Considerations for RNA-seq analysis of circadian rhythms.

Circadian rhythms are daily endogenous oscillations of behavior, metabolism, and physiology. At a molecular level, these oscillations are generated by transcriptional-translational feedback loops composed of core clock genes. In turn, core clock genes drive the rhythmic accumulation of downstream outputs-termed clock-controlled genes (CCGs)-whose rhythmic translation and function ultimately underlie daily oscillations at a cellular and organismal level.

The effect of oat β-glucan on in vitro glucose diffusion and glucose transport in rat small intestine.

Background: Many previous studies have reported the role of oat β-glucan (OBG) in the reduction of postprandial glucose, and hypothesised that OBG may form a protective layer along the intestinal wall, acting as a viscous barrier to decrease glucose transportation. This study examined whether the molecular weight (MW) and concentration of OBG affected the diffusion of glucose in vitro. The effect of OBG on glucose transportation in vitro and sodium-potassium adenosine triphosphatase (Na(+)/K(+)-ATPase) activity in the everted small intestines of normal rats was also examined.

An interoperable pillbox system for smart medication adherence.

We have designed and fabricated an interoperable system for medication adherence. The system is composed of a pillbox that wirelessly communicates with a computer application and a custom-made wristband. The system receives the information of taking specific medication from the user or caregiver, reminds the user to take the medication, monitors the user's hand gesture during the medication intake and monitors the compartments of the pillbox for refilling purpose.

Perchlorate reduction in microbial electrolysis cell with polyaniline modified cathode.

Excellent perchlorate reduction was obtained under various initial concentrations in a non-membrane microbial electrolysis cell with polyaniline (PANI) modified graphite cathode as sole electron donor. PANI modification is conducive to the formation of biofilm due to its porous structure and good electrocatalytic performance. Compared with cathode without biofilm, over 12% higher reduction rates were acquired in the presence of biocathode.

iTRAQ-based proteomic analysis of tetramethylpyrazine inhibition on lipopolysaccharide-induced microglial activation.

Aims: Neurodegenerative diseases are the leading cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Several studies have shown that tetramethylpyrazine (TMP) is an effective therapy for neurodegenerative diseases and that it acts by inhibiting the activation of microglial cells in response to inflammatory stimuli. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying the action of TMP remain unknown.

Effective suppression of the Kirsten rat sarcoma viral oncogene in pancreatic tumor cells via targeted small interfering RNA delivery using nanoparticles.

Objectives: The objective of this study was to establish an efficient carrier for small interfering RNA (siRNA) delivery targeting pancreatic tumor cells.

Methods: A copolymer consisting of a single-chain variable fragment targeted to human CD44 variant 6 (scFv(CD44v6)) functional group conjugated to polyethylene glycol-poly-L-lysine was synthesized and assembled into micelles encapsulating the siRNAs. Flow cytometry and Western blot assays were performed to evaluate the transfection efficiency and gene-silencing effect of the siRNAs.

[Gelsolin level for prognostic evaluation in patients with critically illness].

Objective: To investigate the changes of plasma gelsolin level in patients with critical illness and its application in prognostic evaluation.

Methods: Ninety six critically ill patients admitted in ICU of Sichuan Provincial People's Hospital from February 2012 to December 2013 were enrolled in the prospective cohort study. Plasma gelsolin levels were detected with enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) at admission (d1), d2, d4 and d8 after admission, and also detected in blood samples of 186 healthy subjects as controls.

Genetic differentiation revealed by selective loci of drought-responding EST-SSRs between upland and lowland rice in China.

Upland and lowland rice (Oryza sativa L.) represent two of the most important rice ecotypes adapted to ago-ecosystems with contrasting soil-water conditions. Upland rice, domesticated in the water-limited environment, contains valuable drought-resistant characters that can be used in water-saving breeding.

Trends in abdominal obesity among U.S. children and adolescents.

Objectives: Previous studies showed that prevalence of abdominal obesity among US children and adolescents increased significantly between 1988-1994 and 2003-2004. However, little is known about recent time trends in abdominal obesity since 2003-2004.This study was to provide recent updated national estimates of childhood abdominal obesity and examine the trends in childhood abdominal obesity from 2003 to 2012.

