity of endophytic fungi in eight different buckwheat seeds were analyzed by high-throughput sequencing of ITS rDNA. Results showed that, the fungal sequences reads were allocated to 272 OTUs, of them, 49 OTUs were shared in eight buckwheat seeds. These endophytic fungi could be classified into 6 phyla, 19 classes, 41 orders, 79 families, 119 genera, and 191 species. At genus level, Alternaria sp. was the domain fungal endophyte. Besides, fungal endophytes belonged to the genera of Epicocum, Cladosporium, Botrytis, Filbobasidium, Stemphylium, and Vishniacozyma were highly abundant in buckwheat seeds. The total flavonoids and rutin contents in tartary buckwheat cultivars (CQ, XQ, CH, K2) were much higher than those in common buckwheat cultivars (HT, T2, T4, T8). For tartary buckwheat cultivars, the total flavonoids and rutin contents were ranging from 2.6% to 3.3% and 0.9% to 1.3%, respectively. Accordingly, the tartary buckwheat samples displayed stronger antioxidant activity than the common buckwheat. Spearman correlation heat map analysis was successfully found that certain fungal species from the genera of Alternaria, Botryosphaeria, Colletorichum and Diymella exhibited significant positive correlation with flavonoids contents. Results of this study preliminary revealed the fungi-plant interaction relationship at secondary metabolite level, and could provide novel strategy for increasing the flavonoids accumulation of buckwheat seeds, as well as improving their quality.

Identification of Two Linear Epitopes on MGF_110-13L Protein of African Swine Fever Virus with Monoclonal Antibodies.

African swine fever caused by African swine fever virus (ASFV) is an acute, highly contagious swine disease with high mortality. To facilitate effective vaccine development and find more serodiagnostic targets, fully exploring the ASFV antigenic proteins is urgently needed. In this study, the MGF_110-13L was identified as an immunodominant antigen among the seven transmembrane proteins. The main outer-membrane domain of MGF_110-13L was expressed and purified. Two monoclonal antibodies (mAbs; 8C3, and 10E4) against MGF_110-13L were generated. The epitopes of two mAbs were preliminary mapped with the peptide fusion proteins after probing with mAbs by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and Western blot. And the two target epitopes were fine-mapped using further truncated peptide fusion protein strategy. Finally, the core sequences of mAbs 8C3 and 10E4 were identified as 48WDCQDGICKNKITESRFIDS67, and 122GDHQQLSIKQ131, respectively. The peptides of epitopes were synthesized and probed with ASFV antibody positive pig sera by a dot blot assay, and the results showed that epitope 10E4 was an antigenic epitope. The epitope 10E4 peptide was further evaluated as a potential antigen for detecting ASFV antibodies. To our knowledge, this is the first report of antigenic epitope information on the antigenic MGF_110-13L protein of ASFV.

Genetic properties of endemic Chinese porcine epidemic diarrhea virus strains isolated since 2010.

Acute diarrhea outbreaks caused by porcine epidemic diarrhea virus (PEDV) have been observed in various pig-breeding provinces of China since December 2010. Endemic strains of PEDV were isolated from different areas, and the complete genome sequences of 10 isolates were determined. Our objective in this study was to genetically characterize current Chinese field isolates of PEDV to better understand their epidemiology and genetic diversity. Sequence analysis showed that 10 post-2010 isolates shared high homology with each other and were always clustered together with the virulent DR13 strains (South Korea) and/or one earlier Chinese strain, CH-S, in phylogenetic analysis. All post-2010 isolates possessed common sequence changes in each gene. Our results suggest that current Chinese PEDV isolates originated from either South Korean and/or Chinese ancestors that underwent some genetic variation, thereby forming a new PEDV genotype in China.

A Novel Conserved Linear Neutralizing Epitope on the Receptor-Binding Domain of the SARS-CoV-2 Spike Protein.

