Prevalence and molecular characterization of alpha and beta-Thalassemia mutations among Hakka people in southern China.

Our aim was to investigate molecular features of thalassemia for proper clinical consultation and prevention in Heyuan. In our research, a total of 25,437 positive screening subjects were further subjected to a genetic analysis of α-thalassemia (α-thal) and β-thalassemia (β-thal). The deletion of α-thal mutation was tested by Gap-PCR, while the non-deletion of α-thal and β-thal mutation were identified by the PCR-reverse dot blot (PCR-RDB) technique.

Assessing candidate DNA barcodes for Chinese and internationally traded timber species.

Accurate identification of species from timber is an essential step to help control illegal logging and forest loss. However, current approaches to timber identification based on morphological and anatomical characteristics have limited species resolution. DNA barcoding is a proven tool for plant species identification, but there is a need to build reliable reference data across broad taxonomic and spatial scales.

Specialised metabolites as chemotaxonomic markers of Coptosapelta diffusa, supporting its delimitation as sisterhood phylogenetic relationships with Rubioideae.

From the aerial extracts of Coptosapelta diffusa (Champ. ex Benth.) Steenis, twenty-one compounds were isolated and identified by means of column chromatography and NMR and MS techniques, respectively.

Deafness enhances perceptual span size in Chinese reading: Evidence from a gaze-contingent moving-window paradigm.

Using a gaze-contingent moving-window paradigm, we investigated whether/how deafness affects perceptual processing in Chinese reading. Besides the manipulation of window size, word length of sentences used in the experiment was also manipulated to check whether deafness enhanced the word length effect on perceptual span. Significant interactions of window constraints and deafness and a three-way interaction were observed on reading rate.

Characterizing the Role of in Salt Tolerance.

The WRKY transcription factor superfamily is known to participate in plant growth and stress response. However, the role of this family in wheat ( L.) is largely unknown.

Interspecies introgressive hybridization in spiny frogs (Family Dicroglossidae) revealed by analyses on multiple mitochondrial and nuclear genes.

Introgression may lead to discordant patterns of variation among loci and traits. For example, previous phylogeographic studies on the genus detected signs of genetic introgression from genetically and morphologically divergent or . In this study, we used mitochondrial and nuclear DNA sequence data to verify the widespread introgressive hybridization in the closely related species of the genus , evaluate the level of genetic diversity, and reveal the formation mechanism of introgressive hybridization.

DNA barcoding evaluation and implications for phylogenetic relationships in Lauraceae from China.

Lauraceae are an important component of tropical and subtropical forests and have major ecological and economic significance. Owing to lack of clear-cut morphological differences between genera and species, this family is an ideal case for testing the efficacy of DNA barcoding in the identification and discrimination of species and genera. In this study, we evaluated five widely recommended plant DNA barcode loci matK, rbcL, trnH-psbA, ITS2 and the entire ITS region for 409 individuals representing 133 species, 12 genera from China.

Molecular epidemiology and evolution of human enterovirus 71 and hand, foot and mouth disease.

Human enterovirus 71(EV71), one of the major pathogens of the hand, foot and mouth disease (HFMD), causes skin rashes in palms, feet and mouth ulcers and complication in the central nervous system such as aseptic meningitis and acute flaccid paralysis that may lead to death. EV71 infection has been reported to be associated with many outbreaks of HFMD worldwide, especially the great outbreaks that occurred in the Asia-Pacific region and caused numerous death since 1997. The studies of molecular epidemiology and evolution of EV71 are important for the prevention and control of HFMD since no vaccines and antiviral drugs have been developed except symptomatic treatment for HFMD.

[Advances on gene-based association analysis].

Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have been widely used for hunting the susceptibility genes for common diseases in the past years; however, the abundant information for the disease mechanism based on the GWAS data has not been fully mined. Recently, some researchers focused on the biological network and pathway analysis for the GWAS data to explore the potential disease mechanism. Since genes are the basic units for the biological network and pathway, the genetic effects from all or part of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the genes should be integrated into genetic scores, which are so-called "gene-based association analysis".

Effects of awareness on numerosity adaptation.

Numerosity perception is a process involving several stages of visual processing. This study investigated whether distinct mechanisms exist in numerosity adaptation under different awareness conditions to characterize how numerosity perception occurs at each stage. The status of awareness was controlled by masking conditions, in which monoptic and dichoptic masking were proposed to influence different levels of processing.

[Oxaliplatin combined with capecitabine as first-line chemotherapy for patients with advanced gastric cancer].

Background And Objective: Combination therapy of oxaliplatin and capecitabine has certain effects on advanced gastric cancer (AGC). This study was to investigate the efficacy and safety of oxaliplatin in combination with capecitabine as first-line chemotherapy for AGC patients.

Methods: Thirty-three chemotherapy-naive patients with AGC were entered into this study.

[Low dose-intensity docetaxel monotherapy for patients with anthracycline-resistant metastatic breast cancer in poor physical status].

Objective: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of a weekly schedule of low dose-intensity docetaxel monochemotherapy for patients with anthracycline-resistant metastatic breast cancer (MBC) in poor physical status.

