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  • Article
    Herzog K, Wind R, Töpfer R.
    Sensors (Basel). 2015 May 27;15(6):12498-512.
    Warm and moist weather conditions during berry ripening provoke Botrytis cinerea (B. cinerea) causing notable bunch rot on susceptible grapevines with the effect of reduced yield and wine quality. Resistance donors of genetic loci to increase B. cinerea resistance are widely unknown. Promising traits of resistance are represented by physical features like the thickness and permeability of the grape berry cuticle. Sensor-based phenotyping methods or genetic markers are rare for such traits. In the present study, the simple-to-handle I-sensor was developed. The sensor enables the fast and reliable measurement of electrical impedance of the grape berry cuticles and its epicuticular waxes (CW). Statistical experiments revealed highly significant correlations between relative impedance of CW and the resistance of grapevines to B. cinerea. Thus, the relative impedance Zrel of CW was identified as the most important phenotypic factor with regard to the prediction of grapevine resistance to B. cinerea. An ordinal logistic regression analysis revealed a R2McFadden of 0.37 and confirmed the application of Zrel of CW for the prediction of bunch infection and in this way as novel phenotyping trait. Applying the I-sensor, a preliminary QTL region was identified indicating that the novel phenotypic trait is as well a valuable tool for genetic analyses.
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  • Article
    Amandeep, Kedawat G, Kumar P, Anshul A, Deshmukh AD, Singh OP, Gupta RK, Amritphale SS, Gupta G, Singh VN, Gupta BK.
    Nanoscale. 2015 Aug 07;7(29):12498-509.
    Herein, we report the luminomagnetic bifunctional properties of two-dimensional (2D) Mn(2+) bonded graphene oxide (GO)/reduced graphene oxide (RGO) nanosheets synthesized using a facile route of oxidation followed by a solvothermal reduction method. Photoluminescence (PL) studies (excited by different wavelengths) revealed that the resonant energy transfer between Mn(2+) and sp(3)/sp(2) clusters of GO/RGO is responsible for the enhancement of emissions. Moreover, pH-sensitive PL behaviors have also been investigated in detail. The ferromagnetic behavior is believed to arise due to defects in Mn(2+) bonded GO composites. Thus, present reduction method provides a direct route to tune and enhance the optical properties of GO and RGO nanosheets bonded with Mn(2+) ions, which creates an opportunity for various technological applications.
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  • Article
    Fu B, Zhu R.
    Bioengineered. 2021 12;12(2):12498-12508.
    At present, the mechanism of siSCN9A in Vincristine (VCR)-induced neuropathic pain (NP) is still unclear. This study aimed to explore the analgesic mechanism of lentivirus-siSCN9A (LV-siSCN9A) infected neurons against NP. 40 male Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats were divided into a control group (injected with normal saline), a model group (VCR-induced NP model), a LV-SC group (NP model mice were injected with LV-SC-infected dorsal root ganglia (DRG) neuron cells under the microscope), and a LV-siSCN9A group (NP model mice were injected with LV-siSCN9A-infected DRG neuron cells under the microscope, with 10 rats in each group. The changes of mechanical withdrawal threshold (MWT) and thermal withdrawal latency (TWL) of rats in different groups were detected by behavior testing, the Nav1.7 changes in each group were detected by immunofluorescence double standard and Western-blot method. It was found that compared with the control group, the MWT and TWL of the rats in model group were significantly decreased (P < 0.05), and the expression levels of Nav1.7 messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA) and proteins were significantly increased (P < 0.05). Compared with LV-SC group, the MWT and TWL of rats in LV-siSCN9A group were significantly increased (P < 0.05), the expression levels of Nav1.7 mRNA and proteins were significantly decreased (P < 0.05), and the CGRP expression of spinal dorsal horn was significantly decreased. It was concluded that the LV-siSCN9A infected neurons could play an analgesic role by down-regulating Nav1.7 expression induced by VCR in NP model.
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  • Article
    Maver M, Escudero-Martinez C, Abbott J, Morris J, Hedley PE, Mimmo T, Bulgarelli D.
