Long noncoding RNA PTENP1 affects the recovery of spinal cord injury by regulating the expression of miR-19b and miR-21

Exosomes derived from differentiated P12 cells and MSCs were proved to suppress apoptosis of neuron cells, and phosphatase and tensin homolog pseudogene 1 (PTENP1) was reported to inhibit cell proliferation. In this study, we aimed to investigate the role of PTENP1 in the process of post-spinal cord injury (SCI) recovery, so as to evaluate the therapeutic effects of exosomes derived from MSCs transfected with PTENP1 short hairpin RNA (shRNA), as a type of novel biomarkers in the treatment of SCI. Electron microscopy was used to observe the morphology of different exosomes. Real-time polymerase chain reaction and western blot, 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide assays, flow cytometry, Nissl staining, immunohistochemistry assay, and terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase dUTP nick end labeling assay were conducted to investigate and validate the underlying molecular signaling pathway. PTENP1-shRNA downregulated PTENP1 and PTEN while upregulating miR-21 and miR-19b. PTENP1-shRNA also accelerated cell apoptosis and reduced cell viability. In addition, PTENP1 reduced the miR-21 and miR-19b expression by directly targeting miR-21 and miR-19b. Meanwhile, both miR-21 and miR-19b reduced the expression of PTEN by directly targeting the 3′-untranslated region of PTEN. Furthermore, PTEN level and apoptosis index of neuron cells was the highest in the SCI group, while the treatment with exosomes+PTENP1-shRNA reduced the PTEN expression to a level similar to that in the sham group. Finally, PTENP1 inhibited miR-21 and miR-19b expression but upregulated PTEN expression. The upregulation of miR-21/miR-19b also suppressed the apoptosis of neuron cells by downregulating the PTEN expression. PTENP1 is involved in the recovery of SCI by regulating the expression of miR-19b and miR-21, and exosomes from PTENP1-shRNA-transfected cells may be used as a novel biomarker in SCI treatment.     

Prevalence of Post-Stroke Cognitive Impairment in China: A Community-Based,Cross-Sectional Study

International hospital-based studies have indicated a high risk of cognitive impairment after stroke, evidence from community-based studies in China is scarce. To determine the prevalence of post-stroke cognitive impairment (PSCI) and its subtypes in stroke survivors residing in selected rural and urban Chinese communities, we conducted a community-based, cross-sectional study in 599 patients accounting for 48% of all stroke survivors registered in the 4 communities, who had suffered confirmed strokes and had undergone cognitive assessments via the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA), Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE), and Hachinski Ischemia Scale (HIS). Detection of PSCI was based on scores in these neuropsychological scales. Factors potentially impacting on occurrence of PSCI were explored by comparing demographic characteristics, stroke features, and cardiovascular risk factors between patients with and without PSCI. The overall prevalence of PSCI was 80.97% (95%CI: 77.82%-84.11%), while that of non-dementia PSCI (PSCI-ND) and post-stroke vascular dementia (PSD) was 48.91% (95%CI: 44.91%-52.92%) and 32.05% (95%CI: 28.32%-35.79%), respectively. Prior stroke and complications during the acute phase were independent risk factors for PSCI. The risk of recurrent stroke survivors having PSCI was 2.7 times higher than for first-episode survivors, and it was 3 times higher for those with complications during the acute phase than for those without. The higher prevalence of PSCI in this study compared with previous Chinese studies was possibly due to the combined effects of including rural stroke survivors, a longer period from stroke onset, and different assessment methods. There is an urgent need to recognize and prevent PSCI in stroke patients, especially those with recurrent stroke and complications during the acute phase.     

pH-dependent structural transition in rabbit skeletal troponin C

Although the crystal structure of troponin C is known (Herzberg, O., and James, M. N. G. (1985) Nature 313, 653-659; Sundaralingam, M., Bergstrom, R., Strasburg, G., Rao, S. T., Roychowdhury, P., Greaser, M., and Wang, B. C. (1985) Science 227, 945-948), its structure in solution, particularly under physiological conditions, has not been established. We examined the conformation of troponin C under a variety of conditions by measuring the distance between sites located in the N- and C-terminal domains using the technique of resonance energy transfer. The donor was the luminescent lanthanide ion Tb3+ bound at the low affinity metal sites in the N-terminal domain. The acceptor was 4-dimethylaminophenylazophenyl-4'-maleimide attached at Cys-98 in the C-terminal domain. The distance between these sites was found to be greater than 5.2 nm at pH 5.0, 2.7 nm at pH 6.8 for uncomplexed troponin C, and 4.1 nm for troponin C complexed with troponin I at pH 6.8. These findings suggest that uncomplexed troponin C undergoes a pH-dependent transition from an elongated conformation, compatible with the crystal structure at acidic pH, to a more compact conformation at neutral pH. When complexed with troponin I, troponin C adopts a conformation of intermediate length compared to the uncomplexed molecule at pH 6.8 and 5.0.     

内蒙古石拐群古鳕类一新属

内蒙古石拐地区石拐群召沟组中的长腹鳍大青山鳕(新属、新种) Daqingshaniscus longiventralis gen. et sp. nov. 是在我国中侏罗世地层中发现的一比较原始的古鳕类.其头骨眶后部分短,鳃盖骨大于下鳃盖骨,背鳍位于腹鳍与臀鳍之间,腹鳍基线长,鳍条都从基部分节、远端分叉,棘鳞仅见于尾上叶,全歪型尾,鳞片呈菱形.大青山鳕既与苏联南哈萨克斯坦 Karatau 地区的 Pteroniscus 很接近,又与我国新疆的维吾尔鳕 Uighuroniscus 及西德北部的 Stadthagen 地区的 Indaginilepis 相似.     

番茄五个品种的核型研究（摘要）

本文研究了番茄五个不同品种(武昌大红、加拿大、佛特、荷兰五号、青北早)的核型。1.番茄的核型公式如下: (1) 武昌大红。2n=24=2M+8m+12sm+2st (2) 加拿大。2n=24=4M+8m+12sm (3) 佛特。2n=24=2M+8m+10sm+4st (4) 荷兰五号2n=24=2M+14m+8sm (5) 青北早2n=24=4M+8m+12sm 2、五个品种中都具有一对随体染色体,但位于那一对染色体上也有相同和相异。“武昌大红”与“佛特”的随体在第9对上。“加拿大”在第7对上。“荷兰五号”及“青北早”位于第4对染色体上,并发现“武昌大红”、“加拿大”品种的随体,在同一品种也出现随体大小的差异。3、在各个品种中,染色体的全长、相对长度、臂比都存在着一些差异。4、对于番茄染色体的随体的大小及其在染色体对数的位置,染色体的形态结构,核形与番茄起源的关系进行了初步讨论。     

第Ⅷ凝血因子基因内限制性片段长度多态性(RFLP)的研究及其在甲型血友病基因连锁分析中的应用

本文系统地研究了广东地区汉族人群中FⅧ:C基因内BclⅠ,XbaⅠ和BgⅡ位点RFLP的基因频率。多态性位点BclⅠ,XbaⅠ及BglⅠ的切点阳性率分别为63.5%、43.5%和100%。对Bcll和Xbal多态性切点连锁情况研究显示,19.5%的Bcll切点阳性纯合子为Xbal切点杂合子,证明联合应用此两位点RFLP可以把甲型血友病基因连锁分析的有效率提高到65.9%。用RFLP连锁分析对两例甲型血友病家系中的女性进行了致病基因携带者检测,对另一例家系进行了基因产前诊断。