The association of HBV core promoter double mutations (A1762T and G1764A) with viral load differs between HBeAg positive and anti-HBe positive individuals: A longitudinal analysis

Background/Aims: Although there have been a few reports regarding the effect of basal core promoter (BCP) double mutations (A1762T and G1764A) on hepatitis B viral loads, the association remains uncertain. We aim to determine the association after controlling for HBeAg - a strong confounding factor.Methods: We selected randomly 190 individuals from a Chinese cohort of 2258 subjects for cross-sectional analysis and 56 of the 190 for longitudinal analysis of viral loads.Results: In multivariable analysis of the cross-sectional data, BCP double mutations are significantly associated with lower viral loads in HBeAg positive subjects but no difference was found in anti-HBe positive subjects. Triple mutations at nucleotide (nt) 1753, 1762 and 1764 and mutations between nt 1809 and 1817, precore stop mutation (nt 1896) and genotype are not associated with viral loads in either HBeAg or anti-HBe positive subjects. Analysis of the longitudinal data yielded similar results to the cross-sectional data. Viral loads differ significantly between individuals infected with wild-type and BCP double mutations prior to HBeAg seroconversion but this difference is lost after seroconversion.Conclusions: BCP double mutations are associated with lower viral loads in HBeAg positive individuals but have no effect on the viral loads of anti-HBe positive individuals. (C) 2008 European Association for the Study of the Liver. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved

Design of superconducting MRI surface coil by using method of moment

A method of moment with an enhanced model to design high-temperature superconductor (HTS) RF surface coils for magnetic resonant image (MRI) is presented. The resonant frequency and quality factor (Q) of HTS RF spiral coils are simulated using this method. The agreements of resonant frequencies and Qs between the simulation and measurement are excellent with differences less than 1% and 3%, respectively. The 0.2-μ m-thick YBaCuO (YBCO) thin films are deposited onto single side of 0.508-mm-thick LaAlO 3 (LAO) and sapphire substrate and patterned into a spiral shape. To accurately analyze the resonant frequency and Q of a coil, an enhanced two-fluid model is employed. HTS RF coils with diameter of 65 mm for 0.2T and 1.5T MRI systems are designed and fabricated with the measured Q of 19 K and 23 K, respectively. In addition, the shift of resonant frequency due to the mutual coupling between two HTS spiral coils is predicted by this method, which is important for design of HTS coil arrays in an MRI system.published_or_final_versio

Antioxidant and Antihypertensive Activity Egg White Powder Produced by Pan Drying at Different Temperature and Drying Time

Antioxidant and antihypertensive (ACE-Inhibitors) are commonly known as bioactive molecules in foodstuff. Both molecules can be obtained naturally or through processing and preservation of egg white of poultry eggs. One way of preserving the egg white with drying method is by pan drying method. The objective of this study was to determine an appropriate temperature and drying time to produce high yield of antioxidant and antihypertensive activity. The materials used for this study were 900 eggs which were obtained from the same farm. That amount was calculated based on the number of experimental units required to run the experiment with the total number of treatment (3 x 3) with 4 replications for each treatment combination giving 25 chicken eggs for each treatment. The experiment was carried out using a 3x3 factorial arrangement according to completely randomized design. The first factor was drying temperature, i.e. 45oC, 50oC, and 55oC and the second factor was drying time, i.e. 30h, 39h, and 48h. The results showed that high antioxidant activity was found on egg white which was dried at temperature of 45oC for 39 hours which reached 26.85%. However, antihypertensive activity was optimum at 50oC and drying for 48 hours, which was up to 75.06%. Drying the egg white using appropriate temperature and time may improve the antioxidant and antihypertensive activities

Identification of genes differentially expressed in Jining Grey and Liaoning Cashmere goats ovaries

