Endothelial nitric oxide synthase is a key mediator of hepatocyte proliferation in response to partial hepatectomy in mice.

Unlabelled: Endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) is a critical modulator of vascular tone and blood flow and plays major roles in liver physiology and pathophysiology. Nitric oxide (NO) is widely recognized as one of the key humoral factors important for the initiation of liver regeneration in response to partial hepatectomy. Liver regeneration in response to partial hepatectomy is dependent on the efficiency of growth factor-mediated cell-cycle progression.

Defective CFTR-dependent CREB activation results in impaired spermatogenesis and azoospermia.

Cystic fibrosis (CF) is the most common life-limiting recessive genetic disease among Caucasians caused by mutations of the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) with over 95% male patients infertile. However, whether CFTR mutations could affect spermatogenesis and result in azoospermia remains an open question. Here we report compromised spermatogenesis, with significantly reduced testicular weight and sperm count, and decreased cAMP-responsive element binding protein (CREB) expression in the testes of CFTR knockout mice.

Cold water stress attenuates dopaminergic neurotoxicity induced by 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine in mice.

In the present study, we tested the effect of cold water stress (CWS) on dopaminergic neurons in 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine (MPTP)-induced Parkinson's disease (PD) mouse model, and found that CWS pretreatment elicited less MPTP neurotoxicity. To understand the molecular mechanism underlying this phenomenon, we detected the expression of heat shock protein 70 (Hsp70) in the striatum of the experimental mice, and found that CWS pretreatment could significantly increase striatal Hsp70 in MPTP-treated mice. Furthermore, in parallel with the induction of Hsp70, the MPTP-induced increase of striatal α-synuclein was inhibited in the CWS + MPTP-treated mice.

Critical role for Gimap5 in the survival of mouse hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells.

Mice and rats lacking the guanosine nucleotide-binding protein Gimap5 exhibit peripheral T cell lymphopenia, and Gimap5 can bind to Bcl-2. We show that Gimap5-deficient mice showed progressive multilineage failure of bone marrow and hematopoiesis. Compared with wild-type counterparts, Gimap5-deficient mice contained more hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) but fewer lineage-committed hematopoietic progenitors.

The non-catalytic carboxyl-terminal domain of ARFGAP1 regulates actin cytoskeleton reorganization by antagonizing the activation of Rac1.

Background: The regulation of the actin cytoskeleton and membrane trafficking is coordinated in mammalian cells. One of the regulators of membrane traffic, the small GTP-binding protein ARF1, also activates phosphatidylinositol kinases that in turn affect actin polymerization. ARFGAP1 is a GTPase activating protein (GAP) for ARF1 that is found on Golgi membranes.

Expression of leucine-rich repeat kinase 2 (LRRK2) inhibits the processing of uMtCK to induce cell death in a cell culture model system.

PD (Parkinson's disease) is the most common neurodegenerative movement disorder. Mutations in LRRK2 (leucine-rich repeat kinase 2) gene are linked to the most common inherited and sporadic PD. Overexpression of LRRK2 and its mutants could induce mitochondrial-dependent neuronal apoptosis.

A protective mechanism against antibiotic-induced ototoxicity: role of prestin.

Hearing loss or ototoxicity is one of the major side effects associated with the use of the antibiotics, particularly aminoglycosides (AGs), which are the most commonly used antibiotics worldwide. However, the molecular and cellular events involved in the antibiotic-induced ototoxicity remains unclear. In the present study, we test the possibility that prestin, the motor protein specifically expressed in the basolateral membrane of outer hair cells (OHCs) in the cochlea with electromotility responsible for sound amplification, may be involved in the process of AG-induced apoptosis in OHCs.

[CT image retrieval of the liver with intrahepatic lesions].

This paper presents a method for global feature extraction and the application of the boostmetric distance metric method for medical image retrieval. The global feature extraction method used the low frequency subband coefficient of the wavelet decomposition based on the non-tensor product coefficient for piecewise Gaussian fitting. The local features were extracted after semi-automatic segmentation of the lesion areas in the images in the database.

Nuclear export of the NF-κB inhibitor IκBα is required for proper B cell and secondary lymphoid tissue formation.

The N-terminal nuclear export sequence (NES) of inhibitor of nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB) alpha (IκBα) promotes NF-κB export from the cell nucleus to the cytoplasm, but the physiological role of this export regulation remains unknown. Here we report the derivation and analysis of genetically targeted mice harboring a germline mutation in IκBα NES. Mature B cells in the mutant mice displayed nuclear accumulation of inactive IκBα complexes containing a NF-κB family member, cRel, causing their spatial separation from the cytoplasmic IκB kinase.

The metabolomic profile during isoflurane anesthesia differs from propofol anesthesia in the live rodent brain.

Development of noninvasive techniques to discover new biomarkers in the live brain is important to further understand the underlying metabolic pathways of significance for processes such as anesthesia-induced apoptosis and cognitive dysfunction observed in the undeveloped brain. We used in vivo proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy and two different signal processing approaches to test the hypothesis that volatile (isoflurane) and intravenous (propofol) anesthetics at equipotent doses produce distinct metabolomic profiles in the hippocampus and parietal cortex of the live rodent. For both brain regions, prolonged isoflurane anesthesia was characterized by higher levels of lactate (Lac) and glutamate compared with long-lasting propofol.

Amyloid precursor protein selective gamma-secretase inhibitors for treatment of Alzheimer's disease.

Introduction: Inhibition of gamma-secretase presents a direct target for lowering Aβ production in the brain as a therapy for Alzheimer's disease (AD). However, gamma-secretase is known to process multiple substrates in addition to amyloid precursor protein (APP), most notably Notch, which has limited clinical development of inhibitors targeting this enzyme. It has been postulated that APP substrate selective inhibitors of gamma-secretase would be preferable to non-selective inhibitors from a safety perspective for AD therapy.

