Expression profiling of ascorbic acid–related transporters in human and mouse eyes

PURPOSE: Ascorbic acid (AsA) is an important antioxidant in the eye. Ascorbic acid is usually transported by sodium-dependent AsA transporters (SVCTs), and dehydroascorbic acid (DHA) by glucose transporters (GLUTs). This study investigates these AsA-related transporters in human compared with mouse eyes. METHODS: Five pairs of human donor eyes and 15 pairs of mouse eyes were collected. Immunofluorescence and in situ hybridization were performed to detect SVCTs and GLUTs expression in the ciliary epithelium, retina, and lens epithelial cells (LECs). These tissues were isolated with laser microdissection followed by extraction of total RNA. Quantitative PCR (qPCR) was performed to examine the mRNA level of SVCTs and GLUTs in human and mouse ocular tissues. RESULTS: Immunofluorescence and in situ hybridization showed SVCT2 and GLUT1 expression in human ciliary epithelium with varied distributions. Sodium-dependent AsA transporter 2 is expressed only in the pigmented epithelium (PE), and GLUT1 is predominately expressed in the nonpigmented epithelium (NPE). However, SVCT2 was not identified in mouse ciliary epithelium, whereas GLUT1 expressed in both PE and NPE. Laser microdissection and qPCR revealed high levels of SVCT2 mRNA in human RPE cells and murine neural retina. Sodium-dependent AsA transporter 1 mRNA could be detected only in human and murine LECs. Glucose transporter 3 and GLUT4 mRNA could not be detected in either the human or mouse ciliary processes or in the lens epithelium. CONCLUSIONS: These fundamental findings indicate AsA transporter expression in eyes of humans is significantly different compared with mice. This may explain why human aqueous and vitreous humors contain higher AsA levels compared with other animals

Diaqua­bis(1,10-phenanthroline)magnesium dichromate(VI) 1,10-phenanthroline disolvate

In the title compound, [Mg(C12H8N2)2(H2O)2][Cr2O7]·2C12H8N2, the cation and anion are situated on a twofold rotation axis. The MgII ion is coordinated by four N atoms from two 1,10-phenanthroline ligands and two O atoms from coordinated water mol­ecules in a distorted octa­hedral geometry. Inter­molecular O—H⋯N and O—H⋯O hydrogen bonds and π–π inter­actions between the aromatic rings [shortest centroid–centroid separation = 3.527 (2) Å] link the cations, anions and 1,10-phenanthroline solvent mol­ecules into a hydrogen-bonded cluster

Grouping WWW Image Search Results by Novel Inhomogeneous Clustering Method

In this paper, a novel inhomogeneous clustering method is proposed for grouping web images. It is used to re-organize the search result of web image search engines into a hierarchical structure so that the users can conveniently browse the search result. This method takes into account various features associated with web images, and treats them in different ways. For the surrounding text extracted from the containing web pages, co-clustering approach is adopted; for low-level features of the image content and other features, one-way clustering approach is adopted. The clustering results of different approaches are combined together to produce the final image groups. Experimental results demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed method

Simultaneous evolutionary expansion and constraint of genomic heterogeneity in multifocal lung cancer.

Recent genomic analyses have revealed substantial tumor heterogeneity across various cancers. However, it remains unclear whether and how genomic heterogeneity is constrained during tumor evolution. Here, we sequence a unique cohort of multiple synchronous lung cancers (MSLCs) to determine the relative diversity and uniformity of genetic drivers upon identical germline and environmental background. We find that each multicentric primary tumor harbors distinct oncogenic alterations, including novel mutations that are experimentally demonstrated to be functional and therapeutically targetable. However, functional studies show a strikingly constrained tumorigenic pathway underlying heterogeneous genetic variants. These results suggest that although the mutation-specific routes that cells take during oncogenesis are stochastic, genetic trajectories may be constrained by selection for functional convergence on key signaling pathways. Our findings highlight the robust evolutionary pressures that simultaneously shape the expansion and constraint of genomic diversity, a principle that holds important implications for understanding tumor evolution and optimizing therapeutic strategies.Across cancer types tumor heterogeneity has been observed, but how this relates to tumor evolution is unclear. Here, the authors sequence multiple synchronous lung cancers, highlighting the evolutionary pressures that simultaneously shape the expansion and constraint of genomic heterogeneity

