A FUNCTIONAL STUDY OF A NEW DIABETIC FOOT SHOE

The purpose of this study was to testing the function of a new diabetic foot shoe - BMWALKER shoe which designed for Chinese people in daily activities and made a comparison with that of DARCO by means of plantar pressure distribution analysis and subjective wearing sense evaluation of diabetic patients. It was showed either BMWALKER or DARCO diabetic shoes could reduce the pressure and impulse at the ball of foot (M2-5 metatarsus), thus balance the pressure in the nine regions of the foot sole and abate the risk of damage due to high pressure and long time impact. The DARCO shoes dispersed the pressure of ball of foot and heel by better arch support. And the BMWALKER shoes reduced the maximum pressure and impulse by increasing the effective load area at the metatarsal. It indicated that both shoes have the function of foot protection but the mechanism of reducing the pressure on the ball of foot was different

YY1 directly interacts with myocardin to repress the triad myocardin/SRF/CArG box-mediated smooth muscle gene transcription during smooth muscle phenotypic modulation

Yin Yang 1 (YY1) regulates gene transcription in a variety of biological processes. In this study, we aim to determine the role of YY1 in vascular smooth muscle cell (VSMC) phenotypic modulation both in vivo and in vitro. Here we show that vascular injury in rodent carotid arteries induces YY1 expression along with reduced expression of smooth muscle differentiation markers in the carotids. Consistent with this finding, YY1 expression is induced in differentiated VSMCs in response to serum stimulation. To determine the underlying molecular mechanisms, we found that YY1 suppresses the transcription of CArG box-dependent SMC-specific genes including SM22α, SMα-actin and SMMHC. Interestingly, YY1 suppresses the transcriptional activity of the SM22α promoter by hindering the binding of serum response factor (SRF) to the proximal CArG box. YY1 also suppresses the transcription and the transactivation of myocardin (MYOCD), a master regulator for SMC-specific gene transcription by binding to SRF to form the MYOCD/SRF/CArG box triad (known as the ternary complex). Mechanistically, YY1 directly interacts with MYOCD to competitively displace MYOCD from SRF. This is the first evidence showing that YY1 inhibits SMC differentiation by directly targeting MYOCD. These findings provide new mechanistic insights into the regulatory mechanisms that govern SMC phenotypic modulation in the pathogenesis of vascular diseases

Parkin Modulates ERRα/eNOS Signaling Pathway in Endothelial Cells

Background/Aims: Although a number of reports documented the important role of parkin in mitophagy, emerging evidence also indicated additional functions of parkin besides mitophagy. The present study was undertaken to investigate the role of parkin in the regulation of ERRα/eNOS pathway in endothelial cells (ECs). Methods: Mouse aortic endothelial cells (MAECs) and cardiac muscle HL-1 cells were transfected with parkin plasmid or siRNA. ERRα inhibitor XCT-790, autophagy inhibitor 3-MA and Bafilomycin A1, and caspase inhibitor Z-VAD-FMK were used to block autophagy or apoptosis. Western blotting was performed to examine the protein levels. Flow cytometry was applied to determine the cell apoptosis and ROS production. Mitochondrial membrane potential was measured using JC-1 and TMRM. Immunoprecipitation was performed to confirm the parkin effect on ERRα ubiquitination. Results: Overexpression of parkin resulted in a significant reduction of total-eNOS and p-eNOS in parallel with the downregulation of ERRα (a regulator of eNOS) protein and the enhancement of ERRα ubiquitination. To test the role of ERRα in regulating eNOS in this experimental setting, we treated ECs with ERRα inhibitor and found a decrement of total-eNOS and p-eNOS. On the contrary, overexpression of ERRα increased the levels of total-eNOS and p-eNOS. Meanwhile, parkin overexpression induced mitochondrial dysfunction and cell apoptosis in both ECs and HL-1 cells. Finally, we confirmed that the parkin effect on the regulation of eNOS was independent of the autophagy and apoptosis. Conclusion: These findings suggested that parkin overexpression downregulated eNOS possibly through the ubiquitination of ERRα in endothelial cells

High-Throughput Sequencing Analysis of Endophytic Bacteria Diversity in Fruits of White and Red Pitayas from Three Different Origins

Pitaya contains various types of polyphenols, flavonoid and vitamins which are beneficial for health and it is among the most important commercial tropical fruits worldwide. Endophytic bacteria might be beneficial for plant growth and yield. However, bacterial diversity in pitaya is poorly characterized. In this study, fruits of white and red pitayas from three different origins (Thailand, Vietnam and China) were chosen for endophytic bacteria diversity investigation by using Illumina HiSeq second-generation high-throughput sequencing technology. Large number of endophytic bacteria were detected and 22 phyla, 56 classes, 81 orders, 122 families and 159 genera were identified. Endophytic bacteria diversity was uneven among pitaya fruits from different origins and bacteria structure was different between white pitaya group and red pitaya group. Phylum Bacteroidetes, classes Bacteroidia and Coriobacteriia, orders Bacteroidales and Coriobacteriales, families Prevotellaceae, Bacteroidaceae, Ruminococcaceae, Paraprevotellaceae, Rikenellaceae, Alcaligenaceae and Coriobacteriaceae, genera Prevotella, Bacteroides, Roseburia, Faecalibacterium and Sutterella were statistically significant different species (P < 0.05) between white and red pitayas. These findings might be useful for growth improvement, fruit preservation and processing of different pitaya species from different origins

