Low-Dose Exposure to Bisphenol A in Early Life

Bisphenol A (BPA) has lower estrogenic potency than 17b-estadiol. The reference dose of BPA is defined as 50 ug/kg bw/day by the Environmental Protection Agency. The lower doses of BPA than no observable effect level are considered safe. However, early life exposure to low-dose BPA may increase the risk of developing adult onset disease. The harmful effects caused by low-dose BPA in fetus and newborns can transmit to third or fourth generations. The suggested mechanism of transgeneration is epigenetic changes. In addition, simultaneous exposure to various chemicals can induce combined effects. Low-dose effects of BPA are ongoing controversy because the animal test results will be the same in humans. Epidemiologic evidences are needed to provide the human health effects from exposure to low dose of BPA

Progress in Understanding and Sequencing the Genome of Brassica rapa

Brassica rapa, which is closely related to Arabidopsis thaliana, is an important crop and a model plant for studying genome evolution via polyploidization. We report the current understanding of the genome structure of B. rapa and efforts for the whole-genome sequencing of the species. The tribe Brassicaceae, which comprises ca. 240 species, descended from a common hexaploid ancestor with a basic genome similar to that of Arabidopsis. Chromosome rearrangements, including fusions and/or fissions, resulted in the present-day “diploid” Brassica species with variation in chromosome number and phenotype. Triplicated genomic segments of B. rapa are collinear to those of A. thaliana with InDels. The genome triplication has led to an approximately 1.7-fold increase in the B. rapa gene number compared to that of A. thaliana. Repetitive DNA of B. rapa has also been extensively amplified and has diverged from that of A. thaliana. For its whole-genome sequencing, the Brassica rapa Genome Sequencing Project (BrGSP) consortium has developed suitable genomic resources and constructed genetic and physical maps. Ten chromosomes of B. rapa are being allocated to BrGSP consortium participants, and each chromosome will be sequenced by a BAC-by-BAC approach. Genome sequencing of B. rapa will offer a new perspective for plant biology and evolution in the context of polyploidization

Prediction of Adult Emergence Time and Generation Number of Overwintered Small Brown Planthopper, Laodelphax striatellus According to RCP8.5 Climate Change Scenario

ABSTRACT: Recently, climate change scenarios were substituted by the Special Report on Emission Scenarios (SRES) for Representative Concentration Pathway (RCP). Using the RCP scenario, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) produced new climate change scenarios. Further, the National Institute of Meteorological Research (NIMR) of Korea produced new climate change scenarios for the Korean Peninsula. In this study, emergence time of small brown planthopper (SBPH), Laodelphax striatellus and the number of generations a year were estimated during climatic normal year with previous studies and they were predicted during 2050s (2045-2054) and 2090s (2085-2094) by means of RCP8.5 climate change scenario. In comparison with 176.0±0.97 Julian data in the climatic normal year, the emergence time of overwintering SBPH was predicted to be 13.2±0.18 days (162.8±0.91 Julian date) earlier in 2050s and 32.1±0.61 days (143.9±1.08 Julian date) earlier in 2090s. The SBPH was expected to produce an additional 2.0±0.02 generations in 2050s and 5.2±0.06 generations in 2090s

Site-directed mutagenesis of the amino acid residues in β-strand III [Val30-Val36] of d-amino acid aminotransferase of Bacillus sp. YM-1

