Smoking and risk of meningioma: A meta-analysis

Objective: The relationship between smoking and the development of meningioma has been investigated in several epidemiological studies. However, the results of these studies are inconsistent. We conducted a meta-analysis in order to identify any potential association. Methods: PubMed, the Cochrane Library, and EMBASE databases were searched to identify relevant articles that investigated the risk of meningioma following cigarette smoking. Two researchers evaluated study eligibility and extracted the data independently, and disagreements were resolved by discussion. The variables used to estimate the pooled risk of smoking in meningioma development were the multivariate-adjusted risk estimates presented in the literature. Results: Seven case–control and two cohort studies were included in this meta-analysis. The pooled estimated risks associated with ever smoking for meningioma were 1.02 (95% confidence interval (CI): 0.85–1.21) in the case–control studies, 0.93 (95% CI: 0.83–1.04) in the cohort studies and 0.95 (95% CI: 0.87–1.05, P = 0.32) in all studies when the cohort and case–control data were combined. Subgroup analyses suggested that the risk estimates were 1.49 (95% CI: 1.06–2.09, P = 0.02), 0.86 (95% CI: 0.65–1.13), 0.79 (95% CI: 0.50–1.25) and 0.84 (95% CI: 0.69–1.03) for men, women, current and past smoking respectively. Sensitivity analyses restricted to studies with different adjustments for confounders yielded similar results. No evidence of publication bias was observed. Conclusion: Our meta-analysis suggests that there is no association between ever smoking and the risk of meningioma. However, a small but significant risk elevation is present among men smokers.     

Recent progresses in the application of machine learning approach for predicting protein functional class independent of sequence similarity

Protein sequence contains clues to its function. Functional prediction from sequence presents a challenge particularly for proteins that have low or no sequence similarity to proteins of known function. Recently, machine learning methods have been explored for predicting functional class of proteins from sequence-derived properties independent of sequence similarity, which showed promising potential for low- and non-homologous proteins. These methods can thus be explored as potential tools to complement alignment- and clustering-based methods for predicting protein function. This article reviews the strategies, current progresses, and underlying difficulties in using machine learning methods for predicting the functional class of proteins. The relevant software and web-servers are described. The reported prediction performances in the application of these methods are also presented, which need to be interpreted with caution as they are dependent on such factors as datasets used and choice of parameters.     

（强）热带风暴条件下农田林网对防止棉花倒伏及减产的效应

研究结果表明 ,林带背风面 2 7H范围内 ,林网具有不同程度减轻棉株倒伏及产量损失的功能 ,有效防护范围为 0 .42～ 2 3H ,最大籽棉产量和衣分率效果区为 1 0～ 1 3H .与受灾区相比 ,保护区的籽棉产量增加 45.0 1 % ,皮棉产量增加 52 .69% .整个林网内的籽棉产量增加 2 9 94% ,皮棉产量增加 35 0 6% .     

Differential daily rhythms of melatonin in the pineal gland and gut of goldfish Carassius auratus in response to light

The objectives of this study were to test the effects of light on melatonin rhythms in the pineal gland and gut of goldfish Carassius auratus and to investigate whether melatonin function differed in these two tissues, which are photosensitive and non-photosensitive respectively. Rhythms were evaluated by measuring arylalkylamine N-acetyltransferase (AANAT2) and melatonin receptor 1 (MT-R1) mRNA expression and melatonin concentration in the pineal gland, gut (in vivo), and cell cultures of the two tissues (in vitro). Compared to control, pineal gland melatonin secretion was higher at night, whereas the 24-h dark and ophthalmectomy groups maintained higher AANAT2 and MT-R1 mRNA expression during the day. Melatonin levels and AANAT2 and MT-R1 mRNA expression in the gut were also the highest at night, but the 24-h light, dark, and ophthalmectomy groups did not significantly differ from control. Furthermore, we measured AANAT2 and MT-R1 mRNA expression in high temperature water (30 °C) to investigate differences in the antioxidant capacity of pineal gland vs. gut melatonin. Melatonin and H₂O₂ levels, as well as AANAT2 and MT-R1 mRNA expression, were all higher in the two tissues under thermal stress, compared with their levels at 22 °C. Taken together, our results suggest that light has no effect on melatonin patterns in the gut, which appears to exhibit its own circadian rhythm, but both gut and pineal gland melatonin exhibit similar antioxidant function.     

