(Mazaceae), a new species from China: evidence from morphological and molecular analyses.

Utilising both morphological and molecular analyses, this study unveils , a novel addition to the Mazaceae family, discovered in Shaowu County, Fujian Province, China. The comprehensive description and illustrations provided here are a result of a meticulous exploration of its morphological features. While bearing a resemblance to , this new-found species is distinguished by three distinct characteristics: its stems are delicately soft, its leaves possess a membranous quality and the ovary is notably villous at the apex.

[A Review of High-altitude Hypoxia Adaptation and Hypoxic Solid Tumor].

Historically, the Cambrian explosion was a major life evolution event caused by changes of natural environmental oxygen concentration. The use of oxygen was part of the basic survival instinct of higher life, which evolved a complex regulation system in response to variant levels of oxygen concentration. Hypoxia is one of the typical environmental characteristics in plateau areas.

Complete plastid genome of (Orchidaceae, Aeridinae) and phylogenetic analysis.

The complete plastid genome of was determined and analyzed in this work. The plastome was 146,897 bp in length with 83,366 bp of the large single-copy (LSC) region, 11,957 bp of the small single-copy (SSC) region, and 25,787 bp of the invert repeats (IR) regions. The genome contained 127 genes, 74 protein-coding genes, 38 tRNA genes, and 8 rRNA genes.

Convergent genomic signatures of high-altitude adaptation among domestic mammals.

Abundant and diverse domestic mammals living on the Tibetan Plateau provide useful materials for investigating adaptive evolution and genetic convergence. Here, we used 327 genomes from horses, sheep, goats, cattle, pigs and dogs living at both high and low altitudes, including 73 genomes generated for this study, to disentangle the genetic mechanisms underlying local adaptation of domestic mammals. Although molecular convergence is comparatively rare at the DNA sequence level, we found convergent signature of positive selection at the gene level, particularly the gene in these Tibetan domestic mammals.

Effects of paternal electromagnetic pulse exposure on the reproductive endocrine function of male offspring: a pilot study.

Many studies indicate that parental exposure to an electromagnetic field (EMF) can cause long-term toxicity to the health of the offspring. While concerns have been focused on maternal influence, much less is known regarding the effects of paternal factors. Electromagnetic pulse (EMP) is a special and widely used type of EMF.

GRK5 functions as an oncogenic factor in non-small-cell lung cancer.

Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide, and non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) accounts for about 80% of all cases, which is the major subgroup of lung cancer. G protein-coupled receptor kinase 5 (GRK5) has been demonstrated to play pivotal roles in both development and progression of several pathological conditions including cancer. Here, we found that GRK5 expression was significantly increased in 539 NSCLC cancerous tissues than that in 99 normal non-cancerous tissues by immunohistochemistry analysis; we also showed intensive higher positive staining percentage in female and adenocarcinoma (ADC) NSCLC patients than that in male and squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) patients, respectively.

Establishment of basal cell carcinoma animal model in Chinese tree shrew ().

Basal cell carcinoma (BCC) is the most common skin cancer worldwide, with incidence rates continuing to increase. Ultraviolet radiation is the major environmental risk factor and dysregulation of the Hedgehog (Hh) signaling pathway has been identified in most BCCs. The treatment of locally advanced and metastatic BBCs is still a challenge and requires a better animal model than the widely used rodents for drug development and testing.

A Normalization-Free and Nonparametric Method Sharpens Large-Scale Transcriptome Analysis and Reveals Common Gene Alteration Patterns in Cancers.

Heterogeneity in transcriptional data hampers the identification of differentially expressed genes (DEGs) and understanding of cancer, essentially because current methods rely on cross-sample normalization and/or distribution assumption-both sensitive to heterogeneous values. Here, we developed a new method, Cross-Value Association Analysis (CVAA), which overcomes the limitation and is more robust to heterogeneous data than the other methods. Applying CVAA to a more complex pan-cancer dataset containing 5,540 transcriptomes discovered numerous new DEGs and many previously rarely explored pathways/processes; some of them were validated, both and , to be crucial in tumorigenesis, e.

NCAPH plays important roles in human colon cancer.

Colon cancer (CC) is one of the major malignancies worldwide, whose pathogenesis is complex and requires the accumulated alteration of multiple genes and signaling pathways. Condensins are multi-protein complexes that play pivotal roles in chromosome assembly and segregation during mitosis, meiosis and even tumorigenesis. Using tissue microarrays by immunohistochemistry and hematoxylin-eosin staining, we found that non-SMC condensin I complex subunit H (NCAPH) in colon cancerous tissues was higher than that in all corresponding adjacent non-cancerous tissues.

Pulsed electromagnetic wave exposure induces ultrastructural damage and upregulated expression of heat shock protein 70 in the rat adenohypophysis.

The aim of the present study was to investigate the ultrastructural damage and the expression of heat shock protein 70 (HSP70) in the rat adenohypophysis following pulsed electromagnetic wave (PEMW) exposure. The rats were randomly divided into four groups: Sham PEMW exposure, 1 x 10(4) pulses of PEMW exposure, 1 x 10(5) pulses of PEMW exposure and 3 x 10(5) pulses of PEMW exposure. Whole body radiation of 1 x 10(4) pulses, 1 x 10(5) pulses and 3 x 10(5) pulses of PEMW were delivered with a field strength of 100 kV/m.

Metabolites from the mushroom Ganoderma lingzhi as stimulators of neural stem cell proliferation.

