[Clinical analyses of fungal pleurisy: a report of 4 cases].

Objective: To explore the clinical features of fungal pleurisy.

Methods: Four cases of fungal pleurisy diagnosed by medical thoracoscopy at Beijing Chaoyang Hospital from April 2005 to December 2012 were retrospectively studied.

Results: There were 3 males and 1 female with an age range of 43-73 years.

Observing the overall rocking motion of a protein in a crystal.

The large majority of three-dimensional structures of biological macromolecules have been determined by X-ray diffraction of crystalline samples. High-resolution structure determination crucially depends on the homogeneity of the protein crystal. Overall 'rocking' motion of molecules in the crystal is expected to influence diffraction quality, and such motion may therefore affect the process of solving crystal structures.

A Note on PhD Population Growth in Biomedical Sciences.

The explosive increase in the number of postdocs in biomedical fields is puzzling for many science policymakers. We use our previously introduced parameter in this journal, the basic reproductive number in academia ( ), to make sense of PhD population growth in biomedical fields. Our analysis shows how in biomedical fields has increased over time, and we estimate that there is approximately only one tenure-track position in the US for every 6.

Characterizing RNA Excited States Using NMR Relaxation Dispersion.

Changes in RNA secondary structure play fundamental roles in the cellular functions of a growing number of noncoding RNAs. This chapter describes NMR-based approaches for characterizing microsecond-to-millisecond changes in RNA secondary structure that are directed toward short-lived and low-populated species often referred to as "excited states." Compared to larger scale changes in RNA secondary structure, transitions toward excited states do not require assistance from chaperones, are often orders of magnitude faster, and are localized to a small number of nearby base pairs in and around noncanonical motifs.

STEM crisis or STEM surplus? Yes and yes.

The last decade has seen considerable concern regarding a shortage of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) workers to meet the demands of the labor market. At the same time, many experts have presented evidence of a STEM worker surplus. A comprehensive literature review, in conjunction with employment statistics, newspaper articles, and our own interviews with company recruiters, reveals a significant heterogeneity in the STEM labor market: the academic sector is generally oversupplied, while the government sector and private industry have shortages in specific areas.

Too Many PhD Graduates or Too Few Academic Job Openings: The Basic Reproductive Number in Academia.

The academic job market has become increasingly competitive for PhD graduates. In this note, we ask the basic question of 'Are we producing more PhDs than needed?' We take a systems approach and offer a 'birth rate' perspective: professors graduate PhDs who later become professors themselves, an analogue to how a population grows. We show that the reproduction rate in academia is very high.

Evolution of allograft fibrosis and function in kidney transplant recipients: a retrospective analysis of stable patients under CNI and mTORi.

Histological evaluations of renal allograft biopsies are essential for diagnosis, but still show a low predictive value for long-term allograft function. One limitation relies on the fact that the analysis is usually based on a single biopsy sample, and therefore, no dynamic changes are considered. Using two distinct approaches, we evaluated the evolution of fibrosis and related markers in 36 stable kidney transplant patients under calcineurin inhibitor therapy with two indication biopsies each, prior and at least 6 months after substitution by mTORi (N = 18), or maintenance on CNI (N = 18).

Up-regulation of S100A16 expression promotes epithelial-mesenchymal transition via Notch1 pathway in breast cancer.

Background: Our previous studies demonstrated that S100A16 promotes adipogenesis and is involved in weight gain attenuation induced by dietary calcium. Till now, the function of S100A16 in the breast cancer remains to be elucidated.

Results: In this study, we observed that S100A16 was expressed in higher levels in human breast cancer tissues compared with paired adjacent non-cancerous tissues.

Role of electrostatic interactions in binding of peptides and intrinsically disordered proteins to their folded targets. 1. NMR and MD characterization of the complex between the c-Crk N-SH3 domain and the peptide Sos.

Intrinsically disordered proteins (IDPs) often rely on electrostatic interactions to bind their structured targets. To obtain insight into the mechanism of formation of the electrostatic encounter complex, we investigated the binding of the peptide Sos (PPPVPPRRRR), which serves as a minimal model for an IDP, to the c-Crk N-terminal SH3 domain. Initially, we measured ¹⁵N relaxation rates at two magnetic field strengths and determined the binding shifts for the complex of Sos with wild-type SH3.

Role of p53 in preadipocyte differentiation.

Insulin resistance, diabetes and many kinds of cancers are common in overweight and obese individuals. The tumor suppressor p53 is important in securing genetic stability, but its role in the regulation of metabolic processes and cell differentiation remains unclear. We have investigated the role of p53 in adipocyte differentiation.

Simultaneous determination of amantadine, rimantadine and memantine in chicken muscle using multi-walled carbon nanotubes as a reversed-dispersive solid phase extraction sorbent.

A modified quick, easy, cheap, effective, rugged, and safe (QuEChERS) method using multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) as a reversed-dispersive solid phase extraction (r-dSPE) material combined with ultra-high liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (UHPLC-MS/MS) was developed for the simultaneous determination of amantadine, rimantadine and memantine in chicken muscle. The satisfactory separation of isomers (rimantadine and memantine) was obtained on an Acquity BEH C18 column (2.1 mm × 100 mm, 1.

Site-specific analysis of heteronuclear Overhauser effects in microcrystalline proteins.

Relaxation parameters such as longitudinal relaxation are susceptible to artifacts such as spin diffusion, and can be affected by paramagnetic impurities as e.g. oxygen, which make a quantitative interpretation difficult.

[Effect of coenzyme Q10 on the expression of tumor necrosis factor-α and interleukin-10 in gingival tissue of experimental periodontitis in rats].

