[Effects of butyl benzyl phthalate on neurobehavioral development of rats].

Objective: To study the effects of butyl benzyl phthalate on neurobehavioral development of rats.

Methods: Levels of 0 (control), 0.05%, 0.

Growth inhibitory effect of Krüppel-like factor 6 on human prostatic carcinoma and renal carcinoma cell lines.

Kidney and prostate cancers are leading causes of death in the world, and accumulating evidence suggests that tumor suppressor gene, Krüppel-like factor 6 (KLF6), plays an important role in both the development and the progression of cancer. However, the effect of wild type KLF6 (wtKLF6) on the growth potential of renal carcinoma cells has not been examined. In the present study, we therefore introduced wtKLF6 gene into a prostatic carcinoma derived cell line, DU145, and a renal carcinoma derived cell line, OS-RC-2, and have established DU145-KLF6 and OS-RC-2-KLF6 cell lines, both of which stably over-express KLF6.

Reliable lateral and vertical manipulations of a single Cu adatom on a Cu(111) surface with multi-atom apex tip: semiempirical and first-principles simulations.

We study the reliability of the lateral manipulation of a single Cu adatom on a Cu(111) surface with single-atom, dimer and trimer apex tips using both semiempirical and first-principles simulations. The dependence of the manipulation reliability on tip height is investigated. For the single-atom apex tip the manipulation reliability increases monotonically with decreasing tip height.

Combination of small interfering RNAs mediates greater suppression on hepatitis B virus cccDNA in HepG2.2.15 cells.

Aim: To observe the inhibition of hepatitis B virus (HBV) replication and expression in HepG2.2.15 cells by combination of small interfering RNAs (siRNAs).

Expression of selenium-binding protein 1 characterizes intestinal cell maturation and predicts survival for patients with colorectal cancer.

To identify candidate genes involved in the development of colorectal cancer, we used cDNA microarrays to analyze gene expression differences between human colorectal tumors and paired adjacent normal mucosa. We identified approximately 3.5-fold significant downregulation of selenium-binding protein 1 (SBP1) in colorectal tumors compared to normal mucosa (p = 0.

[Protective effects of metallothionein induced by dexamethasone against ischemia/reperfusion injury of myocardium of isolated rat heart].

Objective: To investigate the protective effects of metallothionein (MT) induced by dexamethasone (DEX) against ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury of myocardium of isolated rat heart.

Methods: Thirty-two Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats were divided randomly into the DEX and control groups. In the former group, the rats were pretreated with DEX, and in latter group distilled water was given before their hearts were isolated for Langendorff perfusion and I/R.

An acoustic intensity-based method for reconstruction of radiated fields.

An acoustic intensity-based method is proposed for the reconstruction of acoustic radiation pressure. Unlike the traditional inverse acoustic methods, the proposed method includes the acoustic pressure gradient as an input in addition to its simultaneous, co-located acoustic pressure in a radiated field. As a result, the reconstruction of acoustic radiation pressure from the input acoustic data over a portion of a surface enclosing all the acoustic sources, i.

Identification of conjugation specificity determinants unmasks vestigial preference for ubiquitin within the NEDD8 E2.

Ubiquitin-like proteins (UBLs) modify targets via related E1-E2-E3 cascades. How is UBL conjugation fidelity established? Here we report the basis for UBL selection by UBL conjugating enzyme 12 (Ubc12), which is specific for the neural precursor cell expressed, developmentally down-regulated protein 8 (NEDD8), and does not form a thioester-linked conjugate with ubiquitin. We systematically identified Ubc12 surfaces impeding Ubc12 approximately ubiquitin conjugate formation and found that several structurally dispersed E1 binding elements, rather than UBL-interacting surfaces, determine E2 approximately UBL specificity.

[Tobacco gamma-tubulin gene silencing mediated by recombinant potato virus X vector].

Gamma-tubulin gene is a very important house-keeping gene and plays key roles in cell division, microtubule nucleation and cell cycle regulation in both plants and animals. In this paper, we studied the gamma-tubulin gene silencing in Nicotiana tabacum var. Samsun NN using the recombinant PVX vector with D fragment of gamma-tubulin cDNA.

