Lactobacillus plantarum USM8613 Aids in Wound Healing and Suppresses Staphylococcus aureus Infection at Wound Sites

Probiotics and Antimicrobial Proteins - This study aimed to elucidate the targets and mechanisms of anti-staphylococcal effects from bioactive metabolites produced by lactic acid bacteria. We aimed...     

Trends in the Use of Nephron-Sparing Surgery over 7 Years: An Analysis Using the R.E.N.A.L. Nephrometry Scoring System

Objective

To analyze trends in the use of partial nephrectomy, we evaluated which individual factors of renal nephrometry score (RNS) influenced the operative approach bi-annually from 2008 to 2014.

Materials and Methods

We performed a retrospective review of renal cell carcinoma treated by surgery in 2008, 2010, 2012, and 2014. The complexity of renal masses was measured using the R.E.N.A.L. nephrometry scoring system with CT or MRI. Group comparison in terms of operation year and surgical type (partial nephrectomy versus radical nephrectomy) was performed. We developed a nomogram to quantitate the likelihood of selecting partial nephrectomy over radical nephrectomy.

Results

A total of 1106 cases (237 in 2008, 225 in 2010, 292 in 2012, and 352 in 2014) were available for the study. Over the study period, the proportion of partial nephrectomies performed increased steadily from 21.5% in 2008 to 66.5% in 2014 (p < 0.05). Furthermore, use of partial nephrectomy increased steadily in all RNS complexity groups (low, moderate, and high) (p < 0.05). In the analysis of individual components of RNS, values of the R and N components increased statistically by year in the partial nephrectomy group (p < 0.05). Average AUC was 0.920.

Conclusions

The proportion of partial nephrectomies performed sharply increased over the study period. Additionally, over the study period, more partial nephrectomies were performed for renal masses of larger size and closer to the collecting system and main renal vessels. A nomogram developed based on this recent data set provides significant predictive value for surgical decision making.     

Proteomic analysis of testis biopsies in men treated with transient scrotal hyperthermia reveals the potential targets for contraceptive development

Mild testicular heating safely and reversibly suppresses spermatogenesis. In this study, we attempted to clarify the underlying molecular mechanism(s) involved in heat‐induced spermatogenesis suppression in human testis. We conducted global proteomic analyses of human testicular biopsies before, and at 2 and 9 wk after heat treatment. Thirty‐one and Twenty‐six known proteins were identified with significant differential expression at 2 and 9 wk after heat treatment, respectively. These were used to characterize the cellular and molecular events in the testes when seminiferous epithelia became damaged (2 wk) and recovered (9 wk). At 2 wk post‐treatment, the changed expression of a series of proteins could promote apoptosis or suppress proliferation and cell survival. At 9 wk post‐treatment, the changed expression of proteins mainly promoted cell proliferation, differentiation and survival, but resisted cell apoptosis. Among those heat‐regulated proteins, HNRNPH1 was selected for the further functional study. We found that HNRNPH1 was an anti‐apoptosis protein that could regulate the expression of other heat‐induced proteins. In conclusion, heat‐induced reversible suppression of spermatogenesis occurred by modulating the expression of proteins related to proliferation, differentiation, apoptosis and cell survival pathways. These differentially expressed proteins were found to be key molecular targets affecting spermatogenesis after heat treatment.     

SCFFbxw15 Mediates Histone Acetyltransferase Binding to Origin Recognition Complex (HBO1) Ubiquitin-Proteasomal Degradation to Regulate Cell Proliferation

Histone acetyltransferase binding to origin recognition complex (HBO1) plays a crucial role in DNA replication licensing and cell proliferation, yet its molecular regulation in cells is relatively unknown. Here an uncharacterized protein, Fbxw15, directly interacts with HBO1, a labile protein (t_½ = ∼3 h), to mediate its ubiquitination (Lys³³⁸) and degradation in the cytoplasm. Fbxw15-mediated HBO1 depletion required mitogen-activated protein kinase 1 (Mek1), which was sufficient to trigger HBO1 phosphorylation and degradation in cells. Mek1 ability to produce HBO1 degradation was blocked by Fbxw15 silencing. Lipopolysaccharide induced HBO1 degradation, an effect abrogated by Fbxw15 or Mek1 cellular depletion. Modulation of Fbxw15 levels was able to differentially regulate histone H3K14 acetylation and cellular proliferation by altering HBO1 levels. These studies authenticate Fbxw15 as a ubiquitin E3 ligase subunit that mediates endotoxin-induced HBO1 depletion in cells, thereby controlling cell replicative capacity.     

