Obesity poses risks to oocyte maturation and embryonic development in mice and humans, linked to gut microbiota dysbiosis and altered host metabolomes. However, it is unclear whether symbiotic gut microbes have a pivotal role in oocyte quality. In mouse models of fecal microbiota transplantation, we demonstrated aberrant meiotic apparatus and impaired maternal mRNA in oocytes, which is coincident with the poor developmental competence of embryos.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: The switching/sucrose non-fermentable (SWI/SNF) Related, Matrix Associated, Actin Dependent Regulator Of Chromatin, Subfamily A (SMARCA) member 2 and member 4 (SMARCA2/4) are paralogs and act as the key enzymatic subunits in the SWI/SNF complex for chromatin remodeling. However, the role of SMARCA2/4 in DNA damage response remains unclear.
Methods: Laser microirradiation assays were performed to examine the key domains of SMARCA2/4 for the relocation of the SWI/SNF complex to DNA lesions.
Morphology and facet effects of metal oxides in heterogeneous catalytic ozonation (HCO) are attracting increasing interests. In this paper, the different HCO performances for degradation and mineralization of phenol of seven ceria (CeO) catalysts, including four with different morphologies (nanorod, nanocube, nanooctahedron and nanopolyhedron) and three with the same nanorod morphology but different exposed facets, are comparatively studied. CeO nanorods with (110) and (100) facets exposed show the best performance, much better than that of single ozonation, while CeO nanocubes and nanooctahedra show performances close to single ozonation.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFCoronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), caused by SARS-CoV-2, have profoundly affected human health. Booster COVID-19 vaccines have demonstrated significant efficacy in reducing infection and severe cases. However, the effects of booster COVID-19 vaccines on key immune cell subsets and their responses in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) are not well understood.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFWe propose an aperture division multispectral camera for Earth observation (EAMC) based on the Lagrange L1 point of the Earth-Moon system to measure the Earth's reflected solar radiation (RSR), quantify the effective radiative forcing (ERF) and establish the pixel-scale multispectral angular distribution model (ADM) of the Earth's radiance. The EAMC adopts the snapshot technique to provide multispectral images in the 360-920 nm wavelength, employing nine subsystems sharing a primary system. The camera can capture the entire Earth's two-dimensional morphology and spectral fingerprints at a 10 km spatial resolution, with all spectral images acquired concurrently on a single detector.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe BRCA1/BARD1 complex plays a key role in the repair of DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs) in both somatic cells and germ cells. However, the underlying molecular mechanism by which this complex mediates DSB repair is not fully understood. Here, we examined the XY body of male germ cells, where DSBs are accumulated.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFChloroplast is an important organelle for photosynthesis and numerous essential metabolic processes, thus ensuring plant fitness or survival. Although many genes involved in chloroplast development have been identified, mechanisms underlying such development are not fully understood. Here, we isolated and characterized the stripe3 (st3) mutant which exhibited white-striped leaves with reduced chlorophyll content and abnormal chloroplast development during the seedling stage, but gradually produced nearly normal green leaves as it developed.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFContaminated legacy sediments contribute to modern pollution loadings, particularly trace metals. These contributions are challenging to quantify as metal histories reconstructed from sediment records cannot be easily divided into legacy and concurrent contamination. In particular, the contribution from re-mobilization and delivery of legacy metals stored in catchment soil, colluvial, and fluvial environments are rarely considered or quantified when interpreting sediment records.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIn response to DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs), DNA damage repair factors are recruited to DNA lesions and form nuclear foci. However, the underlying molecular mechanism remains largely elusive. Here, by analyzing the localization of DSB repair factors in the XY body and DSB foci, we demonstrate that pre-ribosomal RNA (pre-rRNA) mediates the recruitment of DSB repair factors around DNA lesions.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFTenthredinidae represents one of the external feeders of the most diverse superfamily, Tenthredinoidea, with diverse host plant utilization. In this study, four complete mitochondrial genomes (mitogenomes), those of , , , and , are newly sequenced and comparatively analyzed with previously reported tenthredinid mitogenomes. The close investigation of mitogenomes and the phylogeny of Tenthredinidae leads us to the following conclusions: The subfamilial relationships and phylogenetic placements within Tenthredinidae are mostly found to be similar to the previously suggested phylogenies.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThis study investigated the advanced treatment of secondary effluent organic matters (EfOM) from an industrial park wastewater treatment plant (IPWTP) by Fenton oxidation process and its combination with biological aerated filter (BAF). The constituents of EfOM were characterized by using fluorescence excitation-emission matrix, and the results showed that the major components included aromatic proteins, soluble microbial products, humic and fulvic acid-like substances, and compounds associated with fluorescent region of Ex 250-300 nm/Em 600-700 nm. The EfOM was strongly resistant to biodegradation (biochemical oxygen demand (BOD):chemical oxygen demand (COD) ratio at 0.