Lipid engineering combined with systematic metabolic engineering of Saccharomyces cerevisiae for high-yield production of lycopene.

Saccharomyces cerevisiae is an efficient host for natural-compound production and preferentially employed in academic studies and bioindustries. However, S. cerevisiae exhibits limited production capacity for lipophilic natural products, especially compounds that accumulate intracellularly, such as polyketides and carotenoids, with some engineered compounds displaying cytotoxicity.

Is Schizophrenia a Risk Factor for Breast Cancer?-Evidence From Genetic Data.

Observational epidemiological studies have found an association between schizophrenia and breast cancer, but it is not known if the relationship is a causal one. We used summary statistics from very large genome-wide association studies of schizophrenia (n = 40675 cases and 64643 controls) and breast cancer (n = 122977 cases and 105974 controls) to investigate whether there is evidence that the association is partly due to shared genetic risk factors and whether there is evidence of a causal relationship. Using LD-score regression, we found that there is a small but significant genetic correlation (rG) between the 2 disorders (rG = 0.

Gut Microbial Compositions in Four Age Groups of Tibetan Minipigs.

In this study, the gut microbiota was characterized in four age strata of Tibetan minipigs. Results indicated that the fecal bacteria of 7-, 28-, 56-, and 180-day-old minipigs did not significantly differ in terms of phylogenetic diversity (i.e.

Affinity Purification of Methyllysine Proteome by Site-Specific Covalent Conjugation.

A basic but critical step in targeted proteomics by mass spectrometry is the separation of the targeted proteins from the complex mixture of the whole proteome by affinity purification. The bait protein is usually immobilized on the surface of a solid support to enable affinity-based purification of the targeted proteome. Here, we developed a site-specific covalent immobilization of the bait protein through affinity-guided covalent coupling (AGCC) of a single cysteine residue of an SH2 domain (utilized as an affinity tag for the protein target) with an engineered ligand peptide.

The genetics of vitamin D.

Vitamin D plays an essential role in human health as it influences immune function, cell proliferation, differentiation and apoptosis. Vitamin D deficiency has been associated with numerous health outcomes, including bone disease, cancer, autoimmune disease, cardiovascular conditions and more. However, the causal role of vitamin D beyond its importance for bone health remains unclear and is under much debate.

Forkhead box M1 inhibits endothelial cell apoptosis and cell-cycle arrest through ROS generation.

Background: Hyperglycemia, a characteristic feature of diabetes, induces vascular complications by accelerating endothelial cell (EC) apoptosis and limiting their proliferation. The potential role of Forkhead box M1 (FoxM1) in high glucose (HG)-induced EC injury remains largely unknown. We aimed to investigate the role and underlying mechanism of FoxM1 in regulating EC injury.

Probe-free label system for rapid detection of Cronobacter genus in powdered infant formula.

Cronobacter species previously known as Enterobacter sakazakii poses high risks to neonates and infants. In this work a rapid detection method was developed which combined loop-mediated isothermal amplification with lateral flow assay for detection of Cronobacter species in powdered infant formula. The fast amplification reaction without betaine was established and capable of performing DNA replication within 25 min.

Role of Different Blood Purification Nursing Models in Uremic Patients: A Preliminary Report.

BACKGROUND Accumulation of uremic toxins is closely associated with chronic kidney disease (CKD)-related complications such as cerebrovascular accidents and cardiovascular diseases. Clinical nursing is accepted as a critical clinical prognosis factor for hospitalized patients. The present study was designed to compare the effects of different blood purification nursing models on clinical outcomes in patients with uremia.

Seasonal characteristics of phosphorus sorption by sediments from plain lakes with different trophic statuses.

Phosphorus (P) sorption in sediments plays a significant role in trophic status of a lake. This study investigated the characteristics of P sorption in sediments from three lakes with different trophic statuses (moderately eutrophic, lightly eutrophic and moderately trophic) through kinetic, batch equilibrium and thermodynamic experiments. Results show that pseudo-second-order kinetics best describe P sorption in sediments from the three lakes.

Enhancement of PM Cyclone Separation by Droplet Capture and Particle Sorting.

Fine particulate matter (PM) is one of the most serious environmental pollutants worldwide, and efficient separation technologies are crucial to the control of PM emission from industrial sources. We developed a novel method to enhance PM cyclone separation by droplet capture and particle sorting using a vertical reverse rotation cyclone (VRR-C, inlet particle-sorting cyclone). The separation performances of common cyclone (CM-C) without droplets, CM-C with droplets, and VRR-C with droplets were compared in terms of energy consumption, overall separation efficiency, particle grade efficiency, outlet particle concentration, and outlet particle size distribution.

