Amygdalin isolated from Amygdalus mongolica protects against hepatic fibrosis in rats

The aim of this research was to investigate the effect of amygdalin on hepatic fibrosis in rats. Amygdalin was purified and identified from the seeds of Amygdalus mongolica. Sprague Dawley rats in the control and model groups were administered water. Sprague Dawley rats were divided into the low-, middle-, and high-dose amygdalin groups that received 20, 40, and 80 mg kg–1 amygdalin, respectively. whereas the silymarin group was treated with 50 mg kg–1 silymarin. The control and model groups were administered water. Liver tissue analysis revealed significantly lower activities of ALT, AST, ALP, SOD, and MDA in the drug-treated groups compared to the model group. Serum analysis revealed significantly lower HYC and C-IV in the middle-dose amygdalin-treated group compared to the model group. The histopathological changes were less severe in the drug-treated groups as observed by the formation of pseudolobuli and decreased collagen fiber deposition. Hepatic fibrosis-related genes were expressed at significantly lower levels in the amygdalin-treated groups than in the model group. Amygdalin from A. mongolica represents a therapeutic candidate for hepatic fibrosis prevention and treatment

Metabolic engineering of Saccharomyces cerevisiae for production of very long chain fatty acid-derived chemicals

Production of chemicals and biofuels through microbial fermentation is an economical and sustainable alternative for traditional chemical synthesis. Here we present the construction of a Saccharomyces cerevisiae platform strain for high-level production of very-long-chain fatty acid (VLCFA)-derived chemicals. Through rewiring the native fatty acid elongation system and implementing a heterologous Mycobacteria FAS I system, we establish an increased biosynthesis of VLCFAs in S. cerevisiae. VLCFAs can be selectively modified towards the fatty alcohol docosanol (C22H46O) by expressing a specific fatty acid reductase. Expression of this enzyme is shown to impair cell growth due to consumption of VLCFA-CoAs. We therefore implement a dynamic control strategy for separating cell growth from docosanol production. We successfully establish high-level and selective docosanol production of 83.5 mg l(-1) in yeast. This approach will provide a universal strategy towards the production of similar high value chemicals in a more scalable, stable and sustainable manner

Calibration method of DR equipment in China–Russia Eastern Gas Pipeline

In order to effectively control the welding quality of pipeline girth welds and meet the requirements of intelligent pipeline construction, X-ray Digital Radiography(DR) equipment was used to detect the welding quality of girth welds in China–Russia Eastern Gas Pipeline. The pipeline DR equipment is mainly composed of crawler with X-ray device, detector, computer, inspection software and detection tools, etc., and its reliability is directly related to the inspection quality of pipeline girth welds. At present, the technical indexes are only proposed for each component of DR equipment at home and abroad, and still no calibration method and calibration standard are available for the complete equipment system. Therefore, procedures for calibration of DR equipment in China–Russia Eastern Gas Pipeline have been developed. In addition to the bad pixel, basic spatial resolution, minimum allowable gray scale amplitude and contrast sensitivity of the detector specified in related standards, the DR equipment imaging uniformity, defect detection rate and reliability test have been added as calibration items to provide technical guarantee for the high-quality construction of the China–Russia Eastern Gas Pipeline

A meta-analysis on the role of pleiotrophin (PTN) as a prognostic factor in cancer.

BACKGROUND:Some researchers reported that pleiotrophin (PTN) is associated with the development and metastasis of various tumors and it is a poor prognostic factor for the tumor patients. However, the results of other researches are inconsistent with them. It is obliged to do a meta-analysis to reach a definite conclusion. METHODS:The published studies relevant to PTN were searched in the databases including PubMed, Embase and Web of Science until March 20, 2018. A meta-analysis was conducted to evaluate the role of PTN in clinicopathological characteristics and overall survival (OS) of cancer patients. RESULTS:Our meta-analysis indicated that the high expression of PTN was remarkably associated with advanced TNM stage (OR = 2.79, 95%CI: 1.92-4.06, P<0.00001) and poor OS (HR = 1.77, 95%CI: 1.41-2.22, P<0.00001) in tumor patients. The expression of PTN was not associated with tumor size (OR = 1.12, 95% CI: 0.55-2.26, P = 0.76), lymph node metastasis (LNM) (OR = 1.95, 95%CI: 0.62-6.12, P = 0.25), distant metastasis (DM) (OR = 2.78, 95%CI: 0.72-10.74, P = 0.14) and histological grade (OR = 1.95, 95%CI: 0.98-3.87, P = 0.06). CONCLUSION:The high expression of PTN is significantly relevant to the advanced TNM stage and poor OS in tumor patients. PTN can serve as a promising biomarker to predict unfavorable survival outcomes, and it may be a potential target for tumor treatment

Amygdalin isolated from Amygdalus mongolica protects against hepatic fibrosis in rats

