The açaí flavonoid velutin is a potent anti-inflammatory agent: blockade of LPS-mediated TNF-α and IL-6 production through inhibiting NF-κB activation and MAPK pathway.

Recent studies have shown that some flavonoids are modulators of proinflammatory cytokine production. In this study, velutin, a unique flavone isolated from the pulp of açaí fruit (Euterpe oleracea Mart.), was examined for its effects in reducing lipopolysaccharide-induced proinflammatory cytokine tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α and interleukin (IL)-6 production in RAW 264.

[Effects of fructose and maltose as aerobic carbon sources on subsequently anaerobic fermentation by Escherichia coli NZN111].

To understand the effects of sugar whose uptake is dependent or independent on the phosphotransferase system (PTS), two-stage culture of Escherichia coli strain NZN111 that was constructed by disruption of IdhA and pflB encoding the fermentative lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) and pyruvate: formate lyase (PFL) of E. coli W1485, was carried out for organic acids production. When NZN111 was aerobically cultured on fructose (PTS dependent) or maltose (PTS independent), it fermented glucose with succinic acid and pyruvic acid as the major products in subsequent anaerobic culture.

Process development of succinic acid production by Escherichia coli NZN111 using acetate as an aerobic carbon source.

Escherichia coli strain NZN111 could convert glucose to succinic acid efficiently in anaerobic conditions after the induction of gluconeogenic carbon sources in aerobic conditions. Acetate shows a strong effect on both yield and productivity of succinic acid. In this study, the fed-batch process of succinic acid production by NZN111 using acetate in a chemically defined medium in the aerobic stage was investigated and developed.

Simultaneous production of 3-hydroxypropionic acid and 1,3-propanediol from glycerol by a recombinant strain of Klebsiella pneumoniae.

In this study, an aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH) was over-expressed in Klebsiella pneumoniae for simultaneous production of 3-hydroxypropionic acid (3-HP) and 1,3-propanediol (1,3-PDO). Various genes encoding ALDH were cloned and expressed in K. pneumoniae, and expression of Escherichia colialdH resulted in the highest 3-HP titer in anaerobic cultures in shake flasks.

The protective effects of plasma gelsolin on stroke outcome in rats.

Background: To date, recombinant tissue plasminogen activator (rtPA) is the only approved drug for ischemic stroke. It is intravenously administered functioning as a thrombolytic agent and is used to obtain reperfusion of the affected area of the brain. Excitotoxicity, inflammation and apoptosis are all involved in delayed neuronal death following stroke and offer multiple opportunities to intervene with neuroprotective agents.

[Analysis of light scatter changes and relevant factors after laser refractive surgery].

Objective: To investigate the changes and relevant factors of forward scatter after Epipolis laser in situ keratomileusis (Epi-LASIK)and laser in situ keratomileusis (LASIK).

Methods: It was a prospective clinical comparative study. 45 patients (45 eyes) were scheduled for Epi-LASIK and 42 patients (42 eyes) for LASIK.

Floral closure induced by pollination in gynodioecious Cyananthus delavayi (Campanulaceae): effects of pollen load and type, floral morph and fitness consequences.

Background And Aims: Pollination-induced floral changes, which have been widely documented in flowering plants, have been assumed to enhance the plant's reproductive success. However, our understanding of the causes and consequences of these changes is still limited. Using an alpine gynodioecious species, Cyananthus delavayi, we investigated the factors affecting floral closure and estimated the fitness consequences of floral closure.

Optimizing estimation of hemispheric dominance for language using magnetic source imaging.

The efficacy of magnetoencephalography (MEG) as an alternative to invasive methods for investigating the cortical representation of language has been explored in several studies. Recently, studies comparing MEG to the gold standard Wada procedure have found inconsistent and often less-than accurate estimates of laterality across various MEG studies. Here we attempted to address this issue among normal right-handed adults (N=12) by supplementing a well-established MEG protocol involving word recognition and the single dipole method with a sentence comprehension task and a beamformer approach localizing neural oscillations.

Flavonoids from acai (Euterpe oleracea Mart.) pulp and their antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities.

Five flavonoids, (2S,3S)-dihyrokaempferol 3-O-β-d-glucoside (1) and its isomer (2R,3R)-dihydrokaempferol 3-O-β-d-glucoside (2) , isovitexin (3), velutin (4) and 5,4'-dihydroxy-7,3',5'-trimethoxyflavone (5), were isolated from acai (Euterpe oleracea Mart.) pulp. The structures of these compounds were elucidated based upon spectroscopic and chemical analyses.