Clinical and genetic study of SPG6 mutation in a Chinese family with hereditary spastic paraplegia.

Mutations in the NIPA1 gene cause autosomal dominant hereditary spastic paraplegia (ADHSP). To date, little is known about the relationship between genotype-phenotype correlation. In order to examine the gene mutation associated with the genotype-phenotype of Chinese kindred with ADHSP, linkage analysis and mutation detection were performed.

Distribution and ecological effect of mercury in Laogang landfill, Shanghai, China.

Laogang landfill near Shanghai is the largest landfill in China, and receives about 10000 t of daily garbage per day. Samples of topsoil and plants were analyzed to evaluate mercury pollution from the landfill. For topsoil samples, there were significant correlations among total mercury (HgT), combinative mercury (HgC) and gaseous mercury (HgG), and content of total organic carbon (TOC), but, no significantly relationship was found between Hg content and filling time.

[Abnormal property of meibomian secretion and dry eye syndrome].

Purpose: To study the relationship between meibomian secretion and dry eye.

Methods: To observe 68 outpatients (136 eyes) consecutively. Routine check up included vision, anterior segment and fundus, scoring of tear break up time (BUT), Schirmer I test and rose bengal staining (rb).

[Frequency of the CD4+CD25nt/hiCD127lo regulatory T lymphocytes from the peripheral blood in Chinese healthy individuals].

Aim: To determine the frequency of the CD4(+)CD25(nt/hi)CD127(lo) regulatory T lymphocytes from the peripheral blood in the Chinese healthy individuals and provide some useful evidence for clinical research of correlative diseases.

Methods: From the CD4(+)CD25(nt/hi)CD127(lo) regulatory T lymphocytes of peripheral blood in 312 Chinese healthy male and female individuals aged from 8 to 60(five age groups were collected) The expression of transcription factor Foxp3 was detected by triplex immuno fluorescence and the frequency of CD4(+)CD25(nt/hi)CD127(lo) regulatory T lymphocytes was determined by flow cytometry.

Results: The frequency of CD4(+)CD25(nt/hi)CD127(lo) regulatory T lymphocytes in Chinese healthy individuals was (6.

Genetic diversity and drug resistance of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) strains circulating in Shanghai.

The HIV-1 epidemic in Shanghai is rapidly increasing. To better understand the HIV-1 genetic diversity and the mutations associated with resistance to protease inhibitors (PIs) and reverse transcriptase inhibitors (RTIs), 95 antiretroviral (ARV)-treated and treatment-naive HIV-1-seropositive individuals living in Shanghai were investigated. The HIV-1 pol gene in 70 of the 95 plasma samples was successfully amplified and analyzed.

Vascular endothelial growth factor is increased by human pulmonary cells stimulated with Dermatophagoides sp. extract.

Airway remodeling may lead to increased secretion of TGF-beta. TGF-beta is known to activate fibroblasts and to stimulate the secretion of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF). Soluble and cell-associated VEGF have been identified in subjects with chronic severe asthma.

Clathrin-dependent entry of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus into target cells expressing ACE2 with the cytoplasmic tail deleted.

The penetration of various viruses into host cells is accomplished by hijacking the host endocytosis machinery. In the case of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV) infection, viral entry is reported to require a low pH in intracytoplasmic vesicles; however, little is known about how SARS-CoV invades such compartments. Here we demonstrate that SARS-CoV mainly utilizes the clathrin-mediated endocytosis pathway for its entry to target cells by using infectious SARS-CoV, as well as a SARS-CoV pseudovirus packaged in the SARS-CoV envelope.

Source and sink potentials for the description of open systems with a stationary current passing through.

The authors present a model Hamiltonian for the description of open systems that exchange probability current density with their surroundings. The complex potentials appearing in this Hamiltonian act as source and sink, respectively, of probability current density. The primary applications of the theory of source and sink potentials are molecular electronic devices (MEDs), in the description of which the semi-infinite contacts are replaced by complex potentials.

