Hexa-μ2-acetato-κ12 O:O′-(azido-κN)bis­(methanol-κO)-μ3-oxido-trichromium(III) methanol monosolvate

In the crystal structure of the title complex, [Cr3(CH3CO2)6(N3)O(CH3OH)2]·CH3OH, the trinuclear core has a central O atom; two methanol mol­ecules and an azide ion are coordinated to the CrIII atoms in the core. The three CrIII atoms form vertices of a nearly equilateral triangle. Each of the six acetate carboxyl­ate groups bridges a Cr—O—Cr fragment. In the crystal, the molecules inter­act with methanol solvent mol­ecules through O—H⋯O and O—H⋯N hydrogen bonds, forming a two-dimensional hydrogen-bonded network parallel to (100)

Cost-effectiveness of active surveillance versus early surgery for thyroid micropapillary carcinoma based on diagnostic and treatment norms in China

ObjectivesIn this study, we compared the cost-effectiveness comparison of the active surveillance (AS) and early surgery (ES) approaches for papillary thyroid microcarcinoma (PTMC) from the perspective of the Chinese healthcare system.MethodsWe performed a cost-effectiveness analysis using a Markov model of PTMC we developed to evaluate the incremental cost-effectiveness ratio of AS and ES. Our reference case was of a 40-year-old woman diagnosed with unifocal (<10 mm) PTMC. Relevant data were extracted after an extensive literature review, and the cost incurred in each state was determined using China Medicare data on payments for ES and AS. The willingness-to-pay threshold was set at ¥242,928/quality-adjusted life-year (QALY) gained. Sensitivity analyses were performed to account for any uncertainty in the model’s variables. Additional subgroup analyses were performed to determine whether AS was cost-effective when different initial monitoring ages were used.ResultsES exhibited an effectiveness of 5.2 QALYs, whereas AS showed an effectiveness of 25.8 QALYs. Furthermore, the incremental cost-effectiveness ratio for ES versus AS was ¥1,009/QALY. The findings of all sensitivity analyses were robust. Compared with ES, AS was found to be the cost-effective strategy at initial monitoring ages of 20 and 60 years, with an incremental cost-effectiveness ratio of ¥3,431/QALY and −¥1,316/QALY at 20 and 60 years, respectively. AS was a more cost-effective strategy in patients with PTMC aged more than 60.ConclusionsWith respect to the norms of the Chinese healthcare system, AS was more cost-effective for PTMC over lifetime surveillance than ES. Furthermore, it was cost-effective even when the initial monitoring ages were different. In addition, if AS is incorporated into the management plan for PTMC in China at the earliest possible stage, a predicted savings of ¥10 × 108/year could be enabled for every 50,000 cases of PTMC, which indicates a good economic return for future management programs. The identification of such nuances can help physicians and patients determine the best and most individualized long-term management strategy for low-risk PTMC

Use of serial analysis of gene expression to reveal the specific regulation of gene expression profile in asthmatic rats treated by acupuncture

