Changes of the end plate cartilage are associated with intervertebral disc degeneration: A quantitative magnetic resonance imaging study in rhesus monkeys and humans.

Background: The end plate plays an important role in intervertebral disc degeneration progression. The aim of the study was to examine the compositional and structural changes of the end plate with age and to investigate the correlation between end plate and disc degeneration by T1ρ and T2 map magnetic resonance imaging.

Methods: There were 12 young monkeys (6-7 years old), 20 aged monkeys (14-17 years old) and 12 human participants (30-50 years old) in this study.

[Comparison on moisture dynamics of two different soil types in desert steppe].

Based on the positioning monitoring data from 2017 to 2018, we analyzed the spatial-temporal dynamic characteristics of moisture in two different soil types (sierozem and aeolian sandy soil) in the Yanchi desert steppe in the eastern Ningxia. The results showed that the rainfall in the study area was 208.2 and 274.

Super-resolution optical mapping of floating macroalgae from geostationary orbit.

The spatial resolution of an observation from a geostationary orbiting satellite is usually too coarse to track small scale macroalgae blooms. For macroalgae mapping to benefit from a geostationary orbit's staring monitoring and frequent revisit intervals, we introduced a super-resolution method that reconstructs a high-resolution (HR) image of a region from a sequence of raw geostationary low-resolution images of the same region. We tested our method with GF-4 images at 50 m spatial resolution and demonstrated that the spatial resolution increased to 25 m.

Chromogranin A (CGA)-derived polypeptide (CGA) inhibits TNF-α-induced vascular endothelial hyper-permeability through SOC-related Ca signaling.

CGA (Vasostatin-1, VS-1) a N-terminal Chromogranin A (CGA)-derived peptide, has been shown to have a protective effect against TNF-α-induced impairment of endothelial cell integrity. However, the mechanisms of this effect have not yet been clarified. CGA (Chromofungin, CHR) is an important bioactive fragment of CGA.

Rice Functions in Seed Dormancy under the Control of Abscisic Acid and Gibberellic Acid Signaling Pathways.

Seed dormancy is a natural phenomenon in plants. It ensures that seeds complete the grain-filling stage before germination and prevents germination in unsuitable ecological conditions. In this study, we determined the previously unknown function of the rice () gene () in seed dormancy.

BUB1 promotes proliferation of liver cancer cells by activating SMAD2 phosphorylation.

Budding uninhibited by benzimidazoles 1 (BUB1) is a mitotic checkpoint serine/threonine kinase that has been reported as an oncogene or tumor suppressor gene in various types of cancer, including breast cancer, pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma, prostate and gastric cancers. However, its role in liver cancer remains unclear. The present study aimed to explore the biological function of BUB1 in liver cancer.

SET and MYND domain-containing protein 3 inhibits tumor cell sensitivity to cisplatin.

Cisplatin resistance has been a major factor limiting its clinical use as a chemotherapy drug. The present study aimed to investigate whether SET and MYND domain-containing protein 3 (SMYD3), a histone methyltransferase closely associated with tumors can affect the sensitivity of tumors to cisplatin chemotherapy. Real time-qPCR, western blotting, the luciferase reporter, MTT and clonogenic assays were performed to detect the effects of SMYD3 on the chemotherapy capacity of cisplatin.

A paradigm of thermal adaptation in penguins and elephants by tuning cold activation in TRPM8.

To adapt to habitat temperature, vertebrates have developed sophisticated physiological and ecological mechanisms through evolution. Transient receptor potential melastatin 8 (TRPM8) serves as the primary sensor for cold. However, how cold activates TRPM8 and how this sensor is tuned for thermal adaptation remain largely unknown.

Effects of dietary lipid-to-carbohydrate ratio on growth and carbohydrate metabolism in juvenile cobia ().

This experiment was conducted to investigate the effects of dietary lipid-to-carbohydrate ratio on growth and carbohydrate metabolism in juvenile cobia (). Six isonitrogenous diets were prepared to vary in lipid-to-carbohydrate ratio (g/g) as follows: D1, 2.26; D2, 1.

Laodelphax striatellus Atg8 facilitates Rice stripe virus infection in an autophagy-independent manner.

Rice stripe virus (RSV) is the causative agent of rice stripe disease and is completely dependent on insect vectors for its plant-to-plant transmission. Laodelphax striatellus is the major insect vector for RSV. In this study, we explored the interactions between RSV infection and L.

Role of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-α on the synthesis of monounsaturated fatty acids in goat mammary epithelial cells.

A key member of the nuclear receptor superfamily is the peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor alpha (PPARA) isoform, which in nonruminants is closely associated with fatty acid oxidation. Whether PPARA plays a role in milk fatty acid synthesis in ruminants is unknown. The main objective of the present study was to use primary goat mammary epithelial cells (GMEC) to activate PPARA via the agonist WY-14643 (WY) or to silence it via transfection of small-interfering RNA (siRNA).

The evaluation of seven age-related CpGs for forensic purpose in blood from Chinese Han population.

Age prediction of biological samples is one of the important tasks in forensic DNA phenotyping, and DNA methylation is regarded as the most promising biomarker for forensic age prediction. To date, numerous CpG sites have been reported to be age-related based on the changes in methylation. In this study, seven age-related CpG (AR-CpG) sites, cg02228185 (ASPA), cg09809672 (EDARADD), cg19283806 (CCDC102B), cg04208403 (ZNF423), chr17: 44,390,358 of GRCh38/hg38 (ITGA2B), cg14361627 (KLF14), and cg06639320 (FHL2), were selected and analyzed in 310 blood samples using a multiplex methylation SNaPshot assay to evaluate the value of selected AR-CpGs in age prediction in blood from Chinese Han population.

