Priming Cross-Protective Bovine Viral Diarrhea Virus-Specific Immunity Using Live-Vectored Mosaic Antigens.

Bovine viral diarrhea virus (BVDV) plays a key role in bovine respiratory disease complex, which can lead to pneumonia, diarrhea and death of calves. Current vaccines are not very effective due, in part, to immunosuppressive traits and failure to induce broad protection. There are diverse BVDV strains and thus, current vaccines contain representative genotype 1 and 2 viruses (BVDV-1 & 2) to broaden coverage.

Pregnant human peripheral leukocyte migration during several late pregnancy clinical conditions: a cross-sectional observational study.

Background: Parturition at term and preterm is characterized by sterile inflammatory processes occurring in the absence of infection whereby peripheral leukocytes infiltrate gestational tissues in response to chemotactic signals. In response to a homing signal, recruited leukocytes undergo diapedesis and extravasate through capillaries, migrating into stromal tissue. There they interact with resident immune and stromal cells to produce a mixture of matrix metalloproteinases, prostaglandins and cytokines including interleukin-1β (IL-1β) and IL-6 that in turn transform the uterus from pregnancy to parturition.

Jasmonate response decay and defense metabolite accumulation contributes to age-regulated dynamics of plant insect resistance.

Immunity deteriorates with age in animals but comparatively little is known about the temporal regulation of plant resistance to herbivores. The phytohormone jasmonate (JA) is a key regulator of plant insect defense. Here, we show that the JA response decays progressively in Arabidopsis.

Anti-Diabetic Effects of Jiang Tang Xiao Ke Granule via PI3K/Akt Signalling Pathway in Type 2 Diabetes KKAy Mice.

Jiang Tang Xiao Ke (JTXK) granule, a Chinese herbal formula, has been used clinically to treat type 2 diabetes (T2DM) for decades. Our previous studies showed that JTXK granule exhibited anti-diabetic and anti-oxidative functions in experimental diabetic rats induced by a high fat diet and streptozotocin. However, the underlying mechanisms remain poorly understood.

Role of BK in Stretch-Induced Relaxation of Colonic Smooth Muscle.

Stretch-induced relaxation has not been clearly identified in gastrointestinal tract. The present study is to explore the role of large conductance calcium-activated potassium channels (BK) in stretch-induced relaxation of colon. The expression and currents of BK were detected and the basal muscle tone and contraction amplitude of colonic smooth muscle strips were measured.

Broadband and tunable one-dimensional strongly nonlinear acoustic metamaterials: Theoretical study.

This paper focuses on the dispersion properties and mechanism of the one-dimensional strongly nonlinear acoustic metamaterials (NAMMs) based on the homotopy method. The local bifurcation mechanism, which is different from conventional local resonance, is found. It is demonstrated that the local period-doubling bifurcation of multiple cells will induce chaotic bands in the NAMMs, which can significantly expand the bandwidth for wave suppression.

Baicalin and geniposide inhibit the development of atherosclerosis by increasing Wnt1 and inhibiting dickkopf-related protein-1 expression.

Background: Our previous study showed that the combined Chinese herbs containing scutellaria baicalensis georgi and gardenia jasminoids ellis inhibited atherosclerosis. In this study, we sought to determine if baicalin and geniposide could inhibit atherosclerosis through Wnt1 and dickkopf-related protein-1 (DKK1).

Methods: The wild-type and ApoE mice were treated with baicalin, geniposide, and baicalin plus geniposide daily by gavage for 12 weeks.

Acute Effects of Nitrogen Dioxide on Cardiovascular Mortality in Beijing: An Exploration of Spatial Heterogeneity and the District-specific Predictors.

The exploration of spatial variation and predictors of the effects of nitrogen dioxide (NO) on fatal health outcomes is still sparse. In a multilevel case-crossover study in Beijing, China, we used mixed Cox proportional hazard model to examine the citywide effects and conditional logistic regression to evaluate the district-specific effects of NO on cardiovascular mortality. District-specific predictors that could be related to the spatial pattern of NO effects were examined by robust regression models.

