From Differentiation of the Expressive Effects to Conscious Use of Rhetorical Language

The double predicate structures in English are examples of rhetorical use of language. The differentiation between the distinctive double predicate structure “verb + adjective” and the normal predicate structure “verb + adverb” and the subsequent choice in specific contexts is thus not only a matter of grammar rules on the surface, but, more substantively, a matter of conscious use of rhetorical language. The survey conducted among college English teachers in China into their differentiation between “verb + adjective” and “verb + adverb” showed that most respondents didn’t distinguish very well the differing expressive effects caused by the choice of the adjectives or the adjectives’ derivative adverbs in these two types of structures, and that the majority of the respondents had difficulty in making proper choices between them for specific contexts. Since the identification of a language structure is the prerequisite for its appropriate use, due attention in English teaching and learning should be paid to the delicate differences among similar language items and to their differing expressive effects to cultivate awareness and competence of conscious use of rhetorical language, enhancing overall language performance

Histone modifications induced by MDV infection at early cytolytic and latency phases

Marek’s disease (MD) is a highly contagious, lymphomatous disease of chickens induced by a herpesvirus, Marek’s disease virus (MDV) that is the cause of major annual losses to the poultry industry. MD pathogenesis involves multiple stages including an early cytolytic phase and latency, and transitions between these stages are governed by several host and environmental factors. The success of vaccination strategies has led to the increased virulence of MDV and selective breeding of naturally resistant chickens is seen as a viable alternative. While multiple gene expression studies have been performed in resistant and susceptible populations, little is known about the epigenetic effects of infection. In this study, we investigated temporal chromatin signatures induced by MDV by analyzing early cytolytic and latent phases of infection in the bursa of Fabricius of MD-resistant and –susceptible birds. Major global variations in chromatin marks were observed at different stages of MD in the two lines. Differential H3K27me3 marks were associated with immune-related pathways, such as MAP kinase signaling, focal adhesion and neuroactive ligand receptor interaction, and suggested varying degrees of silencing in response to infection. Immune-related microRNAs, e.g. gga-miR-155 and gga-miR-10b, bore chromatin signatures, which suggested their contribution to MD-susceptibility. Finally, several members of the focal adhesion pathway, e.g. THBS4 and ITGA1, showed marked concordance between gene expression and chromatin marks indicating putative epigenetic regulation in response to MDV infection. Our comprehensive analysis of chromatin signatures, therefore, revealed further clues about the epigenetic effects of MDV infection although further studies are necessary to elucidate the functional implications of the observed variations in histone modifications.https://doi.org/10.1186/s12864-015-1492-

MicroRNA-211 Expression Promotes Colorectal Cancer Cell Growth In Vitro and In Vivo by Targeting Tumor Suppressor CHD5

Background: Chromodomain-helicase-DNA-binding protein 5 (CHD5) is a newly identified tumor suppressor that is frequently downregulated in a variety of human cancers. Our previous work revealed that the low expression of CHD5 in colorectal cancer is correlated with CHD5 promoter CpG island hypermethylation. In this study, we investigated the effect of microRNA-211 (miR-211)-regulated CHD5 expression on colorectal tumorigenesis. Methodology/Principal Findings: miR-211 was predicted to target CHD5 by TargetScan software analysis. A stably expressing exogenous miR-211 colorectal cancer cell line (HCT-116 miR-211) was generated using lentiviral transduction and used as a model for in vitro and in vivo studies. The expression level of miR-211 in HCT-116 miR-211 cells was upregulated by 16-fold compared to vector control cells (HCT-116 vector). Exogenous miR-211 directly binds to the 39-untranslated region (39-UTR) of CHD5 mRNA, resulting in a 50 % decrease in CHD5 protein level in HCT-116 miR-211 cells. The levels of cell proliferation, tumor growth, and cell migration of HCT-116 miR-211 cells were significantly higher than HCT-116 vector cells under both in vitro and in vivo conditions, as determined using the methods of MTT, colony formation, flow cytometry, scratch assay, and tumor xenografts, respectively. In addition, we found that enforced expression of miR-211 in HCT-116 cells was able to alter p53 pathway-associated regulatory proteins, such as MDM2, Bcl-2, Bcl-xL, and Bax. Conclusion/Significance: Our results demonstrate that CHD5 is a direct target of miR-211 regulation. Enforced expression o

A Multicenter, Double-Blinded Validation Study of Methylation Biomarkers for Progression Prediction in Barrett's Esophagus

Esophageal adenocarcinoma risk in Barrett’s esophagus (BE) is increased 30- to 125-fold versus the general population. Among all BE patients, however, neoplastic progression occurs only once per 200 patient-years. Molecular biomarkers are therefore needed to risk-stratify patients for more efficient surveillance endoscopy and to improve the early detection of progression. We therefore performed a retrospective, multicenter, double-blinded validation study of 8 BE progression prediction methylation biomarkers. Progression or nonprogression were determined at 2 years (tier 1) and 4 years (tier 2). Methylation was assayed in 145 nonprogressors (NPs) and 50 progressors (Ps) using real-time quantitative methylation-specific PCR. Ps were significantly older than NPs (70.6 vs. 62.5 years, p < 0.001). We evaluated a linear combination of the 8 markers, using coefficients from a multivariate logistic regression analysis. Areas under the ROC curve (AUCs) were high in the 2-, 4-year and combined data models (0.843, 0.829 and 0.840; p<0.001, p<0.001 and p<0.001, respectively). In addition, even after rigorous overfitting correction, the incremental AUCs contributed by panels based on the 8 markers plus age vs. age alone were substantial (Δ-AUC = 0.152, 0.114 and 0.118, respectively) in all three models. A methylation biomarker-based panel to predict neoplastic progression in BE has potential clinical value in improving both the efficiency of surveillance endoscopy and the early detection of neoplasia

Photometric study of the close binary system DD Monocerotis

New BV light curves of the short-period eclipsing binary system DD Mon have been obtained. Light-curve variability is seen in both B and V bands as compared with the light curves obtained in 1986 by Yamasaki et al. (1990). The light curves are analyzed by using Wilson-Devinney's synthetic light-curve program, and the present photometric solution reveals that DD Mon is a near-contact binary with the secondary component filling the Roche lobe. Combined with Yamasaki et al.'s (1990) spectroscopic results, absolute quantities of DD Mon are derived: mass of the primary $M_{1}=1.05\, {\pm}\, 0.08\, M_{\odot}$, mass of the secondary $M_{2}=0.47\, {\pm}\, 0.04\, M_{\odot}$, radius of the primary $R_{1}=1.36\, {\pm}\, 0.04\, R_{\odot}$, radius of the secondary $R_{2}=1.03\, {\pm}\, 0.03\, R_{\odot}$. These results show that the components of DD Mon have evolved away from the ZAMS and through a mass-transfer process to the present semi-detached state. The variation in shape of the light curve may be caused by the evolution of the system and the activity of dark spots