Lectin bindings and diethylstilbestrol effects on the recognition of mullerian inhibiting substance (MIS) on chick mullerian ducts by MIS-antiserum

Summary A high intensity of lectin bindings was demonstrated on the epithelial cells and serosa cells of the regressing right Mullerian ducts (Mds) in the female chick embryos. The strong lectin bindings occurs on, or in the regressing Md cells along with marked surface MIS bindings at the age of day 13. However, at the age of days 5–7 1/2, bindings of lectins were weak. Neither Wheat-germ agglutinin (WGA) or Concanavalin A (Con-A) labelings before MIS-antiserum (MIS-Ab) incubation can block antibody recognitions to the antigens, including MIS and growth hormone at the age of day 13. Our previous studies indicated that after WGA labeling on the surfaces of Md epithelial cells prior to the incubation of MIS-Ab at day 10 did not prevent the recognition of MIS-Ab (Wang 1989). On the contrary, at day 7 1/2, the specific binding of MIS was eliminated after preincubations with lectins and prenatal diethylstilbestrol (DES) treatment at the age of day 5. It is suggested that DES provides a protection to the Mds from MIS-induced regression by preventing the MIS binding to its specific membrane receptors. An increase of extra- and intracellular glycoproteins or carbohydrates of regressing Md epithelial cells were suggested. Internalization of WGA but not MIS molecules was found in Md epithelial cells. The Golgi saccules were negative of lectin bindings.     

Assessment of Microwave Cooking on the Bioaccessibility of Cadmium from Various Food Matrices Using an In Vitro Digestion Model

Bioaccessibility represents the maximum amount of pollutant ingested with food that is available for intestinal absorption. The measurement of bioaccessibility can achieve a more accurate risk assessment. Thus, in this study, the bioaccessibility of raw/microwave-cooked store-bought food including carrot, potato, white radish, lotus root, sweet corn, long grain rice, soybean, fleshy prawn, eastern oyster, kelp, and common carp were investigated by applying an in vitro digestion method. A validated microwave digestion/ICP-MS method was applied for determining the concentration of Cd. In this study, the concentration of Cd ranged 3.7–215.8 μg/kg fw in which carrot contained the lowest Cd while the fleshy prawn contained the highest Cd. There are no statistical differences of Cd content in microwave-cooked food and raw food except potato, lotus root, and eastern oyster. Cd in most of the cooked food materials was less bioaccessible than in raw food except sweet corn, potato, and kelp. The bioaccessibility of Cd was around 100 % in either raw or cooked potatoes. Microwave cooking caused the decreasing of bioaccessibility around 0–68 %, depending on different food matrix. Maximal decreasing of Cd bioaccessibility occurred in common carp. Thus, microwave cooking could be a feasible strategy for decreasing Cd bioaccessibility. In addition, the Cd dissolution in oral, gastric, and small intestine phase was different in different food matrix. For most of the investigated food items, Cd was largely migrated either into the oral phase (carrot, potato, white radish, lotus root, raw soybean, kelp, and common carp) or into the gastric phase (sweet corn, cooked soybean, rice, fleshy prawn, and eastern oyster). Our findings will have significant implications for food processing aiming to decrease the absorption of Cd and risk assessment analysis improvements. Further study is needed to use the animal model to validate these results.     

三江源地区不同退化程度草地的土壤放线菌区系

用不同分离方法,对三江源地区不同退化程度草地土壤放线菌的数量和多样性进行了比较.从5份土样中共分离放线茵178株,根据表型特征和16S rRNA基因序列分析,分别归入7个已知属:小单孢菌属(Micromonospora)、原小单孢菌属(Promicromonospora)、诺卡氏菌属(Nocardia)、假诺卡氏菌属(Pseudonocardia)、游动放线菌属(Actinoplanes)、韩国生工茵属(Kribbella)和链霉菌属(Streptomyces).其中链霉菌属分离菌株可归入7个表型类群.发现轻度退化高寒草原的土壤放线菌数量,丰度和多样性高于重度退化高寒草原;针茅高寒草原的土壤放线菌数量和多样性高于蒿草高寒草甸,而其中链霉菌的种类低于后者.表明高寒草地的退化程度与其中土壤放线茵的数量和多样性呈负相关.     

