Research on concentration and distribution of cadmium in crabs sold in Wenzhou

Objective To investigate the contamination and distribution of cadmium (Cd) in crabs sold in Wenzhou, and instruct consumers to eat healthily. Methods Three crab species were collected from 51 markets in 6 counties and districts of Wenzhou. The content of Cd was determined by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry based on GB 5009.268-2016. Results The detection rate of Cd was 100% in 235 samples. The Cd pollution in Portunus crab increase during 2013, 2015 to 2017. The Cd content of muscle and hepatopancreas in Portunus crab and Scylla serrata was higher than that in Eriocheir sinensis Milne-Edwards (P0.05). The distribution of Cd in Portunus crab was hepatopancreas and gonad> pectoral muscle > leg muscle, there was no significant difference of cadmium content in different parts between female and male crabs (P>0.05). Conclusion Cd was mainly concentrated in hepatopancreas, which was irrelevant to crab species, sex and individual difference. Cd content of Portunus crab and Scylla serrata exceeded the standard seriously, especially in hepatopancreas. People should pay more attention to the Cd pollution of crabs, and reduce the intake of hepatopancreas if necessary

Genome-wide characterization of the auxin response factor (ARF) gene family of litchi (Litchi chinensis Sonn.): phylogenetic analysis, miRNA regulation and expression changes during fruit abscission

Auxin response factors (ARFs) play fundamental roles in modulating various biological processes including fruit development and abscission via regulating the expression of auxin response genes. Currently, little is known about roles of ARFs in litchi (Litchi chinensis Sonn.), an economically important subtropical fruit tree whose production is suffering from fruit abscission. In this study, a genome-wide analysis of ARFs was conducted for litchi, 39 ARF genes (LcARFs) were identified. Conserved domain analysis showed that all the LcARFs identified have the signature B3 DNA-binding (B3) and ARF (Aux_rep) domains, with only 23 members having the dimerization domain (Aux_IAA). The number of exons in LcARF genes ranges from 2 to 16, suggesting a large variation for the gene structure of LcARFs. Phylogenetic analysis showed that the 39 LcARFs could be divided into three main groups: class I, II, and III. In total, 23 LcARFs were found to be potential targets of small RNAs, with three conserved and one novel miRNA-ARF (miRN43-ARF9) regulatory pathways discovered in litchi. Expression patterns were used to evaluate candidate LcARFs involved in various developmental processes, especially in flower formation and organ abscission. The results revealed that most ARF genes likely acted as repressors in litchi fruit abscission, that is, ARF2D/2E, 7A/7B, 9A/9B, 16A/16B, while a few LcARFs, such as LcARF5A/B, might be positively involved in this process. These findings provide useful information and resources for further studies on the roles of ARF genes in litchi growth and development, especially in the process of fruit abscission

Sensitizing Leukemia Stem Cells to NF-κB Inhibitor Treatment in Vivo by Inactivation of Both TNF and IL-1 Signaling

We previously reported that autocrine TNF-α (TNF) is responsible for JNK pathway activation in a subset of acute myeloid leukemia (AML) patient samples, providing a survival/proliferation signaling parallel to NF-κB in AML stem cells (LSCs). In this study, we report that most TNF-expressing AML cells (LCs) also express another pro-inflammatory cytokine, IL1β, which acts in a parallel manner. TNF was produced primarily by LSCs and leukemic progenitors (LPs), whereas IL1β was mainly produced by partially differentiated leukemic blasts (LBs). IL1β also stimulates an NF-κB-independent pro-survival and proliferation signal through activation of the JNK pathway. We determined that co-inhibition of signaling stimulated by both TNF and IL1β synergizes with NF-κB inhibition in eliminating LSCs both ex vivo and in vivo. Our studies show that such treatments are most effective in M4/5 subtypes of AML

Comprehensive characterization of ERV-K (HML-8) in the chimpanzee genome revealed less genomic activity than humans

Endogenous retroviruses (ERVs) originate from ancestral germline infections caused by exogenous retroviruses. Throughout evolution, they have become fixed within the genome of the animals into which they were integrated. As ERV elements coevolve with the host, they are normally epigenetically silenced and can become upregulated in a series of physiological and pathological processes. Generally, a detailed ERV profile in the host genome is critical for understanding the evolutionary history and functional performance of the host genome. We previously characterized and cataloged all the ERV-K subtype HML-8 loci in the human genome; however, this has not been done for the chimpanzee, the nearest living relative of humans. In this study, we aimed to catalog and characterize the integration of HML-8 in the chimpanzee genome and compare it with the integration of HML-8 in the human genome. We analyzed the integration of HML-8 and found that HML-8 pervasively invaded the chimpanzee genome. A total of 76 proviral elements were characterized on 23/24 chromosomes, including detailed elements distribution, structure, phylogeny, integration time, and their potential to regulate adjacent genes. The incomplete structure of HML-8 proviral LTRs will undoubtedly affect their activity. Moreover, the results indicated that HML-8 integration occurred before the divergence between humans and chimpanzees. Furthermore, chimpanzees include more HML-8 proviral elements (76 vs. 40) and fewer solo long terminal repeats (LTR) (0 vs. 5) than humans. These results suggested that chimpanzee genome activity is less than the human genome and that humans may have a better ability to shape and screen integrated proviral elements. Our work is informative in both an evolutionary and a functional context for ERVs

Influence of Nano Titanium Dioxide and Clove Oil on Chitosan–Starch Film Characteristics

