Endophytic Phthalate-degrading Bacillus subtilis N-1-gfp colonizing in soil-crop system shifted indigenous bacterial community to remove di-n-butyl phthalate.

Endophytic bacteria can degrade toxic phthalate (PAEs). Nevertheless, the colonization and function of endophytic PAE-degrader in soil-crop system and their association mechanism with indigenous bacteria in PAE removal remain unknown. Here, endophytic PAE-degrader Bacillus subtilis N-1 was marked with green fluorescent protein gene.

Diversity of endophytic bacteria in wild rice (Oryza meridionalis) and potential for promoting plant growth and degrading phthalates.

Phthalates (PAEs) accumulated in agricultural soils and rice have increased human exposure risks. Microbial degradation could efficiently reduce the residue of organic pollutants in soil and crop plants. Here, we hypothesized that endophytic bacteria from wild rice have the potential for degradation of PAEs and plant growth promoting.

Development and validation of a nomogram to predict the risk of breast cancer-related lymphedema among Chinese breast cancer survivors.

Purpose: Breast cancer-related lymphedema (BCRL) is a major long-term complication for post-surgery breast cancer survivors. Although several risk factors have been identified, lifestyle characteristics have been neglected in previous studies. The aim of this study was to develop and validate a nomogram for estimating this population's risk of developing lymphedema, taking into consideration their demographic, clinical, and personal lifestyle behaviors.

A teleost bactericidal permeability-increasing protein-derived peptide that possesses a broad antibacterial spectrum and inhibits bacterial infection as well as human colon cancer cells growth.

The bactericidal permeability-increasing protein (BPI) is a multifunctional cationic protein produced by neutrophils with antibacterial, antitumor, and LPS-neutralizing properties. In teleost, a number of BPIs have been reported, but their functions are very limited. In this study, an N-terminal peptide, BO18 (with 18 amino acids), derived from rock bream (Oplegnathus fasciatus) BPI, was synthesized and investigated for its antibacterial spectrum, action mechanism, immunoregulatory property as well as the inhibition effects on bacterial invasion and human colon cancer cells growth.

Muscular involvement of extranodal natural killer/T cell lymphoma misdiagnosed as polymyositis: A case report and review of literature.

Background: Natural killer (NK)/T cell lymphoma is a rare and highly aggressive malignant tumor, and is a special form of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. Although extranodal involvement is frequently found in tissues such as the skin, testicular and gastrointestinal tract , its presence in skeletal muscle has scarcely been reported in the literature.

Case Summary: We report a case of extranodal NK/T cell lymphoma with muscle swelling as the first clinical manifestation.

Antenatal sleep quality associated with perinatal outcomes in women of advanced maternal age.

Objectives: The increasing prevalence of advanced maternal age (AMA) coupled with poor sleep quality among pregnant women makes it important to study their association with perinatal outcomes. However, little is known about the interaction of AMA and maternal antenatal sleep on perinatal outcomes. Here, we examined whether associations between AMA and perinatal outcomes are modified by antenatal sleep quality.

Adjuvanted-influenza vaccination in patients infected with HIV: a systematic review and meta-analysis of immunogenicity and safety.

Adjuvanted-influenza vaccination is an efficient method for enhancing the immunogenicity of influenza split-virus vaccines for preventing influenza. However, the medical community's understanding of its performance in patients infected with HIV remains limited. To identify the advantages, we conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis with randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and cohort and case-control studies that have the immunogenicity and safety of influenza vaccines in patients infected with HIV as outcomes.

Prevalence and determinants of depression in caregivers of cancer patients: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: Aim of this study was to estimate the prevalence rate of depression in cancer patient caregivers and to identify factors affecting depression and quality of life of cancer caregivers.

Methods: Relevant research articles were retrieved after literature search in several electronic databases. Random effects meta-analyses were performed to obtain pooled estimates of the prevalence rates of depression and anxiety; their respective scores, and quality of life scores.

Risk Factors for Preoperative Anxiety and Depression in Patients Scheduled for Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm Repair.

Background: Perioperative emotional disorders of patients underwent abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) repair is an emerging area of study, and preoperative mental distress of those patients remains poorly understood. The aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence and identify the risk factors of preoperative anxiety and depression in patients scheduled for AAA repair.

Methods: A total of 189 patients who underwent elective AAA repair between 2015 and 2016 were included in this study.

Syntheses, crystal structures, adsorption properties and visible photocatalytic activities of highly stable Pb-based coordination polymers constructed by 2-(2-carboxyphenyl)imidazo(4,5-f)-(1,10)phenanthroline and bridging linkers.

