Effect of CCN3 overexpression on CCN1 and CCN2 expression.

<p>The mRNA levels of CCN1 (A) and CCN2 (B) in tissues of the left common carotid artery were analyzed by qRT-PCR. *p<0.05 vs. PBS or Ad-GFP denotes a statistically significant difference.</p

Effect of overexpression of CCN3 on atherosclerosis.

<p>CCN3 mRNA (A) and protein (B) levels in different treatment groups of mice were analyzed by qRT-PCR and Western blot, respectively. PBS, mice injected with PBS as a control; Ad-GFP, mice injected with recombinant adenovirus expressing GFP as a non-specific control; Ad-CCN3, mice injected with recombinant adenovirus expressing CCN3. Serum levels of LDL cholesterol (C), HDL cholesterol (D), total cholesterol (E), and triglycerides (F) in the three groups of mice are shown. Cross-section histological analyses of plaques stained by HE (G) are shown. Quantitative analysis of plaque area (H), fibrous cap (I), cap-to-core ratio (J), and intima-media thickness (K) in the three groups of mice are also shown. *p<0.05 vs. PBS or Ad-GFP denotes a statistically significant difference.</p

Analysis of the Application Value of HPV mRNA and DNA Detection in Early Screening of Cervical Lesions - Supplementary material

Table 1 Positive rates of Aptima HPV and COBAS HPVTable 2 Age distribution of HPV 16Table 3 Age distribution of HPV 18Table 4 Age distribution of HPV other risk typesTable 5 Colposcopy examination of HPV 18Table 6 Colposcopy examination of HPV 16Table 7 Colposcopy examination of HPV other risk typesTable 8 Pathological biopsy of HPV 18Table 9 Pathological biopsy of HPV 16Table 10 Pathological biopsy of HPV other risk typesTable 11 Pathological biopsy of HPV 16 (≥CIN2)Table 12 Pathological biopsy of HPV 18 (≥CIN2)Table 13 Pathological biopsy of HPV other risk types (≥CIN2)</p

Effect of proinflammatory cytokines on CCN3 expression.

<p>HAECs (A) and HUVECs (B) were treated with TNF-α (10 ng/ml) or IL-1β (4 ng/ml) for 24 h. Total RNA and cell protein were harvested for qRT-PCR or Western blot analysis, respectively. mRNA expression was normalized to GAPDH (<i>N</i> = 6, *p<0.05 and **p<0.01). Protein loading was normalized to equal amounts of cells.</p

Expression of CCN3 in atherosclerosis.

<p>The mRNA level (A) and protein level (B) of CCN3 in the left common carotid artery of mice were evaluated by qRT-PCR and Western blot analysis, respectively. 1 represents control mice (wild-type C57BL; 6 mice); 2 represents 25-week-old ApoE^−/− mice fed a high-fat diet. GAPDH was used as a control. *p<0.05, <i>N</i> = 30 per group.</p

Effect of CCN3 overexpression on gene expression of adhesion molecules.

<p>qRT-PCR was used to analyze the mRNA levels of VCAM-1 (A) and ICAM-1 (B) in tissues of the left common carotid artery. *p<0.05 or **p<0.01 vs. PBS or Ad-GFP denotes a statistically significant difference.</p

Water Oxidation Catalyzed by Cobalt(II) Adsorbed on Silica Nanoparticles

A novel, highly efficient, and stable water oxidation catalyst was prepared by a pH-controlled adsorption of Co­(II) on ∼10 nm diameter silica nanoparticles. A <i>lower limit</i> of ∼300 s^–1 per cobalt atom for the catalyst turnover frequency in oxygen evolution was estimated, which attests to a very high catalytic activity. Electron microscopy revealed that cobalt is adsorbed on the SiO₂ nanoparticle surfaces as small (1–2 nm) clusters of Co­(OH)₂. This catalyst is optically transparent over the entire UV–vis range and is thus suitable for mechanistic investigations by time-resolved spectroscopic techniques

