SIRT6 Is Essential for Adipocyte Differentiation by Regulating Mitotic Clonal Expansion.

Preadipocytes initiate differentiation into adipocytes through a cascade of events. Mitotic clonal expansion, as one of the earliest events, is essential for adipogenesis. However, the underlying mechanisms that regulate mitotic clonal expansion remain elusive.

OCF can repress tumor metastasis by inhibiting epithelial-mesenchymal transition involved in PTEN/PI3K/AKT pathway in lung cancer cells.

A component formula with definite compositions provides a new approach to treat various diseases. Salvia miltiorrhiza and Panax ginseng are widely used in China because of their antitumor properties. In the previous study, the optimizing component formula (OCF), prepared with salvianolic acids, ginsenosides, and ginseng polysaccharides (5, 10, and 5 mg·L-1, respectively) extracted from S.

[Effect of Water Extract of Ginseng on Biological Bechaviors of Lung Cancer A549 Cells and the Expression of F-actin in Co-culture System of TAMs and A549 Cells].

Objective To study the effect of Water Extract of Ginseng (WEG) on the prolifera- tion/metastasis of lung cancer A549 cells and the expression of F-actin in co-culture system of tumor as- sociated macrophages (TAMs) and A549 cells. Methods Human acute leukemia mononuclear strain THP-1 was induced to become TAMs using Phorbol-12-myristate-13-acetate (PMA) combined IL-4 and IL- 13. The supernant of TAMs and A549 cells were co-cultured.

Comparison of perioperative outcomes between laparoscopic and open surgery for mid-low rectal cancer with total mesorectal excision following neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy.

Objective: The objective of our study was to determine the feasibility and safety of laparoscopic total mesorectal excision (TME) for mid-low rectal cancer following neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy (nCRT).

Methods: We retrospectively reviewed the records of 172 patients with locally advanced rectal cancer who underwent laparoscopic (n = 75) or conventional open (n = 97) surgery with TME following nCRT from June 2009 to October 2015. Perioperative outcomes and related clinical variables were collected and statistically analyzed.

Factors Influencing Difficulty of Laparoscopic Abdominoperineal Resection for Ultra-Low Rectal Cancer.

Purpose: Our current study was conducted to identify patients' anatomic, pathologic, and clinical factors to predict difficulty of performing laparoscopic abdominoperineal resection for ultra-low rectal cancer.

Materials And Methods: Records of 117 consecutive patients with rectal cancer 2 to 5 cm from the anal verge were retrospectively reviewed. Using univariate and multivariate linear or logistic regression models, standardized operative time and blood loss, as well as postoperative morbidity were utilized as endpoints to screen patients' multiple variables to predict operative difficulty.

Evaluating the potential health risk of toxic trace elements in vegetables: Accounting for variations in soil factors.

Vegetable crop consumption is one of the main sources of dietary exposure to toxic trace elements (TEs). A paired survey of soil and vegetable samples was conducted in 589 agricultural sites in the Youxian prefecture, southern China, to investigate the effect of soil factors on the accumulation of arsenic, cadmium, mercury, and lead in different vegetables. A site-specific model was developed to estimate the health risk from vegetable consumption.

[Variation Characteristics of Vegetables Cadmium Uptake Factors and Its Relations to Environmental Factors].

The consumption of vegetables is a probable cause of Cd exposure in several world areas including China.In this study,we selected the prefecture of Youxian,southern China,as a case to analyze the influences of various environmental factors on Cd accumulation in vegetables based on a large scale agricultural and climatologically survey and collection of 585 irrigation water and 625 paired soil-vegetables samples.The results showed the concentration of Cd differed greatly in the irrigation water,soil and vegetables.

Evaluation of combined noxious effects of siduron and cadmium on the earthworm Eisenia fetida.

Environmental contaminants do not often occur as individual chemicals but rather in complex mixtures whose joint effects can create a strong toxicity to surrounding organisms. To determine the combined harmful effects of siduron (herbicide) and cadmium (heavy metal) toward Eisenia fetida earthworms, samples of worm's coelomocytes were subjected to siduron and cadmium (Cd) at sublethal concentrations (lower than LC)-siduron 0, 0.8, 2.