    PeerJ. 2021;9:e12498.
    Microbial communities proliferating at the root-soil interface, collectively referred to as the rhizosphere microbiota, represent an untapped beneficial resource for plant growth, development and health. Integral to a rational manipulation of the microbiota for sustainable agriculture is the identification of the molecular determinants of these communities. In plants, biosynthesis of allelochemicals is centre stage in defining inter-organismal relationships in the environment. Intriguingly, this process has been moulded by domestication and breeding selection. The indole-alkaloid gramine, whose occurrence in barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) is widespread among wild genotypes but has been counter selected in several modern varieties, is a paradigmatic example of this phenomenon. This prompted us to investigate how exogenous applications of gramine impacted on the rhizosphere microbiota of two, gramine-free, elite barley varieties grown in a reference agricultural soil. High throughput 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing revealed that applications of gramine interfere with the proliferation of a subset of soil microbes with a relatively broad phylogenetic assignment. Strikingly, growth of these bacteria appeared to be rescued by barley plants in a genotype- and dosage-independent manner. In parallel, we discovered that host recruitment cues can interfere with the impact of gramine application in a host genotype-dependent manner. Interestingly, this latter effect displayed a bias for members of the phyla Proteobacteria. These initial observations indicate that gramine can act as a determinant of the prokaryotic communities inhabiting the root-soil interface.
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  • Article
    Li Q, Shaikh S, Iwase H, Long C, Lee W, Zhang Z, Wang Y, Ayares D, Cooper DKC, Hara H.
    Xenotransplantation. 2019 05;26(3):e12498.
    BACKGROUND: Old World non-human primates (OWNHPs) are used for preclinical pig-to-NHP studies. However, like pigs, OWNHPs express Neu5Gc, and therefore do not develop natural anti-Neu5Gc antibodies. New World NHPs (NWNHPs) have been reported not to express Neu5Gc. We investigated the potential of NWNHPs in xenotransplantation research.
    METHODS: We investigated expression of Gal, Neu5Gc, and Sda antigens on RBCs and PBMCs from humans, selected OWNHPs, and capuchin monkeys (a NWNHP). Serum anti-Gal and anti-Neu5Gc IgM and IgG levels were measured by ELISA. Binding of primate serum IgM and IgG to pig RBCs was measured by flow cytometry.
    RESULTS: (a) Neither humans, OWNHPs, or capuchin monkeys expressed Gal on their RBCs, but capuchins expressed Gal on PBMCs. Humans and capuchins did not express Neu5Gc on either RBCs or PBMCs, but OWNHPs expressed Neu5Gc on both cells. Sda was not expressed on any RBCs or PBMCs. (b) By ELISA, human and OWNHP, but not capuchin, sera showed IgM and IgG binding to Gal. Human and capuchin, but not OWNHP, sera demonstrated some binding to Neu5Gc. (c) Anti-Sda IgM/IgG antibodies were detected in OWNHP sera. Knockout of Sda on pig RBCs did not significantly reduce human and capuchin antibody binding.
    CONCLUSION: Capuchin monkeys could be surrogates for humans in experiments using RBCs, islets, neuronal cells, etc, from triple-knockout pigs (but may be too small to be used as recipients of pig organ grafts).
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  • Article
    Chen YL, Shi L, Lewis JW, Wang M.
    Opt Express. 2012 May 21;20(11):12498-507.
    Personalized eye modeling of normal and diseased eye conditions is attractive due to the recent availability of detailed ocular measurements in clinic environments and the promise of its medical and industrial applications. In the customized modeling, the optical properties of the crystalline lens including the gradient refractive index, the lens bio-geometry and orientation are typically assigned with average lens parameters from literature since typically they are not clinically available. Although, through the optical optimization by assigning lens parameters as variables, the clinical measured wavefront aberration can be achieved, the optimized lens biometry and orientation often end up at edges of the statistical distribution. Without an effective validation of these models today, the fidelity of the final lens (and therefore the model) remains questionable. To develop a more reliable customized model without detailed lens information, we incorporate age-appropriate lens parameters as the initial condition of optical optimization. A biconic lens optimization was first performed to provide a correct lens profile for accurate lower order aberration and then followed by the wavefront optimization. Clinical subjects were selected from all ages with both normal and diseased corneal and refractive conditions. 19 ammetropic eyes ( + 4D to -11D), and 16 keratoconus eyes (mild to moderate with cylinder 0.25 to 6D) were modeled. Age- and gender-corrected refractive index was evaluated. Final models attained the lens shapes comparable to the statistical distribution in their age.
