Ethyl 2-isopropyl­amino-5-methyl-4-oxo-3-phenyl-3,4-dihydro­thieno[2,3-d]pyrimidine-6-carboxyl­ate

The title compound, C19H21N3O3S, was synthesized via an aza-Wittig reaction of a functionalized imino­phospho­rane with phenyl isocyanate under mild conditions. In the mol­ecule, the fused thienopyrimidine ring system makes a dihedral angle of 66.30 (11)° with the phenyl ring. An intra­molecular C—H⋯O hydrogen bond occurs. The terminal –OCH2CH3 group is disordered over two sites with refined occupancies of 0.537 (13) and 0.463 (13). The crystal packing is stabilized by inter­molecular C—H⋯O and N—H⋯O hydrogen bonds

Genetic variations of the porcine PRKAG3 gene in Chinese indigenous pig breeds

Four missense substitutions (T30N, G52S, V199I and R200Q) in the porcine PRKAG3 gene were considered as the likely candidate loci affecting meat quality. In this study, the R200Q substitution was investigated in a sample of 62 individuals from Hampshire, Chinese Min and Erhualian pigs, and the genetic variations of T30N, G52S and V199I substitutions were detected in 1505 individuals from 21 Chinese indigenous breeds, 5 Western commercial pig breeds, and the wild pig. Allele 200R was fixed in Chinese Min and Erhualian pigs. Haplotypes II-QQ and IV-QQ were not observed in the Hampshire population, supporting the hypothesis that allele 200Q is tightly linked with allele 199V. Significant differences in allele frequencies of the three substitutions (T30N, G52S and V199I) between Chinese indigenous pigs and Western commercial pigs were observed. Obvious high frequencies of the "favorable" alleles 30T and 52G in terms of meat quality were detected in Chinese indigenous pigs, which are well known for high meat quality. However, the frequency of the "favorable" allele 199I, which was reported to have a greater effect on meat quality in comparison with 30T and 52G, was very low in all of the Chinese indigenous pigs except for the Min pig. The reasons accounting for this discrepancy remain to be addressed. The presence of the three substitutions in purebred Chinese Tibetan pigs indicates that the three substitutions were ancestral mutations. A novel A/G substitution at position 51 in exon 1 was identified. The results suggest that further studies are required to investigate the associations of these substitutions in the PRKAG3 gene with meat quality of Chinese indigenous pigs, and to uncover other polymorphisms in the PRKAG3 gene with potential effects on meat quality in Chinese indigenous pigs

Plant regeneration via somatic embryogenesis from root explants of Hevea brasiliensis

A system for induction of callus and plant regeneration via somatic embryogenesis from root explants of Hevea brasiliensis Muell. Arg. clone Reyan 87-6-62 was evaluated. The influence of plant growth regulators (PGRs) including 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D), 6-benzylaminopurine (6-BA) and kinetin (KT) on callus induction of root explants from in vitro plantlets were studied. The results showed that the highest induction frequency of embryogenic callus emerged on Murashige and Skoog (MS) medium supplemented with 1 mg/l KT, 0.2 mg/l 6-BA without 2,4-D. Mean of 4 somatic embryos per embryogenic callus were obtained and approximately 11.8% of them developed into plantlets. The regenerated plantlets were successfully  transplanted to sand bed. The plant regeneration system established in this study will facilitate mass propagation and may be applied to culture the roots of high-yielding rubber trees.Key words: Hevea brasiliensis Muell. Arg., root explants, callus, somatic embryogenesis, regeneration

Household Transmission of Pandemic (H1N1) 2009 Virus, Taiwan

During August–November 2009, to investigate disease transmission within households in Taiwan, we recruited 87 pandemic (H1N1) 2009 patients and their household members. Overall, pandemic (H1N1) 2009 virus was transmitted to 60 (27%) of 223 household contacts. Transmission was 4× higher to children than to adults (61% vs. 15%; p<0.001)

Octa­aqua­bis(μ2-1H-pyrazole-3,5-di­carboxyl­ato)tricopper(II) tetra­hydrate

In the trinucler CuII complex mol­ecule of the title compound, [Cu3(C5HN2O4)2(H2O)8]·4H2O, the central CuII atom is located on an inversion centre and is coordinated in a distorted octa­hedral geometry. The equatorial sites are occupied by two N and two O atoms from two pyrazole-3,5-dicarboxyl­ate ligands and the axial positions are occupied by two water mol­ecules. The two other symmetry-related CuII atoms are penta­coordinated and assume a square-pyramidal geometry. In the crystal structure, coordinated and uncoordinated water mol­ecules and carboxyl­ate O atoms are linked by O—H⋯O hydrogen bonds

