Measurement of beta-amyloid peptides in specific cells using a photo thin-film transistor

The existence of beta-amyloid [Aβ] peptides in the brain has been regarded as the most archetypal biomarker of Alzheimer's disease [AD]. Recently, an early clinical diagnosis has been considered a great importance in identifying people who are at high risk of AD. However, no microscale electronic sensing devices for the detection of Aβ peptides have been developed yet. In this study, we propose an effective method to evaluate a small quantity of Aβ peptides labeled with fluorescein isothiocyanate [FITC] using a photosensitive field-effect transistor [p-FET] with an on-chip single-layer optical filter. To accurately evaluate the quantity of Aβ peptides within the cells cultured on the p-FET device, we measured the photocurrents which resulted from the FITC-conjugated Aβ peptides expressed from the cells and measured the number of photons of the fluorochrome in the cells using a photomultiplier tube. Thus, we evaluated the correlation between the generated photocurrents and the number of emitted photons. We also evaluated the correlation between the number of emitted photons and the amount of FITC by measuring the FITC volume using AFM. Finally, we estimated the quantity of Aβ peptides of the cells placed on the p-FET sensing area on the basis of the binding ratio between FITC molecules and Aβ peptides

Geochemical and radiogenic isotopic signatures of granitic rocks in Chanthaburi and Chachoengsao provinces, southeastern Thailand : Implications for origin and evolution

The Chanthaburi, Pliew, Klathing, Khao Cha Mao, and Khao Hin Son granitic bodies in Chanthaburi and Chachoengsao provinces in southeastern Thailand, which are located on the southwestern side of the Mae Ping Fault and eastern side of the Klaeng Fault, were investigated. In this study, magnetic susceptibility measurements, whole-rock chemical composition and Nd-Sr isotope analyses, and zircon U-Pb dating were conducted on these granitic bodies. The surveyed granitic rocks are classified as I- to A-type granites, are of the ilmenite series, and show clearly negative Eu anomalies, which suggest they formed under reducing conditions. Nd-Sr isotope ratios indicate continental crust material involvement in the formation of these granite bodies. The magnetic and geochemical signatures are similar to those of granite bodies in southwestern Cambodia. The study area is thus considered an extensional area of southwestern Cambodia, corresponding to the Sukhothai Zone (the Chanthaburi-Kampong Chhnang Zone). Zircon U-Pb dating yields ages of 208–214 Ma (the Late Triassic) for granite bodies except for the Khao Cha Mao granitic body, which dates to 55 Ma. The former age corresponds to the collision time of the Sibumasu and Indochina terranes, and the latter age is likely related to the collision time of the Indian and Eurasian continents

Magnesium and zinc stable isotopes as a new tool to understand Mg and Zn sources in stream food webs

Non‐traditional stable isotopes of metals were recently shown as new dietary tracers in terrestrial and marine mammals. Whether these metal stable isotopes can be used to understand feeding habits in stream food webs is not known yet. In this study, we explored the potential of stable isotopes of essential Mg (δ26Mg) and Zn (δ66Zn) as a new tool in stream ecology. For this purpose, we determined δ26Mg and δ66Zn values of stream organisms and their potential metal sources in upper and lower reaches of two streams in the Lake Biwa catchment, Central Japan. Our goals were (1) to explore variations in δ26Mg and δ66Zn across organisms of different feeding habits and (2) to understand Mg and Zn sources to stream organisms. Overall, δ26Mg and δ66Zn values of organisms were neither related to each other, nor to δ13C and δ15N values, indicating different elemental sources and factors controlling isotopic fractionation depending on element and taxa. Low δ26Mg values in filter‐feeding caddisfly larvae and small gobies indicated aqueous Mg uptake. Higher δ26Mg values in leaf‐shredding crane fly and grazing mayfly larvae suggested Mg isotopic fractionation during Mg uptake from the diet. While the δ26Mg values of stonefly nymphs reflected those of caddisfly larvae as a potential prey, the highest δ26Mg values found in dobsonfly nymphs can be explained by 26Mg enrichment during maturing. δ66Zn values of caddisfly and mayfly larvae indicated Zn was a mixture of aqueous and dietary available Zn, while higher δ66Zn values in crane fly larvae pointed to Zn isotopic fractionation during Zn uptake from plant litter. δ66Zn values in stonefly and dobsonfly nymphs were often in the range of those of caddisfly larvae as their prey, while dragonfly nymphs and small goby were depleted in 66Zn relative to their dietary Zn sources. We conclude that δ26Mg is a promising indicator to assess Mg sources in stream ecology depending on taxa, while the use of δ66Zn is limited due to the complexity in Zn sources

Magnesium and zinc stable isotopes as a new tool to understand Mg and Zn sources in stream food webs