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  • Article
    Afroz F, Rashid MM, Islam MM, Akter S.
    Heliyon. 2022 Dec;8(12):e12498.
    The properties of fabrics are mainly affected by constituent fiber properties and yarn structures. The yarn structures are primarily dependent on the spinning technique. The twist multiplier is a leading factor influencing yarn structure which directly correlates with fabric stiffness and mechanical properties due to structural behavior. In this study, siro spun yarn has been prepared using different twist multipliers (3.6, 4, 4.4, and 5.0) by blending cotton and tencel fiber at the spinning stage to investigate the effect of twist multipliers on fabric stiffness and the flexural rigidity of woven fabrics. The 1/1 plain, 2/2 twill, and 8-end satin fabrics have been woven using prepared yarns in warp and weft directions. The fabric stiffness has been measured using the ASTM D1388-2018 method. The results reveal that fabric stiffness increased with the increasing twist multiplier. Furthermore, a comparative study on different weave structures shows significant differences in stiffness. Overall, the experimental results present a close relationship between twist multiplier, spinning triangle, float length, fabric stiffness, and rigidity, and also show the optimum twist level for cotton-tencel siro yarn to attain maximum stiffness and strength.
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  • Article
    Barton A, Sesin P, Diambra L.
    Sci Rep. 2024 05 31;14(1):12498.
    The absence of detailed knowledge about regulatory interactions makes the use of phenomenological assumptions mandatory in cell biology modeling. Furthermore, the challenges associated with the analysis of these models compel the implementation of mathematical approximations. However, the constraints these methods introduce to biological interpretation are sometimes neglected. Consequently, understanding these restrictions is a very important task for systems biology modeling. In this article, we examine the impact of such simplifications, taking the case of a single-gene autoinhibitory circuit; however, our conclusions are not limited solely to this instance. We demonstrate that models grounded in the same biological assumptions but described at varying levels of detail can lead to different outcomes, that is, different and contradictory phenotypes or behaviors. Indeed, incorporating specific molecular processes like translation and elongation into the model can introduce instabilities and oscillations not seen when these processes are assumed to be instantaneous. Furthermore, incorporating a detailed description of promoter dynamics, usually described by a phenomenological regulatory function, can lead to instability, depending on the cooperative binding mechanism that is acting. Consequently, although the use of a regulating function facilitates model analysis, it may mask relevant aspects of the system's behavior. In particular, we observe that the two cooperative binding mechanisms, both compatible with the same sigmoidal function, can lead to different phenotypes, such as transcriptional oscillations with different oscillation frequencies.
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  • Article
    Moulis M, Runser SVM, Glorieux L, Dauguet N, Vanderaa C, Gatto L, Tyteca D, Henriet P, Spagnoli FM, Iber D, Pierreux CE.
    Sci Rep. 2022 07 21;12(1):12498.
    Development of the pancreas is driven by an intrinsic program coordinated with signals from other cell types in the epithelial environment. These intercellular communications have been so far challenging to study because of the low concentration, localized production and diversity of the signals released. Here, we combined scRNAseq data with a computational interactomic approach to identify signals involved in the reciprocal interactions between the various cell types of the developing pancreas. This in silico approach yielded 40,607 potential ligand-target interactions between the different main pancreatic cell types. Among this vast network of interactions, we focused on three ligands potentially involved in communications between epithelial and endothelial cells. BMP7 and WNT7B, expressed by pancreatic epithelial cells and predicted to target endothelial cells, and SEMA6D, involved in the reverse interaction. In situ hybridization confirmed the localized expression of Bmp7 in the pancreatic epithelial tip cells and of Wnt7b in the trunk cells. On the contrary, Sema6d was enriched in endothelial cells. Functional experiments on ex vivo cultured pancreatic explants indicated that tip cell-produced BMP7 limited development of endothelial cells. This work identified ligands with a restricted tissular and cellular distribution and highlighted the role of BMP7 in the intercellular communications contributing to vessel development and organization during pancreas organogenesis.
