Maternal nutrient restriction reduces concentrations of amino acids and polyamines in ovine maternal and fetal plasma and fetal fluids

Amino acids and polyamines are essential for placental and fetal growth, but little is known about their availability in the conceptus in response to maternal undernutrition. We hypothesized that maternal nutrient restriction reduces concentrations of amino acids and polyamines in the ovine conceptus. This hypothesis was tested in nutrient-restricted ewes between Days 28 and 78 (experiment 1) and between Days 28 and 135 (experiment 2) of gestation. In both experiments, ewes were assigned randomly on Day 28 of gestation to a control group fed 100% of National Research Council (NRC) nutrient requirements and to an nutrient-restricted group fed 50% of NRC requirements. Every 7 days beginning on Day 28 of gestation, ewes were weighed and rations adjusted for changes in body weight. On Day 78 of gestation, blood samples were obtained from the uterine artery and umbilical vein for analysis. In experiment 2, nutrient-restricted ewes on Day 78 of gestation either continued to be fed 50% of NRC requirements or were realimented to 100% of NRC requirements until Day 135. Fetal weight was reduced in nutrient-restricted ewes at both Day 78 (32%) and Day 135 (15%) compared with controls. Nutritional restriction markedly reduced (P < 0.05) concentrations of total alpha-amino acids (particularly serine, arginine-family amino acids, and branched-chain amino acids) and polyamines in maternal and fetal plasma and in fetal allantoic and amniotic fluids at both mid and late gestation. Realimentation of nutrient-restricted ewes increased (P < 0.05) concentrations of total alpha-amino acids and polyamines in all the measured compartments and prevented intrauterine growth retardation. These novel findings demonstrate that 50% global nutrient restriction decreases concentrations of amino acids and polyamines in the ovine conceptus that could adversely impact key fetal functions. The results have important implications for understanding the mechanisms responsible for both intrauterine growth retardation and developmental origins of adult disease.     

Automated genome-wide visual profiling of cellular proteins involved in HIV infection

Recent genome-wide RNAi screens have identified >842 human genes that affect the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) cycle. The list of genes implicated in infection differs between screens, and there is minimal overlap. A reason for this variance is the interdependence of HIV infection and host cell function, producing a multitude of indirect or pleiotropic cellular effects affecting the viral infection during RNAi screening. To overcome this, the authors devised a 15-dimensional phenotypic profile to define the viral infection block induced by CD4 silencing in HeLa cells. They demonstrate that this phenotypic profile excludes nonspecific, RNAi-based side effects and viral replication defects mediated by silencing of housekeeping genes. To achieve statistical robustness, the authors used automatically annotated RNAi arrays for seven independent genome-wide RNAi screens. This identified 56 host genes, which reliably reproduced CD4-like phenotypes upon HIV infection. The factors include 11 known HIV interactors and 45 factors previously not associated with HIV infection. As proof of concept, the authors confirmed that silencing of PAK1, Ku70, and RNAseH2A impaired HIV replication in Jurkat cells. In summary, multidimensional, visual profiling can identify genes required for HIV infection.     

Isolation, molecular characterization and growth-promoting activities of endophytic sugarcane diazotroph Klebsiella sp. GR9

A group of endophytic diazotrophs were isolated from surface-sterilized roots and stems of different sugarcane varieties in the Tamilnadu region of India. From these, four isolates were selected, based on the highest acetylene reduction activity. Gene-specific PCR amplification confirmed the presence of nif-D genes in those isolates. The 16S rRNA sequence of isolates GR4 and GR7 had a 99.5% sequence similarity to the Pseudomonas sp. pDL01 (AF125317) and 16S rDNA sequence of isolate GR3 had a 100% similarity to that of Burkholderia vietnamiensis (AY973820). The 16S rDNA sequence of isolate GR9 was 99.79% similar to that of the Klebsiella pneumoniae type strain (KPY17657). Colonization by the isolates was confirmed using micropropagated sugarcane and sterile rice seedlings. Isolate GR9, identified as Klebsiella pneumoniae, was consistently more active in reducing acetylene as compared with the other isolates. The effects of GR9 and the sugarcane diazotroph Gluconacetobacter diazotrophicus were compared in inoculated micropropagated sugarcane plantlets. The effects of K. pneumoniae GR9, and four other diazotrophs, G. diazotrophicus, Herbaspirillum seropedicae, Azospirillum lipoferum 4B, and Burkholderia vietnamiensis in inoculated rice seedlings were compared. GR9 alone or in combination with the other diazotrophs performed best under pot conditions. The combined effects of nitrogen fixation and endophytic colonization of this diazotroph may be useful for the development of bio-inoculants.     

Comparison of the Effects of Cuprizone on Demyelination in the Corpus Callosum and Hippocampal Progenitors in Young Adult and Aged Mice

Neurochemical Research - Cuprizone is commonly used to induce neuronal demyelination in mice. In the present study, we compared the cuprizone-induced demyelination in the corpus callosum and...     

