The plasma level changes of VEGF and soluble VEGF receptor-1 are associated with high-altitude pulmonary edema

Hypoxia-induced plasma levels of VEGF and sFlt-1 are responsible for increased vascular permeability occurred in both brain and pulmonary edema. Currently, it remains unclear the exact roles of VEGF and sFlt-1 in High Altitude Pulmonary Edema (HAPE) pathogenesis. In this study, plasma levels of VEGF and sFlt-1 from 10 HAPE and 10 non-HAPE subjects were measured and compared. The results showed that plasma levels of both VEGF and sFlt-1 in HAPE patients were significantly increased as compared to the non-HAPE group. Interestingly, increased plasma levels of these two protein factors were markedly reduced after treatments. As compared to VEGF, sFlt-1 was much more affected by hypoxia and treatments, suggesting this factor was a key factor contributed to HAPE pathogenesis. Importantly, the ratio of sFlt-1 and VEGF in group of either non-HAPE or HAPE after recovery was significantly lower than the ratio in HAPE patients prior to treatments. Our findings suggested that sFlt-1 was a key factor that involved in HAPE pathogenesis and the sFlt-1/VEGF ratio could be used as a sensitive diagnostic marker for HAPE

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

Inhibition of Protein Phosphatase 2A Sensitizes Mucoepidermoid Carcinoma to Chemotherapy via the PI3K-AKT Pathway in Response to Insulin Stimulus

Background/Aims: Protein phosphatase 2A (PP2A) is a ubiquitous serine/threonine phosphatase that mediates cell cycle regulation and metabolism. Mounting evidence has indicated that PP2A inhibition exhibits considerable anticancer potency in multiple types of human cancers. However, the efficacy of PP2A inhibition remains unexplored in mucoepidermoid carcinoma (MEC), especially in locally advanced and metastatic cases with limited systemic treatment. In this study, we demonstrated the therapeutic potency of LB100 in mucoepidermoid carcinoma. Methods: In this study, the expression of PP2A was evaluated using immunohistochemical (IHC) staining. The effects associated with LB100 alone and in combination with cisplatin for the treatment of mucoepidermoid carcinoma were investigated both in vitro, regarding metabolism, proliferation, and migration, and in vivo in a mucoepidermoid carcinoma xenograft model. In addition, with LB100 treatment and in response to an insulin stimulus, the expression levels and phosphorylation levels of targets in the PI3K-AKT pathway were determined using western blot analysis and immunoblotting. Results: The expression of protein phosphatase 2A was significantly upregulated in the clinical specimens of high-grade MECs compared with those of low-/medium-grade MECs and normal controls. In this article, we report that a small molecule PP2A inhibitor, LB100, decreased cellular viability and glycolytic activity and induced G2/M cell cycle arrest. Importantly, LB100 enhanced the efficacy of cisplatin in mucoepidermoid carcinoma cells both in vitro and in vivo. PP2A inhibition by LB100 increased the phosphorylation of insulin receptor substrate 1(IRS-1) on serine residues, downregulated the expression of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K) p110 alpha subunit and dephosphorylated AKT at Ser473 and Thr308 in mucoepidermoid carcinoma cells in response to insulin stimulus. Conclusion: These results highlight the translational potential of PP2A inhibition to synergize with cisplatin in mucoepidermoid carcinoma treatment

Tumor-Initiating Cells Are Enriched in CD44hi Population in Murine Salivary Gland Tumor

Tumor-initiating cells (T-ICs) discovered in various tumors have been widely reported. However, T-IC populations in salivary gland tumors have yet to be elucidated. Using the established Pleomorphic Adenoma Gene-1 (Plag1) transgenic mouse model of a salivary gland tumor, we identified CD44high (CD44hi) tumor cells, characterized by high levels of CD44 cell surface expression, as the T-ICs for pleomorphic adenomas. These CD44hi tumor cells incorporated 5-bromo-2-deoxyuridine (BrdU), at a lower rate than their CD44negative (CD44neg) counterparts, and also retained BrdU for a long period of time. Cell surface maker analysis revealed that 25% of the CD44hi tumor cells co-express other cancer stem cell markers such as CD133 and CD117. As few as 500 CD44hi tumor cells were sufficient to initiate pleomorphic adenomas in one third of the wildtype mice, whereas more than 1×104 CD44neg cells were needed for the same purpose. In NIH 3T3 cells, Plag1 was capable of activating the gene transcription of Egr1, a known upregulator for CD44. Furthermore, deletion of sequence 81–96 in the Egr1 promoter region abolished the effect of Plag1 on Egr1 upregulation. Our results establish the existence of T-ICs in murine salivary gland tumors, and suggest a potential molecular mechanism for CD44 upregulation

A trehalose biosynthetic enzyme doubles as an osmotic stress sensor to regulate bacterial morphogenesis