Synthesis and pharmacological analysis of a morphine/substance P chimeric molecule with full analgesic potency in morphine-tolerant rats.

Background: We have previously explored the functional role of the tachykinin substance P (SP) in the mediation of opioid-dependent antinociception and now describe the formulation, synthesis, and initial pharmacological characterization of a hybrid chimeric molecule, designated MSP9, containing the mu opioid receptor (MOR) agonist morphine covalently attached through a succinic acid linker to the SP receptor (SPR) agonist domain SP3-11.

Material/methods: Pharmacological characterization of MSP9, administered by the intramuscular route, was achieved in naive and morphine-tolerant male rats utilizing the tail-flick test.

Results: MSP9 produced significant antinociceptive responses across a wide concentration range and displayed an atypical bell-shaped analgesic dose response relationship with peak effect of 40+/-10% reached at 0.

Basis for a ubiquitin-like protein thioester switch toggling E1-E2 affinity.

Ubiquitin-like proteins (UBLs) are conjugated by dynamic E1-E2-E3 enzyme cascades. E1 enzymes activate UBLs by catalysing UBL carboxy-terminal adenylation, forming a covalent E1 throught UBL thioester intermediate, and generating a thioester-linked E2 throught UBL product, which must be released for subsequent reactions. Here we report the structural analysis of a trapped UBL activation complex for the human NEDD8 pathway, containing NEDD8's heterodimeric E1 (APPBP1-UBA3), two NEDD8s (one thioester-linked to E1, one noncovalently associated for adenylation), a catalytically inactive E2 (Ubc12), and MgATP.

[Photosynthetic characteristics of grapevine varieties with different ecological adaptabilities grown in a rain-shelter plastic greenhouse in the Yangtze River Delta region].

The study with two grapevine varieties Manicure Finger and Fujiminori grown in a rain-shelter plastic greenhouse in the Yangtze River Delta region showed that in the greenhouse, the photon flux density (PFD) decreased greatly, while air temperature (Ta), vapor pressure (Vp) and transpiration rate (Tr) had little changes, no matter in sunny or cloudy days. The leaf thickness and fresh weight per cm2 of the two varieties decreased by 28.6% and 18.

MCM-41 supported Cu-Mn catalysts for catalytic oxidation of toluene at low temperatures.

Complete catalytic oxidation of toluene was investigated on Cu-Mn doped mesoporous and microporous catalysts, i.e., Cu-Mn/MCM-41, Cu-Mn/beta-zeolite, Cu-Mn/ZSM-5 (where SiO2/Al2O3 is either 25 or 38), and Cu-Mn/porous silica, in the presence of excess oxygen.

Electron Transmission through Aromatic Molecules.

A prominent feature of aromatic compounds is the ring current that can be observed indirectly in nuclear magnetic resonance experiments. This current is generated by an external magnetic field. In molecular electronics, molecules serve as conductors, and they are connected to metallic contacts that act as electron sources and electron sinks.

Expression of Cry1Ac cadherin receptors in insect midgut and cell lines.

Cadherin-like proteins have been identified as putative receptors for the Bacillus thuringiensis Cry1A proteins in Heliothis virescens and Manduca sexta. Immunohistochemistry showed the cadherin-like proteins are present in the insect midgut apical membrane, which is the target site of Cry toxins. This subcellular localization is distinct from that of classical cadherins, which are usually present in cell-cell junctions.

The mismatch repair protein Msh6 influences the in vivo AID targeting to the Ig locus.

Somatic hypermutation (SHM) and class switch recombination (CSR) are initiated by activation-induced cytidine deaminase (AID), which preferentially deaminates deoxycytidines at WRC (W = A/T, R = A/G) motifs in vitro. The mechanisms responsible for targeting AID and for organizing the queue of enzymes involved in vivo have been elusive. Here, we examined point mutant knockin Msh6 mice (Msh6(TD/TD)), which lack the second phase of SHM but retain all the proteins involved, and found that AID was frequently targeted to non-WRC motifs.