Panamonon A and B,a pair of novel tetrahydrobenzofuran derivatives from Litsea panamonja (Nees) Hook. f.

A pair of novel tetrahydrobenzofuran derivatives with a unique C₁₈ carbon skeleton, panamonon A (1) and B (2), was isolated from the leaves and twigs of Litsea panamonja (Nees) Hook. f. These new compounds contain an unprecedented C₁₈ carbon skeleton consisting of a characteristic tetrahydrobenzofuran-2,5(3H,6H)-dione core with a biosynthetically extended geranyl side chain, designated as “panamonane”.

1. Download : Download full-size image

Highlights? A pair of novel tetrahydrobenzofuran derivatives with a unique C₁₈ carbon skeleton was isolated. ? The new compounds possess an unprecedented C₁₈ carbon skeleton and are designated as “panamonane”. ? They are featured with a tetrahydrobenzofuran-2,5(3H,6H)-dione moiety and a geranyl side chain. ? The plausible biosynthetic pathways of them were discussed.     

Genome-Wide Association Analysis with Gray Matter Volume as a Quantitative Phenotype in First-Episode Treatment-Na?ve Patients with Schizophrenia

Reduced Gray matter (GM) volume is a core feature of schizophrenia. Mapping genes that is associated with the heritable disease-related phenotypes may be conducive to elucidate the pathogenesis of schizophrenia. This study aims to identify the common genetic variants that underlie the deficits of GM volume in schizophrenia. High-resolution T1 images and whole genome genotyping data were obtained from 74 first-episode treatment-naïve patients with schizophrenia and 51 healthy controls in the Mental Health Centre of the West China Hospital, Sichuan University. All participants were scanned using a 3T MR imaging system and were genotyped using the HumanHap660 Bead Array. Reduced GM volumes in three brain areas including left hOC3v in the collateral sulcus of visual cortex (hOC3vL), left cerebellar vermis lobule 10 (vermisL10) and right cerebellar vermis lobule 10 (vermisR10) were found in patients with schizophrenia. There was a group by genotype interaction when genotypes from genome-wide scan were subsequently considered in the case-control analyses. SNPs from three genes or chromosomal regions (TBXAS1, PIK3C2G and HS3ST5) were identified to predict the changes of GM volume in hOC3vL, vermisL10 and vermisR10. These results also highlighted the usefulness of endophenotype in exploring the pathogenesis of neuropsychiatric diseases such as schizophrenia although further independent replication studies are needed in the future.     

Adaptive Induction of Growth Differentiation Factor 15 Attenuates Endothelial Cell Apoptosis in Response to High Glucose Stimulus

Growth differentiation factor 15 (GDF15), a direct target gene of p53, is a multifunctional member of the TGF-β/BMP superfamily. GDF15 can be induced and is implicated as a key secretory cytokine in response to multiple cellular stimuli. Accumulating evidence indicates that GDF15 is associated with the development and prognosis of diabetes mellitus, while whether GDF15 can be induced by high glucose is unknown. In the present study, we revealed that high glucose could induce GDF15 expression and secretion in cultured human umbilical vein endothelial cells in a ROS- and p53-dependent manner. Inhibition of high glucose-induced GDF15 expression by siRNA demonstrated that adaptively induced GDF15 played a protective role against high glucose-induced human umbilical vein endothelial cell apoptosis via maintaining the active state of PI3K/Akt/eNOS pathway and attenuating NF-κB/JNK pathway activation. The protective effects of GDF15 were probably achieved by inhibiting ROS overproduction in high glucose-treated human umbilical vein endothelial cells in a negative feedback manner. Our results suggest that high glucose can promote GDF15 expression and secretion in human umbilical vein endothelial cells, which in turn attenuates high glucose-induced endothelial cell apoptosis.     

Prevalence of HIV Infection and Associated Risk Factors among Men Who Have Sex with Men (MSM) in Harbin,P. R. China

Objective

To assess the prevalence of HIV infection and characteristically risk of factors which associated with HIV infection among MSM in Harbin, China.

