Prediction of the anti-inflammatory mechanisms of curcumin by module-based protein interaction network analysis

AbstractCurcumin, the medically active component from Curcuma longa (Turmeric), is widely used to treat inflammatory diseases. Protein interaction network (PIN) analysis was used to predict its mechanisms of molecular action. Targets of curcumin were obtained based on ChEMBL and STITCH databases. Protein–protein interactions (PPIs) were extracted from the String database. The PIN of curcumin was constructed by Cytoscape and the function modules identified by gene ontology (GO) enrichment analysis based on molecular complex detection (MCODE). A PIN of curcumin with 482 nodes and 1688 interactions was constructed, which has scale-free, small world and modular properties. Based on analysis of these function modules, the mechanism of curcumin is proposed. Two modules were found to be intimately associated with inflammation. With function modules analysis, the anti-inflammatory effects of curcumin were related to SMAD, ERG and mediation by the TLR family. TLR9 may be a potential target of curcumin to treat inflammation

Rapid label-free identification of mixed bacterial infections by surface plasmon resonance

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Early detection of mixed aerobic-anaerobic infection has been a challenge in clinical practice due to the phenotypic changes in complex environments. Surface plasmon resonance (SPR) biosensor is widely used to detect DNA-DNA interaction and offers a sensitive and label-free approach in DNA research.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>In this study, we developed a single-stranded DNA (ssDNA) amplification technique and modified the traditional SPR detection system for rapid and simultaneous detection of mixed infections of four pathogenic microorganisms (<it>Pseudomonas aeruginosa</it>, <it>Staphylococcus aureus</it>, <it>Clostridium tetani </it>and <it>Clostridium perfringens</it>).</p> <p>Results</p> <p>We constructed the circulation detection well to increase the sensitivity and the tandem probe arrays to reduce the non-specific hybridization. The use of 16S rDNA universal primers ensured the amplification of four target nucleic acid sequences simultaneously, and further electrophoresis and sequencing confirmed the high efficiency of this amplification method. No significant signals were detected during the single-base mismatch or non-specific probe hybridization (<it>P </it>< 0.05). The calibration curves of amplification products of four bacteria had good linearity from 0.1 nM to 100 nM, with all R²values of >0.99. The lowest detection limits were 0.03 nM for <it>P. aeruginosa</it>, 0.02 nM for <it>S. aureus</it>, 0.01 nM for <it>C. tetani </it>and 0.02 nM for <it>C. perfringens</it>. The SPR biosensor had the same detection rate as the traditional culture method (<it>P </it>< 0.05). In addition, the quantification of PCR products can be completed within 15 min, and excellent regeneration greatly reduces the cost for detection.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Our method can rapidly and accurately identify the mixed aerobic-anaerobic infection, providing a reliable alternative to bacterial culture for rapid bacteria detection.</p

Law of Genome Evolution Direction : Coding Information Quantity Grows

The problem of the directionality of genome evolution is studied. Based on the analysis of C-value paradox and the evolution of genome size we propose that the function-coding information quantity of a genome always grows in the course of evolution through sequence duplication, expansion of code, and gene transfer from outside. The function-coding information quantity of a genome consists of two parts, p-coding information quantity which encodes functional protein and n-coding information quantity which encodes other functional elements except amino acid sequence. The evidences on the evolutionary law about the function-coding information quantity are listed. The needs of function is the motive force for the expansion of coding information quantity and the information quantity expansion is the way to make functional innovation and extension for a species. So, the increase of coding information quantity of a genome is a measure of the acquired new function and it determines the directionality of genome evolution.Comment: 16 page

A Comprehensive Review of One-Dimensional Metal-Oxide Nanostructure Photodetectors

One-dimensional (1D) metal-oxide nanostructures are ideal systems for exploring a large number of novel phenomena at the nanoscale and investigating size and dimensionality dependence of nanostructure properties for potential applications. The construction and integration of photodetectors or optical switches based on such nanostructures with tailored geometries have rapidly advanced in recent years. Active 1D nanostructure photodetector elements can be configured either as resistors whose conductions are altered by a charge-transfer process or as field-effect transistors (FET) whose properties can be controlled by applying appropriate potentials onto the gates. Functionalizing the structure surfaces offers another avenue for expanding the sensor capabilities. This article provides a comprehensive review on the state-of-the-art research activities in the photodetector field. It mainly focuses on the metal oxide 1D nanostructures such as ZnO, SnO2, Cu2O, Ga2O3, Fe2O3, In2O3, CdO, CeO2, and their photoresponses. The review begins with a survey of quasi 1D metal-oxide semiconductor nanostructures and the photodetector principle, then shows the recent progresses on several kinds of important metal-oxide nanostructures and their photoresponses and briefly presents some additional prospective metal-oxide 1D nanomaterials. Finally, the review is concluded with some perspectives and outlook on the future developments in this area

Reticulation is a Risk Factor of Progressive Subpleural non-Fibrotic Interstitial Lung Abnormalities

