Crystal and EM structures of human phosphoribosyl pyrophosphate synthase I (PRS1) provide novel insights into the disease-associated mutations.

Human PRS1, which is indispensable for the biosynthesis of nucleotides, deoxynucleotides and their derivatives, is associated directly with multiple human diseases because of single base mutation. However, a molecular understanding of the effect of these mutations is hampered by the lack of understanding of its catalytic mechanism. Here, we reconstruct the 3D EM structure of the PRS1 apo state.

Gastric myeloid sarcoma without acute myeloblastic leukemia.

Myeloid sarcomas (MS) involve extramedullary blast proliferation from one or more myeloid lineages that replace the original tissue architecture, and these neoplasias are called granulocytic sarcomas, chloromas or extramedullary myeloid tumors. Such tumors develop in lymphoid organs, bones (e.g.

Design and simulation of proportional biological operational Mu-circuit.

It is challenging yet desirable to quantitatively control the expression of a target gene in practice. We design a device-Proportional Biological Operational Mu-circuit (P-BOM) incorporating AND/OR gate and operational amplifier into one circuit and explore its behaviors through simulation. The results imply that will be possible to regulate input-output proportionally by manipulating the RBS of hrpR, hrpS, tetR and output gene and used in the sensing of environmental weak signals such as dioxins.

Dissipation and residue of pymetrozine in rice field ecosystem.

The dissipation and residue of pymetrozine in rice field ecosystem were studied based on a novel and reliable analytical method for pymetrozine in paddy water, soil, rice straw, brown rice, and rice husk. The pymetrozine residues were extracted with acetonitrile and cleaned up by Carb-NH2 SPE cartridge and determined by high-performance liquid chromatography electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry (LC-ESI-MS-MS). The dissipation of pymetrozine followed first-order kinetics and its half-lives ranged from 1.

Olfactory function and quality of life following microscopic endonasal transsphenoidal pituitary surgery.

Olfactory outcomes as well as oronasal postoperative complications of transsphenoidal pituitary surgery have not been well studied. The objective of this study was to investigate nasal symptoms including olfactory function as well as quality of life following transsphenoidal pituitary surgery. The study is designed as a prospective cohort study set in a single tertiary hospital.

[The correlation of human papillomavirus and EB virus infection in nasopharyngeal carcinoma in Fujian].

Objective: To investigate the prevalence of human papillomavirus in nasopharyngeal carcinomas of Fujian province in China.

Method: Samples from 70 patients with NPC and 25 controls. All samples were detected HPV DNA by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) suing GP5+/6+ and MY09/11 primers and genotyped by surface plasmon resonance (SPR) and HPV 16/18 E6 and LMP-1 using immunohistochemistry and EBER using in situ hybridization.

Relative accuracy evaluation.

The quality of data plays an important role in business analysis and decision making, and data accuracy is an important aspect in data quality. Thus one necessary task for data quality management is to evaluate the accuracy of the data. And in order to solve the problem that the accuracy of the whole data set is low while a useful part may be high, it is also necessary to evaluate the accuracy of the query results, called relative accuracy.

[Effects of drought stress on growth and water use efficiency of two medicinal plants].

Growth characteristics, stable carbon isotope discrimination (Delta13C), water use efficiency (WUE), and their correlation of Cassia obtusifolia and Isatis indigotica were measured at three soil water levels, i. e., 30%, 50% and 75% of field water holding capacity (FWHC), and at three growth stages.

Toxicity and bioaccumulation of ethofumesate enantiomers in earthworm Eisenia fetida.

Earthworms represent an important food source for many vertebrates and as a result, predators may encounter toxic effects via the food chain from consumption of contaminated worms. Therefore, including an assessment of xenobiotic to worms in risk assessment procedures is advisable. Here we studied the acute toxicity, bioaccumulation and elimination of ethofumesate enantiomers in earthworm, Eisenia fetida, in a soil.