The combined effects of nano titanium dioxide (TiO2-N) and clove oil (CO) on the physico-chemical, biological and structural properties of chitosan (CH)/starch (ST) films were investigated by using a solvent casting method. Results indicated that the incorporation of TiO2-N could improve the compactness of the film, increase the tensile strength (TS) and antioxidant activity, and decrease the water vapour permeability (WVP). As may be expected, the incorporation of CO into the film matrix decreased TS but increased the hydrophobicity as well as water vapour barrier antimicrobial and antioxidant properties. Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) data supported intermolecular interactions between TiO2-N, CO and the film matrix. Use of a scanning electron microscope (SEM) showed that TiO2-N and CO were well dispersed and emulsified in the film network. Thermogravimetric (TG) and derivative thermogravimetric (DTG) curves demonstrated that TiO2-N and CO were well embedded in the film matrix, hence this blend film system could provide new formulation options for food packaging materials in the future

Preparation of Bentonite/Chitosan Composite for Bleaching of Deteriorating Transformer Oil

A novel adsorbent containing chitosan (CS) and bentonite (BT) was developed by mixing, drying, and calcining, and used as an adsorbent for the efficient bleaching of deteriorating transformer oil. The effects of calcination temperature, dosage of CS, adsorbent content, adsorption temperature, and adsorption time on the bleaching capacity of transformer oil were investigated. The structure of the adsorbent was also investigated by Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive X-ray analysis (EDX), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and N2 adsorption-desorption isotherm techniques. The results showed that there was only physical interaction between CS and BT; CS did transform to carbon (C) and covered the surface of BT. The specific surface area and micropore volume of the adsorbent were affected by the calcination process. The composite adsorbent offered an excellent bleaching performance. When the calcination temperature was 300 °C and dosage of CS was 5%, the composite adsorbent had the optimum bleaching properties. When the composite adsorbent content was 4%, the adsorption temperature was 50 °C and the adsorption time was 75 min, the colour number and transmittance of the deteriorating transformer oil decreased from no. 10 to no. 1 and increased from 70.1% to 99.5%, respectively

The Application of Heptamethine Cyanine Dye DZ-1 and Indocyanine Green for Imaging and Targeting in Xenograft Models of Hepatocellular Carcinoma

Near infrared fluorescence (NIRF) imaging has strong potential for widespread use in noninvasive tumor imaging. Indocyanine green (ICG) is the only Food and Drug Administration (FDA) -approved NIRF dye for clinical diagnosis; however, it is unstable and poorly targets tumors. DZ-1 is a novel heptamethine cyanine NIRF dye, suitable for imaging and tumor targeting. Here, we compared the fluorescence intensity and metabolism of DZ-1 and ICG. Additionally, we assayed their specificities and abilities to target tumor cells, using cultured hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) cell lines, a nude mouse subcutaneous xenograft model of liver cancer, and a rabbit orthotopic transplantation model. We found that DZ-1 accumulates in tumor tissue and specifically recognizes HCC in subcutaneous and orthotopic models. The NIRF intensity of DZ-1 was one order of magnitude stronger than that of ICG, and DZ-1 showed excellent intraoperative tumor targeting in the rabbit model. Importantly, ICG accumulated at tumor sites, as well as in the liver and kidney. Furthermore, DZ-1 analog-gemcitabine conjugate (NIRG) exhibited similar tumor-specific targeting and imaging properties, including inhibition of tumor growth, in HCC patient-derived xenograft (PDX) mice. DZ-1 and NIRG demonstrated superior tumor-targeting specificity, compared to ICG. We show that DZ-1 is an effective molecular probe for specific imaging, targeting, and therapy in HCC

Associations of the APOB rs693 and rs17240441 polymorphisms with plasma APOB and lipid levels: a meta-analysis

Abstract Background The associations of the apolipoprotein B gene (APOB) rs693 and rs17240441 polymorphisms with plasma levels of APOB and lipids have been widely explored, but the results were inconclusive. This meta-analysis aimed to clarify the associations of the rs693 and rs17240441 polymorphisms with fasting APOB and lipid levels. Methods Sixty-one studies (50,018 subjects) and 23 studies (8425 subjects) were respectively identified for the rs693 and rs17240441 polymorphisms by searching in PubMed, Google Scholar, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, Wanfang, VIP and CNKI databases. The following information was collected for each study: first author, age, gender, ethnicity, health condition, sample size, genotyping, lipid assay method, mean and standard deviation or standard error of APOB and lipid variables by genotypes. A dominant model was used for this meta-analysis. Results The carriers of the rs693 variant allele (T) had higher levels of APOB [standardized mean difference (SMD) = 0.26, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.16–0.36, P < 0.01], triglycerides (TG) (SMD = 0.12, 95% CI = 0.05–0.20, P < 0.01), total cholesterol (TC) (SMD = 0.24, 95% CI = 0.17–0.30, P < 0.01) and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) (SMD = 0.22, 95% CI = 0.14–0.30, P < 0.01), and lower levels of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) (SMD = −0.06, 95% CI = −0.11–0.01, P = 0.01) than the non-carriers. The carriers of the rs17240441 deletion allele had higher levels of APOB (SMD = 0.13, 95% CI = 0.06–0.20, P < 0.01), TC (SMD = 0.17, 95% CI = 0.07–0.26, P < 0.01) and LDL-C (SMD = 0.15, 95% CI = 0.07–0.23, P < 0.01) than the non-carriers. Conclusions The rs693 polymorphism is significantly associated with higher levels of APOB, TG, TC and LDL-C, and lower levels of HDL-C. The rs17240441 polymorphism is significantly associated with higher levels of APOB, TC and LDL-C. Further studies are needed to elucidate the underlying mechanisms