Determination Of A Comprehensive Alternative Splicing Regulatory Network And The Combinatorial Regulation By Key Factors During The Epithelial To Mesenchymal Transition

The epithelial to mesenchymal transition (EMT) is a process by which epithelial cells transdifferentiate into mesenchymal cells. It is essential for embryonic development and implicated in cancer metastasis. While the transcriptional regulation of EMT has been well-studied, the role of post-transcriptional regulation, particularly alternative splicing (AS) regulation in EMT, remains relatively uncharacterized. We previously showed that the epithelial cell-type-specific proteins ESRP1 and ESRP2 are important for regulation of many AS events that altered during EMT. However, the contributions of the ESRPs and other splicing regulators to the splicing regulatory network in EMT require further investigation. In the first part of my thesis, we used a robust in vitro EMT model to comprehensively characterize splicing switches during EMT in a temporal manner. These investigations revealed that the ESRPs are responsible for a large number of AS events during EMT. We determined that RBM47 transcript is down-regulated during EMT and RBM47 depletion regulates many EMT-associated AS events. We also determined that Quaking (QKI) broadly promotes mesenchymal splicing patterns for numerous EMT-associated AS events. Our study highlights the broad role of post-transcriptional regulation and the important role of combinatorial regulation by different splicing factors to fine tune gene expression programs during the EMT. In the second part of my thesis, we determined that Esrp1 generates both nuclear and cytoplasmic isoforms, due to the use of two competing alternative 5’ splice sites in exon 12. We carried out a detailed characterization of the Esrp1 nuclear localization signal (NLS) that represents a novel class of NLS. Furthermore, we identified splice variants encoding nuclear and cytoplasmic isoforms of Fusilli, the Esrp1 orthologue in D. Melanogaster. Our observations demonstrate that the production of both nuclear and cytoplasmic Esrp1 isoforms through alternative splicing is highly conserved among species, strongly suggesting it’s biologically significant. Thus, while the first part of thesis has characterized extensive regulation by nuclear Esrp1 to promote epithelial splicing patterns, it will be of great interest to study the contribution of cytoplasmic Esrp1 in the maintenance of epithelial cell functions

Surface Electromyography Analysis of the Lower Extremities of Subjects Participating in Baduanjin Exercises

Purpose. The purpose of this study was to assess the effects of practicing Baduanjin exercises on the lower extremities of subjects using electromyography analysis. Subjects. 110 healthy adults were randomly assigned as subjects to two groups: SG group who received sixteen weeks of Baduanjin training and CG group who received no training. Methods. The methods used in this study included the use of a sixteen-channel sEMG system to record and measure activity changes in vastus medialis and vastus lateralis. Results. After 16 weeks of Baduanjin training, the results of this study showed that the SG group had significant increases in RMS (root mean square) (in vastus lateralis, p > 0.05; in vastus medialis, p < 0.05), in AEMG (average electromyographic activity) (in vastus lateralis, p > 0.05; in vastus medialis, p < 0.05), and in IEMG (integrated electromyogram) (in vastus lateralis, p > 0.05; in vastus medialis, p < 0.05). No adverse events from treatment were reported during the whole period of this study. Conclusion. This study concludes that performing 16 weeks of Baduanjin training can significantly improve strength and the physical function of the lower extremities among healthy adults

Effects of zinc oxide and condensed tannins on the growth performance and intestinal health of weaned piglets in ETEC-challenged environment

