Apolipoprotein A-I metabolism in subjects with a PstI restriction fragment length polymorphism of the apoA-I gene and familial hypoalphalipoproteinemia

Familial hypoalphalipoproteinemia (hypoalpha), characterized by a decreased high density lipoprotein level, is associated with an increased incidence of premature cardiovascular disease. Restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis of genomic DNA has detected a polymorphism for the PstI restriction endonuclease near the apoA-I gene, with either a 2.2 or a 3.3 kb fragment. The latter has been previously found to occur with significantly higher frequency in probands of families with familial hypoalpha. ApoA-I was isolated from three unrelated subjects with familial hypoalpha and the 3.3 kb PstI polymorphism of the apoA-I gene, and from normal control subjects. The apoA-I from the hypoalpha subjects was structurally normal as determined by amino acid analysis and by two-dimensional gel electrophoresis. When normal apoA-I and hypoalpha apoA-I were simultaneously injected into either normal controls or hypoalpha subjects, both forms of apoA-I were catabolized at the same rate in the same subject, indicating that the hypoalpha apoA-I is also metabolically normal. Analysis of the kinetics of metabolism of apoA-I in the hypoalpha subjects, compared to the normal controls, revealed that the reduced plasma levels of apoA-I were due to an increased apoA-I fractional catabolic rate, and that the synthetic rate was normal. Based on these results, we conclude that the apoA-I gene in these hypoalpha subjects is normal, and the PstI polymorphism near the apoA-I gene, which is associated with familial hypoalpha, is likely to be a marker for a mutant gene closely linked to, but not in, the apoA-I gene.     

Life cycle environmental assessment of industrial hazardous waste incineration and landfilling in China

Purpose

The improper handling of industrial hazardous waste (IHW), which comprises large amounts of toxic chemicals, heavy metals, or irradiation substances, is a considerable threat to human health and the environment. This study aims to quantify the life cycle environmental impacts of IHW landfilling and incineration in China, to identify its key factors, to improve its potential effects, and to establish a hazardous waste disposal inventory.

Methods

Life cycle assessment was conducted using the ReCiPe model to estimate the environmental impact of IHW landfilling and incineration. The characterization factors for the human toxicity and freshwater ecotoxicity categories shown in the ReCiPe were updated based on the geographies, population, food intake, and environmental conditions in China.

Results and discussion

The overall environmental burden was mainly attributed to the carcinogen category. The national carcinogen burden in 2014 at 37.8 CTUh was dominated by diesel consumption, cement and sodium hydroxide production, direct emission, transportation, and electricity generation stages caused by direct mercury and arsenic emissions, as well as indirect chromium emission. Although the atmospheric mercury emission directly caused by IHW incineration was comparative with the emission levels of developed countries, the annual direct mercury emission accounted for approximately 0.1% of the national mercury emission.

Conclusions

The key factors contributing to the reduction of the national environmental burden include the increasing diesel and electricity consumption efficiency, the reduction of cement and sodium hydroxide use, the development of air pollutant controlling systems, the reduction of transport distance between IHW disposers to suppliers, and the improvement of IHW recycling and reuse technologies.

     

Effects of Ag Nanoparticles on Growth and Fat Body Proteins in Silkworms (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Bombyx mori</Emphasis>)

This growing interest in the cultivation of Japanese quince Chaenomeles japonica L. results from the potentially beneficial properties of its fruit. Fresh fruits are very firm and too acidic to eat raw, but their bioactive components, distinctive aroma, and high amount of dietary fiber make the fruits well suited for industrial processing. However, not all the properties of the fruit have been investigated. For example, there are no comprehensive reports about the mineral content or potentially harmful effects on liver metabolism. Hence, the purpose of our study was to examine fresh Japanese quince fruit in terms of (1) ascorbic acid, oxalate, fiber, macro- and micronutrients, dry matter, extract, total acidity, antioxidant activity, and phenolic compound levels; and (2) the effect of its extract on in vitro hepatocyte metabolism, measured by the concentration of lipid peroxides (LPO) and reactive oxygen species (ROS) and the severity of apoptosis and necrosis. The fruit of C. japonica had high levels of macro- and microelements, ascorbic acid, phenolic compounds, fiber, and low oxalate levels. Our analysis of macro- and microelements showed that the average content of Fe was 0.516 mg/g, Cu 0.146 mg/g, Zn 0.546 mg/g, Mg 16.729 mg/g, and Ca 22.920 mg/g of fresh fruit. A characteristic feature of the fresh fruit of C. japonica is a high level of polyphenols, which—combined with a high content of vitamin C—affect their high antioxidant potential. In the tested hepatocyte cultures incubated with extract of the Japanese quince, we observed a significant decrease in the concentration of lipid peroxides compared to the control. There were also no signs of increased formation of ROS in the mitochondria of hepatocytes incubated with the extract of quince. Malondialdehyde was strongly negatively correlated with the concentration of Japanese quince extract, which indicates the hepatoprotective properties of Japanese quince. In addition, our analysis of confocal microscopy images showed that the hepatocytes incubated with the extract of Japanese quince at any concentration did not show any signs of apoptosis or necrosis. The aqueous extract of quince fruit has antioxidative and antiapoptotic hepatocytes, thus exerting a hepatoprotective effect.     

