Detection of femtomolar level osteosarcoma-related gene via a chronocoulometric DNA biosensor based on nanostructure gold electrode

In this paper, a sensitive chronocoulometric deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) biosensor based on a nanostructure gold electrode was fabricated for detection of the femtomolar level survivin gene which was correlated with osteosarcoma by using hexaamine-ruthenium III complexes, [Ru(NH3)6]3+, as the electrochemical indicator. The effect of different frequencies on the real surface area of the nanostructure gold electrode obtained by repetitive square-wave oxidation reduction cycle was investigated. At the optimal frequency of 8000 Hz, the real surface of the developed nanostructure gold electrode was about 42.5 times compared with that of the bare planar gold electrode. The capture probe DNA was immobilized on the nanostructure gold electrode and hybridized with target DNA. Electrochemical signals of hexaamine-ruthenium III bound to the anionic phosphate of DNA strands via electrostatic interactions were measured by chronocoulometry before and after hybridization. The increase of the charges of hexaamine-ruthenium III was observed upon hybridization of the probe with target DNA. Results indicate that this DNA biosensor could detect the femtomole (fM) concentration of the DNA target quantitatively in the range of 50 fM to 250 fM; the detection limit of this DNA biosensor was 5.6 fM (signal to noise = 3). This new biosensor exhibits excellent sensitivity and selectivity and has been used for an assay of polymerase chain reaction (PCR) with a satisfactory result

Numerical Modeling of Mineralizing Processes During the Formation of the Yangzhuang Kiruna-Type Iron Deposit, Middle and Lower Yangtze River Metallogenic Belt, China: Implications for the Genesis and Longevity of Kiruna-Type Iron Oxide-Apatite Systems

The Yangzhuang iron deposit is a Kiruna-type iron oxide-apatite (IOA) deposit within the Ningwu mining district of the Middle and Lower Yangtze River Metallogenic Belt (MLYRMB), China. This study applies a numerical modeling approach to identify the key processes associated with the formation of the deposit that cannot be easily identified using traditional analytical approaches, including the duration of the mineralizing process and the genesis of iron orebodies within intrusions associated with the deposit. This approach highlights the practical value of numerical modeling in quantitatively analyzing mineralizing processes during the formation of mineral deposits and assesses how these methods can be used in future geological research. Our numerical model links heat transfer, pressure, fluid flow, chemical reactions, and the movement of ore-forming material. Results show that temperature anomaly and structure (occurrence of the contact of intrusion and the Triassic Xujiashan group) are two key factors controlling the formation of the Yangzhuang deposit. This modeling also indicates that the formation of the Yangzhuang deposit only took some 8000 years, a reaction that is likely to be controlled by temperature and diffusion rates within the system. The dynamic changes of temperature and the distribution of mineralization also indicate that the orebodies located inside the intrusions most likely formed after magma ascent rather than representing blocks of existing mineralization that descended into the magma as a result of stoping or other similar processes. All these data form the basis for future research into the forming processes of Kiruna-type IOA systems as well as magmatic–hydrothermal systems more broadly, including providing useful insights for future exploration for these systems. The simulation approach used in this study has several limitations, such as oversimplified chemical reactions, uncertainty of pre-metallogenic conditions and limitation of 2D model. Future development into both theories and methods will definitely improve the practical significance of numerical simulation of ore-forming processes and provide quantitative results for more geological issues

Evaluation of LOXL1 polymorphisms in exfoliation syndrome in a Chinese population

Purpose: To evaluate the association profiles of the lysyl oxidase-like 1 (LOXL1) gene polymorphisms with exfoliation syndrome in a Chinese population. Methods: Fifty unrelated patients with exfoliation syndrome and 125 control subjects were included. Genotypes of the three single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of LOXL1 (rs1048661, rs3825942, and rs2165241) were analyzed by direct sequencing, and a case-control association study was performed. Results: The three SNPs were significantly associated with exfoliation syndrome (XFS) and exfoliation glaucoma (XFG) individually. After controlling for rs3825942 and rs2165241, the association between rs1048661 and XFS/XFG remained significant (p=3.6x10(-7)). At this SNP, the T allele and TT genotype conferred a 7.59-(95% confidence interval [CI]: 3.87-14.89, p=6.95x10(-11)) and 8.69-(95% CI: 4.15-18.20, p<1.00x10(-7)) fold increased risk to the disease. The alleles of T at rs1048661 and C at rs2165241 were found to be risk alleles in Chinese subjects, which were opposite to Caucasian individuals. The haplotypes T-G, defined by SNPs rs1048661 and rs3825942, and T-C by SNPs rs1048661 and rs2165241, were also significantly associated with the disorder. However when the genotypic or allelic frequencies of the three SNPs were compared between XFS and XFG, no significant difference was detected. Conclusions: LOXL1 is a susceptibility gene of XFS/XFG in the Chinese population, and the association is mainly attributed to SNP rs1048661. The risk alleles of rs1048661 and rs2165241 in Chinese subjects were found to be opposite to that of Caucasians. The genotypic and allelic distributions of these SNPs are similar between XFS and XFG.Biochemistry & Molecular BiologyOphthalmologySCI(E)30ARTICLE250-522349-23571

