Progress on phage genomics of Pseudomonas spp.

Pseudomonas spp. are one of the most important ecological flora on the earth, widely distributed in freshwater, soil and other ecological environments. Pseudomonas phages are viruses hosted by Pseudomonas spp.

Xiaokeping-induced autophagy protects pancreatic β-cells against apoptosis under high glucose stress.

Xiaokeping (XKP), a prescribed Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), has been used to treat patients with type Ⅱ diabetes mellitus for many years; however, the molecular mechanism of its effects is unknown. As the only insulin producer, the pancreatic β cell plays an important role in diabetes. Whether XKP influences the viability of pancreatic β cells remains to be substantiated.

Evaluation of the significance of hepatic functional reserve for the operation of liver cancer complicated with cirrhosis.

Purpose: To evaluate the significance of hepatic functional reserve for the operation of liver cancer complicated with cirrhosis.

Methods: Fifty-six patients suffering from liver cancer complicated with cirrhosis were divided into three levels, A, B and C, according to Child-Pugh grading system. Based on indocyanine green retention rate at 15 min (ICGR15) value, patients were divided into three intervals, ≤15%, 15-25% and ≥25%.

Updated meta-analysis on HER2 polymorphisms and risk of breast cancer: evidence from 32 studies.

Background: Several studies have been performed to investigate the association of the HER2 Ile655Val polymorphism and breast cancer risk. However, the results were inconsistent. To understand the precise relationship, a meta-analysis was here conducted.

Association of DR4 (TRAIL-R1) polymorphisms with cancer risk in Caucasians: an updated meta-analysis.

Death receptor 4 (TRAIL-R1 or DR4) polymorphisms have been associated with cancer risk, but findings have been inconsistent. To estimate the relationship in detail, a meta-analysis was here performed. A search of PubMed was conducted to investigate the association between DR4 C626G, A683C and A1322G polymorphisms and cancer risk, using odds ratios (ORs) with 95% confidence intervals.

Laceyella sediminis sp. nov., a thermophilic bacterium isolated from a hot spring.

A thermophilic bacterium, designated strain RHA1(T), was isolated from a sediment sample collected from a hot spring in Tengchong county, Yunnan province, south-west China, and was characterized by using a polyphasic approach. Based on its phenotypic and phylogenetic characteristics, strain RHA1(T) was affiliated to the genus Laceyella. The strain formed white aerial and yellow-white substrate mycelia, bearing single endospores on short sporophores.

[Construction of promoter probe vector for a cold-adapted bacterium, Acinetobacter sp. DWC6].

In order to build a protein expression system in a cold-adapted bacterium Acinetobacter sp. DWC6, a promoter probe vector was constructed based on the plasmid pBR322. A fragment containing the promoter of the beta-lactamase gene (the ampicillin resistance gene) in pBR322 was eliminated and replaced by a fragment comprizing a kanamycin resistance gene amplified from pJRD215.

Construction of a low-temperature protein expression system using a cold-adapted bacterium, Shewanella sp. strain Ac10, as the host.

A recombinant protein expression system working at low temperatures is expected to be useful for the production of thermolabile proteins. We constructed a low-temperature expression system using an Antarctic cold-adapted bacterium, Shewanella sp. strain Ac10, as the host.