Rhombohedral stacking-faults in exfoliated highly oriented pyrolytic graphite

The recent observation of possible granular superconductivity in highly oriented pyrolytic graphite (HOPG) has attracted significant research interest. Here we report a novel investigation on the structural-properties of exfoliated-HOPG. We investigated two types of exfoliation methods, involving either a full (method-1) or partial (method-2) contact between adhesive tape and the main HOPG. Structural characterization was obtained by employing X-ray diffraction (XRD), Raman spectroscopy and electron microscopy (SEM). In particular, Raman point and mapping spectroscopy revealed significant structural-transitions from ABA (Bernal) to ABC (rhombohedral) stacking (stacking-faults), in those samples obtained with the method-2. Interestingly, strained regions exhibiting structural-deformations with a ridge-like morphology were reproducibly identified. The acquired Raman-spectra revealed a local enhancement of the D and D’ bands-intensity together with contributions arising from Electronic Raman Scattering (ERS) across the band-gap of rhombohedral-graphite, at middle (∼1870 cm−1) and high (∼ 2680 cm−1) frequency. HRTEM of the samples produced with the method-2 allowed also for the identification of local-coexistence of ripplocation-like defects with moiré superlattices, an indicator of non-uniform c-axis configuration

Selfish drive can trump function when animal mitochondrial genomes compete.

Mitochondrial genomes compete for transmission from mother to progeny. We explored this competition by introducing a second genome into Drosophila melanogaster to follow transmission. Competitions between closely related genomes favored those functional in electron transport, resulting in a host-beneficial purifying selection. In contrast, matchups between distantly related genomes often favored those with negligible, negative or lethal consequences, indicating selfish selection. Exhibiting powerful selfish selection, a genome carrying a detrimental mutation displaced a complementing genome, leading to population death after several generations. In a different pairing, opposing selfish and purifying selection counterbalanced to give stable transmission of two genomes. Sequencing of recombinant mitochondrial genomes showed that the noncoding region, containing origins of replication, governs selfish transmission. Uniparental inheritance prevents encounters between distantly related genomes. Nonetheless, in each maternal lineage, constant competition among sibling genomes selects for super-replicators. We suggest that this relentless competition drives positive selection, promoting change in the sequences influencing transmission

Novel Common Genetic Susceptibility Loci for Colorectal Cancer

BACKGROUND: Previous genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have identified 42 loci (P < 5 × 10-8) associated with risk of colorectal cancer (CRC). Expanded consortium efforts facilitating the discovery of additional susceptibility loci may capture unexplained familial risk. METHODS: We conducted a GWAS in European descent CRC cases and control subjects using a discovery-replication design, followed by examination of novel findings in a multiethnic sample (cumulative n = 163 315). In the discovery stage (36 948 case subjects/30 864 control subjects), we identified genetic variants with a minor allele frequency of 1% or greater associated with risk of CRC using logistic regression followed by a fixed-effects inverse variance weighted meta-analysis. All novel independent variants reaching genome-wide statistical significance (two-sided P < 5 × 10-8) were tested for replication in separate European ancestry samples (12 952 case subjects/48 383 control subjects). Next, we examined the generalizability of discovered variants in East Asians, African Americans, and Hispanics (12 085 case subjects/22 083 control subjects). Finally, we examined the contributions of novel risk variants to familial relative risk and examined the prediction capabilities of a polygenic risk score. All statistical tests were two-sided. RESULTS: The discovery GWAS identified 11 variants associated with CRC at P < 5 × 10-8, of which nine (at 4q22.2/5p15.33/5p13.1/6p21.31/6p12.1/10q11.23/12q24.21/16q24.1/20q13.13) independently replicated at a P value of less than .05. Multiethnic follow-up supported the generalizability of discovery findings. These results demonstrated a 14.7% increase in familial relative risk explained by common risk alleles from 10.3% (95% confidence interval [CI] = 7.9% to 13.7%; known variants) to 11.9% (95% CI = 9.2% to 15.5%; known and novel variants). A polygenic risk score identified 4.3% of the population at an odds ratio for developing CRC of at least 2.0. CONCLUSIONS: This study provides insight into the architecture of common genetic variation contributing to CRC etiology and improves risk prediction for individualized screenin

New genetic loci link adipose and insulin biology to body fat distribution.

