Our previous study showed that hypermethylation of dimethylarginine dimethylaminohydrolase 2 contributes to homocysteine-induced apoptosis of human umbilical vein endothelial cells. ...Epigallocatechin-3-gallate is a green tea-derived phenol which has been proved beneficial on atherosclerosis. It was demonstrated that epigallocatechin-3-gallate inhibits DNA methyltransferase activity and reactivates methylation-silenced genes in cancer cells. The aim of this study was to address whether epigallocatechin-3-gallate could induce DNA demethylation of the dimethylarginine dimethylaminohydrolase 2 gene, contributing to prevent endothelial cells from apoptosis induced by homocysteine. Human umbilical vein endothelial cells (ATCC, CRL-2480) were treated with homocysteine (1 mM) for 48 hours with or without epigallocatechin-3-gallate (20 µM) or 5-Aza (DNA methyltransferase inhibitor, 5 µM). Apoptosis rate of human umbilical vein endothelial cells was assayed by flow cytometry with an annexin V-FITC apoptosis detection kit. The mRNA and protein expression level of dimethylarginine dimethylaminohydrolase 2 and DNA methyltransferase 1 were detected by real-time PCR and Western blot, respectively. DNA methylation level of dimethylarginine dimethylaminohydrolase 2 was assayed by methylation specific PCR. The binding level of DNA methyltransferase 1 in the promoter of dimethylarginine dimethylaminohydrolase 2 was determined by chromatin immunoprecipitation-quantitative real-time PCR. It was shown that the apoptosis rate was decreased significantly in human umbilical vein endothelial cells treated with homocysteine compared with the control. Furthermore, the mRNA and protein level of dimethylarginine dimethylaminohydrolase 2 were downregulated, the dimethylarginine dimethylaminohydrolase 2 gene promoter was hypermethylated, and the DNA methyltransferase 1 mRNA and protein level were increased in human umbilical vein endothelial cells treated with homocysteine. Chromatin immunoprecipitation-quantitative real-time PCR revealed that homocysteine-induced binding of DNA methyltransferase 1 to the dimethylarginine dimethylaminohydrolase 2 promoter was increased. Pretreatment with epigallocatechin-3-gallate or 5-Aza inhibited such effects of homocysteine. In conclusion, epigallocatechin-3-gallate exerted protective effects on homocysteine-induced apoptosis in human umbilical vein endothelial cells by inhibiting promoter hypermethylation of the dimethylarginine dimethylaminohydrolase 2 gene and inducing dimethylarginine dimethylaminohydrolase 2 expression. These effects may be due to the decreased DNA methyltransferase 1 expression and binding of DNA methyltransferase 1 to the dimethylarginine dimethylaminohydrolase 2 promoter induced by epigallocatechin-3-gallate. This research suggests that modulating the epigenetic processes might be a novel plausible way for treatment of atherosclerosis.
This study aims to examine the effect of superfine powder and aqueous extract of Polygonati Rhizomaon on natural perimenopausal syndrome in rats and explore the underlying mechanism. To be specific, ...a total of 60 female SD rats(14-15 months old) with estrous cycle disorder were screened by the vaginal smear and randomized into model control group, β-estradiol 3-benzoate group(0.1 mg·kg~(-1)), superfine powder of Polygonati Rhizoma group(0.25, 0.5 g·kg~(-1)) and aqueous extract of Polygonati Rhizoma group(0.25, 0.5 g·kg~(-1)), and another 10 female SD rats(14-15 months old) were selected as the youth control group. The administration lasted 6 weeks. Then the perimenopausal syndrome-related indexes such as body temperature, microcirculatory blood flow of face and ear, vertigo period, salivary secretion, grip force, and bone strength were determined and open field test was conducted. The immune system-related indexes such as the wet weight and index of thymus and spleen, percentage of T lymphocytes and subgroups
A cobalt(II) compound, CoII(terpy)2(TCNQ)4·3DMF·0.5H2O (1; terpy=2,2′;6′,2″-terpyridine, TCNQ=7,7′,8,8′-tetracyanoquinodimethane), was found to show incomplete spin-crossover properties in the ...cobalt(II) complex and semiconducting properties in the quasi one-dimensional packed TCNQδ− (0<δ<1) radical anions. Single-crystal structures characterized at different temperatures demonstrated non-integer charge distribution among TCNQ radicals. Moreover, electric conductivity measurements revealed that 1 act as semiconductor at 300K (3.3×10−4Scm−1). The coexistence of spin crossover and electric conductivity in one system will pave the way to study the interactions of such different properties and for the implementation of multifunctional materials.
