Simultaneous determination of flavonoids and triterpenoids in Cyclocarya paliurus leaves using high-performance liquid chromatography

Background: Cyclocarya paliurus is an endangered plant and endemic to China. The leaves of C. paliurus have been used in drug formulations and as ingredients in functional foods in China. The aim of this study was to develop an effective method to extract most of the compounds and to establish a simplified HPLC analytical method to determine the contents of major bioactive compounds simultaneously.Materials and methods: High-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) coupled with a photodiode array detector (PDA) was used for the simultaneous determination of the major flavonoids and triterpenoids in C. paliurus leaves.Results: Ultrasonic extraction in 100% methanol for 30 min was adopted as the optimal extraction method for C. paliurus leaves. The separation conditions were optimized using a Phenomenex C18 ODS column (250 mm × 4.6 mm, 5 μm) with a mobile phase of acetonitrile and 0.02% formic acid and a detection wavelength of 205 nm. The validation data indicated that this new HPLC analytical method successfully quantified the provenance and seasonal variations of seven major compounds (three flavonoids and four triterpenoids) in C. paliurus leaves.Conclusion: The study provided a novel and simplified approach to simultaneously determine the quantity of major flavonoids and triterpenoids in C. paliurus leaves. The results could promote the optimization of silvicultural systems for quality control of C. paliurus.Key words: Cyclocarya paliurus; HPLC; flavonoids; triterpenoid

Domain freezing in potassium dihydrogen phosphate, triglycine sulfate, and CuAlZnNi

The temperature dependence of the dielectric constant and dissipation in potassium dihydrogen phosphate (KDP), its deuterated compound (DKDP), triglycine sulfate (TGS), and TGS doped with α-alanine (LATGS) has been studied at various frequencies. It is found that the relaxation time of domain freezing in KDP and DKDP in the kHz range can be described by the Vogel-Fulcher relation. Evidence of domain freezing in TGS is presented through an analysis of relaxation time related to domain walls and a comparison between TGS and LATGS. Studies of internal friction and compliance show preliminary evidence of domain freezing in CuAlZnNi alloy. A domain-freezing model is proposed based upon the collective pinning of randomly distributed pinning centers to domain walls. Some key experiments related to domain freezing, such as (1) the Vogel-Fulcher relation for relaxation time; (2) the size effect of domain freezing; (3) two kinds of relaxation in low- and high-frequency ranges, respectively; and (4) the dependence of TF on defect density and applied field, etc., are explained.published_or_final_versio

Past Achievements and Future Challenges in 3D Photonic Metamaterials

Photonic metamaterials are man-made structures composed of tailored micro- or nanostructured metallo-dielectric sub-wavelength building blocks that are densely packed into an effective material. This deceptively simple, yet powerful, truly revolutionary concept allows for achieving novel, unusual, and sometimes even unheard-of optical properties, such as magnetism at optical frequencies, negative refractive indices, large positive refractive indices, zero reflection via impedance matching, perfect absorption, giant circular dichroism, or enhanced nonlinear optical properties. Possible applications of metamaterials comprise ultrahigh-resolution imaging systems, compact polarization optics, and cloaking devices. This review describes the experimental progress recently made fabricating three-dimensional metamaterial structures and discusses some remaining future challenges

TRAPPC4-ERK2 Interaction Activates ERK1/2, Modulates Its Nuclear Localization and Regulates Proliferation and Apoptosis of Colorectal Cancer Cells

The trafficking protein particle complex 4 (TRAPPC4) is implicated in vesicle-mediated transport, but its association with disease has rarely been reported. We explored its potential interaction with ERK2, part of the ERK1/2 complex in the Extracellular Signal-regulated Kinase/ Mitogen-activated Protein Kinase (ERK-MAPK) pathway, by a yeast two-hybrid screen and confirmed by co-immunoprecipitation (Co-IP) and glutathione S-transferase (GST) pull-down. Further investigation found that when TRAPPC4 was depleted, activated ERK1/2 specifically decreased in the nucleus, which was accompanied with cell growth suppression and apoptosis in colorectal cancer (CRC) cells. Overexpression of TRAPPC4 promoted cell viability and caused activated ERK1/2 to increase overall, but especially in the nucleus. TRAPPC4 was expressed more highly in the nucleus of CRC cells than in normal colonic epithelium or adenoma which corresponded with nuclear staining of pERK1/2. We demonstrate here that TRAPPC4 may regulate cell proliferation and apoptosis in CRC by interaction with ERK2 and subsequently phosphorylating ERK1/2 as well as modulating the subcellular location of pERK1/2 to activate the relevant signaling pathway