High Performance Small-Molecule Cathode Interlayer Materials with D-A-D Conjugated Central Skeletons and Side Flexible Alcohol/Water-Soluble Groups for Polymer Solar Cells.

A new class of organic cathode interfacial layer (CIL) materials based on isoindigo derivatives (IID) substituted with pyridinium or sulfonate zwitterion groups were designed, synthesized, and applied in polymer solar cells (PSCs) with PTB7:PCBM (PTB7: polythieno[3,4-b]-thiophene-co-benzodithiophene and PCBM: [6,6]-phenyl C71-butyric acidmethyl ester) as an active layer. Compared with the control device, PSCs with an IID-based CIL show simultaneous enhancement of open-circuit voltage (V), short-circuit current (J), and fill factor (FF). Systematic optimizations of the central conjugated core and side flexible alcohol-soluble groups demonstrated that isoindigo-based CIL material with thiophene and sulfonate zwitterion substituent groups can efficiently enhance the PSC performance.

[Comprehensive Risk Evaluation of Cadmium in Soil-rice System Based on Uncertainty Analysis].

Cadmium (Cd) can cause adverse health effects and is a subject of concern in rice consumption. The uncertainty analysis helps improve the accuracy in the risk assessment for Cd in soil-rice system. A regional investigation on Youxian prefecture, southern China, was conducted to analyze the Cd concentration in rice.

EZH1 and EZH2 promote skeletal growth by repressing inhibitors of chondrocyte proliferation and hypertrophy.

Histone methyltransferases EZH1 and EZH2 catalyse the trimethylation of histone H3 at lysine 27 (H3K27), which serves as an epigenetic signal for chromatin condensation and transcriptional repression. Genome-wide associated studies have implicated EZH2 in the control of height and mutations in EZH2 cause Weaver syndrome, which includes skeletal overgrowth. Here we show that the combined loss of Ezh1 and Ezh2 in chondrocytes severely impairs skeletal growth in mice.

Spatial Analysis of PAHs in Soils along an Urban-Suburban-Rural Gradient: scale effect, distribution patterns, diffusion and influencing factors.

Spatial statistical methods including Cokriging interpolation, Morans I analysis, and geographically weighted regression (GWR) were used for studying the spatial characteristics of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) accumulation in urban, suburban, and rural soils of Beijing. The concentrations of PAHs decreased spatially as the level of urbanization decreased. Generally, PAHs in soil showed two spatial patterns on the regional scale: (1) regional baseline depositions with a radius of 16.

Regional probabilistic risk assessment of heavy metals in different environmental media and land uses: An urbanization-affected drinking water supply area.

In this study, we proposed a Regional Probabilistic Risk Assessment (RPRA) to estimate the health risks of exposing residents to heavy metals in different environmental media and land uses. The mean and ranges of heavy metal concentrations were measured in water, sediments, soil profiles and surface soils under four land uses along the Shunde Waterway, a drinking water supply area in China. Hazard quotients (HQs) were estimated for various exposure routes and heavy metal species.

Ecosystem services of human-dominated watersheds and land use influences: a case study from the Dianchi Lake watershed in China.

Watersheds provide multiple ecosystem services. Ecosystem service assessment is a promising approach to investigate human-environment interaction at the watershed scale. The spatial characteristics of ecosystem services are closely related to land use statuses in human-dominated watersheds.

Ammonium tetrathiomolybdate treatment targets the copper transporter ATP7A and enhances sensitivity of breast cancer to cisplatin.

Cisplatin is an effective breast cancer drug but resistance often develops over prolonged chemotherapy. Therefore, we performed a candidate approach RNAi screen in combination with cisplatin treatment to identify molecular pathways conferring survival advantages. The screen identified ATP7A as a therapeutic target.

Cost-Benefit Analysis of Green Infrastructures on Community Stormwater Reduction and Utilization: A Case of Beijing, China.

Cost-benefit analysis is demanded for guiding the plan, design and construction of green infrastructure practices in rapidly urbanized regions. We developed a framework to calculate the costs and benefits of different green infrastructures on stormwater reduction and utilization. A typical community of 54,783 m in Beijing was selected for case study.

Comparison of 128-Slice Low-Dose Prospective ECG-Gated CT Scanning and Trans-Thoracic Echocardiography for the Diagnosis of Complex Congenital Heart Disease.

