Embryonic development of the scorpionfly Panorpa emarginata Cheng with special reference to external morphology (Mecoptera: Panorpidae)

The Mecoptera are thought to be one of the most primitive groups in the Holometabola, but their embryology is rarely studied. By means of scanning electron microscopy, we studied the external features of the embryo of the scorpionfly Panorpa emarginata in middle and late development. The embryo remains in the superficial position until hatching. Embryonic development can be divided into 10 stages along with the first‐instar larva. The external features are described from the germ band to the first‐instar larva, with special reference to the components and segmentation of the head, the segmentation of abdomen and the formation of abdominal prolegs. Our results confirm that the head consists of an anterior‐most acron and six trunk segments: the labral, antennal, intercalary, mandibular, maxillary, and labial segments. The labrum is confirmed to derive from the paired appendages. Our observations also provide additional direct evidence that the abdominal prolegs are not serially homologous with the thoracic legs. The presence of the eleventh abdominal segment is clarified. J. Morphol. 2009. © 2009 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.     

Lipid-lowering effects of polydatin from Polygonum cuspidatum in hyperlipidemic hamsters

Hyperlipidaemias are common in obese people, and they increase the risk of cardiovascular diseases such as coronary heart disease (CHD) and atherosclerosis (AS). Previous studies have shown that several drugs can depress serum cholesterol. However, they could cause serious side effects in various clinical settings. The objective of the present study was to evaluate the lipid-lowering effects of polydatin in high-fat/cholesterol (HFC)-fed hamsters. The levels of lipids in hamsters were measured enzymatically before and after the administration of polydatin. Significant differences between HFC and HFC+polydatin were detected for those concentrations. Decreased levels of serum TC, TG and LDL-C and the concentrations of hepatic TG were found. Experimental results also showed that polydatin elevated LDL-C/HDL-C and TC/HDL-C ratios. In concert with other effects, serum cholesterol-lowering effect in hamsters may contribute to the regulation properties attributed to polydatin.     

Contact Toxicity and Repellency of the Essential Oil from Mentha haplocalyx Briq. against Lasioderma serricorne

The chemical composition of the essential oil obtained by hydrodistillation from the aerial parts of Mentha haplocalyx was investigated by GC‐FID and GC/MS analyses. In sum, 23 components, representing 92.88% of the total oil composition, were identified, and the main compounds were found to be menthol (59.71%), menthyl acetate (7.83%), limonene (6.98%), and menthone (4.44%). By bioassay‐guided fractionation (contact toxicity), three compounds were obtained from the essential oil and identified as menthol, menthyl acetate, and limonene. The essential oil and the three isolated compounds exhibited potent contact toxicity against Lasioderma serricorne adults, with LD₅₀ values of 16.5, 7.91, 5.96, and 13.7 μg/adult, respectively. Moreover, the oil and its isolated compounds also exhibited strong repellency against L. serricorne adults. At the lower concentrations tested and at 2 h after exposure, menthol showed even significantly stronger repellency than the positive control DEET. The study revealed that the bioactivity properties of the essential oil can be attributed to the synergistic effects of its diverse major and minor components, which indicates that the M. haplocalyx oil and its isolated compounds have potential for the development as natural insecticides and/or repellents to control insects in stored grains and traditional Chinese medicinal materials.     

Analysis of particle size reduction on overall surface area and enzymatic hydrolysis yield of corn stover

Particle size of lignocellulose materials is an important factor for enzymatic hydrolysis efficiency. In this study, corn stover was milled and sieved into different size fractions from 1.42, 0.69, 0.34, to 0.21 mm, and the corresponding enzymatic hydrolysis yields were 24.69, 23.96, 25.34, and 26.97 %, respectively. The results indicate that the hydrolysis yield is approximately constant with changing corn stover particle sizes in the experimental range. The overall surface area and the inner pore size measurement show that the overall specific surface area was less than 2 % with the half reduction of particle size due to the greater inner pore surface area. The scanning electron microscope photographs gave direct evidence of the much greater inner pore surface area of corn stover particles. This result provided a reference when a proper size reduction of lignocellulose materials is considered in biorefining operations.     

Corrigendum to ‘Nanopore-based Fourth-generation DNA Sequencing Technology' [GPB 144(2015)–GPB 13/1(4–16)]

<正>The authors regret that there were typos in the online version of Figure 4 published in Issue 1,2015.In the figure legend boxes of panels F and G,‘‘Ni’’should be corrected to‘‘N’’for the labeling of the green curves.The figure in the printed version has been corrected.The correct Figure 4 is shown below.The authors would like to apologize for any inconvenience caused.     

ABORTED GAMETOPHYTE 1 is required for gametogenesis in Arabidopsis

In flowering plants, the male and female gametogenesis is a crucial step of sexual reproduction. Although many genes have been identi fied as being involved in the gametogenesis process, the genetic mechanisms underlying gametogenesis remains poorly understood. We reported here characterization of the gene, ABORTED GAMETOPHYTE 1(AOG1) that is newly identi fied as essential for gametogenesis in Arabidopsis thaliana. AOG1 is expressed predominantly in reproductive tissues including the developing pollen grains and ovules. The AOG1 protein shares no signi ficant amino acid sequence similarity with other documented proteins and is located mainly in nuclei of the cells. Mutation in AOG1 caused degeneration of pollen at the uninucleate microspore stage and severe defect in embryo sacs, leading to a signi ficant reduction in male and female fertility.Furthermore, the molecular analyses showed that the aog1 mutant signi ficantly affected the expression of several genes, which are required for gametogenesis. Our results suggest that AOG1 plays important roles in gameto genesis at the stage prior to pollen mitosis I(PMI)in Arabidopsis, possibly through collaboration with other genes.     