Potential role and chronology of abnormal expression of the Deleted in Colon Cancer (DCC) and the p53 proteins in the development of gastric cancer

BACKGROUND: Loss of activity of tumor suppressor genes is considered a fundamental step in a genetic model of carcinogenesis. Altered expression of the p53 and the Deleted in Colon Cancer (DCC) proteins has been described in gastric cancer and this event may have a role in the development of the disease. According to this hypothesis, we investigated the p53 and the DCC proteins expression in different stages of gastric carcinomas. METHODS: An immunohistochemical analysis for detection of p53 and DCC proteins expression was performed in tumor tissue samples of patients with UICC stage I and II gastric cancer. For the purpose of the analysis, the staining results were related to the pathologic data and compared between stage categories. RESULTS: Ninety-four cases of gastric cancer were analyzed. Disease stage categories were pT1N0 in 23 cases, pT2N0 in 20 cases, pT3N0 in 20 cases and pT1-3 with nodal involvment in 31 cases. Stage pT1-2N0 tumors maintained a positive DCC expression while it was abolished in pT3N0 tumors (p <.001). A significant higher proportion of patients with N2 nodal involvement showed DCC negative tumors. In muscular-invading tumors (pT2-3N0) the majority of cases showed p53 overexpression, whereas a significantly higher proportion of cases confined into the mucosa (pT1N0) showed p53 negative tumors. Also, a higher frequency of p53 overexpression was detected in cases with N1 and N2 metastatic lymphnodal involvement. CONCLUSIONS: Altered expression of both DCC and p53 proteins is detectable in gastric carcinomas. It seems that loss of wild-type p53 gene function and consequent p53 overexpression may be involved in early stages of tumor progression while DCC abnormalities are a late event

Is elevated SUA associated with a worse outcome in young Chinese patients with acute cerebral ischemic stroke?

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Elevated serum uric acid (SUA) levels can enhance its antioxidant prosperities and reduce the occurrence of cerebral infarction. Significantly elevated SUA levels have been associated with a better prognosis in patients with cerebral infarction; however, the results from some studies on the relationship between SUA and the prognosis of patients with cerebral infarction remain controversial.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>We analyzed the relationship between SUA and clinical prognosis of 585 young Chinese adults with acute ischemic stroke as determined by the modified Rankin Scale at discharge. Using multivariate logistic regression modeling, we explore the relationship between SUA levels and patient's clinical prognosis.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Lower SUA levels at time of admission were observed more frequently in the lowest quintile for patients with severe stroke (P = 0.02). Patients with cerebral infarction patients caused by small-vessel blockage had higher SUA concentrations (P = 0.01) and the lower mRS scores (P < 0.01) were observed in, while the lowest SUA concentrations and the highest mRS scores were seen in patients with cardiogenic cerebral infarction patients. Logistic regression analysis adjusted for confounders confirmed the following independent predictors for young cerebral infarction: uric acid (-0.003: 95%CI 0.994 to 0.999) and platelet (0.004, 95%CI 0.993 to 0.996).</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Elevated SUA is an independent predictor for good clinical outcome of acute cerebral infarction among young adults.</p

Efficient Enrichment of Hepatic Cancer Stem-Like Cells from a Primary Rat HCC Model via a Density Gradient Centrifugation-Centered Method

Background: Because few definitive markers are available for hepatic cancer stem cells (HCSCs), based on physical rather than immunochemical properties, we applied a novel method to enrich HCSCs. Methodology: After hepatic tumor cells (HTCs) were first isolated from diethylinitrosamine-induced F344 rat HCC model using percoll discontinuous gradient centrifugation (PDGC) and purified via differential trypsinization and differential attachment (DTDA), they were separated into four fractions using percoll continuous gradient centrifugation (PCGC) and sequentially designated as fractions I–IV (FI–IV). Morphological characteristics, mRNA and protein levels of stem cell markers, proliferative abilities, induced differentiation, in vitro migratory capacities, in vitro chemo-resistant capacities, and in vivo malignant capacities were determined for the cells of each fraction. Findings: As the density of cells increased, 22.18%, 11.62%, 4.73 % and 61.47 % of primary cultured HTCs were segregated in FI–FIV, respectively. The cells from FIII (density between 1.041 and 1.062 g/ml) displayed a higher nuclear-cytoplasmic ratio and fewer organelles and expressed higher levels of stem cell markers (AFP, EpCAM and CD133) than cells from other fractions (P,0.01). Additionally, in vitro, the cells from FIII showed a greater capacity to self-renew, differentiate into mature HTCs, transit across membranes, close scratches, and carry resistance to chemotherapy than did cells from any other fraction; in vivo, injection of only 1610 4 cells from FIII could generate tumors not only in subcutaneous tissue but also in th

