In order to assess the role of submarine groundwater discharge (SGD) and its impact on the carbonate system on the northern South China Sea (NSCS) shelf, we measured seawater concentrations of four ...radium isotopes 223,224,226,228Ra along with carbonate system parameters in June–July, 2008. Complementary groundwater sampling was conducted in coastal areas in December 2008 and October 2010 to constrain the groundwater end-members. The distribution of Ra isotopes in the NSCS was largely controlled by the Pearl River plume and coastal upwelling. Long-lived Ra isotopes (228Ra and 226Ra) were enriched in the river plume but low in the offshore surface water and subsurface water/upwelling zone. In contrast, short-lived Ra isotopes (224Ra and 223Ra) were elevated in the subsurface water/upwelling zone as well as in the river plume but depleted in the offshore surface water. In order to quantify SGD, we adopted two independent mathematical approaches. Using a three end-member mixing model with total alkalinity (TAlk) and Ra isotopes, we derived a SGD flux into the NSCS shelf of 2.3–3.7 × 108 m3 day−1. Our second approach involved a simple mass balance of 228Ra and 226Ra and resulted in a first order but consistent SGD flux estimate of 2.2–3.7 × 108 m3 day−1. These fluxes were equivalent to 12–21 % of the Pearl River discharge, but the source of the SGD was mostly recirculated seawater. Despite the relatively small SGD volume flow compared to the river, the associated material fluxes were substantial given their elevated concentrations of dissolved inorganic solutes. In this case, dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) flux through SGD was 153–347 × 109 mol yr−1, or ~23–53 % of the riverine DIC export flux. Our estimates of the groundwater-derived phosphate flux ranged 3–68 × 107 mol yr−1, which may be responsible for new production on the shelf up to 0.3–6.3 mmol C m−2 d−1. This rate of new production would at most consume 11 % of the DIC contribution delivered by SGD. Hence, SGD may play an important role in the carbon balance over the NSCS shelf.
AIMS: The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of Bifidobacterium lactis HY8101 on insulin resistance induced using tumour necrosis factor‐α (TNF‐α) in rat L6 skeletal muscle cells and on ...the KK‐AY mouse noninsulin‐dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM) model. METHODS AND RESULTS: The treatment using HY8101 improved the insulin‐stimulated glucose uptake and translocation of GLUT4 via the insulin signalling pathways AKT and IRS‐1(Tyr) in TNF‐α‐treated L6 cells. HY8101 increased the mRNA levels of GLUT4 and several insulin sensitivity‐related genes (PPAR‐γ) in TNF‐α‐treated L6 cells. In KK‐AY mice, HY8101 decreased fasting insulin and blood glucose and significantly improved insulin tolerance. HY8101 improved diabetes‐induced plasma total cholesterol and triglyceride (TG) levels and increased the muscle glycogen content. We observed concurrent transcriptional changes in the skeletal muscle tissue and the liver. In the skeletal muscle tissue, the glycogen synthesis‐related gene pp‐1 and GLUT4 were up‐regulated in mice receiving HY8101 treatment. In the liver, the hepatic gluconeogenesis‐regulated genes (PCK1 and G6PC) were down‐regulated in mice receiving HY8101 treatment. CONCLUSIONS: Bifidobacterium lactis HY8101 can be used to moderate glucose metabolism, lipid metabolism and insulin sensitivity in mice and in cells. SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY: Bifidobacterium lactis HY8101 might have potential as a probiotic candidate for alleviating metabolic syndromes such as diabetes.
Summary
Background It is generally accepted that the severity of acne is correlated with facial sebum secretion. However, previous studies on the relation between seborrhoea and the development of ...acne did not consider topographical differences in facial sebum secretion and used relatively vague acne severity grading systems.
Objectives To elucidate the relation between topographical variations in facial sebum secretion and the severity of acne in women.
Methods Forty‐six female controls and 46 women with acne were included in this study. The Sebumeter® was used to measure facial sebum secretion in the following facial areas: forehead, nose, chin, and right and left cheek. We counted noninflammatory comedones and inflammatory acne lesions in the same areas. We compared sebum secretion between patients with acne and controls, and analysed the relation between the quantity of sebum secreted and the number of acne lesions.
Results Sebum secretions in the whole face and in the T‐ and U‐zones (areas of high and low sebum secretion, respectively) were higher in patients with acne than in controls. There was no correlation between sebum quantity and acne lesion count in most facial regions.
Conclusions Increased levels of facial sebum secretion were observed in patients with acne. Our findings indicate that increased sebum levels do not directly cause development of acne lesions.