Preparation of high-yield N-doped biochar from nitrogen-containing phosphate and its effective adsorption for toluene.

Novel biochar was prepared from plant-based biomass by the addition of nitrogen-containing phosphates (NCPs), including ammonia phosphate (AP), ammonia polyphosphate (APP) and urea phosphate (UP). The results demonstrated that with the addition of NCPs, the yield of biochar could be significantly increased from about 30% to up to about 60%. The pore structure of the biochar was significantly improved, and the AP-prepared biochar obtained a higher and of 798 m g and 0.

Application of computed tomography venography in the diagnosis and severity assessment of iliac vein compression syndrome: A retrospective study.

The objectives are to evaluate the application of computed tomography venography (CTV) in the diagnosis of iliac vein compression syndrome (IVCS), and to assess the factors related to the incidence and development of IVCS and the recurrence of varicose veins.Imaging data of 120 patients with chronic venous disease (CVD) of the lower extremity and 68 subjects without CVD (control) were retrospectively reviewed by radiologists blinded to the groups. CTV, conventional venography, and Doppler ultrasound were compared in the diagnosis and contributing factors for IVCS were also analyzed.

Inhibitory effect of Japanese rice-koji miso extracts on hepatitis A virus replication in association with the elevation of glucose-regulated protein 78 expression.

Hepatitis A virus (HAV) infection is one of the major causes of acute hepatitis and acute liver failure in developing and developed countries. Although effective vaccines for HAV infection are available, outbreaks of HAV infection still cause deaths, even in developed countries. One approach to control HAV infection is prevention through diet, which can inhibit HAV propagation and replication.

Bilateral synchronous multiple lung nodules: Surgical experience from two cases.

Synchronous multiple lung cancer (SMPLC) has been increasingly detected as a result of improved imaging techniques, though the incidence of SMPLC is rare. Surgery is currently the only treatment offering potential cure and long-term survival in patients with SMPLC, and complete resection is widely accepted as the first choice of procedure for this type. However, due to the rarity of this clinical scenario, many surgeons lack experience in surgical treatment of SMPLC.

Exploring causality in the association between circulating 25-hydroxyvitamin D and colorectal cancer risk: a large Mendelian randomisation study.

Background: Whilst observational studies establish that lower plasma 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25-OHD) levels are associated with higher risk of colorectal cancer (CRC), establishing causality has proven challenging. Since vitamin D is modifiable, these observations have substantial clinical and public health implications. Indeed, many health agencies already recommend supplemental vitamin D.

Reverse Binding Mode of Phosphotyrosine Peptides with SH2 Protein.

Discerning the different interaction states during dynamic protein-ligand binding is difficult. Here we apply site-specific cysteine-α-chloroacetyl cross-linking to scrutinize the binding between the Src homology 2 (SH2) domain and phosphotyrosine (pY) peptides, a highly dynamic interaction that is a key to cellular signal transduction. From a model SH2 protein to a set of representative SH2 domains, we showed here that a proximity-induced cysteine-α-chloroacetyl reaction cross-linked two spatially adjacent chemical groups as a result of the binding interaction, and reciprocally, the information about the interaction states can be deduced from the cross-linked products.

Characteristics and sources of trace elements in PM in two megacities in Sichuan Basin of southwest China.

To characterize major trace elements in PM and associated sources in two megacities, Chengdu (CD) and Chongqing (CQ), in Sichuan Basin of southwest China, daily PM samples were collected at one urban site in each city from October 2014 to July 2015 and were analyzed for their contents of thirteen trace elements including four crustal elements (Al, Ca, Fe, and Ti), eight trace metals (K, Cr, Zn, Cu, Mn, Pb, Ni, and V), and As. Multiple approaches including correlation analysis, enrichment factor, principal component analysis, and conditional probability function (CPF) were applied to identify potential sources of these elements. Most of the measured trace elements in Sichuan Basin were found to have lower concentrations than in the other regions of China.

Natural mackinawite catalytic ozonation for N, N-dimethylacetamide (DMAC) degradation in aqueous solution: Kinetic, performance, biotoxicity and mechanism.