Body fat distribution is a heritable trait and a well-established predictor of adverse metabolic outcomes, independent of overall adiposity. To increase our understanding of the genetic basis of body fat distribution and its molecular links to cardiometabolic traits, here we conduct genome-wide association meta-analyses of traits related to waist and hip circumferences in up to 224,459 individuals. We identify 49 loci (33 new) associated with waist-to-hip ratio adjusted for body mass index (BMI), and an additional 19 loci newly associated with related waist and hip circumference measures (P < 5 × 10(-8)). In total, 20 of the 49 waist-to-hip ratio adjusted for BMI loci show significant sexual dimorphism, 19 of which display a stronger effect in women. The identified loci were enriched for genes expressed in adipose tissue and for putative regulatory elements in adipocytes. Pathway analyses implicated adipogenesis, angiogenesis, transcriptional regulation and insulin resistance as processes affecting fat distribution, providing insight into potential pathophysiological mechanisms

Highly Chlorinated Polyvinyl Chloride as a Novel Precursor for Fibrous Carbon Material

Pure, highly chlorinated polyvinyl chloride (CPVC), with a 63 wt % of chlorine, showed a unique-thermal-pyrolytic-phenomenon that meant it could be converted to carbon material through solid-phase carbonisation rather than liquid-phase carbonisation. The CPVC began to decompose at 270 &deg;C, with a rapid loss in mass due to dehydrochlorination and novel aromatisation and polycondensation up to 400 &deg;C. In this study, we attempted to prepare carbon fibre (CF) without oxidative stabilisation, using the aforementioned CPVC as a novel precursor. Through the processes of solution spinning and solid-state carbonisation, the spun CPVC fibre was directly converted to CF, with a carbonisation yield of 26.2 wt %. The CPVC-derived CF exhibited a relatively smooth surface; however, it still demonstrated a low mechanical performance. This was because the spun fibre was not stretched during the heat treatment. Tensile strength, Young&rsquo;s modulus and elongation values of 590 &plusmn; 84 MPa, 50 &plusmn; 8 GPa, and 1.2 &plusmn; 0.2%, respectively, were obtained from the CPVC spun fibre, with an average diameter of 19.4 &mu;m, following carbonisation at 1600 &deg;C for 5 min

Prunus mume Seed Exhibits Inhibitory Effect on Skin Senescence via SIRT1 and MMP-1 Regulation

The Prunus mume seed is a by-product of the food industry, and we studied its potential as a food biomaterial, particularly for nutraceutical and inner beauty products. Alternative animal tests showed that an extract of P. mume ripened seed (PmRS) was not toxic on the skin. PmRS exhibited protective effects against ultraviolet- (UV-) induced skin aging in mice, confirmed by phenotypic indications, including increased collagen levels and decreased skin thickness. Compared with the UV-saline group, the UV-PmRS group showed increased levels of silent mating type information regulation 2 homolog 1 (SIRT1) and collagen and decreased matrix metalloproteinase- (MMP-) 1 expression. The protective effect of PmRS treatment against UVB-mediated cell viability was observed in vitro without any cytotoxicity, and PmRS prevented UVB-induced reactive oxygen species generation in HaCaT cells. PmRS downregulated MMP-1 and MMP-13 compared with the UVB-irradiated group. However, mRNA expressions of tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase-1 and SIRT1 were upregulated by PmRS treatment. MMP-1 and SIRT1 treated with PmRS were decreased and increased, respectively, at the protein level. Moreover, PmRS treatment reduced c-Jun N-terminal kinase and p38 phosphorylation compared with the UVB-treated group. We postulate that P. mume seed could be a useful ingredient in nutraceuticals and inner beauty-purpose foods