Stereoselective metabolism, distribution, and bioaccumulation brof triadimefon and triadimenol in lizards.

In this research, Chinese lizards (Eremias argus) were chosen as laboratory animal to evaluate the stereoselectivity in the processes of metabolism, distribution, and bioaccumulation of triadimefon. A validated chiral high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with triple quadruple mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS/MS) method was developed for determining enantiomers' residues of parent compound triadimefon and its metabolite triadimenol in lizard blood and tissues. Pharmacokinetic results of single-does exposure suggested that S-(+)-triadimefon was metabolized easier than R-(-)-triadimefon, and RR-(+)-triadimenol was the main metabolic product of triadimefon.

Tetrabromobisphenol A disrupts vertebrate development via thyroid hormone signaling pathway in a developmental stage-dependent manner.

Data concerning effects of tetrabromobisphenol A (TBBPA) on thyroid hormone (TH)-dependent vertebrate development have been limited, although TBBPA has been demonstrated in vitro to disrupt the TH signaling pathway at the transcriptional level. In this study, we investigated the effects of TBBPA on T3-induced and spontaneous Xenopus laevis metamorphosis, which share many similarities with TH-dependent development in higher vertebrates. In a 6-day T3-induced metamorphosis assay using premetamorphic tadpoles, 10-1000 nM TBBPA exhibited inhibitory effects on T3-induced expression of TH-response genes and morphological changes in a concentration-dependent manner, with a weak stimulatory action on tadpole development and TH-response gene expression in the absence of T3 induction.

Humanin rescues cultured rat cortical neurons from NMDA-induced toxicity not by NMDA receptor.

Excitatory neurotoxicity has been implicated in many pathological situations and there is no effective treatment available. Humanin is a 24-aa peptide cloned from the brain of patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD). In the present study, excitatory toxicity was induced by N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) in primarily cultured rat cortical neurons.

Stereoselectivity in bioaccumulation and excretion of epoxiconazole by mealworm beetle (Tenebrio molitor) larvae.

Stereoselectivity in bioaccumulation and excretion of stereoisomers of epoxiconazole by mealworm beetle (Tenebrio molitor) larvae through dietary exposure was investigated. Liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS/MS) method that use a ChiralcelOD-3R[cellulosetris-Tris-(3, 5-dichlorophenyl-carbamate)] chromatography column was applied to carry out chiral separation of the stereoisomers. Wheat bran was spiked with racemic epoxiconazole at two dose levels of 20mg/kg and 2mg/kg (dry weight) to feed T.

Enantioselective bioaccumulation and toxic effects of fipronil in the earthworm Eisenia foetida following soil exposure.

Background: Enantiomers of chiral pesticides often have different bioactivity, toxicity and environmental behaviours. Fipronil has been used in racemate for agricultural purposes against soil insects, leading to increased inputs into soil environments and complex biota exposures. To understand the potential risk associated with fipronil enantiomer exposure, subchronic toxicity and bioaccumulation tests with earthworms (Eisenia foetida) in fipronil-spiked soils were evaluated under laboratory conditions.

An optimized watermarking scheme using an encrypted gyrator transform computer generated hologram based on particle swarm optimization.

In this paper, a novel secure optimal image watermarking scheme using an encrypted gyrator transform computer generated hologram (CGH) in the contourlet domain is presented. A new encrypted CGH technique, which is based on the gyrator transform, the random phase mask, the three-step phase-shifting interferometry and the Fibonacci transform, has been proposed to produce a hologram of a watermark first. With the huge key space of the encrypted CGH, the security strength of the watermarking system is enhanced.

Enantioselective acute toxicity effects and bioaccumulation of furalaxyl in the earthworm (Eisenia foetida).

The enantioselectivities of individual enantiomers of furalaxyl in acute toxicity and bioaccumulation in the earthworm (Eisenia foetida) were studied. The acute toxicity was tested by filter paper contact test. After 48 h of exposure, the calculated LC50 values of the R-form, rac-form, and S-form were 2.