Processing anaerobic sludge for extended storage as anaerobic digester inoculum.

Thermophilic anaerobic sludge was processed to reduce the volume and moisture content in order to reduce costs for storing and transporting the sludge as microbial inoculum for anaerobic digester startup. The moisture content of the sludge was reduced from 98.7% to 82.

Growth, oxidative stress responses, and gene transcription of juvenile bighead carp (Hypophthalmichthys nobilis) under chronic-term exposure of ammonia.

Ammonia toxicity has become a universal problem for aquatic animals, especially fish. The purpose of the present study was to assess the chronic toxicity of ammonia to the juvenile bighead carp (Hypophthalmichthys nobilis). The authors measured the responses of growth performance (specific growth rate, condition factor, body weight, and body length), oxidative stress, and related gene transcription of juvenile bighead carp exposed to solutions with different concentrations of un-ionized ammonia (UIA; 0 mg L(-1) , 0.

Spatio-temporal variation and prediction of ischemic heart disease hospitalizations in Shenzhen, China.

Ischemic heart disease (IHD) is a leading cause of death worldwide. Urban public health and medical management in Shenzhen, an international city in the developing country of China, is challenged by an increasing burden of IHD. This study analyzed the spatio-temporal variation of IHD hospital admissions from 2003 to 2012 utilizing spatial statistics, spatial analysis, and space-time scan statistics.

Involvement of thalamus in initiation of epileptic seizures induced by pilocarpine in mice.

Studies have suggested that thalamus is involved in temporal lobe epilepsy, but the role of thalamus is still unclear. We obtained local filed potentials (LFPs) and single-unit activities from CA1 of hippocampus and parafascicular nucleus of thalamus during the development of epileptic seizures induced by pilocarpine in mice. Two measures, redundancy and directionality index, were used to analyze the electrophysiological characters of neuronal activities and the information flow between thalamus and hippocampus.

Influence of cell disruption and elution on cellulase release of Clostridium straminisolvens (CSK1).

Clostridium straminisolvens (CSK1) is a novel cellulolytic bacterium isolated from a cellulose-degrading bacterial community MC1. In this study, the influence of the following cell disruption and elution methods on CSK1cellulase release was investigated: (1) freezing-thawing, (2) ultrasonication, (3) elution, (4) freezing-thawing following elution, (5) ultrasonication following elution, and lastly (6) high-pressure homogenization following elution. The activity of the cellulases CMCase, β-glucosidase, Avicelase, FPase, and xylanase in crude extracts increased 81.

Carbon nanotubes reinforced composites for biomedical applications.

This review paper reported carbon nanotubes reinforced composites for biomedical applications. Several studies have found enhancement in the mechanical properties of CNTs-based reinforced composites by the addition of CNTs. CNTs reinforced composites have been intensively investigated for many aspects of life, especially being made for biomedical applications.

Spatial analysis of the home addresses of hospital patients with hepatitis B infection or hepatoma in Shenzhen, China from 2010 to 2012.

Background: Hepatoma associated with hepatitis B infection is a major public health problem in Shenzhen (China) and worldwide. China has the largest number of people infected with the hepatitis B virus (HBV), and many studies have demonstrated that HBV infection is associated with hepatoma development. Shenzhen officials have been attempting to monitor and control these diseases for many years.

Effects of curcumin on pain threshold and on the expression of nuclear factor κ B and CX3C receptor 1 after sciatic nerve chronic constrictive injury in rats.

Objective: To investigate the effects of curcumin on pain threshold and the expressions of nuclear factor κ B (NF-κ B) and CX3C chemokine receptor 1 (CX3CR1) in spinal cord and dorsal root ganglion (DRG) of the rats with sciatic nerve chronic constrictive injury.

Methods: One hundred and twenty male Sprague Dawley rats, weighing 220-250 g, were randomly divided into 4 groups. Sham surgery (sham) group: the sciatic nerves of rats were only made apart but not ligated; chronic constrictive injury (CCI) group: the sciatic nerves of rats were only ligated without any drug treatment; curcumin treated injury (Cur) model group: the rats were administrated with curcumin 100 mg/(kg·d) by intraperitoneal injection for 14 days after CCI; solvent control (SC) group: the rats were administrated with the solvent at the same dose for 14 days after CCI.