Effect of Methyl Jasmonate Combined with Calcium Chloride Treatment on Storage Quality of Dictyophora rubrovalvata

The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of combined treatment of methyl jasmonate and calcium chloride on storage quality of Dictyophora rubrovalvata. The Dictyophora rubrovalvata was used as the experimental material in this experiment, and the effects of different dealing methods (preharvest distilled water spray treatments mark CK, preharvest 3% calcium chloride spray (S1), preharvest 0.3 mmol/L methyl jasmonate spray (S2), preharvest 0.3 mmol/L methyl jasmonate+3% calcium chloride spray (S3)) on the storage quality of Dictyophora rubrovalvata at (1±0.5) ℃ were studied. The results showed that compared with CK group, the different treatment groups could inhibit the increase of weight loss rate and respiratory intensity, reduce the Dictyophora rubrovalvata shearing force, malondialdehyde content, maintain the free amino acid content, protein content, polysaccharide content and flavone content, and maintain the SOD, CAT and POD activity of the Dictyophora rubrovalvata. At 12 d of storage, the decay rate of Dictyophora rubrovalvata in CK, S1, S2 and S3 groups was 32.56%, 28.32%, 19.85% and 14.64%, and the weight loss rate was 5.62%, 3.89%, 2.89% and 2.21%. In general, methyl jasmonate combined with calcium chloride could significantly delay the deterioration process of Dictyophora rubrovalvata and the decline of its storage quality. Therefore the combination of spraying methyl jasmonate combined with calcium chloride before picking had the best fresh-keeping effect, which could maintain the storage effect of Dictyophora rubrovalvata. This study can provide theoretical reference and technical support for the preservation of Dictyophora rubrovalvata

Mycobacterium tuberculosis Rv1987 protein attenuates inflammatory response and consequently alters microbiota in mouse lung

IntroductionHealthy lung microbiota plays an important role in preventing Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) infections by activating immune cells and stimulating production of T-helper cell type 1 cytokines. The dynamic stability of lung microbiota relies mostly on lung homeostasis. In our previous studies, we found that Mtb virulence factor, Rv1987 protein, can mediate host immune response and enhance mycobacterial survival in host lung. However, the alteration of lung microbiota and the contribution of lung microbiota dysbiosis to mycobacterial evasion in this process are not clear so far.MethodsM. smegmatis which does not contain the ortholog of Rv1987 protein was selected as a model strain to study the effects of Rv1987 on host lung microbiota. The lung microbiota, immune state and metabolites of mice infected by M. smegmatis overexpressing Rv1987 protein (MS1987) were detected and analyzed.ResultsThe results showed that Rv1987 inhibited inflammatory response in mouse lung and anaerobic bacteria and Proteobacteria, Bacteroidota, Actinobacteriota and Acidobacteriota bacteria were enriched in the lung tissues correspondingly. The immune alterations and microbiota dysbiosis affected host metabolic profiles, and some of significantly altered bacteria in MS1987-infected mouse lung, such as Delftia acidovorans, Ralstonia pickettii and Escherichia coli, led to anti-inflammatory responses in mouse lung. The secretory metabolites of these altered bacteria also influenced mycobacterial growth and biofilm formation directly.ConclusionAll these results suggested that Rv1987 can attenuate inflammatory response and alter microbiota in the lung, which in turn facilitates mycobacterial survival in the host

Aberrant Cerebral Activity in Early Postmenopausal Women: A Resting-State Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging Study

Background: Early postmenopausal women frequently suffer from cognitive impairments and emotional disorders, such as lack of attention, poor memory, deficits in executive function and depression. However, the underlying mechanisms of these impairments remain unclear.Method: Forty-three early postmenopausal women and forty-four age-matched premenopausal controls underwent serum sex hormone analysis, neuropsychological testing and resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI). Degree centrality (DC) analysis was performed to confirm the peak points of the functionally abnormal brain areas as the centers of the seeds. Subsequently, the functional connectivity (FC) between these abnormal seeds and other voxels across the whole brain was calculated. Finally, the sex hormone levels, neuroimaging indices and neuropsychological data were combined to detect potential correlations.Results: Compared with the premenopausal controls, the early postmenopausal women exhibited significantly higher serum follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) levels, more severe climacteric and depressive symptoms, worse sleep quality and more extensive cognitive impairments. Concurrently, the neuroimaging results showed elevated DC values in the left amygdala (AMYG.L), reduced DC values in the left middle occipital gyrus (MOG.L) and right middle occipital gyrus (MOG.R). When we used the AMYG.L as the seed point, FC with the left insula (INS.L), bilateral prefrontal cortex (PFC) and right superior frontal gyrus (SFG.R) was increased; these regions are related to depressive states, poor sleep quality and decreased executive function. When bilateral MOG were used as the seed points, FC with left inferior parietal gyrus (IPG.L), this area closely associated with impaired memory, was decreased.Conclusion: These results illuminated the regional and network-level brain dysfunction in early postmenopausal women, which might provide information on the underlying mechanisms of the different cognitive impairments and emotional alterations observed in this group

