Cloning, Prokaryotic Expression and Functional Characterization of Gene from the Associative Nitrogen-Fixing Bacteria DX120E.

Background: Biological nitrogen fixation (BNF) is a unique mechanism in which microorganisms utilize the nitrogenase enzyme to catalyze the conversion of atmospheric nitrogen (N) to ammonia (NH). Fe protein, encoded by the gene, is an essential component of the nitrogenase in DX120E. However, the function of this gene in regulating nitrogen fixing activity is still unclear.

Psychometric assessment of the Chinese version of the Oxford Knee Score in breast cancer survivors experiencing hormone treatment-related knee dysfunction.

Objective: To test the validity, reliability, and acceptability of the Oxford Knee Score (OKS) Mandarin Chinese version for measuring knee pain and function among Chinese breast cancer survivors.

Methods: This validation study was a secondary analysis of a cross-sectional survey that was conducted at the Affiliated Hospital of Southwest Medical University, Sichuan, China. Recruited from a larger arthralgia-related survey cohort, those who experienced knee arthralgia and completed the OKS Chinese version were selected for the current analysis.

Morphological, agronomical, physiological and molecular characterization of a high sugar mutant of sugarcane in comparison to mother variety.

Sugarcane is a significant crop plant with the capability of accumulating higher amount of sucrose. In the present study, a high sucrose content sugarcane mutant clone, GXB9, has been studied in comparison to the low sucrose mother clone B9 on morphological, agronomical and physiological level in order to scrutinize the variation because of mutation in GXB9 in field under normal environmental condition. The results showed that GXB9 has less germination, tillering rate, stalk height, leaf length, leaf width, leaf area, number of internodes, internode length and internode diameter than B9.

[Evaluation and classification of dissolution behavior and capability of Chinese medicine granules based on an inline turbidity sensor].

In this paper, the inline turbidity sensor technology was used to quantify the turbidity of the solution during the dissolution of Chinese medicine granules. The probe measurement position and the magnetic stirring speed were optimized. As a result, the stirring speed was 400 r·min~(-1), and the probe position was at 1/4 of the diameter of the beaker.

Profiling and targeting of cellular mitochondrial bioenergetics: inhibition of human gastric cancer cell growth by carnosine.

L-Carnosine (β-alanyl-L-histidine) is a naturally occurring dipeptide distributed in various organs of mammalians. We previously showed that carnosine inhibited proliferation of human gastric cancer cells through targeting both mitochondrial bioenergetics and glycolysis pathway. But the mechanism underlying carnosine action on mitochondrial bioenergetics of tumor cells remains unclear.

Carnosine suppresses oxygen-glucose deprivation/recovery-induced proliferation and migration of reactive astrocytes of rats in vitro.

Glial scar formation resulted from excessive astrogliosis limits axonal regeneration and impairs recovery of function, thus an intervention to ameliorate excessive astrogliosis is crucial for the recovery of neurological function after cerebral ischemia. In this study we investigated the effects of carnosine, an endogenous water-soluble dipeptide (β-alanyl-L-histidine), on astrogliosis of cells exposed to oxygen-glucose deprivation/recovery (OGD/R) in vitro. Primary cultured rat astrocytes exhibited a significant increase in proliferation at 24 h recovery after OGD for 2 h.

Efficient extraction and preparative separation of four main isoflavonoids from Dalbergia odorifera T. Chen leaves by deep eutectic solvents-based negative pressure cavitation extraction followed by macroporous resin column chromatography.

In this study, green and efficient deep eutectic solvent-based negative pressure cavitation-assisted extraction (DES-NPCE) followed by macroporous resin column chromatography was developed to extract and separate four main isoflavonoids, i.e. prunetin, tectorigenin, genistein and biochanin A from Dalbergia odorifera T.

[Perpetual impact of pregnancy-induced hypertension on blood pressure].

Objective: To explore the perpetual impact of pregnancy-induced hypertension on blood pressure.

Methods: This retrospective cohort study included 782 cases of pregnant women who hospitalized at Kailuan Linxi hospital between October 1976 and August 2001. Patients were divided to with pregnancy induced hypertension (PIH, n = 77) group and non pregnancy induced hypertension (NPIH, n = 705) group.