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  • Article
    Rabha MM, Sharma U, Barua AG.
    Sci Rep. 2021 06 14;11(1):12498.
    Bioluminescence emissions from a few species of fireflies have been studied at different temperatures. Variations in the flash-duration have been observed and interesting conclusions drawn in those studies. Here we investigate steady-state and pulsed emissions from male specimens of the Indian species Sclerotia substriata at temperatures considerably higher and lower than the ones at which they normally flash. When the temperature is raised to 34 °C, the peak wavelength gets red-shifted and the emitted pulses become the narrowest which broaden considerably thereafter for small increases in temperature; this probably indicates denaturation of the enzyme luciferase catalyzing the light-producing reaction. When the temperature is decreased to the region of 10.5-9 °C, the peak gets blue-shifted and the flash-duration increased abnormally with large fluctuation; this possibly implies cold denaturation of the luciferase. We conclude that the first or hot effect is very likely to be the reason of the species being dark-active on hot days, and the second or cold one is the probable reason for its disappearance at the onset of the winter. Our study makes the inference that these two happenings determine the temperature-tolerance, which plays a major role in the selection of the habitat for the firefly.
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  • Article
    Miller CA, Gindin Y, Lu C, Griffith OL, Griffith M, Shen D, Hoog J, Li T, Larson DE, Watson M, Davies SR, Hunt K, Suman VJ, Snider J, Walsh T, Colditz GA, DeSchryver K, Wilson RK, Mardis ER, Ellis MJ.
    Nat Commun. 2016 08 09;7:12498.
    Resistance to oestrogen-deprivation therapy is common in oestrogen-receptor-positive (ER+) breast cancer. To better understand the contributions of tumour heterogeneity and evolution to resistance, here we perform comprehensive genomic characterization of 22 primary tumours sampled before and after 4 months of neoadjuvant aromatase inhibitor (NAI) treatment. Comparing whole-genome sequencing of tumour/normal pairs from the two time points, with coincident tumour RNA sequencing, reveals widespread spatial and temporal heterogeneity, with marked remodelling of the clonal landscape in response to NAI. Two cases have genomic evidence of two independent tumours, most obviously an ER- 'collision tumour', which was only detected after NAI treatment of baseline ER+ disease. Many mutations are newly detected or enriched post treatment, including two ligand-binding domain mutations in ESR1. The observed clonal complexity of the ER+ breast cancer genome suggests that precision medicine approaches based on genomic analysis of a single specimen are likely insufficient to capture all clinically significant information.
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  • Article
    Gonçalves OS, de Queiroz MV, Santana MF.
    Sci Rep. 2020 07 27;10(1):12498.
    Ralstonia solanacearum, a soil-borne plant pathogen, encompasses a large number of strains known as R. solanacearum species complex (RSSC). Although it has been suggested that mobile genetic elements (MGEs) may play an important role in the RSSC genome, the evolutionary impact of these elements remains unknown. Here, we identified and analysed Integrative and Conjugative Elements (ICEs) and Genomic Islands (GIs) in the 121 genomes published for Ralstonia spp., including RSSC strains and three other non-plant pathogenic Ralstonia spp. Our results provided a dataset of 12 ICEs and 31 GIs distributed throughout Ralstonia spp. Four novel ICEs in RSSC were found. Some of these elements cover 5% of the host genome and carry accessory genes with a potential impact on the fitness and pathogenicity of RSSC. In addition, phylogenetic analysis revealed that these MGEs clustered to the same species, but there is evidence of strains from different countries that host the same element. Our results provide novel insight into the RSSC adaptation, opening new paths to a better understanding of how these elements affect this soil-borne plant pathogen.