A bifunctional cobalt(II) compound, CoII(terpy)2(TCNQ)4·3DMF·0.5H2O (terpy=2,2′;6′,2″-terpyridine), shows incomplete spin-crossover properties in the cobalt (II) complex and semiconducting properties in the quasi one-dimensional packed TCNQδ− radical anions. Display omitted
Abstract
New Onset Diabetes after Transplantation (NODAT) is defined as sustained hyperglycemia developing in patients without diabetes history before transplantation. A cohort study was performed to ...access the effects of tacrolimus on insulin secretion and insulin sensitivity and consequently in the development of NODAT in kidney transplant recipients. Then, we further investigated the association between NODAT and single-nucleotide polymorphisms of IRS-1 and IRS-2 in renal allograft recipients. One hundred and fifty-eight kidney transplant patients, receiving tacrolimus as the base immunosuppressant, were divided into two groups: with or without NODAT. Plasma levels of fasting insulin concentration (FINS) and C-peptide were determined by enhanced chemiluminescence immunoassay and ADVIA Centaur C peptide assay, respectively. The genotypes of Gly1057Asp in IRS-2 and Gly972Arg in IRS-1 were detected through polymerase chain reaction fragment length polymorphism in NODAT and non-NODAT patients. It was found that the concentrations of fasting plasma insulin and C-peptide in NODAT and non-NODAT patients treated with tacrolimus were higher than that in healthy volunteers (p < 0.05). Fasting plasma insulin concentration in NODAT was significantly elevated compared with than that in non-NODAT group (p < 0.05). But there are no statistical differences in fasting plasma C-peptide concentrations between NODAT and non-NODAT groups. The allele and genotype frequencies of IRS-2 Gly1057Asp and IRS-1 Gly972Arg in NODAT patients were not significantly different from non-NODAT patients (p > 0.05). In conclusion, insulin resistance is the primary cause of tacrolimus-induced NODAT. The IRS-2 Gly1057Asp and IRS-1 Gly972Arg genotypes are not related to NODAT.
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•Two molecular solids containing Co(NCS)42− dianion were prepared and characterized.•The cations form a dimer through the weak intermolecular C–H⋯π or π⋯π interactions.•Two molecular ...solids show dual functionalities: fluorescence and antiferromagnetic behavior.
The reaction of CoCl2 with the naphthalene methylated triphenylphosphinium bromide n-NAPMeTPPBr (n=1, 2) and KSCN, in a methanolic medium at ambient temperature, leads to the self-assembly formation of hybrid 2:1 organic–inorganic molecular solids, 1-NAPMeTPP2Co(NCS)4(1) and 2-NAPMeTPP2Co(NCS)4(2) (NAPMeTPP+=(naphthylmethylene)(triphenyl)phosphinium), which have been characterized by elemental analyses, IR spectroscopy, UV–Vis spectra, ESI-MS, molar conductivity and single-crystal X-ray diffraction structural analyses. Compound 1 crystallizes in the orthorhombic space group Pna21, while 2 does in the monoclinic space group C2/c. The cations form a dimer through the weak intermolecular C–H⋯π interactions in 1 and π⋯π interaction in 2, while the anion and cation are linked by the C–H⋯S hydrogen bond in 1. Two molecular solids show dual functionalities: (1) the broad fluorescence emission around 400nm in the solid state at room temperature; (2) the weak antiferromagnetic coupling behavior.
The aim of this study was to investigate the overall distribution of pregnancy outcomes in women with elevated second-trimester maternal serum alpha-fetoprotein (MS-AFP), and to determine the risk of ...adverse pregnancy outcomes (APOs) by MS-AFP level.
We retrospectively analyzed the clinical data of 429 women with elevated MS-AFP (≥2.5 multiple of the median (MOM)) and 1555 women with normal MS-AFP (0.5–2.49MOM) from a total of 46,741 prenatally screened singleton pregnant women. The overall distribution of APOs of the two groups, the risk of APOs by MS-AFP level, and the predictive value of elevated MS-AFP to APOs were analyzed.
The incidence rate of APOs in elevated MS-AFP group was significantly higher than that in normal MS-AFP group (42.89 vs. 8.23%). In elevated MS-AFP group, the top three APOs, in term of incidence rate, were structural fetal abnormalities (7.93%), spontaneous abortion (7.46%) and preterm birth (7.23%); regarding to the risk, the top three APOs were stillbirth, spontaneous abortion and early-onset preeclampsia (odds ratio 35.98, 20.81 and 8.58 respectively). For structural fetal abnormalities, MS-AFP had predictive values for fetal open neural tube defects (ONTDs), gastroschisis and multiple malformations.
