Isopropyl 3,4,5-trihy­droxy­benzoate

In the title compound, C10H12O5, the dihedral angle between the benzene ring is almost coplanar with the attached C(O)—O—C group [dihedral angle = 0.32 (15)°]. In the crystal, two intermolecular O—H⋯O hydrogen bonds make R 4 4(26) ring mofits

Y Chromosomes of 40% Chinese Are Descendants of Three Neolithic Super-grandfathers

Demographic change of human populations is one of the central questions for delving into the past of human beings. To identify major population expansions related to male lineages, we sequenced 78 East Asian Y chromosomes at 3.9 Mbp of the non-recombining region (NRY), discovered >4,000 new SNPs, and identified many new clades. The relative divergence dates can be estimated much more precisely using molecular clock. We found that all the Paleolithic divergences were binary; however, three strong star-like Neolithic expansions at ~6 kya (thousand years ago) (assuming a constant substitution rate of 1e-9/bp/year) indicates that ~40% of modern Chinese are patrilineal descendants of only three super-grandfathers at that time. This observation suggests that the main patrilineal expansion in China occurred in the Neolithic Era and might be related to the development of agriculture.Comment: 29 pages of article text including 1 article figure, 9 pages of SI text, and 2 SI figures. 5 SI tables are in a separate ancillary fil

High-speed widefield photoacoustic microscopy of small-animal hemodynamics

Optical-resolution photoacoustic microscopy (OR-PAM) has become a popular tool in small-animal hemodynamic studies. However, previous OR-PAM techniques variously lacked a high imaging speed and/or a large field of view, impeding the study of highly dynamic physiologic and pathophysiologic processes over a large region of interest. Here we report a high-speed OR-PAM system with an ultra-wide field of view, enabled by an innovative water-immersible hexagon-mirror scanner. By driving the hexagon-mirror scanner with a high-precision DC motor, the new OR-PAM has achieved a cross-sectional frame rate of 900 Hz over a 12-mm scanning range, which is 3900 times faster than our previous motor-scanner-based system and 10 times faster than the MEMS-scanner-based system. Using this hexagon-scanner-based OR-PAM system, we have imaged epinephrine-induced vasoconstriction in the whole mouse ear and vascular reperfusion after ischemic stroke in the mouse cortex in vivo, with a high spatial resolution and high volumetric imaging speed. We expect that the hexagon-scanner-based OR-PAM system will become a powerful tool for small animal imaging where the hemodynamic responses over a large field of view are of interest

Life Events and Psychoeducation in Patients with Systemic Sclerosis

ABSTRAC

Characterization of a cryptic plasmid pSM429 and its application for heterologous expression in psychrophilic Pseudoalteromonas

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p><it>Pseudoalteromonas </it>is an important genus widespread in marine environment, and a lot of psychrophilic <it>Pseudoalteromonas </it>strains thrive in deep sea and polar sea. By now, there are only a few genetic systems for <it>Pseudoalteromonas </it>reported and no commercial <it>Pseudoalteromonas </it>genetic system is available, which impedes the study of <it>Pseudoalteromonas</it>, especially for psychrophilic strains. The aim of this study is to develop a heterologous expression system for psychrophilic <it>Pseudoalteromonas</it>.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>A cryptic plasmid pSM429 isolated from psychrophilic <it>Pseudoalteromonas </it>sp. BSi20429 from the Arctic sea ice, was sequenced and characterized. The plasmid pSM429 is 3874 bp in length, with a G+C content of 28%. Four putative open reading frames (ORFs) were identified on pSM429. Based on homology, the ORF4 was predicted to encode a replication initiation (Rep) protein. A shuttle vector (<it>Escherichia coli, Pseudoalteromonas</it>), pWD, was constructed by ligating pSM429 and pUC19 and inserting a chloramphenicol acetyl transferase (CAT) cassette conferring chloramphenicol resistance. To determine the minimal replicon of pSM429 and to check the functionality of identified ORFs, various pWD derivatives were constructed. All derivatives except the two smallest ones were shown to allow replication in <it>Pseudoalteromonas </it>sp. SM20429, a plasmid-cured strain of <it>Pseudoalteromonas </it>sp. BSi20429, suggesting that the <it>orf4 </it>and its flanking intergenic regions are essential for plasmid replication. Although not essential, the sequence including some repeats between <it>orf1 </it>and <it>orf2 </it>plays important roles in segregational stability of the plasmid. With the aid of pWD-derived plasmid pWD2, the erythromycin resistance gene and the <it>cd </it>gene encoding the catalytic domain of a cold-adapted cellulase were successfully expressed in <it>Pseudoalteromonas </it>sp. SM20429.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Plasmid pSM429 was isolated and characterized, and the regions essential for plasmid replication and stability were determined, helping the development of pSM429-based shuttle vectors. The shuttle vectors pWD and its derivatives could be used as cloning vectors for <it>Pseudoalteromonas</it>, offering new perspectives in the genetic manipulation of <it>Pseudoalteromonas </it>strains. With the aid of pWD-derived vector and its host, the erythromycin resistance gene and the <it>cd </it>gene of a cold-adapted protein were successfully expressed, indicating that the potential use of this system for recombinant protein production, especially for cold-adapted proteins.</p

Anti-Food allergic activity of sulfated polysaccharide from Gracilaria lemaneiformisis dependent in immunosuppression and inhibition of p38 MAPK

Polysaccharides from Gracilaria lemaneiformis in particular possess various bioactive functions, but their antiallergic activity remains incompletely defined. Sulfated polysaccharide from Gracilaria lemaneiformis (GLSP) was obtained by water extraction and ethanol precipitation followed by column chromatography. BALB/c mice, RBL-2H3, and KU812 cells were used for verifying the anti food allergic activity of GLSP. According to the results of mice experiment, GLSP was able to alleviate allergy symptoms, to reduce TM-specific IgE and IgG1, to suppress Th2 cell polarization, and to promote the function of regulatory T (Treg) cells. In addition, GLSP had the ability to inhibit the function of RBL-2H3 cells. Furthermore, GLSP inhibited the activation of KU812 via suppression of p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK). In conclusion, immunosuppression as well as the reduction in the level of p38 MAPK may contribute to GLSP’s putative activity against food allergy. GLSP may be used as a functional food component for allergic patients

High-speed widefield photoacoustic microscopy of small-animal hemodynamics

Optical-resolution photoacoustic microscopy (OR-PAM) has become a popular tool in small-animal hemodynamic studies. However, previous OR-PAM techniques variously lacked a high imaging speed and/or a large field of view, impeding the study of highly dynamic physiologic and pathophysiologic processes over a large region of interest. Here we report a high-speed OR-PAM system with an ultra-wide field of view, enabled by an innovative water-immersible hexagon-mirror scanner. By driving the hexagon-mirror scanner with a high-precision DC motor, the new OR-PAM has achieved a cross-sectional frame rate of 900 Hz over a 12-mm scanning range, which is 3900 times faster than our previous motor-scanner-based system and 10 times faster than the MEMS-scanner-based system. Using this hexagon-scanner-based OR-PAM system, we have imaged epinephrine-induced vasoconstriction in the whole mouse ear and vascular reperfusion after ischemic stroke in the mouse cortex in vivo, with a high spatial resolution and high volumetric imaging speed. We expect that the hexagon-scanner-based OR-PAM system will become a powerful tool for small animal imaging where the hemodynamic responses over a large field of view are of interest