Transcriptome profiling of rabbit parthenogenetic blastocysts developed under in vivo conditions

Parthenogenetic embryos are one attractive alternative as a source of embryonic stem cells, although many aspects related to the biology of parthenogenetic embryos and parthenogenetically derived cell lines still need to be elucidated. The present work was conducted to investigate the gene expression profile of rabbit parthenote embryos cultured under in vivo conditions using microarray analysis. Transcriptomic profiles indicate 2541 differentially expressed genes between parthenotes and normal in vivo fertilised blastocysts, of which 76 genes were upregulated and 16 genes downregulated in in vivo cultured parthenote blastocyst, using 3 fold-changes as a cut-off. While differentially upregulated expressed genes are related to transport and protein metabolic process, downregulated expressed genes are related to DNA and RNA binding. Using microarray data, 6 imprinted genes were identified as conserved among rabbits, humans and mice: GRB10, ATP10A, ZNF215, NDN, IMPACT and SFMBT2. We also found that 26 putative genes have at least one member of that gene family imprinted in other species. These data strengthen the view that a large fraction of genes is differentially expressed between parthenogenetic and normal embryos cultured under the same conditions and offer a new approach to the identification of imprinted genes in rabbit. © 2012 Naturil-Alfonso et al.This work was supported by Generalitat Valenciana research programme (Prometeo 2009/125). Carmen Naturil was supported by Generalitat Valenciana research programme (Prometeo 2009/125). The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.Naturil Alfonso, C.; Saenz De Juano Ribes, MDLD.; Peñaranda, D.; Vicente Antón, JS.; Marco Jiménez, F. (2012). Transcriptome profiling of rabbit parthenogenetic blastocysts developed under in vivo conditions. PLoS ONE. 7(12):1-11. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0051271S111712Harness, J. V., Turovets, N. A., Seiler, M. J., Nistor, G., Altun, G., Agapova, L. S., … Keirstead, H. S. (2011). Equivalence of Conventionally-Derived and Parthenote-Derived Human Embryonic Stem Cells. PLoS ONE, 6(1), e14499. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0014499Lu, Z., Zhu, W., Yu, Y., Jin, D., Guan, Y., Yao, R., … Zhou, Q. (2010). Derivation and long-term culture of human parthenogenetic embryonic stem cells using human foreskin feeders. Journal of Assisted Reproduction and Genetics, 27(6), 285-291. doi:10.1007/s10815-010-9408-5Koh, C. J., Delo, D. M., Lee, J. W., Siddiqui, M. M., Lanza, R. P., Soker, S., … Atala, A. (2009). Parthenogenesis-derived multipotent stem cells adapted for tissue engineering applications. Methods, 47(2), 90-97. doi:10.1016/j.ymeth.2008.08.002Vrana, K. E., Hipp, J. D., Goss, A. M., McCool, B. A., Riddle, D. R., Walker, S. J., … Cibelli, J. B. (2003). Nonhuman primate parthenogenetic stem cells. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 100(Supplement 1), 11911-11916. doi:10.1073/pnas.2034195100Chen, Z., Liu, Z., Huang, J., Amano, T., Li, C., Cao, S., … Liu, L. (2009). Birth of Parthenote Mice Directly from Parthenogenetic Embryonic Stem Cells. Stem Cells, 27(9), 2136-2145. doi:10.1002/stem.158Sritanaudomchai, H., Ma, H., Clepper, L., Gokhale, S., Bogan, R., Hennebold, J., … Mitalipov, S. (2010). Discovery of a novel imprinted gene by transcriptional analysis of parthenogenetic embryonic stem cells. Human Reproduction, 25(8), 1927-1941. doi:10.1093/humrep/deq144Fang, Z. F., Gai, H., Huang, Y. Z., Li, S. G., Chen, X. J., Shi, J. J., … Sheng, H. Z. (2006). Rabbit embryonic stem cell lines derived from fertilized, parthenogenetic or somatic cell nuclear transfer embryos. Experimental Cell Research, 312(18), 3669-3682. doi:10.1016/j.yexcr.2006.08.013Wang, S., Tang, X., Niu, Y., Chen, H., Li, B., Li, T., … Ji, W. (2007). Generation and Characterization of Rabbit Embryonic Stem Cells. Stem Cells, 25(2), 481-489. doi:10.1634/stemcells.2006-0226Piedrahita, J. A., Anderson, G. B., & BonDurant, R. H. (1990). On the isolation of embryonic stem cells: Comparative behavior of murine, porcine and ovine embryos. Theriogenology, 34(5), 879-901. doi:10.1016/0093-691x(90)90559-cNaturil-Alfonso, C., Saenz-de-Juano, M. D., Peñaranda, D. S., Vicente, J. S., & Marco-Jiménez, F. (2011). Parthenogenic blastocysts cultured under in vivo conditions exhibit proliferation and differentiation expression genes similar to those of normal embryos. Animal Reproduction Science, 127(3-4), 222-228. doi:10.1016/j.anireprosci.2011.08.005Besenfelder, U., Strouhal, C., & Brem, G. (1998). A Method for Endoscopic Embryo Collection and Transfer in the Rabbit. Journal of Veterinary Medicine Series A, 45(1-10), 577-579. doi:10.1111/j.1439-0442.1998.tb00861.xMehaisen, G. M. K., Viudes-de-Castro, M. P., Vicente, J. S., & Lavara, R. (2006). In vitro and in vivo viability of vitrified and non-vitrified embryos derived from eCG and FSH treatment in rabbit does. Theriogenology, 65(7), 1279-1291. doi:10.1016/j.theriogenology.2005.08.007Bilodeau-Goeseels, S., & Schultz, G. A. (1997). Changes in Ribosomal Ribonucleic Acid Content Within in Vitro-produced Bovine Embryos1. Biology of Reproduction, 56(5), 1323-1329. doi:10.1095/biolreprod56.5.1323Conesa, A., Gotz, S., Garcia-Gomez, J. M., Terol, J., Talon, M., & Robles, M. (2005). Blast2GO: a universal tool for annotation, visualization and analysis in functional genomics research. Bioinformatics, 21(18), 3674-3676. doi:10.1093/bioinformatics/bti610Edgar, R. (2002). Gene Expression Omnibus: NCBI gene expression and hybridization array data repository. Nucleic Acids Research, 30(1), 207-210. doi:10.1093/nar/30.1.207Weltzien, F.