Early Triassic microbialites from the Changxing Region of Zhejiang Province, South China

© 2019, The Author(s). Microbialites, often considered as a signal of extreme marine environment, are common in the Lower Triassic strata of South China where they flourished in the aftermath of the end-Permian mass extinction. Early Triassic microbialite facies are known to vary palaeogeographically, perhaps due to differing climates, ocean chemistry, and water depths. This paper provides the first record of a brief, but spectacular development of microbialites in the aftermath of the end-Permian mass extinction at Panjiazhuang section, Changxing Region of Zhejiang Province (eastern South China). Here, the Upper Permian Changxing Formation comprises typical shallow platform facies rich in calcareous algae and foraminifera, the development of which was terminated by the major end-Permian regression. A 3.4-m-thick microbialite began to form at the onset of the transgression in the earliest Triassic. The microbialite at Panjiazhuang section is composed of thrombolite that contains abundant calcified cyanobacteria, small gastropods, microconchid tubes and ostracods, representing a low-diversity shallow marine community in the aftermath of the end-Permian crisis. The microbialites are succeeded by thin-bedded micrites bearing thin-shelled bivalves, which record a rapid sea-level rise in the Early Triassic. Abundant populations of small pyrite framboids are observed in the upper part of the microbialites and the overlying thin-bedded micrites, suggesting that dysoxic water conditions developed at that time. The appearance of microbialites near the Permian–Triassic boundary (PTB) at Panjiazhuang section was the result of peculiar marine conditions following the end-Permian regression, whilst their disappearance was due to the increasing water depth and the development of dysoxia

RRM1 single nucleotide polymorphism -37C→A correlates with progression-free survival in NSCLC patients after gemcitabine-based chemotherapy

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The ribonucleotide reductase M1 (RRM1) gene encodes the regulatory subunit of ribonucleotide reductase, the molecular target of gemcitabine. The overexpression of RRM1 mRNA in tumor tissues is reported to be associated with gemcitabine resistance. Thus, single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of the RRM1 gene are potential biomarkers of the response to gemcitabine chemotherapy. We investigated whether RRM1 expression in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) or SNPs were associated with clinical outcome after gemcitabine-based chemotherapy in advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>PBMC samples were obtained from 62 stage IIIB and IV patients treated with gemcitabine-based chemotherapy. RRM1 mRNA expression levels were assessed by real-time PCR. Three RRM1 SNPs, -37C→A, 2455A→G and 2464G→A, were assessed by direct sequencing.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>RRM1 expression was detectable in 57 PBMC samples, and SNPs were sequenced in 56 samples. The overall response rate to gemcitabine was 18%; there was no significant association between RRM1 mRNA expression and response rate (<it>P </it>= 0.560). The median progression-free survival (PFS) was 23.3 weeks in the lower expression group and 26.9 weeks in the higher expression group (<it>P </it>= 0.659). For the -37C→A polymorphism, the median PFS was 30.7 weeks in the C(-)37A group, 24.7 weeks in the A(-)37A group, and 23.3 weeks in the C(-)37C group (<it>P </it>= 0.043). No significant difference in PFS was observed for the SNP 2455A→G or 2464G→A.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>The RRM1 polymorphism -37C→A correlated with PFS in NSCLC patients treated with gemcitabine-based chemotherapy. No significant correlation was found between PBMC RRM1 mRNA expression and the efficacy of gemcitabine.</p

Cyclin D2 plays a regulatory role in HBV replication

AbstractHepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is the leading cause of liver diseases. However, the molecular mechanisms of HBV infection and carcinogenesis have not been fully elucidated. In this study, we found that cyclin D2 was upregualted in HBV-expressing cells and liver tissues of HBV-transgenic mice. Gene silencing of cyclin D2 inhibited HBV DNA replicative intermediates, 3.5kb mRNA, core protein level, as well as the secretions of HBsAg and HBeAg. On the contrary, overexpression of cyclin D2 promoted HBV replication. Furthermore, cyclin D2 regulated HBV replication by enhancing the activity of HBV core and Sp1 promoters by targeting transcription factor CREB2. Silencing of CREB2 abolished enhancement of HBV replication induced by cyclin D2. Together, our study has uncovered a positive role of cyclin D2 in HBV replication. It is conceivable that therapeutic application of cyclin D2 inhibitor in HBV infection therapy