Analgesic synergy of neurotensin receptor subtype 2 agonist NT79 and morphine.

Neurotensin (NT) is a tridecapeptide with naloxone-independent analgesic action. NT exerts its effects through three molecularly cloned receptor subtypes, NTS1, NTS2, and NTS3. The analgesic efficacy of NT agonists depends on their activation of NTS1 and/or NTS2.

Production of glutathione using a bifunctional enzyme encoded by gshF from Streptococcus thermophilus expressed in Escherichia coli.

Glutathione (GSH) is one of the most ubiquitous non-protein thiols that is involved in numerous cellular activities. The gene coding for a novel bifunctional enzyme catalyzing the reaction for glutathione synthesis, gshF, was cloned from Streptococcus thermophilus SIIM B218 and expressed in Escherichia coli JM109. In the presence of the precursor amino acids and ATP, the induced cells of E.

The timing and strength of regional brain activation associated with word recognition in children with reading difficulties.

The study investigates the relative degree and timing of cortical activation across parietal, temporal, and frontal regions during performance of a continuous visual-word recognition task in children who experience reading difficulties (N = 44, RD) and typical readers (N = 40, NI). Minimum norm estimates of regional neurophysiological activity were obtained from magnetoencephalographic recordings. Children with RD showed bilaterally reduced neurophysiological activity in the superior and middle temporal gyri, and increased activity in rostral middle frontal and ventral occipitotemporal cortices, bilaterally.

Functional disruption of the brain mechanism for reading: effects of comorbidity and task difficulty among children with developmental learning problems.

Objective: The study investigated the relative degree and timing of cortical activation associated with phonological decoding in poor readers.

Method: Regional brain activity was assessed during performance of a pseudoword reading task and a less demanding, letter-sound naming task by three groups of students: children who experienced reading difficulties without attention problems (N = 50, RD) and nonreading impaired (NI) readers either with (N = 20) or without attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD; N = 50). Recordings were obtained with a whole-head neuromagnetometer, and activation profiles were computed through a minimum norm algorithm.

A new QTL for resistance to Fusarium ear rot in maize.

Understanding the inheritance of resistance to Fusarium ear rot is a basic prerequisite for an efficient resistance breeding in maize. In this study, 250 recombinant inbred lines (RILs) along with their resistant (BT-1) and susceptible (N6) parents were planted in Zhengzhou with three replications in 2007 and 2008. Each line was artificially inoculated using the nail-punch method.

Rational design, synthesis and evaluation of first generation inhibitors of the Giardia lamblia fructose-1,6-biphosphate aldolase.

Inhibitors of the Giardia lamblia fructose 1,6-bisphosphate aldolase (GlFBPA), which transforms fructose 1,6-bisphosphate (FBP) to dihydroxyacetone phosphate and glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate, were designed based on 3-hydroxy-2-pyridone and 1,2-dihydroxypyridine scaffolds that position two negatively charged tetrahedral groups for interaction with substrate phosphate binding residues, a hydrogen bond donor to the catalytic Asp83, and a Zn(2+) binding group. The inhibition activities for the GlFBPA catalyzed reaction of FBP of the prepared alkyl phosphonate/phosphate substituted 3-hydroxy-2-pyridinones and a dihydroxypyridine were determined. The 3-hydroxy-2-pyridone inhibitor 8 was found to bind to GlFBPA with an affinity (K(i)=14μM) that is comparable to that of FBP (K(m)=2μM) or its inert analog TBP (K(i)=1μM).

Effects of Pluronic F68 on Manganese peroxidase production by pelletized Phanerochaete chrysosporium.

In this study, a new process was developed for manganese peroxidase (MnP) production by Phanerochaete chrysosporium under an agitated and aerated cultivation condition. It was found that change of the inoculum from spore suspension to pellets resulted in enhanced MnP production of 200 U/L in rotated shake flasks. Several additives, including Pluronic F68, Tween 80, and PEG8000, significantly increased the enzyme production.

Expression and biological function of N-myc down-regulated gene 1 in human cervical cancer.