The dissacharide trehalose is an important intracellular osmoprotectant and the OtsA/B pathway is the principal pathway for trehalose biosynthesis in a wide range of bacterial species. Scaffolding proteins and other cytoskeletal elements play an essential role in morphogenetic processes in bacteria. Here we describe how OtsA, in addition to its role in trehalose biosynthesis, functions as an osmotic stress sensor to regulate cell morphology in Arthrobacter strain A3. In response to osmotic stress, this and other Arthrobacter species undergo a transition from bacillary to myceloid growth. An otsA null mutant exhibits constitutive myceloid growth. Osmotic stress leads to a depletion of trehalose-6-phosphate, the product of the OtsA enzyme, and experimental depletion of this metabolite also leads to constitutive myceloid growth independent of OtsA function. In vitro analyses indicate that OtsA can self-assemble into protein networks, promoted by trehalose-6-phosphate, a property that is not shared by the equivalent enzyme from E. coli, despite the latter's enzymatic activity when expressed in Arthrobacter. This, and the localization of the protein in non-stressed cells at the mid-cell and poles, indicates that OtsA from Arthrobacter likely functions as a cytoskeletal element regulating cell morphology. Recruiting a biosynthetic enzyme for this morphogenetic function represents an intriguing adaptation in bacteria that can survive in extreme environments

Comparative proteomic and bioinformatic analysis of the effects of a high-grain diet on the hepatic metabolism in lactating dairy goats.

To gain insight on the impart of high-grain diets on liver metabolism in ruminants, we employed a comparative proteomic approach to investigate the proteome-wide effects of diet in lactating dairy goats by conducting a proteomic analysis of the liver extracts of 10 lactating goats fed either a control diet or a high-grain diet. More than 500 protein spots were detected per condition by two-dimensional electrophoresis (2-DE). In total, 52 differentially expressed spots (≥2.0-fold changed) were excised and analyzed using MALDI TOF/TOF. Fifty-one protein spots were successfully identified. Of these, 29 proteins were upregulated, while 22 were downregulated in the high-grain fed vs. control animals. Differential expressions of proteins including alpha enolase, elongation factor 2, calreticulin, cytochrome b5, apolipoprotein A-I, catalase, was verified by mRNA analysis and/or Western blotting. Database searches combined with Gene Ontology (GO) analysis and KEGG pathway analysis revealed that the high-grain diet resulted in altered expression of proteins related to amino acids metabolism. These results suggest new candidate proteins that may contribute to a better understanding of the signaling pathways and mechanisms that mediate liver adaptation to high-grain diet

Biological Evaluation of Water Quality for Benthos in Typical Rivers of Eastern Jilin Province

Benthos are aquatic organisms living at the bottom of water bodies for all or most of their life history. Apart from the settled and moving living, their forms of habitat are mostly attached to the hard substrate like rocks or soft bases such as mud and sand. In addition, there are benthic species that attach to the plant surfaces or other benthic animals, and inhabit the intertidal zone. In terms of feeding methods, most benthic animals feed on suspended matter and sediment. Most of them are invertebrates and are a complex ecological group. According to the size, they can be divided into macrobenthos and meio-benthos [1]. Benthos are an important part of the water ecosystem. Using a typical river (Gaya River) in eastern Jilin Province, this paper analyzed the water quality, the components of benthic organisms and their biological density through sampling surveys of three typical locations in the upper, middle and lower reaches of the Gaya River. In addition, it made a biological evaluation of the water quality of the Gaya River

Evaluation of Compressive Geophysical Prospecting Method for the Identification of the Abandoned Goaf at the Tengzhou Section of China’s Mu Shi Expressway

Subsidence deformation of abandoned goafs can induce cracking, distortion and even collapse of surface buildings (structures), and thus, subsidence deformation poses a great threat. Accurate detection of the abandoned goaf location and overburden morphology is an important prerequisite for stability evaluation and scientific management of surface buildings (structures), and effective detection methods are bottlenecks for accurate detection. Taking the abandoned goaf in the Tengzhou section of China’s Mu Shi expressway as an engineering example, step-by-step detection, traditional detection and combination methods are used to determine the location of the underlying abandoned goaf and overburden morphology. First, we conduct disaster investigation on the expressway and surface within the affected area of the abandoned goaf and initially determine the detection area. Then, according to the principle that the detection range can be examined step-by-step from large to small, the high-density resistivity method is used for detection, and the high-resolution seismic method is further selected to analyze the target area. Then, based on the results of the resistivity method, the position of the abandoned goaf is evaluated with the high-resolution seismic method, and the distributions of the overburden subsidence, the water-filled fractured zone and the caving zone (the three belts) are determined. Finally, boreholes are drilled deep into the bottom of the abandoned goaf at specific locations and the distributions of the abandoned goaf and three belts are verified and corrected with drilling data, acoustic detection and borehole TV imaging technology, thereby providing accurate data on abandoned goafs for highway stability evaluation

Spatial-Temporal Variation Characteristics and Cause Analysis of Water Quality in Yinma River Basin

In order to comprehensively understand the water quality in Yinma River Basin, and to analyze the spatial-temporal variation characteristics of water quality over the years and the causes of water pollution, 15 sections were selected in the Yinma River Basin. Based on the water quality monitoring data in the past decade, 7 evaluation indexes including dissolved oxygen (DO), 5-day biochemical oxygen demand (BOD5), permanganate index (CODMN), chemical oxygen demand (COD), ammonia nitrogen (NH4-N), total phosphorus (TP) and total nitrogen (TN) were determined, according to the Environmental Quality Standard for Surface Water (GB3838-2002) and the historical monitoring data of rivers. The water quality of 15 sections in Yinma River Basin was comprehensively evaluated, and the water quality categories and the evolution of river water quality were analyzed. The pollution sources of Yinma River Basin were analyzed, and the constructive countermeasures were put forward according to the conclusions