Description: Prrxl1 -CreER T2 transgenic mice expressing tamoxifen-inducible Cre recombinase were generated by modifying a Prrxl1 -containing BAC clone. Cre recombination activity was examined in Prrxl1 -CreER T2 ; Rosa26 reporter mice at various embryonic and postnatal stages. Pregnant mice were treated with a single dose of tamoxifen at embryonic day (E) 9.5 or E12.5, and X-gal staining was performed 2 days later. Strong X-gal staining was observed in the somatosensory ganglia (e.g., dorsal root and trigeminal ganglia) and the first central sites for processing somatosensory information (e.g., spinal dorsal horn and trigeminal nerve-associated nuclei). When tamoxifen was administered at postnatal day (P) 20 or in adulthood (P120), strong Cre recombination activity was present in the primary somatosensory ganglia, while weak Cre recombination activity was found in the spinal dorsal horn, mesencephalic trigeminal nucleus, principal sensory trigeminal nucleus, and spinal trigeminal nucleus. This mouse line provides a useful tool for exploring genes' functions in the somatosensory system in a time-controlled way. genesis 1–9, 2012. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Description: Background: It is currently unclear whether a correlation exists between N-myc downstream-regulated gene 2 (NDRG2) expression and oesophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC). The aim of this study was to examine the underlying clinical significance of NDRG2 expression in ESCC patients and to investigate the effects of NDRG2 up-regulation on ESCC cell growth in vitro and in vivo. Methods: Immunohistochemistry was used to determine the level of NDRG2 expressions in ESCC tissue, which was then compared to specific clinicopathological features in the patient and tissue specimens. Factors associated with patient survival were analysed. Moreover, the effects of up-regulating NDRG2 expression on the growth of an ESCC cell line were examined by MTT, colony formation, DNA replication activity and nude mouse model assays. Results: Notably low expression of NDRG2 in ESCC patients was inversely associated with clinical stage, NM classification, histological differentiation and patients' vital status (all P 〈 0.05). ESCC patients expressing high levels of NDRG2 exhibited a substantially higher 5-year overall survival rate than NDRG2-negative patients. Furthermore, NDRG2 over-expression reduced the proliferation, colony formation and DNA replication activity in ESCC cells, as well as inhibiting the growth of ESCC cells in vivo. Conclusion: The present experiments demonstrated that NDRG2 may be a diagnostic and prognostic marker in patients with ESCC, and up-regulation of NDRG2 might act as a promising therapeutic strategy for aggressive ESCC.

Description: Author(s): Peng-Fei Yin, Zhao-Huan Yu, Qiang Yuan, and Xiao-Jun Bi The AMS-02 Collaboration has just published a high-precision measurement of the cosmic positron fraction e + /( e - + e + ), which rises with energy from ∼5  GeV to ∼350  GeV. The result indicates the existence of primary electron/positron sources to account for the positron excess. In this work, we investi... [Phys. Rev. D 88, 023001] Published Tue Jul 02, 2013

Description: We revealed an interesting facet-dependent electrochemical behavior toward heavy metal ions (HMIs) based on their adsorption behaviors. The (111) facet of Co3O4 nanoplates has better electrochemical sensing performance than that of the (001) facet of Co3O4 nanocubes. Adsorption measurements and density-functional theory (DFT) calculations reveals that adsorption of HMIs is responsible for the difference of electrochemical properties. Our combined experimental and theoretical studies provide a solid hint to explain the mechanism of electrochemical detection of HMIs using nanoscale metal oxides. Furthermore, this study not only suggests a promising new strategy for designing high performance electrochemical sensing interface through the selective synthesis of nanoscale materials exposed with different well-defined facets, but also provides a deep understanding for a more sensitive and selective electroanalysis at nanomaterials modified electrodes. Scientific Reports 3 doi: 10.1038/srep02886