Multiplex digital PCR: a superior technique to qPCR for the simultaneous detection of duck Tembusu virus, duck circovirus, and new duck reovirus

Duck Tembusu virus (DTMUV), duck circovirus (DuCV), and new duck reovirus (NDRV) have seriously hindered the development of the poultry industry in China. To detect the three pathogens simultaneously, a multiplex digital PCR (dPCR) was developed and compared with multiplex qPCR in this study. The multiplex dPCR was able to specifically detect DTMUV, DuCV, and NDRV but not amplify Muscovy duck reovirus (MDRV), Muscovy duck parvovirus (MDPV), goose parvovirus (GPV), H4 avian influenza virus (H4 AIV), H6 avian influenza virus (H6 AIV), and Newcastle disease virus (NDV). The standard curves showed excellent linearity in multiplex dPCR and qPCR and were positively correlated. The sensitivity results showed that the lowest detection limit of multiplex dPCR was 1.3 copies/μL, which was 10 times higher than that of multiplex qPCR. The reproducibility results showed that the intra- and interassay coefficients of variation were 0.06–1.94%. A total of 173 clinical samples were tested to assess the usefulness of the method; the positive detection rates for DTMUV, DuCV, and NDRV were 18.5, 29.5, and 14.5%, respectively, which were approximately 4% higher than those of multiplex qPCR, and the kappa values for the clinical detection results of multiplex dPCR and qPCR were 0.85, 0.89, and 0.86, indicating that the two methods were in excellent agreement

Multipole plasmon resonances in self-assembled metal hollow-nanospheres

MOST of China under the 973 programs [2009CB930704]; National Natural Science Foundation of China [61106118]; Science and Technology Project of Fujian Province of China [2013H0046]; Natural Science Foundation of Fujian Province of China [2011J01362]; Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities [2011121026]Recently, multipole plasmonic mode resonances in metal hollow structures, such as dipole, quadrupole, and octupole modes, have been widely investigated by researchers with the aim for potential applications in bio-sensing, fluorescence, nanolasers or nonlinear nano-photonics. Here, in this work, the multipole plasmon resonances in self-assembled metal hollow-nanospheres (HNSs) are theoretically and experimentally demonstrated and the hot spots originating from the higher order mode plasmonic resonance and interparticle coupling effect are proposed to be used for Raman scattering enhancements. Dipole, quadrupole, octupole and hexadecapole mode plasmonic resonances were clearly resolved in the extinction spectra of these Ag HNS arrays showing good agreement with the theoretical simulation results. Strong regular hot spots were obtained around the surface and in the gaps of the Ag HNSs through the higher order mode plasmonic resonances and corresponding interparticle coupling effect between the HNSs. Maximum local field intensity was accomplished by optimizing the size of as well as the coupling distance between the HNSs and then it was applied to SERS sensing. Raman mapping also demonstrated these self-assembled plasmonic cavity arrays to be a stable and uniform SERS-active substrate

The Relationship Between Cognitive Dysfunction and Symptom Dimensions Across Schizophrenia, Bipolar Disorder, and Major Depressive Disorder

Background: Cognitive dysfunction is considered a core feature among schizophrenia (SZ), bipolar disorder (BD), and major depressive disorder (MDD). Despite abundant literature comparing cognitive dysfunction among these disorders, the relationship between cognitive dysfunction and symptom dimensions remains unclear. The study aims are a) to identify the factor structure of the BPRS-18 and b) to examine the relationship between symptom domains and cognitive function across SZ, BD, and MDD.Methods: A total of 716 participants [262 with SZ, 104 with BD, 101 with MDD, and 249 healthy controls (HC)] were included in the study. One hundred eighty participants (59 with SZ, 23 with BD, 24 with MDD, and 74 HC) completed the MATRICS Consensus Cognitive Battery (MCCB), and 507 participants (85 with SZ, 89 with BD, 90 with MDD, and 243 HC) completed the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST). All patients completed the Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale (BPRS).Results: We identified five BPRS exploratory factor analysis (EFA) factors (“affective symptoms,” “psychosis,” “negative/disorganized symptoms,” “activation,” and “noncooperation”) and found cognitive dysfunction in all of the participant groups with psychiatric disorders. Negative/disorganized symptoms were the most strongly associated with cognitive dysfunctions across SZ, BD, and MDD.Conclusions: Our findings suggest that cognitive dysfunction severity relates to the negative/disorganized symptom domain across SZ, BD, and MDD, and negative/disorganized symptoms may be an important target for effective cognitive remediation in SZ, BD, and MDD

Finishing the euchromatic sequence of the human genome

The sequence of the human genome encodes the genetic instructions for human physiology, as well as rich information about human evolution. In 2001, the International Human Genome Sequencing Consortium reported a draft sequence of the euchromatic portion of the human genome. Since then, the international collaboration has worked to convert this draft into a genome sequence with high accuracy and nearly complete coverage. Here, we report the result of this finishing process. The current genome sequence (Build 35) contains 2.85 billion nucleotides interrupted by only 341 gaps. It covers ∼99% of the euchromatic genome and is accurate to an error rate of ∼1 event per 100,000 bases. Many of the remaining euchromatic gaps are associated with segmental duplications and will require focused work with new methods. The near-complete sequence, the first for a vertebrate, greatly improves the precision of biological analyses of the human genome including studies of gene number, birth and death. Notably, the human enome seems to encode only 20,000-25,000 protein-coding genes. The genome sequence reported here should serve as a firm foundation for biomedical research in the decades ahead