Insight into the regulation of NLRP3 inflammasome activation by mitochondria in liver injury and the protective role of natural products.

Due to high mortality rates and poor prognosis, liver injury remains one of the leading causes of mortality worldwide. Amounting evidence suggested that the activation of the nucleotide-binding oligomerization domain (NOD)-like receptor containing pyrin domain 3 (NLRP3) inflammasome, which promotes pro-interleukin-1β (pro-IL-1β) and pro-interleukin-18 (pro-IL-18) cleavage and maturation play a vital role in the occurrence and development of liver injury and liver disease. Mitochondrial dysfunction is a common co-occurring event in liver injury.

Degradation of COD in antibiotic wastewater by a combination process of electrochemistry, hydroxyl-functionalized ball-milled zero-valent iron/FeO and Oxone.

In this study, the significant iron-based material, hydroxyl-functionalized ball-milled zero-valent iron/Fe3O4 (HFB-ZVI/Fe3O4) was employed for the experiments. The performance of the Electro + HFB-ZVI/Fe3O4 + Oxone system for the degradation of chemical oxygen demand (COD) in antibiotic wastewater was investigated. A direct current was applied between a graphite plate anode and two iron plate cathodes, and a series of operational parameters, such as applied electric current, the dosage of HFB-ZVI/FeO composite, the dosage of Oxone, and initial solution pH, were explored to evaluate the oxidation process.

Research Advances on Anti-Cancer Natural Products.

Malignant tumors seriously threaten people's health and life worldwide. Natural products, with definite pharmacological effects and known chemical structures, present dual advantages of Chinese herbs and chemotherapeutic drug. Some of them exhibit favorable anti-cancer activity.

Research Advances on Matrine.

Matrine is an alkaloid extracted from traditional Chinese herbs including , , root, etc. It has the dual advantages of traditional Chinese herbs and chemotherapy drugs. It exhibits distinct benefits in preventing and improving chronic diseases such as cardiovascular disease and tumors.

Atheroprotective Effects and Molecular Mechanism of Berberine.

Cardiovascular diseases remain the leading cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Atherosclerosis is the main pathological basis of cardiovascular diseases and it is closely associated with hyperlipidemia, endothelial injury, macrophage-derived foam cells formation, proliferation and migration of vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs), platelet aggregation, and altered gut microbiota. Various symptomatic treatments, that are currently used to inhibit atherosclerosis, need to be administered in long term and their adverse effects cannot be ignored.

Expression patterns of intermediate filament proteins desmin and lamin A in the developing conduction system of early human embryonic hearts.

Since embryonic heart development is a complex process and acquisition of human embryonic specimens is challenging, the mechanism by which the embryonic conduction system develops remains unclear. Herein, we attempt to gain insights into this developmental process through immunohistochemical staining and 3D reconstructions. Expression analysis of T-box transcription factor 3, cytoskeleton desmin, and nucleoskeleton lamin A protein in human embryos in Carnegie stages 11-20 showed that desmin is preferentially expressed in the myocardium of the central conduction system compared with the peripheral conduction system, and is co-expressed with T-box transcription factor 3 in the central conduction system.

Serum Gamma-glutamyl Transferase Levels Predict Functional Outcomes after Aneurysmal Subarachnoid Hemorrhage.

Objective: We aim to explore the potential association between serum gamma-glutamyl transferase levels and functional outcome after aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage in a Chinese population.

Methods: A total of 386 aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage patients were included in the study from September 2007 to February 2015. Baseline serum gamma-glutamyl transferase levels and 6-month follow-up functional outcomes were determined.

Fine mapping of the qLOP2 and qPSR2-1 loci associated with chilling stress tolerance of wild rice seedlings.

Using leaf osmotic potential and plant survival rate as chilling-tolerant trait indices, we identified two major quantitative trait loci qLOP2 and qPSR2 - 1 (39.3-kb region) and Os02g0677300 as the cold-inducible gene for these loci. Chilling stress tolerance (CST) at the seedling stage is an important trait affecting rice production in temperate climate and high-altitude areas.