LncRNA DANCR restrained the survival of mycobacterium tuberculosis H37Ra by sponging miR-1301-3p/miR-5194

Tuberculosis is a worldwide contagion caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB). MTB is characterized by intracellular parasitism and is semi-dormant inside host cells. The persistent inflammation caused by MTB can form a granuloma in lesion regions and intensify the latency of bacteria. In recent years, several studies have proven that long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) play critical roles in modulating autophagy. In our study, the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) databases were searched for lncRNAs that are associated with tuberculosis. We found that lncRNA differentiation antagonizing non-protein coding RNA (DANCR) increased in the peripheral blood samples collected from 54 pulmonary tuberculosis patients compared to 23 healthy donors. By constructing DANCR overexpression cells, we analyzed the possible cellular function of DANCR. After analyzing our experiments, it was found that the data revealed that upregulation of DANCR facilitated the expression of signal transducer and activator of transcription 3, autophagy-related 4D cysteine peptides, autophagy-related 5, Ras homolog enriched in the brain, and microtubule-associated protein 1A/1B light chain 3 (STAT3, ATG4D, ATG5, RHEB, and LC3, respectively) by sponging miR-1301-3p and miR-5194. Immunofluorescence analysis indicated that DANCR played a positive role in both autophagosome formation and fusion of autolysosomes in macrophages. The colony-forming unit (CFU) assay data also showed that the cells overexpressing DANCR were more efficient in eliminating the intracellular H37Ra strain. Consequently, these data suggest that DANCR restrained intracellular survival of M. tuberculosis by promoting autophagy via miR-1301-3p and miR-5194

Aberrant Brain Function in Active-Stage Ulcerative Colitis Patients: A Resting-State Functional MRI Study

Background: Patients with ulcerative colitis (UC) usually display cognitive impairments, such as memory loss, attention deficits, and declining executive functions, particularly during the active stage of the disease. However, the potential neurological mechanisms of these symptoms remain unclear.Method: Forty-one patients with mildly to moderately active UC, as well as 42 matched healthy controls, were recruited for an examination using psychological scales, cognitive function tests and resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI). Seed points were identified via analysis of amplitude of low-frequency fluctuation (ALFF), and functional connectivity (FC) was calculated between these seed regions and other voxels in the whole brain. Correlation analyses were performed among clinical indexes, neuropsychological assessments and neuroimaging data.Result: Compared with the healthy controls, patients with UC exhibited lower ALFF values in the bilateral hippocampal/parahippocampal (HIPP/ParaHIPP) region and higher ALFF values in the left posterior cingulate cortex (PCC.L) and left middle frontal gyrus (MFG.L). With HIPP/ParaHIPP as the seed point, the strengths of the FC in the bilateral middle frontal gyri (MFG), anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), and left caudate nucleus (CAU.L) increased; using the PCC.L as the seed point, the strengths of the FC in the middle cingulate cortex (MCC) and the left angular gyrus (AUG.L) increased. These abnormal brain regions were mainly located in the limbic system. By analyzing the correlations between these brain regions and behavioral data, we observed a close correlation between decreased HIPP/ParaHIPP activity and memory loss; increased PCC activity and strength of FC with the AUG.L were related to dysfunction of executive function and attention network in patients with UC.Conclusion: Based on these results, the limbic lobe might be the core of the brain-gut axis (BGA) and play an important role in cognitive impairments, suggesting potential mechanisms for cognitive impairment in patients with UC in the active stage of the disease

Study on the preparation process of quinoa anti-hypertensive peptide and its stability

Quinoa seeds are a food resource rich in protein, vitamins, minerals, and other functional components such as polyphenols, polysaccharides, and saponins. The seeds have become favored by modern consumers due to being gluten-free and featuring a high protein content. This study focused on the preparation of quinoa peptides by short-time enzymatic-assisted fermentation. Quinoa flour (QF) was mixed with water in a certain ratio before being enzymatically digested with 0.5% amylase and 0.1% lipase for 6 h. Then, 16 bacterial taxa were used for fermentation, respectively. The peptide content in the resulting fermentation broths were determined by the biuret method. The dominant taxon was then identified and the peptide content, amino acid distribution, and molecular weight distribution of the prepared quinoa peptides were analyzed. Further, the temperature, pH, metal ions, organic solvents, ion concentration, and anti-enzyme stability of the quinoa anti-hypertensive peptides of different molecular weights after fermentation with the dominant taxon were investigated. Finally, the inhibitory activity of fermented quinoa peptides on bacteria was studied. The results show that the peptide content of the fermentation broth reached 58.72 ± 1.3% at 40 h of fermentation with Lactobacillus paracasei and the molecular weights of the hydrolyzed quinoa peptides were mainly distributed below 2 kDa by polyacrylamide gel. The Angiotensin Converting Enzyme (ACE) inhibition and peptide retention of the 0–3 kDa quinoa peptides were screened to be high and stable. At the same time, the inhibitory activity of quinoa peptide after fermentation on E. coli was obvious. This study provides a theoretical basis for further research on quinoa peptide and its application in industrial production, and also lays a foundation for the later application of polypeptides in new food and chemical products