A SIMPLE METHOD FOR MONITORING SPRINGBOARD REACTION FORCE IN GYMNASTIC VAULTING

This work was to found a new method for measuring the reaction force of springboard (BRF), which provides scientific supports to the diagnosis of take-off technique. The elastic moduli of GYMNOVA soft and hard springboards were derived by method of mechanics of material, then the springboards were tested in static, dynamic experiments and computer simulations. An equation with different coefficients for soft and hard spring boards, which describe force-displacement of the springboard, F=kx+cx was obtained and validated. This equation can be used with convenience by employing a high speed camera shooting to the springboard for rapidly monitoring the take-off BRF, and provide scientific supports in the enhancement of vaulting techniques, and in injury preventions as well

Circular RNAs in ferroptosis: regulation mechanism and potential clinical application in disease

Ferroptosis, an iron-dependent non-apoptotic form of cell death, is reportedly involved in the pathogenesis of various diseases, particularly tumors, organ injury, and degenerative pathologies. Several signaling molecules and pathways have been found to be involved in the regulation of ferroptosis, including polyunsaturated fatty acid peroxidation, glutathione/glutathione peroxidase 4, the cysteine/glutamate antiporter system Xc-, ferroptosis suppressor protein 1/ubiquinone, and iron metabolism. An increasing amount of evidence suggests that circular RNAs (circRNAs), which have a stable circular structure, play important regulatory roles in the ferroptosis pathways that contribute to disease progression. Hence, ferroptosis-inhibiting and ferroptosis-stimulating circRNAs have potential as novel diagnostic markers or therapeutic targets for cancers, infarctions, organ injuries, and diabetes complications linked to ferroptosis. In this review, we summarize the roles that circRNAs play in the molecular mechanisms and regulatory networks of ferroptosis and their potential clinical applications in ferroptosis-related diseases. This review furthers our understanding of the roles of ferroptosis-related circRNAs and provides new perspectives on ferroptosis regulation and new directions for the diagnosis, treatment, and prognosis of ferroptosis-related diseases

Genetic engineering and genome editing techniques in peanut plants

Research has long been associated with human life. In the effort to make a living, many experts who have contributed to the modernization of traditional research methods by conducting various research activities. In this process, professionals, from farmers to senior researchers, have done their part by developing plants that can tolerate or resist to disease. The growing population, climate change and plant disease are having a devastating effect on food security. In particular, it is essential to increase food production by producing high yielding crops of good quality, that may ensure food security. Recently, different gene- editing technologies have been developed. These techniques have been applied in many research fields and their development has provided economic benefits to farmers. Agrobacterium-mediated and biolistic methods are very important techniques for transforming genetic materials in plants. Genome- editing technologies are recent and highly applied in plant research to improve genes associated with yield, disease resistance and drought resistance. For example, Zinc-finger Nucleases (ZFNS), Transcription Activator-like Effector Nucleases (TALEN), and Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats system (CRISPR/ Cas9) methods are now widely applied by researchers and are playing a positive role in increasing production and productivity. Of the gene- editing technology, CRISPR/ Cas9 is widely applied in plant breeding programme as it is easy to use and cost-effective. In this review, we mainly focus on peanut plant, which is an important oil-bearing allotetraploid crop. Therefore, peanut gene editing-technology could increase the oleic acid content in edible peanut oil. Thus, genome editing and gene transformation technologies are extensively explored in this review

4-(2,3-Dimeth­oxy­phen­yl)-1H-pyrrole-3-carbonitrile

The asymmetric unit of the title compound, C13H12N2O2, obtained in a search for analogs of the fungicide fludioxonil [systematic name: 4-(2,2-difluoro-1,3-benzodioxol-4-yl)-1H-pyrrole-3-carbonitrile], contains two independent mol­ecules, A and B. The benzene and pyrrole rings are inclined to each other at 38.5 (1) and 29.3 (1)° in mol­ecules A and B, respectively. In the crystal, bifurcated N—H⋯(O,O) hydrogen bonds link A mol­ecules into chains along [001], while B mol­ecules are linked into layers parallel to the bc plane via bifurcated N—H⋯(N,N) hydrogen bonds