ARTP辐照对磷脂酶A1重组质粒的诱变效应

利用常压室温等离子体诱变技术(ARTP)处理磷脂酶A1重组质粒p ET28a-pla B,经琼脂糖凝胶电泳检测发现随着处理时间的延长,质粒超螺旋结构逐渐转变为开环及线性结构。对处理后的质粒转化到BL21宿主菌中,在特定选择培养基中检出突变株转化子,结果表明,质粒处理时间与转化率成反比,与突变率成正比,在60 S达到最优诱变值。挑选圈径比较大的转化子测定其酶活,结果显示突变株(12)最高酶活为12.8 U/ml,与原始菌株(CK)4.8 U/ml相比,提高了2.67倍。对两菌株测序比对,发现碱基突变率为0.74%,且大都集中在A→G和C→T。ARTP对离体质粒具有较好的诱变效应。     

“8455”小麦植株化学成分与麦蚜（长管蚜、二叉蚜）种群消长的关系

通过对两种肥力条件下的“8455”小麦植株化学成分与麦长管蚜和麦二叉蚜种群消长关系的研究与分析,结果表明可溶性糖、含钾量、含水量是影响麦二叉蚜种群消长的主要因子,胱氨酸是影响麦长管蚜种群消长的主要因子。     

C1 inhibitor gene sequence facilitates frameshift mutations.

Mutations disrupting the function or production of C1 inhibitor cause the disease hereditary angioneurotic edema. Patient mutations identified an imperfect inverted repeat sequence that was postulated to play a mechanistic role in the mutations. To test this hypothesis, the inverted repeat was cloned into the chloramphenicol acetyltransferase gene in pBR325 and its mutation rate was studied in four bacterial strains. These strains were selected to assay the effects of recombination and superhelical tension on mutation frequency. Mutations that revert bacteria to chloramphenicol resistance (Cmr) were scored. Both pairs of isogenic strains had reversion frequencies of approximately 10(-8). These rare reversion events in bacteria were most often a frameshift that involved the imperfect inverted repeat with a deletion or a tandem duplication, an event very similar to the human mutations. Increased DNA superhelical tension, which would be expected to enhance cruciform extrusion, did not accentuate mutagenesis. This finding suggests that the imperfect inverted repeat may form a stem-loop structure in the single-stranded DNA created by the duplex DNA melting prior to replication. Models explaining the slippage can be drawn using the lagging strand of the replication fork. In this model, the formation of a stem-loop structure is responsible for bringing the end of the deletion or duplication into close proximity.     

细胞周期调控因子在非小细胞肺癌作用的研究

目前研究认为P16、视网膜母细胞瘤基因（Rb）、细胞周期蛋白（CylinD1）及细胞周期蛋白依赖性激酶（CDK4）几种细胞周期调控因子相互作用构成一条重要的细胞周期调节通路,为了解P16、PRb、CyclinD1种调控因子在非小细胞肺癌（NSCLC）中的作用,本实验采用免疫组织化学方法对38例原发性NSCLC中上述三种因子的表达进行了研究。结果,其中54％的肺癌组织出现CyclinD1的过度表达,P16、Rb的阳性表达率分别为47．4％和76．3％。我们发现,在50％Rb阳性病例中,P16蛋白不表达或表达水平很低,在21％PRb阴性病例中,P16蛋白具有较高的表达水平,本研究结果提示：1．PRb与P16蛋白在NSCLC中的表达呈负相关,P16的表达可能受PRb负调控,2．PRb的失活与CyclinD1过度表达共同存在于NSCLC中;3．NSCLC的发生涉及P16－Rb－CyclinD1／CDK4调节通路多个调控因子的异常。     

大肠杆菌表达重组人生长激素的纯化

目的 :获得具有生物学活性的重组人生长激素 (rhGH)。方法 :PBV -GH/DH5α菌体经超声破菌、反复洗涤后获得包涵体。将包涵体变性、复性 ,用硫酸铵盐析 ,离子交换层析和凝胶层析进行纯化。产物经SDS -PAGE、HPLC、N末端 15个氨基酸序列检测验证。结果 :终产物rhGH纯度达 98.2 % ,比活性大于 3.0IU/mg。分子量为 2 2kDa ,N末端氨基酸序列与DNA序列推导的氨基酸序列完全一致。结论 :从自构建的PBV -GH/DH5α工程菌中获得高纯度、高活性重组人生长激素。其纯化工艺为中试生产提供可靠依据。     

白粉病菌诱导的小麦表达序列标签(EST)研究(英)

白粉病是我国小麦的主要病害之一。尝试用表达序列标签 (expressedsequencetags,EST)技术 ,研究了经白粉病菌诱导后的小麦基因表达。从构建的普通cDNA文库中随机挑取约 15 0 0个阳性克隆并进行测序 ,获不重复ESTs序列 387条。不重复序列均获GenBank的存储号。其中 4 9.4 %的序列与已知基因同源 ,196条序列功能未知 ,84条序列为新ESTs。将不重复序列制备成高密度点阵膜 ,用差示杂交法筛选到几个抗病相关序列。     

Interleukin-8 gene polymorphism is associated with acute coronary syndrome in the Chinese Han population

Background

Acute coronary syndrome (ACS) is one of the most common forms of heart disease. Recent studies have shown that interleukin (IL)-8 plays a key role in the development of atherosclerotic plaques, but the relationship between the common genetic variants of IL-8 and ACS has not been extensively studied.

Methods

This case-control study in the Chinese Han population included 675 patients with ACS and 636 age- and sex-matched controls. We investigated IL-8 polymorphisms and their association with susceptibility to ACS. The investigation was replicated in the second study comprising 360 cases and 360 control subjects. The plasma concentration of IL-8 was measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay.

Results

IL-8 −251 A/T polymorphism was associated with increased susceptibility to ACS (P = 0.004; odds ratio = 1.30; 95% confidence interval: 1.12–1.53). The second study yielded similar results. An increased IL-8 level was found in the plasma of acute myocardial infarction patients, suggesting that IL-8 −251 A/T may affect the expression of IL-8.

Conclusion

IL-8 −251 A/T polymorphism is associated with ACS risk in the Chinese Han population and the A allele of IL-8 −251 A/T may be an independent predictive factor for ACS.