Complete plastid genome sequence of (Schltr.) Szlach. (Orchidaceae), an endemic herb in China.

The species , belonging to the family Orchidaceae, is a small lithophytic herb endemic in south China with significant conservation values. The complete plastid genome sequence of reported here is 144,989 bp in length, with a large single copy (LSC) region of 83,920 bp, a small single copy (SSC) region of 13,063 bp, and a pair of inverted repeat (IRa and IRb) regions of 24,003 bp each. The plastome consists of 95 genes, including 72 protein-coding genes, 4 ribosomal RNA genes, and 19 transfer RNA genes.

Inhibition of growth and induction of apoptosis in A549 cells by compounds from oxheart cabbage extract.

Background: Oxheart cabbage (Brassica oleracea var. capitata) is a member of the Brassica genus. Although some studies on the anticancer effects of extracts from oxheart cabbage have been reported, comprehensive information on the bioactive fractions and components from oxheart cabbage extracts is still lacking.

Mitochondria-mediated apoptosis in human lung cancer A549 cells by 4-methylsulfinyl-3-butenyl isothiocyanate from radish seeds.

4-Methylsulfinyl-3-butenyl isothiocyanate (MTBITC) found in the radish (Raphanus sativus L.), is a well- known anticancer agent. In this study, the mechanisms of the MTBITC induction of cell apoptosis in human A549 lung cancer cells were investigated.

Assistive walking device use and knee osteoarthritis: results from the Health, Aging and Body Composition Study (Health ABC Study).

Objectives: To identify factors that predicted incident use of assistive walking devices (AWDs) and to explore whether AWD use was associated with changes in osteoarthritis of the knee.

Design: Prospective cohort study.

Setting: Community.

Osteoporosis care in the United States after declines in reimbursements for DXA.

In January 2007, in the United States (US), Medicare initiated a series of cuts to reimbursement for dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) services performed in the nonfacility setting that by January 2010 reduced payments for these services by more than 60% compared with 2006 levels. The objectives of this study were to determine if a temporal association exists between Medicare Physician Fee Schedule changes in office-based DXA reimbursement and attendance at educational conferences for osteoporosis, physicians' perceptions of changes in their medical practices, or national trends in retail prescription medications for osteoporosis in those aged 65 and older. Compared with the 2 yr before the decline in Medicare reimbursement for DXA (2005-2006), attendance at educational meetings for osteoporosis in the US declined in the 2 yr after these cuts (2007-2008) by 6%; declines in attendance were only present in meetings selective for bone densitometry.

Effect of cultivating conditions on alpha-galactosidase production by a novel Aspergillus foetidus ZU-G1 strain in solid-state fermentation.

The work is intended to achieve optimum culture conditions of alpha-galactosidase production by a mutant strain Aspergillus foetidus ZU-G1 in solid-state fermentation (SSF). Certain fermentation parameters involving moisture content, incubation temperature, cultivation period of seed, inoculum volume, initial pH value, layers of pledget, load size of medium and period of cultivation were investigated separately. The optimal cultivating conditions of alpha-galactosidase production in SSF were 60% initial moisture of medium, 28 degrees C incubation temperature, 18 h cultivation period of seed, 10% inoculum volume, 5.

Sleep deprivation impairs hippocampus-mediated contextual learning but not amygdala-mediated cued learning in rats.

Prolonged sleep deprivation results in cognitive deficits. In rats, for example, sleep deprivation impairs spatial learning and hippocampal long-term potentiation. We tested the effects of sleep deprivation on learning in a Pavlovian fear conditioning paradigm, choosing a sleep deprivation paradigm in which REM sleep was completely prevented and non-REM sleep was strongly decreased.