The continuous emergence of new variants of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has made it challenging to develop broad-spectrum prophylactic vaccines and therapeutic antibodies. Here, we have identified a broad-spectrum neutralizing antibody and its highly conserved epitope in the receptor-binding domain (RBD) of the spike protein (S) S1 subunit of SARS-CoV-2. First, nine monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) against the RBD or S1 were generated; of these, one RBD-specific MAb, 22.9-1, was selected for its broad RBD-binding abilities and neutralizing activities against SARS-CoV-2 variants. An epitope of 22.9-1 was fine-mapped with overlapping and truncated peptide fusion proteins. The core sequence of the epitope, 405D(N)EVR(S)QIAPGQ414, was identified on the internal surface of the up-state RBD. The epitope was conserved in nearly all variants of concern of SARS-CoV-2. MAb 22.9-1 and its novel epitope could be beneficial for research on broad-spectrum prophylactic vaccines and therapeutic antibody drugs. IMPORTANCE The continuous emergence of new variants of SARS-CoV-2 has caused great challenge in vaccine design and therapeutic antibody development. In this study, we selected a broad-spectrum neutralizing mouse monoclonal antibody which recognized a conserved linear B-cell epitope located on the internal surface of RBD. This MAb could neutralize all variants until now. The epitope was conserved in all variants. This work provides new insights in developing broad-spectrum prophylactic vaccines and therapeutic antibodies.

Comprehensive mapping of antigenic linear B-cell epitopes on K205R protein of African swine fever virus with monoclonal antibodies.

African swine fever virus causes an acute, highly contagious swine disease with high mortality, leading to enormous losses in the pig industry. The K205R, a nonstructural protein of African swine fever virus, is abundantly expressed in the cytoplasm of infected cells at the early stage of infection and induces a strong immune response. However, to date, the antigenic epitopes of this immunodeterminant have not been characterized. In the present study, the K205R protein was expressed in a mammalian cell line and purified using Ni-affinity chromatography. Furthermore, three monoclonal antibodies (mAbs; 5D6, 7A8, and 7H10) against K205R were generated. Indirect immunofluorescence assay and western blot results showed that all three mAbs recognized native and denatured K205R in African swine fever virus (ASFV)-infected cells. To identify the epitopes of the mAbs, a series of overlapping short peptides were designed and expressed as fusion proteins with maltose-binding protein. Subsequently, the peptide fusion proteins were probed with monoclonal antibodies using western blot and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The three target epitopes were fine-mapped; the core sequences of recognized by the mAbs 5D6, 7A8, and 7H10 were identified as 157FLTPEIQAILDE168, 154REKFLTP160, and 136PTNAMFFTRSEWA148, respectively. Probing with sera from ASFV-infected pigs in a dot blot assay demonstrated that epitope 7H10 was the immunodominant epitope of K205R. Sequence alignment showed that all epitopes were conserved across ASFV strains and genotypes. To our knowledge, this is the first study to characterize the epitopes of the antigenic K205R protein of ASFV. These findings may serve as a basis for the development of serological diagnostic methods and subunit vaccines.

Structural insight into the ISC domain of VibB from Vibrio cholerae at atomic resolution: a snapshot just before the enzymatic reaction.

The N-terminal isochorismatase (ISC) domain of VibB (VibB-ISC) catalyzes the vinyl ether hydrolysis of isochorismate to 2,3-dihydro-2,3-dihydroxybenzoate and pyruvate. Structures of the ISC domain and its complex with isochorismate have been determined at 1.35 and 1.10 Å resolution, respectively. Two catalytic waters which were absent from previously reported homologous structures were observed adjacent to isochorismate and the catalytic residues (Asp35 and Lys118) in the VibB-ISC complex. Molecular-dynamics (MD) simulations starting with the structure of the VibB-ISC complex suggest that the catalytic waters contribute to the hydrolysis of the vinyl ether by participating in two reactions. Firstly, they may function as a general acid to protonate the Asp35 carboxylate prior to isochorismate protonation; secondly, one of the catalytic waters may be activated by the ionizable side chain of Asp35 to perform a nucleophilic attack on the intermediate carbocation/oxocarbonium ion. The positions of the waters are both significantly affected by the mutation of Asp35 and Lys118. The structural, biochemical and MD results reveal the residues that are involved in substrate binding and provide clues towards defining a possible mechanism.