The expression of N-myc down-regulated gene 1 (NDRG1) has previously been reported to be involved in the proliferation, differentiation, invasion and metastasis of cancer cells, but its role in cervical cancer is still unclear. This study aimed to investigate the expression of NDRG1gene in human cervical cancer and its effect on aggressive tumor behaviors. The NDRG1 expression in cervical tissues and cells was detected by RT-PCR.

NT69L blocks ethanol-induced increase of dopamine and glutamate levels in striatum of mouse.

Recent study shows that NT69L, an analog of neurotensin (NT) (8-13), reduces ethanol consumption and preference in mice through modulation of neurotensin receptor subtype one. The current study showed that NT69L significantly decreased ethanol-induced increase of dopamine and glutamate levels in striatum of mouse. These data suggest that NT69L prevents ethanol consumption through the modulation of both dopaminergic and glutamatergic systems implicated in ethanol addiction.

Continuous culture and proteomic analysis of Escherichia coli DH5α and its acetate-tolerant mutant DA19 under conditions of nitrogen source limitation.

Escherichia coli DH5α grows poorly in a chemically defined medium, but its acetate-tolerant mutant, DA19, grows fast and produces less acetate. To investigate the differences in metabolism between the two strains, the samples of continuous cultures at steady state were analyzed by two-dimensional SDS-PAGE (2-D SDS-PAGE) and peptide mass fingerprinting (PMF). The results indicated that in DA19, expression of gnd, yddS, and purH (except for adenine supplement) was up-regulated, and expression of atpA, glnK, and ompR, which encode membrane proteins, was significantly up-regulated.

Overexpression of EZH2 contributes to acquired cisplatin resistance in ovarian cancer cells in vitro and in vivo.

Enhancer of Zeste Homologue 2 (EZH2), a specific histone 3 lysine 27 (H3K27) methyltransferase, plays a critical role in tumorigenesis and cancer progression through epigenetic gene silencing and chromatin remodeling. However, the role of EZH2 in chemotherapy resistance is unknown. In this study, we found that EZH2 was overexpressed in cisplatin-resistant ovarian cancer cells compared with cisplatin-sensitive cells.

Similarities in the behavior and molecular deficits in the frontal cortex between the neurotensin receptor subtype 1 knockout mice and chronic phencyclidine-treated mice: relevance to schizophrenia.

Much evidence suggests that targeting the neurotensin (NT) system may provide a novel and promising treatment for schizophrenia. Our recent work shows that: NTS1 knockout (NTS1(-/-)) mice may provide a potential animal model for studying schizophrenia by investigating the effect of deletion NTS1 receptor on amphetamine-induced hyperactivity and neurochemical changes. The data indicate a hyper-dopaminergic state similar to the excessive striatal DA activity reported in schizophrenia.

[Expression of microRNA 27a and its correlation with drug resistance in human ovarian cancer A2780/Taxol cells].

Objective: To investigate the expression of microRNA 27a (miR-27a) and relationship with drug resistance in human ovarian cancer A2780/Taxol cells.

Methods: A stem-loop-mediated real-time PCR was used to detect miR-27a expression in A2780 and A2780/Taxol cells. The cells were transfected with the mimics or inhibitors of miR-27a or negative control RNA (NC) by lipofectamine 2000.

MiR-27a modulates MDR1/P-glycoprotein expression by targeting HIPK2 in human ovarian cancer cells.

Objective: MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are non-coding, single-stranded small RNAs that regulate gene expression negatively, which is involved in fundamental cellular processes and the initiation, development and progression of human cancer. In this study, we investigated the role of miR-27a in the development of drug resistance in ovarian cancer cells.

Methods: Expression of miR-27a in ovarian cancer cell lines A2780 and A2780/Taxol were detected by stem-loop real-time PCR.

PtSVP, an SVP homolog from trifoliate orange (Poncirus trifoliata L. Raf.), shows seasonal periodicity of meristem determination and affects flower development in transgenic Arabidopsis and tobacco plants.

A MADS-box gene was isolated using the suppressive subtractive hybridization library between early-flowering mutant and wild-type trifoliate orange (Poncirus trifoliata L. Raf.).

Development of succinic acid production from corncob hydrolysate by Actinobacillus succinogenes.

Succinic acid is one of the most important platform chemicals since it has great potential in industrial applications. In this study, corncob hydrolysate was used for succinic acid production. After diluted acid treatment, xylose was released from hemicellulose as the predominant monosaccharide in the hydrolysate, whereas glucose was released very little and most was retained as cellulose in the raw material.