Rhizobium qilianshanense sp. nov., a novel species isolated from root nodule of Oxytropis ochrocephala Bunge in China

During a study of the diversity and phylogeny of rhizobia isolated from root nodules of Oxytropis ochrocephala grown in the northwest of China, four strains were classified in the genus Rhizobium on the basis of their 16S rRNA gene sequences. These strains have identical 16S rRNA gene sequences, which showed a mean similarity of 94.4 % with the most closely related species, Rhizobium oryzae. Analysis of recA and glnA sequences showed that these strains have less than 88.1 and 88.7 % similarity with the defined species of Rhizobium, respectively. The genetic diversity revealed by ERIC-PCR fingerprinting indicated that the isolates correspond to different strains. Strain CCNWQLS01^T contains Q-10 as the predominant ubiquinone. The major fatty acids were identified as feature 8 (C18: 1ω7c and/or C18: 1ω6c; 67.2 %). Therefore, a novel species Rhizobium qilianshanense sp. nov. is proposed, and CCNWQLS01^T (= ACCC 05747^T = JCM 18337^T) is designated as the type strain.     

Effects of culture conditions on osteogenic differentiation in human mesenchymal stem cells

Human bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (hBMMSCs) must differentiate into osteogenic cells to allow for successful bone regeneration. In this study, we investigated the effects of different combinations of three soluble osteogenic differentiation-inducing factors [L-ascorbic acid (AC), beta-glycerophosphate (betaG), and bone morphogenic protein-2 (BMP-2)] and the presence of a hydroxyapatite (HA) substrate on hBMMSC osteogenic differentiation in vitro. hBMMSCs were cultured in medium containing various combinations of the soluble factors on culture plates with or without HA coating. After 7 days of culture, alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity, calcium deposition, and osteoprotegerin (OPG) and osteopontin (OPN) expression were measured. The effects of individual and combined factors were evaluated using a factorial analysis method. BMP-2 predominantly affected expression of early markers of osteogenic differentiation (ALP and OPG). HA had the highest positive effect on OPN expression and calcium deposition. The interaction between AC, betaG, and HA had the second highest positive effect on ALP activity.     

Reproductive biology of female blue shark <Emphasis Type="Italic">Prionace glauca</Emphasis> in the southeastern Pacific Ocean

Polyandry is extremely common across a wide range of organisms. In promiscuous mating systems, females are often sexually harassed by males, but at the same time obtain benefits from multiple mating. It remains unclear whether polyandry is exclusively imposed by males or is also promoted by females. Here, we investigated this question by recording the time spent by female guppies near a single male or a group of males with similar size and colour patterns over three consecutive days. We accounted for the effect of shoaling by using a control treatment where a group of females was used instead of a group of males. Results showed that females spent significantly more time near the group of males, but not with the group of females. In the presence of a group of males, total female mating preference time did not change over the course of the study, but rather shifted from spending more time near the single male at the beginning of the experiment to spending more time near the group of males. The consequence of this female preference for associating with a group of males in a non-experimental setup would be to promote multiple mating. Our result indicates that polyandry in guppies is at least partially encouraged by females, and not entirely a consequence of male sexual behaviour.     

Synthesis of novel steroidal agonists,partial agonists,and antagonists for the glucocorticoid receptor

Adverse effects of glucocorticoids could be limited by developing new compounds that selectively modulate anti-inflammatory activity of the glucocorticoid receptor (GR). We have synthesized a novel series of steroidal GR ligands, including potent agonists, partial agonists and antagonists with a wide range of effects on inhibiting secretion of interleukin-6. Some of these new ligands were designed to directly impact conformational stability of helix-12, in the GR ligand-binding domain (LBD). These compounds modulated GR activity and glucocorticoid-induced gene expression in a manner that was inversely correlated to the degree of inflammatory response. In contrast, compounds designed to directly modulate LBD epitopes outside helix-12, led to dissociated levels of GR-mediated gene expression and inflammatory response. Therefore, these new series of compounds and their derivatives will be useful to dissect the ligand-dependent features of GR signaling specificity.