Rationale: Interstitial lung abnormalities (ILAs) are being increasingly identified in clinical practice. In particular for subpleural non-fibrotic ILAs, the risk of progression over time and the risk factors for progressive behavior are still largely unknown. Objectives: To determine the age band prevalence of ILAs and the risk of radiological progression of subpleural non-fibrotic ILAs over time in a large health check-up population, and to identify how reticulation contributes to the risk of radiological progression. Methods: Based on ILAs definition by the Fleischner Society, low-dose chest CT images from community-dwelling population undergone health check-up were evaluated for ILAs. Multivariable logistic regression was used to assess the risk of radiological progression. Measurements and Main Results: Among 155,539 individuals, 3,300 (2.1%) were confirmed to have ILAs: the vast majority (81.7%) were defined as subpleural non-fibrotic ILAs. The prevalence of ILAs increased linearly with age (P for trend&lt;0.0001). Of 454 individuals with subpleural non-fibrotic ILAs, 198 (43.6%) had radiological progression over 4 years. The presence of reticulation on initial imaging was an independent predictor of radiological progression (OR 1.9; 95%CI 1.2-3.0, P=0.0040). No difference in radiological progression was identified between subpleural non-fibrotic ILAs with extensive reticulation and subpleural fibrotic ILAs (73.0% vs. 68.8%, P=0.7626). Conclusions: The prevalence of ILAs increases linearly with age. Nearly half of subpleural non-fibrotic ILAs progress radiologically over 4 years. The presence of reticulation is a risk factor for radiological progression. Subpleural non-fibrotic ILAs with extensive reticulation are likely to be a feature of subpleural fibrotic ILAs

Efficient generation of human primordial germ cell-like cells from pluripotent stem cells in a methylcellulose-based 3D system at large scale

Background The mechanisms underlying human germ cell development and infertility remain largely unknown due to bioethical issues and the shortage of experimental materials. Therefore, an effective in vitro induction system of human primordial germ-like cells (hPGCLCs) from human pluripotent stem cells (hPSC) is in high demand. The current strategies used for the generation of hPGCLCs are not only costly but also difficult to perform at a large scale, thereby posing barriers to further research. In this study, we attempted to solve these problems by providing a new 3D culture system for hPGCLC differentiation. Methods The efficiency and relative yield of a methylcellulose (MC)-based 3D hPGCLC induction system were first compared with that of a conventional U96 system. Then, we examined the gene expression of germ cell marker genes and the key epigenetic modifications of the EpCAM-/INTEGRINα6-high cells from the 3D MC induction system and the U96 system via quantitative PCR and immunofluorescence. Finally, the reliability of the MC-based 3D hPGCLC induction system was evaluated via the generation of induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) from the testicular cells of one patient with obstructive azoospermia (OA) and followed by the subsequent differentiation of iPSCs into the germ cell lineage. Results In the present study, we demonstrated that the 3D MC induction system combined with low-cell attachment plates facilitated the generation of hPGCLCs at a large scale. We found that the hPGCLCs generated via the MC system shared similar characteristics to that via the U96 system in terms of the gene expression profiles, germ cell-specific markers, epigenetic modification states and cellular states. In addition, hPGCLCs from iPSCs derived from one OA patient were generated with high efficiency via the present 3D MC induction system. Discussion The in vitro induction of hPGCLCs from human embryonic stem cells (hESCs)/human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs) has significant implications in exploring the underlying mechanisms of the origin and specification of hPGCs and the epigenetic programming of the human germ line as well as treating male infertility. Here, we developed a simple and efficient 3D induction system to generate hPGCLCs from hESCs/hiPSCs at a large scale, which facilitated the study of human germ cell development and stem cell-based reproductive medicine

Observation of a ppb mass threshoud enhancement in \psi^\prime\to\pi^+\pi^-J/\psi(J/\psi\to\gamma p\bar{p}) decay

The decay channel $\psi^\prime\to\pi^+\pi^-J/\psi(J/\psi\to\gamma p\bar{p})$ is studied using a sample of $1.06\times 10^8$ $\psi^\prime$ events collected by the BESIII experiment at BEPCII. A strong enhancement at threshold is observed in the $p\bar{p}$ invariant mass spectrum. The enhancement can be fit with an $S$-wave Breit-Wigner resonance function with a resulting peak mass of $M=1861^{+6}_{-13} {\rm (stat)}^{+7}_{-26} {\rm (syst)} {\rm MeV/}c^2$ and a narrow width that is $\Gamma<38 {\rm MeV/}c^2$ at the 90% confidence level. These results are consistent with published BESII results. These mass and width values do not match with those of any known meson resonance.Comment: 5 pages, 3 figures, submitted to Chinese Physics

Measurements of J/psi Decays into 2(pi+pi-)eta and 3(pi+pi-)eta

Based on a sample of 5.8X 10^7 J/psi events taken with the BESII detector, the branching fractions of J/psi--> 2(pi+pi-)eta and J/psi-->3(pi+pi-)eta are measured for the first time to be (2.26+-0.08+-0.27)X10^{-3} and (7.24+-0.96+-1.11)X10^{-4}, respectively.Comment: 11 pages, 6 figure

BESII Detector Simulation

A Monte Carlo program based on Geant3 has been developed for BESII detector simulation. The organization of the program is outlined, and the digitization procedure for simulating the response of various sub-detectors is described. Comparisons with data show that the performance of the program is generally satisfactory.Comment: 17 pages, 14 figures, uses elsart.cls, to be submitted to NIM

Measurement of branching fractions for the inclusive Cabibbo-favored ~K*0(892) and Cabibbo-suppressed K*0(892) decays of neutral and charged D mesons

The branching fractions for the inclusive Cabibbo-favored ~K*0 and Cabibbo-suppressed K*0 decays of D mesons are measured based on a data sample of 33 pb-1 collected at and around the center-of-mass energy of 3.773 GeV with the BES-II detector at the BEPC collider. The branching fractions for the decays D+(0) -> ~K*0(892)X and D0 -> K*0(892)X are determined to be BF(D0 -> \~K*0X) = (8.7 +/- 4.0 +/- 1.2)%, BF(D+ -> ~K*0X) = (23.2 +/- 4.5 +/- 3.0)% and BF(D0 -> K*0X) = (2.8 +/- 1.2 +/- 0.4)%. An upper limit on the branching fraction at 90% C.L. for the decay D+ -> K*0(892)X is set to be BF(D+ -> K*0X) < 6.6%