-A., Pasqualini, C., Vernier, P., & Dufour, S. (2005). A quantitative real-time RT-PCR assay for European eel tyrosine hydroxylase. General and Comparative Endocrinology, 142(1-2), 134-142. doi:10.1016/j.ygcen.2004.12.019Llobat, L., Marco-Jiménez, F., Peñaranda, D., Saenz-de-Juano, M., & Vicente, J. (2011). Effect of Embryonic Genotype on Reference Gene Selection for RT-qPCR Normalization. Reproduction in Domestic Animals, 47(4), 629-634. doi:10.1111/j.1439-0531.2011.01934.xLiu, N., Enkemann, S. A., Liang, P., Hersmus, R., Zanazzi, C., Huang, J., … Liu, L. (2010). Genome-wide Gene Expression Profiling Reveals Aberrant MAPK and Wnt Signaling Pathways Associated with Early Parthenogenesis. Journal of Molecular Cell Biology, 2(6), 333-344. doi:10.1093/jmcb/mjq029Abdoon, A. S., Ghanem, N., Kandil, O. M., Gad, A., Schellander, K., & Tesfaye, D. (2012). cDNA microarray analysis of gene expression in parthenotes and in vitro produced buffalo embryos. Theriogenology, 77(6), 1240-1251. doi:10.1016/j.theriogenology.2011.11.004Labrecque, R., & Sirard, M.-A. (2011). Gene expression analysis of bovine blastocysts produced by parthenogenic activation or fertilisation. Reproduction, Fertility and Development, 23(4), 591. doi:10.1071/rd10243Rizos, D., Clemente, M., Bermejo-Alvarez, P., de La Fuente, J., Lonergan, P., & Gutiérrez-Adán, A. (2008). Consequences ofIn VitroCulture Conditions on Embryo Development and Quality. Reproduction in Domestic Animals, 43, 44-50. doi:10.1111/j.1439-0531.2008.01230.xLonergan, P., Rizos, D., Kanka, J., Nemcova, L., Mbaye, A., Kingston, M., … Boland, M. (2003). Temporal sensitivity of bovine embryos to culture environment after fertilization and the implications for blastocyst quality. Reproduction, 337-346. doi:10.1530/rep.0.1260337Memili, E., & First, N. L. (2000). Zygotic and embryonic gene expression in cow: a review of timing and mechanisms of early gene expression as compared with other species. Zygote, 8(1), 87-96. doi:10.1017/s0967199400000861Latham, K. E. (2001). Embryonic genome activation. Frontiers in Bioscience, 6(3), d748-759. doi:10.2741/a639Niemann, H., & Wrenzycki, C. (2000). Alterations of expression of developmentally important genes in preimplantation bovine embryos by in vitro culture conditions: Implications for subsequent development. Theriogenology, 53(1), 21-34. doi:10.1016/s0093-691x(99)00237-xCorcoran, D., Fair, T., Park, S., Rizos, D., Patel, O. V., Smith, G. W., … Lonergan, P. (2006). Suppressed expression of genes involved in transcription and translation in in vitro compared with in vivo cultured bovine embryos. Reproduction, 131(4), 651-660. doi:10.1530/rep.1.01015Morison, I. M., Ramsay, J. P., & Spencer, H. G. (2005). A census of mammalian imprinting. Trends in Genetics, 21(8), 457-465. doi:10.1016/j.tig.2005.06.008Bischoff, S. R., Tsai, S., Hardison, N., Motsinger-Reif, A. A., Freking, B. A., Nonneman, D., … Piedrahita, J. A. (2009). Characterization of Conserved and Nonconserved Imprinted Genes in Swine1. Biology of Reproduction, 81(5), 906-920. doi:10.1095/biolreprod.109.078139Cruz-Correa, M., Zhao, R., Oveido, M., Bernabe, R. D., Lacourt, M., Cardona, A., … Giardiello, F. M. (2009). Temporal stability and age-related prevalence of loss of imprinting of the insulin-like growth factor-2 gene. Epigenetics, 4(2), 114-118. doi:10.4161/epi.4.2.7954Park, C.-H., Uh, K.-J., Mulligan, B. P., Jeung, E.-B., Hyun, S.-H., Shin, T., … Lee, C.-K. (2011). Analysis of Imprinted Gene Expression in Normal Fertilized and Uniparental Preimplantation Porcine Embryos. PLoS ONE, 6(7), e22216. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0022216Thurston, A., Taylor, J., Gardner, J., Sinclair, K. D., & Young, L. E. (2007). Monoallelic expression of nine imprinted genes in the sheep embryo occurs after the blastocyst stage. Reproduction, 135(1), 29-40. doi:10.1530/rep-07-0211Li, Y., & Sasaki, H. (2011). Genomic imprinting in mammals: its life cycle, molecular mechanisms and reprogramming. Cell Research, 21(3), 466-473. doi:10.1038/cr.2011.15Mamo, S., Gal, A., Polgar, Z., & Dinnyes, A. (2008). Expression profiles of the pluripotency marker gene POU5F1 and validation of reference genes in rabbit oocytes and preimplantation stage embryos. BMC Molecular Biology, 9(1), 67. doi:10.1186/1471-2199-9-67Navarrete Santos, A., Tonack, S., Kirstein, M., Pantaleon, M., Kaye, P., & Fischer, B. (2004). Insulin acts via mitogen-activated protein kinase phosphorylation in rabbit blastocysts. Reproduction, 128(5), 517-526. doi:10.1530/rep.1.0020

