Quercetin and Bornyl Acetate Regulate T-Lymphocyte Subsets and INF-γ/IL-4 Ratio In Utero in Pregnant Mice

The objective of this study is to investigate the antiabortive effects of Quercetin and Bornvl Acetate and their immunological modulation at maternal-fetal interface. Lipopolysaccharide (LPS) was injected via tail vein to induce abortion in mice which received Quercetin and Bornvl Acetate at days 4–7 of gestation. Uterine CD4+/CD8+ T lymphocytes and IFN-γ/IL-4 of each group (n = 10) were detected by immunohistochemistry and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, respectively. The ratio of CD4+/CD8+ increased significantly (P < .01) in the uterus of LPS-induced abortion mice. In the Quercetin and Bornvl Acetate pretreated mice followed by LPS administration, the ratio of CD4+/CD8+ dropped to 0.562 ± 0.021, lower than that of LPS-abortion group (P < .01). The mean value of IFN-γ/IL-4 in LPS-treated mice was 0.310 ± 0.066, higher than that of Quercetin and Bornyl Acetate group. The results indicate that Quercetin and Bornyl Acetate have an antiabortive effect through modulation of immunological balance at maternal-fetal interface

Anomalous thermo-osmotic conversion performance of ionic covalent-organic-framework membranes in response to charge variations

Authors of the article systematically investigated how the membrane charge populations affect permselectivity by decoupling their effects from the impact of the pore structure using a multivariate strategy for constructing covalent-organic-framework membranes. The complex interplay between pore-pore interactions in response to charge variations for ion transport across the upscaled nanoporous membranes helps explain the obtained results. This study has far-reaching implications for the rational design of ionic membranes to augment energy extraction rather than intuitively focusing on achieving high densities

Guanidinium-based covalent organic framework membrane for single-acid recovery

Article discusses how, although acids are extensively used in contemporary industries, time-consuming and environmentally unfriendly processes hinder single-acid recovery from wastes containing various iconic species. The authors rationally designed a membrane with uniform angstrom-sized pore channels and built-in charge-assisted hydrogen bond donors that preferentially conducted HCl while exhibiting negligible conductance for other compounds

The missing base molecules in atmospheric acid-base nucleation

Forming an (H2SO4)(1)(amine)(1) cluster is the rate-limiting step in atmospheric H2SO4-amine nucleation, which governs the fast formation of new particles from gaseous precursors.Transformation of low-volatility gaseous precursors to new particles affects aerosol number concentration, cloud formation and hence the climate. The clustering of acid and base molecules is a major mechanism driving fast nucleation and initial growth of new particles in the atmosphere. However, the acid-base cluster composition, measured using state-of-the-art mass spectrometers, cannot explain the measured high formation rate of new particles. Here we present strong evidence for the existence of base molecules such as amines in the smallest atmospheric sulfuric acid clusters prior to their detection by mass spectrometers. We demonstrate that forming (H2SO4)(1)(amine)(1) is the rate-limiting step in atmospheric H2SO4-amine nucleation and the uptake of (H2SO4)(1)(amine)(1) is a major pathway for the initial growth of H2SO4 clusters. The proposed mechanism is very consistent with measured new particle formation in urban Beijing, in which dimethylamine is the key base for H2SO4 nucleation while other bases such as ammonia may contribute to the growth of larger clusters. Our findings further underline the fact that strong amines, even at low concentrations and when undetected in the smallest clusters, can be crucial to particle formation in the planetary boundary layer.Peer reviewe

Molecular epidemiology of measles viruses in China, 1995–2003

This report describes the genetic characterization of 297 wild-type measles viruses that were isolated in 24 provinces of China between 1995 and 2003. Phylogenetic analysis of the N gene sequences showed that all of the isolates belonged to genotype H1 except 3 isolates, which were genotype A. The nucleotide sequence and predicted amino acid homologies of the 294-genotype H1 strains were 94.7%–100% and 93.3%–100%, respectively. The genotype H1 isolates were divided into 2 clusters, which differed by approximately 2.9% at the nucleotide level. Viruses from both clusters were distributed throughout China with no apparent geographic restriction and multiple co-circulating lineages were present in many provinces. Even though other measles genotypes have been detected in countries that border China, this report shows that genotype H1 is widely distributed throughout the country and that China has a single, endemic genotype. This important baseline data will help to monitor the progress of measles control in China