Description: Background: D-isoascorbic acid is a food antioxidant additive and used in accordance with Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP). High solubility in water (about 150 g/L at 25[degree sign]C) reduces its effectiveness in stabilizing fats and oils. Our research group had successfully synthesized D-isoascorbyl palmitate using immobilized lipase Novozym 435 as a biocatalyst. Low production efficiency of D-isoascorbyl palmitate is still a problem for industrial production due to the long reaction time of over 24 h. In the present work, ultrasonic treatment was applied for accelerating the reaction process. The operation parameters were optimized to obtain the maximum D-isoascorbyl palmitate conversion rate by using a 5-level-4-factor Central Composite Design (CCD) and Response Surface Methdology (RSM). The reaction apparent kinetic parameters under the ultrasound treatment and mechanical shaking conditions were also determined and compared. Results: Results showed that ultrasound treatment decreased the reaction time by over 50%. D-isoascorbyl palmitate yielded to 94.32 +/- 0.17% and the productivity reached to 8.67 g L-1 h-1 under the optimized conditions as: 9% of enzyme load (w/w), 61[degree sign]C of reaction temperature, 1:5 of D- isoascorbic-to-palmitic acid molar ratio, and 137 W of the ultrasound power. The immobilized lipase Novozym 435 could be reused for 7 times with 65% of the remained D-isoascorbyl palmitate conversion rate. The reaction kinetics showed that the maximum apparent reaction rate (vmax) of the ultrasound-assisted reaction was 2.85 times higher than that of the mechanical shaking, which proved that ultrasound treatment significantly enhanced the reaction efficiency. Conclusion: A systematic study on ultrasound-assisted enzymatic esterification for D-isoascorbyl palmitate production is reported. The results show a promising perspective of the ultrasound technique to reduce the reaction time and improve the production efficiency. The commercial D-isoascorbyl palmitate synthesis will be potentially realized due to this ultrasound-promoted esters synthesis method.

Description: Background: To report the outcomes of computer-aided resection and endoprosthesis design for the management of malignant bone tumors around the knee. Methods: Computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) data were input into computer software to produce three-dimensional (3D) models of the tumor extent. Imaging data was then used to create a template for surgical resection, and development of an individualized combined allogeneic bone/endoprosthesis. Surgical simulations were performed prior to the actual surgery. Results: This study included 9 males and 3 females with a mean age of 25.3 years (range, 13 to 40 years). There were 9 tumors in the distal femur and 3 in the proximal tibia. There were no surgical complications. In all cases pathologically confirmed clear surgical margins were obtained. Postoperative radiographs showed the range of tumor resection was in accordance with the preoperative design, and the morphological reconstruction of the bone defect was satisfactory with complete bilateral symmetry. The mean follow-up time was 26.5 months. Two patients died of their disease and the remaining are alive and well without evidence of recurrence. All patients are able to ambulate freely without restrictions. At the last follow-up, the average International Society of Limb Salvage score was 25.8 (range, 18 to 27), and was excellent in 8 cases and good in 4 cases. Conclusions: Computer-aided design and modeling for the surgical management of bone tumors and subsequent limb reconstruction provides accurate tumor removal with the salvage of a maximal amount of unaffected bone and precise endoprosthesis reconstruction.