Terrein is a bioactive fungal metabolite whose effects are almost unknown. In this study, we found for the first time that terrein has a strong hypopigmentary effect in a spontaneously immortalized ...mouse melanocyte cell line, Mel-Ab. Treatment of Mel-Ab cells with terrein (10-100 microM) for 4 days significantly reduced melanin levels in a dose-dependent manner. In addition, terrein at the same concentration also reduced tyrosinase activity. We then investigated whether terrein influences the extracellular signal-regulated protein kinase (ERK) pathway and the expression of microphthalmia-associated transcription factor (MITF), which is required for tyrosinase expression. Terrein was found to induce sustained ERK activation and MITF down-regulation, and luciferase assays showed that terrein inhibits MITF promoter activity in a dose-dependent manner. To elucidate the correlation between ERK pathway activation and a decreased MITF transcriptional level, PD98059, a specific inhibitor of the ERK pathway, was applied before terrein treatment and found to abrogate the terrein-induced MITF attenuation. Terrein also reduced the tyrosinase protein level for at least 72 h. These results suggest that terrein reduces melanin synthesis by reducing tyrosinase production via ERK activation, and that this is followed by MITF down-regulation.
Abstract
Analysis description languages are declarative interfaces for HEP data analysis that allow users to avoid writing event loops, simplify code, and enable performance improvements to be ...decoupled from analysis development. One example is FuncADL, inspired by functional programming and developed using Python as a host language. FuncADL borrows concepts from database query languages to isolate the interface from the underlying physical and logical schemas. The same query can be used to select data from different sources and formats and with different execution mechanisms. FuncADL is one of the tools being developed by IRIS-HEP for highly scalable physics analysis for the LHC and HL-LHC. FuncADL is demonstrated by implementing example analysis tasks designed by HSF and IRIS-HEP. Another language example is ADL, which expresses the physics content of an analysis in a standard and unambiguous way, independent of computing frameworks. In ADL, analyses are described in human-readable text files composed of blocks with a keyword-expression structure. Two infrastructures are available to render ADL executable: CutLang, a runtime interpreter written in C++; and adl2tnm, a transpiler converting ADL into C++ or Python code. ADL/CutLang are already used in several physics studies and educational projects, and are adapted for use with LHC Open Data.
Hepatocyte growth factor/scatter factor c-met signaling pathway is of central importance during development as well as in tumorigenesis. Because homozygous null mice for either hgf/sf or c-met die in ...utero, we used Cre/loxP-mediated gene targeting to investigate the function of c-met specifically in the adult liver. Loss of c-met appeared not to be detrimental to hepatocyte function under physiological conditions. Nonetheless, the adaptive responses of the liver to injury were dramatically affected. Mice lacking c-met gene in hepatocytes were hypersensitive to Fas-induced apoptosis. When injected with a low dose of anti-Fas antibody, the majority of these mice died from massive apoptosis and hemorrhagic necrosis, whereas all wild-type mice survived with signs of minor injury. After a challenge with a single necrogenic dose of CCl4, c-met conditional knockout mice exhibited impaired recovery from centrolobular lesions rather than a deficit in hepatocyte proliferation. The delayed healing was associated with a persistent inflammatory reaction, over-production of osteopontin, early and prominent dystrophic calcification, and impaired hepatocyte scattering/migration into diseased areas. These studies provide direct genetic evidence in support of the critical role of c-met in efficient liver regeneration and suggest that disruption of c-met affects primarily hepatocyte survival and tissue remodeling.
Background Various treatments have been attempted for female pattern hair loss (FPHL), including topical minoxidil, oral antiandrogen and finasteride. But, there is no consensus on the standard ...treatment options. Clinical efficacy of finasteride in treating FPHL is still in controversy, but there is a tendency to high dose finasteride, which is more effective than lower dose.
Objectives The purpose of this study was to evaluate the clinical efficacy of high dose (5 mg/day) oral finasteride in normoandrogenic Asian women with FPHL.
Methods Total of 87 normoandrogenic, pre and post‐menopausal women with FPHL were enrolled in this study. They were treated with oral finasteride (Proscar®), 5 mg daily for 12 months.
Efficacy was evaluated with hair density and thickness changes assessed by phototrichogram and global photographs using 7‐point scale.
Results Eighty‐six patients completed 12 months of finasteride treatment schedule. One patient (1.1%) withdrew due to headache. At initial visits, mean hair density was 90 ± 22/cm2 and mean hair thickness was 64 ± 11 μm. After 12 months of finasteride treatment, hair density was significantly increased to 107 ± 23/cm2 (P < 0.001), and hair thickness was also significantly increased to 70 ± 9 μm (P = 0.02). In global photographs, 70 (81.4%) of the 86 patients were improved (57 were slightly, 10 were moderately and four were greatly improved). Patients without any changes were 13 (15.1%) and 3 (3.5%) patients reported slightly aggravated. Four patients (4.6%) reported adverse events (headache, menstrual irregularity, dizziness and increased body hair growth). However, these adverse events were mild and disappeared soon.