Elevated MS-AFP is associated with increased risks of APOs. ONTDs complicate merely a small proportion of pregnancies with elevated MS-AFP, and the rest of them have high risks of obstetric complications. MS-AFP can help to identify these women at high risk of APOs in earlier second-trimester.
Photothermal scaffolds can help clear bone tumor cells after resection. In this work, hydroxyapatite-akermanite-Fe3O4 (HA-AK-FE) bioceramic scaffolds were fabricated by infiltrating digital light ...processing (DLP)-printed HA-AK scaffolds in nano-Fe3O4 solution. The prepared HA-AK-FE samples exhibited excellent and controllable photothermal performance under the irradiation of 808 nm near-infrared light. By controlling nano-Fe3O4 concentration, irradiation power and infiltration time, temperature of HA-AK-FE samples could be regulated in a wide range from room temperature to 150 °C within 15 s. Photothermal temperature remained stable after 4 times repeated irradiations. In SBF solution and under subcutaneous tissue, the heating rate and photothermal temperature decreased obviously compared with in air, but they could still meet the needs of killing tumors (41–48 °C). The Fe release concentration of wafers after immersing in SBF for 1 day was 0.037 mg/L and non-venomous. These results confirm the feasibility and controllability of fabricating photothermal scaffolds by coating nano-Fe3O4 with vacuum infiltration, and the prepared HA-AK-FE scaffolds are hopeful to be used in photothermal therapy of bone tumors.
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The ionic nature endows halide perovskites with intrinsic interfacial defects in the formed polycrystalline films, thus imposing the challenge of synchronously passivating these defects with low ...formation energies that directly account for the unsatisfied performance of perovskite solar cells (PSCs). By virtue of the theoretically proven capability of a three to four times enhancement of the formation energy of each defect of Pb‐I antisite (PbI) and iodine vacancy (VI), a new passivation molecule of 1,10‐phenanthrolin‐5‐amine (PAA) is intentionally explored to synchronously passivate the dual defects. The pronounced passivation effect is experimentally verified by the sharp enhancement of the open‐circuit voltage in ternary PSCs from the original 1.118 up to 1.207 V, as well as the construction of PAA‐modified formamidinium lead iodide PSCs with a champion efficiency up to 24.06%, thus providing a universal alternative of addressing interfacial charge carrier dynamics and operational stability of PSCs that are bothered by the multiple interfacial defects.
The present work demonstrates an efficient strategy of synchronously passivating dual defects with low formation energies via terdentate anchoring by the multifunctional molecule of 1,10‐phenanthrolin‐5‐amine, which could serve as an efficient interfacial mediator and consequently boost the power conversion efficiency up to 24.06%.
Peanut allergy affects 1-2% of the world's population. It is dangerous, and usually lifelong, and it greatly decreases the life quality of peanut-allergic individuals and their families. In a word, ...peanut allergy has become a major health concern worldwide. Thirteen peanut allergens are identified, and they are briefly introduced in this paper. Although there is no feasible solution to peanut allergy at present, many methods have shown great promise. This paper reviews methods of reducing peanut allergenicity, including physical methods (heat and pressure, PUV), chemical methods (tannic acid and magnetic beads), and biological methods (conventional breeding, irradiation breeding, genetic engineering, enzymatic treatment, and fermentation).
Asymmetric dimethylarginine (ADMA), an endogenous nitric oxide synthase (NOS) inhibitor, is a key contributor for endothelial dysfunction. Decrease in activity of dimethylarginine ...dimethylaminohydrolase (DDAH), a major hydrolase of ADMA, causes accumulation of ADMA under cardiovascular abnormalities. The study was to determine whether nicotine-induced endothelial dysfunction is related to modulating DDAH/ADMA/NOS pathway. Four-week oral nicotine treatment (5mg/kg/day) significantly increased the plasma level of ADMA and decreased aortic DDAH expression as well as impaired endothelial function in Sprague–Dawley rats. Similarly, the medium levels of both ADMA and lactate dehydrogenase were markedly elevated in umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) treated with nicotine (10μM) for 48h. Nicotine-induced endothelial damages were markedly attenuated by l-arginine or overexpression of DDAH-II. Nicotine greatly downregulated both mRNA and protein levels of DDAH-II, and decreased DDAH activity in HUVECs. HUVECs express α7 nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (α7 nAChR), whose antagonists could block these effects of nicotine mentioned above. Intracellular Ca2+ chelator did not affect nicotine-induced decrease in DDAH-II mRNA level. In conclusion, nicotine modulates DDAH/ADMA/NOS pathway of endothelial cell via activation of α7 nAChR, which may be involved in endothelial dysfunction associated to smoking.
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