Identification and characterization of antifungal active substances of Streptomyces hygroscopicus BS-112

An antifungal Actinomyces BS-112 strain, with Aspergillus flavus as the target pathogen, was isolated from soil in the forest land of Mountain Tai. This strain showed a strong antagonistic activity against various mold fungi in food and feed. Strain BS-112 was identified as Streptomyces hygroscopicus based on its morphologic, cultural, physiological, biochemical characteristics, cell wall components and 16S rDNA sequence. Four active components were separated and purified from strain BS-112. These four antifungal components were identified as tetrins A and B and tetramycins A and B using spectroscopic analysis including mass spectrometry and nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. Tetrins A and B and tetramycins A and B strongly inhibited the growth of A. flavus, A. alutaceus, A. niger, and A. fumigatus in vitro.     

Curcumin ameliorates TNF-α-induced ICAM-1 expression and subsequent THP-1 adhesiveness via the induction of heme oxygenase-1 in the HaCaT cells

Adhesion molecules such as ICAM-1 are important in the infiltration of leukocytes into the site of inflammation. In this study, we investigated the inhibitory effects of curcumin on ICAM-1 expression and monocyte adhesiveness as well as its underlying action mechanism in the TNF-α-stimulated keratinocytes. Curcumin induced expression of heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) in the human keratinocyte cell line HaCaT. In addition, curcumin induced Nrf2 activation in dose- and time-dependent manners in the HaCaT cells. Curcumin suppressed TNF-α- induced ICAM-1 expression and subsequent monocyte adhesion, which were reversed by the addition of tin protoporphyrin IX (SnPP), a specific inhibitor of HO-1, or HO-1 knockdown using siRNA. Furthermore, Nrf2 knockdown using siRNA reversed the inhibitory effect of curcumin on the TNF-α-induced ICAM-1 expression and adhesion of monocytes to keratinocytes. These results suggest that curcumin may exert its anti-inflammatory activity by suppressing the TNF-α-induced ICAM-1 expression and subsequent monocyte adhesion via expression of HO-1 in the keratinocytes. [BMB Reports 2013;46(8): 410-415]     

Dedifferentiation-specific expression of MMP-9 and the effects of RA on its expression during salamander limb regeneration

The matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) are well known to responsible for the degradation of extracellular matrix (ECM) during tissue remodelling such as wound healing, metamorphosis, and regeneration. In present study, gelatinase activities were investigated in normal and retinoic acid (RA)-treated limb regenerates. During the early phase of limb regeneration, gelatinase activities increased greatly, and RA caused the enhanced and prolonged gelatinase activities. We also isolated full length of Hynobius MMP-9, and its spatial and temporal expression profiles were examined in normal, RA-treated, and denervated limb regenerates. Whole mount in situ hybridization showed that the expression of MMP-9 increased in the wound epidermis at the wound healing stage and early phase of dedifferentiation stage. In addition, RA enhanced remarkably its expression both in terms of level and duration in the wound epidermis. However, expression signal of MMP-9 was barely detectable in denervated in limb regenerates. Our results may indicate that MMP-9 plays important role(s) in the dedifferentiation process by participating in ECM degradation and enhancement of MMP-9 expression and activity might be closely related to RA-evoked pattern duplication.     

Continuous rhamnolipid production using denitrifying Pseudomonas aeruginosa cells in hollow‐fiber bioreactor

Rhamnolipids are high‐value effective biosurfactants produced by Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Large‐scale production of rhamnolipids is still challenging especially under free‐cell aerobic conditions in which the highly foaming nature of the culture broth reduces the productivity of the process. Immobilized systems relying on oxygen as electron acceptor have been previously investigated but oxygen transfer limitation presents difficulties for continuous rhamnolipid production. A coupled system using immobilized cells and nitrate instead of oxygen as electron acceptor taking advantage of the ability of P. aeruginosa to perform nitrate respiration was evaluated. This denitrification‐based immobilized approach based on a hollow‐fiber setup eliminated the transfer limitation problems and was found suitable for continuous rhamnolipid production in a period longer than 1,500 h. It completely eliminated the foaming difficulties related to aerobic systems with a comparable specific productivity of 0.017 g/(g dry cells)‐h and allowed easy recovery of rhamnolipids from the cell‐free medium. © 2013 American Institute of Chemical Engineers Biotechnol. Prog., 29: 346–351, 2013     

细胞老化的基本特征和研究进展

自20世纪60年代初发现细胞老化以来,关于细胞老化的研究有了长足的进展。"Hay-flick极限(Hayflick limit)"概念的确立不仅在细胞水平揭示了细胞寿命的重要分子机制,而且拓展了人们对于衰老(aging)的认识。近年来,越来越多的实验结果表明,细胞老化可以在体内有效阻止癌症的发生,尤其在癌症早期具有明显作用。该文就半个多世纪以来,关于人们认知的细胞老化的基本特征、判别标准以及相关研究进展予以综述。     

Machine Perfusion versus Cold Storage of Kidneys Derived from Donation after Cardiac Death: A Meta-Analysis

Background

In response to the increased organ shortage, organs derived from donation after cardiac death (DCD) donors are becoming an acceptable option once again for clinical use in transplantation. However, transplant outcomes in cases where DCD organs are used are not as favorable as those from donation after brain death or living donors. Different methods of organ preservation are a key factor that may influence the outcomes of DCD kidney transplantation.