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  • Article
    Chai G, Nan Y, Zhao H, Hu Q.
    Aging (Albany NY). 2024 May 14;16(18):12498-12509.
    OBJECTIVE: This study examines SHP2's influence on the STAT3/STAT6 pathway in tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) and its impact on lung adenocarcinoma proliferation and metastasis.
    METHODS: Lung cancer A549 and NCI-H1688 cell lines were subcutaneously injected into nude mice. Macrophages were isolated using flow cytometry and analyzed for CD163, CD206, and Arginase-1 levels via western blot. Similarly, the effect on THP1 cell-associated proteins was assessed. The impact on A549 and NCI-H1688 cell migration, invasion, and proliferation was evaluated through wound healing, Transwell assays, and CCK8.
    RESULTS: Compared to controls, the sh-RNA SHP2 group showed increased tumor volume and higher expression levels of CD163, CD206, Arginase-1, p-STAT3, p-STAT6, IL-4, IL-10, and various cathepsins in macrophages and THP1 cells. However, p-STAT1 and p-STAT5 levels remained unchanged. The sh-RNA SHP2 group also demonstrated enhanced migration, invasion, and proliferation in both cell lines.
    CONCLUSIONS: SHP2 negatively affects the STAT3/STAT6 pathway in TAMs, promoting M2 polarization and cathepsin secretion, which enhances lung adenocarcinoma cell proliferation and metastasis.
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  • Article
    Inoue Y, Howard AG, Stickley A, Yazawa A, Gordon-Larsen P.
    Pediatr Obes. 2019 05;14(5):e12498.
    BACKGROUND: While attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) has been associated with higher body mass index (BMI), little research has focused on how this association differs by sex or race/ethnicity.
    OBJECTIVE: To investigate the association between ADHD and BMI by sex and race/ethnicity (ie, European [EA], African [AA], and Hispanic American [HA]).
    METHODS: Data came from the National Longitudinal Survey of Adolescent to Adult Health Waves II to IV (n = 13 332, age: 12-34 years). On the basis of self-reported childhood ADHD symptoms between the ages of 5 and 12 years, participants were categorized into: ADHD predominantly hyperactive/impulsive (ADHD-HI); ADHD predominantly inattentive (ADHD-I); ADHD combined (ADHD-C; a combination of ADHD-HI and ADHD-I symptoms); and non-ADHD.
    RESULTS: The patterns of ADHD-BMI associations in the transition period between adolescence and young adulthood differed by sex and race/ethnicity. Compared with non-ADHD, ADHD-HI was associated with higher BMI among EA males and females, while ADHD-I was associated with higher BMI among EA females. ADHD-C was associated with higher BMI for HA females. We found no evidence of an association among AA males and females and HA males.
    CONCLUSION: These study results suggest that the association between ADHD subtypes and BMI might differ across population subgroups in the United States.
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  • Article
    Hsu PI, Pan CY, Kao JY, Tsay FW, Peng NJ, Kao SS, Wang HM, Tsai TJ, Wu DC, Chen CL, Tsai KW, Taiwan Acid-related Disease (TARD) Study Group.
    Helicobacter. 2018 Aug;23(4):e12498.
    BACKGROUND: Bismuth quadruple therapy is the treatment of choice for the first-line therapy of Helicobacter pylori infection in areas of high clarithromycin resistance. Currently, the impact of the promising treatment on gut microbiota remains unclear.
    AIM: To investigate the short-term and long-term impacts of bismuth quadruple therapy on gut microbiota.
    METHODS: Adult patients with H. pylori-related gastritis were treated with 14-day bismuth quadruple therapy. Fecal samples were collected before treatment at week 2, week 8, and week 48. Nucleic acid extraction from fecal samples was performed. The V3-V4 region of the bacterial 16S rRNA gene was amplified by polymerase chain reaction and sequenced with the MiSeq followed by data analysis using Qiime pipeline.
