Study on the Difference of Collagen Fibre Structure Caused by Epoxy Resin Embedding

Content: The research on Collagen that possesses unique fibre structure are reported frequently. In this paper, the cross image of leather fibre of dried wet blue cowhide embedded with and without epoxy resin were investigated with micro computed topography(MCT). The images obtained by MCT of leather fibre are original status without any damage, while the embedded leather can emerge distortion because the fibre was fixed during the solidifying and immersing of the resin. In this research, 2357 images of leather fibre were investigated on wet blue leather(original fibre) and the same piece of leather embedded by epoxy resin(embedded fibre). The area ratio of the sections from the original fibre and the embedded fibre was examined for each image. The statistic results showed that the mode of area ratio of the original fibre section to the entire fibre section is 75%, and the mode of area ratio of the embedded fibre section to the embedded fibre entire section is only 48%. The mode of the area ratio of the original fibre is obviously higher than the mode of the area ratio of the embedded fibre, that is diverse with the anticipation of fibre swelling caused by resin. The reason might be the expansion of interval space among the fibre filled with epoxy resin, otherwise the conglutination of fibre caused by the evaporation of solvent(acetone used in embedding) in the course of the resion solidifying. Likewise, it can be the adhesion of the tiny fibre with the larger fibre that will diminish the area caculated. The factors will be studied further on embedding to achieve a method with minimum deformation on cross image of fibre. Take-Away: The area ratio of cross section on embedded fibre shrunk comparing with the original fibre, that is out of anticipation of the probable swelling created by resin

Mesenchymal Stem Cell Transplantation Reverses Multi-Organ Dysfunction in Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Mice and Humans

Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE) is a multisystem autoimmune disease that, despite the advances in immunosuppressive medical therapies, remains potentially fatal in some patients, especially in treatment-refractory patients. Here we reported that impairment of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMMSCs) and their associated osteoblastic niche deficiency contribute in part to the pathogenesis of SLE-like disease in MRL/lpr mice. Interestingly, allogenic BMMSC transplantation (MSCT) is capable of reconstructing the bone marrow osteoblastic niche and more effectively reverses multi-organ dysfunction as compared to medical immunosuppression with cyclophosphamide (CTX). At the cellular level, MSCT, not CTX treatment, was capable to induce osteoblastic niche reconstruction, possibly contributing to the recovery of regulatory T cells and re-establishment of the immune homeostasis. Based on the promising clinical outcomes in SLE mice, we treated 4 CTX/glucocorticoid treatment-refractory SLE patients using allogenic MSCT and showed a stable 12-18 months disease remission in all treated patients. The patients benefited an amelioration of disease activity, improvement in serologic markers and renal function. These early evidences suggest that allogenic MSCT may be a feasible and safe salvage therapy in refractory SLE patients

Quasi-3D slope stability analysis of waste dump based on double wedge failure

The double wedges sliding along the weak layer of the foundation can be observed on the slope of the waste dump and the sliding body is divided into the active wedge and passive wedge by the weak foundation and the failure surfaces of the waste dump. Because the conventional limit equilibrium slice method cannot reflect the polygonal slip surface of the slope of the waste dump with weak foundation, this study proposed a double wedge calculation method for the slope of the waste dump with weak foundation. The limit equilibrium analysis is performed on double wedges by considering the direction and values of the interaction force between double wedges to obtain the safety factor of the slope of the waste dump. Meanwhile, the quasi-3D double wedges stability analysis method of the waste dump slope with weak foundation is proposed by considering the influence of the geometry and sliding direction of the slope surface on the slope stability. The safety factor of the inverted dump slope is 0.82, the volume of the sliding body is 6.43 million m3, and the main sliding direction is 20° south by east. The shear strain rate cloud diagram of the section is ‘y’ type distribution, and the sliding body is divided into two independent blocks. The safety factor of the sliding body section obtained by the double wedge method is between 0.76 and 0.92, and the closer to the boundary of the sliding body, the greater the safety factor of the section. The quasi-three-dimensional safety factor obtained by theoretical analysis is 0.817. The results show that the calculation results of quasi-3D double wedge are basically consistent with the calculation results of strength reduction method, while the proposed method is simpler. It can be used as a quick method to evaluate slope stability in engineering practice

