Sleep Quality of Patients with Differentiated Thyroid Cancer

Objective

We aimed to measure prevalence of sleep disturbance in patients with differentiated thyroid cancer (DTC) by calculating Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), and compare these data with patients with benign thyroid nodules or normal participants.

Methods

Three groups of patients participated in this cross-sectional study. In the first group, 162 patients with DTC received total thyroidectomy, and then ¹³¹I therapy. The second group consisted of 84 patients with benign thyroid nodules, who received partial thyroidectomy. The third group was 78 normal healthy control cases. PSQI was used to assess the sleep quality. Inter-group differences were analyzed by Kruskal-Wallis test or independent samples T test. χ² test was also used to check prevalence differences of poor sleep quality among the groups. Differences of PSQI score and poor sleep quality prevalence before and after ¹³¹I therapy in the same group of DTC participants were analyzed by paired T test and Mcnemar''s test.

Results

Higher PSQI score (7.59 ± 4.21) and higher rate of poor sleep quality (54.32%) were shown in DTC patients than in any other group. After ¹³¹I therapy, PSQI score and prevalence of poor sleep quality in DTC patients increased significantly to 8.78 ± 4.72 and 70.99%. Then DTC patients were divided into two subgroups based on their metastatic status. DTC patients with metastasis (87/162 cases, 53.70%) had significantly higher PSQI score (10.87 ± 5.18) and higher prevalence of poor sleep quality (79.31%).

Conclusion

DTC patients suffer from sleep disturbance, ¹³¹I therapy and awareness of metastatic status could worsen sleep problem. Psychological fear of cancer, nuclear medicine therapy and metastasis could be one major underlying reason. Longitude and interventional studies are necessary for further investigations.     

Molecular Cytogenetic Identification of a New Wheat-Rye 6R Chromosome Disomic Addition Line with Powdery Mildew Resistance

Rye (Secale cereale L.) possesses many valuable genes that can be used for improving disease resistance, yield and environment adaptation of wheat (Triticum aestivum L.). However, the documented resistance stocks derived from rye is faced severe challenge due to the variation of virulent isolates in the pathogen populations. Therefore, it is necessary to develop desirable germplasm and search for novel resistance gene sources against constantly accumulated variation of the virulent isolates. In the present study, a new wheat-rye line designated as WR49-1 was produced through distant hybridization and chromosome engineering protocols between common wheat cultivar Xiaoyan 6 and rye cultivar German White. Using sequential GISH (genomic in situ hybridization), mc-FISH (multicolor fluorescence in situ hybridization), mc-GISH (multicolor GISH) and EST (expressed sequence tag)-based marker analysis, WR49-1 was proved to be a new wheat-rye 6R disomic addition line. As expected, WR49-1 showed high levels of resistance to wheat powdery mildew (Blumeria graminis f. sp. tritici, Bgt) pathogens prevalent in China at the adult growth stage and 19 of 23 Bgt isolates tested at the seedling stage. According to its reaction pattern to different Bgt isolates, WR49-1 may possess new resistance gene(s) for powdery mildew, which differed from the documented powdery mildew gene, including Pm20 on chromosome arm 6RL of rye. Additionally, WR49-1 was cytologically stable, had improved agronomic characteristics and therefore could serve as an important bridge for wheat breeding and chromosome engineering.     

Genomic and Gene-Expression Comparisons among Phage-Resistant Type-IV Pilus Mutants of Pseudomonas syringae pathovar phaseolicola

Pseudomonas syringae pv. phaseolicola (Pph) is a significant bacterial pathogen of agricultural crops, and phage Φ6 and other members of the dsRNA virus family Cystoviridae undergo lytic (virulent) infection of Pph, using the type IV pilus as the initial site of cellular attachment. Despite the popularity of Pph/phage Φ6 as a model system in evolutionary biology, Pph resistance to phage Φ6 remains poorly characterized. To investigate differences between phage Φ6 resistant Pph strains, we examined genomic and gene expression variation among three bacterial genotypes that differ in the number of type IV pili expressed per cell: ordinary (wild-type), non-piliated, and super-piliated. Genome sequencing of non-piliated and super-piliated Pph identified few mutations that separate these genotypes from wild type Pph–and none present in genes known to be directly involved in type IV pilus expression. Expression analysis revealed that 81.1% of gene ontology (GO) terms up-regulated in the non-piliated strain were down-regulated in the super-piliated strain. This differential expression is particularly prevalent in genes associated with respiration—specifically genes in the tricarboxylic acid cycle (TCA) cycle, aerobic respiration, and acetyl-CoA metabolism. The expression patterns of the TCA pathway appear to be generally up and down-regulated, in non-piliated and super-piliated Pph respectively. As pilus retraction is mediated by an ATP motor, loss of retraction ability might lead to a lower energy draw on the bacterial cell, leading to a different energy balance than wild type. The lower metabolic rate of the super-piliated strain is potentially a result of its loss of ability to retract.     