To search for genes controlling high prolificacy of Chinese indigenous goats, differential display reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (DDRT-PCR) was used to screen differentially expressed cDNA bands in the sexually matured ovaries of 3-year-old prolific Jining Grey goats and monotocous Liaoning Cashmere goats with 24 combinations of three anchored primers and eight arbitrary primers. 22 expressed sequence tags (ESTs) were proved to be the positive bands by Northern hybridization. They comprised 10 known ESTs and 12 ESTs without homologous sequences in the GenBank. These results indicate that several genes such as GATA-4, metallothionein-like protein, CAT genes and unknown ESTs (CV983340 and CV983341) were expressed only in Jining Grey goats.Keywords: Differential display reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction, goat, ovary, prolificacyAfrican Journal of Biotechnology Vol. 12(27), pp. 4408-441

Hepatitis B Virus Core Promoter Double Mutations (A1762T, G1764A) Are Associated with Lower Levels of Serum Dihydrolipoyl Dehydrogenase

Published by S. Karger AG, BaselObjectives: The aim of this study was to identify serum proteins with differential concentrations between hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients and HBsAg asymptomatic carriers among individuals infected with hepatitis B virus (HBV) with basal core promoter (BCP) double mutations (A1762T, G1764A). Methods: iTRAQ and liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry were used to identify differentially expressed protein, and an ELISA test was used for the validation test. Results: The total number of proteins identified was 1,125, of which 239 showed statistically significant differences in their expression. The relative concentrations of serum dihydrolipoyl dehydrogenase (DLD), which showed the most significant correlation with liver diseases and infection, were significantly lower in HCC patients than asymptomatic HBsAg carriers and individuals negative for HBsAg. However, only the difference between HCC patients with BCP double mutations and HBsAg-negative individuals could be confirmed by ELISA. Meanwhile, we found that the concentrations of serum DLD in those infected with HBV with BCP double mutations were significantly lower than in individuals with the wild-type BCP. However, the difference in the concentrations of serum DLD between individuals with wild-type BCP and those negative for HBsAg was not significant. Conclusions: HBV with BCP double mutations are associated with lower concentrations of serum DLD

Electronic Origin of High Temperature Superconductivity in Single-Layer FeSe Superconductor

The latest discovery of high temperature superconductivity signature in single-layer FeSe is significant because it is possible to break the superconducting critical temperature ceiling (maximum Tc~55 K) that has been stagnant since the discovery of Fe-based superconductivity in 2008. It also blows the superconductivity community by surprise because such a high Tc is unexpected in FeSe system with the bulk FeSe exhibiting a Tc at only 8 K at ambient pressure which can be enhanced to 38 K under high pressure. The Tc is still unusually high even considering the newly-discovered intercalated FeSe system A_xFe_{2-y}Se_2 (A=K, Cs, Rb and Tl) with a Tc at 32 K at ambient pressure and possible Tc near 48 K under high pressure. Particularly interesting is that such a high temperature superconductivity occurs in a single-layer FeSe system that is considered as a key building block of the Fe-based superconductors. Understanding the origin of high temperature superconductivity in such a strictly two-dimensional FeSe system is crucial to understanding the superconductivity mechanism in Fe-based superconductors in particular, and providing key insights on how to achieve high temperature superconductivity in general. Here we report distinct electronic structure associated with the single-layer FeSe superconductor. Its Fermi surface topology is different from other Fe-based superconductors; it consists only of electron pockets near the zone corner without indication of any Fermi surface around the zone center. Our observation of large and nearly isotropic superconducting gap in this strictly two-dimensional system rules out existence of node in the superconducting gap. These results have provided an unambiguous case that such a unique electronic structure is favorable for realizing high temperature superconductivity

Mitochondrion-mediated apoptosis induced by Rana grylio virus infection in fish cells