Dihydrotestosterone treatment delays the conversion from mild cognitive impairment to Alzheimer's disease in SAMP8 mice.

The senescence-accelerated-prone mouse 8 (SAMP8) has been proposed as a suitable, naturally derived animal model for Alzheimer's disease (AD). In the current study, we focus on the problem whether SAMP8 mice show abnormal behavioral and neuropathological signs before they present the characteristic of AD. Our results demonstrated that given the presence of the senescent, behavioral and neuropathological characteristics, the "middle-aged" SAMP8 mice appear to be a suitable and naturally derived animal model for MCI basic research.

Bioactive compound reveals a novel function for ribosomal protein S5 in hepatic stellate cell activation and hepatic fibrosis.

Unlabelled: Liver fibrosis and its endstage, cirrhosis, represent a major public health problem worldwide. Activation of hepatic stellate cells (HSCs) is a central event in hepatic fibrosis. However, the proteins that control HSC activation are incompletely understood.

Effects of aging on the plasma levels of nesfatin-1 and adiponectin.

Gastric and adipose tissue secrete a number of hormones that are involved in energy metabolism. The biological functions of these hormones, including their effects on aging, are currently under investigation. Adiponectin was shown to be directly involved in appetite and the control of body weight.

Determination of bromothalonil residues and degradation in apple and soil by QuEChERS and GC-MS/MS.

The dissipation and residues of bromothalonil in apple and soil under field condition were analyzed by QuEChERS (quick, easy, cheap, effective, rugged and safe) combined with gas chromatography-mass spectrometer method. The recoveries were ranged from 80.8 % to 106 % with coefficient variation for repeatability ranged from 3.

Stereoselective degradation and toxic effects of benalaxyl on blood and liver of the Chinese lizard Eremias argus.

Benalaxyl as a xylem-systemic fungicide is usually direct sprayed on the soil surface, which is potential harm to the animals lived in the soil. However, the stereoselectivity of benalaxyl in reptiles have rarely been studied. In this study, Chinese lizards (Eremias argus) were firstly used to evaluate the stereoselectivity in biodegradation and toxicity of racemate and individual enantiomers of benalaxyl.

Rictor/mTORC2 protects against cisplatin-induced tubular cell death and acute kidney injury.

The mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) plays a critical role for cell growth and survival in many cell types. While substantial progress has been made in understanding the abnormal activation of mTORC1 in the pathogenesis of kidney disease, little is known about mTORC2 in kidney disease such as acute kidney injury (AKI). To study this, we generated a mouse model with tubule-specific deletion of Rictor (Tubule-Rictor-/-).

EGFR mutations in surgically resected fresh specimens from 697 consecutive Chinese patients with non-small cell lung cancer and their relationships with clinical features.

We aimed to reveal the true status of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) mutations in Chinese patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) after lung resections. EGFR mutations of surgically resected fresh tumor samples from 697 Chinese NSCLC patients were analyzed by Amplification Refractory Mutation System (ARMS). Correlations between EGFR mutation hotspots and clinical features were also explored.

Enantiomerization and enantioselective bioaccumulation of metalaxyl in Tenebrio molitor larvae.

The enantiomerization and enantioselective bioaccumulation of metalaxyl by a single dose of exposure to Tenebrio molitor larvae under laboratory condition were studied by high-performance liquid chromatography tandem mass spectroscopy (HPLC-MS/MS) based on a ChiralcelOD-3R [cellulosetris-tris-(3, 5-dichlorophenyl-carbamate)] column. Exposure of enantiopure R-metalaxyl and S-metalaxyl in Tenebrio molitor larvae exhibited significant enantiomerization, with formation of the R enantiomers from the S enantiomers, and vice versa, which might be attributed to the chiral pesticide catalyzed by a certain enzyme in Tenebrio molitor larvae. Enantiomerization was not observed in wheat bran during the period of 21 d.