Joint Effects of Febrile Acute Infection and an Interferon-γ Polymorphism on Breast Cancer Risk

BACKGROUND: There is an inverse relationship between febrile infection and the risk of malignancies. Interferon gamma (IFN-γ) plays an important role in fever induction and its expression increases with incubation at fever-range temperatures. Therefore, the genetic polymorphism of IFN-γ may modify the association of febrile infection with breast cancer risk. METHODOLOGY AND PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Information on potential breast cancer risk factors, history of fever during the last 10 years, and blood specimens were collected from 839 incident breast cancer cases and 863 age-matched controls between October 2008 and June 2010 in Guangzhou, China. IFN-γ (rs2069705) was genotyped using a matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry platform. Odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated using multivariate logistic regression. We found that women who had experienced ≥1 fever per year had a decreased risk of breast cancer [ORs and 95% CI: 0.77 (0.61-0.99)] compared to those with less than one fever a year. This association only occurred in women with CT/TT genotypes [0.54 (0.37-0.77)] but not in those with the CC genotype [1.09 (0.77-1.55)]. The association of IFN-γ rs2069705 with the risk of breast cancer was not significant among all participants, while the CT/TT genotypes were significantly related to an elevated risk of breast cancer [1.32 (1.03-1.70)] among the women with <1 fever per year and to a reduced risk of breast cancer [0.63 (0.40-0.99)] among women with ≥1 fever per year compared to the CC genotype. A marked interaction between fever frequencies and the IFN-γ genotypes was observed (P for multiplicative and additive interactions were 0.005 and 0.058, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: Our findings indicate a possible link between febrile acute infection and a decreased risk of breast cancer, and this association was modified by IFN-γ rs2069705