Objective: To investigate the effect of coenzyme Q10 on the levels of tumor necrosis factor-α(TNF-α) and interleukin-10 (IL-10) in gingival tissue of experimental periodontitis in rats.

Methods: A total of 48 healthy Wistar rats were divided into 3 groups of 16 randomly, normal group, coenzyme Q10 treatment group (Q10 group) and periodontitis group.Normal group was fed with normal diet and water.

Estrogen suppresses adipogenesis by inhibiting S100A16 expression.

The aim of this study is to determine the effects of E2 on metabolic syndrome and the molecular mechanisms involving S100A16. Ovariectomized (OVX) rat models and mouse embryonic fibroblasts cell models were used. E2 loss in OVX rats induced body weight gain and central abdominal fat accumulation, which were ameliorated by E2 treatment under chow and high-fat diet (HFD) conditions.

Ensemble MD simulations restrained via crystallographic data: accurate structure leads to accurate dynamics.

Currently, the best existing molecular dynamics (MD) force fields cannot accurately reproduce the global free-energy minimum which realizes the experimental protein structure. As a result, long MD trajectories tend to drift away from the starting coordinates (e.g.

[Effects of N-acetylcysteine on apoptosis induced by myocardial ischemia reperfusion injury in rats' heart transplantation].

Objective: To investigate the effect of N-acetylcysteine (NAC) on the apoptosis during myocardial ischemia reperfusion injury in rats' heart transplantation, and to explore the possible role of NAC in myocardial apoptosis.

Methods: Sixty healthy male Lewis rats (weighing, 200-220 g) were randomly divided into 3 groups, 20 rats each group (10 donors and 10 recipients). In control group, 1 mL normal saline was infused via inferior vena cava at 30 minutes before donor harvesting; in donor preconditioning group, NAC (300 mg/kg) was infused via inferior vena cava at 30 minutes before donor harvesting, but no treatment in recipients; and in recipient preconditioning group, NAC (300 mg/kg) was infused via inferior vena cava at 30 minutes before recipient transplantation, but no treatment in donors.

Odd or even? Monolayer domain size depends on diyne position in alkadiynylanthracenes.

1,5-(Alkadiynyl)anthracenes self-assemble single component and multicomponent monolayers at the solution-HOPG interface. An alkadiynyl chain's kinked shape constrains the molecular structures with which it can close-pack. This affords rudimentary molecular recognition that has been used to direct self-assembly of 1-D patterned, multicomponent monolayers.

miRNA biogenesis enzyme Drosha is required for vascular smooth muscle cell survival.

miRNA biogenesis enzyme Drosha cleaves double-stranded primary miRNA by interacting with double-stranded RNA binding protein DGCR8 and processes primary miRNA into precursor miRNA to participate in the miRNA biogenesis pathway. The role of Drosha in vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) has not been well addressed. We generated Drosha conditional knockout (cKO) mice by crossing VSMC-specific Cre mice, SM22-Cre, with Drosha (loxp/loxp) mice.

Monolayer patterning using ketone dipoles.

The self-assembly of multi-component monolayers with designed patterns requires molecular recognition among components. Dipolar interactions have been found to influence morphologies of self-assembled monolayers and can affect molecular recognition functions. Ketone groups have large dipole moments (2.

Large lateral movement of transmembrane helix S5 is not required for substrate access to the active site of rhomboid intramembrane protease.

Rhomboids represent an evolutionarily ancient protease family. Unlike most other proteases, they are polytopic membrane proteins and specialize in cleaving transmembrane protein substrates. The polar active site of rhomboid protease is embedded in the membrane and normally closed.

Structure and mechanism of rhomboid protease.

Rhomboid protease was first discovered in Drosophila. Mutation of the fly gene interfered with growth factor signaling and produced a characteristic phenotype of a pointed head skeleton. The name rhomboid has since been widely used to describe a large family of related membrane proteins that have diverse biological functions but share a common catalytic core domain composed of six membrane-spanning segments.

S100A16 inhibits osteogenesis but stimulates adipogenesis.

Bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (BM-MSCs) have the capacity to differentiate into osteoblasts and adipocytes. Bone marrow adipogenesis exerts an inhibitory effect on osteogenesis, which leads to osteoporosis. S100A16, a novel member of the S100 family, is ubiquitously expressed, and markedly enhances adipogenesis.

Characterization of novel EGs reconstructed from Bacillus subtilis endoglucanase.

Bacterial cellulases have taken on satisfactory application performance and economic value in detergent industry. Neutral endoglucanase (EG1) gene was cloned from Bacillus subtilis and expressed Pichia pastoris in our previous study. Redesigned endoglucanases enhanced cellulase domain, added and deleted carbohydrate-binding module (CBM), named EG2, EG3, and EG4, respectively, were constructed in this study.

[Effects of aerosolized earthworm fibrinolytic enzyme on bleomycin induced pulmonary fibrosis in rats].

Objective: To explore the effects of aerosolized earthworm fibrinolytic enzyme (EFE) on bleomycin-induced pulmonary fibrosis in rats.

Methods: A total of 72 male SD rats were divided randomly into 3 groups of bleomycin (BLM) group with intratracheal BLM (5 mg/kg), control group with the same dose of normal saline, then after both receiving aerosolization of normal saline once daily instead of EFE, EFE group with EFE (2500 U/kg) by aerosolization once daily after BLM instillation. Lung histopathology, immunohistochemistry for transforming growth factor β(1) (TGF-β(1)), lung hydroxyproline contents, levels of urokinase PA (uPA), tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) and PA inhibitor 1 (PAI-1) in lung and blood were observed at Days 7, 14 and 28 of experiment, respectively.