Ion transport in graphene nanofluidic channels.

Carbon nanofluidic structures made of carbon nanotubes or graphene/graphene oxide have shown great promise in energy and environment applications due to the newly discovered fast and selective mass transport. However, they have yet to be utilized in nanofluidic devices for lab-on-a-chip applications because of great challenges in their fabrication and integration. Herein we report the fabrication of two-dimensional planar graphene nanochannel devices and the study of ion transport inside a graphene nanochannel array.

Dose-Response Relationship between Dietary Magnesium Intake and Risk of Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus: A Systematic Review and Meta-Regression Analysis of Prospective Cohort Studies.

The epidemiological evidence for a dose-response relationship between magnesium intake and risk of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2D) is sparse. The aim of the study was to summarize the evidence for the association of dietary magnesium intake with risk of T2D and evaluate the dose-response relationship. We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of prospective cohort studies that reported dietary magnesium intake and risk of incident T2D.

16-nor Limonoids from Harrisonia perforata as promising selective 11β-HSD1 inhibitors.

Two new 16-nor limonoids, harperspinoids A and B (1 and 2), with a unique 7/5/5/6/5 ring system, have been isolated from the plant Harrisonia perforate together with a known one, Harperforin G (3). Their structures were elucidated by NMR spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction analysis and computational modelling. Compound 1 exists as polymorphic crystals.

AC0010, an Irreversible EGFR Inhibitor Selectively Targeting Mutated EGFR and Overcoming T790M-Induced Resistance in Animal Models and Lung Cancer Patients.

AC0010 is a pyrrolopyrimidine-based irreversible EGFR inhibitor, structurally distinct from previously reported pyrimidine-based irreversible EGFR inhibitors, such as osimertinib and rociletinib. AC0010 selectively inhibits EGFR-active and T790M mutations with up to 298-fold increase in potency compared with wild-type EGFR. In a xenograft model, oral administration of AC0010 at a daily dose of 500 mg/kg resulted in complete remission of tumors with EGFR-active and T790M mutations for over 143 days with no weight loss.

Carbon Nanotube Macroelectronics for Active Matrix Polymer-Dispersed Liquid Crystal Displays.

Active matrix liquid crystal display (AMLCD) is the most widely used display technology nowadays. Transparent display is one of the emerging technologies to provide people with more features such as displaying images on transparent substrates and simultaneously enabling people to see the scenery behind the panel. Polymer-dispersed liquid crystal (PDLC) is a possible active matrix transparent display technology due to its high transparency, good visibility, and low power consumption.

Evaluation of the Microbial Diversity in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Using High-Throughput Sequencing.

More and more evidences indicate that diseases of the central nervous system have been seriously affected by fecal microbes. However, little work is done to explore interaction between amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and fecal microbes. In the present study, high-throughput sequencing method was used to compare the intestinal microbial diversity of healthy people and ALS patients.

SMAD3 Activation: A Converging Point of Dysregulated TGF-Beta Superfamily Signaling and Genetic Aberrations in Granulosa Cell Tumor Development?

Ovarian granulosa cell tumors (GCTs) are rare gynecologic tumors in women. Due to the rarity and limited research efforts invested, the etiology of GCTs remains poorly defined. A landmark study has discovered the mutation of forkhead box L2 (FOXL2) as a genetic hallmark of adult GCTs in the human.

Feasibility of spectral imaging with low-concentration contrast medium in abdominal CT angiography of obese patients.

Objective: To explore the application value of dual-energy spectral imaging scanning with low radiation dose and low-concentration contrast medium (270 mg I/mL) in abdominal CT angiography (CTA) of obese patients.