Ganoderma lingzhi is a valuable, edible and medicinal fungus that has been widely used for the prevention and treatment of a broad range of diseases. In this study, spirolingzhines A-D, four meroterpenoids with a spiro[benzofuran-2,10-cyclopentane] motif, lingzhines A-F, six meroterpenoids with diverse ring systems, along with two known compounds were isolated from the fruiting bodies of this fungus. The structures and stereochemistry of these substances were determined by using spectroscopic, X-ray crystallographic and computational methods.

Indole alkaloids with new skeleton activating neural stem cells.

Alstoscholarisines A-E (1-5), five unprecedented monoterpenoid indole alkaloids with 6/5/6/6/6 fused-bridge rings, were isolated from Alstonia scholaris. They promoted adult neuronal stem cells (NSCs) proliferation significantly, in which the most active one (1) functioned from a concentration of 0.1 μg/mL in a dosage-dependent manner.

Fem1b promotes ubiquitylation and suppresses transcriptional activity of Gli1.

The mammalian Fem1b gene encodes a homolog of FEM-1, a protein in the sex-determination pathway of the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans. Fem1b and FEM-1 proteins each contain a VHL-box motif that mediates their interaction with certain E3 ubiquitin ligase complexes. In C.

TCTP overexpression is associated with the development and progression of glioma.

Upregulation of translationally controlled tumor protein (TCTP) has been reported in a variety of malignant tumors. However, the impact of TCTP in glioma remains unclear. The objective of this study was to investigate the expression and prognostic value of TCTP in glioma patients.

[Tree shrews under the spot light: emerging model of human diseases].

Animal models are indispensible in biomedical research and have made tremendous contributions to answer fundamental questions on human biology, disease mechanisms, and to the development of new drugs and diagnostic tools. Due to the limitations of rodent models in translational medicine, tree shrews (Tupaia belangeri chinensis), the closest relative of primates, have attracted increasing attention in modeling human diseases and therapeutic responses. Here we discuss the recent progress in tree shrew biology and the development of tree shrews as human disease models including infectious diseases, metabolic diseases, neurological and psychiatric diseases, and cancers.

[Observation on therapeutic effect of type II early diabetic nephropathies intervened by acupoint thread embedding].

Objective: To observe the therapeutic effect of type II early diabetic nephropathies intervened by acupoint thread embedding for strengthening spleen and benefiting kidney.

Methods: Sixty cases of type II early diabetic nephropathies were randomly divided into an acupoint thread embedding group and a routine therapy group, 30 cases in each group. In routine therapy group, western medicine routine therapy was applied to control blood sugar, blood pressure and blood lipid.

A multilayered approach of Si/SiO to promote carrier transport in electroluminescence of Si nanocrystals.

The electroluminescence (EL) and photoluminescence of Si nanocrystals (Si-nc) from multilayered samples of Si/SiO are investigated. Si-nc are formed within Si and SiO layers after furnace annealing. It is found that the presence of Si interlayers creates extra carrier paths for EL emission.

Plexins are GTPase-activating proteins for Rap and are activated by induced dimerization.

Plexins are cell surface receptors that bind to semaphorins and transduce signals that regulate neuronal development, immune responses, and other processes. Signaling through plexins has been proposed to rely on specific guanosine triphosphatase (GTPase)-activating protein (GAP) activity for R-Ras and M-Ras. Activation of this GAP activity of plexins appears to require simultaneous binding of semaphorin to the plexin extracellular domain and of the Rho GTPases Rac1 or Rnd1 to the cytoplasmic region.

Effect of Electromagnetic Pulses (EMP) on associative learning in mice and a preliminary study of mechanism.

Purpose: To investigate the effects of electromagnetic pulses (EMP) on associative learning in mice and test a preliminary mechanism for these effects.

Materials And Methods: A tapered parallel plate gigahertz transverse electromagnetic (GTEM) cell with a flared rectangular coaxial transmission line was used to expose male BALB/c mice to EMP (peak-intensity 400 kV/m, rise-time 10 ns, pulse-width 350 ns, 0.5 Hz and total 200 pulses).

Mechanisms involved in the blood-testis barrier increased permeability induced by EMP.

The blood-testis barrier (BTB) plays an important role in male reproductive system. Lots of environmental stimulations can increase the permeability of BTB and then result in antisperm antibody (AsAb) generation, which is a key step in male immune infertility. Here we reported the results of male mice exposed to electromagnetic pulse (EMP) by measuring the expression of tight-junction-associated proteins (ZO-1 and Occludin), vimentin microfilaments, and transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-beta3) as well as AsAb level in serum.

The effects of electromagnetic pulses (EMP) on the bioactivity of insulin and a preliminary study of mechanism.

Purpose: To investigate the effects of electromagnetic pulse (EMP) exposure on the bioactivity of insulin and a preliminary mechanism for these effects.

Materials And Methods: A tapered parallel plate Gigahertz Transverse Electromagnetic (GTEM) cell with a flared rectangular coaxial transmission line was used to expose the insulin solution to EMP. Concurrent sham-exposed insulin solutions were used as a control.

[Clinical observation on therapeutic effect and instant analgestic effect of inhibitory-needling at Ashi point as major point for treatment of piriformis syndrome].

Objective: To observe therapeutic effect and analgesic eJfect of needling at Ashi point for treatment of piriformis syndrome.

Methods: Eighty cases were randomly divided into an inhibitory-needling method group (INM) and a routine-needling method group (RNM), forty cases in each group. The acupuncture at Ashi point as major point with inhibitory-needling munipulation was applied in the INM group, the acupuncture at Huantiao (GB 30) ,Zhibian (BL 54) ,Yanglingquan (GB 34) with routine-needling method in the RNM group.