Objective: To compare prospective ECG-gated multi-slice computed tomography (MSCT) and trans-thoracic echocardiography (TTE) in the diagnosis of complex congenital heart disease (CHD).

Methods: This was a prospective study of consecutive patients with complex CHD (age <7 years) treated at a tertiary hospital between May 2013 and May 2015. All patients were imaged with TTE and prospective ECG-gated 128-slice spiral CT in the week before surgery.

iMAGE cloud: medical image processing as a service for regional healthcare in a hybrid cloud environment.

Objectives: To handle the emergence of the regional healthcare ecosystem, physicians and surgeons in various departments and healthcare institutions must process medical images securely, conveniently, and efficiently, and must integrate them with electronic medical records (EMRs). In this manuscript, we propose a software as a service (SaaS) cloud called the iMAGE cloud.

Methods: A three-layer hybrid cloud was created to provide medical image processing services in the smart city of Wuxi, China, in April 2015.

Plant community, geographic distance and abiotic factors play different roles in predicting AMF biogeography at the regional scale in northern China.

Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) are ubiquitous mutualists of terrestrial plants and play key roles in regulating various ecosystem processes, but little is known about AMF biogeography at regional scale. This study aims at exploring the key predictors of AMF communities across a 5000-km transect in northern China. We determined the soil AMF species richness and community composition at 47 sites representative of four vegetation types (meadow steppe, typical steppe, desert steppe and desert) and related them to plant community characteristics, abiotic factors and geographic distance.

Three-step synthesis of l-ido-1-deoxynojirimycin derivatives by reductive amination in water, "borrowing hydrogen" under neat conditions and deprotection.

In this communication, we describe a three-step synthesis of l-ido-1-deoxynojirimycin derivatives starting from readily available 2,3,4,6-tetra-O-benzyl-d-glucopyranose via Ir-catalyzed reductive amination in water, "borrowing hydrogen" under neat conditions, and Pd-catalyzed debenzylation.

Regional accumulation characteristics of cadmium in vegetables: Influencing factors, transfer model and indication of soil threshold content.

A regional investigation in the Youxian prefecture, southern China, was conducted to analyze the impact of environmental factors including soil properties and irrigation in conjunction with the use of fertilizers on the accumulation of Cd in vegetables. The Cd transfer potential from soil to vegetable was provided by the plant uptake factor (PUF), which varied by three orders of magnitude and was described by a Gaussian distribution model. The soil pH, content of soil organic matter (SOM), concentrations of Zn in the soil, pH of irrigation water and nitrogenous fertilizers contributed significantly to the PUF variations.

[Impacts of Industrial Zone in Arid Area in Ningxia Province on the Accumulation of Heavy Metals in Agricultural Soils].

With the transferring of the industry from the east coastal regions of China to the mid and west regions, those places once called "Clean Earth" in the arid north-west region are facing the contamination risks by industrial emission. In order to study the impacts of the industrial zone on the accumulation of heavy metals Zn, Cr, Ni, Mn, Co, Cu, Cd, Pb in agricultural soils, we collected the agricultural soil samples in a county in Ningxia province using GIS technology. Samples were collected in a belt way along the yellow river and expanding from the industrial zone as the center according to the main local wind direction.

A protein network descriptor server and its use in studying protein, disease, metabolic and drug targeted networks.

The genetic, proteomic, disease and pharmacological studies have generated rich data in protein interaction, disease regulation and drug activities useful for systems-level study of the biological, disease and drug therapeutic processes. These studies are facilitated by the established and the emerging computational methods. More recently, the network descriptors developed in other disciplines have become more increasingly used for studying the protein-protein, gene regulation, metabolic, disease networks.

[Spatial Distribution and Potential Ecological Risk Assessment of Heavy Metals in Soils and Sediments in Shunde Waterway, Southern China].

Environmental quality of soils and sediments around water source area can influence the safety of potable water of rivers. In order to study the pollution characteristics, the sources and ecological risks of heavy metals Zn, Cr, Pb, Cu, Ni and Cd in water source area, surface soils around the waterway and sediments in the estuary of main tributaries were collected in Shunde, and ecological risks of heavy metals were assessed by two methods of potential ecological risk assessment. The mean contents of Zn, Cr, Pb, Cu, Ni and Cd in the surface soils were 186.