Cloning, overexpression, purification, and characterization of a new iron superoxide dismutase from Jatropha curcas.

A novel iron superoxide dismutase (Fe-SOD) gene from Jatropha curcas was cloned and expressed in Escherichia coli BL21 (DE3). This recombinant enzyme was isolated by a combined procedure involving immobilized metal-ion affinity chromatography and ion-exchange chromatography. The apparent molecular mass of this purified enzyme (designated as JcFe-SOD) was 35 kDa on SDS-PAGE. The full-length complementary DNA sequence of JcFe-SOD contained a 918-bp open reading frame encoding a 305-amino-acid precursor of 34.589 kDa. The result of matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry showed that the purified enzyme may own two forms: a dimer and a monomer. The enzyme was relatively stable and showed 54% activity when incubated in 70°C for 60 Min. JcFe-SOD was found to have good pH stability in the pH range of 5.5-9.5 at 25°C over 1 H incubation. The activity of this enzyme was gradually inhibited by increasing concentration of H2O2, 2-mercaptoethanol, and ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid. An assay of the atomic absorption spectrum showed the presence of 0.41 atom of Fe in each SOD subunit.

[A comparative study upon two surgical procedures of local resection of early rectal cancer].

OBJECTIVE: To compare the application of transanal endoscopic microsurgery (TEM) technique with Mason's operation in the treatment of early rectal cancer. METHODS: Patients with early rectal cancer were divided into two groups according to different surgical procedures they underwent during different period. Patients in Mason Group underwent Mason's operations during the period from January 2000 to March 2006; and in TEM Group were managed with TEM procedures from April 2006 to July 2011. There were 21 patients in TEM Group and 26 patients in Mason Group. No statistically significant difference was found between the two groups in terms of patient's age, gender, preoperative TNM staging, and tumor diameter. In comparison with Mason Group, TEM Group had a longer distance of the tumor from the anal verge. The safety, postoperative complications, patients' postoperative recovery, and the oncological outcomes of 2 groups were compared with each other. RESULTS: No perioperative death occurred in the two groups. The TEM Group had notably shorter operating time ((67 ± 24) minutes) and lesser intra-operative blood loss ((9 ± 6) ml) than Mason Group (t = 3.526 and 7.078, P < 0.05). The time of the postoperative bed rest, the urinary drainage, the recovery of oral intake, and the hospital stay in TEM Group were (1.3 ± 0.5) days, (1.2 ± 0.4) days, (1.5 ± 0.5) days, and (4.3 ± 1.6) days, respectively, and all were prominently shorter than those of Mason group (t = 4.925 - 14.640, P < 0.05). Patients in TEM group were followed up for an average of 36.5 months with one patient being lost, while patients in Mason group were followed up for an average of 81.6 months. The difference between the two groups in terms of short-term accumulated survival (94.8% vs. 96.3%) showed no statistical significance (P > 0.05). CONCLUSION: TEM technique is a favorable minimally invasive procedure associated with satisfactory oncological outcomes in the treatment of early rectal cancer.

[Acquiring laparoscopic skill for colorectal surgery: based on the experience of a colorectal surgeon].