Comparative interactome analysis of α-arrestin families in human and Drosophila

The α-arrestins form a large family of evolutionally conserved modulators that control diverse signaling pathways, including both G-protein-coupled receptor (GPCR)-mediated and non-GPCR-mediated pathways, across eukaryotes. However, unlike β-arrestins, only a few α-arrestin targets and functions have been characterized. Here, using affinity purification and mass spectrometry, we constructed interactomes for 6 human and 12 Drosophila α-arrestins. The resulting high-confidence interactomes comprised 307 and 467 prey proteins in human and Drosophila, respectively. A comparative analysis of these interactomes predicted not only conserved binding partners, such as motor proteins, proteases, ubiquitin ligases, RNA splicing factors, and GTPase-activating proteins, but also those specific to mammals, such as histone modifiers and the subunits of V-type ATPase. Given the manifestation of the interaction between the human α-arrestin, TXNIP, and the histone-modifying enzymes, including HDAC2, we undertook a global analysis of transcription signals and chromatin structures that were affected by TXNIP knockdown. We found that TXNIP activated targets by blocking HDAC2 recruitment to targets, a result that was validated by chromatin immunoprecipitation assays. Additionally, the interactome for an uncharacterized human α-arrestin ARRDC5 uncovered multiple components in the V-type ATPase, which plays a key role in bone resorption by osteoclasts. Our study presents conserved and species-specific protein–protein interaction maps for α-arrestins, which provide a valuable resource for interrogating their cellular functions for both basic and clinical research

Table_1_Differential microbiota network in gingival tissues between periodontitis and periodontitis with diabetes.docx

Periodontitis and diabetes mellitus (DM) have a bidirectional relationship. Periodontitis is initiated by dysbiosis of oral microorganisms, and in particular, the characteristics of the microorganisms that have penetrated the tissue are directly related to the disease; therefore, we investigated the effect of DM on intragingival microbial profiling of patients with periodontitis. A total of 39 subjects were recruited and divided into three groups in this case control study as follows: healthy (NA, 10), periodontitis only (PD, 18), and periodontitis with DM (PD_DM, 11). Gingival tissue was collected, DNA was extracted, and whole-genome sequencing was performed. PD and PD_DM showed different characteristics from NA in diversity and composition of the microbial community; however, no difference was found between the PD nad PD_DM. PD_DM showed discriminatory characteristics for PD in the network analysis. PD showed a network structure in which six species were connected, including three red complex species, and PD_DM’s network was more closely connected and expanded, with six additional species added to the PD network. Although DM did not significantly affect α- and β-diversity or abundance of phyla and genera of microbiota that invaded the gingival tissue of patients with periodontitis, DM will affect the progression of periodontitis by strengthening the bacterial network in the gingival tissue.</p

Image_3_Differential microbiota network in gingival tissues between periodontitis and periodontitis with diabetes.tif

Periodontitis and diabetes mellitus (DM) have a bidirectional relationship. Periodontitis is initiated by dysbiosis of oral microorganisms, and in particular, the characteristics of the microorganisms that have penetrated the tissue are directly related to the disease; therefore, we investigated the effect of DM on intragingival microbial profiling of patients with periodontitis. A total of 39 subjects were recruited and divided into three groups in this case control study as follows: healthy (NA, 10), periodontitis only (PD, 18), and periodontitis with DM (PD_DM, 11). Gingival tissue was collected, DNA was extracted, and whole-genome sequencing was performed. PD and PD_DM showed different characteristics from NA in diversity and composition of the microbial community; however, no difference was found between the PD nad PD_DM. PD_DM showed discriminatory characteristics for PD in the network analysis. PD showed a network structure in which six species were connected, including three red complex species, and PD_DM’s network was more closely connected and expanded, with six additional species added to the PD network. Although DM did not significantly affect α- and β-diversity or abundance of phyla and genera of microbiota that invaded the gingival tissue of patients with periodontitis, DM will affect the progression of periodontitis by strengthening the bacterial network in the gingival tissue.</p