Attenuating effect of pretreatment with Yiqifumai on lipopolysaccharide-induced intestine injury and survival rate in rat

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Yiqifumai is a traditional Chinese medicine compound preparation used for treatment of microcirculatory disturbance-related diseases in China. We have previous reported that pretreatment with Yiqifumai could improve the lipopolysaccharide (LPS) -induced microcirculatory disturbance in rat mesentery. The present study intended to investigate the effect of pretreatment with Yiqifumai on intestine injury and survival rate of the rats subjected to LPS challenge.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Male Wistar rats were continuously infused with LPS (5 mg kg^-1body weight h^-1) via the left jugular vein for 90 min. In some rats, Yiqifumai 80 (mg/kg) was administrated through the left jugular vein 10 min before LPS infusion. The mean arterial pressure (MAP), heart rate (HR), rectal temperature (RT), respiratory rate (RR) and survival rate were measured at 24 h, 48 h and 72 h after LPS infusion. At 72 h after exposure to LPS, the intestine morphology was observed under a stereomicroscope and the immunohistochemistry staining of intestine was conducted to evaluate the expression of intercellular adhesion molecule 1 (ICAM-1) and the number of myeloperoxidase (MPO) positive cells in tissue. After observation of intestine microcirculation, blood was collected from the abdominal aorta of each animal to analyze the level of inflammatory markers in plasma, including TNF-α and MCP-1.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Compared to the control, LPS infusion significantly decreased MAP and the survival rate and increased the HR, RT and RR, as well as elicited leukocyte infiltration, intestine hemorrhage, enhanced expression of ICAM-1 and raised level of inflammatory markers. All of indicators, except for the RT, were significantly attenuated by Yiqifumai, in contrast to the LPS group.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>The results demonstrated the potential of pretreatment with Yiqifumai to ameliorate rat intestine injury, inflammatory response to LPS and the decrease in survival rate caused by LPS challenge.</p

A Conceptual E-learning Model of Kinesiology and Perceived Online Courses by College Students

By reviewing the history of e-learning literature, it is not difficulty to observe how successful of elearning courses and programs across the subject matters of science, language, history, and many other scientific oriented courses. However, questions such as “Is e-learning platform suitable for college Kinesiology, Sport Study, Recreation, Physical Education, and Leisure Study?” and “What are the subject matters that students want to take via e-learning?” etc. are still largely unknown questions for many educators. In the information age today, we are experiencing a variety of demands for physical wellness and health education from many sources. How an e-learning educational programming for Kinesiology and health education can be adequately developed to meet such challenges is still one of the widely discussed topics today among educators. This paper describes an e-learning model for Kinesiology based on an international survey result and the taxonomy of Kinesiology

trans-Di-μ-carbonyl-bis­{carbon­yl[η5-2,3,4,5-tetra­methyl-1-(5-methyl-2-fur­yl)cyclo­penta­dien­yl]ruthenium(I)}(Ru—Ru)

In the crystal structure of the title compound, [Ru2(C14H17O)2(CO)4], each RuI atom is connected to one end-on and two bridging carbonyl groups and one cyclo­penta­dienyl ring. The two Ru atoms are connected into binuclear complexes via two bridging carbonyl groups, forming four-membered rings which are located on centres of inversion. The Ru—Ru distance of 2.7483 (11) Å corresponds to a single bond. The two carbonyl groups in these binuclear complexes are trans-oriented

A Lattice Study of (Dˉ1D∗)±(\bar{D}_1 D^{*})^\pm Near-threshold Scattering

In this exploratory lattice study, low-energy near threshold scattering of the $(\bar{D}_1 D^{*})^\pm$ meson system is analyzed using lattice QCD with $N_f=2$ twisted mass fermion configurations. Both s-wave ($J^P=0^-$) and p-wave ($J^P=1^+$) channels are investigated. It is found that the interaction between the two charmed mesons is attractive near the threshold in both channels. This calculation provides some hints in the searching of resonances or bound states around the threshold of $(\bar{D}_1 D^{*})^\pm$ system.Comment: 20 pages, 15 figures, matches the version on PR