Estradiol Promotes M1-like Macrophage Activation through Cadherin-11 To Aggravate Temporomandibular Joint Inflammation in Rats

Macrophages play a major role in joint inflammation. Estrogen is involved in rheumatoid arthritis and temporomandibular disorders. However, the underlying mechanism is still unclear. This study was done to verify and test how estrogen affects M1/M2-like macrophage polarization and then contributes to joint inflammation. Female rats were ovariectomized and treated with increasing doses of 17β-estradiol for 10 d and then intra-articularly injected with CFA to induce temporomandibular joint (TMJ) inflammation. The polarization of macrophages and expression of cadherin-11 was evaluated at 24 h after the induction of TMJ inflammation and after blocking cadherin-11 or estrogen receptors. NR8383 macrophages were treated with estradiol and TNF-α, with or without blocking cadherin-11 or estrogen receptors, to evaluate the expression of the M1/M2-like macrophageassociated genes. We found that estradiol increased the infiltration of macrophages with a proinflammatory M1-like predominant profile in the synovium of inflamed TMJ. In addition, estradiol dose-dependently upregulated the expressions of the M1-associated proinflammatory factor inducible NO synthase (iNOS) but repressed the expressions of the M2-associated genes IL-10 and arginase in NR8383 macrophages. Furthermore, estradiol mainly promoted cadherin-11 expression in M1-like macrophages of inflamed TMJ. By contrast, blockage of cadherin-11 concurrently reversed estradiol-potentiated M1-like macrophage activation and TMJ inflammation, as well as reversed TNF-α-induced induction of inducible NO synthase and NO in NR8383 macrophages. The blocking of estrogen receptors reversed estradiol-potentiated M1-like macrophage activation and cadherin-11 expression. These results suggested that estradiol could promote M1-like macrophage activation through cadherin-11 to aggravate the acute inflammation of TMJs. Copyright © 2015 by The American Association of Immunologists, Inc

Effects of Kangshen Oral Liquid on Gentamicin-induced Acute Kidney Injury in Rats

Purpose: To investigate the effects of Kangshen oral liquid (KSOL) on gentamicin sulfate (GS)-induced acute kidney injury (AKI) in rats.Methods: The rats were randomly divided into seven groups and treated with normal saline (NS), GS, furosemide, uremic clearance granule, or one of three different doses of KSOL. Several AKI-related indices were monitored, including renal index (RI), urine protein (UP) level, B-N-acetyl-glucosaminidase (NAG) activity in the urine, serum creatinine (SCr) level, blood urea nitrogen (BUN) level in the serum, malondialdehyde (MDA) level, and superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity in the kidney tissue. Histopathological changes in the kidney tissue of each group were monitored using light microscopy.Results: After treatment with KSOL (20, 10, or 5 mL/kg), the RI, activity of NAG and levels of UP, SCr, BUN, and MDA were significantly decreased by 6.66 - 41.47 %, and the activity of SOD was significantly increased by 15.85 - 20.27 %, compared with the GS group (p < 0.05 or 0.01). The histopathological studies showed that KSOL notably improved GS-induced atrophy of the glomeruli, lymphocytic infiltration in the interstitium of the cortex, protein deposits in the collecting tubules, and hyperemia of the renal interstitium.Conclusion: KSOL improves GS-induced AKI at biochemical and histopathological levels, and thus has a potential to be developed into a therapeutic drug for AKI.Keywords: Kangshen oral liquid, Gentamicin, Acute kidney injury, Furosemide, Uremic clearance granule, Biochemical parameter

Effect of transplanted PEDF-hUCMSCs in the treatment of retinitis pigmentosa in rats

