Slowing DNA Translocation in a Nanofluidic Field-Effect Transistor.

Here, we present an experimental demonstration of slowing DNA translocation across a nanochannel by modulating the channel surface charge through an externally applied gate bias. The experiments were performed on a nanofluidic field-effect transistor, which is a monolithic integrated platform featuring a 50 nm-diameter in-plane alumina nanocapillary whose entire length is surrounded by a gate electrode. The field-effect transistor behavior was validated on the gating of ionic conductance and protein transport.

Cathelicidin-BF ameliorates lipopolysaccharide-induced intestinal epithelial barrier disruption in rat.

Aims: The present study examined the effect of the antimicrobial peptide cathelicidin-BF (CBF) on LPS-induced mucosal injury and intestinal epithelial barrier dysfunction in a rat model and in the porcine intestinal epithelial cell line.

Main Methods: Changes in barrier integrity were assessed in intestinal epithelium and IPEC-J2 monolayers by measuring nutrient absorption and transepithelial electrical resistance (TER), and the permeability of intestinal epithelium was examined by measuring plasma d-lactate and diamine oxidase levels. The expression levels of tight junction (TJ) proteins were quantified by real-time PCR, and immunofluorescence was used to analyse the location and distribution of TJs in cells.

Revisiting Non-Cancer Drugs for Cancer Therapy.

Although tremendous effort has been made over the past century to treat cancer effectively, the pace of drug development is far behind the increasing rate of cancer incidence and mortality. There are two major hurdles in anticancer drug development: dose-limiting toxic side effects that reduce either drug effectiveness or the quality of life of patients and complicated drug development processes that are costly and time consuming. Drug repositioning has recently gained increasing attention among cancer researchers as this approach utilizes existing drugs and is significantly cost- and time-effective.

5-hydroxymethylcytosine loss is associated with poor prognosis for patients with WHO grade II diffuse astrocytomas.

Currently, the reliable prognostic biomarkers for WHO grade II diffuse astrocytomas (DA) are still limited. We investigated the relations between the level of 5-Hydroxymethylcytosine (5hmC), an oxidated production of 5-methylcytosine (5mC) by the ten eleven translocated (TET) enzymes, and clinicopathological features of glioma patients. With an identified anti-5hmC antibody, we performed immunohistochemistry in 287 glioma cases.

A Novel Photoelectrochemical Biosensor for Tyrosinase and Thrombin Detection.

A novel photoelectrochemical biosensor for step-by-step assay of tyrosinase and thrombin was fabricated based on the specific interactions between the designed peptide and the target enzymes. A peptide chain with a special sequence which contains a positively charged lysine-labeled terminal, tyrosine at the other end and a cleavage site recognized by thrombin between them was designed. The designed peptide can be fixed on surface of the CdTe quantum dots (QDs)-modified indium-tin oxide (ITO) electrode through electrostatic attraction to construct the photoelectrochemical biosensor.

Effects of feeding β-carotene on levels of β-carotene and vitamin A in blood and tissues of beef cattle and the effects on beef quality.

The effects of feeding β-carotene (βC) on levels of βC and vitamin A (retinol) in blood and tissues, and on beef quality, were evaluated in 120 steers. Each steer received supplementary βC (at concentrations of 0, 600, 1200, or 1800 mg/day) for 90 days and then received no supplementary βC for 60 days. βC significantly increased in blood serum, liver, and subcutaneous and omental fat; linearly increased in the intestine and muscle; and remained unchanged in perirenal fat during supplementation.

[Optimization of extraction process of compound Clematidis Radix spray by support vector machine].

L9 (3(4)) orthogonal experiment was used to design the extraction technology of compound Clematidis Radix spray. Weight coefficients of active ingredients and dry extract rate were solved by information entropy. Support vector machine (SVM) was established and the model parameters were optimized through the genetic algorithm.

Effects of rhodiola crenulata on mice hearts under severe sleep apnea.

Background: The goal of this study is to determine if Rhodiola Crenulata (RC) has protective effects on mice hearts with severe sleep apnea model.

Methods: Sixty-four C57BL/6 J mice 5-6 months old were distributed into 4 groups i.e.

[Multi-year measurement of soil respiration components in a subtropical secondary forest].

A four-year field experiment was performed from March 2010 to February 2014 in order to investigate the contribution of different respiratory components to soil respiration and the temperature sensitivity of different respiratory components. Four blocks were arranged in field, and there were trenched and un-trenched plots in each block. Trenching, which can exclude roots, was performed around the trenched plots.

Color-tunable light emitting diodes based on quantum dot suspension.

We propose a color-tunable light emitting diode (LED) consisting of a blue LED as the light source and quantum dot (QD) suspension as the color-conversion medium. The LED color temperature can be controlled by varying the liquid volume of each QD suspension with different photoluminescence colors. We simulate and optimize the light efficiency and color quality of the color-tunable LED and also fabricated a prototype to prove concept.

Insights into the Anaerobic Biodegradation Pathway of n-Alkanes in Oil Reservoirs by Detection of Signature Metabolites.

Anaerobic degradation of alkanes in hydrocarbon-rich environments has been documented and different degradation strategies proposed, of which the most encountered one is fumarate addition mechanism, generating alkylsuccinates as specific biomarkers. However, little is known about the mechanisms of anaerobic degradation of alkanes in oil reservoirs, due to low concentrations of signature metabolites and lack of mass spectral characteristics to allow identification. In this work, we used a multidisciplinary approach combining metabolite profiling and selective gene assays to establish the biodegradation mechanism of alkanes in oil reservoirs.

[Effects of different cultivation patterns on soil aggregates and organic carbon fractions].