Five highly stable coordination polymers assembled by 2-(2-carboxyphenyl)imidazo(4,5-f)-(1,10)phenanthroline (2-HNCP) and different aromatic carboxylic acid ligands, namely, [Pb(2-NCP)(L1)]n (1), [Pb2(2-NCP)2(L2)]n·2nH2O (2), [Pb2(2-NCP)2(L2)]n (3), [Pb(2-NCP)(L3)0.5]n (4) and [Pb2(2-NCP)2(L4)]n (5), where HL1 = pyridine-4-carboxylic acid, H2L2 = 2-amino-1,4-benzenedicarboxylic acid, H2L3 = 1,4-benzenedicarboxylic acid and H2L4 = 2-hydroxy-1,4-benzenedicarboxylic acid, have been synthesized under hydrothermal conditions. Their structures have been determined by single crystal X-ray diffraction analyses and further characterized by elemental analyses and infrared spectroscopy.

[Relationship between serum erythropoietin levels and brain injury in preterm infants].

Objective: To study the relationship between the levels of erythropoietin (EPO) in serum and brain injury in preterm infants.

Methods: Three hundred and four preterm infants (gestational age: 28-34 weeks) born between October 2014 and September 2015 were enrolled in this study. Brain injury was diagnosed using cerebral ultrasound and MRI.

[Construction and application of bioinformatic analysis platform for aquatic pathogen based on the MilkyWay-2 supercomputer].

As a key component of life science, bioinformatics has been widely applied in genomics, transcriptomics, and proteomics. However, the requirement of high-performance computers rather than common personal computers for constructing a bioinformatics platform significantly limited the application of bioinformatics in aquatic science. In this study, we constructed a bioinformatic analysis platform for aquatic pathogen based on the MilkyWay-2 supercomputer.

Effect of high pressure processing on rheological and structural properties of milk-gelatin mixtures.

There is an increasing demand to tailor the functional properties of mixed biopolymer systems that find application in dairy food products. The effect of static high pressure processing (HPP), up to 600MPa for 15min at room temperature, on milk-gelatin mixtures with different solid concentrations (5%, 10%, 15% and 20% w/w milk solid and 0.6% w/w gelatin) was investigated.

S100A4 siRNA inhibits human pancreatic cancer cell invasion in vitro.

Objective: Pancreatic cancer is one of the most deadly cancers, which is characterized by its high metastatic potential. S100A4 is a major prometastatic protein involved in tumor invasion and metastasis which precise role in pancreatic cancer has not been fully investigated. We knocked down the S100A4 gene in the Bxpc-3 pancreatic cancer cell line via RNA interference to study the changes in cell behavior.

Characterization of a critical role for CFTR chloride channels in cardioprotection against ischemia/reperfusion injury.

Aim: To further characterize the functional role of cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) in early and late (second window) ischemic preconditioning (IPC)- and postconditioning (POC)-mediated cardioprotection against ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury.

Methods: CFTR knockout (CFTR(-/-)) mice and age- and gender-matched wild-type (CFTR(+/+)) and heterozygous (CFTR(+/-)) mice were used. In in vivo studies, the animals were subjected to a 30-min coronary occlusion followed by a 40-min reperfusion.

Peptidoglycan recognition proteins kill bacteria by activating protein-sensing two-component systems.

Mammalian peptidoglycan recognition proteins (PGRPs), similar to antimicrobial lectins, bind the bacterial cell wall and kill bacteria through an unknown mechanism. We show that PGRPs enter the Gram-positive cell wall at the site of daughter cell separation during cell division. In Bacillus subtilis, PGRPs activate the CssR-CssS two-component system that detects and disposes of misfolded proteins that are usually exported out of bacterial cells.

In Vitro Synergy of Biochanin A and Ciprofloxacin against Clinical Isolates of Staphylococcus aureus.

Many clinical isolates of Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) are resistant to numerous antimicrobials, including the fluoroquinolones (FQs). Flavonoids such as biochanin A (BCA) are compounds that are naturally present in fruits, vegetables, and plant-derived beverages.

Influence of boron on carrot cell wall structure and its resistance to fracture.

Plant cell wall structure integrity and associated tissue mechanical properties is one of key determinants for the perceived texture of plant-based foods. Carrots (Daucus carota) were used to investigate the effect of mineral supply of boron (B) and/or calcium (Ca), during plant growth, on the plant cell wall structure and mechanical properties of matured root tissues. Five commercial cultivars of carrots, Kuroda (orange), Dragon Purple, Kuttiger White, Yellow, and Nutri-Red, were cultivated under controlled glasshouse conditions over two seasons.