AbstractThe β-strand III formed by amino acid residues Val30-Val36 is located across the active site of the thermostable d-amino acid aminotransferase (d-AAT) from thermophilic Bacillus sp. YM-1, and the odd-numbered amino acids (Tyr31, Val33, Lys35) in the strand are revealed to be directed toward the active site. Interestingly, Glu32 is also directed toward the active site. We first investigated the involvement of these amino acid residues in catalysis by alanine scanning mutagenesis. The Y31A and E32A mutant enzymes showed a marked decrease in kcat value, retaining less than 1% of the wild-type enzyme activity. The kcat values of V33A and K35A were changed slightly, but the Km of K35A for α-ketoglutarate was increased to 35.6 mM, compared to the Km value of 2.5 mM for the wild-type enzyme. These results suggested that the positive charge at Lys35 interacted electrostatically with the negative charge at the side chain of α-ketoglutarate. Site-directed mutagenesis of the Glu32 residue was conducted to demonstrate the role of this residue in detail. From the kinetic and spectral characteristics of the Glu32-substituted enzymes, the Glu32 residue seemed to interact with the positive charge at the Schiff base formed between the aldehyde group of pyridoxal 5′-phosphate (PLP) and the ε-amino group of the Lys145 residue

Transparent actuator made with few layer graphene electrode and dielectric elastomer, for variable focus lens

A transparent dielectric elastomer actuator driven by few-layer-graphene (FLG) electrode was experimentally investigated. The electrodes were made of graphene, which was dispersed inN-methyl-pyrrolidone. The transparent actuator was fabricated from developed FLG electrodes.The FLG electrode with its sheet resistance of 0.45 kΩ/sq (80 nm thick) was implemented to mask silicone elastomer. The developed FLG-driven actuator exhibited an optical transparency of over 57% at a wavenumber of 600 nm and produced bending displacement performance ranging from 29 to 946 μm as functions of frequency and voltage. The focus variation was clearly demonstrated under actuation to study its application-feasibility in variable focus lens and various opto-electro-mechanical devices

Percutaneous placement of self-expandable metallic stents in patients with obstructive jaundice secondary to metastatic gastric cancer after gastrectomy

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the outcomes of patients undergoing percutaneous placements of a biliary stent for obstructive jaundice secondary to metastatic gastric cancer after gastrectomy. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Fifty patients (mean age, 62.4 years; range, 27-86 years) who underwent percutaneous placements of a biliary stent for obstructive jaundice secondary to metastatic gastric cancer after gastrectomy were included. The technical success rate, clinical success rate, complication rate, stent patency, patient survival and factors associated with stent patency were being evaluated. RESULTS: The median interval between the gastrectomy and stent placement was 23.1 months (range, 3.9-94.6 months). The 50 patients received a total of 65 stents without any major procedure-related complications. Technical success was achieved in all patients. The mean total serum bilirubin level, which had been 7.19 mg/dL ± 6.8 before stent insertion, decreased to 4.58 mg/dL ± 5.4 during the first week of follow-up (p < 0.001). Clinical success was achieved in 42 patients (84%). Percutaneous transhepatic biliary drainage catheters were removed from 45 patients (90%). Infectious complications were noted in two patients (4%), and stent malfunction occurred in seven patients (14%). The median stent patency was 233 ± 99 days, and the median patient survival was 179 ± 83 days. Total serum bilirubin level after stenting was an independent factor for stent patency (p = 0.009). CONCLUSION: Percutaneous transhepatic placement of a biliary stent for obstructive jaundice secondary to metastatic gastric cancer after gastrectomy is a technically feasible and clinically effective palliative procedure

Studies on the Anti-Oxidative Function of trans-Cinnamaldehyde-Included β-Cyclodextrin Complex

trans-Cinnamaldehyde (tCIN), an active compound found in cinnamon, is well known for its antioxidant, anticancer, and anti-inflammatory activities. The β-cyclodextrin (β-CD) oligomer has been used for a variety of applications in nanotechnology, including pharmaceutical and cosmetic applications. Here, we aimed to evaluate the anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects of tCIN self-included in β-CD complexes (CIs) in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-treated murine RAW 264.7 macrophages. RAW 264.7 macrophages were treated with increasing concentrations of β-CD, tCIN, or CIs for different times. β-CD alone did not affect the production of nitric oxide (NO) or reactive oxygen species (ROS). However, both tCIN and CI significantly reduced NO and ROS production. Thus, CIs may have strong anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects, similar to those of tCIN when used alone