The aim of this work was to evaluate immune responses in BALB/c mice vaccinated subcutaneously by recombinant protein, or intramuscularly by plasmid DNA with fusion antigen of rhoptry protein 2 ...(ROP2) and major surface protein 1 (SAG1) from
Toxoplasma gondii
(
T. gondii
). BALB/c mice were immunized with one of three different antigen formulations respectively, which were rROP2-SAG1, pcROP2-SAG1, and pcROP2-SAG1 boosted with rROP2-SAG1. The production of IgG, IgG subclasses, lymphoproliferation, and level of gamma interferon (IFN-γ) were detected after vaccination. The animals vaccinated with rROP2-SAG1 quickly developed specific anti-TLA (
T. gondii
lysate antigen) antibodies, which continued to rise after immunization. However, production of IgG against TLA in mice vaccinated with pcROP2-SAG1 was relatively slow and maintained a high level after reaching plateau. There are more vigorous specific lymphoproliferative responses observed in mice of group rROP2-SAG1 than in pcROP2-SAG1. Immune responses in mice of group pcROP2-SAG1 boosted with rROP2-SAG1 were similar to the protein immunization group. Three immunization procedures resulted in a similar level of IFN-γ production. Our results indicate that BALB/c mice vaccinated by three immunization procedures induce similar humoral and cellular immunity against infection of
T. gondii
. Mice immunized with recombinant protein rROP2-SAG1 produce more humoral immune responses than mice immunized with other antigen formulations.
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EMUNI, FIS, FZAB, GEOZS, GIS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, MFDPS, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, SBMB, SBNM, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK, VKSCE, ZAGLJ
Valeriadimer A (
1
), formed by a C–C (4-1′) bond between a bicyclogermacrane nor-sesquiterpene moiety and a maaliane nor-sesquiterpene moiety, together with two further sesquiterpenoid dimers, ...valeriadimers B and C (
2
,
3
) were isolated from the root of
Valeriana officinalis
var.
latifolia
. Their structures were elucidated by extensive analysis of spectroscopic data and confirmed by Cu-Kα X-ray diffraction experiment.
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IJS, KILJ, NUK, UL, UM, UPUK
Background/Aims: Abnormal baroreceptor reflex sensitivity (BRS) and elevated plasma neuropeptide Y (NPY) are prevalent in diabetic patients. The present study was conducted to determine whether NPY ...Y1 receptor (Y1R) and NPY Y2 receptor (Y2R) contribute to the regulatin of BRS in diabetic rats. Methods: Diabetes mellitus (DM) rats with hyperlipidemia were developed by an emulsion diet enriched with fat, sucrose and fructose followed by streptozocin (STZ). Y1R and Y2R specific antagonists (BIBP 3226 and BIIE 0246) were administered by a mini-osmotic pump. Systolic blood pressure (SBP), heart rate (HR), BRS and heart functions, as well as the plasma NPY and lipid level were measured after treatment for 4 weeks. Results: Both BIBP 3226 and BIIE 0246 treatment reversed the elevated total cholesterol (TC) and low density lipoprotein (LDL-C) level, and reduced high density lipoprotein (HDL-C) level in DM rats. BIIE 0246 may attenuate the increased triglyceride (TG) level in DM rats. In addition, neither BIBP 3226 nor BIIE 0246 treatment produced significant effects on BRS, SBP or HR (P>0.05) in DM rats, even after PE and SNP challenge. However, BIBP 3226 and BIIE 0246 further impaired LVSP, LVEDP, +dp/dt max and -dp/dt max . Conclusion: This study provided us with the evidence that the inhibition of peripheral Y1R and Y2R did not affect impaired BRS but amplified the deterioration of the compromised cardiac function in STZ-induced DM rats with hyperlipidemia.
Phytochemical investigation of the roots of Valeriana officinalis var. latifolia resulted in the isolation and characterization of six new acylated iridoids, ...(5S,7S,8S,9S)-7-hydroxy-8-isovaleroyloxy-Δ⁴,¹¹-dihyronepetalactone (1), (5S,7S,8S,9S)-7-hydroxy-10-isovaleroyloxy-Δ⁴,¹¹-dihyronepetalactone (2), (5S,8S,9S)-10-isovaleroyloxy-Δ⁴,¹¹-dihyronepetalactone (3), (5S,6S,8S,9R)-6-isovaleroyloxy-Δ⁴,¹¹-1,3-diol (4), (5S,6S,8S,9R)-1,3-isovaleroxy-Δ4,11-1,3-diol (5), and (5S,6S,8S,9R)-3-isovaleroxy-6-isovaleroyloxy-Δ⁴,¹¹-1,3-diol (6). Their structures were determined mainly by 1D and 2D NMR spectroscopic techniques. We also report herein for the first time the single crystal X-ray structure of compound 1. In addition, the cytotoxic activities of compounds 1-6 were evaluated against A549 (human lung adenocarcinoma), HCT116 (human colon carcinoma), SK-BR-3 (human breast carcinoma), and HepG2 (human hepatoma) cell lines. Compound 6 showed weak cell growth inhibition of A549, HCT116, SK-BR-3, and HepG2 cells.