Methods

A face-to-face questionnaire interview was conducted among 463 Men Who Have Sex with Men (MSM) who were recruited by the snowball sampling in Harbin from April, 2011 to July, 2011. The questionnaire mainly included demographics, AIDS knowledge, homosexual behavior and the status of intervention in MSM. Blood specimens were obtained and tested for the diagnoses of HIV, syphilis and hepatitis C virus (HCV). Associations between above exposed factors and HIV infection were analyzed using a univariate analysis and forward stepwise logistic regression.

Results

The prevalence of HIV and syphilis was 9.5 and 14.3%. The awareness rate of AIDS was 86.8%. The rate of unprotected sexual behavior was 57.6% of MSM during the past 6 months. The univariate analysis identified that the age (age≥35 years old), cohabitation, more than 10 years of homosexual behavior and more than 10 homosexual partners were risk factors which associated with the HIV infection, and that protected sex during the past 6 months was a protective factor for the HIV infection. The multivariate analysis identified that the duration of homosexual behavior and commercial sexual behavior were independent risk factors which associated with the HIV infection, and the protected sex during the past 6 months was a protective factor for the HIV infection.

Conclusion

The prevalence of HIV among MSM in Harbin has been rapidly increasing in the past few years. Targeted, tailored, and comprehensive interventions are urgently needed to prevent the HIV infection from MSM.     

The ING4 Binding with p53 and Induced p53 Acetylation were Attenuated by Human Papillomavirus 16 E6

High risk subtype HPV16 early oncoprotein E6 contributes host cell immortalization and transformation through interacting with a number of cellular factors. ING4 is one member of the inhibitor of growth (ING) family of type II tumor suppressors and it has been shown to be involved in regulating p53 function. However, the effect and mechanism of HPV16 E6 on ING4 function remain elusive. In this study, we report HPV16 E6 combines with ING4 in vivo and in vitro. The ING4 induced p53 acetylation and its combining with p53 were attenuated by HPV16 E6 independent of p53 degradation. The enhancing function of ING4 on p53 mediated apoptosis was diminished when HPV16 E6 existed. These findings reveal that ING4 may be a common target of oncogenic viruses for driving host cell carcinogenesis.     

Amelioration of Cd-Induced Oxidative Stress,MT Gene Expression,and Immune Damage by Vitamin C in Grass Carp Kidney Cells

Biological Trace Element Research - Cadmium (Cd) is the most common heavy metal and is easily detected in aquatic environments on a global scale. Vitamin C was a widely used vitamin in aquaculture....     

Quantitative Trait Locus Mapping for Yield-Associated Agronomic Traits in a BC2F6 Population of Japonica Hybrid Rice Liaoyou 5218

Journal of Plant Growth Regulation - RAD-seq method is a recently developed, cost-effective, and high-throughput approach for detecting genetic variability based on single-nucleotide polymorphisms...     

TRIM59 predicts poor prognosis and promotes pancreatic cancer progression via the PI3K/AKT/mTOR-glycolysis signaling axis

Aberrant expression of the tripartite motif containing 59 (TRIM59) has been reported to participate in the development and progression of various human cancers. However, its expression pattern and cellular roles in pancreatic cancer (PC) remains unclear. In our study, we found that TRIM59 expression was significantly increased in PC tissues and was positively correlated with several malignant behaviors and poor overall survival of PC patients based on bioinformatics analysis and immunohistochemistry staining. Functionally, small interfering RNA–mediated TRIM59 depletion inhibited cell proliferation and migration in vitro, while TRIM59 overexpression promoted cell proliferation and migration in vitro and drove tumor growth and liver metastasis in vivo. Mechanically, TRIM59 was found to enhance glycolysis through activating the PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway, ultimately contributing to PC progression. Taken together, our results demonstrate that TRIM59 may be a potential predictor for PC and promotes PC progression via the PI3K/AKT/mTOR-glycolysis signaling pathway, which establishes the rationale for targeting the TRIM59-related pathways to treat PC.     

Intraspecific Diversity and Taxonomy of Emmonsia crescens

Mycopathologia - Emmonsia crescens is known as an environmental pathogen causing adiaspiromycosis in small rodents. As the generic name Emmonsia is no longer available for this species, its...