Conclusions Oral finasteride, 5 mg/day, may be an effective and safe treatment for normoandrogenic women with FPHL.
Surface and box-cored sediments were collected along the Gaoping (formerly spelled Kaoping) Estuary–Canyon system and analyzed for As and Hg contents and speciation,
210Pb-based sedimentation rates ...and various geochemical parameters to elucidate the mechanisms that control natural and anthropogenic inputs of As and Hg from the Gaoping (Kaoping) River (KPR). The contents of As and Hg in surface sediments ranged from 1.84 to 20.7 mg kg
−
1
and from 0.07 to 2.15 mg kg
−
1
, respectively, in the estuary and canyon. The concentrations generally decreased from the lower river toward the mixing boundary and then increased toward the estuarine mouth, followed by a slight variation in the canyon. Both As and Hg concentrations correlated strongly with clay, total organic carbon (TOC), Al, Fe and Mn contents in estuarine sediments but not necessary the same cases for canyon surface sediments. The factor analysis of surface sediments shows that the first two factors, which account for 75.6% of the variance, may represent major roles of carriers (clay, Al and Fe–Mn oxides) and TOC in controlling As and Hg distributions, respectively. Accordingly, the spatial patterns of the enrichments of As (1.9–16.2) and Hg (1.8–30.8) with reference to the crust levels follow the individual element's distribution patterns, likely because of deposition variability following inputs from the river. The contents of mobile As and Hg correlated substantially with the contents of both metals that were extracted with 0.1 M HCl. In addition to the major pool in the residual fraction (65–87%), As was relatively abundant in Fe–Mn oxides/hydroxides, whereas Hg was abundant in the organic/sulfide fraction. The deposition and accumulation rates of As and Hg in the canyon clearly decreased as the depth of water increased. The depth distributions of both metals are likely controlled primarily by TOC and Fe–Mn oxides associated factors followed by a contribution from anthropogenic pollution. The metal pollution appears to have increased substantially around 1970, following the economic boom in Taiwan, suggesting that modern sediments in the Gaoping (Kaoping) Canyon were derived from the Gaoping (Kaoping) River (KPR).
This study investigates the fluvial and marine burial fluxes of particulate carbon in the source-to-sink system of the mountainous Gaoping (GP) river system to elucidate the efficient transport of ...terrestrial particulate carbon via a submarine canyon in an active margin. The river fluxes of total suspended matter (TSM), particulate organic carbon (POC) and particulate inorganic carbon (PIC) were much higher in the wet season than in the dry season, mainly because of extremely high sediment yield associated with typhoons in the summer. The TSM, POC and PIC were carried mainly in <63μm particles and showed difference in size distribution between the dry and wet seasons for TSM and POC but not for PIC. The river transported around 226GgCyr−1 POC (64% particulate carbon (PC)) and 125GgCyr−1 PIC (36% PC) into the Gaoping coastal sea during the study period. The POC flux accounts for only 0.074−0.164% of the global river flux, but the POC yield (69.2tonCkm−2yr−1) is about one order of magnitude higher than the global average, and may be the second highest among global small mountainous rivers. If integrated over an area of 3045km2 around the Gaoping Canyon with a maximum water depth of 1500m, the mean burial fluxes of total organic carbon (TOC) and inorganic carbon (TIC) were 13.0gCm−2yr−1 and 9.5gCm−2yr−1, respectively. The buried PC comprised ~58% TOC (39.6GgCTOCyr−1) and ~40% TIC (28.9GgCTICyr−1). From the isotopic composition (δ13C) of TOC in the surface sediments, around 62% of the TOC was estimated to be sourced from the river. The diagenetic and benthic flux of dissolved carbon (DIC+DOC) may account for 18.1% of the deposited TOC flux or 12.9% of the deposited total carbon (TOC+TIC) flux. The burial efficiency of terrestrial TOC was therefore estimated to be only 10.9% of the riverine POC input. Despite the lack of direct evidence, the ratio of buried terrestrial TIC to riverine PIC input may be roughly equal to that of terrestrial TOC, as river POC/PIC and sedimentary TOC/TIC ratios did not differ significantly from each other. The low accumulation of terrestrial sediment and particulate carbon suggests that most POC and PIC that were derived from the Gaoping River may have been recycled and/or moved out of the study area. The active margin associated with the canyon appears to act as an efficient conduit for the transfer of terrestrial POC and PIC into the deep ocean.
► We delineate the source-to-sink linkage of particulate carbon in an active margin. ► Annual river fluxes of POC and PIC are critically determined by typhoons in summer. ► High river yield but low burial efficiency of terrestrial particulate carbon (<14.4%). ► Diagenetic and benthic fluxes of DOC and DIC are also fairly low over the margin. ► The canyon appears to facilitate the transport of particulate carbon over the margin.
PDF