Rapid Detection of Mycobacterium tuberculosis by Recombinase Polymerase Amplification

Improved access to effective tests for diagnosing tuberculosis (TB) has been designated a public health priority by the World Health Organisation. In high burden TB countries nucleic acid based TB tests have been restricted to centralised laboratories and specialised research settings. Requirements such as a constant electrical supply, air conditioning and skilled, computer literate operators prevent implementation of such tests in many settings. Isothermal DNA amplification technologies permit the use of simpler, less energy intensive detection platforms more suited to low resource settings that allow the accurate diagnosis of a disease within a short timeframe. Recombinase Polymerase Amplification (RPA) is a rapid, low temperature isothermal DNA amplification reaction. We report here RPA-based detection of Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex (MTC) DNA in <20 minutes at 39°C. Assays for two MTC specific targets were investigated, IS6110 and IS1081. When testing purified MTC genomic DNA, limits of detection of 6.25 fg (IS6110) and 20 fg (IS1081)were consistently achieved. When testing a convenience sample of pulmonary specimens from suspected TB patients, RPA demonstrated superior accuracy to indirect fluorescence microscopy. Compared to culture, sensitivities for the IS1081 RPA and microscopy were 91.4% (95%CI: 85, 97.9) and 86.1% (95%CI: 78.1, 94.1) respectively (n = 71). Specificities were 100% and 88.6% (95% CI: 80.8, 96.1) respectively. For the IS6110 RPA and microscopy sensitivities of 87.5% (95%CI: 81.7, 93.2) and 70.8% (95%CI: 62.9, 78.7) were obtained (n = 90). Specificities were 95.4 (95% CI: 92.3,98.1) and 88% (95% CI: 83.6, 92.4) respectively. The superior specificity of RPA for detecting tuberculosis was due to the reduced ability of fluorescence microscopy to distinguish Mtb complex from other acid fast bacteria. The rapid nature of the RPA assay and its low energy requirement compared to other amplification technologies suggest RPA-based TB assays could be of use for integration into a point-of-care test for use in resource constrained settings.     

Comparative Genomics of Community-Acquired ST59 Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus in Taiwan: Novel Mobile Resistance Structures with IS1216V

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) with ST59/SCCmecV and Panton-Valentine leukocidin gene is a major community-acquired MRSA (CA-MRSA) lineage in Taiwan and has been multidrug-resistant since its initial isolation. In this study, we studied the acquisition mechanism of multidrug resistance in an ST59 CA-MRSA strain (PM1) by comparative genomics. PM1’s non-β-lactam resistance was encoded by two unique genetic traits. One was a 21,832-bp composite mobile element structure (MES_PM1), which was flanked by direct repeats of enterococcal IS1216V and was inserted into the chromosomal sasK gene; the target sequence (att) was 8 bp long and was duplicated at both ends of MES_PM1. MES_PM1 consisted of two regions: the 5′-end side 12.4-kb region carrying Tn551 (with ermB) and Tn5405-like (with aph[3′]-IIIa and aadE), similar to an Enterococcus faecalis plasmid, and the 3′-end side 6,587-bp region (MES_cat) that carries cat and is flanked by inverted repeats of IS1216V. MES_cat possessed att duplication at both ends and additional two copies of IS1216V inside. MES_PM1 represents the first enterococcal IS1216V-mediated composite transposon emerged in MRSA. IS1216V-mediated deletion likely occurred in IS1216V-rich MES_PM1, resulting in distinct resistance patterns in PM1-derivative strains. Another structure was a 6,025-bp tet-carrying element (MES_tet) on a 25,961-bp novel mosaic penicillinase plasmid (pPM1); MES_tet was flanked by direct repeats of IS431, but with no target sequence repeats. Moreover, the PM1 genome was deficient in a copy of the restriction and modification genes (hsdM and hsdS), which might have contributed to the acquisition of enterococcal multidrug resistance.     

Cytosolic phospholipase A2α sustains pAKT,pERK and AR levels in PTEN-null/mutated prostate cancer cells

Constitutive phosphorylation of protein kinase B (AKT) is a common feature of cancer caused by genetic alteration in the phosphatase and tensin homolog (PTEN) gene and is associated with poor prognosis. This study determined the role of cytosolic phospholipase A₂α (cPLA₂α) in AKT, extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) and androgen receptor (AR) signaling in PTEN-null/mutated prostate cancer cells. Doxycycline (Dox)-induced expression of cPLA₂α led to an increase in pAKT, pGSK3β and cyclin D1 levels in LNCaP cells that possess a PTEN frame-shift mutation. In contrast, silencing cPLA₂α expression with siRNA decreased pAKT, pGSK3β and cyclin D1 levels in both PC-3 (PTEN deletion) and LNCaP cells. Silencing of cPLA₂α decreased pERK and AR protein levels. The inhibitory effect of cPLA₂α siRNA on pAKT and AR protein levels was reduced by the addition of arachidonic acid (AA), whereas the stimulatory effect of AA on pAKT, pERK and AR levels was decreased by an inhibitor of 5-hydroxyeicosatetraenoic acid production. Pharmacological blockade of cPLA₂α with Efipladib reduced pAKT and AR levels with a concomitant inhibition of PC-3 and LNCaP cell proliferation. These results demonstrate an important role for cPLA₂α in sustaining AKT, ERK and AR signaling in PTEN-null/mutated prostate cancer cells and provide a potential molecular target for treating prostate cancer.     