The aim of this research was to investigate the effect of amygdalin on hepatic fibrosis in rats. Amygdalin was purified and identified from the seeds of Amygdalus mongo lica. Sprague Dawley rats in the control and model groups were administered water. Sprague Dawley rats were divided into the low-, middle-, and high-dose amygdalin groups that received 20, 40, and 80 mg kg−1 amygdalin, respectively. whereas the silymarin group was treated with 50 mg kg−1 silymarin. The control and model groups were administered water. Liver tissue analysis revealed significantly lower activities of ALT, AST, ALP, SOD, and MDA in the drug-treated groups compared to the model group. Serum analysis revealed significantly lower HYC and C-IV in the middle-dose amygdalin-treated group compared to the model group. The histopathological changes were less severe in the drug-treated groups as observed by the formation of pseudolobuli and decreased collagen fiber deposition. Hepatic fibrosis-related genes were expressed at significantly lower levels in the amygdalin-treated groups than in the model group. Amygdalin from A. mongolica represents a therapeutic candidate for hepatic fibrosis prevention and treatment

A Survey of Body Sensor Networks

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Covalent Organic Frameworks with Ionic Liquid-Moieties (ILCOFs): Structures, Synthesis, and CO2 Conversion

CO2, an acidic gas, is usually emitted from the combustion of fossil fuels and leads to the formation of acid rain and greenhouse effects. CO2 can be used to produce kinds of value-added chemicals from a viewpoint based on carbon capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS). With the combination of unique structures and properties of ionic liquids (ILs) and covalent organic frameworks (COFs), covalent organic frameworks with ionic liquid-moieties (ILCOFs) have been developed as a kind of novel and efficient sorbent, catalyst, and electrolyte since 2016. In this critical review, we first focus on the structures and synthesis of different kinds of ILCOFs materials, including ILCOFs with IL moieties located on the main linkers, on the nodes, and on the side chains. We then discuss the ILCOFs for CO2 capture and conversion, including the reduction and cycloaddition of CO2. Finally, future directions and prospects for ILCOFs are outlined. This review is beneficial for academic researchers in obtaining an overall understanding of ILCOFs and their application of CO2 conversion. This work will open a door to develop novel ILCOFs materials for the capture, separation, and utilization of other typical acid, basic, or neutral gases such as SO2, H2S, NOx, NH3, and so on

Characterization of the complete mitochondrial genome of Euspira gilva with phylogenetic analysis

Here, we determined the complete mitogenome sequence of Euspira gilva (Littorinimorpha: Naticidae). The complete mitochondrial genome is circular and 16,119 bp in length, containing 13 protein-coding genes (PCGs), 2 ribosomal RNA genes, and 22 transfer RNA genes. All PCGs and rRNA genes are encoded on the heavy strand while tRNA genes are distributed in both the strands. The overall nucleotides base composition of the heavy strand is A (31.80%), G (14.72%), C (13.72%), and T (39.76%), with an A + T bias (71.56%). All of the PCGs had ATG as their start codon. The common termination codon is TAA, except for nd4l terminated with TAG. The 22 tRNA genes could be folded into a typical clover-leaf secondary structure. As seen from the phylogenetic tree, E. gilva has a more close relationship with Neverita didyma and Glossaulax reiniana

The complete mitochondrial genome of the green alga Chloroidium sp. UTEX 3077 (Watanabea clade, Trebouxiophyceae)

The complete mitochondrial genome of Chloroidium sp. UTEX 3077 was determined in this study. The circular genome was 90,774 bp in length with the GC content of 38.8%. It contained 30 protein-coding genes (PCGs), 22 transfer RNA (tRNA) genes and 2 ribosome RNA (rRNA) genes. A phylogenetic analysis based on the 8 mitochondrial genomes of Trebouxiophyceae indicated that Chloroidium sp. UTEX 3077 grouped with Chlorellales

Reprogramming Yeast Metabolism from Alcoholic Fermentation to Lipogenesis

Engineering microorganisms for production of fuels and chemicals often requires major re-programming of metabolism to ensure high flux toward the product of interest. This is challenging, as millions of years of evolution have resulted in establishment of tight regulation of metabolism for optimal growth in the organism\u27s natural habitat. Here, we show through metabolic engineering that it is possible to alter the metabolism of Saccharomyces cerevisiae from traditional ethanol fermentation to a pure lipogenesis metabolism, resulting in high-level production of free fatty acids. Through metabolic engineering and process design, we altered subcellular metabolic trafficking, fine tuned NADPH and ATP supply, and decreased carbon flux to biomass, enabling production of 33.4 g/L extracellular free fatty acids. We further demonstrate that lipogenesis metabolism can replace ethanol fermentation by deletion of pyruvate decarboxylase enzymes followed by adaptive laboratory evolution. Genome sequencing of evolved strains showed that pyruvate kinase mutations were essential for this phenotype