Non-traditional stable isotopes of metals were recently shown as new dietary tracers in terrestrial and marine mammals. Whether these metal stable isotopes can be used to understand feeding habits in stream food webs is not known yet. In this study, we explored the potential of stable isotopes of essential Mg (δ²⁶Mg) and Zn (δ⁶⁶Zn) as a new tool in stream ecology. For this purpose, we determined δ²⁶Mg and δ⁶⁶Zn values of stream organisms and their potential metal sources in upper and lower reaches of two streams in the Lake Biwa catchment, Central Japan. Our goals were (1) to explore variations in δ²⁶Mg and δ⁶⁶Zn across organisms of different feeding habits and (2) to understand Mg and Zn sources to stream organisms. Overall, δ²⁶Mg and δ⁶⁶Zn values of organisms were neither related to each other, nor to δ¹³C and δ¹⁵N values, indicating different elemental sources and factors controlling isotopic fractionation depending on element and taxa. Low δ²⁶Mg values in filter-feeding caddisfly larvae and small gobies indicated aqueous Mg uptake. Higher δ²⁶Mg values in leaf-shredding crane fly and grazing mayfly larvae suggested Mg isotopic fractionation during Mg uptake from the diet. While the δ²⁶Mg values of stonefly nymphs reflected those of caddisfly larvae as a potential prey, the highest δ²⁶Mg values found in dobsonfly nymphs can be explained by ²⁶Mg enrichment during maturing. δ⁶⁶Zn values of caddisfly and mayfly larvae indicated Zn was a mixture of aqueous and dietary available Zn, while higher δ⁶⁶Zn values in crane fly larvae pointed to Zn isotopic fractionation during Zn uptake from plant litter. δ⁶⁶Zn values in stonefly and dobsonfly nymphs were often in the range of those of caddisfly larvae as their prey, while dragonfly nymphs and small goby were depleted in ⁶⁶Zn relative to their dietary Zn sources. We conclude that δ²⁶Mg is a promising indicator to assess Mg sources in stream ecology depending on taxa, while the use of δ⁶⁶Zn is limited due to the complexity in Zn sources

Anti-lipoapoptotic effect of Artemisia capillaris extract on free fatty acids-induced HepG2 cells

BACKGROUND: Artemisia capillaris (AC) has been recognized as one of the promising candidates for hepatoprotective, hypoglycemic, hypolipidemic, antiobesitic and anti-inflammatory therapeutic effectiveness. This study evaluated the inherent mechanism and anti-apoptotic activity of 30% ethanol extract of AC (AC extract) 100 μg/ml on free fatty acids (FFAs)-induced HepG2 cellular steatosis and lipoapoptosis. METHODS: Hepatic steatosis was induced by culturing HepG2 cells with a FFAs mixture (oleic and palmitic acid at the proportion of 2:1) for 24 h, thus ultimately giving rise to lipoapoptosis. Cell viability and lipid accumulation were detected by MTT assay and Oil Red O staining method respectively and Caspase-3, −9, Bax, Bcl-2, p-JNK and PUMA were measured for lipoapoptosis after 24 hours. RESULTS: AC extract significantly improved the FFAs-induced steatosis without cytotoxicity and Caspase-3, −9, Bax and Bcl-2 were modulated profitably to HepG2 cells after AC treatment. In addition, AC extract inhibited the activation of c-Jun NH(2) terminal kinase (JNK) and PUMA, which mechanism is related to non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH). CONCLUSIONS: Combined together, AC extract exerted an obvious hypolipidemic and anti-apoptotic effect, indicating that AC extract might have potential therapeutic herb against NASH

Calcium and strontium stable isotopes reveal similar behaviors of essential Ca and nonessential Sr in stream food webs

Recent studies showed the potential of stable isotopes of the macronutrient calcium (δ⁴⁴/⁴⁰Ca) and nonessential strontium (δ⁸⁸/⁸⁶Sr) as new trophic level indicators in terrestrial vertebrates and marine teleost fishes. In this study, we tested whether similar Ca and Sr isotopic fractionation trends existed in macroinvertebrate-dominated stream food webs compared to vertebrates despite their physiological differences. We have determined the δ⁴⁴/⁴⁰Ca and δ⁸⁸/⁸⁶Sr values as well as the ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr ratios of stream macroinvertebrates and small gobies and their potential metal sources (stream water, periphyton, and terrestrial plant litter) in upper and lower reaches of two streams in the Lake Biwa catchment, central Japan. The ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr ratios revealed that stonefly nymphs, crustacea, and gobies mostly relied on aquatic Sr sources. Higher ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr ratios of some crane fly and caddisfly larvae, mayfly, dobsonfly, and dragonfly nymphs indicated greater terrestrial contributions via plant litter. Positive correlations between the δ⁴⁴/⁴⁰Ca and δ⁸⁸/⁸⁶Sr values implied that similar Ca and Sr sources existed, and that Ca and Sr stable isotopes underwent similar fractionation trends although Sr was not essential. The δ⁴⁴/⁴⁰Ca and partly the δ⁸⁸/⁸⁶Sr values were positively correlated with Sr/Ca ratios and negatively with δ¹⁵N values indicating trophic effects on Ca and Sr stable isotopes. The enrichment of ⁴⁴Ca and ⁸⁸Sr in large filter-feeding caddisfly larvae was a notable exception from these trophic trends. Our data confirm that the trophic ⁴⁴Ca and ⁸⁸Sr depletion observed for marine teleost fishes and terrestrial vertebrates also applied to macroinvertebrate-dominated stream food webs despite their different physiologies indicating that shared mechanisms of Ca and Sr isotopic fractionation may exist at the cellular or molecular level between these taxa