Serum microRNA Profiles Serve as Novel Biomarkers for Autoimmune Diseases

Autoimmune diseases involve a complex dysregulation of immunity. Autoimmune diseases include many members [e.g., rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE)], and most of them are classified according to what organs and tissues are targeted by the damaging immune response. Many studies have focused on finding specific biomarkers for single autoimmune diseases, but so far, there are no universal biomarkers for detecting almost all autoimmune diseases. Serum miRNAs have served as potential biomarkers for detecting various diseases. The purpose of this study was to find a universal biomarker for diagnosing autoimmune diseases. Regulatory T cells (Tregs) play a crucial role in protecting an individual from autoimmunity, and depletion of Tregs in mice is considered a representative animal model of autoimmune disease. Two mouse models for Treg depletion, in which Treg was depleted by CD25mAb (in C57 mice) or by diphtheria toxin (DT) (in Foxp3DTR mice), were investigated, and 381 miRNAs were identified in the serum of mice with Treg depletion. A distinctive circulating miRNA profile was identified in Treg-depleted mice and in patients with autoimmune disease. QRT-PCR confirmation and ROC curve analysis determined that six miRNAs (miR-551b, miR-448, miR-9, miR-124, miR-148, and miR-34c) in the Treg-depleted mouse models and three miRNAs [miR-551b (specificity 73.5%, sensitivity 88.4%), miR-448 (specificity 82.4%, sensitivity 91.3%), and miR-124 (specificity 76.5%, sensitivity 91.3%)] in patients with RA, SLE, Sjogren's syndrome (SS), and ulcerative colitis (UC) could serve as valuable specific biomarkers. These circulating miRNAs may represent potential universal biomarkers for autoimmune diseases diagnosis and prognosis

Observed wintertime tidal and subtidal currents over the continental shelf in the northern South China Sea

Author Posting. © American Geophysical Union, 2014. This article is posted here by permission of American Geophysical Union for personal use, not for redistribution. The definitive version was published in Journal of Geophysical Research: Oceans 119 (2014): 5289–5310, doi:10.1002/2014JC009931.Synthesis analyses were performed to examine characteristics of tidal and subtidal currents at eight mooring sites deployed over the northern South China Sea (NSCS) continental shelf in the 2006–2007 and 2009–2010 winters. Rotary spectra and harmonic analysis results showed that observed tidal currents in the NSCS were dominated by baroclinic diurnal tides with phases varying both vertically and horizontally. This feature was supported by the CC-FVCOM results, which demonstrated that the diurnal tidal flow over this shelf was characterized by baroclinic Kelvin waves with vertical phase differences varying in different flow zones. The northeasterly wind-induced southwestward flow prevailed over the NSCS shelf during winter, with episodic appearances of mesoscale eddies and a bottom-intensified buoyancy-driven slope water intrusion. The moored current records captured a warm-core anticyclonic eddy, which originated from the southwestern coast of Taiwan and propagated southwestward along the slope consistent with a combination of β-plane and topographic Rossby waves. The eddy was surface-intensified with a swirl speed of >50 cm/s and a vertical scale of ∼400 m. In absence of eddies and onshore deep slope water intrusion, the observed southwestward flow was highly coherent with the northeasterly wind stress. Observations did not support the existence of the permanent wintertime South China Sea Warm Current (SCSWC). The definition of SCSWC, which was based mainly on thermal wind calculations with assumed level of no motion at the bottom, needs to be interpreted with caution since the observed circulation over the NSCS shelf in winter included both barotropic and baroclinic components.R. Li was supported by the SOA 908 Special Project Foundation of China (908-01-ST07 and 908-01-BC10), the National High Tech Project Foundation (863) of China (2008AA09A401), the Administrator Foundation of South Branch, SOA (0683). The development of FVCOM was funded by the US NSF Office of Polar Programs through grants ARC0712903, ARC0732084, ARC0804029, and ARC1203393.2015-02-1

Genome-wide and single-base resolution DNA methylomes of the Pacific oyster <i>Crassostrea gigas</i> provide insight into the evolution of invertebrate CpG methylation

BACKGROUND: Studies of DNA methylomes in a wide range of eukaryotes have revealed both conserved and divergent characteristics of DNA methylation among phylogenetic groups. However, data on invertebrates particularly molluscs are limited, which hinders our understanding of the evolution of DNA methylation in metazoa. The sequencing of the Pacific oyster Crassostrea gigas genome provides an opportunity for genome-wide profiling of DNA methylation in this model mollusc. RESULTS: Homologous searches against the C. gigas genome identified functional orthologs for key genes involved in DNA methylation: DNMT1, DNMT2, DNMT3, MBD2/3 and UHRF1. Whole-genome bisulfite sequencing (BS-seq) of the oyster’s mantle tissues revealed that more than 99% methylation modification was restricted to cytosines in CpG context and methylated CpGs accumulated in the bodies of genes that were moderately expressed. Young repeat elements were another major targets of CpG methylation in oysters. Comparison with other invertebrate methylomes suggested that the 5’-end bias of gene body methylation and the negative correlation between gene body methylation and gene length were the derived features probably limited to the insect lineage. Interestingly, phylostratigraphic analysis showed that CpG methylation preferentially targeted genes originating in the common ancestor of eukaryotes rather than the oldest genes originating in the common ancestor of cellular organisms. CONCLUSIONS: Comparative analysis of the oyster DNA methylomes and that of other animal species revealed that the characteristics of DNA methylation were generally conserved during invertebrate evolution, while some unique features were derived in the insect lineage. The preference of methylation modification on genes originating in the eukaryotic ancestor rather than the oldest genes is unexpected, probably implying that the emergence of methylation regulation in these 'relatively young’ genes was critical for the origin and radiation of eukaryotes. ELECTRONIC SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL: The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/1471-2164-15-1119) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users

