Effects of natto extract on endothelial injury in a rat model

Vascular endothelial damage has been found to be associated with thrombus formation, which is considered to be a risk factor for cardiovascular disease. A diet of natto leads to a low prevalence of cardiovascular disease. The aim of the present study was to investigate the effects of natto extract on vascular endothelia damage with exposure to laser irradiation. Endothelial damage both in vitro and in vivo was induced by irradiation of rose bengal using a DPSS green laser. Cell viability was determined by MTS assay, and the intimal thickening was verified by a histological approach. The antioxidant content of natto extract was determined for the free radical scavenging activity. Endothelial cells were injured in the presence of rose bengal irradiated in a dose-dependent manner. Natto extract exhibits high levels of antioxidant activity compared with purified natto kinase. Apoptosis of laser-injured endothelial cells was significantly reduced in the presence of natto extract. Both the natto extract and natto kinase suppressed intimal thickening in rats with endothelial injury. The present findings suggest that natto extract suppresses vessel thickening as a synergic effect attributed to its antioxidant and anti-apoptosis properties

Genetic Variation of the Chinese Mudskipper, Periophthalmus cantonensis (Osbeck, 1762) (Pisces; Perciformes, Gobiidae) from Taiwan'

Jung-Ti Chang and Sin-Che Lee (1994) Genetic variation of the Chinese mudskipper, Periophthalmus cantonensis (Osbeck, 1762) (Pisces; Perciformes, Gobiidae) from Taiwan. Zoological Studies 33(1): 34-43. The degree of genetic divergence of two hundred and seventy eight specimens of the Chinese mudskipper, Periophthalmus cantonensis (Osbeck, 1762) collected from six locations in Taiwan was estimated using starch gel electrophoresis. Fourteen enzymes corresponding to 22 gene loci and 47 alleles were recognized. An average Nei's genetic identity of T= 0.996 (0.993-0.999) indicated highly homogenous protein structure. The proportion of polymorphic loci (0.95 level) varied from 0.0909 to 0.2727 with a mean of 0.1742; expected heterozygosity ranged from 0.028 to 0.065 with a mean of 0.051. The mean F st differentiation among populations was only 0.0235. However, observed population phenotype numbers partly disagreed with Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium; this is probably due to some factors that affect the disequilibrium

Girdling improved berry coloration in summer but suppressed return growth in the following spring in 'Kyoho' grapevines cultivated in the subtropical double cropping system

Improving berry skin coloration is one of the major challenges in the tropical and subtropical viticulture. In this paper we aimed to document the effects of girdling at veraison on berry coloration and quality in grapevines on different rootstocks and we assessed the seasonal variations of girdling effects in the subtropical double cropping system. In the first experiment, gird-ling at veraison was tested in 'Kyoho' on 5C rootstocks. In the second experiment, own-rooted 'Kyoho', 5C or 1202C rootstocks were compared. Vines were trained to a horizontal overhead trellis with a single trunk and two short arms. One arm of each vine was girdled at veraison and the other arm served as the control. Girdling at veraison significantly improved skin color of berries from own-rooted vines or 5C rootstocks in the summer cropping cycle but was less effective in the winter cropping cycle. Girdling improved total soluble solids in own-rooted vines in the summer cropping cycle and in vines on 1202C in the winter cropping cycle. Girdling made in the winter cropping cycle did not completely heal until post-bloom in the following spring and reduced length of the fruiting shoot, number of leaves per shoot, and length of inflorescences of the next summer cropping cycle. We concluded that girdling at veraison is a good practice to improve berry color and quality for the summer cropping cycle but is not recommended for the winter cropping cycle

Ectopic cervical thymoma in a patient with Myasthenia gravis

Ectopic cervical thymoma is rare and is often misdiagnosed as a thyroid tumor or other malignancy. Ectopic thymic tissue can be found along the entire thymic descent path during embryogenesis. However, a thymoma arising from such ectopic thymic tissue is extremely rare. Herein we report a patient with ectopic cervical thymoma and myasthenia gravis (MG) and discuss the management

Targeted Long-Read Bisulfite Sequencing Identifies Differences in the TERT Promoter Methylation Profiles between TERT Wild-Type and TERT Mutant Cancer Cells

Background: TERT promoter methylation, located several hundred base pairs upstream of the transcriptional start site, is cancer specific and correlates with increased TERT mRNA expression and poorer patient outcome. Promoter methylation, however, is not mutually exclusive to TERT activating genetic alterations, as predicted for functionally redundant mechanisms. To annotate the altered patterns of TERT promoter methylation and their relationship with gene expression, we applied a Pacific Biosciences-based, long-read, bisulfite-sequencing technology and compared the differences in the methylation marks between wild-type and mutant cancers in an allele-specific manner. Results: We cataloged TERT genetic alterations (i.e., promoter point mutations or structural variations), allele-specific promoter methylation patterns, and allele-specific expression levels in a cohort of 54 cancer cell lines. In heterozygous mutant cell lines, the mutant alleles were significantly less methylated than their silent, mutation-free alleles (p < 0.05). In wild-type cell lines, by contrast, both epialleles were equally methylated to high levels at the TERT distal promoter, but differentially methylated in the proximal regions. ChIP analysis showed that epialleles with the hypomethylated proximal and core promoter were enriched in the active histone mark H3K4me2/3, whereas epialleles that were methylated in those regions were enriched in the repressive histone mark H3K27me3. Decitabine therapy induced biallelic expression in the wild-type cancer cells, whereas the mutant cell lines were unaffected. Conclusions: Long-read bisulfite sequencing analysis revealed differences in the methylation profiles and responses to demethylating agents between TERT wild-type and genetically altered cancer cell lines. The causal relation between TERT promoter methylation and gene expression remains to be established

