Analysis of Mid-Infrared Surface Plasmon Modes in a Graphene-Based Cylindrical Hybrid Waveguide

A graphene-based cylindrical hybrid surface plasmon polariton waveguide, composed of a silicon nanowire core surrounded by a silica layer and then a graphene layer, is investigated using the finite-difference time-domain method. The analytical solutions and the numerical simulation show that an ultra-small mode area and a large propagation length can be achieved with this waveguide. Utilizing the perturbation theory of coupled mode, we demonstrate that the six lowest-order coupling modes originate from the coupling of the three lowest-order single-waveguide modes, and the m?=?1 order yy-coupling mode possesses the maximum coupling length and the minimum crosstalk. This waveguide can be used for photonic integrated circuits in the mid-infrared range.     

Hydrophobic chromatography of the HL-60 cellular fraction co-binding with hexamethylene bisacetamide

Methods of separating N-acetyl-1,6-diaminohexane (NADAH) and its immobilization to diol-silica have been developed. Hexamethylene bisacetamide (HMBA) and its metabolite NADAH are used as inducers of leukemia cell differentiation. The inducing mechanism of HMBA is still not clear. Experiments show that HMBA and NADAH undergo relatively strong hydrophobic reactions and do not readily undergo ion-exchange with the proteins of the cytosolic fraction of HL-60 cells during immobilization of NADAH; the retention time of the proteins was longer than that of the phosphatides. These results show that the adsorption of HMBA and NADAH to proteins was higher than that to phosphatides. The expected biospecific receptor binding with HMBA has not been found.     

Plasma metabonomics as a novel diagnostic approach for major depressive disorder

Major depressive disorder (MDD) is a socially detrimental psychiatric disorder, contributing to increased healthcare expenditures and suicide rates. However, no empirical laboratory-based tests are available to support the diagnosis of MDD. In this study, a NMR-based plasma metabonomic method for the diagnosis of MDD was tested. Proton nuclear magnetic resonance ((1)H NMR) spectra of plasma sampled from first-episode drug-na??ve depressed patients (n = 58) and healthy controls (n = 42) were recorded and analyzed by orthogonal partial least-squares discriminant analysis (OPLS-DA). The OPLS-DA score plots of the spectra demonstrated that the depressed patient group was significantly distinguishable from the healthy control group. Moreover, the method accurately diagnosed blinded samples (n = 26) in an independent replication cohort with a sensitivity and specificity of 92.8% and 83.3%, respectively. Taken together, NMR-based plasma metabonomics may offer an accurate empirical laboratory-based method applicable to the diagnosis of MDD.     

A meta-analysis of tumor necrosis factor-alpha, interleukin-6, and interleukin-10 in preeclampsia

Inflammation may play a major role in the pathogenesis of preeclampsia (PE). In this meta-analysis, we determined whether maternal polymorphisms and serum concentrations of tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), interleukin-6 (IL-6), and interleukin-10 (IL-10) were associated with PE. All studies investigating the associations between PE and maternal polymorphisms of TNF-α-308G/A, IL-6-174G/C, and IL-10-1082A/G or serum concentrations of TNF-α, IL-6, and IL-10 were reviewed. We found that neither maternal TNF-α-308G/A (p=0.86, odds ratio [OR]=0.98, 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.76-1.25), IL-6 174G/C (p=0.14, OR=1.23, 95% CI, 0.93-1.61), nor IL-10-1082A/G (p=0.72, OR=1.07, 95% CI, 0.75-1.52) were associated with PE. On the other hand, maternal TNF-α (p<0.00001, weighted mean difference [WMD]=19.63 pg/ml, 95% CI, 18.54-20.72 pg/ml), IL-6 (p<0.00001, WMD=6.58 pg/ml, 95% CI, 5.49-7.67 pg/ml), and IL-10 (p=0.0005, WMD=19.30 pg/ml, 95% CI, 8.42-30.17 pg/ml) concentrations were significantly higher in PE patients versus controls. Our findings strengthen the clinical evidence that PE is accompanied by exaggerated inflammatory responses, but do not support TNF-α-308G/A, IL-6-174G/C, and IL-10-1082A/G as candidate susceptibility loci in PE.     

Pax3/7BP is a Pax7- and Pax3-binding protein that regulates the proliferation of muscle precursor cells by an epigenetic mechanism

In mouse skeletal muscles, Pax7 uniquely marks muscle satellite cells and plays some important yet unknown functions at the perinatal stage. To elucidate its in vivo functions, we initiated a yeast two-hybrid screening to look for Pax7-interacting proteins and identified a previously uncharacterized Pax7- and Pax3-binding protein (Pax3/7BP). Pax3/7BP is a ubiquitously expressed nuclear protein, enriched in Pax7+ muscle precursor cells (MPCs), and serves as an indispensable adaptor for Pax7 to recruit the histone 3 lysine 4 (H3K4) methyltransferase (HMT) complex by bridging Pax7 and Wdr5. Knockdown of Pax3/7BP abolished the Pax3/7-associated H3K4 HMT activity and inhibited the proliferation of Pax7+ MPCs from young mice both in culture and in vivo. Id3 and Cdc20 were direct target genes of Pax7 and Pax3/7BP involved in the proliferation of Pax7+ MPCs. Collectively, our work establishes Pax3/7BP as an essential adaptor linking Pax3/7 with the H3K4 HMT to regulate the proliferation of MPCs.     