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Asthma has become an important public health issue and approximately 300 million people have suffered from the disease worldwide. Nowadays, the use of acupuncture in asthma is increasing. This study intended to systematically analyze and compare the gene expression profiles between the asthmatic and acupuncture-treated asthmatic rat lung, and tried to gain insight into the molecular mechanism underlying the early airway response (EAR) phase of asthma treated by acupuncture.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Four tag libraries of serial analysis of gene expression (SAGE) were established from lung tissues of control rats (CK), asthmatic rats (AS), asthmatic rats treated by acupuncture (ASAC), and control rats treated by acupuncture (CKAC). Bioinformatic analyses were carried out by using the methods including unsupervised hierarchical clustering, functional annotation tool of the database for annotation, visualization, and integrated discovery (DAVID), gene ontology (GO) tree machine, and Kyoto encyclopedia of genes and genomes (KEGG) pathway analysis.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>There were totally 186 differentially expressed tags (P < 0.05, P_CK/AS) between the libraries of CK and AS, 130 differentially expressed tags between libraries of AS/ASAC (P < 0.05, P_AS/ASAC), and 144 differentially expressed tags between libraries of CK/CKAC (P < 0.05, P_CK/CKAC). The gene expression profiles of AS and ASAC were more similar than other libraries via unsupervised SAGE clustering. By comparison of P_CK/ASand P_AS/ASAC, the DAVID genes functional classification was found to be changed from "immune response" to "response to steroid hormone stimulus", and the GO term "antigen processing and presentation of peptide antigen" disappeared in P_AS/ASAC. Totally 3 same KEGG pathways were found among the three groups. Moreover, 21 specific tags of the acupuncture in treating asthma were detected using Venn diagrams.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Our SAGE research indicates that the gene expression profile of the EAR phase of asthma could be effectively and specifically regulated by acupuncture, which suggests that the gene expression of immune response and steroid hormone may play an important role in the treatment.</p

Non-specific physiological background effects of acupuncture revealed by proteomic analysis in normal rats

BACKGROUND: The total effects of adequate real acupuncture treatment consist of pathologic-specific and non-specific physiological effects. The latter may be the fundamental component of the therapeutic effects of acupuncture. This study investigated the physiological background effects of acupuncture in normal rats treated with acupuncture. METHODS: Manual acupuncture was performed on normal rats at experienced acupoints, GV14 (Dazhui), BL12 (Fengmen) and BL13 (Feishu), once every other day for two weeks. The proteomic profile of rat lung tissue was examined using 2-DE/MS-based proteomic techniques. Gene Ontology (GO) enrichment and the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway were analyzed for differentially expressed proteins using the WebGestalt toolkit. RESULTS: In total, 25 differentially expressed protein spots were detected in the 2-DE gels. Among these spots, 24 corresponded to 20 unique proteins that were successfully identified using mass spectrometry. Subsequent GO and KEGG pathway analyses demonstrated that these altered proteins were mainly involved in biological processes, such as ‘protein stabilization’, ‘glycolysis/gluconeogenesis’ and ‘response to stimulus’. CONCLUSIONS: Our study indicated the non-specific background effects of acupuncture at acupoints GV14, BL12 and BL13 likely maintained internal homeostasis via regulation of the local stimulus response, energy metabolism, and biomolecule function balance, which may be important contributors to the therapeutic effects of acupuncture

GABA, progesterone and zona pellucida activation of PLA2 and regulation by MEK-ERK1/2 during acrosomal exocytosis in guinea pig spermatozoa

AbstractWe investigated whether GABA activates phospholipase A2 (PLA2) during acrosomal exocytosis, and if the MEK-ERK1/2 pathway modulates PLA2 activation initiated by GABA, progesterone or zona pellucida (ZP). In guinea pig spermatozoa prelabelled with [14C]arachidonic acid or [14C]choline chloride, GABA stimulated a decrease in phosphatidylcholine (PC), and release of arachidonic acid and lysoPC, during exocytosis. These lipid changes are indicative of PLA2 activation and appear essential for exocytosis since inclusion of aristolochic acid (a PLA2 inhibitor) abrogated them, along with exocytosis. GABA activation of PLA2 seems to be mediated, at least in part, by diacylglycerol (DAG) and protein kinase C since inclusion of the DAG kinase inhibitor R59022 enhanced PLA2 activity and exocytosis stimulated by GABA, whereas exposure to staurosporine decreased both. GABA-, progesterone- and ZP-induced release of arachidonic acid and exocytosis were prevented by U0126 and PD98059 (MEK inhibitors). Taken together, our results suggest that PLA2 plays a fundamental role in agonist-stimulated exocytosis and that MEK-ERK1/2 are involved in PLA2 regulation during this process

Linking Incomplete Reprogramming to the Improved Pluripotency of Murine Embryonal Carcinoma Cell-Derived Pluripotent Stem Cells

Somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT) has been proved capable of reprogramming various differentiated somatic cells into pluripotent stem cells. Recently, induced pluripotent stem cells (iPS) have been successfully derived from mouse and human somatic cells by the over-expression of a combination of transcription factors. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying the reprogramming mediated by either the SCNT or iPS approach are poorly understood. Increasing evidence indicates that many tumor pathways play roles in the derivation of iPS cells. Embryonal carcinoma (EC) cells have the characteristics of both stem cells and cancer cells and thus they might be the better candidates for elucidating the details of the reprogramming process. Although previous studies indicate that EC cells cannot be reprogrammed into real pluripotent stem cells, the reasons for this remain unclear. Here, nuclei from mouse EC cells (P19) were transplanted into enucleated oocytes and pluripotent stem cells (P19 NTES cells) were subsequently established. Interestingly, P19 NTES cells prolonged the development of tetraploid aggregated embryos compared to EC cells alone. More importantly, we found that the expression recovery of the imprinted H19 gene was dependent on the methylation state in the differential methylation region (DMR). The induction of Nanog expression, however, was independent of the promoter region DNA methylation state in P19 NTES cells. A whole-genome transcriptome analysis further demonstrated that P19 NTES cells were indeed the intermediates between P19 cells and ES cells and many interesting genes were uncovered that may be responsible for the failed reprogramming of P19 cells. To our knowledge, for the first time, we linked incomplete reprogramming to the improved pluripotency of EC cell-derived pluripotent stem cells. The candidate genes we discovered may be useful not only for understanding the mechanisms of reprogramming, but also for deciphering the transition between tumorigenesis and pluripotency

Molecular characters and expression analysis of a new isoform of the myocyte enhancer factor 2 gene from the silkworm, Bombyx mori

Using reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), the cDNA encoding a new isoform of the myocyte enhancer factor-2 (BMEF2) was cloned from the brain of the strain &quot;Liangguang 2&quot; of Bombyx mori. The open reading frame (ORF) of the new isoform shows 12 nucleotides absence of (GCACTCACAAAG) and three nucleotides mutation to the former BMEF2 (GenBank no. AB121093). Thus, we named it BMEF2B (GenBank no. EF100967). Using the SWISS-MODEL Prediction Server, the 3-D structure of BMEF2B was modeled. There are two β-turns and three α-helixes predicted in BMEF2B, with the pattern of α-β-β-α-α. The BMEF2B mRNA was detected not only in the central nervous system (CNS), including brain, suboesophageal ganglion (SG), thoracic ganglion (TG), and abdominal ganglion (AG), but in the non-neural tissues, such as the midgut (Mg), fat body (FB), and epidermis (Ep), muscle (Ms) and ovary (Ov). BMEF2B mRNA content in the brain was measured using the combined method of quantitative RT-PCR and Southern blotting, which kept consistently high from larvae to adults

A Novel Iron Transporter SPD_1590 in Streptococcus pneumoniae Contributing to Bacterial Virulence Properties

Streptococcus pneumoniae, a Gram-positive human pathogen, has evolved three main transporters for iron acquisition from the host: PiaABC, PiuABC, and PitABC. Our previous study had shown that the mRNA and protein levels of SPD_1590 are significantly upregulated in the ΔpiuA/ΔpiaA/ΔpitA triple mutant, suggesting that SPD_1590 might be a novel iron transporter in S. pneumoniae. In the present study, using spd1590-knockout, -complemented, and -overexpressing strains and the purified SPD_1590 protein, we show that SPD_1590 can bind hemin, probably supplementing the function of PiuABC, to provide the iron necessary for the bacterium. Furthermore, the results of iTRAQ quantitative proteomics and cell-infection studies demonstrate that, similarly to other metal-ion uptake proteins, SPD_1590 is important for bacterial virulence properties. Overall, these results provide a better understanding of the biology of this clinically important bacterium