ApoA-II maintains HDL levels in part by inhibition of hepatic lipase. Studies In apoA-II and hepatic lipase double knockout mice.

High density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol levels are inversely related to the risk of developing coronary heart disease. Apolipoprotein (apo) A-II is the second most abundant HDL apolipoprotein and apoA-II knockout mice show a 70% reduction in HDL cholesterol levels. There is also evidence, using human apoA-II transgenic mice, that apoA-II can prevent hepatic lipase-mediated HDL triglyceride hydrolysis and reduction in HDL size. These observations suggest the hypothesis that apoA-II maintains HDL levels, at least in part, by inhibiting hepatic lipase. To evaluate this, apoA-II knockout mice were crossbred with hepatic lipase knockout mice. Compared to apoA-II-deficient mice, in double knockout mice there were increased HDL cholesterol levels (57% in males and 60% in females), increased HDL size, and decreased HDL cholesteryl ester fractional catabolic rate. In vitro incubation studies of plasma from apoA-II knockout mice, which contains largely apoA-I HDL particles, showed active lipolysis of HDL triglyceride, whereas similar studies of plasma from apoA-I knockout mice, which contains largely apoA-II particles, did not. In summary, these results strongly suggest that apoA-II is a physiological inhibitor of hepatic lipase and that this is at least part of the mechanism whereby apoA-II maintains HDL cholesterol levels.     

Community-based colorectal cancer intervention in underserved Korean Americans

Background: Despite evidence of a decline in both incidence and prevalence of colorectal cancer nationwide, it remains the second most commonly diagnosed cancer and the third highest cause of mortality among Asian Americans, including Korean Americans. This community-based and theoretically guided study evaluated a culturally appropriate intervention program that included a bilingual cancer educational program among Korean Americans including information on CRC risks, counseling to address psychosocial and access barriers, and patient navigation assistance. Methods: A two-group quasi-experimental design with baseline and post-intervention assessment and a 12-month follow-up on screening was used in the study. Korean Americans (N = 167) were enrolled from six Korean churches. The intervention group received culturally appropriate intervention program addressing accessibility and psychosocial barriers, and navigation assistance for screening. The control group received general health education that included cancer-related health issues and screening. Results: There was a significant difference (p < 0.05) between the post-intervention and control groups in awareness of CRC risk factors. There was also a significant improvement in the pre–post across HBM measures in the intervention group for perceived susceptibility (p < 0.05) and benefits and barriers to screening (p < 0.001). At baseline, 13% of participants in the intervention group and 10% in control group reported having had a CRC cancer screening test in the previous year. At the 12-month post-intervention follow-up, 77.4% of participants in the intervention group had obtained screening compared to 10.8% in the control group. Conclusion: While health disparities result from numerous factors, a culturally appropriate and church-based intervention can be highly effective in increasing knowledge of and access to, and in reducing barriers to CRC screening among underserved Koreans.     

两种多糖对日本沼虾酚氧化酶活力的影响

在饲料中分别添加 1‰的云芝多糖和虫草多糖 ,对日本沼虾进行投喂 ,通过连续测定日本沼虾血清中的酚氧化酶活力 ,研究两种多糖对日本沼虾免疫机能的作用。结果表明 ,在平均水温为 2 3 8℃± 3 8℃时 ,云芝组、虫草组分别较对照组提高了 34 52 %、84 62 % ;在平均水温为 1 0 8± 2 4℃时 ,云芝组和虫草组分别较对照组提高了30 0 2 %、5 1 2 % ,因而云芝多糖和虫草多糖能明显地增强日本沼虾血清的酚氧化酶活力。另经实验表明 ,在王雷所确立的酚氧化酶活力的检测条件下 ,其PO活力为 8 3units/mL ,而在Horowitz所确立的检测条件下 ,其PO活力为2 90units/mL ,并且后者检测方法重复性好 ,能较好地反映日本沼虾的免疫状态。     

Anaerobic digestion of high-strength acidic whey in a pH-controlled up-flow fixed film loop reactor

Summary A fixed film loop reactor was developed for the stabilization of undiluted sour whey. Porous clay beads were used to immobilize the population. The fermentation system was self-supporting with the aid of a pH-titrator. Within 2 months; the loading increased automatically to its maximum of 14 kg COD (chemical oxygen demand)/m³ per day. Parallel to this, the bacterial film was formed on the surface of the support material. For a pH of 6.7 the steady state was reached at a hydraulic retention time of 5 days equivalent to a loading of 14 kg COD/m³ per day. An amount of 5.6 m³ biogas was produced per m³ digester content and day and the COD-reduction was 95%. The pH-controlled whey addition led to only minor disturbances when overloading or oxygenation occured and a fast recovery of methanogenesis was observed. The economics of anaerobic whey digestion compared with conventional whey utilization is estimated by a simple cost/benefit calculation.     