Bis(μ2-di-phenyl-phosphinamide-κ(2) O:O)bis-[bis(di-phenyl-phosphinamide-κO)lithium] dichloride aceto-nitrile disolvate.

The asymmetric unit of the title compound, [Li2(C12H12NOP)6]Cl2·2CH3CN, contains one-half of the centrosymmetric dication, one chloride anion and one aceto-nitrile solvent mol-ecule. Each Li atom is coordinated by four O atoms [Li-O 1.891 (3) and 2.

Fine mapping of qRC10-2, a quantitative trait locus for cold tolerance of rice roots at seedling and mature stages.

Unlabelled: Cold stress causes various injuries to rice seedlings in low-temperature and high-altitude areas and is therefore an important factor affecting rice production in such areas. In this study, root conductivity (RC) was used as an indicator to map quantitative trait loci (QTLs) of cold tolerance in Oryza rufipogon Griff., Dongxiang wild rice (DX), at its two-leaf stage.

[Che-1 participates in the regulation of rat cortical neuronal apoptosis and axonal regeneration after traumatic brain injury via p53].

Objective: To explore the altered expressions of Che-1 in rat brain cortex and relative biological functions after traumatic brain injury.

Methods: According to a random number table, a total of 64 male Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into normal, sham and trauma group. Then the trauma group was further divided into 6 phase sub-groups (12 h, 1 d, 3 d, 5 d, 7 d, 14 d) (n = 8 each).

[Effect of acupoint catgut embedding on motor function and serum high sensitivity C-reactive protein and IL-6 levels in patients with acute cerebral infarction].

Objective: To evaluate the effect of acupoint catgut embedding on motor function in patients with acute cerebral infarction (ACI), and to explore its mechanism.

Methods: Sixty-three ACI patients were randomly assigned to acupuncture group (n = 30) and catgut embedding group (n = 33). Patients of the acupuncture group received acupuncture stimulation of Baihui (GV 20), Neiguan (P 6), Sanyinjiao (SP 6), Taichong (LR 3), etc.

[Voice fatigue test analysis in secondary school teachers].

Objective: To investigate the status of voice fatigue and throat disease in the secondary school teachers in Urumqi.

Methods: This study included 11 689 teachers from 109 secondary schools offered by Teaching and Researching Center of Urumqi as the second-stage random sampling. Among them, 3217 teachers were selected to carry out voice fatigue test and routine examination of throat.

[Attempting to enhance the efficiency of T-DNA insertional mutant application in rice].

T-DNA tagging method is a high throughput system for identifying and cloning novel genes from T-DNA-inserted mutant population created via genetic transformation by Agrobacterium tumefaciens. However, the efficiency of using T-DNA-inserted mutant population to clone genes in rice was much lower than in Arabidopsis. In this study, a rice tagged line with two copies of T-DNA segments inserted independently to each other was screened out via a series of verification tests, including the co-segregated analysis between the mutated character and the sequence of T-DNA or the genomic sequence flanking inserted T-DNA.

Screening for and genetic analysis on T-DNA-inserted mutant pool in rice.

T-DNA tagging technique has provided a powerful strategy for identifying new functional genes in plants, and the key for success is the discovery of T-DNA-inserted mutants with changed phenotype. In this study, we screened 4,416 rice T1 tagged lines generated by enhancer trap system integrated with GLL4/VP16-UAS elements from two transformed parents, ZH11 and ZH15. We found many lines showed obvious morphological mutations, including two types--fake-homozygous mutation and separating mutation.

Minimal residual disease quantification in childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia by real-time polymerase chain reaction using the SYBR green dye.

Objective: Clone specific immunoglobulin (Ig) and T-cell receptor (TCR) gene sequences can be used as molecular targets for detection of minimal residual disease (MRD) in acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). Real-time quantitative PCR (RQ-PCR) with no need for post-PCR processing is an attractive approach for detection and quantification of specific DNA or RNA sequences. In the present study we evaluated a real-time PCR-based technology for MRD quantification in children with precursor-B ALL.