Indigogenic methods for glycosidases

Summary 4-Cl-5-Br-3-indolyl--D-fucoside (IbF) was tested in histochemical and bio-chemical experiments. Sections from differently treated parts of the small intestine of suckling and adult rats, of jejunum of adult hamsters, guinea pigs, cooks, monkeys, of human jejunal biopsies, of kidney of suckling and adult rats, adult monkeys, guinea pigs and hamsters, and of some other rat organs were used in histochemical experiments. Neutral and acid -D-galactosidases prepared from homogenates of the small intestine of suckling rats by chromatography on Sephadex G 200 were used in biochemical experiments.The recommended medium for histochemical studies consists of 0.1 M citrate phosphate buffer pH 6 (brush border enzyme) and pH 4 (lysosomal enzyme), 3.6·10^–4M IbF and 3.1·10^–3 M potassium ferri- and ferrocyanide.IbF is split quite efficiently by the brush border -D-galactosidase (=lactase) and the recommended histochemical method with IbF at pH 6 is the method of choice in studies concerned with the localization of intestinal lactase. In unfixed cold microtome sections the brush border activity can be easily detected within 15–240 minutes, depending on the lactase activity of the studied sample. In this study this activity was shown to be present in the brush border of enterocytes in the upper part of crypts reaching its maximum in differentiated enterocytes covering the sides and tops of villi in the small intestine of suckling (the highest activity) and adult rats (3–4x lower activity according to the time of appearance of the staining), and of human, monkey and hamster jejunum. In the cock jejunum traces of brush border staining were seen only after 24 hours of incubation. In enterocytes of patients with celiac sprue the brush border activity was very much reduced in dependence on the stage of the disease. Brush border staining along with a diffuse cytoplasmic reaction was found in the proximal convoluted tubules of the monkey kidney. The question of localization of enzyme activity splitting IbF in the monkey kidney deserves further investigation.IbF is also split by isolated intestinal acid -D-galactosidase and histochemically a positive reaction was found in lysosomes of many cells displaying a high activity of -D-galactosidase when IbF was used in the recommended medium of pH 4. The use of aldehyde fixation (glutaraldehyde is to be preferred) is a prerequisite for the assessment of this lysosomal localization. The lysosomal activity splitting IbF is not firmly bound structurally and escapes from cold microtome sections prepared from unfixed tissue samples into the incubation solution.The recommended method is also very suitable for processing zymograms and immunoprecipitation lines of lactase with antisera obtained by Ouchterlony's technic and by immunoelectrophoresis.     

Ceramide induces serotonin release from RBL-2H3 mast cells through calcium mediated activation of phospholipase A2

Ceramide has been suggested to function as a mediator of exocytosis in response to the addition of a calcium ionophore from PC12 cells. Here, we show that although cell-permeable C(6)-ceramide or a calcium ionophore alone did not increase either the degranulation of serotonin or the release of arachidonic acid (AA) from RBL-2H3 cells, their combined effect significantly stimulated these processes in a time- and dose-dependent manner. This effect was inhibited by the presence of an exogenous calcium chelator and significantly suppressed by the CERK inhibitor (K1) and phospholipase A(2) (PLA(2)) inhibitors. Moreover, cytosolic PLA(2) GIVA (cPLA(2) GIVA) siRNA-transfected RBL-2H3 cells showed a lower level of serotonin release than scramble siRNA-transfected cells. Little is known about the regulation of degranulation proximal to the activation of cytosolic phospholipase A(2) GIVA, the initial rate-limiting step in RBL-2H3 cells. In this study, we suggest that CERK, ceramide-1-phosphate, and PLA(2) are involved in degranulation in a calcium-dependent manner. Inhibition of p44/p42 mitogen-activated protein kinase partially decreased the AA release, but did not affect degranulation. Furthermore, treatment of the cells with AA (ω-6, C20:4), not linoleic acid (ω-6, C18:2) or α-linolenic acid (ω-6, C18:3), induced degranulation. Taken together, these results suggest that ceramide is involved in mast cell degranulation via the calcium-mediated activation of PLA(2).     