Full-thickness cartilage defects are repaired via a microfracture technique and intraarticular injection of the small-molecule compound kartogenin

IntroductionMicrofracture does not properly repair full-thickness cartilage defects. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of intraarticular injection of the small-molecule compound kartogenin (KGN) on the restoration of a full-thickness cartilage defect treated with microfracture in a rabbit model.MethodsFull-thickness cartilage defects (3.5 mm in diameter and 3 mm in depth) were created in the patellar groove of the right femurs of 24 female New Zealand White rabbits. The rabbits were divided into two groups (12 in each group) based on postsurgery treatment differences, as follows: microfracture plus weekly intraarticular injection of KGN (group 1) and microfracture plus dimethyl sulfoxide (group 2). Six rabbits from each group were illed at 4 and 12 weeks after surgery, and their knees were harvested. The outcome was assessed both macroscopically, by using the International Cartilage Repair Society (ICRS) macroscopic evaluation system, and histologically, by using the modified O’Driscoll histologic scoring system. Immunohistochemistry for type II and I collagen was also conducted.ResultsAt 4 weeks, group 1 showed better defect filling and a greater number of chondrocyte-like cells compared with group 2. At 12 weeks, group 1 showed statistically significantly higher ICRS scores and modified O’Driscoll scores compared with group 2. More hyaline cartilage-like tissue was found in the defects of group 1 at 12 weeks.ConclusionsIntraarticular injection of KGN enhances the quality of full-thickness cartilage defects repair after microfracture, with better defect filling and increased hyaline-like cartilage formation.     

Highly Efficient Flexible Hybrid Nanocrystal‐Cu(In,Ga)Se2 (CIGS) Solar Cells

A novel scheme for hybridizing inkjet‐printed thin film Cu(In,Ga)Se₂ (CIGS) solar cells with self‐assembled clusters of nanocrystal quantum dots (NQDs), which provides a 10.9% relative enhancement of the photon conversion efficiency (PCE), is demonstrated. A non‐uniform layer of NQD aggregates is deposited between the transparent conductive oxide and a CdS/CIGS p‐n junction using low cost pulsed‐spray deposition. Hybridization significantly improves the external quantum efficiency of the hybrid devices in the absorption range of the NQDs and in the red to near‐IR parts of the spectrum. The low wavelength response enhancement is found to be induced by luminescent down‐shifting (LDS) from the NQD layer, while the increase at longer wavelengths is attributed to internal scattering from NQD aggregates. LDS is demonstrated using time‐resolved spectroscopy, and the morphology of the NQD layer is investigated in fluorescence microscopy and cross‐sectional transmission electron microscopy. The influence of the NQD dose on the PCE of the hybrid devices is investigated and an optimum value is obtained. The low costs and limited material consumptions associated with pulsed‐spray deposition make these flexible hybrid devices promising candidates to help push thin‐film photovoltaic technology towards grid parity.     

B3GNT3 Expression Is a Novel Marker Correlated with Pelvic Lymph Node Metastasis and Poor Clinical Outcome in Early-Stage Cervical Cancer

Background

The β1,3-N-acetylglucosaminyltransferase-3 gene (B3GNT3) encodes a member of the B3GNT family that functions as the backbone structure of dimeric sialyl-Lewis A and is involved in L-selectin ligand biosynthesis, lymphocyte homing and lymphocyte trafficking. B3GNT3 has been implicated as an important element in the development of certain cancers. However, the characteristics of B3GNT3 in the development and progression of cancer remain largely unknown. Thus, our study aimed to investigate the expression pattern and the prognostic value of B3GNT3 in patients with early-stage cervical cancer.

Methods

The mRNA and protein levels of B3GNT3 expression were examined in eight cervical cancer cell lines and ten paired cervical cancer tumors, using real-time PCR and western blotting, respectively. Immunohistochemistry (IHC) was used to analyze B3GNT3 protein expression in paraffin-embedded tissues from 196 early-stage cervical cancer patients. Statistical analyses were applied to evaluate the association between B3GNT3 expression scores and clinical parameters, as well as patient survival.

Results

B3GNT3 expression was significantly upregulated in cervical cancer cell lines and lesions compared with normal cells and adjacent noncancerous cervical tissues. In the 196 cases of tested early-stage cervical cancer samples, the B3GNT3 protein level was positively correlated with high risk TYPES of human papillomavirus (HPV) infection (P = 0.026), FIGO stage (P < 0.001), tumor size (P = 0.025), tumor recurrence (P = 0.004), vital status (P < 0.001), concurrent chemotherapy and radiotherapy (P = 0.016), lymphovascular space involvement (P = 0.003) and most importantly, lymph node metastasis (P = 0.003). Patients with high B3GNT3 expression had a shorter overall survival (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS) compared with those with low expression of this protein. Multivariate analysis suggested that B3GNT3 expression is an independent prognostic indicator for cervical cancer patients.

Conclusions

Our study demonstrated that elevated B3GNT3 expression is associated with pelvic lymph node metastasis and poor outcome in early-stage cervical cancer patients. B3GNT3 may be a novel prognostic marker and therapeutic target for the treatment of cervical cancer.