Chlorate in foodstuffs from south China and its implication for human exposure.

Chlorate, mainly used in the production of fireworks, herbicides and other products, is an inorganic pollutant, which easily dissolves in water and is difficult to degrade. Chlorate has a potential toxic risk to the thyroid function, kidneys, and blood system, which could pose a potential threat to human health. However, studies focusing on human exposure to chlorate are scarce, especially via food consumption.

Monocyte distribution width as an early predictor of short-term outcome in adult patients with sepsis.

Objectives: Monocyte distribution width (MDW) is a quantitative measurement of monocyte anisocytosis and has been proposed as an efficient marker for early sepsis detection. This study aimed to assess the prognostic potential of MDW in septic patients.

Methods: In this study, a total of 252 adult septic patients were enrolled.

Antibiotics in urine from general adults in Shenzhen, China: Demographic-related difference in exposure levels.

Misuse or overuse of antibiotics can have a variety of detrimental microbial effects. However, the body burden of antibiotics in the general population is currently unclear. In this cross-sectional study, we determined four classes of widely-applied antibiotics (3 imidazoles, 2 sulfonamides, 5 quinolones, and 2 chloramphenicols) in urine samples from 1170 adult residents in Shenzhen, China.

Arsenic speciation in shellfish from South China Sea: Levels, estimated daily intake and health risk assessment.

The purposes of this study were to measure the concentrations of arsenic speciation in shellfish from South China Sea and evaluate the health risk by local residents through shellfish consumption. The median concentrations (in wet weight) of arsenic speciation in shellfish samples were in the following order: AsB (16.0 mg·kg) > DMA (1.

Urinary parabens, bisphenol A and triclosan in primiparas from Shenzhen, China: Implications for exposure and health risks.

Unlabelled: The usage of parabens, bisphenol A and triclosan in diverse consumer products is in widespread. Nevertheless, there are limited data concerning exposure to these chemicals in human being, especially in primiparas. Biomonitoring of chemicals in primiparas is useful for the estimation of chemical exposure risks for both primiparas and their offspring.

GsSnRK1 interplays with transcription factor GsERF7 from wild soybean to regulate soybean stress resistance.

Although the function and regulation of SnRK1 have been studied in various plants, its molecular mechanisms in response to abiotic stresses are still elusive. In this work, we identified an AP2/ERF domain-containing protein (designated GsERF7) interacting with GsSnRK1 from a wild soybean cDNA library. GsERF7 gene expressed dominantly in wild soybean roots and was responsive to ethylene, salt, and alkaline.

Ectopic expression of a rice plasma membrane intrinsic protein (OsPIP1;3) promotes plant growth and water uptake.

Plasma membrane intrinsic proteins (PIPs) are known to be major facilitators of the movement of a number of substrates across cell membranes. From a drought-resistant cultivar of Oryza sativa (rice), we isolated an OsPIP1;3 gene single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) that is mostly expressed in rice roots and is strongly responsive to drought stress. Immunocytochemistry showed that OsPIP1;3 majorly accumulated on the proximal end of the endodermis and the cell surface around the xylem.

Identification of novel interactors and potential phosphorylation substrates of GsSnRK1 from wild soybean (Glycine soja).

The plant sucrose nonfermenting kinase 1 (SnRK1) kinases play the central roles in the processes of energy balance, hormone perception, stress resistance, metabolism, growth, and development. However, the functions of these kinases are still elusive. In this study, we used GsSnRK1 of wild soybean as bait to perform library-scale screens by the means of yeast two-hybrid to identify its interacting proteins.

Identification of Trypanosoma brucei AdoMetDC Inhibitors Using a High-Throughput Mass Spectrometry-Based Assay.

Human African trypanosomiasis (HAT) is a fatal infectious disease caused by the eukaryotic pathogen Trypanosoma brucei (Tb). Available treatments are difficult to administer and have significant safety issues. S-Adenosylmethionine decarboxylase (AdoMetDC) is an essential enzyme in the parasite polyamine biosynthetic pathway.

Relief of autoinhibition by conformational switch explains enzyme activation by a catalytically dead paralog.

Catalytically inactive enzyme paralogs occur in many genomes. Some regulate their active counterparts but the structural principles of this regulation remain largely unknown. We report X-ray structures of -adenosylmethionine decarboxylase alone and in functional complex with its catalytically dead paralogous partner, prozyme.

Water and CO₂ permeability of SsAqpZ, the cyanobacterium Synechococcus sp. PCC7942 aquaporin.

Background Information: Cyanobacteria possess Aquaporin-Z (AqpZ) membrane channels which have been suggested to mediate the water efflux underlying osmostress-inducible gene expression and to be essential for glucose metabolism under photomixotrophic growth. However, preliminary observations suggest that the biophy-sical properties of transport and physiological meaning of AqpZ in such photosynthetic microorganisms are not yet completely assessed.

Results: In this study, we used Xenopus laevis oocyte and proteoliposome systems to directly demonstrate the water permeability of the cyanobacterium Synechococcus sp.

Aquaporin OsPIP1;1 promotes rice salt resistance and seed germination.

OsPIP1;1 is one of the most abundant aquaporins in rice leaves and roots and is highly responsible to environmental stresses. However, its biochemical and physiological functions are still largely unknown. The oocyte assay data showed OsPIP1;1 had lower water channel activity in contrast to OsPIP2;1.

2-Eth-oxy-ethyl (Z)-2-cyano-3-[(N-phenyl-carbamo-yl)amino]-prop-2-enoate.

The crystal structure of the title compound, C(15)H(17)N(3)O(4), is stabilized by inter-molecular N-H⋯N hydrogen bonds. An intra-molecular N-H⋯O hydrogen bond also occurs.

3-Benzyl-amino-2-cyano-N-[N-(2-fluoro-phenyl)-carbamo-yl]-3-(methyl-sulfanyl)acryl-amide.

In the crystal structure of the title compound, C(19)H(17)FN(4)O(2)S, mol-ecules are linked via pairs of N-H⋯N inter-actions, forming centrosymmetric dimers. Two intra-molecular N-H⋯O hydrogen bonds stabilize the mol-ecular conformation.