To enhance the degradation of N, N-dimethylacetamide (DMAC) in aqueous solution, the natural mackinawite (NM) is introduced for catalytic ozonation in this study as it is an environmentally friendly catalyst with low cost and easy availability. The properties of the NM were initially characterized via scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS), X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier Transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). Then, impact factors including NM dosage, ozone gas concentration and initial pH were investigated and the optimal conditions (i.

[Effects of light intensity and photoperiod on the embryonic development of Sepia pharaonis.].

We investigated the effects of lumination on hatching of fertilized eggs of Sepia pharaonis, to reveal the best light conditions for its embryonic development. A single-factor experiment was carried out to examine the effects of different light intensities (10, 30, 50, 70, 90 μmol·m·s) and different photoperiod L:D (24 h:0 h, 18 h:6 h, 12 h:12 h, 6 h:18 h, 0 h:24 h) on the embryonic development. The results showed that the effects of light intensity on the hatching rate, fractured yolk sac rate, incubation period, mass of newly hatched larvae and mantle length was significant.

[Effect of Relative Humidity on Particulate Matter Concentration and Visibility During Winter in Chengdu].

The effect of relative humidity (RH) on particulate matter concentrations and atmosphere visibility were investigated using the continuous on-line observed data of Chengdu city during December 2015, including RH, visibility, the concentrations of particulate matters (PM, PM and PM) and gaseous pollutants (SO and NO), and the concentrations of SO and NO in PM. The results showed that the haze process occurred because of the synergistic effects of higher particulate matter concentrations and RH, leading to the reduction of visibility. The average ratio of PM to PM was 64% and it significantly increased with the increase of RH during observation period, which indicated that the pollution of fine particles during winter in Chengdu was serious, and high RH aggravated the pollution caused by fine particles.

Shielding a high-sensitivity digital detector from electromagnetic interference.

Purpose: To document a study in shielding a high-sensitivity digital mammography system detector from AC magnetic fields of magnitudes great enough to induce imaging artifacts.

Methods/materials: Preliminary evaluation of AC magnetic fields at a site designated for a digital breast tomosynthesis (DBT) system raised concerns that the magnetic component of electromagnetic interference (EMI) may be great enough to induce imaging artifacts. Subsequent measurements using digital detector arrays from two separate manufacturers verified this concern, and AC magnetic fields were mapped, spatially and temporally, throughout the area of concern.

Facile morphology control of 3D porous CeO for CO oxidation.

3D porous CeO with various morphologies was successfully synthesized a facile precipitation using glycine as the soft bio-template. During the synthesis, it was demonstrated that the morphology of CeO depended on the molar ratio of reactants. Furthermore, the catalytic performance towards CO oxidation of the as-synthesized CeO with different morphologies was investigated.

Comparison among the microbial communities in the lake, lake wetland, and estuary sediments of a plain river network.

Sediment microbial communities from plain river networks exert different effects on pollutant transformation and migration in lake basins. In this study, we examined millions of Illumina reads (16S rRNA gene amplicons) to compare lake, lake wetland, and estuary bacterial communities through a technically consistent approach. Results showed that bacterial communities in the sampled lake sediments had the highest alpha-diversity (Group B), than in sampled lake wetland sediments and estuary sediments.

Syntenin-targeted peptide blocker inhibits progression of cancer cells.

The multidomain adaptor protein syntenin is known to mediate cancer cell metastasis and invasion through its tandem PDZ1 and PDZ2 domains, leading to the postulation that the PDZ tandem may serve as a potential drug target for cancer treatment. Here we report the development of high-affinity peptide blockers to target the syntenin tandem PDZ domain, and elucidate that blocking syntenin correlates with the inhibition of cell migration and spreading. Two strategies are employed to derive high-affinity blockers from the low-affinity natural binding peptides: first, dimerization of the C termini of natural syntenin-binding peptides confers dimer peptides with much higher affinity than the monomers; second, unnatural amino acid substitution at P-1 and P-2 positions of the PDZ-binding sequence increases the binding affinity.

Experimental studies on preparation of the porous and small-diameter poly(ε-caprolactone) external vascular scaffold and its degradability and biocompatibility.

Aim: This study was aim to prepare a porous poly(ε-caprolactone) (PCL) biodegradable external vascular scaffold by dipping and leaching method, and to assess its mechanical property, degradability and biocompatibility.

Methods: We used the PCL-1, PCL-2 as the raw materials and NaCl particles as the pore-forming agents to construct a porous PCL external vascular scaffold. We tested the mechanical property of the porous PCL external vascular scaffold.