Description: Accumulating evidence supports the role of miR-122 in fatty liver disease. We investigated miR-122 expression in a steatotic hepatocyte model, the effect of miR-122 over-expression and inhibition in the pathogenesis. Human hepatic cell line L02 was induced with oleic acid to establish the steatotic hepatocyte model. Intracellular lipid content was observed with laser scanning confocal microscope (LSCM), and triglyceride content was determined with kits. Total RNA was extracted and reversely transcribed into cDNA. miR-122 expression was measured using qRT-PCR. Subsequently, miR-122 mimic and miR-122 inhibitor were transfected into steatotic hepatocytes to observe their effect on intracellular lipid content. The lipid fluorescence intensity and triglyceride content within the steatotic hepatocytes were significantly higher than those in normal control (860.01 ± 26.52 vs 257.77 ± 29.69 and 3.47 ± 0.12 vs 1.85 ± 0.02 at 24 hours) (p 〈 0.01). miR-122 expression in steatotic hepatocytes was down-regulated compared with that in control (2 －△Ct value: 0.0286 ± 0.0078 vs 0.0075 ± 0.0012) (p〈〈0.01). After transfection, miR-122 expression (2 －△Ct value) in the miR-122 mimic group increased 2.96-fold compared with that in control, and its lipid fluorescence intensity was significantly lower than that in control (790.92 ± 46.72 vs 1022.16 ± 49.66) (p 〈 0.01). Nevertheless, miR-122 expression decreased 3.45-fold in the miR-122 inhibitor group compared with that in control, and its fluorescence intensity was significantly higher than that in control (1386.49 ± 40.34 vs 1022.16 ± 49.66) (p 〈〈0.01). We concluded that miR-122 was down-regulated in steatotic hepatocytes model. The pathogenesis of hepatocyte steatosis was enhanced by miR-122 mimic and reduced with miR-122 inhibitor. J. Cell. Biochem. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Description: Background: A large number of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) have been identified in common carp (Cyprinus carpio) but, as yet, no \high-throughput genotyping platform is available for this species. C. carpio is an important aquaculture species that accounts for nearly 14% of freshwater aquaculture production worldwide. We have developed an array for C. carpio with 250,000 SNPs and evaluated its performance using samples from various strains of C. carpio. Results: The SNPs used on the array were selected from two resources: the transcribed sequences from RNA-seq data of four strains of C. carpio, and the genome re-sequencing data of five strains of C. carpio. The 250,000 SNPs on the resulting array are distributed evenly across the reference C.carpio genome with an average spacing of 6.6 kb. To evaluate the SNP array, 1,072 C. carpio samples were collected and tested. Of the 250,000 SNPs on the array, 185,150 (74.06%) were found to be polymorphic sites. Genotyping accuracy was checked using genotyping data from a group of full-siblings and their parents, and over 99.8% of the qualified SNPs were found to be reliable. Analysis of the linkage disequilibrium on all samples and on three domestic C.carpio strains revealed that the latter had the longer haplotype blocks. We also evaluated our SNP array on 80 samples from eight species related to C. carpio, with from 53,526 to 71,984 polymorphic SNPs. An identity by state analysis divided all the samples into three clusters; most of the C. carpio strains formed the largest cluster. Conclusions: The Carp SNP array described here is the first high-throughput genotyping platform for C. carpio. Our evaluation of this array indicates that it will be valuable for farmed carp and for genetic and population biology studies in C. carpio and related species.

Description: The major challenge in cancer therapy is to efficiently translocate drug molecules into cancer tumors without doing any damage to healthy tissues. Since there exist pH gradients between tumor and normal tissues, pH-sensitive materials may have great potential to overcome such challenge. Here, we report one new type of pH-responsive drug delivery system where pH-sensitive polymers are introduced to control the cellular uptake of nanoparticles under different pH environments through dissipative particle dynamics simulations. Interestingly, the behavior of cellular uptake of nanoparticles here exhibits “smart” pH-responsive properties: for lower and higher pH, the nanoparticles can be taken up by cell membranes, while for pH in middle range, the endocytosis is blocked. Further, it is found that receptor-ligand interactions as well as surface charge property of nanoparticles and membranes can also have important impacts on the endocytosis. The present study may give some significant insights into future stimulus-responsive medical materials design. Scientific Reports 3 doi: 10.1038/srep02804

Description: Prrxl1 -CreER T2 transgenic mice expressing tamoxifen-inducible Cre recombinase were generated by modifying a Prrxl1 -containing BAC clone. Cre recombination activity was examined in Prrxl1 -CreER T2 ; Rosa26 reporter mice at various embryonic and postnatal stages. Pregnant mice were treated with a single dose of tamoxifen at embryonic day (E) 9.5 or E12.5, and X-gal staining was performed two days later. Strong X-gal staining was observed in the somatosensory ganglia (e.g. dorsal root and trigeminal ganglia), and the first central sites for processing somatosensory information (e.g. spinal dorsal horn and trigeminal nerve-associated nuclei). When tamoxifen was administered at postnatal day (P) 20 or in adulthood (P120), strong Cre recombination activity was present in the primary somatosensory ganglia, while weak Cre recombination activity was found in the spinal dorsal horn, mesencephalic trigeminal nucleus, principal sensory trigeminal nucleus and spinal trigeminal nucleus. This mouse line provides a useful tool for exploring genes' functions in the somatosensory system in a time-controlled way. © 2012 Wiley-Liss, Inc.