Growth responses and phytoremediation characteristics of Mirabilis Jalapa L. in Benzo[a]pyrene and pyrene co-contaminated soils

Pot culture experiments were conducted to investigate the effect of Benzo[a]pyrene(B[a]P) and pyrene on seed germination and growth factors of Mirabilis Jalapa L. and their uptake, accumulation and dissipation. The results showed that B[a]P and pyrene at the lower concentrations could accelerate seed germination and photosynthesis rate. There weren't significant relationships between shoot height, root length, or biomass and the concentrations of B[a]P and pyrene in soil. The relative absorptivity of B[a]P and pyrene in roots of M. Jalapa was less than 11%. But the amount of B[a]P and pyrene in shoots was close to zero. The relative removal rate of B[a]P and pyrene was up to 83-99% and 5-98%, respectively. Therefore, Plant-promoted rhizomorph biodegradation is the dominant contribution to remove B[a]P and pyrene. M. Jalapa might be useful for phytoremediation of B[a]P and pyrene co-contaminated sites. © 2011 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg

Expression analysis of miRNA and target mRNAs in esophageal cancer

We aimed to investigate miRNAs and related mRNAs through a network-based approach in order to learn the crucial role that they play in the biological processes of esophageal cancer. Esophageal squamous-cell carcinoma (ESCC) and adenocarcinoma (EAC)-related miRNA and gene expression data were downloaded from the Gene Expression Omnibus database, and differentially expressed miRNAs and genes were selected. Target genes of differentially expressed miRNAs were predicted and their regulatory networks were constructed. Differentially expressed miRNA analysis selected four miRNAs associated with EAC and ESCC, among which hsa-miR-21 and hsa-miR-202 were shared by both diseases. hsa-miR-202 was reported for the first time to be associated with esophageal cancer in the present study. Differentially expressed miRNA target genes were mainly involved in cancer-related and signal-transduction pathways. Functional categories of these target genes were related to transcriptional regulation. The results may indicate potential target miRNAs and genes for future investigations of esophageal cancer

Observation of spin-dependent tunneling and large magnetoresistance in La{sub 0.7}Sr{sub 0.3}MnO{sub 3}/SrTiO{sub 3}/La{sub 0.7}Sr{sub 0.3}MnO{sub 3} ramp-edge junctions

The authors have fabricated ferromagnet-insulator-ferromagnet tunneling junctions using a ramp-edge geometry based on (La{sub 0.7}Sr{sub 0.3})MnO{sub 3} ferromagnetic electrodes and a SrTiO{sub 3} insulator. Pulsed laser deposition was used to deposit the multilayer thin films and the devices were patterned using photolithography and ion milling. As expected from the spin-dependent tunneling, the junction magnetoresistance is dependent on the relative orientation of the magnetization in the electrodes. A junction magnetoresistance (JMR) as large as 30% is observed at low temperatures and low fields. In additino, they have found that JMR is reduced at high temperatures (T > 100 K) and decreases monotonically with increasing field at high fields (0.5 T < H < 1 T). Possible causes for these are also discussed

Association between the c.910A>G genetic variant of the XRCC1 gene and susceptibility to esophageal cancer in the Chinese Han population

Esophageal cancer (EC) is a common malignancy worldwide. The X-ray repair cross-complementing 1 gene (XRCC1) is one of the most important candidate genes for influencing susceptibility to EC. This study aimed to investigate the effect of XRCC1 genetic variants on susceptibility to EC. A total of 383 EC patients (males: 239, females: 144, mean age: 56.62) and 387 cancer-free controls (males: 251, females: 136, mean age: 58.23) were enrolled in this study. The c.910A>G genetic variant of the XRCC1 gene was determined by polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism and DNA sequencing methods. The allele and genotype frequencies indicated statistical differences between EC patients and cancer-free controls. The c.910A>G genetic variant was statistically associated with increased susceptibility to EC [GG vs AA: odds ratio (OR)=1.79, 95% confidence interval (CI)=1.12-2.86, P=0.014; GG vs AG/AA: OR=1.76, 95%CI=1.13-2.75, P=0.013; G vs A: OR=1.25, 95%CI=1.01-1.55, P=0.041]. The allele G and genotype GG could contribute to the increased susceptibility to EC. Our findings suggest that the c.910A>G genetic variant is associated with susceptibility to EC in the Chinese Han population, and might be used as a molecular marker for detecting susceptibility to EC