    RESULTS: Eleven patients received complete follow-up. Before treatment, the most abundant phyla were Firmicutes (45.3%), Bacteroidetes (24.3%), Proteobacteria (9.9%), and Actinobacteria (5.0%). At the end of bismuth therapy, the relative abundances of Bacteroidetes and Actinobacteria decreased to 0.5% (P < .001) and 1.3% (P = .038), respectively. Additionally, the relative abundance of Verrucomicrobia also decreased from 3.2% to 1.11E-3% (P = .034). In contrast, the relative abundances of Proteobacteria and Cyanobacteria increased (P < .001 and P = .003, respectively). At week 8, the relative abundances of all phyla restored to the levels at baseline. The relative abundances of all phyla at week 48 also did not significantly differ from those at baseline. During eradication therapy, 6 patients (55%) reported at least 1 adverse event. The relative abundance of phylum Proteobacteria in patients with adverse effects was more than that in patients without adverse effects (68.7% ± 8.8% vs 43.4% ± 25.5%; P = .048).
    CONCLUSIONS: Bismuth quadruple therapy for H. pylori eradication can lead to short-term dysbiosis of gut microbiota. The increase in Proteobacteria in gut microbiota may attribute to the development of adverse effects during bismuth quadruple therapy.
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  • Article
    Fanin N, Fromin N, Barantal S, Hättenschwiler S.
    Sci Rep. 2017 10 02;7(1):12498.
    Heterotrophic microorganisms are commonly thought to be stoichiometrically homeostatic but their stoichiometric plasticity has rarely been examined, particularly in terrestrial ecosystems. Using a fertilization experiment in a tropical rainforest, we evaluated how variable substrate stoichiometry may influence the stoichiometry of microbial communities in the leaf litter layer and in the underlying soil. C:N:P ratios of the microbial biomass were higher in the organic litter layer than in the underlying mineral soil. Regardless of higher ratios for litter microbial communities, C, N, and P fertilization effects on microbial stoichiometry were strong in both litter and soil, without any fundamental difference in plasticity between these two communities. Overall, N:P ratios were more constrained than C:nutrient ratios for both litter and soil microbial communities, suggesting that stoichiometric plasticity arises because of a decoupling between C and nutrients. Contrary to the simplifying premise of strict homeostasis in microbial decomposers, we conclude that both litter and soil communities can adapt their C:N:P stoichiometry in response to the stoichiometric imbalance of available resources.
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  • Article
    Priya G, Kalra S, Dasgupta A, Grewal E.
    Cureus. 2021 Jan 05;13(1):e12498.
    Diabetes insipidus (DI) is a disorder of water balance characterized by polyuria and polydipsia. It can occur due to genetic and acquired causes that affect the secretion or action of arginine vasopressin (AVP) or antidiuretic hormone (ADH).Markedly increased thirst and urination are not only quite distressing but also increases the risk of volume depletion and hypernatremia in severe situations. A careful diagnosis of the type of DI and its etiology is based on careful clinical evaluation, measurement of urine and serum osmolality, and water deprivation test. Management includes the correction of any water deficit and the use of specific pharmacological agents, including desmopressin, thiazides, and amiloride.
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  • Article
    Hwang S, Wu TT, Tong LM, Kim KS, Martinez-Guzman D, Colantonio AD, Uittenbogaart CH, Sun R.
    J Virol. 2008 Dec;82(24):12498-509.
    Gammaherpesviruses establish life-long persistency inside the host and cause various diseases during their persistent infection. However, the systemic interaction between the virus and host in vivo has not been studied in individual hosts continuously, although such information can be crucial to control the persistent infection of the gammaherpesviruses. For the noninvasive and continuous monitoring of the interaction between gammaherpesvirus and the host, a recombinant murine gammaherpesvirus 68 (MHV-68, a gammaherpesvirus 68) was constructed to express a firefly luciferase gene driven by the viral M3 promoter (M3FL). Real-time monitoring of M3FL infection revealed novel sites of viral replication, such as salivary glands, as well as acute replication in the nose and the lung and progression to the spleen. Continuous monitoring of M3FL infection in individual mice demonstrated the various kinetics of transition to different organs and local clearance, rather than systemically synchronized clearance. Moreover, in vivo spontaneous reactivation of M3FL from latency was detected after the initial clearance of acute infection and can be induced upon treatment with either a proteasome inhibitor Velcade or an immunosuppressant cyclosporine A. Taken together, our results demonstrate that the in vivo replication and reactivation of gammaherpesvirus are dynamically controlled by the locally defined interaction between the virus and the host immune system and that bioluminescence imaging can be successfully used for the real-time monitoring of this dynamic interaction of MHV-68 with its host in vivo.