OBJECTIVE: Laparoscopic colorectal surgery is a skill-dependent procedure. The present study aims to analyze the learning curve of a properly trained surgeon, with basic laparoscopic techniques, to become skillful in performing laparoscopic colorectal operations. METHODS: A series of non-selective, consecutive 189 cases of laparoscopic colorectal surgery were accomplished, from December 2009 to February 2012, by one surgeon with years of skilled technique in laparoscopic cholecystectomy, rich experience in assisting laparoscopic colorectal surgery, and experience of approximately 180 procedures of gastric and colorectal surgery annually. 170 out of 189 procedures were radical operations for colorectal neoplasma, including right colectomies in 28 cases, left colectomies in 5 cases, sigmoidectomies in 28 cases, high Dixon procedures in 45 cases, low Dixon (total mesorectal excision, TME) procedures in 41 cases and Miles procedure in 23 cases. 19 other patients underwent combined procedures for multi-primary tumors or inflammatory enteritis. All these procedures were analyzed according to time span (the earlier half and later half) in respect to length of surgery, intraoperative blood loss, number of lymph nodes retrieved, intraoperative events and postoperative complications. RESULTS: For radical right colectomy, the D2 dissection conducted in the earlier phase (n = 8) had the similar length of surgery, more blood loss and less LN retrieval, compared with the D3 dissection conducted in recent phase (n = 20). The earlier performed high Dixon procedures (n = 22) consumed longer time than the later procedures (n = 23) consumed, but with similar blood loss and LN retrieval. Low Dixon (TME) procedures showed significant differences in length of surgery and blood loss relative to time span. Recently performed simoidectomy and Miles procedures showed a trend of shorter time consumed compared with earlier performed procedures. Conversion ratio to open surgery was 1.05%. Adverse effects occurred in 8 cases of surgeries, including intestinal injury (3/189), insufficient distal margin (2/189), intraoperative bleeding (2/189) and vaginal injury (1/76). There was no operative death. Chief complications included urinary retention 5.82%, ileus 4.76%, anastomotic leak 4.24%, perineal infection 23.08% (6/26), wound dehiscence 2.65%, gastrointestinal bleeding 1.59%, peritoneal infection 1.06%. Surgery for distal rectum tended to have more complications, such as urinary retention, anastomotic leak and perineal infection. The later performed low Dixon procedures produced insignificantly fewer anastomotic leaks than those in the earlier phase. CONCLUSIONS: For a trained surgeon with basic laparoscopic techniques, there are at least 15 - 25 cases of different procedures needed for him/her to become skilled to perform laparoscopic surgery. The learning curve should also depend on the annual number of colorectal surgeries.

[Spatiotemporal dynamics of soil salinity in the Yellow River Delta under the impacts of hydrology and climate.] / 水文气候影响下黄河三角洲土壤盐分时空动态.

In recent years, soil salinization in the Yellow River Delta under the effects of hydrology, climate and human activities have become increasingly prominent. Based on the 20 Landsat series images of Hekou, Kenli, Dongying districts and Lijin County of Dongying City selected from 1985 to 2018, numerical regression correction method was used to perform image spectral consistency conversion. The partial least squares regression method was used to construct quantitative inversion models of soil salt content. The soil salt content of the study area were retrieved by the best salt prediction model. The temporal and spatial characteristics of soil salt changes in the Yellow River Delta were analyzed. The results showed that the soil salt inversion model constructed with 10 sensitive spectral indices performed higher prediction accuracy, with coefficient of determination R2=0.769 and RMSE=1.125 for calibration, R2=0.752 and RMSE=1.203 for validation, and relative prediction deviation (RPD)=2.08. Using the measured soil salt data in 2016 to verify the inversion accuracy of the model, the correlation between the measured value and the inverted value was 0.7279. The model was used to map the soil salinity of the Yellow River Delta based on 20 images from 1985 to 2018. The abnormal soil salinity retrieval values was all less than 10%. During the study period, the soil salinity showed an overall trend of rising first and then falling which was lowest in 1985 (3.14 g·kg-1) and highest in 1995 (5.86 g·kg-1). Spatially, the area of heavily saline soil and saline soil in the study area decreased, and that of mildly and moderately saline soil significantly increased (66.6%). The total area of saline soil showed an increasing trend. The effects of hydrological and climatic conditions on soil salinity exhibited hysteresis. The increases of temperature promoted soil salinity, with the relationship between the soil salinity and the average temperatures in the past six months and one year being significantly correlated (R=0.507 and 0.538). Soil salinity did not correlate with regional precipitation, and was most affected by the Yellow River streamflow in the previous season (R=-0.543).

Protocatechuic Aldehyde Represses Proliferation and Migration of Breast Cancer Cells through Targeting C-terminal Binding Protein 1.