Varied cluster analysis were applied to facial surface measurements from 62 prepubertal boys with essential autism to determine whether facial morphology constitutes viable biomarker for delineation ...of discrete Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) subgroups. Earlier study indicated utility of facial morphology for autism subgrouping (Aldridge et al. in Mol Autism 2(1):15,
2011
). Geodesic distances between standardized facial landmarks were measured from three-dimensional stereo-photogrammetric images. Subjects were evaluated for autism-related symptoms, neurologic, cognitive, familial, and phenotypic variants. The most compact cluster is clinically characterized by severe ASD, significant cognitive impairment and language regression. This verifies utility of facially-based ASD subtypes and validates Aldridge et al.’s severe ASD subgroup, notwithstanding different techniques. It suggests that language regression may define a unique ASD subgroup with potential etiologic differences.
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DOBA, EMUNI, FIS, FZAB, GEOZS, GIS, IJS, IMTLJ, IZUM, KILJ, KISLJ, MFDPS, NLZOH, NUK, ODKLJ, OILJ, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, SBMB, SBNM, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK, VKSCE, VSZLJ, ZAGLJ
Background. This study aimed to investigate possible associations between FAF1 expression and aspects of gastric cancer, in particular its clinical characteristics and Helicobacter infection. ...Materials and Methods. RT-PCR and immunohistochemistry were used to analyze expression of FAF1 mRNA and protein in 40 gastric cancer patients. H. pylori infection was detected by three staining protocols. Results. The expression level of FAF1 mRNA was significantly lower in gastric cancer tissue than in normal gastric mucosa from the same patient (P<0.05). FAF1 mRNA expression was significantly lower in stage IV gastric cancer than in stage I+II or IIIA+IIIB (P=0.004) and also significantly lower in gastric cancer with distant metastasis. FAF1 mRNA expression was higher in well-differentiated cancer than in poorly-differentiated cancer (0.39±0.06 versus 0.19±0.06, t=9.966, P<0.01). FAF1 protein was detected in 15 of 40 (37.5%) cancerous tissue samples and in 29 of 40 (72.5%) corresponding normal tissue samples (P<0.01). FAF1 mRNA expression was lower in H. pylori-positive cancerous tissue samples than in H. pylori-negative ones (P<0.05). Conclusions. Downregulation of FAF1 expression may be related to the carcinogenesis and progression of gastric cancer, and H. pylori infection during gastric carcinogenesis may downregulate FAF1 expression.
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FZAB, GIS, IJS, IZUM, KILJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBMB, UL, UM, UPUK
The biotransformation of cyclopamine (1) and its congeners (2, 3 and 4) by Cunninghamella echinulata (ACCC 30369) was investigated. The chemical structures of two new congeners (2 and 4) and nine new ...metabolites were elucidated by NMR, HRESIMS and X-ray diffraction studies. Moreover, the relevant biological activities and the acid stabilities were also reported.
•Transformation of cyclopamine (1) and its congeners (2, 3 and 4) by C. echinulata.•The structures of nine compounds were confirmed by X-ray analysis.•2 and 4 showed moderate cytotoxicity in HepG2 cells and A549 cells respectively.•The cytotoxicity of the nine metabolites was sharply reduced.•Compound 4 induced a cyclopia phenotype in zebrafish embryos at 20μM.•Compound 4 was more stable than cyclopamine (1) in an acidic environment.
The biotransformation of cyclopamine (1) and its congeners (2, 3 and 4) by Cunninghamella echinulata (ACCC 30369) was investigated. The chemical structures of two new congeners (2 and 4) and nine new metabolites were elucidated by 1D NMR (1H, 13C and DEPT), 2D NMR (COSY, HMBC, HSQC and NOESY) and HRESIMS analyses and further confirmed by X-ray diffraction studies. Among these compounds, 2 and 4 showed moderate cytotoxicity in HepG2 cells (2, IC50=8.03±1.92μM) and A549 cells (4, IC50=10.19±2.18μM). Conversely, the cytotoxicity of the nine metabolites was sharply reduced. Similar to 1, compound 4 induced a cyclopia phenotype in zebrafish embryos at 20μM. Moreover, compound 4 was more stable than 1 in an acidic environment.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK
We apply a novel algorithm, Harris Hawks optimization (HHO), to the optimization problem of waveguide filters. In order to investigate the efficiency, particle swarm optimization(PSO), differential ...evolution(DE), and self-adaptive differential optimization(SaDE) are considered to optimize a fourth-order dual-mode waveguide filter as well. Unlike standard PSO, DE, and SaDE, HHO utilizes a hybrid updating strategy to balance the exploiting and exploration phase during the optimization. Therefore, HHO can jump out of a local minimum and converge to the globally optimal solution with a higher probability. The statistical comparison between different algorithms shows that HHO converges faster than the other algorithms. The optimization result also indicates that HHO obtains the best solution, which demonstrates that HHO has the potential to solve sophisticated optimization problems of various electromagnetism devices.
A novel dual-mode rectangular dielectric-filled cavity is proposed. By applying dual blind holes in a silver plated dielectric cavity, the cavity generates a pair of TE 201 modes, whose resonant ...frequencies can be controlled by the depth of the blind holes. The capacitive effect of the blind holes can also reduce the resonant frequencies of the modes. The proposed cavity is applied to dual-mode dielectric-filled waveguide filters. The coupling between the two modes is controlled by the slot between the two blind holes. A single-cavity dual-mode filter, a three-cavity fourth-order filter and a six-cavity seventh-order filter are designed. The results show that the second-order filter reduces size by 49%, the fourth-order filter by 29% and the seventh-order filter by 14% comparing to conventional single-mode filters with similar performance.
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