Growth differences and dimorphic expression of growth hormone (GH) in female and male Cynoglossus semilaevis after male sexual maturation

Half-smooth tongue sole, Cynoglossus semilaevis, is an ideal model to investigate the regulatory mechanisms of sexual growth dimorphism in fish species. The aim of the study was to investigate the effect of differential age of sexual maturity for females and males on growth and GH mRNA expression in C. semilaevis. The body weight differences between the sexes were not significant in C. semilaevis at age 5 months when females and males were all immature. Significant differences in body weight between the sexes were found after early sexual maturation of males at the age of 9 months. The body weight of 21-month-old females (621.4 ± 86.4g), still not immature, was even 3.28 times higher than that of the males (189.7 ± 14.4g). The cDNAs encoding GH in C. semilaevis was cloned. The GH gene is 2924bp long and consists of six exons and five introns. The results of qRT-PCR showed that GH mRNA levels of the immature females were not significantly different from that of immature males at age 5 months. However, GH mRNA levels of the immature females were significantly higher compared with those of the mature males at age 9 months (P<0.05). At age 11 months, GH mRNA levels of females were even 6.4-fold higher than that of males. In conclusion, for the first time we show that early sexual maturity of males is the main cause of sexual growth dimorphism in C. semilaevis and exert significant effect on GH mRNA expression.     

Genetic typing, based on the 56-kilodalton type-specific antigen gene, of Orientia tsutsugamushi strains isolated from chiggers collected from wild-caught rodents in Taiwan

Orientia tsutsugamushi is the etiological agent of scrub typhus, a mite-borne, febrile illness that occurs in the Asia-Pacific region. We conducted strain characterization of O. tsutsugamushi isolates from chiggers obtained from rodents based the nucleotide sequence of the 56-kDa outer membrane protein gene. With the use of PCR, a total of 68 DNA sequences of 56-kDa antigen genes were amplified. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that there were at least six definable clusters among the 68 isolates: 37% Karp-related strains (25/68), 27% TA763 strains (18/68), 12% JG-related strains (8/68), 19% Kato-related strains (13/68), 4% divergent strains (3/68), and 1% representing a Gilliam prototype strain (1/68). Overall, the O. tsutsugamushi genotypes exhibited a high degree of diversity, similar to that seen in strains from the rest of the areas where scrub typhus is endemic. Moreover, the 56-kDa protein sequence similarity between O. tsutsugamushi isolates from mites and those from human patients (H. Y. Lu et al., Am. J. Trop. Med. Hyg. 83:658-663, 2010) were striking, thus highlighting potential risk factors for this emerging zoonotic disease.     

Discrimination of Kalopanax pictus from its varieties and other ‘Kalopanacis Cortex’ plants by multiplex polymerase chain reaction (PCR)

‘Kalopanacis Cortex’ (KC) is an important medicinal material prescribed in Korea for the treatment of various ailments such as paralysis, arthritis, and rheumatism. In Korea, KC is defined as the dried stem bark of Kalopanax pictus. However, the stem barks of Zanthoxylum ailanthoides and Erythrina plants such as E. variegata have also been described as KC and prescribed for the same diseases. Since the pharmacological activities and contents of compounds isolated from the stem barks of these KC plants are obviously different, KC from K. pictus should be clearly discriminated from other stem bark in the best interest of public health. This study sequenced the internal transcribed spacers (ITS) of 52 samples of the KC or KC plants collected from Korea, China, and Vietnam. On the basis of different nucleotide sequences of specific ITS regions among the KC plants, the primer set KP F2/KC R1 was designed to amplify a 398-bp DNA marker for discriminating K. pictus from its varieties and from other KC plants. This primer set, along with the primer sets ZR F1/ZR R4, KP F1/EV R2, and KPF1/KC R1, was successfully amplified with the DNA markers of the Z. ailanthoides, E. variegata, and K. pictus taxa, respectively. The multiplex polymerase chain reaction method developed here not only discriminates the stem bark of K. pictus from stem barks of other KC plants but also identifies KC plants that supply KC in a single process.