High frequencies of Y-chromosome haplogroup O2b-SRY465 lineages in Korea: a genetic perspective on the peopling of Korea

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Koreans are generally considered a Northeast Asian group, thought to be related to Altaic-language-speaking populations. However, recent findings have indicated that the peopling of Korea might have been more complex, involving dual origins from both southern and northern parts of East Asia. To understand the male lineage history of Korea, more data from informative genetic markers from Korea and its surrounding regions are necessary. In this study, 25 Y-chromosome single nucleotide polymorphism markers and 17 Y-chromosome short tandem repeat (Y-STR) loci were genotyped in 1,108 males from several populations in East Asia.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>In general, we found East Asian populations to be characterized by male haplogroup homogeneity, showing major Y-chromosomal expansions of haplogroup O-M175 lineages. Interestingly, a high frequency (31.4%) of haplogroup O2b-SRY465 (and its sublineage) is characteristic of male Koreans, whereas the haplogroup distribution elsewhere in East Asian populations is patchy. The ages of the haplogroup O2b-SRY465 lineages (~9,900 years) and the pattern of variation within the lineages suggested an ancient origin in a nearby part of northeastern Asia, followed by an expansion in the vicinity of the Korean Peninsula. In addition, the coalescence time (~4,400 years) for the age of haplogroup O2b1-47z, and its Y-STR diversity, suggest that this lineage probably originated in Korea. Further studies with sufficiently large sample sizes to cover the vast East Asian region and using genomewide genotyping should provide further insights.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>These findings are consistent with linguistic, archaeological and historical evidence, which suggest that the direct ancestors of Koreans were proto-Koreans who inhabited the northeastern region of China and the Korean Peninsula during the Neolithic (8,000-1,000 BC) and Bronze (1,500-400 BC) Ages.</p

Utility of Nd isotope ratio as a tracer of marine animals : regional variation in coastal seas and causal factors

Isotopic compositions of animal tissue are an intrinsic marker commonly used to trace animal origins and migrations; however, few isotopes are effective for this purpose in marine environments, especially on a local scale. The isotope ratio of the lanthanoid element neodymium (Nd) is a promising tracer for coastal animal migrations. Neodymium derives from the same geologic materials as strontium, well known as an isotopic tracer (87Sr/86Sr) for terrestrial and anadromous animals. The advantage of the Nd isotope ratio (143Nd/144Nd, expressed as εNd) is that it varies greatly in the ocean according to the geology of the neighboring continents, whereas oceanic 87Sr/86Sr is highly uniform. This study explored the utility of the Nd isotope ratio as a marine tracer by investigating the variation of εNd preserved in tissues of coastal species, and the causes of that variation, in a region of northeastern Japan where the bedrock geology is highly variable. We measured εNd and 87Sr/86Sr in seawater, river water, and soft tissues of sedentary suspension feeders: the mussels Mytilus galloprovincialis and Mytilus coruscus and the oyster Crassostrea gigas. We also measured concentrations of three lanthanoids (La, Ce, and Pr) in shellfish bodies to determine whether the Nd in shellfish tissue was derived from solution in seawater or from suspended particulates. The εNd values in shellfish tissue varied regionally (−6 to +1), matching the ambient seawater, whereas all 87Sr/86Sr values were homogeneous and typical of seawater (0.7091–0.7092). The seawater εNd values were in turn correlated with those in the adjacent rivers, linking shellfish εNd to the geology of river catchments. The depletion of Ce compared to La and Pr (negative Ce anomaly) suggested that the Nd in shellfish was derived from the dissolved phase in seawater. Our results indicate that the distinct Nd isotope ratio derived from local geology is imprinted, through seawater, on the soft tissues of shellfish. This result underscores the potential of εNd as a tracer of coastal marine animals