Effects of allicin on CYP2C19 and CYP3A4 activity in healthy volunteers with different CYP2C19 genotypes.

Objective: To investigate the interaction between allicin and omeprazole and to observe the effects of allicin on CYP2C19 and CYP3A4 activity in healthy Chinese male volunteers with different CYP2C19 genotypes.

Methods: Eighteen subjects (six CYP2C19*1/CYP2C19*1, four CYP2C19*1/CYP2C19*2, two CYP2C19*1/ CYP2C19*3, and six CYP2C19*2/ CYP2C19*2) were enrolled in a two-phase randomized crossover trial. In each phase, all subjects received placebo or a 180 mg allicin capsule once daily for 14 consecutive days.

[Immuno-suppressive effects on T cells mediated by mesenchymal stem cells from patients with myelodysplastic syndrome].

The study was aimed to compare the effects of T-cell suppression mediated by mesenchymal stem cells (MSC) from normal individuals and myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) patients. MSC were cultured from the bone marrow of 12 healthy volunteers and 12 MDS patients, the morphology, surface markers and expression of several cytokines of MSC from normal individuals and MDS patients were compared, and the effects of T-cell suppression were tested in the following assays: phytohemaglutinin (PHA)-primed cultures, mixed lymphocyte reaction (MLR), cell cycle of T-cell after PHA-primed cultures and apoptosis of T-cell as well. The results showed that the MSC from normal individuals and MDS patients were similar in morphology, proliferation and surface markers.

Histamine induces the expression of uncoupling protein 2 (UCP2) and acid-binding protein (aP2) in white adipocytes.

Background: The aim of the present study was to investigate whether histamine induces up-regulated expression of uncoupling protein 2 (UCP2) and fat acid-binding protein (aP2) in white adipocytes (differentiated 3T3-L1 cells).

Methods: Differentiation of 3T3-L1 preadipocytes to adipocytes was induced by the addition of 5 microg/mL insulin, 1 micromol/L dexamethasone, 10 mmol/L 1-isobutyl-3-methylxanthine, 1% dimethylsulfoxide, and 10% fetal bovine serum in Dulbecco's modification of Eagle's medium. Total RNA from differentiated 3T3-L1 cells was extracted and semi-quantitative RT-PCR was performed to determine the levels of UCP2 and aP2 mRNA.

Human peptidoglycan recognition proteins require zinc to kill both gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria and are synergistic with antibacterial peptides.

Mammals have four peptidoglycan recognition proteins (PGRPs or PGLYRPs), which are secreted innate immunity pattern recognition molecules with effector functions. In this study, we demonstrate that human PGLYRP-1, PGLYRP-3, PGLYRP-4, and PGLYRP-3:4 have Zn(2+)-dependent bactericidal activity against both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria at physiologic Zn(2+) concentrations found in serum, sweat, saliva, and other body fluids. The requirement for Zn(2+) can only be partially replaced by Ca(2+) for killing of Gram-positive bacteria but not for killing of Gram-negative bacteria.

[Kinetic study of various cytokine mRNA expressions in rhesus treated with haploidentical peripheral blood stem cell transplantation].

This study was aimed to analyze the mRNA expression of cytokines (TGF-beta, IL-2, IL-6, IL-10, IFN-gamma, TNF-alpha, FAS-L) in five rhesus treated with haploidentical peripheral blood stem cell transplantation after nonmyeloablative preparative regimens and to explore the role of these cytokines in the development and pathology of acute graft-versus-host-disease (aGVHD). Five rhesus monkeys received nonmyeloablative haploidentical peripheral blood stem cells transplantation. Semi-quantitative reversed transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) was used to analyze the kinetics of cytokine mRNA expression in the transplantation and aGVHD.

[Establishment of a rhesus haploidentical hematopoietic stem cell and mesenchymal stem cell transplantation model by nonmyeloablative conditioning].

Objective: To establish rhesus haploidentical hematopoietic stem cell transplantation model by nonmyeloablative conditioning, and examine the effects of mesenchymal stem cells (MSC) in haploidentical transplantation.

Methods: The recipient haploidentical rhesus monkeys were conditioned with a nonmyeloablative regimen consisted of fludarabine, cyclophosphamide, 200 cGy total body irradiation, and rabbit anti-human thymocyte globulin. Cyclosporine A, mycophenolate mofetil and anti CD25 antibody were used for graft versus host disease (GVHD) prophylaxis.