AIM: To investigate the effect of transplanted pigmented epithelium-derived factor(PEDF)on human umbilical cord-derived mesenchymal stem cells(hUCMSCs)in the treatment of retinitis pigmentosa in rat models. METHODS: The hUCMSCs were isolated and cultured, hUCMSCs were transfected with PEDF recombinant lentivirus. Experimental royal college of surgeon(RCS)rats were randomly divided into 3 groups, 8 rats in each group. The experimental group was injected with PEDF-hUCMSCs subcutaneously. The hUCMSCs control group was injected with the same amount of hUCMSCs. The PBS control group was injected with the same amount of PBS. At 4 and 8wk after injection, electroretinography(ERG), the thickness of retinal outer nuclear layer(ONL)and green fluorescent protein(GFP)staining were observed. Immunofluorescence staining of retinal sections and the phagocytosis of MERTK protein were evaluated to determine phagocytosis. RESULTS: PEDF gene carrying recombinant lentiviral vector could efficiently infect hUCMSCs. After infection, hUCMSCs were sub cultured and the lentivirus prolonged the expression in the cells of the target gene. At 8wk after transplantation, the amplitude of b-wave in ERG were significantly higher in the experimental group than in the control groups. At 4 and 8wk after transplantation, morphological changes of ONL thickness in the experimental group were significantly higher than those in the control groups(all PCONCLUSION: Transplantation of pigment epithelium-derived protein modified human umbilical cord-derived mesenchymal stem cells has a protective effect on the retina of RCS rats

Long-Wavelength AIE-Based Fluorescent Probes for Mitochondria-Targeted Imaging and Photodynamic Therapy of Hepatoma Cells

With this research, we have developed two long-wavelength theranostic probes (DCMT and DCMC) with aggregation-induced emission (AIE)-based properties for image-guided photodynamic therapy (PDT) of hepatoma cells. Introduction of a triphenylamine or carbazole group to a dicyanomethylene-4H-pyran dye with long-wavelength fluorescence emission produces the AIE-based probes, which were subsequently modified with triphenyl-phosphonium cation for actively targeting the mitochondria of hepatoma cells. Solution-based experiments show that the probes exhibit a mixed photophysical mechanism of twisted-intramolecular charge transfer and AIE at different aggregation states. The molecular aggregation of the probes also leads to an enhanced ability for oxygen photosensitization, suggesting their potential for PDT of cancer cells. Our subsequent cell-based assays show that the probes localize in the mitochondria of hepatoma cells and the use of light leads to cell death through the intracellular production of reactive oxygen species. </p

Essential oil from Chenopodium ambrosioides L. induces mitochondrial-mediated pathway and endoplasmic reticulum stress-related apoptosis in human liver cancer SMMC-7721 cells

Purpose: To evaluate the cytotoxic effect of essential oil derived from Chenopodium ambrosioides L. in Sichuan Province on human liver cancer SMMC-7721 cells, as well as its possible molecular mechanisms.Methods: Cytotoxicity was characterized by MTT assay and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) of SMMC-7721 cells ultrastructure. The apoptotic effect of the essential oil was evaluated by changes in mitochondrial membrane potential and Western blot assay.Results: MTT assay data indicate that the essential oil was cytotoxic to SMMC-7721 cells, while TEN revealed that there were vacuoles and nucleus fragmentation in the SMMC-7721 cell cytosol, cell swelling, and a large amount of leakage. Mitochondrial membrane potential assay and Western Blot data indicate that the essential oil induced cell apoptosis.Conclusion: The essential oil of Chenopodium ambrosioides L. in Sichuan Province seems to induce apoptosis of human liver cancer SMMC-7721 cells via the mitochondrial-mediated pathway and endoplasmic reticulum stress. Thus, this plant requires further investigation as a potential source of ananti-liver cancer drug. Keywords: Chenopodium ambrosioides Essential oil; Anti-tumor activity, Liver cancer Apoptosis, SMMC-7721 cell