A hospital-based birth weight analysis using computerized perinatal data base for a Chinese population.

Objectives: We aimed to construct birth weight-for-gestational age nomograms based on a computerized perinatal data base in a hospital-based Chinese population.

Methods: Retrospectively collected 28,052 singleton deliveries at Women and Children's Medical Center, Guangzhou, China. Standard curves of birth weight from 27 to 43 week's gestation were computed.

Study on mechanical properties of a new type micro/nano metal material based on bacteria shape.

The functional groups and mechanical properties of Nocadia, a kind of bacteria with submicrometer in diameter and 3-10 microm in length, before and after metallization are determined by fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) and nanoindentation technology. The group -COOH exists on surface of Nocadia and the function groups of Nocadia decreases due to metallization. The elastic modulus of metallized Nocadia, Nocadia and resin is 42.

Requirement of regulated endocrine-specific protein-18 for development and expression of regulated endocrine-specific protein-18 isoform c in mice.

Regulated endocrine-specific protein-18 (RESP18) is distributed mainly in the peripheral endocrine and neuroendocrine tissues. The expression of RESP18 protein is regulated by physiological factors, such as blood glucose or dopaminergic drugs, but its functions remain unclear. In this study, to explore the biological functions of RESP18 in vivo, we generated RESP18 heterozygous deficient mice, and further found RESP18 was essential for embryonic development.

[Diagnosis and treatment of placenta accreta in the second trimester of pregnancy].

Objective: To summarize our experiences in the diagnosis and treatment of placenta accreta in the second trimester of pregnancy.

Methods: We retrospectively analyzed the clinical data of 31 patients were admitted to Peking Union Medical College Hospital with placenta accreta in the second trimester of pregnancy from January 2002 to January 2010.

Results: Among 31 cases, one case (3.

[Analysis on the genotyping of 90 Mycobacterium tuberculosis clinical strains isolated from Ningbo with MLVA].

Objective: To investigate the genotyping and distribution pattern of the variable number tandem repeats (VNTR) of Mycobacterium tuberculosis clinical isolates in Ningbo with multiple-locus VNTR analysis (MLVA).

Methods: M. tuberculosis clinical isolates selected from Ningbo randomly were cultured with Lowenstein-Jensen medium.

Characterization of an Autographa californica multiple nucleopolyhedrovirus mutant lacking the ac39(p43) gene.

Open reading frame 39 [orf39(p43)] of Autographa californica multicapsid nucleopolyhedrovirus (AcMNPV) is present in 10 isolates of the Alphabaculovirus genus. It is highly conserved in sequence and genomic location in the Group I but much less conserved in the Group II viruses. To investigate the potential role of p43 in AcMNPV infection, we constructed and characterized a p43 knockout mutant.

The factors controlling the partitioning of polybrominated diphenyl ethers and polychlorinated biphenyls in the water-column of the Pearl River Estuary in South China.

In this study, the distribution and partition of polybrominateddiphenyl ethers (PBDEs) and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in water from the Pearl River Estuary were investigated. A seasonal dependence for dissolved and particle phase PCB and PBDE levels was observed. A high dissolved phase level occurred in the dry season.

Switching from bone marrow-derived neurons to epithelial cells through dedifferentiation and translineage redifferentiation.

While the ability of stem cells to switch lineages has been suggested, the route(s) through which this may happen is unclear. To date, the best characterized adult stem cell population considered to possess transdifferentiation capacity is BM-MSCs (bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells). We investigated whether BM-MSCs that had terminally differentiated into the neural or epithelial lineage could be induced to transdifferentiate into the other phenotype in vitro.

Differential expression of microRNAs in porcine placentas on days 30 and 90 of gestation.

The porcine placenta is classified as a non-invasive epitheliochorial type. To meet the increasing demands for nutrients by the rapidly growing conceptus and/or fetus, the placental microscopic folds undergo significant morphological and biochemical changes during two periods critical for conceptus and/or fetus, namely days 30-40 and after day 90 of gestation. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are a class of small non-coding RNAs that can modulate gene activity by inhibiting the translation or regulation of mRNA degradation.

[Investigating the toxicity characteristics of Nassarius Sp. in Ningbo City].

Objective: To study the type, distribution, the growth and decline of toxins in Nassarius Sp. and the source of toxins to acquire the basis for the control of Nassarius Sp. poisonings.

Functional analysis of Spodoptera litura nucleopolyhedrovirus p49 gene during Autographa californica nucleopolyhedrovirus infection of SpLi-221 cells.

The Spodoptera litura nucleopolyhedrovirus (SpltNPV) antiapoptotic gene Splt-p49 is able to rescue replication of a p35-null Autographa californica nucleopolyhedrovirus (AcMNPV) in AcMNPV-permissive Sf9 cells. In this study, an AcMNPV p35 knockout bacmid was generated through ET homologous recombination in Escherichia coli and designated as vAc(P35-KO). The Splt-p49 gene was transposed into the polyhedrin locus of vAc(P35-KO) to investigate if Splt-p49 has any antiapoptotic activity in the context of AcMNPV infection of AcMNPV-nonpermissive SpLi-221 cells.

Interactions among related genes of renin-angiotensin system associated with type 2 diabetes.

Objective: To explore the association between epistasis among related genes of the renin-angiotensin system (RAS) and type 2 diabetes.

Research Design And Methods: Gene polymorphisms were genotyped in 394 type 2 diabetic patients and 418 healthy control subjects in this case-control study. We used the multifactor dimensionality reduction method to identify gene-gene interactions.