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFGlobal climate change and human activities have significantly impacted lake ecosystems at an accelerating rate in recent decades, but the differences between the responses of lake ecosystems to these two stressors remain unclear. Thus an improved understanding of the long-term influences of climatic and anthropogenic disturbances is necessary for the management of lake ecosystems. In order to address these issues, a sedimentary record was obtained from Lake Yilong in Yunnan Province in southwestern China, where the climate and natural environment are dominated by the Indian Summer Monsoon and there is a long history of human occupation and intensive human activity.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMitochondrial DNA B Resour
September 2020
We assembled the near-complete mitochondrial genome of Wei, 2016 with next-generation sequencing (NGS). The total genome size of . was 15,095 bp with 80.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Acanthamoeba spp. are free-living amoeba that are ubiquitously distributed in the environment. This study examines pathogenic Acanthamoeba cysteine proteases (AcCPs) belonging to the cathepsin L-family and explores the mechanism of AcCP3 interaction with host cells.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFLocal wild bovids have been determined to be important prey on the northeastern Tibetan Plateau (NETP), where hunting game was a major subsistence strategy until the late Neolithic, when farming lifestyles dominated in the neighboring Loess Plateau. However, the species affiliation and population ecology of these prehistoric wild bovids in the prehistoric NETP remain unknown. Ancient DNA (aDNA) analysis is highly informative in decoding this puzzle.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThis study was conducted to design an electrochemical sensor for detection of l-glutamate (L-Glu) and Aspartate (Asp), which contribute largely to the umami taste of beef. Using N, N'-diphenylthiourea (DPTU), polypyrrole (PPy), and polyvinyl chloride (PVC), a composite electrode (DPTU/PVC/PPy/Pt) was prepared for rapidly electrochemical detection of l-Glu and Asp. The surface morphology of the synthesized functionalized electrode was characterized by Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscopy (FESEM).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFSupported copper oxides with well-dispersed metal species, small size, tunable valence and high stability are highly desirable in catalysis. Herein, novel copper oxide (CuO) catalysts supported on defect-rich mesoporous alumina microspheres are developed using a spray-drying-assisted evaporation induced self-assembly method. The catalysts possess a special structure composed of a mesoporous outer layer, a mesoporous-nanosphere-stacked under layer and a hollow cavity.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjective: To examine the current perspectives of enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS) and the clinical practice applications of important ERAS principles among Chinese orthopaedic surgeons.
Methods: This was a cross-sectional study using an online survey that was completed between November and December 2018. A 16-item online questionnaire regarding the experiences of ERAS, perceptions of methods, and durations and concerns of venous thromboembolism (VTE) prophylaxis was sent to 2000 orthopaedic surgeons nationwide, and 1720 (86%) surgeons responded.
Gastric cancer (GC) is the fourth most common tumor and the second most common cause of cancer-associated mortality worldwide. Current tumor biomarkers for GC, such as serum carcinoembryonic antigen and carbohydrate antigen 19-9, are not ideal due to their limited role as prognostic indicators for GC. Proteasome subunit α7 (PSMA7) is a multifunctional protein, which has been revealed to be involved in the development and progression of various types of malignancy.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFSilicon nanoparticles (SiNPs) modified with Eu(III) were synthesized and are shown to be a viable ratiometric fluorescent probe for tetracycline antibiotics. SiNPs/Eu under 405 nm excitation display two emissions, viz. a strong cyan colored fluorescence peaking at 497 nm and a weak pink fluorescence peaking at 622 nm.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMicroRNAs (miRNAs) are key regulators of gene expression in many important biological processes of plants. However, few miRNAs have been shown to regulate seed vigor. Here, we conducted microarray assays to analyze miRNA expression levels in seeds of the rice (Oryza sativa L.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Acanthamoeba spp. can cause serious human infections, including Acanthamoeba keratitis, granulomatous amoebic encephalitis and cutaneous acanthamoebiasis. Cysteine biosynthesis and the L-serine metabolic pathway play important roles in the energy metabolism of Acanthamoeba spp.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAdsorption and catalytic conversion of nitrophenols (NPs) over carbon-based materials have attracted wide interest. Batch adsorption and catalytic reduction of NPs have been widely reported, but less attention has been paid to flow systems, which require high particle size uniformity and superior active site accessibility. Herein, uniform mesoporous carbon hollow microspheres with their surfaces enriched by Au nanoparticles (denoted as Au@UMCHMs) are synthesized.
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