Slot‐Die and Roll‐to‐Roll Processed Single Junction Organic Photovoltaic Cells with the Highest Efficiency

The record efficiency of the state‐of‐the‐art polymer solar cells (PSCs) is rapidly increasing, due to the discovery of high‐performance photoactive donor and acceptor materials. However, strong questions remain as to whether such high‐efficiency PSCs can be produced by scalable processes. This paper reports a high power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 13.5% achieved with single‐junction ternary PSCs based on PTB7‐Th, PC₇₁BM, and COi8DFIC fabricated by slot‐die coating, which shows the highest PCE ever reported in PSCs fabricated by a scalable process. To understand the origin of the high performance of the slot‐die coated device, slot‐die coated photoactive films and devices are systematically investigated. These results indicate that the good performance of the slot‐die PSCs can be due to a favorable molecule‐structure and film‐morphology change by introducing 1,8‐diiodooctane and heat treatment, which can lead to improved charge transport with reduced carrier recombination. The optimized condition is then used for the fabrication of large‐area modules and also for roll‐to‐roll fabrication. The slot‐die coated module with 30 cm² active‐area and roll‐to‐roll produced flexible PSC has shown 8.6% and 9.6%, respectively. These efficiencies are the highest in each category and demonstrate the strong potential of the slot‐die coated ternary system for commercial applications.     

PKCδ as a Regulator for TGFβ1-Induced α-SMA Production in a Murine Nonalcoholic Steatohepatitis Model

The precise mechanism of TGFβ1 signaling in the progression of non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) has remained unclear. In particular, a potential regulatory mechanism by which PKCδ affects profibrogenic gene expression had never been explored. In this study, therefore, the role of PKCδ in TGFβ1 mediated α-SMA expression was investigated using NASH model mice. In preparation of the NASH model, male C57BL6/J mice were fed a methionine-choline-deficient (MCD) diet for 3 weeks, after which time they were intraperitoneally injected with lipopolysaccharide (LPS). In addition, Tlr4^Lps-d (CH3/HeJ) mice were used to demonstrate the TGFβ1 signaling’s dependency on TLR4 induction. Liver histology and hepatic hepatitis markers were investigated, and hepatic gene expression levels were determined by real-time PCR. Acute liver injury by LPS injection specifically elevated not only α-SMA expression but also phospho-PKCδ in this model. In contrast, Tlr4^Lps-d (CH3/HeJ) and blockade of TGFβ1 receptor by SB431542 resulted in a significant reduction of PKCδ activation and α-SMA expression. Moreover, the TGFβ1-induced α-SMA production was significantly reduced by a specific PKCδ inhibitor. These findings suggested that PKCδ plays a critical role in TGFβ1-induced α-SMA production in a NASH model. Thus, this was the first demonstration of the involvement of PKCδ in the regulation of α-SMA expression in NASH liver tissues, and the impaired induction of PKCδ phosphorylation by LPS in a steatohepatitis condition. Interestingly, treatment by PKCδ inhibitor caused dramatic reduction of myofibroblast activation, indicating that PKCδ represents a promising target for treating NASH.     

The Smartphone Addiction Scale: Development and Validation of a Short Version for Adolescents

Objective

This study was designed to investigate the revised and short version of the smartphone addiction scale and the proof of its validity in adolescents. In addition, it suggested cutting off the values by gender in order to determine smartphone addiction and elaborate the characteristics of smartphone usage in adolescents.

Method

A set of questionnaires were provided to a total of 540 selected participants from April to May of 2013. The participants consisted of 343 boys and 197 girls, and their average age was 14.5 years old. The content validity was performed on a selection of shortened items, while an internal-consistency test was conducted for the verification of its reliability. The concurrent validity was confirmed using SAS, SAPS and KS-scale. Receiver operating characteristics analysis was conducted to suggest cut-off.

Results

The 10 final questions were selected using content validity. The internal consistency and concurrent validity of SAS were verified with a Cronbach''s alpha of 0.911. The SAS-SV was significantly correlated with the SAS, SAPS and KS-scale. The SAS-SV scores of gender (p<.001) and self-evaluation of smartphone addiction (p<.001) showed significant difference. The ROC analysis results showed an area under a curve (AUC) value of 0.963(0.888–1.000), a cut-off value of 31, sensitivity value of 0.867 and specificity value of 0.893 in boys while an AUC value of 0.947(0.887–1.000), a cut-off value of 33, sensitivity value of 0.875, and a specificity value of 0.886 in girls.

Conclusions

The SAS-SV showed good reliability and validity for the assessment of smartphone addiction. The smartphone addiction scale short version, which was developed and validated in this study, could be used efficiently for the evaluation of smartphone addiction in community and research areas.