Synthetic antimicrobial agents inhibit aflatoxin production.

Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) are biologically active molecules that can eradicate bacteria by destroying the bacterial membrane structure, causing the bacteria to rupture. However, little is known about the extent and effect of AMPs on filamentous fungi. In this study, we synthesized small molecular polypeptides by an inexpensive heat conjugation approach and examined their effects on the growth of Aspergillus flavus and its secondary metabolism.

Value of elastography point quantification in improving the diagnostic accuracy of early diabetic kidney disease.

Background: Diabetic kidney disease (DKD) is a common complication of diabetes. The patient's prognosis is poor once DKD progresses to advanced stage. Accurate diagnosis and timely treatment of early DKD are important for improving patient's prognosis and reducing mortality.

Wall shear stress can improve prediction accuracy for transient ischemic attack.

Background: Early prediction of transient ischemic attack (TIA) has important clinical value. To date, systematic studies on clinical, biochemical, and imaging indicators related to carotid atherosclerosis have been carried out to predict the occurrence of TIA. However, their prediction accuracy is limited.

A cytosine methyltransferase ortholog dmtA is involved in the sensitivity of Aspergillus flavus to environmental stresses.

DNA methylation is an important epigenetic modification that depends on DNA methyltransferases (DMT). However, the filamentous fungus Aspergillus flavus has no detectable methylation, and role of a DMT homologue, DmtA, is undefined. Here we describe the role of the dmtA gene responding to changes in the environment by comparing knockout, point mutation, over-expression and wild type strains.

Fractionation of rapeseed straw by hydrothermal/dilute acid pretreatment combined with alkali post-treatment for improving its enzymatic hydrolysis.

The aim of the research was to evaluate the effect of combined treatments on fermentable sugar production from rapeseed straw. An optimum condition was found to be the combination of hydrothermal pretreatment at 180°C for 45min and post-treatment by 2% NaOH at 100°C for 2h, which was based on the quantity of monosaccharides released during enzymatic hydrolysis. As compared with the raw material without treatment, the combination of hydrothermal pretreatment and alkali post-treatment resulted in a significant increase of the saccharification rate by 5.

SNX-2112, an Hsp90 inhibitor, induces apoptosis and autophagy via degradation of Hsp90 client proteins in human melanoma A-375 cells.

SNX-2112 is an Hsp90 inhibitor which is currently undergoing multiple phase 1 clinical trials; however, its mechanism of action needs to be further elaborated. Here we investigated the effects of SNX-2112 in A-375 cells. SNX-2112 induced the degradation of multiple Hsp90 client proteins, activated both the mitochondrial-mediated and death receptor-mediated apoptotic pathways, downregulated Bcl-2 and Bcl-xL, upregulated Bid, cleaved caspase-9, caspase-7, caspase-3 and PARP, and activated caspase-8.

[Monoclonal antibody preparation and identification of vascular endothelial growth factor 165 expressed in vitro].

Aim: To prepare a monoclonal antibody against human vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF165), for further study the VEGF165 in the tumorigenesis, tumor cell migration and the tumor cells escape from the immune response.

Methods: VEGF165 gene was cloned from the human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC) by RT-PCR, and then cloned into the pGEX-6P1, constructed the prokaryotic expression of pGEX-6P1-VEGF165. The fusion -protein of VEGF165 was expressed in E.

[An efficient approach to gene discovery--normalization of cDNA library by reassociation].

The cDNA library normalized by reassociation is a newly-developed, effective platform for EST acquisition and gene discovery. This paper presents the principle, procedure, comparison, deficiencies, application and future of the technique of the normalization.