Recent advances in functional assays of WRKY transcription factors in plant immunity against pathogens.

WRKY transcription factors (TFs) are one of the largest transcription factor families in plants and play important roles in plant processes, most notably in responding to diverse biotic and abiotic stresses. This article reviews the recent research progresses on WRKY TFs in regulating plant immunity, which includes both positive and negative regulation. WRKY TFs were shown to regulate plant defense against pathogens including fungi, bacteria, oomycetes, and viruses by modulating downstream pathogen resistance genes or interacting with other regulators.

A platform trial of neoadjuvant and adjuvant antitumor vaccination alone or in combination with PD-1 antagonist and CD137 agonist antibodies in patients with resectable pancreatic adenocarcinoma.

A neoadjuvant immunotherapy platform clinical trial allows for rapid evaluation of treatment-related changes in tumors and identifying targets to optimize treatment responses. We enrolled patients with resectable pancreatic adenocarcinoma into such a platform trial (NCT02451982) to receive pancreatic cancer GVAX vaccine with low-dose cyclophosphamide alone (Arm A; n = 16), with anti-PD-1 antibody nivolumab (Arm B; n = 14), and with both nivolumab and anti-CD137 agonist antibody urelumab (Arm C; n = 10), respectively. The primary endpoint for Arms A/B - treatment-related change in IL17A expression in vaccine-induced lymphoid aggregates - was previously published.

Determination of ADH in textiles using the HPLC-MS/MS method and the study of its adsorption behaviour towards formaldehyde.

In the textile industry, formaldehyde-based resins are used as finishers to make the fabrics crease-resistant, which are the main source of formaldehyde in textiles. In our practical study, there are cases that prove that textile products containing adipic dihydrazide (ADH) will continuously adsorb formaldehyde from the surrounding environment during storage. In this study, a high performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry method was established for the precise determination of ADH in textiles.

Bone mineral imaged in vivo by 31P solid state MRI of human wrists.

Purpose: To implement solid state (31)P MRI ((31)P SMRI) in a clinical scanner to visualize bone mineral.

Materials And Methods: Wrists of seven healthy volunteers were scanned. A quadrature wrist (31)P transmit/receive coil provided strong B(1) and good signal-to-noise ratio (SNR).

Bone matrix imaged in vivo by water- and fat-suppressed proton projection MRI (WASPI) of animal and human subjects.

Purpose: To demonstrate water- and fat-suppressed proton projection MRI (WASPI) in a clinical scanner to visualize the solid bone matrix in animal and human subjects.

Materials And Methods: Pig bone specimens and polymer pellets were used to optimize the WASPI method in terms of soft-tissue suppression, image resolution, signal-to-noise ratio, and scan time on a 3T MRI scanner. The ankles of healthy 2-3-month-old live Yorkshire pigs were scanned with the optimized method.

Quantitative (31)P NMR spectroscopy and (1)H MRI measurements of bone mineral and matrix density differentiate metabolic bone diseases in rat models.

In this study, bone mineral density (BMD) of normal (CON), ovariectomized (OVX), and partially nephrectomized (NFR) rats was measured by (31)P NMR spectroscopy; bone matrix density was measured by (1)H water- and fat-suppressed projection imaging (WASPI); and the extent of bone mineralization (EBM) was obtained by the ratio of BMD/bone matrix density. The capability of these MR methods to distinguish the bone composition of the CON, OVX, and NFR groups was evaluated against chemical analysis (gravimetry). For cortical bone specimens, BMD of the CON and OVX groups was not significantly different; BMD of the NFR group was 22.

Quantitative bone matrix density measurement by water- and fat-suppressed proton projection MRI (WASPI) with polymer calibration phantoms.

The density of the organic matrix of bone substance is a critical parameter necessary to clinically evaluate and distinguish structural and metabolic pathological conditions such as osteomalacia in adults and rickets in growing children. Water- and fat-suppressed proton projection MRI (WASPI) was developed as a noninvasive means to obtain this information. In this study, a density calibration phantom was developed to convert WASPI intensity to true bone matrix density.

Murine intramyocellular lipids quantified by NMR act as metabolic biomarkers in burn trauma.

It has been suggested that intramyocellular lipids (IMCLs) may serve as biomarkers of insulin resistance and mitochondrial dysfunction. Using a hind-limb mouse model of burn trauma, we tested the hypothesis that severe localized burn trauma involving 5% of the total body surface area causes a local increase in IMCLs in the leg skeletal muscle. We quantified IMCLs from ex vivo intact tissue specimens using High-Resolution Magic Angle Spinning (HRMAS) 1H NMR and characterized the accompanying gene expression patterns in burned versus control skeletal muscle specimens.

Reduced rate of adenosine triphosphate synthesis by in vivo 31P nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy and downregulation of PGC-1beta in distal skeletal muscle following burn.

Using a mouse model of burn trauma, we tested the hypothesis that severe burn trauma corresponding to 30% of total body surface area (TBSA) causes reduction in adenosine triphosphate (ATP) synthesis in distal skeletal muscle. We employed in vivo 31P nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) in intact mice to assess the rate of ATP synthesis, and characterized the concomitant gene expression patterns in skeletal muscle in burned (30% TBSA) versus control mice. Our NMR results showed a significantly reduced rate of ATP synthesis and were complemented by genomic results showing downregulation of the ATP synthase mitochondrial F1 F0 complex and PGC-1beta gene expression.

Combination of high-resolution magic angle spinning proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy and microscale genomics to type brain tumor biopsies.

Advancements in the diagnosis and prognosis of brain tumor patients, and thus in their survival and quality of life, can be achieved using biomarkers that facilitate improved tumor typing. We introduce and implement a combinatorial metabolic and molecular approach that applies state-of-the-art, high-resolution magic angle spinning (HRMAS) proton (1H) MRS and gene transcriptome profiling to intact brain tumor biopsies, to identify unique biomarker profiles of brain tumors. Our results show that samples as small as 2 mg can be successfully processed, the HRMAS 1H MRS procedure does not result in mRNA degradation, and minute mRNA amounts yield high-quality genomic data.

Uncoupling protein 3 expression and intramyocellular lipid accumulation by NMR following local burn trauma.

Burn trauma is a clinical condition accompanied by muscle wasting that severely impedes rehabilitation in burn survivors. Mitochondrial uncoupling protein 3 (UCP3) is uniformly expressed in myoskeletal mitochondria and its expression has been found to increase in other clinical syndromes that, like burn trauma, are associated with muscle wasting (e.g.

Synthesis and characterization of poly(DL-lactide)-grafted gelatins as bioabsorbable amphiphilic polymers.

A series of poly(DL-lactide) grafted gelatins, as new bioabsorbable amphiphilic polymers useful in parenteral drug delivery systems and in tissue engineering, were synthesized by the ring opening polymerization of DL-lactide onto a fractionated gelatin with the molecular weight of 1.02 x 10(5). Using tin(II) bis(2-ethylhexanoate) as catalyst, the bulk copolymerization at 140 degrees C and solution copolymerization in dimethylsulfoxide (DMSO) at 80 degrees C were firstly performed in the presence of gelatin.