Isolation and characterization of OsMY1, a putative partner of OsRac5 from Oryza sativa L.

OsRac5 belongs to the rice Rho of plants family, and acts as the molecular switch in the signal pathway which is pivotally involved in the rice fertility control. One of its putative partners, OsMY1, was isolated by yeast two-hybrid screening from rice panicle cDNA library. Bioinformatics analysis shows that OsMY1 contains a coiled-coil domain which generally appeared in the partners of Rho GTPases.

Noise-induced spatiotemporal patterns in Hodgkin-Huxley neuronal network.

The effect of noise on the pattern selection in a regular network of Hodgkin-Huxley neurons is investigated, and the transition of pattern in the network is measured from subexcitable to excitable media. Extensive numerical results confirm that kinds of travelling wave such as spiral wave, circle wave and target wave could be developed and kept alive in the subexcitable network due to the noise. In the case of excitable media under noise, the developed spiral wave and target wave could coexist and new target-like wave is induced near to the border of media.

Analysis of the spatial variation of hospitalization admissions for hypertension disease in Shenzhen, China.

In China, awareness about hypertension, the treatment rate and the control rate are low compared to developed countries, even though China's aging population has grown, especially in those areas with a high degree of urbanization. However, limited epidemiological studies have attempted to describe the spatial variation of the geo-referenced data on hypertension disease over an urban area of China. In this study, we applied hierarchical Bayesian models to explore the spatial heterogeneity of the relative risk for hypertension admissions throughout Shenzhen in 2011.

Quantitative detection and proliferation dynamics of a novel Spiroplasma eriocheiris pathogen in the freshwater crayfish, Procambarus clarkii.

Spiroplasma eriocheiris disease control based on sensitive quantitative methods has become a priority. A SYBR Green real-time PCR that can simultaneously detect and quantify S. eriocheiris in the freshwater crayfish Procambarus clarkii was produced and evaluated.

[Effect of different denture cleaning methods on roughness in resin denture base].

Objective: To determine the effect of different denture cleaning methods on surface roughness in resin denture base.

Methods: We established 20 wafer samples of fuser base resin (14 mm×14 mm×3 mm), and then randomly divided them into 4 groups: group A was the control group, which were placed in water, while group B, C and D were the experimental groups, whose cleaning methods were toothbrush and water, toothbrush and toothpaste, denture cleaning tablets, respectively. Each procedure in group B and C lasted for 3 seconds, but group D lasted 5 min and repeated for 1080 times.

Efficacy of cold light bleaching using different bleaching times and their effects on human enamel.

This study investigated the efficacy of cold light bleaching using different bleaching times and the effects thereof on tooth enamel. Before and after bleaching, stained tooth specimens were subjected to visual and instrumental colorimetric assessments using Vita Shade Guide and spectrophotometric shade matching. Enamel surface alterations were examined using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) to analyze surface morphology, surface microhardness (SMH) measurement to determine changes in mechanical properties, and X-ray diffraction (XRD) to characterize post-bleaching enamel composition.

Estrogen receptor α roles in breast cancer chemoresistance.

Resistance to chemotherapy treatment, which may lead to limited efficacy of systemic therapy in breast cancer patients, is multifactorial. Among the mechanisms of resistance to chemotherapy treatment, there are those closely related to estrogen receptor α, P-glycoprotein, multidrug resistance-related protein, glutathione S-transferase pi and topoisomerase-II. ERα is ligand-activated transcription factor that regulates gene expression and plays a critical role in endocrine signaling.

Photodegradation of textile dye Rhodamine B over a novel biopolymer-metal complex wool-Pd/CdS photocatalysts under visible light irradiation.

A novel biopolymer-metal complex wool-Pd/CdS photocatalysts were prepared and exhibited high activity for photodegradation of Rh B under visible light irradiation. The wool-Pd could not only enhance the utilization rate of noble metal Pd but also significantly improve the activity of dye degradation. Wool-Pd was able to introduce Pd and PdS to effectively prohibit the recombination of photogenerated electrons and holes.