Combined with the research in an organic farm in the past 10 years, differences of soil aggregates composition, distribution and organic carbon fractions between organic and conventional cultivation were studied by simultaneous sampling analysis. The results showed that the percentages of aggregates (> 1 mm, 1-0.5 mm, 0.

Protective effects of edaravone combined puerarin on inhalation lung injury induced by black gunpowder smog.

Objective: The present study aimed to investigate the combined effects of puerarin with edaravone on inhalation lung injury induced by black gunpowder smog.

Materials And Methods: Male Wistar rats were divided into five groups (control group, edaravone group, puerarin group, edaravone combined with puerarin group and inhalation group). The severity of pulmonary injuries was evaluated after inducing acute lung injury.

Spatially distributed current oscillations with electrochemical reactions in microfluidic flow cells.

The formation of spatiotemporal patterns is investigated by using a chemical reaction on the surface of a high-aspect-ratio metal electrode positioned in a flow channel. A partial differential equation model is formulated for nickel dissolution in sulfuric acid in a microfluidic flow channel. The model simulations predict oscillatory patterns that are spatially distributed on the electrode surface; the downstream portion of the metal surface exhibits large-amplitude, nonlinear oscillations of dissolution rates, whereas the upstream portion displays small-amplitude, harmonic oscillations with a phase delay.

Label-free specific detection of femtomolar cardiac troponin using an integrated nanoslit array fluidic diode.

We demonstrate here for the first time the utility of an integrated nanofluidic diode for detecting and quantifying physiologically relevant macromolecules. Troponin T, a key human cardiac protein biomarker, was selectively and rapidly detected free of labels for concentrations down to 10 fg/mL (∼ 0.3 fM) in buffer as well as 10 pg/mL (∼ 300 fM) in untreated human serum.

Bioinformatic and proteomic analysis of bulk histones reveals PTM crosstalk and chromatin features.

Systems analysis of chromatin has been constrained by complex patterns and dynamics of histone post-translational modifications (PTMs), which represent major challenges for both mass spectrometry (MS) and immuno-based approaches (e.g., chromatin immuno-precipitation, ChIP).

Protective effect of salidroside on cardiac apoptosis in mice with chronic intermittent hypoxia.

Background: The goal of this study is to determine if salidroside has protective effects on hypoxia-induced cardiac widely dispersed apoptosis in mice with severe sleep apnea model.

Methods: Sixty-four C57BL/6J mice 5-6 months of age were divided into four groups, i.e.

Anion-activated, thermoreversible gelation system for the capture, release, and visual monitoring of CO2.

Carbon dioxide (CO2) is an important green house gas. This is providing an incentive to develop new strategies to detect and capture CO2. Achieving both functions within a single molecular system represents an unmet challenge in terms of molecular design and could translate into enhanced ease of use.

Contaminant removal performances on domestic sewage using modified anoxic/anaerobic/oxic process and micro-electrolysis.

The objective of this study was to enhance removal of chemical oxygen demand (COD), total nitrogen (TN) and total phosphorus (TP) from domestic sewage in a sequencing batch reactor with added new materials. A modified anoxic/anaerobic/oxic (MAAO) process, integrating a micro-electrolysis (ME) bed in an anoxic tank, and complex biological media (CBM) in anoxic, anaerobic and oxic tanks to treat domestic sewage, and their performances were investigated. The MAAO system was operated at controlled hydraulic retention time (HRT) of 8 h and mixed liquor recirculation (MLR) at 75%.

Optically anisotropic microlens array film directly formed on a single substrate.

An optically anisotropic microlens array film directly formed on a single substrate is demonstrated. UV curable diacrylate monomers are coated as a film on the substrate. Under the action of fringing field, not only the film surface is flattened by the generated dielectric force but also the monomers are reoriented to form a gradient refractive index (GRIN) distribution in the film.

[Effect of bonding strength of dentin adhesive agent under 2 kinds of storage temperatures].

Purpose: To measure the changes of bonding strength of dentin adhesive agent at different storage temperatures.

Methods: One hundred extracted bicuspids were randomly divided into 10 sets, 10 teeth in each set. Each set was further divided randomly into Group A and Group B, each with 5 teeth.

A bispyrene derivative as a selective fluorescent probe for RNA.

A novel bispyrene compound was synthesized to selectively detect RNA through excimer emission "turn-on" in aqueous solution at physiological pH (7.4). The compound was used to successfully image RNA in HeLa cells.

Histological and enzymatic responses of Japanese flounder (Paralichthys olivaceus) and its hybrids (P. olivaceus ♀ × P. dentatus ♂) to chronic heat stress.

This study investigated the effects of long-term heat exposure on Japanese flounder (Paralichthys olivaceus) and its hybrids (P. olivaceus ♀ × summer flounder Paralichthys dentatus ♂). From 24 ± 0.

Quantitative proteomics reveals histone modifications in crosstalk with H3 lysine 27 methylation.

Methylation at histone H3 lysine 27 (H3K27me) is an evolutionarily conserved epigenetic mark associated with transcriptional repression and replication elongation. We have previously shown that in Tetrahymena thermophila, a unicellular eukaryote, the histone methyltransferases (HMTs) TXR1 and EZL2 are primarily responsible for H3K27 mono-methylation (H3K27me1) and di-/tri-methylation (H3K27me2/3), respectively. Using (15)N metabolically labeled histones as the internal reference, we quantified global changes in histone post-translational modifications in ΔTXR1 and ΔEZL2 cells, to systematically identify potential crosstalk between H3K27 methylation and other PTMs across all four core histones as well as their variants.