Monoclonal Antibodies against Accumulation-Associated Protein Affect EPS Biosynthesis and Enhance Bacterial Accumulation of Staphylococcus epidermidis

Because there is no effective antibiotic to eradicate Staphylococcus epidermidis biofilm infections that lead to the failure of medical device implantations, the development of anti-biofilm vaccines is necessary. Biofilm formation by S. epidermidis requires accumulation-associated protein (Aap) that contains sequence repeats known as G5 domains, which are responsible for the Zn2+-dependent dimerization of Aap to mediate intercellular adhesion. Antibodies against Aap have been reported to inhibit biofilm accumulation. In the present study, three monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) against the Aap C-terminal single B-repeat construct followed by the 79-aa half repeat (AapBrpt1.5) were generated. MAb18B6 inhibited biofilm formation by S. epidermidis RP62A to 60% of the maximum, while MAb25C11 and MAb20B9 enhanced biofilm accumulation. All three MAbs aggregated the planktonic bacteria to form visible cell clusters. Epitope mapping revealed that the epitope of MAb18B6, which recognizes an identical area within AapBrpt constructs from S. epidermidis RP62A, was not shared by MAb25C11 and MAb20B9. Furthermore, all three MAbs were found to affect both Aap expression and extracellular polymeric substance (EPS, including extracellular DNA and PIA) biosynthesis in S. epidermidis and enhance the cell accumulation. These findings contribute to a better understanding of staphylococcal biofilm formation and will help to develop epitope-peptide vaccines against staphylococcal infections

The Genomes of Oryza sativa: A History of Duplications

We report improved whole-genome shotgun sequences for the genomes of indica and japonica rice, both with multimegabase contiguity, or almost 1,000-fold improvement over the drafts of 2002. Tested against a nonredundant collection of 19,079 full-length cDNAs, 97.7% of the genes are aligned, without fragmentation, to the mapped super-scaffolds of one or the other genome. We introduce a gene identification procedure for plants that does not rely on similarity to known genes to remove erroneous predictions resulting from transposable elements. Using the available EST data to adjust for residual errors in the predictions, the estimated gene count is at least 38,000–40,000. Only 2%–3% of the genes are unique to any one subspecies, comparable to the amount of sequence that might still be missing. Despite this lack of variation in gene content, there is enormous variation in the intergenic regions. At least a quarter of the two sequences could not be aligned, and where they could be aligned, single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) rates varied from as little as 3.0 SNP/kb in the coding regions to 27.6 SNP/kb in the transposable elements. A more inclusive new approach for analyzing duplication history is introduced here. It reveals an ancient whole-genome duplication, a recent segmental duplication on Chromosomes 11 and 12, and massive ongoing individual gene duplications. We find 18 distinct pairs of duplicated segments that cover 65.7% of the genome; 17 of these pairs date back to a common time before the divergence of the grasses. More important, ongoing individual gene duplications provide a never-ending source of raw material for gene genesis and are major contributors to the differences between members of the grass family

The oyster genome reveals stress adaptation and complexity of shell formation

The Pacific oyster Crassostrea gigas belongs to one of the most species-rich but genomically poorly explored phyla, the Mollusca. Here we report the sequencing and assembly of the oyster genome using short reads and a fosmid-pooling strategy, along with transcriptomes of development and stress response and the proteome of the shell. The oyster genome is highly polymorphic and rich in repetitive sequences, with some transposable elements still actively shaping variation. Transcriptome studies reveal an extensive set of genes responding to environmental stress. The expansion of genes coding for heat shock protein 70 and inhibitors of apoptosis is probably central to the oyster's adaptation to sessile life in the highly stressful intertidal zone. Our analyses also show that shell formation in molluscs is more complex than currently understood and involves extensive participation of cells and their exosomes. The oyster genome sequence fills a void in our understanding of the Lophotrochozoa. © 2012 Macmillan Publishers Limited. All rights reserved