Methods

We compared the transplant outcomes in patients receiving DCD kidneys preserved by machine perfusion (MP) or by static cold storage (CS) preservation by conducting a meta-analysis. The MEDLINE, EMBASE and Cochrane Library databases were searched. All studies reporting outcomes for MP versus CS preserved DCD kidneys were further considered for inclusion in this meta-analysis. Odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals (CI) were calculated to compare the pooled data between groups that were transplanted with kidneys that were preserved by MP or CS.

Results

Four prospective, randomized, controlled trials, involving 175 MP and 176 CS preserved DCD kidney transplant recipients, were included. MP preserved DCD kidney transplant recipients had a decreased incidence of delayed graft function (DGF) with an odd ration of 0.56 (95% CI = 0.36–0.86, P = 0.008) compared to CS. However, no significant differences were seen between the two technologies in incidence of primary non-function, one year graft survival, or one year patient survival.

Conclusions

MP preservation of DCD kidneys is superior to CS in terms of reducing DGF rate post-transplant. However, primary non-function, one year graft survival, and one year patient survival were not affected by the use of MP or CS for preservation.     

Compositionally Graded Cathode Material with Long‐Term Cycling Stability for Electric Vehicles Application

Al is introduced into a compositionally graded cathode with average composition of Li[Ni_0.61Co_0.12Mn_0.27]O₂ (FCG61) whose Ni and Mn concentrations are designed to vary continuously within the cathode particle. The Al‐substituted full concentration gradient (Al‐FCG61) cathode is tested for 3000 cycles in a full‐cell, mainly to gauge its viability for daily charge/discharge cycles during the service life of electric vehicles (≈10 years). The Al‐substitution enables the Al‐FCG61 cathode to maintain 84% of its initial capacity even after 3000 cycles. It is demonstrated that the Al‐substitution strengthens the grain boundaries, substantiated by the mechanical strength data, thereby delaying the nucleation of microcracks at the phase boundaries which is shown to be the main reason for the cathode failure during long‐term cycling. It also shows that the Al‐substitution decreases the cation mixing and suppresses the deleterious formation of the secondary phase that likely initiates the microcracks. Unlike an NCA cathode, whose depth of discharge (DOD) must be limited to 60% for long‐term cycling, the proposed Al‐FCG61 cathode is cycled at 100% DOD for 3000 cycles to fully utilize its available capacity for maximum energy density and subsequent reduction in cost of the battery.     

Prevalence of Neutralizing Antibodies to Japanese Encephalitis Virus among High-Risk Age Groups in South Korea, 2010

After an extensive vaccination policy, Japanese encephalitis (JE) was nearly eliminated since the mid-1980s in South Korea. Vaccination in children shifted the affected age of JE patients from children to adults. However, an abrupt increase in JE cases occurred in 2010, and this trend has continued. The present study aimed to investigate the prevalence of neutralizing antibodies to the JE virus (JEV) among high-risk age groups (≥40 years) in South Korea. A plaque reduction neutralization test was conducted to evaluate the prevalence of neutralizing antibodies to JEV in 945 subjects within four age groups (30–39, 40–49, 50–59, and 60–69 years) in 10 provinces. Of the 945 enrolled subjects, 927 (98.1%) exhibited antibodies against JEV. No significant differences were found in the prevalence of neutralizing antibodies according to sex, age, or occupation. However, there were significant differences in the plaque reduction rate according to age and occupation; oldest age group had a higher reduction rate, and subjects who were employed in agriculture or forestry also had a higher value than the other occupations. We also found that three provinces (Gangwon, Jeonnam, and Gyeongnam) had a relatively lower plaque reduction rate than the other locations. In addition, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays were conducted to determine recent viral infections and 12 (2.2%) subjects were found to have been recently infected by the virus. In conclusion, the present study clearly indicated that the prevalence of neutralizing antibodies has been maintained at very high levels among adult age groups owing to vaccination or natural infections, or both. In the future, serosurveillance should be conducted periodically using more representative samples to better understand the population-level immunity to JE in South Korea.