Evodiamine reduced peripheral hypersensitivity on the mouse with nerve injury or inflammation.

Management of chronic pain is still hard, and new analgesic drugs are needed. Evodiamine (Evo) and rutaecarpine (Rut) are two major active components of Evodia rutaecarpa, a Chinese traditional medicine that has been used as an analgesic for a long time. However, their effects on peripheral hypersensitivity remain unknown.

Validation of the simplified modified Rankin scale for stroke trials: Experience from the ENCHANTED alteplase-dose arm.

Background And Aims: The structured, simplified modified Rankin scale questionnaire (smRSq) may increase reliability over the interrogative approach to scoring the modified Rankin scale (mRS) in acute stroke research and practice. During the conduct of the alteplase-dose arm of the international ENhanced Control of Hypertension ANd Thrombolysis StrokE stuDy (ENCHANTED), we had an opportunity to compare each of these approaches to outcome measurement.

Methods: Baseline demographic data were recorded together with the National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS).

Expanding the materials space of DNA via organic-phase ring-opening metathesis polymerization.

Herein, we develop a facile route to bring DNA to the organic phase, which greatly expands the types of structures accessible using DNA macromonomers. Phosphotriester- and exocyclic amine-protected DNA was synthesized and further modified with a norbornene moiety, which enables homopolymerization via ring-opening metathesis to produce brush-type DNA graft polymers in high yields. Subsequent deprotection cleanly reveals the natural phosphodiester DNA.

A Chinese herbal prescription Yiqi Jiedu decoction attenuates irradiation induced testis injury in mice.

Objective: Yiqi Jiedu (YQJD) decoction is a Chinese herbal prescription, based on an experienced expert of traditional Chinese medicine. It is used for the injuries caused by radiotherapy. The current study was designed to investigate the protective effects of YQJD decoction on radiation damage of testis in mice, and to explore its potential mechanisms.

Promotion of BR Biosynthesis by miR444 Is Required for Ammonium-Triggered Inhibition of Root Growth.

Rice (), the staple food for almost half of the world's population, prefers ammonium (NH ) as the major nitrogen resource, and while NH has profound effects on rice growth and yields, the underlying regulatory mechanisms remain largely unknown. Brassinosteroids (BRs) are a class of steroidal hormones playing key roles in plant growth and development. In this study, we show that NH promotes BR biosynthesis through miR444 to regulate rice root growth.

Dnmt3a-Mediated DNA Methylation Changes Regulate Osteogenic Differentiation of hMSCs Cultivated in the 3D Scaffolds under Oxidative Stress.

Oxidative stress (OS) caused by multiple factors occurs after the implantation of bone repair materials. DNA methylation plays an important role in the regulation of osteogenic differentiation. Moreover, recent studies suggest that DNA methyltransferases (Dnmts) are involved in bone formation and resorption.

Ethnicity and Other Determinants of Quality of Functional Outcome in Acute Ischemic Stroke: The ENCHANTED Trial.

Background and Purpose- Patient-centered outcomes are important. We aimed to determine predictors of health-related quality of life (HRQoL) and develop utility-weighted modified Rankin Scale (mRS) scores in thrombolyzed acute ischemic stroke patients from both arms of ENCHANTED (Enhanced Control of Hypertension and Thrombolysis Stroke Study). Methods- ENCHANTED was an international quasi-factorial clinical trial of different doses of intravenous alteplase and intensities of blood pressure control in acute ischemic stroke patients, with outcomes on the 5-Dimensional European Quality of Life Scale and mRS assessed at 90 days post-randomization.

Noninvasive ventilation failure in patients with hypoxemic respiratory failure: the role of sepsis and septic shock.

Background: Sepsis and septic shock are common in noninvasive ventilation (NIV) patients. However, studies on the association between sepsis and NIV failure are lacking.

Methods: A prospective multi-center observational study was performed in 16 Chinese intensive care units (ICUs).

Development of a new 32-plex InDels panel for forensic purpose.

Insertion/deletion polymorphisms (InDels) have attracted more and more attention of forensic researchers because of their low mutation rate and small amplicons. In the face of challenging forensic cases and degraded DNA, InDels break through the limitations of traditional STRs and provided a new direction for forensic identification. In this study, a multiplex panel consisting of 32 InDels and amelogenin was established and the InDels were selected with minimum allele frequencies (MAF) ≥ 0.

Rhipicephalus (Boophilus) microplus ticks as reservoir and vector of 'Candidatus Mycoplasma haemobos' in China.

'Candidatus Mycoplasma haemobos' is an emerging pathogen in the genus Mycoplasma. The Rhipicephalus (Boophilus) microplus tick has been suspected to be the vector of 'C. M.

Mutation of CarO participates in drug resistance in imipenem-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii.

Objective: Acinetobacter baumannii has become an important problem because of the high drug resistance rate. The aim of this study was to assess the antimicrobial resistance profile and explore the role of membrane porin in imipenem resistance of A baumannii.

Methods: A total of 63 isolates of imipenem-resistant A baumannii (IRAB) and 21 of imipenem-sensitive A baumannii (ISAB) were collected.