Methods: A total of 127 obese patients (BMI≥25 kg/m(2) and waist circumference ≥900 mm) referred for abdominal CTA were prospectively enrolled in the study. The patients were divided into two groups; in group A (n=69), a spectral imaging scan mode and 270 mg I/mL iodine concentration contrast medium was used, and in group B (n=58), a conventional imaging scan mode using 120 kVp and 350 mg I/mL iodine concentration contrast medium was used.

In Situ and Ex Situ TEM Study of Lithiation Behaviours of Porous Silicon Nanostructures.

In this work, we study the lithiation behaviours of both porous silicon (Si) nanoparticles and porous Si nanowires by in situ and ex situ transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and compare them with solid Si nanoparticles and nanowires. The in situ TEM observation reveals that the critical fracture diameter of porous Si particles reaches up to 1.52 μm, which is much larger than the previously reported 150 nm for crystalline Si nanoparticles and 870 nm for amorphous Si nanoparticles.

Bayesian model averaging method for evaluating associations between air pollution and respiratory mortality: a time-series study.

Objective: To demonstrate an application of Bayesian model averaging (BMA) with generalised additive mixed models (GAMM) and provide a novel modelling technique to assess the association between inhalable coarse particles (PM10) and respiratory mortality in time-series studies.

Design: A time-series study using regional death registry between 2009 and 2010.

Setting: 8 districts in a large metropolitan area in Northern China.

Metabolic host responses to malarial infection during the intraerythrocytic developmental cycle.

Background: The malarial parasite Plasmodium falciparum undergoes a complex life cycle, including an intraerythrocytic developmental cycle, during which it is metabolically dependent on the infected human red blood cell (RBC). To describe whole cell metabolic activity within both P. falciparum and RBCs during the asexual reproduction phase of the intraerythrocytic developmental cycle, we developed an integrated host-parasite metabolic modeling framework driven by time-dependent gene expression data.

Interleukin (IL)-1 in rat parturition: IL-1 receptors 1 and 2 and accessory proteins abundance in pregnant rat uterus at term - regulation by progesterone.

The role of interleukin-1 (IL-1), a pro-inflammatory cytokine, in parturition is typically noted by changes in its concentrations. Studying the expression of its receptor family, IL-1 receptor (IL-1R) 1, IL-1R2, IL-1R accessory protein (IL-1RAcP), and its predominantly brain isoform, IL-1RAcPb, during late gestation in the uterus in the Long-Evans rat is another. We assessed changes in their mRNA and protein relative abundance in the uterus and compared IL-1RAcP and IL-1RAcPb mRNA abundance in uterus, cervix, ovaries, placenta, and whole blood of Long-Evans rats during late gestation or in RU486 and progesterone-treated dams using quantitative real-time PCR and western immunoblotting.

Isolation and Characterization of Three New Monoterpene Synthases from Artemisia annua.

Artemisia annua, an annual herb used in traditional Chinese medicine, produces a wealth of monoterpenes and sesquiterpenes, including the well-known sesquiterpene lactone artemisinin, an active ingredient in the treatment for malaria. Here we report three new monoterpene synthases of A. annua.

Isolation and Asymmetric Total Synthesis of Perforanoid A.

A novel limonoid, perforanoid A, was isolated, and an asymmetric total synthesis was achieved in 10 steps. The key steps are chiral tertiary aminonaphthol mediated enantioselective alkenylation of an aldehyde to an allylic alcohol, Pd-catalyzed coupling of the allylic alcohol with vinyl ether to form the γ-lactone ring, and cyclopentenone ring formation through a Rh-catalyzed Pauson-Khand reaction. Preliminary studies show that perforanoid A is cytotoxic towards HEL, K562, and CB3 tumor cell lines.

Indirect co‑culture of vascular smooth muscle cells with bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells inhibits vascular calcification and downregulates the Wnt signaling pathways.

Vascular calcification (VC) is widely considered to be a crucial clinical indicator of cardiovascular disease. Recently, certain properties of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have been hypothesized to have potential in treating cardiovascular diseases. However, their effect on the initiation and progression of VC remains controversial.