A Novel Phthalimide Derivative,TC11, Has Preclinical Effects on High-Risk Myeloma Cells and Osteoclasts

Despite the recent advances in the treatment of multiple myeloma (MM), MM patients with high-risk cytogenetic changes such as t(4;14) translocation or deletion of chromosome 17 still have extremely poor prognoses. With the goal of helping these high-risk MM patients, we previously developed a novel phthalimide derivative, TC11. Here we report the further characterization of TC11 including anti-myeloma effects in vitro and in vivo, a pharmacokinetic study in mice, and anti-osteoclastogenic activity. Intraperitoneal injections of TC11 significantly delayed the growth of subcutaneous tumors in human myeloma-bearing SCID mice. Immunohistochemical analyses showed that TC11 induced apoptosis of MM cells in vivo. In the pharmacokinetic analyses, the C_max was 2.1 μM at 1 h after the injection of TC11, with 1.2 h as the half-life. TC11 significantly inhibited the differentiation and function of tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase (TRAP)-positive multinucleated osteoclasts in mouse osteoclast cultures using M-CSF and RANKL. We also revealed that TC11 induced the apoptosis of myeloma cells accompanied by α-tubulin fragmentation. In addition, TC11 and lenalidomide, another phthalimide derivative, directly bound to nucleophosmin 1 (NPM1), whose role in MM is unknown. Thus, through multiple molecular interactions, TC11 is a potentially effective drug for high-risk MM patients with bone lesions. The present results suggest the possibility of the further development of novel thalidomide derivatives by drug designing.     

AUDIT,AUDIT-C,and AUDIT-3: Drinking Patterns and Screening for Harmful,Hazardous and Dependent Drinking in Katutura,Namibia

Objectives

To describe alcohol drinking patterns among participants in Katutura, Namibia, and to evaluate brief versions of the AUDIT against the full AUDIT to determine their effectiveness in detecting harmful drinking.

Methods

A cross-sectional survey was conducted in four constituencies and 639 participants, 18 years or older, completed a sociodemographic survey and the AUDIT. The effectiveness of the AUDIT-C (first three questions) and the AUDIT-3 (third question) was compared to the full AUDIT.

Results

Approximately 40% were identified as harmful, hazardous or likely dependent drinkers, with men having a higher likelihood than women (57.2% vs. 31.0%, p<.0001). Approximately 32% reported making and/or selling alcohol from home. The AUDIT-C performed best at a cutoff ≥ 3, better in men (sensitivity: 99.3%, specificity: 77.8%) than women (sensitivity: 91.7%, specificity: 77.4%). The AUDIT-3 performed poorly (maximum sensitivity: < 90%, maximum specificity: <51%). According to AUROC, the AUDIT-C performed better than the AUDIT-3.

Conclusions

A large proportion of participants met criteria for alcohol misuse, indicating a need for screening and referral for further evaluation and intervention. The AUDIT-C was almost as effective as the full AUDIT and may be easier to implement in clinical settings as a routine screening tool in resource-limited settings because of its brevity.     

aPKC Phosphorylation of HDAC6 Results in Increased Deacetylation Activity

The Class II histone deacetylase, HDAC6, has been shown to be involved in cell motility, aggresome formation and mitochondria transport. HDAC6 deacetylase activity regulates α-tubulin acetylation levels and thus plays a critical role in these processes. In turn, HDAC6 activity can be regulated by interaction with various proteins including multiple kinases. Kinase mediated phosphorylation of HDAC6 can lead to either increased or reduced activity. Our previous research has shown that sequestosome1/p62 (SQSTM1/p62) interacts with HDAC6 and regulates its activity. As SQSTM1/p62 is a scaffolding protein known to interact directly with the zeta isoform of Protein Kinase C (PKCζ), we sought to examine if HDAC6 could be a substrate for PKCζ phosphorylation and if so, how its activity might be regulated. Our data demonstrate that HDAC6 is not only present in a protein complex with PKCζ but can also be phosphorylated by PKCζ. We also show that specific phosphorylation of HDAC6 by PKCζ increases HDAC6 deacetylase activity resulting in reduced acetylated tubulin levels. Our findings provide novel insight into the molecular mechanism by which HDAC6, PKCζ and SQSTM1/p62 function together in protein aggregate clearance. These results also highlight a new research direction which may prove fruitful for understanding the underlying cause of several neurodegenerative diseases.     

Rapid On-Site Sensing Aflatoxin B1 in Food and Feed via a Chromatographic Time-Resolved Fluoroimmunoassay

Aflatoxin B₁ poses grave threats to food and feed safety due to its strong carcinogenesis and toxicity, thus requiring ultrasensitive rapid on-site determination. Herein, a portable immunosensor based on chromatographic time-resolved fluoroimmunoassay was developed for sensitive and on-site determination of aflatoxin B₁ in food and feed samples. Chromatographic time-resolved fluoroimmunoassay offered a magnified positive signal and low signal-to-noise ratio in time-resolved mode due to the absence of noise interference caused by excitation light sources. Compared with the immunosensing performance in previous studies, this platform demonstrated a wider dynamic range of 0.2-60 μg/kg, lower limit of detection from 0.06 to 0.12 µg/kg, and considerable recovery from 80.5% to 116.7% for different food and feed sample matrices. It was found to be little cross-reactivity with other aflatoxins (B₂, G₁, G₂, and M₁). In the case of determination of aflatoxin B₁ in peanuts, corn, soy sauce, vegetable oil, and mouse feed, excellent agreement was found when compared with aflatoxin B₁ determination via the conversational high-performance liquid chromatography method. The chromatographic time-resolved fluoroimmunoassay affords a powerful alternative for rapid on-site determination of aflatoxin B₁ and holds a promise for food safety in consideration of practical food safety and environmental monitoring.