A fish cell line, fathead minnow (FHM) cell, was used to investigate the alteration of mitochondrial dynamics and the mechanism of apoptosis under Rana grylio virus (RGV) infection. Microscopy observations, flow-cytometry analysis and molecular marker detection revealed the apoptotic fate of the RGV-infected cells. Some typical apoptotic characteristics, such as chromatin condensation, DNA fragmentation and mitochondrial fragmentation, were observed, and significantly morphological changes of mitochondria, including size, shape, internal structure and distribution, were revealed. The mitochondria in RGV-infected cells were aggregated around the viromatrix, and the aggregation could be blocked by colchicine. Moreover, the Delta psi m collapse was induced, and caspase-9 and caspase-3 were activated in the RGV-infected cells. In addition, NF-kappa B activation and intracellular Ca2+ increase were also detected at different times after infection. The data revealed the detailed dynamics of mitochondrion-mediated apoptosis induced by an iridovirus, and provided the first report on mitochondrial fragmentation during virus-induced apoptosis in fish cells.A fish cell line, fathead minnow (FHM) cell, was used to investigate the alteration of mitochondrial dynamics and the mechanism of apoptosis under Rana grylio virus (RGV) infection. Microscopy observations, flow-cytometry analysis and molecular marker detection revealed the apoptotic fate of the RGV-infected cells. Some typical apoptotic characteristics, such as chromatin condensation, DNA fragmentation and mitochondrial fragmentation, were observed, and significantly morphological changes of mitochondria, including size, shape, internal structure and distribution, were revealed. The mitochondria in RGV-infected cells were aggregated around the viromatrix, and the aggregation could be blocked by colchicine. Moreover, the Delta psi m collapse was induced, and caspase-9 and caspase-3 were activated in the RGV-infected cells. In addition, NF-kappa B activation and intracellular Ca2+ increase were also detected at different times after infection. The data revealed the detailed dynamics of mitochondrion-mediated apoptosis induced by an iridovirus, and provided the first report on mitochondrial fragmentation during virus-induced apoptosis in fish cells

Oosorption in the Endoparasitoid, Pteromalus puparum

Oosorption is the resorption of oocytes in the ovaries, and is usually induced by environmental stress. It has been demonstrated in some insect species, but overall the mechanisms of oosorption are poorly understood. In this study, the oosorption in the endoparasitic wasp, Pteromalus puparum L. (Hymenoptera: Pteromalidae), was observed in response to starvation. To explore the details of oosorption in P. puparum, both levels of hemolymph vitellogenin and ovarian vitellin were determined using sandwich ELISA. The results indicated that both levels of vitellin and total protein in the ovaries were significantly decreased 48 h after eclosion in starved P. puparum, while those of vitellogenin and total protein in the hemolymph were increased. In addition, observation of the ultrastructure of mature oocytes in the ovarioles revealed changes in yolk protein content. Those protein yolk spheres and lipid yolk spheres that had accumulated in the oocytes, were transferred out of the oocytes of starved females. It was assumed that once oosorption was induced in P. puparum, vitellin in the oocytes was transported outside and released into the hemolymph. This information helps to elucidate a mechanism of oosorption in insects

Superconductivity at the Border of Electron Localization and Itinerancy

The superconducting state of iron pnictides and chalcogenides exists at the border of antiferromagnetic order. Consequently, these materials could provide clues about the relationship between magnetism and unconventional superconductivity. One explanation, motivated by the so-called bad-metal behaviour of these materials, proposes that magnetism and superconductivity develop out of quasi-localized magnetic moments which are generated by strong electron-electron correlations. Another suggests that these phenomena are the result of weakly interacting electron states that lie on nested Fermi surfaces. Here we address the issue by comparing the newly discovered alkaline iron selenide superconductors, which exhibit no Fermi-surface nesting, to their iron pnictide counterparts. We show that the strong-coupling approach leads to similar pairing amplitudes in these materials, despite their different Fermi surfaces. We also find that the pairing amplitudes are largest at the boundary between electronic localization and itinerancy, suggesting that new superconductors might be found in materials with similar characteristics.Comment: Version of the published manuscript prior to final journal-editting. Main text (23 pages, 4 figures) + Supplementary Information (14 pages, 7 figures, 3 tables). Calculation on the single-layer FeSe is added. Enhancement of the pairing amplitude in the vicinity of the Mott transition is highlighted. Published version is at http://www.nature.com/ncomms/2013/131115/ncomms3783/full/ncomms3783.htm

Measurement of the Branching Fraction of J/psi --> pi+ pi- pi0

Using 58 million J/psi and 14 million psi' decays obtained by the BESII experiment, the branching fraction of J/psi --> pi+ pi- pi0 is determined. The result is (2.10+/-0.12)X10^{-2}, which is significantly higher than previous measurements.Comment: 9 pages, 8 figures, RevTex