In Silico

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is caused by the hyperphosphorylation of Tau protein aggregation. FKBP52 (FK506 binding protein 52) has been found to inhibit Tau protein aggregation. This study found six different kinds of anthocyanins that have high binding potential. After analyzing the docking positions, hydrophobic interactions, and hydrogen bond interactions, several amino acids were identified that play important roles in protein and ligand interaction. The proteins’ variation is described using eigenvectors and the distance between the amino acids during a molecular dynamics simulation (MD). This study investigates the three loops based around Glu85, Tyr113, and Lys121—all of which are important in inducing FKBP52 activation. By performing a molecular dynamic simulation process between unbound proteins and the protein complex with FK506, it was found that ligand targets that docked onto the FK1 domain will decrease the distance between Glu85/Tyr113 and Glu85/Lys121. The FKBP52 structure variation may induce FKBP52 activation and inhibit Tau protein aggregation. The results indicate that anthocyanins might change the conformation of FKBP52 during binding. In addition, the purple anthocyanins, such as cyanidin-3-glucoside and malvidin-3-glucoside, might be better than FK506 in regulating FKBP52 and treating Alzheimer’s disease

EZH2-mediated epigenetic repression of DNA repair in promoting breast tumor initiating cells

Members of the Polycomb-group (PcG) family of proteins, including EZH2 (enhancer of zeste homolog 2), are involved in establishing epigenetic silencing of developmental genes in adult and embryonic stem cells, and their deregulation has been implicated in cancer. In a recent report, EZH2-mediated epigenetic repression of DNA damage repair in breast tumor initiating cells (BTICs) was identified as a mechanism that could promote expansion of BTICs, and may contribute to cancer progression

Clinical outcomes of pneumococcal pneumonia caused by antibiotic-resistant strains in Asian countries: a study by the Asian network for surveillance of resistant pathogens

To evaluate the clinical outcomes of pneumococcal pneumonia caused by antibiotic-resistant strains in Asian countries, we performed a prospective observational study of 233 cases of adult pneumococcal pneumonia in 9 Asian countries from January 2000 to June 2001. Among 233 isolates, 128 (55%) were not susceptible to penicillin (25.3% were intermediately susceptible, and 29.6% were resistant). Clinical severity of pneumococcal pneumonia was not significantly different between antibiotic-resistant and antibiotic-susceptible groups. Mortality rates among patients with pneumococcal pneumonia caused by penicillin-, cephalosporin-, or macrolide-resistant strains were not higher than those with antibiotic-susceptible pneumococcal pneumonia. Bacteremia and mechanical ventilation were significant risk factors for death, but any kind of antibiotic resistance was not associated with increased mortality due to pneumococcal pneumonia. Outcome of pneumococcal pneumonia was not significantly affected by drug resistance, and current antimicrobial regimens are mostly effective in the treatment of pneumococcal pneumonia, despite the widespread emergence of in vitro resistance

Adult mortality of diseases and injuries attributable to selected metabolic, lifestyle, environmental, and infectious risk factors in Taiwan: A comparative risk assessment

Background: To facilitate priority-setting in health policymaking, we compiled the best available information to estimate the adult mortality (>30 years) burden attributable to 13 metabolic, lifestyle, infectious, and environmental risk factors in Taiwan. Methods: We obtained data on risk factor exposure from nationally representative health surveys, cause-specific mortality from the National Death Registry, and relative risks from epidemiological studies and meta-analyses. We applied the comparative risk assessment framework to estimate mortality burden attributable to individual risk factors or risk factor clusters. Results: In 2009, high blood glucose accounted for 14,900 deaths (95% UI: 11,850-17,960), or 10.4% of all deaths in that year. It was followed by tobacco smoking (13,340 deaths, 95% UI: 10,330-16,450), high blood pressure (11,190 deaths, 95% UI: 8,190-14,190), ambient particulate matter pollution (8,600 deaths, 95% UI: 7,370-9,840), and dietary risks (high sodium intake and low intake of fruits and vegetables, 7,890 deaths, 95% UI: 5,970-9,810). Overweight-obesity and physical inactivity accounted for 7,620 deaths (95% UI: 6,040-9,190), and 7,400 deaths (95% UI: 6,670-8,130), respectively. The cardiometabolic risk factors of high blood pressure, high blood glucose, high cholesterol, and overweight-obesity jointly accounted for 12,120 deaths (95% UI: 11,220-13,020) from cardiovascular diseases. For domestic risk factors, infections from hepatitis B virus (HBV) and hepatitis C virus (HCV) were responsible for 6,300 deaths (95% UI: 5,610-6,980) and 3,170 deaths (95% UI: 1,860-4,490), respectively, and betel nut use was associated with 1,780 deaths from oral, laryngeal, and esophageal cancer (95% UI: 1,190-2,360). The leading risk factors for years of life lost were similar, but the impact of tobacco smoking and alcohol use became larger because the attributable deaths from these risk factors occurred among young adults aged less than 60 years. Conclusions: High blood glucose, tobacco smoking, and high blood pressure are the major risk factors for deaths from diseases and injuries among Taiwanese adults. A large number of years of life would be gained if the 13 modifiable risk factors could be removed or reduced to the optimal level