PURPOSE: C-terminal binding protein 1 (CtBP1) is a transcriptional co-repressor that is overexpressed in many cancers. CtBP1 transcriptionally represses a broad array of tumor suppressors, which promotes cancer cell proliferation, migration, invasion, and resistance to apoptosis. Recent studies have demonstrated that CtBP1 is a potential target for cancer therapy. This study was designed to screen for compounds that potentially target CtBP1. METHODS: Using a structure-based virtual screening for CtBP1 inhibitors, we found protocatechuic aldehyde (PA), a natural compound found in the root of a traditional Chinese herb, Salvia miltiorrhiza, that directly binds to CtBP1. Microscale thermophoresis assay was performed to determine whether PA and CtBP1 directly bind to each other. Further, clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats associated Cas9 nuclease-mediated CtBP1 knockout in breast cancer cells was used to validate the CtBP1 targeting specificity of PA. RESULTS: Functional studies showed that PA repressed the proliferation and migration of breast cancer cells. Furthermore, PA elevated the expression of the downstream targets of CtBP1, p21 and E-cadherin, and decreased CtBP1 binding affinity for the promoter regions of p21 and E-cadherin in breast cancer cells. However, PA did not affect the expression of p21 and E-cadherin in the CtBP1 knockout breast cancer cells. In addition, the CtBP1 knockout breast cancer cells showed resistance to PA-induced repression of proliferation and migration. CONCLUSION: Our findings demonstrated that PA directly bound to CtBP1 and inhibited the growth and migration of breast cancer cells through CtBP1 inhibition. Structural modifications of PA are further required to enhance its binding affinity and selectivity for CtBP1.

Association between the PON1 Q192R polymorphism and coronary heart disease in Chinese: A meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: The relation has not been reported consistently between the PON1 Q192R polymorphism and coronary heart disease (CHD). To clarify the discrepancy, we performed the present meta-analysis to evaluate the association between the PON1 gene Q192R polymorphism and CHD risk in Chinese population. METHODS: We conducted a comprehensive search of the PubMed, EMBASE, and China National Knowledge Infrastructure databases for all available case-control studies. Two reviewers independently selected studies. Data were analyzed by STATA software package v 12.0. RESULTS: Thirteen studies investigating the association between the PON1 Q192R polymorphism and risk of CHD were selected in this meta-analysis with 4353 cases and 4882 controls. The association between the PON1 Q192R polymorphism and CHD is statistically significant under the recessive genetic model (R/R vs Q/R + Q/Q, odds ratio [OR] = 1.111, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.017-1.214). We observed no statistical association between PON1 Q192R polymorphism and risk of CHD under allele model (R vs Q, OR = 1.087, 95% CI = 0.976-1.209), homozygous model (RR vs QQ, OR = 1.192, 95% CI = 0.949-1.496), and dominant genetic model (Q/R + R/R vs Q/Q, OR = 1.127, 95% CI = 0.938-1.354). CONCLUSION: This meta-analysis suggests that the PON1 Q192R polymorphism has a weak association with CHD risk in Chinese.

[A pilot study on the impact of the drug resistance on the radioresistance in human pancreatic cancer cell lines].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the impact of the drug resistance on the radioresistance in human pancreatic cancer cell lines. METHODS: Three drug resistant pancreatic cancer cell sublines induced by fluorouracil (5-FU), adriamycin (ADM) and gemcitabine respectively, SW1990/FU, SW1990/ADM and SW1990/Gz, were tested for the cell cycle and radio-sensitivity with flow cytometry and clonogenic assay. RESULTS: Compared with SW1990, the cell cycle assay indicated higher G(0)/G(1) period percentage in SW1990/FU and SW1990/Gz, but the G(2)/M period percentage decreased; SW1990/FU had the same while SW1990/Gz had lower S period percentage. SW1990/ADM almost had a similar cell cycle with SW1990. Clonogenic assay showed both SW1990/FU and SW1990/Gz had greater survival fraction (SF(2)) than SW1990, but SW1990/ADM had seemingly similar SF(2) as SW1990. CONCLUSION: Drug resistant pancreatic cancer cell lines have reduced G(2)/M period percentage and increased radioresistance.