Uncovering principles that control septin-septin interactions

Septins comprise a conserved family of GTPases important in cytokinesis. These proteins polymerize into filaments from rod-shaped heteromeric septin complexes. Septins interact with one another at two interfaces (NC and G) that alternate within the complex. Here, we show that small mutations at the N terminus greatly enhance the formation of SEPT2 homopolymers. Taking advantage of this mutation to examine polymer formation using SEPT2 alone, we show that both NC and G interfaces are required for filament formation. However, co-expression of wild type SEPT2 with SEPT2 containing mutations at either NC or G interfaces revealed that only the NC mutant suppressed filament formation. NC mutants are able to interact with one another at putative G interfaces, whereas G mutants fail to interact at NC interfaces. In addition, all promiscuous septin pairwise interactions occur at the G interface. These findings suggest that G interface interactions must occur before NC interactions during polymer formation.     

Quinoline-carboxylic acids are potent inhibitors that inhibit the binding of insulin-like growth factor (IGF) to IGF-binding proteins

4-benzylquinolines 5, based on a series of isoquinolines 1, were prepared and tested as inhibitors of the IGF/IGFBP-3 complex based on their ability to displace IGF-I from its binding to IGF-binding protein-3. SAR studies on the 6,7-dihydroxy moiety of the quinoline 5a showed that the catecol moiety could be replaced with other functional groups. Computational modeling of the 5a/mini-IGFBP-5 complex revealed the possible binding site of 5a on IGFBP-5.     

Antimicrobial treatment of grapes using sodium hypochlorite in winemaking and its effects on the chemical and sensory characteristics of wines

This study was performed to examine the use of NaOCl as an alternative antimicrobial compound in winemaking because of the potential health problems that may arise as a result of the use of SO2. For this, the blank (non-treated), control (SO2-added), and sample (NaOCl-treated) wines were made, and microbial and chemical changes including sensory characteristics were analyzed during the fermentation periods. Treatment of grapes with NaOCl decreased the initial contaminating microbial population in grape must, resulting in higher growth of yeast and lactic acid bacteria. After 200 days of fermentation, the chemical analysis of sample wine revealed that it had higher ethanol content, redness (a*), and concentrations of fruity ester compounds and lower total acidity than the control. In the sensory analyses, the sample wine obtained a higher overall acceptability score (5.70) than the control (4.26). This result reveals that NaOCl can be used as an alternative to SO2 in winemaking for inhibiting the growth of contaminating microorganisms.     

Protective Role of miR-34c in Hypoxia by Activating Autophagy through BCL2 Repression

Hypoxia leads to significant cellular stress that has diverse pathological consequences such as cardiovascular diseases and cancers. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are one of regulators of the adaptive pathway in hypoxia. We identified a hypoxia-induced miRNA, miR-34c, that was significantly upregulated in hypoxic human umbilical cord vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) and in murine blood vessels on day 3 of hindlimb ischemia (HLI). miR-34c directly inhibited BCL2 expression, acting as a toggle switch between apoptosis and autophagy in vitro and in vivo. BCL2 repression by miR-34c activated autophagy, which was evaluated by the expression of LC3-II. Overexpression of miR-34c inhibited apoptosis in HUVEC as well as in a murine model of HLI, and increased cell viability in HUVEC. Importantly, the number of viable cells in the blood vessels following HLI was increased by miR-34c overexpression. Collectively, our findings show that miR-34c plays a protective role in hypoxia, suggesting a novel therapeutic target for hypoxic and ischemic diseases in the blood vessels.     

The ?842G/C Polymorphisms of PIN1 Contributes to Cancer Risk: A Meta-Analysis of 10 Case-Control Studies

Background

Peptidyl-prolyl cis–trans isomerase NIMA-interacting 1 (PIN1) plays an important role in cancer development. The relationship between PIN1 −842G/C (rs2233678) polymorphism and cancer risk was inconclusive according to published literature.

Methodology/Principal Findings

A literature search, up to February 2013, was carried out using PubMed, EMBASE and the China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI) database. A total of 10 case-control studies including 4619 cases and 4661 controls contributed to the quantitative analysis. Odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CI) were used to assess the strength of association. Overall, individuals with the variant CG (OR = 0.728, 95% CI: 0.585,0.906; P_{heterogeneity}<0.01) and CG/CC (OR = 0.731, 95% CI: 0.602,0.888; P_{heterogeneity}<0.01) genotypes were associated with a significantly reduced cancer risk compared with those with wild GG genotype. Sub-group analysis revealed that the variant CG (OR = 0.635, 95% CI: 0.548,0.735; P_{heterogeneity} = 0.240) and CG/CC (OR = 0.645, 95% CI: 0.559,0.744, Pheterogeneity = 0.258) genotypes still showed an reduced risk of cancer in Asians; while no significant association was observed in Caucasians (CG vs.GG: OR = 0.926, 95% CI: 0.572,1.499, P_{heterogeneity}<0.01; CG/CC vs. GG: OR = 0.892, 95% CI: 0.589,1.353; P_{heterogeneity}<0.01). Furthermore, sensitivity analysis confirmed the stability of results. Begg''s funnel plot and Egger''s test did not reveal any publication bias.

Conclusions

This meta-analysis suggests that the PIN1 −842G/C polymorphism is associated with a significantly reduced risk of cancer, especially in Asian populations.