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  • Article
    Weng L, Zhang X.
    Langmuir. 2022 10 18;38(41):12491-12498.
    Petroleum-based synthetic flame-proof fiber releases toxic volatile organic compounds in thermal decomposition process and has other problems, like tickling feeling and high density. A natural polysaccharide, calcium alginate, is an intrinsic fire-resistant biodegradable material, but its limited mechanical performance prevents it from being a practical flame-retardant fabric. To address this problem, Na2CO3 was doped into alginate spinning solution to obtain in situ generating CaCO3 nanoparticle-reinforced alginate fiber by microfluidic spinning technique. Comparative analysis illustrated that incorporation of 0.50% Na2CO3 into the fiber greatly improved its mechanical performance; meanwhile, in situ generated CaCO3 nanoparticles also throttled oxygen and heat flow in burning, endowing the fiber with excellent flame retardancy. The prepared composite fiber released less heat, smoke, and toxic volatile organic compounds in burning, which reduced the fire hazard. The formed residue char and pyrolysis products functioned as the physical barrier and displayed a synergistic effect to inhibit oxygen and heat transmission and impede the further combustion. All of the results demonstrate that the obtained fiber exhibits a good mechanical and flame-retardant performance, making it an ideal candidate as a fire-protection textile.
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  • Article
    Xie Q, Sun Z, Chen M, Zhong Q, Yang T, Yi J.
    Int J Clin Exp Med. 2015;8(8):12498-508.
    BACKGROUND: Therapeutic myocardial angiogenesis is an important compensatory mechanism in severely coronary stenosis. Previous studies demonstrated that interleukin-8 (IL-8) not only plays an important role in inflammation, but also a potent angiogenic factor through p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (p38MAPK), nuclear factor-kappaB (NK-κB)-dependent pathway in carcinoma. Our study sought to investigate the effects of IL-8 on the angiogenesis and the underlying mechanism in the ischemic myocardium.
    METHODS: Acute myocardial infarction animal model was established with male rabbits by directly suturing the left anterior descending branch, then lentivirus-mediated IL-8 was quarterly injected into the borderline of infarction area immediately. We employed CoCl2 induced hypoxic HUVECs for in vitro ischemia study. Left ventricular end-diastolic diameter (LVEDd) and ejection fraction (EF) were measured by echocardiography in pre-operation and at 6(th) week after operation. CD34 was detected with immunohistochemisty to analyse angiogenesis. Western blot was performed with regard to IL-8, protein kinase B (PKB/Akt) and Glycogen synthase kinase-3β(ser9) (GSK-3β(ser9)). For the HUVECs' proliferation and apoptosis, multiscan spectrum reader at A570 nm and annexin V-FITC/PI staining method were used respectively.
    RESULTS: The levels of IL-8, phosphorylated Akt and GSK-3β(ser9) in focal myocardium significantly increased, and the over expression of IL-8 led to an increasing in angiogenesis in rabbits. Hypoxia inhibited cell proliferation and promoted apoptosis. IL-8 induced cell proliferation, phosphorylation of Akt and GSK-3β(ser9), inhibited apoptosis and Caspase3 expression in HUVECs, which were attenuated by anti-IL-8 or the Akt inhibitor LY294002.
    CONCLUSIONS: The present results indicate that IL-8 can increase angiogenesis in myocardial infarction, which maybe through enhancing Akt and GSK-3β(ser9) expression, and inhibiting myocardial apoptosis.
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