This experiment was conducted to evaluate effects of zine oxide (ZnO) and condensed tannins (CT), independently or in combination, on the growth performance and intestinal health of weaned piglets in enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC-K88)-challenged environment. Randomly divided 72 weaned piglets into 4 groups. Dietary treatments included the following: basic diet group (CON), 1,500 mg/kg zinc oxide group (ZnO), 1,000 mg/kg condensed tannins group (CT), and 1,500 mg/kg zinc oxide +1,000 mg/kg condensed tannins group (ZnO + CT). Dietary ZnO supplementation decreased diarrhea rate from 0 to 14 days, 15 to 28 days, and 0 to 28 days (p &lt; 0.05) and no significant on growth performance. The effect of CT on reducing diarrhea rate and diarrhea index was similar to the results of ZnO. Compared with the CON group, ZnO increased the ileum villus height and improved intestinal barrier function by increasing the content of mucin 2 (MUC-2) in jejunum and ileum mucosa and the mRNA expression of zonula occludens-1 (ZO-1) in jejunum (p &lt; 0.05) and the expression of Occludin in duodenum and ileum (p &lt; 0.05). The effects of CT on intestinal barrier function genes were similar to that of ZnO. Moreover, the mRNA expression of cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) in jejunum and ileum was reduced in ZnO group (p &lt; 0.05). And CT was also capable of alleviating diarrhea by decreasing CFTR expression and promote water reabsorption by increasing AQP3 expression (p &lt; 0.05). In addition, pigs receiving ZnO diet had higher abundance of phylum Bacteroidetes, and genera Prevotella, and lower phylum Firmicutes and genera Lactobacillus in colonic contents. These results indicated that ZnO and CT can alleviate diarrhea and improve intestinal barrier function of weaned pigs in ETEC-challenged environment. In addition, the application of ZnO combined with CT did not show synergistic effects on piglet intestinal health and overall performance. This study provides a theoretical basis for the application of ZnO in weaning piglet production practices, we also explored effects of CT on the growth performance and intestinal health of weaned piglets in ETEC-challenged environment

Effects of two ecological earthworm species on atrazine degradation performance and bacterial community structure in red soil

Vermicomposting is an effective and environmentally friendly approach for eliminating soil organic contamination. Atrazine is one of the most commonly applied triazinic herbicides and frequently detected in agricultural soils. This study investigated the roles and mechanisms of two earthworm species (epigeic Eisenia foetida and endogeic Amynthas robustus) in microbial degradation of atrazine. Both earthworms accelerated atrazine degradation performance from 39.0% in sterile soils to 94.9%–95.7%, via neutralizing soil pH, consuming soil humus, altering bacterial community structure, enriching indigenous atrazine degraders and excreting the intestinal atrazine-degrading bacteria. Rhodoplanes and Kaistobacter were identified as soil indigenous degraders for atrazine mineralization and stimulated by both earthworm species. A. robustus excreted the intestinal Cupriavidus and Pseudomonas, whereas Flavobacterium was released by E. foetida. This study provides a comprehensive understanding of the distinct effects of two earthworm species on soil microbial community and atrazine degradation, offering technical supports to apply vermicomposting in effective soil bioremediation

Population normative data for the 10/66 Dementia Research Group cognitive test battery from Latin America, India and China: a cross-sectional survey

Background: 1) To report site-specific normative values by age, sex and educational level for four components of the 10/66 Dementia Research Group cognitive test battery; 2) to estimate the main and interactive effects of age, sex, and educational level by site; and 3) to investigate the effect of site by region and by rural or urban location. Methods: Population-based cross-sectional one phase catchment area surveys were conducted in Cuba, Dominican Republic, Venezuela, Peru, Mexico, China and India. The protocol included the administration of the Community Screening Instrument for Dementia (CSI &apos;D&apos;, generating the COGSCORE measure of global function), and the Consortium to Establish a Registry for Alzheimer&apos;s Disease (CERAD) verbal fluency (VF), word list memory (WLM, immediate recall) and recall (WLR, delayed recall) tests. Only those free of dementia were included in the analysis. Results: Older people, and those with less education performed worse on all four tests. The effect of sex was much smaller and less consistent. There was a considerable effect of site after accounting for compositional differences in age, education and sex. Much of this was accounted for by the effect of region with Chinese participants performing better, and Indian participants worse, than those from Latin America. The effect of region was more prominent for VF and WLM than for COGSCORE and WLR. Conclusion: Cognitive assessment is a basic element for dementia diagnosis. Age- and education-specific norms are required for this purpose, while the effect of gender can probably be ignored. The basis of cultural effects is poorly understood, but our findings serve to emphasise that normative data may not be safely generalised from one population to another with quite different characteristics. The minimal effects of region on COGSCORE and WLR are reassuring with respect to the cross-cultural validity of the 10/66 dementia diagnosis, which uses only these elements of the 10/66 battery.Clinical NeurologySCI(E)SSCI17ARTICLEnull

Chronic disease prevalence and care among the elderly in urban and rural Beijing, China - a 10/66 Dementia Research Group cross-sectional survey