GJB2 mutation spectrum in 2063 Chinese patients with nonsyndromic hearing impairment

Background: Mutations in GJB2 are the most common molecular defects responsible for autosomal recessive nonsyndromic hearing impairment (NSHI). The mutation spectra of this gene vary among different ethnic groups. Methods: In order to understand the spectrum and frequency of GJB2 mutations in the Chinese population, the coding region of the GJB2 gene from 2063 unrelated patients with NSHI was PCR amplified and sequenced. Results: A total of 23 pathogenic mutations were identified. Among them, five (p.W3X, c.99delT, c.155_c.158delTCTG, c.512_c.513insAACG, and p.Y152X) are novel. Three hundred and seven patients carry two confirmed pathogenic mutations, including 178 homozygotes and 129 compound heterozygotes. One hundred twenty five patients carry only one mutant allele. Thus, GJB2 mutations account for 17.9% of the mutant alleles in 2063 NSHI patients. Overall, 92.6% (684/739) of the pathogenic mutations are frame-shift truncation or nonsense mutations. The four prevalent mutations; c.235delC, c.299_c.300delAT, c.176_c.191del16, and c.35delG, account for 88.0% of all mutantalleles identified. The frequency of GJB2 mutations (alleles) varies from 4% to 30.4% among different regions of China. It also varies among different sub-ethnic groups. Conclusion: In some regions of China, testing of the three most common mutations can identify at least one GJB2 mutant allele in all patients. In other regions such as Tibet, the three most common mutations account for only 16% the GJB2 mutant alleles. Thus, in this region, sequencing of GJB2 would be recommended. In addition, the etiology of more than 80% of the mutant alleles for NSHI in China remains to be identified. Analysis of other NSHI related genes will be necessary

The complete mitochondrial genome of Pseudopimelodus schultzi Dahl 1955 (Siluriformes, Pseudopimelodidae) and its phylogenetic position within Pseudopimelodidae

The complete mitochondrial DNA genome of Pseudopimelodus schultzi was first was determined in this study. The entire length of mitochondrial genome consists of 13 protein-codinggenes (PCG), 2 ribosomal RNA genes (rRNA), and 22 transfer RNA (tRNA) genes and control region. The nucleotide composition was made up of 32.2% A, 25.9% T, 26.7% C, and 15.2% G, respectively, indicating an A + T (58.1%)-rich feature. With the exception of 8 tRNA genes and NADH6, mitochondrial genes are encoded on the heavy strand, which was similar to that in other vertebrates. The results showed that the species of Pseudopimelodidae were gathered in the same branch. The phylogenies indicate monophyly of the genus Batrochoglanis, Batrochoglanis and Microglanis, respectively

The complete mitochondrial genome of Sorubim Lima (Siluriformes, Pimelodidae)

The complete mitochondrial DNA genome of Sorubim lima was first reported by next-generation sequencing method. The entire length of mitochondrial genome is 16,539 bp and the nucleotide composition was made up of 32.1% A, 24.9% T, 28.0% C, and 15.0% G, indicating an A + T (57.0%)-rich feature. With the exception of 8 tRNA genes and NADH6, mitochondrial genes are encoded on the heavy strand, which was similar to that in other vertebrates. The results showed that the species of Pimelodidae were gathered in the same branch. The phylogenies indicate monophyly of the genus Pseudoplatystoma, Pimelodus and Sorubim

L'Auto-vélo : automobilisme, cyclisme, athlétisme, yachting, aérostation, escrime, hippisme / dir. Henri Desgranges

06 janvier 19221922/01/06 (A23,N7692)