An ultrasonic nanobubble-mediated PNP/fludarabine suicide gene system: A new approach for the treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma

<div><p>Objective</p><p>The purpose of this study is to generate an ultrasonic nanobubble (NB)-mediated purine nucleoside phosphorylase (PNP)/fludarabine suicide gene system for the treatment of human hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).</p><p>Methods</p><p>NBs were prepared from a mixture the phospholipids 1,2-dipalmitoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (DPPC) and 1,2-dipalmitoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphate (DPPA), perfluoropropane gas and other materials using the high shear dispersion method. NBs treated with ultrasound irradiation functioned as a gene-transfer system, and a self-constructed suicide gene expression plasmid, pcDNA3.1(+)/PNP, treated with fludarabine functioned as a therapeutic gene. This system was used to determine the cytotoxic effects of PNP/fludarabine on HepG2 cells and SMMC7721 cells.</p><p>Results</p><p><b>1.</b> NBs with a small diameter (208–416 nm) and at a high concentration and fine homogeneity were prepared under the optimal method. <b>2.</b> The pcDNA3.1(+)/PNP plasmid was efficiently transfected into HCC cells using ultrasonic NBs. <b>3.</b> At 0.75μg/ml fludarabine, PNP/fludarabine showed marked cytotoxic effects toward HepG2 and SMMC7721 cells. PNP/fludarabine achieved the same effect against both SMMC7721 and HepG2 cells but at a lower concentration of fludarabine for the latter. <b>4.</b> Bystander effects: a 10–20% decrease in the cell survival rate was observed when only 5–10% of transfected cells were PNP positive.</p><p>Conclusions</p><p>NBs constitute a non-toxic, stable and effective gene-delivery platform. The PNP/fludarabine suicide gene system inhibited the growth of HCC cells, induced HCC cell apoptosis, and caused a notable bystander effect at a low fludarabine concentration. This study establishes an important new method for miniaturizing microbubbles and improving a new NB-mediated approach for gene therapy of HCC.</p></div

Systematic Analysis and Identification of Stress-Responsive Genes of the NAC Gene Family in <i>Brachypodium distachyon</i>

<div><p>Plant-specific NAC proteins are one of the largest families of transcription factors in plants, and members of this family have been characterized with roles in the regulation of diverse biological processes, including development and stress responses. In the present study, we identified 101 putative NAC domain-encoding genes (<i>BdNACs</i>) through systematic sequence analysis in <i>Brachypodium distachyon</i>, a new model plant of family Poaceae. BdNAC proteins were phylogenetically clustered into 13 groups, and each group possesses similar motif compositions. Phylogenetic analysis using known stress-related NACs from Arabidopsis and rice as query sequences identified 18 <i>BdNACs</i> as putative stress-responsive genes. <i>In silico</i> promoter analysis showed that almost all <i>BdNAC</i> genes contain putative stress-related cis-elements in their promoter regions. Expression profile of <i>BdNAC</i> genes in response to abiotic stresses and phytohormones was analyzed by quantitative real-time RT-PCR. Several putative stress-responsive <i>BdNAC</i> genes, including <i>BdNAC003</i> and <i>BdNAC044</i> which is ortholog of known stress-responsive rice gene <i>SNAC1</i> and <i>SNAC2</i>, respectively, were highly regulated by multiple abiotic stresses and stress-related phytohormone treatments. Taken together, our results presented here would be helpful in laying the foundation for understanding of the complex mechanisms of NAC mediated abiotic stress signaling transduction pathways in <i>B</i>. <i>distachyon</i>.</p></div

Circle plot showing segmentally duplicated <i>BdNAC</i> genes on 5 <i>B</i>. <i>distachyon</i> chromosomes.

<p>Grey lines indicated collinear blocks in whole <i>B</i>. <i>distachyon</i> genome, and red lines indicated duplicated <i>BdNAC</i> gene pairs.</p