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Demographic ageing is occurring at an unprecedented rate in China. Chronic diseases and their disabling consequences will become much more common. Public policy has a strong urban bias, and older people living in rural areas may be especially vulnerable due to limited access to good quality healthcare, and low pension coverage. We aim to compare the sociodemographic and health characteristics, health service utilization, needs for care and informal care arrangements of representative samples of older people in two Beijing communities, urban Xicheng and rural Daxing.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>A one-phase cross-sectional survey of all those aged 65 years and over was conducted in urban and rural catchment areas in Beijing, China. Assessments included questionnaires, a clinical interview, physical examination, and an informant interview. Prevalence of chronic diseases, self-reported impairments and risk behaviours was calculated adjusting for household clustering. Poisson working models were used to estimate the independent effect of rural versus urban residence, and to explore the predictors of health services utilization.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>We interviewed 1002 participants in rural Daxing, and 1160 in urban Xicheng. Those in Daxing were more likely to be younger, widowed, less educated, not receiving a pension, and reliant on family transfers. Chronic diseases were more common in Xicheng, when based on self-report rather than clinical assessment. Risk exposures were more common in Daxing. Rural older people were much less likely to access health services, controlling for age and health. Community health services were ineffective, particularly in Daxing, where fewer than 3% of those with hypertension were adequately controlled. In Daxing, care was provided by family, who had often given up work to do so. In Xicheng, 45% of those needing care were supported by paid caregivers. Caregiver strain was higher in Xicheng. Dementia was strongly associated with care needs and caregiver strain, but not with medical helpseeking.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Apparent better health in Daxing might be explained by under-diagnosis, under-reporting or selective mortality. Far-reaching structural reforms may be needed to improve access and strengthen rural healthcare. The impact of social and economic change is already apparent in Xicheng, with important implications for future long-term care.</p

Stereotypes of Asians and Asian Americans in the U.S. media : appearance, disappearance, and assimilation.

This thesis commits to highlighting major stereotypes concerning Asians and Asian Americans found in the U.S. media, the “Yellow Peril,” the perpetual foreigner, the model minority, and problematic representations of gender and sexuality. In the U.S. media, Asians and Asian Americans are greatly underrepresented. Acting roles that are granted to them in television series, films, and shows usually consist of stereotyped characters. It is unacceptable to socialize such stereotypes, for the media play a significant role of education and social networking which help people understand themselves and their relation with others. Within the limited pages of the thesis, I devote to exploring such labels as the “Yellow Peril,” perpetual foreigner, the model minority, the emasculated Asian male and the hyper-sexualized Asian female in the U.S. media. In doing so I hope to promote awareness of such typecasts by white dominant culture and society to ethnic minorities in the U.S.M.A

Stereotypes of Asians and Asian Americans in the U.S. media : appearance, disappearance, and assimilation.

This thesis commits to highlighting major stereotypes concerning Asians and Asian Americans found in the U.S. media, the “Yellow Peril,” the perpetual foreigner, the model minority, and problematic representations of gender and sexuality. In the U.S. media, Asians and Asian Americans are greatly underrepresented. Acting roles that are granted to them in television series, films, and shows usually consist of stereotyped characters. It is unacceptable to socialize such stereotypes, for the media play a significant role of education and social networking which help people understand themselves and their relation with others. Within the limited pages of the thesis, I devote to exploring such labels as the “Yellow Peril,” perpetual foreigner, the model minority, the emasculated Asian male and the hyper-sexualized Asian female in the U.S. media. In doing so I hope to promote awareness of such typecasts by white dominant culture and society to ethnic minorities in the U.S.M.A

Nondormant Acorns Show Higher Seed Dispersal Effectiveness Than Dormant Ones

Seed dormancy has been thought to be an important survival strategy to tune the seed dispersal timing. Although a theoretical trade-off between seed dormancy and dispersal is often proposed, empirical field evidence of the trade-off between seed dormancy, spatial dispersal, and seedling recruitment is still lacking. Here, we tracked seed dispersal of several Fagaceae species exhibiting different levels of dormancy both in artificial enclosures and in the field. We presented evidence that oak species with nondormant acorns rather than those bearing dormant species exhibit reduced spatial dispersal. Despite the empirical evidence that seed germination is negatively correlated with spatial dispersal, nondormancy rather than dormancy showed higher seed dispersal effectiveness, demonstrating a negative correlation between seed dormancy and dispersal fitness. Our study, using the oak-rodent system, may provide solid evidence of a dispersal&ndash;germination trade-off between spatial and temporal correlation, highlighting the ecological role of seed germination schedule in seed dispersal and life-history evolution