Blue-Light-Induced Shrinking of Protoplasts from Maize Coleoptiles and Its Relationship to Coleoptile Growth

Protoplasts isolated from red-light-grown maize (Zea mays L.) coleoptiles shrank transiently upon brief exposure (e.g. 30 s) to blue light under background irradiation with red light. The maximal volume reduction (about 4% at a saturating fluence) occurred about 5 min after blue-light stimulation. The response was prevented by the anion-channel blocker 5-nitro-2-(3-phenylpropylamino)-benzoic acid. Red light and far-red light did not induce any comparable response. Protoplasts of different sizes and those isolated from different coleoptile positions showed similar responses. After treatment with a saturating blue-light pulse, the protoplasts became responsive to a second pulse and gained full responsiveness within 5 min, suggesting that the photoreceptor system involves a dark-reversible component. The response to continuous blue light was also found to be transient. The protoplast volume was reduced during about 6 to 9 min of irradiation and returned within the next 30 min to the control level. The response to continuous blue light was saturated at 30 [mu]mol m-2 s-1. However, when the fluence rate was enhanced 10-fold after a period of irradiation at 30 [mu]mol m-2 s-1, the protoplasts showed another shrinking response. These and other kinetic results indicate that the photoreceptor system undergoes a photosensory adaptation. Growth in different zones of the coleoptile was inhibited by blue light transiently after pulse stimulation, as well as during continuous stimulation. It was concluded that the observed protoplast shrinking is related to the blue-light-induced inhibition of coleoptile growth.     

Synthesis and structure–activity relationship studies of cytotoxic vinorelbine amide analogues

A series of 3-demethoxycarbonyl-3-acylamide methyl vinorelbine derivatives (compounds 7a–7z) were designed, synthesized, and evaluated for their inhibition activities against human non-small cell lung cancer cell line (A549). Most of the amide derivatives exhibited potent cytotoxicity, with the size of the introduced substituents being the foremost factor in determining the resultant cytotoxic activity. Test results in vivo against nude mice bearing A549 xenografts indicated that 7y showed comparable activities compared to the parent NVB.     

Microsatellite mapping of a Triticum urartu Tum. derived powdery mildew resistance gene transferred to common wheat (Triticum aestivum L.)

A powdery mildew resistance gene from Triticum urartu Tum. accession UR206 was successfully transferred into hexaploid wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) through crossing and backcrossing. The F₁ plants, which had 28 chromosomes and an average of 5.32 bivalents and 17.36 univalents in meiotic pollen mother cells (PMC), were obtained through embryos rescued owing to shriveling of endosperm in hybrid seed of cross Chinese Spring (CS) × UR206. Hybrid seeds were produced through backcrossing F₁ with common wheat parents. The derivative lines had normal chromosome numbers and powdery mildew resistance similar to the donor UR206, indicating that the powdery mildew resistance gene originating from T. urartu accession UR206 was successfully transferred and expressed in a hexaploid wheat background. Genetic analysis indicated that a single dominant gene controlled the powdery mildew resistance at the seedling stage. To map and tag the powdery mildew resistance gene, 143 F₂ individuals derived from a cross UR206 × UR203 were used to construct a linkage map. The resistant gene was mapped on the chromosome 7AL based on the mapped microsatellite makers. The map spanned 52.1 cM and the order of these microsatellite loci agreed well with the established microsatellite map of chromosome arm 7AL. The resistance gene was flanked by the microsatellite loci Xwmc273 and Xpsp3003, with the genetic distances of 2.2 cM and 3.8 cM, respectively. On the basis of the origin and chromosomal location of the gene, it was temporarily designated PmU.