A N‐(2‐hydroxyethyl)piperazine dangled 2,5‐diphenyl‐1,3,4‐oxadiazole‐based fluorescent sensor for selective relay recognition of Cu2+ and sulfide in water

A new 2,5‐diphenyl‐1,3,4‐oxadiazole‐based derivative (L) was synthesized and applied as a highly selective and sensitive fluorescent sensor for relay recognition of Cu²⁺ and S^2? in water (Tris–HCl 10 mM, pH = 7.0) solution. L exhibits an excellent selectivity to Cu²⁺ over other examined metal ions with a prominent fluorescence ‘turn‐off’ at 392 nm. L interacts with Cu²⁺ through a 1:2 binding stoichiometry with a detection limit of 4.8 × 10^–7 M. The on‐site formed L–2Cu²⁺ complex exhibits excellent selectivity to S^2? with a fluorescence ‘off–on’ response via a Cu²⁺ displacement approach. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

根分泌物及其生态效应

根分泌物是个古老而年轻的研究领域。早在18,19世纪,人们(Plenk,1795;Decandolle,1830)就观察到根分泌物对邻近植株的促生和抑制作用,1904年Hilter提出“根际”的概念,标志着人们对根分泌物及其生态效应的进一步认识。此后人们对根分泌物研究逐步展开。Lyon和Willson(1920)发现,生长于无菌水培液中的植物能释放有机物,为深入研究奠定了基础。但很长一段时间这个研究领域一     

阔叶红松林合理经营与土壤微生物活性

森林是可再生的自然资源,研究证明,阔叶红松林具有很高的生产力,因为它具有最优化的林分结构,这个结构特点,使它的复层异龄和针阔混交的群落结构影响下的土壤肥力较高,土壤微生物类群复杂,活动活跃,森林有机残体的分解与转化较快。系统内的氮、碳及无机养分的循环,能满足林木生长对养分不断增长的需要。系统内各个生态因子处于动态平衡状态。因此,为了不断提     

菠菜叶片过氧体甘氨酸转氨酶初探

菠菜叶片过氧体可转变甘油酸或羟基丙酮酸成为丝氨酸。以甘氨酸为氨基供体时,完整过氧体的转变活性比破碎的约高2.5倍,这不是由于完整的膜包被使有效的羟基丙酮酸浓度增加,或由于膜破碎使辅助因子损失,也不是由于过氧体膜的甘氨酸主动运输系统的作用。结果显示,在过氧体中存在甘氨酸转氨酶,完整过氧体中高的转氨速度可能是由于甘氨酸转氨酶在完整的和破碎的过氧体中的构象或构型不同。     

Inhibition of CD73 AMP hydrolysis by a therapeutic antibody with a dual,non-competitive mechanism of action

CD73 (ecto-5′-nucleotidase) has recently been established as a promising immuno-oncology target. Given its role in activating purinergic signaling pathways to elicit immune suppression, antagonizing CD73 (i.e., releasing the brake) offers a complimentary pathway to inducing anti-tumor immune responses. Here, we describe the mechanistic activity of a new clinical therapeutic, MEDI9447, a human monoclonal antibody that non-competitively inhibits CD73 activity. Epitope mapping, structural, and mechanistic studies revealed that MEDI9447 antagonizes CD73 through dual mechanisms of inter-CD73 dimer crosslinking and/or steric blocking that prevent CD73 from adopting a catalytically active conformation. To our knowledge, this is the first report of an antibody that inhibits an enzyme's function through 2 distinct modes of action. These results provide a finely mapped epitope that can be targeted for selective, potent, and non-competitive inhibition of CD73, as well as establish a strategy for inhibiting enzymes that function in both membrane-bound and soluble states.