Methods: Thirty MBC patients who were previously exposed to anthracycline treatment received docetaxel alone at a dose of 30 mg/m2 on D1, D8 and D15, repeated every 4 weeks for a maximum of 6 cycles.

Results: Of the 30 evaluable patients, 2 (6.

[Enhancing effect of antisense oligonucleotide targeting bFGF on apoptosis in hepatoma cells in vitro].

Objective: To investigate the cell cycle changes of hepatoma cells and the effect of antisense oligonucleotide targeting bFGF on apoptosis in the hepatoma cells.

Methods: The oligodeoxynucleotides were transfected with Lipofectin into hepatoma HepG2 cells. Inhibition of bFGF protein expression was assessed by confocal laser scanning microscopy and Western blot under the best condition of transfection of antisense oligonucleotide targeting bFGF, and the apoptosis in those cells was determined by flow cytometry.

Biweekly oxaliplatin in combination with continuous infusional 5-fluorouracil and leucovorin (modified FOLFOX-4 regimen) as first-line chemotherapy for elderly patients with advanced gastric cancer.

Objective: The aim of the study was to assess the toxicity and the clinical activity of biweekly oxaliplatin (OXA) in combination with continuous infusional 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) and leucovorin (LV) administered every 2 weeks (modified FOLFOX-4 regimen) in elderly patients with advanced gastric cancer (AGC).

Patients And Methods: A total of 44 previously untreated AGC patients aged 65 or older were treated with OXA 85 mg m-2 on day 1, LV 200 mg m-2 as a 2-hour infusion followed by a 22-hour infusion of 5-FU 1000 mg m using a multichannel programmable pump, repeated for 2 consecutive days every 2 weeks.

Results: All patients were assessable for toxicity and 40 patients for response.

[Antisense oligonucleotide targeting endostatin enhances hematopoiesis reconstitution in BMT mice].

Objective: To explore the effect of antisense oligonucleotide targeting endostatin (endostatin-ASON) transfecting bone marrow stromal cells ( BMSC) on hematopoiesis reconstitution in BMT mice.

Methods: Inhibition of endostatin / VCAM-1 protein and mRNA expression was investigated by transfection of antisense oligonucleotide targeting endostatin with confocal microscopy, Western blot and RT-PCR. Bone marrow stromal cells were cultured and divided into 4 groups: group (1) without any treatment; group (2) BMT only; group (3) BMT + endostatin-ASON transfection; group (4) BMT + endostatin scrambled sequence transfection.

[A PCR-RFLP analysis to HLA-B gene among Chinese northern Han populations].

Objective: To set up the method for analyzing HLA-B gene polymorphism with PCR-RFLP, and to gain population data among northern Chinese Hans of HLA-B's restricted fragments after NlaIII digestion, and to achieve application in forensic medicine practice.

Methods: Sample DNA was extracted by the phenol/chloroform extraction method, 943 bp-long fragments containing HLA-B exon 2 and 3 were got by PCR. The endonuclease NlaIII was applied to cut the PCR products into polymorphic fragments shorter than 943bp, then PAGE and silver staining were used to detect the digestion results, finally the digestion sites were assured by DNA sequencing.

Gene-expression profiles in gastric epithelial cells stimulated with spiral and coccoid Helicobacter pylori.

Human gastric epithelial immortalized GES-1 cells were infected with spiral and coccoid Helicobacter pylori. Scanning electron microscopy was used to determine the ability of the two forms of H. pylori to adhere to GES-1 cells.

Identification of androgen-responsive element ARE and Sp1 element in the maspin promoter.

Maspin is a serine protease inhibitor (serpin) with tumor-suppressing function in mammary gland. It is down-regulated in primary prostate cancer cells and lost in metastatic cells. To better understand the transcriptional regulation of maspin gene, the 860bp (-765 approximately +95) of its promoter sequence was amplified by PCR from the human genomic DNA.

Identification of a positive Cis-element upstream of human NKX3.1 gene.

NKX3.1 is a prostate-specific homeobox gene related to prostate development and prostate cancer. In this work, we aimed to identify precisely the functional cis-element in the 197 bp region (from -1032 to -836 bp) of the NKX3.

Up-regulation of NKX3.1 expression and inhibition of LNCaP cell proliferation induced by an inhibitory element decoy.

NKX3.1 is an androgen-regulated prostate-specific homeobox gene that is thought to play an important role in prostate development and cancerogenesis. NKX3.

[Effects of 9-cis-retinoic acid on cell cycle and expression of cyclin D1 and cdk4 in lung cancer cells].

Aim: To study the effects of 9-cis-retinoic acid (9-cis-RA) on cell cycle and expression of cyclin D1 and cdk4 in lung cancer cells.

Methods: 9-cis-RA (1 x 10(-6) mol.L-1) was used to treat lung cancer cells for 24 h; Flow cytometry (FCM) was used to detect the percent of G0/G1 phase and S phase cells of three groups including blank control, DMSO control and 9-cis-RA groups; RT-PCR was used to analyze the expression changes of cyclin D1 and cdk4 before and after treatment with 9-cis-RA in lung cancer cells.

Molecular cloning and characterization of human homeobox gene Nkx3.1 promoter.

Nkx3.1 is a prostate-specific homeobox gene related strongly to prostate development and prostate cancer. To study its regulation of transcription, 1.